Harley Rouda

Mr. ROUDA

Mr. ROUDA. 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 the measure before us.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am proud to support the Inspector General Protection Act, which would improve the independence of inspectors general. This bipartisan bill, introduced by Representative Ted Lieu and Representative Jody Hice, would also address the disturbingly slow nomination of IGs that have been the norm across multiple administrations. The bill would require notification of Congress 30 days prior to an IG being placed on leave. Such notification is already required prior to an IG being removed from duty. The bill would also require the President to report to Congress if he has not nominated an IG after 210 days of a vacancy occurring. The report must include the reasons for failing to make the nomination and a target date for doing so. The requirement will hopefully prod the executive branch to nominate IG's in a more timely manner. Inspectors general provide critical oversight and accountability within Federal agencies, and the positions need to be filled more quickly than is currently the case. Madam Speaker, I urge Members to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Ted Lieu), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 736) to require the Director of the Government Publishing Office to establish and maintain an online portal accessible to the public that allows the public to obtain electronic copies of all congressionally mandated reports in one place, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the measure before us.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Mike Quigley for his persistence in pursuing this good-government legislation. Hopefully, we can get this bill enacted this Congress. H.R. 736, the Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act, is a noncontroversial bill that has been approved by the Oversight and Reform Committee many times. The bill is a commonsense measure that would make the government more transparent and accountable. It would create a one-stop-shop where Congress and members of the public could access agency reports to Congress. Federal agencies submit thousands of reports to Congress each year. This bill will improve congressional oversight by making it easy to find and access these reports. H.R. 736 would also give the public access to agency reports. Currently, members of the public often have to file requests under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain some agency reports to Congress. Many of these reports are not available online. An online library of Federal reports would improve the ability of our staffs to use the information in them to make sound policy. It also would encourage agency compliance with reporting requirements. Finally, it would support timely access to the reports by State and local governments, students, academics, and others, with the additional benefit of decreasing the burden on agencies to process FOIA requests. The Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act has been endorsed by over 25 organizations from across the political spectrum. I have a letter from those groups that I include in the Record. July 16, 2019. Dear Speaker Pelosi, Republican Leader McCarthy, and Members of the House of Representatives: We, the 27 undersigned organizations, write to express our strong support for the bipartisan Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act (``ACMRA'') and to respectfully urge you to vote in favor of the legislation on the House floor. If enacted, the ACMRA will strengthen Congressional oversight and improve government transparency. The ACMRA will establish a central repository of agency reports submitted to Congress and will track whether agencies have submitted required reports. This will improve Members of Congress's access to the reports and ensure Congress knows when they become available. The ACMRA also directs agencies to provide the Government Publishing Office (GPO) any report that is both required by law to be submitted to Congress and is releasable under the Freedom of Information Act (``FOIA''), subject to certain limitations. The legislation will not change what information is in the public sphere, but it will improve accessibility. Nor does the legislation affect in any way what information is provided to Congressional committees or place any burden upon them. Under the ACMRA, agency reports will become publicly available on GPO's website within 30 days of submission to Congress, and will be redacted in accordance with FOIA's provisions, which include the removal of classified or otherwise confidential material. Reports will be assigned a unique identifier that will make it easy to track reports as new editions are released. Additionally, the Congressional Research Service will supplement work already performed by the Clerk of the House to identify all agency reports the law requires be submitted to Congress. This will tell us whether an agency has complied with its obligation to submit reports in a timely fashion. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee favorably reported a similar version of the bill in April. Additionally, the legislation was repeatedly favorably reported by both the Committee on House Administration and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform during prior Congresses. The ACMRA was first introduced in 2010, and we are hopeful it will become part of this Congress's transparency legacy. We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of the measure and are hopeful the ACMRA will be enacted shortly. Sincerely yours, American Association of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Americans for Prosperity, Campaign for Accountability, Center for Data Innovation, Center for Responsive Politics, Demand Progress, Data Coalition, Essential Information, Free Government Information, Freedom Works, Government Information Watch, GovTrack.us, Judicial Watch. Liberty Coalition, Lincoln Network, National Coalition for History, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Security Archive, PEGI Project, Project On Government Oversight, R Street Institute, Senior Executives Association, Society of Professional journalists, Sunlight Foundation, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Win Without War.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, legislation similar to this bill has been introduced in the Senate and favorably reported by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley), a distinguished Member and sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1250) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11158 Highway 146 North in Hardin, Texas, as the ``Lucas Lowe Post Office'', as amended.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this measure.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 1250 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11158 Highway 146 North in Hardin, Texas, as the Lucas Lowe Memorial Post Office. Chief Warrant Officer Lucas Lowe's life was defined by a call to service. On July 6, 2004, Lucas enlisted in the United States Army. He was deployed to Afghanistan for 11 months from 2005 and 2006, and Iraq for 14 months from 2007 to 2008. Lucas later attended Warrant Officer Candidate School at Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he also enrolled in flight school to become an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter pilot. On December 28, 2016, Chief Warrant Officer Lucas Lowe passed way during a training flight with the Army National Guard. Lucas demonstrated in his short life the kind of commitment to service that should be an example to all of us. He leaves behind to cherish his memory his wife, Kami; sons, Clayton, Lance, and Logan; and daughters, Alysen and Tenley Lowe. Naming a post office in Lucas Lowe's honor in Hardin, Texas, is a fitting tribute to honor and remember a young man who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to all of us. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, I urge all the Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1526) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 200 Israel Road Southeast in Tumwater, Washington, as the ``Eva G. Hewitt Post Office''.

Mr. ROUDA. 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 this measure.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 1526, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 200 Israel Road Southeast in Tumwater, Washington, as the ``Eva G. Hewitt Post Office.'' Eva Hewitt was not just a business woman and postmaster, but she was often described as the heart and soul of Tumwater. With her husband, Charles Hewitt, Eva established the Hewitt Drug Store which housed the Tumwater Post Office. Eva Hewitt started as an assistant, and later assumed the role of postmaster in 1915. Following the death of her husband in 1927, Eva Hewitt took over business operations of the drugstore with the help of her daughter, Laura. Eva would continue to serve as postmaster until 1942. At the time, Eva Hewitt was the longest serving postmaster in Tumwater, where she oversaw a massive growth in the volume of mail in the Pacific Northwest. Eva Hewitt also was a community leader and was widely regarded as Tumwater's local historian. She was also active in the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington and was the namesake of the Eva Hewitt Orthopedic Guild. The Hewitt Drug Store was eventually demolished for the construction of Interstate 5. Naming a post office to honor Ms. Hewitt's public service would help ensure that her pivotal legacy to her home of Tumwater, Washington, lives on. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Washington (Mr. Heck), who is the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Washington for his comments and also encourage all of the Members to support this bill. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1844) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 66 Grove Court in Elgin, Illinois, as the ``Corporal Alex Martinez Memorial Post Office Building''.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 1844, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 66 Grove Court in Elgin, Illinois, as the Corporal Alex Martinez Memorial Post Office Building. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Krishnamoorthi).

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROUDA

Mr. ROUDA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3305) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2509 George Mason Drive in Virginia Beach, Virginia, as the ``Ryan Keith Cox Post Office Building''.