Tom Malinowski

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced a fully bipartisan healthcare bill, the Know the Price Act. It says something very simple that I am confident we will agree on: Americans should know how much our healthcare is going to cost before we receive it. Many Americans aren't aware that, when we go to a healthcare provider, there is often a gag clause, a gag clause in the contracts between providers and insurers that blocks us from seeing the cost and quality of the care we are about to receive. My bill eliminates these gag clauses so that we have the power and the freedom to make informed decisions about our healthcare. The bill would also allow employers to access deidentified claims data, consistent with the Privacy Act, so that they have the information they need to choose the healthcare plans that are actually best for their employees. Mr. Speaker, this is commonsense legislation that will offer families and businesses in New Jersey and all across our country more choice in their healthcare at lower prices.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4044) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to reauthorize the National Estuary Program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 4044, as amended.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to lead this bipartisan reauthorization of the National Estuary Program, a successful nonregulatory program to improve the water quality and ecological integrity of our Nation's estuaries, a program with a long history of support on both sides of the aisle. Estuaries are extraordinarily productive ecosystems where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean. In my district in my home State of New Jersey, the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program encompasses some 250 square miles of open water, including parts of the Raritan, Rahway, Elizabeth, and Hackensack Rivers. My bill, the Protect and Restore America's Estuaries Act, makes several important improvements to this program. First, it nearly doubles funding for the program's 28 estuaries of national significance, including the New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program. It ensures that management plans governing nationally significant estuaries consider the effects of recurring extreme weather events and that they develop and implement appropriate adaptation strategies. It expands eligibility for grants under the program to organizations working to address stormwater runoff, coastal resiliency, and accelerated land loss issues. It requires the NEP management, the regional conferences that are part of the NEP, to develop and implement strategies to increase local awareness about the ecological health and water quality of estuaries. It is hard to overstate just how important estuaries are to the broader marine ecology. They are sometimes referred to as the nurseries of the sea because of the vast and diverse array of marine animals that spend the early parts of their lives in them, with their calm waters providing a safe habitat for smaller birds and other animals, as well as for spawning and nesting. Further, estuaries act as stopover sites for migratory animals including ducks, geese, and salmon. They filter out pollutants from rivers and streams before they flow into the ocean, and they protect inland areas from flooding, with their broad and shallow waters able to absorb sudden storm surges. They are the natural infrastructure that protects human communities from flooding. And of course, they also help the economies of every community that relies on fishing and tourism and recreation. So it is my privilege to play a role in protecting and strengthening these critical ecosystems and in preserving the natural beauty of my State of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Graves for teaming up with me on this bill. Congressman Graves is a longtime champion for the estuarine system in his district, and I am glad to partner with him. I want to thank Congresswoman Napolitano for her leadership of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee. I want to thank Congresswoman Fletcher for her support as an original cosponsor, and Congressman Larsen for making the bill even stronger, as well as more than two dozen of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans alike, who have cosponsored this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Larsen).

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Napolitano.)

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 4044 from the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program, Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, San Francisco Estuary Partnership, Puget Sound Partnership, Santa Monica Bay National Estuary Program, and Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership. New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program, New York, NY, February 4, 2020. Hon. Peter A. DeFazio, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Don Young, Ranking Member, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Grace F. Napolitano, Chairman, Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Bruce Westerman, Ranking Member, Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Chairmen DeFazio and Napolitano, Ranking Members Young and Westerman: Thank you for your leadership in support of the cooperative conservation and management of our nation's vital estuaries, and in particular for the unanimous approval in your committee for HR 4044, a bill to reauthorize the National Estuary Program. This legislation invests directly in the stewardship of our nation's coasts. It empowers local communities in a non- regulatory, collaborative and science based strategy to safeguard the places where we live, work and recreate. The 28 National Estuary Programs (NEP) located around the nation's coastline engage industries, businesses, and other community members to develop solutions for tough problems. The NEP's public-private partnerships stretch federal dollars to provide successful on-the-ground results driven by diverse stakeholders. NEP partners include wastewater utilities; port authorities, shippers, and related maritime industry; local restaurants & tourist businesses; design, engineering and construction professionals; state and local governments; colleges and universities, and community and environmental organizations. NEPs around the country are extremely efficient at leveraging funds to increase their ability to restore and protect their coastal ecosystems. The NEPs have obtained over $19 for every $1 provided, generating over $4 billion for on- the-ground efforts since 2003. HR 4044 would amplify and improve on the reforms signed into law in the 114th Congress that created a competitive program to address urgent challenges while streamlining the administrative costs of the program. Progress on the Ground NEPs have collectively restored and protected more than 2,000,000 acres of vital habitats since 2000 alone. Consistent Congressional funding of the National Estuary Programs is essential--resulting in clean water, healthy estuaries, and strong coastal communities. This investment in our national estuaries will help strengthen America's economy and support thousands of jobs, and will secure the future of our coastal communities. Here in New York and New Jersey, we can report on how funds already invested in this program are being put to extremely good purpose in protecting and restoring estuaries and coastal communities: Working with communities in the Bronx, Harlem, Passaic, and Hackensack River watersheds to track down sources of floatable trash before they enter the water; Helping local governments in New Jersey and New York identify and right-size culverts and bridges to improve habitat and reduce street flooding; Working with wastewater utilities in Elizabeth and Ridgefield Park to prioritize and make critical investments in outfalls needed to address rising sea levels; Restoring shoreline ecology and improving fisheries in the Hudson and East River by creating oyster reefs and other restoration efforts The value of our oceans, estuaries and coasts to our nation is immense, and has never been more important. Over half the US population lives in coastal watershed counties, many of these in estuaries of national significance. Roughly half the nation's gross domestic product is generated in those counties and adjacent ocean waters. According to NOAA's 2019 report on the ocean economy, ocean industries contributed $320 billion to U.S. economy, while employment in the ocean economy increased by 14.5 percent by 2016, compared to 4.8 percent in the U.S. economy as a whole. Thank you again for your efforts to advance this visionary legislation and look forward to working with you to reauthorize this successful program. Sincerely, Robert Pirani, Director, NYNJHEP.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, on December 10, armed extremists, targeting Jewish Americans and law enforcement, gunned down four people in Jersey City, including Jersey City Police Detective Joseph Seals. Today, I am joined by his daughter, Hailey, as my State of the Union guest. I want to thank her for her commitment to her father's legacy and for joining us in honoring him. Detective Seals was a veteran of the Jersey City police force and was a leading officer in the effort to get guns off the street. He was a good man and a good father. He worked every day trying to make New Jersey safer for all of us and I am glad we have a chance to recognize him. But I also believe that we owe his family more than just recognition, more than just remembrance. We owe them a dedicated effort to confront domestic extremism as seriously as we have rightly confronted international terrorism, with more resources for law enforcement, stronger gun laws, greater scrutiny of social media companies that monetize hatred online, and zero tolerance for politicians who exploit that hatred for political ends.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, last week in my New Jersey district I hosted a briefing with over 80 faith leaders: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh. We didn't discuss how to build a better world. We just talked about how to protect their houses of worship from violence. Whether a synagogue in Pittsburgh, a mosque in New Zealand, a shopping mall in Texas, or a Jewish deli in New Jersey, people are being targeted for who they are, for what they believe. Last year, Congress did something to help. We restored funding to the Department of Homeland Security to prevent domestic extremism-- including violent acts of anti-Semitism--which the Trump administration cut in 2017. This has allowed DHS to substantially increase the number of staff working with State and local governments to stop these attacks. This year, there is more to be done, from stepping up investigations and prosecutions of domestic terrorists, to designating transnational neo-Nazi groups as terrorist organizations, to confronting social media companies over algorithms that amplify hate. Let's make this a priority in 2020 until no one need be afraid anymore.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be modified in the form I have placed at the desk.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 535, the PFAS Action Act, and my amendment to the bill, which gives manufacturers an opportunity to be transparent with consumers and make clear that their products are indeed free of PFAS. PFAS chemicals are found in coatings that line products like nonstick pots and pans, waterproof clothing, and grease-resistant and fast-food containers, items that we use every day and rarely think about. We are now well aware of the devastating harm that these chemicals can cause, like growth and learning delays in infants and children, an increased risk of birth defects, weakened immune systems, decreased fertility, and an increased risk of cancer. Each year, billions of pounds of these products are dumped into landfills or burned in incinerators, releasing PFAS pollutants into the air, water, and soil, contaminating the food we eat and the water we drink. In my district in New Jersey, there are over 133 contaminated sites, more than 30 of which are schools. Right now, consumers have no way of knowing for sure whether products like the water-resistant spray that we put on our shoes and jackets or the stain-resistant sprays we put on our furniture, rugs, and carpets are or are not contaminated with PFAS coatings that can harm our health. My amendment would alleviate this problem. It will add stain-, water- , and grease-resistant coatings to the list of products eligible for a voluntary label indicating the absence of PFAS, which will allow consumers to make safer and more informed decisions about the products that we purchase. We must start holding polluting companies accountable for the chemicals that they are putting into the products that we bring to our homes and give to our children, but we should also be giving companies that do the right thing and that protect consumers a way to be recognized and a way to be rewarded for responsible behavior. Mr. Chairman, I look forward to voting for this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Once again, this is simply about greater transparency. It is about giving consumers choice. It is about American companies that have done the right thing that are facing competition often from abroad, often from companies that have not done the right thing, giving them a chance to put a credible label on their products that says: This is safe. This is PFAS-free. Mr. Chairman, this is a commonsense amendment. I hope that everybody accepts it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, we may be relieved that an impulsive act by President Trump has not immediately led to war with Iran, we may be relieved that an evil man is dead, but as that evil man wished, our troops have now been asked to leave Iraq, and if they stay, their ability to work with Iraqis to fight ISIS has been shot. As he wished, the protest movement in Iran and Iraq that threatened the Iranian regime has been silenced. As he wished, Iran is now breaking free of all restrictions on its nuclear program. We are not safer today. In this moment of danger, there is just one question that this resolution asks. It is not do you support what the President has already done, but should Congress play our constitutional role in deciding what happens next. I support this resolution because passing it will protect us against going to war with a tweet, but it also ensures that, if we do go to war, which we may have to at some point, we will do so with the American people united, not divided, as the Framers intended, as our national interest demands.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this motion.

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, let's talk about who actually takes the SALT deduction. In my district in New Jersey, they are not rich. They are teachers. They are firefighters. They are small business owners. They are young families who want to buy a home, seniors who want to stay in theirs. And then in 2017, House Republicans targeted them because they happen to live in States where we choose to pay for good schools and services. And why? Not to pay for schools, not to pay for our military, not to pay for our healthcare, but because they needed to find someone in America to pay for cutting our effective corporate tax rate in half. When middle-class families in my district saw their taxes rise, their home values fall, just one company, Berkshire Hathaway--one company-- got a $29 billion windfall. Did corporations give that money to their employees? No. According to CRS, the average American worker got an added bonus of $28. Did they invest in new jobs and output? No. The economy actually grew more slowly in the six quarters after the bill was passed than in the six quarters before it. So where did the money go? I will tell you where most of it went. The tax cut helped corporations buy back over $1 trillion of their own shares on Wall Street, which gave us a temporary sugar high on Wall Street. We may as well have burned that money on The National Mall. For this--for this--the Republican tax bill took from middle-class families money they needed to buy their first home, to send their kids to college, to stay in their home when they retire. For this, because capping SALT wasn't nearly enough to pay for that bill, the bill blew a $2 trillion hole in the national debt--just as everyone on our side predicted because we used something called math. Madam Speaker, let's restore the SALT deduction. Vote for this bill. I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Porter).

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson).

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

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, in America, when we call the fire department or enroll our children in school, we do not expect a government official to say to us: ``I need you to do us a favor, though.'' Why would we tolerate a President using his awesome power to make foreign policy, when the safety of our country is at stake, not for the people, but for himself? I will vote to impeach today because President Trump did just that when he shook down a foreign country to criminally investigate his political rival. If we fail to say that this was wrong, then any President will be free to ask a foreign power--be it Russia, China, or Iran--to help him hurt his political enemies at home, and every foreign tyrant and kleptocrat will know that America's foreign policy can be bought by doing our President a political favor. If you believe that our highest duty is to protect America, then search your conscience and ask: Do you want our future Presidents to behave as this one has done? Do not whisper in the shadows of the Capitol that you disapprove and then defend that conduct here today. Do your duty. Keep your oath. Defend your country, as will I.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ridge High School's incredible work on raising over 50 pounds of food for the Food Bank Network of Somerset County, NJ--part of the Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat program. Despite being discontinued in 2018 by the Educational Theatre Association, the students and adults of the New Jersey Thespians State board continued to believe that they must remain committed to fight hunger. Thus, New Jersey Trick or Treat so Kids Can Eat was born. New Jersey Thespians is nationally recognized as a Gold Honor Chapter of the Educational Theatre Association and recognized as the state's premier arts honor society. On top of that, New Jersey has one of the fastest growing Junior Thespian chapters in the country, continuing to only double in size every year. I am proud to represent the remarkable students at Ridge High School who are not only Thespians, but are also staunch advocates for fighting hunger in our local New Jersey communities.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, on June 13, a gunman from another State sat in the parking lot of Tamaques Elementary School in my district, armed with a loaded .45-caliber handgun, hollow-point bullets, and 130 rounds of ammunition. Because of the quick work of the Westfield Police Department of New Jersey, the gunman was disarmed and taken into custody. Officers Jeffrey Johnson, Michael Pollock, Joseph Habeiche, Elizabeth Savnik, and Tiffany Kenny, along with Detectives Nicholas Bruno and Jason Merritt, prevented what could have been a devastating tragedy. I am eternally grateful for their brave and swift actions, and I am proud to recognize them this month as they are honored with the New Jersey PBA's Unit Citation Award for their heroism. Mr. Speaker, police officers are the good guys with a gun in America. They are the good guys with a gun. How many times do we have to experience these tragedies and close calls before Congress finally acts to protect them and us by keeping dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands? The House has passed sensible gun safety legislation that will save lives. It is time for the Senate to act.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hunterdon Helpline's 50th Anniversary, a valuable and important organization serving Hunterdon County, Somerset County and beyond. Hunterdon Helpline offers a wide array of services, including Literacy Services for adult learners, Workconnectivity to connect employees to employers, senior and disability programs for socialization and well-being, the Community Translation Center to assist those whose first language is other than English, 24-Hour Homeless Response in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties; compassionate listening; suicide prevention; and First Assist, a comprehensive information and referral service offered 24-7, 365 days of the year. Special commendations are extended to a host of volunteers who continue to give generously of their time, energy and resources to Hunterdon Helpline through their invaluable efforts as members of the Board of Trustees, fundraisers, senior callers and visitors, literacy instructors, office assistance, and as outreach speakers and presenters. I am proud of the tireless work Hunterdon Helpline does for the people of New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

Mr. MALINOWSKI

Mr. MALINOWSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the amendment.