Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, as I said, this bill 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. So this is a crucial bill that will save kids' lives, and that is why I call on my colleagues to support it today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

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. 4551.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4551, the RANSOMWARE Act. Ransomware and cyberattacks by foreign actors are an unfortunate reality of the modern world, and the United States must be as prepared as possible to address them. In 2006, Congress passed the SAFE WEB Act to bolster the Federal Trade Commission's authority to receive information from its foreign counterparts and take investigative action in response. FTC action is critical since the number of consumer complaints against foreign businesses is staggering, with over 255,000 complaints submitted to the FTC's database between 2015 and 2019. The estimated dollar value of losses from just these submitted complaints is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. H.R. 4551 amends the SAFE WEB Act by adding important new FTC reporting requirements. The legislation requires the FTC to provide regular reports to Congress describing cross-border complaints it receives that involve ransomware and other cyberattacks by foreign individuals, companies, and governments with ties to specific countries. This bill also boosts the FTC's role in protecting consumers from ransomware and cyberattacks by helping the FTC and Congress better understand these attacks and how to combat them. It also requires the FTC to submit any legislative recommendations to advance our Nation's security against these types of attacks. This information is crucial in our continued efforts to address this serious issue. Mr. Speaker, protecting Americans and our businesses against cyberattacks from malicious foreign actors is not a partisan issue, and that is why members of the Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously supported this bill, and why I strongly support it today. I thank Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee Ranking Member Bilirakis for his tireless efforts on this legislation, and I urge everyone to support this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to stress how important this bill is. We have heard from the speakers on the Republican side, and I certainly agree with everything they have said about the increased ransomware and cyberattacks by foreign actors and bad actors like Beijing and Russia and some of the others that have been mentioned. It is really important that we pass this bill to protect the United States. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, 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. 3962) to authorize notaries public to perform, and to establish minimum standards for, electronic notarizations and remote notarizations that occur in or affect interstate commerce, to require any Federal court to recognize notarizations performed by a notarial officer of any State, to require any State to recognize notarizations performed by a notarial officer of any other State when the notarization was performed under or relates to a public Act, record, or judicial proceeding of the notarial officer's State or when the notarization occurs in or affects interstate commerce, 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. 3962.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3962, the Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2022. In the modern era, you can cash a check, book a flight, and lock and unlock your doors all from the convenience of your smartphone. To get something notarized, a process of authenticating documents required for wills, marriage certificates, mortgages, and other valuable assets, many States still require a person to physically appear before a notary public. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person notarizations were not only inconvenient but also posed a health risk. In-person notarizations forced far too many consumers to choose between potentially exposing themselves to COVID-19 in purchasing a house or updating their wills. To protect consumers and commerce, dozens of States enacted laws or took emergency actions to permit electronic and remote online notarizations. Such notarizations allow the consumer and the notary to execute notarizations through secure audio-visual communications. As our lives are returning to a new normal, it has become apparent that electronic and remote online notarizations are a valuable tool for facilitating commerce and making notarial services more accessible. Such tools are particularly important for vulnerable populations like the elderly, underserved communities, and those lacking access to reliable transportation. But State action alone cannot ensure universal access to electronic and remote online notarizations that need robust security standards and consumer protections. This Nation lacks a universal standard for electronic and remote online notarizations. As a result, there is no standard that permits nationwide use of electronic and remote online notarizations, creates robust security requirements, and ensures electronic and remote online notarizations are valid nationwide. That is why I thank Congresswoman Dean for the SECURE Notarization Act. This legislation will transition notarization to the 21st century without sacrificing security, making the process more convenient and safer for the American public. I commend Representative Dean for her leadership on this bipartisan legislation. She has been pressing for this to get out of committee and on the floor, and we are finally here today. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3962 today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Dean), the sponsor of this bill.

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, again, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this very important piece of bipartisan legislation. In the aftermath of COVID, we realize more and more that this type of electronic notarization really is the way to go. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

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

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. 8454.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8454, the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, legislation that would expand comprehensive cannabis research. In March, the Senate passed S. 253, the Cannabidiol and Marihuana Research Expansion Act. In April, the House considered and passed H.R. 5657, the Medical Marijuana Research Act, which also passed with strong bipartisan support last Congress. The bill before us today, H.R. 8454, represents a bipartisan, bicameral agreement that resolves the differences between both bills and brings us to a historic, overdue moment for Congress. The consumption of marijuana and marijuana-derived CBD for medical use is approved and regulated in 37 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This translates to tens of millions of Americans consuming marijuana every year. Yet, we still do not have a comprehensive body of research on the safety or therapeutic effects or benefits of marijuana products. Because of its status as a schedule I substance, research on marijuana has been regulated in a restrictive, time-consuming way, and the existing research is not representative of the products that are currently available to many Americans. H.R. 8454 streamlines the registration process for conducting research on marijuana and manufacturing marijuana products for research purposes and drug development. The bill maintains the appropriate oversight and control by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Administration and requires both applicants and regulators to adhere to clear protocols and timelines. The bill requires HHS and DEA to respond to registration applicants in a timely manner and requires a regular assessment to confirm an adequate supply of marijuana, including specific strains, for medical research. This ensures that the marijuana being provided for medical research appropriately reflects the strains and THC content in millions of products across the country. Mr. Speaker, this bill also clarifies that doctors can discuss with patients the potential harms and benefits of marijuana as a medical treatment. Finally, H.R. 8454 requires HHS to submit a report to Congress on the potential therapeutic effects of marijuana and CBD for serious medical conditions, effects on the developing human brain and body, and existing barriers to research. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Blumenauer, Harris, Holmes Norton, Dingell, Cohen, Griffith, Lee, and Case for their leadership on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and look forward to the Senate acting expeditiously on our agreement to expand comprehensive cannabis research while protecting public health and safety. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, again, I think this is a great way of dealing with this issue overall and getting the Senate on board. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

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. 623.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 623, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0. We are considering this bill in the memory of Gabriella Miller, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and sadly passed at the age of 10 in 2013. Mr. Speaker, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in American children, but only 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute's budget is dedicated to pediatric cancer research. The Kids First program was first established at the National Institutes of Health in 2014 after Congress passed the original Gabriella Miller Kids First Research bill. The goal of this program is to enhance collaborative research on childhood cancer and structural birth defects, including the development of a large-scale database of clinical and genetic data to discover shared genetic pathways between the disorders. Since its creation, the Kids First program has recruited over 40 pediatric cancer and structural birth defect cohorts for whole genome sequencing, representing 20,000 pediatric patients and 48,000 genomes. The database developed and maintained by the Kids First program has become a critical tool for pediatric cancer researchers and practitioners across the country. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us reauthorizes and transfers the Kids First program from the NIH Common Fund to the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, which will give the program more stability and allow for appropriate planning. The legislation also increases the funding authorization to $25 million annually for 5 years. I thank Representative Wexton for her leadership on this issue and Ranking Members Rodgers and Guthrie for working with us on this important bill. Finally, I thank Ellyn and Mark Miller for their relentless advocacy in honor of their daughter. The Kids First program may lead to the next big medical breakthrough for some of the rarest cancers, and those breakthroughs simply would not be possible without their longtime commitment to this effort. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Wexton), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1232, I call up the bill (H.R. 8373) to protect a person's ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception, and to protect a health care provider's ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs) who is a co-lead on this legislation.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material on H.R. 8373, the Right to Contraception Act.

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8373, the Right to Contraception Act introduced by Representative Manning. When the Supreme Court overruled a woman's constitutional right to abortion last month, it also called into question all the other fundamental freedoms that Americans cherish under the 14th Amendment's right to privacy, including the right to contraception. In his concurrence, Justice Clarence Thomas went so far to even contend that the Court should reconsider Griswold, the landmark case that first recognized the constitutional right to use contraceptives. This has opened the door for Republican legislators in States like Idaho, Louisiana, and Mississippi to try to ban certain contraceptive methods. These extreme proposals build on decades of Republican efforts to restrict access to essential reproductive healthcare services. They have tried to gut the Title X Family Planning program, which provides access to contraceptives and family planning services for low-income and uninsured individuals. They have also repeatedly tried to invalidate the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive mandate, which ensures coverage for contraception free of charge. Contraception is basic preventive healthcare and is crucial to the health and human rights of all people. Millions of people rely on contraception not only to prevent unintended pregnancies but to prevent and treat a wide range of medical conditions. Access to contraception is essential to achieving gender equality as it advances women's health and economic empowerment. H.R. 8373 ensures that Republicans cannot limit people's access to contraceptives. It also ensures that healthcare providers can provide contraceptives and information about them free from political interference. Madam Speaker, while the right to contraception is legal today, we must act to ensure this remains true in the future. This legislation does exactly that, by enshrining the right to contraception in Federal law. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.