Eddie Johnson

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 335, the South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act of 2019. I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast) for introducing this bill and for his commitment to this important issue. South Florida has been suffering from economically and ecologically costly blooms of harmful algae in both its marine and freshwater systems for years, and it continues to get worse. Last year, south Florida was plagued with one of the most severe harmful algal bloom, or HABs, events on record. Simultaneous toxic red tide and massive freshwater blue-green algae blooms choked waterways and coastlines. This caused a mass mortality of wildlife, including, dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles. Hundreds of tons of dead fish washed up on the shores. Beyond the millions of dollars of lost revenue for businesses, red tide and other HABs also pose health risks to humans from direct exposure and from eating infected seafood. Low oxygen, known as hypoxia, can result when the algae die, sink to the bottom of the water bodies, and decay. It is a problem in the Gulf of Mexico ``dead zone'' and is a growing problem along coastlines where HABs persist. The South Florida Clean Coastal Waters Act authorizes a scientific assessment and action plan to help address the problem of HABs and hypoxia in south Florida. The assessment and action plan will be conducted by the interagency Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Task Force, led by NOAA and the EPA. This task force researches, monitors, addresses, and mitigates HABs and hypoxia. The assessment and action plan will help identify research gaps and detailed methods for mitigating and controlling HABs and hypoxia in south Florida. These documents will help serve as a blueprint for Federal, State, and local decisionmakers and other stakeholders to coordinate actions to reduce the HABs and hypoxia in the region. Mr. Speaker, this bill takes an important step in helping address the HABs and hypoxia issue in south Florida. I strongly support this good, bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I simply urge the passage of H.R. 335, and I thank all the staff, as well, for the bipartisan support of this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, in July, the Trump administration published a proposed change to the broad-based categorical eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This change is a bad idea and would severely hurt working families and children in my district and across this country. North Texas has a major issue of food insecurity. More than one in six residents in Dallas Country are not certain where their next meal will come from. Over 20 percent of children in North Texas are food insecure, many of which rely on free or reduced lunch as well to ensure they can feed their mind in the classroom rather than worrying about filling their stomachs. This change would make it even harder on children and working parents in North Texas to have access to healthy foods. It would put them one step closer to total calamity. Hunger has always been an important issue to me. Earlier this month, many organizations came together for the 8th Annual Dallas Hunger Summit to discuss how they can work together in ensuring that working families across North Texas have access to healthy foods. Organizations such as the Texas Hunger Initiative and the North Texas Food Bank have participated in this summit for years and have been valuable resources as we fight each day to have fewer of our neighbors deal with hunger. With this change, thousands of additional working families in North Texas would be forced to rely on the services of these organizations due to this administration's heartless policies. Simply put. These changes to the broad-based categorical eligibility for SNAP strips food off the table of hard-working families. It makes it harder for organizations such as food pantries and charities to meet the increased utilization of their programs. Most offensive of all, this program, a program designed to help families get on their feet and move out of poverty and up the economic scale, is being changed simply so that this administration can leave more people behind. Madam Speaker, I urge the Trump Administration to carefully reevaluate their policies towards working families and immediately rescind this terrible policy change.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 576-- Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to the whistleblower complaint of August 12, 2019, made to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community. Allegations that the President of the United States sought to enlist a foreign government to interfere in our democratic process by investigating one of his political rivals, and may have used the withholding of Congressionally appropriated military aid, days earlier as intimidation, is a clear problem. We must have all of the facts so that we can do what is required under law and get to the bottom of what actually took place. This is not a partisan matter. It is an American matter that must be investigated so that we can continue to protect our democracy against outside attacks. This resolution expresses the sense of the House that the whistleblower complaint received on August 12, 2019, by the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community should be transmitted immediately to the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives. Our Constitution demands respect for the rule of law. As a Member of Congress, I will continue to uphold our American principles and values. I urge passage of this resolution.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my support for National Recovery Month. Every September, we recognize the importance of increasing awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders as well as to honoring the individuals, over 23 million in the United States, who are in recovery. My experience as the first registered nurse elected to Congress and a former chief psychiatric nurse allows me to examine our nation's healthcare priorities with experience and foresight. We must ensure that our families, communities, and health care systems have the necessary resources and support to effectively address mental health and substance use in our country. There is much to be done to improve our country's access to treatment services for mental and substance use disorders, and I am determined to continue my work with my colleagues in Congress. I urge my colleagues to support National Recovery Month

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to the life and legacy of a transformative leader and my personal friend, Dr. Emily England Clyburn. A native South Carolinian, Dr. Clyburn graduated from Berkeley Training High School in Moncks Corner before attending South Carolina State University (SCSU), where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Library Science. She continued her studies and earned a Master's degree in Librarianship from the University of South Carolina. In 2010, Dr. Clyburn was recognized for her achievements in the humanities through an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from her alma mater, SCSU. Dr. Clyburn served as a public school librarian in Columbia and Charleston in the early part of her career. She later transitioned to a medical librarian position at the Charleston Naval Base and Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, where she merged her passion of librarianship with her commitment to service. Dr. Clyburn and her husband, my good friend Congressman Jim Clyburn, generously contributed funding to South Carolina State University to allow for the reestablishment of the Honors College. In addition, the university created the Dr. Emily England Clyburn Honors College Scholarship Endowment, which enables deserving students the opportunity to further their education. Dr. Clyburn's philanthropic successes did not go unnoticed. She was a recipient of the Woman of Faith Award from the Columbia Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, the Distinguished Service Award from the South Carolina State University National Alumni Association, and the Woman of Distinction Award by the Girl Scouts of South Carolina. Additionally, she was featured in the I. DeQuincy Newman Institute for Peace and Social Justice's documentary, Notable African American Women: In Their Own Voices. Dr. Clyburn was preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Mattie England, and siblings Arthur England and Mattie Mae England Wadley. She is survived by her husband, Congressman Jim Clyburn; three daughters, Mignon L. Clyburn, Jennifer Clyburn Reed (Walter), and Angela Clyburn Hannibal; four grandchildren, Walter A. Clyburn Reed, Sydney Alexis Reed, Layla Joann Clyburn Hannibal, and Carter James Clyburn Hannibal; and many more loving family and friends. Madam Speaker, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Congressman Clyburn, his loved ones, and all those who had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Clyburn. She was a pillar of this great institution's community, and we will dearly miss her.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to the life and legacy of a fellow Texan, former staffer, and my friend, Bernard Williams, Jr. Mr. Williams was born on January 28, 1928, in Dallas, Texas, as an only child to Bernard Williams, Sr. and Nellie Mae Mayes. He graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1945, after which he attended West Virginia State College in Institute, West Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics. There, Mr. Williams met the love of his life, Marguerite Reddick. They married in Savannah, Georgia, in 1952 and had two children, Martha Nell and Susan Kay. Mr. Williams answered his country's call to service, serving as a Lieutenant in the United States Army following his college graduation. At the conclusion of his military service, Mr. Williams was hired as one of the first African American lab technicians in the cardiopulmonary lab at Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, now known as the UT Southwestern Medical Center. He would later take a position with the IBM Corporation in Dallas as one of the first African American systems engineers. Following a brief retirement, Mr. Williams joined my Dallas district office, where he served the constituents of the 30th district of Texas for seven years. Mr. Williams generously gave his free time to our community--working with multiple organizations such as the Dallas Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc., Big Brothers Inc., the Moorland Branch YMCA, and the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce. He also served as a board member on the DART Citizens Advisory Committee and Senior Source. Mr. Williams was a faithful and active member of the New Hope Baptist Church for over half a century. During his time with the church, he served as Chairman of the Deacon Board for 17 years before being named Deacon Emeritus. Mr. Williams was widely regarded as a mentor for the youth in the church and was a strong supporter of religious education programs like vacation bible school. Mr. Williams was preceded in death by his parents, Bernard Williams, Sr. and Nellie Mae Mayes. He is survived by his wife, Marguerite Williams (nee Reddick); daughters, Martha Bedford (Louis III) and Susan Williams McElroy; granddaughters, Erica Chiles and father Don Chiles, Opal McElroy and father Daniel McElroy; sister-in-law, Charlesetta Reddick Lacy; brother-in-law, Thomas Reddick (Margaret); and many loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Madam Speaker, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to Mr. Williams' family, friends, and to those he influenced over the course of his life. The Dallas community will dearly miss him.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, on the morning of January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart just over a minute after launch. We will always remember the brave Challenger crew, and the sacrifice they made to help advance the exploration of space. Among those lost in the Challenger tragedy was one teacher, Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the very first teacher to go to space with NASA's new Teacher in Space project. The Teacher in Space project was created to spark students' interest in science, exploration, and discovery. Teachers are leaders and inspirers. Teachers encourage their students to reach for the stars; devoting their careers to uncovering the endless opportunities that are out there for their pupils. That is just what Christa McAuliffe was seeking to do when she joined the Teacher in Space project. Ms. McAuliffe was once asked to describe her philosophy of living, to which she answered, ``to get as much out of life as possible.'' The Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act of 2019 is an excellent way to recognize and remember Ms. McAuliffe for her contributions to education and to celebrate women in STEM. We must continue to uphold Ms. McAuliffe's mission to boost the next generation's interest in the sciences. Christa McAuliffe decided to embark on this adventure with her students in mind, knowing she would have incredible lessons to teach them when she returned from space. Although she never returned, the story of her life will continue to inspire successive generations of students to explore, to remain curious, and to keep a love of learning alive.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1396, the Hidden Figures Congressional Gold Medal Act. I thank the ranking member of the committee, Mr. Lucas, for joining me in introducing this bill and for his efforts to help secure the necessary support to bring the bill to the floor. I also thank Senator Coons for his leadership in championing an identical companion bill in the Senate, which passed out of the Senate by unanimous consent in March. I also wish to thank the 309 bipartisan cosponsors in the House. The ``Hidden Figures'' of NASA include the now-well-known women mathematicians and engineers Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. Their stories, portrayed in the 2016 ``Hidden Figures'' book and film, represent the stories of hundreds of women computers, mathematicians, and engineers working at NASA and its precursor organization, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NACA, from the 1930s to the 1970s. In the early days of the space program, women and their talents were critically important but often overlooked. Women were typically not permitted to serve in any visible position or recognized publicly for their contributions. Women of color faced the additional daily indignity of racial discrimination. In spite of these challenges, these women chose to apply their considerable talents to help achieve what was, arguably, one of the Nation's crowning technological achievements: landing the first humans on the Moon. The success of the NASA space program was due, in large part, to their brilliance, hard work, and perseverance in the face of adversity. What better example can we hope to give our sons and daughters? This bill will bestow Congress' highest civilian honor in recognition of the achievements of Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and all the other women computers, mathematicians, and engineers at NACA and NASA during this important time in our history. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to be removed as a cosponsor for H.R. 1748.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in recognition and commemoration of the first enslaved Africans who arrived in the United States 400 years ago. In 1619, the first recorded year of African slaves arriving in the land we now call the United States of America, did not know of our future. Our blood lines have continued in this country since that time. Our history in this country began 400 years ago when the first captured and kidnapped Africans were put on a boat from the Kingdom of Ndongo in Angola and landed in North America. The African slaves who first landed in English North America didn't know that a whole new classification of black people, African Americans, would develop into strong advocates of equality, justice and freedom for people of all nations around the world. They didn't know about Martin nor Malcom; Mahalia nor Michelle; all they knew is that they had to survive. They knew they had to live to fight another day. And here we are still helping to build this great nation, today. While those first 20 survived, millions of captured, kidnapped, and enslaved Africans did not, they drowned in horrible deaths in the Atlantic Ocean. This period of middle passage was devastating for African people. Those who survived were traumatized by the deadly voyage to a land of slavery, the opposite of freedom. Here in this magnificent Capitol, built by slaves, in this great city, built by slaves, in this great nation, built by slaves, we stand stronger than ever before. To those who came before us, I honor your sacrifice and continue your fight for freedom. 400 years later, the fight for survival and freedom continues.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, today I am very pleased to introduce the ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019 with my colleague, Mr. Lamb, who is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy. Even though the agency is still relatively young, ARPA-E has already demonstrated incredible success in advancing high-risk, high-reward energy technology solutions that neither the public nor the private sector had been willing or able to support in the past. Industry leaders like Bill Gates and Norm Augustine have repeatedly called for tripling this agency's budget given the unique role that it is now playing in our energy innovation pipeline. ARPA-E's impressive track record now includes over $2.9 billion in private sector follow-on funding for a group of 145 ARPA-E projects since the agency's founding in 2009. Equally notable, 76 projects have formed new companies and 131 projects have shown enough promise to result in partnerships with other government agencies for further development. Moreover, as of March 2019, ARPA-E projects have helped advance scientific understanding and technological innovation through 2,489 peer-reviewed journal articles and 346 patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Yet to date, ARPA-E has only been able to support about 1 percent of the proposals submitted for its open funding opportunities, and 12 percent of the proposals submitted for its focused programs, even though the number of promising, high quality proposals that the agency has received is many times higher. This is why the ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019 authorizes substantial growth in funding for the agency over the next five years. This growth is consistent with the original recommendations of the National Academies for establishing and supporting ARPA-E in its seminal Rising Above the Gathering Storm report, as well as more recent strong recommendations from well-respected bipartisan and nonpartisan institutions such as the Bipartisan Policy Center's American Energy Innovation Council, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and the Energy Futures Initiative. I'd also note that in its review of the program released in June 2017, the National Academies found that a substantial increase in funding would be necessary for ARPA-E to be able to sufficiently support the scale-up of particularly promising technologies, such as advanced technologies for energy storage and power electronics, that were previously supported by the agency. But many of these new approaches are still too risky to be supported by the private sector alone, and too often, other DOE programs remain ill-suited to steward them. So by authorizing these resources, this bill ensures that ARPA-Eis able to fully pursue the development and eventual commercialization of truly transformational clean energy technologies, just as DARPA, the agency that ARPA-E is modeled, has been able to demonstrate time and again for defense applications. Other improvements in this bill include explicit authorization for ARPA-E to better address DOE's significant nuclear waste clean-up and management issues, for which the Department currently spends several billion dollars every year attempting to manage with current technologies. And it includes authorization for ARPA-E to support projects to improve the resilience, reliability, and security of our energy infrastructure. The ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019 incorporates extensive feedback from stakeholders, as well as input we received during a hearing the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held on February 26th entitled The Future of ARPA-E. It also incorporates constructive language from a bill that I cosponsored with my friend, Mr. Lucas, who is now Ranking Member of the Committee, last year. This bill is endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Council on Competitiveness, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), the American Gas Association (AGA), the Energy Storage Association (ESA), the Carbon Utilization Research Council (CURC), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the American Council for Capital Formation (ACCF), Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES), ConservAmerica, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), the Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI), Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Optical Society of America (OSA), IEEE-USA, the Task Force on American Innovation (TFAI), the Energy Sciences Coalition (ESC), and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI). Given this broad and deep support from the leading industrial, academic, scientific, and environmental organizations of our nation, I look forward to advancing this bill through the Committee in the coming months. And I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to build support for this critical investment in our nation's clean energy future.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to the distinguished life and legacy of Dr. Edith Irby Jones, who passed away on July 15, 2019. Dr. Jones was the epitome of a trailblazer. In 1948, she became the first African American student admitted to the University of Arkansas Medical School--six years before the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. In 1959, Dr. Jones again made history as the first African American woman resident at Baylor College of Medicine. Twenty- six years later, Dr. Jones became the first female president of the National Medical Association, an organization that has represented black physicians since 1895. For half a century, Dr. Jones committed herself to serving marginalized communities in Houston's Greater Third Ward area. She often went beyond the typical duties of a physician by making house calls and picking up patients in her van in order to expand services to the underserved in the community. Along with her work in Houston, Dr. Jones treated patients, trained physicians, and founded a clinic in Haiti. Service and dedication for the less fortunate were integral components of Dr. Jones's remarkable career, and we are truly grateful for the impact she has had on generations of aspiring African American medical professionals. Outside of her medical practice, Dr. Jones notably worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as part of the ``Freedom Four,'' a group that traveled throughout the segregated South to encourage people to join the civil rights movement. Dr. Jones is survived by her daughter, Myra; sons, Gary and Keith; and many wonderful grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Dr. Jones and her extraordinary contributions to medicine, social justice, and the Greater Houston community. We thank her and will miss her dearly.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the bipartisan bill H.R. 397, the Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act. This bill would allow pension plans to get back on their feet and ensure retirees receive their promised benefits. We must act quickly to ensure that Americans who contributed to their multiemployer pension plans will not have their financial security at risk. That is why I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 397. This bill provides financial assistance to financially troubled multiemployer defined benefit pension plans covering about 10 million, mostly working-class, Americans across the country. The financial assistance provide by the bill consists of loans with a 30-year repayment term. Multiemployer pension plans are collectively bargained pension plans covering employees with two or more employers. Retirees, workers and their families, who rely on these plans are losing benefits earned over a lifetime of work through no fault of their own. As an example, the Central States Pension Fund in my district has 10 employers covering more than 1,500 participants. Some of the top employers using Central States Pension Fund are YRC Inc., ABF Freights Systems, Penske Truck Leasing Co., DHL Express, and Air Express International. Without this financial assistance, pensions of truck drivers, electricians, ironworkers, bakers, and many more would continue to be cut significantly--putting their families' financial security and future at risk. Mr. Speaker, the growing number of families in our country relying on their pension plans is growing and can no longer go unnoticed. We now have an opportunity to help these families protect their financial security.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1665) to direct the National Science Foundation to support STEM education research focused on early childhood.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on H.R. 1665, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 1665, the Building Blocks of STEM Act. Employment in computer and information technology jobs is projected to grow faster than any other occupation between the years of 2016 and 2026. Despite the opportunity for good, high-paying jobs when they graduate, women earned only 19 percent of undergraduate computer science degrees in 2016. Disturbingly, the ratio of women to men earning computer science degrees actually declined between 2006 and 2016. H.R. 1665 devotes resources to ensure girls in prekindergarten and elementary school are exposed to STEM activities and encouraged to pursue STEM studies from a young age, before many are dissuaded or discouraged from doing so. The legislation includes a focus on computer science education to help ensure we will have the talent to fill the jobs of the future. We must act now to increase the participation of women in STEM, and it starts with the focus on early childhood education. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleagues, Representatives Stevens and Baird, for their leadership in this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no more requests for time. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member and the Members on both sides of the aisle for their support of this bill. I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2397) to amend the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to make changes to the implementation of the network for manufacturing innovation, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2397, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 2397, the American Manufacturing Leadership Act. I thank Ms. Stevens for her leadership in introducing this bipartisan bill and for her commitment to developing legislation that will help strengthen America's manufacturing base. I also thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle who have worked with us to develop and advance this important legislation. Back in 2014, I was proud to support the original Revitalize American Manufacturing Innovation Act that established the Manufacturing USA program. That bipartisan bill was sponsored by Tom Reed and Joe Kennedy and was signed into law by President Obama. Since its inception 5 years ago, the Manufacturing USA program has grown to support 14 manufacturing institutes focused on a variety of technology areas, ranging from 3D printing to groundbreaking energy- saving manufacturing processes. H.R. 2397 would ensure the continued success of the Manufacturing USA program by reauthorizing the program for another 5 years and by allowing agencies to renew funding for institutes after reviewing the institutes' progress on clear performance goals. This bill also strengthens the ability of the institutes to leverage existing programs all across the Federal Government to improve their role in regional innovation, education and training, defense technology procurement, and other activities. Today, manufacturing remains a vital component of our Nation's economy and national security. H.R. 2397 will help to grow our manufacturing industry and to bring along with it many good-paying jobs for our workforce. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).