mr. tonko: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of the safe drinking water act improved compliance awareness, introduced last week by our colleague, representative kildee, with the support of other members of the michigan delegation. this bill would strengthen requirements to have the e.p.a. notify the public when concentrations of lead exceed federal standards. that's notifying the public. while i support this legislation and urge my colleagues to support it, far more than this is needed to address the many failings that led to the tragic circumstances that are still being experienced by the residents of flint, michigan. a situation that has drawn the nation's attention and drawn compassion for children and their families. this should never have occurred in any city in our nation. as with any such tragic failure, there is an attempt to assess blame. while accountability is important, those who failed in their responsibility should be held account

mr. tonko, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from michigan. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i'd ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i would yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. upton: mr. speaker, i wish we weren't here today. i really wish we weren't. i wish this bill was not necessary. but it is. and our heart, all of us, go out to the folks of flint, michigan, the system let them down at every level. and that is frankly unacceptable. all folks want is the peace of mind that their governments are looking out for their best interest and their water is safe. this bill is the first step. imagine if you went to draw a cup of cold water from your kitchen faucet and suddenly to think about whether it's safe to drink or not.

mr. tonko: thank you for leading us on what is an important discussion. and you know, infrastructure, in a broad term, is something that needs our immediate attention because of years neglect. but the water infrastructure that has been highlighted as late. i would like to call it the hidden infrastructure and can't be out of sight, out of mind. that would be a very painful outcome, that is the approach taken by us as legislators or society at-large. for a number of years, we have been discussing infrastructure. i have made it my goal to invest in water infrastructure for a number of reasons but my ssignment has rankor, the lead democrat which reports to entering and commerce and the assignment of the drinking water act is housed and so it's important for us to maintain a vigilance, if you will, for the outcomes that are deemed acceptable and that is that we do not receive a d on our report card. when you shared that information, i thought if any of us brought home a d on a report card, that wou

mr. tonko: yes, mr. speaker, i have a copy of the comments from representative frank pallone, ranker to the energy and commerce committee, and i ask unanimous consent that his statement be entered into the record. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman's request is covered by general leave. topping tonk thank you. with that -- mr. tonko: thank you. with that i yield five minutes of time to representative dan kildee who has carried the concern and the emotion of this situation as the representative in the house of flint, michigan . his energetic efforts, his determination, his obvious passion for getting this done, getting some relief, relief essential for flint done is tremendously moving. and so i yield five minutes to my colleague from michigan. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from michigan, mr. kildee, is recognized for five minutes. mr. kilmer: thank you, mr. chairman. thank you, tonko, for your comments and your support and leadership on this issue, and please extend my thanks to ranking memb

mr. tonko: when we talk about the infrastructure hidden beneath the surface of the streets and scape of our communities, hard to imagine wooden pipes, along with those decrepit 145-year-old pipes and calcification galore and the enormity of the situation needs to be perhaps graphically shared. under the city of albany, the capital of new york, which is part of the 20th congressional district i represent, happens to lie 317 miles of pipe. drinking water infrastructure. you know, you could travel from albany, new york, to baltimore, maryland, that's the sort of linear responsibility associated with that system. should we anticipate rightfully, that there may be some bumps along the road of that 317 mile stretch in any given year? absolutely. let's think of it in those sorts of terms, so that we can have a better understanding and awareness of an aged infrastructure, which by the way is also accompanied by a discontinued inventory in many cases. valves that are required are no longer manufactured.

mr. tonkodr. o'toole, in your testimony, you speak of the need to take advantage of recent developments in bioscience to rapidly tests and manufacture accines against infectious diseases. that speak to the role technology plays in this process and is this program indicative of the public-private partnerships that we should be ursuing? the centers for innovation and technology. honorable o'toole: they can play a critical role. new diagnose no, sir particulars have a difficult time getting paid for. that discourges company from making them. magine the test and we could very clearly say you are infected, what is the outcome of your pregnancy or you are not infected. same thing for ebola and we could tell someone is infected. the technologies for a whole host of new diagnose gnostics are out there. the path out there is very troubled from a regulatory point of through. and the return on investment is not nearly as great and also from the payment mechanisms. the center has a tremendous role to play.

mr. tonko: thank you, mr. speaker. i thank the gentlewoman from texas for yielding. mr. speaker, i oppose this bill which represents an effort by politicians to overrule expert scientists in deciding which scientific grants n.s.f. should fund. in defense of their misguided effort, some of my colleagues like to pick a grant and poke fun at it or trivialize it or simply state that in their opinion it is not worth funding. one of the grants that has been singled out is entitled participant support for the zero emissions category of the clean snowmobile challenge. snowmobiles are ideal modes of transportation in extreme polar locations. this grant funded the challenge in which students form teams to engineer a lower emissions snowmobile. engineering competitions are both an important proving ground for new technologies and an incredible opportunity for students to engage in real-world engineering challenges. my colleagues frequently talk up the importance of stem competition. the science committee has held entire full committee hearings on that very topic. and now some of th

i now recognize mr. tonko for five minutes. >> thank you, mr. chairman. welcome to our witnesses. the -- dr. o'toole, in your testimony you speak of the need to talk advantage of recent developments in bioscience to rapidly develop tests and manufacture vaccines against emergent infectious diseases. can you speak to the role that the centers for innovation and advanced development and technology play in this process, and is this program indicative of the types of public/private partnerships we should be pursuing in this space? >> i'm sorry. >> centers for innovation and advanced development in technology. >> yes. they can play a very critical role. for example, new diagnostics have a very difficult time getting approval to be paid for. so that discourages innovative biotech companies from making them. imagine the difference it would make if we had a rapid diagnostic test right now for zika, and we could very clearly say you're infected, what is the outcome of your pregnancy, or you not infected -- you're not infected. same thing for ebola. imagine if we were able to tell within mi

mr. tonko: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield five minutes [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. 2016] >> that hearing is next. then a state department envoy testifies about efforts to combat the militant group isis. >> we moved to new hampshire, that quintessential first nation in the primary which has a long rich history and now we are getting down to candidates and their message. the party caucuses in nevada. more than likely, you will see a number of candidates drop out of the race and the field will then narrow and then we move into early march, super tuesday. the delegate count will be critical. we will get a better sense of whose message is resonating and who is on the path to the nomination. yesterday's new hampshire primary results, to republican candidates are ending their presidential campaigns. said, while i suspend my candidacy today, i will continue to travel t