Scott Fitzgerald

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the resolution and in support of H.R. 2189, the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act. This bill will put lifesaving, less lethal technology in the hands of more law enforcement and public safety officers. When the Gun Control Act of 1968 was enacted more than 50 years ago, it was not written with the intent to regulate less lethal projectile devices such as tasers. Unfortunately, if a taser or other device uses an explosive propellant to discharge a projectile, the ATF classifies it as a firearm. This makes it more difficult for law enforcement and public safety officers to obtain and use these devices. For starters, many States prohibit public safety officers from using firearms. In at least 12 States, correctional officers are unable to carry firearms in the course of their official duties. Many State laws also prohibit or restrict the use of firearms in schools and hospitals, meaning security officers would be unable to purchase these devices. For police departments, law enforcement officers could be unfairly subjected to higher levels of liability exposure for discharging a ``firearm'' than a less lethal device. This includes my own State of Wisconsin, which includes in its definition of deadly force the discharge of a firearm. Mr. Speaker, that is why the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act is both necessary and important. H.R. 2189 makes a small, but important, change to the Gun Control Act's definition of a firearm to appropriately define a less lethal projectile device. It does so by instituting a five-part test, ensuring only those devices that are truly less lethal will pass ATF scrutiny. It also exempts these devices from the firearm excise tax, the simple logic being that police departments and manufacturers should no longer be paying a firearm tax on a device that is no longer classified as a firearm. It was never intended to apply to them in the first place. It should not apply to them now. By making these simple changes, we are equipping our law enforcement and public safety officers with the best tools to keep our communities safe and our first responders out of harm's way. Innovation should be rewarded, not stifled, and this bill does just that. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Congressman Correa, Congressman Schweikert, and Congressman Stanton, for their leadership on this issue over the last two Congresses.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the lives that were lost 4 years ago during the devastating attack on the Waukesha Christmas parade. On November 21, 2021, Waukesha was enjoying its 58th annual Christmas parade, a time where the community joyfully comes together in celebration of the Christmas season. Tragically, the parade was halted when an individual committed a senseless act of violence that took the lives of six people: Wilhelm Hospel, Virginia Sorenson, LeAnna Owen, Tamara Durand, Jane Kulich, and Jackson Sparks. He also injured over 60 others. Today, I introduced a resolution honoring the memory of those who lost their lives on that fateful day and recognizing Waukesha's strength after the tragedy. Since the attack, I have been heartened by the resilience demonstrated by the community of Waukesha through a mural, statue, and soon-to-be-unveiled sculpture. Waukesha has not only preserved the legacy of those who are no longer with us but also given the community hope as they recover.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to our Nation's Capital. As the Head of the second largest Christian Church in the world, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew leads a Church of 300 million people, including a large community in Southeastern Wisconsin. His work towards the cause of peace should be commended, and on behalf of Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District, I congratulate Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew ahead of receiving the Templeton Prize.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the bipartisan CLARITY Act, commonsense legislation that finally gives digital asset markets the regulatory certainty they need to grow responsibly right here in the United States. For too long, innovators have been stuck in a regulatory gray zone caught between agencies and overlapping authority and subject to enforcement instead of clear rules. The uncertainty has driven jobs, investment, and innovation offshore while leaving American consumers exposed. The CLARITY Act fixes this. It establishes clear, functional rules for digital assets, drawing a bright line between the SEC and the CFTC and creating strong, enforceable protections for consumers. It ensures the digital assets developers and consumer-facing firms play by the rules, disclosing who owns what, segregating customer funds, and avoiding conflicts of interest. It is long overdue, and I commend the chairmen for bringing this bill to the floor today.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Guthrie and Congressman Griffith for their leadership on this issue. This is a historic moment, Mr. Speaker. House Republicans are delivering on a promise to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl that, for years, has been flooding our communities and, tragically, tearing families apart. Today, drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death across the country, and fentanyl-driven overdoses are the leading cause of death for American adults between 18 and 45 years of age. That is because it is cheap to make, easy to transport, and so potent. Just a few milligrams can be lethal. Addressing the spread of illicit and illegal fentanyl-related substances has been a top priority not only for myself but for many other colleagues in this House. It is hard for me to believe what I am hearing from the minority right now. One of the first pieces of legislation that we introduced in the 117th Congress was the Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act. SOFA is the same acronym as an organization started by Lauri Badura of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Saving Others For Archie. Archie was her son. Lauri has worked to raise awareness of the dangers of drug addiction throughout Wisconsin following the loss of her son Archie to a fentanyl overdose. Mr. Speaker, I personally recognize the work of Lauri, as well as Dr. Timothy Westlake of Waukesha, Wisconsin, for spearheading legislation in the Wisconsin State Legislature that culminated in the bill being debated before us today. Since 2017, they have been working on a permanent solution, and that is scheduling fentanyl as a schedule I item. It is the most important thing that this House of Representatives will do in this Congress.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, due to unforeseen circumstances, I was unable to cast a vote on Roll Call No. 163. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating several remarkable Girl Scouts from Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District for demonstrating leadership, creativity, and a commitment to making a lasting impact by earning the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting, the Gold Award. Gold Award Girl Scouts help their communities and the world by identifying a community need, investigating it, devising a plan, and leading a team of experts and community members to implement a project that produces lasting change. Over the course of 1 to 2 years, Gold Award Girl Scouts demonstrate significant initiative, commitment, and leadership, distinguishing them from their peers. Through their resourcefulness and perseverance, they embody the Girl Scout Law to make the world a better place. Mr. Speaker, I offer my congratulations to the following outstanding young women: Ayla Abraham, Troop 6249 Sophia Ayer, Troop 8017 Angela Brandes, Troop 4796 Mia Bremner, Individually Registered Member Madeline Bruss, Troop 8329 Abigail Connett, Troop 4801 Anissa Griffith, Troop 4633 Alexandra Higbee, Troop 4569 Jenna Jegl, Troop 6239 Rayna Jellish, Troop 9300 Katelyn Kosfeld, Troop 8093 Gracie Lochowicz, Troop 4801 Tatiana Mamalakis, Troop 8004 Sarah Marcheske, Troop 8329 Lauren Munson, Troop 4796 Zoe Peterson, Troop 8017 Kylie Rich, Troop 4801 Megan Schatz, Troop 4679 Skylar Smith, Troop 4333 Samantha Sroka, Troop 8093 Sydney Vande Hei, Troop 4582 Sydney Zarske, Troop 8004 Eleanor Zgonc, Troop 8004 Mr. Speaker, I commend these Girl Scouts on their incredible accomplishment, and thank them for all the work they have done in service of communities across Wisconsin's 5th Congressional District.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, many people will face declined payments, higher minimum balance requirements or, worse, be pushed toward riskier unregulated products. This resolution will repeal the CFPB's rule and protect consumers' access to financial products. I urge my colleagues to support this CRA resolution, defend consumer choice, and restore regulatory certainty to our financial system.

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Chairman Hill's resolution to overturn the CFPB's misguided overdraft rule. In Wisconsin, community banks and credit unions are the backbone of our local economies. They know their customers. They serve their neighbors. They provide trusted financial tools like overdraft protection to help families manage their emergencies. Overdraft protection is a critical tool that helps families avoid declined transactions, bounced checks, and costly disruptions. It does so transparently with clear disclosure. A 2023 study from the Financial Health Network found consumers want overdraft services and the flexibilities that they provide. The CFPB rule amounts to government price controls that will limit access to a lawful, contractually agreed-upon product. The rule will not help working families. It will hurt them. By capping fees below the costs of providing the service, many banks and credit unions will be forced to reduce or eliminate overdraft programs altogether. Because of the CFPB's rule on overdrafts, consumers will lose options. The resolution will repeal the CFPB's rule and protect consumers.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, due to unforeseen travel delays, I was unable to cast a vote on H.R. 517, Roll Call No. 84, and H.R. 997, Roll Call No. 85. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on both roll call no. 84 and roll call no. 85. personal explanation

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 27, the HALT Fentanyl Act. I will share two stories of constituents from Wisconsin's Fifth District. Lauri Badura of Oconomowoc lost her eldest son, Archie, in 2014 due to an accidental overdose. Since then, she has dedicated herself to advocate on behalf of those struggling with mental health and substance abuse and started a grassroots organization called Saving Others for Archie to help fight the opioid epidemic on the local, State, and national level. Erin and Rick Rachwal of Pewaukee lost their son, Logan, to an overdose in 2021. The results of that toxicology report indicated three different forms of fentanyl were present. In response, Erin and Rick started the Love, Logan Foundation to end the stigma surrounding mental health and substance abuse disorders. Mr. Speaker, we need strong congressional action on fentanyl, and we need the permanent designation of fentanyl-related substances to schedule I. One of the first pieces of legislation I introduced in Congress was Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act to address the very issue we are considering today.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the title of H.R. 8205 at the desk.

Mr. FITZGERALD

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

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle mentioned that many of these bail funds operate locally and, therefore, do not affect interstate commerce. I think it is important to describe the current landscape of the charitable bail funds, and we are not trying to eliminate them. According to the National Bail Fund Network, there are over 90 charitable bail funds operating across the country. Perhaps the largest fund by revenue, The Bail Project, operates in at least 19 States. That is according to a 2023 annual report. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, The Bail Project saw revenues triple after the George Floyd riots to a whopping $42 million in 2020. That is $42 million. There is zero oversight. Thanks to solicitations from Vice President Harris and thanks to those generous donations, The Bail Project ended calendar year 2023 with an astonishing $71 million. I think an important part that has flown under the radar is that these donations are also tax deductible. That is right. A lot of Americans are surprised by that. The bail for a violent felony offender could be paid and written off on a tax return, the same as if it were a donation to any charitable cause. That is an incredibly important point in the context of regulating the payment of cash bail. The donors to these funds have no skin in the game, which makes it incredibly difficult to secure a defendant's appearance in court. They likely care more about their tax deduction than about who actually receives the bail money. In other words, there is no disincentive to commit a new crime and have a bond forfeited because the source of funds are not tied to the defendant. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand before you today in support of my bill, H.R. 8205, the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act. This bill defines the posting of cash bail by a corporate, nonprofit, or for-profit entity as engaged in the business of insurance, subjecting them to Federal insurance laws and our criminal fraud statutes. My district, unfortunately, knows the painful consequences of some of the leftwing bail policies after a repeat offender drove his car through the Waukesha Christmas parade nearly 3 years ago. The Waukesha community continues to heal from this violence that was unleashed that day, but our community is resilient. While we must take time to remember those whom we lost, we should also turn an eye toward preventing a similar attack from ever happening again. That starts through regulating the use of charitable bail funds, which have been abused time and again to release violent criminals back onto our streets with no consequences. Charitable bail funds generally flew under the radar until 2020 when the George Floyd riots caused revenues to balloon in many of these funds. The solicitations were done, for the most part, from celebrities and politicians. What used to be small, community-based organizations that helped post bail for nonviolent misdemeanors has now grown into a multimillion- dollar industry. For example, the Minnesota Freedom Fund saw revenues increase by 18,000 percent between 2019 and 2020, no doubt benefiting from then- Senator Kamala Harris' tweet encouraging her supporters to help fundraise for the group. A snap of that is just to my right. Perhaps most alarming, what was intended to help bail out low-level, nonviolent protesters has instead been used to release violent felony offenders back into the streets with little to no oversight. In 2021, for example, the Minnesota Freedom Fund released a domestic abuser back onto the street. Two weeks later, that man, George Howard, was charged with second-degree murder for a road rage incident. Michael DeWitt of Louisville, Kentucky, was bailed out by The Bail Project in February 2021 after being arrested on multiple charges. Two months later, he was arrested again for murder. Shawn Michael Tillman, 3 weeks after having his bail paid by the Minnesota Freedom Fund, murdered a man at a light rail station in St. Paul and is now serving a life sentence for that crime. Mr. Speaker, the list goes on and on. According to an investigation conducted in Hennepin County, Minnesota, the Minnesota Freedom Fund has bailed out at least 65 defendants who were awaiting trial on felony charges involving violence, physical threats, or sex crimes. Moreover, because these funds are often anonymous, or at least unrelated to the defendant, there is no incentive to show up for their court dates. It makes no sense. Many of them don't. According to CNN, which took a look at this issue, nearly 42 percent of the roughly 500 defendants bailed out by the Minnesota Freedom Fund later failed to appear at one or more court hearings between 2021 and 2022. Commercial bail companies, by comparison, had a failure to appear rate of only 22 percent during that same period of time. This is why many States have begun regulating the use of charitable bail funds. Unfortunately, a State-by-State patchwork has now developed, and it will not solve this problem. That is why we introduced the Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act. The bill makes a small but important change to our criminal code to define bail bonds as an insurance product--it doesn't seem that significant; it is very simple--thereby subjecting them to the same Federal background check and regulatory requirements as those for for-profit bail agencies under the Federal Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1994. This change would also bring charitable bail funds under State insurance regulation, giving States the ability to better scrutinize the use of the funds. There is no mandate on any of the State insurance regulations. Let me be clear: This bill does not outlaw the use of charitable bail funds, nor does it regulate the posting of cash bail by family and friends of the accused. This bill merely says that if you are operating a not-for-profit with the purpose of posting cash bail, then you should be subjected to the same regulation and oversight requirements as those operating as for-profit entities. This will bring needed oversight to organizations that for years have gone unregulated--$42 million in the Minnesota Freedom Fund--while ensuring accountability of these funds by subjecting them to Federal insurance fraud statutes if they misappropriate funds or misrepresent the use of these funds in any financial reports. We now will have some oversight. It is a critical step toward reversing steps by the Democrats, like Vice President Harris, to remove bail safeguards and let violent criminals back into our communities to cause further damage. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ohio, Chairman Jordan, for his leadership on this important issue, as well as Congressman Troy Nehls, Congressman Bryan Steil, Congressman Tom Tiffany, Congressman Clay Higgins, and Congressman Ken Calvert from California for their support of H.R. 8205. Mr. Speaker, I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 8205.

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1486, I call up the bill (H.R. 8205) to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that Byrne grant funds may be used for public safety report systems, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4790. This bill is an important step toward ensuring the information required to be disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission by issuers be material to voting or investment decisions. It also contains several other measures to push back on activist ESG shareholder proposals. While shareholder engagement remains an important aspect of corporate governance, the consideration of shareholder proposals that deviate from the company's strategic direction or long-term goals has transformed boardrooms into partisan platforms. Although the number of shareholder proposals is increasing, support is declining across the board. A 2009 study noted that costs directly incurred by companies due to such proposals were estimated to be about $87,000 per proposal, totaling $90 million annually. The Performance over Politics Act, which is included in this package, would allow issuers to defer the resubmission of shareholder proposals for 3 years if those proposals are similar in nature. These thresholds would respect the decisions of the majority of shareholders.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7199. This bill, which is supported by the entire Wisconsin House delegation, designates the U.S. post office located on Janesville Road in Muskego, Wisconsin, as the Colonel Hans Christian Heg Post Office. Colonel Heg is nothing short of remarkable. In 1840, Colonel Heg immigrated to Wisconsin from Norway. At just 10 years old, he quickly learned English and became a trail guide for settlers traveling throughout the region. Fast forward to 1859, Colonel Heg became the first Norwegian American anywhere to be elected to a State office when he was elected prison commissioner and warden of the State prison in Waupun, Wisconsin. Just a couple of years later, he was appointed colonel of the 15th Wisconsin Infantry. He traveled throughout the Midwest recruiting Scandinavians to serve in the Civil War. Colonel Heg and his men went on to win a major battle for control of the Mississippi River at Island No. 10 during the war, and they were given the honor of raising the flag by battle commander Flag Officer Andrew Foote. On September 20, 1863, at the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia, the 33-year-old colonel was shot and killed in action while serving the Union. After the war, veterans raised funds to erect a cannonball pyramid at Chickamauga National Military Park dedicated to Colonel Hans Christian Heg. Sixty years after the war, the Wisconsin community rallied together to raise funds to erect a statue in honor of Hans Christian Heg in Madison, and 157 years after the war, the community and his descendants gathered to rededicate the statue. Colonel Heg was an institution in his community, State, and country, and he was a treasure to his family, friends, and those who served with him. It is an incredible privilege to honor Colonel Heg and to show his many descendants that he lives on as a legend, both in Wisconsin and nationally, to this day. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Comer for his support on this bill.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.J. Res. 109. I don't want to be redundant on some of these points, but the SEC's Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 is a radical departure from how custodians account for all other assets. By requiring custodians to treat digital assets as both an asset and a liability on their balance sheets, SAB 121 makes it nearly impossible for banks to provide custody services for digital assets due to the prudential requirements that it would trigger. Innovations like the tokenization of assets have the potential to dramatically improve our financial infrastructure, and tokenization will allow new innovations and traditionally illiquid assets to become available to more people more efficiently, like commercial bank deposits, government corporate bonds, money market fund shares, real estate, gold, and other commodities. However, for tokenization to take hold, it is important for regulated financial institutions to be custodians in order to identify the entitlement holder and to mitigate any single point of failure in the record of the ownership. Mr. Speaker, this misguided action from the SEC should be struck down, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' for this resolution.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Chair, the debate today is really focused on whether or not the FBI should be required to obtain a warrant to access U.S. person data. As the quote we are all familiar with says, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. I remind my colleagues of the debate on the previous FISA reauthorization bill in the 115th Congress. Many of my current and former colleagues stood behind this very podium and swore up and down that the FISA Amendments Act of 2017 would provide necessary protections for U.S. person information while keeping our country safe. Yet, since the bill became law, there were nearly 3 million U.S. person queries just in 2021 and hundreds of incomplete FISA applications and the use of section 702 to query data on Members of Congress, protestors, and even FBI janitors. It appears to me that the factor that continues to fall by the wayside in all of the debates that are happening is that human nature plays a part. Mr. Chair, that is the dilemma that we find ourselves in. We didn't pick this. This is where we ended up. Do we allow human nature to take its course and permit the FBI to continue to abuse U.S. person data, which the Department of Justice IG Special Counsel Durham, the FISA court, and numerous independent review bodies have found to be negligent, inappropriate, and a threat to American privacy, or do we rein in the FBI and fight for our Fourth Amendment rights? I choose to side with the latter and support the amendments that limit rather than expand the FBI's ability to query U.S. person data.

Mr. FITZGERALD

Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2799. American public markets remain the go-to place for innovative companies to grow and build capital. However, the regulatory environment has steadily become more burdensome and costly, creating a real divide between market regulation now and market regulation years ago. At a time when the markets and regulatory environment were more conducive to small- and mid-cap stocks, groundbreaking Wisconsin companies like Harley-Davidson, Johnson Controls, and Kohler raised capital by going public. Through the IPOs, these upstart enterprises raised the funding necessary to expand their workforce and operations. At the same time, families benefited from the opportunity to invest in these companies to build savings and wealth. While Americans have started new businesses at record rates since the pandemic, many still struggle to meet their own capital needs. The number of U.S. IPOs has continued to decline since the early 2000s as the cost and regulatory burdens of going and staying public remain high.

Mr. FITZGERALD. Under President Biden, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler proposed over 50 rules. This must be reversed, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' for this commonsense legislation.