Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills

Okay.

If you're ready, I'm ready. It is ten o'clock. The committee will come to order and I will recognize myself for an opening statement. Good morning and thank you for all attending today's mark-up of sixteen bills touching on issues across the committee's jurisdiction. Today's mark-up includes the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, sponsored by our Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, which establishes a pilot program at EPA to help build out recycling infrastructure in areas that currently lack household recycling. The bill also includes provisions to improve the collection of data regarding recycling rates, and help identify areas for improvement. We have also worked across the aisle on our title of the surface, Transportation Reauthorization, And I wanna commend the members and staff across the whole committee for their hard work uh to get us to where we are. Matt Furlow who has led that effort, I don't know if he's in the room right now on our side, uh and working with the committee members on your side. I think about everybody he could possibly work with, Matt has worked with and all I hear from people who've worked with him is that what a outstanding person he is. I wish he was in the room, but maybe he's watching on C-SPAN. Uh, so this, so thanks, Matt. So this package modernizes the automotive industry and ensures that NHTSA has the tools it needs to ensure motor vehicle safety. The package also includes important priorities for many of our members, ranging from modernizing tire regulations to strengthening flammability standards for automobiles. But having a thriving American-based automotive supply chain is also a core national security issue, which is why we included a bipartisan ban on Chinese The Chinese Communist Party has made clear that their government will use every tool at their disposal to surveil, influence and manipulate Americans for their own gain. Our our bipartisan approach today is to support a vibrant automotive industry, enhance safety and repel the threats coming from our adversaries in Beijing. This package makes progress on all three of those goals, and I'm proud we were able to work together on this. Further, today's mark-up builds upon the Health Subcommittee's work last week to advance ten bills that increase flexibility to patients and providers, strengthen FDA's oversight of our supply chains, and ensures vital public health programs continue to serve Americans. A handful of the bills before us at the committee today, including the Early Act, the Adapt Act, and the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act to name just a few, focus on reauthorizing critical public health programs, supporting patients by meeting them where they're at. Finally, we'll also advance bills to modernize FDA's review and enforcement authorities. And we will also support two important pieces of access bills, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act and the Healthcare Efficiency through Flexibility Act, which seek to reduce administrative burdens, increase flexibility for both patients and providers. I look forward to the productive discussion on these sixteen bills and voting to report them to the full House. I will yield back and recognize the ranking member, the gentleman from New Jersey, for five minutes for an opening statement.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Today the committee is marking up sixteen bills that I hope will go under strong bipartisan support. Fourteen of the bills come from our health subcommittee and will help us better protect the health of the American people. The legislation we are considering reauthorizes and strengthens work around three key areas. First, prevention and early detection are among the highest value investments we can make in the health of the American people. Whether the threat is cancer, an emerging infectious disease, a traumatic brain injury, or a complication of pregnancy, the principle is the same. We're far better off catching problems early and aim and arming patients and providers with the tools to act. So for the bills before us, we authorized important programs to continue meaningful early detection work including hr fourteen ninety three the traumatic brain injury program reauthorization act which i introduced that legislation was first championed by my good friend the late representative bill pasquale of new jersey it will secure continued support for americans affected by traumatic brain injuries and this is critical because federal authorities that fund tbi research surveillance prevention and state level services lapsed in twenty twenty four second public health depends on sustained federal research and infrastructure We're reauthorizing programs that are the scientific and surveillance backbone for state and local public health departments, so they can respond to what is happening on the ground. And I'm pleased that we're considering the Act for ALS Act, which extends programs at FDA and the National Institutes of Health to accelerate research and promising therapies for ALS. Third, bills that meet bills should meet people where they are. They should direct attention towards populations that too often fall through the cracks. younger women whose risk factors are missed by general guidelines, low income and uninsured women who could not otherwise afford a screening, mothers and infants in communities with limited prenatal care, children and low income families that rely on school-based health care, and Americans in regions where vector borne disease has spread. The federal programs that close these gaps don't replace state, local and private effort, they make it possible. For instance, I'm pleased that we're considering legislation to reauthorize funding for school-based health centers, which allow students to access mental health, dental and primary care, as well as nutrition education right at the school. So we're considering a bipartisan recycling bill, also from our environment subcommittee. This package is a long time coming and represents a good step forward to bolstering our domestic recycling and composting systems through improved data collection and increased recycling accessibility. And finally, I'm pleased that we're here marking up a bipartisan safety bill, that will be included in the larger surface transportation bill. And safety should not be a partisan issue, and this bill contains many provisions that will enhance safety on our roadways, both for vehicle occupants and for vulnerable road users, such as bicyclists. So I'm glad this package includes many priorities from democratic members on everything from distracted driving, to ensuring consumers can safely exit a car during a vehicle fire. It also includes uh a number of bipartisan priorities, so This was a long road. There's still work to be done. And I do wanna mention, Mister Chairman, about ensuring consumer access to optional safety features and affordable repairs. These are things that we have to continue to work on. So thank you, uh, and thank the staff for working across the aisle on this package. And I'll have s- more to say on several of the bills during the mark-up, but I yield back to them. Thank you.

Thank you. I agree we need to continue to work on those issues you just addressed and we'll continue to do so. I now recognize the, uh, excuse me, the chair reminds members That pursuant to the committee rules, all members' opening statements will be made part of the record. Are there further opening statements? For our purposes, gentlelady from Colorado, seek recognition.

To offer an opening statement, Mr. Chairman.

You're recognized for three minutes for an opening statement.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I'm glad this committee's marking up essential public health reauthorizations today. Several, including the Early Act and the Kay Hagan-Tick Act, improved public awareness of diseases with rising cases across the country, so providers and patients alike are prepared to catch and treat these illnesses before they worsen. Others, like the ADAPT Act and school-based health centers reauthorization, elevate primary care for underserved communities, so patients have access to the best clinicians and services no matter where they live. And critically, ACTFR ALS reauthorization will allow progress towards a cure to continue and more patients to access promising new therapies. And the amid the administration's assault on public health, we cannot afford to let these programs last. We'll also mark up my bill with Congressman Hudson, the Deandra Dixon NIH Include Project Act. This bill sustains and encourages Down syndrome research with a particular directive to investigate co-occurring conditions. Since its launch in twenty eighteen, the NIH Include Project has awarded five hundred and seventy-five unique down syndrome research grants across eighteen NIH institutes and currently supports more than thirteen clinical trials. Um, I want to take a moment of personal privilege, Mr. Chairman, and introduce my constituent, Michelle C. Whitten, who's sitting in the audience, who's the founder of the global down syndrome foundation and really the brains behind this DeAndre Dixon NIH include project act. Thank you for all the work you do, Michelle. Even in this fraught political environment, this is an issue that transcends party lines and it deserves our full support. The Include Project Act passed the House unanimously last Congress, and this must be the year it's finally passed into law. We have a lot more work to do beyond this mark-up. Our constituents are sounding the alarm on patient access, medical innovation and public health, and demanding that we pursue bold legislation to fix these crises. not just reauthorization of existing programs. I urge my colleagues to support these bills, advance them to the floor expeditiously, and to use this momentum to further defend our public health infrastructure, biomedical research agencies, and the American patients that they will ultimately serve. And I yield back.

Jill, if you'll yield, maybe your thirty seconds?

I'm happy to yield to the chairman.

Thirty seconds, so uh so I understand that Michelle's father, John Say, founded C-SPAN?

That is that is correct, Mister Chair.

And he's he found his C-SPAN, and so everybody gets to watch our committee proceedings,

Also my constituent.

cause your father, and my understanding is your father, who is now ninety years old, is watching C-SPAN now, so he can watch us pass the bill, uh, that that he views in honor of his, your daughter, his granddaughter, Sofia.

And I will,

So, thank you for

reclaiming my time,

Yes, ma'am.

I got to go to John C.'s ninetieth birthday party a couple of weeks ago, and it was quite a hearty, Mr. Chairman.

Well, well, thanks for making Congress public to the country, and I'm glad he's using this time to watch this moment. Later today we're gonna honor his granddaughter and uh, Sofia. Thank you.

I up it.

And uh, uh, the gentlelady yields back, is there further opening statements? The gentleman from New York is recognized for three minutes for an opening statement.

Thank you, Mister Chair, I'm excited that the committee will reconsider will consider H R twenty one forty five recycling infrastructure and accessibility act which was advanced as amended by the environment subcommittee last week this bipartisan bill would make important improvements to our nation's recycling systems it would establish a pilot program at the epa to award grants to improve recycling accessibility in underserved and rural communities would also require epa to collect and publish data on recycling and composting rates to provide an accurate reflection of the effectiveness effectiveness of our systems. While this bill will not fix all of the issues with our nation's waste management system, it is an important first step. I do look forward to supporting this bill, and I hope that we can continue to work together to address other waste issues facing our country. Unfortunately, today we are not taking up a bipartisan bill to reauthorize EPA's brownfields program. I appreciate that we're that we were able to reach agreement on most aspects of the bill, considered at subcommittee, but continue to have disagreements about the authorization levels. EPA's program is too important to too many communities, so I do hope that we can ultimately reach agreement on funding levels that accurately reflect the needs of our state and local governments. Finally, I am very proud of uh my work on several bipartisan health bills that will be considered today including the school-based health centers reauthorization act. I um am also very pleased that uh we are advancing the uh deandre dixon include project act uh at the mark up today uh and research investments have led to major breakthroughs in how down syndrome interacts with other health conditions that have a high incidence in the community such as uh immune system disorders liver dysfunction sleep apnea cancer alzheimer's and and more um and i'd like to recognize that this progress doesn't happen without sustained advocacy In particular, I do highlight the role of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation that has been recognized here through its founder, Michelle C. Whitten, for their tireless advocacy to make this all happen today. And congrats on that progress. And with that, Mister Chair, uh yield back.

Gentlemen yields back. Are there further opening statements? Seeing none, I do wanna recognize Matt, who I called out earlier, is in the room now. So thanks, Matt, for your Matt Furlow, for your hard work. We appreciate it. Um, so the chair calls up H R two one four five and asks the clerk to report.

H R twenty one forty five. A bill to establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility.

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dismissed with, and the bill will be opened for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Gentleman for New Jersey is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, with a national recycling and composting rate of just thirty-two percent, there's clearly a lot of room for improvement. And thankfully, today the committee is considering H. R. two one four five, which will help improve that statistic and address challenges facing our recycling and composting systems nationwide. This bipartisan package, comprised of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act led by Representative Miller-Meeks and McClellan, and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act from Representative Nguz, aims to tackle two key hurdles, access to recycling services and data. First, the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act aims to increase recycling and accessibility for underserved communities across the country. The bill directs the EPA to establish a pilot program to award grants states local governments tribes or public-private partnerships to increase the number of transfer stations expand curbside recycling collection programs and reduce the costs associated with collecting and transporting recyclable materials uh a two O two four uh i should say a twenty twenty four epa report found that forty percent of households don't have access to recycling services which is incredible in my opinion but by investing in programs to improve curbside collection drop off from processing infrastructure by twenty thirty. The US could nearly double our recycling rate to help close that gap. Thus, expanding recycling access is imperative to divert more recyclables from landfills, which is exactly what HR two one four five does. It would improve recycling rates, create jobs, boost American manufacturing, and provide much needed investment in recycling infrastructure and access. And I should also emphasize that while increasing access to recycling is important, it's critical that we build out strong, responsible domestic and markets for recycled materials. Increasing accessibility and collection of recycled content only works if there is a market of buyers to purchase the recycled material. Additionally, the provisions of the Recycling and Compost Accountability Act, added by the Environment Subcommittee, are common sense policies to help leaders at the local, state and federal level make informed decision to address recycling and composting hardships across the nation. And I believe to effectively and efficiently improve U S recycling and composting, we must first measure the existing problems. Reliable, accurate and robust data is essential to track progress and identify areas for improvement. In fact, the EPA recognized this in its recent National Recycling Strategy, which identified the need to standardize measurement and increase data collection as a main objective to address challenges in our recycling system. It's encouraging to see the committee finally take action on improving data collection, and measurement. This bill authorizes EPA to take measures to improve recycling and composting data collection, close data gaps and modernize and update metrics. And like establishing an inventory, for example, of materials recovery facilities, or MRFs in the US, and a report on market trends of recyclable material from those facilities. The bill also supports voluntary data sharing with States to develop a standardized metric of recyclable materials that have been successfully diverted from landfills. Overall, these data provisions are vital to tracking recycling and composting system performance, establishing effective goals, making informed investments, and delivering meaningful benefits to communities across the countries. And as I mentioned in my opening statement, this bipartisan recycling package is one step, albeit an important one, towards improving our domestic recycling and composting systems, and I believe the committee needs to do more. We should explore additional recycling policies. like a federal framework for extended producer responsibility, or minimum recycle content requirements as a holistic approach to resolving challenges in our re- recycling system. In the meantime, I'm pleased to see the committee move HR two one four five forward. It's long overdue. Let me just say in conclusion, Mister Chairman, um I I really think that um the fact that our recycling rate um, you know, at the municipal level and other levels has gotten so low is really a shame i mean i think recycling is something that people wanna do on a bipartisan basis. Doesn't matter if you're in a rural community you're in an urban community. Um and i think we should do whatever we can to try to improve recycling rates i. I'll also say that i was actually involved in the first earth day i don't know how many years ago i won't say. And one of our efforts was to improve recycling in the college that i went to so. I'm kind of proud of the fact that we are doing this today i think it's very important i. I wanna thank our members uh who were involved on a bipartisan basis. So thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

Thank you. I I agree with you. Uh, the chair will now, gentleman yields back, chair recognizes the gentlelady from Iowa for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Uh, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, people may wonder why someone from Iowa would uh uh put forward a bill on recycling. Um, I have both steel and aluminum in my district. Uh, ninety-eight percent of steel and aluminum is recycled in the United States, which most people do not know. And I also have manufacturers in my district that make the cans, the aluminum cans, that go into most of the foods that you find on your grocery shelf. Uh, but rural communities across Iowa and this country have long been left behind when it comes to recycling access. More than thirty-six percent of Iowa's households, over four hundred and fifty families, have no meaningful access to recycling services. That gap isn't just an inconvenience, it has real consequences to our environment. our economy, and our national security. Iowa's manufacturers depend on recycled materials as feedstocks to keep their operations running. But instead of those materi- materials staying here, we're watching China and other foreign competitors scoop up our scrap at above market prices while American factories struggle to find domestic supply. We are landfilling millions of tons of valuable materials every single year, materials that should be fueling American manufacturing and American jobs and including jobs in Iowa. The numbers tell the story. In Iowa, we're recovering less than half of our aluminum cans and only fifteen percent of our steel cans. And it doesn't stop at traditional recyclables. Critical materials and critical minerals are leaving this country when they should be staying in American hands and in the American supply chains. We can fix this. And that's exactly what the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act is designed to do. Our IAA is a bipartisan bill that tackles this problem from multiple angles. Building the recycling infrastructure our rural communities desperately need, boosting collection rates to reduce our reliance on virgin feedstocks, and now, combined with the RCAA led by Representative Neguse, strengthening the data collection systems that will help us target future investment when it's needed most. At its core, RIAA establishes a pilot grant program for communities like many in my district, places that don't have a recycling facility within seventy-five miles. this legislation has earned broad support from the industry environmental groups manufacturers um alike because they all understand the same thing recycling infrastructure is manufacturing infrastructure and a strong domestic material supply uh is uh economic security and i'd also like to say it has support from uh my fellow member the dinosaur caucus the ranking member um although i was not around uh uh for as uh some of the first earth day uh as he was I urge my colleagues to support RIAA and move it forward. Our rural communities and our manufacturers and our domestic supply chain have waited long enough. Thank you and I yield back.

Gentlelady yields back. Is there further recognition to speak on the bill? The gentleman from from uh New York, almost said New Jersey, but the gentleman from New York has recon- I know knew New York, but almost said New Jersey. Gentleman from New York is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chair. my uh support for hr twenty one forty five the recycling infrastructure and accessibility act which was amended during the environment subcommittee mark up to also incorporate the text of hr forty one O nine the recycling and composting accountability act, led by congressman neguse. This bipartisan legislation directs epa to establish a program to improve recycling accessibility in rural and underserved communities across the united states. This is important because while over seventy percent of American households have access to curbside recycling, that number drops to forty percent for rural communities and communities in multifamily housing. Our recycling economy succeeds when communities have access. So I'm glad to see targeted investments to expand curbside and drop-off recycling programs in areas that need it the most. This legislation also directs EPA to collect and publish data on domestic recycling and composting infrastructural capabilities and better understand the end markets for recyclable and compostable materials. We need accurate data and effective coordination at the federal and state levels to begin to identify the gap the gaps in our recycling systems, and areas where targeted investment will have the greatest impact. Plastic pollution is a global crisis and it requires ambitious solutions to meet the moment. We must work to educate our communities on recycling, and harmful microplastics, improved collection and sorting of plastics, and incentivized design for recyclability to support responsible end markets. While this bill does not answer all those challenges, it is a good first step. I am happy to support this legislation getting across the finish line this year, and I do hope we can continue to build upon this momentum to find bipartisan solutions that stop valuable materials from entering landfills and from polluting our environment. And with that, I thank you, Mr. Chair, and yield back.

Jim, and yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? General Lady from Virginia is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, as an original co-sponsor of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, I appreciate the committee's consideration of this legislation. Recycling reduces waste that piles up in our landfills, reduces the need to extract new raw materials, and lowers our carbon footprint. Globally, recycling reduces carbon dioxide emissions by seven hundred million tons a year. However, the United in the United States, only twenty-one percent of recyclable materials are actually recycled. The rest are lost to landfills. And in Virginia alone, one point one million tons of recyclable materials are lost to landfills. Millions of households, especially in rural communities, simply lack access to the recycling infrastructure necessary to participate in this circular economy. Rural communities and small towns lack curbside recycling programs that are readily available in other parts of the country. And HR twenty-one forty-five addresses this gap by establishing an EPA pilot program to issue grants for projects that increase recycling accessibility in underserved communities. It also authorizes multiple initiatives to collect data on recycling and composting programs nationwide, an effort led by my colleague from Colorado, Mister Neguse. As we move towards a cleaner future, we must fully utilize the circular economy and ensure that everyone can participate. This bill marks an important step towards that goal, and I appreciate uh my colleague from Iowa, Miss Miller Meeks, for her leadership on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support H R twenty one forty five. Thank you and I yield back.

General Lady yields back. Is there Anyone seeking recognition to speak on the bill? If there's no further discussion on the bill. The question now occurs on adopting HR two one four five, a roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bill Arrakis.

Aye.

Mister Bill Arrakis votes aye. Mister Hudson.

Aye.

Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia.

Aye.

Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer.

Aye.

Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn.

Aye.

Mister Dunn votes aye. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Crenshaw. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Allen votes aye. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Kammick. Mister Olbernulty. Mister Olbernulty votes aye. Mister James. Mister Vence. Mister Vence votes aye. Miss Houchen. Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister Frey. Miss Lee. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Rooley votes aye. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Miss Fedorchek.

Aye.

Miss Fedorchek votes aye. Mister Pallone. Mister Pallone votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Schakowsky.

Aye.

Mister Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui.

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Mister Castor.

Aye.

Mister Castor votes aye. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonka votes aye. Miss Clark. Miss Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz.

Aye.

Mister Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Miss Dingell. Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Vesey. Miss Kelly. Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Baragon. Miss Baragon votes aye. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier. Miss Schreier votes aye. Miss Trajan. Miss Tran votes aye. Miss Fletcher. Miss Fletcher votes aye. Miss Ocasio-Cortez. Miss Ocasio-Cortez votes aye. Mister Ochsengloss. Mister Ochsengloss votes aye. Mister Carter of Louisiana. Mister Menendez. Mister Men- Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Vollen votes aye. Mister Landsman. Miss McClellan. Miss McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie. Mister Guthrie votes aye. She's not recorded.

This is a meeting.

Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye.

We want to recall that gentleman from Michigan.

Mister James not recorded.

James, aye.

Mister James votes aye.

James.

Oh, Mister Vesey?

Lance, aye.

Okay, he got Mister, the gentleman from Texas, Mister Vesey. How's he recorded?

Mister VC is not recorded.

I'm recording.

Can we guess who's who's

Mister VC is yes.

Gentleman from Ohio. recording? Who else in the call?

Uh, Mister Lansman is not recorded.

Yes.

Mister Lansman votes aye.

Anyone else seeking recognition for the Seeing none, the No, no, no, Dan. No, no, no, no, no. Gentleman from Louisiana.

He is not recorded.

Yes.

Mister Carter votes aye.

Anyone else seeking recognition for the roll call? Seeing s- You got everybody? Okay. Seeing none, the clerk will report.

Mister Chairman, on that vote there are forty-five ayes and zero nays.

The bill,

That's, pardon me, correct me.

the i's have it, and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up HR seven three eight nine and asks the clerk to report.

HR seventy three eighty nine, a bill to modernize the motor vehicle safety programs of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and for other purposes.

Abstain.

Be it enacted by the Senate and then helped by the Senate.

That objection, the first reading of the bill is to spin swift and the bill will be open for amendment at any point So, order. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? I'll call up the Ains. Okay. Just seeing none.

Three eighty nine.

Well, do you wanna talk on the bill or on the uh Ains? We call up the Ains and we'll do that.

I'll call up the Ains.

Okay, I'll call up the Ains. Uh, for what purpose? You'll speak on the bill? Okay. Oh, it's a general, a general age recognized for five, you don't wait till I call up the Ains. A general age recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chair. I move to strike the last word.

Julie.

Recognized.

Uh, first, I want to thank you, Chair Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone and our committee staffs for months of hard work and stake ho- stakeholder engagement that went in to being able to present this bipartisan auto safety package ahead of the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization. I am encouraged by what we are considering today, a bipartisan work product. It's not easy, especially on issues as complex as vehicle safety, consumer protection, innovation, and the future of the auto industry. I believe deeply that America must continue to lead the future of mobility. We put the world on wheels, and we must maintain our leadership on innovation and technology. We cannot afford to fall behind, And this committee has a responsibility to modernize our laws, strengthen safety standards, support innovation, and protect American consumers and workers. I know how much progress has been made and common ground found on most of the issues. And I know that the Chairman and Ranking Member are committed to continuing to work on right to repair protecting our industries from Communist China, And in that vein, uh, also on AVs. And I hope we will address that sooner than later, and we'll talk about that later. The inclusion of my bipartisan bill, the Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act, which protects survivors of domestic violence from the misuse of connected vehicle technologies will save lives. As vehicles become more connected, we must ensure that these technologies are not weaponized against vulnerable people. I'm also pleased to see the inclusion of our negotiated AM radio compromise. AM radio remains a vital tool for communities across the country, particularly for delivering lifesaving information during emergencies and national disasters. We've worked on this issue for years, engaged extensively with the automakers, the broadcasters, and other stakeholders, and this work represents the best path forward. Glad to see our bipartisan supply change provisions included in this package, which will strengthen domestic domestic manufacturing, support innovation, and bo- protect our economic and national security. And it gives the federal government additional tools to identify, monitor, and respond to critical supply chain vulnerabilities before they become full-blown crises. I appreciate that we were able find a first step on right to repair issues and balance concerns about cyber security, consumer privacy, safety, intellectual property, and the long-term strength of the domestic industry. Thank you for the commitment of every member on this committee to continue the work on this issue that is for the good of consumers, cost, data privacy, among many other issues. The package also includes important safety measures, studying the effects of driver controlled technology on severe traffic injuries and facilities, preventing misleading advertising around partially automated driving systems, requiring clear consumer disclosures, requiring vehicles to include a mechanical manual door release, and continuing work on advanced driver assistance systems and automatic emergency braking technologies to better better protect vulnerable road users. That's a lot of auto stuff in this bill. We're also going to be addressing issues like battery fires, hazardous chemicals, and pulsating brake lights to improve road safety and save lives. I really want to talk about and thank you, and thank you for your serious understanding of the threat that China vehicles and their connected technologies are in this country. Every modern vehicle is effectively a rolling data collection advice. device. We cannot allow China to gain a foothold in manufacturing in this country and in the American automotive ecosystem. This proposal isn't as comprehensive as the John Molinar's and my bipartisan bicameral connected vehicle security act, but this committee recognized the urgency of keeping Chinese vehicles and technologies out of our market and protecting American's data and our national security. Too many people don't understand when they get in a vehicle, your data on your iPads and your iPhones are being used by somebody else. And we've got to address that. I'm running out of time, so I'll talk more later. But I want to thank you, Chairman Guffrey, and Miss and Frank Pallone, I know I've been a pain in the bazooka, that this is a good, important work, and thank you for getting us here. I yield back.

Don't let he yields back as there further discussion on the bill. Gentleman from gentleman from Colorado is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Chairman, ranking member, and of course to the staff for all of the work uh that has gone into this over the last several months so that we can have this strong bipartisan consensus um that includes so many different important policy priorities I served as a police

And so does

officer in the Denver Metro area for over a decade and I was actually uh one of the, um, officers in charge of forensic accident reconstruction on the west side of the Denver metro area. And as someone who often responded to accidents from fender benders to serious and fatal accidents driver and pedestrian safety has long been important to me. And that's why I'm so proud uh to see so many of the different vehicle safety provisions included in today's title. Uh, from tire regulatory reform to studies on flammability standards, to the Magnus White and Safe Streets for Everyone Act. the good work of this committee, bipartisan work of this committee, is going to help protect the next generation of Americans as the auto industry continues to innovate but safe vehicles also need safe roads and so while we're working on vehicle safety here I'm also proud of the work that's happening in adjacent areas like the surface transportation reauthorization um because that's a top priority for my constituents that I wanted to take just a moment to touch on. after eight years of mismanagement in colorado uh under the democrats my state's roads are some of the worst in the nation uh we have the sixth worst urban roadways and the fourth worst rural roadways in the nation because the ruling democrats in colorado have failed to adequately invest in core roadway maintenance and safety and that impacts all of the vehicle safety things that we're working on here today if we don't have safe roads basic road infrastructure shouldn't be a partisan issue. Critical transportation corridors like I-twenty-five, highway eighty-five, and I-seventy-six in my district serve as economic lifelines for families and farmers and employers and jobs. But commuters and businesses face worsening congestion, repeated vehicle damage, longer travel times, and an increasing risk of serious accidents. On average, my constituents in Colorado are facing an estimated nineteen hundred dollars a year in increased cost to repair their vehicles as a result of bad roadways. Additionally, audits conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation itself find millions of taxpayer dollars unaccounted for as well as statutory violations and funding disbursements. These are basic benchmarks of reliability and trust that the state has failed to meet time and again. And so that's why federal legislation like today's vehicle safety uh bill uh and other adjacent efforts are so important because it allows the federal government to fill in those gaps left by states and provide common sense guardrails for implementing federal dollars for road infrastructure and making sure that the safe vehicles that are being considered today aren't damaged on poor roads i'm proud to support this committee's efforts and the efforts of the entire us house of representatives and i want to once again thank the chair and the ranking member and yield back

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. There's further discussion. Did Doctor Reis, uh, gentleman from California is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, I'm a proud co-sponsor of the AM radio for every vehicle act, a piece of legislation that is included in this package. This bill does something straightforward, it requires the Department of Transportation to issue a rule mandating that all new passenger vehicles sold in the US include functional AM broadcast radio as standard equipment. It serves as a guarantee that when Americans get in their car, they can access the same emergency communication systems that has protected this country for decades. Whether it's a wildfire, racing across the desert floor, a flash flood tearing through a canyon, or an extreme heat emergency, people need to know. Uh, we saw what happens when that system fails. When the campfire tore through Pal- Paradise in uh California in November twenty eighteen, cell networks were immediately overwhelmed and then destroyed residents reported that am radio was one of the only functioning sources of real-time information as they fled many survivors credited broadcast radio with giving them direction when they had no other way to receive updates am radio does not need a signal bar so when cell towers go down when the internet goes dark when the power grid fails am radio is still there It reaches people in the moments when everything else has failed them. My district is home to some of the most vulnerable communities in California, from farm workers in the Imperial Valley, seniors in the desert cities, and tribal communities across our region. These are families who may not have access to real-time smartphone alerts. These are people driving to work before sunrise, in areas where self-coverage is spotty at best. For them, AM radio is a lifeline to emergencies. The emergency alert system, FEMA, and first responders all depend on AM broadcast infrastructure. So our constituents deserve to get in their car and know that if there is an emergency they will hear about it. This bill has over three hundred cosponsors in this chamber, meaning that Republicans and Democrats, rural and urban members, all standing together on a simple premise, that emergency communication should not be optional. I am proud to cosponsor this legislation and I urge my colleagues

Gentleman yields back. Is there a further discussion on the bill? Gentleman from Michigan is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to strike last word. No matter how you slice it and no matter what industry, there's not a single American who isn't impacted by supply chains. In Michigan's tenth congressional district, supply chains are the equivalent to rocket fuel. providing firepower to the number one manufacturing districts in the country to power the economy for the state of Michigan. Having strong and reliable supply chains is absolutely essential to ensuring every American can get the food, the fuel, household products, and every other consumer product they need. I was very pleased, Mister Chairman, to see my bill, H R two four four four, the promoting resilient supply chains act, including the committee's bipartisan motor vehicle modernization act. The Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act is about bringing jobs back home, lowering costs for hardworking families. No longer just about economics, supply chains are vital to America's national security interests as well. We must do everything that we can, everything in our power, to ensure our nation's supply chain is resilient, shock-resistant, and protected from nefarious foreign adversaries. This includes public enemy number one, the Chinese Communist Party. The threat from China is real. And I'm glad we finally have a Commander-in-Chief who isn't afraid to get tough with our adversaries. To achieve a strong, resilient supply chain, we must have a coordinated, whole-of-government approach that decreases dependence on our adversaries and leverages American ingenuity. The Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act does exactly this and is a massive step in the right direction. Resilient global supply chains are the cornerstone of American innovation leadership and we must take clear and decisive action in this global competition with China. Thank you for your support, Mister Chairman, and for your leadership. I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes Miss Miss Mitsui. You wanna be recogni- You want on the aims or the bill? You wanna be the aims? Okay. So, gentlemen from Californi- you've already gone, Doctor Rees. So, the ne- d- gentlemen from Florida, Mister Soto.

Thank you, Chairman. You know, in fast-growing Central Florida, we desperately need a new infrastructure law. I And so I'm pleased today to see us doing our part for this surface bill. as one of the fastest growing areas in the nation, now the twentieth largest metro area, we've seen over the last five years a three point five billion dollar I-four expansion which I was proud to help get the money for, a upgrades of over three hundred fifty million dollars to our local airports, including a thirty three million dollar airport grant this week for Orlando International Airport, and another ten million dollar grant for Kissimmee Gateway Airport. We're also expanding the Poinsettia Parkway, which is an area that is desperately facing a lot of traffic. And we're seeing a Sunreal Brightline expansion to help get thousands of our workers to the tourism corridor and to get tourists to their final destination. Uh, but the money's running out. We're seeing that after this round, we may not see a lot of these big funding opportunities if we don't get a surface build together a new infrastructure law. So I'm pleased to see Energy and Commerce do our part uh for the new infrastructure law with uh this bill today which touches on a whole bunch of drivers' safety issues from touch screens to automatic emergency braking systems fire prevention standards for partially automated vehicles promoting American EVs and hybrids lithium ion batteries, securing semiconductor supply chains and more. Uh, we do still have some unfinished business in this committee with regard to the infrastructure law. Uh, we are still waiting to see rural broadband be implemented across many areas of Florida and across the nation. I hope we can continue our efforts to make sure this promise comes true. In addition, we have brownfield legislation that I know we're working on together, uh, but it's something that we need to get done. I also encourage the committee to consider another major water project chapter, like we saw last time around, to help our state revolving funds. I know whether it's drought in the west or whether it is uh water supply in the east, uh this is absolutely critical. In addition, I want to talk a little bit about the AM radio bill. Uh we know hurricanes in central Florida and across the state. Uh without AM radio, a lot of times all these other systems fail and you just go out to your car, you turn on the uh your vehicle and you get to hear key information that saves lives. It also is important for uh local uh information, whether it's weather, traffic, or even uh conservative talk radio uh on AM radio. We get some more progressive stuff too. We also wanna make sure we're protecting artists online as well and and on the radio. Last thing I wanna talk about is the Sunshine Protection Act. This was literally a bill I wrote personally back in two thousand thirteen, uh where it would extend daylight savings uh or give states the option to extend daylight savings throughout the whole winter time uh something that was very popular in florida something that. Our legislature finally passed out. Uh so this would give us an opportunity to finally not have the back and forth of the clocks. Without going into darkness um as we see with standard time so. I'm excited to see this um also be included in the project. Uh for this bill and I yield back.

Gentleman yields back, is there further discussion? Mr. Rooley. Oh, these are just right scratches. So I had I had I'll add an end, I'll add, but I had Miss Trahan next, I'll get Miss Bartagon add her a list on the list. All right, Miss Trahan, you're recognized for five minutes.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, in twenty twenty the people of Massachusetts passed our right to repair law at the ballot box, with seventy five percent of the vote, Republicans, Democrats and Independents. It's hard to get three out of four people in Massachusetts to agree on anything, but they agreed to this. When you buy a car, it's your car. You should be able to get it fixed where you want, by whom you want, the dealership, the corner garage, or in your own driveway. But for years, the will of the vote voters was stalled by litigation. The automakers fought the twenty twenty law tooth and nail, rejecting the automakers' preemption claims and upholding the law. Finally, Massachusetts is unable to enforce their law, and the autos will need to comply. So I come to this hearing with one simple question about Does it protect the will of my constituents or does it quietly chip away at it? And I worry that it chips away. Here's the issue in plain terms. The bill has a section that lists the state laws it promises not to touch. That's a good instinct, but look at which laws it protects. It protects the laws governing relationships between car makers and their dealers, the franchise system, but the relationship at the very heart of right to repair isn't the one between the manufacturer and the dealer. it's the relationship between the manufacturer and you, the owner, and between the manufacturer and the independent mechanic you choose to trust with your car. That relationship is not reflected on the list of prot protected provisions. The most important one is just simply missing. It's like writing a lot of protect a house from a storm and carefully naming the windows and the garage and the back porch but not mentioning the front door. Now, I am not accusing anyone in this room of trying to wipe out uh the Massachusetts law, but intentions aren't what end up in front of a judge. The words are. And when Congress writes down a list of what it's protecting and the most important item is left off that list I think the lawyers' notice courts' notice and a few years from now a judge could look at that gap and conclude that Washington meant to push aside the will of three out of four Massachusetts voters. Not because we ever debated it in this room, but because of a hole nobody bothered to close. The good news is that it's flick- it's fixable, and it's a cheap, it's cheap to fix. In the, if the intent really is not to preempt or to set a floor, let's say so where it counts. If we mean for states to be free to go further, let's put it in the law, and not spend a decade in more litigation, paid for by the very people this bill is supposed to help. My constituents already did the work, they studied it, they debated it, and they voted. All I'm asking for is this commi- from this committee is that we not undo their vote by accident. Uh, although this bill is chock full of bipartisan provisions, including many that I've cosponsored, I can't support it until I get the certainty that my constituents expect of me, and I hope that that happens before the flo- the vote on the floor. Thanks, I yield back.

Uh, will the gentlelady yield uh ten seconds to me and yield done?

Yep.

Uh, I just want to say the gentlelady's remarks were articulate and were intelligent, and I hope that everybody takes them to to heart. You know, this this is serious matter and it's it's a big deal, and thank you so much for your support. Thank you very much, Representative Shryan Iyil.

Thank you, Congressman. I yield back.

General Lady yields back to chair, recognize Miss Bodegon for five minutes. Take on the bill.

Uh, thank you. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, while I support the bill and many of the important um, auto safety and consumer protection policies, I do have concerns about the sunshine protection act included in the bill. The bill would make daylight savings time permanent across most of the United States, unless the state chooses to exempt itself before the bill goes into effect. Like many Americans, I too am tired of ta- changing our clocks twice a year. Parents hate it, workers hate it, our bodies hate it. But making daylight savings time permanent poses health and safety issues. Doctors, neurologists, sleep scientists, and major medical organizations have warned Congress that permanent daylight savings time would hurt public health and public safety. The American Medical Association has called for permanent standard time instead, because standard time better aligns with the human body's natural circadian rhythm. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine agrees. Why? Because our bodies are built to wake up with morning light. When sunrise gets pushed later into the morning, especially in winter, it turns off our sleep, our mood, our concentration, and even our health, our heart health. Sleep experts have linked the shift to daylight savings time with higher risk of heart attacks, strokes, depression, and car crashes. And for millions of Americans, permanent daylight savings would mean going to school and work in darkness for months. It would put sunrise in many states past eight AM for over three months. We have tried this before. Most recently, in nineteen seventy-four during the energy crisis, the United States experimented with permanent daylight savings time. Support for it collapsed once Americans experienced those dark winter mornings firsthand. Communities and workplaces had to adjust schedules because people were starting their day in darkness. Children were waiting for school buses in pitch black streets. In Florida alone, eight children were killed in traffic accidents in the weeks after the change. That's not auto safety. Communities pushed back, Congress reversed course. We should learn from that history instead of repeating it, and today we know even more than we did in nineteen seventy four. Researchers found higher traffic fatality rates in places where people are more often driving in darkness and against their natural body clocks. Why? Because exhaustive people driving in darkness is a dangerous combination. So yes, even more evening daylight may sound appealing, but this decision should be guided first by public health and public safety. And it should be about listening to medical experts who have spent years studying sleep or body clocks and public health. So yes, let's end the disruption of changing the clocks twice a year, but I'm not sure this is the right way to do that. And uh, I urge my colleagues to think about considering a fix before this bill is uh with it and becomes law.

I'll hold them. You're welcome.

Thank you. I yield back.

Gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? The gentleman from Massachusetts is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Chairman. I wanna strongly associate myself with the comments uh from my colleague from Massachusetts, Mister Hahn. Uh, the implied preemption within the right to repair legislation here is is not acceptable to my constituents in Massachusetts. This is a consumer rights issue. This is an issue about lowering the cost of of auto insurance premiums. Um, and it's an issue about supporting independent businesses in Massachusetts. And we've gotta defend that prerogative. I also, Chair, wanna speak to uh pedestrian safety issues in this bill. I applaud the committee for removing dangerous provisions from the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, including language that would have threatened the independent safety testing of new cars. And I'm also pleased that the committee has included Representative Clark's Magnus White and Safe Streets for Everyone Act. That important bill would direct NHTSA to require new passenger vehicles to be equipped with automatic emergency brake systems that detect and respond to bicyclists, motorcyclists, motorcyclists, and other vulnerable road users, regardless of clothing color, skin tone, or lighting. I also support the inclusion of representative Mullins' Driver Technology and Pedestrian Safety Act, which directs NHTSA to study the impact touch screen interfaces have on distracted driving and crashes. I think we all experience that in our vehicles, that these touch screens uh are leading to more distracted driving. This package is an important step towards ensuring NHTSA's regulations protect all road users not just those in vehicles. Uh, traffic deaths have reached public health crisis levels in this country. In twenty twenty-two, pedestrian deaths reached their highest number, seven thousand five hundred in forty-one years. And twenty twenty-four data is only slightly down from that peak. The preliminary twenty-five data shows an encouraging decrease, but rates are still above twenty twenty nineteen levels. Pedestrian deaths are increasing at a rate far faster than overall traffic fatalities. Between two thousand and nine and twenty twenty three, pedestrian deaths rose a staggering eighty percent, while all other traffic fatalities increased thirteen percent. Over the past thirty years, the average US passenger vehicle has gotten about four inches wider, ten inches longer, eight inches taller, and one thousand pounds heavier. Obviously, human beings have not gotten commensurately bigger. pickup trucks, SUVs and vans with a hood height greater than forty inches, are forty five percent more likely to cause fatalities than shorter vehicles with a hood height of thirty inches or less. Basically, the cars are getting bigger and heavier, and it's putting pedestrians at risk, and that needs to be part of how we evaluate the safety of motor vehicles. Because vehicle design can play an important role in reducing fatalities, including by improving driver sightlines and reducing weight and height. Technology like NHTSA, uh, must play a more active role in ensuring vehicle design and technology deployment that keeps all road users safe. Each of us knows someone impacted by this. My former intern and constituent, Sam Kesselman, was the victim of a hit and run in Washington, DZ in twenty twenty two. He fought for five months to survive a traumatic brain injury, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. The number of traffic deaths in this country is unacceptable, and NHTSA must do more to protect pedestrians. I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? The gentlelady from New York is recognized for five minutes.

Um, thank you, Mister Chairman, I I just have a question on the bill because I've heard some different things on it. Um, are is there any are there any provisions that include preemption in the bill?

Oh yeah.

Oh.

Gentlelady recognized? You?

Oh, thank you, yes.

Okay.

No, I I just had a question, cuz I I've been hearing

Okay, I'm sorry, I I I didn't hear your question.

Oh, sorry, I've just been hearing some different things in the bill about preemption so i just wanted to make sure i think we you know we're all uh uh very you know i think many of us share in the values we're very committed on right to repair and and all of that and so i was just curious about

mmm

what what statutes around preemption if any are included in the bill

there there is no preemption in the bill so so the memorandum of understandings that are codified in this in the study or right to repair this authorized in the bill does not preempt any state laws.

OK.

This is what we were discussing when you were asking the question.

Oh, OK. Alright, sorry.

So there there's no preemption in the bill. We wanna make sure that everybody understands there's no preemption. Then we're gonna do that in a colloquy, but I guess we can do it now. We,

OK, great.

my understanding is there's no preemption in the bill. We'll verify there's no preemption in the bill, but I'm understand that to be a fact.

OK, fabulous idea.

Would the would the gentlewoman yield?

That's all I wanted to say. Yes, yes, I'll go.

I know that Jake disagrees and he thinks there's some kind of implied preemption, but Both Mister Guthrie and I, the Chairman, do not agree with that. We we we're assuring you that we're not preempting any state, um, and that we do not agree that there's any implied preemption.

OK, understood. Thank you. I yield back.

General Lady yields back. Is there a further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, no further discussion on the bill. Bill is opened up for amendment and the Chair will call up amendment MVMA. Underscore ANS.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H R seven three eight nine, offered by Mister Guthrie.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and I will recognize myself for five minutes to speak on the amendment. So the direct economic benefits of the automotive sector are undeniable, creating millions of American jobs, driving more than one trillion of economic activity. From assembly plants and suppliers to dealerships and logistic networks, the auto industry remains a foundational industry of the U.S. economy and a key driver of American competitiveness. We began this, we began this effort last June with an educational hearing, and from the outset our goals have been aligned, supporting safer, more affordable vehicles and an innovative American auto industry. I've appreciated working with my friends across the aisle to make this the strongest package possible from safety standards to hardening of our supply chains. I want to thank all members who have worked diligently to bring these bills to the committee so that we can advance nearly a dozen member priorities for consideration for the full house. This legislation reflects the tradition of bipartisanship of this committee and demonstrates the ability to address big issues that our constituents care about. Simply put, these proposals make our roads safer and American businesses more prosperous. And I will yield back. Does anyone seek to speak on the end? Jimler from New Jersey is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Uh, thank you, Mister Chairman, and thank you for the bipartisan work on this safety title for the surface transportation reauthorization, which I am encouraging everyone to vote yes on today. I'm pleased that we were able to include auto safety bills from Democratic members in the package, including Representative Clark's bill honoring cyclist Magnus White and protecting cyclists and motorcyclists. representative mullins' bill addressing distracted drivers and the impact of touch screens on car crashes. representative schreier's bill ensuring the car manufacturers are honest in their marketing of automation features and that consumers are educated about the features of their vehicles. and representative kelly's bill that ensures the occupants can escape cars with electronic door handles in the event of a power loss. i'm also pleased that we were able to include bipartisan bills, including representative dingell, and safe access for survivors act which protects survivors from being tracked by their abusers to their vehicles that's pretty much it it also includes representative bill requiring a study of vehicle uh flammability hazards other bipartisan bills in the package will help prevent e-bike battery fires encourage safe vehicle modifications and shore up our supply chains especially for semiconductors which are an essential component of all modern cars And finally, I'm glad that the uh AM radio bill sponsored by myself and Mister Bill Arrakis AM radio for every vehicle act is included in the package to ensure free reliable access to AM radio. This is a long overdue priority for American consumers and I look forward to it finally becoming law. And I'm also glad to see we're addressing daylight savings in this bill. Uh, having daylight savings time year-round helps our tourism industry in New Jersey, my, I know my a Floridian uh friend, Mister Soto, also mentioned it, uh, including the Jersey Shore, and not changing clocks uh back and forth also is better from a health and safety point of view according to numerous studies. So, again, thank you to the chair and the staff for working across the aisle on these issues. And with that, um, I yield back, Mister Chairman.

Chairman, he yields back and the chair recognizes Doctor Dunn from Florida for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Thank you very much, Mister Chairman, we have to strike the last word.

Gentlemen, to recognize, speak on the amendment.

Thank you. Uh, first I want to thank the chairman for offering an amendment that represents a fairly negotiated version of my repair act. As my colleagues know, automotive right to repair has been a priority of mine for the last several years. And while I appreciate that this amendment in nature of substitute includes a section on this subject, I do think that it falls short of ensuring that each one of our constituents has the choice of where to seek safe and affordable and accessible repair for their vehicles. A simple codification of an outdated memorandum of understanding is insufficient in addressing the very real restrictions on repair data that are currently being implemented by vehicle manufacturers in an effort to monopolize the repair market. And while I believe there are several missing components in the MOU, the most glaring is that it does not include wirelessly transmitted data tra- referred to generally as telematics. As at a time when families are already stretched thin by rising cost of living, Congress has a responsibility to repac- respect the consumers' rights to repair their own vehicles and support the small businesses keep our communities running and put an end an end to the unnecessary barriers to drive up repair costs for hardworking americans however i'm extremely disappointed that the version included in the package we vote on will not repair include the true repair act it is simply a watered-down version that was derailed by parties that stand to gain from the status that it fails to protect the computer uh consumer choice and promote competition and help lower repair costs for hard-working families. My repair act would create a clear workable framework to insure vehicle owners and repair for uh professionals have access to all of the information needed to safely maintain and repair modern vehicles, including telematics. If you own your car then you should own the data generated by your car, specifically critical repair, maintenance, wear, tear, calibration and recalibration of parts data. This is a basic concept of a of ownership. It's yours, it belongs to you. I've worked with integrity across the spectrum of stakeholders, the independent repair industry, the auto manufacturers, as well as of other stakeholders from the automotive industry, uh dealers, rental car rental car industry, heavy duty vehicles, independent businesses and consumer advocates. This legislation has been approved through this process, incorporating many suggestions from automakers, franchise dealers and everybody alike. I have been disappointed to see the bipartisan consensus language pulled for what is uh included today, language that I saw only two days ago. Uh, I want to thank Chairman Guthrie, his team. his fellow members and stakeholders for their work holders on this bill. And I appreciate the commitment of the chair and the ranking member to continue to work on this matter. With that, I will uh I'll be able to support the broader bill today, but please know I wanna get the real Repair Act done. And I will not back down from this fight. And I thank Miss Trahan for her comments earlier. With that, I yield back, Mister Chairman.

Think Jim would yield?

Yes.

I know we worked hard together on this as well, now that you pushed it,

Yeah.

and we will, as we'll discuss later, continue to work this issue. So I appreciate your

Thank you very much, Mister Chairman.

Appreciate it. Thank you. Jim yields back. Uh, General Lady from Cali- Matsui, Miss Matsui, General Lady from California is recognized for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word.

All those recognized to speak on the amendment.

Thank you. Um, and then move to strike the last word, and first of all, I'd like to say that I appreciate the clarification that there is no preemption in this bill. Um, I'm glad to see my Motor Vehicle Flamm- Flammability Standards Study Act included in this vehicle safety package. I wanna thank Congressman Griffith, for working with my office on this important bill and I want to thank Chairman Bilirakis and Ranking Member Schakowsky for including our bill in this package. Six years ago, Mr. Griffin and I worked together to pass the SOFA Act. That bill updated national fire safety standards for household furniture to remove outdated requirements for toxic flame retardants. We now know that those flame retardants contain dangerous chemicals, that can cause cancer and developmental disorders, disrupt the endocrine system, and cause hormone imbalances, among other health impacts. The SELFA Act changed national fire safety standards to eliminate dangerous chemicals in household furniture. But some of those same chemicals are still found in vehicle upholstery. That's because fire safety standards for vehicles require the vehicle upholstery contain those same toxic flame retardants. That standard was issued in nineteen seventy-one to prevent fires from lit cigarettes. I think it's about time we take another look at that standard and see if we can meet the same level of fire safety without exposing drivers and passengers to toxic chemicals. This bill has the support of the International Association of Firefighters who know better than anyone the challenges posed by vehicle fires. I look forward to working with Mister Griffith and the committee to advance this important bill and protect Americans from exposure to dangerous chemicals. Thank you and I yield back the balance of my time.

General Lady yields back and the chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida Mr. Bilirakis for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate it very much. Uh, thanks for this mark-up. Uh, I'd like to take a moment to talk about some of the important uh priorities reflected uh in this aims. First, the inclusion of the AM radio for every vehicle act. it's an important step forward maintaining and maintaining public safety that's a bottom line as we head toward hurricane season all those on the east coast across the gulf should be confident in knowing that they can receive emergency messages through am radio in their cars if all else else fails radio am radio is there in many cases this is the only way that people can reasonably rely on messages as they evacuate evacuate areas before during and in the aftermath of a storm on this i wanna thank ranking member Pallone for working with me uh again on his partnership in passing the stand alone bill through the cmt committee which i chair and now and including it in the service transportation uh bill we appreciate that so much separately i also wanna highlight the of the sunshine protection act and to the aims to make daylight savings time the new permanent standard time. like a clock at work twice a year i hear from my constituents i know you do too on their dread of having to change the clocks for decades americans have long criticized this switch as disruptive to families businesses schools and public health Studies have also shown that the economic productivity increases with more evening daylight, while reducing traffic accidents and improving overall quality of life. I'm pleased to work with, uh again I've worked with Congressman uh Buchanan on this issue for many years, uh and uh it's been long discussed and it's about time we get it through. I also wanna recognize Secretary of State uh Marco Rubio for the work he has done as a senator in moving this same language through the senate unanimously in twenty twenty two i also wanna recognize the great support from our great president donald trump uh for supporting this particular bill we appreciate it so much i know my constituents do these are only two reasons why i support this i also wanna address the the battery uh fires the bill uh as far as addressing battery fires in uh motor vehicles Uh, that idea came from Meg Weinberger from uh the great state of Florida. She's a state representative and we worked together on these issues. So, uh, let's get this done, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate the ranking member and all the members of the committee. Let's pass this unanimously and, uh, I'll yield back and get it on the floor as soon as possible. Thank you.

The gentleman yields back. The chair recognizes Miss Clark from New York. For five minutes to speak on the amendment.

I would. Good morning, everybody.

Mister Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Good morning and thank you to Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone for holding this mark of today and for including my bill the Magnus and Safe Streets for Everyone Act in this package. I would also like to thank the parents of Magnus White, Jill and Michael White. for being here today and throughout our deliberations and for their tireless efforts to improve the standards for automatic emergency braking technology that could have saved Magnus's life. For those of you who don't know, Magnus White was a seventeen year old US National Cycling Champion. In the summer of twenty twenty three, while on his final training ride before Representing the United States at the Mountain Bike World Championships, Magnus was struck and killed by a reckless driver while on a designated bike route. Advanced safety features like automatic emergency braking systems could have prevented this tragedy. That is why Congressman Joe Neguse and I have been honored to join the white family and their nonprofit, the White Line, in their fight and put forth this legislation that directs NHTSA to issue a final rule on automatic emergency braking systems to protect cyclists and other vulnerable road users regardless of lighting conditions, skin tone or clout or clothing. Roadway fatalities have plagued this country and have disproportionate impacts on communities of color. Black Americans are four times more likely to die while cycling and face more than twice the risk in overall roadway fatalities. Historical redlining and divestment in transportation and infrastructure have left communities of color with fewer transit options, broken or missing sidewalks, poor lighting at night, and unsafe street crossings. When our streets are neglected and safety corners are cut, speeding is encouraged and pedestrians and cyclists are put in harm's way. Roadway fatalities are a real and preventable pro- problem that affects every regard everyone regardless of political affiliation or background. I'm thankful that today we are able to find a bipartisan agreement that will help prevent another family from experiencing the heartbreak that the whites have. I hope this bare minimum technology can be included in the surface transportation reauthorization bill. It is essential that we act to stop the unnecessary death or injury of so many Americans, prioritize safety, and honor Magnus's legacy. With that, Mr. Chairman, I yield back.

General Adios back, and the chair recognizes gentleman from California for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Oh, thank you. Mister Chairman, I'd like to start by thanking you and the committee for your hard work on this motor vehicle modernization package. Uh, this aims includes a number of provisions that will improve vehicle safety, strengthen consumer information, support innovation, and make sure that our federal policy keeps uh pace with the way that uh vehicle design is changing. Uh, I am especially pleased that this package includes the ADAS Functionality and Integrity Act which I introduced with Congresswoman Harshbarger uh we all know how advanced driver assistance systems uh have become integral to ensuring safety in motor vehicles but those systems depend on the calibration of multiple sensors and cameras uh and the calibration of those sensors depends on the physical characteristics of the vehicle when a vehicle is repaired or modified it's important that those systems are recalibrated to allow them to continue to function. So uh this part of uh what is now the AINS will direct NHTSA to study the most common legal vehicle modifications and assess how those modifications may affect ADAS functionality uh that's going to uh allow these systems to continue to function even when a vehicle is repaired or modified and I'd like to thank the committee for including that in the bill. Uh, however, Mister Chairman, I do have to raise a serious objection to the inclusion of the AM radio for every vehicle act in subtitle C of this aims. Now, to be clear, uh, I am a fan of AM radio, I think it is, uh, very useful, particularly in the emergency situations that some of my colleagues have been talking about. Uh, however, I do not feel it is appropriate for government to force consumers to buy something that they may or may not want. Uh, forcing vehicle manufacturers to include AM radios as standard equipment might have not been such a big deal in internal combustion engine vehicles where the incremental cost of including an AM radio is small however that is not true with electric vehicles. AM radio signals operate at extremely long wavelengths, which is why they travel so well, but that also means that they're ille- easily interfered with by electric motors, because of that electric uh interference overlap. Uh, and those motors operated extremely high voltages and power. So, uh, when we had hearings on this bill, uh, we discussed the incremental cost of shielding an electric vehicle, and although it varies from vehicle to vehicle, we had testimony that it's potentially hundreds of dollars per vehicle. Uh, and uh, colleagues, these vehicle manufacturers will have no choice but to pass those costs along to consumers in a higher base price for the vehicle. So, uh, I don't think that our role should be to force consumers to pay potentially hundreds of dollars more for a vehicle, just to include an AM radio. Uh, I don't think that that's the role of government. So, uh, uh, I'd like to register my objection to that in the inclusion of that, uh, section of the bill. Um, however, I do appreciate the work that's gone into the overall package and, uh, uh, I believe that this is gonna meaning

thank you the gentleman yields back the chair will recognize we have miss dingell recognize for five minutes to speak on the amendment

thank you mister chair i move to strike the last word i'm waltzing

ok sorry

i already

i'm mullin

thank you i already spoke regarding my support for this bipartisan auto safety package and i again want to thank the chair and ranking member for tough negotiations and hard work that went into putting this together. America must continue to lead the future of mobility. We must continue to innovate. And we must continue to set the global standards. We cannot afford to fall behind, and we have a responsibility to modernize our laws to protect American consumers, manufacturers and workers. I am especially proud that my bipartisan Safe Vehicle Access for Survivors Act was included in this package. Perpetrators of domestic violence are increasingly using connected technologies to track, monitor, harass, intimidate, and harm survivors. As vehicles become more connected and collect more data, we must ensure these technologies are not weaponized against vulnerable people. This legislation helps protect survivors while ensuring they can safely maintain access to their vehicles and transportation. I know that we're gonna hear more from the chair and the ranking member on the right to repair language. I support the right to repair and consumers should be able to take their vehicles where they choose for repairs including independent repair shops so long as real proper guardrails are in place for safety cyber security consumer privacy and intellectual property. This language codifies the existing MOU between automakers and the aftermarket repair community, that's been in place for more than a decade, while ensuring independent shops continue to have access to the tools, technical data, and repair information they need. This system works as roughly seventy percent of out-of-warranty repairs already happen at independent repair facilities. And it's important that automakers return obtain access to the information necessary to help keep drivers and vehicles safe and secure so when there's a recall, they know who's got the vehicle. I urge as this work continues, and I make this commitment to my friend, Mr. Dunn. We said we wanted to work together on this and I wanna work with the Chairman, the Ranking Member, and Mr. Dunn to make sure that all the stakeholders are heard on this crit- these critical issues, and that we protect consumer privacy, security, and cost. I already said I strongly support the AM radio compromise in this package because it reflects practical bipartisan policy making. AM radio remains a vital tool, as we all know, for communities across the country, particularly for delivering lifesaving emergency alerts and public safety information. This compromise includes a sunset provision recognizing that technology evolves and Congress should periodically reassess mandates. It also strengthens compliance timelines and requires a public study on the impacts of AM radio requirements in autonomous vehicles, so future decisions are guided by evidence and data. And this matters to all the parties concerned. As Mister, my colleague from Michigan talked about, the bipartisan promoting resilient supply chain act is one I have led for a couple of congressional s- sessions to create a supply chain resiliency program within the Department of Commerce, establishing an early warning system to identify disruptions before they become crises, strengthen public-private coordination, and helps reduce dependence on our adversaries by supporting domestic manufacturing and diversifying supply chains. Finally, I'm gonna touch on China. We cannot be dependent on China for everything. I know some will say we need their parts for EVs or for this or that. America's gotta build its own supply chain. And we have to have policies that don't do carve-outs, uh, for certain people, we've got to build our supply chain here. China cannot gain a foothold in our market. And that's why I support the language in this amendment addressing the Chinese vehicles. Uh, I, I'm very grateful that the chair and our ranking member recognize the urgency of protecting our economic and national security.

Mm.

And I, I just, I don't We don't have a level playing field, and it just really matters. I know the work will continue, and I thank the Chairman and Ranking Member for their commitment to this, and I know they'll look at our John Molinaire's, my Bernie Molino's package. Finally, I wish all our bipartisan work around autonomous vehicle had been included in this package, and I remain committed to continuing the bipartisan work with Representative Lada and others. to move a federal AV framework. Thank you, Mister Chairman, I support this amendment and the amended underlying bill, and I hope my colleagues will too. And I yield back.

Yes.

Mister uh Langworthy, you're recognized for five minutes.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. I'd like to strike the last word and speak in support of H R seventy-three,

Speak on the ice.

eighty-nine, the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act. Uh, in- including the AM radio for every vehicle act in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act helps ensure Americans continue to have easy access to a trusted source of local news weather information and emergency alerts by keeping AM radio available as a standard equipment in new vehicles. To my constituents in Western New York and the Southern Tier, this issue hits very close to home. My district stretches across rural counties, farming communities, small towns and areas where people often drive long distances for work, school and everyday life. For my constituents, local radio is still a regular part of that daily routine. But it also serves a much larger purpose than just filling time on a drive to work. In in my part of the state, weather can change very quickly. We all know that lake affects snow and what it can do to western New York, and we've seen it time and again as severe flooding. that devastates communities in the southern tier. During those situations, people need reliable access to emergency information, weather updates and road conditions. AM radio also continues to connect communities in ways that often get overlooked. It carries local news, it carries farm reports, high school sports, and discussions on issues that directly affect families in our regions. In many smaller communities, local radio stations are still one of the few places focused on local small town voices and local concerns. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan common sense provision. Thank you and I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Now I'll recognize Mister Vici uh for five minutes to speak on the aims.

Uh thank you, Mister Chairman, uh I'm glad this committee is finally talking about China when it comes to EVs, although I think it's a couple years too late. China has been drastically improving their supply chains and gearing up for this fight, and we've been having partisan battles about it. Um, and instead we should be having partisan battles about the, we should be having take bipartisan talks about the future. As all of us know, EV supply chains are defense supply chains. Uh, the batteries, the rare, the minerals, the semiconductors, the power EVs are the same inputs that military systems, drones, and communication infrastructure need. uh, China currently controls about seventy to eighty percent of global lithium ion battery manufacturing capacity and dominates the processing of critical, minerals like lithium, cobalt and nickel. Uh, allowing a single adversarial nation to control the supply chain for a technology Americans will increasingly depend on, is a profound strategic vulnerability and it's one that we absolutely cannot rationalize away in the name of cheaper consumer goods. We have seen what supply chain dependence looks like with semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, and we absolutely cannot repeat that same mistake when it comes to EVs. Chinese EV manufacturers like BYD are selling vehicle at price points. Americans and European manufacturers cannot match, not because of innovation, but because of massive sustained state subsidies that the WTO has struggled to effectively address. We have to act. If we do not, this will not just be a risk, uh that American auto rec- the if we don't act the risk is not just that American automakers lose market share at home it's that we lose an entire industrial ecosystem, the engineers, the suppliers, the R and D base. That makes a domestic auto industry possible. The R and A and its EV tax credit provisions were a meaningful step, uh but they were not sufficient on their own. We need a comprehensive strategy that includes trade enforcement, domestic manufacturing incentives, and allied coordination. Chinese is moving fast, I think the provisions in this bill make a good first step to countering their anti-competitive practices, but we have to do more to make sure we don't lose this fight and we absolutely cannot have discussions and say things like well nobody wants the cars, we have to figure out how we are going to lead in this space and not yield back.

With the general yield time? With the general yield?

With the gentleman yield. Yes, go ahead, please.

Thank you. Uh, I really appreciate the gentleman's comments regarding the strategic vulnerabilities related to our dangerous reliance on China. And would just emphasize outside of the context of this bill, the need for bipartisan work uh on securing our own supply chain of critical minerals and and rare earth elements. Uh, but I I uh commend the gentleman um for his comments and and again pointing out this strategic vulnerability that we've created for ourselves. I yield back.

Thank you. Does the gentleman yield back? Mister Rizzi?

Yes.

You you're back? Okay, very good. Anybody on the Republican side that wishes to speak on on the aims? Okay, I'll recognize uh Representative Kelly from the great state of Illinois for five minutes to speak on the aims.

Mister Chair, I'm going to strike the last word. Vehicle safety standards exist to guarantee that when the worst happens on the road, the systems designed to save lives actually Today, unfortunately, that fundamental promise to the American public is not being upheld. As vehicles become more technologically advanced, many manufacturers are replacing traditional mechanical door handles with electric door latch systems. While innovation can improve the driving experience, it cannot come at the expense of passenger safety. In emergencies such as crashes, electrical failures, or battery loss, these systems can fail, leaving occupants trapped inside their vehicles. This is not a hypothetical concern. Reports have documented instances where passengers were unable to exit vehicles because the electronic door systems stopped functioning, or emergency releases were difficult to locate and operate under stress. Tragically, these failures have contributed to the loss of life and have left families searching for answers about why a basic safety mechanism was not available when it mattered most. That is why I introduced the Safe Exit app to ensure that every passenger has access to a reliable power independent way to exit a vehicle during an emergency. As the manufacturers move toward electronic systems, we need to ensure basic safety measures can still work, including being able to exit a vehicle safely. My legislation would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to update federal motor motor vehicle safety standards to establish clear requirements for vehicles equipped with electronic door latches. Specifically, the bill requires accessible manual release mechanisms for each door so passengers can easily use emergency releases in a crisis. Importantly, this legislation does not seek to limit innovation or dictate vehicle design. Instead, it establishes common sense safety guardrails to ensure that advanced technologies continue to prioritize human safety. Innovation and safety are not competing goals. They must go hand in hand. The Safe Exit Act will save lives and prevent further senseless tragedies. I look forward to working with members of the committee to address this timely issue, and I urge my colleagues to support the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I yield back.

General Leidy yields back. Anyone on the Republican side who wishes to speak? Alright, uh seeing none, uh we'll have uh Representative Buttergon, you're recognized uh for five minutes to speak on the age.

Uh, thank you, Mister Chairman. I moved to strike the last word. I support the AM radio for every vehicle act in the auto safety bill. But there is more work we need to do to make sure that the artists and the creators on AM and FM radio stations are paid fairly. Now the radio industry earns fourteen billion dollars each year in advertising revenue and the artists who drive listeners to those stations get paid zero dollars. That's because of a loophole in the law that the American Music Fairness Act seeks to correct. The American Music Fairness Act would make sure that artists and music creators are paid when their songs are played on FM and AM radio. Life is hard enough right now for people struggling to make ends meet, and that includes the people who make up our creative middle class. United States is an outlier here. The only other countries who do not pay artists in this way are Iran, North Korea, and Cuba. Because of this inequity, other industrialized countries also do not pay American artists, costing them hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties each year. Artists deserve to be compensated for their creativity and hard work. The AM radio for every vehicle act should be paired with the American Music Fairness Act, to ensure fairness and sustainability in both broadcasting and music. As this legislative package goes to the floor, I urge the committee to work to address this issue so that we can pay our artists what they deserve. I yield back.

General Lady yields back. Anyone on the Republican side wish to speak on the aims? I was saying none uh well I'll recognize uh Representative Schreier uh for five minutes to speak on the aims.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word. Uh, I wanna thank the Chairman and ranking member for their work on this bipartisan package to advance auto safety, so that we can better protect drivers and cyclists and pedestrians. I am so proud to have my bill, the Know Before You Drive Act, included in this package today. Uh, my bill will ensure that safety features like the automated driver assistance systems, or ADAS, are used appropriately. These systems can be incredibly helpful safety tools to drivers, but it's important that the public doesn't misunderstand what they're capable of and also what their limitations are. These systems still require drivers to be fully attentive and in control of the vehicle, and over-reliance on ADAS features can result in dangerous driving and collisions. My bill will ensure that car buyers are getting this straightforward facts when they purchase a new vehicle with ADAS features and it will insure that car manufacturers don't oversell their technologies and confuse or mislead consumers i'm proud to see this bill move forward today and i urge support for this amendment to hr seventy three eighty nine and this aims

i thank the general lady uh and general lady yields back anybody on the republican side

yield back

no seeing none uh representative menendez from the great state of new jersey you're recognized for five minutes on the eight

i very much appreciate the recognition but i believe my colleague from california

you're recognized

congressman mullen is uh would like to speak

i move to strike last word I wanna thank the chair, ranking member, and both majority and minority committee staff for their extensive work on this legislative package. I also wanna thank the chair for including the amended text of HR thirty three sixty, my driver technology and pedestrian safety act. And I thank representatives Kane, Dunn and Soto for their support. As I mentioned in our subcommittee mark-up, this bill would direct NHTSA to study the effects of in-vehicle technology changes and their possible impact on driver distraction and pedestrian safety. The physical experience of driving a car today has been changing. Knobs, switches and dials are being quickly replaced by flat screens for everything from climate control, radio and podcasts to navigation, phone calls and monitoring car performance. For years we have been telling drivers to put their phone screens down. Now there's a giant screen in the face of drivers seemingly in every new car. We simply do not yet know what effect this has on driver behavior or if there are ways to improve the experience. What we do know is that pedestrian and traffic deaths in the US have been persistently high. To that end, the Driver Technology and Pedestrian Safety Act would direct NHTSA to research touch screen technologies user interface design and other changing conditions on traffic injuries and fatalities and report back to Congress on any recommendations the agency may have to address its findings. It's a simple bill that I believe is needed at this moment. I also wanna thank organizations that have either supported this effort or provided invaluable technical assistance including Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Triple A Foundation for Traffic Safety National Safety Council Center for Auto Safety Consumer Reports and the National Academies. Mister Chair and Ranking Member, thank you again for your work on this reauthorization package. Well, I do have some concerns about the inclusion of provisions that I believe may slow the adoption of electric vehicles and I question why we are addressing daylight savings time in this bill. I believe the committee should move this package forward given the careful negotiation that went into it. I look forward to voting for it shortly and with that I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Anybody on the Republican side wish to speak on the aims? OK, I'll recognize Representative Carter. From the great state of Louisiana, you're recognized to speak on the aims.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

You're recognized.

As the co-chair and founder of the bipartisan congressional disaster preparedness and recovery caucus, I'm proud to cosponsor and support the AM radio for everyone vehicle act of twenty twenty five, and glad to see it included in this amendment. This legislation is vital for public safety and saving lives. When disaster strikes, whether it's hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, wildfires out west, or tornadoes across the Midwest, AM radio is one of the most reliable, accessible, and rel- re- resilient ways to get critical information to pu- to the public in real time. Unlike cell networks or internet services which can go down when power grids fail, or towers are damaged, AM radio is built to withstand these emergencies. It reaches people in their cars, trucks, and evacuation routes when the communication systems have already failed. In my district of South Louisiana, we know the devastation hurricanes bring during storms like Katrina, Rita, Ida, and many others. And radio stations often are the last lifeline, delivering evacuation orders, weather updates, and emergency instructions when families had no other source of information. This bill ensures that as auto manufacturers modernize, we do not leave behind the critical public safety tool. Removing AM radio from vehicles will put lives at risk, especially for rural communities and vulnerable populations that rely on it most. However, as a representative of a hard-working magicians and artist in New Orleans, I also would like to say a few words about the American Music Fairness Act. The radio industry earns some fourteen billion dollars each year in advertising revenue, and the artists who drive listeners to those stations get paid zero. Zero, zilch. That's because of a loophole in the law that the American uh Music Fairness Act seeks to correct. The American Music Fairness Act would ensure that artists and music creators are paid when their songs are played on AM radio. Life is hard enough right now. for people struggling to make ends meet, including those who make up our creative middle class. The United States is is an outlier. Because of this inequity, and other other industrialized countries also do not pay American artists costing them hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties every year. Artists deserve to be compensated for their creativity and their hard work. The AM radio For everyone's vehicle, acts should be enacted alongside the American Music Fairness Act to ensure fairness and sustainability in both broadcasting and music. I hope to continue to work with this committee to make this a reality, recognizing that some of the greatest artists in our country are are from my home state, that have influenced music all over the world, many of which unfortunately are being underpaid, undercut, and dissed engage from the very art that they perfected mr. chairman i yield

gentleman yields back as for further discussion on the aims

mr. chairman

yes

and amendment at the desk

you're recognized amendment to the aims you're recognized the clerk will report the amendment

lotta underscore zero two one amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to hr seven three eight nine

Without uh objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with uh and the the gentleman is recognized the chairman is recognized for five minutes in support of his amendment.

Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I want to thank uh the for the time today to talk on the amendment. This is on self-drive, autonomous vehicles, it's a very, very important issue that's before us. Before I do get started, I want to thank my very good friend from Michigan, the general lady from the sixth district for all the work the time that she's put in on this over the last more than ten years to get this bill where we are. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation. I'm gonna repeat this. It is bipartisan. We've worked on this to make sure that we've talked to every group out there, and uh we're at the point this bill needs to move. It's imp- why is it important we have self-drive? It's very important because of m- m- s- several issues. Number one, it's a national security issue. Number one, the if we wanna make sure the United States is the leader in this technology and not a follower. It was reported in the Wall Street Journal last year that Communist China outpaced Japan for the first time in vehicle production and export, eight million to seven million. It's also predicted by the year twenty thirty that twenty percent of all Communist Chinese cars will be AV. We can't let that happen. We can't let that happen. It's absolutely essential that, as I said, that the United States leads in this pro- this legislation that we have is essential because we've done multiple things. Number one, we can't have thirty-five states dictating what we're gonna do out there. We have to have a federal preemption standard out there, like we do today on automobiles, to make sure that our vehicles can travel across state lines. We can't have it where all of us got a car's driving down the highway and says to the driver you got five minutes to shut this car off or take control of it, cuz you're gonna cross a state line. That can happen. But also in this legislation we've also always wanted to maintain that we always have this philosophy. It's safety first, safety last, safety always. And these cars have gotta be as safe or safer than anything else on the road. And when you talk about self-drive and what's happening out there, again, Communist China is classified as an adversarial nation. I will repeat this. It is classified as an adversarial nation. What has this committee done over the last several years? Number one, what do we have to do about uh the communications equipment being installed in this country by Huawei and ZTE? We had a rip and replace that had cost four point eight billion dollars to make sure that we did not have untrusted networks in the united states what do we also do in this committee we made sure that tiktok information on americans were not being transmitted to communist china also drones has have gone out of this committee to make sure that we don't have communist chinese drones flying around this country my legislation on routers is absolutely important cause we don't want chinese to be picking this up this is a national security issue for the american people so when we start talking about what we need to be doing in this country we gotta start advancing this legislation and uh again when i when i look at what's happened over the last ten years uh you know it's been it's been interesting we had hundreds of meetings to get to the first bill out of this out of this committee unanimously fifty four to nothing it also passed the house and went over the sun unfortunately didn't get it done over there but as i said safety is an important issue in this ninety four percent of all accidents that occur in this country in automobiles are what driver error driver error i i ride with the state highway patrol and i'm sure other members ride with their law enforcement when we see what's going on on our roads and we on our roads anyway if you're driving by yourself we have too many people on their cell phones since this we passed this legislation in twenty seventeen three hundred and forty thousand americans have died on the highways three hundred and forty thousand americans have died on the highways since february when we reintroduced this legislation ten thousand americans have died on the highways we also wanna make sure that we're not just talking about what's happening on the highways on the safety side but let's talk about people out there with disabilities we wanna make sure that people that have a disability or seniors can get out so it's absolutely essential we get this work done and we're in a short period of time when this bill passed out of the uh subcommittee we had a commitment that uh we're gonna start to to work on this issue this summer and i appreciate the agreement that the uh the chairman and the uh ranking member from new jersey uh made and at this time now i'm gonna ask i appreciate the opportunity that uh we move this legislation and work together and i greatly appreciate my friend from new jersey if uh we can get this moving this summer

do you uh yeah i'll recognize

i mean my understanding is exactly that commitment has already been made both to you and to miss stingell so yes

well i greatly appreciate that and mr. chairman i also have uh a letter that i'd like to submit uh for uh asking adam's consent from the united uh for autonomy letter for the record and i yield back and i also and i also withdraw my amendment

without objection i so order thank you i recognize your withdrawing you said

right

ok we can go on to some other issues we have to deal with alright well let's just uh move on then i'm sorry

i'm i'm sorry before i withdraw i recognize the general lady from michigan

alright the general lady is recognized i have some comments after that as well but the general lady is recognized

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

on this particular amendment, yeah.

I move to strike the last word.

You're recognized.

Thank you. And I I want to first thank my good friend, Representative Lauda, for his he never stops, he never gives up his work on autonomous v- vehicles. He's just incredibly committed, and I'm grateful to call him my friend. And, uh, we get on the plane together to go home every Friday and discuss all the different thoughts we have. But we gotta get this done. And I wanna say, I I find it frustrating, I can't say that it's not, or concerning that right now while we're here, another committee is for moving forward with a bipartisan AV agreement and their surface transportation reauthorization mark-up, while we're still here debating whether we should spend time on our autonomous vehicle policy. It's long past time for Congress to act and we need to get something across the finish line this year. So I thank my I thank Chair Guthrie and my ranking member for committing to working with us these next few months, because we need to move a bipartisan AV framework out of this committee. We have spent years working with stakeholders and holding countless meetings to get this right. We have a strong bipartisan foundation to build from, and this amendment shows that we can continue making progress together. There is real bipartisan interest on this committee, and we cannot continue kicking the can down the road a- on AVs while the technology continues advancing around us. Autonomous vehicles are already operating in communities across the country, yet we still lack a clear federal framework. Right now we are relying on a patchwork of state laws and outdated guidance that doesn't reflect the realities of today's technologies. That uncertainty is bad for consumers, it's bad for safety, it's bad for protecting individuals' personal data, and bad for American competitiveness. Meanwhile, China's moving aggressively to dominate the future of autonomous vehicles through coordinated national investments. They subsidized the manufacturing of their product. They manipulate their currency. They use slave labor. That's what we're competing with. They're doing large-scale testing and they've got deployment strategies. China is shaping the technology and the global standards, and that is unacceptable and should be to every one of us on this committee. They're under-carrying, undercutting American companies in the global market, and with that our American manufacturers, workers, and supply chains suffer and lose out. And let me be really clear. Right now they're on our streets. They're going by military installations, collecting data, they're collecting the data that your iPads and phones have, and yet they won't let us on their roads in China. We're not allowed there. That's wrong. Today we're discussing restrictions on Chinese vehicles in this very mark-up because we recognize this threat. We should also be working just as hard to strengthen American leadership here at home. continue engaging the stakeholders across the spectrum, labor, industry, yes, the trial lawyers, the safety advocates, the consumer groups, environmental organizations, disability right groups, and others directly impacted by how this technology is deployed. I appreciate that this ends includes language from our bipartisan discussions around safety, data protections, preemption, manual controls, and commercial testing. These are real and meaningful steps forward. And as my colleague said every time we have a conversation, safety, safety, safety. It remains at the center of this work. Human error contributes to roughly ninety-four percent of vehicle crashes in this country. And in the statistics my colleagues share, more than forty thousand people die on the roads each year. AV technology if deployed safely and responsibly, saves lives. Congressional inaction doesn't make people safer. That is why we need a strong federal framework that prioritizes safety, protects consumer privacy, strengthens domes domestic manufacturing, provides regulatory certainty, and ensures innovation happens here in the United States with American workers and American values. It's a safety issue, it's a national security issue, it's a competitiveness issue, it's an economic issue. Representative L- Lada and I remain committed to continuing this bipartisan

Wow.

work with this committee and all stakeholders who are serious about getting this done. We need to get a bipartisan EV framework signed into law, and we need to work in earnest over these n- next few months to get there. Thank you, Mister Chair, and I yield back.

general lady yields back i wanna uh commend representative latta for working on this issue for so many years along with uh representative dingell we've gotta get this done as soon as possible i'm gonna recognize myself for couple of minutes uh we need a federal framework as i said so that autonomous vehicles can safely uh deploy and the american companies developing them can continue to innovate these vehicles hold enormous potential not just as a technological advancement, but as a tool to save lives. By reducing human error, which is a is responsible for most crashes, AVs can prevent accidents before they happen. They also can offer new mobility and independence for seniors and people with disabilities. We must pass this bill.

Okay. That's for sure.

We must have a federal framework, soon or see our uh competitive edge. to china it's as simple as that we cannot yes

yes

allow china to set the standards for av uh development and deployment

mmm

uh but that will happen if we don't act soon so i yield back to balance my time is there anyone on the on the democrat side that wishes to speak on this particular amendment

yeah

ok on the mr. balderson you're recognized for five minutes to speak on the on the latter amendment

yes Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, Chair Askef, uh, Mr. Chairman, thank you for having this important mark-up today. I offer my support of Congressman Latta's amendment in the Self-Drive Act. Central Ohio and communities in my district know that innovation in transportation is important. Ohio is home to DriveOhio, the Transportation Research Center, the US thirty-three Smart Mobility Corridor, Ohio State's University Center for Automotive Research, and other resources that help America test, understand, and implement the next generation of vehicle technology. The Self-Dry Act encourages this innovation while ensuring strong safety standards and federal oversight that will improve vehicle safety and protect our constituents. Additionally, this amendment ensures our rural communities are included in this discussion and will help improve mobility and transportation options for our seniors and those in rural areas without access to reliable transmission options. I am proud to co-sponsor the Self-Drive Act and support Congressman Latta's amendment. If we want American families and communities to benefit from safer and smarter transportation, Congress should provide a framework that allows this technology to grow here, reasonably and with communities like ours in mind. I urge support for this amendment and I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Gentleman yields back. Anyone on the Democrat side that wishes to speak on this particular amendment? Okay, I'll recognize Representative Halchen from the great state of Indiana. You're recognized to speak on the latter amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mm.

I move to strike the last word.

Mm.

You're recognized.

Uh, when people hear autonomous vehicles, they usually think about the technology, but for a lot of Americans the question is more basic than that. The question is, can I get where I need to go? Over eighteen million Americans with disabilities face real limits on their ability to travel. For seniors who've had to give up their keys, for people with disabilities, for blind Americans, it's not a small thing. getting to a doctor's appointment, keeping a job, staying involved in the community, all of it depends on having a way to get there. This is especially important in rural parts of the country, where public transportation is not always an option. Right now, for too many people, it's not a given. The National Federation of the Blind has been one of the loudest champions of this bill and it's not hard to understand why. For a blind American, a self-driving vehicle that actually works, means not having to depend on someone else every time you need to go somewhere. And that kind of independence is real. As a mom, I also think about what this means for families from a safety standpoint. As my colleagues have mentioned, nearly forty thousand Americans died on US roadways in twenty twenty four and ninety-four percent of serious crashes are caused by human error. Those aren't statistics. Those are parents. kids, family members, neighbors. If autonomous vehicle technology can meaningfully reduce the number of families that get a knock at the door they never expected, it matters. And from a practical standpoint, we all know what it's like to have too many places to be at once, getting your kids somewhere safely while you are at work, making sure an elderly parent can get to a doctor's appointment without you having to take a day off. These are real issues for families. that this technology has shown potential to solve. I'm a proud cosponsor of this bill. I'm glad that Mister Latta and Miss Dingell continue to push forward on this topic. I look forward to continuing the conversation and I yield back.

General Leiter yields back. Uh, anyone else wish to speak? Yes. Uh, Miss um, Doctor Miller-Meeks, you're recognized for five minutes to speak on the Latta amendment.

Uh, thank you, Mister Chair. I move to strike the last word.

You're recognized.

I support Mister Latta's amendment and an am a proud co-sponsor of the Self-Drive Act. As a physician and former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, I see roadway safety as a public health issue. A serious crash is not just a statistic. It represents a trauma call, an emergency room visit, and a family's whose life changes in an instant. Just this past weekend in Iowa, a young lady having uh left high school graduation was killed in when she was t-boned by another driver. In Iowa, uh as a state senator in twenty nineteen, we voted uh on Senator Knoyer's bill on autonomous vehicles and self-driving. Also as an ophthalmologist, I certainly know the uh the challenges to individuals as they lose vision or have an impairment of vision and want the independents to be able to continue to drive. Nearly forty thousand Americans die on our roads each year. Today's vehicles are safer than ever, but drunk, drowsy and distracted driving still take thousands of lives. Drunk driving alone killed nearly twelve thousand people in twenty twenty four. Distracted driving killed more than three thousand. Thirty-two hundred. And the last time I checked, autonomous vehicles weren't driving under the influence or texting while driving. If technology can lower crashes caused by impairment distraction, fatigue, or human error, Congress should create a responsible framework for it. Self-drive raises the safety standard by requiring safety cages, giving NHTSA clear authority over AV safety and establishing crash reporting and transparency requirements. This is how Congress should tackle a public health problem. Combine innovation with accountability, so regulators can see how these vehicles perform. I'm proud to cosponsor the Self-Drive Act and support Mister Latice's efforts, to advance a responsible federal AV safety framework. I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Is there further speakers on the amendment?

Mr. Chairman, uh Well, thank you very much. And again, thank you for the time and also for the commitment between you and the ranking member, uh, to move this legislation. And with that, uh, commitment, I will, uh, withdraw the amendment.

Thank you. We do want to move this, that's for sure. So, gentleman withdraws the amendment. Are there further amendments? Gentlelady from Tennessee, what purpose does gentlelady from Tennessee seek recognition?

Mister Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

The clerk will report the amendment.

Harsh B underscore zero five zero, amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HRSA.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Yeah. Thank you, Mister Chairman. You know, I think if you buy a car, I believe you should own the data that the car generates. It's a f- you know, a very simple principle behind the Bill, the Driver Act, which is my bill, and I introduced that with Representatives Weber and Perry, and the driver is all about ownership and consumer choice and affordability and safety. Cars today run on data. For example, if your car knows how much you weigh, when you sit down, you need to know it knows that. And also if it tracks your average speed, if it uh if it knows how often you break, you need to know that. My bill would require secure real-time access to vehicle generated data so the owner can decide when that data is shared and with whom. That approach is uh that approach supports competition, whether it's in repair, in fleet management, or mobility services. It also protects consumers from a future where they must pay recurring fees just to access basic operational information from the vehicle they've already purchased. Mister Chairman and Subcommittee Chairman Bill Rockus, I want to thank you for working with me on the driver and your staff. It's Megan and Julia and Matt and Evangelos uh they spent countless hours strengthening the vehicle data access and I'm grateful for that partnership. And I appreciate that the committee text recognizes that vehicle owners independent repair shops and small businesses need fair access to info information in the modern vehicle marketplace, and this provision goes hand in hand with upholding basic ownership principles, underscoring that car data should not become the exclusive property of the manufacturer simply because the vehicle is connected. And I'd also like to thank uh Congressman Joyce and the Privacy Working Group for providing meaningful privacy protections for drivers under the Secure Data Act. So, thank you, Mister Chairman. I appreciate your willingness to work on this issue with me, and I hope we can continue to work together to strengthen vehicle data access. And now I just ask a unanimous consent at this time to withdraw my amendment, and I yield back.

If you'll yield, uh, I just wanna say that you're right, there are so many issues with data, products people buy. We've had several people talk about data, who owns the data, and that's something this we have to address,

Yeah.

and we have to get there, and not just as with so many other things so we appreciate uh your work on this and we will work together in in withdrawing it so the gentlelady has withdrawn her amendment and yields back

yep

or there are further amendments the little gentlelady from michigan see what purpose does gentlelady from michigan seek recognition

have an amendment at the desk

the clerk will report

ding mi underscore one five zero amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HHS.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dismissed with and Jill Leidy from Michigan is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Let me begin by saying that I strongly support the underlying goal of this China language which is to protect our American automotive industry, our national security and our workers from Chinese intervention and influence. For years I've sounded the alarm about the risk posed by China in the connected vehicle space. And that is why I introduced the bipartisan bicameral connected vehicle security act. And as we were just talking and I strongly support my colleague on her amendment before this, modern vehicles collect enormous amounts of sensitive data, rely on advanced software systems, and are increasingly connected to the internet and our critical infrastructure. I remember sitting in this committee and telling people different, hey we need to worry about this and worry about that. And they all thought I was crazy and sle- staying up all night thinking of scenarios. Here's a reality. These aren't just cars anymore. They are sophisticated, connected technologies that raise serious national security, economic security, and privacy concerns. They are TikTok on wheels. And we know what we did in this committee on TikTok. I appreciate the committee including strong language in this package to address the threats, but I remain concerned that there are some provisions in this bill that could allow, or their little, I don't know what to call them, because I know everybody cares, would allow certain existing arrangements to continue moving forward. If we believe vehicles tied to foreign adversaries pose a legitimate threat, and I absolutely do, then we should be very careful about creating exceptions or loopholes that could undermine that goal. The future of the automotive industry, including autonomous vehicles and advanced connected technologies, must be built here in America by American workers up and down the supply chain. That includes the vehicles themselves. Those vehicles should be manufactured by American workers.

China.

I think union workers, too. China doesn't compete fairly. They rely on massive government subsidies, unfair trade practices, and slave labor to dominate critical industries and supply chains. We cannot allow that model to take hold in the American auto sector. What they're gonna do is destroy our industry, people won't be able to compete, and then all of a sudden prices are gonna be sky-high and you've destroyed an industry. We should be focused on strengthening domestic manufacturing, securing s- trusted supply chains, supporting innovation here at home, and ensuring America leads the future of mobility. I believe my amendment would strengthen this bill. However, Mister Chairman, with that I recognize the bipartisan work that's gone into this package, and I will withdraw my amendment now and continue to work with everyone here, um, to address these issues.

Thank you, the, we can, look forward to working to continue to work on that. So, the gentlelady withdraws her amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chair.

From what person? Gentleman from Alabama, seek recognition.

Mister Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

The Corker Report.

Palm AL underscore zero four five. Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Without objection, I read the amendment that's dispensed with and gentleman from Alabama is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, uh, my amendment addresses the foreign adversary manufacturer um prohibition. Uh, this amendment strengthens and completes the underlying prohibition on foreign adversary control DV supply chains by ensuring that both EV batteries and rare earth permanent magnets used in EV traction motors are covered. China China currently dominates both segments of the EV supply chain, including battery materials, processing, and approximately ninety percent of global rare earth magnet production. In April of twenty twenty five, China demonstrated its leverage over the market by imposing export licensing restrictions on heavy rare earths and finished magnets used in EV traction motors. Uh, this um this move by China literally caused car lines in Europe, United States and Canada to shut down for a short period of time. That's how sensitive our supply chain is. Without addressing both batteries and traction motor magnets together, the United States risks leaving critical vulnerabilities in the EV supply chain that can be exploited by foreign adversaries. This amendment is intentionally narrow and targeted. The magnet provision applies only to rare earth permanent magnets incorporated into the traction motor of an electric vehicle. The language does not apply to magnets used in internal combustion engine vehicles, consumer electronics, appliances, or unrelated commercial applications where supply chain conditions are different. The technical definition is drawn from the Magnets Act to ensure consistency with existing legislative language and provide clear enforceable standards for compliance. Rareth permanent magnets are foundational not only to electric vehicles, but also to advanced defense systems, aerospace platforms, robotics, and other strategic technologies critical to U. S. national security. This amendment supports the development of secure domestic supply chains, for both EV batteries and rare earth magnets, and aligns with broader bipartisan efforts to reduce dependence on foreign adversarial controlled critical mineral and advanced manufacturing ecosystems. This amendment aligns federal trade and import policy with the commercial direction already underway across the automotive section to localize and secure critical supply chains inside the United States and allied nations. Uh, Mr. Chairman, I think this is clearly a national security issue and something that that that this committee needs to continue to work on and uh it's the general lady asking for I will yield to the general lady from Michigan.

Thank you, Mister Palmer. I I want to support you a hundred percent. Uh, you know, uh we know the underlying the goal of this um China language, but your leadership on this issue, it's a bipartisan issue. We've gotta confront the challenges. posed by China's dominance in critical supply chains, we cannot allow our auto industry to become dependent on China for batteries, cri- critical minerals or rare earth materials. China has spent decades building up, strategically building these supply chains, and they wanna, I'll behave, but we gotta be responding with urgency. We need to build the domestic capacity here at home, and that means mining, processing,

I thank the gentlelady. Um, I do think this is a bipartisan effort that we need to engage in and and it needs to be done with with, uh, a sense of urgency, um, in order to to meet this challenge. Mister Chairman, I re-

Before you r- before you, will you re- yield to me before you recall the

I yield to the Chairman.

Tell you, thank you. I just wanna say I I absolutely agree with everything you said. So we have a couple of things we're looking at. We know that China is overcapacitized for automotive, automobiles in general. And they, we see what's happening in Europe, we see what's happening in Canada. And it's not that they're building a better vehicle that's competing with uh with American vehicles that consumers have a choice. That's not what they're doing. They have overcapacitized and they're dumping them. in China, so it goes against our vital in industry and and so forth. So that's that's what we've been working on for the last couple of months. You've also been the leader in Congress on rare earth minerals, critical minerals, processing critical minerals, and have arranged several classified briefings for members of the committee who've had the opportunity to come and listen to that. And so that is an effort outside I mean, I wish we had it ready today, I'm not saying it outside of this we but we are gonna continue to work with the white house with what you're doing and the battery the rare earth minerals and criticals are components of the battery as well so we think that fits in uh so my commitment as we deal with with critical earth minerals as we said we're going to and we are going to that we have to bring the batteries into that discussion as well

i thank the chairman i'm i i do want to say that i'm very encouraged by uh the commitment that i've seen from my colleagues across the aisle cause it's not only an uh an economic security issue it's a national security issue and something that um we we need to to to work together on with that mister chairman i do request unanimous consent to withdraw this amendment

gentleman withdraws it without objection gentleman withdraws the amendment uh so uh any other discussions on the amendment We have one more, I believe. Uh, so I have an amendment at the desk. And I will call up uh, amendment Guthrie underscore zero zero nine and ask the clerk to report.

Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR seventy-three, eighty-nine, offered by Mr. Guthrie.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and I will recognize myself for five minutes to support my amendment. So I wanna thank you, thank you. And I w- this is a bipartisan amendment. offer jointly with myself and ranking member Plone. This amendment reflects negotiations related to a bill, the Repair Act, that we spent a great deal of time over the past several weeks trying to reach a bipartisan consensus agreement ahead of today's mark-up. We worked in good faith with stakeholders, dealers, auto manufacturers, the aftermarket consumer advocates, and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle. While we were not able to finalize a consensus package before today's mark-up, I believe we made meaningful progress. And I wanna thank ranking member Pallone and your staff for your partnership in throughout this process. And I remain committed to continuing to fight consensus ahead of a floor vote. I know that there was enormous staff work. And I mentioned, Matt, before you were not in the rooms of Matt Furlow from our committee, has, I know, hundreds of meetings in trying to help us all bring a consensus. for the Repair Act. And so we're gonna continue to work on it, and I will recognize Ranking Member Paloma.

Uh, thank you, Mister Chairman. I I wanna thank you and I'm grateful to you and your staff for the work that's gone into these negotiations and the good faith effort to find a solution to this important consumer issue. And while I'm disappointed that we're not able to include a stronger version of the Repair Act at mark of today, I appreciate the Chairman's commitment to continue to work to find consensus on this issue and I'm similarly committed to doing so. I also wanted to mention to our Massachusetts colleagues, uh, I want them to understand that there is no preemption of Massachusetts law on right to repair in this bill. And we will work with our Massachusetts colleagues to try and make that more clear a- as the bill uh moves forward. So I just wanted to mention that. And I would uh yield back uh to the chairman.

Thank you. Um, thank you, Mr. Polon. I also wanna acknowledge that your uh bill safety is not for sale act which raises is in included in this amendment which raises important considerations regarding consumer affordability and choice I believe there is room to continue to examine this policy as well and I will yield back to my friend uh regular member Paloma

uh thank you Mr. Chairman again I appreciate your comments affordability and safety are two of the most critical issues facing consumers today my safety is not for sale act would improve consumer access to optional features without paying a higher price for other extras they may not want in the vehicle. So, I thank you for your commitment to continue working together on this uh legislation. And again, I yield back to you, Mr. Chairman.

I wanna thank you and and we remain committed to finding a path forward, a balanced path forward that expands repair options, ensures safety, promotes competition, and ultimately delivers more affordable choices for the American people. In order to allow additional time for continued bipartisan negotiations in Stokeholder, stakeholder engagement ahead of a floor vote uh Before I withdraw my amendment I will uh yield to Mister Han from Massachusetts.

Well thank you Mister Chair, I wanna thank the Chair and the ranking member uh for hearing uh our concerns um about the impact on Massachusetts uh and look I don't wanna hold up uh a good bipartisan process uh my Attorney General's office has expressed concerns about the language and the preemptive effect that I know is not the intention of the chair and the and the ranking member uh but I also just need to be uh receptive to them I mean after all my ag's office was embroiled in litigation for years uh with auto manufacturers literally arguing our law was preempted uh by federal regulations and so I'm mindful of that um and I appreciate the commitment from the chair and the ranking member to work with myself and my state AG's office to resolve those concerns ahead of the vote on the house floor. So, I will vote uh to pass this bill today with the understanding that we will ensure that Massachusetts residents, my constituents, uh continue to receive the rights their state legislature has granted them. And I yield back. Appreciate it.

Thank you. Uh thank you for yielding back, it's I guess it's my time's all finished. Uh we will continue to figure out the p- uh way that we can do this in the in the proper way. Um, so without further discussion, I will withdraw my, yes, you now have to withdraw my amendment. The amendment is withdrawn. Are there further amendments? Oh, I have to dump the aims. Okay. If there's no further discussion, the vote occurs on the amendment in the nature of a substitute. This will be a voice vote. All those in favor shall signify by saying aye.

Aye. Aye.

Aye. All those opposed, no. Uh, in the opinion of the chair of the ayes have it, the amendment is agreed to. The question now occurs on adopting HR seven three eight nine as amended. A roll call vote has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bilrakes. Mister Hudson. Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Allen votes aye. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye Mister Flueger. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammek. Mister Olbernalte. Mister Olbernalte votes aye. Mister James.

Aye.

Mister James votes aye. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Houchen. Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister Fry.

Aye.

Mister Fry votes aye. Miss Lee.

Aye.

Miss Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy.

Aye.

Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley.

Aye.

Mister Rooley votes aye. Mister Evans.

Aye.

Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Miss Fedorchek.

Aye.

Miss Fedorchek votes aye. mister polon mister polon votes aye miss tiget miss tiget votes aye miss schakowsky

aye

miss schakowsky votes aye miss matsui

aye

miss matsui votes aye miss caster

aye

miss caster votes aye mr. tonko

aye

mr. tonko votes aye miss clark

aye

miss clark votes aye mr. ruiz

aye

mr. ruiz votes aye mr. peters mr. peters votes aye miss dingell Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Vesey. Mister Vesey votes aye. Miss Kelly. Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan. Miss Berrigan votes aye. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Trajan.

Oops, sorry.

Miss Schreier. Miss Trajan. Miss Trajan votes aye. Miss Fletcher. Miss Fletcher votes aye. Miss Ocasio-Cortez. Mr. Castillo-Cortez votes aye. Mr. Archon-Claus?

No.

Mr. Archon-Claus votes no. Mr. Carter, Louisiana?

Aye.

Mr. Carter, Louisiana votes aye. Mr. Menendez? Mr. Men- Mr. Menendez votes aye. Mr. Mullen? Mr. Mullen votes aye. Mr. Landsman? Mr. Landman votes aye. Miss McClellan? Miss McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie?

I vote aye. Anyone d- How's the gentleman from Florida, Mister Bill Arrakis

Mister Bill Rack is not recorded.

recorded?

I can take time to

Mister Bill Rack is votes aye.

How is the gentleman from North Carolina, Mister Hudson recorded?

Mister Hudson is not recorded.

How's the vote off?

Mister Hudson votes aye.

Anyone else sing- seeking recognition on the Republican or Democrat side?

We'll do that on the way.

Oh, good work, company. Is she over, is there somebody in her office that you can

No, we don't have one.

We may have one more, this is Who's How is a gentle lady from Florida, the great mother recorded.

Miss Kammick votes aye.

It's a lovely, lovely young daughter there. Great. So, uh, is anyone else taking recognition? Seeing none, the clerk will report.

Is that a yes?

Yeah, he's a he's a firefighter of Florida.

Mister Chairman, on that vote there are forty eight ayes and one no.

With forty-eight ayes and one no, the ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up HR four three four eight and asks the clerk to report.

H R forty three forty eight. A bill to reauthorize the K Hagen-Tickett

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dismissed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point.

Mm-hmm.

So ordered.

Is this it?

Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Why purrs a gentleman from Virginia seek recognition?

Wishing to speak to the bill, Mr. Chairman.

You are recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill. You do not have to strike the last word. You're recognized to speak on the bill.

That's exactly right. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, I speak today uh in favor of HR four three four eight and ask my colleagues to do the same. not to speak on it necessarily, but to certainly vote for it. This bill reauthorizes the Kay Hagan Tick Act. This landmark legislation is led by Representative Chris Smith and by Representative Doggett and will continue efforts to improve research, prevention, diagnostics and treatment of tick-borne diseases. It's named in honor of former Senator Kay Hagan who passed away from complications of the tick-borne virus called Poisson. Virginia is one of the top states for Lyme disease, as I know many of us represent areas that are, uh with my home area of Southwest Virginia having some of the highest rates of Lyme and other tick bo- borne illnesses. Another tick borne illness, Alpha-Galc Syndrome, also uh is one that is a malady that needs to be looked into and that we need more awareness and research into which is also a tick borne illness. Mister Chairman, as you know, there are many different tick-borne illnesses, and although we have made some progress, there is more work to be done to better understand these diseases that continue to have devastating impacts on our communities. I urge my colleagues to support the bill so that we can continue to build on the foundation created when the Kay Hagan Tick Act was first authorized in twenty nineteen. With that, I yield back.

Gentlemen, he yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Gentleman from New York is recognized to speak on the bill.

Um, thank you, Mister Chair. I move to strike the last word.

Gentleman is recognized.

I rise in strong support of the TICK Act uh legislation I am le leading, along with my colleagues, Representatives Chris Smith, Lloyd Doggett and Tom King. The TICK Act would reauthorize key programs at the CDC that fund both research and support for local public health agencies to address tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease. Tick-borne diseases are large and growing as a problem in New York, with more than eighteen thousand cases of Lyme disease reported in New York State in twenty twenty four. Lyme can cause serious health consequences, and for some long-term complications persist well after treatment. With a warming climate, tick populations and ranges are on the uh rise, leading to fears that tick-borne diseases will continue to increase in frequency in the years to come. Already warning signs are blaring that twenty twenty six could be the worst year for tick exposures since twenty seventeen based on CDC tracking data. In this backdrop, research investments in public health resources are more vital than ever, and that's what's what the uh Tick Act it will deliver. I'm proud to have worked on this common sense bipartisan bill and urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. With that, Mister Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

The gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Are there any amendments on the bill? Seeing none. There're no further discussion. The question now occurs on adopting H R four three four eight. A roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith.

Aye.

Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bilraqus. Mister Bilraqus votes aye. Mister Hudson. Mister Hudson votes aye Mister Carter of Georgia

Aye.

Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye Mister Palmer

Aye.

Mister Palmer votes aye Mister Dunn Mister Crenshaw Mister Joyce Mister Joyce votes aye Mister Weber Mister Allen

Aye.

Mister Allen votes aye Mister Balderson Mister Balderson votes aye Mister Pflueger Sorry. Pardon me. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick.

Aye.

Miss Kammick votes aye. Mister Obonulty. Mister Obonulty votes aye. Mister James. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Houchen. mister fry mister fry votes aye miss lee

aye

miss lee votes aye mister langworthy mister langworthy votes aye mister kane mister rooney mister evans mister evans votes aye mister goldman miss Fodorchuk Mister Pallone.

Aye.

Mister Pallone votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Schakowsky.

Aye.

Mister Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui.

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Caster. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss Clark. Miss Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz. Mister Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters?

Aye.

Mister Peters? Mister Peters votes aye. Mister Engel?

Aye.

Mister Engel votes aye. Mister Vesey? Mister Vesey votes aye. Miss Kelly? Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan? Miss Berrigan votes aye. Mister Soto? Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier? Miss Schreier votes aye. Miss Traian? mr. treyand votes aye

who

miss fletcher miss fletcher votes aye mr. costillo-cortez mr. costillo-cortez votes aye mr. oxencloss mr. oxencloss votes aye mr. carter louisiana mr. carter louisiana votes aye mr. menendez mr. menendez votes aye mr. mullen mr. mullen votes aye mr. mr. landsman

we're gonna have plenty of

mr. landman votes aye

i know

you're sure that's me so i'm gonna go with miss mcclellan

i know

you're sure miss mcclellan votes aye

sure we can

mister guthrie

aye

vote aye

mister guthrie votes aye miss miss

l miss houchen

alright

miss houchen votes aye

miss caster

miss caster votes aye

miss vortechek

mister vortechek votes aye

i have a word but i vote for

oh

Mister Weber.

Mister Weber votes aye.

Mister James.

Aye. Mister James votes aye.

Any votes?

Is there any more on your side? Anybody else you have?

I think we're good too.

Anybody else on our side? Sounded like there were several missing before.

We're still for more, okay.

The clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there are Forty eight ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have it and the bill is adopted.

Forty forty eight nine fifteen.

All right. The chair calls up H R four five four one and asks the clerk to report.

H R four five four one, a bill to reauthorize the young women's breast health education and awareness.

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dismissed with, and the bill will be up before amendment at any point. So, ordered, does anyone seek recognition on the bill? Seeing none, are there any amendments to the bill? Gentleman from New Jersey is recognized for, well, what purpose does a gentleman from New Jersey seek recognition?

I have an amendment in the nature of a substitute at the desk, Mister Chairman.

A clerk will report.

It's amendment number four five four one FCR Ains O two.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H R four five four one, offered by Mister Pilon.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with, and the gentleman is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. This aims before it simply combines the bipartisan Early Act Reauthorization of twenty twenty five, H R four five four one and the Screens for Cancer Act of twenty of twenty twenty five, H R two three eight one into a unified reauthorization bill. And these two programs are not parallel efforts, but are two critical programs in the same continuum of care. These bipartisan programs ensure that every woman in America, regardless of her age, income or insurance status, has a fair chance to detect cancer early, when it's most treatable and most survivable. Many of us know that in twenty twenty-five alone, an estimated three hundred and twenty-one thousand women in the US will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and nearly forty-three thousand unfortunately will die from the disease. Roughly sixteen percent of those new diagnosis will occur in women under the age of fifty, and another fourteen thousand women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer. Behind every one of those numbers is a daughter, a mother, a sister, a wife, a friend, and we owe it to them to continue the commitments we have made with these two programs. So, I'd like to thank our colleagues, Representative Wasserman Schultz, for her tireless leadership, and

Chairman yields back. Is there discussion of the amendment? General Lady from Iowa? Recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Um, Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Mr. Chairman, I move.

General Lady is recognized to speak on the amendment.

Uh, thank you very much, Mister Chairman, for including uh my good friend and colleague, Representative Wasserman Schultz, and my bill, HR forty five forty one, the Early Act reauthorization of twenty twenty five in today's mark-up. This critical bipartisan piece of legislation will continue an important public health initiative, focused on educating and empowering young women about breast health and breast cancer awareness. As a physician and a former director of public health for the state of Iowa, I know firsthand that early awareness and early detection save And as a woman whose sister died of breast cancer, I also know the importance for all women. While breast cancer is often associated with older women, thousands of younger women are diagnosed every year, frequently with more aggressive forms of the disease. Too often, younger women dismiss symptoms or delay seeking care because they don't believe they're at risk. The Early Act is a targeted, evidence-based initiative that addresses a clear gap in our health system. Awareness and early detection of breast cancer in young women particularly those under age forty-five who are not routinely captured by traditional screening guidelines. This program gives women the tools and information they need to recognize warning signs, understand family history, and engage proactively with their health care providers. This vital work is made even more impactful by the incorporation of the Screens for Cancer Act, which reauthorizes a grant program that States can utilize to help ensure women have access to breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services. Importantly, this is a bipartisan effort that reflects what we can accomplish when we focus on prevention, education, and better health outcomes for patients and families. And for me, this is a continuation of the work I did for female veterans in leading and getting signed into law the MAMO Act and the Service Act both of which were addressing, uh, young women, uh, early, uh, screening and also, uh, education and updating VA facilities for three-D mammography. For women in Iowa and across the country, access to accurate information can make the difference between catching cancer early or facing a much more difficult diagnosis later. In short, reauthorizing this program is a common sense step that strengthens public health and supports every woman at every stage of life. I urge my colleagues to support H. R. forty-five forty-one as amendment, and I yield back.

General lady yields back. As for further discussion, general lady from Florida is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Yeah, thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I move to strike the last word

No, please, recognize.

in support of the aims.

I move, yeah.

I'm pleased to see the committee work together in a bipartisan fashion to move two critical reauthorizations today the Early Act and the Screens for Cancer Act. I'm proud to lead the bipartisan Early Act, an initiative which educates young, high-risk women about their breast health and cancer diagnosis. Uh, women under forty-five are increasingly being diagnosed with breast cancer. Uh, these cancers are often found before women are have begun their routine mammograms. And it's particularly problematic because oftentimes you get a later stage diagnosis, uh, the ca- where the cancers are more aggressive and harder to treat. And of course, this has serious consequences for young women of childbearing years. For sixteen years, though, the Early Act has been a blessing to young women. It's funded initiatives and services at the CDC that address the unique needs of younger women who are diagnosed with or have a higher risk of breast cancer and have different medical financial and psychological needs than than older patients. Uh, this includes the Bring Your Brave awareness campaign, training and education for health care providers, uh, and the Young Breast Cancer Survivors program, which provides funding for supportive services to increase patients' rates of survival and improve their quality of life. The Early Act helps ensure that newly diagnosed and high risk women are not alone out there it helps give them the know-how and resources they need to to take that

Yes.

head di diagnosis head-on so I'm also glad to see that the CDC's National Breast and cervical cancer early detection program reauthorization is advancing today. Uh, this is an incredibly impactful initiative expanding access to timely breast and cervical cancer screenings, uh, diagnostic tests and treatment to under and uninsured women nationwide. It helps our neighbors catch cancer earlier, stay healthier, and live longer. This bipartisan legislation helps ensure families aren't forced to choose between their health and their wallets. It strengthens early detect detection and prevention uh across communities that have that are often overlooked. Uh, I do believe Congress has more to do here uh to support women with breast and cervical cancer including my bipartisan metastatic breast cancer access to care act and uh my bipartisan prevent HPV cancers act uh but the prog the progress we're making today will be lifesaving and I wanna thank uh the committee and the chair, and the ranking member uh, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, uh, Congresswoman Miller makes, uh, and all of us to, to move the, the, this very important bill. Thank you and I yield back.

Y- yield just uh, I just wanna say I know that we all know Congres- Congresswoman Wasserman

Yield.

Schultz and I we've I'm sure we have many colleagues that have unfortunately been through this but when people stand up and they they're they're courageous and they say what's happening to them and and take what's happened to them and make a difference for the we saw earlier with Miss went in here with a child that has Down syndrome is uh it when people do that it really matters and so thanks for I know she's a dear friend of yours and friend of all of us and I appreciate her doing this and doing this bill. I'll yield back to you and you yield back? Is there further discussion? If there's no further discussion we have to adopt the amendment in the nature of a substitute. Uh. Oh, all those in favor so signify by saying aye. Aye.

Aye.

All the bo- all those opposed nay. The ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. The question now occurs, is there no further amendments? The question now occurs on adopting four five four five four one as amended, a roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta. Mister Griffith.

Aye.

Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Belracus.

Aye.

Mister Belracus votes aye. Mister Hudson.

Aye.

Mister Hudson votes aye Mister Carter of Georgia

About another hour.

Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye Mister Palmer Mister Dunn Mister Crenshaw Mister Joyce Mister Weber Mister Weber votes aye Mister Allen Mister Balderson Mister Balderson votes aye Mister Fulcher Mister Folsch votes aye. Mister Flueger.

Aye.

Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Miss Kammick votes aye. Mister Olbernulti. Mister Olbernulti votes aye. Mister James. Mister James votes aye. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Houchen. Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister F- Mister Frey. Mister Fry votes aye. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy.

Aye.

Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans.

Aye.

Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Miss Fedorchek.

Aye.

Miss Fedorchek votes aye. Mister Pilon. Mister Pilon votes aye. Mister Gett. Miss Tuget votes aye. Miss Schakowsky.

Aye.

Miss Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui.

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Castor.

Aye.

Miss Castor votes aye. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss Clark. Miss Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz. Mister Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Miss Dingell.

Aye.

Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Risse. Mister Vici votes aye. Miss Kelly? Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Baragon? Miss Baragon votes aye. Mister Soto? Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier? Miss Schreier votes aye. Miss Traian? Miss Traian votes aye. Miss Fletcher? Miss Fletcher votes aye. Mister Acasio-Cortez? Mister Acasio-Cortez votes aye. Mister Oxencloss?

Aye.

Mister Oxencloss votes aye. Mister Carter, Louisiana? Mister Carter Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Mullen votes aye. Mister Lansman. Mister L- Mister Lansman votes aye. Mister McClellan. Mister McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie.

Aye.

Mister Guthrie votes aye.

Uh, Mister.

Mister Latta.

Mister Latta is not recorded.

Aye.

Mister Latta votes aye.

Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer.

Uh, Mister Palmer is not recorded.

Mister Carr are you are you waiting for the Mister oh.

Mister Carr votes aye.

Anybody else on the Republican side? General Democrat side?

Joyce.

Doctor Joyce?

Aye.

Mister Mister Joyce votes aye.

Anybody coming? Anybody coming on your side? They you're good? You're good. Anybody alright, the clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty-eight ayes and zero nays.

Ayes, have it, and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R three seven four seven, asks the clerk to report.

H R three seven four seven. A bill to reauthorize the technology enabled collaborative learning program and for other purposes.

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dismissed with, and the bill will be opened.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word and speak in support of the bill.

You are recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Chairman Guthrie, for holding holding this mark up today. Alzheimer's disease continues to impact millions of families across the country, including more than two hundred and thirty-six thousand people in Ohio alone. As our population ages and new treatments become available, early detection and timely care are more important than ever. But too often, patients experience delays in diagnosis because the providers they rely on most are not adequately supported in identifying managing dementia-related conditions. In many communities, particularly in rural areas, primary care physicians are carrying the responsibility of dementia care without consistent access to specialist or advanced training resources. The ADAPT Act takes an important step toward addressing that challenge by reauthorizing and strengthening the Project ECO program. This program uses virtual specialist-led training networks to help front-line providers build expertise and improve care coordination for patients living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. This legislation is about making sure providers have access to practical tools and clinical support so patients and families can receive answers, treatment options, and care planning early in the process. Improving dementia care should not depend on a patient's zip code. Whether someone lives in a major city or a rural community like many across Ohio, families deserve access to providers who are prepared to recognize the signs of this decline and connect patients to appropriate care. I'm proud to support this bipartisan legislation, and I appreciate the work of my colleagues to advance policies that strengthen the healthcare workforce, and improve care for Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. I urge my colleagues on both sides now to support this bill. Thank you, Mister Chairman. I yield back.

Thank you, the gentleman yields back there for discussion, the gentlelady from California. Miss Bottergond is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. I move to strike the last word.

Gentlelady is recognized to speak on the bill.

Um, I wanna uh thank um everybody who's worked on this bill, I support this bill, um but I am disappointed uh that as amended it removes the targeted funding for Alzheimer's disease. and related dementias that was included in the original bill. This specific allocation is critical for many reasons. Over seven million Americans currently live with Alzheimer's disease, and by twenty fifty the number of people is projected to increase to nearly thirteen million Americans. In twenty twenty six, Alzheimer's and other dementias will cost the nation four hundred and nine billion dollars, and by twenty fifty these costs could rise to nearly one trillion dollars. Nearly thirteen million Americans unpaid care for people with Alzheimer's valued at more than four hundred and forty-six billion dollars. These are costs to our health care system, to the economy, and most importantly, it costs lives. As a caregiver for my own mother who has Alzheimer's, I understand what's at stake, especially what a timely and accurate diagnosis can mean for families. Uh, too often individuals are diagnosed late, or not at all. Primary care providers are usually the first place where families turn to, yet many of these providers they don't feel fully prepared to diagnose or manage dementia. Sixty nine percent receive little to no dementia training in medical school. Thirty nine percent are not confident enough to make a diagnosis. I've told my story and I'm gonna tell it again. When my mother started to show early signs, we took her to her primary care physician, and we were referred out to somebody who asked her questions like, do you know how you got dressed this morning? Do you know what you had for breakfast this morning? They were very basic questions that really didn't tell us anything, and we walked out the door with advice saying, have more of a Mediterranean diet. And that's the advice we got. And this is why I joined Representative Balderson to co-lead the ADAPT Act, which would continue access to more specialized education for our primary care providers. Investment in research has led to innovative diagnostic

Thank you. Uh, the General Lady yields back, and the Chair recognising,

Thank you.

one on the Republican side, Chair recognising, This is the gentleman from Florida, Mister Soto, for five minutes to speak on the business.

Thank you. Thank you, Chairman. In Florida and across the nation, we're seeing Americans living longer. Uh, we've seen an advances in statins to help with heart disease, advances in cancer treatments to to help many of those become a curable, even obesity drugs that are are, uh, being developed right now. And so as people are living longer, we're seeing the next big challenge, which is a huge increase in those living longer and facing dementia or Alzheimer's. Uh, and so it's become increasingly prevalent both in Florida and across the nation. And we need to do what we can to help both seniors and those who are affected by this earlier on in their lives. Uh, we need to invest in research. We've seen uh some new FDA treatments that slow progression like Lekembe and Kis- kasunla and also manage symptoms uh other manage symptoms like memory loss. We need to help the caretakers uh like family members uh we we saw it in my own family and so many other families across the nation how much caretakers struggle. And we need to make sure uh primary care physicians and other medical providers know the early signs best practices and the emerging uh uh medications that are helping uh to to manage this uh increasingly big issue for our nation. So I'm proud to support the ADAPT Act and I wanna echo my colleague, uh Representative Baragon's um desire to make sure we have dedicated funding to ensure that every primary care doctor has the information they need to help out families as they uh face this very increasingly challenging and prevalent, uh condition of dementia and Alzheimer's. And I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Is there further Are there any further? Gentleman from New York is recognized for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move to strike the last word. I move to strike the last word. I rise in strong support of the ADAPT Act legislation. I am proud to be co-leading along with good friends and colleagues, representatives Troy Balderson, Lynette Barragan and Darren LaHood. I'd like to particularly commend Troy and Lynette for their strong leadership on this bill. Alzheimer's is a devastating disease that impacts nearly four hundred and twenty-seven thousand individuals in New York State. I'd imagine that everyone in this room has been impacted by Alzheimer's at some point. in some manner. It is first and foremost a human crisis, but it is also a federal budget crisis. That's why I've been proud to be a champion of Alzheimer's related issues during my time in Congress and why I feel so strongly about advancing the ADAPT Act today. The ADAPT Act represents an investment in our provider workforce as we enter into a new era of dementia care with emerging tools like blood-based biomarker tests making earlier more accessible diagnosis possible, and increasingly shifting diagnosis into primary care. We need to make certain that we have a provider workforce that is trained and ready to respond to these advances in diagnosis and treatment technology. The ADAPT Act is designed to close that gap by ensuring providers are prepared to responsibly adopt and apply these innovations in everyday practice. One proven way to address this issue is with the project echo training model. In my district, health systems like St. Peter's Health Partners in Albany County, already using the echo model and working to improve dementia care. The ADAPT Act expands access to these virtual training opportunities, strengthening dementia education for primary care providers and supporting earlier and more accurate diagnosis. I'd also like to use this moment to highlight a companion piece of legislation that I've authored, the ASAP Act, which would help ensure Medicare coverage keeps pace with f- fda-approved blood-based biomarker tests. Together, ADAPT and ASAP reflect a continuum approach, equipping providers to use new tools and use them effectively while ensuring patients can access them in the first place. And while we are not marking up ASAP today, I'd encourage the chair and ranking member to consider this bipartisan bill with over ninety co-sponsors for our next health legislative hearing. so that we keep making forward progress in delivering earlier diagnosis and better treatments for families facing dementias. In closing, I'm proud to have worked on the ADAPT Act, and I would urge all of our colleagues to support this common sense legislation. With that, Mister Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Gentleman yields back, further discussion on Republican side. The gentleman from Massachusetts, oh, I'm sorry, the gentlelady from North Dakota, Miss Ferdorchik, I was looking to the wrong, wrong side. Gentlelady Miss Ferdorchik is recognized for five minutes.

confusing when I am sitting on the other side. But but it's fun over here, I'm making some good friends.

He is a good friend.

Uh, Mister Chairman, I just wanted to speak up in support of this bill and applaud uh the co-sponsors, bo- both Miss Balderson and Berrigan. Um, both my parents uh suffered from Alzheimer's and ultimately died from it, so I know very well the journey that families um go on in in this uh tough disease. Uh there's so many questions that families have to deal with. When do we pull the driver's license? When do they need to leave their house? How can we care for them at home? Um and then when you deal with uh the healthcare system, the the staff is, God bless them, but they're just not equipped with the training. I remember spending overnights with my dad in the hospital because we knew that the staff just didn't know like how to deal with his um various challenges of the disease, so we absolutely have to do more on the research and uh development and the training side. One conversation I particularly remember was my son was about twelve years old, and he asked my dad, grandpa, what's it like to not be able to remember anything? And he said, and my dad, who is a proud man, uh broke down in tears and said, uh Nate, it's just terrible. isn't there anything more we can do?" And I still remember the look in his eyes like there has to be more we can do. And there really wasn't. And there still isn't. And so that's why bills like this that draw attention to this problem and direct resources to it are so important. And I'm honored to uh work in a bipartisan way uh to support this bill today. Thank you. I use that.

Thank you. The gentlelady goes back. The gentleman from Massachusetts, Mister Arkenclaus, is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Chairman. Uh, like the gentlewoman from North Dakota, this is, uh, both personal and professional to me, and I strongly support this legislation. And I also encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help rally Congress towards, uh, a big, bold initiative to cure this disease, uh, by twenty forty. By the year twenty fifty, there's gonna be about fifteen million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's disease. each requiring three caregivers. That's sixty million Americans sidelined medically, financially, uh, emotionally by this devastating disease, uh, that affects all of us. And there are things that we can do, uh, to - to rally cures. We can, for example, increase funding for the National Institutes of Health. We know less about how the brain works than any other entity in the universe. And more basic research can help unlock those mysteries. of neurology. Right now we're spending about two percent of our GDP on gross domestic product. We should double that and rally Americans towards a new scientific enterprise focused on the brain. After World War Two we were spending five or six percent of GDP, so it's not unprecedented. And public opinion research suggests that Americans would support up to seven percent of GDP being spent on basic research. So there's broad-based popular support for more research and discovery funding. Uh, I think we should also expand throughput of clinical trials in this country. because alzheimer's disease is a very expensive disease to put through clinical trials because the the endpoints and the proxies are challenging to discern and because the disease can progress uh slowly and unevenly uh and so uh getting more shots on goal through better faster cheaper clinical trials uh makes a cure come even quicker uh and then finally we gotta be thinking about reimbursement policies as well for alzheimer's disease a lot of the cures and and disease modifying drugs coming to market are things that you gotta start taking and maybe your forties or fifties. Well, similar to how Medicare reimburses for kidney dialysis before the age of sixty five, I think we should be considering about Medicare reimbursing for both diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease before the age of sixty five, because ultimately preventing this disease from taking hold is the most effective way to treat this disease for the Medicare population. Um, so, these are ideas right now, but I'm putting them uh in front of the committee chairman because uh I would love to see us rally in a bipartisan way, around making my children's generation the last generation that that has to to uh bear the burden of this disease. I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting

Yeah.

Three. Oh, do we adopt a there's another age.

No, there's not.

Okay. The question now occurs on adopting Three seven four seven, a roll call, is there any question, the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta. Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bellaracus. Mister Bell Bellaracus votes aye. Mister Hudson. Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Mister Obanulty. Mister Obanulty votes aye. Mister James.

Aye.

Mister James votes aye. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Houchin.

Aye.

Miss Houchin votes aye. Mister Frey.

Aye.

Mister Frey votes aye. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy.

Aye.

Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Miss Fedorchik.

Aye.

Miss Fedorchik votes aye. Mister Palone. Mister Palone votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Schakowsky.

Aye.

Mister Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui.

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Caster.

Aye.

Miss Caster votes aye. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Mister Clark. Mister Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz. Mister Ruiz votes aye Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye Mister Dingell. Mister Dingell votes aye Mister Vici. Mister Vici votes aye Mister Kelly. Mister Kelly votes aye Mister Berrigan. Mister Berrigan votes aye Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye Mister Schreier. Mister Schreier votes aye Mister Trajan. Mister Trajan votes aye Mister Fletcher.

Aye.

Mister Fletcher votes aye Mister Garcia-Cortez. Mister Cossi Cortez votes aye Mister Auchincloss Mister Auchincloss votes aye Mister Carter, Louisiana Mister Carter, Louisiana votes aye Mister Menendez Mister Menendez votes aye Mister Mullen Mister Mullen votes aye Mister Landsman Mister L- Mister Landsman votes aye Mister McClellan Mister McClellan votes aye Mister Guthrie

Aye.

Mister Guthrie votes aye

Now is anybody seeking to be recorded on the Republican side? Mister Palmer.

Mr. Palmer is not recorded.

Palmer votes aye.

Mister Palmer votes aye.

Mr. Palmer backside. You have anybody else?

No.

Seeing none, the clerk will report.

Mister Chairman, on that one there are forty Eight ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R eight two zero nine and asks the clerk to report.

H R eighty-two O nine. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the school-based health center's grant program.

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amend. At any point, so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Right, purposeful gentleman from Ohio State recognition.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word and speak in support of the bill.

You're recognized to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, I'd like to thank my colleague from New York, Congressman Tonko, for his leadership on this legislation and for working with me to reauthorize the school-based health centers grant program. School-based health centers help students access broad range of age-appropriate health care services in a convenient, familiar and trusted setting. These centers primarily serve underserved communities and play an important role in delivering primary care to children and adolescents including preventative services, dental screenings, and mental health supports. Today, more than twenty-five hundred school-based health centers serve over six point three million K through twelve students nationwide, with many located in rural and underserved communities, where provider shortages and transportation barriers can make accessing care more difficult for families. In communities across Ohio, families continue to face challenges finding timely access to pediatric care and behavioral health services. School-based health centers help bridge those gaps by expanding access to care in practical community-centered ways. We also cannot ignore the growing need for youth mental health services. Schools continue to see increased demand for counseling, behavioral health support, and early intervention services. School-based health centers can help connect students to care earlier in a more coordinated way. while still working alongside parents, local providers, and school personnel. Importantly, these centers operate within clear guardrails under federal law, including parental consent requirements, patient privacy protections, coordination with community providers, and compliance with state and local laws. Ultimately, this bill is about helping ensure students are healthy, supported, and better positioned to succeed both inside and outside the classroom. Strengthening access to care for children and families benefits communities across the country and I appreciate the bipartisan work behind this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

Chairman yields back his discussion of the bill. The gentleman from New York is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move to strike the last word.

Gentleman is recognized to speak on the bill.

Thank you. I rise in strong support of the school-based Health Centers Reauthorization Act, legislation proud to author along with my colleague, Representative Troy Balderson. Appreciate his support and efforts on behalf of this legislation. School-based health centers help to deliver comprehensive primary health care services, to millions of children across our country. By locating directly in or near schools, SPH C's are able to provide high quality care in a convenient setting. Today there are more than twenty-five hundred school-based health centers nationwide. serving more than six point three million K through twelve students. In my district, I am especially proud of the work of health centers, including that of Whitney Young Health and Hometown Health, which operate multiple school-based health centers in the capital region of New York, including the uh communities of Albany, Waterfleet and Schenectady. The services provided by school-based health centers can be a lifeline for children who may not have convenient ways to access care in other settings. especially for services like behavioral health, where there can still be stigma associated with seeking care. Through the school-based health center program, funding can be used to establish new school-based sites or to upgrade current facilities to serve additional children. I've been proud to be a longtime supporter of this program. I'm grateful for the bipartisan support in reauthorizing this program today. However, as we think about the role of school-based health centers moving forward, I would encourage this committee to think bigger and bolder, because every child, every family and every community can benefit from SBH C's. We can do this not only by expanding this grant funding stream to bring hundreds of new and expanded sites on board, but also by securing and strengthening programs like Medicaid and CHIP, that help make the SBH C model sustainable. Our children deserve nothing less. In closing, I'd like to thank the chair and ranking member for their work, on moving this bill forward and I'd urge all of our colleagues to support the uh legislation. With that I yield back, Mister Chair. The gentleman yields back as there's further discussion on the bill. Gentlelady from Michigan is recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chair. I move to strike the last.

Gentlelady is recognized, now speak on the bill.

Thank you, and I want to thank both of my colleagues for leading this critical piece of legislation. School-based health centers are a critical tool brings health care directly to students in their schools. They offer high-quality care for every student that helps them learn better and cuts through barriers to care. In my home state of Michigan, many of these SB H Cs are facing a real issue accessing federal funding. Currently, the Health Resources and Service Administration has only awarded funding to SB H Cs that are sponsored by federally qualified health centers. The the ha- federally qualified health centers do a tremendous job in playing an important role. But there are many other entities that run SBHCs through the, throughout the nation, including, but not limited to, local health departments, nonprofits, hospital systems, and in some cases, school districts that are left behind. Across the United States, thirty-seven percent of SBHCs are not run, by the federally qualified health centers. And therefore they can't access a necessary stream of funding despite meeting the same criteria and providing the same high quality services. While under the statute, funding is technically available to any government or non-profit health center it's not working that way in practice. Therefore, I'd like to express my commitment to following up with the Health Resources and Service Administration to clarify the intent of the statute and address this issue so that school-based centers across the country can access this critical funding and would ask the chairman if the committee would commit to do that as well and help us.

Yeah, thank you, Sue Yeling. Uh, yes, I appreciate it. Our staff, I know, have been discussing the your concern this morning, and I'm absolutely happy to commit for us to connecting with HRSA, and we'll get clarification on this matter.

Thank you, Mister Chair. Now yield back.

Gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, is there any amendments to the bill? Seeing none, if there's no further discussion on the bill, the question now occurs on adopting eight two zero nine. A roll call has been requested. The clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bilraqus. Mister Bill Rackus votes aye Mister Hudson Mister Hudson votes aye Mister Carter of Georgia Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye Mister Palmer Mister Palmer votes aye Mister Dunn Mister Crenshaw Mister Joyce Mister Joyce votes aye Mister Weber Mister Weber votes aye Mister Allen Mister Allen votes aye Mister Balderson

Aye.

Mister Balderson votes aye Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger.

Aye.

Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks.

Aye.

Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick.

Oh.

Mister Olbernulty. Mister Olbernulty votes aye. Mister James. Mister James votes aye. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Howichan. Miss Howichan votes aye. Mister Fry. Mister Fry votes aye. Mister Lee. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Mister Fedorchek.

Aye.

Mister Fedorchek votes aye. Mister Pilon. Mister Pilon votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Miss DeGette votes aye. Miss Schakowsky?

Aye.

Miss Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui?

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Castor?

Aye.

Miss Castor votes aye. Mister Tonko?

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss Clark? Miss Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz? Mister Peters? Mister Peters votes aye. Miss Dingell? Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Vesey? Mister Vesey votes aye. Miss Kelly? Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan.

Aye.

Miss Berrigan votes aye. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier. Miss Schreier votes aye. Miss Tran. Miss Tran votes aye. Miss Fletcher. Miss Fletcher votes aye. Mister Casio-Cortez. Mister Casio-Cortez votes aye. Mister Ochincloss. Mister Carter, Louisiana. Mister Carter, Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Mullen votes aye. Mister Lansman. Mister Landman votes aye. Mister McClellan. Mister McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie. Mister Guthrie votes aye.

Anyone seeking to answer the seek to roll? Anyone on the Republican side? Anyone on the Democrat side? Seeing none, the clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there were forty-six ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R five one six zero and asks the clerk to report.

H R five one six zero. a bill to reauthorize the still

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point. So, order, does anyone seek recognition on the bill? You you went off for the aims.

Mm-hmm.

Seeing on the bill, seeing none, the general lady from what purpose is general lady from almost said Massachusetts, California, have uh I know, a long day, have have Califor- I know you're from Sacramento.

You got it.

How what Barbara Zoletti from California, seek recognition.

Um, thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have an amendment on the nature of a substitute at the desk.

The clerk will report.

Amendment H five one six zero dash FCR dash AINS dash underscore O one. Amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dismissed with and the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. And supported the amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am thrilled that my stem cell therapeutic and research reauthorization act was included in today's mark-up. I'd like to thank the chair and ranking member for working with my office on this important legislation. This bill reauthorizes two vital programs for patients facing life-threatening diseases, like cancer, sickle cell anemia, or other blood or marrow disorders. The CW Bill Young cell transplantation program Transplantation Program or National Bone Marrow Registry matches unrelated donors with patients in need. And the National Cord Blood Inventory, which banks umbilical cord blood units from donors to help additional patients. This issue is personal to me. My life is profoundly impacted by bone marrow failure disease. I know all too well what it means to be told there are no options for your loved one's care. It is my goal to make sure no patient, spouse or child ever has to hear those words again. And remarkably, we're closer than ever to making that a reality. When we last reauthorized his program in twenty twenty one, NMDP, which manages the contract for the National Bone Male Registry, was about to hit a significant milestone, one hundred thousand transplants after thirty-three years of work. Now, only five years later, NMDP is about to reach a hundred and fifty thousand life-saving transplants. That's exponential growth and is not an accident. It's the result of years of congressional partnership and targeted investment that has unlocked innovations and efficiencies that accelerate our ability to bring life-saving transplants to families.

Right.

I'd like to share just one of those family stories. Scott is a Sacramento area dad whose daughter Taryn was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder when she was only eight years old. She needed a bone marrow transplant, but as is the case of a majority of patients, no one in her family was a match. Thankfully, Taryn had a match on the bone marrow registry and received a lifesaving transplant. Taryn is now twenty years old, and her dad, Scott, has become a force to help families like his. He's hosted hundreds of donor drives, helping add thousands of potential, life-saving donors to the registry. And he personally delivers donated mail to patients across the country as a medically trained volunteer courier. This program saves lives. That's why the reauthorization in front of us today is so important. We're unlocking hope for more families like Scott's, who are desperate for care for their loved ones. The reauthorization for the national cord blood inventory is just as critical. Public cord blood banks participating in this program have banked over one hundred thousand high quality cord blood units. These stem cells derived from donated umbilical cord blood are particularly helpful in providing transplants for pediatric patients, and adults with high risk leukemia. Thanks to the pioneering work of patients involved in the national cord blood inventory program. Cord blood stem cells are also being used and researched to unlock treatments for rare diseases Alzheimer's stroke and more. The aims makes important updates to ensure public cord blood banks can manage the inventory of bank cord blood units. I'm hopeful that we can reach a future in which every patient diagnosed with a bone or blood ma- bone marrow or blood disease has an option for a lifesaving transplant. With continued congressional investment in these programs, I believe that future is within reach. I urge my colleagues to support the aims and the underlying bill, and I look forward to moving this bill to the House floor. With that, I yield the balance of my time.

The gentlelady yields back as our discussion of the amendment. The gentleman from Florida is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it, Mr. Chairman. Uh, every year Thousands of Americans are diagnosed with devastating diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell disease, and other inherited immune system disorders. For many of these patients, a bone marrow or cord blood transplant can provide a critical treatment option, and in some cases a path toward long-term recovery.

Thank you.

Finding a compatible donor, however, is often incredibly difficult, particularly for those who do not have and matching donor within their own family. The CW Bill Young cell transplantation program helps make these lifesaving transplants possible by coordinating donor matching, transplant resources, and patient support through a single national system. The national cord blood inventory complements that work by supporting the availability of high quality cord blood units for transplantation and research. including for children with rare genetic and immune disorders who otherwise may have very limited treatment options. The amendment continues federal support for these programs through twenty thirty-one while making targeted update updates to help ensure the inventory is managed using the best available scientific and clinical information. These improvements were developed in coordination with HRSA and stakeholder groups and will help strengthen the long-term effectiveness of the program. I also want to recognize the long-standing work of Doctor Joanne Kurtzberg, whose leadership in cord blood research and transplantation helped shape the development of the national cord blood inventory, alongside champions such as Congressman Chris Smith, the late Congressman Bill Young, Senator Orrin Hatch, and my father congressman mike bilirakis i'm proud to join representative smith and uh uh my colleague here um mrs. matsui uh we have uh pingree tenney and uh introducing the bipartisan legislation and i urge my colleagues to support the amendment and the underlying bill thank you and i yield back mr. chairman

the gentleman yields back is there further discussion on the amendment If there's no further discussion, the vote occurs on the amendment. All those in favor of self-signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye. All those opposed, no. The ayes have it and the amendment is agreed to. Are there any further amendments? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting HR five one six zero as amended. A roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta. Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith.

Aye.

Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bill Rackus.

Aye.

Mister Bill Rackus votes aye. Mister Hudson.

Aye.

Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia.

Aye.

Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer.

Aye.

Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen.

Aye.

Mister Allen votes aye. Mister Balderson. mister folger mister folger votes aye mister flueger mister flueger votes aye miss harschbarger miss harschbarger votes aye miss miller-meeks miss miller-meeks votes aye miss kamik mister olbernulty mister olbernulty votes aye mister james mister james votes aye mister bentz mister bentz votes aye miss howichan

aye

miss howichan votes aye mister frey Mister Fry votes aye. Mister Lee. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Mister Fedorchek. Mister Fedorchek votes aye. Mister Palone. Mister Palone votes aye. Mister Gett. Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Schakowsky.

Aye.

Mister Schakowsky votes aye. Mister Matsui. Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Caster.

Aye.

Miss Caster votes aye. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss Clark.

Aye.

Miss Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz.

Miss Clark.

Mister Peters. Miss Dingle. Miss Dingle votes aye. Mister Vesey. Mister Vesey votes aye. Miss Kelly. Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan. Miss Berrigan votes aye. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier. Miss Shrier votes aye. Miss Tran.

Aye.

Miss Tran votes aye. Miss Fletcher.

Aye.

Miss Fletcher votes aye. Miss Acasio-Cortez. Miss Acasio-Cortez votes aye. Mister Achincloss. Mister Achincloss votes aye. Mister Carter, Louisiana. Mister Carter, Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Mullen votes aye. Mister Lansman. Mister Verlanden votes aye. Miss McClellan. Miss McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie.

Clerk will report the role.

Oh, Mister Balderson.

Oh, others wanna vote. Mister Balderson h is

Mister Balderson is not recorded. Mister Balderson is aye.

Who's voted? Oh, Mister James.

Anybody else?

Mister James.

Mister James, have you voted?

Mister James. Oh, he voted. Oh, Mister James.

James votes aye.

Mister James recorded as aye.

Anybody on the other side of the aisle has not voted. All right, now the clerk will report the role.

Chairman, on that vote there were forty-six ayes and zero nays.

All right, the ayes have it, and the bill is adopted. Now call up H R two thousand one and ask the clerk to report.

H R two thousand one, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a grant program for addressing dental workforce needs.

All right, without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be opened for amendment. point, so ordered. And are there people wishing to speak on the measure?

Mm.

Recognize Ms. Harshbarger for her five minute or for her time.

Thank you, Mister.

Ms. Harshbarger, you're recognized.

Yeah. OK, thank you, Mister Chairman. I'd like to start by thanking my colleague, Congresswoman Kelly, as well as Congressman Simpson for their work on this important legislation. This bill authorizes grant programs that help states develop and implement innovative programs to address the needs of the dental workforce in dental health professional shortage areas. Um, nearly every American will experience tooth decay in their lifetime, and in my home state of Tennessee alone, there are a hundred sixty-two dental health professional shortage areas. And this bill would reauthorize grants for innovative programs that states can use to increase the dental workforce in these areas and work towards increasing patient access to dental care, which is an important factor for uh the patient's overall health. This is a common sense policy and will help invigorate our dental workforce, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back.

Gentlelady yields back. Now I recognize the gentlelady from Illinois, Miss Kelly, for uh comments on the bill.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Gentlelady is recognized for an amendment uh in the nature of a substitute at the desk with the clerk reported, please. Each

H two thousand one dash F C D dash AINS underscore zero one. Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H R.

And without objection, the amendment in the nature of substitute will not be read further. Any objection? All right, Miss Kelly, you're recognized to speak on your amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Mr. Chair, I'm moved to strike the last word and thank you. My amendment makes a clarifying change to the title of the bill. This reauthorization has been known as the action for dental health act. Action for dental health plays a vital role in developing our future dental workforce by equipping states with the infrastructure and resources needed to expand access to care. This measure, H. R. two thousand and one, which I introduced with my colleague, Mike Simpson, reauthorizes these important programs to continue advancing workforce training and community-based oral health initiatives reaching those in need. The the legislation also reinforces the public-private safety net and brings dental health education, prevention, and disease intervention directly into underserved communities. I wanna share why this program needs to be reauthorized and funded. To date, Action for Dental Health has supported more than thirty states in efforts to reduce dental disease through oral health education expansion of the oral health workforce and decreased emergency department visits by establishing dental homes the program has helped establish and expand more than fifty oral health facilities in shortage areas increasing access to care for underserved communities. I want to thank the staff of the chair and ranking member for working with me on this bill, and I would also like to recognize and thank rep Simpson for being our champion of this effort. This is a long time coming since the bill was part of the infamous end of the year deal of twenty twenty four. Uh it was dismantled and I won't go into that, but at last we're back on track. It is crucial we continue to train and support the next generation of oral health providers, serving vulnerable populations. Thank you and I yield back.

Gentlelady yields back. Any further discussion on the amendment nature of substitute? I recognize uh the gentlelady of Washington, Doctor Schrier.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Uh, I'm really glad to see the committee consider H. R. two thousand one, a bill to reauthorize the HRSA, oral health workforce grant program. In my home state of Washington, uh, this funding goes toward improving access to high quality oral health care for rural communities by increasing the number of dental clinics providing care to Medicaid patients or Apple health patients in rural dental health professional shortage areas. Uh, the data speaks to just how critical this program is for rural Americans. For instance, in Washington the number of dentists per hundred thousand people is nearly twice as high in non-rural counties compared to rural ones and that amounts to a gap of about forty dentists for a hundred thousand people dental care is a key part of general medical care and dental health and the health of the rest of the body are closely tied together uh it may surprise you or may not that tooth decay is the single most prevalent chronic disease in children so adults and children all need dental care as part of their overall health care. They need access to providers close to home, and the Oral Health Workforce Grant program has been a proven tool to help bridge these geographic divides and build a robust health care workforce. I want to thank Representatives Kelly and Simpson for their leadership on this bipartisan legislation and I urge my colleagues on this committee to support the bill. I yield back.

Generally yields back. Any further discussion on the amendment to nature? Substitute. All right, seeing none. The vote occurs on the amendment. All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Uh, aye.

Opposed, nay. The ayes have it. All right. N

Amendment's agreed.

The amendment is agreed to. Any further discussion on the underlying bill? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting H R two thousand one as amended, a ro A roll call vote has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith.

Aye.

Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bilraqus. Mister Bilraqus votes aye. Mister Hudson.

Aye.

Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia.

Aye.

Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer.

Aye.

Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Allen votes aye. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Mister Harshbarger. Mister Harshbarger votes aye. Mister Miller-Meeks. Mister Kammick. Mister Obernolte. Mister Obernolte votes aye. Mister James. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Houchen. Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister Frey. Mister Frey votes aye. Miss Lee. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Miss Fedorchek.

Aye.

Miss Fedorchek votes aye. Mister Polon. Mister Polon votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye. Miss Schakowsky.

Aye.

Miss Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui. Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Caster.

Aye.

Miss Caster votes aye. Mister Tonko.

Mister Tonko.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss K- Miss Clark. Miss Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz. mister peters miss dingell miss dingell votes aye mr. vici mr. vici votes aye miss kelly miss kelly votes aye miss berrigan miss berrigan votes aye mr. soto

aye

mr. soto votes aye miss schreier miss schreier votes aye miss tran miss tran votes aye miss fletcher miss fletcher votes aye miss acasio-cortez Mr. Costa Cortez votes aye. Mr. Auchincloss. Mr. Auchincloss votes aye. Mr. Carter Carter of Louisiana. Mr. Carter of Louisiana votes aye. Mr. Menendez. Mr. Menendez votes aye. Mr. Mullen. Mr. Mullen votes aye. Mr. Landsman. Miss McClellan. Miss McClellan votes aye. Mr. Guthrie. Mr. Guthrie votes aye.

Mr. Morgan.

I might have.

Mister James is not recorded. Mister James votes aye.

Anyone else seeking recognition to get a vote cast?

Screwed me over there. I mean it's

Mister Lansman.

Aye.

Mister Lansman's voted.

Mister Lansman votes aye.

Anyone else? All right, the clerk will report the roll.

Chairman, on that vote there were forty-four ayes and zero nays.

Forty-four ayes, zero nays. The bill is adopted. And now we go to H R fourteen ninety-three and ask the clerk to report, please.

H R fourteen ninety-three. a bill to reauthorize and make improvements to federal programs relating to the prevention, detection and treatment of traumatic brain injuries and for other purposes.

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point, so ordered. Now, recognize the gentleman from New Jersey, Mister Pilon, to explain the bill.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. I I wanna take a moment to speak on the bill which matters a great deal to me and families across the country I'm very pleased that we're considering the Traumatic Brain Injury Program Reauthorization Act, which I've introduced, but I'm honored to be able to take up this crucial legislation from my dear friend, the late Representative Bill Presquerelle, who tirelessly championed this issue in Congress and created the bipartisan congressional TBI caucus. And this bill will secure continued support for Americans affected by traumatic brain injuries. Nearly three million Americans sustain a TBI every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, brain injuries contributed to more than sixty nine thousand deaths in twenty twenty one and over two hundred and fourteen thousand TBI related hospitalizations. Millions of our fellow citizens live with lifelong disabilities as a result. And the causes are varied, a service member injured by a roadside blast, a child hurt on the playing field, a worker struck on the job, a survivor of domestic violence, or a senior who has fallen at home. The TBI does not discriminate and its consequences of memory loss, seizures, depression, personality change, loss of livelihood can last a lifetime. Yet the federal authorities that fund TBI research, surveillance prevention and state-level services lapsed in twenty twenty four. And this gap in authorization has been unacceptable and I'm pleased we're taking steps to ensure the program has the ability to continue to its fullest capacity. H. R. fourteen ninety-three authorizes the CBC's TBI program to continue research and national surveillance of incidents and prevalence. It reauthorizes the TBI state partnership grants that help states expand rehabilitation and community-based services. It also reauthorizes the state protection and advocacy systems grant that ensures survivors and their families can navigate the systems meant to support them and finally the bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study whether TBI should be formally designated chronic condition, a step that could meaningfully expand the federal role in supporting long-term care. And this bill is also a tribute. It carries forward the work of our friend whose decades of advocacy made TBI a national priority. By naming the surveillance and registry program to former fr- and and former representative Bill Pascal's honor, we ensure that the millions of Americans whose lives he touched will continue to benefit from his commitment long after his passing. So, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting HR fourteen ninety-three. And I yield back, Mr. Chairman.

Gentleman yields, gentleman yields back. Anybody see recognition to speak on the bill? Gentleman from Virginia, recognized for five minutes, to speak on the bill.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I also rise to speak in favor of HR fourteen ninety-three. This is a bill to reauthorize and make improvements to federal programs relating to prevention detection and treatment of traumatic brain injuries, also known as TBI. I thank uh you, uh ranking member Pallone, for your work on on this, your detailed explanation, which I think summed it up extremely well, and for and for carrying on the work of the late Congressman Bill Pasc- Pasc- Pascrell. Um, the bill will continue uh important resources for TBI prevention, help improve access to TBI rehabilitation, and support TBI patient advocacy systems. It also continues uh resources to help support States and other entities to insure providers and patients are educated on TBIs and improve methods to treat and prevent such incidents. I urge my colleagues to support the bill. I thank you uh, Mister Pilon, for carrying on this great work and uh I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill?

Is our name

Mister, gentleman from New Jersey, Mister Mister Mendez. Men- Menendez, you're recognized for five minutes to speak on the bill.

Thank you, Chairman. It's a privilege to co-lead this bill with ranking member Palone to honor the legacy of the late great Congressman Bill Pascrell Junior and I'm proud that this bill is passing through committee with bipartisan support today. For more than two decades, Bill Pascrell was a tireless and exceptional advocate for brain injury treatment and research. He understood that traumatic brain injuries are not only a medical issue, but a profound public health challenge This bill builds on his record of leadership to fund vital research, treatment and services that help vulnerable communities struggling with TBI. And we'll continue our efforts towards recognizing TBIs as a chronic condition and invest in the next generation of researchers who find new, more effective treatments and give patients and families hope for the future. Bill devoted so much of his career to ensuring that individuals living with brain injuries were seen, supported, and never left behind. Advancing this legislation today is a fitting tribute to his legacy, and I encourage my colleagues to support it. Thank you, and I yield back.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Those of you who got to serve with Mr. Pascarell, who got to serve with a very wonderful man, very interesting, very wonderful guy. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting H R one four nine three. Roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bellaracus. Mister Hudson. Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye Mister Weber Mister Weber votes aye Mister Allen Mister Allen votes aye Mister Balderson Mister Balderson votes aye Mister Fulcher Mister Fulcher votes aye Mister Flueger Miss Harshbarger Miss Harshbarger votes aye Miss Miller-Meeks Miss Kammick Mister Olbernolte Mister Olbernolte votes aye Mister James Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Houchen. Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister Frey. Miss Lee. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Miss Fedorchek. Mister Palone.

Aye.

Mister Palone votes aye Mister Gett

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye Mister Kowalski

There's three uh over here.

Mister Kowalski

Mister votes. Okay, so there's no way. Aye. Okay.

Mister Kowalski votes aye Miss Matsui

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye Miss Caster

Aye.

Miss Caster votes aye Mister Tonko

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye Miss Clark

Aye.

Miss Clark votes aye Mister Ruiz Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Mister Dingell. Mister Dingell votes aye. Mister Vesey. Mister Kelly. Mister Kelly votes aye. Mister Berrigan.

Aye.

Mister Berrigan votes aye. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Mister Schreier. Mister Schreier votes aye. Mister Han. Mister Han votes aye. Mister Fletcher. Mister Fletcher votes aye. Mister Costa Cortez. Mr. Casio-Cortez votes aye. Mr. Archaclas. Mr. Archaclas votes aye. Mr. Carter, Louisiana. Mr. Carter, Louisiana votes aye. Mr. Menendez. Mr. Menendez votes aye. Mr. Mullen. Mr. Mullen votes aye. Mr. Landsman. Mr. Landman votes aye. Miss McClellan. Miss McClellan votes aye. Mr. Guthrie.

Aye.

Mr. Guthrie votes aye.

Anyone seeking recognition? How's Mr. Bill Arrakis recorded?

Mister Bill Rackett's not recorded.

Bill Rackett votes aye.

Mister Bill Rackett votes aye.

Mister James.

James aye.

Mister James votes aye.

Mister Flueger.

Aye.

Mister Flueger votes aye.

Anyone on the Democrat side? Seeing none, the clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty-three ayes and zero nays.

The the ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R three four nine one and asks the clerk to report.

H R three four nine one. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a program which

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with and the bill will be open for amendment. at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? Gentleman from North Carolina is recognized to speak on the bill for five minutes.

Thank you, Mister Chairman. Um, I wanna begin by thanking my colleague, Representative Diana DeGette, who's been a real leader on issues affecting the Down syndrome community for a long time and it's been an honor to work very closely with her on this important legislation that the DeAndre Dixon Include Project Act of twenty twenty five. Also wanna thank Michelle C. Whitten and the Global Down Syndrome Foundation for the tremendous work that she has done to raise awareness about these issues, to advocate for research, to provide support for caregivers. They do a- an amazing job and have really, uh, been incredibly beneficial to me as - as I, uh, work on these issues. Uh, this bill, um, authorizes the Include project at NIH, which supports high-risk high reward research on Down syndrome, including ways to improve diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life. Research enabled by the INCLUDE project will lead to breakthroughs in treatment and care, benefiting not only individuals with Down syndrome, but every American, by uncovering links between Down syndrome and conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and certain cancers. People with Down syndrome enrich our world in many unique ways. I first became aware of this because the advocacy of our former Chairwoman, Cathy Morris Rogers, who was a tireless advocate, and uh, meeting her son, Cole, who I've known for his whole life. And Cole is my friend, and uh, and Cole's really opened my eyes uh to - to - to many things. And - and I credit him uh for giving me the - the passion and the inspiration to work on the Deandre Dixon Include Act. Uh, this act will ensure that people with Down syndrome are valued, respected members of soc- of society, and ensures that NIH is supporting their health, enabling them to live their lives to their full potential, with no barriers or bias or obstacles standing in their way. I'm honored to continue and grow research efforts for our beloved neighbors in the Down syndrome community, and I urge a yes vote on H. R. thirty-nine, thirty-four ninety-one. And I ask all of my colleagues to join representative Degat and me in sending a strong message to the Down syndrome community. that we support you, we love you, we value you, and uh we are committed to funding the research that will assure you have a long and healthy life. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Would you yield?

I would be happy to yield to you, Mr. Chairman.

Oh, no, last evening we had a chance to spend some time with uh the group that advocates for for for people that have Down syndrome. And what shocked me last last night of everything there was uh that there were, I can't remember the number, it was like ten to twenty million dollars, if somewhere between there I think, if I've got that correct, spent on Down syndrome research maybe twenty years ago or so. And so all of us are working together and and my good friend Anna DeGat was there, others were there last night and it's over four hundred million, I think somewhere north of that number that's been with all of us all working together, and so many families are affected by it. It changes a family when they have it as uh we heard the the lady said forty years ago my whole life.

Well, thank you, Mister Chairman. I would say, uh, Representative DeGette did a fantastic job presenting an award for Mister Taco, our colleague.

Mm.

It was recognized for his leadership as well,

Thank you. Love that.

so this is truly a bipartisan effort and I'm proud to to work with all of you on this.

Love it.

And with that, I'll yell back again.

Thank you. So you yell back and and I know that uh General Lady from Colorado is seeking recognition and and I know that your your constituent is here earlier and her father, John Sayin of Venice East Band is watching for this moment. So you're welcome.

Yes, thank you.

Yeah.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, and I I just say I was representative of Hudson, I couldn't have a better partner on these issues. But as you see, the chairman cares about this, Mister Tonko cares about this, everybody on this committee cares about it, because uh when we first started working on this some years ago, there was no, virtually no research at the NIH it i- into Down syndrome. And part of it was because, and I s- talked a lot to the former chair, Cathy McMorris-Rogers, about this, people just didn't, just assumed that um that people wouldn't go through with the pregnancies or that the or that the children wouldn't live long and so they just just sort of abandoned them but when when we started authorizing research into this what we learned is that there are many co-occurring conditions within down syndrome and this cross institute research that we're doing can help us not just learn about down syndrome but many other diseases including heart disease, alzheimer's, certain types of tumors, and more. And I'm so proud because much of this work is happening right in my home state of Colorado, where the Cernic Institute for Down Syndrome on the Andrews Medical Campus leads more than two hundred scientists in the largest Down syndrome research facility in the world. And they're f- they're having incredible breakthroughs every day. And so what what we've done um and i'm so proud of this committee and it did start with representative mcmorris rogers is it puts science and inclusion in front of politics and it benefits everybody living with down syndrome and their families um since we started this effort there's been a ten year increase in life expectancy with the for those with down syndrome think think about that immediate effect and we can have an even higher uh life expectancy if we actually are able to do the research. And so so I'm I'm happy about this renaissance re renaissance in Down syndrome research. I'm happy we're doing this bill. I would just say the four hundred million dollars was over twenty years. We need to compress that a lot. And I look forward to working with you, Mister Chairman, and um and with representative Hudson and Tonko and everybody else to actually authorize a much larger investment, so that we can truly deal with this research that's so vital. And I will yield back.

Gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion? I know the gentleman from New York and you were recognized and honored last night and well deserved. Gentleman of the honoree of last night and general and the gentleman from New York is recognized.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I move to strike the last word. Thank you. I just wanted to offer a quick word of support for my colleagues, Representative DeGette and Representative Hudson, for championing this great piece of legislation, the DeAndre Dixon Include Project Act. I had the honor, along with my colleagues, of spending last evening with the Down syndrome community and can tell you firsthand how important this bill is in having the impact that this research agenda is having. Already these investments have led to major breakthroughs in how Down syndrome interacts with other health conditions that have a high incidence in the community, such as immune system disorders, liver dysfunction, sleep apnea, cancer, Alzheimer's and more. In fact, with the uh project act that we did for Alzheimer's, where we put together a national plan for responding to Alzheimer's, uh through the research they're kind of getting more and more focused into the down community, uh because of the early earlier um onset of uh Alzheimer's and that given uh bit of population so a lot of hope and promise with all of this investment every one of these breakthroughs carries the hope for a brighter tomorrow for individuals living with down syndrome i'd also like to recognize that this progress doesn't happen without sustained advocacy earlier when michelle was here i indicated that uh her role with the uh global down syndrome foundation as founder of the michelle c uh whitten effort uh that she is a champion uh offers such great advocacy and uh it's really hard to be credited with so much of the progress that we're making in this uh whole realm. So again thanks to our co-leads, representatives DeGette and Hudson for their leadership and look forward to supporting this bill and empowering the down down community which uh deserves every bit of our respect and attention so with that Mister Chair, I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Did you Jim and Yelback?

Oh, I did, yeah, yeah, Yelback, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. Yeah. We were just discussing, I'm sorry that um someone had adopted someone with Downsdale and what a wonderful wonderful people that ta- that are we we have a world of wonderful people, don't we? Um well uh any further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, do we have a name? We didn't. Seeing none, the motion the question now occurs on adopting

Mister Lotta. Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bill Rackus. Mister Bill Rackus votes aye. Mister Hudson. Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Veeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Mister Olbernoldte. Mister Olbernoldte votes aye. Mister James. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Miss Houchen.

Aye.

Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister Fry. Mister Fry votes aye. Miss Lee.

Aye.

Miss Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy.

Aye.

Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans.

Aye.

Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Miss Fedorchek.

Aye.

Miss Fedorchek votes aye. Mister Pallone. Mister Pallone votes aye. Mister Gett. Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Schakowsky.

Aye.

Mister Schakowsky votes aye. Mister Matsui.

Aye.

Mister Matsui votes aye. Mister Caster.

Aye.

Mister Caster votes aye. Mister Tonko. Mister Tonko votes aye. Mister Clark.

Aye.

Mister Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz. Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Mister Engel.

Aye.

Mister Engel votes aye. Mister Vesey. Mister Kelly. Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier. Miss Schreier votes aye. Mister Ann. Mister Ann votes aye. Miss Fletcher. Miss Fletcher votes aye. Mister Castillo-Cortez. Mister Castillo-Cortez votes aye. Mister Oskinclos. Mister Oskinclos votes aye. Mister Carter, Louisiana. Mister Carter, Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Mullen votes aye Mister Lansman Mister Lansman votes aye Miss McClellan Miss McClellan votes aye Mister Guthrie

Aye.

Mister Guthrie votes aye

Mister Flueger. Mister Lansman.

Mister Flueger votes aye

Mister James.

Aye.

Mister James votes aye

Again.

Anyone on your Isn't a net uh Miss Baragon.

Miss Baragon is not recorded

Why?

Mister Baragon votes aye

Why would you do that?

Seeing no one else here uh for the roll call, the question the clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty-six ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have it, and the bill is adopted. I'm sorry. The chair calls up HR six two three and asks the clerk to report. Oh. You lose, John, where where's it going? All right, thanks. We'll see where they are when they're here. All right. All right, the chair calls up six three two eight and asks the clerk to report.

H R six two three eight. A bill to establish the improved initiative within the national influence of

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dispensed with, and the bill will be open for amendment at any point. So ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? The gentlelady from for our purpose, gentlelady from Tennessee seek recognition.

Miss Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Was there anybody to speak on the bill first? If not, we can speak on the amendment. So the clerk will report.

Amendment H six two three eight dash FCR dash AINS underscore O one. Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H R six two three eight.

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and the gentlelady from Tennessee is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, I'm glad to see this committee's taken up HR uh six two three eight, the NIH IMPROVE Act, led by our representatives Underwood and Fitzpatrick. You know, unfortunately, the United States has one of the highest maternal mortality and morbidity rates among uh most developed countries. And the worst thing is most of these deaths are preventable. This legislation codifies the NIH Improve initiative that supports research to reduce preventable causes of maternal deaths and improve health for women during, before, during and after pregnancy, and this amendment's merely technical and it matches the funding to the most uh recently appropriated amount. And I ask you to support this legislation and ensure that moms thrive through pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. And thank you, and with that I yield back.

General Lady yields back. So, so we'll start with the general lady from uh, why don't we have the general lady from Colorado seek recognition.

I'm gonna strike the last word.

So, general lady is r- is recognized to speak on the amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, obviously, no pregnancy related death is acceptable in one of the most technologically developed nations in the world. But shockingly, as as my colleague, Miss Harshbarger, mentioned, the United States actually has the highest rate of maternal mortality in developed nations in the entire world. And what's worse is our rates for uh people of color is even higher. And so thanks to state maternal mortality review committees, support for which Congress reauthorized in February, we now understand the problem. But only because of the research done through the NIH IMPROVE initiative, do we also begin to understand the solution. More than eighty percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. The IMPROVE initiative investigates the lead causes of these deaths, supports the development of interventions to prevent them, and importantly, identifies factors that contribute to disparities in maternal health. because white women die of maternal causes at a rate of fourteen per a hundred thousand, but that rate is forty-five in a hundred thousand, exponentially higher for black women. And I was just looking at some data for Louisiana, for example, their rate of maternal mortality is exponentially higher than places like California. Now, we need to all work together, now that we're identifying the problem, to solve the problem. That's why this bill is such an important bill. I want to congratulate the lead sponsors, uh, representatives Underwood and Fitzpatrick, but also people like Congresswoman Kelly who have been working on these issues for many many years. I support the bill, I hope that we can pass it, and I yield. Do you want me to yield to you? I'll yield to Miss Kelly.

Thank you so much, Congresswoman DeGette. I too just wanna lift this bill. I have been working on this topic for almost ten years now, since I got a phone call from a constituent that said I wanna tell you a story. And she told me a story about a black woman who was resource educated and in good health and died after giving birth to her second child. And as you said, so many of these births are preventable, eighty to eighty-four percent. And uh black women do die three to one times the rate of white women, but in places like Chicago, it's five times the rate. Uh, so in other places it's even higher than that. This is so very important in the richest country in the history of the world. There is no reason why we rank so poorly in our women, all women giving births. So I just want to thank the sponsors of the bill and hope that uh my colleagues pass this. Thank you.

General lady yields back. The general lady from Texas, Miss Fletcher, is recognized for five minutes.

Thank you so much, Mister Chairman, I move to strike the last word. Um, thank you. Well, I agree that it is critical um that the NIH Improve initiative has sufficient and consistent funding which is why I support the NIH Improve Act and the amendment. uh to secure the funding um i also agree entirely with what my colleagues representatives deget and kelly just um mentioned about the um shameful maternal mortality rates in this country um in where i live in houston harrys county we have one of the highest uh maternal mortality rates in the country and in the developed world and uh there's it's just absolutely essential that we have funding for research on maternal care and mortality um to address this crisis. And this bill is a really important part of this research. We have to understand what is happening, why it's happening, and how we stop it. Um, so while I support this bill and this program, and I'm an original sponsor of the Momnibus, um original cosponsor of the Momnibus package, so much important work we need to do around maternal health care. We really can't talk about research funding without acknowledging the cuts that the Trump administration has made to women's health programs, and to the NIH. And this Congress has done nothing so far to prevent the administration from making these cuts, slashing these programs, and attacking women's health care more broadly. Over the last year, the Trump administration has obstructed the important, essential work of the Title X family planning funding program at every turn, from freezing its funding to firing the civil servants who administer it. Um, and President Trump has proposed eliminating the Title X program again in his fiscal year twenty twenty seven budget. And, you know, I like to say Title X was born in Texas seven, um, because it was introduced in Congress more than fifty years ago by my predecessor in this seat, Congressman George H. W. Bush. He was the person who introduced this program in Congress. It has long had bipartisan support, and I hope that we can come back around to having bipartisan support for family planning funding, just as today we're seeing bipartisan support to address the maternal mortality crisis. We need these essential family planning funding funds and programs and we need preventative health care services. Um, and so, you know, among the actions that we've seen in the last year, um, you know, the one big beautiful bill prohibits Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving federal Medicaid funds for a year, and that cuts off essential health services. When we're talking about women's access to health care, we cannot keep them from the places where they go to get that health care. And women across this country have relied on Planned Parenthood for generations to get reliable, accurate, appropriate medical health care, reproductive health care. And this Congress is cutting them off from the providers that they go to for that health care. And so we need to do better. And we can do better. There is no reason why we can't come together to support the health of all women through their pregnancies and throughout their reproductive lives. And so we just need to work to ensure that we protect these essential programs, like Title X, from attacks from this administration and from the groups that want to separate women from access to care. Um, and in addition, as I mentioned earlier with just this minute I have left, I'm really concerned by this administration's grants overall, the cuts to NIH. And, you know, over the last year I've heard from so many people who work at the Texas Medical Center and who live in my district who have struggled to maintain their research projects because of the cuts to the NIH grant funding and the failure to issue the funding opportunity notices. And I think we talked about this in a hearing in our subcommittee, but since taking office, the Trump administration has terminated twenty-three hundred NIH research grants and eliminated almost two and a half billion in research funding. Why? I don't know. Was it so the president could create a slush fund to give out to

We could get

people who attack the Capitol and Capitol Police officers on January sixth? I don't know. But we need to make sure that we are not allowing that, either of those things. We can't cut NIH funding and we should all vote against this slush fund when it comes before us. So, with that, I am running out of time. I wanna thank you for the opportunity, um, to share my thoughts on this. I encourage everyone to vote for, uh, this.

Thank you. The gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Gentlelady from Virginia is recognized for five minutes to discuss the amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chair, as you've heard, the United States is facing a maternal health crisis. As compared to other high income countries, we have the highest rate of maternal deaths. Twenty twenty three is the most recent year for which avail data is available. And while in that year the national maternal mortality rate declined, black women remain still three times more likely to die as white and Hispanic women from a pregnancy-related death.

Mm-hmm.

Women aged forty and older experience mortality rates nearly five times higher than those younger than twenty-five. And in some states, unfortunately like Virginia, after significant improvement from peak deaths in twenty twenty-one, maternal mortality rates got worse in twenty twenty-three. Eighty per seve- eighty-seven percent of these deaths are preventable. This crisis is not just statistics. I almost became one of those statistics eleven years ago, when my daughter and I both nearly died when my placenta ruptured, because I had placenta previa, and I needed an emergency C-section nine weeks before my daughter was due. I was one of the lucky ones, because I had access to good health care and was able to get all of the prenatal care that I needed and the postnatal care. But too many women in America aren't so lucky. The factors driving these mortality rates vary, but they include heart disease, cardiovascular issues, which is the leading cause of death in the months following delivery, increased chronic conditions such as diabetes, hemorrhaging, mental health and substance abuse, and the lack of pre-del- pre-natal care as access to prenatal care declines with nearly one in four women beginning their care after missing those critical appointments when they can detect and address risks early. Gaps in postpartum care, maternal care deserts, and Medicaid cuts will make this worse as fewer women have access to this critical care, as rural hospitals either close or like the one in Lynchburg, Virginia, close their labor and delivery departments citing Medicaid cuts, as fewer providers go into the OBGYN, a field due to low reimbursement rates and fear around uh legal liability as this will get worse. And so the NIH Improve Act by Reps Underwood and Fitzpatrick is a very important first step. It cannot be the last. I agree with Rep Flesher that we need to ensure that we have the workforce to collect and analyze the data through this research at the federal level. We need to address our collapsing public health safety net. And we need to build on the work of champions like Representative Kelly to address this crisis. I am hopeful we will consider the momnibus bill, a package of fourteen bills that aim to address root causes of maternal health challenges, provide support to mothers, and further study how we can build a better system for every American family in need of care. We can and we must do better. Our moms deserve. for us to do better. And so I urge my colleagues to vote on this and continue this important work to finally end the maternal mortality crisis in America. I yield back.

The gentlelady yields back. Is there further discussion on the amendment? Seeing none. No further discussion of the vert the vote occurs on the amendment. All those in favor shall say aye. Aye. All those opposed nay. The ayes have it, the amendment is agreed to. Are there further amendments? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting HR six two three eight. As amended, a roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bilracus. Mister Bilracus votes aye. Mister Hudson. Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Mister Obernolte. Mister Obernolte votes aye. Mister James. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Howchand. Miss Howchand votes aye. Mister Frey. Miss Lee. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Mister Fedorchik. Mister Palone. Mister Palone votes aye. Mister Gett. Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Kowalski.

Aye.

Mister Kowalski votes aye. Mister Matsui.

Aye.

Mister Matsui votes aye. Mister Caster.

Aye.

Mister Caster votes aye. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Oh, okay. Mister Clark. Mister Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz. Mister Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters. Mister Peter votes aye. Miss Dingell?

Aye.

Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Risse. Miss Kelly. Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan.

Aye.

Mister Soto.

Aye.

Miss Schreier. Miss Trahan.

Aye.

Miss Trahan votes aye. Miss Fletcher.

Aye.

Miss Fletcher votes aye. Miss Ocasio-Cortez.

Aye.

Mister Cortez votes aye. Mister Oskinclaus. Mister Oskinclaus votes aye. Mister Carter, Louisiana. Mister Carter, Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Mullen votes aye. Mister Lansman. Mister Landon votes aye. Mister McClellan. Mister McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie. Mister Guthrie votes aye.

Anybody seeking to answer the roll call? Mister Carter?

Mister Carter is not recorded.

Aye.

Mister Carter votes aye.

Mister James.

Mister James not recorded.

Mr. Hu-

Miss Ferdorchek.

Mister James votes aye.

Aye.

Ferdorchek. Did you get Ferdorchek?

Miss Dorchek votes aye.

Lee? Miss Lee?

Aye.

Miss Lee votes aye.

Mister Hudson?

I'll just vote aye. Mister Hud- Mister Hudson votes aye.

Anyone on the Democrat side? Seeing none, uh, the clerk will report. Oh, it's before the clerk reports, is Mitch Schreier recorded?

Mitch Schreier is not recorded.

Doctor Schreier, I'm Paul. Doctor Schreier has said aye. You got it?

Doctor Schreier votes aye.

Clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty-six

The ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R eight two O five and asks the clerk to report. Without objection, the first room of the bill is dispensed with, the bill will be open for amendment at any point. So ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill?

We'll get an answer. There's a possibility.

Oh, Mr. DelCasse. Okay, seeing seeing none, are there any amendments to the bill? What purpose, gentlemen, from Florida Seat recognition?

Well, I have an amendment at the desk, Mr. Speaker.

Worker report the amendment. Zero two.

Yeah.

Do you have the amendment? Did you designate the amendment? I'm sorry.

It's uh zero two.

Eight two O five.

H eight two zero five dash FCR dash AINS underscore O two, amendment in the nature of a substitute.

Without objection,

Good evening, sir.

we're reading the amendment in suspense with the gentleman from Florida, he's recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Thank you very much, uh, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate it. Uh, ALS as you know is a devastating disease that gradually takes away a person's ability to move, speak, eat and breathe. And today, there is still no cure. For many families, time is the greatest challenge. Patients living with ALS cannot afford to wait through years of slow research and regulatory timelines. Congress recognized this reality when it passed the ACT, the act for uh ALS in twenty twenty one. The goal was to accelerate research, improve coordination, and expand access to promising investigational uh therapies. Since then, the program has helped strengthen collaboration between researchers, regulators, manufacturers, and patient advocates working to better understand and treat als this amendment continues that work by extending these programs through twenty thirty one while making targeted improvements develop in coordination with fda and ihhs and stakeholder groups to help address challenges you need to rare disease drug development including clinical trial enrollment safety reporting and the use of small patient population data to support future approvals. It also strengthens oversight by requiring an updated FTA action plan and additional reporting on FTA's progress. Importantly, this legislation recognizes that advances made in ALS research may also help patients living with other rare uh neurodegenerative diseases. While there is still much work to be done, continuing to support research, innovation, and access to promising therapies offers hope to patients and, and families confronting these devastating diseases every single day. I appreciate Mr. Quigley's leadership on this particular effort, and I'm proud to cosponsor this particular bill. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment and the underlying bill. Thank you.

The gentleman yields back. Is there a discussion on the amendment? Seeing no, is there further, this gentleman from Virginia is recognized for five minutes to speak on the amendment.

Yeah, I generally try not to slow these things down and and and I appreciate it, but this one's important to me on two counts. One, you remember nature substitute of course continues the work we've been doing on ALS. Uh, some of you may recall that I've talked about this on a number of occasions, but for whatever reason my my neighborhood in the Roanoke Valley appears to be a hot spot. Uh, one of my mentors in the Virginia House of Delegates who was uh ahead of me by a couple of years, but whose kids swam on the swim team, uh died of this on uh Christmas Eve a number of years ago. Uh, another friend of mine, uh Rob Lawson, who was one of my swimming friends, uh died from ALS um uh just four years ago, and he he would call me all the time and he'd say, " What are we, what have you got going? What research is going on? What are you all doing?" this is extremely important uh for those kinds of things. And then you talk about and and I've known others, uh Mike Ahearn, you all don't know Mike, but his sister was uh John Warner's uh Chief of Staff for many years, Susan McGill. And the list goes on and on and we don't know why. They're still doing research on why there's some hot spots, but I asked about it one time in a hearing and they said, yeah, there are hot spots uh in the areas and and I know more people than the statistics would indicate I ought to know. who've died of this um disease. And then the other neuro de degenerative diseases have been included in the aims, and I think that's important because they they research overlaps. And uh I also have uh two families that I know that are afflicted with Huntington's disease. So, Mister Chairman, this is important legislation, I appreciate that it's moving fast and we're trying to get out of here, but I just felt compelled that I ought to say something in support of this. This is when it really makes you um, quite proud to serve on this committee, uh, because we do get a lot of good things done, and when it comes to these kinds of maladies, there is no partisanship. It is us working together, uh, for the benefit of the people of the United States. And I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion? Seeing none. There's no further discussion. The vote occurs on the amendment. All those in favor shall signify by saying aye.

Aye. Aye.

Aye. All those opposed nay. The ayes have it. Are there any further amendments? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting HR two zero five as amended. A c- roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye. Oops.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bill Rackus. Mister Bill Rackus votes aye. Mister Hudson. Mister Hudson votes aye Mister Car- Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer votes aye Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye Mister Weber.

Yep.

Mister Weber votes aye Mister Allen. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Mister Olbernulty. Mister Olbernulty votes aye. Mister James.

Aye.

Mister James votes aye. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Houchen. Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister Frey. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Miss Fedorchek. Miss Fedorchek votes aye. Mister Pilon. Mister Pilon votes aye. Mister Gett. Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Schakowsky.

Aye.

Mister Schakowsky votes aye. Mister Matsui.

Aye.

Mister Matsui votes aye. Mister Castor.

Aye.

Mister Castor votes aye. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss Clark.

Okay, it's best to make it.

Miss Clark. Miss Clark votes aye. Miss Ruiz. Miss Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Miss Dingell. Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Vesey. Miss Kelly. Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berion. Miss Berion votes aye. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier. Mr. Shire votes aye. Mr. Ann. Mr. Shand votes aye. Miss Fletcher.

Aye.

Miss Fletcher votes aye. Miss Acasio-Cortez.

Aye.

Miss Acasio-Cortez votes aye. Mister Oshkin-Closs. Mister Oshkin-Closs votes aye. Mister Carter of Louisiana. Mister Carter of Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Mullen votes aye. Mister Landsman. Mister Landsman votes aye. Mister McClellan. Mr. McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie? Mister Guthrie votes aye.

Is there anyone, Mister Carter?

Mister Carter is not recorded.

Aye.

Mister Carter votes aye.

Anyone on the Republican side, Democrat side? Seeing none, the clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty-six ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R two seven one five and asks the clerk to report.

H R two seven one five. A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dismissed with and the bill will be open for amendment at any point. So ordered, is there any discussion on the bill? Seeing none, are there any dis are there any amendments to the bill? The gentleman from Louisiana is recognized for five minutes.

Okay. Please, please.

Oh, no, excuse me. The gentleman from Louisiana seeks recognition for amendment.

Hmm.

Right.

So,

Yes.

clerk will report you designate your amendment, I'm sorry, I said that wrong.

I have an amendment at the desk, H two one seven dash

If you use your microphone, it might help.

H

Thank you.

Amendment at the desk H two seven one five dash FCR gains underscore zero one point XML.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H R two seven one five.

Record of a report? Record of a report to amendment. Oh, go ahead. Yes.

Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H R two seven one five

Without objection, the reading of the amendment is dispensed with and a gentleman from Louisiana is recognized for five minutes in support of the amendment.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, I'm proud to have introduced H R twenty seven the destruction of hazardous imports act with my Louisiana colleague, Representative Clay Higgins, to crack down on the re-importation of harmful products rejected by the federal inspectors. This bill authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to require an importer to destroy an FDA regulated product refused entry into US because uh it posed a significant public health concern at the importer's expense. This bill also prohibits the unauthorized movement of any article designated for destruction by the FDA. This bipartisan amendment, in the nature of a substitution, clarifies a timeline for the agency to issue proposed and final regulations. It also mandates that these regulations include the due process procedures for the owner of or consignee of an import subject to an order of destruction. At our March legislative hearing, we heard from experts witness witnesses about the need for these reforms. Under current law, foreign exporters can ship contaminated or counterfeit products to the U S, US knowing they can withdraw and then take the shipment if FDA has flagged it to try and enter another port, a practice known as port shopping. This loophole endangers our health and undermines our food and safety systems. Some imported foods, especially sea food, have been found to be contaminated with carcinogenic drugs, pesticides, and other harmful impurities. Beyond food, there has been a rise in imports of dangerous vape devices and e-liquids containing banned substances and excessive nicotine, as well as counterfeit drugs like GLP-ones. This threat is real and it is documented. Export exporters, especially Chinex Chinese exporters have been caught resubmitting rejected shipments in different ports, heightening the need for this particular piece of legislation. This bill closes that loophole and creates a different, a deterrent for bad actors. Providing this authority has been uh providing this authority has been a bipartisan priority for both the Biden and Trump administration. It is also supported from a broad group of industry and consumer safety organizations, including the Southern Shrimp Alliance, Louisiana Farm Bureau Federation, Partnership for Safe Medicines, National Association of State-Controlled Substances Authorities, and the National Consumer League, among many others. This is one of those measures that you ask yourself Why hasn't this been done already? Not sure, but we have an opportunity to do it now. This will go a long way to demonstrating to our people who do the right thing that we're watching, we're paying attention, and we're not gonna continue to have them undercut by people who seek to bring in inferior products into our marketplace and unfairly compete with our people that are right here in Louisiana or in our country. Thank you and I urge adoption of this amendment and passage of this critical information. And, Mr. Chairman, I yield.

Thank you. The gentleman yields back. Is anyone seeking uh purpose in discussing the amendment? Seeing none, no further discussion. Are there any further amendments? If there're no further discussion, the vote occurs on the amendment. All those in favor shall signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All those opposed nay. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. And with the further amendments, seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting HR two seven one five as amended. A roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith.

Aye.

Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bilraqus.

Aye.

Mister Bilraqus votes aye. Mister Hudson.

Si.

Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye.

Mister.

Mister Allen. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Mister Olbenalte. Mister James. Mister James votes aye Mister Bentz Mister Bentz votes aye Mister Houchen Mister Houchen votes aye Mister Frey Mister Lee Mister Lee votes aye Mister Langworthy Mister Langworthy votes aye Mister Cain

Aye.

Mister Rooley Mister Evans Mister Evans votes aye Mister Goldman Mister Goldman votes aye Mister Fedorchek

Aye.

Mister Fedorchek votes aye

Please.

Mister Polon

Aye.

Mister Palone votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye. Mister Kowalski.

Aye.

Mister Kowalski votes aye. Mister Matsui.

Aye.

Mister Matsui votes aye. Mister mister Caster. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Mister Clark. Mister Clark votes aye. Mister Ruiz. Mister Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Mister Dingell. Mister Dingell votes aye. Mister Bici. Miss Kelly.

Aye.

Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreier. Miss Schreier votes aye. Miss Trahant. Miss Trahant votes aye. Miss Fletcher. Miss Fletcher votes aye. Mister Costo-Cortez. Mister Costo-Cortez votes aye. Mister Achincloss. Mister Achincloss votes aye. Mister Carter, Louisiana. Mister Carter, Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye Mister Mullen Mister Mullen votes aye Mister Lansman Mister Landman votes aye Mister McClellan Mister McClellan votes aye Mister Guthrie Mister Guthrie votes aye

Anyone's taking recognition for the roll call? Mister Hudson?

Hudson votes aye.

Mister Hudson votes aye

Carter, Mister Carter?

Carter votes aye.

Mister Carter votes aye

Anyone on the other side? Saying none, the Clark Group Report.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty-three ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have it and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R two eight two one and asks the clerk to report.

H R two eight two one, a bill to require the secretary of health and human services

Without objection, the first reading of the bill is dismissed and the bill will be open for amendment at any point. So, order, does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? The gentleman for Georgia, what purpose do you seek recognition?

Mister Speaker, Mister Chairman, I move to strike last words.

You're recognized to speak for five minutes on the bill.

Mister Chairman, many of our families would feel incomplete without the pets and animals that bring unconditional love to our lives. However, there are millions of animals in our country that are forced into inhumane Yet every year millions of animals are still subjected to inhumane testing in the development of pharmaceuticals. As policymakers, we have a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves. That includes ensuring we embrace modern scientific innovation that can reduce unnecessary animal suffering while advancing medical progress. That is why in twenty twenty-two I was proud to help lead passage of the FDA Modernization Act two point O. which for the first time allowed drug developers to use modern, animal-free testing methods as alternatives to traditional animal testing. Congress made its intent clear, we wanted to reduce outdated testing requirements and encourage more effective, humane, and innovative approaches to drug development. Unfortunately, the Biden administration failed to fully implement that law, eliminating its effectiveness and leaving too many animals still at risk. That's why I introduced the FDA modernization three point O. This legislation ensures that the FDA finally carries out the will of Congress and the American people by fully embracing modern alternatives to animal testing. This bill will help reduce and replace the use of animals in non-clinical research, while also improving the efficiency of the drug development process and helping bring life-saving treatments to patients faster. This is a common-sense bipartisan step forward for science, for innovation, and for animal welfare. I urge my colleagues to support the FDA Modernization Act three point O, and I yield back.

Gentleman yields back. Is there any further discussion on the bill? Seeing none, are there any amendments? Oh, I'm sorry, Mister L- I'm sorry, the gentleman from New York is recognized for five minutes on the bill.

Um, Mister Chairman, I I'd like to speak in support of uh HR twenty eight twenty one. Uh, we We have AI computer modeling, lab grown human tissue and other advanced technologies that can increasingly replace many forms of animal testing. Yet thousands of animals are still being bred and confined for experimentation across the country. I've spent a lot of time bringing attention to the horrific conditions at Ridgeland Farms in Wisconsin. Thousands of beagles, packed into stacked cages, living above their own waist, bred for one purpose. Experimentation. Many of these dogs never leave those cages except to undergo painful testing and eventually be euthanized. They never experience a normal human home. What is happening at Ridgeland Farm is not an isolated case. There is beagle breeding facilities across the country, and there's one just outside my district in western New York, Marshall Farms in Wayne County, where roughly thirty thousand dogs are bred every year for experimentation. I drove to the facility myself and I stood out. What stood out to me most was that many of these animals will spend most of their life, if not all of it, in confinement. And cases like these are exactly why HR twenty eight twenty one is so important. The FDA modernization act three point O would help move us away from outdated animal testing practices and towards newer technologies that can produce more reliable human-related results. Taxpayer dollars should not continue to fund unnecessary and invested invasive testing on cats and dogs, when better alternatives are increasingly available. Uh, I've heard loud and clear from constituents and from people, frankly, in all fifty states of this country who are horrified what's happening inside some of these facilities, and they want Congress to act. Ridgeland Farms may be shutting down operations, but facilities across the country, including in New York, are still continuing these practices. I'm not gonna stop fighting until we move closer to ending unnecessary animal

The gentleman yields back. Is there any people taking recognition? Gentleman from Louisiana, Mister Carter is recognized for five minutes.

Uh, thank you, Mister Chairman. I move to strike the last word. I'm proud to speak in support of HR twenty one twenty eight twenty one, the FDA Modernization Act three point O, introduced by Representative Buddy Carter, I am proud to co-lead with the bipartisan coalition of my colleagues, Representative Baragon, Buchanan, Delora, and Hochberger. Over three years ago, the FDA Modernization Act two point O was signed into law, allowing the FDA to approve human drugs without requiring animal testing through modern often more effective alternatives. However, since then, the FDA has not issued updated regulations to clarify where alternatives to animal testing are permissible. This legislation before us requires the FDA to take those steps and to modernize and transform drug development for the twenty-first century and accelerating safer, more humane, and more effective medical breakthroughs. Overall, it's a win for patients, a win for innovation, and a win for animal welfare. I call on my colleagues to join us by supporting this measure And voting yes. Thank you, and I yield.

Jimman yields back. Is there further discussion? Seeing none, are there any amendments? Seeing none, the question now occurs on adopting HR two eight two one. A roll call has been requested and the clerk clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith.

Aye.

Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bellaracus. Mister Bellaracus votes aye. Mister Hudson. Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia.

Aye.

Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer.

Aye.

Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Mister Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Melnyk votes aye. Miss Kammack. Mister Olbernolte. Mister James. Mister James votes aye. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Howichan. Miss Howichan votes aye. Mister Frey. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Kane. Mister Rooley. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Miss Fedorchik.

Aye.

Miss F- Miss Fedorchik votes aye. Mister Polon. Mister Polon votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye. Miss Schakowsky.

Aye.

Miss Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui.

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Caster. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss Clark. Mister Ruiz. Mister Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Mister Dingell. Mister Dingell votes aye. Mister Vesey. Mister Kelly. Mister Kelly votes aye. Mister Barragan. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Mister Schreier. Mister Schreier votes aye. Mister Chan. Mister Chan votes aye. Mister Fletcher. Mister Fletcher votes aye. Mister Acasio-Cortez. Mister Acasio-Cortez votes aye. Mister Achincloss. Mister Achincloss votes aye. Mister Carter of Louisiana. Mister Carter Louisiana votes aye. Mister Menendez. Mister Menendez votes aye. Mister Mullen. Mister Mullen votes aye. Mister Lansman. Mister Landon votes aye. Mister McClellan. Mister McClellan votes aye. Mister Guthrie.

Aye. Anyone seeking recognitions? Mister Allen?

Mister Allen votes aye.

Mister Rooney?

Mister Rooley votes aye.

Anyone on our side? Anyone on the r- your guys? Seeing none, the clerk will report.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty five ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have and the bill is adopted. The chair calls up H R five three four seven. Ask the clerk to report. Two more. Two more.

Turn to the last page.

Are you gonna make it a

H R five three four seven, a bill to amend title eighteen of the

Not objection. The first reading of the bill is dispensed when the bill will be uh bill will be open for amendment at any point. So, word does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill? The gentleman from Virginia, what purpose do you seek recognition?

Uh, I've I request permission to speak to the measure.

The you are recognized for five minutes to speak to the bill.

Thank you very much. I would uh offer my support in favor of H R five three four seven, the Health Care Efficiency through Flexibility Act, which was introduced by Congressman Vern Buchanan and co-led by Congressman Dan Crenshaw. This legislation would reduce red tape for physicians and other health care providers as they participate in the Medicare shared savings program. H R five three four seven would require the secretary to maintain the availability of certain collection types for accountable care organizations also known as uh ACOs, quality reporting under the Medicare share saving program, including electronic clinical quality measures. The bill would also exempt ACOs from certain data submission requirements. These reforms aim to ease administrative burdens for providers participating in ACOs as they move towards newer collection types, like digital quality measures, also known as DQ DQMs. DQMs can often be extracted directly from electronic health records, offer promise to reduce quality reporting uh burdens and costs. This bill will provide more time for providers to transition to newer systems, and technology that supports the DQMs. Lastly, this legislation would establish a pilot program in CMS for digital quality measure reporting, for Medicare Medicare shared savings program ACOs, to help evaluate the DQM reporting. Um, and what's interesting is is that we had this bill in the health subcommittee I guess a week ago or so, and yesterday in our hearing, Mister Chairman, we had discussions about ACOs in this very area, and while this is a small step, in towards reducing costs and making healthcare more affordable, this is an important step. And so I urge my colleagues to support this bill. And with that, I yield back.

The gentleman yields back. Is there further discussion on the bill? Seeing none. Are there any amendments to the bill? Seeing none. The question now occurs on adopting HR five three four seven. A roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mr. Latta. Aye. Mr. Lotta votes aye. Mr. Griffith. Mr. Griffith votes aye. Mr. Bilraqus.

Aye.

Mr. Bilraqus votes aye. Mr. Hudson.

Aye.

Mr. Hudson votes aye. Mr. Carter of Georgia.

Aye.

Mr. Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mr. Palmer.

Aye. Mr. Crenshaw.

Mr. Palmer votes aye. Mr. Dunn. Mr. Crenshaw.

Aye.

Mr. Joyce. Mr. Joyce votes aye. Mr. Weber.

Aye.

Mr. Weber votes aye. Mr. Allen.

Aye.

Mr. Allen votes aye. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye.

Mister S-

Mister Fulcher.

Okay.

Mister Fulcher votes aye.

Mr. Bals- yeah.

Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Mister Olbenalte. Mister James. Mister James votes aye. Mister Bentz. Mister Bentz votes aye. Miss Howchun. Miss Howchun votes aye. Mister Fry. Mister Lee. Aye. Mister Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy. Aye. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Aye. Mister Rooley votes aye. Mister Evans. Aye. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Mister Fedorchek. Aye. Mister Fedorchek give vote Mister Fedorchek votes aye. Aye. Mister Pilon. Mister Pilon votes aye. Mister Gett. Aye. Miss K votes aye. Miss Schakowsky.

Aye.

Miss Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui.

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Castor. Mister Tonko.

Mister Riese. Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Mister Clark or Miss Clark. Mister Ruiz. Mister Peters. Mister Peters votes aye. Miss Dingell. Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Risse. miss kelly miss kelly votes aye miss bergon mr. soto mr. soto votes aye miss schreier miss schreier votes aye miss trahan miss trahan votes aye miss fletcher miss fletcher votes aye mr. costo cortez mr. costo cortez votes aye mr. oshkincloss

aye

mr. oshkincloss votes aye mr. carly louisiana Mr. Carl Louisiana votes aye. Mr. Menendez. Mr. Menendez votes aye. Mr. Mullen. Mr. Mullen votes aye. Mr. Lansman. Mr. Lansman votes aye. Miss McClellan. Miss McClellan votes aye. Mr. Guthrie.

Aye.

Mr. Guthrie votes aye.

Is Mister Weber seeking recognition? I- Anybody on the Republican side seeking to answer the roll call? Any on the Democrat side? Seeing none, uh, the clerk will report.

what do you do for the income of the company your your

Chairman, on that vote there are forty-four ayes and zero nays.

The uh ayes have it and the bill is adopted. And for a call to the final bill, I thank everybody for their patience today, for their hard work getting through these. Absolutely wanna thank our staffs and the hard work they did and the cooperation everybody has had to get these bipartisan bills out to committee to the floor so we can get these passed to the Senate. The chair calls up H R seventeen, w- excuse me, one seven zero three and asks the clerk to report.

H R one seven zero three, a bill to amend title of

Not objection to first reading the bill's dispense with. The bill will be open for amendment at any point so ordered. Does anyone seek to be recognized on the bill?

Mr. Chair.

What purpose does a gentleman from New Jersey seek recognition?

Mr. uh, Chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania moves to speak.

New Jersey, that's a New Jersey, Pennsylvania, we were just talking about.

Hey, Mr. Chairman, I move to speak in favor of

Um, a long day, I'm sorry. M- gentleman from Pennsylvania, speak on the bill, you're recognized for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to offer my support for this important piece of legislation before the full committee today that would strengthen patient access to care. H R seventeen O three, the choices for increased mobility act, clarifies the payment roles for manual wheelchairs under Medicare part B, and will give seniors the opportunity to exercise their own choice when it comes to medical equipment. Specifically, the bill allows Medicare patients the opportunity to decide whether a titanium or a carbon fiber wheelchair is right for them. Then the patients with Medicare Part B have the ability to pay out-of-pocket for wheelchair upgrades. If that is their choice, the operative word here is " choice". To achieve this, H. R. seventeen O three creates two new wheel wheelchair codes, and enables upgrades within an existing code, removing the current obstacles in place and offering the upgraded benefit to end users at no additional charge to CMS. Again, no additional charge to CMS. The subcommittee should be encouraged that Medicare patients have the opportunity to take full advantage of their healthcare benefits, and more important, giving them that choice that will directly impact their lives. This bipartisan legislation will remove the barrier that since two thousand sixteen has impeded access to lightweight, durable medical equipment for individuals who live day-to-day with mobility impairments. I would like to thank the cosponsors of this bill, especially Doctor Schreier of Washington, and urge support for this underlying legislation. Mister Chairman, I yield back.

Chairman yields back. Is there further discussion? Seeing none, are there any amendments? Seeing none, the question now occurs on HR on adopting HR one seven zero three. A roll call has been requested and the clerk will call the roll.

Mister Lotta.

Aye.

Mister Lotta votes aye. Mister Griffith. Mister Griffith votes aye. Mister Bilraqus. Mister Bilraqus votes aye. Mister Hudson. Mister Hudson votes aye. Mister Carter of Georgia. Mister Carter of Georgia votes aye. Mister Palmer. Mister Palmer votes aye. Mister Dunn. Mister Crenshaw. Mister Joyce. Mister Joyce votes aye. Mister Weber. Mister Weber votes aye. Mister Allen. Mister Allen votes aye. Mister Balderson. Mister Balderson votes aye. Miss Fulcher. Mister Fulcher votes aye. Mister Flueger. Mister Flueger votes aye. Miss Harshbarger. Miss Harshbarger votes aye. Miss Miller-Meeks. Miss Miller-Meeks votes aye. Miss Kammick. Mister Olbenolte. Mister James. Mister James votes aye. Mister Benz. Mister Benz votes aye. Miss Houchen. Miss Houchen votes aye. Mister Frey. Miss Lee. Miss Lee votes aye. Mister Langworthy. Mister Langworthy votes aye. Mister Cain. Mister Rooley. Mister Rooley votes aye. Mister Evans. Mister Evans votes aye. Mister Goldman. Mister Goldman votes aye. Miss Fedorchik.

Aye.

Miss Fedorchik votes aye. Mister Polon. Mister Polon votes aye. Mister Gett.

Aye.

Mister Gett votes aye. Miss Schakowsky.

Aye.

Miss Schakowsky votes aye. Miss Matsui.

Aye.

Miss Matsui votes aye. Miss Castor. Mister Tonko.

Aye.

Mister Tonko votes aye. Miss Clark. Mister Ruiz. Mister Ruiz votes aye. Mister Peters. Mr. Peters votes aye. Miss Dingell. Miss Dingell votes aye. Mister Vesey. Miss Kelly. Miss Kelly votes aye. Miss Berrigan. Mister Soto. Mister Soto votes aye. Miss Schreyer. Miss Schreyer votes aye. Miss Tran.

Black.

Miss Tran votes aye. Miss Fletcher. Miss Fletcher votes aye. Miss Acasio-Cortez. Miss Acasio-Cortez votes aye. Miss Arjan Closs. Miss Arjan Closs votes aye. Miss Carter-Louisiana.

Yes.

Miss Carter-Louisiana votes aye. Miss Jim Hernandez. Miss Jim Hernandez votes aye. Miss Jim Mullen. Miss Jim Mullen votes aye. Miss Jim Lansman. Miss Jim Lansman votes aye. Miss McClellan. Miss McClellan votes aye. Miss Guthrie.

Aye. Anyone seeking recognition for the roll call? Anyone on the Republican side? Seeing none. Anyone on the Democrat side? Seeing none? Oh, I'm on the Republican side. Oh, Mister Vesey. I'm on the Republican side.

Mister Vesey is not recorded. Mister Vesey votes aye.

Seeing no others, the clerk will report.

Yeah. Okay.

Chairman, on that vote there are forty five ayes and zero nays.

The ayes have it and the bill is adopted. Without objection, staff is authorized to make technical and conforming changes to the legislation approved by the committee today. So ordered and without objection? Hearing no objection, the committee is adjourned.

Thank you.