Yvette Herrell

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach).

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring an America patriot who paid the ultimate sacrifice and service to our Nation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer).

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach).

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring an American patriot who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the motion to recommit and in opposition to the underlying bill. The legislation before us today is rightly labeled a wildfire response bill. But, Madam Chair, I believe instead of just focusing on wildfire response, we as Congress should be focused on wildfire prevention. The most immediate way to protect Americans who are threatened by potential catastrophic wildfire is to prevent these fires from happening in the first place, and the only way to do this is to actively manage our forests. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support my bill, the Wildfire Prevention and Drought Mitigation Act, which is a part of this motion to recommit. This legislation would grant categorical exclusion authority for forest management projects whose primary purpose is to protect municipal water resources and to improve watershed health, water yield, and snowpack. In addition, projects that are specifically tailored to adapt a forest landscape to an increased threat of drought would be granted categorical exclusion authority. Granting categorical exclusion authority to these projects would streamline the NEPA process and protect communities in my district that are adjacent to fire-prone forests. The underlying bill we are debating here today will make it more difficult to prevent wildfires by adding new red tape and locking up millions of acres in wilderness. This is the same approach and continues to hurt my constituents. Just a few months ago, the Black fire burned over 300,000 acres of mostly wilderness area in my district. In northern New Mexico, the devastating Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire burned through the unmanaged Pecos Wilderness and became the largest fire in our State history. These fires have destroyed hundreds of homes and will cost New Mexicans millions of dollars to clean up the damage and rebuild. All of this was preventable. Instead of making it more difficult to prevent catastrophic wildfires, as the underlying bill would do, I ask my colleagues to support this motion to recommit.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act, which would extend vital telehealth flexibilities through 2024. Expanding telehealth during the pandemic was a resounding success and has been recognized by many New Mexicans and rural Americans as a lifesaver. Telehealth provided Americans continued access to healthcare services without being physically present and also allowed healthcare providers to remain in practice. While this bill is an important step in the right direction, my Republican colleagues and I wish to go one step further by offering another bill, which would make permanent the extension of telehealth services for federally qualified health clinics and rural health clinics. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill on the floor, as well as our subsequent bill to permanently expand telehealth services to all Americans, regardless of ZIP Code. Access to the care they deserve is crucial.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 144 would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Indian Health Service, to purchase land from willing sellers at fair market value to facilitate access to the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center in Hemet, California. In March 2017, IHS opened California's first youth regional treatment center in Hemet, California. The Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center was designed as a coed inpatient facility to serve Native youth aged 12 to 17 with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. The facility is located approximately a half mile from a paved county road. According to the IHS, a half-mile access road was granted under an easement from two landowners at the time construction began on the facility. Unfortunately, the IHS was unable to come to a purchase agreement with the landowners by the time the construction was completed. To secure access to the facility, the IHS is requesting purchasing authority since authorities previously granted have since expired for this facility. It is my understanding that this road has historically been dirt and gravel, and it can be washed out in heavy rains, thus affecting access to the facility. Once the title to the access road is acquired, the IHS can make improvements, specifically to pave the road, which will provide better and safer access to the Desert Sage facility for staff, Native youth seeking care, and visitors. After the necessary improvements are made, S. 144 provides that the IHS can continue to own and maintain the road, or it can enter into an agreement with Riverside County, California, for the county to own, maintain, and manage the road. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1286, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Congressman James Clyburn of South Carolina, which would establish the Southern Campaign of the Revolution national heritage corridor. The corridor established by this legislation would connect the greatest concentration of the Carolinas' Revolutionary War sites, including battlefields, historic communities, farmsteads, and landscapes. A study was conducted regarding the suitability and feasibility of designating the Southern Campaign of the Revolution national heritage corridor, and the National Park Service determined that the study area met each of the criteria for designation as a heritage corridor. The Southern Campaign of the Revolution national heritage corridor will serve to educate the public about our national identity and the ideals of liberty, natural and civil rights, equality, and responsible citizenship. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2024, sponsored by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, which would establish the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area. Southern Maryland is notable for being the home of the first English colony to pass a law granting freedom of religion, which later led to the protection of religious freedom in the First Amendment. The area also serves as home to several national historic and scenic trails, sites related to several American wars, and Project Mercury, the first human spaceflight program. I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3222, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Representative Sewell of Alabama. This bill establishes the Alabama Black Belt National Heritage Area, comprised of land in 19 Alabama counties, and designates the Center for the Study of the Black Belt at the University of West Alabama as the management entity. The Black Belt region of Alabama stretches across the lower central portion of Alabama, from the eastern border of Mississippi to the western border of southern Georgia. The region is recognized by many as the center of the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Several pivotal events in the civil rights movement took place in the region, including the Montgomery bus boycott and the march from Selma to Montgomery, which helped lead to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The Black Belt region is a special area of our country that deserves national recognition. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4404, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Representative Darren Soto of Florida. The Kissimmee River stretches more than 100 miles in Central Florida and serves as both the headwaters for the Everglades and the main drainage route for the expansive Kissimmee River Basin. H.R. 4404, as amended, would authorize a Wild and Scenic River study to be completed by the Secretary of the Interior. The study will confirm whether the river meets the high standards set forth in the Wild and Scenic River Act. I appreciate the majority supporting an amendment at markup to protect private property rights by clarifying that this study cannot be used as a justification for new restrictive management practices prior to Congress acting to officially designate the river as wild and scenic. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6337, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Representative Joe Neguse. The Biking on Long-Distance Trails, or BOLT Act, is intended to meet the needs of biking enthusiasts by increasing the number of long- distance biking trails on Federal lands. The BOLT Act would require the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to identify at least 10 existing long-distance bike trails and identify at least 10 areas where there is opportunity to develop or complete such trails. Mountain biking is one of the fastest growing sectors in the outdoor recreation economy, and I support identifying new opportunities for the public to recreate on Federal lands. The BOLT Act will make long- distance bike trails safer and more accessible to riders throughout the country. I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7002, sponsored by my Republican colleague, Ann Wagner of Missouri, would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to illuminate the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian flag. Throughout the world, international landmarks have been illuminated in blue and yellow as a sign of solidarity with the people of Ukraine. These landmarks include the Kennedy Center, Niagara Falls, the Sydney Opera House, the Empire State Building, the Seattle Space Needle, and the Eiffel Tower. In 2004, Congress enacted legislation requiring the Secretary of Interior to illuminate the Gateway Arch with pink lights in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month each October. In 2015, the Gateway Arch was illuminated gold to commemorate its 50th anniversary. Most recently, in 2020, the Gateway Arch was illuminated purple and gold to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The Gateway Solidarity Act, as amended, would require the Secretary of the Interior to illuminate the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, in blue and yellow lights for 5 days following enactment, and annually on August 24th, in recognition of Ukrainian Independence Day, until the President reports to Congress that Russia has ceased its hostilities against Ukraine. I thank Representative Wagner for sponsoring this bill. The bill's sponsor regrets that she was unable to be here today due to weather delays. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill and yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

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

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7025, the Advancing Human Rights-Centered International Conservation Act of 2022. This bill is the result of a bipartisan investigation on how the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's international grant program helped fund human rights atrocities committed by eco-paramilitary forces in Africa and elsewhere. The bipartisan investigation led to an oversight hearing at the Committee on Natural Resources last year, where we heard from expert witnesses about the need for reform in this program. The hearing and the findings of our investigation ultimately led to this bill. The fundamental concepts of this bill are agency accountability and transparency. This bill would specifically require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to vet the human rights record of conservation groups and their subgrantees prior to awarding the grant. The inclusion of subgrantees is critical. Unfortunately, we have seen some conservation groups avoid taking responsibility for the actions of their subgrantees. Experts, such as Wake Forest University International Law Professor John Knox, who has extensive knowledge on this issue, recommended this reform. Mr. Knox and other witnesses and experts have been instrumental in helping the committee throughout the legislative process. The experts and bipartisan members of the committee agree that the Federal Government has a responsibility to ensure that American taxpayer dollars are not being spent to perpetuate human rights abuses. This bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to live up to that responsibility. This legislation is a much-needed and significant change from the status quo. This is a matter where both sides of the aisle have come together to ensure our conservation efforts do not occur at the cost of human lives. I thank Ranking Member Westerman and Chairman Grijalva and their staffs for their hard work and cooperation on this bill. I urge adoption of this bill and reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7693, the National Park Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2022. This bipartisan bill has the support of 51 cosponsors. This bill will leverage private investment and innovative public-private partnerships to reduce the $21.8 billion deferred maintenance backlog at our national parks, and address pressing issues like park overcrowding. Very importantly, the foundation is required to provide a dollar-for- dollar match with private funds for their Federal appropriations, and Federal funds cannot be used by the National Park Foundation for overhead, administrative expenses, or land acquisition. In 2016, Congress passed the National Park Service Centennial Act, which authorized the National Park Foundation, the official charitable partner of the National Park Service, to receive up to $5 million in discretionary appropriations annually through fiscal year 2023. The foundation utilizes its Federal appropriations to work with local partners and leverage private investment to achieve the greatest impact possible. The foundation works together with the National Park Service to identify projects, including rehabilitating trails, visitor centers and other facilities, expanding youth access, and conserving park habitat. To date, the Foundation has routinely exceeded the minimum 1-to-1 required match and has more than $20 million worth of projects awaiting funding in the pipeline. Since first receiving an appropriation in fiscal year 2018, the Foundation has funded more than 100 projects in 32 States and two territories. By the end of next year, the Foundation plans to have funded projects in all 50 States and multiple territories. This bill builds on the National Park Foundation's success by creating additional opportunities to encourage even more private funding for the parks. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 7693, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of 19-year- old Lance Cpl. Evan Strickland of Valencia County, New Mexico. On June 8, he was tragically killed during an Osprey helicopter crash at a training exercise near San Diego, California. Lance Cpl. Strickland graduated Valencia High School in 2020, where he made an immense impact on his fellow peers. He chose to serve our nation honorably in the United States Marine Corps within the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing as a tilt-rotor crew chief. Lance Cpl. Strickland will be remembered for his good-hearted personality, kind character, and calling to serve our nation. My deepest condolences are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this extremely difficult time. While he will be deeply missed by our nation and our communities across New Mexico, we will be forever grateful and remember Lance Cpl. Strickland.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I missed this vote because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No, 261.

Ms. HERRELL

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, we have heard heartfelt discussions today about how Federal taxpayer dollars should be targeted toward poverty assistance. I am also concerned about Federal agencies' current ability to administer Federal programs efficiently and effectively. Under the pandemic, we witnessed an unprecedented reliance on telework across the Federal Government. This reliance on telework has been to the detriment of the Nation's taxpayers who rely on Federal agencies. These are our constituents who are struggling to face out-of-control spending, inflation, scarcity of goods, and other hardships, while Federal workers receive perk after perk from Democrats in Congress. My House colleagues are all aware of the problems their constituents have faced getting Federal agencies to process the necessary paperwork. There are numerous examples of backlogs at agencies like Social Security and the Internal Revenue Service. In my own district, energy producers are struggling to get permits to drill approved due, in part, to Bureau of Land Management field offices only having 25 percent of their staff in the office at one time. Even our veterans have been facing trouble accessing records of their service to receive the medical care and benefits they are entitled to. Let's be clear: Federal employees not being in the workplace has hurt the government's ability to achieve its mission. House Republicans have fought hard to find out just how much expanded telework has hurt agencies' ability to deliver to our constituents, and we have tried to get this information, but to no avail. Recently, the House Oversight Committee Ranking Member James Comer wrote to the administration requesting information on Federal workforce return-to-work policies. Last year, my colleague, Jody Hice, the ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee's Government Operations Subcommittee, led oversight letters to the inspectors general of the largest agencies, requesting details on how telework has impacted agency missions. The committee has not received adequate responses to our inquiries. We will offer a solution to this problem as a motion to recommit. If we adopt the motion to recommit, we will instruct the Committee on Oversight and Reform to consider an amendment to require Federal agencies to immediately return to prepandemic levels of telework. The amendment would also require a governmentwide review of pandemic- era teleworking policy. Finally, it would prevent the administration from locking in higher levels of telework until Congress receives detailed plans on how agency mission performance would be impacted. These needed reforms will be included in my bill, the Show Up Act, which I am introducing later this week. It is time to get the U.S. Government back to work for the American people. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.