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10Deletion of Sponsors From Public Bills and Resolutions
Daily Digest
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced
31 public bills, H.R. 2282- 2312; and 10 resolutions, H.J. Res. 79-81; H. Con. Res. 20; and H. Res. 240-241, 243-246, were introduced.
Pages H1217-18
Reports Filed
Reports were filed today as follows: H.R. 1621, to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to submit to Congress a report on the entrepreneurial challenges facing entrepreneurs with a disability, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-31); H.R. 1634, to provide for a memorandum of understanding between the Small Business Administration and the National Council on Disability to increase employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-32); H.R. 1804, to amend the Small Business Act to require a report on 7(a) agents, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-33); H.R. 787, to require plain language and the inclusion of key words in covered notices that are clear, concise, and accessible to small business concerns, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-34); H.R. 789, to require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to issue rules for cancelled covered solicitations, to amend the Small Business Act to provide assistance to small business concerns relating to certain cancelled solicitations, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-35); H.R. 1642, to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to graduates of career and technical education programs for small business development centers and women's business centers, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-36); H.R. 1816, to establish requirements relating to certification of small business concerns owned and controlled by women for certain purposes, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-37); and H. Res. 242, providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 24) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to ``Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers''; providing for consideration of the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 75) providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy relating to ``Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Commercial Refrigerators, Freezers, and Refrigerator Freezers''; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1048) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to strengthen disclosure requirements relating to foreign gifts and contracts, to prohibit contracts between institutions of higher education and certain foreign entities and countries of concern, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 119-38).
Pages H1216-17
Speaker
Read a letter from the Speaker wherein he appointed Representative Hamadeh to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
Page H1193
Recess
The House recessed at 12:23 p.m. and reconvened at 2 p.m.
Page H1195
Recess
The House recessed at 3:55 p.m. and reconvened at 6:30 p.m.
Page H1212
Suspensions
The House agreed to suspend the rules and pass the following measures: Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025: H.R. 359, to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require reporting relating to certain cost-share requirements, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 405 yeas with none voting ``nay'', Roll No. 72;
Pages H1196-97, H1213
Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act
H.R. 730, amended, to coordinate Federal research and development efforts focused on modernizing mathematics in STEM education through mathematical and statistical modeling, including data-driven and computational thinking, problem, project, and performance-based learning and assessment, interdisciplinary exploration, and career connections;
Pages H1197-H1201
United States Research Protection Act
H.R. 1318, to amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to clarify the definition of foreign country for purposes of malign foreign talent recruitment restriction;
Pages H1201-02
Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025
H.R. 1325, to provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote sensing systems;
Pages H1202-04
DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act
H.R. 1326, to provide for Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture joint research and development activities, by a \2/3\ yea-and-nay vote of 372 yeas to 35 nays, Roll No. 73;
Pages H1204-05, H1214
DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act
H.R. 1350, to provide for Department of Energy and National Science Foundation research and development coordination; and
Pages H1205-07
DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act
H.R. 1368, to provide for Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration research and development coordination.
Pages H1207-09
Moment of Silence
The House observed a moment of silence in remembrance of the Honorable Raul M. Grijalva.
Pages H1213-14
Providing for the expenses of certain committees of the House of Representatives in the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress
The House agreed to take from the Speaker's table and agree to H. Res. 198, as amended by Representative Steil, providing for the expenses of certain committees of the House of Representatives in the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress. Expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Raul M.
Pages H1215-16
Grijalva
The House agreed to H. Res. 240, expressing the profound sorrow of the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable Raul M. Grijalva.
Page H1216
Suspension: Proceedings Postponed
The House debated the following measure under suspension of the rules. Further proceedings were postponed. IMPACT Act: H.R. 1534, to strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American industry through the research and development of advanced technologies to improve the efficiency of cement, concrete, and asphalt production.
Pages H1209-12
Presidential Message
Received a message from the President transmitting a notification of the designation as emergency requirements 16 appropriations (including the transfer and repurposing of funds) so designated by Congress--referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 119-31).
Pages H1214-15
Quorum Calls: Votes
Two yea-and-nay votes developed during the proceedings of today and appear on pages H1213 and H1214. Adjournment: The House met at 12 p.m. and adjourned at 7:14 p.m.
Every speech and line is the Congressional Record's own text, read from GovInfo. Speakers are matched to members by GPO's own metadata. Referandom places each turn on the Clerk's video by matching its words: 105 of 144 spoken turns were found. Turns without a time are still listed; they just can't seek.
Morning-Hour Debate
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of January 3, 2025, the Chair will now recognize Members from lists submitted by the majority and minority leaders for morning-hour debate.
The Chair will alternate recognition between the parties, with time equally allocated between the parties and each Member other than the majority and minority leaders and the minority whip limited to 5 minutes, but in no event shall debate continue beyond 1:50 p.m.
Mr. Speaker, during President Trump's inaugural address, he spoke of an aggressive artificial intelligence agenda to keep America competitive with the Chinese Communist Party.
Just a few months later, President Trump announced a historic $1.4 trillion investment into our economy from the United Arab Emirates. This investment will support American artificial intelligence infrastructure. It will support semiconductors made in America. It will support energy production from America. It will support American manufacturing.
Our two nations worked closely together during President Trump's first term to bring peace to the Middle East through the historic Abraham Accords. Now, with President Trump's leadership back in the White House, I am encouraged to see this partnership grow even stronger with this investment.
President Trump promised to bring investment back to the United States, and he is already delivering on this promise just 2 months into his term.
Mr. Speaker, as a leading producer of dairy products in the country, Pennsylvania dairymen know just how important food additives are for the safety of our food supply. However, the FDA's approval process for these additives has resulted in a decades-long approval process that stifles innovation and leaves American farmers falling behind their international competitors.
I am proud to join a bipartisan group of Members on the Innovative FEED Act to streamline this process and cut the approval time down by years.
Nutrient supplements keep our food supply safe and our livestock healthy and allow American farmers to stay competitive on the international market.
Agriculture is a critical industry in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and I am proud to help lead this fight in Congress to give farmers access to the innovative products that they need to compete.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the remarkable life and distinguished legacy of Lloyd Peck, a proud veteran, a beloved community leader, and a true American patriot who passed away on March 17.
Lloyd Peck served as a first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean war. In civilian life, Lloyd filled many various roles as an advocate for veterans. In addition to serving as the commander of the Blair County War Veterans Council, Lieutenant Peck was a founding member of the Blair County Honor Guard, the chief parade marshal for the Memorial Day and the Veterans Day parades in Altoona, and a volunteer at the James E. Van Zandt Medical Center, where he worked tirelessly to help local veterans receive their benefits.
In the true spirit of Semper Fidelis, Lieutenant Peck continually demonstrated his steadfast loyalty to his fellow veterans and continually worked to help our Nation become that more perfect Union.
As we remember Lloyd Peck, we also keep in mind his loved ones, including his wife, Judy; his daughter, Heather; and his sister, Betty. We offer them our condolences and our heartfelt prayers.
Mr. Speaker, please join me, and all members of Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, in remembering the incredible life and legacy of Lieutenant Lloyd Peck.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the body with regard to Social Security and the lack of congressional action.
It might interest people in the audience to know, Mr. Speaker, that it has been over 50 years since Congress has enhanced Social Security on behalf of
Yet, Mr. Speaker, at the same time, we see that Mr. Musk has been charged by the President of the United States to cut $2 trillion from the budget. Mr. Musk has made no bones about the fact that he plans to privatize Social Security and Medicare, amongst others.
Social Security, Medicare, and defense, as a number of people in the audience knows, makes up more than 70 percent of the budget. He has been instructed to find $2 trillion. Coincidentally, that is just about how much Trump's tax cut for the wealthiest 1 percent is, $2 trillion.
Where will it come from, Mr. Speaker? Obviously, he has his designs on Social Security, the only one of those entities--defense, Medicare, and Medicaid--that has a trust fund, a trust fund of $2.7 trillion of hardworking people's money.
It might surprise you, Mr. Speaker, to know that, in your district, you have over 183,000 Social Security recipients, over 13,000 who are disabled, 7,000-plus children, 8,000 widows, and 4,000 spouses.
Here is the critical thing: Republicans should wake up in this time of inflation. Your district and every district on average, by the way, receives more than $200 million monthly for its Social Security recipients. Your district, Mr. Speaker, receives $354 million.
That hasn't been changed since 1971. People in America should be outraged by the fact that Congress has not fulfilled its responsibility to act on behalf of its citizens.
Social Security is the number one insurance program in the country, serving over 70 million people. Mr. Speaker, 10,000 baby boomers a day become eligible for Social Security, and Congress continues to ignore them and ignore their needs.
Shamefully, more than 5 million of our fellow Americans get below- poverty-level checks from the wealthiest Nation in the world and the most successful insurance program because of congressional inaction. Most of those 5 million are women, and among those, most of them are women of color.
People have been taxed on their Social Security when they continue to work after retirement, and that is false, as well. I have had a proposal, Mr. Speaker, to correct all of that, to change it, and, by the way, pay for it.
How do we do that, Mr. Speaker? Very simple: We lift the cap on people who pay nothing or very little or are through paying the first day and second day of January. Lifting the cap on over 400,000 people, as President Biden proposed, will provide us the benefits and solvency that Social Security needs.
Why is it that hardworking people in this gallery should pay into a system all their lives and get a benefit, yet billionaires can be excluded and don't have to pay in the same amount or some totally circumvent the law altogether and pay nothing?
It is long overdue, Mr. Speaker, don't you agree, for a vote to take place. For all the citizens in your district, the more than $300 million that comes in, imagine what that does to the local economy in your district, how it will help out the local grocery store, the pharmacy, and, most importantly, the individual families in that region.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that Republicans stand up to join us in enhancing Social Security, not cutting it.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that the rules do not allow references to persons in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today after 5 minutes of fiction to bring a little Iowa reality to Washington, D.C.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate Stephen Buchanan, who secured the 197-pound national wrestling title at the NCAA championships in Philadelphia. His victory was witnessed by President Donald Trump, highlighting the significance of this achievement.
Stephen's journey is one of transformation. Transferring to Iowa for his final season, he found not just a team but a family. Under the guidance of Coaches Tom and Terry Brands, Stephen's passion for wrestling was reignited, propelling him to become a four-time all- American and now a national champion.
Stephen's triumph not only adds to Iowa's storied wrestling legacy but also serves as an inspiration to aspiring athletes nationwide.
Stephen Buchanan exemplifies the power of dedication, resilience, and a community support system.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Stephen on this well-deserved honor. His achievement made the Hawkeye Nation proud.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 33 outstanding nurses from Iowa's First Congressional District who have been named among the 2025 100 Great Iowa Nurses.
These dedicated professionals are at the heart and soul of our healthcare system, showing up every day with compassion, strength, and an unwavering commitment to their patients.
As a former nurse, I understand the immense challenges they face and the dedication required to provide exceptional care.
I am incredibly proud to see so many from our district recognized for their hard work, sacrifice, and service.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the nurses being honored today and all of those across Iowa for their tireless efforts to make our communities healthier, stronger, and better places for everyone. Their work truly makes a lasting difference.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a great Iowan, Glen Keppy.
A lifelong resident of Eldridge, Glen dedicated his life to family, farming, and his community. His passion for agriculture was unmatched. Whether raising award-winning livestock, advocating for Iowa pork producers, or mentoring the next generation of farmers, Glen's impact stretched far beyond the fields.
Glen served his neighbors through organizations like the North Scott Rotary, Farm Bureau, and 4-H, always leading with integrity and kindness.
I saw this firsthand at his visitation last Thursday when there were more people there than I have ever seen at a visitation in my lifetime.
Glen's leadership in agriculture took him all the way here to Washington, D.C., where he served as a political appointee in the George W. Bush administration, working on behalf of rural America. Yet, no matter how far his work took him, his heart remained in Iowa, where he welcomed thousands of students to his farm to share his story of agriculture.
Glen's legacy is one of hard work, service, and an unwavering love for his family.
Mr. Speaker, may his wife, Jean, and their children and grandchildren find comfort in knowing his spirit lives on in the land he nurtured and in the lives he touched. God bless Glen Kempy.
Mr. Speaker, I wish a happy birthday to my brother Fred. Happy birthday, Fred. I also wish my amazing daughter, Taylor, a very happy birthday. Happy birthday, Taylor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Keaton Beasley of Simmons Bank.
Keaton is a graduate of Henderson State University, a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and a banker in Little Rock.
Keaton exemplifies the ethos of a community banker, frequently working with children, adults, and seniors to teach them the importance of financial literacy. His efforts prove it is never too late or too early to learn how to manage your finances.
As a former community banker, I admire his efforts to uplift his community and help those around him build a stronger foundation in finance.
I look forward to seeing Keaton's continued impact in central Arkansas
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor John Edward Hain, Jr., who celebrated his 100th birthday on March 20.
A Little Rock native, John graduated from Catholic High School at age in 1941 and is currently the school's oldest living alumnus.
He is a World War II veteran. John was drafted at 18 and served in England, Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands as an Army corporal in the field artillery attachment of the 5th Army Division, the 9th Army spearhead, the 5th Armored Division, and the 29th Division in Operation Kaput.
John married his wife, Beverly, in 1947. They have 5 daughters, 17 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
After his service to our Nation in World War II, he worked at the Krebs Brothers Supply Company as a traveling salesman, and he retired as president of Krebs after working there for 50 years.
I thank John for his long service to our community, and I congratulate him on reaching this amazing milestone.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Susan Bradshaw and Fawn Borden of PAWS for Justice.
PAWS for Justice is an Arkansas charity that provides courthouse facility dogs to assist witnesses and victims as they go through difficult court proceedings. For children who are recounting heartbreaking terrible events, these dogs provide comfort and support to make those difficult moments just a little bit better.
While these dogs can often cost courthouses around $50,000 each, PAWS for Justice provides them free of charge.
As a proud owner of my great pup, Taft, I have an incredible appreciation for PAWS for Justice's efforts and thank them for their hard work in providing comfort for those who need it the most.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Lance Restum, director of community relations for the Arkansas Travelers baseball team.
Lance has been with the championship-winning Travelers since 2006 and is the founder of the Arkansas Travelers Youth Foundation.
Since 2021, the foundation has been introducing kids across the Natural State to America's pastime. They provide baseball clinics, equipment, grants, and scholarships to get kids active and interested in baseball.
Lance and the foundation's work serve as an excellent example for those of us who want to make a difference in our communities.
I wish Lance and the Arkansas Travelers the best of luck in their new season, and I look forward to my next game at Dickey-Stephens Park.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a true icon in Tennessee basketball, Coach Bubba Luckett of Christian Brothers High School in Memphis. For over 40 years, Bubba Luckett has been more than a coach. He has been a mentor, a role model, and a steadfast leader both on and off the court. This will be Bubba Luckett's final year coaching high school basketball.
Bubba became the heart and soul of CBHS basketball as a player, shattering records along the way. By the time he graduated in 1979, Bubba Luckett had scored almost 1,700 points, holding the record of all-time leading scorer at CBHS for over 40 years. After high school, Bubba was able to play for an elite college basketball team for 4 years at the University of Memphis under Head Coach Dana Kirk and Assistant Coaches Larry Finch and Lee Fowler.
Bubba Luckett's journey came full circle when his own high school coach, Charlie Leonard, invited him to return to CBHS as an assistant basketball coach in the mid-1980s. Several years later, in 1990, Bubba took over as the head coach.
Over the course of 30-plus years as a varsity high school coach, Bubba Luckett has amassed impressive records and stats. Here are just a few:
Over 700 career victories, 10 regional titles, 5 State championship appearances, and 2 State championship titles.
Indeed, Bubba Luckett has dedicated four decades of his life shaping young men into champions, on the court, in the classroom, and also in life.
Mr. Speaker, Reese McMullen is a former standout player at CBHS who was coached by Bubba Luckett. Reese is a true scholar and a gifted athlete, going on to play basketball at the University of Pennsylvania. More importantly, Reese appreciates the coaching at CBHS that prepared him to play college basketball.
Reese told me that Coach Luckett cared so much about all the players that Bubba Luckett emphasized to his young men: Character, academics, and basketball, in that order. Reese told me, and I wrote this down: ``Coach cared about my development beyond basketball. He would also post our grades in the locker room to demonstrate the importance of grades. Coach cared about all aspects of our lives and that it is important to lead by example.''
Mr. Speaker, I also talked with Brother David Poos, the president of CBHS. Brother David told me: Integrity is a hallmark of Bubba Luckett. He is a good role model for the players and students. Bubba is a ``Brothers' Boy'' through and through.
There is no doubt that Coach Luckett's impact at CBHS extends far beyond wins and losses. He has coached almost 50 young men over the years who would go on to play college basketball. As he steps away from the sidelines, Bubba leaves behind not only a successful program, but a family, a brotherhood, and a tradition that will endure for generations. His lasting impact will be all the young men he nurtured in his program.
Now, while he may no longer be drawing plays or calling timeouts, one thing is certain: Bubba Luckett's legacy will always be part of Christian Brothers High School.
Roberta and I wish Bubba, Amy, and their entire family all the best as they begin this next chapter. I thank him for his years of dedication and for the lives that he has influenced through coaching and teaching.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the beginning of Nowruz, an exuberant occasion for the Persian people across the entire world that marks the beginning of the Persian New Year and spring.
During this time, many pause to reflect upon and recognize the blessings of the previous year. Many also take this time to look forward to the coming spring with optimism and gratitude.
Persian culture, and the contributions made to broader civil society through it, deserve to be celebrated by all.
I wish members of the Persian community, both within the United States and across the world, a joyous and memorable holiday.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the remarkable servicemembers of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina.
During a recent base visit, I toured the child development center, the fitness center, and the dorms.
Quality of life remains essential to readiness, along with the CATM upgrades. Aircraft maintenance remains vital, as well as addressing the challenges with delivery of parts and the supply chain.
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base plays a huge role in eastern North Carolina's economy and our national defense.
As an Air Force veteran, I am so proud to represent Seymour Johnson and Wayne County. I will not stop advocating for the base, our warfighters, and eastern North Carolina.
Mr. Speaker, water is a human right. We can't live without it, but far too often our government treats it as just another product to be sold.
In Michigan, the Great Lakes Water Authority voted to increase water rates by 5.9 percent and sewage rates by 4.5 percent. They approved these unaffordable increases despite unanimous and passionate public opposition, Mr. Speaker.
I want folks to imagine how it feels for many of our residents in Detroit who have been living out of hotels for weeks after a massive water main break flooded their neighborhood, their homes, and even their vehicles. Now they are going to have to be paying more for their water.
The Trump administration is already slashing every critical support program that the most vulnerable in our communities, especially our seniors, rely on to pay their bills. This will mean more water shutoffs and more stories of families melting snow and harvesting rainwater to shower and cook with.
Our policy has to meet our principles. Water must be a human right in the United States of America.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contributions of the Iranian-American community and all those who celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
Alongside Congresswoman Lofgren, I am proud to introduce two pieces of legislation today, one which designates March as Iranian-American Heritage Month and the other to provide congressional recognition of Nowruz.
At the same time, I recognize the fear and pain in many communities about the Trump administration's war on immigrants and refugees. I was proud to lead a letter of over 30 Democrats to the President urging him to reconsider an immoral and harmful potential travel ban.
Each year, millions of people around the world join together in celebration of the Persian New Year. The roots lie in ancient, secular Persian traditions and an annual celebration of rebirth, renewal, and community.
I am proud to host perhaps the first Haft Seen table in the Halls of Congress outside of my office, and I thank the many individuals who helped put it together, especially Mitra Ghahramani and Parisa Bahadoran of Designs by Mitra.
This is such a meaningful time for me, as the daughter of Iranian immigrants, and I am honored to be celebrating our community in this special way.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 359) to Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require reporting relating to certain cost-share requirements, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 359, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
H.R. 359, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025, is a good government bill that does exactly what it says: It improves accountability.
Led by Mr. Obernolte, this bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to submit a quarterly report to Congress describing instances where it has modified or waived cost-share requirements and make these reports publicly available.
DOE is subject to cost-share requirements when making awards for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities. This means that each project must have a certain funding percentage, usually at least 50 percent, contributed by the award recipient. However, DOE can modify or eliminate those requirements, when necessary, which is an authority that can be critical to supporting early-stage technologies.
H.R. 359 does not prevent DOE from waiving cost-share requirements. It simply ensures that any changes are reported to Congress and are made public. Transparency and accountability are important because they allow us to track how taxpayer dollars are spent once appropriated to DOE.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I join the chairman of the committee to rise in support of the Cost- Share Accountability Act of 2025.
I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster) for reintroducing this bipartisan, commonsense bill.
The Department of Energy spends billions of dollars every year supporting research, development, demonstration, and commercialization activities. Per the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Department of Energy requires not less than 20 percent for research and development and not less than 50 percent for demonstration or commercial application activities to be provided from a non-Federal source so that all stakeholders have some skin in the game and to control costs for taxpayers.
To ensure that the cost-match requirement is not a barrier to entry, the Secretary of Energy has the discretion to reduce or eliminate this cost-share requirement if the Secretary determines that it is necessary or appropriate to do so.
While it is important that the Secretary has this flexibility, current law contains no permanent requirement for the Department of Energy to notify Congress of the use of this flexible authority to reduce or eliminate such requirements.
Thus, H.R. 359, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025, will direct the Department of Energy to provide quarterly reporting requirements to Congress on the use of the Secretary of Energy's cost- share waiver authority. This bill would ensure that Congress is able to perform its oversight responsibilities and help inform future potential legislation to modify the cost-share requirements.
Mr. Speaker, I again thank our colleagues from both sides of the aisle for introducing and reintroducing this bipartisan bill. I urge everyone to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 359, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise in support of my bill, H.R. 359, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2025. I thank my colleague and my friend from Illinois, Congressman Bill Foster, for leading this bipartisan piece of legislation with me.
Mr. Speaker, cutting-edge research and development and energy technology is often catalyzed through grants awarded by the Department of Energy. Normally those grants come with a cost-sharing requirement usually of around 50 percent. That is important because it makes sure that the entity that the grant is awarded to has some skin in the game, and it also ensures the taxpayers get the best value for their dollar when that grant is performed. However, the Department of Energy has the ability under Federal law to waive or reduce that grant amount.
It has become clear in recent years that it is not transparent when the DOE uses that authority. It is hampering our ability as Members of Congress to provide the oversight necessary into the activities of the DOE.
This bill will impose a quarterly reporting requirement on the Department of Energy during which they must report to Congress and the public occasions under which in the last 90 days they have utilized the ability to reduce or eliminate the cost-share requirement. This will provide us in Congress the information we need to do our job of oversight, and it will also make sure that the ability to reduce or eliminate the cost sharing is used appropriately and in appropriate circumstances.
Mr. Speaker, this is transparent, bipartisan, good government legislation, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, it is a thing of beauty to watch Mr. Obernolte and Mr. Foster legislate together. I have seen it for a number of years on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. It is one of the reasons why I am so excited for H.R. 359 and to see its passage here in the House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for introducing this bill and for their work. I urge a very strong ``yes'' vote on H.R. 359, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the House with unanimous support in the 118th Congress and is a prime example of the bipartisan backing for Congress' role in overseeing transparent and efficient spending by Federal agencies. I thank Representative Obernolte for leading this legislation again in the 119th Congress and Representative Foster for cosponsoring it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 359.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 730) to coordinate Federal research and development efforts focused on modernizing mathematics in STEM education through mathematical and statistical modeling, including data-driven and computational thinking, problem, project, and performance-based learning and assessment, interdisciplinary exploration, and career connections, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 730, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support H.R. 730, the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act, sponsored by my colleagues Representatives Houlahan and Baird.
The importance of STEM education to our economy cannot be overstated. The National Science Board's 2024 Science and Engineering Indicators report estimates that our country's STEM workforce constitutes 24 percent of all U.S. jobs. Further still, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the need for STEM jobs will increase by another 11 percent by 2032.
America's education sector must ensure that we meet this growing demand head-on. Many STEM jobs require data comprehension to inform decisionmaking, but we are currently not providing a strong foundation for that skill in our schools.
H.R. 730 would modernize our mathematics curriculum by providing competitive, merit-based grants to support mathematical and statistical modeling education.
Having served on the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology since joining Congress, and now as the sitting chairman, I understand the importance of mathematical and statistical analyses. I have had a front row seat to the extraordinary accomplishments of our domestic STEM talent across many industries and professions. One thing they all share is a solid foundation and understanding of mathematics and modeling.
These skills are crucial to a wide variety of occupations, informing computational and data-driven thinking that supports the growth of a versatile STEM workforce. Statistical analysis underpins everything from the development of artificial intelligence to improving advanced manufacturing.
This bill will allow us to teach these skills more effectively through R&D and new curricula and methodologies. H.R. 730 also directs the National Academies to conduct a study identifying best practices for mathematical and statistical modeling education.
I thank Representatives Houlahan and Baird for their work on this logical legislation that supports our students and our economy. This bill passed the House in the 117th and 118th Congresses, and I urge my colleagues to pass it again today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this is a real honor and a delight to be speaking on behalf of and in support of the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act, otherwise known as H.R. 730.
We have here in the House Chamber gallery an audience of about 75 people. It is really quite amazing to have the outside public in the Hall of the House of Representatives watch this debate today, because if you are interested in government, maybe sometimes you are attuned to what is going on, on social media or the cable news, and sometimes that really misses the mark of what we are doing here in the Nation's Capital, which is bipartisan legislation committed to moving this Nation forward.
Mr. Speaker, I don't say that lightly. I look at Representative Houlahan and Representative Baird, two Members of the class of 2018, both in their fourth term. I have passed legislation with both of them. Now they have joined together to pass H.R. 730, a STEM bill, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. You don't have STEM without mathematics.
We call on the National Science Foundation to support mathematical and statistical modeling education starting in elementary school and secondary schools. These activities include providing grants to academic institutions and nonprofit organizations
It is so very important to me, as somebody who worked in a manufacturing research lab. I have brought in expert witnesses to the Science Committee that, yes, our great chairman has been a part of for his whole tenure in Congress. We have heard this from the researchers. I have heard this since before I came to Congress. We need this skill set.
This is what we want to say to the young people we have observing the floor right now. I don't know the full curriculum that they are in and whatnot. I imagine there is an interest in government. STEM is also of note. When we were doing STEM education in the lab I was in, we had a great researcher. This man had a great engineering degree, and we would do the STEM education. He would tell the students that he didn't always pass his math classes the first round, but he had the surrounding cushion to help him go back for a second round.
That is what it is all about in America. If you want to be an engineer or if you want to contribute to our advanced manufacturing economy, we want your talent. With the Baird-Houlahan bill, what we are going to do is see NSF do what it is already doing but double down for a continuing educational experience at the NSF so that students can thrive.
What we don't want is a bunch of one-offs and all of a sudden you are graduating high school and maybe you had some exposure to these computational skills. We are competing across the world with talent. Our schools need to have the best ability to thrive. I urge everybody in this data-driven, AI, exciting world that the United States is leading, and encourage our colleagues on both sides of the aisle to say, yes, we want this bill, H.R. 730, to move forward.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds Members that the rules do not allow references to persons in the gallery.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Haley Stevens for this opportunity to speak on behalf of this really important legislation.
Imagine, if you will, the ability to model a manufacturing process to design a basketball shoe, maybe modeling the opportunity to cure a disease, maybe modeling market behavior, perhaps modeling a system to be able to equitably donate organs to people or molecules to cure a disease, modeling energy sources so that we can have a more safe and healthy planet, or maybe even, unfortunately, having to model the destruction of our infrastructure so that we can make sure that we have the national security resources to be able to protect our fine Nation.
H.R. 730, the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act, is designed to address all of these different issues in our society, but I come to the floor with really bad news, as though we needed more. America's K-12 students are falling further and further behind, particularly behind China's students, academically.
This lag is particularly concerning when we talk about the STEM fields because our industrial base continues to tell us that we are not educating and preparing the designers, engineers, and modelers of the future in order to be able to compete with our adversaries.
The National Assessment on Education Progress, which is colloquially known as the Nation's report card, has shown us that this knowledge and talent shortage is a nationwide challenge. In 2022, the assessment registered the largest decline in mathematics scores since we first started assessing in 1990. The scores of the average fourth grader were down 5 points. Worse, the average eighth grader recorded a score of 8 points lower than the previous assessment. The 2024 survey was even more concerning because it showed an overall growth of zero from 2022 and even declines among some students, as well.
With all the chaos that is unfolding in other parts of our government, particularly in the education sector, now is the time to invest in math and STEM education.
The Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act is just one answer to this challenge. It is a bipartisan bill, and it directs $10 million of already-appropriated money to the National Science Foundation for a grant program that will support the modernization of mathematical and statistical modeling for education across this Nation.
As a former educator myself and an engineer by education and profession, I know personally that there is a very serious need to improve mathematics education for our K-12 students. Indeed, when I taught chemistry, I saw firsthand how my students struggled because they lacked the basic foundations in math that are necessary for the sciences. Today, I hear from both our generals and our CEOs about what these gaps mean for our country. It doesn't just hurt our economy. It hurts our national security, as well.
Math skills form the basis for all the STEM disciplines, and importantly, they also form the basis just for critical thinking and problem-solving in general. If our students can't get ahead in school, how will they get ahead in the STEM workforce as engineers, computer scientists, chemists, nurses, doctors, and much more?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. Speaker, importantly, how will those who may decide to pursue STEM fields succeed where these same skills are useful among the trades or manufacturing?
Thankfully, schools across the country are developing new tools and curricula with students to help them learn these challenging topics.
I will repeat again that this is without any additional cost. This is with funds already appropriated.
I will also repeat again that this is a bipartisan piece of legislation that will provide our young people with the skills they need to succeed in our marketplace.
It passed in the 118th Congress unanimously out of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology as well when it was last marked up. I hope that my colleagues will support this unanimously and make this bill finally a law.
Lastly, I thank my Republican colleague and fellow veteran, Mr. Baird, for his hard work on this legislation and extend appreciation to the staff of the SST Committee, as well as Representative Stevens and Representative Babin, who have helped shepherd this legislation through today.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides to support this commonsense, bipartisan measure to strengthen our national security and our economy.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, I thank our wonderful sponsors of this bill. It is really quite exciting. We continue to move toward urging colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 730, the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, as teachers prepare the next generation of American STEM workers, we must invest in the best curricula and teaching methods. H.R. 730 will improve mathematical and statistical modeling education in the United States, ensuring American businesses have qualified workers with the necessary skills to drive innovation in STEM fields, including artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. This is good policy, which is why this same bill passed the House in the 117th and the 118th Congresses.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it once again, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, the Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act seeks
While this bill directs the National Science Foundation to grant awards to educational institutions, it does not award any new funding. As we look at reining in the out-of-control government spending and bureaucracy, we must work with the resources we already have.
As an animal scientist, I understand the life-changing effects STEM education can have when it comes to our livestock, creating innovative, more effective farming techniques, our food quality, and ultimately our Nation's well-being.
Proper STEM education has an invaluable impact on American innovation. It equips our students--our future workforce--to tackle the challenges of our modern digital economy. Modernizing STEM education also has wide-ranging impacts on our national security.
The United States' ability to create cutting-edge technologies has been vital to defeating our adversaries, especially as our adversary, Communist China, continues to make huge investments in STEM to try and out-compete the U.S. Beating China and maintaining our global competitive edge begins with strengthening STEM education in K-12 schools.
That is why I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation to ensure that the United States continues to dominate when it comes to STEM education.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 730, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1318) to amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to clarify the definition of foreign country for purposes of malign foreign talent recruitment restriction, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1318, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to stand in support of H.R. 1318, the United States Research Protection Act, sponsored by my colleagues, Representatives Kennedy and Stevens. This legislation passed the House in the 118th Congress, and I am pleased that we are taking it up again today.
America's leadership in science and technology is built on the foundation of Federal investments and basic research. These investments enhance our national security, strengthen our economy, and improve the lives of our citizens.
Our unique research ecosystem, which combines Federal, academic, and private R&D efforts, drives America's advancement in science and technology. However, for this system to work, we need a degree of open science that facilitates collaboration and transparency. The challenge is ensuring this openness does not compromise our research security.
While the U.S. has significantly profited from this system, other countries--friends and foes--also benefit from U.S. investments. The theft of our basic research poses a significant risk to our global competitiveness. It takes our cutting-edge innovations and puts them to work for our adversaries, undermining our economy and hindering our ability to stay at the forefront of discovery.
A 2023 survey by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found 224 reported instances of Chinese espionage directed at the United States since 2000.
After conducting oversight of recently enacted research security requirements, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee was informed that complicated and confusing language in the CHIPS and Science Act was preventing the academic community from fully securing taxpayer-funded research.
H.R. 1318 will update and clarify the definition of a malign foreign talent recruitment program to assist universities and agencies in protecting our national investments. This bill is a simple bipartisan solution to protect our tax dollars and the research that they fund from foreign espionage.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Kennedy and Stevens for their work on this critical legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1318, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1318, alongside Congressman Kennedy of Utah, the United States Research Protection Act. I certainly thank Mr. Kennedy for his bipartisan leadership on this exciting and important topic and, frankly, an essential topic.
In the 117th Congress, we got the CHIPS and Science Act done. It included a lot of provisions focused on improving research security. This landmark law also included a prohibition on Federal researchers' participation in foreign talent recruitment programs sponsored by adversaries of the United States seeking to undermine our Nation's competitiveness. This is a serious and very real topic.
By installing safeguards and creating informed practices for our agencies, institutions, and researchers to implement, the CHIPS and Science Act is continuing the innovation ecosystem necessary to win into the mid-21st century.
From my vantage point of serving on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, I certainly understand the risks. Many of us who are delving into these topics have really glommed on to the risks posed to our research enterprise from adversaries like China and Russia.
The committees that are enabling us to operate in a bipartisan way have also explored the methods used to circumvent the safeguards that our country has put into place, including going through third-party countries.
This is why we want to ensure our research institutions have the best interests in mind, the best talent going to them, American talent, doing very innovative things, but they need to have the necessary clarity to faithfully implement research security measures that the CHIPS and Science Act put into place to protect our national research assets.
H.R. 1318 clarifies--it is always nice to clarify in legislation--the definition of malign foreign talent recruitment program so that our beloved universities and research institutions can
The National Science Foundation affirmed that our amendment, this adjustment, would improve their ability to ensure institutional compliance because people want to follow the law. They need the guardrails, and they need the clarity of the law. So even minor differences in definitions can have large consequences and can make implementation difficult. So we have the chance, and this year we are eager to make this one right and to strengthen the United States and to strengthen our research enterprise.
We have got a good example in this bill of how to address gaps in policy and improve the efficiency of our agencies. In this case our academic stakeholders are the ones who came to us, and they said that we have a problem with a definition in a law that we wrote. So in a bipartisan and in an informed process we worked with these stakeholders, and we worked through the committee, the agency, and certainly the NSF, to fix this issue.
This is how improving efficiency and accountability at our agencies should be handled, with stakeholder consultation and congressional action.
This bipartisan bill passed the 118th Congress. The Senate didn't act, but we are going to encourage them in the 119th to act when we urge all of our colleagues in the House Chamber to support this bill once again.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the passage of my legislation, the United States Research Protection Act. H.R. 1318 is a critical piece of legislation that seeks to protect the future of our Nation's scientific and technological advancement. The stakes could not be higher in this era of rapid global innovation and increasingly complex geopolitical dynamics.
I thank Chairman Babin for working with me to bring this important bipartisan legislation to the floor quickly. I also thank my colleague from Michigan, Congresswoman Stevens, for co-leading this bill with me.
I am proud that my very first bill to pass the House will protect crucial research done here in the United States from adversarial foreign actors seeking to exploit our research, talent, and resources for their own gain.
Everyone in this Chamber knows the growing threat from the Chinese Communist Party. This adversary has made no secret of its intentions to surpass the United States in key technological areas, from artificial intelligence to quantum computing to biotechnology.
In 2022, Congress passed the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act as part of the CHIPS and Science Act. That bill prohibited researchers who receive Federal funds from participating in malign foreign talent recruitment programs in which foreign countries incentivize or compensate researchers for activities that present a conflict of interest for the researcher or that are otherwise unauthorized.
The Science, Space, and Technology Committee has been conducting vigorous oversight of the implementation of the CHIPS Act and has found that complicated and confusing language in the bill was impeding the ability of American researchers and their institutions to protect taxpayer-funded research.
This ambiguity could also allow for loopholes, allowing malign foreign talent recruitment programs in our universities and other research labs to recruit researchers or access sensitive data, effectively funding breakthrough research for the Chinese Communist Party with American taxpayers' dollars.
China's government has embarked on an aggressive strategy to acquire critical American research and intellectual property. We have seen a troubling pattern of intellectual property theft, economic espionage, and illicit influence over academic institutions. These efforts are not just limited to the economic realm. They are a matter of national security.
The United States Research Protection Act updates and clarifies the definition of malign foreign talent recruitment programs to protect our national investments.
If we do not act now, we risk losing the technological edge that has kept our country secure, prosperous, and at the forefront of global innovation.
We have a responsibility to protect American research, safeguard our intellectual property, and ensure that the innovations of today will remain in the hands of those who work to benefit our Nation, not those who seek to undermine it.
By passing this bipartisan bill, H.R. 1318, we are making a strong commitment to future generations of Americans. We are telling them we will not stand idly by as American innovations are put at risk. We are telling the world that the United States will continue to lead in the global technological race, and we will do so on our terms.
I thank Chairman Babin for his leadership on this issue. He is a thoughtful and dedicated patriot who is making certain that our grandchildren are better off as a result of our efforts today.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time to speak on this bill, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, my colleague, Mr. Kennedy for his were very affirming and wonderful remarks on the importance of this legislation.
I think from what everyone can hear today, we have bipartisan technical improvement legislation that will only strengthen our Nation and our research enterprise.
Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1318, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, the government needs clear and explicit guidance for our agencies and federally funded researchers. While this body has passed multiple bills to protect American research, unintentional ambiguity has created confusion within the academic research community. H.R. 1318 will eliminate confusion around the implementation of research security requirements and increase protections of our R&D enterprise.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this simple and noncontroversial bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1318.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1325) to provide for transparent licensing of commercial remote sensing systems, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1325, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1325, the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025.
This bill updates reporting requirements for NOAA's Office of Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs, giving Congress the ability to monitor how regulations are affecting the expansion and development of the commercial and remote sensing industry.
Remote sensing uses data collected from satellites to produce images of Earth and has become a crucial tool in fields like agriculture, finance, trade, energy, and national security. Commercial remote sensing also provides us with vital information for many important applications. The technology behind it is constantly evolving, and the industry is seeing tremendous growth.
To effectively support and manage remote sensing activities, it is imperative that Congress receives timely and comprehensive reports in order to evaluate the state of the industry and how regulations are affecting this growth.
The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 established a reporting requirement for the Department of Commerce on the status of commercial remote sensing licensing and regulation. That requirement expired in 2020. H.R. 1325 will reinstate this reporting requirement and keep Congress informed of agency actions, their impact on licensees, and the state of the commercial remote sensing industry.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1325 is a no-nonsense, bipartisan bill that will ensure the U.S. remains at the helm of this important field.
I thank the former chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Mr. Lucas, for introducing this bill and his leadership on this important topic. This bill passed the House by a voice vote in the last two Congresses, and I look forward to working with the Senate to see it finally cross the finish line.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague and chair, Mr. Babin, and rise in support of the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2025, H.R. 1325. We are very pleased to see this legislation being reintroduced this Congress, and certainly it is coming from the leadership of our former chair of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Mr. Frank Lucas, and our ranking member, Ms. Zoe Lofgren. It is another bipartisan bill.
Commercial remote sensing is a vibrant and growing industry. Data and imagery from commercial remote sensing satellites are used widely in energy, agriculture, disaster monitoring, mapping, and national security applications such as maritime surveillance.
Commercial space-based images provide vital scientific information on the health of our Great Lakes informing policy in my beloved home State of Michigan and across the basin. These images also provide visibility and insight into life-threatening events, such as the before and after observations of the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires in southern California.
In 1992, Congress, led by the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, authorized the Secretary of Commerce to license and regulate private-sector parties to operate commercial remote sensing space systems. Since that time, the commercial remote sensing industry has changed quite dramatically.
Today, companies from across the world are launching commercial remote sensing systems and selling the data. We must ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of this industry, especially as the Chinese Communist Party is advancing in the remote sensing sector.
As a 2024 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies plainly put it: ``Should any one country dominate the commercial remote sensing market, not only could it gain economic advantages, but it would also control the information narrative about the entire planet, from the environment to natural resources to human conflict.''
So this bill provides Congress the transparency and insight we need to oversee the licensing and regulation of private remote sensing systems. It modifies the timeline for completing licenses to conform with updated regulations. It also requires information to provide Congress with details on licensing related to regulatory changes. Further, it extends the requirement for an annual report on commercial remote sensing licenses through 2030.
I am very enthusiastic about this important bipartisan commercial space legislation. It is always a good day in the Chamber when Chair Babin is talking about commercial space legislation, and it is always a good day when we are doing bipartisan things on behalf of American competitiveness.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1325, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I have to acknowledge this: I can't think of a better set of hands to have the chairmanship of this critically important committee of Science, Space, and Technology in than Chairman Babin and Ranking Member Lofgren and my good friend, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) over there. The committee that the chairman presides over represents the future of this great country. I always tell people that the Science, Space, and Technology Committee is not just about yesterday or tomorrow, but it is 5 years, it is 50 years, it is 250 years into the future, and that is just an amazing thing.
Today, I rise in support of H.R. 1325, the Commercial Remote Sensing Act. I have introduced this bipartisan legislation in the past two Congresses, and on both occasions, the measures passed the House by voice vote. I reintroduced the bill this Congress along with my colleague and friend, the ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Ms. Lofgren.
It updates the reporting requirements for NOAA's Office of Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs so that Congress can monitor how regulations are impacting the growth and improvement of the commercial remote sensing industry.
Congress first authorized the licensing and regulation of commercial remote sensing space systems in 1992. Since then, the industry has become a crucial resource in a number of industries including agriculture, finance, trade, and energy.
Remote sensing uses data collected from satellites to produce images of Earth. This imagery and data has a number of important applications. It can allow farmers to improve crop production by more efficiently applying water and fertilizer. It can inform the future commodity prices by actively monitoring weather and crop health.
It can also improve our ability to prepare for and respond to natural disasters by instructing flood plain mapping, tornado tracking, and drought monitoring, topics that are all front-of-mind for all Americans, but especially those in my home State of Oklahoma.
Commercial remote sensing can also be helpful in humanitarian relief efforts and monitoring treaty compliance, among other national security and foreign affairs applications.
This technology provides us with critical information for a number of fields. As the industry is constantly evolving and growing, we must make sure that Congress is receiving timely and comprehensive reports to accurately evaluate how regulations are affecting the state of the industry.
The Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 established a reporting requirement from the Department of Commerce on the status of commercial remote sensing licensing and regulation. That requirement expired in 2020.
H.R. 1325 will reinstate the reporting requirement and keep Congress informed of agency actions, their impact on licensees, and the state of the commercial remote sensing industry.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1325 is a simple, bipartisan bill that will help ensure that the United States remains the global leader in the commercial remote sensing industry.
I thank Ranking Member Lofgren for joining me in advancing this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time to speak on this bill, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, it is always a good thing when we have a Lucas bill, and particularly when it is a bipartisan bill, and usually it is. You just heard his remarks in this debate. He has really nailed this one.
H.R. 1325 remains an important and necessary piece of legislation that I am proud to support and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on.
Mr. Speaker, as I said previously, commercial remote sensing provides us with critical information related to a number of fields important to U.S. competitiveness.
H.R. 1325 will ensure that Congress receives the updates necessary to monitor industry regulations. Updating these reporting requirements will ensure the U.S. remains the global leader in this crucial sector.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1325.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1326) to provide for Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture joint research and development activities, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1326, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1326, the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act is a perfect example of government efficiency. This bill directs the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture to share their resources and knowledge to achieve common mission priorities.
DOE and USDA already have a successful track record of collaboration in topics such as the energy-water nexus, invasive species control, wildfire risk mitigation, and biofuels. Through the expanded interagency agreement authorized in this bill, DOE and USDA can tackle additional complex research challenges, such as genomics-based research, rural energy development, and grid modernization.
These joint efforts advance clean energy and agricultural technologies and promote rural economic growth. As global competition intensifies and our adversaries seek to gain an advantage by feeding and clothing the rest of the world, it is vital that we strengthen and preserve this interagency collaboration to keep pace through innovation.
This bill will do exactly that. We have two world-class agencies, DOE and USDA, conducting research, so it only makes sense that we ensure they are both at the table to coordinate on a wide range of topics.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am rising in support of the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act, H.R. 1326.
I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), again, our former committee chair, for reintroducing this legislation alongside the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), our ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
The Department of Energy and the United States Department of Agriculture have a long and established history of partnering to address multidisciplinary research areas like biomass energy development, sustainable aviation fuels, and various methods for improving clean energy development and deploying that development in rural America.
H.R. 1326 is going to codify and strengthen these cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities between these two departments, the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture. This bill positions these agencies to overcome future international competition challenges while accelerating the production of biofuels, renewable chemical feed stocks, and conversion systems that can support clean energy technologies and, of course, rural economic growth.
Mr. Speaker, I join in encouraging my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1326, the DOE and USDA Interagency Research Act. This bill allows the Department of Energy and the Department of Agriculture to work together to improve how we grow our food, fiber, and fuel in America.
I introduced this bill in the last Congress with the help of the ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, Ms. Lofgren. The measure passed with unanimous support through the committee and by voice vote on the House floor.
As a farmer and rancher myself, I am proud to sponsor this bill, which will help us address cross-cutting research challenges that will advance crop science, maximize carbon storage, enhance precision agriculture technologies, and much more.
DOE and USDA already have a successful track record of collaboration to mitigate invasive species, modernize the grid, address the energy- water nexus, develop biofuels, and improve agriculture operations.
DOE has some of our country's most advanced computing capacities, as well as world-class research facilities and a depth of scientific expertise.
These resources can be used to support the work being done by America's farmers and ranchers, ultimately strengthening our agricultural production.
This bill before us today is a smart, bipartisan legislation that codifies the partnership between DOE and USDA, ensuring that they can continue to work together on these interindustry challenges.
I thank Ms. Lofgren for working with me these past two Congresses on this bill, and I deeply appreciate her support of agricultural research. It is always a pleasure to be on the floor with Ms. Stevens from Michigan.
I urge all my colleagues to join us in supporting this bill.
Mr. Speaker, this bill passed the House with unanimous support last Congress. That is because smart, bipartisan legislation rarely faces opposition.
I thank former Science, Space, and Technology Committee chairman, Mr. Lucas, and Ranking Member Lofgren for once again leading this effort.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1326.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1350) to provide for Department of Energy and National Science Foundation research and development coordination, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1350, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1350, the DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act, which passed the House in the 118th Congress. This bill supports the longstanding partnership between the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, allowing these agencies to work on cutting-edge research and technological challenges.
As this body is aware, our adversaries, like the Chinese Communist Party, are quickly closing the gap on innovative technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and advanced manufacturing.
The CCP's efforts to outspend, out-educate, and outpace the the United States in these critical areas are increasingly concerning and something that we cannot ignore.
This legislation will bolster U.S. leadership on the global stage in emerging technologies, ensuring that our competitors do not eclipse us. Additionally, by authorizing this interagency collaboration, we maximize our investments to maintain our competitive edge.
DOE is our Nation's largest supporter of basic research in physical sciences, while NSF is the backbone of the collaborative research environment between government and academia. Together, these agencies can fuel innovation across multiple disciplines, including physics, quantum information sciences, artificial intelligence, and materials science.
This bill enhances the capabilities of DOE and NSF, leveraging their research and development investments to maximize the impact of taxpayer dollars. By authorizing collaboration between DOE and NSF, we maximize our return on investment and ensure that we remain at the forefront of technological progress.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Stevens and Baird and the members of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology for reintroducing this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, hopefully, our friends and colleagues in the other Chamber are listening because we are moving once again to pass an incredible piece of legislation, H.R. 1350, the DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act, that I and Dr. Jim Baird have introduced yet again to see it, hopefully, pass in the House, and we eagerly await the Senate to take it up.
Simply put, H.R. 1350 authorizes collaborative research between the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation in areas that are essential to our national competitiveness. This legislation will build on the longstanding partnership between the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation to leverage the unique investments and expertise in a wide range of fields, including quantum science, artificial intelligence, fusion energy, and, of course, advanced manufacturing.
Alongside these research partnerships, this legislation also authorizes collaborative initiatives in education, training, and development to build a stronger workforce in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
Lastly, this legislation promotes secure data and information transfer capabilities between these agencies so that we are not working in silos but are working together in a safe and secure environment to develop a shared, agile data ecosystem.
In August 2024, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute updated its dataset, exposing a dramatic shift in U.S. technology leadership. Once dominant in 60 of the 64 critical technologies, according to this policy institute, the U.S. now leads in just 7. China has surged from 3 to 57 since the start of the century.
This is not to put a wet blanket on our incredible country and our innovation capabilities. We want to be measuring, coordinating, and strategic, and we want to be effective stewards of any taxpayer dollars, which is why this bill is not appropriating any such thing.
We are in a wake-up call moment, but this isn't over. To reclaim our edge, we have to empower our top
This collaboration between NSF and the DOE is not new. In fact, they have an extensive history of joint activities, such as support for the development of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a world-class tool for scientific discovery and astronomy located in Chile. We are proud of that partnership.
A testament to the power of these collaborations, this observatory just reached a major milestone with the installation of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the LSST, the largest digital camera ever built. This facility will soon be ready to scan the sky for the next 10 years, creating an ultrahigh definition, time-lapsed record of our universe.
The DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act strengthens the legislative foundation of our beloved CHIPS and Science Act, a landmark bill that enables both agencies to foster a more collaborative research environment to maximize their collective impacts for our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, for all of these reasons, this bipartisan legislation falls upon us, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Baird), my dear friend and one of my favorite colleagues--if that is okay and germane to say--for his collaboration on this bill. We are both midwesterners. He is an incredibly accomplished academic, veteran, and businessman from an important part of our Nation. I have had the sincere privilege of collaborating on legislation with the gentleman since we were first sworn into Congress.
Mr. Speaker, we are again partnering on H.R. 1350, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill, as I have done in other sessions, so that we can implore the Senate to do their part. We are introducing this bill early in the 119th session. We will pass it through the House and, hopefully, see this become law.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1350, the DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act, will support U.S. competitiveness in emerging technologies and key economic sectors while leveraging taxpayer dollars, enabling more to be accomplished with fewer resources.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the good work of my colleagues, Representatives Stevens and Baird. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Department of Energy and National Science Foundation Interagency Research Act, and I thank Congresswoman Haley Stevens for working with me on this bipartisan bill.
The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation are vehicles for some of our nation's cutting-edge scientific research. Combined, these agencies tackle the modern challenges of physics, quantum information sciences, Artificial Intelligence, and beyond. However, there is no clear directive for these organizations to work together.
This LegisLation explicitly directs the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the NSF to coordinate their activities to accelerate research and unlock new opportunities.
Operating in a silo is never the best practice when it comes to conducting scientific research, especially as our country looks to maximize the use of Americans' taxpayer dollars AND bolster our science and technology sectors to combat the growing threat of the Chinese Communist Party.
With this bill, the Department of Energy and the NSF can maximize their impact through coordination and leveraging each other's investments in research and development. The United States has earned its reputation as a world leader in scientific research and innovation, and now more than ever, we must reinforce critical partnerships that promote these advancements.
As we face increased competition from Communist China, we must ensure WE lead the world in research and development, including in areas like Artificial Intelligence, so that our country--not Communist China-- continues to set the rules of the road.
Thank you again to Congresswoman Stevens for working with me on this commonsense, bipartisan approach that empowers American innovation. This legislation unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, and I hope we see this bill across the finish line this Congress.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1350.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1368) to provide for Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration research and development coordination, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1368, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1368, the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act.
The Department of Energy and NASA have an extensive history of collaboration, which has enhanced both our understanding of the universe and our ability to explore well beyond our planet.
The Voyager spacecrafts, which were launched more than 40 years ago and are now flying far beyond our own solar system in interstellar space, continue to operate with DOE's groundbreaking propulsion systems.
This DOE-NASA partnership has driven and will continue to drive advancements in high-performance computing, keeping us at the forefront of research and development.
Additionally, their collaborative work on nuclear energy is vital to establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon and next-generation in-space propulsion. However, these joint technological breakthroughs not only aid our space endeavors, but they also can be utilized here on Earth to increase global energy production from reliable energy resources.
Furthermore, this partnership will help to propel satellite development, space situational awareness, and even planetary defense from near-Earth objects.
In short, this bill enables two of our chief scientific agencies to do better work by tackling some of our most challenging scientific problems together.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative Begich, for introducing this legislation. I also thank Representative Whitesides for cosponsoring it. This bipartisan bill earned unanimous support in the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and passed in the House last Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to once again support it on the floor today, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act, H.R. 1368.
The gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Whitesides), the vice ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, introduced this bill. It is another great bipartisan bill.
These Members of Congress from the Western part of this Nation fully understand and appreciate what it means to have coordinated interagency activities on behalf of our competitive abilities. Enhancing this type of collaboration between the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will have a multiplier effect on the creative, innovative, and inspiring work of these two agencies. It is an important tool in furthering agency missions and the Nation's goals in science and exploration.
The Department of Energy and NASA's partnership is already demonstrating impressive results. For example, earlier this year, NASA and the DOE collaborated on selecting an award for continued industry work on a space microreactor design that could provide a supply of power for use on the Moon and beyond.
Just last week, scientists posted new data from the Department of Energy's ground-based Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, providing insights on the mysterious dark energy of the universe that NASA's science satellites also study from space.
We are on the tipping point of major things. We are working on and seeing efficiency breathe its way into our government. The whole deal here is that if we get H.R. 1368, the Department of Energy and NASA will build on their longstanding partnership and do even more. They will save the taxpayer money, and they will advance this Nation. They will showcase that we are not getting in the way of where we want to go as a country because we are trimming bureaucracy.
The act authorizes the agencies to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative R&D activities and identifies nuclear power and propulsion, high energy physics and astrophysics, Earth and environmental sciences, and quantum information sciences as potential areas for joint activity.
I only hope that the citizens of America are tuned into this debate in this moment because this is really exciting.
The bill directs DOE and NASA to coordinate activities through MOUs, memorandum of understanding. The legislation authorizes the use of reimbursable and nonreimbursable agreements. Again, the effective utilization of the taxpayer dollar of which we here in the United States Congress are stewards of.
In addition, I will be providing direction on a merit review process between the two agencies, reporting and compliance with research security requirements in carrying out collaborative activities pursued under the act. This is a practical and awe-inspiring bill to maximize the research and development activities and capabilities and results of our Federal agencies.
Mr. Speaker, I enthusiastically urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1368.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1368, the Department of Energy and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act.
This legislation authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to carry out research and development activities focused on the advancement of shared DOE and NASA mission priorities. This includes R&D in critical technology areas like nuclear thermal propulsion systems, astrophysics, radiation health effects, machine learning, and more.
DOE and its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission, have a long and successful history of interagency collaboration with NASA. Over the last 60 years, this relationship has evolved from radioisotope power systems to new areas of research such as quantum information and environmental sciences.
This interagency relationship has greatly benefited my home State of
Given its strengths, NASA has partnered with this DOE facility to conduct research in areas such as aerosols. In addition, any atmospheric data from ARM stands to benefit the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island in my home State of Alaska, which supports commercial and government suborbital and orbital launch missions, as well.
Additionally, H.R. 1368 requires the Secretary and the Administrator to implement research security provisions consistent with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Given the transformational nature of these emerging technologies and their impact on national security, this language is necessary to protect our investments and breakthroughs from hostile powers such as the Chinese Communist Party.
I thank my colleague, Mr. Whitesides of California, for working with me on this important legislation and continuing the bipartisan tradition of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1368 is a good governance and commonsense bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from the West, Mr. Begich and Mr. Whitesides, along with Mr. Kennedy, who appear to be three freshman Members of Congress, have come together in an important way to introduce H.R. 1368. I continue to urge a ``yes'' vote on the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1368, the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Act is a smart piece of legislation that will ensure that we stay competitive in the global race to return humans to the Moon and then send crewed missions on to Mars.
Without key partnerships like this, we would be unable to take the crucial steps in energy production and propulsion technologies necessary to extend our reach beyond Earth. I thank Representative Begich and Representative Whitesides for their leadership in moving this bill forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1368.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1534) to strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American industry through the research and development of advanced technologies to improve the efficiency of cement, concrete, and asphalt production, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1534, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1534, the Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act, or IMPACT Act.
Today, much of the world is reliant on cement and concrete produced in China, which is home to the world's largest cement industry. It should go without saying that it is a big problem to be at the whims of the Chinese Communist Party when it comes to materials that are absolutely critical to our national defense, economic security, and our energy independence.
Beyond that, this reliance comes with severe negative environmental impacts. China's greenhouse gas emissions exceed all of the developed nations in the world combined. In fact, U.S. industrial manufacturing is nearly 28 percent cleaner than our competitors, including China.
If we want a cleaner, healthier environment and global security, U.S. leadership in this sector is an absolute must. The IMPACT Act ensures this by propelling America to the front in the cement, concrete, and asphalt industries. It will increase our Nation's competitiveness against global adversaries while also achieving significant reductions in emissions from manufacturing processes.
Specifically, this bill supports the research and development of innovative technologies, primarily at the Department of Energy. It builds off the cross-cutting Industrial Emissions Reduction Technology Development program established by the Energy Act of 2020 and provides specific direction for the advancement of tools, technologies, and methods related to cement, concrete, and asphalt production.
Concrete is the second most commonly used material on Earth, surpassed only by water. The demand is unlikely to decrease soon, making it crucial to allocate the Federal Government's top scientific resources to assist manufacturers in meeting our strategic goals, while ensuring the concrete supply that supports our economy continues to grow and thrive.
The IMPACT Act positions our country to rise to that challenge and become a resource for the entire world.
I thank Science, Space, and Technology Committee members, Mr. Miller and Mrs. Foushee, for cosponsoring this bill and working in a bipartisan fashion.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my House colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I enthusiastically rise in support of the Innovation Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act, or the IMPACT Act, H.R. 1534.
A good gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Miller) and a fantastic gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Foushee) have reintroduced this bipartisan bill, and I salute them.
Mrs. Foushee is very much a leader on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, a cutting-edge voice in artificial intelligence, a ranking member on the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, and we are very grateful for her leadership and acumen here.
As our chair just extrapolated, the United States produces approximately 95 million metric tons of cement each year, representing nearly 400 million cubic yards of concrete, with another 454 million metric tons of asphalt pavement materials produced per year.
Now, as a Member of Congress, I am not fully in the composites business, but we must understand where our materials come from and how they are procured and produced. We must look it squarely in the face as to how we do not remain overly reliant on competitive countries for access.
A byproduct of these industrial processes are certainly greenhouse gas emissions. There is a State representative from Michigan, State Representative Kelly Breen of Novi, who has, on occasion, spoken to me at length about the materials used in our roads. We know right now that the byproduct of the industrial processes for these cement applications accounts for 8 percent of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions.
Now, I come from the Motor City. We like our paved roads. We like access to cement. Demand is not decreasing. It is going up. Demand is expected to increase by 12 percent when we hit the mid-21st century mark.
We here in the United States of America are building roads, bridges, factories, schools, so many things. It is really quite exciting, and the IMPACT Act can play a role. The bill will improve cost- effectiveness, durability, and material demand efficiency of widely used cement, and similar materials while achieving measurable greenhouse gas emissions reductions in their production processes. We like to call this a win-win.
H.R. 1534 would also accomplish this goal by directing the Secretary of Energy to support research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that could become commercially viable.
Again, the State representative from Michigan, Kelly Breen, has talked to me about her desire to see this in Oakland County, Michigan. We have been working on this in the Motor City.
My colleagues from North Carolina and Ohio have put forward national legislation that will benefit us all, and we have got next-generation technologies that are a significant improvement over the processes used by these industries today, ensuring that we can continue to build while reducing negative environmental impacts that come about from producing building materials.
We have a good, practical bill to maximize our production capabilities while minimizing any negative impacts, and we have research and development and demonstration of novel cement, concrete, and asphalt processes.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on a bill I am very excited about, H.R. 1534, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1534, the Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act, or more simply known as the IMPACT Act, which is a lot easier to say.
I introduced this bill with my Science Committee colleague Mrs. Foushee because we understand that the production of cement, concrete, and asphalt play a fundamental role in supporting United States infrastructure, national defense, and economic security.
The cement and concrete industry contributes over $130 billion to the United States economy and employs over 577,000 people. In Ohio alone, this industry has an economic contribution of $4.6 billion to the State.
It is no secret that the processes behind these products are extremely difficult to decarbonize and that American cement and concrete manufacturers must compete in a market that increasingly values lower carbon products. The leading companies and associations of this industry have committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and have made impressive progress thus far, reducing their carbon footprint by 21 percent since 2014.
However, more progress can be made. With projected demand for cement expected to increase 12 percent by 2050, utilizing the best scientific resources of the Federal Government will help manufacturers further reduce emissions of the products essential to our economy and civilization.
The IMPACT Act will support those resources while strengthening and enhancing the competitiveness of American manufacturing through advanced
We all want to see cement, concrete, and asphalt production continue to rise and help grow our country. That is critical to our economic well-being. We all want to see this growth go hand in hand with environmental stewardship, leaving our air and water just as pristine for the next generation.
The IMPACT Act builds on previous industrial decarbonization efforts by focusing specifically on cement, concrete, and asphalt. It enables industry and the Department of Energy to work collaboratively on fundamental research that will enhance existing production methods and unlock new, innovative techniques. This will ensure that the world- class tools and technologies at DOE are being used by the very taxpayers who funded them.
It also enables DOE, in consultation with other Federal agencies, to offer technical assistance to entities seeking to promote the commercial application of low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt. This ensures that industry can continue their cutting-edge research unencumbered, but if they do hit a roadblock, there are subject matter experts available to assist them.
This bill is the perfect example of how the Federal Government can advance tangible environmental goals for construction material production without sacrificing material performance or, more importantly, economic growth that benefits every single citizen throughout our country.
I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Foushee) for cosponsoring this bill and working in a bipartisan fashion to get it here today. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1534, the bipartisan Innovative Mitigation Partnerships for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act, or the IMPACT Act, which will strengthen the competitiveness of American manufacturing through innovation and development of technologies to decarbonize and improve the efficiency of cement, concrete, and asphalt production.
U.S. producers are leading the way in the innovation of critical building materials production, and we have a real opportunity in front of us to bolster our Nation's infrastructure while making significant strides to reduce global emissions.
The climate crisis remains one of the most pressing issues of our lifetime, and it is vital that we take action now by investing in clean technologies and creating pathways here at home to accelerate and commercialize these new opportunities to reduce harmful emissions.
Globally, cement manufacturing accounts for nearly 8 percent of all carbon emissions, and we have a unique opportunity to reduce pollution in industrial emissions by creating new manufacturing opportunities here at home that can take the place of aging processes based on fossil fuels.
This bill will enable partnerships between industry, innovators, and the U.S. Government that will enhance existing production methods, unlock new and innovative techniques, and offer technical assistance to entities seeking to promote the application of low-emission cement, concrete, and asphalt.
Together, the IMPACT Act--alongside IMPACT Act 2.0, introduced in the House earlier this month by Congressman Miller and me, and the Senate's Concrete and Asphalt Innovation Act, led by Senators Coons and Tillis-- will bolster U.S.-led efforts to deploy clean technologies in the industrial sector while enhancing the global competitiveness of American innovation.
The United States is leading the way into the 21st century, and this can be seen in my own district, North Carolina's Fourth, where local startup Biomason is revolutionizing the cement industry through its use of biotechnology to manufacture low-carbon concrete.
With global demand for building materials set to rise through this century, we must prioritize investments in advanced materials science and scale-up domestic manufacturing by fostering an innovation pipeline that creates jobs and enhances our competitiveness on the world stage. This bill does just that.
With this commonsense piece of legislation, everyone wins. It will help us achieve measurable and meaningful emissions reductions, modernize manufacturing, and improve workers' health and public health, all while creating good-paying jobs across America.
I am proud to join Representative Max Miller in introducing the IMPACT Act, which passed the House last Congress and through the House Science Committee unanimously. It has received strong and bicameral support from industry and industry partners, innovators, climate organizations, manufacturing, and trade associations nationwide.
I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan and commonsense legislation, which will unlock innovation and clean manufacturing in the United States, create domestic job opportunities, and protect our planet.
Mr. Speaker, I also have no further requests for time to speak on this bill, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Mr. Speaker, I again thank my colleagues from the committee, Mr. Miller and Mrs. Foushee, for their work on this bill. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 1534. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1534 is commonsense legislation that passed unanimously last Congress. It has the support of major industry associations, including the Portland Cement Association, the National Asphalt Pavement Association, and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association. It also has the endorsement of those groups affected by downstream impacts, like the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association and Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions.
This diverse support is a testament to just how important it is for the United States to retain its global competitive edge when it comes to advanced industrial technologies.
I urge my colleagues to join me in backing this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1534.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 359) to Amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require reporting relating to certain cost-share requirements, and for other purposes, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 405, nays 0, not voting 26, as follows:
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today alongside his colleagues in the Arizona delegation, alongside members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, alongside members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and so many others, to mourn the loss of a political and social justice giant, Congressman Raul Grijalva.
Raul's story is the American Dream. He was the proud son of a bracero cowboy from Mexico who went on to become the president of the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, an 11-term Member of the United States Congress, and the dean of the Arizona delegation.
His accomplishments in this body are too numerous to list. We would be here all night, but it is his legacy of fighting for environmental causes that stands out. As chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, Raul led the charge to protect America's public lands, including and especially the Grand Canyon, to protect our most precious resources, including our water, and he stood up firm for Tribal sovereignty.
He has been a mainstay in these Capitol hallways for more than two decades, but he remained an activist at heart. He never forgot where he came from or the people who got him to where he was.
Raul brought the lessons he learned as a Chicano activist in Tucson in the 1970s to Washington where he led the Progressive Caucus for more than a decade, leading the charge for immigrants and working people.
He spoke truth to power, but in his quiet way and always with good humor. Perhaps Raul's greatest legacy is the generation of Latino leaders that he mentored, many of whom stand inside this body and many more that fill city halls, county seats, and school boards back home in Tucson. As Raul would say: ``It is all about the love.''
He spent more than a half-century working on behalf of southern Arizona until the very end. We offer our deepest condolences to his wife, Ramona, his three daughters, and the community of Tucson who will dearly miss him. Rest now, my friend.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), my colleague.
Mr. Speaker, it is no mystery that Raul and I never saw eye to eye on pretty much anything, but it actually benefits this whole group because it is about the debate. We can come with our ideas to the floor and we can debate each other, and that is the way it should be.
If you had your idea yourself, Raul would make it so it was important to
He emulated all of us and what we can do in this body. There are good ideas, there are bad ideas, and that is why we have to have this debate.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Gosar for those kind words. When you and he disagreed, Raul was normally right.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues at this moment to join me in a moment of silence for our departed colleague.
The SPEAKER. The Chair now asks all those present in the Chamber, as well as Members and staff throughout the Capitol, to please rise for a moment of silence in remembrance of the late Honorable Raul Grijalva of Arizona.
The SPEAKER. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the vote on the motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1326) to provide for Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture joint research and development activities, and for other purposes, on which the yeas and nays were ordered.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 372, nays 35, not voting 24, as follows:
The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote) (Mr. Murphy). There are 2 minutes remaining.
So (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
Mr. Speaker, I missed votes because of an important family matter. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 72 and YEA on Roll Call No. 73.
Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be in Washington, D.C. today due to a family medical event. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 72 and YEA on Roll Call No. 73.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the resolution (H. Res. 198) providing for the expenses of certain committees of the House of Representatives in the One Hundred Nineteenth Congress, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Wisconsin?
Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 14 minutes p.m.), under its previous order and pursuant to House Resolution 240, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 10 a.m., for morning-hour debate, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the late Honorable Raul M. Grijalva.
