Raúl Grijalva

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time on my side, and I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the item under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4358, the Little Manatee Wild and Scenic River Act, offered by our colleague from Florida, Representative Buchanan. The bill will formally designate an approximately 51-mile segment of the Little Manatee River in Florida as a national scenic river. Beginning at its source in southeastern Hillsborough County, the Little Manatee River flows downstream into Tampa Bay. The river is one of the most pristine blackwater rivers in Southwest Florida and is designated as an outstanding Florida water. Like all other wild and scenic rivers throughout the country, this bill will protect the river for public enjoyment without the fear of intrusive development. The bill ensures the river remains available for full a range of recreational activities, such as canoeing, kayaking, boating, and fishing. Designating the Little Manatee River as a Scenic River will ensure that it continues to be enjoyed by future generations of Floridians and visitors of all stripes. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from Alabama, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Case for the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 263, the Big Cat Public Safety Act. The bill is a long-overdue fix to a public safety and animal welfare problem that has been with us for too long. I hear from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, my Republican friends, that not only is it duplicative, but it is unnecessary and a waste of time. Unfortunately, my colleagues have undertaken a potted plant strategy in terms of how they do business in the House: just water us, we are just going to sit there, and we are not going to do nothing. They are using legislation like this one to sustain a blame game more political than substantive regarding decisions being made by the administration or the majority in this House. I understand that. But it is a selective blame game. We don't talk about the threat to our democracy, we don't talk about the criminalization of a woman's right to make health decisions, and we don't talk about the creeping authoritarianism that we see in our country. We don't talk about those things. I think that if we are going to have a discussion and assess blame, that the discussion is open on all sides. So there are more big cats in private ownership and in captivity than in the wild. Private ownership of tigers, lions, leopards, and other big cats does absolutely nothing to help these endangered and threatened species recover in the wild. To make matters worse, it poses a threat to first responders and the public who often don't even know they are in a community until an emergency happens. State laws banning or regulating big cats vary greatly, and enforcement varies greatly. There is no Federal policy regarding the private possession of big cats, many of which are bred for cub petting and photo opportunities and then sold into private possession once they are too old for photo ops. Contrary to what we have heard today, the USDA does not have jurisdiction over private ownership of big cats. Instead, the Fish and Wildlife Service is tasked with banning the breeding and possession of big cats under the Lacey Act, which is a natural extension of the work the Fish and Wildlife Service already does to regulate the breeding of ESA-listed species. So it is germane to our committee, it is where it should be, and the Fish and Wildlife Service is the appropriate agency with both the experiences and the linkages to do this. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the legislation.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize June as National Reunification Month, and to honor the tremendous reunifications efforts of individuals across the country who work tirelessly to ensure that safe, timely, and healthy reunification continues to be prioritized for the 400,000 youth in the U.S. foster care system. Each June, states and jurisdictions celebrate these efforts and extend their commitments to working to strengthen pathways to ensuring thriving, supportive families, and communities. Federal initiatives including Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act, the Family First Prevention Services Act, Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization of 2018 and the Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act, have improved services and reunification for children and families in the foster care system, but there is more to be done. Since 2020, four National partners of the U.S. Children's Bureau, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Prevent Child Abuse America, Casey Family Programs and now recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have joined the Thriving Families, Safer Children Movement within the child welfare community to bring a first-of-its-kind national, multiyear effort that spans the public, private and philanthropic sectors. It will create and enhance networks of community-based programming while also aligning government resources to offer a full continuum of prevention supports and services. Beyond building stronger families and communities, the movement seeks to end the harmful practice of family separation in child welfare systems. This work involves closely collaborating with children and families within the child welfare system and leveraging resources to create a more just, equitable, and humane well-being system. Twenty-two states and jurisdictions have committed to moving this work forward, including Arizona. With that in mind, I want to thank all those involved for making this much-needed investment into our youth and families' futures including: biological and kinship parents, family members, social workers, foster parents, service providers, attorneys, courts, court appointed special advocates (CASAs), advocates, public child welfare professionals and the greater child welfare community at large. And when honoring National Reunification Month, we must push to further assist migrant families that were separated at our southern border due to cruel and inhumane border policies denying them their right to seek asylum. I commend the Biden-Harris administration for fully repealing the Trump-era ``zero tolerance'' policy and establishing the President's Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families aimed at bringing families back together. Thousands of children were cruelly separated from their families, and I applaud the work of the President's Taskforce who is working to reunite hundreds of children that remain separated from their families to this day. More must be done to ensure all migrant families are reunited and no more families are separated at the southern border. Their safety, well-being and reunification must be an uttermost urgency for the Biden-Harris administration and its officials. It is time as a Nation to commit to providing the resources and programs necessary for the reunification of families, both for children in our domestic foster care system and for those who entered our country for refuge.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. Maloney, who is the chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus for their work and support for the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act. As we celebrate Pride Month and remember the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall riots, we recognize the progress, lived experience, and suffering of the LGBTQI+ community. In many ways our Federal Government is falling short on the promise to craft and implement inclusive public policy, in part, because we lack the necessary data to address the issues affecting the LGBTQI+ community. While some data is currently collected and Federal agents have made progress, far too many LGBTQI+ individuals remain overlooked in many Federal data collection efforts. As the Center for American Progress has calculated, more than five in six LGBTQ adults cannot be identified by existing questions in non- experimental survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau such as the American Community Survey and the Census, which only accounts for cohabitating same-sex couples. That is why I introduced this legislation, the LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act, to ensure we have robust and accurate data. The bill would require Federal surveys to include data collection on sexual orientation, gender identity, and variations of sex characteristics on a voluntary basis. Again, let me emphasize what the Chair emphasized, this bill would only collect voluntary, self- disclosed data. An individual will not be required to disclose this information, nor would this information be used in a manner that would adversely affect any individual. It would ensure that lawmakers and Federal agencies have the comprehensive data they need to address the LGBTQI+ issues. We cannot craft policies that remedy the disparities faced by these individuals, particularly people of color, in issues of discrimination, unemployment, healthcare, housing instability, and more if we do not have the adequate and correct data. We have seen how the pandemic has impacted many Americans, and we are still learning how the LGBTQI+ community were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 crisis. This is just one of many areas that our Federal Government lacks knowledge in how to respond to these issues. In many ways, the tireless work of LGBTQ organizations in gathering this information has provided a better scope of the problems and disparities than the Federal Government itself. The LGBTQI+ community deserves to be visible and heard so public policy can better reflect their needs. It is critical to close the data gap that often invalidates their lives. Perhaps more importantly, this bill comes at a time when Republican State legislatures across this country have introduced more than 300 anti-LGBTQ bills that target youth and their families. This bill would force those individuals focused on denying rights to LGBTQ individuals to have a reckoning. It will allow the community to be counted and, therefore, heard. Not only is this bill necessary, it is a top priority of President Biden. During his first day in office, President Biden issued numerous executive orders to strengthen the rights and improve the lives of LGBTQI+ people across this country. He directed all Federal agencies that enforce Federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination to also prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Just last week, he established a new Federal coordinating committee on sexual orientation and gender identity for data which will lead efforts across agencies to identify opportunities to strengthen this data collection, while safeguarding privacy protection and the civil rights of individuals. These are all great initiatives, but we need to go further and codify them into law. This is why this bill is so important. In addition, this bill includes implementation of a process for Federal agencies to routinely assess changes needed in the collection of this data. This will provide enough flexibility for Federal agents to use the most effective data collection methods for their agency. We are grateful for the invaluable support and input of more than 200 LGBTQI+ groups and allies that have helped get this legislation to where it is today. It could not have been done without them. This is an important piece of legislation for each and every LGBTQI+ individual in our Nation. As a proud ally, I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that all our constituents are seen, heard, and counted. We are not ignoring the current challenges facing Americans. They are not being ignored, as was brought up. Rather, we are treating all Americans equally and being inclusive. And in this great legacy of our Nation, one of the great legacies that all of us who take pride in being part of this Nation, who take pride in being Americans, one of the great legacies is that this Nation offers, under the rule of law, an inalienable right of equality; an inalienable right of access, and for public policy to reflect the needs and respond to the needs of all individuals. This bill takes us one step further in this direction. This bill is not punitive; it is inclusive. This bill is not mean-spirited; it is welcoming. And this bill, above all, is American for all Americans.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2773, Recovering America's Wildlife Act. I thank Representative Dingell and her colleagues that have worked diligently on this legislation for a considerable amount of time. In the midst of the species extinction crisis that we have, accelerated climate change, the loss of biodiversity, droughts, the wildfires that we just heard about, it is important to note that this legislation was built from the ground up; 1,800 organizations, as diverse as Duke Energy on one side of the political spectrum and the Environmental Defense Fund on the other side, both agreeing that the approach of this legislation is the right approach; 180-plus cosponsors represented in a bipartisan fashion. This bill before us today will transform the state of wildlife conservation in our country. As we know, America's wildlife faces numerous threats, including habitat loss, pollution, climate change, wildfire, drought, invasive species, and emerging diseases. It provides a historic $1.3 billion of dedicated funding for States and territories and $97 million for Tribes to assist in their efforts to conserve, restore, and protect wildlife and habitat each year. With that protection comes the resiliency for habitat and the overall resiliency for communities and our environment. In the long run, this investment will save taxpayers money. It creates jobs, promotes tourism, and provides safety and resilience to those communities across our country. Through habitat conservation and restoration, this bill makes habitats and communities much more resilient to the ongoing and accelerated issue of climate change. This is an important piece of legislation for each and every State, territory, and Tribe in our country, and I urge my colleagues to support it. My friends on the other side of the aisle, my Republican colleagues are fiscal conservatives when they are not in the majority. When they are in the majority, that is not the pattern of behavior. At the present time, nothing should be done is what is being preached: Nothing should be done about the climate crisis. Nothing should be done about wildlife extinction. Nothing should be done about January 6 and our democracy. That was merely a mirage, a walk in the park that we should all forget. Nothing should be done about our children and the danger that they are exposed to in our very schools. Nothing should be done about the rising healthcare costs and prescription drug costs. We can't do anything because of inflation and the rising gas prices, so the best thing to do is to do nothing. Well, my colleagues, I support H.R. 2773 because it does something. It does something in a bipartisan, comprehensive way. If my colleagues want to talk about climate change, if they want to talk about droughts, if they want to talk about wildfire, if they want to talk about fiscally prudent things to do, let's talk about this bill today. Support it with dedicated funding. Make the investment that will guarantee the dividends for ourselves and future generations. I applaud Representative Dingell and all the work of her colleagues and this piece of legislation, and I urge its support and urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2793) to reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act, to authorize States to use funds from that Act for administrative purposes, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2793, the Highlands Conservation Reauthorization Act, is led by my colleague, Representative Sean Patrick Maloney. The bill reauthorizes funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service to protect and conserve the Highlands region. The beautiful Highlands region spans 3.4 million acres across Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. This area has retained its splendor due in part to the passage of the Highlands Conservation Act of 2004, which authorized the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Forest Service to work with State and local governments and NGOs to conserve this ecosystem. Since 2004, $28 million in Federal funds, matched by $53 million in non-Federal funds, have permanently protected almost 13,000 acres of land. These lands protect clean, safe drinking water; sustain healthy forests and wildlife populations; encourage productive agriculture; and provide quality recreation opportunities for the public. I commend my colleague for his leadership on this bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Highlands Conservation Act and ensure the continued success of this program. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney) and thank him for being the driving force in bringing this legislation to this point.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3525) to establish the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 441) to provide for the conveyance of certain property to the Tanana Tribal Council located in Tanana, Alaska, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the matter under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 441, the Don Young Alaska Native Health Care Land Transfers Act of 2022, serves as a testament to the legacy of advocacy that the late dean of the House and our friend, Don Young of Alaska, provided Alaska Natives. This particular legislation was something that he was urging--as recently as right before his passing, before we all left--upon me to move as quickly as possible, and I am glad that we have been able to get it to this point. This legislation directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to convey certain parcels of land to the Tanana Tribal Council, the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium for the purpose of expanding social and healthcare services. Together, these three nonprofit entities support the Alaska Native communities as Tribal health and social service providers in both urban and rural settings. The Tanana Tribal Council, located in Tanana, Alaska, provides outpatient services to Alaska Natives. Since the council is rurally located, healthcare services are often underfunded and harder to come by. This legislation's conveyance of approximately 11.25 acres of land to the council will allow it to build a new facility and expand existing services to its Indian Health Service beneficiaries, thereby increasing the quality of care available. The Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium delivers care to Alaska Natives as one of the oldest and largest Native-run healthcare organizations in the United States. The consortium operates the Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital, a 25-bed critical access facility located in Sitka, Alaska, which is in serious need of renovation due to its age and current condition. This legislation's conveyance of roughly 10.87 acres of land to the consortium will facilitate the planned modernization of the hospital by granting the consortium title to the acreage. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium serves the healthcare needs of thousands of Alaska Native and American Indian patients in south-central Alaska. The consortium provides medical services at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska, and provides wellness programs, disease research and prevention, rural provider trainings, as well as water and sanitation systems construction. This legislation will grant the consortium ownership over two parcels of land totaling approximately 3.5 acres, thus allowing the consortium to streamline its operations and conduct building refurbishments without reliance on the Federal Government. My late friend and colleague, Representative Don Young, championed these three land transfers, now combined into H.R. 441, to promote health equity among rural Alaska Natives. His work on behalf of Indian Country never ceased throughout his time in Congress. I am grateful that we are here today to support this legislation and these three critical Tribal health entities in Alaska, a reminder of the support that Indian Country received from Don Young. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and call for its swift passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Bentz for his work on these pieces of legislation today and acknowledge his work on Representative Meng's H.R. 3525, in particular. There were difficult things to navigate there, and we appreciate the effort on his part. Hopefully, we were as cooperative. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 270) to amend the Act entitled ``Act to provide for the establishment of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in the State of Kansas, and for other purposes'' to provide for inclusion of additional related sites in the National Park System, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 270, the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site Expansion Act. This bipartisan bill would rename the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in the State of Kansas as the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Park. It would also expand the park to include four affiliated sites in South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia relating to court cases on school desegregation that were consolidated into the Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, an acknowledgment that I think is important of the entire list of plaintiffs in that historic court decision. This legislative effort will continue to elevate the important stories and education of the civil rights movement through these affiliated sites and national historic park designation. This bipartisan bill passed the Senate with an amendment by voice vote in April. The House companion legislation is sponsored by our colleague from South Carolina, the majority whip, Representative James Clyburn. Earlier this Congress, the House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on his bill and ordered it favorably reported by unanimous consent. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Clyburn for championing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support its adoption. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn.)

Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, let me thank Representative Clyburn for his comments and for reaffirming that our national identity is driven by our history and that history is something that all of us need to learn. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIJALVA

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