Ruben Gallego

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Chair, I rise in proud support of the amendment sponsored by fellow marine and public servant, Mr. Pence. October 23, 1983, remains seared in the memory of all marines. On that day, over 300 innocent people were killed in a surprise terrorist attack sponsored by the Government of Iran. Most of the people killed 36 years ago were my brothers. They were U.S. marines. They were serving our country and doing their best to preserve the peace in war- torn Lebanon. We know that the wheels of justice turn slowly, Madam Chair. It took over 35 years for victims to get traction in U.S. courts. But now that they are getting that traction and winning judgments, marines in Congress are here to help to ensure that Iranian funds cannot be hidden from them in secret foreign bank accounts. This amendment helps the families of those killed and wounded by making sure that Iran is held liable for this attack. It makes it harder for Iran to hide money in overseas bank accounts when it should be paying for the pain and suffering of its victims. It shows that, even 36 years after the attack, we have not forgotten, and it once again proves that U.S. marines remain ``no better friend, no worse enemy.'' Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, no President in the history of our country has ever been subject to as many credible allegations of illegal conduct as Donald Trump. Given the serious nature of these crimes and the President's refusal to cooperate with congressional investigations, it is time for the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment inquiry. The Mueller report documented compelling evidence that the President obstructed justice, including numerous attempts to shut down the Mueller investigation. Despite the strong evidence, DOJ policies prohibited the special counsel from even considering bringing charges against a sitting President. So, Congress has a responsibility to act where Mueller left off. For the past several months, Trump, his Attorney General, and congressional Republicans have outright lied about the contents and findings of the Mueller report. The Trump administration has repeatedly rejected or undermined congressional subpoenas and obstructed the ability of Congress to get the facts for the American people. Launching an impeachment inquiry is a necessary step to ensure that we get to the bottom of Trump's wrongdoing. It honors the process that our Founding Fathers enshrined in our Constitution to empower Congress to investigate and hold the President accountable for committing high crimes and misdemeanors. I believe that impeachment inquiry should examine the actions and conduct documented in the Mueller report, but an impeachment inquiry should not be limited to just those matters. Congress has the responsibility to investigate the broad range of Trump's conduct as part of our inquiry. With all the tweets and daily distractions, we cannot lose sight of the much broader scope of Trump's alleged wrongdoing: more than a dozen accusations of sexual assault; campaign finance violations, including hush-money payments; illegal foreign contributions to the Trump inaugural committee; illegal misuse of the Trump Foundation charity for personal and political purposes; welcoming foreign interference in U.S. elections; mishandling top-secret information; and abusing the security clearance process for his son-in-law. And we shouldn't overlook how inappropriate it is for the President of the United States to engage in constant, daily lying. The list, unfortunately, goes on and on. Trump's actions should concern every single Member of Congress and every American citizen, regardless of what side of the aisle we are on. This activity and behavior call into question Trump's fitness to serve as President of the United States and Commander in Chief. As a marine and as a Member of Congress, I swore to protect the Constitution of the United States, and I will not stand by as Donald Trump erodes the rule of law and our democracy. It is time for Congress to launch an impeachment investigation against President Trump.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman (Mr. Blumenauer), my friend, for introducing this amendment. Earlier this year, I introduced a bill to codify the Roadless Rule across the country. For nearly two decades, the Roadless Rule has been an important tool for preserving pristine forests, clean water, and wildlife. It has also protected taxpayers from subsidizing even more costly road building in national forests. No roadless place is more in need of this protection than Tongass National Forest in Alaska. The Tongass National Forest is home to some of the most undisturbed, temperate, old-growth rainforests in the world. These 16 million acres of beautiful landscape are also a critical carbon sequestration tool and a resource for climate change mitigation. Despite these facts and the opposition of many Alaska Native communities, as well as the concerns of the Alaska tourism and sportsmen industries, the State of Alaska has proposed to strip this forest of full Roadless protection. Stripping Roadless Rule protections from Tongass National Forest will allow millions of taxpayer dollars to be funneled into incredibly expensive road-building projects in one of the most remote, wild parts of our country. This amendment does not end discussion of how and where the Roadless Rule should be applied in Alaska and other States. It is much simpler than that. All this amendment does is prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to subsidize more old-growth logging in Alaska's Tongass National Forest. Taxpayers should not have to foot the bill to construct environmentally harmful roads for the logging industry in this pristine place. This is the exact sort of fiscally responsible amendment my colleagues on the other side of the aisle should support. That is why I strongly urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in protecting Tongass National Forest and American taxpayers by supporting this amendment.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to honor the service of dozens of Arizonans who worked around the clock to repair the Puerto Rican electrical grid in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Their life-saving efforts helped restore food production, transportation, education, and health care services. In the fall of 2017, Irma and Maria struck Puerto Rico in quick succession, less than two weeks apart. A Category 4 storm, Maria's 155 mph winds and rainfall compounded Irma's damage, and further devastated an island that is deeply vulnerable to the extremes of climate change. Flash floods and high winds damaged neighborhoods, houses, roads, schools, and businesses in a matter of mere hours. The storm also completely destroyed Puerto Rico's electric grid: 89 percent, or 2,100 miles of the island's transmission lines, and 24,000 miles of distribution lines, were gone. This was the largest blackout in United States history. All 3.4 million of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico lost power, including those for whom access to electricity can make the difference between life and death. Thousands of citizens, for example, rely on electricity for essential medical needs--to power their respirators, refrigerate their insulin, and sustain their dialysis treatments. In the wake of Maria's landfall, with death tolls rising to 2,700, Puerto Ricans went to sleep each night in total darkness and uncertainty. This is why we recognize the commitment of the 83 Arizona Public Service line workers who, between January and March of 2018, traveled 3,000 miles from Arizona to Puerto Rico to rebuild and reenergize the island's electric grid. These Arizonans left their families for more than six weeks to work alongside new friends and fellow Americans in Puerto Rico. Together in partnership with Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) and 12 other public power utilities, APS workers helped install 5,000 poles and 4,400 miles of wire, restoring power to 97 percent of the island's residents. I want to thank them for their service at a time of such dire need. As Puerto Ricans continue to rebuild after the hurricane, residents have rallied around the saying, ``Puerto Rico se levanta!''--Puerto Rico is rising again! But the APS line workers who served in Puerto Rico have demonstrated something more: ``Cuando Puerto Rico se levanta, el mundo se levanta tambien.'' When Puerto Rico rises, the rest of the world rises in tandem, alongside them.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Luria). Honoring Virginia Beach Shooting Victims

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, while the Trump administration is setting fire to our legal immigration system, separating families, and all but closing down our border, I am proud that today, here in the House of Representatives, Democrats are standing up and taking action to provide legal status and an earned path to citizenship for young people and families that already call this country home. Dreamers and TPS holders are our neighbors, coworkers, and our friends. They are productive and contributing members of our society, raising families, serving in our military, and uplifting our communities. Even though they collectively represent some of the strongest parts of this country, the Trump administration has forced them to live in constant uncertainty and fear that they or their loved ones will be deported. But even so, they have had the courage to step out of the shadows and tell their stories and fight for the lives they have built for themselves and their families and for the futures they aspire to. They have spoken up many times, putting themselves at risk to do so in hopes that they would drive us to act to uphold our American values and allow them to become, on paper, what they already are in their hearts: Americans. The hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who came forward to register with the government as part of the DACA program trusted the government to live up to its end of the bargain. Although the Trump administration has tried to break that promise, today we are taking action to make sure we keep our word. We will not allow these aspiring Americans to become the next victim of Trump's brutal deportation force. This wasn't an easy process, and the fight isn't over. It takes immense courage to stand up to power at any time, but even more so, when your life--as you know it--is at great risk. I have the utmost admiration and respect for Dreamers who have taken a stand and fought for the right to continue to live and work in the country they call home. I know they will continue to fight until this bill that we pass becomes law. In the meantime, I--and my fellow Democrats--will continue to be right by their side.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to honor the contributions of one of our country's greatest boxers, activists, and philanthropists as my district celebrates the unveiling of the newly renamed street ``Muhammad Ali Way'' this June 3rd--the three-year anniversary of Muhammad Ali's passing in Scottsdale in 2016--thanks to the initiative of Dignity Health. I want to recognize something more than the endurance with which Ali inspired us each time he entered the ring. The athleticism, determination, and honor he brought to the sport of boxing are commendable. But the endurance he sustained outside the ring after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1984 has been a true inspiration to the world--and to the people of Phoenix in particular, where he and his neurologist Abraham Lieberman helped establish the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center (MAPC) at Barrow Neurological Institute in 1997. The center has grown over the past two decades into an internationally renowned facility for Parkinson's disease and movement disorder related medical care. MAPC continues to carry out Muhammad and Lonnie Ali's mission each day to provide high-quality and compassionate treatment, education, and support to every individual battling Parkinson's disease, to their caregivers, and to their families. The team of neurologists, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists at MAPC sees more than 1,200 patients a year. It is through the Ali family's continued support and devotion to driving the world towards a cure for Parkinson's disease that the center is able to maintain robust outreach programs to patients and families, and serve Arizonans with palliative care, remote-telemedicine appointments, and other critical services. It is fitting, then, that the road leading to the center also be named in recognition of Ali's contributions: his demonstration of American tenacity and spirit in sport, in his battle with Parkinson's, in his support of the advancement of medical research, in his service to the Phoenix community, and in his service to our country as a whole. I look forward to traveling down the newly renamed ``Muhammad Ali Way'' each time I have the opportunity to visit the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center in Phoenix for years to come.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for my colleagues when I say that we all loved Jerry. How could you not love Jerry? Her spirit and unwavering optimism and her love for our State and our party made her the quintessential Arizonan. She lived to 104 years old, and she really lived. She lived in a way that set an example for all of us. She made every day count. Her life spanned some of the momentous times in our Nation's history: the Great Depression, the fight for women's suffrage, World War II, and the civil rights movement. In 1914, when Jerry was born, women did not have the right to vote. Who could have thought then that a century later Jerry would announce our State's delegates on the floor of the 2016 Democratic National Convention for the first major-party female Presidential nominee in our Nation's history. It was an honor to stand by her side that day, and it is a moment I will never forget. In her 104 years, Jerry saw our State and our country through some tough times, but she never lost hope, she never lost optimism, and her commitment to bringing about the change she believed in never wavered. Her son Jim recalled that her biggest lesson was: No matter what is going on at that time, as long as you keep hope, you keep believing things will change, and you are doing you best to help change, it will change. Those words guided Jerry's life. Those words have inspired me and should inspire us all as we keep fighting for the things we believe in. We will miss you, Jerry.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 375 introduced by my friend Representative Cole from Oklahoma. H.R. 375 is a simple, straightforward fix to a problem that has caused chaos and uncertainty in Indian Country for a decade. Ten years ago, the Supreme Court handed down what is now known as the Carcieri decision. In that decision, the Court determined that eligibility for trust land acquisition under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 only applies to Tribes that were federally recognized as of 1934. The acquisition of trust land for the benefit of Indian Tribes is absolutely essential to Tribal self-determination, economic development, and protection of Tribal homelands. The Carcieri decision created an unfair, impractical, two-tiered system for Tribes that wanted to engage in this essential function of Tribal sovereignty. H.R. 375 simply amends the IRA to ensure that all federally recognized Tribes are treated equally, regardless of the date of recognition. The Carcieri decision and its consequences harken back to the Federal Government's shameful history of oppression in Native communities. The decimation of Tribes and their homeland by the Federal Government is well documented. For centuries, we ignored their treaties and systematically stripped them of their land. It has taken almost a century for us to even begin to undo the damage we have inflicted on indigenous peoples. Mr. Speaker, that work is nowhere near done. To this day, we are still federally recognizing tribes that the government tried to destroy. We are still striving to return merely a small portion of ancestral land back to Tribes so they can have homelands to call their own. In order to continue to undo the harm we have done, we must end this system of haves and have-nots for trust land acquisition. We must level the playing field and alleviate the catastrophic consequences this decision has had in Indian Country. We must pass H.R. 375, the clean Carcieri fix. If we do not, this administration will continue to strip trust land from Tribes like the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which is the subject of another bill on the floor today. Tribes will continue to suffer needlessly, once again at the hands of the Federal Government. Indian Country has been clamoring for this clean, simple fix for a decade, and we cannot make them wait any longer. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I rise today alongside the Phoenix community to usher in a new chapter of spiritual leadership with the installation of Pastor Terry E. Mackey to Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona. I stood on this floor last year to honor the life of Bishop Alexis Thomas, who served for eighteen years as the Senior Pastor of Pilgrim Rest until his passing in January 2018. I worked alongside Bishop Thomas as a part of My Brother's Keeper, and I witnessed firsthand Pilgrim Rest's boundless growth under his guidance. The greatest testament to that leadership is its longevity. Phoenix still feels Bishop Thomas's reach through the ``Word Center'' educational facility he constructed, and other efforts he oversaw: free light rail tickets for the homeless, food packages for low income elders, and free GED courses. I congratulate Pilgrim Rest on upholding the momentum of Bishop Thomas's contributions in his absence this past year. Today, I have the opportunity to acknowledge the new life Pilgrim Rest will breathe into the Phoenix community in the coming years as we welcome Reverend Terry Eugene Mackey as the church's 11th pastor. In Houston, Pastor Mackey served as the Minister to Youth and Young Adults at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, one of the nation's largest predominantly African American churches. He then served as the Pastor of Riceville Mount Olive Baptist Church, where he tripled attendance and renewed the community's investment in religious life. Pastor Mackey has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to community service and leadership, and his ambitions for Pilgrim Rest's future role in the lives of Phoenix residents are promising. He will continue to expand the church's presence by ``striving for higher heights'' in worship and membership, and ``deeper depths'' in discipleship and relationships with God and the community. Madam Speaker, I believe the greatest reverence we can show our previous leaders--the teachers who built the foundations upon which we carry out our good work--is to build higher, in the spirit of the work that came before, and with an eye towards what the future needs of us. Pastor Mackey is a leader of just such foresight, and the people of Phoenix will be made a more diligent, faithful, and cohesive community because of his place at Pilgrim Rest.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Chair, my amendment to the Violence Against Women Act shines a light on a crisis that has been ignored for too long by this body: the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women. In Indian Country, American Indians and Alaska Native women experience murder rates ten times the national average. One study found that there were 5,712 reported cases of missing indigenous women in 2016. In reality, the numbers are even worse than this, because indigenous women are often underrepresented in national and local data. Just one example of the thousands of heartbreaking cases of missing and murdered women and girls is Ashlynne Mike, an 11-year-old Navajo girl. In 2016, Ashlynne and her 9-year-old brother, Ian, were tricked into accepting a ride home from a stranger while playing after school on the Navajo Reservation. When Ashlynne and Ian did not return home, her family contacted the authorities. Ian was eventually found a few hours later wandering on the side of a road. Friends and family members then mobilized a search party for Ashlynne and spread the news of her abduction through texts and social media. However, because of the jurisdictional issues, an official AMBER Alert wasn't issued until 12 hours after her disappearance. According to a study on children abductions by the Washington State Attorney General's Office, 76 percent of kidnapped children are killed within the first 3 hours. Eventually, Ashlynne's body was found by family members near a dirt road. Indigenous communities are demanding action on this crisis and justice for Native women and girls like Ashlynne. That is why last month, I was proud to hold the first ever hearing on missing and murdered indigenous women in the Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States. That is why today, I am proud to introduce this amendment as a first step towards solutions. We know the factors exacerbating this crisis are many. They include lack of resources, lack of coordination between law enforcement agencies, and jurisdictional challenges within our criminal justice system. My amendment would drill down on the nature and scope of these issues, so that we can take direct legislative action to fix them. It will give us the tools to give Tribes the resources and support they need to combat horrific violence directed at their communities. This amendment is identical to the bipartisan Studying the Missing and Murdered Indian Crisis Act that I introduced earlier this week and that Senator Tester has introduced in the Senate. After hearing Ashlynne's story and knowing that there are thousands of women and girls who have suffered and died as a result of this crisis, I am sure that my colleagues will agree: Silence is not an option. Inaction is not an option. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I missed two votes on 3/11/2019. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 119, and ``yea'' on Roll Call No. 120.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. Donald Trump's Presidency is the real national emergency. President Trump fired the FBI director to protect his national security adviser. He tried to rip healthcare from millions of Americans and destroy protections for people with preexisting conditions. He orchestrated the largest transfer of wealth from middle class families to rich families. And Trump has done nothing in the face of epidemic levels of gun violence and devastating impacts of climate change. Why is Trump lying about a national emergency at the border? He is doing it to distract the American people from the fact that he has no plan to improve healthcare, improve our schools, or do one damn thing for working people in this country.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of millions of our Nation's teachers who fight for our children's future every single day. Last year, tens of thousands of educators from Arizona helped lead the Nation, walking out of their classrooms to protest cuts to schools and funding. They told me about outdated textbooks, overcrowded classrooms, and school supplies so limited that kids were taking tests with crayons. They succeeded in securing much-needed pay raises for teachers. But the Arizona Legislature refused to provide sufficient money for support staff, classroom supplies, and other resources they need to effectively do their jobs. So, today, Arizona teachers and I are wearing red, because the fight to ensure that every child receives a quality education is not over. Our students deserve better. They deserve fully funded schools with state-of-the-art classrooms to ensure our kids have the skills they need to succeed in a quickly changing world. They deserve the challenges and opportunities that come from taking advanced placement classes that promote academic achievement and extracurricular activities to stimulate creativity and a passion for lifelong learning. They deserve teachers, aides, administrative staff, and bus drivers who are paid a fair and living wage. Instead, the State continues to shortchange our children by asking educators to do more with less. Madam Speaker, I know firsthand the importance of properly funding the public school system. I am a product of it. I would not have the honor to stand here today and advocate for teachers on the floor of the House of Representatives if it wasn't for the help and advice and mentorship of one of my own high school teachers, Mr. Gustafson--or Mr. G, as I called him--of Evergreen Park Community High School. He is just one example of the many passionate, selfless educators who inspire students every day. That is why I stand today, tomorrow, and every day in solidarity with America's teachers demanding more resources for educators and the young people that they have dedicated their lives to. Our Nation's future depends on it.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5513. This bill authorizes an equal value land exchange between the U.S. Forest Service and San Bernardino County. The exchange would allow the county to build a resource conservation and recovery facility adjacent to the current transfer station. The Forest Service would receive an undeveloped parcel currently surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. H.R. 5513 is supported by the nearby city of Big Bear, by the Friends of Big Bear Valley, and by the local chapter of the Sierra Club. I thank my colleague, Representative Cook, for working to address some of our concerns with earlier drafts of this bill. Thanks to his efforts, we have ensured this exchange will be subject to existing law, that it will preserve critical and occupied habitat for endangered species, and that the exchange will have minimal impacts on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. H.R. 5513 demonstrates how a collaborative process can meet the interests of local stakeholders, while protecting the integrity of our environment and public lands. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6108, which authorizes additional funding for the Battlefield Acquisition Grant Program. This program has a long track record of efficiently and cost- effectively preserving battlefield sites from the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the War of 1812. By utilizing public-private funding matches, through which Federal contributions are leveraged with private sector funds, the program maximizes the preservation impact of every dollar spent. It is critical that we extend this grant matching program because many of these historic battlefield sites lack permanent protection and are under threat from encroaching development. If we don't act swiftly, we could soon lose access to sites of significant historical importance. By extending additional funding to this program, and by allowing a portion of this new funding to go towards educational and interpretive upgrades at these sites, we ensure that future generations of Americans will always remember the sacrifices made to preserve our Nation. Unfortunately, I worry that this legislation, as important as it is for preserving our Nation's history, rings somewhat hollow. We need to recognize that the grant program H.R. 6108 extends is funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expired in September for the second time this Congress. At our committee's hearing on H.R. 6108, our distinguished witness from the American Battlefield Trust recognized that this proposal doesn't hold water unless LWCF is reauthorized. Mr. Speaker, while I rise in support of H.R. 6108, I also urge my colleagues to support the permanent reauthorization of LWCF. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes a special resource study of the George W. Bush Childhood Home to determine the significance of the site and the feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park Service. The home in Midland, Texas, is where George W. Bush lived for 4 years between the ages of 5 and 9, and not coincidentally, it is also where George H.W. Bush lived at the beginning of his political career. The structure is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and currently operates as a museum. I support the proposed study to consider designating this site a unit of the National Park Service and determine the appropriate management to ensure its preservation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to honor the contributions and war efforts made by American cities during World War II, including the work by these cities to preserve this history. This bill honors the history of our Nation and enshrines the efforts made by American cities that were integral to our success in World War II. For example, Wilmington, North Carolina, constructed 243 cargo vessels, served as a base for all five military branches, hosted German prisoners of war, and dispatched thousands of soldiers to fight. Current efforts to preserve this history include landmarks such as the Battleship North Carolina and the Hannah Block Historic USO Building. This will give the Secretary the authority to validate these contributions, along with those of countless other cities that contributed to the war effort. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Rouzer for his work on this bill, and I am happy to voice my support of it. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill provides a number of benefits for the territories of the United States: Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It adds them to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, allowing them to begin developing offshore wind in their waters, a potentially crucial source of new clean energy for their residents. It sets up a system by which the territories receive a share of the revenue generated by any new offshore wind development. Currently, our territories rely primarily on imported diesel for generating electricity, putting them at high risk of supply disruptions and forcing residents there to pay some of the highest electricity rates anywhere in the country, particularly when oil prices spike. As hurricanes and extreme weather events continue to challenge the energy security of these territories, developing offshore wind will make for more resilient communities, decrease dependency on fossil fuels, and potentially bring electricity prices down significantly. However, because the territories are currently not covered by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, there is no legal mechanism for putting wind turbines in the waters off their coastlines. This bill fixes this longstanding unfairness, offers them a share of any revenues generated by offshore wind, and also protects their coastlines by leaving them off of the offshore oil and gas leasing process. Additionally, some of the revenues generated by this bill are allocated to the Coral Reef Conservation Program, preserving, sustaining, and restoring the condition of coral reef ecosystems that, in many cases, are crucial for the environment and tourism economy of these same territories. H.R. 6665 is a commonsense bill for the growth and success of U.S. territories and the environment, while also providing new sources of clean, carbon-free energy. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GALLEGO

Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we talk a lot about leveling the playing field when it comes to economic development on Tribal lands. Passage of S. 245, the Indian Tribal Energy Development and Self-Determination Act Amendments of 2017, will help achieve that goal in the area of energy development. Tribes have stated for years that the many Federal laws governing the development of Tribal energy resources are complex and often lead to significant costs, delays, and uncertainties for all parties. This tends to discourage development of Tribal trust energy resources and drive development investments to private or non-Tribal lands, resulting in Tribes losing out on much-needed revenue and jobs. S. 245 will provide Tribes with greater control and flexibility in developing and managing both their traditional and renewable energy resources, so I am happy to support this bill today. But this is just a start. In the next Congress, I hope we can work together to pass legislation that addresses the other disparities that hinder Tribal economic development as well as incentivize renewable energy development on Tribal lands. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.