Salud Carbajal

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of S. 2638, the Friendly Airports for Mothers Improvement Act. Introduced in the Senate by Senator Tammy Duckworth from Illinois, this is a commonsense bill that requires small hub airports to maintain lactation areas for nursing mothers and a baby-changing table in men's and women's restrooms. As a result of this legislation, small hub airports will begin to come in line with the medium and large hub airports, which were charged with meeting the same requirements as the result of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. Similar legislation was introduced in the House by Representative Carol Miller and passed in this Chamber December 2019. I want to thank both Senator Duckworth and Representative Miller for their leadership on this issue and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 2638. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4470) to rename the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, as amended.

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

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4470, as amended.

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and rise in strong support of H.R. 4470. This legislation, introduced by the gentlewoman from Ohio, Representative Marcy Kaptur, is simple in its intent but strong in its meaning. H.R. 4470 would rename the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation as the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation. The binational Saint Lawrence Seaway is a 328-nautical-mile deep- draft waterway between the Port of Montreal and Lake Erie. It connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence River. The U.S. portion of the Seaway was authorized in 1954 and is operated by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation within the United States Department of Transportation. This change would more accurately portray the geographical scope of the agency and would clarify the agency's mission is of benefit to the Saint Lawrence region, as well as the entire Great Lakes region. I thank Representative Kaptur for her work on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 4470, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 4075.

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 4075, the Reinvigorating Lending for the Future Act. This bipartisan legislation will help cut the red tape and allow greater levels of local investment in economic development projects by allowing the Economic Development Administration to waive Federal interest in certain revolving loan funds. The EDA supports economic development by providing seed capital to revolving loan funds that offer low-interest loans to help new businesses get off the ground. Those loans are repaid with interest to the RLF manager, which then loans the funds out again to other businesses. This strategy has been highly effective, and more than 500 RLFs are in operation today. But unlike other EDA grants, the Federal interest in these funds remain in perpetuity. RLF managers must report and the EDA must track these funds, no matter how many times they are lent out and repaid. The funds can never be repurposed for other economic development projects. The RLF Act fixes this bureaucratic nightmare by allowing the Secretary of Commerce to release the Federal interest in these funds after 7 years, provided that the funds are used for other approved economic development projects like the development of public infrastructure or workforce training. This bill cuts through the red tape and allows for the local control our regions need to invest in the most beneficial economic development projects for their communities. This legislation has broad bipartisan support and is endorsed by the National Association of Development Organizations and the International Economic Development Council, two of the largest economic development advocacy groups in the country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my fellow colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5912) to amend title 49, United States Code, to permit the use of incentive payments to expedite certain federally financed airport development projects, as amended.

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5912, as amended.

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1982, as amended.

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in full support of S. 1982, important bipartisan legislation to further improve our national capabilities to respond to the global problem of marine debris, especially impacts caused by plastic waste on the ocean environment. Marine debris is essentially any trash or litter that ends up in the marine environment or the Great Lakes. It originates from a wide variety of locations and often travels great distances before ending up in the ocean. Marine debris is everywhere. It is found around every major body of water on the planet and along every shoreline in the world, no matter how remote. These materials pose a substantial threat to marine life that might ingest or get entangled in marine debris or have their habitats degraded. But equally important, marine debris threatens public health and safety in the form of degraded water quality, increased exposure to pathogens and chemicals, and damage to vessels. The legislation before us this afternoon incorporates the contributions of no less than six different committees that reviewed and offered several targeted amendments to improve provisions under each committee's jurisdiction. Of note, I want to thank Chair Grijalva, Chair Engel, Chairwoman Johnson, Chair Pallone, Chair Peterson, and their respective staffs for their cooperation in refining this noncontroversial legislation so that it could be considered today. As amended, this legislation will provide an increase in annual funding under the Marine Debris Act to $15 million, a 50 percent increase over existing authorized funding levels. This funding increase should help to strengthen current programs administered by NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard and prioritize efforts to combat marine debris through innovation and entrepreneurship programs. Moreover, this legislation authorizes new approaches to address the international complexity of marine debris, most notably through the establishment of a charitable nonprofit Marine Debris Foundation. It also provides specific direction to Federal agencies to maintain international leadership on marine debris and provides enhanced support for plastic waste mitigation. Even though the bill is not perfect, on balance, it is a very positive addition to the legislation passed last Congress to reauthorize the Marine Debris Act. And considering the scale of the marine debris challenge, it stands to reason that this will not be the last bill Congress enacts to address this serious environmental problem. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Oregon, Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, for her leadership on this issue and tireless advocacy to get this bill through the House. In closing, Mr. Speaker, this is good, bipartisan legislation that deserves support from Members on both sides of the aisle, and I urge its passage today. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC, September 29, 2020. Hon. Peter A. DeFazio, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman DeFazio: I write concerning S. 1982, the ``Save Our Seas 2.0 Act,'' which was additionally referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce (Committee). In recognition of the desire to expedite consideration of S. 1982, the Committee agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee. The Committee takes this action with the mutual understanding that we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues within our jurisdiction. I also request that you support my request to name members of the Committee to any conference committee to consider such provisions. Finally, I would appreciate the inclusion of this letter into the Congressional Record during floor consideration of

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Case).

Mr. CARBAJAL. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Madam Speaker, on September 14, 2020, I regrettably missed votes in the House of Representatives due to severe weather flight delays. Had I been present, I would have voted: AYE on Roll Call No. 184--the CHARGE Act (S. 2193), and AYE on Roll Call No. 183--the Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act (H.R. 4894).

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Madam Speaker, each year, through the Women of the Year Award, my office extends special recognition to women on the Central Coast who have made a difference in our community. I would like to recognize one outstanding Women of the Year Award recipient, Pandora Nash-Karner of Los Osos, California. Pandora has been a consistent, positive force in Los Osos and San Luis Obispo. She was elected to serve on the Los Osos Community Service District Board when it was formed in 1998 and chaired its Wastewater and Park Committees. She has also served on the San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Commission (PRC) as a Parks Commissioner since 1991, where she continuously advocates for parks and public open space for our community. Pandora is the force behind Celebrate Los Osos, a 501 (c)(3) that utilizes volunteers to plant, paint, beautify, build, repair, refurbish, and maintain projects in order to stimulate community pride and leave a legacy for all to enjoy. She has been recognized for this work as Los Osos Citizen of the Year, Woman of the Year, Kiwanian of the Year, San Luis Obispo County Volunteer of the Year and received the Mary Rhode Award from the League of Women Voters. Those who know Pandora describe her as someone who shares herself as a person and role model. She has motivated countless community members to get involved, which has served as inspiration for exceptional projects and an abundance of good will. Our community is tremendously lucky to count her as a friend and neighbor. Pandora's tireless service to our district makes her someone who all young women and men can look up to with admiration. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Pandora Nash-Karner, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Madam Speaker, each year, through the Women of the Year Award, my office extends special recognition to women on the Central Coast who have made a difference in our community. I would like to recognize one outstanding Women of the Year Award recipient, Kathleen Baushke from Santa Barbara, California. Kathleen has had an immeasurable impact on our community through her work addressing our community's ongoing problem with family homelessness. She is the longtime Executive Director of Transition House, a multi-faceted shelter, housing, and education nonprofit based in Santa Barbara. Under her leadership, Transition House assists more than 400 people every year. Approximately 70 percent of the families who work through Transition House's multi-stage programs move into permanent housing: a success rate of which few similar agencies can boast. Beyond her work within Transition House, Kathleen has consistently reached outside the agency to provide logistical support, program advising, and financial expertise to other organizations assisting those experiencing homelessness. For example, Kathleen helped create the Landlord Liaison Program, within Transition House, that works with local landlords to house mainly homeless veterans and children. Kathleen has served on the boards of other related nonprofits in Santa Barbara, including the St. Francis Foundation and Second Story, as well as on the advisory board of Storyteller Children's Center. She is also a founding member of the advocacy group National Coalition for Homelessness Solutions. She appears regularly in the media, at political events, and at community informational gatherings to advocate for compassionate, thoughtful. positive help for families and children experiencing crisis. As many as half of the homeless people in America are families with children, and Kathleen has brought immense relief to this vulnerable population, leading her agency, its amazing staff, and hundreds of community volunteers toward ongoing solutions. She is a worthy candidate for this honor and a role model for community leaders of all kinds. I am honored to recognize Kathleen for her continued commitment to improving our community and the residents of Santa Barbara county. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Kathleen Baushke, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Madam Speaker, each year, my office extends special recognition to women on the Central Coast who have made a difference in our community through the Women of the Year Award. I would like to recognize one outstanding Women of the Year Award Recipient, Dr. Anne Rodriguez from Santa Barbara, California. Anne deserves to be recognized for her dedication and service to our community. As one of only two gynecologic oncology surgeons that serve Santa Barbara and the surrounding communities, she has dedicated her entire professional life to surgery and care of women with gynecologic and breast cancer. When patients are in Dr. Rodriguez's care, they receive immense compassion, hope, and expertise. Outside of her medical practice, Anne serves our community in a variety of other ways. For the last four years, she has served on the Board of Directors of the Cottage Health System, is the Chair of the Department of Surgery at Cottage Hospital and sits on the Board of the Santa Barbara Breast Care Alliance. She was a founding Board member of the local chapter of Boys Team Charity, a philanthropic organization that teaches young men from 7th to 12th grade about the importance of giving back to the community through volunteering. Anne has volunteered with numerous local organizations, including the Goleta Public Library, Teen Court, Art from Scrap, the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission, Santa Barbara Bike Coalition, the Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, Montessori Center School, and the MAD Academy at Santa Barbara High School. Anne is humble about the extent of the commitments she juggles and her importance to the lives of her patients; she will always step up to help the community or a patient in need. That incredible work ethic and spirit of service has made Anne a beloved resident of the Central Coast. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Dr. Anne Rodriguez, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Madam Speaker, each year, through the Women of the Year Award, my office extends special recognition to women on the Central Coast who have made a difference in our community. I would like to recognize one outstanding Women of the Year Award recipient, Tracy Beard of Solvang, California. Tracy Beard currently serves as Executive Director of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce, the President of the Association of California Commissions for Women (ACCW), and as Commissioner for Santa Barbara County for the past nine years. In her various capacities, Tracy is a champion for education and works to empower women to be entrepreneurs and create sustainable businesses. She has created programs on entrepreneurial education and collaborated with teachers and local entrepreneurs in Santa Ynez, Solvang, Lompoc, and Santa Barbara to inspire the next generation. As a board member of TVSB since 2014, Tracy is working to increase media literacy for youth. She is Co-Founder and Executive Producer for the International Women's Festivals, which began in Santa Barbara in 2008 and are now celebrated in cities across the country and around the world, including in China and Ireland. In March 2020 Tracy was named one of the most influential people in California by the International Women's Festivals executive committee. Tracy received the Volunteer of the Year--Presidential Award from President Obama for her leadership at the Boys and Girls Club of Santa Barbara, where she raised awareness and funds for STEM programs. It is my honor to recognize Tracy who had given countless hours to educating the next generation in our community. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Tracy Beard, for her incredible service to her community.

Mr. CARBAJAL

Mr. CARBAJAL. Madam Speaker, each year, through the Women of the Year Award, my office extends special recognition to women on the Central Coast who have made a difference in our community. I would like to recognize one outstanding Women of the Year Award recipient, Biz Steinberg, of San Luis Obispo, California. Biz Steinberg has been contributing to this community and county since the early 1970's. She currently serves as CEO of Community Action Partnership (CAPSLO), a position she has held since 1984. Biz has been involved with many boards throughout the years including the National Head Start Association, National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association, Workforce Development Board of San Luis Obispo, Housing Authority San Luis Obispo, The Children's Services Network, the Mission Community Services Corporation, and the Child Development Policy Institute Education Board. In her quest to better the community, Biz helped develop the Adult Day Centers, Health Services, Homeless Services, and Energy Conservation branches of CAPSLO. Biz has been recognized by multiple organizations for her incredible work, including the Commission on the Status of Women, SLO County Children's Services Network, and the National Heads Start Association. Biz Steinberg is an outstanding activist who is working to establish sustainable community centers with a special focus on youth and women. Biz's work to support the population of San Luis Obispo has been a tremendous asset to members of our community in need. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring an exceptional woman of California's 24th Congressional District, Biz Steinberg, for her incredible service to her community.