Derek Kilmer

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, but before I do, I want to just briefly acknowledge the members of my community who were affected by a tragic Amtrak derailment in Pierce County, Washington, today. The families of those we lost and all the folks affected by this are in my prayers tonight. Mr. Speaker, on May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy came before this body and gave an urgent special address. He laid out the costs of supporting the space program and of going to the Moon, and he said: ``We choose to go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share.'' Today, Mr. Speaker, that journey continues as we take a vote to formalize sharing a space partnership between our Nation and a close ally and friend, the nation of Israel. This partnership began in 1985 when NASA and the Israel Space Agency began cooperating on a limited basis. A decade later, our Nation signed an agreement to allow Israeli astronauts to begin training with their American counterparts. In 2003, Israeli Air Force Colonel Ilan Ramon became the first Israeli astronaut. He traveled to space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. It was a 16-day mission, and the crew of six Americans and one Israeli conducted 80 experiments that helped us understand our place in the universe just a little bit better. Tragically, the celebration of this partnership turned to shared mourning as Columbia was lost on reentry, but the tragedy did not stop our shared journey into space. To this day, we continue to cooperate, including on projects everyone benefits from, including the Global Positioning System, and research that helps us better understand the Sun, and even research related to our environment here on Earth. In 2015, NASA and the Israel Space Agency signed a civil space framework agreement to formalize and expand cooperation in civil space activities. Mr. Speaker, today's vote continues a deep and lasting partnership among free societies. I have been proud to work with a number of my colleagues and NASA and everyday Americans who know that all mankind benefits when we explore our universe. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman for his leadership on these issues and the ranking member, who has been such a champion in support of smart policies in the arena of science, space, and technology. I also would like to thank the majority and minority staff from the committee for the work that they do. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, on February 27 of this year, about 250 men, women, and children gathered at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island in my home State of Washington. It was a regular evening. The center was alive. People were swimming laps in the pool. They were lifting weights in the gym. Seniors were taking classes like the popular one on Bollywood dancing the center offers on Monday nights. They were assembling peacefully, united by their common faith. Then, they were targeted because of it. On that night, a man, cowardly hiding behind the anonymity of a telephone, called in a bomb threat on the center. Children and their parents and seniors dropped everything and were evacuated as the police swept it with dogs. How did we get to the point where places people come to take an aerobics class or drop off a child for Hebrew school become flash points of hate? The threat to this center is, sadly, not unique. In the first 3 months of this year alone, there were 126 bomb threats called in to 85 Jewish community centers across the country. Imagine the disruption and the fear created by that. Let's talk about the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, an organization that advocates for peace and provides classes and community activities and funds scholarships to Seattle-area students. In 2006, a man walked into the federation's offices with two handguns. He fired shots through the office after gaining access by holding a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint as she called her aunt who worked in the building to buzz her in. He killed one woman and wounded a group of others. He then took them hostage, and a 911 operator talked him into surrendering. Places of worship and faith-based nonprofits must take any threat seriously. Across the country, because of threats of violence, churches, mosques, synagogues, and nonprofit religious community centers associated with them must spend money that could have gone to classes, gym equipment, or food for the poor, instead, on locks, cameras, and security guards. Mr. Speaker, that is why we are here today. Today is a victory for everyday people who come to a Representative with a problem and who are hurt. Earlier this year, a friend from Washington State, who is here with us today, came to me and said: These threats are hate crimes. We are being targeted because of our faith. But unless someone acts on the threat, it doesn't count as a hate crime under the law. That is how this bill came to be. This bill is about people coming to their elected Representatives and being heard. H.R. 1730 will amend the Church Arson Prevention Act to punish the cowards who make threats against our places of worship and religiously affiliated nonprofits. It will classify the act of making credible threats as hate crimes. What happened in my State wasn't a fluke. The FBI has reported a rise in hate crimes. This affects every faith. There were an average of 16 hate crimes per day last year. American Jews were targeted with bomb threats. Islamic centers have faced arson. Christians have faced threats in the pews as they pray. This doesn't count the credible threats that I mentioned earlier that create chaos and make people feel as though they are targets for no other reason than the God to whom they worship. So, Mr. Speaker, today is about coming together as Americans and saying enough is enough. It is about communities crying out, ``Never again,'' and being heard by this body. It is about saying, as leaders, that we must never endorse hate. Silence in the face of intolerance and violent threats isn't enough. We must condemn hate wherever and however it exists. Mr. Speaker, this is about the people of the Stroum Jewish Community Center and the faithful everywhere who should never have to fear. Around this country, around this world, too many families have been impacted by religious intolerance and violence. Even my own family's family tree has felt that scourge.

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, this bill acknowledges that, when someone tries to terrorize Americans based on their faith, we need to stand up and do something about it. We must embrace our common humanity and ensure that Americans, wherever they pray, however they come together, are respected. I thank everyone who has worked on this: my colleague, the chairman, and his committee staff; and Rachel Appleton from my team. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to include in the Record these remarks I recently made to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: I'm standing with Chairman Castro from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in a village called Taholah. It's the lower reservation of the Quinault Indian Nation. The nation's President, Fawn Sharp, takes us up a slight incline as we look out at the Pacific Ocean. ``When I was a kid,'' she says, ``The ocean was a football field's length away. Now it's our front porch.'' She explains that her village has been there since time immemorial. But in recent years, it has begun to see the threats of rising sea levels and more severe storms--not to mention the threat of tsunami. She points out that village is below sea level--which wasn't a problem in past generations. But now, on numerous occasions, the sea wall has breached and their village has filled up like a bowl. That story--and the stories of the four other tribes in my district that--as we sit here today are in the process of trying to move to higher ground--deserves to be heard. And it is why I'm grateful to Mr. Castro and to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights for listening. Billy Frank, a Native American civil rights icon, provided vital direction to those who needed to be heard, who wanted to advocate. He would say, ``tell your story, tell your story.'' Storytelling is essential for change. But in order for change to happen, someone needs to hear that story, and listen to the people telling it. Too often, there is no one listening when communities of color or disadvantaged populations tell their story. That's why the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is so important. For 60 years, the US. Commission on Civil Rights has listened. And they've detailed, in sharp focus, the inequity tribal communities across the nation face, in addition to many other injustices. In a 2003 report called The Quiet Crisis, they showed our government's systemic failure to live up to its treaty obligations with tribal communities. I am grateful for the work they're doing to update that report. I want to tell you another one of the stories we heard. One of the tribal leaders shared his story. He said, ``Do you want the good news or the bad news?'' I said, ``Let's hear the good news!'' He said, ``Every one of our high schoolers graduated this past year.'' I said, ``So what's the bad news?'' He then shared that, for the first time, the state of Washington was requiring that students take the state mandated exam over the internet. He said, ``We don't have high speed internet.'' He said, ``We tried a sample test. We shut down every computer in the school except two.'' It's one of those exams where you answer ten questions and then click next page. He said, ``We tried it. It took a minute and 44 seconds to get to the next page.'' So that's not going to work. Sadly--that tribe, too, is not alone. Many of the coastal tribes lack the basic broadband that many of us take for granted. It doesn't just create a barrier to first responders, and to folks who want to start a business, or to kids who need to pass a test. It's a civil rights problem. According to the FCC approximately 63 percent of Tribal land residents lack access to strong broadband. Only 17 percent of the rest of the nation faces a similar challenge. This isn't the only challenge tribal communities face. We know they have a higher rate of substance abuse issues than the general population, they have lower graduation rates, they have underfunded schools and police forces and many areas lack the economic development opportunities necessary to provide families with a quality income. These are real problems, and too often these communities are ignored. But the U.S. Commission on Civil rights is listening. And they're amplifying quiet voices. I am pleased with the fact that the Commission is working on an update to the Quiet Crisis Report. When it's completed, it can provide a roadmap for Congress and for the Administration to address problems that are too often unnoticed. And the Commission is listening to other communities too. Your work is a big part of the reason a hate crimes bill recently passed out of the House Judiciary Committee. And your reporting is driving the House's discussion on voting rights. So let me just end by saying thank you. Thank you all for having me today. Thank you Dr. Hayden and the Library of Congress for curating such a powerful exhibit. On behalf of my constituents, and on behalf of everyone else who is telling their story. Thank you. And to the Commission--Thank you for listening. Thank you for shining a light on injustice and disparity. And thank you for working to ensure that our nation keeps its promise to all of its citizens.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Imagine you are a coder and you have a great idea for an app that predicts the weather or identifies traffic flows or helps people navigate the social service system. You know how to code the app, but you can't afford to set up your own system to collect the data--the weather data or the traffic data or what have you. Now, imagine you build the app and you can pull data that the government is already collecting so you can build the app and use the data. It turns out that you have got something that is either good at predicting the weather or helping commuters or helping folks navigate the social services system or whatever and it grows into a business. You can actually employ people. You can put people to work. A project that may have started as a hobby could become your life's work. The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, and specifically title II of this bill called the OPEN Government Data Act, will actually help make stories like that become a common thing. This bill gives entrepreneurs and innovators huge amounts of publicly funded data so that they can innovate and come up with applications that we haven't even thought of yet. It also means that government agencies can share data more easily and ultimately provide services more effectively. Most importantly, it allows citizens to participate in their government by making government more transparent and accountable. Mr. Speaker, data is the spark that drives innovative ideas, and I drafted the OPEN Government Data Act with Representatives Farenthold and Senators Schatz and Sasse to support new startups by providing innovators with the legal elbow room to use public information and public data and to create jobs. It reduces the burden to entry by lowering the cost to access and format data. It will open new business opportunities. Making more government data public will pump up the data analytics boom currently driving new innovation, and I expect that access to this data will lead to things that we haven't even thought up yet. I am proud to work with Speaker Ryan, Chairman Gowdy, and Senator Murray to incorporate that bill into this broader legislation. It will help us measure how government programs are actually working or not. Establishing a data inventory will help government officials understand what data they have so that they can use it, and they don't duplicate work that is already getting done. Making the government's data searchable and accessible will help public servants make better decisions, and it will help the public and the press hold government more accountable. Let me give you an example. Mr. Speaker, I represent more military veterans than just about any Member of this body. Like many of us, I was horrified to learn several years ago that the Department of Veterans Affairs was struggling to provide the services and treatments that were earned by military veterans. Now imagine if the House Veterans' Affairs Committee or the Government Accountability Office or even the VA had access to some of the data around wait times earlier. The pain caused to veterans and their families could have been avoided. Imagine if the leaders of the Veterans Administration knew that newspapers were going to have access to that data, whether it be the Kitsap Sun in my district or The New York Times or whoever. Imagine that they were looking at that data, too. It is time for government to move into the 21st century and start using the data it is collecting to improve the services it is providing. Let me just speak briefly about what this bill does. This gets a little wonky, but I actually think it is pretty important. This legislation sets up a way for everyone to use the government's data. We spent a long time working to make sure that the terms used in the bill didn't trap government policy in this year or this decade. We hope that this legislation will act as a building block for future technologies and applications of Federal data. We included some important pieces to ensure that data is not only available, but that it is easily used. Data has to be machine-readable. Many of us, I think, have gone on the internet and gotten a data set in PDF form that you can't really do anything with. It is so annoying. It is pretty obvious that in 2017 you should be able to use your computer to find what you are looking for. Data has to be open format, and data should be malleable. Professionals inside and outside of government should be able to use that data in various ways. Government data should be provided under an open license. If the government owns the data, that means the people paid for it, and they should be able to use it for free. Let me quickly talk about what this bill doesn't do. The bill does not take away safeguards that protect personal privacy, national security, and intellectual property. The legislation would not affect existing contracts, so the government is not going to go to a contractor and say: Oh, by the way, your data is now free and available to the public. Importantly, the bill does not alter the government's need to pay for private data rights in the future when it identifies private data that it may want to access and have ownership of. This bill only applies to data that is owned and controlled by the Federal Government. It does not provide an advantage to one sector or technology over another. Mr. Speaker, let me just say in closing, for the past 2 years, several of us have worked on this issue and with experts throughout the private and public sector to get this bill past the finish line. I am proud to stand here today in support of a bipartisan bill that can move our economy forward, that can improve efficiency in our government, and can help citizens get more involved in our democratic republic. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues' support of this bill.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank my colleagues across the aisle for working on this issue. I think it is particularly powerful when what happens in this marble building isn't some distant theoretical policy conversation. This actually affects people in each of our districts. I first learned about this issue about a year and a half ago. I was at home talking to a group of veterans at the University of Washington Tacoma. We were discussing their service to our Nation and some of the challenges that they had experienced in coming home. Then the conversation took an unexpected turn. One of the veterans talked about a servicemember, who is a friend, who had gone overseas, and, in his words: Had seen quite a lot. He said when that veteran came home, he wasn't quite the same person that he had been. Unfortunately, those challenges led to some substance issues, and then to an other than honorable discharge. As a consequence, as he explained, that veteran was unable to get mental healthcare treatment through the Veterans Administration. Here was a veteran, someone who sacrificed for his country, who was unable to get the services he earned, due to a condition that he most likely developed through that service. Coming back to this Washington, I was honored to cosponsor this bill, and I appreciate the work of Representative Coffman, and other colleagues, in advancing this important bill. This bill is simple. It allows veterans discharged in an other than honorable status to be screened for urgent mental health conditions and are found to be eligible for treatment. While I appreciate the fact that the VA has voluntarily adopted this policy on its own, we need to make sure that this becomes law to ensure that future administrations help the thousands of veterans who have served our Nation and might otherwise be denied needed treatment. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that military veterans have access to the benefits and services that they have earned. These men and women have had our backs, and we need to have theirs. We can't stand by as they endure challenges seeing doctors or getting treatment because of management failures and unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. Taxpayers have spent millions of dollars, tens of millions of dollars, to identify how the VA is broken and to identify opportunities to fix it. The Government Accountability Office has raised specific suggestions related to management issues, but, unfortunately, the VA has implemented few, if any, of these solutions, and that cannot stand. How can our Nation's veterans expect to get what they have earned if the leaders and components of the VA are not expected to cooperate with one another? How can they expect to see medical providers if the VA cannot bring in or maintain talented medical professionals? The VA Management Alignment Act is a bipartisan effort to address these and other management problems that have real consequences on the delivery of care to our friends, our neighbors, and to our loved ones. Representative Newhouse and I drafted this bill with input from the Government Accountability Office to bring an end to this disjointed and inefficient system. The bill would require the Secretary to outline the roles, responsibilities, and accountability measures of senior leaders and branches of the VA and to provide Congress with a series of legislative options to assist the Secretary in realizing positive change. The goal of this bill is to help Congress and the administration work together to fix these problems. The goal of this bill is to make sure veterans get the care and the benefits that they have earned. I would like to thank Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz for their leadership and support in moving this bill forward. I would like to thank my colleague from California (Mr. Takano) for his help as well. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to help us align the VA into a system that can deliver on our Nation's responsibilities to our military veterans.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I am so honored to welcome Pastor Molly Fraser from Gig Harbor United Methodist Church, my home church. Our church isn't the biggest church, it isn't the oldest church, but it has left a large impact throughout Gig Harbor because it makes clear that all are welcome. Whether you are in pain and need somewhere to go or you are looking for fellowship, there is a welcome mat for you. It makes clear to regular attendees and to newcomers that it is a place of open hearts, open minds, and open doors. It is a place that is committed to supporting the needs of those most in need throughout our community and around the world. It is a place to ask tough questions and to celebrate our faith. Finally, it is a place that benefits from the tremendous leadership of Pastor Molly, who, during her brief tenure with the church, has brought incredible energy and heart and musical talent. She is here in our Nation's capital today with her family. It is my honor to welcome them and, in spirit, the entire congregation of Gig Harbor United Methodist Church.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chair, when I am at home, I don't hear anyone say, Let's make it easier for folks to use big money to influence elections, and yet there are provisions in this spending bill that would do just that. My colleagues across the aisle are putting these provisions into this spending bill because they know that shocking our political system with even more money is incredibly unpopular, and these provisions would never pass if they were given an up-or-down vote in their own right; therefore, I am standing up today for restoring accountability for campaign spending and highlighting the two provisions that should not be in this bill. First, we need some sunlight in this murky world of campaign spending. 501(c)(4) groups can play fast and loose in our elections, and I want to be sure that they are actually working on issues that impact the people I represent, not trying to get their preferred candidates elected. And yet this legislation that we are voting on ensures that the IRS will not have the authority to look into groups that might be flouting the rules, and that is wrong. Unfortunately, secondly, we have also seen the Federal Election Commission struggle to enforce our campaign finance laws. This was a body that was created after Watergate to make sure politicians don't cheat. The Commission was designed to be the people's advocate in our elections, and yet, unfortunately, it has seen more gridlock than Congress. The Federal Election Commission is once again undermined in this bill because the bill says that the Commission cannot enforce any rules regarding how certain special interests are able to raise money. We should not be making it easier for political action committees to raise additional money from a few wealthy individuals without Federal Election Commission oversight. We should be voting on campaign finance laws that strengthen the integrity of our elections, not bills like this that weaken it. So my hope is that we can chart a new course, a better course, and one that brings people power back to these hallowed Halls rather than, again, giving more power to the deepest pockets and to special interests.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this block of amendments, and I do appreciate that this block seeks to increase funding to address the National Park Service's $11.3 billion backlog of deferred maintenance. I firmly believe that we need to increase annual appropriations for our parks, but funding shouldn't come at the expense of other critical agency accounts. In my neck of the woods, the Olympic National Park, alone, has $150 million in backlogged maintenance needs, so we are not going to accomplish this enormous goal a few million dollars at a time. The real solution is for Congress to provide a robust and dedicated funding source, and that is why I partnered with Representative Hurd and my fellow Washingtonian, Representative Reichert, to introduce the National Park Service Legacy Act, which will create a dedicated source of funding to address the National Park Service maintenance backlog. This bipartisan and bicameral bill is funded through unobligated mineral royalties and would generate up to $500 million, annually, through 2047. So, if we are serious about addressing the overwhelming maintenance backlog in our national parks, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and join me in support of the National Park Service Legacy Act.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank Chairman Calvert and Ranking Member McCollum for supporting important policies and programs protecting the unique landscapes you find in the Pacific Northwest. Our region values Federal lands, and, likewise, we are proud to host all branches of the United States military. People come from all over to hike and travel through our forests and waterways, and we want to make sure sensitive areas are protected. The goals of protecting our environment, the economy that relies upon it, and ensuring the readiness of those serving in uniform are not mutually exclusive. For the past several years, I have been working with the Park Service, the Navy, and many other agencies to understand their missions, concerns, and interests with regard to the impact of local military jet noise. At the same time, I have worked to ensure that they can go the extra mile when it comes to public outreach on their plans. Through this effort, I have learned that the Park Service and the Navy measure noise differently. This has led to difficulty in understanding the impact of the noise on the missions of other agencies, local communities, and protected lands, such as Olympic National Park. Moreover, it complicates any basis to examine possible solutions. In order to support a fact-based conversation regarding the impact of this noise, I wrote to the Council on Environmental Quality in March asking that they work with both agencies to find an agreeable method of measuring and reporting the sound of military aviation. While I have recently been notified that the CEQ is looking into the matter, I look to Chairman Calvert for his support to ensure that the relevant parties cooperate and resolve this issue.

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chair, I appreciate Chairman Calvert's willingness to work with me on this effort. Having grown up on the Olympic Peninsula, I understand our responsibility to be stewards of the environment and to make sure that the Navy is a good neighbor. I look forward to working with the chairman, CEQ, the Park Service, and the Navy to address this issue.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague for yielding. I also rise to oppose this amendment because I support quality jobs for folks and the laws that protect them. When I go around my district, I hear from folks who are still feeling squeezed that are ready to seize opportunities that they might not have right now. Since 1931, the Davis-Bacon Act has been there to help working men and working women earn a decent wage. I would respond to the good gentleman's statement that Davis-Bacon is about embracing the premise that when we use taxpayer dollars to build a project, it is not just about building that project. It is about building the middle class. I oppose this amendment because it seeks to undo three generations worth of protections that have helped our country create the strongest middle class in the world. I don't support nickeling and diming workers. We have a responsibility to make sure the future is better for the generations to come, and if those who follow us earn less or get injured more and can't take care of their health, that is a step backward and not forward. So I urge my colleagues, once again, to defeat this amendment.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chair, I want to thank the chairman and our ranking member. I have great respect for both of them. Mr. Chair, the most important responsibility we have is to keep our Nation and our citizens safe. In order to fulfill that responsibility, we have a commitment to those who serve, that they will have the training and equipment and support that they need to be the most capable fighting force the world has ever seen. We also have a commitment to the men and women who serve that we will have their back, not only when they are on duty, but when they come home. This Congress should support a pay raise for our Nation's troops. This Congress should support a cutting-edge Naval fleet. This Congress should make sure that we can say that every veteran will get the care that he or she has earned. But this Congress should also be opposed to a bill that puts the Department of Defense right in the path of the across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration. Now, I admit, I had not heard of sequestration until I first ran for this job. It turns out it is a Latin word for stupid, because when you face our military leaders, even in my district, they have implored this Congress to do away with the bind that sequestration threatens to put them in. They think this is a bad idea. But what we are doing this week ignores the advice of our top commanders and our military experts. Instead, it would put the Department of Defense on a collision course with sequestration. That would mean harmful cuts, across-the-board cuts to our military, regardless of priority. The failure of this Congress to pass a legitimate budget is a disservice to our Armed Forces and to every man and woman who serves in it. We should be giving those in uniform certainty that their paychecks will arrive on time, that their gear will be the best, that they will get the training that they need, and that cuts won't hurt their readiness. So let's get serious about a budget. Let's vote down this bill and do better. Pass a responsible bill. Listen, a majority of the Members in this Chamber are willing to support a plan that not only funds our military, but also makes sure we don't approach yet another government shutdown. That is what the American people sent us here to do, Mr. Chair. Let's listen to their voices.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 26 year service record of Colonel John G. Buck, District Commander for the Seattle District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and I am proud to offer my sincere congratulations on his upcoming retirement. Col. Buck received his U.S. Army commission in 1991 from the United States Military Academy. He has served in various leadership positions throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. In 2005, he was awarded the Bronze Order of the de Fleury Medal for his outstanding performance of duty. He then served as commander of the 14th Engineer Battalion at Joint Base Lewis McChord, where he effectively trained a battalion for deployment to Afghanistan. His successful training methods served as a model for other engineering units. Throughout his career, Col. Buck has demonstrated strong dedication and leadership that has been an asset in every position he has held, exemplifying the values and ideals of the U.S. Army and the Corps of Engineers. I have had the honor of knowing and working with Col. Buck over the past three years while he served as Commander of the Seattle District where he spearheaded the advancement of a number of key projects for the State of Washington. During his tenure, the Seattle District successfully completed their first two favorable reports in nearly a decade. Thanks to his direction, the Puget Sound Nearshore Restoration Project and the Skokomish River Ecosystem Restoration Project were approved and congressionally authorized in 2016. Collectively these projects represent roughly half a billion dollars in new authority to complete over 2,000 acres of aquatic ecosystem restoration in our state. This is an enormous accomplishment. I am also especially grateful for his hard work and dedication to resolving a difficult and complicated permitting issue and providing some much needed regulatory clarity to shellfish growers in our region. Thanks to his efforts, more people will have more economic opportunity. Mr. Speaker, it is truly an honor to represent a man of this caliber here in our nation's capital. I am humbled to be able to speak in recognition of his impressive career and service record today in the United States' Congress, and I am grateful for the many contributions he has made to our country as well as the State of Washington.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, with the Shelby County v. Holder decision, the Supreme Court effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act. At the time, Chief Justice John Roberts said that the key protections the Court removed from the act were, as he put it: ``extraordinary measures to address an extraordinary problem.'' Sadly and extraordinarily, many of those problems still exist. I would argue that the Voting Rights Act was extraordinarily successful. Since that decision, the Federal Court commented that a voter ID law in North Carolina didn't stop fraud. Instead, the provisions that were struck down ``target African Americans with almost surgical precision.'' Courts found significant disenfranchisement caused by new laws in Wisconsin as well. Mr. Speaker, every American has a right and the freedom to cast their vote without interference. People have fought and bled for that right. We are in danger of going back to a time when those rights were cast aside. That is why it is time for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act to modernize the law, to put back in place provisions stripped from the Voting Rights Act, and to ensure that no State can discriminate by creating barriers to the ballot box. If we want to remain a nation that empowers its citizens, we need swift action on this bill.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I am here this morning to talk about the biggest thing on the minds of the folks that I represent: jobs. I am glad that we are having a discussion today about how to help people land a job that they can be proud of. Whether I am at a VFW or a county fair, in a lot of the parts of the region that I represent, this is the concern that I hear more than anything else. Today's bill would help people who are looking for work acquire skills that help them land a bigger paycheck and a better career. I am glad to offer an amendment with a fellow member of the Bipartisan Working Group, Representative Valadao, to make sure that the bill that is passed does some good for rural communities and for our tribal partners as well. I know firsthand the challenges that small towns across America are facing. I grew up in a timber town in Washington State and watched some of the parents of my friends and some of my neighbors lose their jobs as mills shut down. These men and women are the hardworking Americans that want work, want training, and want careers. In short, they want a shot at a better life. That is what this bill will do. I commend Mr. Curbelo and Mr. Davis for bringing it forward. With our amendment, we can make sure that shot is extended to all communities, no matter their ZIP Code. Our amendment directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to take a look at how to address employment challenges in rural areas and those challenges facing members of federally recognized Native American Tribes. It directs the Secretary then to provide recommendations to Congress on what fixes actually work best. When it comes to providing the training to get folks into quality jobs, we want to make sure that we are not flying blind. Our amendment makes sure that we have all the information we need to make the right decisions and give folks who want a quality job a shot at that. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his support. And, again, I thank Representatives Curbelo and Davis for their work on the underlying bill, and the cooperation of Mr. Valadao for working to address this challenge. Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, there are people in a person's life that have a lasting influence, educators who help shape the person that you become. Ron Jones of Port Angeles, Washington, was one of those people for me and for hundreds of others. For the last 42 years, Mr. Jones has been an outstanding music teacher who, for generations of students, was a difference maker in a way that would make Mr. Holland and his opus jealous. On multiple occasions he brought musicians to perform in Carnegie Hall and other places all around, and in doing so, he didn't just enhance a student's musical skills, he broadened the horizons of young people. I know he did that for me. He made you want to be better. He made you want to try harder. He made you want to perform well enough to get that genuine Ron Jones smile. Mr. Speaker, as Mr. Jones prepares for his retirement, it is my honor to recognize him here on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, to wish him well, and, on behalf of many grateful students, to simply say: Thank you, Mr. Jones.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, we know from our law enforcement and intelligence agencies that there was an effort by Russia to covertly influence our elections. And we know that, according to Republican Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, Russia is both covertly and overtly trying to influence elections right now in France and in Germany. What most folks may not know is that right now there is a loophole in our campaign finance laws that would allow foreigners to use their wealth to influence our elections, possibly including wealthy individuals aligned with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and corporations controlled by Putin allies. This is not a partisan issue. This is an American issue. There was more than $1 billion spent by outside groups in the 2016 election. It is virtually impossible to know where all this money is coming from. While U.S. laws prohibit foreign money from being used in our elections, there is a loophole that could allow this money in. That is why I am introducing the Election Protection and Integrity Certification Act to close that loophole and keep money from Russia and other foreign sources out of our election system. Mr. Speaker, our democracy is under attack and Democrats and Republicans need to join together to stop Russian influence in our elections. We need to close the foreign money loophole.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Madam Speaker, on Thursday, March 31, 1910, Bertel Spier was born, and tomorrow she will celebrate her 107th birthday. Just imagine what she has seen: two world wars, technological advancements beyond our wildest dreams. When she sees a video on a telephone, she cannot believe it. She has an extraordinary legacy: a loving daughter, four adoring and adorable great-grandchildren, and three grandsons to whom she is a hero. I am proud to be one of them. My grandma is someone who is a testament to the greatness of this Nation and of the importance of what happens in this building. She immigrated to the U.S. from Holland and was welcomed here and accepted here, built a life here. That is part of the greatness of this Nation. A person born 10 years before women's suffrage, she proudly voted herself this past November. That is part of the greatness of this Nation. A person who outlived any projected retirement, she has been able to retire and live with dignity because of two of our country's most successful public policies: Medicare and Social Security. That is part of the greatness of this Nation, too. Madam Speaker, it is such an honor for me to say four of the most extraordinary and almost unbelievable words that I may ever say on this floor: Happy 107th birthday, Oma. We love you.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, climate change is real; and it is so real that, before Donald Trump became President, he petitioned Ireland for a permit to build a seawall for one of his greatest golf courses in the world. His permit application said rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions from climate change threatened his property. As President, he seems to have changed his tune. In fact, a draft budget proposal from the administration zeros out investments in NOAA'S Coastal Zone Management Program, zero dollars for an initiative that provides critical resources to communities facing the same threat from rising sea levels as the President's golf courses. You know, if it sounds like I am outraged about this, it is because I find this so outrageous. This is going to hurt people in coastal communities. I would like to invite the President to Taholah on the Quinault Indian Reservation. Tribal elders would tell him that the ocean that was once a football field away is now their front porch and creeps closer and closer every day. They would like a brand-new seawall, too. But, unfortunately, they aren't billionaires. They need a partner in the Federal Government to protect their homes. So do folks in Ocean Shores and Westport and Neah Bay and coastal communities throughout my State. Before releasing his budget, I hope the President remembers that it is not just his golf course that is at risk. We are talking about people's homes and people's lives, and they deserve better than this.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, when you come in to Bremerton, Washington, on the ferry, you see one of my favorite sights. It is Building 460 of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and it says on the side of the building: ``Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Building on a Proud Tradition.'' Puget Sound Naval Shipyard is far and away the largest employer in the region I represent, and these are men and women who take great pride in their work and have done so for over 125 years. They are also critical to the success of our Navy's national security mission, but too often in this town, they don't get the respect they deserve. That is why my guest this evening is Bruce Baillie with the Bremerton Building and Metal Trades Council. Bruce is a local leader for our shipyard workers, and I want to make sure that this new administration understands how important this workforce is to our country. These are not just talented professionals. They have been amazing partners in putting together an action agenda for shipyard workers that we introduced last week: exempting our shipyard workers from the hiring freeze which is critical to our Nation's security, making sure that retired servicemembers--our veterans--are able to secure jobs in our Defense Department, and halting policies that lower the compensation of defense workers--changes in per diem and overtime policies that affect their take-home pay. It is important that we have the backs of these vital workers, and that is why I have invited Bruce Baillie as my guest this evening.

Mr. KILMER

Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February 06, 2017, I missed two votes due to unavoidable travel delays in route to our nation's capital. Had I been present, I would have voted as follows: On roll call No.79--H.R. 689, the Bolts Ditch Access and Use Act, I would have voted yes. On roll call No. 80--H.R. 337, the Black Hills National Cemetery Boundary Expansion Act, I would have voted yes.