Frank Pallone

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 7293, the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention Act of 2020, or the STANDUP Act. As we have heard, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. However, it is the second leading cause of death for young Americans age 10 to 14, which has tripled since 2007. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is already exacerbating these trends. Sandy Hook Promise's 24/7 crisis center, which allows people to identify and help at-risk students, has seen a more than 10 percent increase in suicide tips thus far. During our hearing on this bill, Arriana Gross, a high school student from Covington, Georgia, testified that: ``In our school, a year doesn't go by without a student dying by suicide. I've even known of elementary kids who died by suicide. I am concerned that youth suicide has become so common that my school community and our Nation is stuck in a pattern of mourning and accepting these deaths as something that is normal, instead of seeing them as preventable and tragic.'' Again, Mr. Speaker, those are the words of Arriana Gross, a high school student. Like Arriana, I am concerned. Despite data that suicide is on the rise, we can act now to help equip students and the communities around them to identify risk factors so they can play an active role in preventing suicide or self-harm. Now, this bill, H.R. 7293, would encourage schools to expand evidence-based suicide prevention training to students and make public best practices for such training as a condition of receiving funds under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Project AWARE grant program. The STANDUP Act would also support technical assistance resources for schools and encourage the collection and reporting of data to track implementation of these policies and practices. Research, Mr. Speaker, shows that training students on suicide prevention makes an impact on student suicide rates and improves the students' willingness to seek help or to help a peer. Much of this training is already taking place across thousands of schools nationwide, but the STANDUP Act will help ensure that this good work is expanded to more schools across the country. So for these reasons, Mr. Speaker, I stand up in support of the STANDUP Act. This is good, bipartisan legislation. I thank the lead sponsors, Representatives Scott Peters, Gus Bilirakis, Ted Deutch, Brian Fitzpatrick, and their staffs for their work on this critical issue. Mr. Speaker, I also thank Mr. Walden and the committee staff for working with us on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve 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. 3539.

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. 4439) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make permanent the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue priority review vouchers to encourage treatments for rare pediatric diseases, 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. 4439.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation and the two bills that will follow it are bipartisan bills that will help protect our energy grid from cyberattacks. In hearings before our Energy Subcommittee last year, we heard from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, from the members of FERC, that our energy grid is being attacked each and every single day by state actors or their entities. Former Energy Secretary Perry started to address this important issue by creating the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, or CESER. He further enhanced its stature by making its leader an Assistant Secretary. We agree with those decisions, and this legislation would help elevate the importance of this issue while putting Congress' bipartisan stamp of approval on these executive actions. H.R. 362 would simply amend section 203(a) of the Department of Energy Organization Act by establishing a new assistant secretary position responsible for cybersecurity and emergency response issues. The Department of Energy is the lead agency for ensuring the cybersecurity of the electric grid, and the newly created assistant secretary would have jurisdiction over all energy emergency and security functions related to energy supply, infrastructure, and cybersecurity. This bill would also authorize the new assistant secretary to provide DOE technical assistance, as well as support and response capabilities with respect to energy security risks to State, local, or Tribal governments upon request. The bill would also require the assistant secretary and the Department of Energy to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security and other relevant Federal agencies in carrying out the bill's provisions. This bill would go a long way, in my opinion, in helping to protect the Nation's electric infrastructure from hackers who would attempt to disrupt our energy grid and cause untold harm to our economy, our daily lives, and our overall national security. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend Representatives Walberg and Energy Subcommittee Ranking Member Upton for their leadership and for working with Chairman Rush and me on the Energy Emergency Leadership Act. I also want to thank Ranking Member Upton and full Committee Ranking Member Walden for their ongoing partnership with us over the years on cybersecurity matters. That partnership was essential in getting these three critical bills to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1289) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for a moratorium on number reassignment after a disaster declaration, 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 materials on H.R. 1289.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of Representative Thompson's legislation, H.R. 1289, the Preserving Home and Office Numbers in Emergencies Act of 2019, or the PHONE Act. Mr. Speaker, after the Atlas and Tubbs fires in October 2017 in northern California, Representative Thompson's constituents returned to what was left of their homes. In the rebuilding process, many of them were frustrated to learn that their phone numbers, which they had had for years, had been given away by the phone company. It was as if their phone number, of all things, went up in smoke with the rest of their lifelong possessions. This issue just continues to grow as natural disasters like fires and hurricanes have become all too common and more severe as a result of climate change. So, just this past weekend, hundreds of homes in Napa and Sonoma Counties had to be evacuated because of another fast-moving fire, and this bill aims to fix the problems that relate to phone numbers during these crises. First, if the President has issued a major disaster declaration, and a Governor has designated an area to the Federal Communications Commission under the PHONE Act, the phone numbers in that designated area cannot be reassigned for 1 year. Second, if a consumer needs more time, this legislation allows them to get another yearlong extension. We know this is important because, in some disasters, like Superstorm Sandy in my district, for example, the home-rebuilding process took, in some cases, over 6 years. Third, the legislation would allow consumers whose homes are inaccessible or uninhabitable to cancel their service without a cancelation fee or resubscription fee when they get phone service somewhere else in the area during that covered period. Now, I am glad we could reach an agreement with our Republican colleagues on this part of the bill to ensure this policy makes sense in practice. This was a compromise, and, therefore, I know there are some things that they would do differently. At the same time, there are a few things that we on this side of the aisle may have done differently. But with this compromise, this policy is simple yet, I believe, powerful. In the age of robocalls, dialing our friends and loved ones from phone numbers we have always had is how we get through. A lot of people simply will not pick up the phone if they don't recognize the phone number, and that is why this legislation is so important. The legal effect and intent of this bill are designed purposely to be narrow, but it plugs a small gap in the law, which will mean the world to the consumers who will have one less thing to worry about as they face rebuilding in the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster. Again, I want to thank Representatives Thompson and Rooney for their bipartisan leadership on this bill. The PHONE Act is a commonsense bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, once again, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I will do the same. I urge support of this 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. 360.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 360, the Cyber Sense Act of 2020. Grid security is a national security issue and one that is clearly and properly delegated under law to the Secretary of Energy to manage together with the industry. We must give the electric sector the tools and technologies necessary to protect our grid from malicious harm. Fortunately, there has not yet been a broad cyberattack that has taken down large parts of the grid in the United States, but we must not let our guard down. H.R. 360 gives the Department of Energy important and new authorities to facilitate more secure technologies and equipment in our Nation's grid. It also now requires the Secretary to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security and other relevant Federal agencies in order to ensure smooth and seamless implementation across the Federal Government. This bill requires the Department of Energy to set up a voluntary Cyber Sense program to identify cyber-secure products that could be used in the bulk-power system. This program would also provide technical assistance to electric utilities and product manufacturers to assist them in developing solutions to mitigate cyber vulnerabilities in the grid. I thank my colleagues, Representative McNerney and Representative Latta, for their hard work on this critical issue. Their partnership and bipartisan leadership on cybersecurity matters continues to benefit us all. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional Members that wish to speak. Mr. Speaker, I enter into the Record a letter to the Speaker and the minority leader from the American Public Power Association, Edison Electric Institute, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in support of this legislation. September 28, 2020. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Kevin McCarthy, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy: We are writing in support of full House consideration of three electric grid security bills passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee: H.R. 359, the Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act; H.R. 360, the Cyber Sense Act of 2020; and H.R. 362, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act. APPA is the national service organization for not-for- profit, community-owned utilities that power 2,000 towns and cities nationwide. Public power utilities account for over 15 percent of all electric sales to over 49 million customers in every state but Hawaii. EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. EEI members provide electricity for about 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NRECA is the national service organization representing the interests of cooperative electric utilities and the consumers they serve. More than 900 not-for-profit rural electric utilities provide electricity to over 42 million people in 48 states. Protecting and maintaining electric sector security and reliability is a top priority for our associations and our members. To keep up with evolving threats, the industry welcomes close coordination with government partners. The bills scheduled for consideration by the House this week are aimed at strengthening our shared responsibility to protect the nation's critical infrastructure. We are particularly supportive of H.R. 359 and H.R. 362. H.R. 359 directs DOE to establish a program to facilitate and encourage public- private partnerships to promote and advance the physical and cybersecurity of the electric power sector. H.R. 362 would amend the DOE Organization Act to include energy emergency and energy security among the functions that the Secretary assigns to an Assistant Secretary, with the intent to clarify and codify the functions of DOE's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER). Thank you for your consideration. We appreciate your leadership and efforts to help improve the security of our nation's electric grid. Sincerely, American Public Power Association. Edison Electric Institute. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this important 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. 359) to provide for certain programs and developments in the Department of Energy concerning the cybersecurity and vulnerabilities of, and physical threats to, the electric grid, 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. 359.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by acknowledging the leadership of two of my Energy and Commerce Committee colleagues, Representative McNerney of California and Representative Latta of Ohio, for introducing H.R. 359, the Enhancing Grid Security Through Public-Private Partnerships Act. This bill will go a long way in addressing both the physical and cybersecurity of the Nation's utilities. H.R. 359 directs the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Electric Reliability Organization, States, other Federal agencies, and industry stakeholders, to create and implement a program to enhance the physical and cybersecurity of electric utilities. Now, some of the critical provisions within this bill include the voluntary implementation of self-assessments, maturity modeling, and auditing. This bill also includes cybersecurity training in order to help mitigate supply chain risk. Utilities would also be encouraged to share best practices and data collection within the electric sector, while also improving the cybersecurity of third-party utility vendors. H.R. 359 also directs the Secretary of Energy to deliver a report to Congress on general cybersecurity concerns and distribution systems. Any information that is provided to the Department of Energy under this program would be protected to ensure the confidentiality of this sensitive information. And like the other two cybersecurity bills we already have passed today; this legislation requires the Secretary of Energy to coordinate with the Department of Homeland Security and other relevant Federal agencies to ensure good communication and smooth implementation across the government. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the bill instructs the Secretary of Energy to update the Interruption Cost Estimate, or ICE, Calculator at least once every 2 years. The ICE Calculator, which was developed through a partnership between the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley Lab and Nexant, Inc., is an electric reliability planning tool that can be used for estimating electricity interruption costs and the benefits associated with reliability improvements. So, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 359 is an important piece of legislation that will help address the security of America's electric utilities, and I urge all my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I also ask all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. PALLONE

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

Mr. PALLONE

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1754) to improve the integrity and safety of horseracing by requiring a uniform anti-doping and medication control program to be developed and enforced by an independent Horseracing Anti-Doping and Medication Control Authority, as amended.