Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan). Again, I thank him for all that he has done as our Assistant Speaker and all that he has done for our Indian Tribes.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly), who is a member of our committee.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I would also urge passage of this bill, which, as we mentioned, includes a lot of other bills as well and makes up an important package dealing with fraud and scams. 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. 6435, the Combating Pandemic Scams Act. This bipartisan bill was introduced by Representatives Carter, Kuster, Hudson, and Blunt Rochester. I thank them for introducing this measure to help stem the tide of scams and fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, the Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce held a hearing on increased risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that hearing, we heard about all the ways scammers are taking advantage of the ongoing national emergency for personal gain. Whether phishing for stimulus checks or fundraising for fake charities, scammers are exploiting Americans already struggling financially and diverting resources away from where they could provide desperately needed help. One new scam that has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic is the contact tracing scam. This scam, which involves fraudsters posing as contact tracers from public health departments, is exacerbating the public health crisis by undermining one of the most effective tools we have to keep communities safe. Instead of documenting the spread of the virus or alerting those who might have been exposed, these scammers are only interested in duping Americans into turning over sensitive personal information or downloading malicious software on their device. H.R. 6435 will establish a comprehensive national database of scams related to COVID-19 so that the public can differentiate the real contact tracers from the imposters and learn how to identify other scams on their own. It will also require the Federal Trade Commission to inform the public about mail, telemarketing, and internet scams related to COVID-19, including how to report such scams to the appropriate agency. Mr. Speaker, as the pandemic continues, we will continue to see more scams unfold, unfortunately. But this bill will make sure that the American public is regularly updated about scams so they can protect themselves and their loved ones. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill. It is going to protect consumers during this pandemic, and I call on all of my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Kuster), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I also urge support for the 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. 8121) to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to study the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on injuries and deaths associated with consumer products, 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. 8121.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 8121. I want to begin by thanking Representatives Cardenas and Davis for their leadership on the bill, the Pandemic Effects on Home Safety and Tourism Act. This bill advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee by a voice vote. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to spend more time at home and finding new indoor and outdoor activities suitable for social distancing, it is critically important that we keep track of any new trends in injuries and deaths that might be occurring. This bill will require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to provide quarterly updates to the American public regarding the effects of COVID-19 on home safety, including any emerging threats from either new products or new habits from working and playing at home. This report will assemble data from a variety of sources, including media reports and poison control centers, in addition to the CPSC's traditional data sources. The bill will also identify communities or groups that may be disproportionately affected so that we can better target efforts to protect those communities. We already know children are particularly vulnerable during these times as parents struggle to work remotely and supervise children at the same time. For example, there have been increased reports of accidental poisonings and fractures related to bicycle and trampoline usage. It is important to identify other groups that may also be vulnerable. I want to thank Representatives Castor and Upton for introducing another bill, the Protecting Tourism in the United States Act, which was incorporated in H.R. 8121 during the committee's consideration of the bill. Their legislation will rebuild the tourism and travel industry, which has struggled under the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. All sectors of the travel industry have been particularly hard hit, including hotels, restaurants, attractions, and passenger air, rail, and rental car sectors. This bill requires the Department of Commerce to conduct a detailed study and report to Congress on the effects of the pandemic on the tourism industry, including on jobs and revenue, so that we will know how to best direct assistance to the 16 million American workers and families who rely on the jobs that the travel industry supports. Again, I thank Ranking Member Walden and Subcommittee Ranking Member Rodgers for working with us to move this bill through the Energy and Commerce Committee. I also commend our Subcommittee Chair Schakowsky for her relentless commitment to fighting for consumers, and particularly for seniors, I want to say. Mr. Speaker, I call on 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 Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).

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

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairwoman and commend her for putting together a bill which, while it reduces the amount of money from the original Heroes Act, in my opinion, because of the lessons we have learned in the last few weeks, improves the Heroes Act because of what we have learned. I know that is not an easy task, Madam Chair. I know that is not an easy task, what you have accomplished here today, so I want to congratulate you. I also want to say, in response to my colleague on the other side from Ohio, this is a serious attempt to put something forward that we believe that the Republicans can support. Now, maybe they are not going to do it today. But I just want to say that our Speaker--when I say ``our,'' I mean the Speaker, because she is, you know, the Speaker for the entire House and the entire country--has worked so hard over the last few weeks and months to try to come together with the Republicans. She just met yesterday, and maybe even today again, with Mr. Mnuchin from the White House. To suggest in any way that this is anything other than a serious attempt by Democrats to put forward something that we think the Republicans can ultimately adopt, or come close to what they would ultimately support, I think is unfortunate because that is what we are doing here today. I want to go back to what Speaker Pelosi said earlier when she said that what we are really trying to do is crush the virus, and I want to talk about that because much of that language that would accomplish that comes from the Energy and Commerce Committee that I chair. This is the United States of America. I know we are elected from individual districts, but we come here to represent the whole country. The fact of the matter is the only way that we can crush this virus and end this pandemic is if we work together on a national level to accomplish it. So what we say in the Heroes Act, both the old one and the new one, is that we need a national plan, and we need a way to bring forth that national plan. What is happening now is every State competes. I get so mad when I watch the TV and they say Ohio is doing better this week, or New Jersey is doing worse this week. That is not what this is about. This has to be a united effort. It is the United States of America. And that is not what we have right now because each State is competing, competing for testing, competing for medical supplies, deciding on an individual basis. The hospitals even compete between themselves, and that is not the way it should be. What we say in the Heroes Act, and it is carried forth again in this legislation today, is a national plan, someone in charge at a national level--I will call it a supply czar for the supply chain--that sets parameters, if you will, for how to crush the virus, guidelines for the schools, for how you should wear a mask, not necessarily all the details, but essentially a national plan, and then delivers the testing supplies, the medical supplies, and, ultimately, the vaccine. One of the things that is such an improvement in this bill is not only do we continue the $75 billion for testing and contact tracing and quarantine, but we also provide another $25 or $26 billion for distribution, development, and awareness of the vaccine when it is eventually developed because, again, this has to be done equitably. It has to be done nationally. That is what I really want to stress today. I don't necessarily need to use all my time, Madam Speaker, because I want to stress that we have to do this together, and that is what this bill puts forward. Let me just say, in addition to that, because I do want to mention a few other things, we have $2 billion in new funding to get essential workers their protective personal and work equipment that they need. We also have new provisions to address insurance companies declining to cover COVID testing. In the CARES Act, we said that everyone should be able to get a test for free, no out-of-pocket expense. The bill extends that to the treatment, to the drugs and the vaccine. But the insurance companies, in many cases, are not doing that. So we want to make it quite clear that they have to cover it free, and there is no out-of-pocket expense. And that would be true for the treatment; that would be true for the vaccination as well. Again, we are one country. I can't stress that enough. Now, the other thing that is a major problem, and I want to mention it briefly, is the ability to connect to the internet because the bottom line right now is if you are not in school and you are learning remotely, or you are working remotely, you need to have an internet connection. There is a lot of inequality with that around the country, too, so the legislation addresses the digital divide by providing $12 billion to schools and libraries for distance learning, for remote learning. We also continue to help low-income households afford internet service by saying they have to have a discount for service by $50 a month. We have to continue and enhance the lifeline program, which helps people of low income pay the bills for those internet connections. The last thing I want to mention also is that, finally, we also prevent the shutoffs for any kind of utilities, water service, and other shutoffs, because that is important as well. So I thank the chair again for the time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 362) to amend the Department of Energy Organization Act with respect to functions assigned to Assistant Secretaries, 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. 362.

Mr. PALLONE. Yes, Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely my intent and the intent of the Energy and Commerce Committee that these bills be implemented in coordination with the Secretary and the Department of Homeland Security. In fact, the sole reason we are amending these bills is to make clear that the Department of Energy must implement these bills in coordination with other Federal agencies. I want to make clear that we intend, first and foremost, DOE to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security. We have made that clear to DOE at the highest levels, and the Department has acknowledged that it will coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security in implementing these bills.

Mr. PALLONE. If the gentleman continues to yield, yes, Chairman Thompson, it is correct, and I thank my friend, the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, for that question and the opportunity to further clarify what these bills do and do not do. These bills completely confine themselves to codifying or further specifying authorities and obligations the Secretary of Energy already has as the sector-specific agency for electricity under the FAST Act, the Federal Power Act, and the Department of Energy Organization Act. So let me make this clear: Nothing in these bills is intended to infringe, curtail, or otherwise affect the authorities of the Department of Homeland Security as they exist at this moment. And I will go even further to say that nothing in these bills actually affects, in any way, shape, or form, the existing authorities or prerogatives of the Department of Homeland Security or its Secretary in any area. Any interpretation to the contrary is simply incorrect.

Mr. PALLONE. If the gentleman continues to yield, that is correct, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. PALLONE. If the gentleman continues to yield, yes, and I would be pleased to do so.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman and understand that he continues to have concerns, and I know I may not be able to address them all today, but I commit to working with my friend from Mississippi and my Republican colleagues to try to further address these concerns going forward.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the legislation, 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. 360) to require the Secretary of Energy to establish a voluntary Cyber Sense program to test the cybersecurity of products and technologies intended for use in the bulk-power system, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I would ask my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8128) to direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a pilot program to explore the use of artificial intelligence in support of the consumer product safety mission of the Commission, as amended.

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 include extraneous material on H.R. 8128.