Michael Burgess

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding performance of Denton ISD's Ryan High School Football Team, the Ryan Raiders, during the 2020 football season. In the past year, the team's prowess and exceptional diligence led them to an undefeated season, culminating in a victory at the Conference 5A Division 1 Championship on January 15, 2021. After facing an intense series of preliminary games, the Ryan Raiders finally secured the state title in their game against Cedar Park at Arlington's AT&T stadium. Led by head coach Dave Henigan, Defensive MVP Ty Marsh, and Offensive MVP Seth Henigan, the team attained its first state championship victory since 2002. The exemplary commitment, teamwork, and effort displayed by the players, coaches, and coordinators of the Ryan Raiders earned them the state title. The coaches and players of the Ryan High School Football Team overcame pressures and challenges amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully achieved the pinnacle of their season. I am privileged to join their community, family and friends in celebrating their achievement and to recognize each and every one of them for their laudable devotion to their team and their sport. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson), who is here to explain the amendment.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Morelle for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today's rule provides for consideration of two pieces of legislation. The first, H.R. 447, is the National Apprenticeship Act. The bill seeks to improve and streamline access to apprenticeships. These goals are broadly supported by Members on both sides of the political aisle, in the House and in the Senate. We considered an almost identical bill in the 116th Congress, which was the previous Congress. At that time, Republicans expressed a desire to work together to achieve the goal of modernizing the National Apprenticeship Program. Since then, the Democrats have pushed through their bill that did nothing to streamline the program, nothing for flexibility for employer-driven apprenticeships. The bill before us today is largely the same. Rather than work with Republicans in a meaningful way, the majority remains committed to codifying decades of rigid regulations and red tape. The Committee on Education and Labor did not even have a hearing or a markup on this bill before it came before the Committee on Rules, essentially shutting out committee Republicans from the negotiation process entirely--many of whom were new members on the Committee on Education and Labor and did not participate in the discussion in the last Congress. Mr. Speaker, between 2009 and 2019, America saw a 128 percent growth in apprenticeships. In September of 2020, the Department of Labor reported that 94 percent of all apprentices who completed their apprenticeship received an average annual salary of $70,000. Today's registered apprenticeship system is an important tool for job seekers and employers. It does have some flaws, however. In 2019, 252,000 individuals began an apprenticeship. Good for them, but only 81,000 graduated. This bill would make the apprenticeship system the only registered and Department of Labor-supported apprenticeship option, shutting the door on opportunities for those who participate in nonregistered earn- and-learn programs. While so many in the Nation have lost work due to the economic toll of the pandemic, now is not the time to make it harder to find adequate training by reducing an individual's apprenticeship options. Mr. Speaker, the National Apprenticeship Act would make this system even less receptive to innovation and create prescriptive requirements on apprenticeships. It also makes it difficult for small and medium- sized businesses to participate, as they do not always have the resources to navigate the lengthy and Byzantine Department of Labor registration process. America desperately needs more lab technicians. We need more medical assistants. We need more pharmacy technicians. In the middle of a global public health crisis, we cannot afford to stymie motivated future employees. Republicans agree that this 80-year-old system can and must be improved, but the solutions must be targeted and effective. The majority claims that the increased funding in this legislation will create 1 million apprenticeships. While it is true that the legislation provides significantly more funding, unfortunately, more money alone doesn't guarantee better outcomes if the underlying systems don't work in the first place. Mr. Speaker, the second part of this rule provides for consideration of H. Con. Res. 11, establishing a budget for fiscal year 2021, and providing the budget reconciliation instructions for fiscal years 2021 through 2030. Budget reconciliation is a fast-track, budgetary tool used to implement policy changes into law. This procedure requires only 51 votes in the Senate--not the normal 60 votes to break the filibuster, but only 51 votes in the Senate--which, unfortunately, can turn this into a partisan exercise, which is what happened here today. President Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, but under the reconciliation instructions included in the resolution, the deficit would increase to between $2 trillion and $3 trillion. Look, on the west front of the Capitol 2 weeks ago, the President called for unity--his first move. And, today, we see the Democrats employing a partisan process to jam through their wish list of policy priorities. The Budget Committee has not yet even organized as a committee, but the Committee on Rules adopted a rule to consider budget reconciliation without any prior hearings or markups. This will be the first time since 1974 that Congress has bypassed the Budget Committee and gone straight to the floor with a budget resolution. In addition, the Democrats did not pass a budget resolution at all for fiscal year 2021. So the budget resolution before us today is exactly 290 days late. Barely 1 month ago, Congress passed--and President Trump signed into law--a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. Combined with previous relief packages--and there were many--there remains $1 trillion in unspent funding. To my knowledge, there have been very few, if any, authorizing and oversight hearings to account for what funds are needed and how these funds have been spent and ensure they are being used in a way that best benefits the American people. With all of that as background, then you have to ask yourself: ``Why is it now so urgent to pass another $2 trillion bill?'' Well, the answer lies in the progressive, partisan policy priorities that the majority wants to push through, including raising taxes, increasing the minimum wage, implementing the Green New Deal, providing a path to citizenship for illegal aliens, lowering Medicare eligibility, providing universal basic income, and canceling student loan debt. But these policies do not address the immediate needs of Americans who are trying to survive the pandemic. Now is not the time to push partisan priorities. Look, Republicans do stand ready to work with Democrats to provide the needed resources for the American people. Yesterday's visit by 10 Republican senators to the Oval Office and the time that President Biden spent with them certainly should be indicative to people that there is a willingness to work together to solve the problems of the country, but we also are obligated to ensure that the proposals are thoroughly vetted and will be implemented in a way that actually helps rather than further harms our recovery. Mr. Speaker, I would add that Mr. Morelle referenced some of the other things contained in the rule. I think it is important that Members understand the threats under which we operate. As such, I, frankly, do not understand why we have not been provided a classified briefing by the Speaker of the House as to what the threats were prior to January 6 and what the threats are going forward. Suffice it to say, that the people's House--the House of Representatives--now is completely on lockdown. There are no people in the people's House other than the Representatives, and that is not the way it was intended. I think we are owed an explanation for what the level of threat is so that we may adequately prepare ourselves in our personal lives, as well as our work in our districts. I would call upon the Speaker to make such a bipartisan Member briefing available as soon as possible. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), the ranking member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith), my new favorite ranking member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to immediately consider H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to encourage local educational agencies to resume in- person instruction in elementary and secondary schools. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the text of my amendment, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Feenstra), who is a new, freshman member of the Republican Conference, to give what I believe is his first speech on the House floor.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, Republicans agree that apprenticeships are vital to American livelihoods and our national interests. We agree that reforms to these programs are necessary and prudent. It is time to update the apprenticeship program to better reflect the needs of employers and the needs of our Nation. Republicans stand ready to negotiate. Now is the time to give Americans opportunities to succeed, and I sincerely hope that we will do just that. To recover from this pandemic, we must also not push through policies that do not address the immediate needs of the American people. The budget reconciliation resolution provided for in this rule will drastically increase the deficit and seek to implement nonessential partisan policy priorities without first conducting the necessary authorization hearings and conducting the necessary oversight to ensure that current funding is spent effectively and efficiently. After the multiple calls for unity, it is disappointing that the first move that we are seeing from the majority in this Congress is to employ this partisan procedural process. I do hope they reconsider and come back to the negotiating table through regular order. Let me just also ask again that the Speaker allow Members to be briefed by the appropriate law enforcement agencies as to exactly what the threats are here in the Nation's Capital. I think we would all benefit from that not just in our work here in Washington, D.C., but also when we work with constituents and staff back in our districts. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question, a ``no'' vote on the rule, and a ``no'' vote on the underlying measures. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Gary Johnson, Assistant Manager for the City of Roanoke, Texas, as he retires from a career spanning almost four decades in public service. Prior to his work for the City of Roanoke in 2003, Chief Johnson served the City of Watauga's Department of Public Safety for more than two decades, from 1982 to 2003. His tenure at Watauga DPS included several positions including Detective, Paramedic, Fire Fighter, SWAT Team Leader, Patrol Commander, and Deputy Chief. During this period, the agency was a totally integrated public safety department with all personnel cross-trained in the areas of law enforcement, fire suppression, and emergency medical services. Chief Johnson joined Roanoke's Police Department as Chief in 2003. Under his leadership, the Roanoke Police Department became one of the best in the state, achieving the Texas Police Chief's Best Practices Recognition in 2011, a highly respected accomplishment requiring meeting 168 standards. This recognition has been repeated every four years since and is one of many achievements that led to the addition of his role as Assistant City Manager in 2016, with responsibility over Police and Fire Services and special projects. In 2018 Mr. Johnson transitioned to assume full responsibility as an Assistant City Manager, providing invaluable administrative input on operations, budgets, personnel policies and other support critical to the City Manager's Office. He also carried responsibility for many major City initiatives, including the role of Project Manager for the New City Hall facility, the implementation of the Roanoke Citizen's Academy and many others. His departmental direct reports included the Police Department, Fire Department, Informational Technology, Special Projects, Solid Waste Services, and City Hall facilities. A graduate of both Dallas Baptist University and having completed a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Texas, Denton, Chief Johnson is also a graduate of the F.B.I. National Academy; 207th Session. Beyond his duties with the City of Roanoke, he was also active within his profession as a member of the F.B.I. National Academy Associates, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Texas Police Chiefs Association, which he served as President in 2018. Through his decades of service in Public Safety and City Management, Gary Johnson's effort and leadership have created a legacy represented in the quality of life citizens of Roanoke and the other communities enjoy in the communities he has served. I wish him and his wife, Sherrill, his daughters and family, all the joy and satisfaction deserved in a well-earned retirement from a life of public service.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, hearing some of the earlier discussion, just for a data point, this is December 21, the longest night of the year, as they say. On August 21, the former Vice President, in accepting the Democratic Party nomination for President, in his acceptance speech, said: Look, let's be clear. No miracle is coming. Well, here we are, 4 months later, with not one but two vaccines, each in excess of 90 percent effective; absolutely phenomenal. As another data point, in August 2014, the Ebola crisis was raging in Western Africa. A vaccine was out of phase 1 trials. It took 5\1/2\ years to deliver that vaccine. This one was delivered in 10 months. It is absolutely incredible. Look, in the bill before us today, there are some high points, and there are some low points. A couple of things I do want to point out. The Independence at Home Act that I introduced with Congresswoman Dingell several years ago was continued and expanded. One of the biggest deals for me is coverage for immunosuppressive drugs after a renal transplant. I have been working on this for 10 years. Now, we have provided additional protection for people who are recipients of renal transplants so that they can continue to get their immunosuppressive drugs. Some flexibility has been provided in the bill to allow for value- based care. The alternative payment model threshold is frozen for 2 years. That is important. Project ECHO, which allows for primary care doctors in remote areas to be able to consult with specialists, has been continued. That is a big deal. The out-of-network billing has been tough, and it has been tough in a year that has been tough on our Nation's frontline healthcare personnel. The out-of-network billing language has improved dramatically over the last 18 months. I cannot say that it is perfect, but some of the more recent improvements, such as the prevention of putting payment data from public payers in the independent dispute resolution process, are pretty big wins for our physicians. I will also add that it is an unusual time that they should have to be facing additional cuts when our doctors have been on the front lines of providing care for America's patients during this pandemic. Faced with out-of-network payment reductions from the insurance companies and with reductions through the evaluation and management codes, the E and M codes, it is a funny way to go about rewarding those that we would refer to as our Nation's heroes. Still, Mr. Speaker, the American people do need the relief that is provided in this coronavirus package.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Randy Clinton, the President & CEO of the Community Enrichment Center, who will be retiring after 25 years of faithful leadership of the Tarrant County non-profit. Mr. Clinton received his Bachelor of Science in Education from Abilene Christian University, where he demonstrated his leadership skills through his role as the ACU Band Drum Major. After graduation, he initially served as Director of Recruiting at Abilene Christian, before his career path took him to Granbury where he opened a restaurant, and then moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a 13-year career in banking. His varied background experience in the recruitment, business and finance fields provided him the skills that would prove necessary for the challenges he would eventually face with the Community Enrichment Center. Established in 1988, Randy joined the organization already in existence, but brought his personal and business skills to effectively manage and expand the organization's original mission to serve Northeast Tarrant County's growing community needs. The area's expanding population brought an ever-increasing need for assistance from individuals and families facing homelessness or other forms of personal crisis. To address the challenge, Randy led the acquisition and sale of several properties through debt-free operation and management of 206 properties. This effort to assist struggling families also involved offering additional support services including the CEC's Food Pantry, GED completion classes and other programs to improve job opportunities and wages to move individuals out of poverty to self- sufficiency. This mission expanded significantly with the merger of CEC with Open Arms Home, Inc., allowing an even greater ability for Randy and his team to aid families in transition. It also expanded the capacity of CEC to assist victims of domestic violence by providing them the time and space necessary to work through their challenges in a healthy and supportive environment. Funding these efforts without debt required not only efficient management skills, but also creative funding. CEC, through Randy's efforts, was successful in securing, and successfully managing, a number of federal grants including Victims of Crime Assistance (VOCA), Other Victim Assistance Grant (OVAG), and HUD Homeless Housing grants. These grant funds, as well as other funding streams, supported the CEC's offerings to those in need, such as adult literacy programs and VITA Free Tax Preparation. His service wasn't limited to his official duties at the CEC. Mr. Clinton served his fellow North Texans through participation in several area boards, including the Northeast Leadership Forum, Northeast Tarrant Chamber of Commerce, the Northeast Richland Lions Club, the Joint Advisory Council for JPS Hospital and the United Way Northeast Steering Committee. He also shared his personal time and leadership skills as Board Chairman of the Northeast Tarrant Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Homeless Network, Mid Cities Pacesetters Rotary, Tarrant County Continuum of Care for the Homeless, United Way Agency Partners and the Saginaw Area Chamber. He was also a founding member of Summer Santa and serves actively at The Hills Church of Christ as Elder and Class Leader. Randy Clinton successfully bridged his personal faith and professional skills as a compassionate community steward, leading the CEC to offer practical resources, tools and encouragement to community members in need. Thanks to his committed engagement, families have found transitional resources to move from crisis to stability and break the cycles of poverty and family violence. Bringing hope to current, and future generations of North Texas residents, Randy has made an indelible mark through his service with Community Enrichment Center. On behalf of the 26th Congressional District, I wish him and his family the same success and fulfillment his efforts over the past quarter decade have enabled for so many other families.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Pat McGrail as he concludes over twenty years of public service, retiring as the longest-serving Mayor in the history of Keller, Texas. Mayor McGrail's tenure prioritized a broad spectrum of accomplishments to build community and enhance Keller's overall quality of life. Mr. McGrail's Public Safety initiatives helped Keller earn national accreditation and honors, including consistent recognition as one of the safest communities in the country. These efforts included expansion of the Police station and the outdoor warning system, as well as construction of the new Fire Station 1 and renovations to the existing fire stations. His leadership helped secure approval of the Town's first Crime Control & Prevention District, and arrange regional partnerships with neighboring cities, including 911 dispatch, jail, municipal court and animal control services that served to meet community needs in a creative and cost-savings manner. Mr. McGrail's service reached beyond Public Safety to build and improve a number of other important municipal facilities and public assets. Early in his public life, he celebrated the opening of Keller's Town Hall as Councilman McGrail, the first of many facilities he would help deliver first-hand. Keller's Municipal Service Center and Public Library were two additional high-profile investments made during his service to the community, He was also among the critical Town leadership establishing The Keller Pointe fitness and aquatics center and realizing the new Keller Senior Activities Center with its recent groundbreaking. Additionally, several parks and trails have opened or been improved, such as Bear Creek Park, preserving the natural beauty of the area and adding to current and future recreational opportunities for local citizens. Mayor McGrail has led the town through natural and economic challenges, including floods, recessions and the current COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout these immediate leadership tests, he has remained aware of the Town's future needs. A long-standing proponent of road and utility infrastructure investment, Mr. McGrail has sought to support the needs demanded of the growing North Texas communities while protecting public and private property from the natural events all well-managed Texas communities have learned to expect. Through his decades of service, Mayor McGrail has experienced the celebrations, satisfaction, frustrations, and sharp elbows all in public service come to know. His vision, perseverance and dedication have left a permanent mark, supporting and enhancing the quality of life to lead Keller to national recognition among the Best Small Cities in America. On behalf of the 26th Congressional District, I wish him, his wife Pauline, and his family much joy in his next endeavors. Keller is a stronger, better Town because of your service.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Finally, I would like to point to the bipartisan, bicameral support of H.R. 7898, which was included in title V of the Lower Health Care Costs package in the Senate. We have both Chambers and both parties coming to an agreement, and that is a positive sign. It certainly indicates the importance of this legislation. It is for these reasons that I encourage Members to vote in favor of H.R. 7898. Again, I thank the ranking member for his years of friendship and service to the committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the recognition. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7898, once again, to clarify the enforcement and investigative authorities of the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services with respect to health record information blocking. In 2016, as has been stated, Congress passed the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act with the goal of closing the gap between innovation and our Nation's regulatory process. Throughout the drafting of Cures, I made it a priority to address important health information technology issues, including interoperability and the prevention of information blocking. I am a physician, but I am also a patient, and I am acutely aware of the frustrations surrounding the difficulty of a patient accessing their medical records. Patients should control their own medical data. Yet, if a patient and their doctor have difficulty in accessing electronic health records, the patient's care may suffer. In the Cures bill, Congress provided the tools necessary for doctors and patients to better coordinate their care through the sharing of patient data. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology promulgated a rule that outlines what is permissible. This rule, which was finalized this past May, aims to allow patients to seamlessly access their electronic health information. This bill, H.R. 7898, is needed in order to ensure that there is a smooth and effective implementation and to allow for the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services to enforce this rule. In the context of this coronavirus pandemic, I think we have all seen the importance of allowing the efficient flow of a patient's medical records so that patients and their doctors can have informed conversations about their care plans. Also of importance is ensuring patient privacy and ensuring that it is protected and that information is secure. H.R. 7898 builds on the sections of the 21st Century Cures Act and encourages healthcare entities to adopt strong cybersecurity practices, which are essential in protecting patient data from bad actors.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I served with the gentleman's father for 9 years, and I certainly understand the pain that was reflected in his voice in those remarks. This is a commonsense bill. When a practitioner encounters a correctable lesion at the time of a screening colonoscopy, the curative procedure should be able to be undertaken without the worry of a patient waking up to an unintended charge. The other thing that crosses my mind as we sit here now, hopefully, on the downside of the pandemic is how many people have not proceeded with the screening procedure because of concern about going to a facility during the time of the coronavirus. And it is incumbent upon us as policymakers to ensure that people do understand the importance of undertaking these screenings and removing any obstacles that would prevent someone from having a potentially lifesaving screening procedure done. Further, Mr. Speaker, if I could, many people today have reflected on the time of service of Mr. Walden, who is retiring at the end of this Congress, and we will all miss him a great deal. As I have listened to several of the speakers give testimony to Mr. Walden's leadership on the committee, I am just reminded of so many times, both good times and rough times. We served together on the majority and the minority for a number of years on the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The country can look to things like the last 10-year reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and thank Mr. Walden for the vision of getting that enacted. Certainly, the SUPPORT Act in the last Congress, starting with Member Day in the committee and culminating with the signing ceremony in the White House literally 12 months later. These were some of the significant accomplishments of then-Chairman Walden, now Ranking Member Walden. He has left a rich legacy in this Congress, and we are all very much in his debt, and we will miss him terribly in the Congresses to come. I thank the gentleman for his indulgence. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for the recognition. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of a bill that includes coverage for immunosuppressive drugs after a kidney transplant. This is something we have worked on for a decade but, more importantly, for kidney patients and their families, this has been a priority for much, much longer. Madam Speaker, today's bill is monumental in the life of the transplant patient. In 1972, Congress voted to allow Medicare coverage for end-stage renal disease patients under 65 years of age. The policy opened the doors for patients to have Medicare pay for dialysis and kidney transplants, but it wasn't quite enough. A new kidney gives the hope of a better quality of life to patients, but only if they take those immunosuppressive drugs. Otherwise, their own immune system is going to recognize the renal graft as a foreign object and reject it, but that is their new kidney. So without these drugs, patients risk rejection of a kidney and a return to dialysis. Now, Medicare, to be sure, will pay for that return to dialysis and another renal transplant--if they are lucky enough to get one--but it will not pay for more than 36 months of immunosuppressive drug coverage. This is incredibly expensive for the Medicare system, but think of the toll on the lives of kidney patients and their families. So the bill before us today will address the immunosuppressive drug issue directly by requiring Medicare to cover these drugs past 36 months for kidney patients who do not obtain other health coverage. Look, a kidney transplant is a gift from one human to another. From the government's perspective, the transaction is an investment that allows the government to make that investment into a patient's future, and this policy allows us to protect that investment, so it is a policy that is good for the patient, to be sure. As a side benefit, it is a benefit to the taxpayer. Madam Speaker, both the CMS Office of the Actuary and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS have published reports on the benefits of extending Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs, which include financial savings for the Medicare program. So after years, literally a decade, of wrestling with the policy, a light finally shone over the Congressional Budget Office and they confirmed what others have known all along, that this delivers savings to Medicare. The policy also aligns and builds on what the Trump administration has done with the kidney health initiatives, including the Advancing American Kidney Health executive order, which the President signed in July of 2019. So this immunosuppressive drug policy has support from everyone--from the patients, to transplant surgeons, to patients' families, and it is something behind which the kidney coalition has coalesced for years. We would not be here today if it were not for the tireless work of that community and other cosponsors.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I thank all of the many people, including the staffers on both of our committees, who have worked over the past decade, they have tuned and fine-tuned this policy to get it where it is today.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and truly it has been a privilege to serve with the gentleman from Georgia on the Rules Committee. I have learned a lot from occupying that seat beside him there. Madam Speaker, there is still a pandemic raging through our country. Every community in this country has been affected, and community spread is unfortunately going in the wrong direction as the virus rages across our land. My home State of Texas has had over 1 million cases of this novel coronavirus. We have been awaiting relief packages for months and passing partisan packages does not help when our Nation needs us most. Where has the sense of urgency been from House Democratic leadership? In February I called for hearings on the coronavirus at the Energy and Commerce Committee, and my requests were dismissed. Congress has since provided support in the form of funding for vaccines, testing, and more, but we should continue to support our Nation's pandemic response in these ways, especially as cases are now raging across the country. We could come together to provide our country with the resources to fight this invisible enemy. House Democratic leadership does not seem to be up to this task. My legislation, H.R. 8086, provides funding for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to develop additional medical countermeasures and vaccines. In fact, in the past 2 weeks we have received incredibly encouraging news that early data shows two of the coronavirus vaccine candidates to be more than 90 percent effective. A safe and effective vaccine is the strongest arrow we could have in our quiver to allow our people to return to normal. We also have new antibody treatments that could be used in nonhospitalized mild to moderate coronavirus patients. At this point I would give credit to the administration that recognized the need for these medical countermeasures, antivirals, antibodies, and vaccines and really put the entire strength of the whole of government response into Operation Warp Speed. The public sector and private sector are now delivering on that promise, and we are likely just days away from the Food and Drug Administration providing emergency use authorization for one or both of these new vaccines--again, vaccines that are over 90 percent effective--when we didn't even have the genetic sequence of this virus until the end of January. That is a phenomenal accomplishment. But now is not the time to take our foot off the gas. The House continues to waste its time on partisan bills that are going to be dead on arrival in the Senate instead of delivering results for Americans. There are commonsense, bipartisan ways to help our Nation respond to the coronavirus, including my bill to increase funding for the coronavirus response, Mr. Chabot's bill to improve the Paycheck Protection Program, and Mr. Stauber's bill to fund better training for law enforcement. But House Democrats have turned their backs on the needs of America. Madam Speaker, I urge Members to vote against the previous question so we may take up these important measures.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank John for his service to the Congress, his service to the country. And John's life has been all about service from West Point, to the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserves. For 15 years, it has been my high privilege to serve with John on the Energy and Commerce Committee. You can tell by the number of members of the Energy and Commerce Committee who are here tonight just the impact he has had on that committee. I will tell you, John, one of my fondest memories is in March 2011 after Harry Reid had shut down the project that was to be long-term nuclear storage out at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. I still have a piece of rock that the Yucca mucker kicked up and the tailings when we walked into that enormous man-made cavern out there. But your passion for that issue has not dimmed over the years, and I will just promise you that we will take it up and carry on in the Congresses to come. I thank you very much for the privilege of having known you.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today disappointed in the Majority for pushing forward H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act. Despite the bill's stated objectives, this legislation would hurt our economy and hamper technological progress. This legislation authorizes over $135 billion in new taxpayer spending, and creates new mandates and prohibitions, all of which would only hurt Americans' finances and consumer choice. The Majority failed to include the most important policies that would enable the rapid investment and development of new energy technologies: regulatory and permitting reforms. While I was pleased that five of my amendments were considered and that three passed, I cannot in good faith support this partisan legislation that will hurt our Nation's economic recovery and reduce the speed of innovation in the marketplace. Due to the partisan nature of H.R. 4447, I would have not only voted no, but strongly encouraged my fellow members to do so.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express appreciation for Southern Methodist University Student Body Vice President Austin Hickle of Lubbock, Texas. During this pandemic Austin has demonstrated true leadership. He used his position as SMU Student Body Vice President to establish the College Health Alliance of Texas and recruited other student body presidents from colleges and universities across Texas to become a unified voice. Together, this alliance would be able to amplify the urgency of public health compliance and coordinating greater student engagement in all necessary measures to decrease the risk of outbreaks among students. By creating this alliance, Austin eliminated a leadership vacuum in the COVID-19 response due to the absence of a strong student voice encouraging students to do their part and maintain best safety practices on campus. The message of these campus leaders was carried throughout the state in various media outlets. It encouraged students to step up to keep their campuses and communities safe. For leadership that advanced the cause of public safety during a global pandemic, I would like to thank Austin Hickle for his selfless efforts on behalf of the State of Texas.