Gus Bilirakis

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote in the memory of Bill Pascrell who did such a wonderful job on this particular issue. I am glad we are getting it across the finish line. Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1442) a bill to ban the sale of products with a high concentration of sodium nitrate to individuals, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1442, the Youth Poisoning Protection Act, led by Representative Trahan. Since 2017, the United States has experienced a troubling increase in self-poisoning cases involving sodium nitrite, many of which stem from easy online access to high-concentration products. This bill aims to confront that threat by implementing a narrowly focused prohibition on the sale of consumer products containing sodium nitrite at concentrations above 10 percent. I thank Representative Trahan for her strong bipartisan leadership on this piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 1442, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close after Mr. Pallone. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this particular bill. Again, I commend Representatives Trahan and Carey. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 146) to require covered platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate visual depictions, and for other purposes.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of S. 146, the TAKE IT DOWN Act by Senator Ted Cruz. The bill addresses a serious gap in our current law, a loophole that came to light in my own district. I had a meeting on this particular issue with the sheriff in Pasco County, Florida, Sheriff Nocco, and then I also talked to Senator Cruz about one of his constituents. This is how we get things done. The best ideas come from the people, and this is very necessary. A teacher in my district used AI to create explicit content of his students incorporating real images of his students taken from a yearbook. Under current law, only the use of the actual photos is illegal, the AI-generated, sexually explicit content is not. Because of this gap, law enforcement was unable to fully charge this particular individual, this sick individual, in my opinion, for the scope of the images in his possession. Had this bill been in effect, his actions would have been criminalized in full. As technology evolves, so must our laws. We need to keep pace, there is no question. We must. We must continue working hand in hand with our law enforcement partners to stay ahead of these emerging threats and safeguard our most vulnerable. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of S. 146. The House sponsor is the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar). She is a great friend of mine. Let's get this done. We need to be protecting our children. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar), the House sponsor of this particular bill, who is my good friend and a very effective Member of Congress.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), the great chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and a good friend of mine who is doing an outstanding job, in my opinion.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I thank the President of the United States for shedding light on this particular bill at the state of the Union. I thank our great First Lady as well for her support on this particular bill. I thank Representatives Dean and Dingell, and, of course, Representative Salazar who was also the main sponsor of the bill in the House. I thank Senator Cruz who worked so very hard to get this done. This is a bipartisan accomplishment, and we will protect our kids if we pass this particular bill. It will go to the President once we pass this bill. Let's get it done. Let's pass it unanimously. Mr. Speaker, again, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1479) to prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for hotel rooms and other places of short-term lodging, and for other purposes.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1479, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act of 2025, led by Representative Kim. This bipartisan legislation aims to prohibit unfair and deceptive advertising of prices for hotel rooms and other short-term lodging by requiring that all mandatory fees, including resort fees, be included in the advertised price. Hidden fees can significantly inflate the cost of accommodations, leading to consumer frustration and eroding trust in the hospitality industry. By ensuring transparent pricing, we empower consumers to make informed decisions and promote fair competition among lodging providers. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of this particular bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from the State of California (Mrs. Kim), who is a very effective lawmaker.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote. I thank, again, Representatives Kim, Mullin, Fry, and Kathy Castor of Florida, my good friend, and others who worked for this particular bill, a good consumer bill. Again, let's get this done as soon as possible. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BILIRAKIS

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2480) to require SelectUSA to coordinate with State-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor-related manufacturing and production.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material in the Record on this particular bill.

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2480, the Securing Semiconductor Supply Chains Act of 2025, led by Representative Landsman. This legislation directs the Department of Commerce's SelectUSA program to coordinate with State-level economic development organizations to increase foreign direct investment in semiconductor- related manufacturing and production. Semiconductors are critical to our national security and economic prosperity, yet recent shortages have exposed vulnerabilities in our supply chains. By fostering investment in domestic semiconductor production, this bill aims to enhance supply chain resilience and reduce dependence on foreign sources. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 2480, and I reserve the balance of my time.