Transcripts For CSPAN US House Of Representatives Special Orders 20160921

Ensure that states have the authority to collect sales tax, sales and use tax on internet purchases. Im disappointed. But rather than moving the bipartisan be fairness legislation that our communities need, we are considering this measure instead. And for these concerns and other reasons, i hope that you will join me in opposing h. R. 2315. I thank the gentleman from new york, mr. Nadler, and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. I appreciate the opportunity to address my colleagues regarding my bipartisan, bicameral h. R. 2315, mobile workforce state income tax simplification act. Mr. Bishop states are free to set their own Public Policy. They do it in a way that does not place a substantial burden on the Commerce Clause on the United States constitution. As the American Work force becomes more mobile, congress has the constitutional duty to make sure that Public Policy doesnt interfere. As an attorney and Business Owner, i have seen first happened how complicated these income tax laws are for those who travel and work. These burdens affect businesses and employees because they do not have the resources to comply with the income tax requirements that exist today. Employers are being punished with reporting standards and expense that results from filing all the paperwork simply because they must travel outside their home state for work. And businesses are being forced spend their hardearned and scarce resources with complying with income tax laws. This is government red tape. During the subcommittee hearing on my bill last year, one witness testified that his 500 er had filed 150,000 w2s pramemearl because they crossed state lines for work. He told us that one of his w2s ers had to file 50 for himself. Having to file 50, 20 or even 10 w2s. It is unacceptable to place that n our workforce today. The constitution grants congress the authority to enact laws to protect the free flow of congress and states must not use the power to prey upon workers to raise revenues. Hat said, the array of complex tax laws deserves a serious overall and legislative groups such as the legislative you council agree to support this legislation specifically identify this bill as the legislation that congress should enact. Thats why more than 300 outside organizations to date have pledged their support for this bill. With the help of my colleague, representative hank johnson on the other side of the aisle, and our bill is a carefully crafted, bipartisan, bicameral measure that streamlines income tax laws across the nation and it creates a 30day threshold where a nonresident shouldnt be exposed. And it gives employers a clear and consistent rule so they can plan and accurately withhold taxes knowing that the same rule applies to all states with an income tax. And best of all, it means much less paperwork and reduce Compliance Costs for everyone involved. Business owners and employees. The goal of 2315 is to protect our mobile work force and that includes emergency workers, trade union workers, teachers and federal, state and local government employees. Any organization that has employees that crosses state lines will benefit from this law. I would note that great care was taken with this bill to diminish the impact on state revenues. My colleagues across the aisle addressed concerns with this and i would point out that a 2015 study, the chairman raised earlier, conducted by earns and young found that 2315 would actually raise tax revenues while other states would see a small change. With that, i would like to thank the 308 members who support the bill. And i thank chairman demrat for his time and effort. 180 of my colleagues who cosponsored this bill and senator thune and senator brown that has cosponsored our companion bill so far. This bill is a simple way to reduce administrative burdens with so much red tape interwould he haven in todays tax code. This bill is commonsense way to cut through the clutter and simplify the process moving forward. We can make our workforce the priority and help our Small Businesses. I urge my colleagues to pass h. R. 2315 and i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Nadler i yield myself such time as i may consume. I rise in opposition to h. R. 2315. This bill represents a major assault on the sovereignty of the states and does damage to my home state of new york depriving it of 100 million. This bill would prohibit states from collecticing income tax from an individual unless the person works more than 0 days in that state in a particular year. But this bill would olympic states olympicing their own tax policy. That is highly questionable as a matter of constitutional law. The power to tax is a key index of sompt. If it tells states they may not tax except as prescribed in the bill. I find this dubious. I take a broad view, i do not think it goes to a person to tax a person. Setting aside that person, this bill would do great harm to a number of states especially to new york. New york state could lose up to 125 million annually if this bill were enacted. New york citys unique location as well as its physical proximity to other states, individuals being throughout the year. If you work fewer than 0 days, this bill would strip new york to strip new york. That is grossly unfair and costly. While an exception might make ense, six weeks and 125 million. This bill comes at a time when congress is shifting more and more response bits to the states. As they struggle, we should not limit their ability to tax and more revenue. The fiscal impact might be minimal. But for others like new york it would be max. Vital Services Like education, Law Enforcement and health care could be on the chopping block. During consideration of h. R. 2315, i offered two amendments. The first would have reduced the 30day threshold to 14 days which is still almost three weeks of work without being subject to taxation. The other is the exemptions ich would avoid loopholes to escape. My amendments expected, the impact would have been down to 20 million and a significant drain on resources and they would have been made the bill fairer. Unform, they were defeated. I must oppose the bill. And when the gentleman speaks of w2 forms, h 50 those total a few million dollars. That isnt burdensome. I understand the point. My amendment would have taken care of that. This is not just about new york. But other states would have been affected. The bill is opposed by a broad coalition, like the a fmp lc inch o and the federation of tax administrators and the Tax Commission and many others. We should not be depriving states as we are transferring more functions to the states and cutting back on federal spending. Join me in opposing this unfair legislation. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan is recognized. I yield myself the balance of the time. Mr. Bishop i yield myself the time i may consume. In response to the previous speaker, my colleague from across the aisle, i would respectfully respond to his concerns about states rights. This bill does not violate federal rules and principles. It is an exercise of congress Commerce Clause of which it was intinded. The Supreme Court explained that it was informed about the effects of structural regulation. Under the articles of confederation. The framers intended this was a cure for these structural ills. This bill fits in by bringing the cases by interstate workers in order to reduce Compliance Costs. I would say, mr. Speaker, in regard to this bill, this bill enjoys broad bipartisan support and 180 cosponsors and minimize burdens for workers and employers so they can create and perform jobs. We have received letters of support. But this bill is not just about business. Its about individuals. One Business Owner told the Judiciary Committee that the compliance burdens from the patchwork of state laws falls on the employees who make less than 50,000 per year and those who have limited resources seek professional advice. May not seem a lot by those who oppose this bill. It is a great burden. It has been questioned whether there will be revenue lost in these states. Analysts said it will affect the revenues. This legislation is a great example of Congress Working in a bipartisan way to relieve burdens on hardworking americans. I urge members to support the bill. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Nadler i yield five minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. Johnson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized. Mr. Johnson i thank the gentleman from new york for the time. I rise in support for the mobile act, which is an important bipartisan bill that will help workers and Small Businesses across the country. As a proud sponsor of this legislation in the 110 and 111th congresses, im familiar with this issue. It would provide for a uniform and easily add strabble law that will simplify the patchwork of inconsistent state rules. It would reduce administrative costs to the state and lessen compliance burdens on consumers. From a national perspective, the mobile work force bill will simplify the patch york of inconsistent state rules and reduce administrative costs tore the states and lessen compliance burdens on consumers. Take my home state of georgia as an example. If a company travels once a year, that employee would be subject to missouri tax, even if his annual visit only lasts a day. However, if that employee travels to maine, her trip would only be subject to tax if her trip lasts for 10 days. If she travels to new mexico on business, she would only be subject to tax if she was in the state for 15 days. For example, in georgia, acutie ands, which is a leading lighting manufacturer that employs over 1,000 associates and has over 3,200 associates nationwide who travel extensively across the country for training, conferences and other business, in a letter in upport of h. R. 2315, which i tender with unanimous consent for the record the speaker pro tempore weck. Mr. Johnson thank you. In this letter, their executive Vice President writes that current state laws are numerous, varied and often changing, requiring that the company expend significant resources merely interpreting and staffing states requirements. E concludes that unified clear rules and definitions for nonresident reporting and withholding obligations would undoubtedly improve compliance rates and it would strike the correct balance between state sovereignty and ensuring that americas modern mobile work force is not undulyy encumbered. We should heed the calls of acuity and other Companies Across the country by enacting this bill into law. With over 175 cosponsors, this congress, the clear that mobile work force is an idea whose time has come. I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill and in particular congressman bishop for his leadership on this bill in the 114th. Also, chairman goodlatte for allowing this bill to come to the floor. Congressman bishop has carried the torch for our esteemed former colleague, the late howard coble, who fought alongside me in support of this bill when it passed out of the house by a voice vote in the 112th congress. I also thank our staffs who have worked tirelessly to build support for this legislation along bipartisan lines. This bill is a testament to the good that can come from working across the aisle on bipartisan tax fairness reforms. Im optimistic that the passage of h. R. 2315 augurs well for the passage of efairness regulation, which is critical to countless Small Businesses across the country this congress. In closing, i urge my colleagues in the senate to bring this bill up for a vote as soon as possible. This countrys employees and businesses deserve quick action and with that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york reserves. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. I reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Speaker, how much time do i have left . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has 7 1 2 minutes remaining. Mr. Nadler i yield myself such time as i may consume. Mr. Speaker, the speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Nadler whenever whatever the gentleman may say, the fact is this bill says it deals only with earnings earned completely within a state, represents a major assault on the sovereignty of the states. The one thing to say that interstate commerce must be regulated, that the states ability to extend this tax out, its taxed to a Company Without must nexus to the state, can be regulated, thats not this. What this says is we are going to limit the states ability to tax Economic Activities that occurs entirely within the state. One might argue that if someone only spends a couple of days in the state, you shouldnt tax that because it will discourage doing business in the state. Maybe if i were still a member of the state legislature, maybe i would argue that. But thats an argument for the state legislature. The not an argument for congress. Thats an argument on the merits of the economic merits of the states exercise of its own tax power, its own judgment, within its own borders. For congress to step in and say new york must forego 15 million in revenue, or some other state must forego 55 million, or maybe 22. 38, entirely based on Economic Activity within that state is frankly none of ours none of our bills. Today we talk about the burden that this imposes. Yes, a state might be wise to exempt small amounts of income so you dont need 50 w2s to someone who owns 50,000. For someone who earns 50 million and may earn 20 million in a couple of days in a state, that state ought to be able to tax it. And it ought to be up to the economic and political judgment of that state as to how in the interest of economic intelligence torque limit its exersifes its taxing power so intelligence, to limit its exercise of its taxing power. Heres an example of the federal government stepping in and saying to a state, you may not exercise your taxing power within your state when it has nothing to do with another state. If someone comes into the state and earns 50ds million in 10 days, 50 million in million in 10 days or 3 1 2 weeks or four weeks, why shouldnt that state be able to tax it if it wishes to . What right can Congress Tell it it cant . By what right does the Congress Tell new york, you must forego 125 million in revenue . Even the efficiency argument doesnt make much sense, with todays computers and computer ability. So, i think that this is an invasion of states rights, an invasion of the core ability of a state to tax its own to tax within its own borders, its an invasion of its not a theft, its a deprivation in my own state of about 125 million which our taxpayers will have to make up and the wrong for that reason. I understand why alec might support this bill. Alec want government to do nothing, wants the federal government not to tax the, wants the state governments not to tax, have as little power as possible. Thats a view. But the not a view that justifies the federal government telling a state, telling the states voters that whether they like it or not, they shouldnt tax Economic Activity within that state, they should come up with the money some other way or have less state services. Thats for the states taxpayers, the states voters to decide. This bill is an imposition onto the states. Its an imposition onto the people of the states. The wrong. I reserve. Its wrong. I reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Speaker, i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from new york. Mr. Nadler i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan. Michigan is recognized. How much time do i have . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman has 9 1 2 minutes remaining. Mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Speaker, before i came to the United States congress, i served as General Council general counsel, chief legal officer for a small bills. One of my primary functions was to ensure compliance on the patchwork of government requirements and issues that presented itself every day. Mr. Bishop it was a huge burden for our company. It was a huge burden for the employees of our country or our company. This is exactly what were talking about today. This is the exact kind of compliance thats choking off Small Business and really, really falling on the shoulders of those who can least afford it. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense solution to a real problem. We live in a global economy. Its something we cant deny. Our mobile work force is there, its going to continue to grow. We cannot continue to penalize companies and individuals for that fact. We have 180 cosponsors for this that see the exact basis for what were trying to accomplish here. These are bipartisan folks, republicans and democrats, same is true of the companion bill in the senate. Lots and lots of outside groups support it, not just specific legislative groups, but businesses that deal with this every day. I am very proud of this bill, im grateful to representative johnson for his work on the bill. And i urge all members to support the bill and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan yields back. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h. R. 2315. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Bishop mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. Con. Res. 122, the protect patrimony resolution, as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk house concurrent resolution 122, concurrent resolution supporting efforts to stop the theft, illegal possession or sale, transfer and export of Tribal Cultural items of american indians, alaskaa natives and nate alaska natives and native hawaiians in the United States and internationally. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from michigan, mr. Bishop, and the gentlelady from texas, ms. Jackson lee, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Bishop mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous aterials on h. C. R. 122 currently under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Bishop mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Bishop mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of h. C. R. 122, the protect patrimony resolution, which expresses support for efforts to stop the theft, illegal sale and trafficking of native american Tribal Cultural items. I commend my colleague from new mexico, congressman pearce, for introducing this important resolution. The United States is home to 567 federally recognized tribes , Tribal Cultural items and sacred artifacts of these tribes are central to the native American Culture and religion. As we study and learn from these items, it is imperative that we also protect them from theft and commercialization for personal gain. The extent and nature of this illegal activity is largely understudied. While the exact numbers have the yet to be determined, the bureau of Indian Affairs reports in its most recent statistics that more than 8,000 obblets of cultural pat objects of cultural patrimony have been repatriated since 1990. It remains unclear, however, how many items have been stolen or illegally sold. We must obtain more comprehensive data to better understand the nature of this issue. For that reason, i join congressman pearce and crime subcommittee chairman sensenbrenner in requesting a study by the Government Accountability office to determine how the federal government can help prevent the illegal excavation and removal of cultural items from federal and tribal lands, the status of federal agencies efforts to repatriate native american cultural items, and information about the International Market for trafficking these cultural items. Several auctions around the world have been criticized for routinely selling native american goods. Earlier this year, the planned sale of the shield used in religious ceremonies was halted after the federal government and the tribe advocated for its repatriation. Claiming that there was reason to believe that this object was stolen. Thmplet c. R. 122 condemns h. C. R. 122 condemns the illegal theft, possession and sale and export of Tribal Cultural items. Supports the development of explicit restrictions on the export of Tribal Cultural items, calls upon secretaries of various federal agencies and the attorney general to take a firm step to secure the repatriation of these items to the respective tribes, and encourages cooperation between governmental and tribal entities in these efforts. Protection of Tribal Cultural items is critical to maintaining our nations cultural heritage. I look forward to obtaining more information from the g. A. O. s research and i urge passage of the resolution sponsored by my colleague, congressman pearce. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves. Ms. Jackson lee i ask to address the house for such time as i might consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee i rise in strong support of the house concurrent resolution 122, the protection of the rights of ibes to stop the export of patrimony. And i commend mr. Pearce and his democratic cosponsor for their leadership on this issue. This important resolution condemns the theft, illegal possession, sale, transfer and export of Tribal Cultural items belonging to the natives of the United States. For those of you who have visited reservation those in texas and new mexico, we are well aware of the history of native americans. They have struggled to protect their artifcacts such as remains, objects and sacred items from thieves who steal these in the pursuit of prove it. These objects are vital to the survival and to the maintenance of tribal ways of life and time and depen, they are stolen by thieves who come in the dark of the night with shovels and power tools to remove them which are often destroyed. The Tribal Cultural items are illegally sold internationally through plaque and Public Markets in violation of public laws that protect tribal property rights. It harms native americans and all americans and robs our nation of an incredibly important opportunity to learn from and respect these rich and vibrant cultures. In recognition of these oncerns, h con. Res. Calls on agencies to consult with native american tribes in order to better ups the problem and stop these illegal these practices items. Back the cultural this resolution asks the Government Accountability office o study the scope of illegal trafficking, both domestically and imly, which would identify ways to end illegal trafficking. The resolution expresses support for the development of restrictions on the items. Specifically, it encourages cooperation moon states and organizations in an effort to deter the theft and illegal possession sale and export of these items. I support h. Con. Res. 122 and i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. Mr. Bishop i yield top representative pearce, five minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new mexico is recognized. Mr. Pearce i thank you for yielding the time and i appreciate the comments from ms. Jackson lee on this significant bill and resolution that we are talking about tonight. I grew up in the corner of new mexico that does not have Indian Tribes in it. So when i was elected to congress in 2003, i Began Service and started traveling to the indian reservations and developed friendships with those tribes. In 2013, one of my friends from the Laguna Pueblo called and said we have one of our culturally significant items that is going on sale in paris, france and we are going to try to buy it but not sure we can bring it home. They ended up purchasing that item at the auction and france would not allow them to take it out of the country. We negotiated between our state department and the french state department. Finally, they were allowed to bring that item out. They bought a firstclass ticket. It was so significant and did not want it to travel as cargo in the hold of the airplane but brought firstclass ticket. Now thats not a culture i was familiar with until i formed friendships among the native americans but its a story i hear repeated. The same young man was going to buy the second item in the same sale and the indian he was dropped off the internet. And its in his explanation of the missing of that second article. He said he and his wife had lost a child in childbirth and he said the feeling of missing that item was the same as losing the child in childbirth. I identify with the emotions that say there are things that are so significant they should not be trafficked in. We continued our unofficial visits with the auction house at at that point and they began to say, many of the collectors would give the items back and dont want to be charged with things. Hese were sold, usery and some sort of legal process. And so we had discussions but nothing ever came of it. En at that same point, the hopi tribe in arizona had items for sale and was up for sale for 10,000 and took it to court and turned down. This year, they said we have a couple of items in france and going on on in auction. We calkted the french government and they were resistant and we decided with the tribe with my representatives who have been champions for our native american rights, we all formed the idea of this bill and submitted it. The day we submitted the bill, french pulled the item pulled it out of the auction. Negotiations are still going on. But we as the u. S. Government should be studying these things that are around the world being sold internationally, maybe have enough significance, we want them to come back pa so people know about their heritage. As i began to be familiar with the indian culture. They werent always gracious in dealing with those native american tribes. We can help them reestablish that culture and lets them tell the children about who they are and where they came from. When i visit on the tribes today, occasionally they will bring out kings to indicate their sovereignty. It sends chill bumps, when im standing on a Tribal Ground that came from abe ra ham lincoln. Thats the value that their culture places on those items and passed on one family to another to be in charge of the caretaking. This resolution today simply says that we want to study it and figure out what we can do better and lets do better. I thank my democrat cosponsors and its a good bipartisan bill and a bicameral legislation and thank subcommittee sensenbrenner for the work on it. And i urge the passage and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee are there any other speakers . Mr. Bishop no other speakers. Ms. Jackson lee let me thank mr. Pearce and his kee sponsors for their leadership. In closing, tribal objects play a crucial role that native americans retain the ability to learn about their heritage and commit to their personal identity. The story, you told, was a moving one and evidence is how important this legislation is. The theft of these objects is a direct assault against native american sultturs but when they is stolen or this detrimental. Our nation has the responsibility to do everything in its power to return these priceless artifacts. The nress 122 recognizes urgency. And i yield the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore i the gentleman from from michigan is recognized. The speaker pro tempore will the house suspend the rules agree to House Resolution 122 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 and concurrent resolution is agreed to and the motion to reconsider s laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Bishop i move to suspend e rules and pass h. R. 47112, strengthening the Homeland Security secure mail security act as amended. The clerk h. R. 4712, a bill to direct the secretary of Homeland Security to provide for an option under the secure Mail Initiative under which a secured mail is september that the United States Postal Service obtain a signature in order to deliver the document and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, mr. Bishop and ms. Jackson lee each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Bishop i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to include extraneous materials on h. R. 48712. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Bishop i rise in support of h. R. 4712, strength thing the Mail Initiative act. The bill is short but will have a great impact in aliens seeking to play by the rules and live and work in the United States. It directs the secretary of Homeland Security to allow immigration benefits recipients to elect to pay a free and have their documents sent to them by u. S. Mail. Immigration documents are delivered by Priority Mail to the u. S. Postal service. And while delivery can be monitored by use of tracking numbers, there are incidents of individuals not receiving the documents that the u. S. Postal Service Notes as delivered. One concern in such a case is that the document was intercepted by an individual who that fraud leptly used it. The cost and time it takes for the individual to apply for the document. Which at this point is the only recourse if the document has gone missing. U. S. Citizenship ombudsman discussed this problem in its report noting the delays in receipt of documents can versely the reset or prove lawful status. It imposes no cost to the United States taxpayer since if an alien requires the document, it must pay a fee that covers the cost of such delivery as well as any administrative costs for the agency. H. R. 4712 is a needed antifraud and Good Government measure. And i urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentlelady from texas is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee i ask unanimous consent to address the house for five minutes and i ask to consume such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee im pleased to support this measure that requires u. S. Citizenship and services to provide an option for green cards to be delivered via u. S. Mail with a signature could be firmation and i thank the gentlelady, mr. Spear of lifornia for offering this bill. They send millions of documents including green cards. Says rrently the delivery they are monitored through tracking numbers. While we know when a document is delivered, they have no way of knowing that the immigration applicant actually received the document. And if we dont know if they reached the intended recipient, we dont know if they fell into the wrong hands. Data is not available, conservative estimates indicate that tens of thousands documents are lost. According to policy at the u. S. Postal service, does not return a document on notice and no change of notice. They will consider the document as properly documented and must pay the filing fee. A green card, 450 even if the failure to receive the document was not at fault for the individual. This is not only unfair. It raises National Security and identity theft. It makes one simple but important change. It requires to allow immigration plakets toll elect to pay a fee and have the documents mailed to them by requiring a signature. The costs will be borne by the applicant and immigrants can be assured that the document wont be delivered without a signature. I urge them to consider other op hops such as holding documents or direct pickup by the applicant. But for today, im pleased that we have an agreement on this bill to document mailing and reset problems and strengthen the security and reliability of the immigration document delivery. I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. Jackson lee the my pleasure to yield to ms. Speier of california. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from california is recognized for five minutes. Ms. Speier mr. Speaker, thank you, and i thank the gentlelady from texas for giving me the opportunity to speak about this. Every once in a while we get complaints, questions from constituents, and we actually can try and fix them. This is one of those situations. For the longest time i was getting complaints from residents in my district who had not received their immigration documentation. For the most part, i was not able to tell them that we could do anything. Because wed call the Postal Service and they said theres really nothing we can do for them. I realized that, you know, this is a serious problem. Theres some 50,000 green cards every year that go temporarily displaced or permanently displaced due to loss in delivery. Thats about 5 of all green cards. So, 50,000 over 435 districts, you can see that were talking about 10, 15, 20 complaints we get every year. In my case, frankly, we stopped even logging them in because there was nothing that we could do about them. But, this idea came to me and i thought, why not try it . So im really very grateful that were taking it up today. My most recent constituent with this problem is from san francisco. He has gone through the lawful process of getting his green card, only to have it lost. And it has been over a year, over a year that hes been waiting for this document. So, that means he cant travel, he cant change jobs, he cant get Financial Aid for college, he cant open a retirement account, he cant buy a house or anything else that most of us take for granted. This case shows that when these documents are not properly delivered, the only solution is to reapply and pay another 425. So its a small fix but it carries a big what will op. Thats why im so whallop. Thats why im so grateful were taking it up. The other issue is one of identity theft. You can see how it could be used in a way that could create a National Security risk. A stolen card could be used to travel or purchase a firearm and we can easily fix this problem, as my colleagues have noted, by giving the applicant the option of paying an additional 3 to require a signature at the time it is delivered. So i want to thank the committee and especially my colleague, representative woodall from georgia, for joining me in this effort. And i urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Bishop mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to my colleague from georgia, mr. Woodall. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Woodall thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank my friend from michigan for yielding me the time. I appreciate the leadership of the gentlelady from california. You know, mr. Speaker, i stuck around tonight because were doing two of my favorite things in this institution. Were taking ideas that came from constituentses with problems who trusted us enough to bring constituents with problems who trusted us enough to bring us those problems and were putting those things into action. Were doing it not with a lot of shouting or pop and circumstances, mr. Speaker, but were doing it just the way the process was supposed to work. The gentlelady from california crafts an idea where she goes out and solicits cosponsors, for the team on the Judiciary Committee, they work through the process, then it comes down here to the house throor, mr. Speaker, where its going to make floor, mr. Speaker, where its going to make real differences for real people. Imagine youve done everything the right way. Youve stood in line, youve played by the rules. Youve done everything the way the american citizen and the american law asked you to do and finally your green card ised is ready to be deliver is delivered and is ready to be delivered and youre waiting at the post office. Online it says it was delivered yesterday. But you dont have it. And you call your congressman for help and your congressman says, theres nothing we can do. And there hasnt been until the speier legislation today. For the first time, mr. Speaker, we give constituents an opportunity, who have played by the rules, to pay at their expense to guarantee that this document, allow them to work, allow them to feed their family, allow them to pursue that american dream, is going to end up in their hands. Golly, it sounds small when you read the legislation. But if youre that family, mr. Speaker, theres nothing bigger in your life. Im grateful for the partnership of all of my colleagues that made this this possible tonight. With that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from michigan reserves. The gentlelady from texas. Ms. Jackson lee may i inquire does the gentleman from michigan have any other speakers . Mr. Bishop we have no further speakers, mr. Speaker. Ms. Jackson lee im prepared to close. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Jackson lee thank you so very much. Let me again congratulate congresswoman speier and congressman woodall and i am equally grateful when we have the opportunity to Work Together. See this as an opportunity to make, on many, many issues, this legislation, for example, albeit simple in context, has a broad influence and impact. It means that anyones intending to do harm now can be thwarted by either having stolen mail or taken a document that does not belong to them. In this climate where we must be particularly sensitive in protecting the nation against terrorism, domestic terrorism, people misusing documents, identity theft, this is a very important contribution to thwarting that effort. And, as has been indicated, it gives individuals who have worked very hard, who desire the american dream, the opportunity to be documented. I think it fits very well in what i hope will be an ongoing commitment to improve the immigration system to the extent of passing comprehensive immigration reform. Because it does recognize that there are people who are desiring to do good, who come to this country, and for that reason i ask my colleagues to support this important contribution to those who worked hard and choose to support the values of this nation and to work hard as new immigrants, and to text citizens of this nation and potential citizens of this nation. With that, i ask my colleagues to support the bill, h. R. 47126789 i also thank the Judiciary Committee 4712. I also thank the Judiciary Committee for their work on this legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back the balance of her time. The gentlelady from michigan is recognized. Mr. Bishop mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. 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. 4712, as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 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 railroad consider is laid on the table to reconsider is laid on table. For what purpose does the gentleman from ohio seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass h. R. 5064, the improving Small Business cybersecurity act of twick. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will of 2016 cybersecurity act of 2016. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk will suspend. Does the gentleman mean to call up the bill as amended . I do. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 5064, a bill to amend the Small Business act to allow Small Business Development Centers to assist and advise Small Business concerns on relevant cybersecurity matters and for ther purposes. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on he bill under consideration. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from ohio, mr. Chabot, and the gentlelady from new york, ms. Velazquez, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from ohio. Mr. Chabot thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Chabot thank you. The an honor to serve as chairman of the house Small Business committee. It affords me the special opportunity of hearing directly from the very men and women who helped drive our economy, americas small Business Owners. At a hearing several months ago, a small Business Owner shared his personal experience with a serious cyberattack. He said, and i quote, i logged into our Bank Accounts and my utter and to my utter horror, i found that my balance was zero. This was a payday. And i was terrified that the paychecks that were issued that day would not clear. We were supporting a number of families, many of which lived paycheck to paycheck. And could not have made it without the paycheck we issued that day. I was also very worried about our business reputation, since a restaurant nearby had just bounced their paychecks and the Company Never recovered from the bad publicity they received from not making their payroll, unquote. Stories like this show real world consequences of cyberattacks. Small businesses are at serious risk from a growing number of cyberthreats. Now, theres no doubt that the Information Technology revolution has provided Small Businesses with new tools and opportunities to compete in the global economy. However, Technology Changes mean hackers are coming up with more and more sophisticated methods to go after intellectual property, Bank Accounts, Social Security numbers and anything else that can be used for financial gain or a competitive edge. In 2015 the average amount stolen from Small Business Bank Accounts after a cyberattack was over 32,000, and according to a recent report by verizon enterprise, a shocking 71 of cyberattacks occurred in businesses with fewer than 100 employees. Its absolutely critical to both the economic and National Security of this country that our Small Businesses have all of the necessary cybertools to protect themselves from cyberattacks. Small businesses lack the resources to combat cyberattacks. The federal government needs to step up its game when it comes to protecting the cybersecurity of Small Businesses and individuals. Thats why i support h. R. 5064, this bill, the improving Small Business cybersecurity act of 2016. This legislation will help Small Businesses facing cyberthreats by providing access to additional tools, resources and expertise through existing federal cyberresources , by allowing the department of Homeland Security d. H. S. Department of Homeland Security, d. H. S. , and other federal agencies to provide assistance to Small Businesses. Through the s. B. A. Or Small Business administrations nonfederal partners, the Small Business Development Centers or sbdcs, this increased coordination will lead to greater cybersupport for Small Businesses. I commend mr. Hanna for his hard work on this legislation. Hes done a great job as chairman of his subcommittee. Unfortunately he announced his retirement, hell be leaving us after this term, but hes really done a tremendous amount of work for Small Businesses all over the country, because he himself has been a successful Small Business person. So he knows what the challenges are and hes tried to put them to work in his years here in the house, in helping Small Businesses all across the country. After all, 70 of the new jobs created in the American Economy are created by Small Businesses. Theyre absolutely critical. I commend mr. Hanna for his hard work on behalf of these folks. So i would urge my colleagues to support h. R. 5064 and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore without objection, general leave is granted. The gentleman reserves. The gentlelady from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Velazquez i rise in upport of h. R. 5064, the improving Small Business cybersecurity act of 2016. Technology has changed the way we all live. But none more so than for Small Businesses. It has afforded americas small employers a unique opportunity to sell their products, not just nationally, but globally. Despite new opportunities for Economic Growth it also has profound risks. We hear of data breaches and cyberespionage but we never think it could happen to us, until it does. All it takes is one incident to have devastating impacts to Small Business. In fact, 60 of small entities go out of business after six months of being hacked. Clearly, cybersecurity should be a priority to protect our National Security and economy. Failure to do so leaves us at risk. Whether a business is adopting Cloud Computing or simply maintaining a website, cybersecurity should be part of their plan. However, only 31 of small firms take active measures to guard against such attacks, making them the ideal target for cyber criminals. A lack of awareness and the high cost to install security mechanisms lees many small Business Owners exposed. Those that are aware of the threat like Government Contractors must navigate demanding i. T. Specifications and complex regulations in order to stay competitive and win federal contracts. To help facilitate the preventive measures within the private sector, h. R. 5064, improving Small Business cybersecurity act, will leverage the Small Business administrations vast network of Small Business Development Centers. With 63 centers and 900 outreach locations, sbdcs have the capacity to reach Small Businesses throughout the country. They also have a proven record of assisting entrepreneurs with extensive courses in management and technical assistance. In the last fiscal year, sbdcs trained over 260,000 clients and advised almost 190,000 clients. This bill will utilize this existing Resource Partners by allowing the centers to assist small firms in developing and enhancing their Cybersecurity Infrastructure and employee training programs. He bill also calls for an sbdc cyberstrategy to be designed to further support small employers, protect themselves, their employees, and their customers. This legislation ensures that force combating cyberattacks can be used by our Small Businesses. We cannot continue to accept the bare minimum as we seek to end continued data breaches. I ask my fellow members to support this bill and let me just take this opportunity also to commend our colleague, mr. Hannah, for the great work that you have done on this issue. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from ohio is recognized. Mr. Chabot id like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from new york, mr. Hanna. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Hannah i thank the gentleman for yielding mr. Hanna i thank the gentleman for yielding. I want to thank chairman chabot, chairman mccaul, Ranking Members ve laz quezz and thompson for their support in the committees on this bill. Their th was a collaborative endeavor and all the staffs worked hard and long to make sure this bill made it to the floor today. I also want to thank the bills lead sponsor, derek kilmer, for working with us on this bipartisan legislation. Americas Small Businesses are a critical part of our nations economy. There are 28 million small that in recent years have become victims of Cyber Attacks. By one estimate nearly 70 of all Cyber Attacks are being directed at our nations Small Businesses. The reason for this is clear. Small businesses too often lack the resources or the experience required to make prudent investments in Cyber Security. The improving Small Businesses Cyber Security act address this is issue by empowering the more than 900 Small Business Development Centers across our country to provide cyber support for these Small Businesses. This support would be offered in accordance with a Small Business Cyber Security strategy which would be developed jointly by the department of Homeland Security and the Small Business administration. Cyber attacks can decimate Small Businesses. Potentially costing them tens of thousands of dollars to recover lost data and secure networks. Its clear to all of us that the upfront cost to invest in this state of the art technologies are prohibitive for many businesses. This bill represents an opportunity for Small Businesses to bridge the knowledge gap in cyber space by empowering the Small Business Development Centers to provide up to date relevant and Cost Effective cyber support to service them. This bill also makes good Financial Sense by relying on already existing programs and infrastructure, it improves the federal resources we already have to ensure they better work for americas Small Businesses. And that no and at no additional cost. I urge my colleagues to support this common sense bill and again id like to thank chairman chabot for his support. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from ohio is recognized. Mr. Shah into the mr. Chabot thank you, id like to yield three minutes to the gentleman from california a member of the Small Business committee, mr. Knight. The speaker pro tempore mr. Knight of california is recognized. Mr. Knight thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank the chairman for his work on this. We talk a will the about cybersecurity in the context of National Defense and rightfully so. As a nation, we ought to take steps now to ensure our security into the 21st century. But this is an issue that affects so many people, one that often gets overlooked is the Small Business community. As Small Businesses increasingly rely on webbased products and services, they often themselves they offer themselves more and more attacks from cyber criminals. Increases in technology has resulted in more sophisticated methods of Cyber Attacks including hacking, malicious software, physical error and lost or stolen devices. Even a simple cyber attack can destroy a Small Business. 81 of Small Businesses are concerned about a cyber attack but only 63 have a cybersecurity measure in place. Many businesses dont feel they have adequate Legal Protections to share cyber threat indicators with National Cybersecurity and communications i want dwration center, the nccic. It is clear to me we must Work Together to improtect Small Businesses. This bill eases the burden on Small Businesses facing Cyber Threats by providing access to additional tools, resources and expertise through existing federal cyber resources. Im proud to cosponsor this legislation and it will lead to increased security for Small Businesses which will lead to greater growth and opportunities for them. I urge support of this important measure and i thank the speaker and yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez may i inquire as to how many speakers the chairman mr. Chabot we have one more. Ms. Velazquez i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from ohio is recognized. Mr. Chabot i now yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, mr. Radcliffe, the homeland securities subcommittee chairman. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from from texas, mr. Radcliffe is recognized. Mr. Radcliffe i rise in support of h. R. 5064, the improving Small Business cybersecurity act of 2016. Mr. Ratcliffe i want to thank my friend, mr. Hannah, for leading the charge on this. I want to thank chairman chabot for his leadership on the Small Business committee and chairman mccaul for his leadership on the Homeland Security committee. Americas Small Businesses are on the front lines in the battle against cybercriminals. Right nowmark lack the resources to combat this growing and sophisticated threat. Americas 28 million Small Businesses constitute 54 of our annual sales here in the United States and because of that, theyre under cyber attack like never before. The frequency and high cost of such attacks on Small Businesses is causing ripple effects throughout our economy right now. H. R. 5064 amends the Homeland Security act to ensure that Small Business Development Centers can leverage existing Cyber Security programs at the department of Homeland Security. Additionally this bill requires the department of Homeland Security and the Small Business administration to jointly develop a cyberstrategy for Small Businesses so that they can better utilize cyberprograms from d. H. S. And from the federal government. H. R. 5064 also requires a review by the Government Accountability office of current psycher security programs offered by the federal government to Small Businesses. Mr. Speaker, Small Business Development Centers have been on the ground helping Small Businesses in this country for more than 30 years. They have a presence in virtually every community in this country. The bill provides them with tools, resources and the expert guidance that they need to tap into the already existing cyberresources in order to better meet the 21st century needs of Small Businesses in this country. Small businesses, mr. Speaker, are the life blood of the American Economy. So we need to ensure that resources are available to all of them to combat these Cyber Threats. This bill rork works to achieve that goal and i therefore ask my colleagues to join me in supporting h. R. 5064 and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. Ms. Velazquez thank you, mr. Speaker. Im prepared to close. Our Committee Hears from Small Businesses too often about the costs and complexity os associated with cybersecurity. With businesses having to be familiar with Small Business data regulations, everchanging cyberthreats and the cost to install or maintain a cybersecurity system, many small Business Owners wonder when they will have time to actually operate their business. The changes made by h. R. 5064 will unify our efforts and create a streamlined process for small employers seeking to install cybersafeguards. Utilizing existing National Network of sbdcs, many of which Small Businesses already seek assistance from as the source for cyber education and awareness provides a critical tool for american entrepreneurs. I once again will urge my colleagues to support this measure and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from ohio, mr. Chabot is recognized. Mr. Chabot i yield myself such time as as i may consume to close although it wont be long. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Chabot id like to thank my colleague, Ranking Member ms. Velazquez, for once again working in a bipartisan and cooperative effort. Thats one thing on the Small Business committee we always try to do, we have a good working relationship. I want to thank her for continuing that on this bill an bills in the past and hopefully bills in the future as well. Relative to cybersecurity attacks, weve seen the United States under a legion of attacks in recent years. They happen virtually every day. The federal government itself has been hit a number of times, the office of personnel management, we hit 20plus million personal individuals who had their files hacked in the government. Weve seen the Postal Service, weve seen the state department, weve even seen the white house hacked. So its a big problem. Now this happens to large corporations. Weve had some of the largest corporations who have really taken it on the chin and literally it cost them millions of dollars from target, you name it. Theyve really been hit. But they generally have the resources that they can recover recover from as detrimental as it is to their dizz to their business they survive. When this happens to Small Business, it may virtually be the death nell for that. You nell for that you may have families who no longer have support because the business cant take a hit like this. As i mentioned in my opening statement, the person mentioned the restaurant down the street it happened to them. He wanted to play his employee he couldnt because his balance was zero. This is a serious threat for Small Business community a serious threat. The Small Business Community Needs help. This is a step in the right direction. Mr. Hanna, whom weve all praised, rereally does deserve the praise because he took this and worked very hard to make it to the point where were here tonight and hopefully are going to pass the bill. I think its a great piece of legislation. H. R. 5064 would offer muchneeded cybersecurity support to americas Small Businesses. It would also better coordinate the federal governments overall strategy in helping Small Businesses to thwart cyberattacks. I would urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield ack the balance of my time. 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 amended. 5064, as those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on Foreign Affairs and the committee on Financial Services be discharged from further consideration of h. R. 5708 and i ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill, please. The clerk h. R. 5708, a bill to oppose loans at International Financial institutions for the government of nicaragua, unless the government of nicaragua is taking effective steps to hold free, fair and transparent elections, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to the consideration of the bill . The clerk will report the amendment. Mr. Royce mr. Speaker. Let me just mention that i do have an amendment at the an amendment to the bill at the desk. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the amendment. The clerk amendment offered by mr. Royce of california. Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following, section 1, short title, this act may be cited as the mr. Royce mr. Speaker, im going to ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the amendment. The speaker pro tempore without objection, the reading is dispensed with. Without objection, the amendment is agreed to. The bill is engrossed, read a third time, passed and the motion to reconsider is laid pon the table. Without objection, the title is amended. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Royce mr. Speaker, i move the house suspend the rules and pass h. R. 5094 as amended. This is stand for ukraine act. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will please report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 5094, a bill to contain, reverse and deter russian aggression in ukraine, to assist ukraines democratic transition, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. Royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. Engel, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california. Mr. Royce i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure. The speaker pro tempore weck. Mr. Royce i also ask unanimous con the speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Royce i also ask unanimous consent to place in the record letters exchanged with other committees of jurisdiction. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker. You know, the people of ukraine have struggled against great odds to defend their freedom and ensure their national existence. It is a tortured history, one of the members whos on the floor today, eliot engel, who as in ukraine with me, his family, grandparents, all four of them came from the ukraine. But together we saw some of the evidence of that history in a gorge in the ukraine, where so many jewish ukrainians were slaughtered. Its a reminder, the holocaust deprivations, the famine that the ukrainians lived through is a reminder of the perils of the people in that country. For several years Vladimir Putin has employed all of the tools at his command to dominate that country and that includes arming separatists in the east who are almost 10 where almost 10,000 people have lost their lives in the fighting. It includes annexing crimea. And the latest effort to legitimatize his aggression was to include crimea in russian russias parliamentary elections held last sunday. These were a sham and the delegates represent no one but the rulers in moscow. The administration cannot allow putin to believe that u. S. Opposition to his aggression is weakening. Instead, the u. S. And its allies and partners in europe must step up their pressure against moscow, including providing the lethal assistance needed to stop russian tanks. That the ukrainians have repeatedly asked for. Their primary concern is to be able to check that armor in the east. And this legislation strengthens the sanctions imposed on russia as well. Its a clear demonstration that the u. S. Remains committed to supporting the ukrainian peoples unyielding defense of their freedom and their national existence. And i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, i rise in support of this bill and i yield myself as much time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Engel let me first of all thank our chairman, ed royce, for helping advance this bill. I introduced this bill in april, along with my friend from illinois, mr. Kinzinger, and im proud to say we now have 36 additional cosponsors, oth democrats and republicans. Mr. Speaker, we shouldnt kid ourselves about the intentions of russias president , Vladimir Putin. Inside his own borders hes stripped away the rights of russias citizens, he silenced a free and open press, he has stolen countless billions of dollars or billions and spread the wealth around to his cronies. And in the wake of a sham election that boosted his partys majority, the being reported that he wants to breathe new life into the k. G. B. His record abroad is more of the same. Hes trampled his neighbors sovereign neighbors sovereignty, worked to undermine nato and western unity, imposed a real threat to americas work and the work of our friends over the past seven decades to build a europe that is whole, free and at peace. Perhaps most egregious is russias ongoing illegal occupation of crimea and parts of eastern ukraine. Russia recently renewed its attack on ukraines sovereignty by Holding Parliamentary Elections for the duma in crimea. Its just outrageous, as the chairman mentioned. The United States will never recognize these claims, just as we never recognized soviet control of the Baltic States during the 50year occupation there. My legislation underscores americas support for ukraines right to defend itself and it keeps pressure on russia so long as russias criminal behavior in ukraine continues. This bill says that if russia wants to see sanctions relief, it must abide by its minsk agreement obligations, namely, if ukraine controls the entirety of the eastern border of its eastern border, it makes crimearelated sanctions permanent, so long as the Russian Occupation there continues. It tightens sanctions enforcement with the new antievasion framework, and it requires reporting on banks illegally controlling ukrainian assets, particularly russian banks in crimea. This bill also takes steps to make it harder for russia to buy defense equipment or services from our nato allies. It goes after human rights abusers in russian occupied areas. And it calls for a comprehensive strategy from our own government to push back against russian propaganda. The people of ukraine need to know that the United States stands with them. This government of ukraine is the most prowestern government theyve ever had. We need to help them. And Vladimir Putin needs to know that his reckless ambition wont go answered. Mr. Pascrell, our colleague from new jersey, had to leave, but he submitted testimony and he strongly supports this bill. And everything that the chairman and i are saying this evening. So i ask all members to support this bill and i reserve the alance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york reserves. The gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Royce i yield two minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina, mr. Sanford. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from South Carolina is recognized. Mr. Sanford i thank the chairman and i just want to come to applaud both the chairman and the Ranking Member for the work on their work on this important measure. I think this resolution is incredibly important because, in the simplest of forms, conflicting signals never works with regard to foreign policy. Some people have said that, you know, the korean war was in many cases in large measure created based on a void as to uncertainty as to what the American Government would or wouldnt do in the event that north korea was attacked by south korea. I think you can look at a long host of different examples that point to the simple fact that conflicting signals is never a good signal as it comes to foreign policy. So i just want to thank them for their resolution and stress its important its importance. I think if we learned anything in the days leading up to world war ii, with the actions of neville chamberlain, its that appeasement doesnt work. And unchecked aggression always creates problems. I think that this is about sending a clear message to the russians, but its ultimately about sending a message to just the russians. This is about a message to the chinese and the South China Sea or other parts around the globe. In that regard, i think that this resolution is ultimately about things that are ultimately much bigger than the ukraine and russia. Let me give 2000 examples. One, this let me give you two examples. One, this is about reminding our allies and ourselves, for sovereignty to mean anything, a border has to mean something. That means a border cant be regulated and controlled by whoever your biggest and strongest neighborhood is neighbor is in the region. Id say secondly, this is about what it means to be an american ally. I think that the budapest memorandum was unequivocally clear, that if you give up nuclear arms, well do certain things in terms of your security. The question that we now have to ask as americans, and i think what this resolution ultimately does so forcefully, is to say, what does that mean and what are we going to do about it . Indeed, that is the question. With that id yield back. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is ecognized. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, ill close now. Because we have no other speakers. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Engel let me say before i close that mr. Sanford was absolutely right. In what he just said. The fact is that ukraine, which was part of the soviet union, gave up its Nuclear Weapons when the soviet union collapsed. And as a result they were given assurances that they would not have aggression perpetrated against them. And of course, like other promises made by mr. Putin, they fell by the wayside. I agree with the gentleman from South Carolina. I think hes absolutely right on the money. I thank him for his remarks. Mr. Speaker, we have no shortage of crises smoldering around the world. But we cannot take our eye off whats happening in ukraine and the threat that russia poses. Nato is being tested. Western democracy is being called into question. Progress weve made since the cold war is at risk. Even if the administration is trying to work with russia on other issues, we need to be cleareyed when Vladimir Putin flouts International Law and threatens the security of europe. This bill would say plainly that no matter what happens in other parts of the world, if russia continues to illegally occupy part of ukraine, russia will pay a price. Im pleased that the house is acting on my bill. I want to again thank chairman royce for being a partner with me and helping with this bill and i ask that all members support it and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Royce i thank the gentleman, mr. Engel, Ranking Member from new york, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california yields back. The question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the ill, h. R. 594, as amended 5094, as amended. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, 2 3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition . Mr. Royce mr. Speaker, im going to move that the house suspend the rules and pass h. R. 3924 as amended. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 3924, a bill to establish in the United States agency for International Development an entity to be known as the United States Global Development lab and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from california, mr. Royce, and the gentleman from new york, mr. Engel, will each control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california. Mr. Royce i ask unanimous consent, mr. Speaker, that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material into the record. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Rest i rise in support of h. R. 3924 which authorized the tpwhrobal Development Lab. Through the lab, usaid workers with the private sector partner up and tap into the science and technology needed to source and test proven, lowcost, High Impact Solutions to pressing Development Challenges around the world. From Maternal Health to food security, the innovations supported by the lab are changing the way we think about and the way we delever foreign aid. This bill provides important authorities to improve the labs efficacy and efficiency and approves incentive awards through a competitive payforperformance process. It enables labs to bring in technical experts on a shortterm basis without longterm salary and benefit obligations. And when one of these new technologies becomes successful, it allows usaid to keep a portion of its initial investment so the lab can become financially selfsustaining. Mr. Speaker, this is the approach that will bend the development curve. This is effective foreign aid. And i want to thank representatives castro and representative mccaul for introducing these this very important, bipartisan measure and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel mr. Speaker, thank you and i rise in support of this measure, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel i again want to thank our chairman, ed royce, for bringing this bill forward and i want to thank mr. Castro of texas for his hard work on this measure, mr. Mccaul as well. Around the world, 1. 2 billion people live in extreme poverty. That means they live on less than 1 less than 1. 25 a day. Its hard to imagine. No one should have to live on so little. At the same time we know that areas of extreme poverty can be hotbeds for other problems. Poverty leads to broader instability, creates vulnerabilities that can be exposed by violent vee jihaddists or others spreading dangerous ideologies. It holds communities and countries back. We view alleviating poverty as the right thing to do as also a strategic concern. Thats why usaid developed the Development Lab to help apply Poverty Reduction technologies more widely, at lower cost. I want to acknowledge the former usaid administrator rajiv shah who helped build the lab into a World Class Center of innovation. The lab works with n. G. O. s, corporations and universities to bring in the best ideas and stay on the cutting edge of development. Its also expanding usaids impact to a plu a publicprivate dollarfordollar matching program that allows taos scale these innovations up without expanding usaids budget. Were seeing real results. In 2014, the lab invested in 362 new solutions that touched nearly 14 Million People around the world. For example, the lab funded an initiative aimed at produce manager food where fresh water is hard to come by. Securing water for food grant challenge led to a system that makes sea watt ore brackish water usable for drinking or agriculture. It consumes so Little Energy that the cost to use it is low even in areas off the power grid. This is what we mean when we talk about innovation. Last may, the Development Lab hosted an International Competition to develop technology to fight wildlife trafficking and crimes. I know that chairman royce has been very interested in this issue. This led to the development of an app called the wildlife scan that allows Law Enforcement to easily identify endangered species being smuggled out of countries. After just a couple of months, the app has already been down loaded more than 1,000 times. And just last month, the global lab finished up a zika challenge initiative which led to 21 new solutions targeted at combating the spread of the zika virus and are on track to be tested and deployed and could be available within months. The bill would build on the labs success by creating new authorities for the lab to expand and manage its partnerships. It would give them greater flexibility for hiring experts on a project by project basis and allow the lab to award small, targeted grants that have proven so effective in supporting health care providers. I commend mr. Castro for his hard work on this very good bill. It makes a Good Initiative better and im pleased to support it and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized. Mr. Royce i continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from californias time is reserve. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel its my pleasure to yield three minutes to a very valuable member of the Foreign Affairs committee, and the author of this measure, mr. Castro of texas. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Castro thank you, mr. Speaker, thank you, Ranking Member engel for yielding me the time and for your support of this legislation. You and chairman royce and your Staff Members have been a big part of moving this forward. I want to also say a big thank you to my fellow Texan Mike Mccaul for being the lead republican cosponsor of this legislation which aims to make our foreign aid more impactful and Cost Effective. Usaids Global Development lab is spearheading a new approach that supporting this e supports the invention, testing and utilization of more Cost Effective solutions to Development Challenges. It cooperates with entrepreneurs, corporations and science and Research Institutions to solve some of the worlds most difficult Development Challenges faster, more cheaply and more sustainably. Essentially the lab democratizes problem solve big crowd sourcing ideas and applications to find the best solutions from around the world. For example, the lab has used what it calls grant challenges for development to incentivize problem solvers to develop solutions for specific problems. The saving lives at birth grant challenge led to the creation of he pratt pouch a small ketchuppactlike pouch that women can use to prevent birthrelated h. I. V. Infection. Other grant challenges have led to the development of breakthrough products that Keep Health Care workers treating ebola patients safe, desal nate water in a environmentally sustainable manner and bring electricity to folks living off the electrical grid in africa. The lab also partners with outside entities such as universitys to Cultivate Solutions to specific Development Challenges ranging from health and Food Insecurity to chronic conflict. Participating institutions equally match usaids funding and leverage Additional Resources from private foundations. The legislation before us today formally authorizes the u. S. Global Development Lab within usaid and provides new legislative authorities to augment the labs current capabilities, allowing them to achieve greater results and maximize its impact. The bill allows the lab to use a pay for Success Model and tap into good ideas no matter their source, bring in term limited technical experts in a more Cost Effective manner and gain the flexibility to use Program Income more effectively. In conclusion, congress can be proud of the work that the lab is currently doing and will continue to pursue once we authorize it and provide proper oversight. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is ecognized. Mr. Royce thank you, mr. Speaker, i congratulate mr. Castro and mr. Mccaul for their innovation and continue to reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is reserved. The gentleman from new york is recognized. Mr. Engel im going to close now. In recent years its become very clear that issues like global poverty fit into our broader national and international concernful. We see this links between poverty, health, stability and security and so when we work to relieve this burden and lift up communities, were also advancing a wide range of interests. As i like to say, its the smart thing to do and its also the right thing to do. The administration has already taken steps to incorporate Poverty Alleviation into our development efforts. This bill will help usaid do even more. So once again, i want to thank mr. Castro for his hard work, im glad to support this bill. I thank chairman royce for his help. I urge all of my colleagues to do the same and support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. Mr. Royce i thank mr. Engel and yield back as well. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time is yielded back. The gentleman yielded back. The question is, will the house suspend the rules an pass the bill h. R. 3924 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 n the table. Under the speakers announced policy of january 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from alabama, ms. Sewell is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader. Ms. Sewell i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include materials on the subject of my special order. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Sewell i ask unanimous consent to address the house for as much times i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Ms. Sewell today i rise to discuss the importance of Voting Rights for all americans across this country. With less than 50 days before americans go to the polls to elect our next president and other elected officials, we are still faced with the harsh reality that there is that this will be the first election in 50 years where americans will not have the full protections of the Voting Rights act of 1965. Today, special todays special order hour is on behalf of the House Democratic outreach and Engagement Task force. I want to thank assistant leader clyburn for his leadership on the task force and all of the members of the task force as we Work Together to make sure that we engage all americans in the importance of voting. In fact, one of the first things the task force did was to host a series of Voting Rights forums across this nation. To put together a report that shows modern day barriers to voting still exists. The Voting Rights act of 1965 was passed not only by legislation but mr. Speaker, the Voting Rights act of 1965 was passed with the blood, sweat, and tears of so in americans. In fact of so Many Americans. In fact, all of us know of the courageous sacrifices of our own john lewis but there were so many known and unknown foot soldiers that made it possible for america to live up to its ideals of democracy and justice for all. As a daughter of selma, alabama, i am painfully aware that the injustices suffered on the Edmund Pettus bridge 50 years ago have not been fully vindicated. Although we can no longer although we no longer are required to count how many marbles are in a jar or recite how many counties there are in the state of alabama, my proposition to you, mr. Speaker is that there still exists modern day barriers to voting. Those barriers may not be as overt as they were 50 years ago, but mr. Speaker, they are no less as important as those other barriers were. I have seen example after example as the representative of alabamas seventh Congressional District of modern day barriers that exist to voting. Since the Supreme Court struck down critical parts of the Voting Rights act of 1965 in the shelby versus holder decision, so Many Americans have taken to the floor, mostly democrats, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, urging our republican colleagues to work with us to restore the essential protections of the Voting Rights act of 1965. Several of my democratic colleagues, including myself, have hosted Voting Rights forums across this country to highlight the continued need for restoring the Voting Rights act. Members have also introduced legislation, i for one am quite proud of the Voting Rights advancement act. A bill that i sponsored along ith several of my several members of the house, including representative sanchez an representative chu. 187bill, h. R. 2867 has over sponsors, mr. Speaker. It actually answers the Supreme Courts challenge to come up with a modern day formula by which to have preclearance provisions in the Voting Rights act. I think its so important, mr. Speaker, and i know so many will agree that we make sure that we find these pernicious examples of restraining peoples rights to vote on the front end because after all, mr. Speaker, once the elections have happened you cant unring that bell. 10 the beauty of the Voting Rights act of 1965 was that it allowed preemptive efforts to stop discrimination in voting. Therefore, any changes in voting practices in the covered states had to be precleared by the Justice Department or by the d. C. Court of appeals. This is quite important and i have to tell you that what the shelby decision did was struck down that key provision, section 4, which gave the covered states and provided the formula by which we knew which states would be covered. Therefore, in the shelby decision, the Supreme Court issued a challenge to congress to come up with a modern day formula. It was the Supreme Court who said that we cant punish states like alabama, the state from which i hail, and other Southern States for what happened 50 years ago. Congress must come up with a modern day formula that talks about current efforts to restrict the right to vote. Well, mr. Speaker, thats exactly what weve done in the Voting Rights advancement act of 2015. I want you to know that of the 187 sponsors we currently have, not one republican has signed on. Mr. Speaker, this is a sad day in the house of representatives, when Voting Rights becomes a partisan issue. Voting rights is an american issue. It is neither red nor blue. But rather, it is what our Founding Fathers fought for, drafted and ensured that all americans have a right, a fundamental right, to exercise that right to vote. After all, the integrity of our democracy depends upon every eligible voter being able to vote. Most recently i was privileged to also join with my colleagues and my fellow house member, representative marc veasey of texas, and representative bobby scott of virginia, and other members of congress to launch the congressional Voting Rights caucus. The caucus is committed to restoring the Voting Rights act of 1965 to its original state and restoring the vote to all suppressed voices in this nation. I want to commend my fellow colleagues, representatives veasey and scott, for their Visionary Leadership in starting this caucus. Im honored to be a cochair of the congressional Voting Rights caucus. And we will take as our charge to make sure that we fully restore all the protections of the 1965 Voting Rights act. In spite of these continued efforts, mr. Speaker, it is disheartening to see that state after state, including my own state, after the shelby decision instituted photo i. D. Laws. Voter restrictive photo i. D. Laws. So many of my colleagues, they say, well, whats so restrictive about requiring a photo i. D. . After all, you need a photo i. D. In order to get on a plane or to get your passport, but i say to all of my colleagues who question the restrictive nature of photo i. D. s, that not all americans fly. Not all americans have a passport. But all americans who are eligible have the fundamental right to vote. And we, the elected representatives on behalf of these americans, must not impede that most fund mem right. We should be looking at most fundamental right. We should be look at ways we can encourage voting, not discourage voting. After all, the fundamental foundation of our democracy is the right to vote. So i submit to you, mr. Speaker, that it is quite important that we in this house do what so many of our predecessors have done and restore full protections on the right to vote. You know, i wish i were alive when lindsen johnson signed the voting Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights act into law. But i can tell you that there was no more fundamental seminal pieces of legislation that passed this house than the right to vote. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights act of 1965 are still some of the most seminal pieces of legislation that this body has ever passed. And i say to you, mr. Speaker, how can we today, 50 years since the passage, 53 years, to be exact, how can we stand on the cuss of cusp of electing another president , and for the first time in those 50 years not have the full protections of the Voting Rights act . It is indeed a sad day. But i know that this body boddy will that this body will and should do the peoples work and the peoples work is to allow all americans who qualify, who have registered to vote, who turned 18, these americans have the right to vote. You know, i would love it if this body would pass an automatic Voter Registration bill. Ive signed on to such a bill. But those bills dont get a hearing in the Judiciary Committee. And im not sure why, mr. Speaker. Because nothing is more fundamental than to have every american when they reach that certain age of 18 and they go and get their drivers license be automatically registered to vote. Were not talking about protecting one class of voters against another class of voters. Were talking about protecting that fundamental right to vote for all americans. Nothing seems more american and democratic than that. You know, the sad reality is that all battles have become new again old battles have become new again. And so many states have now really taken the shelby decision and allowed themselves strictive laws. And we are reminded that they are restrictive laws by the judicial system. Most recently the Fourth Circuit overturned the North Carolina photo i. D. Law in which they said point blank that they were targeting, that that voter i. D. Law targeted and discriminated against africanamerican voters. They said that it did so with precision, mr. Speaker. You know, there is a fallacy that goes around that says that theres voter fraud rampant in america. I want you to know, mr. Speaker, that voter fraud does not exist in the vols by which americans think they do. A very recent poll by the Washington Post and abc came out and said that over 50 of americans believe that theres voter fraud. Ill have you know, mr. Speaker, that studies after studies, including that by the brennan center, has shown that there is very few cases of voter fraud. In fact, theres studies between the years 2000 and 2014 , a 14year period, only showed 31 cases of voter impersonation. And i want you to know that many of those were in fact errors. Errors in folks names, when the third or the junior of a persons name was confused with the senior of that name. Of that same name. And so, mr. Speaker, the reality is that voter fraud is not rampant. Im not really sure why states like alabama have instituted these photo i. D. Laws. You know, my state not only instituted a photo i. D. Law, but last summer my state, due to quoteunquote budgetary reasons closed down more than reasons, closed down more than 31 d. M. V. s. So i submit to you, mr. Speaker, if photo i. D. s are required and the most popular form of the photo i. D. Is a drivers license, how can that very state also close down opportunities for those citizens of that state to get a photo i. D. . My state also says that that photo i. D. Is free. I submit to you, mr. Speaker, that they may say its free, and in fact it is free if you can come along on those rare days in which the mobile goes through your city. But i want you to know that many of my constituents, many of whom were born in rural alabama, many of whom were born over 80 years ago by a midwife, those constituents dont have birth certificates. And those that do, well, in order to acquire a birth certificate, that costs money. You have to still be able to produce a birth certificate in order to get this quoteunquote free i. D. From the state of alabama. So i submit to you that it is not free. I also submit to you that it is unfair that we put up such barriers. You know, i am humbled every year by the pilgrimage that john lewis takes with many other members of congress in this body. Every year for the past 18 years, he has taken a pilgrimage through my district. He goes back in time and allows those members who travel with him to actually retrace his footsteps 50plus years ago. We go to birmingham, we go to montgomery. And we end up on that sunday reenacting bloody sunday, that moment in history, that seminal moment in history in which he was bludgeoned on the bridge for the simple right to vote. I can tell you, mr. Speaker, that it is it does not go unin thed by me unnoticed by me as i drive across the ed monday pettis bridge every time i Edmond Pettis bridge every time i go home. The sacrifices that ordinary americans did to achieve what ultimately was an extraordinary feat. When you think of the fact that a young john lewis, who is in college at the time, that so many that were out there marching for the right to vote were children. When you think about the fact that ordinary americans collectively working together achieve this extraordinary feat, it makes you realize how fragile the right to vote really is. I dont know how any of us can join hands with john lewis and walk across the edmond pet petrinos i bridge and not Edmond Pettis bridge and not understand how important it is to redead kate ourselves to the fight that he rededicate ourselves to the fight that he once led. We as representatives of this great nation owe it to our own constituents to make sure that every eligible american has the right to vote. I have to tell that you one of the most moving opportunities for me as a member of congress was in 2015 when i got a chance to be in my hometown and to welcome over 100 members of congress, republicans and democrats, two president s, barack obama and president george w. Bush, to my hometown. It was to celebrate americas promise, a promise that became reality through the sacrifice of blood, sweat and tears of average americans. And we all came on that beautiful day, march 7, 2015, it was glorious. But you know, it was a kumbaya moment in time. We owe more to the sacrifices of those foot soldiers like john lewis than a gold medal. Although i was proud to put forth that bill and even prouder to be able to bestow the gold medal to those foot soldiers that did march in the selma to montgomery march. It was a great day. But mr. Speaker, we came back to this body, to this house of representatives, and we did absolutely nothing to restore the Voting Rights act of 1965. There have been several bills that have come forth. Theres been Voting Rights amendment act. , at had bipartisan support both from congressman conyers and congressman sensenbrenner of wisconsin. That bill didnt get more than 30 cow sponsors. Then my bill, the Voting Rights advancement act, which has over 187 cosponsors. We have to meet in the middle, mr. Speaker. Because Voting Rights are so essential. On this, less than 50 days before we have a president ial election, it is simply unacceptable that we go without the full protections of the Voting Rights act. And what do i mean by that . Well, whats at stake, really . By not having those full protections . Well, we witnessed in the primary in arizona and Maricopa County thrk was a county that county, this was a county that was covered by the Voting Rights act of 1965, but because of the shelby decision, there was no more preclearance, so this county in arizona went from a height of 400 polling stations down to that was in 2012, down to 60 polling stations in 2016. There were long lines, mr. Speaker, in Maricopa County. People had to wait hours for the right to vote. Ive been i venture to guess that had the shelby decision not occurred and we had the full protections of the Voting Rights act of 1965, that there would be no way that Maricopa County, arizona, would have been able to change those polling stations, reduce the number of the polling stations, to 60 from 400, had there been preclearance. Whats at stake . We in america should not wait hours to vote. We in america should not have to produce documents that we do not have to vote of the i think its ironic in many of these states you can present a gun permit to be able to vote but cant produce a voter i. D. From a State University ap vote. I believe whats at stake is the integrity of our democracy and all of us have you been outraminged if one person is denied the right to vote. This is a very important, very important issue that i again submit to you is neither