Greg Gianforte

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Paul Johnson of Great Falls for caring for his community on the front line and for the sacrifices he made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paul Johnson loves his camper. His family bought their first one 10 years ago so they could spend more time together making their own Montana moments. For Paul, his wife, and their four kids, camping is a huge part of their lifestyle, and they cherish their time together. But this year looked a little different for the Johnson camper. It served as a home for Paul as he worked at Benefis West campus to keep his patients and family safe from the coronavirus. Back in March, the Benefis Health System instituted a respiratory clinic for the sole purpose of treating COVID-19 patients. Paul was one of three commissioned physicians to oversee the clinic, putting him in direct contact with COVID-19 patients. Formerly a part of the U.S. Army Reserve and currently in the National Guard, it's in Paul's DNA to serve others. For nine weeks, Paul camped at the Benefis West campus and the local KOA campground, away from his wife and children. Paul says he had to do what was best for his family. His eldest son was home, about to be deployed to Afghanistan. His daughter also worked at a family ranch that had guests coming and going. Paul simply didn't want to jeopardize his family's health if he was an asymptomatic carrier. Paul is good at putting things in perspective, though. He says it certainly wasn't as bad as being deployed out of country. Still, the experience was emotionally and mentally draining, especially since there wasn't a clear light at the end of the tunnel. But to Paul, the easiest thing to do was grab the bull by the horns and take care of his patients. His family is very proud of him, and so am I. Living out of a camper in March with no heat wasn't easy. When it was below freezing, his water wouldn't run, so he used the hospital for a warm shower. Cooking for himself was a challenge. Paul says there were a lot of busy days and sleepless nights. To pass the time, he tied flies. When it wasn't cold, he was able to take a socially distant dog walk with his wife, but there was no hand-holding or kissing. Paul says that was one of the hardest parts. Many may ask, ``Why go to these lengths?'' For Paul, he was committed to treating his patients and serving his community in a time of need. Madam Speaker, for his outstanding service to country, for his dedication to family, and for his selfless, unwavering patient care, I recognize Paul Johnson of Great Falls for his Spirit of Montana.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark National Suicide Awareness Month. Unfortunately, Montanans are all too familiar with the epidemic of suicide. As we have faced this ongoing public health and economic crisis, the demand for mental health services has grown. In Gallatin County, my home, crisis response therapists have experienced a higher volume of calls. Each month they receive more calls than the last from people needing help. Centers throughout Montana are seeing similar increases. To confront the greater demand for services and to help people in crisis, we must ensure access to necessary resources are available. One crucial resource is the national suicide hotline. I am grateful to my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, for working with me to designate 988 as the hotline's number. I am proud of that bipartisan accomplishment. Let's continue to provide these critical resources for those who need them the most and support them through their darkest hours.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5663, the Safeguarding Therapeutics Act, introduced by Representatives Guthrie and Engel. This legislation would extend FDA's administrative destruction authority to counterfeit and other illegal medical devices. Under current law, the FDA is authorized to destroy certain imported drugs that may pose a threat to public health; however, this authority does not extend to medical devices. The passage of this legislation during the coronavirus pandemic is especially timely, as we have seen a surge in counterfeit COVID-19 test kits imported to the United States. But it is not only counterfeit COVID-19 test kits entering our borders and posing risks to U.S. consumers. International mail facilities have also intercepted shipments of illegal contact lenses and combination products in recent years. This additional authority will prevent shippers from trying to send illegal products back to the United States and may deter future illegal shipments of medical devices. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Representatives Guthrie and Engel, for working together in a bipartisan manner to advance this legislation to provide the FDA with the additional tool to protect American consumers against potentially dangerous medical products. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Guthrie for his leadership on this and taking the initiative to get out and understand the issue on the ground and crafting bipartisan legislation to solve this problem and protect American consumers. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5619, the Suicide Prevention Act, by Representatives Stewart and Matsui. This legislation establishes two grant programs to prevent self-harm and suicide. One would be to help train emergency room personnel in suicide prevention strategies and screening. The bill also establishes a grant program to enhance data collection and sharing to help save lives. My home State of Montana, unfortunately, has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. I thank my colleagues for bringing forward this important legislation. Madam Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, in closing, I just want to thank my friend, Don Beyer, again for his partnership on this and his real leadership. This is an important piece of legislation, Madam Speaker. I urge my colleagues to adopt it today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4585, the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act introduced by Representative Beyer and me. I want to thank my friend, Don Beyer, for leading the effort on the bill. Our bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to conduct a national suicide prevention education campaign. This includes advertising the new 988 number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The measure also encourages individuals to engage people showing signs of suicidal behavior to provide them with the support that they need. We introduced this legislation to complement the efforts of both the legislation to designate 988 as the suicide hotline and Mr. Katko's legislation to ensure funding to implement the designation. These bills are badly needed by a nation working to emerge from an unprecedented health and economic crisis. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to come together here today and advance these bills, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4564, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act, introduced by Representatives Katko, Cardenas, and Representatives Graves and Bishop from Georgia. This legislation will increase the authorization of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline program to $50 million each year through fiscal year 2022. This bill ensures funding is available for the continued operation of the suicide hotline. When an individual in crisis calls the suicide hotline, they can't get a busy signal. This is crucial, again, in this time of economic distress and social isolation. I know we will also consider several other pieces of legislation, including designating 988 as the extension for the national suicide hotline. With more individuals in crisis, more calls will come. We must increase awareness of this critical resource and make it easier to remember the number. We must make sure the national suicide hotline is prepared to deal with those in crisis. This issue has been one of my top priorities in Congress, and I am glad we have been able to work together to get this done. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, in closing, this is a critical issue in Montana. We have one of the highest suicide rates in the country, and making these services available is critical. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1646, the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome, or HERO Act, which was introduced by Representative Bera. This legislation would create a database at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to capture public safety officer suicide incidents and study successful interventions. It would also authorize a grant program for peer support and wellness programs within fire and emergency medical service agencies, as well as for frontline healthcare workers. It also directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop best practices and share resources for addressing post-traumatic stress in public safety officers. This legislation is incredibly timely. Emergency workers and doctors and nurses are under incredible strain, and many are unable to be with their families due to their efforts to prevent the spread. Losing those who keep us safe will only make the crisis worse. My home State of Montana, unfortunately, has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. I do want to recognize all those who supported the Yellowstone Valley Out of the Darkness suicide awareness event over this past weekend in Billings, Montana. I appreciate you making sure others realize they are not alone. We must ensure that all these heroes across America on the front lines of healthcare and law enforcement and public safety have the support they need to continue working to keep us safe. Madam Speaker, this is an importantly critical piece of legislation. I urge adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3935, the Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act, introduced by Representatives Carter and Cardenas, and Representatives Graves and Bishop of Georgia. This legislation would require Medicaid to cover nonemergency medical transportation, or NEMT. This can help rural Medicaid patients get to dialysis, preventive care, and substance abuse treatment. Covering this transport can ensure these patients get the care they need, improving outcomes and reducing the need for expensive emergency room visits and hospitalizations. In my home State of Montana, it can take 2 hours or more to get to a specialist. This important legislation will help ensure rural patients have the ability to get to their providers. H.R. 3935 would also require States to ensure that NEMT providers are not on the excluded providers list; that each individual driver has a valid driver's license; and that providers report and address violations of State law, including traffic violations. It would require the Comptroller General to conduct a study on coverages of NEMT by State Medicaid programs, including the policies and program integrity measures in place to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Finally, the bill would require the Secretary to analyze any NEMT data and report to Congress on his or her findings within one year of the date of enactment. The legislation also requires State Medicaid programs to develop a utilization management process for the benefit. Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon).

Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4995, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act, which was introduced by Representatives Engel, Bucshon, Torres Small, Latta, Adams, and Stivers. The legislation authorizes grants for developing and sharing maternal health best practices and training health professionals. It also supports the Health Resources and Services Administration's establishment of rural health networks to reduce maternal and child mortality rates and reduce inequities in health outcomes amongst different populations. It also ensures obstetric care is an eligible service for telehealth grants. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the American Hospital Association, the March of Dimes, the American Medical Association, and others for their support of this legislation. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2271, Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act, which was introduced by Representatives Moore, Cole, Herrera Beutler, and others. The mother of Scarlett Pauley, the namesake for this bill, told her heartbreaking story to our committee back in January on the third anniversary of her daughter's death. No parent should have to find their child dead, and especially of unknown causes. This legislation would create grant programs at the Centers for Disease Control to State and local agencies and nonprofits to address sudden unexpected infant and childhood deaths. These grants would support efforts to standardize investigations into these deaths to better understand the medical causes that trigger these tragic deaths. With permission of the families, these grants would also support genetic testing to research the causes of death. Finally, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to help States and local governments review 100 percent of all infant and child deaths and enter such reviews into a national reporting system to help health researchers combat these tragedies. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7574, the Strengthening America's Strategic National Stockpile Act, which was introduced by Representatives Slotkin and Brooks. The legislation that I cosponsored along with a long bipartisan list of others is a combination of bills to improve the Strategic National Stockpile, or SNS. This includes allowing the SNS to sell off products in the stockpile before their expiration so that they could be used. It directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to examine user fee agreements, improve maintenance of the stockpile, and allowing for agreements with domestic producers of supplies to improve the supply chain to refresh and replenish existing stocks. It also directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control to report on distributions from the stockpile, as well as requests for supplies from State, local, Tribal, and territorial agencies. It would authorize a pilot program for establishing State stockpiles and increase the Strategic National Stockpile funding authorization to $705 million. We need to ensure our country is prepared to deal with whatever health crisis it faces, no matter if it is disease, disaster, or terrorism. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation to refill and improve the Strategic National Stockpile. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4866, the National Centers of Excellence and Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Act introduced by Chairman Pallone and Representative Guthrie. This legislation would direct the FDA to designate higher education institutions as national centers of excellence, allowing the FDA to work with the centers and industry to create a national framework for implementation of continuous manufacturing technology. Last October, the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on safeguarding the pharmaceutical supply chain. At this hearing, Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA, spoke at length about the advantages of advanced manufacturing technology, such as continuous manufacturing. This included the potential to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of active pharmaceutical ingredients, increase our manufacturing resiliency, and reduce quality issues that often trigger drug shortages. Increased adoption of these technologies could open the door to a revived U.S. manufacturing base and lower production costs, resulting in lower drug prices and a more stable drug supply. Given the potential this technology holds, I am pleased we are moving forward with this bipartisan legislation to further advance this development. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 451, the Don't Break Up the T-Band Act, as amended by the Energy and Commerce Committee to include provisions from Republican Leader Walden's FIRST RESPONDER Act. Today's legislation will allow first responders to retain access to a critical band of spectrum as they continue to make plans to transition mission-critical voice functions to the FirstNet Network. The bill also takes a strong stand against States that divert vital resources away from maintaining and upgrading their 911 systems by creating strong safeguards to help prevent diversion of fees collected for 911 operations. Currently, States charge American consumers a monthly fee on their phone bills to support 911 services. Yet, some States do not use the money collected from this fee to support 911. Rather, they use it for other State priorities unrelated to providing critical 911 services or dispatching first responders during an emergency. In some cases, States siphon these funds directly into their general fund, and in other cases States use these fees for other public safety-type expenses that do not directly support 911 services. Those States are currently classified by the FCC as 911 fee diverters. To clarify what is considered a diversion, and what is considered to support 911 services, the bill directs the FCC to clarify its rules of what obligations or expenditures are acceptable. These rules would be crafted with input from States to ensure that appropriate 911 uses are included. Additionally, if a State has expenditures that don't fit squarely within the eligible uses determined by the Commission, but can provide documentation and receipts to show how those expenditures support public safety answering point functions and operations or the ability to dispatch emergency responders, then the States ought to have an opportunity to challenge the acceptable nature of those expenses, and this bill provides for that as well. For the States that are truly bad actors, I think we can all agree that those States should be held accountable for their shameful practice of diverting 911 fees for programs completely unrelated to 911 services. Misleading the public on something this important to public safety is unacceptable. To that end, this bill sets up a strike force of State law enforcement officers, public safety officials, and others to consider potential criminal penalties to end fee diversion at its source. This strike force would also study jurisdictional, budgetary, and other barriers to ending diversion. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Engel and Chairman Pallone for working with us to add this important language to the bill. I would also like to thank FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly, for his work on the issue. He has been a steadfast champion on trying to address this issue and hold States accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation by my colleagues, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5567, the MEDIA Diversity Act, introduced by my friend from Missouri, Representative Long. This legislation represents another step forward to uplift minority voices and promote media diversity. I understand how important it is to serve communities with local programming that accurately reflects a community's population. I have also seen the media industry make great strides to promote diversity and create new content to appeal to communities that they serve. Many programs and initiatives have been established to promote opportunities for women, minorities, veterans, and other socially disadvantaged individuals to participate in the media marketplace. Of course, the media industry is only one small part of the vast communications marketplace that also includes mobile wireless providers, online video distributors, fixed broadband providers, and so on. There are also new entrants in the tech industry who are providing additional opportunities for minorities, women, veterans, and underrepresented groups that make their voices heard. There is still work to do to make sure these voices and underserved communities are represented in traditional media and all other areas of the large communications marketplace, and this legislation will help. I am glad to support this piece of bipartisan legislation that will allow the FCC to evaluate the market barriers socially disadvantaged individuals face in the communications marketplace. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation to make sure all voices are heard, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5918, the Emergency Reporting Act, which was introduced by Representatives Matsui, Eshoo, Thompson, and Huffman. Today's legislation will allow 911 centers across the country to have access to confidential information on potential 911 outages, subject to appropriate safeguards. In times of disaster, 911 public safety answering points do not always know that 911 calls may not be going through. The FCC currently collects information on the status of communications infrastructure and communications network outage information. They make that information available to the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate overall emergency response efforts within a State between State and local first responders. Given the sensitive nature of this data to both national security and commercial competitiveness, this information is confidential. However, as first responders work to ensure the 911 system can seamlessly get back online and route calls to neighboring call centers, access to this confidential information is important. This bill would help make timely outage information available to help first responders on the ground restore service as quickly as possible. The bill also requires the FCC to hold a field hearing in areas in which the Commission's Disaster Information Reporting System was activated for 7 or more days and to provide an initial and final report on the status of communications networks. The FCC only activates the DIRS system for significant natural disasters, such as Hurricane Sally or the wildfires out West. The bill limits these types of reports to only areas where damage was significant and sustained. This is an important bill to the resiliency of our public safety networks, and I urge my colleagues to support the measure. Mr. Speaker, I reiterate my support for this bill. I urge adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah for his leadership. I urge adoption of this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Stewart).

Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act by Senators Gardner, Baldwin, Moran, and Reed. It is the Senate companion of legislation I introduced with Representatives Stewart, Moulton, and Eddie Bernice Johnson. It designates ``988'' as the universal telephone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline system. This means no matter where you are in the country, just like when you call 911, when you call 988, you will be connected to mental health resources. This legislation also authorizes States to collect a fee limited to supporting local crisis call centers that are affiliated with the national network or enhancement of such services. It also sets a 1-year deadline to complete technical upgrades to enable the number. Mr. Speaker, I am glad we have been able to work together on this measure and others to improve the network of services that make up the suicide prevention lifeline and to educate Americans about suicide prevention. These bills are badly needed by a Nation working to emerge from an unprecedented health and economic crisis, and it is badly needed in Montana where, tragically, we have one of the highest rates of suicide in the country. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to come together here today to advance these bills, and I reserve the balance of my time.