Max Miller

Mr. MILLER of Ohio

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 676) to amend the Federal Ocean Acidification Research And Monitoring Act of 2009 to require the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to collaborate with State and local governments and Indian Tribes on vulnerability assessments related to ocean acidification, research planning, and similar activities, and for other purposes.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 676, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 676, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act. This bill contains simple and straightforward tweaks to an important program and existing working group. It ensures the participation of Indian Tribes and affected communities in ocean and coastal acidification activities. Over a decade ago, the Federal Ocean Acidification Research and Monitoring Act of 2009 directed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, to increase their focus on ocean and coastal acidification--the process in which the chemistry of oceans is altered and made more acidic after absorbing carbon dioxide. To do this, NOAA established an interagency working group with State and local governments, industry, academia, and other representatives. They also stood up a research program and published a strategic plan for coordinated Federal activities on acidification. Yet, while not excluded from these activities, there was no direct mention of the inclusion of Indian Tribes and communities affected by ocean and coastal acidification. This bill remedies that oversight by including specific language to coordinate vulnerability assessments and research planning with State, local, and Tribal Governments. This bill also ensures that two representatives from Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Tribal consortia affected by ocean acidification are on the Ocean Acidification Advisory Board with the other members of industry, academia, and subject matter experts. When it comes to acidification, it is a common misconception that only communities touching the ocean see the effects. In fact, the most recent ocean acidification research plan found that the Great Lakes are projected to become more acidic at a rate similar to that of the oceans. This finding raises concerns for me because part of my district in Ohio sits on the southern shore of Lake Erie and benefits from the $7 billion annual economic value that the Great Lakes provide. Luckily, NOAA recognizes the tremendous asset that the region offers and has a dedicated laboratory, the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, to conduct scientific research on the Great Lakes and their coastal ecosystems. Madam Speaker, that is why I support the all-hands-on-deck approach this bill ensures. Smaller or overlooked communities like Indian Tribes have direct knowledge of the effects of acidification, both on the coast and inland, and can be an important resource. It only makes sense that they have a seat at the table to provide input on research, assessments, and mitigation that will benefit all of us. I thank the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Waltz) for introducing this bill, and their many cosponsors for supporting it. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close once the gentlewoman from Michigan does, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I want to reiterate my support for this bill, H.R. 676. Despite the title, the Coastal Communities Ocean Acidification Act has the potential to benefit more than just coastal communities and oceans. The Great Lakes basin is home to approximately 43 million people, 8 percent of the United States population, and supports $62 billion in wages. This region and my constituents in Ohio are a small piece of the $1 billion United States shellfish industry and the hundreds of thousands of jobs that are affected by ocean and coastal acidification. Increasing the involvement of Indian Tribes with ongoing NOAA ocean acidification work will protect this critical economic pillar and lead to solutions that the entire country can benefit from. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1715) to direct the Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to conduct collaborative research in order to advance numerical weather and climate prediction in the United States, and for other purposes.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1715, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1715, the Advanced Weather Model Computing Development Act. This legislation authorizes the collaborative research partnership between the United States Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to improve weather modeling and prediction on high-performance computers. Americans rely on accurate weather forecasting before, during, and after extreme weather events. Recent severe outbreaks across the country have further highlighted the increased need for more accurate and effective prediction of extreme weather in every region of the country. This type of weather prediction relies on the analysis of increasingly large and complex datasets through high-performance computing resources. DOE is home to some of the most advanced supercomputers, including the first exascale computer, and the most advanced scientific computer capabilities in the world. This legislation will enable large leaps in knowledge and operational tools by leveraging DOE's high-performance computing capabilities to analyze NOAA's complex and large weather datasets. By working together, DOE and NOAA can combine their respective expertise to solve some of today's most challenging problems in environmental science. By authorizing this partnership, we can ensure these agencies can continue their essential interagency research for years to come. We can also save taxpayer money by sharing mutually beneficial resources instead of building out duplicative capabilities at different agencies. This legislation would codify that partnership and provide new paths forward for this important work and new mechanisms for collaboration. In this way, we can increase government efficiency by working across the larger Federal landscape, a good government measure that will not only result in the protection of lives and property but also efficiently utilize existing Federal research dollars. It is smart, bipartisan policy, and I thank Ranking Member Ross for working with me on this legislation. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close once the gentlewoman from California closes, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I feel the same way and echo the sentiment, and I thank the gentlewoman for her comments. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, H.R. 1715 is a good government bill that leverages existing Federal research dollars to advance weather and climate science that will protect American lives and property. It is bipartisan, commonsense legislation, which is why it recently passed unanimously through the committee. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill once again, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1734) to require coordinated National Institute of Standards and Technology science and research activities regarding illicit drugs containing xylazine, novel synthetic opioids, and other substances of concern, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1734, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1734, the TRANQ Research Act, led by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) and the gentlewoman from Colorado (Ms. Caraveo). Unfortunately, we are all too familiar with the destruction opioids like fentanyl are causing our communities. Now these drugs are being mixed with animal tranquilizers to create deadly new combinations. Drugs like tranq are presenting new challenges for law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and first responders. Without a better understanding of this drug, we cannot slow its spread, combat its effects, or ensure safe handling. The National Institute of Standards and Technology, known as NIST, has already done extraordinary work on fentanyl detection, and this bill allows them to apply their resources and expertise to analyzing these new variants. With NIST's help, we will improve our ability to detect and identify these drugs and improve the tools available to keep first responders and law enforcement safe when dealing with them. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) to speak on his bill.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I am ready to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, as we have heard today, this zombie drug has gruesome side effects and is leading to an alarming rate of overdose deaths. Overdose deaths involving tranq have increased in all regions of the United States, according to the DEA. From 2020 to 2021, these deaths surged 100 percent in the Northeast, more than 500 percent in the Midwest, and 750 percent in the West, as well as skyrocketing by more than 1,100 percent in the South. Our first responders need every tool they can get to identify and to fight this growing epidemic of synthetic drugs. H.R. 1734 will authorize NIST to give them those tools by expanding real-time analysis capabilities to frontline workers like law enforcement and EMTs. This legislation was favorably reported out of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee by a vote of 36-0. It is bipartisan and addresses a critical issue every district in the Nation is facing. I thank Representatives Collins and Caraveo for their leadership on this bill. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize World War II veteran Robert Rothenberg, an American hero from Ohio. Robert was a landing ship motor machinist's mate 2nd class on the USS La Moure County (LST-883). Robert sailed the Western Pacific, from the Marshalls and the Marianas to battle-torn Okinawa. After discharging the men and equipment on Okinawa, Robert traveled with the 6th Marine Division to Pearl Harbor. After Japan surrendered, his ship delivered occupying troops to that country. Despite his service in the war, Robert was never presented with any of the service medals and decorations he earned for his courage and sacrifice to our Nation. I am so pleased that we recently were able to finally present him with the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic- Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal. I thank Robert for his service. Let us never forget the service and sacrifice of America's Greatest Generation.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted Yea on Roll Call No. 183 and Yea on Roll Call No. 184.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Mr. Chair, Ohio families are paying too much for gasoline. They are paying too much for heat. They are paying too much at the grocery store, partly due to rising production costs on farms. A recent survey by ABC and The Washington Post found that roughly 40 percent of Americans are financially worse off today than they were just 2 years ago. They are begging for relief from soaring prices, and Republicans are answering their calls for help. That is why I am proud to support H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act. No more relying on dictators for oil. We are going to solve this problem the American way, with American workers, American ingenuity, and American energy. H.R. 1 does this by fixing the broken permit process so that energy producers can do their jobs faster and cheaper. We are going to unleash American energy, which will lower costs and get our economy moving in the right direction. I urge my colleagues to think of the millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet. Show them you care and vote for H.R. 1.

Mr. MILLER of Ohio

Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, had I been present, I would have voted YEA on roll call No. 162.