the ukrainians have the equipment they needed to repel potential russian aggression >> we're going to leave this for live coverage of the u.s. house of representatives. you can watch all of the hearing with secretary blinken tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. and the secretary will be back on capitol hill thursday testifying before the house foreign aforeign affairs committee at 1:00 p.m. eastern on c-span3. >> the u.s. house gaveling in now. first up, member speeches, and then debate on some 14 bills, including a measure to increase grants at women's business centers. also, a bill that would designate a national historic park to honor the supreme court decision in brown v. board of education that desegregated schools. coming up later this week in the house, debate on establishing

three new offices to combat domestic terrorism and whether to expand president biden's authority to send military aid to ukraine. live coverage of the house here on c-span. the speaker. the clerk: the speaker's rooms, washington, d.c. april 26, 2022. i hereby appoint the honorable henry c. johnson jr. to act as speaker pro tempore on this day. signed, nancy pelosi, speaker of the house of representatives. the speaker pro tempore: the prayer will be offered by chaplain kibben. chaplain kibben: would you pray with me. almighty god, we lift up our voices to you. we come into your presence with singing. granted some of us can only make a joyful noise, and others are hard-pressed to carry anything close to a tune, but we rejoice knowing you are the one who made us. we each belong to you in this we

find our delight. so may we serve you with gladness that our voices would speak of your infinite goodness. give us gentle words to turn away the divisiveness. restrain our harsh words that we would not contribute to quarles nor fuel dispute. we are the sheep of your pasture. may we enter your gates with praise. may we fill your courts, cha bush administration ber with thanksgiving. -- this chamber, with thanksgiving. for you our steadfast love endures forever. your faithfulness is to all generations. in the joy of your name we pray. amen. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 11-a of house resolution 188, the journal of the last day's proceedings is approved. and the pledge of allegiance will be led by the gentlewoman from ohio, representative ka

kaptur. ms. kaptur: 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 justice for all. the speaker pro tempore: the chair will entertain requests for one-minute speeches on each side of the aisle. for what purpose does the gentlelady from ohio seek recognition? ms. kaptur: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. kaptur: mr. speaker, i rise today to urge passage of the bipartisan trans-atlantic telecommunications security act that congressman kinzinger and i have introduced. central in eastern european nations are working to develop the modern telecommunications infrastructure necessary to facilitate global connectivity in the 21st century. at the same time, china through its belt and road initiative, is strategicically introducing dependence on fnsing and

technology endangering security. 5-g technology represents the future of gloanl communications. we mustant allow those hostile to freedom an sem dempsey to dominate this technological space and undermine stability. our allies need american financing and partnership. through the trans-atlantic telly communications security act, let us construct and deploy the state-of-the-art networks that will secure economic prosperity and connect people and communities. i invite all my colleagues to join us. we must stand with our european allies against threats posed by foreign adversaries. help us pass the trans-atlantic telecommunication act without delay. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i rise to address the house and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> mr. speaker, last week i visited the police officers in

johnstown, pennsylvania, to hear firsthand about the epidemic that is facing communities in my district. one of the officers told me a story of how just the night before he recovered over 150 bags of heroin, after receiving a 9-1-1 call for a man abusing a puppy on a public street. the story gets to the heart of what these deadly drugs do to our communities. instead of addressing this crisis by securing our border, president biden has chosen to end title 42. a program that has helped our border patrol agents protect americans. mr. joyce: it's time to fight the drug epidemic that has allowed heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl to take the lives of so many pennsylvanians, so many americans. it's time to secure our border and make title 42 the law of the land. it's time to face the drug crisis head-on.

it's time to protect all of our communities. thank you. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. espaillat: mr. speaker, once again we find ourselves in an unguided, misguided debate about the fundamental concept of our nation of immigrants. we find ourselves in a debate trying to deny what we really are. a nation of immigrants. let me remind you, mr. speaker, on average t.p.s. holders have lived in the united states for over 22 years. many of them hailing from latin american countries. redesignating and designating t.p.s. will be a wise thing for over two million people already residing in the united states of

america. in addition, mr. speaker, families have to wait often decades before they reunite with their family members. sometimes four decades, three decades before they reunite with their children. four million people are waiting to reunite with their families of the united families are stronger. united families make america stronger. let's unite the families. that is a family value. unity of the family is a family value that we must protect. we are a nation of immigrants, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from north carolina seek recognition? ms. foxx: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. foxx: thank you, mr. speaker. april is financial literacy month. the perfect time to remind americans just how financially irresponsible democrats are.

democrats have used the pocketbooks of hardworking americans to fund a multitrillion dollar spending spree and now have the audacity to deny responsibility for the inflation crisis. this includes extending the student loan repayment moratorium three times. costing taxpayers over $150 billion. democrats are financially irresponsible and are dragging student borrowers along with them. in january the administration announced it would no longer require borrowers to sign an online acknowledgement about their total student debt each year before taking out additional loans. we should make it easier for student borrowers to understand the gravity of taking out tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, not hiding it from them. democrats' policies don't promote financial literacy. they promote financial illiteracy. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from iowa seek recognition? mrs. miller-meeks: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mrs. miller-meeks: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to honor the accomplishments of an engineer from my district. he was recently recognized by the national association of manufacturers with the women in manufacturing step ahead awards. this award is awarded to women who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in the manufacturing field. diversity is a passion of her as she serves on the diversity equity leadership council striving to implement diversity in the work force. in the community she also sits on the local economic board leading development between schools and corporations to create jobs for iowa students. she volunteers in the local introduced a girl to engineering

program a. meptorship for girls interested in stem careers. her dedication to promoting diversity and stem to young girls is why she's worthy of receiving such a pest treejous award. i am so proud to represent distinguished women like her and cannot wait to see her continued impact in the district. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? mr. wilson: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. mr. wilson: thapg you, mr. speaker. the -- thank you, mr. speaker. the midlands of south carolina were shocked to learn of the shooting death sun of casey police officer andrew barr, age 27. killed in the line of duty, officer barr was a brave

dedicated public servant who will always be cherished as a champion for law and order. he was familiar with the danger. shortly after graduating from the south carolina criminal justice academy in 2017, he and another casey police officer were shot during an incident that involved a car chase and foot pursuit. they were awarded medals for bravery. our hearts are breaking in casey. officer barr has been n important part of the family since 2016. heralded the mayor. officer barr gave the ultimate sacrifice for us to make us safe, confirmed casey police chief. casey is fortunate with mayor and the chief with law enforcement experienced councilman. our prayers for the family of texas national guardsman bishop evans who was a hero trying to protect the drug infested southern border. god bless ukraine. got bless president zelenskyy. i yield back.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from ohio sook -- seek recognition? >> i seek unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today to recognize the 200th birthday of our 18th united states president, ulysses s. grant. he was born in point pleasant, located in claremont county in ohio's second congressional district. when he was a child, the grant family moved to brown county, also in ohio's secretary district, and there he was educated before accepting a nomination to the united states military academy at west point. following his commissioning, grant served in the mexican american war and most notably the civil war. mr. wenstrup: where he became commanding general of the united states army in 1864.

general grant oversaw the surrender of general lee at appomattox courthouse and served as commanding general of the army until he was elected president in 1868. he served two terms as president, overseeing the beginning of the reconstruction era in the united states. president grant is the general who saved the union. he was great leader who left his mark in american history. we should all seek to follow his example and leadership. i'm honored to have his birthplace in ohio's second congressional district a true landmark of our nation's history. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from florida seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute >> i rise today on behalf of florida's 20th congressional district to recognize the necessary work of the national infertility association in honor

of national infer tillity week. this week brings together millions of americans who want to remove the stigma and the barriers that stand in the way of building families. one in eight couples have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining pregnancies and many more people face barriers to building a family. through national media, social media, and fundraising the community will take action to increase awareness of infertility to remove stig mass and improve access to healthy family building options. cherfilus-mccormick: i do hope we do the thing like we did with the insulin act. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recog recognition? >> ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for one minute. mr. lamalfa: last week u.s. district judge voided president biden and the c.d.c.'s overbearing and unnecessary mask

mandate for airplanes and public transportation. after the announcement, i saw many videos online of many, many flyers and flight attendants joyously ripping off their mask to celebrate. i had urged along with many other colleagues in a couple letters to the president to allow the mask mandate to expire a few months ago. finally i was relieved and pleased to hear of this announcement by the judge. our celebration was short-lived, however, as the biden administration soon announced they would sue to repeal the judge's ruling and force back in place mask mandates for people traveling. scientist has repeatedly found the masks are not nearly as effective as preventing the spread of covid as previously they had thought. it really boils down to the government likes controlling people with this. they like scaring them. they like putting them in a box and saying if you don't do this, you might die. so people -- if they are forced into having mask mandates on

public transportation once again, there is going to be a lot of anger coming out that no midterm -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. 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? ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6445. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 190, h.r. 6445, a bill to amend the small business act to require an annual report on entrepreneurial development programs, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, will each 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 to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. 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, before i begin, i would like to thank all of our members for their tireless work on the bills before us today. as we head into national small business week, the legislation we're passing today showcases the bipartisan nature of our committee and highlights how congress supports the american entrepreneurial spirit. i rise today in support of h.r. 6445, the small business development centers improvement act of 2022, introduced by representative golden from maine and the late representative hagedorn from minnesota. i would like to take a moment to remember the late representative hagedorn and his work as a member of the small business committee. before and throughout his illness, mr. hagedorn maintained his steadfast commitment to small businesses. my thoughts continue to be with mr. hagedorn's family, friends,

and staff. today's bill is a testament to his dedication to his community and small firms and i'm glad to honor his memory with this legislation. h.r. 6445 strengthens s.b.a.'s largest resource partner, the small business development center, or sbdc, to meet the needs of today's small businesses and entrepreneurs. sbdc's deliver free face-to-face and virtual counseling and training in all aspects of business management to small business owners and entrepreneurs across the country. the services include assisting entrepreneurs with developing a business plan, accessing capital, creating a marketing plan, procuring government contracts, strengthening cybersecurity protections and

entering into international trade. throughout their work, their network of 62 centers managing nearly 1,000 outreach locations, is bdc's support small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the country. sbdc's are a remarkable investment of taxpayers' do dollars. with every federal dollar spent on the program, generating $1.99 in federal revenue and nearly 100% return on investment. to build on this success, h.r. 6445 increases the authorization level to $175 million for the next four fiscal years, allowing the program to grow and reach more of america's 30 million small firms. the bill also clarifies that sbdc's and the s.b.a. may actively market their services.

in the small business committee, we often say that sbdc's are the best kept small business secret. this bill will go a long way to ensuring more small employers and entrepreneurs are aware that free or low-cost counseling and training exists to help them on their path to success. i thank the sponsors for leading this effort to modernize and improve the sbdc program and its many valuable services. i urge members to support this bipartisan piece of legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. for what purpose does the gentleman from missouri seek recognition? mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you. mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume and rise in support of h.r. 6445, the

small business development centers improvement act of 2022. before we begin, i'd like to highlight next week's small business week celebration. this will be a time to honor and reflect upon some of america's hardest working small businesses and employees. i'm glad we're gathering on the house floor today to discuss a number of bills that improve and enhance the small business administration. importantly, all five bills we will be discussing today have been favorably reported out of our committee in a bipartisan manner. i'd like to thank the chair for working with me to advance these bills to the floor. the small business development centers provide valuable resources and free counseling to entrepreneurs across this great nation. this congress i've heard from several small businesses who've benefited from the sbdc services. in my home state of missouri, the missouri development center helped a local brewery create a business plan and apply for a 504 loan to grow their business. they also helped a veteran-owned

shipping -- food shipping bill scale up and find new partnerships during the pandemic. they supported countless small businesses in accessing s.b.a.'s covid relief programs such as the paycheck protection program and eidl's. i'm grateful for their services to entrepreneurs. this program will allow sbdc's to continue their important services and expand their network of small business beneficiaries through marketing. this legislation also ensures sbdc client information is protected and cooperation, communication, and collaboration between s.b.a. and sbdc networks is improved. i'd like to thank mr. golden for working on this legislation and the late jim hagedorn. as we know, jim was a champion for small businesses and a truly invaluable member of our small business committee. he'll certainly be missed. he leaves a huge hole on our side of the aisle for the support of small businesses and we remember him today. i'd like to thank the chair for

working with me to advance this bill. i urge my colleagues to ensure sbdc's can continue serving our small business constituents and communities and to support h.r. 6445 which passed favorably out of our committee by a voice vote and passed the last congress in similar fashion. with that, mr. chair, i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i am prepared to close if the ranking member doesn't have any further speakers. mr. luetkemeyer: i'm ready to close as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. the small business development center network is critical in assisting our small business owners during their entrepreneurial business journey. h.r. 6445 will enhance and improve this journey and ensures the program remains strong and vibrant. on behalf of small businesses, i encourage my colleagues to support h.r. 6445 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized.

ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. there is no question that we need to support the cornerstone of the s.b.a.'s entrepreneurial programs, the small business development centers. sbdc's are s.b.a.'s premiere resource partner with centers in communities across the country. the free or low-cost counseling and training have helped sustained small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the pandemic. h.r. 6445 continues the long tradition of sbdc work to meet the ever-evolving needs of america's entrepreneurs as they emerge from the pandemic. strengthening the sbdc net work will in turn provide the -- network will in turn provide the support the small businesses need in order to thrive. today's bill is endorsed by america's sbdc's representing the 63 networks and the nearly

1,000 centers. i want to thank mr. golden and remember the late mr. hagedorn for their bipartisan work on this bill. i urge my colleagues to vote yes, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. and the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6445. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 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? ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6441. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 188, h.r. 6441, a bill to amend the small business act to improve the women's business

center program, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include terrel materiel -- 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 today in support of h.r. 6441, the women's business centers improvement act of 2022. this bill will modernize and strengthen the small business administration's women's business centers program to be better serve women entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses. i want to thank ms. davids and

ms. tenney for their meaningful work to ensure that women entrepreneurs across the country have continued access to vital counseling and training. w.b.c.'s are a critical component of s.b.a.'s resource partner ecosystem, assisting women in communities across the country, particularly those that are socially and economically disadvantaged. the w.b.c. program fund more than 100 centers nationwide and offers a full range of counseling and training services for all stages of business development. many of the w.b.c.'s provides multilingual services, weekend and evening hours to accommodate those who work full time and provide childcare. in fiscal year 2020, with the additional funding provided by the cares act, the w.b.c. program increased their reach by

22% and trained and advised more than 82,000 clients, helping them create nearly 30,000 small businesses. as we all know, women were particularly hard hit by the pandemic. women-owned businesses closed at higher rates than their male counterparts as women disproportionately left the workforce to be the primary caregiver for their families. that is why i am pleased to support the women's business centers improvement act of 2022, which increases the program's annual authorization level and increases the cap on individual center grants. by doing so, more established centers can expand their reach to greater numbers of women. mr. speaker, i urge members to support this bipartisan bill, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from missouri is

recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of h.r. 6441, the women's business centers improvement act of 2022. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: women's business centers support over 50,000 women entrepreneurs through training, mentoring, business development and financing opportunities. this legislation, h.r. 6441, will bring increased oversight to the w.b.c. program and long overdue modernizations. this legislation improves collaboration with the s.b.a.'s office of women's business ownership and requires the s.b.a. to provide an annual report to congress to measure the effectiveness of w.b.c. program. we found that we've got some problems with some of the w.b.c. offices, and this legislation will help weed out the bad actors by requiring s.b.a. to develop policies and procedures to reduce the possibility of

awarding grants to a w.b.c. that will likely not remain in compliance with the program. this important legislation will not only ensure the integrity of the w.b.c. program but also supports female entrepreneurs in their business ventures. also like to thank ms. davids and ms. tenney for working in a bipartisan manner to ensure this bill reaches the house floor. i encourage all of my colleagues to support h.r. 6441 which was unanimously reported out of the committee and previously passed the house floor in a similar form. with that, mr. chair, i reserve the balance of my time. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york investigated. ms. velazquez: i recognize the chair of the subcommittee on economic growth, tax, mrs. davis. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. davids: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, chairwoman velazquez and to our ranking member for all the work you are doing on the small business committee.

i rise today to urge my colleagues to stand up for the small business owners and their community and vote for my bill to support the women's business centers. women are the engine of our economy. women-owned businesses employ 9.4 million people nationwide. contributing $1.2 trillion to our economy each year. when we invest in the success of women, we are giving our entire economy a boost. women's business centers are an effective resource that reach more than 88,000 entrepreneurs each year through training, mentorship, and counseling. in 2020 alone the w.b.c. program increased its outreach by 22% and help start and sustain more than 30,000 small businesses. to put it clearly, during the pandemic they increased their outreach. that is a solid record of success made even more impressive by the commitment to stepping up when they were needed the most. i visited with a local kansas city women's business center in overland park. they serve the kansas city metro area anti-entire state of

kansas. i have also spoken with women who have used their services. folks like lenorea who started the technology group solutions 15 years ago with the help of the kansas city women's business septre. she now oversees more than 80 employees in three states. she told me she hears from women who don't have the network or access to capital that they need to get their business off the grownt ground. she sends them to the w.b.c. because when she first started her business, the center helped fill those gaps. paving wait for her to grow what is now a multimillion dollar company. other women i have spoken with specifically cite the w.b.c.'s evening and weekend hours and they offer childcare during training sessions. it's those tailored service that is have made these centers such a crucial contributor. my bill we are voting on today will enhance the program to ensure that women entrepreneurs all across the country have access to counseling and training services. i have seen it in action and it's why i introduced and strongly support this bipartisan piece of legislation.

it would raise the cap on grants for the first time since the program began and create an accreditation system to help establish standards of excellence, ensuring our funds are being spent wisely to help growing entrepreneurs. the kansas city women's business center serve more than 800 clients last yearment how many more businesses could they grow? how many more aspiring entrepreneurs could they reach were more resources? i'm proud to introduce this important piece of legislation alongside congresswoman tenney. i urge a yes vote. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i would like to yield as much time as she may consume to ms. tenney from new york who is a strong advocate for small businesses. she's the ranking member of the small business subcommittee for underserved agricultural and rural business development. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york is recognized for as much time as she may consume. ms. tenney: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise today in strong support of h.r. 6441, the women's

business centers improvement act. legislation i'm honored to lead with my colleague, representative davids. female entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses play a critical role in our nation's economy. as a long time small business owner myself and the owner of a women-owned business, i understand the challenges women-owned small businesses face, especially in rural communities. the women's business center program at the small business administration has been helping women overcome obstacles and build thriving businesses for over 30 years. with more than 150 locations across the nation, the women's business center program provides over 150,000 female small business owners annually with resources and guidance, helping them to identify opportunities for growth. the bipartisan women's business centers improvement act will strengthen women's -- the women's business center program, increase authorized funding, and

add commonsense taxpayer protections and oversight provisions to safeguard public dollars and to ensure that the program efficiently serves the american people. additionally the bill will expand the cap on grants made available under this program, which will better support our women entrepreneurs. these improvements will help the women's business centers program run efficiently, expand into more communities, and like those underserved communities, particularly in my district and ms. davids' district and across our naismghts i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan national -- nation's women owned small businesses bill. and also vote yes on h.r. 6441. with that, mr. speaker, i yield back my time. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from missouri reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from pennsylvania, ms. houlahan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. houlahan: thank you, mr.

speaker. thank you, madam chair. and thank you rsm. i rise today in support of the women's business center improvement act and i want to thank representative davids and reny for their work on this very important -- tenney for their work on this very important bipartisan legislation. as we recover from the pandemic, congress must do everything it can to ensure access to quality entrepreneurial development resources. underscoring the need for this bill, a recent study in partnership with the association of women's business centers found that profits for female business owners dropped by 26% from 2020 to 2021. with anchts profits of about $47,000 less than male-owned firms. the economic pressures of the pandemic have hit women-owned businesses particularly hard, including increasing operating expenses due to supply chain disruptions and the rising costs. as a entrepreneur myself, i recognize the challenges women business leaders face every day and especially in this moment.

and it is why i stand before you to talk about the importance of passing the women's business center improvements act. this legislation will make needed improvements to the small business administration's successful women's business center program. the bill will also straighten -- strengthen the office of women's business ownership and improve coordination between the association of women's business centers and the s.p.a. -- s.b.a. furthermore, this legislation allows congress to increase funding for women's business center programs which i have been proud to advocate for along with my colleague, ms. newman. with these additional resources the s.b.a. will be able to advise and retrain more women entrepreneurs. i have seen demand for such programs in my community of chester and burks counties. this bipartisan effort is especially impactful for our commonwealth of pennsylvania, which has one of the highest number of women-owned businesses in the nation. the time is now to build on that success.

i thank small business committee chair velazquez and ranking member luetkemeyer for helping to bring this important bill to a vote before the house today. i urge my colleagues to join me an to -- and to vote yes on this bipartisan bill to support small business owners. with that i yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: we have no further speakers. we are prepared to close. the gentleman is recognized -- the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i'm prepared to close. the gentleman should go first, the ranking member. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. m luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. the w.b.c. program has delivered for women-owned small businesses for many years. this legislation re-authorizes the program, increases accountability and oversight, and ensures the program continues to serve our entrepreneurs in the future. with that i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 6441.

i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, women are vital members of the nation's critical small business community and the american economy. h.r. 6441 will modernize and strengthen s.b.a. -- s.b.a.'s w.b.c. program so it can meet the moment and provide the necessary resources to women, particularly the ones driven out of the work force during the pandemic. not only have mrs. davis and ms. tenney continue the work to improve the w.b.c. program, they have expanded upon our efforts last congress by addressing the challenges highlighted during the public health emergency. so i thank them for this effort. and with that i urge my colleagues to vote yes and yield

back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6441. so many as are 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 upon the table. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from new york seek recognition? ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6450. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 187, h.r. 6450, a bill to amend the small business act to re-authorize the score program, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer,

each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days 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 today in support of h.r. 6450, the score for small business act of 2022. america's nearly 30 million small businesses represent more than 99% of all businesses. since interception, the s.b.a. has undertaken efforts to connect new entrepreneurs and small business owners with more experienced business men and women. score, one component of s.b.a. resource partner ecosystem, is

uniquely situated to make these connections. score's expansive network consists of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and executives who volunteer as mentors to small businesses and entrepreneurs both in person and online. score volunteers provide personalized advice and pull from their personal business experience to help the next generation of business leaders. providing consultation on topics such as business plan development, strategic marketing, and financing ideas score ensures their clients receive comprehensive counseling and training while meeting their individualized needs. in 2020 through score's network of over 250 chapters and 10,000 volunteers, the program helped create over 45,000 new businesses and over 74,000 new jobs. in addition, score had a return

of federal investment of over $67 for every dollar of federal appropriations. increasing funding for score is important to continued success and i am pleased that h.r. 6450 increases its authorization to $13.5 million for two fiscal years. h.r. 6450 not only re-authorizes this essential program, but it also takes necessary steps to restore integrity, accounting, and performance to the program. the measures in the bill to expand and promote client and volunteer diversity will ensure score can reach all of america's small business owners and entrepreneurs no matter their background or location. i commend representatives young, kim, and craig for working together to make sure that the score program is strengthened

while maintaining efficient and effective operations. mr. speaker, i urge members to support this legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i rise in support today of h.r. 6450, the score for small business act. score is the largest network of free private sector volunteer mentors. they provide entrepreneurs with trainings on starting a business, succession plan, and management finance and marketing tools. score mentors have helped small businesses pivot their business model during the connected. they have shared marketing data and analytics expertise to help entrepreneurs grow their customer base, and counseled numerous start-ups on the first steps to begin a business. in addition to re-authorizing the program t. takes important strides to add new program safeguards, data standards, and reporting requirements.

i'm confident the provisions in this bill will support small business, improve s.b.a.'s and congress' oversight of the score program, and ensure that the integrity of the score association is restored and maintained. . also want to thank ms. craig and the chair for advancing this legislation. h.r. 6450 was favorably reported out of the small business committee unanimously and passed the house last congress in a similar form. i urge my colleagues to similarly pass the bill on the floor. and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield as much time as she may consume to mrs. kim from california, the ranking member on small business committee of innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development, a small business owner herself, and a great

advocate for small businesses. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for as much time as she may consume. mrs. kim: thank you, ranking member luetkemeyer, for yielding. i'd like to thank you and chairwoman velazquez for your leadership on the small business committee. i rise in strong support of my legislation, h.r. 6450, the score for small business act of 2022. this bipartisan bill re-authorizes the score program for fiscal year 2022 and 2023. and it will allow score to expand counseling and training through online webinars, electronic mentoring platforms, and online tool kits to better serve small businesses and entrepreneurs across u.s. communities, including the rural and underserved areas. additionally, this bill would better protect taxpayers' dollars through oversight mechanisms. since 1964, score has helped

over 11 million entrepreneurs to establish, expand, or service a small business. since the covid-19 pandemic began early 2020, score has seen a 30% increase in demand for their services. and despite challenges faced, 89% of score clients stayed in business throughout 2020. in 2021, the score chapter in orange county in my district helped start 269 new small businesses and create nearly 4,000 jobs. in 2019, prior to the pandemic, orange county score delivered 11,154 total services. and in 2021, they delivered 25,146 total services. this is a 125% increase and over double the rate of prepandemic

levels. thanks to the volunteers and mentors in score, countless small businesses in my district have been able to keep their businesses running and keep their employees on their payroll. i want to thank you, my colleague, representative craig, for your partnership on this, and i urge all my colleagues to vote yes on h.r. 6450 and allow score to continue this public-private partnership to support small businesses across the country. with that i yield back. thank you. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm also prepared to close. mr. speaker, small businesses consistently highlight the importance of resources to grow their business and servie their

communities. the private sector driven score mentorship program is an important tool for small businesses seeking assistance and guidance during these challenging economic times. i encourage my colleagues to support h.r. 6450, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. the score program has made good progress in improving the transparency, accountability, and efficacy of their organization. today's legislation builds upon that progress to -- so that a critical program can succeed well into the future. score is unique among s.b.a. resource partners in that they connect clients directly with successful businessmen tours who have firsthand experience and knowledge to help them with their unique situations. h.r. 6450 will expand score's ability to reach more small business owners and entrepreneurs, particularly

those in underserved and rural communities while maintaining the program improvements score has worked hard to develop. i want to thank my colleagues for their bipartisan support of the score program. i urge my colleagues to vote yes, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back, and the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6450. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 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? ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4877. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 185, h.r. 4877, a bill to amend the small business act to require the small business and

agriculture regulatory enforcement ombudsman to create a centralized website for compliance guides, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, 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 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: i rise today in support of h.r. 4877, the one stop shop for small business compliance act of 2021, which will require s.b.a.'s office of the national ombudsman to maintain a central website for

regulatory compliance guidance. federal regulatories are required by the fairness act to publish small entity compliance guides for each rule requiring regulatory flexibility analysis. this compliance guide is meant to explain federal rules in easy-to-understand terms for small businesses and have them comply with federal regulations that protect our environment, health, and consumer safety. however, small businesses do not always have the resources to navigate multiple agencies' websites to find these guides. h.r. 4877 will ensure the national ombudsman maintains a centralized website containing links to each agency's small business compliance guides and their relevant points of contact.

this simple step will significantly reduce the administrative burden on entrepreneurs, make compliance easier, and allow them to spend more time doing what they do best -- running their businesses and creating jobs. i want to thank representatives delgado and van duyne for working in a bipartisan manner to advance this bill to assist small businesses across the country. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i rise in support of h.r. 4877, the one stop shop for small business compliance act of 2021. federal agencies are required to publish small business compliance guides for certain regulations. presently, these guides are housed in different agency websites, making it difficult

for small businesses to find and utilize. this bipartisan legislation will create a one stop shop that will make it easier for small businesses to comply with federal regulations. this bill will also require the centralized website to list contact information for the appropriate agency staff who could provide regulatory assistance to small businesses. i commend the gentleman from new york, mr. delgado, and the gentlelady from texas, ms. van duyne, for working in tandem to bring this issue to the forefront. h.r. 4877 passed out of committee via voice vote and similar language passed the house floor in the 116th congress. i encourage all members to support this legislation, and with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. delgado. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for three minutes. mr. delgado: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank chairwoman velazquez for yielding. we all know that the past couple

years have been difficult on small businesses. covid-19 up-ended life as we knew it. while america is turning a corner from the perspective of public health, the pandemic's after-shocks are still raising costs, scrambling supply chains, and disrupting labor markets. that's what i heard from folks in cooperstown last month when i invited the s.b.a. administrator to tour main street with me. it's what i heard a few days ago when i visited small businesses in tannersville, in green county. and it's what i regularly hear from small business owners at my town hall meetings across the district. that's why congress should be doing everything it can to produce -- reduce burdens on small business owners. and that's why my bipartisan bill, the one stop shop for small business compliance act, would do. in 1996, congress passed a law requiring federal agencies to

publish easy-to-use regulation compliance guides for small businesses. a good idea poorly implemented. the problem is these guides are housed in different agency websites, making it difficult for small businesses to find and utilize them. what to find -- want to find something for osha, you have to go to the osha website. the ftc's compliance guide, go look around at ftc.gov, so on and so forth. these are scattered across countless websites. it will require the small business administrator's ombudsman to house all federal compliance guides in one place. by creating a one stop shop online, we make these guides more accessible for small business owners who often lack the resources to hire staff to focus on compliance issues. the platform would also list contact information for the appropriate agency staff who could provide regulatory assistance to small businesses.

small businesses are essential elements of the economic and social fabric of upstate new york. i i'm proud to co-sponsor this legislation, which will make it easier, not harder, for folks back home to run their small businesses and access resources from the federal government. i want to thank congresswoman beth van duyne for her partnership on this bipartisan bill. commonsense legislation. also, want to thank chairwoman velazquez and ranking member luetkemeyer for their support. i urge my colleagues to support this bill, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i have no further speakers. i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i reserve and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. having rules of the road clearly and succinctly in one location for small businesses is instrumental. the one stop shop for small business compliance act of 2021

will ensure this occurs at the s.b.a. again, i want to thank the chair for advancing this legislation that better informs the nation's small businesses, and i urge my colleagues to support it. with that, mr. chairman -- mr. speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, small employers have experienced great hardships throughout the pandemic, but today, we have the opportunity to make it easier, not harder, to comply with federal regulations. the ombudsman centralized website will streamline the compliance process for small businesses and ensure they have the most accurate and updated information. i, again, want to thank our committee members for their diligence in advancing this piece of legislation. i urge my colleagues to vote yes, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. and the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass

the bill h.r. 4877. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 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? ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6454. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 186, h.r. 6454, a bill to clarify the primary functions and duties of the office of advocacy of the small business administration, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, and the gentleman from missouri, mr. luetkemeyer, 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 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 such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: i rise in support of h.r. 6454, the small business advocacy improvements act of 2022. established in 1976, s.b.a.'s office of advocacy is the independent voice for small businesses within the federal government. they oversee enforcement of the regular willer to flexibility act and is a source for statistical research on matters pertaining to small business. over the years, advocacy's responsibilities have expanded

and participation in international regulatory cooperation and trade initiatives that impact small businesses is becoming increasingly important. h.r. 6454 makes it clear that advocacy has the authority to examine international economic data and represent small businesses in international discussions, particularly in trade negotiations. i want to thank the ranking member and mr. carter for their bipartisan work on this bill. mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i rise in support of h.r. 6454.

this bill impacts america's entrepreneurs. small business owners are often wearing many hats throughout the entire work day including ensuring compliance with all federal regulations. now more than ever, small businesses, entrepreneurs and startups need a strong advocate in washington supporting them when it comes to regulations. my bill, which was favorably report out of committee by a voice vote, will improve and ep hance the office of advocacy. h.r. 6554 will ensure the office is able to speak on international and trade matters. in addition to passing out of committee earlier this year this legislation passed the house floor by voice vote in the 116th congress. congress has the ability to structurally enhance an executive branch office that operates independently and reinforce it on behalf of small businesses. i'd like to thank my colleague, representative troy carter p from louisiana, for working with me in a bipartisan manner to improve the s.b.a.'s office of

advocacy. i want to thank the chair for bringing this legislation forward. this bill puts america's small businesses first and with that i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i have no further speakers, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from missouri is recognized. mr. luetkemeyer: as i mentioned, the nation is getting ready to celebration national small business week. this will be a time to honor main street u.s.a. and listen to them about what impact -- impacting their operations and what congress can do to support them. the fief bills before us today take steps to enhance the small business administration, the

sole federal agency created to help the smallest firms. i want to thank the chair for working in a bipartisan manner to pass all these bills and urge a yes vote on all of them including h.r. 6454 and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. s.b.a.'s office of advocacy works to ensure that small business interests are heard at all levels of government. because too often, their voices are drown out by larger companies with sophisticated legal departments and armies of lobbyists. and now as the world becomes more and more connected, participating in the global economy is vital to small business success. in order to do that, they need a strong voice advocating on their behalf. h.r. 6454 will allow the office to advocate on behalf of small

businesses in international discussions, trade negotiations and examine international economic data. i urge my colleagues to vote yes on -- and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6454. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 270. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 270, an act to amend the act entitled act to provide for establishment of the brown vs. brown of education national historic site in the state of kansas and for other purposes, to provide for incleulings of additional related sites in the national park system and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva and the gentleman

from oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: 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 measures under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. gri shall via: i rise in support of s. 270, the brown vs. board of education national historic site expansion act. this bipartisan bill would rename the brown vs. board of education national historic site in the state of kansas as the brown vs. board of education national historic park. it would also expand the park toin collude four affiliated sites in south carolina,

virginia, delaware, and the district of columbia. relating to the court cases on school desegregation that were consolidated into the supreme court case of brown vs. the board of education. an acknowledgment that i think is important of the entire list of plaintiffs in that historic court decision. this legislative effort will continue to elevate the important stories and education of the civil rights movement through these affiliated sites and nationally historic park designation. despite partisan -- this bipartisan bill passed the senate on a voice vote in april. the house companion legislation is sponsored by our colleague from south carolina, the majority whip, representative jame clyburn. earlier this congress the house natural resources committee held a hearing on this bill and ordered it favorably reported by unanimous consent. i want to thank representative

claiborne -- clyburn for championing this bill and urge my colleagues to support its adoption and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: i would like to acknowledge that last week we celebrated national parks week. each april we celebrate our national parks and urge people to get out and enjoy them. my home state of oregon harbors four such parks, the john day fossil beds national monument, the national historical park and oregon davis national monument and preserve. i look forward to at least the next century have visitors discovering oregon's park and everything oregon has to offer. in recent years the national park service has made a concerted effort to provide a more inclusive cloche at american history to ensure our parks sell the stories of all

americans. i applaud the national park service for its efforts to make all americans feel welcome and included in our national park system. s. 270, the brown vs. board of education historical site expansion act, adds to the brown vs. board of education national historic site currently located in topeka, kansas, so that it includes or would include additional sites in south carolina, virginia, delaware, and the district of columbia. each as an affiliated area. this bill will help recognize and preserve sites associated with the brown vs. board of education topeka case which resulted in the landmark supreme court ruling that racial segregation of public schools is unconstitutional. we yes a huge debt of gratitude to the students, parents and lawyers whose extraordinary courage and vision led to the dismantling of the separate but equal doctrine. i urge adoption of s. 270 and look forward to it being signed into law. with that, mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is

recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from south carolina, representative clyburn. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. clyburn: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of s. 270. the brown have board of education national his -- the brown v. board of education national historic act. i thank chris coombs for his leadership, securing the senate's unanimous support for passage of this important legislation earlier this month. i'm proud to lead the legislation here in the house along with our bipartisan co-sponsors, congresswomen lisa blunt rochester and eleanor holmes norton and congressman

bob good. as a former teacher of history and a student of history, i believe in the value of learning from our past. many americans don't know that the landmark brown v. board of education supreme court decision that desegregated public schools in 1954 combined legal challenges from four states and the district of columbia. i represent one of those states. and was fortunate to know some of the petitioners from carolyn county, south carolina who challenged the separate but equal laws. many of their photographs hang in my congressional office. in 2004, i wrote in cooperation

with the foundation, the book "uncommon courage," the story of south carolina's unsung civil rights bat. that same year, i was proud to lead the effort to present the congressional gold medal of honor to the leaders of that challenge, harry and elijah briggs, elevi pearson and reverend joseph a. derain. their case, briggs v. elliot, was the first of those cases that later became brown v. board. the subsequent cases were in delaware, virginia, washington, d.c., and of course topeka, kansas. today, there is a national parks

site that was created by congress in 1992 in topeka that tells the story of the ordinary people who took this extraordinary action to ensure their children had equal educational opportunities. however, the other communities involved in this historic effort have no national parks service presence acknowledging their contributions. this legislation will right that wrong. it expands the brown v. board of education national historic site to include locations in each of the communities that were part of the lawsuit. when writing this legislation, i worked with the national trust for historic preservation to engage with the communities that would be impacted to solicit

their input. with the enactment of this legislation, the brown v. board of education national historic site will become more than the munro school building in topeka. it will add summerton school and scotch french school in somerton, south carolina, to represent the briggs v. elliot. huckinson colored school, number 10, and howard high school in wilmington, delaware, to represent belton v. again hart. -- v.gebhart. the former robert russell morton school, now a museum, in farmville, virginia, represent davis v. county school board of prince edward county. and

and the john souza high school in the district of columbia to represent bolden v. sharp. each of these sites will tell a story of how these communities fought to overturn the 1896 plessy vs. ferguson decision that established the separate but equal doctrine. when brown v. board of education overturned that decision and ended generations of inadequate education for black children, constitutional scholar lewis a. pollack hailed it as, as i'm quoting him here, probably the most important american government act of any kind since the emancipation proclamation. end of quote.

i urge all members of this august body to follow the senate's lead and vote in favor of expanding the brown v. board of education national historic site to ensure that all of the communities that contributed to this landmark decision receive proper recognition. having geographically dispensed historic -- disbursed historic sites, tell this great story, will enable students to learn from the past and understand the importance of making america's greatness accessible and affordable to all. with that i'll yield back the balance of my time. mr. grijalva: reserve the balance of our time, mr. speaker.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from yaiz reserves. -- arizona reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. >> mr. speaker, i have no further speakers. i'm ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: we are prepared to close as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i urge support of this bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i want to thank representative clyburn for his comments and for reaffirming that our national identity is driven by our history and that history is something that all of us need to learn. and so with that let me urge support of this legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. and the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 270. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 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 gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i above that -- i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2793, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2793, a bill to re-authorize the highlands conservation act, to authorize states to use funds from that act for administrative purposes, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the

measure under consideration. and mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, and the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. h.r. 2793, the highlands conservation re-authorization act, is led by my colleague, representative sean patrick maloney. the bill re-authorizes funding for the u.s. fish and wildlife service and the u.s. forest service to protect and conserve the highland region. the beautiful highland region spans 3.4 million acres across connecticut, new jersey, new york, and pennsylvania. this area has retained its splendor due in part to the passage of the highlands conservation act of 2004, which authorized the fish and wildlife service and the forest service to work with state and local governments and n.g.o.'s to conserve this eek system. -- ecosystem. since 2004, , $28 -- since 2004,

$28 million have permanently protected almost 13,000 acres of land. these lands protect clean and safe drinking water, sustain healthy forests and wildlife populations, encourage productive agriculture, and provide quality recreation opportunities for the public. i commend my colleague for his leadership on this bipartisan bill to re-authorize the highland conservation act and ensure the continued success of this program. i urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 2793, a bipartisan bill sponsored by congressman sean patrick maloney of new york to re-authorize the highlands conservation act. the stated purpose of the highlands conservation act, which was signed in 2004, is to,

quote, recognize the importance of the water, forest, agriculture, wildlife, recreational and cultural resources of the highlands region which, as indicated, spans some 3.4 million acres across connecticut, new york, new jersey, pennsylvania. and the national significance of the highlands region to the united states. under the current authorization, the governors of these states identify conneservation partnership projects in the region and submit a list annually to the secretary of interior who is tasked with working with the secretary of agriculture to submit a final list to congress for approval and funding. h.r. 2793 would re-authorize the highlands conservation act and rely on municipalities to enter into conservation agreements with the department of interior. this bill is a product of a bipartisan negotiation with the committee on natural resources. i urge adoption of this bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized.

mr. grijalva: thank you very much, mr. speaker. i want to yield five minutes to the gentleman from new york, representative maloney, and thank him for being a driving -- the driving force in bringing this legislation to this point. with that i yield as time as he may consume. mr. maloney: i want to thank my good friend for all of his work and rise, mr. speaker, to support my bill, the highlands conservation re-authorization act. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. maloney: for an additional seven years through 2029. so if you ever hiked through the public lands in the hudson valley, chances are you enjoyed the experience and benefited from the land conservative protected by the highlands conservation program. or even if you looked upon the extraordinary works of art in the hudson school of painting, the most american school of painting, you'll see these lands in the hudson highlands and wonder, as we do, who are lucky

enough to live there, at their beauty. for more than two decades -- nearly two decades, the highlands conservation act has been a critical resource for the protection of these lands throughout a 5,500 -- excuse me -- 5,500 square mile area of the highlands region covering new york, new jersey, connecticut, and pennsylvania. it includes many of our great state parks. in my district, including hariman state park, bear mountain state park, hudson state park, to name a few. and the bill funds vital projects to safeguard our water splice, conserve -- supplies, conserve our forest, expand recreational opportunities, and save agriculture resources. over the past 18 years, the highlands conservation act has delivered on its promise. it facilitated the permanent protection of nearly 13,000 acres of land, land that contributes to clean drinking

water, protects wildlife, expansion of recreation -- recreational opportunities, and, of course, the sustainable economic growth we all want. since 2007, new york received over $14 million through the highlands conservation act, funding that supported 18 specific projects conserving 4,000 acres in the hudson valley. the act helped incorporate over 230 acres of land into the clarence fond stock, putnam county. i spend a lot of time there. absolutely beautiful. in 2016, funds from the highlands conservation act conserved nearly 700 acres of land, linking the state park in orange county, and so much more. it's also responsible for the addition of 1200 acres that make up the fish kill ridge portion of the hudson highlands state park. more than 25 million americans live within just an hour's drive of the highlands region, and so

by passing this bill today, we can ensure the highlands are protected and remain a beautiful natural resource for them and for our entire country for generations to come. mr. speaker, the highlands conservation program has been an extremely effective program, not just for my district, but for the entire region and our country. and the entire -- the entire conservation community should do -- should do well to congratulate themselves today. i want to mention a few people locally. mark zeck from the appalachian mountain club. scenic hudson. katrina and michelle with the hudson highlands land trust. tim abbott. i thank them all for their extraordinary work. and i thank the chair and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers, and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves.

the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: we have no further speakers, mr. speaker, and we'll be prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, i urge adoption of this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i urge my colleagues to support the legislation and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is -- the gentleman yields back and the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2793. those in favor say aye. as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 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 gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: thank you, mr.

speaker. i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3525, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 3525, a bill to establish the commission to study the potential creation of a national museum of asian pacific american history and culture, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: i also ask unanimous consent to include in the congressional record an exchange of letters between myself as chair of the committee on natural resources and the chair of the committee on house

administration regarding this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. i rise in support of h.r. 3525, the commission to study the potential creation of a national museum of asian pacific american history and culture act, introduced by my friend and colleague, representative grace meng. this legislation would establish a commission to study and report on the potential creation of a national museum of asian pacific american history and culture in the district of columbia and its surrounded areas. the establishment of this commission is the first step in the acknowledgment and the acknowledging the long history, role, and contribution of asian americans in american culture. i want to thank representative meng for championing this piece of legislation. i urge my colleagues to support

it and to support its adoption, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 3525, offered by representative meng, to authorize a commission to study the potential creation of a national museum of asian pacific american history and culture. my home state of oregon has a proud and growing asian and pacific islander population. oregon's home to many cultural centers, oregon is home to many gardens, cultural centers and museums relating to pacific islanders. this bill would study the potential creation of a national museum of asian pacific american history and culture in

washington, d.c. it would study the cost of building and maintaining the museum and the feasibility of it becoming part of the smithsonian. while i support the bill i'm concerned about the significant operational challenges that add an additional museum to smithsonian's portfolio would pose. just two years ago, congress authorized the establishment of the american latino history museum. in addition to these new museums, the smithsonian faces a backlog of repair work of $1.9 million. they have renovation of the national aeronautic and space museum and other my sthoanls mall. at markup and amendment was adopted to require the

commission to consider the potential impaght on the smithsonian's existing maintenance backlog, identify con scruks -- construction or renovation costs for new or existing museums. i appreciate an amendment adopted at markup to prohibit the use of federal funds for the commission. these are good governance amendments that will strengthen the commission's work and eventual report. i appreciate our friends on the other side of the aisle taking this bill through regular order and working with republicans to address our concerns. i urge adoption of the bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield five minutes -- no, i yield as much time as she may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, representative mention. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for such time as she may consume. ms. mention: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise to speak in favor of h.r. 3525, a bill i authored to

establish a commission to study the potential creation of a national museum of asian pacific american history and culture. i want to first thank chairman grijalva, ranking member westerman of the house committee on natural resources, congress member bentz and chairman the tbeus and ranking member fulcher of the subcommittee on national parks, forests and public lands for their work with me on bringing this bill to the floor. second, i want to thank speaker pelosi, whip clyburn and leader hoyer for their work on this legislation. i want to thank chair lofgren on the committee for her support in moving this bill forward. i first introduced this bill in the 114th congress and during that congress we witnessed the opening of the national museum of african-american history and culture that our former colleague, the legendary john lewis, spearheaded for decades.

since then, we have seen legislation establishing the national museum of the american latino and the smithsonian american women's history museum signed into law. our communities and caucuses have stood together in each of these efforts and it's a joy to see this aapi museum study bill arrive at this point today. america is filled with diverse stories of achievement and moments of tragedy. within our shared history, there are countless tales ofation americans and pacific island -- of asian americans and pacific islanders, aapi's, contributing to every facet of our nation. as far pack as the 1700's, aapi's have shaped american society. from the chinese laborers who helped build the transcontinental railroad, a vital piece of u.s. infrastructure, to the thousands of aapi's who fought for fair working conditions for

agricultural workers during the haye sugar -- the hawaii sugar strike of 1946, aapi's have and continue to shape this nation's history. yet those contributions are often understood heard of and simply forgotten. it is time to change that. a national museum dedicated to collecting, preserving and displaying these tales is long overdue. museums provide a space to reflect on our past, assess our present, and dream of the future that we are working toward. my bill is one step closer to the creation of a national museum dedicated to our aapi american history. the commission established through this legislation will be comprised of experts in their respective fields who will be responsible for studying the feasibility of creating a national museum and providing recommendations to congress on

whether to and how to establish a national museum. additionally the commission will study logistical questions of exhibit cue ration, fundraising capacity, cost of creating and maintaining such an institution, and whether or not this museum should be part of the smithsonian institution. aapi's are the fastest growing ethnic group in america. and the contributions of this community have shaped our nation's infrastructure, economy, culture and so much more. we must never forget that aapi history is also american history. today's consideration of h.r. 325 -- of h.r. 3525 is a first step to studying the full face of american diversity across our country is displayed. i urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves.

the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. let me yield three minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. andy kim, representative kim. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. mr. kim: mr. chairman, i rise today in support of h.r. 3525, the commission to study the potential creation of a national museum of asian pacific american history and culture act. the contributions of asian americans and pacific islanders to this great nation have been enormous. the history of aapi's is rich. but this history is rarely talked about and the contributions often go unknown or unrecognized. i'm often asked how someone can learn about a api history and admittedly i don't know as much

as i should. now more than ever, with the rise in hate crimes like the atlanta shootings and other acts of violence in new york city and throughout the country, we keep hearing this phrase, you don't belong here. i've heard that throughout my life. and sadly my two little boys, 4 years old and 6 years old, have already heard hurtful words that have labeled them in twhais don't yet understand. like many, i don't want my kids to understand who they are through sources of hate and discrimination. i want them to feel pride. pride in who they are. pride in aapi's and pride in our place in this nation. our story is not just an asian american story. it's an american story. the history is not just an asian american history, it's american history. and this history isn't just for aapi's to learn, it's for all of us. together, through learning, we can come together, creating greater understanding, a closer

knit community, celebrating the richness of this nation. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bent: we have no further witnesses and are prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: let me yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, representative cardenas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. mr. cardenas: thank you very much. i rise today in support of h.r. 3525, to commission a study for the creation of the national museum of asian pacific american history and culture act. asian americans have been contributing to the fabric of our united states of america from its earliest days helping to build, shape and defend our great country. this long overdue museum will serve as a gateway for everyone

to see, feel and understand the countless truths and the stories of asian americans, stories of perseverance, dedication and beating the odds to achief their dreams. those from trailblazers like larry itlion a filipino american labor leader who organized with civil rights leaders like cesar chavez. my father worked in the fields ached he told me once. when i worked in the fields i wanted to work harder than everyone else. the people who always worked as hard as me and challenged me were my filipino klees working in the fields -- filipino colleagues working in the fields. i quoted him in english though my father spoke to me in spanish. people like constance wu and ali wong whose contributions to the arts have positively impacted millions of americans.

these stories and more deserve to be told and understood. i'm proud to support this bill, i can't wait until i see this bill on the mall with the women's museum, the african-american museum and the native american my semi. i'd also like to take a point of privilege to say thank you to grace mention who at one time was the only asian american legislator in the legislature in new york. not the first one but she was the -- but she was there by herself. and she's now in our united states congress representing our community proudly and her community proudly as well. with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: we have no further speakers and are prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: we are also prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: i just want to say huh important this bill is.

in part because of the incredibly valuable folks we have in my part of my state including the nagakis, the itos, the tanakas, and many others. all of whom are absolutely wonderful parts of our community. they're also incredibly conservative and i'm sure will be happy to see the portions of this bill that reflect the afreament to make sure we're able to pay for whatever it is we do. they are truly deserving of this recognition and with that, mr. speaker, i urge adoption of this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you. this legislation is important. it comes at the right time. it's an affirmation that the inclusiveness, diversity and the

equal status of all of us as americans. i'm proud to support this, urge its adoption and yield back the remainder. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3525 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5973 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5973, a bill to re-authorize the great lakes fish and wildlife restoration act of 199 and -- of 1990 and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arizona,

mr. grijalva and the gentleman from oregon, mr. bentz each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you again, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include ex-traind -- extraneous material on the measure under consideration today. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as my -- as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: h.r. 5973, the great lakes fish and wildlife re-authorization act is sponsored by my friend and colleague in the natural resources committee, representative debbie dingell. this bill re-authorizes funding for the u.s. fish and wildlife service to combat plugs, invasive species and habitat loss in the great lakes region. its basin is the largest body of fresh water on the planet, holding 18% of the world's fresh water supply. some 35 million people across eight states and canada depend

on the basin for drinking water, jobs and recreation. the great lakes is also habitat to more than 500 migratory bird species and more than 100 species of fish and many endangered -- many of them endangered and threatened species. however, agriculture and industrial waste pose a threat to the water quality in the basin. there are extensive populations of harmful invasive species and wildlife species are at risk due to habitat loss. fortunately, since 199, 0 the since 1990, the fish and wildlife region restored the great lakes region by tackling pollution, removing invasive species and restoring essential habitat. congress' re-authorized this funding three times and i urge them to do so again today so the fish and wildlife service can continue the excellent work that they are doing in protecting

that extraordinary and necessary ecosystem. i commend my colleague, representative dingell, for her work on this important bipartisan bill. i urge its adoption, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 5973, a bill sponsored by our colleague, representative debbie dingell of michigan, to re-authorize the great lakes fish and wildlife restoration act. under the authorities provided by this law, the u.s. fish and wildlife service developed six goals in collaboration with state and local partners. to date, 81 fish and wildlife restoration grant projects have been funded through this cooperative effort. this law has been re-authorized three times, most recently in 2016. the bill we are considering today would extend these authorities until 2027 without increasing funding authorization. we appreciate congresswoman

dingell's commitment not to move this bill until the u.s. fish and wildlife service provided a mandatory report to congress. in late march, we finally received this report which allowed us to evaluate the current program and the progress toward meeting its goals. i congratulate congresswoman dingell for her leadership on this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlelady, representative dingell, as much time as she may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the state of michigan is recognized for as much time as she may consume. mrs. dingell: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, mr. chairman, for your incredible support, and to my republican colleague for his kind words and how we can work together. i rise in support of the great lakes fish and wildlife restoration re-authorization

act. this bipartisan legislation, which i'm leading with my other colleagues, congressman darren lahood, congressman paul tonko, and congressman david joyce, supports fish and wildlife conservation efforts in the great lakes. since 1998, the great lakes fish and wildlife restoration act has provided critical resources for coordinating conservation efforts across the great lakes ecosystem. this long standing bipartisan backing underscores the efficacy of the proven conservation mechanisms in this legislation, including collaborative public-private partnerships that maximizes the impact of federal funding to make landscape level improvements to our fish and wildlife habitats. a recently released report on the program by the department of the interior found that as a result of the fish and wildlife grant program, authorized by the great lakes fish and wildlife

restoration act, the significant progress that has been made in addressing the six great lakes restoration goals specified in the legislation. this includes control of sea populations across the great lakes, progress on the restoration of lake trout in lake huron, leading to reducing stocking targets. and other piece recovery -- species recovery efforts, vital to sustaining the great ecosystem of the great lakes basin. however, continued work is required to protect the great lakes for future generations, giving the environmental pressures that this region faces. to that end, the great lakes fish and wildlife restoration act will authorize funding for the great lakes fish and wildlife restoration act for five years for fiscal years 2022 through 2027 at the current funding levels. this legislation has broad

bipartisan support as well as the backing of a variety of groups dedicated to safeguarding the great lakes, including ducks, unlimited, and the great lakes fishery commission. these great lakes are 90% of the freshwater in the united states. we must protect them. i urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation, which will ensure our great lakes are protected for many generations to am co. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers. we're prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: we're also prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, i urge adoption of this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona is

recognized. mr. grijalva: yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the question -- the gentleman yields back. and the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5973, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 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 gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6023, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6023, a bill to require the united states postal service to continue selling the multinational specie conservation funds semipostal

stamp until all remaining stamps are sold, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. and the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask that he can that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks -- i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: thank you. i also ask unanimous consent to include in the congressional record an exchange of letters between myself as charity of the committee on -- chair of the committee on natural resources and the chair of the committee on oversight and reform regarding this legislation. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: and mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. h.r. 6023, the multinational species conservation funds semipostal stamp re-authorization act is led by my friend and colleague on the natural resources committee,

representative jim costa. this conservation -- these multinational species conservation stamps are a unique way for americans to contribute to important conservation projects. semipostal stamps are sold at higher rates than standard stamps. when purchasing these stamps, americans elect to help a cause. great aprils, rhinos, are threatened from decades of habitat loss, poaching, climate change. these stamps support efforts to tackle poaching, improve community engagement, and outreach restore habitat and -- outreach, restore habitat and help with trafficking. in fact, between 2011 and 2017, these stamps raised almost $4 million for conservation

projects. however, the u.s. postal service had to stop selling them when the program's authorization ran out. approximately 49 million stamps remain. annual appropriation bills have been directing the postal service to continue selling the stamps but in a piecemeal fashion. this bill would fix it once and for all. the bill directs the u.s. postal service to sell all the rest of these stamps and in doing so we can continue to support the ongoing conservation efforts for endangered species around the world. let me thank representative costa for his work on the legislation. i urge support for it, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 6023, a bipartisan bill sponsored by representative jim costa of california, to re-authorize the multinational species conservation fund semipostal

sfafrp re-authorization act -- stamp re-authorization act of 2013 and to require the u.s. postal service to sell the rest of the stamps. the multinational species conservation fund semipostal stamp act of 2010 first directed to the postal service -- first directed the postal service to issue this stamp, multinational species conservation fund, which provides grants that was previously outlined by the previous speaker. according to the fish and wildlife service, stamp sales have raised more than $5.7 million for the fund as of 2019. the authorization for offering this stamp expired in 2017 at which point the pofls suspended -- postal service suspended the sell, despite having 39 million stamps on hand. this bill will have the postal service to sell the rest of these stamps and report to congress when they have been sold. i thank congressman costa for

his support on the measure. i urge support and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i have no further requests for time and would inquire whether my colleague is prepared to close as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, we are prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves -- the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, i urge adoption of this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: i urge adoption and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. and the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6023, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 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

gentleman from seek recognition? mr. grijalva: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6201, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6201, a bill to extend the authority for the establishment of a commemorative work to honor enslaved and free black persons who served in the american revolution, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: thank you, mr. speaker. and i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, again, sir. i rise in support of h.r.

46201 -- h.r. 6201, the national liberty memorial preservation act, introduced by my friend and colleague, representative bonnie watson coleman. this will have a commemorative work to honor enslaved and free black persons who served in the american revolution. extending this authorization will allow the connelly authorized national mall liberty fund, d.c., to continue fundraising and construction of this memorial near the national mall in washington, d.c. i want to thank representative watson coleman for championing this bill. i urge my colleagues to support its adoption and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: mr. speaker, h.r. 46201, offered by representative watson coleman, would extend the authorization for the

establishment of a memorial to honor the approximately 5,000 enslaved and free black revolutionary war patriots who served as soldiers or provided civilian assistance during the american revolution. in 2014, congress authorized the national liberty memorial to be established in area one in washington, d.c., which is defined by the commemorative works act as a location just off the national mall. under the commemorative works act, sponsoring organizations provided a seven-year period to construct a memorial which unfortunately expired. the subject matter of this memorial is extremely important and i extend supporting the national liberal fund -- liberty fund d.c. to extend a lasting memorial in our national mall. i urge adoption of the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: i yield as much time as she may consume to the sponsor of the legislation, representative wattson coleman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new jersey is recognized for as much time as she may consume. mrs. watson coleman: thank you, and i want to thank representative grijalva and i want to thank my republican colleague for supporting this h.r. 6201, the national liberty memorial preservation act would extend authorization of the national liberty memorial, a monument to honor the black and indigenous soldiers who risked everything in the name of the american experiment. if not for the sacrifices of black and indigenous soldier we may not be the independent nation we are today. by the time the continental army marched to victory in yorktown, these soldiers made up a quarter of george washington's forces. i'm willing to bet that many americans don't know this and because until recently, i

certainly didn't, that's because at best the teaching of the revolutionary war fails to highlight the contributions of soldiers of color and at worst it actively whitewashes them. to wipe these soldiers from the story of our independence is to falsify the historical record. in our current moment where fundamental truths about our history are under attack we must right this wrong. black and indigenous soldiers sacrificed too much to be erased from the narrative of our nation's war for independence. i authored the national liberty memorial preservation act on their behalf. i thank congressman hinson, senators murphy and grass lee for joining me in introducing this legislation. i also thank national liberty memorial fund d.c. for agreeing to build the memorial. i hope that in addition to educating the public and honoring sole gofers color, this memorial will illustrate the

importance of teaching the complete honest truth about our history. i hope that it allows black children like my granddaughter to grow up in an america where the trials and tribulations and triumphs of their ancestors are recognized. by telling the full story of our past, we can pave the way for more inclusive future. i am very proud to support and urge passage of this bicameral and bipartisan legislation and i do pray that my colleagues, democratic and republican alike, will vote yes on the national liberty memorial preservation act and with that, i thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new jersey yields back. the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: we have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is prepared to close. mr. grijalva: we're prepared to close as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: i urge adoption of the bill and yield back my time.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from years is recognized. mr. grijalva: i urge support for the legislation and yield back the balance. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona yields back the balance. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6201 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: thank you, madam speaker. i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6651. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 222, h.r. 6651, a bill to establish an alaska salmon research task force.

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from arizona, mr. gri hall vark and t the gentleman fm oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona for such time as he may consume. mr. grijalva: thank you once again, madam 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, so ordered. mr. grijalva: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you again, madam speaker. h.r. 6651, the alaska salmon research task force act establishes a task force of fisheries, sign thises in alaska, alaskan stake holders to study and address to prevent salmon fishery disasters in alaska. led by the late dean of the house our colleague and friend representative don young, this bill is a perfect example of how

he fought for what is best for alaska. salmon are a vital part of the alaskan way of life. they're cultural, economic, nutritional and recreational impact cannot be overstated. over the past decade, there have been several fishery disasters that have put those very salmon at risk. these financial, ecological and cultural restraints have -- strains have created and increasingly dire situation for the alaskan communities who rely on salmon, especially native alaskan communities. this bill creates the alaskan salmon research task force, a group of members from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, the north pacific fishery management council and alaskan stake holders to ensure that alaskans are at the forefront of the alaskan salmon research efforts taking place in their back yards. i believe the bill is a fitting tribute to our departed friend. it elevates alaskan voices,

especially native alaskans and brings stake holders together to build consensus and find solutions to this pressing issue in our 49th state. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation to safeguard alaskan salmon fisheries for generations to come. i reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves. i recognize the gentleman from oregon. mr. bentz: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: i rise in support of h.r. 6651, the alaska salmon research task force act sponsored by our late colleague, the dean of the house, representative don young of alaska. the day before his passing, representative young was in our natural resources committee room discussing the need for this legislation. since 2018 alone, the national oceanic atmospheric administration has issued 14 fisheries disaster determinations in alaska.

this bill seeks scientific answers and recommendations to solve these declining salmon runs. specifically, the bill would require the secretary of commerce in consultation with the governor of alaska to create an alaska salmon research task force composed of up to 19 individuals representing various sectors of the salmon economy and culture. the intent of the task force is to create a coordinated salmon research strategy and support collaboration and coordination in salmon conservation efforts. the task force must also produce a report and recommendations within one year of convening. if mr. young were here today i'm certain he'd remind us that salmon are important to alaskans due to their cultural, economic and recreational val. i urge my colleagues to honor the late dean of the house by supporting this bill. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: i have no further requests for time and would inquire of my colleague whether

their side is prepared to close. mr. bentz: we are prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: i urge adoption of this bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognize. mr. grijalva: i urge support of the legislation and yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6651. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is pass and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: thank you very

much, madam speaker. i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 497. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: senate 497, an act to establish the american fisheries advisory committee to assist in awarding in fisheries research and development grants and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, and the gentleman from oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, chair of the full committee on the interior. mr. grijalva: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the matters under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. grijalva: madam speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the chair of the natural resources committee is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. grijalva: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of s. 497, the

american fisheries advisory committee act led by senator sullivan and late representative don young. this establishes a committee to manage awards for fisheries research and development grants. this important funding provided under grant program at noaa helped maintain and sustain competitive fisheries and working water fronts. the fishery advisory committee will be comprised of representatives from the different coastal regions of the united states and will include members of the seafood harvesting and processing industry. this structure ensures that research and funding decisions are informed by those who work and live in each region. the inclusion of sea 2350d harvester and processors, recreational and commercial fishers and noaives science community as representatives for each region will promote equitable, sustainable and fact-based fisheries management, ensuring longevity and prublghtivety of this vital industry.

i urge support of the legislation and reserve the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from oregon is recognized for such time as he may consume. mr. bentz: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: i roos in support of s. 497. this directs the national oceanic and atmospheric administration to establish a committee for the purpose of selecting grant projects that meet the research needs and prior toys they have commercial fishing industry. this committee will include a board of experts with members chosen regionally and across all sect dwhroafers fishing industry and will help provide significant input on how research grants will be focused on fishing communities. one goal of the bill is to keep fishing communities healthy and viable through local collaboration. i urge my colleagues to support this bill which was introduced in the house by our late colleague, representative don young, and commend representative young and senator

sullivan for their efforts. with that, i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you, madam speaker. i have no further requests for time and inquire -- ask my colleague if they're prepared to close. mr. bentz: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arizona reserves. the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: i urge adoption of the bill and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: the same response as the gentleman and i yield back the balance of our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 497. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 being in the affirmative, the

rules are suspended -- for what purpose does -- mr. grijalva: on that i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to section 3-s of house resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings are postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from arizona seek recognition? mr. grijalva: thank you, madam speaker. i muir that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 441 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 441, a bill to provide for the conveyance of certain property to the tribal council located in alaska and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule the gentleman from arizona, mr. grijalva, chair of the natural resources committee and the gentleman from oregon, mr. bentz, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the

gentleman from arizona. mr. grijalva: thank you. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the matters under consideration. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. grijalva: thank you, madam speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. grijalva: thank you again. h.r. 441, the don young alaska native health care land transfers act of 2022 serves as a testament to the legacy of advocacy the late dean of the house and our friend don young of alaska provided alaskan natives. don was very -- this particular bill was something that he had been working on right before his passing, before we all left, a piece of legislation that he was urging upon me to move as

quickly as possible. and i'm glad that we've been able to get it to this point. this legislation directs the u.s. department of health and human services to convey certain parcels of land in the tanana tribal council, the southeast alaska regional health consortium and the alaska native tribal and together these three nonprofit entities support the native communities as tribal health and social service providers in both urban and rural settings. this provides outpatient services since the council is rurally located, health care services are harder to come by. this legislation, conveys 11.25 acres of land and allow it to build a new facility and expand existing services and thereby

increasing the quality of care available. the consortium is one of the oldest and largest run health organization in the united states. it operates the hospital, a 2500 bed located in sitka, alaska. this legislation conveys 10.87 land to the consortium and will facilitate that plan, modernization of the hospital by granting the title. alaska native consortium serves the needs of american indian patients in south central alaska and provides services at the

center in anchorage, alaska and provides water and sanitation systems construction. this will grant the consortium over two parcels of land totalling 3.5 acres. thus allowing the consortium to streamline its operations and conduct building refurbishments. my late friend and colleague, representative young, championed these three land transfers combined into h.r. 441 to promote health equity among rural alaska natives. his work never creased. i'm grateful we are here today to support this legislation to these tree tribal health consortiums and the support that indian country received from don

young. i call for its swift passage and i reserve the balance. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time the gentleman from oregon. mr. bentz: i realize myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bentz: i rise in strong support of h.r. 441 as amended, would direct the secretary of health and human services to convey by warrant deed certain parcells of federal land to the tribal council of the southeast alaska and alaska native health consortium. this is three separate indian land transfer bills for the state of alaska introduced by the late congressman don young. they were favorably reported out of the committee by unanimous consent during this congress. the first land transfer directed under this act includes 10.25 of

land. the tribal council assumed responsibility for health care services from the indian health service. the passer ell of land encompasses a portion of indian health service site and will construct a health clinic and expand nursing services. the second transfer is 10.78 acres of land which is in sitka, alaska. it is a native-run health care organization that provides health care services from the indian health service in 1976 and operates as the hospital in sitka and will support expansion and replacement. the third land transfer is 3.5 acres of land part of the alaska native health center.

the tribal health consortium assumed responsibility and consortium provides health services at the alaska native medical center. the anthc is the largest nonprofit run in the united states. and gaining title to the par else will enable to streamline its operations and update and refurbish and expand the capacity to help patients outside of anchorage, i would like to recognize all of the hard work congressman young put into serving his constituents during his tenure in congress. i think it is more than appropriate that we are renaming this legislation after the late dean of the house, further memorializing his efforts. mr. young will be deeply missed by all of us. i urge support and i ask for quick adoption and i reserve.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time the gentleman from arizona is recognized. mr. grijalva: may i inquire -- i have no further requests for time. mr. bentz: i have no further speakers. mr. grijalva: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. mr. bentz: we have no further speakers. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from oregon is recognized. mr. bentz: i urge adoption of this bill and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from arizona recognized. mr. grijalva: before closing, let me thank representative bentz for his work on these pieces of legislation today. and in particular, to acknowledge your work on representative maining's h.r. 3525, in particular. difficult things to navigate there and we appreciate the

effort on your part. with that, let me yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 441 as amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximately 6:30 p.m.