Garret Graves

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is common sense. Why does a patient not go through the same open heart surgery twice? Because you fixed it, you addressed the problem. In this case, if you have someone that is a truck driver, someone that is a port worker, and they have to get a TWIC card, they have to go through a background check. If they also have to get a hazardous materials endorsement, they have to go through a background check, the same background check. Einstein is often credited with the quote that the definition of insanity is expecting a different outcome from the same process. I know that a lot of people have said he didn't really say that, but accuracy has never ever prevented anyone on the House floor from saying something. The reality is why would you do it twice? It costs additional money, and it takes additional time to do that. In my home State of Louisiana, one in every five jobs are tied back to our waterways, one in every five. If you are going to delay these workers, the availability of workers, that impacts our supply chain by making them go through this same process twice, by delaying them months, by costing them additional dollars, it simply doesn't make sense. I thank Chairman Mark Green for working with us on this. I thank Ranking Member Adam Smith. I thank Ms. Titus from Nevada, Mr. Carbajal, and many others that worked with us on a bipartisan basis to apply this commonsense legislation and fix this problem, help with government efficiency, and get our supply chain back in order. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the legislation.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman for the recognition. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from California, Mr. Huffman, and I legislatively agree on approximately nothing. This is truly an anomaly. This legislation is something that he and I absolutely agree upon. We have worked together on it. I thank the other gentleman from California, Mr. Harder, for the introduction. We have worked together on this legislation for years. Nutria are an unbelievably invasive species. Coastal Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands approximately every 90 minutes. A football field of land is lost, which is a result of wave action and it is a result of saltwater intrusion, a result of subsidence, a result of replumbing of coastal Louisiana in a destructive manner. Nutria absolutely contribute to that. Mr. Speaker, what happened between probably the late 1950s to the early 1990s, there was a huge fur trade. Tens of millions of nutria were actually harvested to provide fur coats. That market declined. As a result, the population of nutria just absolutely exploded. In fact, one nutria can provide on average about 13 offspring a year. You do the math very quickly. Mr. Chairman can do the math very quickly. Actually, I take that back. The gentleman is from Arkansas. I will do it for him. They can proliferate very, very quickly and have a profound impact. They will burrow into levees. They found that they have made these 150- foot burrows that actually compromises flood protection infrastructure like levees. It actually puts our communities in jeopardy. They will eat the vegetation. They will eat all the way down to the roots, and the roots are actually what hold everything together, what hold our coastal landscape together. What this legislation does is that it helps to put a bounty program, to ensure that we can come in and we can actually harvest and we can retrieve these nutria to prevent the proliferation that goes today from Maryland all the way to California, down to the coast of Louisiana, to prevent this impact to habitat that exacerbates our coastal resiliency and ecological productivity all across the United States. I thank Mr. Harder, my friend from California, for working with us on this. This is a reauthorization bill. Members all across the political spectrum support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. My good friend, Mr. Huffman, from California and I rarely agree on legislation. We absolutely, absolutely agree on this one. I ask all Members to please support this. This is very helpful. It actually prevents disaster dollars. It improves ecological productivity and certainly will help with the resiliency of my home State of coastal Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, as I close, the chairman commented on my attire. I want to remind him it is Christmastime. It is Christmastime, and these are colors that are festive and relevant to the time of year. I think he might have noted that I resemble a nutria or something like that. Mr. Speaker, I have no idea what the gentleman from Arkansas is talking about. This is absolutely topflight attire for Christmas 2024. While I respect my friend, the chairman of the committee, sometimes he is simply in error. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this legislation, and I thank my friend from California and my friend from Arkansas.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, before I start on the content of this legislation, I thank the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert), the sponsor of this legislation. I also thank Chairman Comer and Mr. Raskin for working together. Mr. Speaker, that is the only nice thing I am going to say because I am frustrated that we are here. We have the greatest country in the world, and we can't even figure out how to do ZIP Codes. This is something the post office should just do on their own. The fact that we have to do legislation to fix this is frustrating, but I do thank my friends because my friends have refused to let the bureaucracy sit here and stew, leaving these ridiculous conditions in place. They have come in and proposed a solution on a bipartisan basis. Particularly in my district in south Louisiana, the community of Montz, in St. Charles Parish, has a mess of a ZIP Code, so this actually ensures that they are going to have their own ZIP Code. Then, of course, the greatest university in the Nation--I will let it come to mind; that is right, LSU, and I hope you got it right-- Louisiana State University has a broken up, bifurcated ZIP Code system. This bill fixes that, as well. Again, I thank the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Boebert), Mr. Raskin, and Chairman Comer for working together. I thank them for fixing these issues. Mr. Speaker, I will say it again: Post offices should be able to do this on their own. I hate that we have to spend time in Congress doing this. This is just red tape that should be able to be fixed on its own. I thank the sponsors of this bill for not putting up with it. I appreciate their leadership in working together. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Utah (Ms. Maloy) and the gentlewoman from Alaska (Mrs. Peltola) for coming together on this important bipartisan legislation. Mr. Speaker, the reality is that there are abandoned mines all over the United States. There are very few in Louisiana because you hit water when you go subsurface in most cases, but we do have some mines in the northern part of the State. The reason I am excited about this legislation is because it incentivizes the right type of behavior. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues need to think about the two alternatives here. One alternative is that these abandoned mines and the environmental risks that they pose are left unadulterated. They would be left behind with the risk and the threat. The other is you allow the work of a Good Samaritan, someone who wants to come in to help carry out remediation efforts. This can't be someone that created the mine. It can't be someone who is a PRP or otherwise has liability associated with the mine. They are folks who want to come in to eliminate the risk, to reduce the risk, and to clean things up. This is exactly the type of behavior that we should be incentivizing. This is exactly what we should be doing. In fact, I would love to see us actually expand this into areas like coastal Louisiana, where we have lost 2,000 square miles of our coast, incentivizing Good Samaritans to come in to carry out remediation efforts or restoration efforts. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Alaska (Mrs. Peltola) for taking a leadership role and working together with my good friend, the gentlewoman from Utah (Ms. Maloy), on this great bipartisan legislation. Mr. Speaker, I will say it again. This type of pilot program is the exact thing that we should be doing on a broader basis, on an expanded basis, because this incentivizes the right type of behavior. It eliminates risk and eliminates threats to the environment, and I appreciate this legislation being brought up. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I normally would say thank you when folks give compliments. I am not sure that would be sincere in this case. Seriously, Mr. Speaker, if my friend from New York decided he was going to take a $1.94 Uber ride because he was too lazy to walk a block, he would have to disclose it. He would have to disclose it if he spent public funds doing that. The fact that we are talking about six-figure bonuses for Amtrak-- once again, public funds--not being publicly disclosed is simply inexcusable. We must ensure this legislation is enacted and this information be made available. It is an important step toward increased transparency at Amtrak. This legislation will make sure Amtrak publicly discloses these salary bonuses given to Amtrak executives annually. I do thank my good friend from New York (Mr. Molinaro) for his service to this country. He has been incredibly helpful to us in the Subcommittee on Aviation. As you know, we passed a significant 1,000-page, 5-year aviation authorization this year on a strong bipartisan basis. My friend from New York was integral in putting that legislation together. I really do appreciate his friendship and support, despite what he says about me, over the last few years. I wish him well in his next endeavors. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Molinaro), the sponsor of bill.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 8689 was introduced by my good friend, Representative Molinaro of New York. The bill is intended to ensure annual bonuses awarded to Amtrak's top executives are made public at the beginning of every calendar year. Amtrak relies heavily on government subsidies, and during more than 50 years of existence, it has never made a profit. Nonetheless, Amtrak executives have been awarded generous six-figure bonuses despite financial losses and service issues. The disclosure of such huge payouts rightfully outrages the public and members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. We had a hearing on this many, many months ago where Amtrak officials were unwilling to disclose some of the information we had requested. This bill is a strong step toward transparency and accountability for Amtrak executives and Amtrak's board of directors, which awards the bonuses. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on H.R. 8689.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8689) to require Amtrak to publicly disclose certain bonus compensation paid to Amtrak executives, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of a disaster, oftentimes communities will lose power. This legislation simply allows the utilities to come in and put temporary fixes in place so power can get stood back up and power can get turned back on for these recovering communities. It will help ensure that electric utilities are not penalized for those temporary, interim actions to act quickly to restore power for Americans impacted by natural disasters by clarifying their eligibility for mitigation assistance. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 9541, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any more speakers, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 9541, the POWER Act of 2024, addresses FEMA's problematic interpretation of section 403 of the Stafford Act by clarifying electric utilities are classified as essential assistance. This legislative fix allows electric utilities to work quickly to restore power following a disaster and maintain eligibility to later implement permanent fixes that include mitigation measures. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 9541.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9541) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize Federal agencies to provide certain essential assistance for hazard mitigation for electric utilities, and for other purposes.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for his kind words and for sponsoring this legislation, for offering this legislation. Just to put a face on it, in 2020 and in 2021, my home State of Louisiana had Hurricane Laura, Delta, and Zeta. In 2021, Hurricane Ida came through the State. In some cases you had the exact same footprint for all four hurricanes. You are asking an emergency responder to try to separate the work that they are doing, whether it was for Hurricane Laura or Hurricane Ida. You simply can't do it. This does simplify the process. I think it will expedite recovery and remove some of the bureaucracy from the aftermath of disasters. It will provide States more flexibility in managing disasters, allowing them to have a greater focus on the needs of disaster victims. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7671, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7671, the Disaster Management Costs Modernization Act, would provide States flexibility and allow management cost funds to be used across any open disaster, simplifying the administration of these funds for State and emergency managers. While the Stafford Act currently does make a percentage of disaster dollars available for management costs, each disaster's management costs are tied directly to that declaration, creating accounting challenges. Mr. Speaker, what often happens is there are multiple disasters occurring in a community at the same time. Trying to separate the administrative costs is difficult, if not impossible. H.R. 7671 would provide more flexibility and ensure that States can better manage disasters by giving them the flexibility. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7671) to amend section 324 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to incentivize States, Indian Tribes, and Territories to close disaster recovery projects by authorizing the use of excess funds for management costs for other disaster recovery projects.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 7671.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to make crystal clear what this does. In the aftermath of a disaster, you will have a local or State government that will fill out what is called a PW, project worksheet, trying to get reimbursement for something that is allowed under Federal law under the Stafford Act. Current law says the FEMA administrator may reimburse interest costs. As my good friend from Florida just noted, in some cases there are bureaucrats working through the paperwork for 10 years. In my home State of Louisiana, we have unresolved project worksheets dating back to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. According to my math, that was a long time ago. Mr. Speaker, we can't cause the burden of this debt to be undertaken by the local governments and by State governments. Rather than making it an option or a discretionary reimbursement, this bill ensures that the interest costs shall be reimbursable. Then local governments can borrow money, and there is more of an incentive for FEMA to actually expedite the approval of these project worksheets. I think it is a good clarification of law, removing uncertainty for local and State governments and electric co-ops. They will be able to rebuild faster after disaster and reduce the costs associated with delays. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2672, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dunn), the author of this legislation.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2672, the FEMA Loan Interest Payment Relief Act, will help reduce the financial burden on local governments and electric cooperatives that are forced to take out loans to speed up rebuilding of projects eligible for FEMA assistance. On top of that, the current requirements for when interest can be reimbursed are confusing. The legislation clarifies when FEMA can reimburse the interest that local governments or electric cooperatives incurred on their disaster loans because they were waiting for Federal reimbursement from FEMA. I thank the gentleman from Florida, Dr. Dunn, for his leadership on this bipartisan legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2672) to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to provide for the authority to reimburse local governments or electric cooperatives for interest expenses, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana

Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to reflect upon Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Both storms resulted in extraordinary death, with, I believe, around 1,700 lives lost in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This legislation is designed to help prevent those types of deaths and to help communicate the risk to the public, and I strongly urge support for this legislation. It is going to ensure that we have better policies and procedures for alerts during weather-related emergencies. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.