Peter DeFazio

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. 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. 2020.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, again, as the gentleman has just said, having some transparency when you have a number of Federal agencies coming into a community that has just been devastated, whether it is in my region by wildfire or on the Gulf Coast by a hurricane or in the Midwest and the South by tornado, people need timely and good information about how the disaster relief is flowing from the Federal Government, in what amounts, and to what places so that there can be actual oversight by people who were directly impacted by the disaster. That is why I believe this legislation has tremendous merit. I recommend that my colleagues lend their full support to it, and I yield back the balance of my time. Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2020, the ``Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act.'' H.R. 2020 is a bipartisan initiative to establish an online repository for reporting requirements for recipients of Federal disaster assistance. I would like to thank my colleague, Delegate Gonzalez-Colon, for introducing this legislation to increase transparency of post-disaster assistance. The Office of Management and Budget (0MB) along with the Sectretary of the Treasury and the head of each covered Federal agency will collaborate to create a subpage within the website, www.usaspending.gov, to make the following information available to the public: Total amount of disaster assistance provided by the agency during quarter; Amount of disaster assistance provided by the agency that was expanded or obligated to projects or activities; and Detailed list of all projects or activities for which disaster assistance dispersed by the agency was expended including: Name and description of project or activity; Evaluation of the completion status; Any award identification number assigned; Catalog Disaster Assistance number assigned by FEMA; Location of the project, including zip codes; and Any reporting requirement information collected by a covered Federal agency with respect to that agency's disaster assistance. H.R. 2020 will require the submission of information by covered federal agencies every 3 months. When enacted, H.R. 2020 would include natural disasters that are major disasters or emergency declared by the President as well as any other natural disaster made by the Federal Government. Within the past decade, we have witnessed an increase in the number of natural disasters and extreme weather as a result of climate change. In 2021, the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) found that the United States experienced 20 separate billion- dollar weather and climate disasters. Houston alone has been the site of 7 federally declared disasters since 2015 notably including Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri. The growing number of natural disasters makes this legislation increasingly relevant to maintain accountability of post-disaster funds. H.R. 2020 creates a necessary online reference portal that will be accessible by mayors, legislators, and residents to know the status of funds and their use. These funds are vital to communities devastated by natural disasters and it is important that we ensure the funds are used for their assigned use. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2020.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7211) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, review a final rule of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for other purposes.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7211. This bill amends the Stafford Act to expand the responsibilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Small State Rural Advocate so they can better assist smaller States and rural communities that have difficulty dealing with the forms and all the requirements to apply for disaster funding. When disaster strikes the heart of a small or rural community, a significant percentage of the overall infrastructure or housing stock is often damaged or destroyed. However, the community's size may make the total dollar amount of damage seem too low for FEMA to authorize Federal assistance. This legislation will enable the Small State Rural Advocate to better help States demonstrate localized impact when applying for Federal disaster aid. It also directs the advocate to consider factors such as the impacted jurisdiction's per capita income and poverty status, among other factors. Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I, too, thank the gentleman from New York for his leadership on this issue and his friendship on the committee. We are both moving on to maybe greener pastures, but this is an important piece of legislation as part of his legacy. There is much more to it, but at this point, this will be something that will help people around the country. I lost the entire town of Blue River in my district in the Labor Day fires just 2 years ago. We had winds that we had never experienced before, gusting up to hurricane force down and out of the Cascade Mountains. A power line broke and started an inferno that moved at an incredible pace down the valley. We are lucky a lot of people didn't die. The evacuation--there is only one way in and one way out of that town, and it is a miracle that more people weren't trapped. It was an extraordinary effort. The town, except for the high school, which was a little way out of town, was totally devastated. They are now struggling back. They didn't have any technical expertise, in terms of a professional city manager or a grant writer or anything like that. The State has rendered a lot of assistance to them, as has the county and as has the regional FEMA office. So, they are beginning to rebuild. This legislation will make it a lot easier for communities like that in the future. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time because I had one additional speaker, but I think he is delayed in transit.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman.

Mr. DeFAZIO. 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. 3580.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 3580, the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022, bipartisan and bicameral legislation to strengthen our Nation's supply chain and address unfair shipping practices, which became broadly apparent during the pandemic. Once again, we have come together to find common ground to address the needs of the American people. I particularly want to express great appreciation for the extraordinary leadership of my colleague from California, John Garamendi, and Dusty Johnson, for their tireless work fighting for this legislation. I would also like to acknowledge Sam Graves, the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Salud Carbajal, and Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee Ranking Member Bob Gibbs. Their contributions were many, and I appreciate the time they took to work with all the stakeholders. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the practice of business worldwide, perhaps permanently. It shuttered factories, changed consumer demand, and inundated our ports with containers. In no other time have we had such an unprecedented need for a resilient supply chain, yet if anything, the trials of the past 2 years have highlighted the inefficiencies of our transportation system, both domestically and internationally. One response will be, hopefully, with the COMPETES Act, to onshore critical industries and components in the future. But the other is to deal with the inefficiencies of the existing system during that transition. The importance of the maritime sector as part of America's supply chain cannot be overstated. $4.6 trillion in activity takes place annually at all the U.S. seaports. Despite historic demand and profit levels, we have been alerted to instances of large ocean carrier conglomerates taking advantage of American exporters and importers. In fact, the three largest shipping conglomerates in the world enjoyed more profits last year than the total of their profits in the previous decade. We might call that price gouging. Foreign-flag commercial carriers transport more than 98 percent of U.S. foreign commerce. Again, we need more significant steps to rebuild a U.S. maritime industry so, as a maritime nation, we are not dependent upon Communist China and other places, a whole bunch of developing or even nonexistent countries with flags of convenience that are substantially under the thumb of the Chinese. Foreign-flag commercial carriers transport 98 percent, as I said, which means we must be robust in our approach to the oversight and enforcement of trade to secure fairness and economic prosperity. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 gives the Federal Maritime Commission updated authority to protect exporters, importers, and consumers from unfair practices by expanding its oversight and enforcement capabilities, and it amends title 46 to increase penalties for retaliation against shippers and encourage reciprocal trade. It ensures that ocean carriers cannot refuse U.S. export cargo bookings for arbitrary reasons and makes several reforms to the way carriers levy detention and demurrage charges. These reforms include requiring written confirmation that the fees charged are fair and comply with Federal regulations and establishing that shippers have straightforward and appropriate recourse in the event of improper detention and demurrage charges or other unfair shipping practices. This legislation also authorizes funding levels that would adequately equip the Federal Maritime Commission to utilize its expanded oversight and enforcement capabilities. Specifically, the legislation increases the FMC's authorization from $32.9 million in 2022 to $49.2 million in fiscal year 2025, a 50 percent increase over 4 years. This increase would ensure that key leadership positions remain filled at a time when one in five current FMC employees are eligible to retire and allow for the hiring of additional staff to improve the Commission's enforcement actions and provide timely informational and dispute resolution assistance to consumers. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has held multiple hearings focusing on relieving the strain on our supply chain. One recommendation we heard repeatedly is that increased data transparency and information sharing are essential to reducing lag time at trade-off points in the supply chain. The supply chain consists of thousands of moving pieces--vessels, trucks, trains, planes--that are controlled by small teams of people making their decisions about cargo loading, timing, and routes based on weather, pricing, and other factors. We need to make it easier for all players in this system to talk to each other and share real-time information with their supply chain partners so that the goods keep flowing even when a shipper's transit plans change. This bill works in harmony with actions taken by President Biden, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Homeland Security to make pathways for the shipping community to improve its internal communication and, in turn, relieve congestion at ports. In closing, I stress that this legislation is vital for ensuring fair and efficient shipping, which is integral to the well-being of our economy. Allow me, once again, to thank Representatives Garamendi and Johnson for their leadership. I look forward to unanimous passage in the House, even if a vote is called for. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), who played a very principal role in this legislation.

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

Mr. DeFAZIO. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 88) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7776) to provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. DeFAZIO. 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 on H.R. 7776, as amended.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this will be the fifth consecutive 2-year authorization of the Water Resources Development Act since 2014, a tradition revived by our former chair, Bill Shuster. I am grateful for the partnership of Ranking Member Sam Graves, Subcommittee Chairwoman Grace Napolitano, and Subcommittee Ranking Member David Rouzer for all their work in developing this historic Water Resources Development Act. This legislation builds on the successes of previous water bills, moving projects from feasibility to construction. This 2-year cycle is critical to addressing future water resource needs of our Nation. This bill authorizes construction of 18 reports of the Chief of Engineers that were studied and transmitted to Congress since the last water bill was signed into law. These Chief's reports represent thoroughly vetted, locally driven projects with highly engaged cost- share partners. Corps projects cover a myriad of purposes from navigation, flood control, levees, ecosystem restoration, that will benefit communities all across the United States of America. The bill also authorizes 72 new feasibility studies and directs the Corps to expedite the completion of 14 ongoing studies. It is critical that we keep our infrastructure in this Nation up-to-date with new challenges--with severe weather events, sea level rise, and other things--and deal with the challenges that communities across this country endure. For two decades, I spent two decades--actually, I started longer than that--Bud Shuster in 1996--trying to free up the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. That is a tax paid by shippers, which ultimately is passed on to consumers on the value of imported goods which have been impounded for years, totaling nearly $10 billion, while our harbors need dredging, jetties need rebuilding. We finally got that done in 2020. That was historic. It gives the Corps more resources on the harbor side, which means they can devote a little more of their allocation to the inland waterways and to their other 40-some-odd billion dollars of backlog of critical projects across the country. It will meet the challenge of climate change by rebuilding these navigation jetties and breakwaters to new heights and dimensions necessary for sea level rise and extreme weather. It will study the impact of coastal storms on inland flooding--which is a particular concern of the ranking member--address future water supplies in the arid West, which is a particular concern of all of us in the West, but particularly those further south and the chair of the subcommittee. Mr. Speaker, 21st century challenges should have 21st century solutions. The Corps has been hamstrung in their ability. We have worked with other Members who have heard similar concerns. We included a solution in this bill that will allow the Corps to be the innovation expert they need to be to address our Nation's ongoing new challenges. I am also proud it will continue building upon efforts to provide equitable project outcomes and flexibility for communities with affordability concerns. It will address the needs of economically disadvantaged minority rural Tribal communities in an affordable manner. In particular, the bill creates a Tribal liaison position within each Corps' district office. The Corps often fails to consult meaningfully with the Tribes. Tribal leaders will have a direct line of communication now into the regional office and back to the national office to get consultation, technical assistance, and information to them. Mr. Speaker, I thank Subcommittee Chairwoman Napolitano and Representative Stanton for their tireless work advocating for our Tribal communities. For the first time in over a decade, it significantly expands the Corps' environmental infrastructure authorities to assist more communities in addressing drinking water and wastewater needs. We need major work in these areas. Communities all across America--red, blue, whatever--are suffering, and we need these tools to help them. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Napolitano for her effort to help the Corps with flexibility and additional authorities that will help them meet future water supply needs of the arid regions of this Nation. We are rationing the Colorado River for the first time in history this year. Her input and advocacy also brought many of the environmental justice provisions to this bill--support for Tribal communities. She has been a tireless advocate for meeting the needs of her district and her State and the Nation. Mr. Speaker, I thank Sam Graves--I couldn't have asked for a better partner working on this bill--for his steadfast support which has made it possible. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer) for his support and wise input on the bill before us today. Their input brought in critical perspectives. We had the subcommittee vice chair from Georgia, Representative Bourdeaux, who brought recreational safety concerns at local dams to our attention. We had the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Williams), who supported a watershed-wide study of the Chattahoochee River. I thank the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Kahele), who was an ardent advocate of native Hawaiians and ensuring their participation in activities. I thank the gentleman for giving us new perspectives on that. Representative Newman of Illinois worked hard for all the Great Lakes. Representative Carter came to the table with fresh policy and project ideas to help Louisiana deal with natural disasters, sea level rise, and severe weather events. Mr. Speaker, this is essential legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a list of organizations that support H.R. 7776, totaling 51 very diverse organizations. I am certain there are more. Organizations/Letters in Support of H.R. 7776, the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 Alabama Rivers Alliance, American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), American Canoe Association, American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), American Rivers, American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), American Soybean Association (ASA), American Waterways Operators (AWO), American Whitewater, Appalachian Mountain Club, Associated General Contractors of American (AGC), Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, California Outdoors, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, City Council of the City of Newport, Oregon. Fairfax Water, Florida Ports Council (FPC), Idaho Rivers United, International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), Interstate Council on Water Policy (ICWP), Iowa Confluence Water Trails, Laborer's International Union of North America (LIUNA), Lake Carriers' Association, Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Michigan United Conversation Clubs, Multnomah County Drainage District (MCDD), National Association of Flood & Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA), National Audubon Society, National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA). National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), National Water Supply Alliance (NWSA), National Wildlife Federation, Outdoor Alliance, Pacific Northwest Waterways Association (PNWA), Port of Long Beach, Port of Portland, Portland Cement Association (PCA), Public Power Council (PPC), Rafting Magazine, The Nature Conservancy, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), Trout Unlimited, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), Waterways Council, Inc. (WCI), Wild Salmon Center.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano), who is the chair of the subcommittee.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, may I ask as to how much time remains on my side.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Bourdeaux).

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Kahele).

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I again inquire as to the remaining time just to check here. We are tight on time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).