Suzanne Bonamici

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, again, this amendment would cause the EPA to be precluded from getting some of the best science. The amendment says that a Board member shall have no current grants or contracts from the Environmental Protection Agency and shall not apply for a grant or a contract for 3 years following the end of that member's service on the Board. Mr. Chairman, that would cause serious problems. It is a vaguely worded amendment. I would be concerned about inhibiting people from even applying for grants. We need to do everything we can to support our bright scientists. This would preclude them from serving. We should vote against this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I mentioned the letters that were entered into the Record. Frequently, here in Congress, we talk about government efficiency and getting things to work better, and I just want to read what the Center for Medical Consumers said about H.R. 1029: The bill requires the Science Advisory Board to remain in an endless loop of soliciting public comment about the state of the science, touching on every major advisory activity it undertakes and responding to nearly every comment before moving forward, without being limited by any time constraints. Also, the National Physicians Alliance noted: This bill's overly broad restriction on Science Advisory Board members with subject matter expertise is equally counterproductive and goes far beyond the commonsense limits imposed by the National Academies, and the language in the bill is so vague that it raises many questions. Mr. Chairman, we can do better than this. We need to get back to the table and work together so that we have a bill that actually improves the Science Advisory Board. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, America has always been the country of opportunity. For those struggling, our country works to prevent families from becoming destitute and provides critical supports to help them out of difficult circumstances so they can earn a living and support their families. This support serves as a statement of our values, that you don't have to be born lucky to overcome hardship and succeed. But the budget released today by my colleagues in the majority does not reflect these values. Instead of strengthening vital services like food assistance or investing in K-12 education, it slashes them. It reinforces the idea that your circumstances are your destiny. We should be investing in American workers and creating an economy that will help everyone get ahead. Unfortunately, the priorities expressed today do not reflect this vision, and I hope we can work together toward a budget that does.

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Madam Chair, I would like to thank Ranking Member Scott for yielding, for his tremendous leadership, and for delivering a positive alternative to H.R. 5. I would also like to thank all the hardworking staff for their expertise and work. Since the Elementary and Secondary Education Act first passed in 1965, Congress has stood beside America's disadvantaged students and neediest communities--those with the highest concentration of low- income students. Unlike H.R. 5, this amendment continues the essential mission of delivering resources to students who need them the most. This substitute fixes what is broken in No Child Left Behind--and there is a lot--and it maintains the original intent of equity. We have an opportunity to ensure that all students have access to high-quality public education and that schools and educators have the support they need to help all students reach high standards. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank, again, my cosponsor of this amendment and those who spoke in favor. Good, quality assessments can inform instruction. Duplicative assessments need to be eliminated. This amendment gives districts and States the flexibility to do that. I urge my colleagues to support it. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman Kline and Ranking Member Scott for their leadership on the committee and on this important legislation. I know that we will need to continue to work together to identify opportunities for bipartisan collaboration if we are going to successfully replace No Child Left Behind, and I have confidence we can do that. I also thank Representative Costello for his work on this amendment and for his partnership on the SMART Act. Mr. Costello's dedication to public education is commendable, and I look forward to continuing to work with him. Mr. Chairman, the Bonamici-Costello amendment is an example of finding common ground on a way to support teaching and learning in our Nation's classrooms. We have all heard about the overuse and misuse of standardized tests. Too much time is lost in preparing for and in administering assessments, and too few of these assessments provide timely information that meaningfully supports the learning that is taking place in our schools, but the purposeful use of high-quality assessments can support teaching and learning. Good assessments used appropriately can serve as one tool for monitoring students' progress and in helping parents, teachers, and school leaders see how students are performing across the State. This amendment will help to reduce the testing burden and build high- quality assessment systems that support teachers and students. Importantly, the amendment recognizes that a one-size-fits-all policy to address excessive testing won't work. There is evidence that time spent testing fluctuates significantly among districts, with some districts dedicating three times as many hours to testing as other districts. This variety in the use of tests is why our amendment lets the States and local districts design their own plans to improve the use of assessments. Our amendment reserves a portion of local academic flexible grant funds for States and school districts to improve the use of assessments. The amendment allows States and school districts to use those funds to audit their assessment systems and report to the public the results, which might include the amount of time students spend taking tests, whether those tests are high quality, and whether the tests provide prompt feedback to support teaching. The amendment allows States and school districts to use the funds to develop and implement a plan to make assessments work better for their teachers, families, and students. States and school districts can eliminate low-quality or redundant tests, provide professional development on assessment literacy, or speed the delivery of assessment results to student and educators. Once again, I thank Representative Costello for his partnership, and Chairman Kline, Representative Rokita, and Representative Scott for their willingness to work with us to make sure States and school districts have the ability to eliminate unneeded assessments and get the most out of high-quality assessments. I urge my colleagues to support the Bonamici-Costello amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you, Representative Polis, for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Representatives Polis and Rokita for offering this amendment. High-quality charter schools are laboratories for innovation. In exchange for offering families, students, and educators the autonomy to experiment with new educational models, we expect that successful approaches to teaching and learning will be widely shared so that the roughly millions of students--in fact, the vast majority of students-- in traditional public schools can benefit from the lessons learned. Last Congress, an amendment I authored was included in the bipartisan Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act. That provision, which is now included in H.R. 5, asks States to track and report on the sharing of best practices emerging from charter schools. I am pleased that the Polis-Rokita amendment encourages the collaboration between charter schools and school districts to improve the dissemination of promising practices, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment.

Ms. BONAMICI. May I inquire about the balance of my time?

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Representative Clark for yielding and for offering this important amendment. High-quality early childhood education sets up students for success throughout their lives and is a critical component of any education system. We should be doing all we can to support early childhood educators, to help engage families in early education, and to take steps to close the achievement gap before it opens. This amendment is an important step to building a strong foundation for our country's students. I urge my colleagues to support Representative Clark's amendment.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, at this time I yield 1 minute to my colleague from Colorado (Mr. Polis).

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Chairman, I thank Representative Fudge for yielding and for offering this important amendment. Public education is primarily the responsibility of States and local school districts. Historically, the Federal Government contributes about 10 percent of funding to K-12 education. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, since it was first enacted as part of the war on poverty, has supplemented the role of States and districts by providing targeted resources to students and communities that have traditionally been underserved and continue to need that additional support. This amendment is critical to preserving that targeted role. The receipt of Federal funds should not be used to replace the investment of States in public education. I urge my colleagues to support Representative Fudge's important amendment.

Ms. BONAMICI. I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding and for offering this important amendment. Mr. Chairman, under No Child Left Behind, schools were punished if all students did not reach a static proficiency target. It did not matter how many gains students made or how close students were to reaching proficiency. The system under No Child Left Behind was unworkable and damaging. This reauthorization should recognize the tremendous gains most students make each year, and it should provide an incentive for schools to provide differentiated instruction to all students, including those performing above and below any proficiency benchmark. It is time to replace the No Child Left Behind-style accountability systems that label schools as failing, even when students make tremendous growth. This amendment is an important step in the right direction, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member, for yielding. Mr. Chair, I want to thank Representative Davis and Representative Joyce Beatty for offering this amendment. The savings clause is an important feature of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and I appreciate the bipartisan effort of my colleagues to reinstate it. The Student Success Act should respect collective bargaining agreements and memoranda of understanding that have been negotiated across this country. I commend the Representatives for their work to make sure that this legislation we are debating does not interfere with local laws or agreements, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this amendment.

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 861, the clean Department of Homeland Security funding bill that would keep the Department open so it can carry out its mission of keeping the American people safe.

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member, for yielding. Mr. Chairman, there is overwhelming bipartisan consensus that we need to replace No Child Left Behind. And there is overwhelming bipartisan consensus that a rewrite of No Child Left Behind should promote local flexibility and support schools, not punish them. So I am deeply disappointed that the House has not come together to produce a bipartisan bill. Despite a common goal and a long history of setting aside differences to work together on this important legislation, this bill does not adequately support America's students. Unfortunately, the Student Success Act shifts resources away from communities where poverty is most concentrated and freezes funding for America's most needy students at a time when public school enrollment is on the rise and more than half the students come from low-income families. H.R. 5 does not support a well-rounded education for all students, it does not ensure college- and career-ready standards for all students, it does not promote quality afterschool programs, and it does not do enough to reduce emphasis on high-stakes tests. The original goal of ESEA was laudable--equity. ESEA deserves a full review by the House so we can implement thoughtful solutions that reflect the current needs in our schools. But this bill does not protect historically underserved students. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this act, and I ask my colleagues to do the same. We need a law that is serious about addressing the challenges educators and students face today.

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, in 1973, 42 years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade that women have the right to safe and legal abortion. I remember the days before that landmark decision. Mr. Speaker, over the centuries it has been clear, when abortion is illegal, it does not go away but is very unsafe. On this anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we should commit to reducing unwanted pregnancies. We should commit to making family planning services more available. To help women and families, we should be passing the Paycheck Fairness Act for equal pay and a robust infrastructure plan for jobs across this country. To help women and families, let's stop trying to take away women's rights. Let's protect their health care. Let's pass the Women's Health Protection Act and say ``no'' to unconstitutional attempts to restrict the right of women to safe and legal abortion.

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Section 7: ``All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills.''

Ms. BONAMICI

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 34, the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2015. I want to thank Mr. Rohrabacher for working with me to advance this bipartisan legislation. I also thank the chairman and ranking member of the Science Committee, Mr. Smith and Ms. Johnson, for their support in making this bill an early priority in the 114th Congress. I would also like to thank the State and local emergency management officials, coastal zone managers, and the many scientists and other experts who lent their expertise and experience to the development of this bill. Coastal community groups and emergency planners in my district are working hard to prepare their communities for earthquake and tsunami events, and I am grateful that they took some time to provide their input on this legislation. Last month marked the 10th anniversary of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake in Southeast Asia. That earthquake triggered a tsunami event that claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people from Indonesia to Madagascar. Following that tragic event, Congress enacted the Tsunami Warning and Education Act to begin preparing our communities for the considerable threat posed by such an event. We were again reminded of the severe dangers that a tsunami represents for our coastal communities almost 4 years ago when the Tohoku earthquake near Japan created a devastating tsunami that resulted in the tragic loss of human lives and billions of dollars in economic damage, damage that reached as far as the west coast of the United States. The events in Indonesia and Japan underscore the importance of this legislation, which reauthorizes and extends U.S. efforts to prepare and protect our coastal communities from similar events. Our ability to prepare, respond to, and recover from a tsunami depends in large part on the hard work done at the local level. The Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act will support local efforts, and it is an important step toward making sure our constituents are ready to face the dangers posed by tsunami threats. Maritime commerce, vibrant tourism, and more than 120 million Americans are all part of the rich coastal U.S. economy, an economy that contributes significantly to the U.S. GDP. The commercial fishing industry alone supports about 1 million jobs, and the international trade associated with coastal and marine fisheries contributes close to $70 billion annually to the U.S. economy. Ensuring that coastal communities, big and small, have the resources and knowledge necessary to protect these critical assets from the threat of tsunami and be prepared should it occur is simply good and prudent policy. My coastal constituents are keenly aware of the threat that a tsunami poses to their communities, and cities up and down coasts have responded by installing warning sirens and developing evacuation routes. But as we learn more about which areas will be hardest hit and which technologies can provide the most accurate warning, a coordinated effort is required to update preparation and response. In Tillamook County, Oregon, for example, just outside my district, they recently decided they are going to be using social media and phones to warn residents. Seaside, a small coastal town in my district, has been identified as the most vulnerable community to tsunami on the Oregon coast, and local leaders and organizations there are proactively educating residents and visitors about tsunami evacuation routes, storage supply locations, and emergency communication systems. At the Federal level, we must do our part to help communities understand the risks and seriousness of the threats they face, and work with them to be prepared, which is why I sponsored this bill along with my colleague from California (Mr. Rohrabacher). In Oregon, we know that a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami will occur some day in the Cascadia subduction zone. The question is not a matter of if, but when. Although no one can predict when the Cascadia fault will rupture, we can and we must prepare. This legislation will help to ensure that local and regional decision-makers have the tools and information they need to develop mitigation and response plans to this ever present threat, and to communicate these plans to the public in an effective and efficient manner. For distant tsunami events, this bill will advance research efforts related to improving forecasting, detection, and notification. It adds port and harbor operations as entities to be safeguarded by tsunami forecasting capabilities. This bill will also support research needed to improve our understanding of local tsunami events. A local tsunami--one that is generated just off the coast--has a travel time of less than 30 minutes. This is the kind of tsunami most likely to have widespread and devastating impacts on the U.S. coast and on the Caribbean. In the 10 years since tragedy struck in the Indian Ocean region, we have made significant strides in our understanding of how to prepare for, mitigate, and respond to a tsunami. I have no doubt that the progress we have made, in large part through NOAA's efforts under the Tsunami Warning and Education Act, has enhanced the safety of our community and has the potential to save lives. This good work must be continued, and our bipartisan bill will provide ongoing assistance to protect our coastal communities from the impact of a tsunami. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to again thank and acknowledge my cosponsor, Mr. Rohrabacher from California, and the chairman and ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee for bringing this bill forward. I want to again recognize that 10 years have passed since the tragedy that befell the Indian Ocean region and also take a moment to remember the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a tsunami whose effects were felt on the western coast of the United States. We must be mindful of those lessons learned from past disasters and give our constituents the necessary tools to prepare for future tsunami events. In Seaside, Oregon, the schools are in the tsunami inundation zone. We must do what we can to support the vital research and advancements in forecasting that will give local communities the resources they need to prepare and be more resilient. I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 4 minutes to my colleague from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), who also represents some coastline in our great State.

Ms. BONAMICI

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

Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 23, legislation to reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program. First I want to thank Representatives Neugebauer and Wilson for their hard work on this important legislation that will benefit our constituents. Americans face significant exposure to windstorms. According to the National Weather Service, between the years of 2003 and 2013, thousands of Americans lost their lives from the impacts of windstorms. Along with the loss of life, windstorms during that time caused billions of dollars of damage to property, including a severely negative impact on agricultural crops. Although we cannot stop a windstorm from happening, there is much we can do to save both lives and property when windstorms and other natural disasters do happen. In addition to responding quickly and with sufficient resources in the aftermath of a natural disaster, we must also invest in preparedness and resilience. Studies of FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation program have shown that for every dollar invested in mitigation activities, $3 to $4 in recovery costs can be saved. The National Windstorm Reduction Program Act is primarily a mitigation program. It has the potential to lessen the loss of life and economic damage by supporting research and development on windstorms and their impacts and helping to ensure that this research is translated into improving building codes and emergency planning, but this program needs robust investment to achieve that result. The bill today includes a lower total authorization level than was authorized for this program in fiscal year 2008. We can and we should do better than that. One of our responsibilities as a government should be to assist our constituents with disaster mitigation and response and preparedness, and that means investing in programs we already have in place to carry out these responsibilities. Nevertheless, I understand the need to reauthorize this important program, and I thank my colleagues for agreeing to maintain the authorization levels negotiated last Congress. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.