Sam Graves

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5641, the SPEED Recovery Act, is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that is going to help many small and rural communities respond to and recover from disasters with less delay and much less bureaucracy. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this very important piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to sponsor H.R. 5641, the SPEED Recovery Act. It is a bipartisan bill that cuts red tape and helps expedite disaster recovery efforts, especially in small and rural areas that we have throughout the country. This legislation updates the threshold of what FEMA considers a small project. It updates it to $1 million under the Stafford Act; $1 million under the Stafford Act. This is the first statutory adjustment under the Stafford Act for inflation and rising repair costs in nearly three decades. Historically, small projects have accounted for about 95 percent of all the recovery projects, but the prolonged failure to increase the cost threshold now means that 25 percent of these projects no longer qualify as small projects. That puts a huge burden on small rural communities that simply don't have the same kind of resources to deal with the bureaucracy at FEMA. For places like Craig, Missouri, or Brunswick, Missouri, both of which got hammered by the flood of 2019, it has meant more delays and headaches just trying to get the help that they need to recover and to rebuild. Updating the small project threshold is going to allow these communities to have more control over their disaster recovery efforts and to allow FEMA to focus more of their time and resources on larger and much more complex projects, which represent 90 percent of all disaster costs. After hearing directly from the communities in my district about the paperwork burdens and the increasing denials over technicalities, my hope is that this commonsense adjustment to the small project threshold is going to improve the process and speed up recoveries for many, many of our communities. We have also received a lot of support for this bill from emergency managers themselves. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a joint letter of support from the National Emergency Management Association, the Big City Emergency Managers, and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Mr. Speaker, in closing, the Resilient AMERICA Act does support the communities by investing in premitigation efforts, and these efforts are going to save lives. It is going to save taxpayer dollars by lowering costs of future disasters. It is going to do so many things. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this important piece of legislation. I again want to thank the chairman for working with us on this. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to cosponsor H.R. 5689, the Resilient AMERICA Act, along with Chairman DeFazio and Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Chair Titus and Ranking Member Webster. This bill is going to strengthen our support for communities and individuals in mitigating disasters. We know that for every dollar invested upfront in mitigation, $4 to $11 are saved in damages from a disaster. Given that, one way we lower costs of future disasters is by investing upfront in mitigation. This bill builds on the bipartisan work that we did on mitigation in the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018. It ensures mitigation funds are spent and targeted in ways to support efforts by communities and homeowners to save lives and reduce damage. In my district, my constituents regularly experience flooding that not only causes damage to homes and businesses but disrupts lives and displaces people. Sadly, the time it takes to recover and receive assistance is far too long. I am glad to see more being done to make commonsense investments on the front end through mitigation projects, which will save taxpayers money. More importantly, it can help save lives. This bill also has the support of several groups, including the National Association of Home Builders. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter of support from the National Association of Home Builders. National Association of Home Builders, Government Affairs, Washington, DC, April 5, 2022. Hon. Peter DeFazio, Chairman, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Sam Graves, Ranking Member, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves: On behalf of the more than 140,000 members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), I write in support of H.R. 5689, the Resilient AMERICA Act. The resilience and pre-disaster mitigation initiatives contained in this bipartisan bill would provide a comprehensive and preemptive approach to reducing the risks of natural disasters while preserving important flexibilities at the state and local levels. NAHB supports a comprehensive approach to addressing natural disasters through initiatives focused on implementing cost-effective solutions that encourage greater resiliency in the nation's housing stock--while preserving housing affordability. The Resilient AMERICA Act would invest in common-sense mitigation activities, with an emphasis on residential retrofits for improving resiliency in older homes. Expanding mitigation opportunities and creating incentives to facilitate upgrades and improvements to older homes and structures would help to reduce risks and minimize losses from future catastrophes. NAHB also supports the incorporation of language that respects state and local jurisdictions' control over building code adoption by providing flexibility to adopt one of the two latest published codes. In addition, the bill includes a provision that would provide consistency in how FEMA evaluates which code a jurisdiction has adopted. This language will provide the flexibility needed for communities to take positive steps to withstand and recover from extreme events. We urge the passage of H.R. 5689 to make American communities more resilient while also protecting important building code flexibilities at the state and local levels. Thank you for considering our views. Sincerely, James W. Tobin III, Executive Vice President & Chief Lobbyist.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman DeFazio for working with us on this bill as we have all seen the effects of disaster in our districts and across America. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gibbs), the ranking member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6865, the Don Young Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, an important piece of legislation that ensures that the United States Coast Guard has the funding that they need to carry out the service's critical mission and keep our borders safe. Today it is with both great sadness and great respect that we name this year's Coast Guard Authorization Act after former Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Don Young. The passing of the dean of the House was a surprise to all of us and a tremendous loss for this body. Our thoughts are with his wife, Anne; his daughters, Joni and Dawn; and the rest of his family, as well as his current and his former staff. I had the pleasure of serving as a freshman member of the Transportation Committee when Don began his chairmanship in 2001. And, as always, he brought his typical passion and zeal to the job. He was always working for Alaska but also constantly helping other Members take care of their constituents. The chairman, as many still called him, always pointed out that Alaska missed the great infrastructure investment of the earlier centuries that had been made in the lower 48, and he was bound and determined to make sure that he made up for lost time. There isn't a city or a borough or a town or village in Alaska that can't point to at least one road, airstrip, harbor, dock, visitors center, or health clinic that Don didn't have some role in establishing, building, authorizing, or funding. Recently, there has been a suggestion to name a volcano in Alaska after Chairman Young, a rugged and enduring part of the Alaskan landscape, always with the potential to erupt at any moment's notice, but always warm at its core. Part of me thinks this would be a very fitting tribute as well. And as has been noted many times, it was fitting that he passed away on his way home to Alaska, the State that he loved so much. I will always think of him and smile when I walk by his official-- unofficial, I should say, unofficial but uncontested seat here on the House floor. His passing was truly a loss for the House. In the Transportation Committee, we will always have the almost life- sized portrait watching over us, reminding Members of the importance of the work and the bipartisanship it takes to get it done. One of Don's priorities throughout his career, and also one of my priorities, was strengthening the Coast Guard. This legislation authorizes the purchase of a 12th National Security Cutter as well as six additional Fast Response Cutters to ensure that our Coast Guard is prepared for its current and future role in securing America. During our markup of this bill earlier this month, Don remarked in his statement that both his support for this bill, and as the chairman pointed out, he had voted on 20 Coast Guard authorizations in his career, and I am deeply saddened today that he is not going to be able to cast his vote in support of yet one more. Fittingly, H.R. 6865 also includes a provision offered by the late dean of the House that allows the Coast Guard to keep Russian vessels out of U.S. waters during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), the ranking member of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, this is obviously a fitting tribute, but we ran out of time. A lot of people wanted to say something about Don, and I apologize that we ran out of time. Madam Speaker, I close by thanking the chairman of both the committee and the subcommittee and the ranking member, for putting this bill together. It is very much a bipartisan effort. But I particularly want to thank the staffs on both sides of the aisle for the work that they did, and in particular, John Rayfield, who had the opportunity to work with Chairman Young when he was chairman of the committee as well. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this very important piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Balderson).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the Republican whip.

Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.