Robert Latta

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, we have heard from various speakers today, but I think it is really important to point out that, once again, because of the Biden-Harris administration's gas heater rule, we are going to ban approximately 40 percent of the tankless gas water heaters currently available, forcing consumers to have to pay more and get less efficient models. This doesn't make sense. Not only does this rule go on to ban these gas appliances and infringe on consumer choice, but it also increases strains on the Nation's grid, which cannot sustain such massive and rapid amounts of forced electrification without new baseload generation coming online. When we talk about this loss of consumer choice, the DOE underestimated the cost by $231 because when you look at the actual costs out there, industry stakeholders are estimating it is going to bring the cost up between $450 to $665 per unit. I think it is also important to note that, in the last Congress, in the Energy and Commerce Committee's Energy Subcommittee, I asked everybody who came before us the same question when we had these testimonies: Do we have to have more energy in this country or less? Everybody said the exact same thing. We have to produce more energy in this country, but we also have to make sure we are producing the energy to make that energy in this country. Republicans have led that way starting back in 2008 with our all-of- the-above energy policy, which said we weren't going to pick winners and losers. We were going to let the consumer decide and let the market decide, and that is important. If we are going to make sure we become energy independent in this country, we have to start thinking about those things. It is important. Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of H.J. Res. 20, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a constituent of mine, Charles F. Konecny, on his 93rd birthday. Charles Konecny is a proud husband, father, grandfather, and Korean War Veteran. Konecny is a resident of Bowling Green, Ohio and has been a member of St. Aloysius Catholic Church for more than six decades. Charles was born on February 13, 1932. He began his service to our country in the U.S. Army when he was drafted in September of 1952 during the Korean War. Serving as a Corporal and doppler transmitter operator in the U.S. Army, Charles was first sent to Fort Meade in Maryland and then headed to the U.S. Army's Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County, Maryland. In October of 1952, Charles was transferred to Redstone Arsenal located in Huntsville, Alabama, where he studied missile maintenance. Then, in March of 1953, Charles was transferred to White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico and continued his service as a doppler transmitter operator. In July of 1954, Charles was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. Mr. Speaker, we are grateful to men like Charles who honorably served his Nation and fellow countrymen. Today, on Charles' 93rd birthday, we recognize his unwavering service to our country and thank him for his service.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my Chief of Staff, Rebecca Card Angelson, who will leave my office at the end of this week. Becky, as many know her by, has been a member of my team since 2019. Becky got her start on Capitol Hill over a decade ago when she interned for fellow Ohioan, Speaker John Boehner. Becky quickly rose through the ranks by working on the best committee in Congress, the Energy and Commerce Committee, and then with Congresswoman Susan Brooks of Indiana. Since joining my office, Becky has committed countless--and often thankless--hours dutifully serving the people of Ohio's Fifth Congressional District. The hard work Becky has put in over the years has made an immeasurable difference in my life and the lives of my staff. I'd be remiss without mentioning that during Becky's time in my office, she, and her husband Alex, welcomed two beautiful girls--Amelia and Daphne--into the world. In my view, they're members of Team Latta, too. My office will not be the same without Becky helping to man the ship, but I can say with the utmost certainty that we are all better for knowing and working alongside her. I am extremely grateful to Becky for her hard work, and I am sad to see her go, but I am excited to see what she will accomplish in the next chapter of her career.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 26, the Protecting American Energy Production Act, to prevent a ban on the use of hydraulic fracturing. The shale revolution has unleashed American innovation, specifically hydraulic fracturing, and has led to the U.S. becoming an energy superpower, stabilizing global markets and lowering prices for consumers, farmers, and manufacturers. In 2019, economists estimated this productivity reduced the domestic price of natural gas by 63 percent and led to a 45 percent decrease in the wholesale price of electricity. This resulted in an estimated savings of $203 billion annually for American consumers. Unfortunately, some States have implemented misguided policies to ban or limit the use of fracking. It is imperative we protect this technology from weaponization, especially as global energy demand is projected to skyrocket. Additionally, natural gas will be essential to ensuring our ability to meet the massive energy demand from the data centers coming online and lead the world in artificial intelligence development. More American energy means a safer, cleaner, and more advanced world. In the last Congress, I asked every witness who came before us in the Committee on Energy and Commerce's Energy Subcommittee if we needed more energy or less, and every one of them said that we have to have more energy. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas' 11th District for his leadership. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation. I thank my friend, the chairman, for yielding the time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the full committee for yielding to me. For 4 years, I have worked tirelessly with my colleague and friend, the gentleman from the Ninth Congressional District of Virginia (Mr. Griffith), to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act to permanently label fentanyl- related substances as a schedule I narcotic. During this time, we have seen heartbreaking numbers of fentanyl poisonings across our country. There were 73,000 deaths reported in just 1 year alone. If the current classwide scheduling were to expire, which is a little less than 2 months away, I can assure Members that drug traffickers would push deadlier drugs, and more Americans will die. I am proud today that this House is finally stopping the temporary delay and permanently scheduling fentanyl-related substances as a schedule I. We owe it to our communities, our constituents, our families, and, most of all, the victims. Cartels are literally killing Americans for 10 cents a pill. Illicit fentanyl poisoning among teens accounted for an average of 22 deaths each week in 2022 from drug poisoning, raising the death rate for teens to 5.2 deaths per 100,000, driven by fentanyl in counterfeit pills, thus making fentanyl the number one cause of death among adults aged 18 to 49. That is more than cancer, more than heart disease, and more than car accidents. This isn't about criminal justice reform. This is about victims getting justice.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, currently, to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum, an offense must involve 100 or more grams of a mixture containing a fentanyl analogue. Since the average lethal dose of fentanyl or a fentanyl analogue can be as small as 2 milligrams, the offense would need to contain roughly 50,000 lethal doses in order to trigger the 10-year mandatory minimum. Mr. Speaker, I ask this House to approve this legislation, and let's start saving lives here in the United States.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, if the gentleman is ready to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, this bill is very essential because, again, as we have seen, broadband is absolutely essential for everyday Americans. As we think about what happened during COVID, Americans were shut in, and they relied on broadband for everything from education to telehealth to business. It went across the board. It is absolutely essential we get this bill passed today, and I urge passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3343) to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit to Congress a plan for the Assistant Secretary to track the acceptance, processing, and disposal of certain Form 299s, and for other purposes.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3343, the Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act. This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to develop a plan for tracking the broadband permitting applications on Federal lands. Broadband is essential to participate in everyday activities. Americans rely on their internet for their work, healthcare, education, and more. Congress has provided billions of dollars to close the digital divide. The NTIA is in the process of administering the $42.45 billion BEAD program and must ensure that these dollars are spent wisely. Too often, broadband deployment is delayed or prevented due to unnecessary red tape in the form of burdensome permitting requirements. Federal agencies are some of the biggest culprits behind the red tape, delaying the deployment of broadband to the communities that are in need. The process of application approval for some of these permits has unfortunately become duplicative, ineffective, and time consuming. Worse, there is no transparency in the process. Opaque Federal permitting review processes leave applicants in the dark on whether their application is complete, where it is in the review process, and when they can finally expect a decision. The Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act addresses these concerns by providing clarity into the Federal permitting process, giving applicants transparency into the status of their reviews and improving the processing speed and disposition of applications. Mr. Speaker, this is an important moment in time, and we must do all we can to ensure that every American can access reliable broadband. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), the bill's sponsor.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1377) to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to take certain actions to enhance the representation of the United States and promote United States leadership in communications standards-setting bodies, and for other purposes.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1377, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act. For decades, the United States has led the development of next- generation wireless technology. To maintain leadership and defend against our foreign adversaries, we must continue to focus on bolstering the foundational elements, like standards development, to make sure the United States continues to lead on future technological advancements. As these standards are set in global, industry-led standards bodies, we must enhance participation by U.S. companies and remain vigilant so that bad actors don't game the system for their own economic and national security interests. To keep accountability and ensure proper transparency, we must encourage participation by trusted, like-minded partners. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration plays a central role in these efforts as the executive branch agency with technical expertise on wireless innovation. They have decades of experience working with the industry and other stakeholders to develop these technical standards globally. I thank the dedicated career staff who worked tirelessly to advance U.S. global wireless leadership. As we move into the next decade, it is critical that we continue to enhance participation in critical standards-setting bodies and preserve U.S. wireless leadership. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), the bill's sponsor.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee has been very busy this past Congress making sure that we get broadband deployed across this country. This piece of legislation will help make sure that that happens. Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3293) to require the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to establish an interagency strike force to ensure that certain Federal land management agencies, including the organizational units of such agencies, prioritize the review of requests for communications use authorizations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3293, Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act. This legislation establishes an interagency strike force to help prioritize permitting reviews for deploying broadband on Federal lands. Broadband has become an essential part of everyday life. As we have seen, we need broadband for work, to stay connected with loved ones, and even for healthcare and education. Too many Americans still lack access to broadband. Thus, Congress has provided billions of dollars to ensure that every American gets connected. Deploying on Federal lands is a critical part of closing the digital divide. Many unserved communities are near Federal lands and thus broadband providers must traverse these lands to reach these unserved homes and businesses. Unfortunately, deploying broadband on Federal lands can be burdensome, particularly when it comes to the permitting process. Providers have testified that this complicated process moves slowly, and they are left in the dark on the status of their applications. As a result, unserved communities are left without the broadband they need as providers wait for agencies to approve their permits. We need to reform the broadband permitting process. Not only do we need to streamline how we review permits, we also need to ensure that agencies that manage Federal lands prioritize these reviews. H.R. 3293, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, will help ensure this happens. H.R. 3293 directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to create an interagency strike force that includes the head of each Federal land management agency to ensure that they are prioritizing the review of broadband permitting applications. In addition to holding periodic calls, the strike force will establish goals for the review of the requests and monitor and hold each agency accountable for meeting those goals. This strike force is necessary to expedite the permitting process so that every American has access to broadband. I thank the gentleman from South Carolina's Third District (Mr. Duncan) and the gentlewoman from Minnesota's Second District (Ms. Craig) for their leadership on this important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina's Third District (Mr. Duncan), the bill's sponsor.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).