Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5160, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act. This bill reauthorizes the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory, two programs that serve as national registries to connect patients with lifesaving care. Each year, thousands of Americans are diagnosed with conditions that could require stem cell transplants, such as leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, and other immune system disorders. Some patients have a fully matched relative who can serve as a donor, but most patients require a search for an unrelated donor. This transplantation program helps identify, match, and facilitate the distribution of stem cells and cord blood from unrelated donors. The National Cord Blood Inventory program maintains a robust inventory of high-quality cord blood units that can be used for research or transplantation. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased we are considering this bill to extend these programs. I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5160, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, again, I would urge my colleagues to support this bill on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4348, the Kay Hagan Tick Act, sponsored by my colleagues Chris Smith of New Jersey and Lloyd Doggett of Texas. I understand that Mr. Kean from New Jersey is also a sponsor. This bill reauthorizes the national strategy and regional centers of excellence in vector-borne diseases. Tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease, have rapidly increased over the last decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly a half million people may, in fact, be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease every year in the United States. That is a dramatic increase from 30,000 annual cases just two decades ago. H.R. 4348 would expand research, improve testing, and coordinate vector-borne disease efforts across the Federal Government. The bill would also reauthorize funding for Regional Centers of Excellence for surveillance, prevention, and response to vector-borne diseases and reauthorize grants to State health departments to support vector-borne disease infrastructure. Tick and vector-borne disease have rapidly increased, Mr. Speaker, particularly in the northeastern part of our country. I encourage all of my colleagues to honor the legacy of Senator Kay Hagan, who died of complications from a tick-borne disease, by voting ``yes'' on H.R. 4348. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2821, the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, led by Representative Barragan and Representative Carter of Georgia. The FDA Modernization Act 3.0 would require the Food and Drug Administration to update regulations to replace references to animal tests, data, studies, models, and research in specified sections of Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations with references to nonclinical tests. This would bring FDA's regulations in line with a law passed in 2022 that allowed for alternatives to animal testing in drug development, including those that leverage recent scientific advancements, such as computer modeling and cell-based assays. I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2821, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), a member of our committee, my colleague, and the Democratic sponsor of this bill.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2715, the Destruction of Hazardous Imports Act, led by Representatives Carter and Higgins of Louisiana. This bill would provide the Food and Drug Administration with the authority to require importers to destroy products that pose a significant public health concern, preventing them from being shipped to another port of entry. These products have, in fact, included food contaminated with salmonella, listeria, and carcinogenic unapproved animal drugs, as well as misbranded medical devices. It also includes illegal e-cigarette products that are flooding the market from places like China. These are dangerous products, Mr. Speaker. Providing the FDA with the authority to compel destruction and requiring the importer to pay for such destruction will provide a strong disincentive to those seeking to prioritize profits over product safety. We need to make sure Americans are not unwittingly exposed to harmful products, and this authority is going to prevent that. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2715, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak on H.R. 1703, the Choices for Increased Mobility Act. Mr. Speaker, this bill will clarify Medicare payment rules for ultra lightweight manual wheelchairs and allow Medicare beneficiaries to upgrade to wheelchairs with titanium or carbon fiber materials at their own cost. The bill would give beneficiaries the choice to select a wide range of wheelchairs. Under the bill, seniors would have the choice to acquire a wheelchair with titanium or carbon fiber materials through the Medicare program with additional out-of-pocket costs. I am glad that the bill would require suppliers to notify beneficiaries of the additional financial liability. Mr. Speaker, while I support this bill, I am concerned that the bill only helps higher income seniors who can afford to pay out of pocket for these additional upgrades beyond what is covered under the Medicare program. The universality of the Medicare program and the fact that all beneficiaries have access to the same benefits is an important principle in my opinion. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to really stress, again, why I think that the status quo is bad. I mean, obviously, some people here--I think a majority--would like to see a permanent daylight savings time and some who I think are in the minority would like to see a permanent standard time. However, the bottom line is we just can't continue the status quo, Mr. Speaker, because the science and research really is clear. It shows that springing forward and falling back twice a year is harmful to our health. It makes Americans less safe, and it is very unpopular. Studies have shown increases, as I mentioned before, in heart attacks and strokes, mood and sleep disturbances, and hospital admissions in the days after a time change. Studies have also shown that increases in stroke rates with the time change are even higher for some of our most vulnerable populations, and that includes seniors, for example. The bottom line is, Americans' safety is put at greater risk in the days after a time change, and disrupting our sleep has been shown to lead to higher rates of fatal motor vehicle crashes, crimes like robbery and workplace injuries. Whether or not you agree what should be permanent, the bottom line is that sticking to the status quo and continuing to change our clocks is really the worst option. I am going to stand with the 56 percent of Americans in a recent poll who prefer a shift to permanent daylight savings time to give families more sunlight in the evening hours. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I just want to address the issue that was mentioned that in 1974 Congress voted to move to permanent daylight savings time and then reversed that decision. I think that 50 years later, things are different. First of all, in the 1970s, when that was the case, things have changed in the sense that schools have pushed start times later in many districts, including in my district and dramatically fewer kids walk to school. Also, remote and hybrid work has had significant impact on Americans' commuting patterns. Things are not the same today as they were in the 1970s in terms of what people did and how they worked and how they went to school. Passing this bill now also in the peak summer months gives everyone-- and that is schools, workplaces, transit systems--time to plan for this change well in advance of the darkest winter months, and I think that is important also. I am also confident that we are setting ourselves up to succeed this time around so Americans can reap the benefits of eliminating the time change. Again, it is the time change that really is the problem. Most of us, whether you are for permanent daylight savings time or permanent standard time, don't want to see the switching back and forth. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and, again, I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), another member of our committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto), a member of our committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Sunshine Protection Act. This act addresses an issue on which many Americans actually agree, and that is stopping the biannual process of changing our clocks. Only 12 percent of Americans prefer to switch their clocks twice a year. Far more Americans recognize that the practice is inconvenient and, frankly, disruptive. Stopping the twice-yearly time change benefits the health and well- being of all Americans. The time change inevitably disrupts sleep patterns and is especially disruptive to the sleep of young children and pets. Time change also is associated with an increase in the rate of heart attacks and strokes in the days immediately following the change. Disturbingly, studies have shown that the increase in stroke rates after the time change is even higher for some of our most vulnerable populations. For example, cancer patients' stroke rates increase by 25 percent, and people over the age of 65 are 20 percent more likely to have a stroke in the days following the time change. The Sunshine Protection Act would implement permanent daylight saving time and stop the twice-a-year change that disrupts our sleep and our health. Taking this action will increase the sunshine hours in the evening, allowing many Americans to leave work for more sunlight in the winter months, not darkness. The increased evening sunlight will also provide a needed boost to our tourism industry. Extra sunlight means more time at the beach, more time eating out at restaurants, and more time doing outdoor leisure activities. In my district along the Jersey Shore, tourists can enjoy beautiful coastal areas with serene beaches, embark on fishing ventures along the Atlantic Coast, enjoy a nice outdoor concert from iconic musicians in places like Asbury Park, and so much more. Last year alone, New Jersey welcomed more than 120 million visitors to our State, and they contributed more than $50 billion to our State's economy. Our tourism industry needs the boost today more than ever. The Trump administration's policies, including high visa fees and the detention and harassment of legal tourists, have discouraged travelers from visiting our country because they simply do not feel welcome. Meanwhile, Americans are facing an affordability crisis, forcing families to make difficult tradeoffs, including forgoing summer travel. For communities like mine that rely on tourism for our local economies, an extra hour of daylight can make all the difference. Extra daylight also helps to deter crime. Researchers at the Brookings Institution found that criminal incidents decreased during an hour of sunlight added to the evening following the springtime change. Making that extra sunlight permanent will help keep our communities safer. All of these benefits clearly explain why 19 States have already voted to adopt permanent daylight saving time if Federal law changed because, right now, it doesn't allow them to do that. These States recognize the benefits, and it is time that Congress allows them to reap those benefits. For States that have already chosen to follow permanent standard time due to the unique needs of their climate or location--and that includes Arizona and Hawaii--under this bill, they can continue to do so. Other States are allowed under the legislation to adopt permanent standard time prior to the bill's enactment. Ultimately, the benefits of stopping the biannual changing of the clocks are numerous and clear. Moving to permanent daylight saving time will bring much-needed evening sunlight to communities across the United States. It is time we finally end the process of springing forward and falling back. I urge my colleagues to support the Sunshine Protection Act, and I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say briefly that I think this is an important bill, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 7257, the SECURE Grid Act, is a bipartisan bill that renews and enhances a State's ability to consider cyber and physical security protections to their energy systems, and it promotes collaboration between partners as they develop State energy security plans. These State plans are a part of DOE's State Energy Program, which provides financial and technical assistance to help States with energy planning. It was reauthorized and updated in the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021. As part of that reauthorization, plans must include energy emergency planning to secure the United States against physical and cyber threats. The State energy security plans are an important tool that ensures States are prepared for the worst. The planning process brings together stakeholders and enables a level of coordination across Federal and State actors. This bill helps enhance the parts of those plans that guard against physical and cyber threats by ensuring that they encompass more of our energy system, local power lines, as well as facilities critical to ensuring the supply chain of energy infrastructure-related components. Finally, the bill also bolsters a State's ability to obtain assistance from the Department of Energy, something I hope they will take advantage of as they regularly update their energy security plans. This bill also ensures that the Government Accountability Office will review how DOE and the States execute these programs, to ensure that Congress has the best information possible the next time the provision needs to be renewed. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want everyone to understand that this KIDS Act mandates safeguards, parental tools, and policies to keep kids safe across the internet, from social media to video games to chatbots. Secondly, the bill adds data minimization language, and this is so important. It minimizes the amount of data that can be collected. This is to prevent excessive data collection for kids and teens, provides rights to delete access and correct data to teens and parents of children, and bans targeted advertising to kids and teens. This bill reflects months of bipartisan negotiation between myself and Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Guthrie, Mr. Bilirakis, and Ms. Castor to arrive at a package of bills that will provide meaningful baseline protections for kids online without stopping further progress in the States. We do not preempt the States from taking further action. Mr. Speaker, I strongly believe this bill provides a path to passage here in the House and also in the Senate. I ask Members on a bipartisan basis to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), another member of our committee who also happens to be the ranking member of our Energy Subcommittee and has been very much involved with this issue and the KIDS Act from the very beginning.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Schrier), who is another member of our committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Mrs. Trahan), a member of our committee.