Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Matsui), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett).

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers at this time. We may have one more, but not at this time. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, but I think Republicans may have additional speakers.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Since I heard every Republican who spoke say that they support the bill, I was certainly reluctant to suggest that we would have any kind of significant debate about the bill. I generally feel that if I have both sides of the aisle saying it is a good bill, I should leave well enough alone. But I do want to say this in response to some of the comments that were made by the Republican Members. We were reluctant in the committee to move to have permanent authorization of the telehealth flexibility expansion for several reasons. First of all, it is expensive. In other words, the Congressional Budget Office scored this bill. As I said, the bill for the 2 years is paid for. If you wanted to go permanent, I think they would have said that we needed another $20 billion. I feel very strongly that the bill should be paid for. That is part of what we believe as Democrats. We were able to get agreement with the Republicans on a pay-for for the 2 years, so that was a factor as to why it is for 2 years instead of permanent. Beyond that, and more importantly, really, is the fact that a permanent expansion is a major change. I think it needs a lot of study, a lot of oversight and investigation. One of the things that I mentioned in Rules is that both HHS and the inspector general have been tasked to report back to us this spring with a report on a lot of the things that were mentioned here today, integrity issues, in terms of fraud and abuse, that were mentioned by both sides of the aisle. I think the feeling of the committee was that this was something that needed more study before we went ahead and made this permanent. That is what we do. In other words, right now, the concern is that because the omnibus appropriations bill basically expanded the telehealth program until 5 months after the public health emergency for COVID ends, that would take us to the end of this year. But we don't have a lot of legislative days left. We figured the best thing was to at least extend it for another 2 years. We can pay for it, as was mentioned by Ms. Cheney. This, I think, is the best way to resolve this: Do a 2-year extend, pay for it, and let's spend the time between now and next spring having some more hearings and opportunities to talk about a further extension or possibly making it permanent. Again, I appreciate the fact that everyone on the Republican side supports the bill, but I do want to address some of the things that you mentioned. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, again, I think this is a very important bill, and I thank Representative Wexton for her leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I ask that Members on both sides of the aisle support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 623) to require certain civil penalties to be transferred to a fund through which amounts are made available for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Pediatric Research Program at the National Institutes of Health, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8454) to expand research on cannabidiol and marijuana, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5313) to protect children and other consumers against hazards associated with the accidental ingestion of button cell or coin batteries by requiring the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a consumer product safety standard to require child- resistant closures on consumer products that use such batteries, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5313.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 5313, Reese's Law. I want to begin by thanking Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Chair Schakowsky for her dedication to protecting consumers from dangerous products and Representatives Kelly, Arrington, and Lieu for introducing this bipartisan legislation that will save children's lives. Reese's Law is named after Reese Hamsmith, an 18-month-old girl who lost her life from complications caused by swallowing a button battery. These are small, single-cell batteries that look like a disc or a button. Today, they are used to power common household electronics like television remotes, key fobs, and meat thermometers. Because of their small size and availability around the house, button cell or coin batteries pose a serious harm to children under 6 who can suffer serious injuries or death if they swallow these batteries. According to Reese's mother, Trista Hamsmith, Reese was a spunky, sassy, full-of-life little girl who at an early age took the attention of an entire room the moment she walked in. While Trista was in the hospital with Reese, she decided that she wanted to spread awareness about the dangers of button batteries. In her testimony before our committee, Trista said about Reese: ``Her Earthly battle may be over, but her true battle, her true plan, and her true purpose has just begun.'' Reese's Law requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish mandatory safety standards to protect children from ingesting button cell or coin batteries. The CPSC's standards should include requirements for button cell or coin battery packaging to make the batteries more difficult to access. The packages must also include warning labels to warn consumers about the dangers of ingesting these products and instruct consumers about keeping new and used batteries out of the reach of children. This legislation is a testament to the bravery and tireless advocacy of Trista Hamsmith and parents everywhere who have lost children to accidental ingestion of these products. This is crucial legislation that will save kids' lives, and that is why I call on my colleagues to support it today. 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 Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) who chairs our Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, from which this bill came.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4551) to amend the U.S. SAFE WEB Act of 2006 to provide for reporting with respect to cross-border complaints involving ransomware or other cyber-related attacks, and for other purposes.