Robert Latta

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, again, I rise today in support of H.R. 4032, the Open RAN Outreach Act, which was introduced by Representatives Allred, Guthrie, O'Halleran, and Hudson. Open RAN compatible technology will play an important role as communications networks evolve over the coming decade. While most networks today are limited to integrated systems provided by one or two vendors, the deployment of Open RAN compatible technology will encourage innovation, competition, and new entrants in the communications marketplace. By encouraging a robust market for Open RAN compatible technology, the cost of trusted equipment is expected to decrease over time. These lower costs will help smaller wireless providers deploy mobile broadband cost effectively without having to turn to untrusted vendors like Huawei. As small, and often rural, providers upgrade to 5G and replace untrusted Huawei or ZTE equipment, we must keep in mind the difficulty these providers may have in taking advantage of some of the programs offered in Washington. H.R. 4032 would require NTIA to conduct outreach and technical assistance to these small and rural providers to make sure they have the information necessary if they choose to take advantage of Open RAN compatible technologies. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Madam Speaker, I know we had the hearing on Open RAN in committee, and I heard the testimony that day, and how we can expand our networks across the country is absolutely essential. As we know, as we go into the different types of technologies, we are going to need as much as we possibly can, and so this bill is going to help. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the sponsors for bringing it before us today. I urge support of the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close. As we have heard from our speakers today, it is absolutely essential that the United States leads when we are talking about telecommunication services and the supply chain because it is absolutely essential for national security. I urge passage of the legislation in the House, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, the Women's Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755)--otherwise known as the Abortion on Demand Act--is an extreme measure that would impose abortion on demand nationwide, at any stage of pregnancy, through federal statute. This would result in the elimination of every state's pro-life laws and protections. Overriding state pro-life laws and prohibiting states from enacting legislation protecting unborn children would make protections for babies with Down syndrome and other disabilities illegal. Plain and simple, this legislation is extreme. This legislation is radically out of step with the American public, who do not support abortions with no limits. According to the Associated Press, 80 percent of Americans say abortion should be illegal in the third trimester. This bill would create a national standard to allow for abortions of unborn children for any reason and at any stage of pregnancy up until birth. A better and more accurate name for this bill would be the Abortion on Demand until Birth Act--because it is clear the focus of this bill is not protecting women's health like the current name suggests. Abortion ends the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being. Tragically, abortion continues to put women in danger, takes the life of innocent children, and fails to recognize the dignity of all lives, regardless of how small. I adamantly oppose this legislation and any legislation that fails to protect the unborn.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Jayne M. Roth's outstanding career. Jayne has been a 4-H Youth Development Program Educator with the Ohio State University Extension for forty years and has proven herself to be both a leader and a guide for countless 4-H youth across the state and the nation. Jayne grew up on a farm in Wayne County near the town of Orrville in Northeast Ohio. She graduated from The Ohio State University in the spring of 1981 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Sciences. She also received a Master of Science Degree in Animal Production. Jayne began her career in Putnam County in 1981 and after four years, she accepted her current position as a 4-H Educator in Wood County. Over the span of her career, she has been honored with numerous awards, including the Wood County Education for Civic Responsibility Award, the Ohio 4-H Camping Award, and the Ohio 4-H Charles Lifer Excellence in 4-H Award. Jayne has also received the Achievement in Service Award, the Distinguished 4-H Service Award, and the Meritorious Service Award from the National Association of Extension Youth Development Professionals. Jayne has positively impacted the lives of children, teens, and families across Ohio by providing 4-H education while encouraging the volunteer spirit among her 4-H participants. In all aspects of her life, she finds joy in helping others succeed and dedicates her time to building her community. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying special tribute to Jayne Roth in recognition of her service to Wood County and the entire 4-H community. On behalf of the people of the Fifth District of Ohio, I wish Jayne Roth all the best in her future endeavors.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, the humanitarian and national security crisis occurring at our southern border continues to worsen by the day. In June, Border Patrol stopped 188,829 illegal immigrants, which is a 450 percent increase from June of 2020. Earlier this year, I went to the border and saw first-hand how cartels are using innocent children as decoys to bring illegal narcotics into our country. Because of the policies--or lack thereof--from our current Administration, this crisis is being allowed to grow, cartels are taking advantage of our weak borders, and narcotics are flowing into our country like never before. In June alone, 1,053 pounds of fentanyl were seized at our southwest border. This is more than the last 3 Junes combined, and is enough to kill 238 million Americans. And to imagine--this is only the amount of fentanyl that was seized last month--what about deadly drugs that are slipping through the cracks and make their way into the country? Last week, the CDC reported the national overdose death rates for 2020. Overdose deaths across the country were the highest they have been over the last 50 years. In 2020, in the United States alone, 93,331 people died from a drug overdose. To put this number into perspective, 70,980 people died from a drug overdose in 2019. Nearly 75 percent of fatal overdoses were attributed to opioids, a 5 percent increase from 2019, that was largely driven by fentanyl. In Ohio, opioid overdoses reached record levels rising 16 percent in the second quarter of 2020, which had been declining over 24 months prior to the pandemic. Madam Speaker, Americans are dying because of the crisis at the border. We must act to stop the illegal flow of narcotics and protect our country.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill is, again, a very important piece of legislation that has come out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. It is important to make sure that we do have that resiliency out there for our 911 system, which is so important to that person picking up that phone call but also who is receiving it on the other end. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to pass the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1250, the Emergency Reporting Act, that was introduced by Representatives Matsui, Bilirakis, Eshoo, Thompson, and Huffman. Today's legislation will allow 911 centers across the country to have access to confidential information on potential 911 outages, subject to appropriate safeguards. In times of disaster, 911 public safety answering points do not always know that 911 calls may not be going through. The Federal Communications Commission, the FCC, currently collects information on the status of communications infrastructure and communications network outage information. They make that information available to the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate overall emergency response efforts within a State between State and local first responders. Given the sensitive nature of this data to both national security and commercial competitiveness, this information is confidential. However, as first responders work to ensure the 911 system can seamlessly get back online and route calls to the neighboring call centers, access to this confidential information is important. This bill would help make timely outage information available to help first responders on the ground restore service as quickly as possible. The bill also requires the FCC to hold a field hearing in areas in which the Commission's Disaster Information Reporting System, DIRS, is activated for more than 7 days and to provide an initial and final report on the status of communication networks. The FCC only activates the DIRS system for significant natural disasters, such as major hurricanes or wildfires, and the bill limits these types of reports to only areas where damage was significant and sustained. This is an important bill to the resiliency of public safety networks, and I urge my colleagues to support the measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 277, a resolution introduced by our colleague, Mrs. Demings. This resolution reaffirms the commitment by Congress to work with media entities and diverse stakeholders to find common ground solutions to eliminate barriers to expanding diversity in our media. While today's resolution focuses specifically on broadcast stations, this problem is not unique to one segment of the industry, but to their cable and digital streaming competitors in the marketplace as well. I appreciate the many steps that the broadcast and cable industries have taken to not only recognize these barriers, but the many programs and initiatives they have put in place to promote opportunities for women, minorities, and veterans. However, data shows we have some room for improvement. While the House is considering this resolution today, it is my hope that we can work together in a bipartisan manner to address the inequality that this resolution seeks to address. Republicans on the Energy and Commerce Committee have put forward solutions to uplift minority voices and promote media diversity that can breathe life into this resolution before us today. Today, we are also considering H.R. 1754, the MEDIA Diversity Act, sponsored by Mr. Long, which would help us better understand the market and regulatory barriers for socially disadvantaged individuals to enter and compete in the marketplace so we can make informed policy decisions. We have also worked with advocates and industry alike as we try and find consensus on legislation to establish the long-sought-after broadcast incubator program to help increase the number of minority- owned broadcast stations. Last Congress, Republicans introduced the Broadcast Diversity in Leadership Act, which would incentivize large, established broadcasters to work with aspiring broadcasters to break down barriers to capital and provide mentorship and experience to new minority entrants to ensure their longstanding success in serving their local communities. While the Supreme Court has recently reinstated the Republican-led pilot program, Congress should continue working to ensure it is expanded and made permanent with improved safeguards. We urge the majority to continue working with us on these important issues. With the passage of this resolution, we are affirming our commitment to work toward common ground solutions, and Republicans stand ready to work across the aisle to turn our common ground solutions into law. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H. Res. 277, I ask the House for its passage today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on H.R. 678, the PHONE Act. This legislation will ensure that Americans whose homes are lost during a fire or other natural disaster do not have to worry about losing their home phone numbers. As we have seen from the horrific fires over the last several years, they destroy everything in their path. No matter how resilient a home or communications tower may be, you cannot regulate your way out of a fire's burning path. Today, when a natural disaster strikes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is activated to provide housing assistance and other resources to respond to the crisis at hand. If your home is completely burned to the ground, the last thing that you should have to worry about is if your home phone number will be available when you return. Thankfully, the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, can prevent that from happening. The FCC can waive rules and regulations that require landline phone numbers to return to the pool of available numbers when a home is completely destroyed by a natural disaster. This bill codifies that process, but we still must be cautious. This type of relief should only apply to areas where significant physical damage has occurred to render a home uninhabitable, as is the objective of the bill. It is FEMA's role to determine which households have actually sustained damage in an affected county, which this bill does not codify, and we hope can be addressed as it moves through the process. As the experts on the ground, we should defer to their assessment before these regulations go into effect. While it may be easy to grab a cell phone upon evacuating, landlines cannot be brought on the go. For many people, especially our seniors, they rely on their landline phone number to stay connected to family, their doctor, and others during such a trying time in their life. During a traumatic event, one less thing they should not have to worry about is losing their home phone number. I ask for support of this measure moving forward, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Jeff on his future endeavors. Our staffs do so much for us. As the chairman was speaking, I was thinking that the hours that they put in aren't ever recognized, including the work over the weekends. I know when I have talked to our committee staff, especially when we have worked on pieces of legislation the last several Congresses, with the amount of work that goes into it, we have to thank our staff. For all his years of service here and for his future endeavors, I give him my best wishes.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I support H.R. 678 moving forward, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2928, the Cyber Sense Act, which is the second of two grid security bills that I have introduced and, again, worked closely on with my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney). This bipartisan legislation will establish a testing process under a newly established voluntary Cyber Sense program to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended for use in the bulk-power system, including products relating to industrial control systems and operational technologies, such as supervisory control and data acquisition systems. It would provide technical assistance to electric utilities, product manufacturers, and other electricity sector stakeholders to develop solutions to mitigate identified cybersecurity vulnerabilities in products and technologies tested under the Cyber Sense program. H.R. 2928 would also develop guidance for electric utilities for procurement of products and technologies and consider incentives to encourage the use of analysis and results of testing under the program in the design of products and technologies for use in the bulk-power system. The SolarWinds attack exposed a vulnerability in our supply chains that should serve as a wake-up call to the energy sector. Similar attacks on products used in grid operators' IT networks could go undetected and, when exposed, result in the costly process of disabling and removing such products from operation. Having a program that would allow for the testing of a product's cybersecurity would help grid operators share information and maintain coordination with the Federal Government to keep pace with evolving cybersecurity threats. H.R. 2928 would accomplish these goals. Again, I want to thank Chairman Pallone, Chairman Rush, Leader Rodgers, and Leader Upton for their support. I call on my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I am ready to close. Mr. Speaker, again, as the gentleman from California mentioned about the ongoing cyberattacks we have had in this country, it is absolutely essential that we get this bill across the finish line. H.R. 2928 is going to help accomplish these goals and protect our grid out there. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg), one of the coleads on this legislation.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3119, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act. This bill, sponsored by Representatives Rush and Walberg, has strong bipartisan support, and passed on suspension last Congress. The bill is necessary to strengthen the Department of Energy's important energy emergency mission. It does so by requiring that the well-established energy emergency and cybersecurity functions at DOE are organized under the leadership of an assistant secretary confirmed by the Senate. Three-and-one-half years ago, Secretary of Energy Perry recognized the importance of elevating this position within the Department. He established an assistant secretary-led office, the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, which proved its worth in various situations over the past 2 years, including assistance relating to hurricanes and the recent Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack. This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish in law this assistant secretary level of leadership of DOE's emergency response and cybersecurity functions. This bill will ensure the Department has the focused and accountable leadership to protect the public more fully from fuel and electricity supply disruptions against all hazards, natural or man-made, including emerging threats from our foreign adversaries to the Nation's electric grid. The bill has been drafted to ensure the Department carries out its responsibility in coordination with other agencies by improving coordination across the Department; ensuring more effective interagency collaborations; and increasing accountability to Congress. Establishing accountable leadership of this DOE mission is an important step in the face of increased threats, vulnerabilities, and interdependencies of energy infrastructure and end-use systems. Protecting energy security requires defense in depth. This means a strong energy sector, strong state capabilities, and ensuring sector agencies, like the Department of Energy, have the tools and accountable leadership they need to respond to energy emergencies. A vote for H.R. 3119 is a vote for ensuring accountable DOE leadership over energy emergencies for the benefit of public safety and welfare and for stronger cybersecurity protections and energy systems. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I again thank Representative Walberg and Representative Bobby Rush for their work on this very important legislation because, again, it is going to ensure that the Department of Energy has the focus and the accountable leadership to more fully protect the public from any electricity fuel supply disruptions against all hazards-- natural or manmade--including emerging threats from our foreign adversaries to our Nation's electric grid. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3003, again a very important piece in our infrastructure in this country, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 3003, the Promoting United States Wireless Leadership Act. Our communications networks are a critically important asset for facilitating domestic and international commerce. For decades, the U.S. has led the development of wireless technology with like-minded nations. With the deployment of the next-generation wireless technology 5G, which is expected to skyrocket in the coming years and months, we must continue to focus on bolstering the foundational elements to make sure the United States continues to lead on future technological advances. As these standards are set in global, industry-led standards bodies, we must enhance participation by U.S. companies and remain vigilant 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 ensure participation by trusted like-minded partners. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, NTIA, plays a central role in these efforts as the executive branch agency with technical expertise on wireless innovation. It has decades of experience working with industry and other stakeholders to develop these technical standards globally. I would also like to 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 piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, again, from the recent attacks that we have had across the country in the last year and a half, it shows the importance of making sure that we are protected on the cybersecurity front. And working with my good friend and colleague from California, it has been so important that we get these two bills across the finish line today. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members today to support H.R. 2931, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2931, the first of two grid security bills I have worked closely on with my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney) over the last several Congresses. The goal of these two bills is to improve the resiliency of our Nation's energy grid against cyberattacks. Since the House last considered these bills on the floor, our country has experienced a new wave of cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure. On December 13, 2020, the cybersecurity firm, FireEye, published research that a malicious actor was exploiting a supply chain vulnerability in SolarWinds products to hack into government and private sector information technology networks. On May 8 of this year, the Colonial Pipeline Company announced that it was forced to halt its pipeline operation due to a ransomware attack, which disrupted critical supplies of gasoline and other refined products throughout the Southeast and the East Coast. Cyberattacks on our critical infrastructure will only continue to grow in both size and severity and Congress must take a stand. H.R. 2931, the Enhancing Grid Security Through Public-Private Partnerships Act, will facilitate and encourage public-private partnerships in order to improve the cybersecurity of electric utilities. Specifically, it would develop and provide for voluntary implementation of maturity models, self-assessments, and auditing methods for assessing the physical security and cybersecurity of electric utilities. H.R. 2931 would provide training and technical assistance to electric utilities to address and mitigate cybersecurity supply chain management risks and increase opportunities for sharing best practices and data collection within the electric sector. Finally, this legislation will require the Secretary of Energy to submit a report to Congress that assesses priorities, policies, procedures, actions, and implementations of electricity distribution systems to address threats to and vulnerabilities of such electricity distribution systems. We cannot allow criminal cyber behavior to go unchallenged. Both H.R. 2931 and H.R. 2928 will help in the fight against cyber attacks. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Pallone, Chairman Rush, leaders Rodgers and Upton for their efforts to advance these bills, and I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on final passage. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LATTA

Mr. LATTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1754, the MEDIA Diversity Act, introduced by my colleague from Missouri, Representative Long. This legislation represents another step forward to uplift minority voices and promote diversity in the media marketplace. I understand how important it is to serve communities with local programming that accurately reflects a community's population. I have also seen the media industry make great strides to promote diversity and create new content to appeal to the communities they serve by establishing programs and initiatives to promote opportunities for women, minorities, veterans, elderly, and other socially disadvantaged individuals to participate in the media marketplace. Of course, the media industry is only one small part of a vast communications marketplace that encompasses a large variety of organizations, including mobile wireless providers, online video distributors, fixed broadband providers, and so on. It is also important to keep in mind that there are new entrants in the tech industry who are providing additional opportunities for minorities, women, veterans, and underrepresented groups who might not have been heard before to make their voices heard. Nonetheless, there is still work to do to make sure that those previously unheard voices and underserved communities are represented in traditional media and all other areas of the large communications marketplace, and this legislation will help. I am glad to support this piece of bipartisan legislation that will allow the Federal Communications Commission to evaluate the market barriers socially disadvantaged individuals face in the communications marketplace as a whole. In closing, Mr. Speaker, again, I urge all Members to support this piece of legislation. It is very important. It was introduced by our colleague, Mr. Long from Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.