Rodney Frelinghuysen

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), chairman of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to urge Members to vote for this three-bill package. I know that both Members of the majority and minority have worked hard on those bills. I think it is important we deliver this package for the American people. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. We would be very pleased to accept the gentlewoman's amendment. We commend the gentlewoman for her effort. We also commend the effort of those who work in this office dealing with many, many hundreds of cases. We are pleased to accept the amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the gentleman for his amendment. We are pleased to accept it. This is a remarkable program, and we want to honor those who serve and allow them to serve with us in a further capacity. I wanted to commend the gentleman. I believe we have about 110 serving in congressional offices, and this will provide additional opportunities to some remarkable young men and women. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would provide funding to re-create a government agency, as the gentleman mentioned, which was defunded in 1995, 23 years ago. Before we re-create an entire government agency, I believe the most responsible thing to do is to study the need for such an agency and to identify the best path forward. After receiving dozens of requests advocating for the restoration of this funding, this bill has included, through the work of Chairman Yoder--and I am briefly taking his place and have the pleasure of working with Ranking Member Ryan. We have included in the report accompanying this bill language directing the Congressional Research Service to engage with the National Academy of Public Administration or a similar entity to produce a report detailing, first of all, the current technology assessment resources available to Members within the Government Accountability Office, to some extent, which has taken over this responsibility for the last 23 years; also to assess the potential need to create a separate entity; and, lastly, are there parts of what are being suggested here already duplicative within the available resources and services of the legislative branch? For this reason, I oppose the amendment and urge the Members to do so as well. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, the GAO does most of what these gentlemen are seeking. I think, obviously, they have a certain feeling, and I respect those feelings. I don't think we need to create an agency, basically the duties of which have been taken, for the last 23 years, by the Government Accountability Office. Mr. Chairman, I urge the Members to vote against the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Chairman, I would be very pleased to accept the amendment. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his forethought and concern, which we also share.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, on roll calls 207, 210, 211, 212 and 213, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 207; YEA on Roll Call No. 210; YEA on Roll Call No. 211; YEA on Roll Call No. 212; NAY on Roll Call No. 213; YEA on Roll Call No. 214; YEA on Roll Call No. 215; and YEA on Roll Call No. 216.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, once again, I come to the floor to recognize the great success of strong local schools working with dedicated parents and teachers. I rise today to congratulate and honor a number of outstanding high school artists from the 11th Congressional District of New Jersey. Each of these talented young men and women participated in the 2018 Congressional Art Competition, ``An Artistic Discovery.'' Their works of art are exceptional. Sixty-three students from twenty-three high schools in Morris, Essex, Sussex and Passaic counties participated. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate the winners of our art competition. First place was awarded to Alyssa Talon from Pope John XXIII Regional High School for her oil painting entitled, ``Girl on the Bus.'' Second place was awarded to Ava Economou from Wayne Valley High School for her conte pencil work entitled, ``Reflections of Past.'' Third place was awarded to Rachel Cenicola from Madison High School for her photograph entitled, ``The Stories We Wear.'' Honorable Mentions were awarded to: Tafari Dempster from Whippany Park High School for his colored pencil work entitled, ``Bioluminescence,'' Caitlin Gethins from Whippany Park High School for her photograph entitled, ``From Heaven Above,'' Morgan Hoover from Wayne Valley High School for her gel pen work entitled, ``Mel,'' and Katherine Hu from the Morris County School of Technology for her acrylic painting entitled, ``Perspicacious.'' Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize each artist for their participation by including in the Record their high school, their name and the title of their contest entries: Boonton High School: Ifrah Bajwa, ``Time Lapse''; Jaylene Combs, ``Self-Portrait''; Catharine Owens, ``Nick''; Zeeshan Qureshi, ``Kobi''. Delbarton School: Lucas C. Acocella, ``Unexpected Beauty''; Sean Taylor, ``A Cut Above the Rest''. Eastern Christian High School: Steve Blanco, ``What I Saw in the Water''; Angela Han, ``The Friend''. Hanover Park High School: Jenna Glinko, ``Freedom Tower''; Ronald Petriella, ``Flashback''; Delaney Trignano, ``Utensils''. Jefferson Township High School: Kaitlyn Hollar, ``Shapes of the Rainbow''; Katrina Jenisch, ``Child's Play''; Rachel Warncke, ``Oliver''. Livingston High School: Tiffany Acosta, ``Four Eyes''; Bari Greenwald, ``Chivalrie Romance at the Abbey''; Rachel Leibel, ``Jurassic Art''; Breena Rettig, ``Fading''. Madison High School: Loryn Camp, ``Acceptance''; Rachael Cenicola, ``The Stories We Wear''; Julia Ferranti, ``Distorted''; Kierran Matos ``Don't Go''. Montclair High School: Tien Servidio, ``The Angriest Bois''. Montville Township High School: Nicholas Corradino, ``Golden Tiers''; Alexandra DeLuise, ``Tessellate''; Cindy Xie, ``Splendor''. Morris Catholic High School: Tess Clemente, ``Sad Goodbye''; Yifan ``Coco'' Peng, ``Potter Peng''; Deok Hyeon ``David'' Yu, ``Bob Dylan''; Kelsey Zapana, ``Tess''. Morris County School of Technology: Katherine Hu, ``Perspicacious''. Nutley High School: Zawar Ahmed, ``Fair and Lovely''; Barbara Benda, ``Detached''; Paul Ibrahim, ``Entropy''; Sabrina Kuo, ``Individuality''. Parsippany Hills High School: Emma Mykowski, ``Connection to the Past''. Passaic County Technical Institute: Christopher Cortez, ``Narcissus''; Emmalie Foti, ``Space Mammals''; Ava Liguori, ``Colors''. Passaic Valley High School: Jonathan Alarcon, ``Earth's Sanctuary''; Danielle Burden, ``Oasis''; Matthew Nelson, ``1:05''. Pope John XXIII Regional High School: Margaret Butler, ``Teeth''; Anne Ilardi, ``Do You Want to Build a Snowman?''; Alyssa Talon, ``Girl on the Bus''; Jessica Whittam, ``Taz''. Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School: Maya Homa, ``American Beauty Rose''; Noa Mobilia, ``Lone Bonsai''. Sparta High School: Sydney Van Brunt, ``Country Girl''; Sarah Wille, ``Freedom of Speech''; Ande Wittenmeier, ``Veteran''. Trinity Christian School: Ben Genberg, ``Mesa Verde''. Villa Walsh Academy: Lucy Anderson, ``Midnight in the Garden''; Maureen Walsh, ``Coming of Age''. Wayne Valley High School: Ava Economou, ``Reflections of the Past''; Morgan Hoover, ``Mel''; Kaitlyn Lauckner, ``Proud''; Amanda Piszczatoski, ``Looking Forward, Looking Back''. West Orange High School: David Fernandez, ``Dream Deferred''. Whippany Park High School: Tafari Dempster, ``Bioluminescence''; Emily Garcia, ``Lantern Study''; Caitlin Gethins, ``From Heaven Above''; Sara Kahn, ``Playful Elephants''. Each year the winner of the competition has their art work displayed with other winners from across the country in a special corridor here at the U.S. Capitol. Thousands of our fellow Americans walk through the exhibition and are reminded of the vast talents of our young men and women. Indeed, all of these young artists are winners, and we should be proud of their achievements so early in life. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating these talented young people from New Jersey's 11th Congressional District.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 153, on passage of H.R. 3144, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Montclair Public Library, located in the Township of Montclair, New Jersey, on the occasion of its 125th Anniversary. In 1869, Israel Crane and his wife invited friends and neighbors to organize a subscription library collection of about one hundred books. There were 30 participating families. The collection was housed under the counter at Betzler's Drug Store on Bloomfield Avenue (then called Main), near the Presbyterian Church (now the site of the Hinck Building). The books were moved to the Pillsbury Building, also located on Bloomfield Avenue, and the library obtained a charter as the Montclair Library Association. The Montclair Library Association built a wood framed building on the east side of South Fullerton Avenue near Bloomfield Avenue, for $1,700 in 1871. The Montclair Library Association was incorporated. The Association's building burned down during a raging blizzard on February 28, 1880. Amazingly, most of the 2,192 books were saved, moved, and issued from Central School at Church Street and Valley Road for several years. Following New Jersey State legislation in 1890 authorizing the establishment of free public libraries, Montclair citizens voted on April 11, 1893 to establish a public, tax supported library. Funds and books from the Montclair Library Association were turned over to the newly established Montclair Free Public Library, which served all of Montclair's 8,656 residents. Its first quarters were on the second floor of Dr. John J.H. Love's office at 16 Church Street. Mary F. Weeks served as the first Library Director from 1893 to 1897. Coincidentally, Dr. Love's home was located at 50 South Fullerton Avenue, the current site of the Main Library. The library was moved to an abandoned inn called the Munn Tavern, bought for about $5,000 and renovated for an additional $1,000 in 1898. The Munn Tavern, which still stands today, was later moved back from the road and is now part of the Evangelical Covenant Church at 17 Valley Road. The first Branch Library was a rented room in the real estate office of John Mancini on Bellevue Avenue, near the train station, in 1899. Three hundred and fifty books from the Main Library formed the basis of this collection. In 1902, the Carnegie Corporation gave $40,000 to Montclair to fund the construction of a library. After 35 years and six different locations, Montclair Public Library had its first purpose-built library building on the former site of the Munn Tavern, which was built in 1904. The library at 73 Church Street served as the Main Library for 50 years. This building is now part of the Unitarian Church, located at the intersection of Valley Road and Church Street. The Carnegie Corporation gave Montclair a second sum of $40,000 for the construction of the Bellevue Avenue Branch. The Bellevue Avenue Branch Library opened on December 26, 1914. The original design of the building remains intact today. In February 1942, Montclair Public Library became the first public library in the United States to have a computerized circulation system. The International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) designed the Library's first ever punch card data processing system and equipment to record the loan and return of books. Librarians from all over the world visited Montclair to witness this pioneering venture. Having outgrown the library building on Church Street, its home for 50 years, a new Main Library was built in 1955. The Davella Mills Foundation donated the former site of Dr. Love's home at 50 South Fullerton Avenue as the site for the new library building. They also contributed $250,000 toward the $800,000 construction cost. The Montclair Public Library began community outreach in 1969 with bookmobiles in parks, playgrounds and on neighborhood street corners. Library use jumped 40 percent in two years as a result. Neighborhood Information Center Helps Everyone (NICHE) was initiated as a federally funded community information and referral service in 1974. The goal of NICHE was to provide information as a catalyst for social change. It existed in a storefront at 375 Bloomfield Avenue from 1974 to 1977 and was fully incorporated into Montclair Public Library in 1979. The Montclair Public Library was named one of the top five libraries in the nation by Library Journal in 2002. The Library also received the Bessie Bohme Moore Award for services to seniors in that year. Simultaneously, the Montclair Public Library Foundation was established to develop new financial resources exclusively for Montclair Public Library. In 2004, the Montclair Public Library celebrated the Centennial anniversary of its first purpose built public library building on Church Street, the Library's home for 50 years until a new building was erected on its current site at 50 South Fullerton Avenue in 1954. The Centennial was an opportunity to renew community appreciation for Montclair Public Library's rich history and revitalize interest in Library assets. The library has been in integral part of the greater Montclair community and has exceeded its mission to change lives every day through words, ideas and community connections. Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in congratulating the Montclair Public Library on the occasion of its 125th Anniversary.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today to present House amendment to Senate amendment to H.R. 1625, the final appropriations package for fiscal year 2018. This legislation contains full funding for all the 12 annual appropriations bills. It represents thousands of hours of work and input by Members of Congress and our great staff. Starting 1 year ago with 12 appropriations bills moving through the committee process last spring, these bills were then considered and passed on the House floor under a transparent and inclusive process. This represents the first time the House has passed all 12 bills before the end of the fiscal year since 2010. After the bipartisan budget deal was enacted last month, appropriations committee leadership, House and Senate leadership on both sides of the aisle, and the White House quickly went to work, negotiating in good faith and in the best interest of the American people. The bill we are considering today is a product of that hard-fought agreement. In total, the legislation provides $1.3 trillion in discretionary funding for the Federal Government, including $78.1 billion for the global war on terror and overseas contingency operations. This meets the caps provided in the recent budget agreement. Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, it includes historic investments in our Armed Forces, including the largest year-to-year increase in funding for the Department of Defense since the beginning of the war on terror. It fully funds the 2.4 pay increase for our servicemen and -women, the largest in 8 years, and provides the largest dollar total ever for the Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition to strengthening our national defense, this legislation boosts security here at home: stronger border infrastructure, additional boots on the ground, and better technology and equipment that will close the gaps at our borders. Specifically, this includes more than $1.5 billion for physical barriers and associated technology along the southwest border. Overall, funding for border security and law enforcement is increased by over 30 percent above last year. Funding is also focused on critical domestic priorities, addressing urgent needs that will improve the quality of life for all Americans and support economic growth and job creation, especially infrastructure, providing more than $21.2 billion in new funding for transportation infrastructure, as well as energy and water infrastructure, and technology like broadband and cybersecurity. This passage also targets approximately $84 billion to fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating families across the country--the largest investment in addressing this public health issue and emergency to date. Funding is also directed towards school safety, providing the training and mental health services and grants to communities that will help prevent the kind of tragedy and heartbreak that occurred recently in Florida, and it provides robust funding for wildlife firefighting prevention programs, and includes long-sought forest management and fire budgeting reforms that will provide for budget security certainty and improve the health of our forests. All these investments are made responsibly, implementing strong oversight at every level of government to ensure we get the most out of every dollar. Consequently, Mr. Speaker, I hope that every Member supports this package. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I would like to acknowledge the many people who helped bring this bill to the floor: to Mrs. Lowey, my counterpart, the ranking member, thank you for your support and friendship; the 12 committee chairs and their ranking members for the hard work that they did over the last 12 months; the Appropriations Committee staff, all true professionals, some behind me, some across the floor, some in the galleries, for putting in countless hours and sleepless nights to help us bring this bill to the floor within a few weeks of the cap deal. In particular, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize our staff team led by our very able staff director, Nancy Fox; assisting her, Maureen Holohan, Stephen Sepp, Shannon O'Keefe, Jennifer Hing, Jason Gray, Marta Hernandez, Tammy Hughes, Rachel Kahler, Parker VanDeWater, and Tom Doelp. On the minority side, Shalanda Young and Chris Bigelow. Special thanks to our remarkable and amazing clerks, Tom O'Brien, John Martens, Jennifer Miller, Angie Giancarlo, Dena Baron, Donna Shahbaz, Dave LesStrang, Susan Ross, Jenny Panone, Sue Quantius, Craig Higgins, and Doug Disrud. I would also like to recognize the work of Kevin Linskey, Surveys and Investigations, Jim Cahill, and Cathy Little. I would also like to recognize those on our staff who are moving or retiring: Matt Dennis, Chris Romig, and Carol Murphy. And thank you to my own personal staff back in the Rayburn building, ably led by Kate Hazlett. Mr. Speaker, it is time that we fully fund the Federal Government for fiscal year 2018. Our current continuing resolution expires tomorrow. It is in the best interests of the American people that we get this work done this morning. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), chairman of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 796, I call up the bill (H.R. 1625) to amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons within the definition of transnational organized crime for purposes of the rewards program of the Department of State, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. 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 the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1625, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt), the chairman of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), who is the chairman of the Defense Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson), who is the chairman of the Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Idaho an additional 15 seconds.