Leonard Lance

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the public service of Carolann Garafola, mayor of Warren Township, New Jersey, as she is honored by the Somerset County Federation of Republican Women as the recipient of the Millicent Fenwick Award for Outstanding Public Service. Carolann's service as a public official began on the Warren Township planning board 30 years ago. She then became the township committeewoman for that township, a post she has held for 20 consecutive years, 6 as mayor. Carolann began her professional career working with special needs children in Glen Rock, New Jersey public schools, and is currently in her fifth year as executive director of Mt. Bethel Village in Warren, an apartment community for adults with autism, developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injuries. The Millicent Fenwick Award for Outstanding Public Service is awarded to a woman who serves in the tradition of the late Congresswoman Fenwick, one with a strong work ethic, high integrity, and a willingness to assist those in need. I congratulate Mayor Garafola on this well-deserved recognition.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I certainly commend the chairman of the committee, Dr. Roe, for his leadership on this issue, as well as the ranking member for his leadership. I rise in strong support of S. 544, which will extend the Veterans Access, Choice, Accountability and Transparency Act. This is an important bill. I have heard from constituents in the congressional district I serve that the Choice Program is working and Congress should extend its authorization and its funding. The Choice Program was the first step in a long road to true transformation of the Veterans Administration. Veterans should get to choose the care and the facility serving them best. No veteran should ever been forced into waiting lines and other limitations. Many Veterans Administration healthcare facilities do tremendous work, like the Lyons VA Hospital in Bernards Township, Somerset County, New Jersey, in the district I serve. But care through the VA should not be limited to VA facilities. The extension of the Choice Program should be a down payment on other reforms. We should be expanding choice and eliminating geographic limitations, and I hope to work with Chairman Roe and his committee to do so. Too many of our Nation's heroes have lost confidence in a desperately broken bureaucracy, and we have begun to reform that in 2014, and we continue today. Legislation like this bill is another step in restoring that trust and faith. The brave men and women who have stepped forward to serve our Nation deserve our continued dedication to fixing the VA and ensuring they receive the services they have earned in our defense.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support S.J. Res. 34, which seeks to halt agency overreach of the Federal Communications Commission concerning the way broadband internet service providers handle their customers' personal information. The FCC's broadband privacy rule, a midnight regulation adopted by executive order in the waning days of the Obama administration, unnecessarily targets internet service providers and does very little to protect consumer privacy. The rule adds costly and unnecessary innovation-stifling regulations to the internet and is another example of the Federal Government's picking winners and losers. When passed, the FCC claimed that the rule would provide broadband customers meaningful choice, greater transparency, and strong security protections for their personal information collected by internet service providers. In reality, the FCC's rules arbitrarily treat ISPs differently from the rest of the internet, creating a false sense of privacy. Consumer data privacy is of significant concern to every American. The proper parties should address the issue. In this area, the Federal Trade Commission has historically held authority on the establishment and enforcement of general online privacy rules. Repealing the FCC's privacy action is a critical step toward restoring a single, uniform set of privacy rules for the internet. This legislation puts all segments of the internet on equal footing and provides American consumers with a consistent set of privacy rules to permit the FCC and the FTC to continue to work to ensure consumer privacy through enforcement. The FTC, the premier agency in this regard, has the experience to protect the privacy of the American people regarding the internet--at least 20 years of experience. Bifurcation between the FTC and the FCC is not productive. A good question to ask the FTC: Why did it wait until the last minute of the Obama administration to promulgate its regulation? Mr. Speaker, I believe it is important that we pass S.J. Res. 34, and I rise to ask all of my colleagues to support it.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, this week we recognize the work of the tireless advocates fighting rare diseases. I have the honor of serving as the Republican chair of the House of Representatives Rare Disease Caucus. I consider it one of the greatest responsibilities of my service to work for innovative treatment and new technologies and to build an atmosphere of appreciation and understanding in Congress for the hard work of all of the patient advocates. Their passion is often driven by the care of loved ones, and their personal stories are profiles in courage. Hearing from thousands of advocates, many of whom are here in Washington this week, gives the members of the caucus renewed energy and purpose. Events held during Rare Disease Week here on Capitol Hill and at the NIH in Bethesda highlight what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done. One of those champions joined us in the House Chamber just last evening. I was very proud that President Trump invited New Jersey resident Megan Crowley to his joint session address. Megan's story of combating a terrible rare disease is a testament to the American spirit. Megan is now a student at Notre Dame. I salute her, her parents, and her family for their courage. Passage of the 21st Century Cures Act was a major accomplishment in the last Congress--indeed, in my opinion, it was the most important piece of legislation passed during the 114th Congress. We worked in a bicameral, bipartisan way. We worked with the White House and with the Department of Health and Human Services. It passed overwhelmingly in the House and in the Senate, and now it is the law of the land. I am encouraged that the Trump administration will carefully implement its provisions to our healthcare system, improving the healthcare system and to help spur the next great medical innovations. Congress will join and help direct that effort and proceed through the appropriations process to match progress and research funds. Right now it takes 15 years for a new drug to move from the lab to the local pharmacy. The CURES Act modernizes clinical trials to expedite the development of new drugs and devices, removes regulatory uncertainty in the development of new medical apps, and breaks down barriers to facilitate increased research collaboration. Patients with degenerative conditions, cancers, and rare diseases await the genius of these new solutions. We need to do everything we can to help find these cures. I have met with many rare disease patients, advocates, and their loved ones. Their work is inspiring, and it gives our caucus a mission and a purpose. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join the Rare Disease Caucus and help us in this great cause. In this, the week that we recognize the work of the tireless advocates across the Nation, I salute all of them for what they are doing for the American Nation.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and honor a student from my district who has achieved national recognition for exemplary volunteer service in her community. Nastassja Kuznetsova, of Basking Ridge, has just been named one of the top honorees in New Jersey by the 2017 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program, an annual honor conferred on the most impressive student volunteers in each state. Ms. Kuznetsova is being recognized for organizing a 5k run that has raised more than $12,000 for lung cancer research since 2014. Nastassja started the Legwork for Lungs 5k run to help support a family friend who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. In addition to her philanthropy initiative, Nastassja also started the Legwork for Lungs club at her high school, created an exhibit at the Liberty Science Center and launched a social media campaign to raise awareness of the disease. It's vital that we encourage and support the kind of selfless contribution this young citizen has made. People of all ages need to think more about how we, as individual citizens, can work together at the local level to ensure the health and vitality of our towns and neighborhoods. Young volunteers like Nastassja are inspiring examples to all of us, and are among our brightest hopes for a better tomorrow. The program that brought this young role model to our attention, The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards, was created by Prudential Financial in partnership with the National Association of Secondary School Principals in 1995 to impress upon all youth volunteers that their contributions are critically important and highly valued, and to inspire other young people to follow their example. Over the past 22 years, the program has become the nation's largest youth recognition effort based solely on community service, and has honored more than 115,000 young volunteers at the local, state and national level. Ms. Kuznetsova should be extremely proud to have been singled out from the thousands of dedicated volunteers who participated in this year's program. I heartily applaud Ms. Kuznetsova for her initiative in joining the fight against cancer. She has demonstrated a level of commitment and accomplishment that is truly extraordinary in today's world, and deserves our sincere admiration and respect. Her actions show that young Americans can and do play important roles in our communities, and that America's community spirit continues to hold tremendous promise for the future.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. 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 materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 460, the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act, a bill that earned unanimous support in the last Congress. Consumers expect to be able to pick up the telephone and be connected with businesses, friends, and loved ones across the country. In today's connected world, that should not be a tall request. Unfortunately, for many constituents across the country, particularly in rural areas, call quality and reliability are just not up to par compared to their urban counterparts. This is due, partly, because of the call routing process where long distance and wireless providers use so-called least cost routers. These inexpensive third-party intermediate providers try to complete calls for the lowest possible price, without taking measures to ensure the call actually goes through. I am sure that most of us have experienced the annoyance of at least one failed or dropped call. You make a call to someone and it rings over and over again but no one, not even the voicemail, picks up. Or, maybe you place a call, only to hear a prerecorded message telling you that the number you dialed is not in service, even though you know you have the right number. Even in cases where you are able to connect, the sound might be distorted or delayed. For many constituents, this is more than just an annoyance. These missed connections have significant consequences. Folks rely on the networks for more than just staying in touch with loved ones. Our constituents count on reliable networks to run their businesses and receive messages from our community institutions. A failed call can mean a lost sale for a small rural business. Another failed call might mean that a message from your child's school or your medical provider goes undelivered. These are real and harmful impacts. This bill will address this situation through commonsense improvements. For the most part, consumers are unaware of these intermediate providers, which has allowed them to be held unaccountable. H.R. 460 takes measured steps to bring these intermediate providers out from the shadows and into the light so that we can hold them accountable to the consuming public. First, the bill requires intermediate providers to register with the FCC, and it prohibits carriers from using any nonregistered provider. The bill also requires the FCC to establish a database and publish the list of registered providers on its Web site. Finally, the bill requires the FCC to establish quality standards for these intermediate providers, which will raise the bar for all of the providers who provide call routing services. These straightforward measures are another step in our effort, on a bipartisan basis, to mitigate call completion and quality issues for the consuming public. This bill will build upon the work the FCC has done in recent years. Our constituents in rural areas face significant challenges compared to their urban counterparts, but subpar call quality should not be one of them. By raising the bar, which this bill does, we will hold the bad actors to higher standards and allow consumers to benefit from the improved integrity of our networks. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 460) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of voice communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such communications.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim the balance of my time.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Young), the distinguished sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. 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 materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. At our subcommittee hearing last April, we heard the very moving testimony of Mr. Hank Hunt. Hank told us the story of how his daughter Kari was brutally murdered in a Texas motel bathroom in December 2013. As emotional as his story was, Hank continued with the gut wrenching details of how Kari's daughter frantically tried and failed to reach first responders. The little girl had done as she was always taught, dial 911 for help. Tragically, as it turns out, that was her mistake. Due to the configuration of the phone installed in the motel room, she needed to dial 9 before dialing an outside number. Time after time she tried, but the call never went through. The first responders who could have attempted to save Kari's life were not reached in time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this commonsense bill that has the ability to save lives. Unfortunately, it cost the life of Kari Hunt before the call for action was recognized. Multiline telephone systems, like the one in that Texas motel room, are everywhere. Many businesses, including hotels, offices, and schools, use MLTS at their facilities across the country. They serve a very practical purpose and make connecting to other onsite users much easier. Unfortunately, many of these phones do not preset with the ability directly to dial 911. It may be routine for someone who works in an office to know to dial 9 before dialing out, but would the instinct seem so natural during an emergency? Incidentally, I have telephones in offices here and in several district locations in New Jersey, and in some of those offices you dial 9 and in some you don't. Moreover, our children should not have to be taught that sometimes they need to dial an extra number. 911 should mean 911. Those three numbers are one of the earliest things many parents teach their children. Kari's Law would require multiline telephone systems to be configured with the ability directly to dial 911 without any additional prefix. The law would also require that multiline phone systems be configured to notify a central location within the system's facility when someone initiates a call to 911. This provision will help ensure first responders have the information needed to better locate and assist the caller. There are some businesses, including a number of hotel chains, who have shown initiative and applied these changes in their facilities already. I commend them, but there is more work to be done. These simple fixes should be adopted and implemented nationwide. When dialing to reach emergency responders, it needs to go through, period. I thank Hank Hunt, Kari's father, who has been a tireless advocate for this legislation. He has brought this important issue to our attention. Kari's Law passed without objection twice last Congress, and I urge all of my colleagues to support Representative Gohmert's bill once again. Representative Gohmert has certainly taken the lead on this across the United States. He is an angel of mercy in this regard. I hope this legislation becomes law this year and will be signed into law by our new President because I think it is critical for the safety of the American people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. H.R. 582 Kari's Law Act of 2017

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 582) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require multi- line telephone systems to have a configuration that permits users to directly initiate a call to 9-1-1 without dialing any additional digit, code, prefix, or post-fix, and for other purposes.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 599) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to consolidate the reporting obligations of the Federal Communications Commission in order to improve congressional oversight and reduce reporting burdens.

Mr. LANCE. 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 materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the distinguished majority whip of the House.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important step toward modernizing the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has served Americans since 1934, and over the past more than 80 years, this agency has been responsible for overseeing the evolving telecommunications sector, with collecting information and analyzing the state of competition, and the impact of these changes on consumers. As society has moved from one technology to the next, the FCC has been asked to keep up with the changing technologies, and Congress has directed the Commission with reviewing data and reporting on everything from the telegraph, as Mr. Scalise has indicated, and the AM radio to online video distributions like Hulu and Netflix. This bill will eliminate reports that are no longer necessary and waste time and resources on issues that are no longer critical to consumers. The bill also recognizes that technology continues to progress and consumers are no longer served by separate voice, data, or video networks. Rather, providers are leveraging the same IP network to provide multiple services over the same network. Providers that were solely video providers now offer voice and data. Companies that thought of themselves as telephone providers are also offering video and broadband services. The game has changed, and we believe that the FCC should change its reporting to reflect the new reality. This bill consolidates multiple annual or biennial reports that require the agency to evaluate competition in different sectors. We will no longer require a separate mobile wireless or a separate video competition report. Rather, the bill requires the Commission to evaluate the state of competition across multiple tech industries in a single biennial report on competition in the communications marketplace. Our policymakers should be looking at the world as it is, not the world that once existed. I thank the majority whip for his leadership in sponsoring this bill. He has always shown a keen interest in modernizing the communications marketplace, and I welcome his continued engagement over the 115th Congress, where he serves with such distinction as our whip. I also thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Eshoo), the former ranking member, for her work in ensuring that this bill is bipartisan in nature and is successful. I certainly thank Mr. Doyle for his leadership as well. I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill. I look forward to more bipartisan work on this and other issues in this Congress. I am hopeful that this bill will reach our new President's desk as soon as possible. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, H.R. 423, the Anti-Spoofing Act. I am a proud sponsor of this with Congresswoman Meng and Congressman Barton, and I commend them for their leadership on this issue. Caller ID spoofing occurs when a scammer calls and attempts to disguise his or her identity by manipulating the recipient caller's caller ID display. The scammer may be posing as an IRS agent, a police officer, or a representative from another governmental agency. After tricking people in picking up the line, the criminal then attempts to entice the other person to giving up personal information. To date, hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, have been defrauded, including veterans, immigrants, and senior citizens. In Somerset County, New Jersey, a county which I represent here in the House, scammers cloned the telephone number of the county sheriff's office and impersonated the sheriff's staff in an effort to steal residents' personal information. This problem has gotten out of control. Millions of Americans continue to get ripped off by con artists and scammers who perpetuate this despicable crime. Since Congress passed the Truth in Caller ID Act in 2009, new technologies have enabled these criminals to scam consumers with increased ease and efficiency. This legislation is one step forward to ensure that governmental policies keep up with these criminals. This disgraceful practice must end, and this consumer protection legislation goes a long way toward accomplishing that critical goal. The bill has been passed through the House twice before, as Congresswoman Meng has just said. And after collaboration with our colleagues in the Senate, we now have secured enough support to see that this commonsense consumer protection legislation will advance. I hope it advances in the 115th Congress as quickly as possible and I hope it reaches our new President's desk as quickly as possible.

Mr. LANCE

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 555) to direct the Federal Communications Commission to amend its rules so as to prohibit the application to amateur stations of certain private land use restrictions, and for other purposes.

Mr. LANCE. 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 materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is a fun hobby for enthusiasts who use it to communicate with people around the world while teaching themselves the basics of communications technology. But more importantly, amateur radio operators utilize their skills to provide essential communication services to first responders when the conventional networks go down in times of emergency. In order to be eligible to operate an amateur radio station, individuals must obtain a license from the FCC and comply with the FCC's rules. One such requirement is that individuals must own and install the equipment needed to operate a station. This includes a transceiver, transmission lines, and an antenna. Currently, there are more than 730,000 amateur radio operators licensed in the United States, including a number of active clubs in New Jersey, the State I represent in the House. Because communications equipment provides a societal benefit and is a critical part of our Nation's infrastructure, the FCC prohibits land use restrictions imposed by governments or homeowners' associations on certain communications equipment. However, these protections do not extend to amateur radio equipment. Roughly 90 percent of new housing in the United States is subject to deed restrictions, homeowners' associations, and other land use limitations. This is increasingly making the installation of amateur radio equipment more challenging. Amateur radio operators have a history and tradition of being ready, willing, and able to lend their services during times of emergencies at no cost to taxpayers. Due to the nature and structure of amateur radio, hams are able to link communications between first responders using their own networks and equipment. The only necessity for amateur radio stations, however, is some form of outdoor antenna. For this group of unsung heroes with a long tradition of public service when it is needed most, Congress should help deter barriers to their operation. H.R. 555 would extend the FCC protections over limitations on communications equipment to include amateur radio equipment. Now, while I have described the critical role that amateur radio plays during times of disaster, I also understand the concerns shared by homeowners' associations that this bill will expose their neighborhoods to big towers and antennas. This bill recognizes that there needs to be a balance between the right of homeowners and their associations with the rights of amateur radio operators. That is why Mr. Kinzinger's bill passed without objection twice last Congress and enjoys the support of both the amateur radio community and the Community Associations Institute. I congratulate our distinguished colleague from Illinois on working with both sides on this critical issue. Mr. Speaker, there was much discussion and hard work that went into this bill in order to strike the right balance between the rights of the amateur radio community and the concerns of homeowners' associations. Both sides were willing to compromise, and we are considering a good bill today because of that compromise. I hope all of our colleagues will support this bipartisan piece of legislation that I believe is critical to the safety of the American Nation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger), who is the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Newhouse).

Mr. LANCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.