others to track it. that's a big part of it. the other part of it is finding mexico to share the intelligence when we see the in.anyl coming we know it's coming from china. other places but mostly china. we stop them when they come to the port system which is mexico's military, which is just a recent development. so working with those partners stop these as they come into the mexican space. burchett: you said stop the -- go ahead. mr. sobel: we also prioritized fentanyl very much -- now to capitol hill to fulfill our longtime commitment to live gavel-to-gavel house here on c-span. members will begin debate on decriminalizing marijuana on the level. and to ban private ownership of lions and tigers. first, the opening of the session. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2020] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its

caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] the speaker: the house will be in order. the prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. chaplain conroy: let us pray,

loving god we give you thanks for giving us another day. in the waning days of this 116th congress, we ask for your blessing among the members of this people's house and most especially on the leadership, it is on their shoulders that the most important negotiations of this congress have been placed. they have been entrusted by their fellow americans with the awesome privilege and responsibility of sustaining the great experiment of democratic self-government. give them wisdom, crace, insight and courage to forge legislation, especially during these trying times of coronavirus pandemic that allows us all to move toward an encouraging future. may all that is done this day be for your greater glory amen.

the speaker: pursuant to section 4-a of house resolution 967, the journal of the last day's proceedings is approved. the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentleman from south carolina, mr.wilson. mr. wilson: everyone is invited to join in. i 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 .ustice for all.

the speaker: the chair lays before the house a communication. clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, madam, i have the honor to transmit herewith a scanned copy of a letter harvey --or mr. critz chris harvey, indicating that according to the preliminary special election, 2020, the er 1, hall was kwanze elected, state of georgia. signed sincerely, cheryl l. johnson. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentleman from georgia seek recognition? mr. bishop: i ask unanimous

that the honorable hall, no question has been raised with regard to his election. the speaker: wowed. will representative -- without objection. ill representative hall and members of the georgia delegation present themselves in the well? all members will rise. the representative-elect will his right hand. do you solemnly swear that you and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies, and domestic, that you will bear true faith and that youe to the same, take this obligation freely ithout any mental reservation or purpose of evasion and that you will well and faithfully ischarge the duties of the office to which you are about to god., so help you

congratulations, you are now a member of the 116th congress. without objection, the gentleman georgia, mr. bishop, is recognized for one minute. mr. bishop: madam speaker, the s and gentlemen of a use, the honorable kwaunz resident of georgia, went to the institute of echnology, worked for the fulton government, vice president for good works international and he's currently business development at mac tech engineering. 2002 -- he was elected to the atlanta city council, district two, where he served three

terms.tive following the death of our colleague, congressman kwanza qualified to fill the unexpired term of lewis.sman none received the required majority under georgia law. kwanza won the special runoff election. t means that the people of the fifth congressional district of georgia and atlanta will be a voice ed and have during this lame-duck session of as we debate ress and hopefully enact, among other hings, the f.y. 2021 appropriations bill, funding the operations of the federal government, and much-needed relief for america's families, businesses, and our local governments. he's married to fulton county

ommissioner natalie hall, and they have two sons. to ll now yield 90 seconds my colleague from the seventh district of georgia, the rob woodall. mr. woodall: i want to welcome our new colleague to the chamber. isn't usually the way that it is. nothing about the path you took to get here is usually the way is. it but so often on this floor, we talk about giving a voice to the voiceless. and sometimes it seems as if cliche.imple i wonder how many of my colleagues would put in the kind of time and effort that we all re-elected to provide a voice, not for two even for 12 months, ut for the remainder of a cycle. it speaks to the character of mr. hall and it speaks to his districtt to the fifth of georgia that he put himself out there and committed himself

throughout that campaign cycle to be that voice and to make sure that there was went by that the fifth district of georgia could ave been represented but was not. you're joining a certainly seat but joining a special delegation here. on behalf of all the republicans in the georgia delegation account you and welcome you here today -- congratulate you and you here today and i thank my friend for yielding. mr. bishop: madam -- the speaker: the gentleman from georgia. mr. bishop: madam speaker, as georgia delegation, it's my pleasure to present and to elcome to this house and yield 90 seconds to the gentleman from georgia's fifth district, the honorable kwanza hall. hall: madam speaker, to my colleagues from georgia, other

house, i'm n the kwanza hall and i'm so thankful to be here today. july, just before congressman lewis passed away, i had covid. three weeks bout laying flat dealing with it. here.'t know i'd be so when god blessed me with that ime to think about what i'd do next with my life, at the same time congressman lewis had passed away. friend. he was a neighbor. he and my father served in the civil rights movement together. father, leon hall, was in ontgomery at the same time in selma. so i had to think about what was next for me. and god gave me a choice. to do your business or do you want to do my business? answered ped up and the call and he said, i have a mission for you. the mission is to run for that serve district five. we have a lot of things on the plate in front of us, and i just to be a unifier, a person can help get things done.

you, all, for having me. thank you to my mother. who isn't with us. thank you for yielding. you.peaker: thank ok, now. thank you very much, gentlemen from georgia. 5-d, the chair announces that the house, in light of the administration of oath of office to the gentleman from georgia, the nowe number of the house is 431. congratulatio congratulations, mr. hall.

the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. the hat purpose does gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? ms. underwood: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. withoutker pro tempore: objection. ms. underwood: it's been six months since the president signed coronavirus relief legislation. since then the congress passed two comprehensive bills to deliver urgently needed relief. senate republicans and the trump administration need to do the same. are doing linoisans everything they can to be safe and provide for their families. ut this is a once in a century pandemic and no community can weather this alone. we must come together. america's nearing a million new cases a week. families are struggling and uncertain future.

small businesses are closing their doors. hungry. are going if we as a congress do not act now, folks at home will be toughest face their winter yet. without the support they need as uman beings and deserve as americans. our communities are working together to help mitigate the spread of this virus. congress must work together to pass a robust, evidence-based relief package. the american people are doing everything they can. do so, too, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arkansas seek recognition? >> i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute my to revise and extend remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. today to aker, i rise honor the life and legacy of mr. rendal. he was a long time hot springs who was part of world war ii. westerman: he fought in the

acific theater and penetrated deep behind enemy lines. they advanced 720 miles through of the harshest jungle terrain in the world. pon return, each man in the unit was awarded a bronze star. on randall's book "hell land, disaster at sea" described his experience watching the 1943.g of this ship in he was one of a handful of men secrecy een sworn to about the sinking since it was world's first guided missile. mr. randall passed away on 2020, at the age of 97, but before he did, we were able to contact him and his them know that a congressional gold medal will be placed in the smithsonian in his

honor. perhaps there's no better tribute to his life than in the family. his he loved the lord and he loved flag.ited states mr. speaker, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from minnesota seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. craig: mr. speaker, i rise today because covid-19 is american dream across main streets throughout minnesota and this nation. . unfortunately the support we have provided is poised to become a significant tax burden for some business owners due to a misguided interpretation by the treasury department. we cannot allow struggling businesses to be taxed on the aid we provided to them as a lifeline. fortunately, there is a solution in place to rectify this mistake. in may, i joined representatives

fletcher and andy kim to protecting r. 6574, the paycheck protection act which ensure that whose loans re forgiven do not treat the loans as taxable income. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today on behalf of michigan 1st congressional district in memory of a friend, devoted father and husband and dedicated public

servant, senator casperson who passed away on sunday november 29. he served in the michigan legislature for 14 years and fierce advocate of upper peninsula way of wife. he confronted hard issues head on. his unwavering commitments to his family, faith and community is unquestionable. the entire state of michigan is a better place because of him. friends, iendly and do not fear because i am with you, do not be dismayed, i will strengthen you and uphold you ith my righteous right hand. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady from pennsylvania seek recognition? ms. scanlon: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for

one minute and revise and extends my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. scanlon: this week, december's rent and mortgage payments came due for millions of americans marking another gut-wrenching deadline for families making an impossible decision by buying food or keeping a roof over their head. we have asked the senate for months to take up the relief package or the senate to come up with its own covid relief proposal. there has been some movement this week. it is way overdue. my constituents cannot wait any longer as the coronavirus surges yet again in our region i hear from folks who exhaust resources to scrape by but cannot make ends meet. folks like denise, she and her husband lost their jobs and two

kids at home learning virtually and they are faced with the expiration of unemployment benefits. and folks like ann from wayne, a school teacher trying to get a covid test so she can take care of her mother and do are your job but jumped through hoops after hoops because we lack a national testing strategy. our constituents are doing in their families and save face. america is waiting. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from wisconsin seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i want to follow up on the comments from the congressman from the 1st district of michigan. i recognize a good friend and great american, tom casperson. he lived in representative

bergman's district. i knew thomas a state senator when he worked on numerous issues across state lines with me. the good neighbor authority promoting better management of our national forests originated at a hearing tom and i put together in brighting town shp. tom may have had a greater impact on the upper peninsula's issues than anyone who served the upper peninsula. while i knew him as a state senator, he will be remembered for far more than that, including as a man of great faith. i send my deepest sympathies to tom's wife and their family. it has been a great privilege to have known such a fineman. may tom casperson rest in peace. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek

recognition? >> unanimous consent for one minute. in my city of philadelphia, people of color are thrown in ail more than with harsh sentences. mr. evans: can business is one of the fastest growing u.s. industries. federal law keeps businesses of color out of this market. i urge my colleagues to pass the more act. it would decriminalize can business at the federal level. half of all states have decriminalized can business. the jobs bill would create the trust fund which would generate programs to provide services and funds to those negatively impacted. this includes the equitable can business license program that i introduced in the homegrown anth. we need to pass the more act now as the growing can business

industry is important to communities of color. let's pass this jobs bill. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and stepped my remarks. ument the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i rise today to congratulate do you haveal county public school superintendent dr. green. she was named the florida superintendent of the year by the florida association of district school superintendents and we are all incredibly proud of her well deserved recognition. over the last five years including dr. green's leadership, the do you haveal graduation rate increased from 76% to 86%, an amazing accomplishment. she is also helped to improve safety and security within our

schools and fought to secure additional funding for duval county public schools. dr. green is an excellent mentor to educators and students alike. on behalf of the 4th congressional district of florida, i thank dr. green to her commitment to education and working hard to make duval public schools can be a place where students learn, grow and thrive. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> mr. speaker, i rise today on behalf of every american who has lost a loved one because of this paverpb and i rise to those who lost their jobs, i rise to the doctors, nurses and first responders who put themselves at ritching as they try to save

lives. these folks that the enemy is not our neighbors or the political opponents, the enemy is this virus and counting on us to provide relief. we must act urgently to give funding to essential workers and critical services in public safety and education. we must act that small businesses don't shutter their doors laying off the good people who live and work in our communities. the american people should not have to wait any longer. put differences aside and treat this emergency like our lives depend on it, because they do. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: unanimous consent yike -- i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. wilson: congratulations to write brothers, a company on the

front line to secure a coronavirus vaccine. it was announced that wright dose has been selected as a subcontractor by a company to roduce pre-filled dose syringes. the president and c.e. of wright dose have updated a facility that will produce up to 45 mill pion doses a month of the vaccine. that is american ingenuity at our best and our capable work force in south carolina. the wright dose success in operation warp speed led by vice president mike pence is a historic achievement. another donald trump victory which the fake media will destroy. the wright dose is intell gral. in conclusion, god bless our troops and we will never forget september 11 and appreciate the

courage of claudia tinny. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> i rise to honor the memory of a hero in my community who recently passed away of this devastating virus. robert s. flashlock or bob as he was known, was a father, grandfather, husband, brother and friend. he defended our nation in the united states navy and a member of the dial e brave v.f.w. post in bangor, pennsylvania serving as treasurer of the house association. i am fortunate to have known bob and the qualities i can speak to are those that touched the lives of countless people, kindness, humor, compassion.

the tributes that have powered in reflect the world of difference that he made. at this extraordinarily difficult time for bob's family and many friends, i extend my deepest condolences. on behalf of the grateful community, it is my honor to pay tribute to bob for his service as an active duty service member and as a proud veteran to the country he loved. his spirit will endure. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does north carolina seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentleman is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker, i would like to call attention to the only bill subject to a rule subject to a rule. the marijuana reinvestment and expungement act. millions of americans are unapplied due to this pandemic

wondering how to make ends meet and thousands are dying each day from the covid virus. instead of working to provide relief to americans, our democratic majority wants to convene this body to vote on pot legislation. this is simply unbelievable. the republican senate has voted multiple times on targeted relief but senate democrats have blocked that effort. we agree that more p.p.e. funds are needed and available. we agree that the unemployment benefits should be extended. we agree that our health care workers need additional funding. we need to prioritize the needs the american people not cheech and chong. this is wrong and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired.

for what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition? >> i request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the united states, the promise of the development of a vaccine has allowed americans to remain optimistic in the midst of tragedy. now after months of sacrifice the coronavirus vaccine has been found. this accomplishment would not have been possible without the hard work of scientists working around the world and the support by the tremendous speed of government innovation known as operation warp speed. now following the discovery of the vaccine, we must focus on the production and distribution to the american people and those across the globe.

public officials are optimistic that distribution of the vaccine could begin in a matter of weeks. a passive jump forward in the process to rid the world of this dangerous virus. this production of millions of doseages of vaccine will not happen overnight, but thanks to operation warp speed and the trump administration it will reach to millions of americans and saving lives. thank you who helped advance this extraordinary accomplishment. and i yield back. . mr. carter: i recognize billy away.ssed he grew up picking tobacco on farm.mily he was born with a robust entrepreneurial spirit which from managing a

successful fruit stand as well as many other businesses all the owning and operating the chrysler-dodge dealership in 1965. e served as vice president in the board and an avid supporter in wayne county. was a 12-year host of the ay for wayne, an event at his farm, which is a great event, held in support of wayne county. it's truly enjoyed by many every year and something i'll -- i've always looked forward to. of his his -- because prominence in his community, to overpass ghway 169 willing dedicated in his name. my deepest thoughts and prayers wife, to his family, his ell, five daughters, 16 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and two more on the way. you, mr. speaker, and i back. the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. >> for months, democrats have used an unconstitutional scheme vote from mbers to home. mr. mccarthy: they call it proxy voting. it is -- exactly what shadow voting. away from re turning their responsibility to their constituents. staying home and handing heir voting card to nancy pelosi. they're handing over their voting card and not coming to work. but why? what's so important that they can't show up? you know what we found? they wanted to attend a space launch that never took off. r they want to hang out on

their boat. do we -- who knows what else they have done? they don't have to show up to vote because, guess what, someone else will do it for them. we renamed congress the french laundry, they might all here.p this has been going on for months, and democrats have worked overtime to hide it from people.ican 4,836 e, there has been votes cast in this body by who weren't even here. think about that. votes cast in this body by here.s who weren't even over a dozen lawmakers have given their vote to nancy pelosi on every single bill since this place.was in

last night, the number was over 1/3 of the , nearly entire conference of the democratic party did not show up work. i promise you, each and every ne of them will get their paycheck. americans are working hard to businesses open, to keep food on table and their kids in school. representative who will show up for the job, the job they said they would do, people to y asked vote for them so they would come to washington to give their to give congress, not it to nancy pelosi. this is embarrassing. which this week is only about cannabis when it should be about covid. one moment of what we're going to do in this body in the history of what's this floor.

civil rights. we'll stion of whether enter world war i or ii, the whether every man or woman is equal. those are the things that were floor and they were debated during times of need. what's of need to the american public? we ll know the challenges face before us. 40 times on this floor the democrats have said no. house, speaker of the mr. speaker, said we would not leave this body until we voted relief. you had 40 times to do it and every time you said no. 4,836 times a member didn't even show to cast a vote. paid.till got what about all those businesses that are shut down now permanently? more than $130 billion go to the workers for

sma small businesses. 3 democrats on the other side, mr. speaker, signed a letter in september and said if we do not bill, we willlief sign that discharge petition. and what does that do for the american public? it goes around the speaker of the house so the voice could ctually come to the floor and the bill could be here and voted upon. and they said they would sign it happened. will be if their word kept. because i look at the book. it hasn't. said weker of the house would not leave unless we had relief. but they call us back. what do they call us back for? a post office. well, republicans put up covid floor that day, but democrats said no. they call us back this week when people are hurting, people are their jobs.

maybe that's why 1/3 of the don't show. because they don't want to show their face to their constituents they'll do y thing on the floor this week is vote about cats and cannabis. and you know it. it.ybody no this body knows it's despicable. if democrats want to waste the thiscan people's time with ridiculous bill, they'll need to show up to do it. party to s won't be a this unconstitutional, un-democratic mess any longer. mr. speaker, i yield back. for peaker pro tempore: what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. speaker.you, mr.

i will tell you that i sat here nd listened to some of the one-minutes from my friends across the aisle and they're talking about the need for covid relief. apparently, to get covid relief to have cannabis, you ot to have pot, that's the democrats' version of covid they don't week, but feel like they all need to be here to deal with this issue, so they're going to mail it in, they'll phone in their votes, frankly, in a most disturbing and unconstitutional manner. biggs: we can be here. here.hould be if this meant everything they up.it does, they'd show they would show up and vote. e would have committee hearings, for pete's sakes. we'd have committee hearings discuss and debate.

we'd have floor debates with rules. and you know what, people would show up. ith that i yield back, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. speaker.r, the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? speaker, i move that the house do now adjourn. he speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor signify by saying aye. those opposed, no. the noes have it. biggs: mr. speaker, i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: house t to section 3 of resolution 965, the yeas and nays are ordered. members will record their votes by electronic device. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.]

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? speaker, as the member esignated by mr. grijalva of arizona, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that mr. grijalva will vote no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition? mr. lynch: good afternoon, mr. speaker. by the ember designated honorable mr. james langevin of rhode island, pursuant to house 965, i inform the house that mr. langevin will

to adjournthe motion offered by representative biggs. you. the speaker pro tempore: for does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? as the member designated by mr. sires, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. sires will vote no on the motion adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? jeffries: as the member

designated by chairwoman zoe lofgren, pursuant to house i inform the , house that ms. lofgren will vote no on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by chairman jerry nadler, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that chairman nadler will vote no on the motion to adjourn. .

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from illinois seek recognition? >> as the member designated by congressman schneider, i inform

the house that mr. schneider will vote no on the motion to adjourn. mr. tonko: as the member designated by representative lowey pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that mrs. lowey will vote no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. doyle of pennsylvania, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that mr. doyle will vote no on the biggs' motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition mr. correa: as the member signated by mrs. napolitano, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that mrs. napolitano will vote no on the motion to a journ. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady connecticut seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. wilson, purn to h.res. 965, i inform the house that ms. wilson will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

>> as the member designated by ms. pressley of massachusetts, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that ms. pressley will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

>> as the member designated by dr. bera, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house dr. bera votes no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? mr. jeffries: as the member designated by chairwoman eddie bernice johnson, pursuant to h.res. 965, chairwoman johnson will vote no. as the member designated by congressman serrano, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house vote know.rrano will as the member designated by congressman boyle, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house

on mr. boyle will vote no the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? >> as the member designated by representative carson, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. carson will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady michigan seek recognition? mrs. dingell: as the member designated by -- pursuant to

. res. 965 as as the member designated by miskaptur of ohio, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house on ms. kaptur will vote no the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from tennessee seek recognition? mr. cooper: as the member designated by mr. costa, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that mr. costa will vote no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does gentlelady california seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. deep sean iowa, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that mr. desaulnier will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. gina titus of nevada, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house ms. titus will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for

what purpose does the gentlewoman from new hampshire seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. pingree, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that ms. pingree will vote nay on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by ms. lee, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that ms. lee will vote nay on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by mr. 965,dy, pursuant to h.res. i inform the house mr. kennedy will vote nay on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by ms. i pursuant to h.res. 965, inform the house ms. meng will vote nay on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new jersey seek recognition? mr. pallone: mr. speaker, as the member designated by by mrs. bonnie watson coleman, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mrs. watson coleman will vote no on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by mr. bill pascrell, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the pascrell will vote no on the motion to adjourn. mr. speaker, as the member designated by ms. sherrill, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that ms.

sherrill will vote no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from texas seek recognition? ms. garcia: mr. speaker, as the member designated by ms. escobar of texas, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that ms. escobar will vote no on the motion to adjourn. mr. speaker, as the member designated by ms. roybal-allard of california, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the that miss roybal-allard will vote no on the motion to adjourn. thank you, mr. speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from massachusetts eek recognition? ms. clark: mr. speaker, as the member designated by ms. frankel, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that ms. frankel will vote no on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by miss bonna beachy, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the that ms. bonamici will vote no on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by ms. brownley, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the use that ms. brownley will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition? mr. kildee: mr. speaker, as the member designated by mr. thompson of california, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. thompson will vote no on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by mr. peters of california, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. peters will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts -- mr. mcgovern: as the member designated by mr. welch of vermont, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. weapon shall will vote no on the motion to adjourn. resolved, that upon adoption of

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlelady rom kansas seek recognition? ms. davids: i inform that the house that mr. kim will vote nay

on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from pennsylvania seek recognition? ms. scanlon: as the member designated by ms. speier, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that ms. speier will vote no on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by ms.

dean, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the will vote no. dean n the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from washington seek recognition? >> as the member designated by by dr. schreyer, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that dr. schreyer will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? mrs. demings: as the member designated by mr. lawson, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. lawson will vote nay on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by by ms. castor, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the vote that ms. castor will ay on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> as the member designated by by mrs. kirkpatrick, pursuant to

house resolution 965, i inform the house that mrs. kirkpatrick will vote no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from illinois seek recognition? >> as the member designated by by mr. rush, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. rush will vote nay on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? ms. wasserman schultz: as the member designated by mr. payne of new jersey, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house mr. payne will vote nay on the motion to adjourn. mr. speaker, as the member designated by by mr. hastings of

florida, pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. hastings will vote nay on the motion to adjourn. and, mr. speaker, as the member designated by misses mucarsel-powell pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that ms. mucarsel-powell will vote nay on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from north carolina seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. price of north carolina pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house mr. price will vote no, he will vote no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. sherman: as the member designated by mr. garamendi, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house mr. garamendi will

vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maine seek recognition? >> as the member designated by r. lamb, pursuant to h.res.

65, mr. lamb will vote no on the motion to adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from seek recognition? mr. beyer: as the member designated by ms. moore of wisconsin, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house will vote. as the member designated by mr. cohen, pursuant to h.res. 965, mr. cohen will vote no. as the member designated by mr. lowenthal of california, pursuant to h.res. 965, mr. lowenthal will vote no. as the member designated by ms. bar began of california, ms. bar to h.res. 965, began will vote no. as the member designated by mr. lieu of california, pursuant to will vote mr. lieu no on the motion to ajourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. raskin: as the member designated by ms. jayapal, pursuant to house resolution 965, sfouse ms. jayapal will vote no. as the member designated by mr. pocan of wisconsin, pursuant to house resolution 965, mr. pocan will vote know on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by mr. doggett, pursuant to house resolution 965, mr. doggett will

vote no. as the member designated by mr. pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that mr. mcnerney will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? >> as the member designated by mr. deutch of florida, pursuant to h.res. 965, i inform the house that mr. deutch will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from virginia seek recognition? >> zegged ms. porter pursuant to house resolution 965, i inform the house that ms. porter will vote no on the motion to adjourn. as the member designated by mr. mceachin, pursuant to house resolution 965, mr. mceachin will vote no on the motion to adjourn.

the speaker pro tempore: on this vote, the yeas are 5, the nays are 220. and the motion is not adopted. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition? mr. mcgovern: by direction of

the committee on rules, i call up house resolution 1244 and ask tore its immediate consideration. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the resolution. the clerk: house calendar number 98, house resolution 1244 resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h.r. 3884, to decriminalize and deschedule cannabis, to provide for reinvestment in certain persons adversely impacted by the war on drugs, to provide for expungement of certain cannabis offenses, and for other purposes. all points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. n lieu of the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on the judiciary now printed in the bill, an amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules committee print 11667, modified by the amendment printed in the report of the committee on rules accompanying this resolution, shall be considered as adopted. the bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. all points of order against

provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on the judiciary, and two, one motion to recommit with or without nstructions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for one hour. mr. mcgovern: for the purposes of debate only i yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. woodal, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. during consideration of the resolution, all time yielded is for the purposes of debate only. i ask unanimous consent that all members be given five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without

objection. mr. mcgovern: before i begin i feel like i have to respond to the meltdown that occurred right before the vote on the republican side. as the distinguished minority leader knows, house democrats have sent two major coronavirus relief bills over to the senate. sadly those bills have been gathering dust on mitch mcconnell's desk and refused to schedule a debate and vote on those bills. ut today at 12:45, we find out that leader mcconnell and speaker pelosi have spoken about their shared commitment to completing an omnibus and covid relief package as soon as possible. i take that as good news. we can walk and chew gum at the same time in this democraticically controlled house of representatives. that means we need to deal with not only passing an omnibus bill and covid relief bill we have

other work that needs to be done as well. . . i find it curious that the bill the minority leader rejected to is a bill that deals with the unequal enforcement of our drug laws. where people are treated differently and more negatively because of the color of their skin. really? my distinguished republican friend did not object to any of the bills we are bringing up today sponsored by republicans. five different bills. but he chose to object to a bill that is addressing the issue of racial justice. i guess i shouldn't be surprised because it is consistent with the attitudes that come out of this white house. it also makes clear to me that the republican party is no lominger the party of lincoln -- longer the party of lincoln. it is the party of some of the most intolerant voices on the right wing and those who dabble in conspiracy theories. it really is sad. the republicans made a motion

that the house do now adjourn to highlight the fact that we are able to vote remotely in this chamber in the midst of a pandemic. the leader said that nearly a third of the democratic caucus didn't vote yesterday. which, by the way, they did. because we do have responsible voting rules in place in the middle of this pandemic. but then, get this, everybody, but then right after saying that, 95% of the republican conference didn't even show up to vote. i mean you can't make this stuff up. they didn't vote in person. they didn't vote remotely. nothing. i don't -- maybe i'm missing something here, but i don't think this strategy was very well thought through. the distinguished minority leader is puzzled why we have passed rules that allow people to vote remotely during this pandemic. i have a news flash for him.

close to 275,000 people are dead . we have colleagues, both democratic colleagues and republican colleagues, who have been infected by this virus. and while many republicans are rushing to attend maskless super spreader christmas parties at the white house, we in the democratic majority are following the guidelines by the attending physician in the pitol, the c.d.c., by doctor fauci, by every reputable medical expert in the world. operating remotely during a pandemic i want to tell my friend is not radical. it's not unique. it's not unprecedented or lazy. it's responsible. it's constitutional. the supreme court is working remotely. as are legislatures around the country and around the world.

we are doing this because it is convenient, mr. speaker. we are doing it because it is necessary -- we aren't doing this because it is convenient, mr. speaker. we are doing it because it is necessary. we are doing it because we want to save lives. we invite our o republican colleagues to join us, to be responsible. and to understand why these rules are so incredibly important. maybe set an example for others in this country, especially those who operate at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. mr. speaker, on wednesday the rules committee met and reported a rule, house resolution 1244, providing for the consideration of h.r. 3884, the marijuana opportunity reinvestment and expungement act under a closed rule. the rule provides one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member of the committee on the judiciary. it self-executes a manager's amendment by chairman nadler, and provides for one motion to

recommit with or without instructions. mr. speaker, we are here today to continue our effort to reform our nation's failed approach to the war on drugs. to put racial justice at the heart of our nation's federal nny bus -- canny bass -- can buspolicy. this is what the public has demanded for so long. that congress address the probing general status quo that allows the color of someone's skin to dictate the epercussions of their actions. this is hyperbole. cannabis accounts for almost half of drug arrests. most are arrested for possessing small amounts not for selling or manufacturing anything. that's bad enough. but today in america, you are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis if you're black. communities of color use

cannabis at roughly the same white as their white counterparts, but if you look like me, mr. speaker, you are far less likely to face the same penalties. i'm not ok with that and nobody should be. i'm not ok with the system that treats those who have been convicted of minor cannabis offenses like there is some kind of drug kingpin. i'm not ok o with a system that sends people to prison for cannabis related offenses even in states where recreational cannabis use has been legalized. to do nothing about this is intolerable. and to pretend like this is a problem for communities of color to solve alone is inexcusable. america's failed war on drugs helped create this object problem. it will take a national holistic approach to resolve it. h.r. 3884 represents a major step forward. it complements other bipartisan criminal justice reform bills

passed in this congress, and in the 115th congress. this underlying bill removes cannabis from the controlled substances act, decriminalizing it at the federal level so states can set their own laws. it also puts a process in place to exsuspension prior convictions made in federal courts and establishes services to help those convicted of cannabis related crimes whose lives have been harmed by the war on drugs because no lives should be destroyed by this failedpolicy. finally, this bill also makes small business administration funding available for legitimate cannabis related businesses while helping ensure people of color can participate in this thriving industry. this is what beginning to reverse the failed war on drugs looks like, mr. speaker. it is a testament to all those who have fought for a fresh and more effective approach year after year after year.

i have worked side by side with many of them in this effort since i was first elected to congress back in 1996. for so long we were told the same thing, we were told to wait. to wait. to wait. cannabis related amendments couldn't even get a fair fight on this floor under the prior republican congresses. not a single one was ever made in order in the 112th, 113th, 114th congresses. not one. couldn't bring no bill to the floor related to cannabis. the only one made in order last congress was an amendment eradicate illegal grow operations on the national forest system land. congress has stood idly by for too long as communities of color in particular were being torn apart. this majority, mr. speaker, is committed to doing something about it. the house has debated more amendments on cannabis policy last year than it did during the -- my entire 20 years in congress.

and now we are moving forward with the most sweeping reform -- one of the most sweeping reforms in generations. this is what a more responsive congress looks like. some, particularly on the other side, have wondered why are we moving forward with these reforms now? we must soon fund the government -- we must soon fund the government for the next fiscal year and pass the annual defense bill. we are also trying to product the senate to get serious about a true covid relief bill. again as i said earlier, we have a little hopeful news based on the conversation between the speaker and the senate majority leader. we have a lot to do in the waning days of this congress, i get that. but the answer is simple, this is not an either-or proposition. congress, as i said before, can walk and chew gum at the same time. a recent survey found nearly 60% of americans support this underlying bill. that includes a majority of both democrats and republicans.

the facts are clear anti-public wants congress to act. the question is, what are we going to do about it? i think it is time for to us take a stand, to stand for restorative justice, to stand for racial justice, to stand for criminal justice reform, and to stand with the majority of americans demanding reforms to our nation's cannabis policy w that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. woodall: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. appreciate my friend from massachusetts yielding me the customary 30 minutes. mr. speaker, this may well be the last rule i do down here on the floor of the house, and i was sad when susan was reading from the rule because i've gotten to do some humdingers of rules down here. we have done some serious legislating in the 10 years i have been in congress. we have done some serious rule making in the two years that mr. mcgovern has been chairman of the rules committee. you can always tell when we have been burning the midnight oil in

the rules committee because the rule will take a good seven, eight, nine minutes to read here on the floor of the house. why? because getting good legislation done is a complicated, difficult thing to do. it involves a lot of give and take. it involves a lot of voices at the table. and it involves a lot of time in the rules committee to make that happen. mr. speaker, we are down here today surrounded by pure rell wipes and hand sanitizer and social distancing, and we are not here to talk about that covid package that my friend from massachusetts referenced. we are here to, sadly, participate in what has become a theme in this congress, and that is folks will have the germ of a wonderful idea on the democratic side of the aisle. they will nurture that idea in

their democratic caucus. they will put together all of the parts of that idea they believe need to come together in their democratic caucus. and then we will come to the house floor and we will pass that idea with democratic votes, and then we will be vexed, truly vexed about why that idea goes to the united states senate and dies. i say truly vexed, mr. speaker. i have been here a long time. we have seen this happen in leadership of both parties. when you put together an idea all by yourself, when you don't take the time to get all the voices in the room together, when you don't take the time to build the strategic partnerships, good ideas do die. sometimes it's on the way to the other chamber. sometimes it's in conference. sometimes it's on the president's desk. we had numerous amendments

offered to this bill, none that the manager's amendment were made in order. we had republican advocates for many of the provisions in this bill speak of the opportunity to do something together, but that those opportunities were missed along the road in the judiciary committee. i take my friend from massachusetts' commencomments to heart when he is so -- comments to heart when he is so enthusiastic by a conversation our speaker has had and the majority leader in the senate. i, too, am excited about that. talking about what we have done all by ourselves in a partisan way doesn't lead to positive outcomes for my constituency. our leadership in the democratically led house, getting together with the leadership in the senate, the republican-led senate, that kind of bipartisan partnership does lead to good outcomes for our constituents back home. i'm hopeful that we will be able to see that come to fruition.

today, however, we do not have the covid package, we have the marijuana opportunity reinvestment and expungement act. mr. speaker, i have long said that we needed to have a bill like this on the floor of the house. my friend from massachusetts tells me we have debated more marijuana amendments in the past two years than we have in the past 20 years. i take him at his word that's true. i don't think this is a topic that we have not been spending enough time on. i think it's a topic that has received more than its fair share of attention in this congress. the racial equities that my friend talks about deserve better than to be part of a partisan package that goes nowhere. the generational disparities that my friend from massachusetts talks about deserve better than to be part a package that has been

cobbled together for the floor rather than built together for the president's desk. i agree with absolutely every heartfelt comment my friend from massachusetts shared. from the time being now to the opportunities that have been wasted, to the inability to have these discussions when we need to, and the ability that we have had recently to have them more. so to have all of that truth there, to be wasted on a december 3 package that will not be moving anywhere, i would say to my friend i believe hurts me as much as i know it will hurt him, he does not go through ese efforts to simply be a part of the motion, he goes through these efforts because he believes in the goal.

i regret that this appears to be another messaging exercise in front of us today. . ndaa, mr. speaker, national defense authorization act, a bill we have come together as republicans, democrats to speak voice on for over 60 years, still hangs out there, to be done this year. funding of the federal government, not just because of items but lth care because of those more mundane tems, from transportation to education to our veterans, all f those dollars need to be provided. re-authorization of program after program, like the united guard, for example. priority iority after after priority that this house to accomplish, not in a partisan way, but in a nified way that can move through to the united states senate and onto the president's desk. these we'll get to

priorities, but it's not without some frustration i find myself n the floor here, again, talking about bills that will not be on their way to the president's desk. find myself talking in a disappointed tone with my friend from massachusetts about opportunities that we have to families, erence for but opportunities that are going o be missed because of the way we've crafted it. with that, mr. speaker, i urge y colleagues to defeat this ule and give us a chance to do better. in the absence of that, will have an opportunity to defeat and bring s question up some of those covid packages that can make a difference for our friends back home. reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i'm yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, a distinguished member of the rules committee, ms. scanlon. the peaker pro tempore: gentlewoman from massachusetts is recognized for two minutes.

pennsylvania. you.canlon: thank like my colleague, the distinguished member of the rules committee from georgia, i, renewed interest in both houses in passing covid sooner rather than later -- yields fruit sooner later.than i have been advised the senate's priority this afternoon, once another confirming conservative judge. hold out oth have to hope. i am pleased to rise in support underlying and the legislation, the more act. mr. speaker, it becomes clear by day the time is overdue to marijuana policy into the 21st century. the current policy has failed our youth, failed to stem more usage and most notably, has failed communities of color across the united states. because when it comes to marijuana, there are two justice systems in the united states. understanding

system, mostly available to white americans, and the forgiving system, primarily enforced against black and brown americans. justice.t this is not who we must be as a nation. thousands of people, mostly black and brown men, remain incarcerated, while a growing number of states, pennsylvania, have decriminalized and legalized from medicinal and recreational use. the question is no longer we're world if we will legalize cannabis. states across the country are and ng the way demonstrating how to safely, responsibly and effectively for medicinal is and recreational use. will remove marijuana from the controlled it tances act and apply retroactively to convictions. it will require the federal prior to expunge convictions and have

hearings for those under supervision. the more act will not fix all of injustices caused by the obsolete and the ineffective but aches towards cannabis it's a good and long overdue start. i urge all of my colleagues to and side with ce common sense to support this rule and the underlying legislation. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. woodall: mr. speaker, it's to yield to one of our former colleagues on the house budget committee, the leader of the the house side of rules committee, mr. cole. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for as time as he may consume. mr. cole: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i want to thank my good friend yielding.ia for come down to it' this floor it's to debate the rule and to disagree with the legislation, in many cases, and

true.st that's i'm opposed to the rule and pposed to the underlying legislation. the real purpose, mr. speaker, i'm here today is something that referred from georgia to all too fleetingly in his opening comments and that's this his last appearance managing the rule on the floor of the house. ow, i had the good fortune to serve in congress throughout my friend's distinguished 10-year career. said, on the he budget committee together. we had an opportunity to serve n both the majority and minori minority on the rules committee together. was proud to be part of the republican study committee, tenure as s his chairman. i will say something that chairman omething my friend will go pursue, i'm sure successfully, things. we regret it because rob woodall has been throughout his 10 years member's member, a person who

i never heard say one ill word on either side even igorously disagreeing that person. a person we are proud with which conducted his office and discharged his duties. someone i think everyone on the rules committee, not only likes admires, but considers an invaluable part of the rules committee. make his manages to points and bring out the best in our committee and, again, do so that is always civil, that is always appropriate, and, quite often humerus and diffuses difficult situations. in the d more members united states house of representatives like rob better we would be a body than we are. and i think both sides would that.on he knows how to conduct debate and argument. process.the he knows how to make things through, work through the process in a civil manner.

seen him do it in the majority. i've seen him do it in the minority. have been prouder of him and the service he's rendered to this institution. frankly, sorrier about losing a colleague who i and has contributed each every day. rob was the chief of staff before he came here to one of predecessors, john, who was also a member of the rules committee. so he came to this committee understanding how it worked. much like the chairman, who had a similar career pattern working as a staffer, then coming on and now obviously the preeminent position on the committee as our chairman. of members work through this process as well just as i have, and i suspect he alues my friend even though he's on the other side, as deeply as i do. for the want to say record, rob, we are going to miss you. we're going to miss you on the more tee, but much importantly, this institution is going to miss you. your oing to miss

civility, it's going to miss your decency, your industry, the manner inmiss which you represent all of us, to your constituents and, this y, when you speak on floor, to the people of the united states of america. you have ever reason to be proud that you've built ere in the 10 years -- well, you could never be as proud of your career as all of us are of you nd the manner in which conducted yourself. so my friend, this may be the ast rule, although i got to tell you, if i could sneak you in one more time i would. it's like we're losing, i think, pitcher. if i can find one more game to tick him in, believe me, i will. i just want to tell you how much i admire you, how much i like your ow much i revere career, how much i will miss you as a member and a friend. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. he gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. i want to n: so associate myself with the remarks of the distinguished mr. cole.mber, we are going to miss you, rob, may be my final opportunity to be able to yield rules debate.a the end of congress is obviously approaching, and you have decided to retire from very ss after a distinguished career. hours, spent countless not only up in the rules committee, but together on this contentious g many issues. fromy distinguished friend georgia is always very focused, is always right on is really quite impressive. every once in a while my mother and es these proceedings she says, that woodall guy, he's a very good debater.

i say, what about me? do you have anything nice to say about your son? line is, you now, i've had some of my best fights with you, and we have disagreed on a lot of issues but being disagreed without disagreeable. and the rules committee has to deal with a lot of contentious issues. we have dealt with our share of ontentious issues in this last congress. but i have really taken great comfort and great inspiration by the example of you, mr. woodall, mr. cole, and others who have -- incredible nd the nature and the incredible majesty of this institution that serve in. and so even amongst these ontentious debates, you have never, ever, you know, drawn us down. been, you know, in a way that's respectful and

your convictions and your beliefs. we have been together early in the morning. we've been together in the late atf the afternoon, night. we meet a lot in the rules but mr. woodall's good nature and his sense of humor, whether it's intentional unintentional, makes it a little bit more interesting. say, makes it a lot more fun. and so i want to take this for theity to thank you many years of distinguished decade both your near service as a member of congress nd before that as, mr. cole pointed out, your service congressman john lindor who was also on the rules committee. you brought with some incredible people. see your long time rules taffer jana, on the floor today. here to honor your service as ell as the others who are here today. and i -- you know, i want to thank her for all of her work in

rules committee as well over these years. i always think it's really hard work a staff member and for us in the rules committee because you have to listen to us go on forever and ever and ever. et me close with this and that is, you know, i think, you know, from different parts of the country and we have view onferent points of our politics. but to me politics should be bout conviction, not just -- not about political opportunism r flip-flopping with whatever way the prevailing winds are going. i always admired about you is hat you feel strongly about what you believe in. you know what you believe in, and you fight for your whether it's popular or not popular. nd i agree with mr. cole when he said, you know, this institution would be better if we had more members like you. to say thank you

you know -- i hope you come by the rules committee next when you come -- back to washington and maybe if get lost and i'm in georgia, i'll stop by your farm. reminisce.e can but in any event, with that, mr. peaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from texas, ms. jackson lee. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from texas is recognized for two minutes. i thank the ee: gentleman from massachusetts. as chair of the rules committee. and i collectively thank the for its diligent work on the more act and that is h.r. 3884. et me, as well, thank jerry nadler, chairman of the judiciary, for his great work nd, of course, two outstanding members, barbara lee and earl blumenauer for their persistent determination. a s morning i spoke to representative of the law enforcement community, and i indicated to him that we were

forward on e decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level. federally the criminalization of marijuana and cannabis. caughted it -- indicated it was not to undermine law enforcement but -- and not to promote drug use but essence bring about justice and to provide for the right roadway for what over a majority of americans, want.icans and democrats, it's an important legislative initiative. it provides a vehicle of sales a vehicle that allows businesses in the marijuana able to bank legally. it provides for reinvestment opportunity grant program, and, as well, an governed by rogram federal courts. it ensures that there are no 21.s made to those under it deals with substance abuse. his is a real step forward in bringing america together, and i know that my colleagues tomorrow on the floor of the house will

that is what we are doing. as many people know, the states decriminalized can continue. those who have not can continue their laws as well. ask my colleagues to support h.r. 3884 when it comes to the floor. do it in unity. i do want -- i, too, want to take the opportunity very mr. woodall. i think we've seen each other uite frequently either on this floor, in the rules debate or in the rules committee. generosity and cordialness of their persistent challenging each and every one of us who came to make our case. . that's all we can do as americans and representatives to make oiler case. -- make our case. i wanted to make sure you knew that we appreciate, texans appreciate your great leadership. georgia and texans have a great relationship. congratulations to you.

with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. woodall: at this time i'd like to yield four minutes to a member of the judiciary committee and the rules committee, the gentlelady from arizona, mrs. lesko. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from arizona is recognized for four minutes. mrs. lesko: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. woodall. first, before i talk about the bill at hand i want to say just what an honor it has been serving with you on rules committee, rob. i didn't know mr. woodall before i served on rules committee with him. and i found him to be very witty. a very good debater as well. and you do it in such a nice way. you really, like, win the debates, but you do it with a smile and you do it very friendly, in a friendway way -- friendly way.

and i really appreciate the way you conduct yourself and how you actually win arguments, but you are very friendly about it. i don't know what your future holds, but i wish you-all of the best. you are extremely talented, and it really is an honor to serve with you. mr. speaker, let me talk about the bill. i find it crazy, quite frankly, that the american people and small businesses are hurting because of the covid crisis, and they need covid relief, and we are not concentrating on a bipartisan covid relief stimulus package right now that will actually be signed into law. i find it just incredulous that instead my democratic colleagues are focusing on legalizing arijuana nationwide. sometimes i think that the world

is turned upside-down. when you have a state, i think it's oregon, that bans plastic andws but legalizes cocaine heroin. it just is insane to me. and i think to a majority of my constituents, whether they be republican, independent, or democrat, quite frankly. and the thing that is interesting to me is i sit on rules committee and judiciary ommittee and on a lot of these tobacco bills that the democrats have been promoting it says, ok, we don't want flavored tobacco, but yet, on marijuana, they don't seem to care about that. they don't care in this bill there's nothing about we shouldn't have flavored edibles or candies or brownies that are -- would be enticing to children

. as far as i know that's not in this bill at all. yet we want to ban that with tobacco. this makes absolutely no sense to me. and no sense, i think, to the american public. and at a time when parents are trying to get their children back into school with an in-person option because their children are falling so far behind because of the lockdowns of schools, here we are with a bill that will make it easier for these same children to get marijuana products. i'm sorry, i just don't get it. i don't understand the motivation. i absolutely opposed to this bill. with that i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the georgia reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgotsche: if i could respond to my good -- mr. mcgovern: if i could respond to my good friend from arizona. i'm not sure if she was on the

floor earlier when i announced finally mitch mcconnell seems willing to want to negotiate a deal. not only on an omnibus bill but he seems to be interested in talking about how we can get a covid relief bill. this notwithstanding the fact for the last over six months he has held everything up. we have actually sent two major covid relief bills over to the senate. i'm hopeful. i'm going to try to be hopeful that in fact this is for real. i'd also say that the focus of this bill is on our unfair, unequal, and racist drug laws. as i said in my opening statement, if people want to know what systemic racism is, look at how our drug laws are nforced in this country. if you look like me and were

caught with a small amount of cannabis, you would probably get off with a very, very light sentence, if anything. but if the color of your skin were black or brown, it's a whole different story. ur system of drug laws is what systemic racism is in this country. and no matter what you think about states legalizing marijuana or not legalizing wear manna, whatever, i think we all ought to be committed to making sure there is equal justice under our laws. people's lives were ruined because of the color of their skin and how our drug laws were enforced. it is wrong. it is wrong. and the time has long since passed for us to do something. that's what this is all about. we will work on the covid relief bill. i hope that mitch mcconnell is

sincere in what he said to speaker pelosi. i believe we'll come together on an omnibus bill to keep our government running. but we also need to address the issues like this. with that i'd like to yield three minutes to the distinguished gentleman from oregon, mr. blumenauer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized for three minutes. mr. blumenauer: i appreciate the gentleman's comments and his courtesy. listening to my colleague from arizona, sort of made my head hurt. this legislation does not legalize cannabis across the country. what it does is it stops the federal government from interfering with what states have decided to do. no small amount of irony. her state just approved legalizing cannabis, and this legislation would prevent the federal government from interfering with what her voters decided. i have been waiting for this historic moment for a long time.

i was in the organize oon legislature, we were the first state to decriminalize cannabis. and i have been working from bangor, maine, to santa barbara ever since trying to end the failed prohibition of cannabis. it is happening today. because it has been demanded by the voters, by facts, by the momentum behind this issue. it is now a $17 billion industry . it employs 250,000 people. it's powerful in terms of economic development, but more important, as my friend from massachusetts said, this is an opportunity to strike a blow against the failed war on drugs that has literally destroyed hundreds of thousands of young black lives. black people use cannabis no more frequently than whites, but they are arrested about four

more times, in some parts of the country it's much, much greater. we are still arresting or citing 600,000 people a year for something that the majority of americans now think should be legal. that's why the voters in this country took it into their own hands. that is why today 99% of the american population have some access to legalized cannabis. but this will help us set up a system moving forward. it will stop the interference with the federal government for research, for banking, for being able to promote an opportunity to make this work properly. and not interfere with what voters and states have decided to do in the best interest of their public. i really appreciate our being at this point, the legislation was carefully crafted over the course of two years with the judiciary committee and it comes

on the heels of other legislation like the safe banking act. we have research legislation that's moving forward. and five states, including arizona, just approved it again. mr. speaker, this is an historic moment. it's an important step towards rationalizing the policy, towards racial justice, towards health so that maybe the parents in my neighborhood don't have to formulate cannabis medicine to stop their babies from being -- extremeth extreme seizure disorder. that's why a number of states that haven't yet legalized cannabis have passed legislation to legalize that. this is an opportunity for us to write this historic wrong. this is an opportunity for us to turn the page and move forward

without federal interference so that we are not outsourcing to canada or israel the product development. it's an opportunity for us to realize the promise while we realize the notion of racial justice. i urge in the strongest possible terms for my colleagues to get in step with the vast majority of the american public with what's happened at the state level, to be able to make this safe, affordable, and healthy. something that will make a big difference for people across the country. t's something its time is long overdue and i herald the day and hope my colleagues will vote for it. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. the gentleman from massachusetts reserves. the gentleman from georgia. mr. woodall: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, if we defeat the previous question i will amend the rule to allow for consideration of a bill that will assist our struggling small

businesses as we enter the winter months, and folks are anticipating increased liskrisks of having to shut their doors. i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the congressional record immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. woodall: thank you, mr. speaker. to speak on that bill, mr. speaker, i'd like to yield five minutes to the ranking republican on the small business committee, a gentleman who has had great experience bringing together bipartisan groups in an effort to make a difference for families back home, the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized for five minutes. mr. chabot: thank you. i'd like to thank the gentleman for yielding. i also want to reiterate the comments of the previous speaker on our side, the gentlelady from arizona. mr. woodall's made grit contributions to this body -- great contributions to this body. he happens to be a classmate of

maybe. we came in together in 2010. that was his first time as a member of congress, my second time around because i lost back in 2008 after being here 14 years. and have seen mr. woodall in operation here for the last decade. he's done a tremendous job on behalf not only of his constituents but to the people of this great nation. i want to thank him for his dedication and hard work for the people that he represents and the people of this nation overall. thank you very much. mr. speaker, two weeks ago i spoke on this very clear urging action on behalf of our nation's 31 million small businesses. as the ranking member of the house small business committee, formerly the chair of that committee, for two terms. i said then that there was no better way to celebrate small business saturday than to deliver much needed aid, again, to the small restaurants and

manufacturers and shops, many of them just hanging on by a thread. that assistance could come in the form of the paycheck protection program, the p.p.p. program, that program has supported over 50 million jobs, think of that, 50 million jobs all across this great nation. that's over 50 million people who didn't have to worry about how they were going to pay their bills, or how they were going to support their families because of this bipartisan program that we passed here in this body. . unfortunately, that program applications ing back on august 8 but still has over $130 billion remaining in coffers. millions of small firms across he country have utilized the p.p.p. program to keep their shops open, to keep paying their employees, and keep serving communities. to me, it seems like common ense to open the program back

up. after all, it was initially crafted, as i mentioned, in a and tisan, republicans democrats, actually working together. bicameral. the house and the senate working together. and then the administration, it into law.gning and that program has proven to be overwhelmingly successful and saved so many jobs all over this nation, including in my district cincinnati. so i introduced the bill that ould do just that, and provide targeted assistance to small businesses that truly still need help. unfortunately, the democratic leadership in this body has efforts to even have a vote on this legislation. or twice or three imes or a dozen times but 40 times, 4-0, the democratic leadership has blocked a vote eration or having a on this because the democrats would also support this. you'd have democrats and epublicans once again working

together and passing this and helping small business people and more country importantly the people and families supported by them. small ll know, many businesses are still uncertain about their future. closing on the verge of their doors permanently. happen, continues to communities all across our great ation will be absolutely devastated. this should have been dealt with months ago. our democratic leadership feels it's more toent to vote on legislation legalize pot. nd to deal with lions and tigers than they do to help those small businesses who really need the help. just a shame. today, if we defeat the previous question, we make improvements to the paycheck protection finally get additional targeted relief to he small businesses all across

this country that are counting on us. let's not let them down. back.d the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio yields back. he gentleman from georgia reserves. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, let me just say to the gentleman i think we all know what needs to happen and that is senate majority leader needs to be willing to come to and work and sit down on a deal. we heard today that the speaker as had a constructive conversation with him and hopefully we will end up with something that quite frankly is a lot more people than what the gentleman is suggesting here. what we do know is nobody has harder than the speaker of the house to try to get a covid relief bill. she met around the clock with secretary mnuchin, with anybody in this would be tion who willing to come to the table. our problem has been the senate. today.at may be changing i hope it is. that we ld also say

have sent over two major covid bills, which unfortunately, the gentleman voted against, which would help but ust small businesses help our schools, help our first with p.p.e., lp for people who quite frankly are running short right now as we surge, to help our cities and towns that are truggling, to help support our restaurants. so with that, mr. speaker, i'm going to reserve the balance of would say to the gentleman, i'm willing to close whenever -- if he is. the speaker pro tempore: the reserves. the gentleman from georgia is recognized. mr. woodall: i thank you, mr. speaker. balance ofmyself the the time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. woodall: i think about how many times the gentleman from hio has been down here to do exactly what he has just done, which is to say i have -- i have a bill that's ready to go, a bill that i know will get ipartisan support here on the

floor of the house, a bill i know my friends in the senate will be anxious to move, and a i know the president will put his signature on. appreciate his -- his efforts it's not a i know johnny come lately commitment to businesses.ng i remember when we were sitting down trying to work out that very first package in the spring productive role the gentleman from ohio played in bringing people together to get that done. speaker.ber that, mr. we didn't have a bunch of debates on the floor of the previous unch of questions to defeat, a bunch of designed to confuse or distract. no. worked it all out together. both sides. sides politically here in he house, both sides bicamerally here in the of ress, both ends

pennsylvania avenue. why? because we all felt that sense urgency to get something done, and we did it. tell constituents ack home that the thing most freshmen will learn in the first six months that they didn't know how they got here is hardworking and conscientious all of their colleagues turn out to be. are these faces on fox news or msnbc fussing at one another. is behind the scenes it's a very powerful orchestra women trying to get the people's business done. want to say to my friend from massachusetts, first and probably most importantly, i wish he was not chairman of the committee. i wish the republicans were hairman of the rules committee because the american people felt that republicans should be running this institution. of reasons why it didn't happen. place blame today.

i will say to the gentleman, if it won't be a republican to lead how pleased mittee i am that the gentleman has led the rules committee because his this institution far transcends whatever the passions of the day are. the rules committee has had to o a lot of difficult decision-making in this congress, mr. speaker. i wish we did not have proxy this institution. today we do. rules a product of a committee effort. effort of the the wisdom of solomon trying to an re out how to protect institution and all of its we are just re caretakers of this institution, oing to pass it onto the next generation. while we have to grapple with that we hopefully never have to grapple again. the gentleman from massachusetts has brought an incredible amount

not just leadership but a great amount of love for this the members nd for committee. and i can -- don't want to embarrass the gentleman by pointing out some of these but i can go through a list of times this year where the gentleman from stood, not on behalf of the democratic caucus, ut on behalf of the rules committee against some other undercurrents in the united states congress to stand up on of his 13 members and the work that we have to get done there together. easy thing to do. i want to tell the gentleman how uch i appreciate and notice those efforts. speaker, to do the really big things that we all know need o get done, not the least of which are on the committee you and i serve on the budget takes strong men and women, men and women of conviction, but also men and women of faith.

just faith in their lord but faith in this institution that the very best t in one another as opposed to very worst. the far too often we have bills, today, one before us that could be bills that we were one voice.ut with when is the right time to decide for our le marijuana children should be banned at the federal level? is it after 50 states have grappled with these decisions? is it before? well, we made that decision in terms of alcohol. terms that decision in of tobacco. seems like it will be an easy now, o make that would be but we've not -- we've not made that decision in the underlying bill. amendments de those in order. and i'll the beginning sea here -- say here at the end, 'm glad we are taking up this legislation. it offends me as one who loves the law we ask federal law to enforce officers

one set of rules while the state and local law enforcement may be forcing a completely different set of rules. would put me we federal law enforcement officers way that my friend ointed out is a multibillion dollar cash cow legalized by state jurisdictions across the country. troubled by having two sets country.n this laws we choose to follow and laws we choose not to follow. institution to solve that. having this discussion for the time is a step in the right -- is a step in the right direction. this conversation end today because it's a partisan thought hat's not well through serves none of us. encourage myagain, colleagues to defeat the rule so down that road.

my friend from massachusetts my team. janet on i have nick on my team sitting beside me, mr. speaker. all are surrounded by great people that we get to work with day in and day out. you go to work for a member on the rules committee you know early ans you will work and work late and work often. an amazing opportunity you and i have to serve in this institution. amazing opportunity surround et to ourselves in this institution. there is no more humbling space someone that could do anything they want with their ife and say, rob, i'll join with you and we'll work side by side and we will accomplish hings, accomplish things together. while i appreciate the very heart-felt comments from my friend from massachusetts and my from oklahoma, one thing that occurs to me on my way out how much less one

without all to do the greatness that folks are surrounded by. to say thank you to nick because he's here. i get to say thank you to janet she's here. i say to each of my colleagues here, we're all so lucky folks are surrounded us in order us all lift this great nation up. into the et sucked drumbeat of whatever the is.vity of the day if you had not had an opportunity to recognize the greatness of those staffers you and occasionally even the members around you, mr. peaker, even those who sit on the other side of the aisle. in t to be concerned about america today, but a lot of opportunities for optimism, and those opportunities sit here and sit here and sit there here.t

i am grateful to be a part of that. with that, mr. speaker, i would colleagues to defeat the previous question so that we can ring the chabot legislation to the floor. if we can't defeat the previous question, defeat the rule so and make n go back sure all voices are heard. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. if indeed this is the last time i get to yield to the gentleman, one more deserves that adjective than the georgia. from thank you for your service and your friendship. i now yield to the gentleman massachusetts. mr. mcgovern: well, thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the gentleman from georgia for his kind words. i almost feel like i want to yield you more time to keep the coming.nts but the bottom line is even hough we disagree on a lot of issues, and sometimes in our pulles you make me want to the remaining last two strands the ir out of my head,

reason why i sometimes feel that ay is because you are passionate, you are smart, and you are effective. nd you have served your constituency incredibly well, nd you served this institution incredibly well. going back to what mr. cole said i the very beginning, i mean, think this place would benefit rom more people of your caliber. and even though you would like to ranking member instead of chairman, i am still want to miss you, and i thank you for your friendship, good man, and we're going to miss you a lot. speaker, the underlying bill deserves to be considered and passed. sides earlier -- as i said arlier, nearly 60% of the american people supports this bill. a majority of republicans and a majority of democrats throughout this bill want

passed. prior republican congresses were a arently fine with turning deaf ear to the will of the people. they blocked all cannabis elated measures from getting a vote on the floor year after year after year but this majority is not. to the ve in listening people we represent. we believe in actually doing omething about the war on drugs. its failures have been staring us in the face for a very, very time. americans came together in record numbers following george against eath to fight systemic racism. combating that means, among ther things, reforming our policies toward cannabis. . these laws have been used to disproportionately lock up people of color for decades. it is past time we show the moral courage to do something about it. this is a historic moment, let us seize this chance, let us pass this bill. i -- before i yield back the balance of my time, i urge everybody to vote yes on the previous question. i urge you to vote yes on the

rule. and with that, i yield back the balance of my time. and i move the previous question on this resolution. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. the gentleman from georgia. suzanne wood mr. speaker, on that i --woodwood mr. speaker, on that i ask -- mr. woodall: mr. speaker, on that i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on the question are postponed.

the clerk: clause 2-h of rule 2 of the rules of the u.s. house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate

on december 3, 2020, at 11:44 a.m. that the senate agrees to the house amendment to the bill, senate 910, senate 1069ings, that the senate passed senate 474, senate 496, senate 578. that the senate passed with an amendment h.r. 1044. that the senate passed without amendment h.r. 3349. and h.r. 3465 signed, sincerely, cheryl l. johnson.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which the yeas and nays are ordered. the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? mr. vela: mr. speaker, i move that the -- ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the ruse and pass h.r. 7903, as amended. the clerk: h.r. 7903, a bill to amend the small business act to establish the community advantage loan program. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: 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 include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, before i begin, i would like to take a moment to recognize my good friend and colleague, ranking member chabot. mr. chabot has led this committee with me for years and together we have worked in a bipartisan manner to pass legislation that will help entrepreneurs across the country launch and grow their small businesses. steve has been an absolute pleasure to work with, not only is he results-oriented, but he's strongly committed to bipartisanship and finding common ground. while we do not always agree, ranking member chabot has always respected our views and the need to work together to do the right

thing for america's small businesses. the bills we are bringing to the floor today represent our committee's long tradition of collaboration. turning to the legislation now, i rise in support of the bill before us today, h.r. 7903, which could codify the s.b.a. community advantage loan program. initially launched in 2011, as a pilot program, community advantage provides 7-a loan guarantees to nonprofit lenders o make loans up to $250,000 to small businesses in underserved markets. as we all know, businesses in underserved areas have historically struggled to access capital through conventional credit markets. this is particularly true for minority-owned small businesses. according to the minority business development agency, the

long denial rates for minority-owned firms were about three times higher compared to those of nonminority-owned firms . to that end, the community advantage program partners with s.b.a.-certified development companies, s.b.a. microlenders and community development financial institutions or cdfi, all of whom have deep relationships in the neighborhoods and can ex pabbed access to capital -- expand access to capital in these areas. the community advantage program reaches significantly more women and minorities than traditional 7-a loan program, which will be critical to helping these groups that were hit especially hard by the covid-19 pandemic. to fill gaps in lending, it is imperative that we empower the community lenders with the

strongest relationships in this area -- in these areas. we can accomplish this by passing the bill before us today, to bring stability and long-needed recognition to a program that has successfully delivered over $770 million in capital since its inception. i want to thank ms. chu and mr. spano for working in a bipartisan manner on this important legislation. i recommend a yes vote to all my colleagues in the house and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves the balance of her time. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you. i rise in support of h.r. 7903, as amended. this is a bill to improve and authorize the s.b.a.'s community advantage loan program for five years. mr. speaker, before i get into the business of the day, i'd like to mention that with the passage of these four bills

today, our committee has produced 35 individual bipartisan pieces of legislation that have passed the house just this congress. we've had similar numbers to previous two congresses as well. that's an uncommon occurrence in a time of divided government. the reason we have been so successful in improving the programs that benefit america's small businesses, that's more than 30 million of them, and that's because of the leadership and the bipartisanship of our chairwoman, ms. velazquez. now, this is my swan song so to speak here as the ranking member of the committee, as i'm term limited, and therefore unable to continue serving in that role. i've had the pleasure of being on the small business committee, i'm on the foreign affairs committee and judiciary committees as well, been on it for 12 terms now, representing ohio's first congressional district. i've also been fortunate to have been the ranking member two of

those terms and the chair of the committee two of those terms as well. and again, that's why i'm term limited. and in each of those terms that i have spent in a leadership position on the committee, my counterpart was chairwoman or ranking member velazquez. and she's remained a valued friend and a reliable partner to do the things that we needed to do to help the nation's small businesses. and i want to sincerely thank her for the partnership that we've forged over the years. we share a common bond of wanting to do everything in our power to help america's small businesses and we've consistently been able to put partisan politics aside and work together to support that goal. so again, i want to thank her for her willingness to work with me and my staff over those years and i hope and trust that they'll be able to continue that relationship with my replacement

and i think that will happen. finally, and i mentioned staff before, i want to thank the long-time democratic small business committee staffers, melissa young, justin pelletier, navin parmar and ellen harrington for their commitment to bipartisanship over the years and regardless of who was chair or who was the ranking member. again, on that committee we've worked together for many years now. now to the business at hand. when traditional and conventional lending is out of reach for the nation's smallest businesses, they have the opportunity to turn to a number of the s.b.a.'s government-guaranteed lending programs. for approximately 10 years, the s.b.a. has been operating a community advantage pilot program that combines access to capital and technical assistance. the legislation before us today makes structural changes and improvements in the program and authorizes it for five years. with oversight reporting

requirements in place, this program will continue to provide access to capital and consistency to the nation's job creaters who truly need assistance. i want to thank the gentleman from florida, mr. spano, and the gentlelady from california, ms. chu, for working in a bipartisan manner on behalf of the nation's smallest firms. they've both worked together on this and previous legislation, both of them. so again, the spirit of bipartisanship on that committee . i urge all of my colleagues to support h.r. 703, which was favorably reported out of the committee via voice vote and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i yield as much time as she may consume to the sponsor of the bill, the gentlelady from california, the chair of our subcommittee on oversight investigation and regulations, ms. chu. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from california is recognized for as much much time as she may consume -- for as

much time as she may consume. ms. chu: i rise today in strong support of my bill, h.r. 7903, which would authorize the community advantage loan program for five years. to help our struggling economy, we need a bipartisan bill that gets money to those who need it. this bill, which i'm proud to have introduced with my colleague, congressman spano, does just that, by providing statutory authorization to the community advantage program, already a proven and successful pilot program. thanks to community advantage, underserved small businesses who typically have the hardest time accessing loans, can gain access to affordable financing and technical assistance from mission-based, primarily nonprofit lenders through s.b.a.'s 7-a loan guarantee. that means more money in more communities to keep our businesses operating. and this is something we need now more than ever. the community advantage program was first established almost 10

years ago as a pilot at the small business administration, with the goal of delivering capital to the hard to reach businesses who need under $250,000 in financing to grow. and since 2011, the program has facilitated over $800 million -- $850 million in loans averaging $140,000 each. compare that to the average 7-a loan of $530,000 and it's clear, community advantage is meeting a small business need that is unfilled by the traditional 7-a program. it's also made a big impact in my district, where businesses have received nearly $10 million in community advantage loans. that includes businesses like unincorporated coffee roasters, which received a community advantage loan last summer. this business had been in operation for under two years, but their community advantage loan allowed them to expand into

the space next door and open a second company to roast their own coffee beans for the wholesale market. they've even added jobs and continue to grow during the pandemic. that's what can happen when we make small business loans just a little less difficult to access. and it's an experience shared by businesses across the country. last year i chaired a hearing in the subcommittee on investigations, oversight and regulations to examine the community advantage program. we heard from borrowers and lenders about the ways that community advantages close the credit gap for underserved businesses. because of their focus on economic and community development, the mission-based lenders that facilitate community advantage loans can leverage their strong relationships within the community to provide accessibility, guidance and assistance to the businesses who too often find themselves on the margins without the ability to access capital from traditional

banks. . hey are able to reach far more businesses. and we a proven model, can see further evidence in the esponse to the covid-19 pandemic. when the paycheck protection started at .p.p., the start of april, banks made it difficult for underserved to even submit an application for assistance. problem, this congress established a set-aside community hority for financial institutions like certified development companies, microloan intermediaries, and community development financial institutions. whom are already certified community lenders. was a success, as these nontraditional lenders

ere able to reach the underserved businesses and, over 141,000 ver more than s totaling $1.85 billion. so now it's time to build on that success. before us today includes measures with thertisan agreement to make program even stronger. it will expand the definition of to rserved businesses explicitly include those owned by people of color and those undeclared disaster and declared disaster areas. the t will increase percentage of loans that lenders must make in underserved markets 60% to 75% of their portfolios. also allow s.b.a. to make loans up to $350,000 on a basis.-case with these improvements and the ong-term certainty afforded by statutory authorization, this bill will make the community

dvantage program an even more powerful tool for closing the credit gap and delivering to more smallital businesses. and with a long and arduous before us, overy this bill will make countless rebuild and it ill help them start anew as we recover from the coronavirus pandemic. i want to thank congressman pano for his partnership and chairwoman velazquez and ranking member chabot for their strong support. want to thank the community advantage lenders and orrowers whose success and testimony over the years have powerfully made the case for ongress to pass this legislation to authorize the program. i urge my colleagues to vote yes h.r. 7903. back.d the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from ohio. thank you, mr. speaker. i now like to yield such time as

he may consume to the gentleman spano, and , mr. want to thank him for his service in this body. introduced and supported a number of pieces of egislation, has worked very hard in his leadership position as ranking member of the versight, investigations and regulations committee. i want to thank him for his service here and yield such time consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from florida is recognized for as much time as he may consume. mr. spano: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you to the gentleman from ohio for those kind comments. i appreciate that very much. of a today in support ill i'm proud to sponsor, h.r. 7903, legislation to improve and authorize the s.b.a.'s community advantage loan program. small businesses are the driver of our community, and now more than ever it's imperative for them.ss to support in my home state of florida, there are over 2.5 million small employing over 3.5 million floridians. as a former small business owner as someone who will be a small business owner again

ery, very soon, i understand the sacrifice many small business owners make to keep heir doors open and to meet their payrolls. i know the challenges that they face and the grit that it takes and the to persevere impact that they have on our opportunities. communities. among these challenges for many small businesses is acquiring the capital that is necessary to operations.r via of the tools available capital. get access to one of these tools to support small businesses is the s.b.a.'s ommunity advantage loan program, which was launched as a pilot program to assist small usinesses in historically underserved and rural areas. it targets assistance to eteran-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, startups, and underserved minority communities. key job creators. the combination of financial and technical assistance has made program a proven game changer for many small

businesses. the gentlelady from california, ms. chu, for her bipartisan leadership and improvementsategic to this program, and to move it rom a pilot program to an authorized program for the next five years. the improvements included in the 7903 will ensure program serves businesses truly in need of s.b.a. services. 7903 defines h.r. he program with congressional intent. it outlines how community advantage lenders must operate program and details loan terms and other requirements. to thank the chairwoman and ranking member for advancing this important legislation that ill strengthen and improve the community advantage loan program. i urge my colleagues to support the bill, and i yield back, mr. speaker. you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. mr. chabot: i have no more on our side. close.pared to

velazqu ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers so i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio. mr. chabot: thank you. mr. speaker, this is a good bill that deserves our support. the s.b.a.'s community advantage provides both financial and technical assistance to our nation's smallest firms. has a great program that proven results. i urge my colleagues to support this, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the yields back. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, in decade, community advantage lenders have delivered affordable llion in capital to underserved small usinesses across america, assisting women and minority-owned businesses who ave historically struggled to secure affordable capital through traditional means. lenders are hesitant to pilotipate because of its status and frequently changing laws. this s bill will remedy problem and ultimately grow the

more rogram to deliver capital to the entrepreneurs who need access to affordable especially those severely impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. work by the gentlewoman from california and he gentleman from florida for their efforts in crafting a bipartisan bill to codify the advantage program. i encourage all my colleagues to vote yes, and i yield back the time.e of my the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yeemds back -- of her ack the balance time. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7903, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. chair, 2/3ion of the having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from oklahoma seek recognition? ms. horn: mr. speaker, pursuant i clause 7 of rule 22, present a privileged report. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title. he clerk: conference report to accompany h.r. 6395, to for rize appropriations fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the department of for military construction and for defense activities of the department of prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: ordered printed. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts seek recognition? mr. mcgovern: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that it be in

at any time to consider a conference report to accompany that all points of order against the conference report and against its consideration be waived, that conference report be considered as read, and that the previous question be considered conference n the report to its adoption without intervening motion except, one, and, two, onebate motion to recommit, if applicable. the speaker pro tempore: without ordered., so

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the 8211, as pass h.r. amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. h.r. 8211, a bill to amend the small business investment act of 1958 to loan guarantee program, enhance the ability of mall manufacturers to access affordable capital, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the ant to the rule, gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, each will minutes.0 the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and include remarks extraneous material on the under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. speaker, i z: mr. rise in support of the bill 8211, the oday, h.r. 04 modernization and small manufacturer enhancement act of 020, a bill that makes important improvements to the s.b.a.'s 504 loan program. 62 years ago, congress reated the 504 loan program at s.b.a. to help american small affordable, cess long-term capital needed to purchase land, real estate, machinery and equipment and other fixed assets. he program is a true partnership.e s.b.a.'s certified companies provides 40% of the financing. or credit union provides 50%. will e small business provide 10%. this structure has proved to be

successful for all parties involved. however, earlier this congress, oversight subcommittee heard rom stakeholders who expressed concerns with the loan closing process. pecifically, that delays have caused loans to fall through and on nesses to lose out affordable financing. to that end, mrs. craig and mr. today's ve put forth bill to streamline the closing and make d makes -- borrowers easier for and third-party lenders alike. access tolso enhances capital for small manufacturers 504 creasing the maximum loan amount for small million rers from $5.5 to $6.5 million. this change addresses the issues in our engagement with c.d.c.'s and their

their strikts. i want to thank mrs. craig and r. chabot for their hard work and applaud them for their efforts to make improvements to vital program. i recommend a yes vote to all of my colleagues in the house, and i reserve the balance of my time. the peaker pro tempore: gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. rise in support of h.r. 8211, the 504 modernization and small manufacturers enhancement act of 2020. of the ely, many s.b.a.'s government guaranteed loan programs have a strong rack record of producing results. included near the top of that program.he 504 loan the s.b.a.'s 504 c.d.c.'s program provides the nation's businesses with long term and fixed rate financing. importantly, for a project to for this government guaranteed loan program, certain

economic development goals must met. including job creation and job retention goals. 8211 modernizes that program by expanding the public goals to include businesses with 10 employees or enhancing the program for small manufacturers. i'd like to thank the gentlelady mrs. craig, for working with me in a bipartisan ashion to craft this piece of legislation. i'd also like to thank the chairwoman, ms. velazquez, once this for advancing legislation that was favorably reported out of the committee unanimously. republicans and democrats supporting it. i urge my colleagues to support which provides crucial updates to the s.b.a.'s program, nd i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i yield to the sponsor of the bill, the gentlelady from minnesota. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from minnesota is recognized for as much time as she may consume.

ms. craig: thank you so much, mr. speaker. and thank you very much, madam chairwoman. i rise today to urge my colleagues to support h.r. 8211. the modernization and small manufacturing -- manufacturer enhancement act of 2020. i would like to thank the ranking member for being an original co-sponsor of this bill, the chairwoman, for her leadership, and to her staff for helping me and my constituents throughout the 116th congress. our small businesses are suffering. every day we see a new wave of businesses closing their doors. unemployment numbers are rising and our economy is suffering. i hear from constituents daily that their businesses are on their very last leg, and without action to support them, they will soon be forced to close. these are not simply businesses. these are livelihoods. family traditions and priceless contributions to our

communities. it is our job as members of congress to support these businesses, ensure they survive these troubling times, and provide them with multiple avenues to succeed. in addition to relief, we need to pass legislation that provides businesses in various industries opportunities for growth and access to capital. one way we can do this is to build upon the small business administration's successful 504 loan program that promotes economic development, job creation and retention and expansion of small businesses. the 504 loan program is designed by local certified development companies or c.d.c.'s, delivered by those companies, which are private, nonprofit corporations whose entire purpose is to promote economic development within their communities. the program backs long-term fixed rate loans to support investment in major fixed assets through a three-part partnership

with a local lender. one year ago in a subcommittee on investigation, oversight and regulation, hearing c.d.c. lenders speak about their experiences with this loan program and the many issues they navigated, we saw areas for improvement. one was the lengthy and complex loan closing process, which calls third party lenders to walk away, along with various outdated rules and guidelines, hindering the financing of projects. in order for small businesses to take advantage of these programs, we must listen to this feedback and alter our programs accordingly. that is why i introduced h.r. 8211. this bill would make an array of improvements to the 504 program, making it more accessible to small businesses and ultimately driving economic development and growth. in a time of economic crisis and unemployment, we must continue to invest in our small businesses, specifically small

manufacturers, in order to promote economic development and the creation and retention of good paying jobs. we must do everything we can to support small manufacturers and ensure that the s.b.a. programs available to them are operating as effectively and efficiently as possible. in addition, h.r. 8199, the 504 credit risk management improvement act of 2020, which is also under floor consideration later today, would further clarify provisions in the 504 program, enhancing its accessibility and effectiveness. mr. speaker, small businesses are the heart of this economy. and with the improvements from h.r. 8211 and h.r. 8199, more small businesses will be able to grow and ultimately contribute to the economic landscape of not only their communities, but this country. i urge all of my colleagues to support these bills before us

today and, mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from ohio. mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. we have no other speakers so we're prepared to close. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. as our nation's small businesses continue to face numerous capital access challenges, the s.b.a.'s existing government guarantee loan programs must be prepared to provide assistance. this bill, h.r. 8211, does just that. by expanding the 504 c.d.c. loan programs, economic development goals, and enhancing the program for small manufacturers. this program has a proven record of success and the improvements this legislation delivers will continue this track record into the future. i ask for my colleagues' support and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio yields back. the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker.

the s.b.a.'s 504 program has enjoyed a track record of success in delivering affordable long-term capital to small businesses for acquiring land, real estate or heavy machinery. furthermore, the c.d.c.'s who deliver the program are actively involved in promoting local economic development, especially for underserved business communities. as the chair of the small business committee, i have seen the value c.d.c.'s have delivered in my community in new york city, across the state and across the country. i'm proud of our opportunity here today to continue supporting their work and helping entrepreneurs access affordable capital, especially as our local economies continue adjusting to the realities of conducting business in the covid-19 era. i want to applaud the work by ms. craig and ranking member chabot for their collaboration

to improve the 504 program. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back the balance of her time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 8211, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid n the table. for what purpose does the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 8199, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 8199, a bill to amend the small business act to enhance the office of credit risk management to require the administrator of the small business administration to issue rules relating to environmental obligations of certified

development companies and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. mr. chabot: -- ms. velazquez: 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 include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i rise in support of the bill before us today, h.r. 8199, which clarifies the role of s.b.a.'s office of credit risk management with respect to the 504 loan program. in 2018, congress passed bipartisan legislation to codify s.b.a.'s office of credit risk management which conducts periodic reviews of s.b.a.

lenders to ensure they are complying with program requirements and ultimately safeguarding the integrity of s.b.a.'s loan program. that legislation focuses on 7-a loan program, giving the office the regulatory and enforcement tools it needed to conduct oversight of s.b.a.'s largest lending partners and hold them accountable. today's legislation takes that oversight work one step further by increasing the office's responsibilities in supervising the 504 program, bringing much-needed consistency and clarity for all 504 program participants. the bill will shift loan closing file review responsibility for the 504 loan program to the office of credit risk management, streamlining and standardizing an important process. by increasing s.b.a.'s

responsibilities in overseeing the 504 loan program, we are improving the long-term sustainability of the program, ensuring it will be available for the next generation of entrepreneurs. i applaud mr. bishop and ms. craig for all of their diligence and perseverance on this issue, and more importantly, your commitment to america's small businesses. i urge all of my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from ohio. mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 8199, the 504 credit risk management improvement act of 2020. the s.b.a.'s 504 c.d.c. loan program provides lending assistance to thousands of small businesses year in and year out. this assistance translates into supporting tens of thousands of jobs on an annual basis. this economic development

program is and has been making a difference in neighborhoods and communities all across this great nation. with any successful government program, oversight must remain a significant factor. h.r. 8199 places an important focus on oversight and ensures the s.b.a. has the appropriate capabilities to oversee the 504 c.d.c. loan program. beyond oversight, h.r. 8199 also ensures that 504 c.d.c. loan program participants have the rules and guidance to comply with the national environmental policy act and successfully operate within that program. i want to thank the gentleman from north carolina, mr. bishop, and the gentlelady from minnesota, once again, ms. craig, for their leadership -- ms. craig, for their leadership and working together to craft this legislation once again in a bipartisan manner and i want to thank the chair also for encouraging that cooperation between both sides.

and i urge my colleagues to support this and i yield back. or excuse me, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio reserves the balance of hits time. the gentlewoman from new york -- his time. the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio. mr. chabot: thank you. at this time, mr. speaker, i'd like to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from north carolina, mr. bishop, and again, thank him for his leadership and working across party lines with the gentlelady from minnesota and i want to commend her as well. mr. bishop: thank you. i thank the gentleman from ohio for yielding. i thank the chairwoman. mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 8199, the 504 credit risk management improvement act of 2020. small businesses are the core of our nation's entrepreneurship, innovation and creative activity. it is paramount that congress invest its resources into empowering small businesses to

fuel job growth and transform communities. the 504 program gives small businesses necessary resources and this legislation will bolster and improve the implementation of that program. by giving small businesses access to fixed rate financing through the 504 program, small businesses that have limited capital are able to afford costly down payments. this program has made queen city catering a success story. when the company needed financing for a larger location, they turned to business expansion, funding corporation, a certified development company in charlotte that helped them secure a 504 loan. these funds led to a new state of the art kitchen for high-quality food preparation, management offices, high-tech conference areas, and warehouse space for rental items. better yet, since receiving this 504 loan, queen city catering has grown astronomically. this small business investment

allowed the business to grow while creating jobs for north carolinians. fellow members of congress, i implore you to imagine the impact of 504 loans have on small businesses if in your communities -- in your communities. that's exactly what my colleague, congresswoman craig, did with me when we crafted this act. while the existing loan program has offered financial tools to help small businesses, we must act today and improve the program so it can help businesses serve their communities for years to come. the bill before us outlines important capabilities of the s.b.a.'s office of credit risk management perfluorooctaning to the 504 c.d.c. loan program. importantly, the program -- the changes will ensure the program's longevity by detailing how it should supervise a file review. additionally, this legislation requires the s.b.a. to provide clear direction to certified

development companies as they navigate environmental rules and regulations. lastly, this will help ensure that the program continues to operate on the fees built into the program. i am confident that these improvements will strengthen the program for both small businesses and the program's lending partners. this legislation is a step in the right direction, to ensure that small businesses can thrive as they bring innovative good and services to consumers -- goods and services to consumers around the country. i want to again thank congresswoman craig, chairwoman velazquez and ranking member chabot for their work and their help on this legislation. i urge my colleagues to support it and i yield back the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio. r. chabot: we have no speakers on our side so we'll close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. chabot: mr. speaker, to work must continue together to strengthen the .b.a.'s existing government guaranteed loans program. the s.b.a. programs must work

smallest terms and taxpayers. bill will apply appropriate versight requirements for the s.b.a.'s 504 loan program. therefore, i ask my colleagues o support this legislation and once again thank ms. kra craig leadership and -- ms. craig for her leadership. back.d the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york. the elazquez: since inception, the 504 program has of employees nds to expand operations. 504 loan is some of the affordable real estate projects and most only require a 10% down payment from small owners. in its 62-year history, it has a strong-performing

helped rogram that's entrepreneur create jobs in every corner of our country. bishop and ms.r. craig's efforts, the bill before will make commonsense improvements to this important program. shifting all loan closing file reviews responsibilities to the office of credit risk management, program integrity 504 be preserved and the program will be an affordable inancing option for the next generation of entrepreneurs. i urge my colleagues to vote yes, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the back.woman yields the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 8199. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. chair, 2/3ion of the having responded 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 gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? s. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 8229. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. 8229, a bill to administrator of the small business administration to the a rule authorizing office of hearings and appeals to ecide appeals relating the status of hubzone business concerns, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the ant to the rule, gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from ohio, mr. chabot, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the new york.n from ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and include remarks extraneous material on the consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i

yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: i rise in support parity for , the hubzone appeals act of 2020 the gentlewoman from american samoa, mrs. radewagen, and the gentlelady houlahan.ylvania, ms. h.r. 8229 will grant s.b.a.'s and appeals rings jurisdiction over appeals of eligibility determinations. the office of hearings and provides independent of certainial review s.b.a. decisions. provides determinations in he women-owned and the service disabled, veteran-owned small doesess contracting but it not review appeals for the hubzone. different.

when an appeal is filed, director will e review and make a decision. appealed, the s head of the office of government contracting and business development will review and a decision which is final. eligibility ubzone appeals to the office of 8229 gs and appeals, h.r. union s priority and uniformity in contracts. to support this legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. ohio.ntleman from mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the recognized. mr. chabot: thank you. i rise in support of h.r. 8229, hubzone appeals act of 2020. as we heard from the chairwoman, appeals process for the hubzone process raises

everal concerns, including questions of conflict of interest, lack of transparency, responsibility. the aagcbd plays a key the rship role within organizational structure of the s.b.a., small business dministration, and it's primarily responsible for the supervision of all of the s.b.a.'s various federal ontracting programs, including the hubzone program. aagcbd, the office of hearings and appeals is unconnected to the s.b.a.'s ederal contracting programs, and administrative judges are trained to hear exactly these matters. by moving hubzone appeals from aagcbd to oha, the aagcbd will be focused on its primary responsibilities, while hubzone small businesses will be able to

receive impartial, fair, and treatment of their cas cases. this bill makes a necessary orrection in the way hubzone appeals are connected. i'd like to thank the gentlelady samoa, mrs. radewagen, as well as the gentlewoman from pennsylvania, for -- ms. n, houlahan, for their leadership. again, democrats and republicans committee.this i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and i yield back. excuse me, i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the reserves. the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the reserves.n the gentleman from ohio. the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you. yield aker, i'd like to such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from american mrs. radewagen. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from american samoa is recognized for as much time may consume. mrs. radewagen: thank you, mr.

speaker. i want to thank you, ranking ember chabot, for yielding time. thank you, chairwoman velazquez. i rise in support of h.r. 8229, parity for hubzone appeals act of 2020. like to thank ms. houlahan for hire collaboration on collaboration on this important bill. different types of entrepreneurs from women and service disabled veterans to the economically disadvantaged by providing these federal s with special contracting preferences. whether a business holds a status is critical in determining whether that company thesegible to compete for special contract opportunities. a only does a business have vested interest in maintaining the federal ut government has an interest in making sure these special contracts are not awarded to firms.ent f a company is suspected to be

ineligible, an interested party can protest the firm's status. for historically nderutilized business, or hubzone qualified small businesses, the final arbiter of hubzone status is the associate administrator of the office of government contracting development, or aagcbd. this differs significantly from s.b.a.'s other federal which ting programs in s.b.a.'s office of hearings and ooha, is the final decision maker of a firm's status.d ooha, unlike the aagcbd, is an independent office of s.b.a. the appeal decision to he aagcbd raises questions of conflict of interest, whereas housing that process at ooha the decision remains separate and independent from

influence. furthermore, the aagcbd has many priorities and responsibilities in overseeing all of s.b.a.'s federal programs.g in contrast, ooha administrative tasked withrimarily adjudicating similar types of are well nd thus, trained and well versed in aking educated d significances -- educated decisio ecisions objectively and impartially. it will mean a small business will have a greater chance of fair and knowledgeable assessment of their case. finally, the appeals decisions currently made in a vacuum. there's no visibility into the decision was reached. in contrast, all of ooha's published online and easily searchable. these opinions are critical for to obtain esses greater understanding of the

ules surrounded their eligibility. therefore, shifting the responsibility to hear hubzone ooh heir will pro -- ooha will provide the public guidance and ed transparency. bring this bill will greater parity, fairness and transparency between s.b.a.'s and its other federal contracting programs. i urge my colleagues to support legislation, se and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. ohio.ntleman from mr. chabot: thank you, mr. speaker. we have no other speakers on our close. we're prepared to the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from ohio is recognized. mr. chabot: thank you. speaker., mr. this is good legislation. the ball forward. moving the hubzone appeals places smalle ooha businesses that have a complaint about the program on equal

footing. other appeals processes throughout the s.b.a. and that's a good thing. thank mrs. gain, radewagen for her leadership on this particular legislation and houlahan of pennsylvania as well and the ranking member, as lways, and working in a bipartisan manner. i urge adoption of this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the back.eman from ohio yields the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, we consistent procedures in government fosters a better rules and ng of the improves overall agency effectiveness. 8229 furthers that ideal by hubzone program with uniformity with the women-owned the service disabled owned programs. furthermore, by making the appeals hearings and the final arbiter of all protest determinations, h.r.

everything izes on the office has to offer. efficiency, and transparency. radewagen hank ms. rrs. and ms. hueoulahan for working together in this bipartisan solution. lastly, i would like to take a moment to thank the ranking ember, mr. chabot, for his outstanding service on the small business committee. mr. speaker, mr. chabot and i ave led this committee through congresses, each of us spending equal time as chair and ranking member. hroughout it all, he's been an incredible partner, working closely with me in good times bad. over the course of our tenure, scores of pherd bipartisan bills through the house, giving small businesses to capital,

counseling, and federal contracts. numerous oversight hearings to make sure s.b.a. operating re effectively and efficiently for small businesses. which party held the white house. work very well together. you may ask what is the secret our success, especially times.these polarizing and i will point to representative chabot, who is as committed to public service as i am. and workslitics aside with democrats and republicans to solve problems. it hite pandemic struck, small businesses particularly ard, and our committee was called to action. small businesses that were once fighting for their