Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

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

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

Mr. PALLONE

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would ask that we support this bill, 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. 2685.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2685) to direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit to Congress a report examining the cybersecurity of mobile service networks, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2685, the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act. There is no shortage of concerning headlines about cybersecurity attacks on our critical infrastructure, including our communications networks. The reports range anywhere from a hacker looking for users' personal information to sophisticated intelligence gathering on U.S. officials by foreign adversaries. The severe nature of these attacks coupled with the important information carried across wireless networks demands our attention. We must be vigilant in ensuring our networks are as secure as possible. That is the goal of H.R. 2685, the Understanding Cybersecurity of Mobile Networks Act. It will help us gain additional data and insights from experts to determine what more we can do to make that happen. Specifically, Mr. Speaker, the legislation requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to lead a study with the Department of Homeland Security. This study will examine the cybersecurity of mobile service networks and the vulnerability of those networks and mobile devices to cyberattacks and surveillance by adversaries. It not only includes an assessment of what providers are doing to keep their networks secure, but also an examination of consumer expectations with respect to network security. I am proud of the bipartisan work that the Energy and Commerce Committee has undertaken over the past several years to secure our communication networks. This is another important step toward that effort, and I applaud Representatives Eshoo and Kinzinger for their leadership on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this 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 strong support of H.R. 4045, the FUTURE Networks Act. Even as we await the full deployment and utilization of fifth generation, or 5G, wireless networks, U.S. communications and technology companies are collaborating on the next generation of networks; specifically, 6G networks. We may not be able to predict now the technological innovation that will come with these networks, but based on our Nation's experience to this point, we can foresee the issues that will need to be addressed to get 6G networks off the ground. Issues like supply chain availability, security, and equality in deployment and adoption will all need to be reviewed and resolved; and, therefore, it is not too early for government and relevant stakeholders to begin discussing these issues now. That is the goal of H.R. 4045, the FUTURE Networks Act. This bipartisan legislation would require the FCC to convene a task force to examine relevant 6G issues. The task force will be made up of stakeholders from industry, public interest organizations, academic institutions, and relevant Federal, State, local, and Tribal Government representatives. Finding agreed-upon approaches and solutions to these issues now will make for a smoother transition in the future. I want to thank our Communications and Technology Subcommittee chairman, Mike Doyle, as well as Representatives Johnson and McBath, for their bipartisan leadership on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it today, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Michael F. Doyle), who is the chairman of our Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

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

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4055) to establish a cybersecurity literacy campaign, 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. 4055.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4055, the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act. Cybersecurity threats targeting Americans are increasingly common, particularly since wireless devices proliferate our society. H.R. 4055, the American Cybersecurity Literacy Act, is intended to help Americans arm themselves with the information and tools they need to prevent being a victim of a cyberattack. The bipartisan legislation requires the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information to create and conduct a cybersecurity campaign to increase the knowledge and awareness of best practices to avoid cyberattacks. The bill also requires the campaign to, among other things, provide instructions about how to identify common problematic attacks like phishing emails and unsecure websites. The campaign will also highlight the benefits of changing default passwords and encouraging the use of cybersecurity tools like multifactor identification and complex passwords. Finally, to ensure that as many Americans as possible can benefit from this information, the legislation requires the campaign to be in as many languages and formats as practicable. This legislation will arm the American people with critical information that they need to ensure they are not the victim of a cyberattack. It is important to note that by passing this bill we are not shifting the burden of preventing cybersecurity attacks away from large, sophisticated companies and onto individuals. Companies still have the primary responsibility of preventing these attacks, and there is still much work to do, but this legislation adds additional layers of protection by giving consumers the tools and information to protect themselves. Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud Representatives Kinzinger, Eshoo, Veasey, Houlahan, and Bilirakis for their work on this important bipartisan bill that continues our work of protecting consumers. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2355) to facilitate responsible, informed dispensing of controlled substances and other prescribed medications, 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. 2355.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in April of this year, the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the dual threat of the concurrent COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid overdose crisis. In that hearing we considered a slate of bills targeted toward the opioid crisis including H.R. 2355, the Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021. We knew then, and we know now, that time was ticking. Millions of Americans were experiencing the deadly pandemic and simultaneously living through hard-hitting mental health and substance use issues. Tragically, we have lost over 750,000 Americans to COVID-19 and over 100,000 to drug overdoses during the pandemic. H.R. 2355 seeks to reduce prescription opioid diversion by directing HHS, DEA, FDA, CDC, and SAMHSA to update and disseminate training materials to help pharmacists that dispense opioid medications verify the identity of the patient. To incentivize States to facilitate verification, the bill also authorizes the CDC to prioritize certain grant funding to States that maintain prescription drug monitoring programs and require prescribers of controlled substances to issue prescriptions electronically. Grant funding would also be prioritized for States that require pharmacists to enter certain information about controlled substance prescriptions into prescription drug monitoring programs, including the quantity dispensed, the date filed, and the patient identifier. This bill received unanimous support in the Energy and Commerce Committee and is part of a series of bills the committee has worked on to help prevent diversion of opioids and reduce harmful opioid use. I would like to thank the sponsors of this bill and my colleagues on the committee for their steadfast work in addressing the overdose crisis. We must continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to combat this crisis in order to keep our constituents safe. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional Members who wish to speak, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues, again, to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on H.R. 2364.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we have hit a tragic milestone in our battle against the opioid overdose crisis. From April 2020 to April 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that over 100,000 people died due to drug overdoses, no doubt exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Synthetic opioids like fentanyl and fentanyl analogs significantly contributed to overdose deaths. In 2019, the CDC estimated that more than half of overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids and drugs mixed with synthetic opioids, such as methamphetamine and cocaine mixed with fentanyl. The Energy and Commerce Committee has worked throughout the pandemic to address this crisis. The American Rescue Plan, passed and signed into law earlier this year, included the largest-ever funding boost of over $3 billion for mental health and substance abuse block grants to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA. That $3 billion in funding has gone to critical services for addiction treatment, prevention, harm reduction, and recovery. H.R. 2364, the Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act, provides an additional tool to address one piece of the opioid crisis. This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to launch a public education campaign on the health risks associated with synthetic opioids and services available to address misuse of these products. Further, HHS would be required to disseminate information regarding synthetic opioids to healthcare providers. The bill also directs HHS to produce training materials for first responders and other professionals at a higher occupational risk of coming into contact with synthetic opioids. It also requires the agency to conduct outreach about the availability of these materials in order to help those on the front lines be aware of the risks associated with synthetic opioids. The bill is another step the Energy and Commerce Committee has taken to address the opioid crisis and protect the health and safety of our communities. The committee passed this legislation with unanimous, bipartisan support in July. I want to thank my New Jersey delegation colleague, Representative Kim, and Representative Pappas of New Hampshire for leading this important legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2364, the Synthetic Opioid Danger Awareness Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3743) to increase funding for the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration and for the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health.