Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, I don't think I can stress enough the importance of this bill as Mr. Torres has related. These fires and these problems are getting worse all the time, so we have to set a standard. I urge my colleagues on a bipartisan, unanimous basis to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 4814, the Consumer Safety Technology Act. Our consumer protection agencies play a critical role in ensuring unsafe products do not enter the U.S. market. Advancements in technology, especially as it relates to artificial intelligence, have the potential to help alleviate the stress some of these agencies may face in being underfunded and understaffed. H.R. 4814 would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to stay up to date on new and emerging technologies by integrating them into their daily agency functions. It also requires the Federal Trade Commission to study blockchain technologies and tokens. Both the CPSC and the FTC do important work to protect all Americans from dangerous products. While this bill will help assist them in those efforts, it is no replacement for properly funding these agencies. Mr. Speaker, I commend the main sponsor of this bill, Representative Soto, a member of our committee, for his leadership on this issue, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto), the sponsor of this bill.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bill on both sides. It is obviously an important consumer safety bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5390, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act. Our Nation's manufacturing base was once the envy of the world, but unfortunately, it has faced steady headwinds for the last several decades. The United States' share of global manufacturing activity has declined from 28 percent in 2002 to less than 16 percent in 2021. Investments in America's small and medium manufacturers, the bedrock of our industrial might, has also declined over the last 20 years by more than $200 billion. This has also resulted in our domestic manufacturing base shedding more than 4 million jobs. Fortunately, the work we did last Congress in passing the bipartisan infrastructure law, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Chips and Science Act are already helping to turn the tide. Our Nation added nearly 800,000 manufacturing jobs during President Biden's first 20 months in office. Total construction spending on manufacturing in this time has skyrocketed to nearly $200 billion per month, more than doubling prepandemic levels. H.R. 5390, the Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act, will further support America's manufacturing renaissance by commissioning the Department of Commerce to study the costs, benefits, and feasibility of manufacturing products within critical infrastructure sectors in the United States. I thank Representatives Miller-Meeks, Spanberger, Kuster, and Bucshon for their bipartisan work and leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask that we support this important legislation on both sides of the aisle, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 6571, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act. The COVID-19 public health crisis exposed serious vulnerabilities in our critical manufacturing supply chains, vulnerabilities that harmed our efforts to combat COVID-19 and its economic fallout. Ask any doctor, nurse, or essential worker who needed personal protective equipment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ask any assembly line worker, manufacturer, or startup that did not have enough semiconductors essential to produce critical products and consumer electronics. Ask the everyday consumer who could not find basic household essentials like toilet paper and cleaning supplies as demand surged and supply chains ground to a halt. Fortunately, the supply chain crisis is over, but serious vulnerabilities remain. The Biden administration's 100-day supply chain review found that manufacturing supply chains instrumental to our national security and economic welfare remain vulnerable to disruption, strain, compromise, and elimination. These vulnerabilities are industrywide and affect every American. The Department of Defense warns that the decline in domestic manufacturing capability could result in a growing and permanent security deficit that presents challenges to our military and technological supremacy. Last Congress, congressional Democrats took bold action to strengthen our manufacturing base, bolster supply chains, create good-paying jobs for American workers, unleash innovation, and lower costs for consumers. Representatives Blunt Rochester, Dingell, Kelly, and Wild spearheaded bipartisan supply chain legislation that passed the House in 2022. Over 160 stakeholders--ranging from manufacturers, innovators, workers, consumer groups, and local governments--endorsed their supply chain legislation. While I was disappointed that supply chain package did not become law, I am pleased the House is poised to pass legislation that grew out of that work. H.R. 6571, the Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act, improves supply chain resilience and strengthens our Nation's economic vitality and national security in three key ways. First, the bill creates a program at the Department of Commerce to map and monitor supply chains, identify supply chain gaps and vulnerabilities, and identify opportunities to address supply chain risks. Second, it equips the private sector with voluntary standards and guidelines needed to proactively identify and mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities before government intervention is even necessary. Third, the bill assigns the Assistant Secretary of Industry and Analysis with the responsibility to lead a governmentwide effort to strengthen supply chains. This will reduce bureaucratic impediments and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Federal response to a supply chain crisis. Mr. Speaker, we have to heed the lessons learned from the supply chain crisis during the pandemic and ensure that the Federal Government is equipped with the tools and authorities needed to address vulnerabilities before they become full-blown crises. That is what this legislation tries to do. It is a great start. Mr. Speaker, I commend Representatives Blunt Rochester, Dingell, Kelly, Wild, and Bucshon for their leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers and am prepared to close. Let me just say, Mr. Speaker, that this act to promote resilience in the supply chain is obviously very important in what we learned, the lessons we learned from the COVID pandemic. I would urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6572, the Deploying American Blockchains Act. For decades, our Nation's technological leadership has helped build the largest, most dynamic economy in the world, but we must continue working to ensure we outcompete the rest of the world because our economic rivals are trying to close the gap. Last Congress, House Democrats championed historic legislation, the Chips and Science Act, that President Biden signed into law. This bill makes transformational investments in research and development, science and technology, and the workforce of the future. It will help us maintain our Nation's leadership in the industries of tomorrow, including nanotechnology, clean energy, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence. The Chips and Science Act is already making a huge difference, but we must build on its success. H.R. 6572, the Deploying American Blockchains Act, commissions the Department of Commerce to support the leadership in the United States with respect to blockchain technology, which may have useful applications for supply chain monitoring, data security, and financial transactions. I commend Representatives Blunt Rochester, Dingell, and Bucshon for their leadership on this issue, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I will close by saying that, again, this is important in terms of our competitiveness globally. I ask all our colleagues to vote in favor of this bill on a bipartisan basis, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 6132, the Awning Safety Act. In 2019, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of 270,000 motorized awnings that had caused six injuries and, tragically, one death. These products are a known hazard to the public, and while I commend the CPSC for taking action in 2019, we must do more to ensure motorized awning products, regardless of brand or manufacturer, are safe. The Awning Safety Act before us today would require the CPSC to create a mandatory safety standard for fixed and freestanding retractable awnings. Currently, there is no standard, voluntary or mandatory, for these awnings, and injuries continue to mount. Just last year, Dr. Michael Hnat, the father of a former Republican committee staffer, tragically died as a result of an incident involving a retractable awning. We must act to ensure that other American families do not suffer a similar tragedy because of problems with retractable awnings. I commend Representative Castor, the Democratic lead on this bill, and Congressman Balderson for their bipartisan work and leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6132, the Awning Safety Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), the Democratic sponsor of this bill and the ranking member of our Energy and Commerce's Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill. Obviously, we have to prevent more tragedies like what occurred. I ask unanimous support for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3950, the TICKET Act. I want to start by applauding Chair Bilirakis and Ranking Member Schakowsky of the Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee for all of their hard work in producing a bipartisan ticketing bill with strong protections for consumers. Mr. Speaker, I also commend my friend and colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) for his tireless efforts and leadership to improve the ticketing experience for consumers. This is something that has been very important in our State of New Jersey. For years, Representative Pascrell has fought to ensure that those who want to enjoy their favorite sports team or see their favorite artists can do so without breaking the bank. Representative Pascrell has been a staunch advocate to ensure fairness and transparency in the ticketing marketplace, and I am proud to have partnered with him in his efforts. Those efforts are directly reflected in the bipartisan bill we have before us today. H.R. 3950, the TICKET Act, incorporates many of the proposals that Representative Pascrell and I have called for over the last several years. This bill mandates all-in pricing disclosure, bans speculative ticketing, requires refunds for cancellations or postponements, and prohibits deceptively named ticketing websites. That means consumers won't be hit with additional fees when they go to checkout. They will also know that the ticket they are purchasing is from a reputable website and in the seller's actual possession. I am pleased we were able to come to a strong bipartisan consensus so that we can help consumers who just want to go to see their favorite artists perform. While I believe there is still more that can be done to address anticonsumer practices in the ticketing space, this bill goes a long way in improving the ticket buying and event experience for all fans. Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I will close by just saying this is a piece of legislation that many of us have been working on for some time, so we are pleased to see that it is finally seeing the light of day. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 6192, legislation that actually should be titled the Republicans raising energy bills on American families act, because that is exactly what this bill does. This bill is just the latest in the Republicans' polluters over people agenda that will drive up annual energy costs on hardworking American families. Now, this bill is a blatant attempt by House Republicans to derail the successful and effective energy conservation program. Energy efficiency standards save Americans money on their energy bills, boost innovation by modernizing appliances for the future, and reduce greenhouse gas pollution in our ongoing efforts to combat the climate crisis. American families, Mr. Chair, are already saving up to $500 a year on utility bills thanks to the energy efficiency standards that are already in place. The Biden administration has been busy with additional actions that will collectively save Americans $1 trillion over the next 30 years. Setting energy efficiency standards is something that the Department of Energy is required by Congress to do. The Biden administration has been busy acting because the previous Trump administration refused to do its job and neglected to finalize 25 appliance efficiency standards. H.R. 6192 takes an axe to energy conservation standards. It slows down the standard setting process. It allows future administrations to revoke existing standards and bans States from setting their own conservation standards. If this bill were to become law, manufacturers will be faced with market uncertainty and a regulatory about-face every time the government changes hands. That is problematic for future innovation, particularly considering that many of the efficiency standards finalized by the Department of Energy were reached through consensus recommendations made by appliance manufacturers and efficiency advocates. The Department of Energy has a robust process for setting efficiency standards, and this process works. All standards must be economically justified and technologically feasible. Let me be clear--because we are likely to hear a lot of fear- mongering and misinformation today from my Republican colleagues-- energy efficiency standards are not bans and they do not impact existing appliances in Americans' homes. This legislation is nothing more than an attempt to scare consumers so Republicans can protect their polluter friends. Now, instead of legislating on important, pressing issues, Republicans today are pushing a bill that will increase energy prices for American families. This Republican Congress is the least productive of any Congress since the Great Depression. This bill is only being brought to the floor because Republicans can't assemble the votes to actually accomplish anything for the American people. They talk about freedom for appliances but refuse to consider any legislation that would give women freedom over their reproductive health. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this legislation because it will raise energy costs on American families, stifle American innovation, and exacerbate the climate crisis. It is time that Republicans stop wasting our time on partisan messaging bills that have no chance of becoming law. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), the ranking member of our Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), the chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), our Democratic leader.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan).