Jay Obernolte

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Sandra Irby as she retires from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA's Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex after 24 years of service supporting the United States space program. She began her career working with the Marine Corps in Barstow, California during Operation Desert Storm and is a valuable member of our community. Sandi began her career at NASA Goldstone working in logistics as a warehouse worker. Her hard work and commitment led to expanded responsibilities as she was promoted to Property Administrator. In this role she was responsible for asset tracking, property movement, government reporting, and inventory of NASA property. Sandi assisted with the development of advanced hierarchical systems for determining locations and specifying the condition of assets. This information was critical in ensuring the continued operation of telecommunications equipment across the Goldstone complex. Sandi's 24 years of service have been an important contribution to the success of JPL NASA's Deep Space Network. Goldstone has played a critical role in NASA's robotic and human-crewed spaceflight mission, landing, and planetary encounters. We honor Sandi for her commitment and contributions towards our mission to expand humankind's understanding of the solar system and beyond.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

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

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, I have a further amendment at the desk.

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, the FAA is responsible for administrating and certifying pilots in the United States. The certification of these pilots takes place in the form of written tests administered at a test center, but also in the form of practical tests that are usually administered in an aircraft or in a simulator. These practical tests are conducted by either FAA examiners or, more usually, designated pilot examiners. This is a system that has worked well for decades, but a recent problem has arisen where pilots who are applying for certification, who need practical tests are encountering large and unacceptable delays in the scheduling of those tests. In fact, some of the pilots that I have spoken to in the preparation of this amendment had to wait over 12 months for the scheduling of a practical test. I think we can all agree that that is unacceptable. It is not fair to the airmen, it is not fair to the FAA, it is not fair to the pilot community, and it is detrimental to the advancement of the aviation industry. This amendment is a very simple fix to that problem: It would direct the FAA to implement an accountability program to ensure that no applicant has to wait more than 2 weeks for the administration of a practical test. I think this is a commonsense solution. It works for the FAA and for the applicants, and I would urge its adoption. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, I would strongly object to the characterization of this amendment as burdensome. If you want an example of burdensome, think about a student pilot who has applied to get their pilot's license. Mr. Chair, I have been a certified flight instructor for almost 30 years. This is a situation that I have experienced. When you are a student pilot, you don't know exactly when you are going to reach the level of proficiency required by the Federal aviation regulations, so you train and you train and you train and you sweat and you work, and finally your instructor says you are ready to take the test. Now, imagine a student in that position applying for a test and being told it is going to be months before they can be examined. Mr. Chair, I can tell you from personal experience that flight proficiency is a perishable commodity. You cannot go several months without flying, hop into a cockpit, and expect to be at the same level of proficiency that you were. We are adding burdensome regulation on our student pilots when we expect them to maintain their proficiency for however long it takes the FAA to schedule that exam. To be clear, this amendment does not direct the FAA to make its inspectors available; it directs the FAA to make the resources available to implement an accountability program to make sure we have a sufficient number of pilot examiners to make this situation better. Two weeks is an industry standard consensus. The FAA has agreed that that is a reasonable period of time. This just makes sense. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chair, to be clear: This is not a scheduling problem on the part of the applicant. The applicant doesn't know exactly when they are going to be ready. The applicant doesn't know when the weather is going to cooperate. Particularly for the base level of pilots' licenses, you need good weather to be able to take the test. This is just talking about the amount of time after an applicant says I am ready before which a designated pilot examiner can administer that exam. I think we can all agree that that should not be a year. This is a commonsense amendment that would solve that problem, and I urge its adoption. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, aviation fuel is one of the few fuels remaining that still contains lead. It has been universally acknowledged that lead is not good for our environment. It is not good for our children. It is not good for human ingestion. It causes serious health problems. The industry has conducted a decades-long study and process to try to develop an alternative fuel that takes the lead out of aviation fuel. However, this has become a very, very troublesome and difficult task because the only suitable solutions would have to be suitable for all types of aviation engines and some aircraft feature engines that are higher horsepower and higher compression that depend on the presence of lead to be able to operate safely. Finally, we are approaching a consensus standard on an unleaded replacement for aviation gas; however, there is a problem that has arisen. Airports accept grant funds from the Airport Improvement Program, and in return, they give the FAA grant assurances that they will keep their airports open. In 2018, when FAA was reauthorized, it was agreed by this body that an airport should not be able to withdraw the sale of fuel completely and that that would be a violation of its FAA AIP grant assurances. I think that that is still true, and I hope we all still feel that way. However, most airports only have a single infrastructure for the delivery of avgas. If an airport seeks to switch from this current standard, which is 100 low lead to an unleaded replacement, a question has arisen as to whether or not that would be a violation of its grant assurances. This amendment clarifies that situation and states that when an industry standard consensus fuel emerges that it is not a violation of grant assurance for an airport to switch from leaded aviation fuel to unleaded aviation fuel. I think that this protects the interests of our airports, of our pilot community, and also protects our environment at the same time. Mr. Chair, I urge its adoption, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, I hope there has been no confusion here. We are all on the same team. We want to get the lead out of aviation fuel. This amendment allows us to do that. The current situation is that when an industry standard consensus fuel emerges that airports will not be able to switch over to it because if you only have a single infrastructure, a single fuel truck, or a single fuel tank, the current grant assurances require you to continue offering the leaded fuel. Airports will be faced with an impossible choice: The choice between maintaining a leaded fuel, even though an unleaded replacement is available, or buying an entirely different infrastructure for the delivery of the unleaded fuel. I think we can all agree that makes no sense. This is just a commonsense solution to that problem. We have worked with committee staff on this. We have worked with industry on this. I think this is something that everyone should be able to get behind. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, to be clear, we are trying to give airports the option of a transition to an unleaded aviation fuel when that option becomes available to them. Some language is needed to do this because airports are confused about whether or not doing this is a violation of their FAA grant assurances. This amendment clarifies that it is not. An amendment, to be clear, is needed to clarify this situation. Mr. Chair, I respectfully urge adoption of my amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Javier M. Sanchez as he completes his term as the 130th President of the San Bernardino County Medical Society. He began this leadership position representing over 1,700 physicians on June 22, 2022. Dr. Sanchez is a family medicine physician partner of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group practicing at their Redlands medical offices. He received his medical degree from the University of lowa Roy J. & Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine in 1996 and completed his residency in family medicine. Dr. Sanchez has been focused on addressing disparities in medicine and helped develop the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Language Concordance Program which helps match those with limited English proficiency with physicians who are fluent in their first language. He has been a Clinical Professor of family Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine and is currently an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of California Riverside School of Medicine. I commend Dr. Sanchez for his service as President of the San Bernardino County Medical Society and remain thankful for the work of all of our medical professionals in California's 23rd District and across the country.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Madam Speaker, this week, the House will be debating a critically important piece of legislation, the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. The bill that we are considering this week provides a much-needed 5.2 percent increase in compensation to our servicemen and -women. This is of critical importance because we are one of the few countries in the world that believes in an all-volunteer military force, and the only way that we are able to attract the best and the brightest into our military is if we pay competitive wages. This bill will enact the largest increase to servicemember compensation in over 20 years. That is a very meaningful gesture in improving the retention and recruitment of quality men and women into our military. Madam Speaker, I also thank the House Armed Services Committee for including my amendment to perform studies to direct more resources to remote and isolated military bases like the five that exist in my district. Civilian contractor services are critical for providing the services that make life bearable on bases like the ones that I represent. This study will be a meaningful improvement in the quality of lives of the servicemen and -women who serve in my district. I also urge adoption of an amendment that I have offered to increase permitting flexibility for the Marine Corps' Twentynine Palms Air Ground Combat Center for the permitting of a joint exercise that allows the annual King of the Hammers event to take place in my district. This is one of the largest off-road racing events in the world. It is beloved by residents of my district and Marines alike. It brings over 80,000 people annually to the Johnson Valley in my district. It is a major economic driver. We want to continue to see this event take place in the future as a joint exercise between the King of the Hammers event and the Marine Corps. This amendment will make that possible, and I urge its adoption. Finally, Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the entire NDAA this year. This will make some meaningful improvements in the quality of life for our military men and women. It allocates an additional $15 million to the U.S. Northern Command to improve drug interdiction like the scourge of fentanyl that has been affecting my district. Madam Speaker, this is a good thing for our national security and for the men and women in uniform who serve our country. I urge its adoption in Congress this week.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Jason Clarke, the outgoing Garrison Commander at Fort Irwin National Training Center in California's 23rd Congressional District. Colonel Clarke has served our country since he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1998. He started his military career as a platoon leader in the 95th Military Police Battalion before transitioning to Special Forces. Colonel Clarke has served in many military roles and deployed for operations in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. During his tenure, Colonel Clarke successfully led Fort Irwin NTC through challenging times following the COVID-19 pandemic. Long-term solutions implemented under his command led to an improvement in quality of life for those stationed at this remote and isolated base. Under his leadership, numerous projects were completed at Fort Irwin such as: renovated community spaces, multiple new vendor services, and an energy resilience project. We are thankful for Colonel Clarke's service in California's 23rd District and across the world. I wish Colonel Clarke, his wife Dejeun, and their 4 daughters continued success as he becomes 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade Commander at Fort Liberty.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, this week, our House Armed Services Committee is continuing the critical process of crafting the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024. This important piece of legislation will give our servicemen and servicewomen the resources they need to protect our national security. That is particularly important to my district. I represent five major military installations: the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake, Edwards Air Force Base, the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, the Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin, and the Marine Corps Logistics Base at Barstow. These five bases are unique because they are classified by the Department of Defense as remote or isolated. Service for our servicemen and servicewomen in uniform is particularly difficult at remote or isolated bases because they are located so far away from urban centers of population. That is why we rely on an army of civilian contractors to provide the services that we need to house our men and women in uniform at these bases. These civilian contractors provide services such as teaching their children, preparing their food, cleaning their barracks, and providing them with the medical care that they need. Unfortunately, reports by the Department of Defense indicate that all 43 of the remote or isolated bases in the United States suffer from severe shortages of the civilian contractors needed to provide these services. That is why, in committee today, I offered an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that requires the Comptroller General to conduct a study quantifying the scope of this problem and to make recommendations to the Department of Defense as to how to better incentivize civilian contractors to serve our military men and women at these remote bases. I am delighted that my amendment was unanimously adopted in committee today, and I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the House floor and my colleagues in the Senate to ensure that it is included in the NDAA this year. I thank all of our colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee for their hard work on this issue and for their work protecting our men and women in uniform.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Nils Bentsen, as he retires from his position as City Manager of Hesperia after seven and a half years of service. Nils is the first Hesperia City Manager who is a native of Hesperia themselves and is a valuable member of California's 23rd district. Nils attended and graduated from Hesperia Christian School and is a proud alumni of Victor Valley College. He was appointed as City Manager in 2015. Prior to his appointment by the City Council, he served as a Captain with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, with a career spanning over 27 years. Nils is also a veteran of the United States Navy, where he served his country for 5 years. Nils life-long commitment to public safety has been driven by his passion for public service. He has been a city manager that leads by example and is committed to working with the community for the betterment of Hesperia and its residents. I wish Nils, his wife Paulette, and his 4 children all the best as he enters this next stage of life in the Mohave River Valley.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 2 p.m. tomorrow.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Madam Speaker, I rise to thank this body for passing my bill, the Streamlining Aviation for Eligible Veterans Act, or SAFE Veterans Act, as part of the VET-TEC reauthorization bill that the House passed this week. This bill will make a meaningful contribution to allowing more of our veterans to receive vocational flight training and enter our Nation's workforce as pilots following their service in our military. Madam Speaker, in 1980, over two-thirds of our Nation's pilots were veterans. Today, that number is less than 30 percent. This bill will not only ameliorate that situation but also help us honor the commitment that we have made to those who served in our Armed Forces. Madam Speaker, I urge its passage in the Senate and its transmittal to the President, and I thank this body for supporting it.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Total Control Training, as they are the first motorcycle safety curriculum to be approved by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training. For nearly 2 decades, Total Control Training has operated out of California's 23rd District to provide our state with comprehensive motorcycle training. Their work has led to an unprecedented reduction in the state's motorcycle fatality rate, which has consistently decreased since the organization's new curriculum was implemented in 2014. As the vendor and program manager for the California Motorcyclist Training Program, Total Control Training has rewritten the book on the culture of safety at the state level. Total Control is the single largest provider of advanced motorcycle training in North America, and their mentorship training is widely used by military, state, civilian, and government programs. The fantastic services they provide to our community have led to formal recognition from the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Trainings. I hope that Total Control Training will continue to provide safety training to our state's many motorcyclists and be an industry leader not only in our High Desert community, but in communities across the state.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life of retired Sergeant Doreen Gale Pavey of the United States Marine Corps. Doreen was born on August 10, 1929, in Johnson City, New York to Ina and Frank Newton. She passed away on March 8, 2023, at the age of 93. Doreen grew up in the Johnson City area and attended Alfred University. Following her graduation, Doreen joined the United States Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict working for the Commandant of the Marine Corps with distinction for several years. Doreen retired from the service as a sergeant to travel the country with her husband John. Doreen was a devoted wife and mother to three children. She raised her children using the core qualities she embraced as a sergeant in the Marine Corps: family, country, faith, and service. In fact, her daughter, Rebekah, currently serves as a Hesperia City Councilmember. Doreen cherished her family above all else, and her unwavering love and support were a constant source of strength and guidance to those around her. Doreen is survived by her husband, John, her 3 children, and her 3 grandchildren. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her. My thoughts and prayers are with her family as they navigate this difficult loss.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Chair, the problem of increasing energy costs is a critically important issue for my constituents. Many of the members of my community are paying natural gas prices over twice as high as they were a year ago, and they count themselves lucky, because some of the people in my district have natural gas bills three times higher to heat their homes than they were a year ago. Also, gasoline prices in my district are almost twice as high as they were just a few years ago. Mr. Chair, I represent over 100,000 people who commute over an hour, each way, back and forth to Los Angeles every day. They are not doing this because they want to. They are doing this because that is what is required to put food on the table for their families. They can't afford to buy a new car, much less an electric car. Every time the price of energy goes up, these people feel the effects the most acutely. This is not unique to my district. In fact, a survey released several weeks ago showed that over 30 percent of Americans had to make the incredibly difficult decision between paying a higher energy bill or buying basic necessities for their family in the last 12 months. This bill is a meaningful step toward improving that situation. It would streamline the production of energy here in America. Mr. Chair, the problem we have here is a classic one of supply and demand. Unfortunately, at both the Federal and State levels, we have actively sought to constrain the supply of domestic energy here in America over the last several years. Economists will tell you that when you do that, when you have a fixed demand and you constrain the supply, prices have to go up. That is exactly what has been happening, and it is disproportionately impacting the segment of our population who can least afford to pay it. Mr. Chair, we produce energy more cleanly in America than anywhere else on the planet. When we force our constituents to import a barrel of oil from Venezuela, it has a 50 percent higher life cycle greenhouse gas emission than a barrel of oil produced here. This bill will meaningfully improve that situation. Mr. Chair, I urge support of H.R. 1.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, in times of national crisis, our Constitution and our Federal laws empower our President to temporarily seize extraordinary power. This is necessary to allow him the authority to alter Federal law to meet the urgent needs of the emergency. In this case, that declaration of emergency to meet the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic occurred almost 3 years ago. Mr. Speaker, also incumbent in that authority is the expectation that the executive branch will return that authority to the people when it is no longer needed. That is certainly the case today. Congress has met hundreds and hundreds of times since the executive branch first declared the state of emergency. Congress has had abundant opportunity to pass Federal legislation codifying or rejecting the President's recommendations. Unfortunately, the Biden administration has recently renewed the state of emergency for a twelfth time. This is not what the Founding Fathers intended. Mr. Speaker, the Founding Fathers intended the legislative branch of government, the people's elected Representatives, to be the ones that set laws for the United States of America, and it is past time that that authority be returned to the people. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bill.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 342, the Cost- Sharing Accountability Act. Mr. Speaker, research and development grants in the field of energy administered by the Department of Energy play a critical role in innovation and energy research in the United States. The administration and awarding of those grants is governed by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Among other things, that act requires the DOE to impose a cost share on the recipients of those grants. That cost share can be as low as 20 percent in the case of research and development grants, or as high as 50 percent in the case of commercialization and demonstration grants. The purpose of this cost share is simple. It is to ensure that the grant recipients also have some skin in the game when it comes to ensuring the success of the grants and the projects that they are bidding on and demonstrating. Several months ago, the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held an oversight hearing in which we investigated the occasions on which the Department of Energy had waived those cost-sharing requirements on grants that it had awarded. The DOE has the statutory ability to waive those cost shares under the appropriate circumstances. We wanted to make sure that that authority was being exercised judiciously. Although we found that the DOE was appropriately waiving those cost shares under those circumstances, we were very surprised by the lack of transparency in that process and equally surprised by the difficulty with which the subcommittee had in acquiring the information about how often the DOE was waiving those cost shares. Mr. Speaker, this bill, H.R. 342, is a very simple solution to that problem. It will require the DOE to make quarterly reports to the committees of jurisdiction in both the House and the Senate on the occasions and the circumstances under which it waives cost-share requirements for the grants that it awards. This will enhance Congress' ability to exercise oversight over the DOE. Equally importantly, it will impose greater transparency into this process for the parties that apply for these grants, and it will demonstrate the circumstances under which the DOE would consider waiving those cost-share requirements. Mr. Speaker, this is basic good governance. It is an oversight bill. I hope it is something that we all on both sides of the aisle can support. I thank my cosponsor, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster), for his leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 342.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, my constituents already pay amongst the highest prices for energy in the entire country and yet, this winter, their suffering is particularly acute because some of them are being forced to pay over twice as much to heat their homes as they were just a year ago. One of the primary drivers of this spike in energy prices is the policies of our own Federal Government which actively restrict the production of energy in America. Any economist will tell you that when that supply is constrained, prices go up and, Mr. Chairman, that is exactly what is occurring this winter. This bill, H.R. 21, will make a meaningful contribution to fixing that problem by requiring the Federal Government to permit new energy exploration at least sufficient to replace the petroleum that is being released from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Mr. Chairman, it is unconscionable to force my constituents to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table for their families, and this is exactly what has been happening for the thousands of people that I represent. This bill is a meaningful step toward solving that problem and will improve the lives of people across our country, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 6611 would allow the Government of France to establish a bench near the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., as a commemorative work honoring the life and the legacy of Jean Monnet. Jean Monnet was a French diplomat who advocated for European unity and peace following both World War I and World War II. After World War II, Jean Monnet proposed the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community to pool coal and steel production to increase living standards across Europe and make war materially impossible. The actions of Jean Monnet are poignant and valuable lessons today as Europe and the rest of the world seek to counter the unhinged and unwarranted aggression of Vladimir Putin against the sovereign nation of Ukraine. In the future, it is my hope that we can work together to unleash American energy production to support not only the needs of Americans but also the needs of our allies abroad. Ensuring the United States' and our allies' energy independence will be vital for national security and peace across Europe. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 314. This bill would repeal the Klamath Judgment Fund Act and direct the Secretary of the Interior to disburse to the Klamath Tribes the balance of any funds that were set aside for legal fees, administration, and per capita trust accounts. The legislation will bring to a close the final distribution of judgments the Klamath Tribes received through the Indian Claims Commission for a wide variety of historical claims. These judgment funds were distributed primarily to individual Tribe members and their heirs because, at the time, Congress had rescinded Federal recognition of the Klamath Tribes before the judgments were finalized. The Klamath Tribes regained Federal recognition in 1986. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill affects approximately $600,000 remaining in the Klamath Judgment Fund for approximately 200 Tribal members or their next of kin that the Department of the Interior says it cannot locate. The Klamath Tribes has requested that these remaining funds be transferred to the Tribe so that they may distribute the remaining funds to the Tribal elders still living, who were parties to the judgments. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OBERNOLTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.