been almost exclusively putin's russia. my question [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] >> we are going to leave this discussion at this point to take you live to the floor of the house. members will work on several small business-related measures today. and a bill to revitalize r.f.k. stadium in washington, d.c. off the floor, members are continuing negotiations on government funding with the first of two shutdown deadlines coming friday. later today, the house will swear in representative-elect tom suozzi of new york who recently won a special election to replace expelled republican member george santos. live house coverage now here on c-span. the speaker pro tempore: house will be in forward.

we'll postponed motion to suspend the rules on which the yeas and nays are ordered or votes objected to under clause 6 of rule 20, the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from south carolina seek recognition? >> i move the house suspend the rules and report the bill as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6544, a bill to advance the benefits of nuclear energy by efficient, timely predictable licensing, regulation and deployment of nuclear energy technologies and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuan t to the rule, the gentleman from south carolina, mr. duncan, and the gentleman from new jersey, mr. pallone, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina. mr. duncan: i ask unanimous consent all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the record on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. duncan: thank you. i yield myself as much time as i may consume.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. duncan: i rise in support of my deal, the atomic energy advancement act. i first want to thank my colleague and friend, ranking member of the energy climate and grid security committee for leading this effort with me, congresswoman degette. this is comprised of many members of the energy and commerce committee on both sides of the aisle and want to thank them for the work for advancing the use of nuclear energy here in the united states. the atomic energy advancement act would advance durable bipartisan policy that would expand nuclear energy and its many benefits for the nation. while maintaining the nuclear regulatory commission's gold standard -- global gold standard for safety. our goal is to bring america's nuclear promise back into alignment with the goals that congress established when passing the atomic energy act.

this ushered in the age of the peaceful use of the atom, demonstrating american leadership around the world and the amazing benefits of nuclear power. the provision in this bill, which i authored, does just that, directs the n.r.c. to update the mission statement to include the licensing and regulation of nuclear energy activities will be conducted in a manner that is efficient and does not necessarily limit the potential of nuclear energy. the n.r.c. should not be a impediment but rather a facilitator of nuclear advancement in america. there are many provisions in this bill to modernize the n.r.c. and advance nuclear technology deployment including american technology exports. for example, the bill will require that the n.r.c. to provide efficient, timely, and predictable reviews, strengthens the n.r.c. work force to address the new technologies coming down

the pipe and reduces hourly fee rates for slapsed nuclear reactor licenses and avoids dupe cametive reviews and updates the nuclear reviews and extends the liability protection necessary for nuclear investment. now more than ever it is essential that america lead in nuclear energy, especially as our adversaries work actively to undercut our strength. russia and china are seeking to dominate the nuclear markets and supply chains for these technologies. america can and must continue to set the global nuclear standards and the atomic energy advancement act will ensure that we do. i want to thank my colleagues on energy and commerce and all of them had input on this legislation, it is bipartisan and came out of our committee, and i want to thank them for their work and dedication. i urge support for this bill and reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina

reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: thank you, ms. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. pallone: i rise in h.r. 6544 and makes important changes to the nuclear regulatory commission to ensure our nation will be able to license the advance nuclear reactors that could play a vital role in combating the climate crisis. h.r. 6544 will ensure that developers of advance reactors are not asked to pay more than their fair share of their licensing costs. it will also help create common sense pathways to cite nuclear reactors on brown field sites and those that have a nuclear reactor and ensure these things while ensuring the n.r.c.'s core mission is not compromised. the legislation will also help the n.r.c. attract and retain staff which is critical since the commission needs to be at full capacity to license the

fleet of new reactors that will apply for licenses over the next decade. this was a particularly important provision championed by energy subcommittee ranking member degette and happy it was included in the package. i want to thank chairman duncan for the way this package was assembled and this is the way congress should always work. we held bipartisan hearings and issued a joint request for information, had a legislative hearing to solicit feedback on the proposals and eventually move the legislation through the committee with democrats and republicans working together every step of the way. and as a result, the bill before us today is much stronger than the bill that was first introduced. the bill is not perfect, it is a product of compromise and like all compromises, no one got everything they wanted. further, compromise will be necessary as we work together with the senate to find a path forward to get this bill to the president's desk. but this is a strong bill that will protect communities while

unlocking our nation's nuclear potential. it will help lower emissions and ensure nuclear plants have a place in our nation's clean energy economy all while ensuring protection of public health and safety and hope it's something all members can support. madam speaker, i urge a yes vote on this bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. duncan: ranking member pallone and his staff have been very good to work with, the minority staff on this bill and i'm happy for that. last year when i was given the opportunity to chair the energy subcommittee, the chairwoman, kathy mcrogers and i had a lot of talk about nuclear energy and this is a culmination of that initial discussion. madam speaker, i'd like to yield 1 1/2 minutes to not only the gentlewoman from washington but of the energy and commerce committee.

mrs. mcmorris rodgers: i thank the chairman for yielding. i am pleased and rise in strong support of this legislation, h.r. 6544, the atomic energy advancement act. we've worked very hard and most agree a robust and growing nuclear energy is critical for reducing emissions, providing reliable, affordable, clean energy to americans. nuclear energy can help us build durable economic and strategic relationships around the world, especially as the influence of china and russia and this industry grows. we know our allies are eager for american leadership and technology, and our nuclear industry is ready to lead. the energy and commerce committee have a rich history of plowing the hard ground necessary to legislate, coming together on solutions that improve people's lives and make our country stronger and prosperous. h.r. 6544 continues that leadership, and i'm grateful for the leadership of the chairman of the subcommittee, jeff duncan, as well as the ranking

member, diana degette and the ranking member of the full committee, frank pallone, for working together so we can move this legislation forward, help maintain a robust and growing nuclear industry, which is vital to delivering reliable, affordable, and clean energy to all americans. this much needed modernization of our regulatory framework will restore america's nuclear dominance, encourage innovation, enable industry to deploy safe, reliable nuclear energy and usher in a new era of u.s. energy leadership. i urge support of the atomic energy advancement act and i yield back. mr. duncan: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i'd like to yield four minutes now to a member of our committee, the gentlelady from massachusetts. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized.

>> i thank the gentleman for yielding as ranking member of the commerce committee. i rise in support of this bipartisan legislation, in particular the important changes it makes to how we regulate commercial fusion energy. last spring the nuclear regulatory committee took an important vote to regulate commercial fusion energy under its existing regulatory framework, specifically the byproduct materials framework. mrs. trahan: this was a critical step to unlocking fusion energy and made possible by a recognition that fusion does not need to be regulated the same way as physician. since then the fusion caucus i have the honor of co-chairing along with representatives james buyer and chuck obernolte and mr. fleischmann have put pen to paper to the act which will codify the commission and provide the fusion industry the regulatory certainty it needs to continue pursuing its innovative research and development.

during consideration of this package in december, we offered the fusion energy act as an amendment which was adopted unanimously and was included in the legislation today. i cannot overstate the importance of passing this package because fusion is the game changer. a future with fusion means thousands of good-paying, family-sustaining, clean-energy jobs that will create along the way. fusion unlocks a future where energy production is no longer tied to an access to resource and means an endless supply of base load clean energy without any emissions and means dictators like vladimir putin won't be able to manipulate energy markets to suit their needs. make no mistake, both our allies and adversaries are racing to unlock fusion energy. the u.k. is investing $660 million pounds and germany announced a $1 billion euro investment and china invested $1.8 billion in their state

owned facilities with plans to ramp up over the next decade. in china, there is no private energy investment in fusion, it's all government controlled and that's a huge competitive advantage we have on them. what the united states does best is innovate through public-private partnerships that leverage federal research dollars with the work happening at cutting edge startups and businesses across our country. one of those companies, commonwealth fusion systems, is located in the district i represent. since its founding roughly five years ago, c.f.s. has raised more than $2 billion in private investment, employs over 600 people and is well on its way to building spark, a fusion machine that will achieve net energy and demonstrate that producing commercial fusion energy in just a few years is possible. but if we are going to beat china to fusion, then it's absolutely critical we provide companies like c.f.s. with the regulatory certainty they need. passing this bipartisan package

does just that. i urge my colleagues to support this important commonsense legislation that will advance commercial fusion energy, and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. duncan: i agree with her, with fusion and nuclear technology the nuclear renaissance is before us. i want to yield one minute to my good friend, the gentleman from texas, mr. weber. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. weber: i thank the gentleman. i'm proud the energy committee is championing fusion energy, a clean, reliable energy source that mesh should pave the way. going forward it must be a significant component of america's energy profile and to make that happen we need to cut the red tape at the nuclear regulatory commission, expediting environmental reviews for nuclear reactors. time and time again, the environmental review process takes entirely

reliable -- mr. pallone: i have no additional speakers and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from south carolina is recognized. mr. duncan: i'd like to yield 1

1/2 minutes to dr. joyce. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. duncan: i thank the chairman for yielding. madam speaker, pennsylvania has a long and proud history of developing energy innovation from the first oil well in 1859 to leading the way on natural gas development and to westinghouse, developing nuclear energy in the 1950's. the commonwealth of pennsylvania has been a leader in producing the power that americans and the entire world rely on to keep their homes warm and their refrigerators cold. for decades, the united states has been a leader in the development of new technologies as demands on our nation's electric grid continue to grow, small, modular and reactors are poised to be the next generation of clean, safe and reliable

nuclear energy. it is vital that these reactors are permitted efficiently in order to allow the american consumers to utilize the energy that they rely on each and every day. i urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation. and i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. mr. duncan: i yield a minute and a half to mr. guthrie. mr.guthrie: thank the gentleman for yielding, i rise in support of atomic energy advancement act. i represent coal companies, muhlenberg, mclean and ohio counties. washington democrats roll call has ruled in the loss of good-paying jobs and key energy production for our commonwealth and our nation.

i introduced a bill that is included in this package to use kentucky's energy workers to bring back american energy independence and ensure our leadership as energy. and we have to repurpose retired coal facilities. i am committed to making sure we have affordable, reliable energy from a diverse portfolio. for generations to help us continue the lights on for years to come. i thank you for the time. i encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and i yield back. mr. duncan: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, who will probably talk about what's going down at plant vo vogel. i like to yield the gentleman

two minutes. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding. america used to be the leader in nuclear energy and should be one of the key parts of our energy security in all of the globe but we have allowed it to deteriorate and other countries to take the lead. russia and china are building a larger presence. the two account for nearly 70% of the reactors under construction or being planned worldwide. the united states cannot allow china and russia to be the standard bearers of nuclear energy. just imagine the proliferation implications. don't be fooled. this is another way to exert manipulation and influence countries around the world. we have seen it what it means for decades and developing countries tied to china. this doesn't have to be the case. we can have a new american

renaissance and this bill will provide important steps to do so. we proved that in the state of georgia with the two newest reactors built in this country in over 30 years. this includes licensing efficiency and strengthen our american work force and fee reductions, modernize improvements to how nuclear is approached in the u.s. the global nuclear assessment act which i introduced with representative peters included in a section of this bill. this bill would take an approach promoting nuclear energy by providing nuclear energy assessment and a program for sharing of expertise and prohibiting and provide for the national reactor export and innovation branch. this will inspire coordination, research and development for the

u.s. and allies which is extremely important. lastly, it would prohibit assemblies from hostile foreign nations. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. carter: lastly it will encourage nuclear energy independence and not being reliant. this is one small part of improving the global competition for nuclear energy. we begin to secure a safe, reliable energy future for the united states of america and democracies across the globe. i yield back. mr. duncan: as you have heard today the atomic energy advancement act is setting america up to get ready for what's next and what's next is advanced nuclear reactors, small

modular reactors. as the gentlelady from massachusetts said the possibility of fusion is exciting and what could be set up around these advanced reactors and jobs that will be created keeping that intellectual property here in america and addressing our supply issues for critical components and enriched uranium, the fuel that is necessary to make this work and lessening dependence on china and russia just makes sense to a lot of folks. in order to get ready, we got to make sure that the government agencies, self the nuclear regulatory commission is prepared as they move into the 21st century truly in the advancement of nuclear energy. we have friends and allies that are looking to the united states to export the technology to help

their countries meet their energy independence needs and be cleaner and lessen their dependence on foreign adversaries. in the czech republic they commissioned small modular reactors. and looking to the united states and n.r.c. and looking to america to lead and help them as they develop their nuclear technology and nuclear energy development there. poland was the same way. whitewater reactors. i think what is going on in our country. i think what our neighbors in canada are doing up in ontario with probably the first s.m.r. that will be brought online. nuclear development is important to the cleaner energy future for america. and i don't have any other speakers on this side.

so i'm ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. mr. pallone: i would urge my colleagues to join us in supporting h.r. 6544 atomic energy advancement act. this bipartisan bill which passed out of the committee in december includes a number of policies designed to facilitate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies while not compromising on safety. and we are prepared for the license applications for new designs that are expected to come its way in the new decade. provisions led by members that would allow the n.r.c. to retain its current work force and attract new talents. second, lower the regulatory costs imposed by new developers so they are only paying for the

expenses they are directly incurring. third, ease the process allowing for demonstrate with critical infrastructure and brownfield sites. and make it easy to co-locate new nuclear reactors on sites with currently operating reactors and allow d.o.d. to purchase purchase like that. nuclear energy is a vital source. it is imperative in our fight against the worsening climate crisis that we strengthening the n.r.c. regulatory processes so they are primed to prioritize reactors that does not compromise on safety and public health. i intend to vote for the bill. it's on the floor under suspension and we urge all

members to join us in supporting the legislation. and with that's correct i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from south carolina. mr. duncan: i yield one quick minute to the gentleman from georgia. alal-- >> i rise in support of h.r. 6544 bipartisan atomic energy advancement act to advance nuclear energy in the united states. it is critical to replenishing america's energy dominance. nuclear has a pivotal role to play. this is a bill i sponsored the nuclear licensing each shy act which would will improve the process for future nuclear projects by establishing updated procedures and timelines for

reviewing nuclear licensing applications. the first two nuclear reactors located at plant vogel in my district georgia 12, we are leading our nation's nuclear future. as we saw through the process, nuclear projects in the u.s. are bogged down by burdensome licensing and permitting processes that result in unnecessary delays and cost overruns. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's time has expired. mr. duncan: yield the gentleman 30 more seconds. >> by modernizing the inefficient procedures that hamper our expansion, we can embrace nuclear energy. i am proud to have my bill part of this broader bill to improve our nuclear regulatory process. i urge a yes vote on h.r. 6544. and i yield back.

mr. duncan: i want to thank once again the bipartisan nature of this legislation and i thank ranking member degette and ranking member pallone and their staff. let's get this passed and work with our senate colleagues and get something moved into law. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house pass the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6544. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the bill is passed, and without objection. mr. duncan: request a recorded vote. request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor will rise and remain standing until counted.

a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition? >> i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4984 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4984, a bill to amend the district of columbia stadium act of 1957 to provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over the i reserve thebalance of my time. earth f. kennedy memorial stadium campus to the administrator of general services and leasing of the campus to the district of columbia for purposes which

include commercial and residential development and for other purposes. pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from new york, mr. langeworthy and the gentlewoman from district of columbia each will control 20 minutes. mr. langeworthy: i ask that members may have five legislative days to include extraneous material on the measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr. langeworthy: i yield myself such time as i may recognize. i rise in support of a bill that will provide economic opportunities to an area of our nation's capital in dire need of revitalization and transfers administrative jurisdiction of the campus from our national park service to the district of columbia. . . . .

transferring jurisdiction is a unique tool for the congress to allow the federal government to retain title to lands while the district assumes responsibilities of the administration and maintenance. this tool has already been used multiple times to great effect to our nation's capital. under the current law granting d.c. a lease of land, the district cannot engage in any commercial or residential development of the land. with the lease set to expire in 2038 there are few options without congressional action. this goal is untenable. h.r. 4984 fixes this problem by allowing recreational purposes in residential and commercial development. this allows the district of columbia to revitalize this site, turning what was once a blight on our nation's capital to a thriving area of commerce

and community. importantly, the bill also imposes any remediation or environmental cost on to the district of columbia, saving taxpayer dollars that would otherwise be spent by the national park service. as congress continues to carry out the oversight duties over our nation's capital, this bipartisan bill will help create jobs and improve our great capital city and i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york reserves. the gentleman from d.c. is recognized. ms. norton: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. norton: this would allow us to transform the campus of underutilized land in d.c., primarily consisting of parking lots, sports fields and a long vacant stadium in the process of being demolished into a thriving

mixed use development. the national capital planning commission, the central planning agency for the federal government in the district of columbia has long called for the revitalization of the campus and the department of the interior testified in support of the goals of this bill. during my tenure, congress has passed several bipartisan bills to transform underutilized land in d.c. to thriving mixed use developments, including the yards on the southeast waterfront and wharf. and 1367 acres next to the r.f.k. campus is now being transformed into a mixed use development. since 1988, d.c. has leased without consideration the r.f.k.

stadium campus from the department of interior but the lease only permits d.c. to use the campus for recreation, a stadium and open space and the lease expires in 20389. this bill would give d.c. administrative jurisdiction over the campus for at least 99 years and permit d.c. to use the campus for commercial and residential development, recreation, stadium, parks and open space. this bill would require d.c. to preserve 30% of the campus for parks and open space and prohibit d.c. from building along the waterfront. this bill is a win-win for the federal and d.c. governments. as the department of interior testified, this bill would allow d.c. to transform the campus from, quote, acres of asphalt, to a complex focused on

community sports, recreation, park space, and community amenities, end quote, and would, quote, guarantee public access to a sizable amount of parkland and outdoor recreation areas, end quote. at the same time, this bill would allow d.c. to create a mixed use development and to generate significant revenue for d.c. i thank chairman comer for his leadership and partnership on this bill and i thank him and westerman and ranking member grijalva and i urge the members to vote on this bill and i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from is recognized. mr. langworthy: i yield to the chairman of oversight and accountability, mr. comer. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five

minutes. mr. comer: i thank the the gentleman for yielding and my co-sponsor, the gentlelady from d.c. i rise to support h.r. 4984, which repurposes over 1,000 acres of land in washington, d.c. despite the long history and importance to d.c. residents, the robert f. kennedy memorial stadium has been abandoned to become unused parking lots, open fields and a deteriorating stadium that is being demolished. the campus is currently under a lease which requires the land to be used for stadium purposes, recreational purposes or other public purposes, but under current law the campus cannot be used for commercial or residential development. absent congressional action, this land in our nation's capital will remain unused with ongoing maintenance costs and environmental liabilities remaining the full responsibility of the national park service. an ongoing burden for the american taxpayer. my bill, h.r. 4984 will change

that. the bill transfers administrative jurisdiction from the national park service to washington, d.c. while preserving the federal government's ownership of the land. this allows washington, d.c. to use the land for stadium purposes, commercial and residential development, recreational facilities, open spaces, or additional public purposes. however, d.c. may not use federal funds for any potential development of a sports stadium. the bill enables d.c. to transform the unused r.f.k. campus to stores, restaurants, office buildings, and apartment complexes. this economic development will help revitalize the r.f.k. stadium campus, creating new jobs and tax revenue for the district's residents. let me be clear, congress has a constitutional duty to oversee the nation's capital city. we have diligently exercised this role by holding numerous

oversight hearings, in the oversight committee with this congress and d.c.'s mayor and city council. we've also successfully blocked in bipartisan fashion, with the president's support, the city council's ill-advised criminal reform legislation from going into effect last year, the first law of the 118th congress. and we will continue looking for legislative opportunities to return order to the district by addressing the riseing crime crisis, returning federal workers to their office in the district to contribute to the local economy and seeking ways to bolster the educational system. the d.c. robert f. kennedy stadium campus revitalization act also represents congress doing its job to oversee the district by authorizing the best utilization of area land to help the city thrive. we should want this for our nation's capital city, a home to the taxpayers, federal work force, and a city that hosts millions of visitors and global

tourists each year. i thank my committee colleague, eleanor holmes norton, for working with me to write this smart, bipartisan legislation. i also want to thank the committee chairman westerman and ranking member grijalva with their staffs to working with my staff for i writing the huge bill we see today. rehope to revitalize our nation's capital and i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. langworthy: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from d.c. is recognized. ms. helms norton: i yield one minute to the gentleman from south carolina. mr. mr. dry mr. clyburn: i rise in support of the r.f.k. memorial

stadium campus revitalization act. it was a venue for many years and today the stadium and land that sits around it is vacant on the shore of the anacostia river. this long-awaited build will permit the district of columbia to revitalize the unused federal lands of the r.f.k. stadium, enriching the culture of our nation's capital, and making good on our responsibility to be good stewards of the land for future generations. i look forward to seeing the plans of mayor bowser and the d.c. leaders are developing to make good use of the space and better meet the needs of the local community. i want to acknowledge and thank the tireless advocacy of my colleague, delegate eleanor holmes norton on this issue and applaud the bipartisan collaboration that made this legislation possible.

i urge my colleagues to support this timely legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentlelady from d.c. reserves. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. langworthy: i yield five minutes to the gentleman from arkansas and the chairman of the committee on natural resources, mr. westerman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. westerman: i thank the gentleman for yielding and rise in support of h.r. 4984 which is bipartisan legislation i'm cosponsoring to allow development of the r.f.k. memorial stadium campus in the heart of washington, d.c. as a former football player at the university of arkansas, i know the powerful ways sports can bring communities and even states together. the current r.f.k. memorial stadium located just down the road from the capital has a long and complex history but is now decrepit and falling apart.

the legislation before us today will allow d.c. to mark the ends of legal limbo and the start of revitalization. under the bill the national park service will no longer have to maintain and operate the campus, freeing resources to defer from their backlog. d.c. will be able to revitalize this area and create thousands of jobs with new commercial residential and recreational facilities and preserves a model going forward for other communities, particularly those of large footprints of federal land and represents a win-win for the federal government and d.c. i'd like to take a moment to clarify the intent of congress with the respect to the legislation and the international environmental policy act or nepa. over the course of several months of bipartisan negotiations that involve both the natural resources committee and oversight and accountability committee as well as the city of

d.c. and national park service, several improvements were made to the bill. during these negotiations, we reached a bipartisan consensus that after this bill passes, the national park service will conduct a nepa analysis on the transfer of administrative jurisdiction itself after the transfer, nepa will no longer apply to d.c.'s development and use of the sight because those activities will not be considered major federal actions. this follows decades of precedent with previous administrative jurisdiction transfers as well as technical assistance and advice provided by the department of interior. the national park service also provided several examples of instances in which the agency transferred administration and jurisdiction of land to d.c., including as recently as 2022 and in none of these instances did nepa apply after the transfer of administrative jurisdiction. i'd like to enter into the record these examples as well as the environmental assessments

conducted under nepa that affirm this legal framework. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. westerman: because it was a clear consensus and prior historical evidence demonstrating nepa would not apply to the development of the campus after the administrative jurisdiction transfer, the legislative text did not include any superfluous clauses stating nepa's applicability. in addition to this, it is my hope d.c. and the department of interior will abide by congress' six-month time frame provided in the legislation to reach all necessary agreements and complete the transfer. before i yield back, i would like to take a moment to recognize the hard work and collaboration of chairman comer, delegate holmes norton and the entire staff of the committee on oversight and accountability. i'd like to thank ranking member grijalva for his team and the transportation and infrastructure team to getting this legislation to the floor today. finally, i'd like to recognize several people without whom this

legislation would not be possible, beverly perry, jerry, and lisa pittman. and also from the house natural resources staff, amelia butler, brandon miller, collin morrow, and taylor wiseman. i urge all of my colleagues to support the legislation and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from arkansas yields back. the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. langworthy: i reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from d.c. is recognized. ms. holmes norton: i yield one minute to gentleman from mississippi. mr. thompson: i thank the gentlelady from the district for giving me the time. mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 4984, the d.c., robert f. kennedy memorial stadium campus revitalization act. this legislation presents an opportunity to revitalize the r.f.k. campus, a historic site

that has served at the cornstone for over five decades. over the past two decades it has remained underutilized due to restrictions. they have limited the use of the r.f.k. campus to stadium purposes only leading to decline and erosion. this legislation focuses on transforming the r.f.k. campus into a mixed-use site which will create thousands of jobs. it ensures that district residents gain direct access to recreational opportunities, green spaces and walking trails along the riverfront. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical legislation. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from mississippi yields back. the gentlelady from d.c.

reserves. the chair will receive a message. the messenger: mr. speaker, a message from the president of the united states. the secretary: mr. speaker, i am directed by the president of the united states to deliver to the house of representatives a message in writing. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. langeworthy: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from d.c. is recognized. ms. norton: i yield two minutes to the gentleman from maryland. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. >> i want to thank the gentlewoman for yielding. mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to h.r. 4984 the d.c.

robert f. kennedy memorial stadium campus. i believe prince gorges should keep the washington commanders but it would give an unfair advantage to d.c. and one jurisdiction receives a free transfer of government subsidized land. i am not opposed d.c. to be the home but the pursuit should be no different to compete for the wizards and the capitals. this is a bad deal for federal taxpayers. it transfers federal property to the district of district of columbia. this is not a home rule issue. this is no different than any city or state. no different than the state of new jersey competing with the state of new york for the jets or the giants.

i do not object also to the redevelopment or renovation of the current r.f.k. campus. i think it would be outstanding to have new housing, retail use and parking space and i live by the stadium but i do not believe a land transfer tore stadium purposes provides the best opportunity to achieve these goals. i ask my colleagues to oppose this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentlelady from d.c. -- ms. norton: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized. mr. langeworthy: i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from d.c. is recognized. ms. norton: i would like to respond to the comments. the national park service has a maintenance backlog of $23 billion including $2 billion in

the district of columbia alone. the national park service does not have the money to transform the stadium site from acres of asphalt into parks or mixed uses. there is precedent for congress giving title to or administration jurisdiction over federal land to states and other jurisdictions for no consideration. we do not have to look far for examples. let's look at two of the examples in d.c. section 8124 of the title 40 has permitted the federal government to transfer administrative jurisdiction over federal land in d.c. to the d.c. government for no consideration. second, in 1986, congress directed the department of interior to enter into a 50-year lease with d.c. for the r.f.k. stadium site for no consideration.

while it is true that h.r. 4984 does not require d.c. to pay the federal government for federal jurisdiction over the r.f.k. site, it is expected d.c. will spend hundreds of millions of dollars transforming the site from acres of as fault into mixed-use development. this bill would not require a stadium to be built at the site. whether to build a stadium would be a decision for the elected d.c. government. several members of the d h d.c. council have expressed objection to a new football stadium at the site. i reserve. mr. langeworthy: this will allow d.c. to develop the vacant r.f.k. stadium site.

this will promote economic growth to southeast d.c. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentlelady from d.c. is recognized. ms. norton: i urge my colleagues to support this bill. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 4984 as amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspend #-d, the bill is passed -- mr. langeworthy: i ask for the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, yeas and nays are ordered further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3511 service disabled veteran opportunities in small business act. the clerk: h.r. 3511, a bill to amend the small business act to require training on increasing contract awards to small business concerns owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans and for other purposes pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. williams and the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velasquez each will control 20 minutes. mr. williams: i ask that all members many may have five

legislative days to include extraneous material on the bill. i am pleased this is the first of eight bills from the committee on small business that we will be considering today. that impose to show the committee on small business is a committee that gets things done and i hope our senate counterparts. i rise in support of h.r. 3511. this is sponsored by my good friend representative lalota. h.r. 3511, builds on dedication of america's veterans and we ask a lot and we must support them when they return to civilian life and ensure they have a fair shot to succeed back home. this bill is critical to ensuring our veterans are supported as entrepreneurs. the federal government is the laggest consumer in the world

and each year they have a goal to spend a portion of the contracts and small businesses owned by disabled service veterans. they raised the contracting dollars. not every contract has raised its commitment. this would require the small business administration to help them improve disabled small businesses. our veterans deserve to have a chance to succeed. i am proud to support h.r. 3511 and i urge my colleagues to vote on this bill and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i yield myself such time as i may consume. today we are considering a bill, six sponsors by republicans and two by democrats.

i look forward to work with the chairman to bring five democratic to the floor that were approved by the committee in a timely manner. i would like to thank my colleagues mr. lalota and mr. mcgovern. in f.y.2022, federal agencies awarded $-- 57% of contract dollars and record of just over $28 billion to service disabled-veteran owned small businesses. this doesn't tell the whole story. every year a handful of agencies do not meet their agency goals showing there is more that can be done. this legislation would require s.b.a. to issue guidance and provide training for agencies when they come up short. it is important to highlight that congress has raised the service disabled veterans small

businesses goal of 5% of contracting dollars moving forward so additional guidance and training will be timely. with that, i thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: i recognize mr. lalota as much time as he may consume. mr. lalota: thank you, mr. speaker, for recognizing the importance to the veterans' community. america owes a great debt of gratitude. those who served our nation deserve our support and respect and put their great country. as service disable veterans transition and some look to go

into the contracting space, congress must implement ways to make that transition. the service disabled veteran opportunities and small business act will provide greater opportunities to our nation's disabled veterans by increasing government contracting opportunities for service disabled veteran small business. they are required to contract with service disabled veteran-owned small businesses for 5% of contracts awarded. yet, the prior lower standard 3% for all wasn't being met by agencies. my legislation will solve that problem by requiring the office of veteran business development and small business administrator to provide training to federal agency officials who fall below their procurement goals and issue guidance on best practices to issue the number of contracts to service disabled

veteran-owned small businesses. i urge my colleagues to support this bill. and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: i reserve. ms. velazquez: i yield as much time as he may consume, mr. mcgarvey. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kentucky is recognized. >> i rise in support of h.r. 3511, service disabled veterans veteran opportunities in small business act. i'm grateful that the bill is on the floor today. i will echo my remarks of congressman lalota and owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women who are willing to fight for us and injured in their

service and it's up to us to support our veterans coming out of the military as much as we support them going in especially support them going in especially especially those who return with the wounds of service. both visible and invisible. so many veterans come home looking for ways to continue serving their communities, including by starting small businesses. and the small business administration does a great job of connecting veteran entrepreneurs to critical resources they need to start businesses. but the federal government must do more to ensure all veteran entrepreneurs have the tools and opportunities they need for their new businesses to thrive. for disabled veteran entrepreneurs, opportunity can come in the form of sole source or set-aside contracts. the federal agencies all too often fail to meet their service-disabled vet contracting goals. this bill requires the s.b.a. to issue guidance to other federal agencies to better meet the

contracting goals for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. and it would additionally require the s.b.a. to provide training to agencies that fail to meet these goals. if the agencies fail to meet their contracting goals, then this bill requires a report to congress detailing which agencies haven't met their goals so that we can better understand what works, what doesn't, and what we can do to continue improving business opportunities for service-disabled veteran business owners. we shouldn't stop until we are delivering on all of our promises. i urge my colleagues to support this good, bipartisan legislation, and look forward to its passage today. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. >> mr. speaker, we have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is prepared to close.

>> thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman will suspend. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, the federal procurement goals are one way that congress helps to ensure that small business government contractors can enter, compete and remain in the federal marketplace and that they receive a fair share of contracting dollars when doing so. this bill will provide agencies with additional tools and training to maximize awards to firms owned by service-disabled veterans and meet their small business goals. again, i appreciate the work of my colleagues on this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. >> thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation,

mcgarvey and lalota did a great job on this, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 3511. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 4669, the d.o.e. and s.b.a. research act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 4669. a bill to provide for a department of energy national laboratories and small business administration joint research and development activities and

for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. williams, and the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the exchange of letters between the committees of jurisdiction be included in the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 4669, the d.o.e. and s.b.a. research act sponsored by my good friend, representative lalota from the great state of new york. our national laboratories provide some of the most cutting edge scientific research initiated by the u.s. government. the 17 national labs across the country help ensure we remain world leaders in a variety of disciplines, including our

nation's self-defense. this legislation will ensure that the great work of our national labs and s.b.a. are ensuring small businesses can play a part in these crucial activities. small businesses play an important role in american innovation. the committee on small business has heard countless testimonies from entrepreneurs who found deficiencies in many industries. this is very similar to the work of our national labs as this bill establishes a memorandum of understanding, will prove mutually beneficial to both parties. the d.o.e. and the s.b.a. research act is vital to increasing the opportunities that innovative small businesses must work with some of the most innovative, federally funded research organizations in the world. i urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting for h.r. 4669 and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. for what purpose does the gentlelady from new york seek recognition? the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume.

i rise today in support of h.r. 4669, as amended. this legislation would allow s.b.a. and the department of energy to enter into an m.o.u. to formalize the research and development activities that are currently under way. investments in r&d are critical to providing high-paying jobs for americans, increasing small business innovation, and ensuring our country remains competitive. i thank mr. lalota for the bipartisan work and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield as much time as he may consume to mr. lalota from the great state of new york. mr. lalota: thank you for your leadership in the small business committee. i rise to speak in support of my bill, the bipartisan d.o.e. and s.b.a. research act. the d.o.e. and s.b.a. research

act would simply require the small business administration and america's 17 national labs to collaborate, to ensure that small businesses are better utilized within the department of energy procurement process. the department of energy is one of the largest procurers of small business goods and services in the government. through the d.o.e.'s national laboratories, small businesses can play a critical role in executing the d.o.e.'s mission. my district, which is home to one of these laboratories, brook haven national lab, which is leading the way by prioritizing working with small businesses. specifically b.n.l. in suffolk county small businesses have created a mutually beneficial relationship based upon cooperative research and technical assistance. despite good intentions throughout the federal system, far too often small businesses have been made to endure tremendous frustrations related to federal contracting because the federal contracting process

is incredibly complex and bureaucratic and plagued with many inconsistencies and nuances. some programs such as the small business innovation research program operate differently in each agency. this means a small business utilizing the same program may have to meet significantly different requirements from one agency to the next. my bill, the d.o.e. and s.b.a. research act, seeks to remedy this problem. a small business' work with the federal government can be a frustrating maze and this bipartisan bill will help bring resources and opportunities to innovative and successful small businesses. i urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support the d.o.e. and s.b.a. research act and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. mr. williams: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from new york. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman is prepared to close. mr. williams: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers and i'm ready to close also. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, small businesses produce more than 14 times more patents than large businesses and universities and employ nearly 40% of scientists and engineers. enhancing coordination between the small business administration and the department of energy will hopefully increase opportunities for small businesses. once again, i thank the sponsors and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation from mr. tan doer and mr. lalota and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 4669, as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. without objection, the title is amended. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 7105, the w.o.b.s certification and opportunity expansion act, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to -- the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7105. a bill to establish requirements relating to certification of small business concerns owned and controlled by women for certain purposes and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, each will control 20 minutes.

the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 7105, the w.o.b.s. certification and opportunity expansion act. one of the committee on small business' top priorities is combating fraud and abuse within the government's contracting programs and small business participation in federal contracting ensures a strong and resilient industrial base. congress sets a government-wide goal to spend at least 5% of its procurement dollars with women-owned small businesses. however, since this goal contains self-certified firms, it is hard to tell the accuracy of the data. this bill would remove self-certified firms from this government-wide goal and this would add accountable measures to make sure that businesses competing for these contracting

dollars are not misrepresenting themselves. i was proud to work with the ranking member on this important piece of legislation, i urge all of my colleagues to vote for h.r. 7105 and ensure that small business women-owned entrepreneurs are not shut out of this process. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. empowering female entrepreneurs has long been a top priority of mine and enhancing the programs that impact the success of women-owned small businesses continues to guide my work and our committee. that is why i am pleased we are considering my legislation, the wosb certification and opportunity expansion act, which, as amended, will improve and enhance the s.b.a.'s women-owned small business contracting program. the wosb program is a valuable

tool for federal agencies to contract with small businesses that are owned by women. however, a number of factors hinder the program's effectiveness. these limitations then translate into reduced contracting opportunities. as a result, the data continues to show that women-owned small businesses are not seeing the contracting opportunities that should accompany the level of participation in the federal marketplace. my bill will move away from self-certification and require federal agencies to only count contracts awarded to 35wosb -- 35 wosb's toward their goals. this bill will help address a concern that i regularly hear from wosb's. that the program is more difficult to use than the other s.b.a. programs and that it is in part because wosb's are not

s.b.a.-certified. stakeholders highlight that when combined with other confusing and cumbersome wosb-specific requirements, the lack of s.b.a. certification creates a risk that descent advises use of the authorities by contracting officers. it is my hope that by moving more it is my hope that by moving more wosbs through the process we'll see more set aside sole source contracts for women owned small businesses. that's always been the goal of the wosb program. to level the playing field for women in industries where they are underrepresent. my bill helps to do just that and i urge all members to support it thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i'd like to yield

as much time as he may consume to mr. lalota of the great state of new york. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lalota: thank you, mr. williams and thank you ms. vie laz quez for leading this bill. it's a great day when members of the sell gages from different pears can work together to improve small businesses. our bipartisan women owned small business certification and opportunity act will phase out self-certified women-owned small businesses from the government wide procurement goals. in doing so this bill will achieve two main things. it will protect the integrity of the women-owned small business program and it will prevent the abuse of federal small business contracting goals. self-certification, according to the s.b.a. office of the inspector general an other, presents significant risks of fraud and impedes the progress of businesses which rightfully

qualify. while others can self-certify, women small business owners in the women owned small business program undergo a certification program to ensure that only women-owned firms enter. this bill aligns the women owned small business programs with similar programs that no longer count self-certified firms in the s.b.a.'s goals asmg similar provision phasing out self-certified service disabled veteran small businesses from the procurement goals passed in the f.y.2024ndaa. i urge my colleagues to support the women-owned small business certification and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. mr. williams: we reserve. in. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from new york. ms. velazquez: i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is reck exniced. the gentlelady is recognized.

ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i have drafted this bill in a way i believe ensures women owned small businesses will not be harmed during the transition away from self-certification and that congress has the tools necessary to conduct oversight of that transition. there are sufficient protections built into the legislation so that women-owned firms are not penalized and specifically will not lose contracts if issues arise during implementation. utilizing wosb is in -- wosbs in our federal marketplace is critical for their success and the success of the national economy. i urge my colleagues to support this important bill, to enhance the wosb program, and to provide female intrep fewers with additional opportunities for success. thank you and i yield back the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from texas.

mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation from the ranking member velazquez to mr. congressman lalota from new york and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7105 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. williams: i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5265, the s.b.a. rural performance report act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 5265, a bill to amend the small business act to require a report from the office of rural affair, rerequire a

report on the memorandum of understanding between the small business administration and department of agriculture entered into on april 4, 2018, and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the jell from texas, mr. williams, and the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: i rise in support of h.r. 5265 the s.b.a. rural performance report act sponsored by my good friend representative alford from the great state of missouri. it should come as no surprise that rural entrepreneurs face unique challenges and in extending assistance to these entrepreneur, the department of agriculture and small business administration offer many programs to help them start and grow their business. unfortunately, government businesses often act in a silo

and become ineffective in theirout reach. that's why the turn administration created partnership between the s.b.a. and others to enhance the rules. after marking up the bill, we were happy to see that the s.b.a. announced they're working to renew another agreement with the department of agriculture. while this should not go unnoticed this bill goes further to require a report to track the effectiveness of this agreement and the s.b.a.'s office of rural affairs. if we're spending taxpayer dollars to help flesh a goal there must be performance metrics to see where the r.o.i. is for taxpayers and the businesses they're helping. it's vital congress knows how effective these programs are so we can ensure rural entrepreneurs are not left behind. i encourage support of this bill and reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr.

speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. today we are considering h.r. 5265, the s.b.a. rural performance report act which as amended requires an annual performance report on -- and budget justification for the office of rural affairs. let me begin by saying that mr. gordon has worked relentlessly to increase s.b.a. outreach to rural small businesses and make sure the office of rural affairs remains active. i commend mr. walden for his effort and i'm disappointed we're not considering his legislation today which would have enhanced the office of rural affairs and was unanimously approved by the committee in september. i look forward to its speedy consideration. today we are considering legislation that will require a performance report and budget updates from the office of rural affairs so that we can stay

apprised of its activities. currently, we get this information by simply asking the agency for an update. but this bill will now start to -- statutorily mandate that it is provided. i thank mr. papas for join mr.all ford in joining -- in sponsoring this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: at this time i would like to yield as much time as he may consume to mr. alford of the great state of missouri. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. alford: i want to start out by thanking the leadership of ranking member velazquez and esteemed chairman williams. it is a pleasure to be on this committee. there are many members here today on the small business committee making a dips for america in every piece of legislation we pass. i rise today to speak on the s.b.a. rural performance report act, a bill we introduced to support our rural small businesses.

you know, these businesses are essential to rural america, providing over 54% of employment in rural communities and counties this. bill will help us understand how the small business administration is really helping them succeed. the bill requires two reports. first it will give us insight into the office of rural affairs ensuring that they are providing the popper help to rural businesses. now, we're all aware of the crucial role that these businesses play in our economy and yet they support that -- the support they offer are often unknown to small business owners. at a hearing just last summer, several small business owners, including jennifer cassaday who owns bird's pecan delights, came here to testify that she didn't know that the office of rural affairs even existed. mr. speaker this bill will change that. it demands career -- clear,

detailed reports on the office of rural affairs and the efforts to aid these businesses and people like jennifer. are they providing the right assistance? are the resources and information reaching those who need it the most? it's time we had solid answers. this bill will provide them. mr. speaker, the second part of this report requires a review of a memorandum of understanding between the s.b.a. and the department of ag. this trump-era m.o.u. was a recognition that ag goes hand in hand with rural small businesses. supporting this bill means that we're committed to making sure that our rural entrepreneurs have the support they need in a timely fashion. we are standing up for the underrepresented, ensuring our rural small businesses are not left behind in america. we're promoting the accountability and oversight immediated to support the backben of our economy. and i ask for your vote for

transparency, responsibility and the success of our rural small business owners. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: we reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york. ms. velazquez: i have no further speakers, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. small businesses are powerful drivers of economic growth across the united states, employing 36% of the work force and generating 2/3 of new jobs. in rural areas, self-employment tends to be higher than in urban and suburban areas. the challenges they face are much greater. rural small businesses have a harder time securing affordable capital, finding talented workers, and making ends meet. administrator guzman is increasing s.b.a.'s commitment

to rural america by appointing a new director to the office and improving the outreach and engagement with rural small businesses. she recognizes the importance of ensuring rural small businesses have access to s.b.a. vital programs. with this type of assistance, rural small businesses can thrive. and in turn, create good-paying jobs and lift up communities. again, i thank mr. alford, mr. pappas, and mr. golden for their leadership on this issue. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation brought to us by mr. pappas, mr. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 5265 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. williams: i move to sprawls and pass the bill h.r. 6591, the encouraging success act as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 310, h.r. 6519 -- 6591, a bill to amend section 8-a of the small business act to require the administrator of the small business administration to regularly reassess the asset and net worth thresholds for qualifying as an economically disadvantaged individual and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. williams, and the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and

include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: i rise today in support of h.r. 6591, the encouraging success act sponsored by my good friend, representative ellzey from the great state of texas. the 8-a program allows certain small businesses to compete for valuable contracting opportunities. however, s.b.a. regulations threaten to remove the participating firms if the owner reaches certain financial thresholds. while the thresholds are necessary to ensure only true small businesses are utilizing the program, it can force some small business owners to make a tough decision, proactively stop expanding your business to stay in the program or grow beyond those limits and get kicked out of the program. i spoke with a female veteran in my district who was facing this exact issue. the bill doesn't solve all the issues within this program but it requires the s.b.a. to reassess the 8-a threshold cap every four year, ensuring it is

in line with market realities. i urge my colleagues to vote for h.r. 6591, the encouraging success act, and i reserve the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i would like to thank my colleague, representatives ellzey and thanedar for their work on this bill, the encouraging success act. the 8-a program is one of the most effective tools for minority business owners to get their food in the -- foot in the door of the federal marketplace. the program is critical for entrepreneurs who have faced discrimination. this bill requires the s.b.a. to regularly assess and when necessary update the economic threshold for program participation. i share the sponsor's concerns that the lack of reassessment or readjustment can penalize growth

and that regular assessment will ensure that the program keeps pace with changing economic environments. mr. speaker, mr. speaker, the national minority supplier council has said that this legislation will enhance the effectiveness of s.b.a. programs, including the program, ensuring they continue to serve as powerful catalysts for community wealth building and inclusive economic development. the program remains a win-win for the government and for communities across the country. it has led to a more diverse federal market and supply chain, provided billions of dollars annually through streamlined contracting processes for minority business owners and continues to work to help minority business owners overcome the real and ongoing discrimination that will otherwise hold them back.

keeping it intact and relevant must remain a top priority. i appreciate the sponsors for their work and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i would like to yield as much time as he may consume to mr. ellzey from the great state of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. ellzey: thank you, mr. speaker. thank you, chairman williams, and ranking member velazquez, for allowing me to lay out h.r. 6591, the encouraging success act. and bipartisanship on this committee is alive and well. and i'd like to thank congressman thanedar for joining me on this bill. the small business administration's program was established in the 1970's to help small businesses compete with large corporations for u.s. government contracts. a qualifying small business can only be a part of the program for nine years. to initially qualify and remain in the program, there's a cap to the value of a small business'

assets. since the program's inception, the asset cap has only been raised twice and is currently at the very small amount of $6.5 million. the asset threshold is set through s.b.a.-determined regulation and the law does not outline any process of when or how the s.b.a. should reassess the threshold to remain in line with market changes. unfortunately, because the requirements to initially qualify for the program or to remain in it haven't kept up with market changes, the cap is set to a level at which a small business is disadvantaged to compete in the open market at the end of the nine-year program. the s.b.a.'s slow-to-change attitude with the asset cap can limit the success of a small business or outright kill it. with the threat of being graduated out of the program, small business owners must decide whether their firm's growth is worth being removed from the program. our bill, h.r. 6591, helps solve this situation and encourages success of small businesses by

compelling the s.b.a. administratorto review the qualification -- administrator to review the qualification caps to make sure small businesses participating in the program are allowed to grow big enough to compete with larger companies once their participation in the program ends. we ask for your support for h.r. 6591. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. mr. williams: we reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, i am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. again, i appreciate the great work of my colleagues on this bill. i would close by noting that three weeks ago the committee held a hearing on small business size standards and contracting policies and the barriers they can pose to growth. as we discussed, the federal government needs to both recruit and retain small business government contractors. we are seeing that retaining small firms like those in the

program is a necessity for the health of the industrial base. this bill will contribute to the retention of growing small businesses. it is a productive step designed to ensure that minority business owners can succeed, thriving and grow in the federal marketplace and beyond. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation from congressman ellzey and than doer and i yield back -- and thanedar and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house pass the bill, as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and, without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. williams: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5426, a bill

to require the administrator of the small business administration to provide a link to resources for submitting reports on suspected fraud relating to certain covid-19 loans. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 179. h.r. 5426. a bill to require the administrator of the small business administration to provide a link to resources for submitting reports on suspected fraud relating to certain covid-19 loans. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. williams, and the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, each will control 20 minutes. the chair now recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend thrair remarks -- their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i rise in support of h.r. 5426, a bill to require the s.b.a.'s administrator to place a visible link on their website to report

covid fraud. last summer, the s.b.a.'s inspector general testified to our committee that throughout the covid-19 pandemic, the s.b.a. distributed more than $200 billion in potentially fraudulent loans. the committee was also told that in order to work through all these cases it will take more than 100 years of work. that is simply not a realistic feat and they need all the help they can get from the american people. reporting fraud in the s.b.a. should be easy for everyday americans to do. our committee now has a direct fraud reporting link on our website and the s.b.a. should do the same. when our committee was researching the need for this bill, we found that the only link to report covid fraud redirected users to a different website that was in spanish. even after we figured out how to correct the language, it was unclear how to actually report the fraud. this bill would ensure that reporting fraud is simply one click away. it should be a top priority of this body to recoup as many of these taxpayer dollars as

possible and in the most timely and efficient manner possible. h.r. 5426 is a commonsense bill that will help individuals easily report suspected fraudulent activity and help the s.b.a. and the o.i.g. prioritize which potentially fraudulent loans to investigate. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: today we are considering h.r. 5426, which will require the s.b.a. to put a link to the i.g.'s fraud hotline on its website for whistleblowers to report suspected fraud. the good news is that the biden administration's s.b.a. already has a link to the o.i.g.'s hotline on its mainlanding page, but -- main landing page, but with this bill it will be here to stay. in july, inspector general

testified that this office has received 250,000 hotline complaints since the beginning of the pandemic and more than 90,000 have been identified as actionable. this amounts to more than 100 years of investigative case work. to that end, the single most important action we can take to support the o.i.g. is to make sure we give them the resources they need to investigate bad actors. with that said, i appreciate the efforts of ms. van duyne and mre balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i would like to yield as much time as she may consume to ms. van duyne from the great state of texas. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. van duyne: thank you, mr. chairman, and thank you for your support of this legislation. during the covid-19 pandemic,

the small business administration oversaw what's been described as, quote, the biggest fraud in a generation. dolling out more than $200 billion to scammers, foreign crime rings and others who took advantage of a pandemic to enrich themselves. according to the justice department inspector general, the s.b.a. invited this fraud by failing to implement basic safeguards to ensure taxpayer funds were going to the right people. some of the pandemic aid even went to people involved in transnational crime organizations. when government mandates forced small businesses to close their doors, some resulting in permanent closures, fraudsters were out taking expensive vacations, buying cars, mansions, private jets, horses, luxury jewelry and more. all at the taxpayers' dime. while we work to recover the stolen funds, those criminals must be identified and prosecuted. the small business administration not only failed to implement safeguards to

prevent fraud of this scope, but they also failed to comply with the law originally authorizing the aid, which required the agency include an easily accessible link for the public to report suspected fraud. instead, the s.b.a. has ignored legal requirements and made it incredibly difficult to report fraud. as my colleagues and i highlighted during a hearing last year, if you were even able to locate the s.b.a.'s link to report fraudulent covid-19 loans, which were buried in their website, where did it take you? as our chairman noted, it took you to a different website that was written entirely in spanish. the republican-led small business committee has created a direct link for americans to easily report pandemic fraud and the small business administration must do the same. i urge my colleagues to support our bipartisan legislation to make it easier to report pandemic fraud, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: we reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized.

ms. velazquez: i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: mr. speaker, over the past three years this committee has played an important role in examining the pandemic relief programs which helped millions of small businesses stay afloat in unprecedented times. while there may be disagreement on the actual estimates of fraud, it is clear we need to work together to protect the integrity of s.b.a. programs from bad actors. the s.b.a., under the leadership of administrator guzman, has taken strong steps to root out fraud in the pandemic relief programs and put strong controls in place to prevent future fraud. in 2022, s.b.a. established a fraud risk management board, aligning its practices with g.a.o.'s oversight policies. a new role was also created, the

s.b.a. special counsel for enterprise risk, to vitz the administrator on fraud and risk management activities. and the agency continues to work collaboratively with the s.b.a. inspector general, the interagency covid-19 fraud enforcement task force, and the department of justice to recover stolen funds. i thank ms. van duyne and mr. landsman for looking for ways to enhance the work that the s.b.a. is undertaking to combat fraud and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from texas is now recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation from congresswoman van duyne and landsman, and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 5426. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded

in the affirmative -- mr. williams: mr. speaker. i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and i make a point of order that a quorum is not present the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be post poped -- postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. williams: mr. speaker, i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 7128, the wosb integrity act of 2024. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: union calendar number 313. h.r. 7128. a bill to establish requirements relating to size, standard compliance of small business concerns owned and controlled by women for certain purposes and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. williams, and the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas.

mr. williams: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 7128, the wo is, b integrity -- wosb integrity act of 2024, sponsored by representative milloy from the great state of utah. it removes self-certification of size from the contracting program that is reserved for women-owned small businesses. it is vital that there are programs to help small business owners access federal contracting opportunities. that is where the small business administration's women-owned small business program, also known as wosb, comes in. this program allows women entrepreneurs to compete for unique contracting opportunities. unfortunately the federal government currently does not independently verify that these businesses are truly a small business -- are small businesses, and firms can simply self-certify themselves as a

small business, potentially leading to misrepresentation and fraud to get contracting opportunities. it is vital that women-owned entrepreneurs who participate in the it is vital that small businesses who participate in the program do not have to worry that their competitors are misrepresenting themselves as small businesses. i urge my colleagues to support the bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from new york. ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. i would like to thank my colleague, representatives malloy and skelton for their work on this bill. since its inception, the wosb program and other such programs have been a challenge for the s.b.a. federal agencies have faced challenges use thinking authorities that congress has put in place to streamline contracting with women-owned small businesses. while working to boost participation of wosbs and

enhancing the use of this authority, congress must also advance initiatives that are designed to protect the integrity of the program. one issue we are addressing today is the inspector general's report that states there is a discrepancy in s.b.a.'s implementation of the program. the purpose of the bill is to align s.b.a. processes with the i.g.'s report and to clarify that we expect s.b.a. to have a process similar to the other social economic contracting programs for wosb certifications. again i appreciate my colleagues for their work on this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady reserves the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. at this time i would like to yield as much time as she may consume to ms. maloy from the great state of utah. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. maloy: thank you, mr.

speaker, thank you, chairman williams, ranking member velazquez. i rise in support of my bill, the women owned small business integrity act of 2024 or the wsob integrity act of 2024. the purpose of the bill is to make sure that businesses taking advantage of the wosb program are in fact small businesses. they're certifying that they're women owned but they're self-certifying that they're small. the inspector general found room for fraud in this program. this is simply meant to close a loophole to ensure the service is doing what it was intended to do, to give small, women-owned businesses an opportunity to compete on a level playing field. it ensures the contracts are awarded justly. we have a goal of reward -- of awarding 5% of government contracts to women-owned small businesses. we have no way of knowing how well we're doing meeting that

goal if we don't have any way of certifying that these wosb's are in fact small businesses. with that, i encourage my colleagues to support this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from new york is recognized. ms. velazquez: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: thank you. i rise in strong support of this legislation and i thank ms. maloy and ms. colton for this legislation and i yield back the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation from congresswoman -- scongwomen malloy and scoalten. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7128. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative. mr. williams: mr. speaker, i object to the vote on the

grounds that a quorum is not present and make a point of order that a quorum is not present. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition? mr. williams: i move to suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7102, the native american entrepreneurial opportunity act. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7102, a bill to establish and office of native american affairs within the small business administration and for other purposes. the speaker: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from texas, mr. williams, and the gentlewoman from new york, ms. velazquez, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas. mr. williams: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. williams: i rise in support of h.r. 7102, the native

american entrepreneurial opportunity act introduced by representatives davids of kansas. this codifies this into law which has been providing consultations for many years. it installs specific reporting requirements from the office. if we're providing taxpayer dollars providing a service it's critical to understand how effectively the services are being performed. this will not appropriate additional funds or expand government but will provide congress with better oversight and performance met ribs to ensure this office is performing to its fullest extent. native american entrepreneurs and native american small businesses are vital to their local economics. i want to thank representative davids and representative crain for their work on this bill and i urge my colleagues to support h.r. 7102. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady is recognized.

ms. velazquez: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. velazquez: i'm pleased that we are considering h.r. 7102, the native american entrepreneurial opportunity act. let me begin by commending ms. davids for her leadership and bipartisanship efforts to codify the office of native american affairs at s.b.a. she's a valued member of the small business committee and has remained committed to working with stake holders to make this bill a reality. the office has been a tremendous resource for american indians, alaskan native and native hawaiians. seeking to launch and grow their small businesses. through the the year it engages in several outreach activities including tribal consultations, development and distribution of promotional materials, and participation in national economic development conferences. codifying the office will ensure

that tribal small businesses have access to s.b.a.'s full range of business development tools regardless of the administration. importantly, the legislation requires that the system administration report directy to the administrator ensuring the voices of the tribal communities will be heard at s.b.a. i also thank mr. crane for joining ms. davids in her efforts and strongly support this legislation. i urge members to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: at this time i would like to yield as much time as he may consume to the mr. crane from the great state of arizona. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. crain: thank you, sir, appreciate that. thank you, mr. speaker. i'm proud to co-introduce this legislation to officially establish the office of native

american affairs at the small business administration. thank you, representative davids, for your leadership on the issue. i'm proud to represent over half of arizona's tribes, something i hear often is there's a need for economic growth and opportunity. tribal entrepreneurs who run businesses on reservations face complex hurdles when it comes to understanding tax implications, property rights, regulatory burdens, and lending. striebl entrepreneurs should have the ability to access s.b.a.'s programs just like anyone else. but in reality these communities do not experience adequate access or outreach. most importantly, they need specialized expertise to assist them in navigating the unique complexities of running a business on a reservation. complexities mostly created by us, the federal government. economic development in our tribal communities is crucial. i'm hopeful that establishing the office of native american

affairs into statute will bring attention to resources the small business administration can provide to tribal business owners and encourage the office to continue developing new methods for outreach to ensure the tribal businesses are not overlooked. this bill will also ensure that congress can practice proper oversight of the office's activities and effectiveness going forward. i would encourage representatives from this office to come out and visit tribal communities in my district and begin a dialogue with small business owners who may be unacare that this office even economists. -- even exists. doing this will allow think office of native american affairs to adjust and enhance their programs to best serve tribal small business owners. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yield. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from new york. ms. velazquez: i yield as much time as she may consume to the

gentlelady from kansas, ms. davids. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. davids: thank you, mr. speaker, thank you to ms. velazquez for yielding. it's no secret that our nation's entrepreneurs face challenging starting and operating small businesses. finding a skilled work force establishing an online presence, building a customer base. thee hurdles are common to all small business owners. our native american small business owners face these challenges in a bigger way. i want to highlight a few reasons for that disparity. native americans are twice as likely to live in poverty as other americans this significantly impact theirs ability to use savings and assets to fund small their small business, to access credit, and to take on the risk of entrepreneurship. second these business owners face geographical barriers with longer distance for supply deliveries and a lack of reliable broadband and telephone services. these obstacles make networking,

finding men torse and reaching out to consumer base a bit more difficult, reducing their chances of success. and third, native americans who are entrepreneurs often face greater hurdles in attracting private investment and accessing federal contracting opportunities. addressing these challenges is crucial to leveling the paying field for tribal small business communities and bolstering our overall economy. currently the u.s. small business administration's office of native american affairs works diligently to connect native business owners with entrepreneurial development, lending, and procurement programs. however the absence of a congressional mandate for this office limbs its capacity and leaves it vulnerable to changes from one administration to the next. that's why we really twheed to pass this native american entrepreneurial opportunity act. this bill would codify the s.b.a.'s office of native american affair into federal law, establishing an assistant administrationor role toover see

operations and report directly to s.b.a. leadership. it would require the office to report to congress on its successes in indian country. native-owned businesses employ over 300,000 americans and are vital drivers of our national economy. these tribal businesses deserve a seat at the table to advocate not only for the challenges that i mentioned earlier but also the successes and achievements that they have. i want to thank congressman crain, my republican colleague, and co-lead on this, for his partnership in introducing this bill and i urge members on both sides of the aisle to stand united in support of this crucial piece of legislation and vote in favor of successful entrepreneurship in tribal communities. thank you and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from new york is recognized.

ms. velazquez: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. ms. velazquez: native american owned businesses are powerful economic engines contributing over $33 billion to the u.s. economy every year. and employing more than 200,000 people in their communities. by enhancing the office of native american affairs, s.b.a. will be able to work on behalf of indian country and better target federal resources to indian tribes. i once again thank representative davids and crain for their bipartisan work to provide assistance to this critically important businesses and entrepreneurs. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. williams: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation brought to us by congresswoman davids and congressman crain and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7102.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair 2/3 -- mr. williams: i request a recorded vote. the speaker pro tempore: does the gentleman request the yeas and nays? the gentleman does -- the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. the chair lays before the house a message. the clerk: to the congress of the united states, pursuant to the international emergency economic powers act, 50 united states code 1701et sec, the

national emergency act, 50 united states code 1501, and secretary 301 of 03 of the united states code, i hereby report i have issued an executive order that spans the scope of the national emergency and declare in executive order 13873 of may 18, 2019, securing the information and communication technology and services supply chain and further address with additional measures and executive order 14034 of june 9,2021, protecting americans' sensitive data from foreign adversaries. the continuing effort of certain countries of concern to access americans' sensitive personal data and united states government related data constitutes an unusual threat which has the source in whole or substantial part outside the united states to the national security and foreign policy of

the united states, access to americans' bulk sensitive personal data or united states government related data, increases the ability of countries of concern to engage in a wide range of malicious activities including espionage, influence, kinetic or cyberoperations or to identify other potential strategic advantages over the united states. to address this threat and take further steps with respect to the national emergency declare an executive order 13873, the order authorizes the attorney general in coordination with the secretary of homeland security and in consultation with the heads of relevant agencies to issue subject to public notice and comment regulations to prohibit or otherwise restrict the large scale transfer of americans' personal data to countries of concern and to provide for safeguards around other activities that can give those countries access to sensitive data. section 2-b of the order

authorizes the attorney general in consultation with the heads of the relevant agencies to take such actions including the promulgation of rules and regulations and to employ all other powers granted to the president by ieepa as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the purpose of the order. in addition, section 2-d of the order authorizes the secretary of homeland security acting through the director of the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency in coordination with the attorney general and in consultation with the heads of relevant agencies to propose, seek public comment on and publish security requirements that address the unacceptable risk posed by restricted transactions as identified by the attorney general. section 2-e of the order authorizes the secretary of homeland security in coordination with the attorney general to take such actions including promulgating rules, regulations, standards and requirements, issuing interpretive guidance, and employing all other powers

granted to the president by ieepa as may be necessary to carry out the purpose described in section 2-d of the order. i'm enclosing a copy of the executive order i've issued signed joseph r. biden jr., the white house, february 28, 2024. the speaker pro tempore: referre d to the committee on foreign affairs and ordered printed. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house

senate history, passing theaten senate majority leader mike mansfield. mcconnell plans to serve out his term. he was first elected to office in 1984 and elected as minority leader in 2007. >> coming up, secretary of defense, lloyd austin, will testy the failure to immediately noti t officials about his recent hospitalizatn. see the house armed services committee live on thursday, at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span 3, c-span now, our ee mobile video app, or online at c-span.org.

>> american history tv saturdays on c-span 2, exploring the events that tell the american story. we continue with the series "free to choose" co-produced by nobel prizewinning economist friedman and rose friedman in 1980. this is entitled "who products the workers." and then on texas and history, texas woman's history professor cecily xander talked about controlling the american west through the civil war. at 9:30 eastern on the presidency, former polish president lech walesa gives a speech marking president reagan's birth and the support of poland and the solidarity movement. at 10:30 a.m. eastern on historic campaign speeches, first a 2008 campaign speech by democratic candidate hillary clinton at a rally at california state university followed by a

2016 super tuesday speech by presidential candidate and former senator marco rubio. watch american history tv saturdays on c-span 2 and find a full schedule on your program guide or watch online any time at c-span.org/history. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this, it looks like this, where americans can see democracy at work. where citizens are truly n, our republic thrives. get informed straight from the source on c-span, unfiltered, unbiased, word for word, from the nation's capital to wherever you are. because the opinion that matters the most is your own. this is what address looks like. powered by table.