José Serrano

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to honor Ms. Monica Major for her many years of advocacy and public service in the Bronx. She is a great example of the countless contributions that African Americans make to our Nation every day. Ms. Major previously served as the Bronx Representative on the Panel for Educational Policy of the New York City Department of Education. In addition, she volunteered for Bronx Community School District 11 for several years, and served as President of the District 11 Community Education Council. One of Ms. Major's greatest accomplishments has been serving on the Citywide Parent Commission on School Governance as a parent advocate to ensure that the voices of Bronx parents were heard in addressing school governance issues. She is still committed to addressing quality of education throughout the Bronx. A tireless and dedicated public servant, Ms. Major currently serves as the Director of Education and Youth Services for Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. She is a graduate of Baruch College and is a certified mediator. Ms. Major is also a member of the National Council of Negro Women, North Bronx Section. She is the mother of two and still remains very active in her community. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Ms. Monica Major for her strong commitment to students and for her vigorous advocacy on education issues.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor Mr. Daniel ``Danny'' M. Barber for his many years of tireless advocacy to improve the lives of Bronx residents. He is a great example of everyday contributions that African-Americans have made in my district in the Bronx and the Nation. Mr. Barber was born in 1969 to the late Dan Walker and Janie Barber- Walker and is the youngest of five children. He attended the De Witt Clinton High School and was a member of the football team. He began his love for community work when he joined the ranks of the Salvation Army during his early years and went on to excel as Director and afterward became Assistant to the Commanding Officer. Mr. Barber currently serves as the President of the Andrew Jackson Houses Resident Association, Inc., and is the Founder of SOY, Inc. (Save Our Youth). Recently, he was elected to serve as the Chair of the City-Wide Council of Presidents, which oversees all of the NYCHA Resident's Associations, and also serves as the Chair of The South Bronx Council of Presidents. While serving in these capacities, he also serves on several other agencies and organizations boards giving technical support and principled guidance. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Daniel M. Barber for his steadfast dedication and years of public service to our NYCHA residents, and for his longstanding commitment to improving our community.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, this bill--Commerce, Justice, Science-- comes in at $71.5 billion, which is $1.6 billion above 2018. One of the highlights of the bill is that it restores many programs that had been zeroed out by the administration, including the Legal Services Corporation, which comes in at over $368 million. NOAA gets extra money for climate research, and we put in $368 million for opioid epidemic issues. The President wanted $336 million; we came in at $368 million. To me, the greatest accomplishment in this particular part of the bill is $1 billion for the Census, to continue to work on the Census. This is a major victory, and we thank the other side for agreeing that this is something that has to be done and something that is important for all of us. So I am asking not only for you to applaud the CJS part of the bill but also to vote for the whole bill.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Lowey for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, as incoming chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I would like to take a couple of minutes to discuss that section of this bill and the agencies it funds. We are currently on day 33 of the Trump shutdown. The impact is growing as employees miss paychecks, individuals and groups dependent upon Federal assistance go without, and our public safety and scientific innovation is undermined. This is particularly true for the agencies under the jurisdiction of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. Just last week, the Department of Justice had to scramble to find cash to allow recipients of grant programs under the Violence Against Women Act to be funded for 1 additional month. The New York City field office of the FBI had to set up a food bank for employees who are currently working without pay. We have heard reports that individual FBI agents are asking not to be called back to work so they can find paying jobs and that agents in training are quitting the process, with no paycheck in sight. The shutdown is also undermining scientific research and our next generation of scientists. The National Science Foundation, NOAA, and NASA are currently unable to award grants for ongoing research or scholarships to ensure that our future scientists have the ability to continue their studies. At the Department of Commerce, key economic statistics are being delayed. The International Trade Administration cannot investigate unfair trade practices. In total, more than 90,000 employees at the Department of Justice, which includes the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, are working without pay. More than 90 percent of employees at NASA are currently furloughed without pay, and more than 86 percent of employees at Department of Commerce find themselves in the same situation--without pay. The question I have for our colleagues on the other side of the aisle is simply this: Is this worth the cost? Should we imperil our economy, our scientific leadership, and our public safety because the President wants to waste money on an ineffective and unnecessary wall? We all know the answer to that question, although some are too afraid, unfortunately, to say it. This bill offers us a bipartisan way out of this crisis. It is the compromise that the House and Senate negotiators worked out last fall. I think that bears repeating. This bill is the bipartisan compromise that House and Senate negotiators worked out last fall. While the CJS section does not contain everything that our side may want, it does contain important investments in science, innovation, justice, and economic development. In fact, with very few changes, this portion of H.R. 648 very closely mirrors what the Senate introduced just 2 days ago. The CJS division of this bill includes significant increases for the Census Bureau, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the FBI. It rejects the administration's proposed cuts to the Economic Development Administration, the Minority Business Development Agency, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program and more. It is a commonsense solution to the shutdown, and it lets our Federal employees get back to the business of helping our Nation. I urge Members on both sides to vote for this bill. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to close by saying what I said before: we continue to push and push for this wall to be built. I don't spend time on whether the wall will be big or small, cement or wood or metal. For me it is simply this: this country, of all countries in the world, should never build a wall. This country is not the country that builds a wall. So in New York we have the Statue of Liberty, and in the south a wall.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. For me, this is a very simple thought; it is the same thought I have had all along; this country, of all countries, should not be building a wall. This country, the land of opportunity, the land of freedom, the land where people come to build a new life, should not be building a wall. So what do we do? There isn't the support necessary for building the wall, for funding it. So at the last minute, we sneak it into a so- called must-pass bill, or otherwise, you shut the government down. But the President has already said that he doesn't mind taking credit or taking responsibility for shutting this government down. This is very simple. People say, well, there is aid here, disaster aid. We have been dealing with this disaster issue now for over a year, and still, we don't do the right thing. This is simple for me. We can't build a wall. This wall will be a waste of money. I don't know who, but as we speak here, there are people already who know how to get over, through, and under the wall. The wall is not what we need. What we need is immigration reform, and we need another outlook. But, lastly, again, I repeat: of all of the countries in the world, this is the one that can't go down in history as being the greatest democracy when it builds a wall. And in my city, there is a statue that says: Give me your tired; give me your poor. But not if they come from Mexico.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to celebrate and honor the 100th anniversary of The Fordham Ram, a publication of true purpose and high achievement, whose exemplary programs and accomplishments have made many contributions to the Nation and our communities. The Fordham Ram, hosted by one of New York City's distinguished institutions of higher education, Fordham University, is the newspaper of record and student voice at Fordham's Rose Hill Campus. The newspaper has served students, staff, alumni, and The Bronx community through award-winning, fair, and professional journalism since 1918. The staff and alumni of The Fordham Ram have remained dedicated to objective journalism in the public's interest for 100 years. The Fordham Ram's 100th anniversary is an auspicious occasion to recognize the accomplishments of the distinguished alumni who have also written for the newspaper during their time at Fordham University. Notable alumni include Louis D. Boccardi ('58), the former President and CEO of the Associated Press; Loretta Tofani ('75), Pulitzer Prize winner at the Washington Post; Malcolm Moran ('75), former reporter for the New York Times and USA Today; Thomas Maier ('78), author and prize- winning investigative journalist for Newsday; Jim Dwyer ('79), two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and columnist for the New York Times; Michael Kay ('82), the voice of the New York Yankees on the YES Network and ESPN Radio host; Jack Curry ('86), analyst for the YES Network; and the legendary Vin Scully ('49), the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baseball Hall of Fame broadcaster, and Radio Hall of Famer. The significant contributions these individuals have made to the field of journalism are a testament to the true spirit of excellence instilled in them at The Fordham Ram. Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that my distinguished colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives join me in honoring the Fordham Ram for its 100 years of remarkable dedication to fair journalism and its longstanding commitment to improving The Bronx.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking member for bringing this resolution to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support H. Res. 792, which would urge the Secretary of the Interior to recognize the historical significance of Roberto Clemente's place of death near Pinones in Loiza, Puerto Rico, by adding it to the National Register of Historic Places. Formalizing the site of his untimely death will create a place for our Nation to honor Roberto Clemente's career and legacy. He was a trailblazer in baseball and in his life of service outside of baseball. Born in 1934, in Carolina, Puerto Rico, Roberto Enrique Clemente Walker's pride and humanitarian ways won him universal admiration. Some said that he had a very unorthodox way of hitting the ball, yet he had four batting titles and 3,000 hits exactly on the last day of the season--the last season he played before he passed. He won four batting titles. He had one of the most incredible arms in right field you ever saw. I still remember a day in New York when he threw a ball from the right field fence to third base without a bounce. For a person of my age, who cannot throw the ball but 100 feet, perhaps, that was quite a sight to see. But there was another person in Clemente: the person who was always trying to build up people of color; who was always trying to build up a relationship with Latin America, knowing how important baseball was to Latin America and how important baseball was to Latin Americans and people in the territory of Puerto Rico. He played a role in being that ambassador, to the point where, when Nicaragua suffered a hurricane that killed about 7,000 people and thousands of people were without food or water, he decided to lead a couple of planeloads of relief efforts to Nicaragua. But as times had it in those days--and perhaps even these days, too-- some, if not all of the supplies he was sending of food and water to Nicaragua were being stolen and sold on the black market. So he decided he was going to go himself on the next trip. He was so revered and respected in Nicaragua, nobody would dare touch anything if he was on the ground. So he left on a plane on December 31, 1972. After taking off, the plane went into the water. Roberto's body was never found. I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, but I so believe that we Puerto Ricans, whether we are from New York, New Jersey, or Puerto Rico, born or not born in Puerto Rico, still hold a certain need to have found him and to have given him the proper burial. But that never happened. When we do what we do today, hopefully, we continue to honor this man who was not only the first Latino in the Hall of Fame, who not only batted 317 in his lifetime, which is not an easy accomplishment, and who not only had 3,000 hits and had a rifle for an arm, who was-- although people would say it was only two World Series--the only player to get a hit in every single World Series game he played--14 of them-- he was just exceptional. To this day, I can tell you that there are more Puerto Ricans who use the number 21, although it has nothing to do with them, on their email, than any other number. There are more kids in Puerto Rico and throughout the States and the other territories who, when joining a team, ask for number 21 on their uniform, for Roberto. That is what he means to us, that is what he means to the country, and as the people in Pittsburgh will tell you, it is not just Puerto Ricans. It is Americans in general. This is a great thing we are doing. I applaud and support the efforts of the chairman and the ranking member.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to honor Awilda Rivera, who is a Senior Congressional Assistant and Caseworker in my district office and is retiring after more than 30 years of service. She has been a key part of my team for almost the entirety of my time in Congress, and my staff and I will sorely miss her. Awilda began her work on behalf of Bronxites in 1988, with my predecessor, Congressman Robert Garcia. She later joined my staff, and has been with my office for more than 27 years. Her work was always stellar, and she consistently went above and beyond the call of duty to help constituents with whatever problems they had. She had a hard time saying no to assisting individuals in need. Helping others is, and I believe will always be, her passion. Although she has worked on a number of casework areas, Awilda primarily focused on immigration issues. Awilda's knowledge of our immigration laws likely outstrips that of many immigration attorneys, and other elected officials frequently sought out her advice and assistance on casework issues. It is not an exaggeration to say that she has helped literally thousands of my constituents obtain citizenship, resolve visa issues, and help family members living at home and abroad. I cannot tell you the number of times that people relate stories to me about how she helped them or a close family member resolve a problem. Awilda's passion for The Bronx is evident in her work and in her commitment to our community. She has lived in The Bronx all her life and raised both of her children in our borough. Today, she is a mother of two, Octavia Rivera and Jazmine Velez, and grandmother to Timothy, Noah, Camille and Andre. Awilda comes from a musical family. Her father plays the guitar and her son, Octavia Rivera, is a well-known artist who goes by Toby Love. Her brother is also a musician. Awilda loves music, dancing, and--above all--her family. In fact, she plans to help care for her father in Puerto Rico in the future. My constituents will deeply miss Awilda's advocacy, her compassion, and her selflessness. She is a legend in the community. I am deeply grateful for Awilda's dedication to helping others, and to the work that she has done for my office and my constituents. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Awilda Rivera for her distinguished service and extensive contributions to The Bronx and to the Nation.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to pay tribute to Georgette Magassy Dorn, Chief of the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress. Georgette Magassy Dorn was born in Hungary and was raised in Spain and Argentina. She immigrated to the United States in 1956. She has a bachelor's degree from Creighton University, a Master's degree from Boston College, and a doctorate degree from Georgetown University, which she completed while working at the Library of Congress. For twenty years, she was visiting lecturer at Georgetown University. She published books and articles on Latin American culture and served as an officer in many professional organizations including the Latin American Studies Association. Ms. Dorn has been leading the Hispanic Division since 1994 and will be retiring on October 12, 2018 after more than half a century of distinguished service to the Library of Congress. She started working at the Hispanic Division in 1964 as a Latin American Area Specialist and in 1968 became the Curator of the Archive of Hispanic Literature on Tape succeeding Francisco Aguilera. In her role as curator, she recorded over 400 poets and novelists from Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula, the Caribbean, and the United States for the Library's archive. Nobel laureates that Ms. Dorn recorded include Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Colombia), Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru), and Camilo Jose Cela (Spain). Among U.S. Latino writers are U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, Ana Castillo, Sabine Ulibarri, and Rudolfo Anaya. The Archive also includes other Nobel Prize winners from the Hispanic world--Gabriela Mistral Chile), Juan Ramon Jimenez (Spain), Miguel Angel Asturias (Guatemala), and Octavia Paz (Mexico). In addition to her work as a curator, Ms. Dorn was also the Head of the Hispanic Reading Room assisting patrons searching for materials. With the support of the Library, she expanded an active internship program for college students and recent graduates to work with the Library's world-class Hispanic collections. Beginning in the early 1990s, Ms. Dorn oversaw the automation of the ``Handbook of Latin American Studies,'' which is an annual, annotated bibliography in the humanities and social sciences prepared by a dedicated staff in the Hispanic Division with the help of 120 contributing editors from all across the United States. This important research tool has been prepared in the Hispanic Division since 1939 and has been published annually by the University of Texas Press in Austin. Since 1995 the Handbook is available online free of charge. Ms. Dorn has overseen an ambitious digitization plan, in addition to the ``Handbook,'' in order to share the Library's rich collections. As a result, one of the Division's most visited sites is the Spanish- American War of 1898. Her other important contributions include developing the Hispanic collections in all formats and securing valuable historical items from donors for the Library. In recent years, she succeeded in acquiring visual materials by Latino artists for the Library's Prints and Photographs Division. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Georgette Magassy Dorn for her distinguished service and extensive contributions to the Library of Congress.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for the time. I rise to sadly oppose this disaster supplemental, which does not do enough to help Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is a bill created by Republicans with little Democratic input. At some point, they decided that rather than working in a bipartisan manner, they wanted to try and address these disasters without taking into account some of the most important Democratic priorities. In particular, it does not address many issues crucial to Puerto Rico's recovery in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. For instance, it does nothing to address the looming Medicaid cliff, which will devastate health kits access and delivery on the island early next year. It does not waive numerous local cost share requirements, which will make it extremely difficult for the government of Puerto Rico to access large parts of the Federal funding made available here. It does not do enough to help States like New York and New Jersey and others that have generously opened their arms to our fellow citizens displaced by these storms. It expands the powers of the Puerto Rico Fiscal Oversight Board, giving them authority to approve the recovery plans of Puerto Rico's government. The end result of all of this is further delay in Puerto Rico's recovery. This is not the message that we want to send to 3.4 million American citizens this holiday season. As I look at my notes and as I look at what this debate may become today, it really comes down to one point: we as Americans, we as the United States Congress, we as the U.S. Government still have not come to grips with the fact that, yes, we have territories, that, yes, we have colonies. If you ask the American people, ``Are the people of Puerto Rico American citizens?'' you would be shocked before all this information went out on the hurricanes how many would say: ``I don't know. I served with some in the Army, but I don't know if they are citizens.'' Well, I think, more and more, we need to know that the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Marianna Islands, and Puerto Rico are part of the American family. It is not as a long gone member of my party once told me when I said: What are we going to do about Puerto Rico in this bill? He said: Well, we have no money left over. I said: Did you have money left over for the 50 States? He said: Well, they go first. I said: Why do they go first? Why can't the whole family go together? So my plea that I have made for years, I continue to make. There is a bigger issue than the one we are discussing today, and that is the fact that we have territories. We have colonies. They are part of the United States. They should be part of our family. We should treat them as such.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in honoring the memory, legacy, and public office of Maurice Hinchey. Mo and I were elected in the same election in 1974 and met during freshman orientation that December on a cold Albany day. From then on, we were friends. I came from the South Bronx, so I knew about the issues of the environment, but I didn't know the intricacies of how they should be approached legislatively. He taught me all about it, as he did our whole freshman class. From day one, he was that person who spoke about saving this Earth, saving this country, and saving this land that has been loaned to us. In addition, Maurice was, as has been said here, one of the nicest guys you could ever imagine. He was a unique elected official. He was a liberal in a conservative district who was loved by his constituents. Early in my assembly career, the first year, I visited his district and saw how he cared for the people and how they cared for him. He took me all around. It was wonderful how he loved his community. He taught us that there were places outside of New York. I will always remember Maurice used to say to me: I have got to go to New York City once a month. I said: Why? He said: Just to charge my batteries, get the big city lights, and then I come back. He was a special human being. He could play softball and swing a bat like no one else. I will miss you, my brother. I will miss you. You are special. The people will miss you forever.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding. This bill is a first step in helping Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria. It will provide FEMA and the governments of the islands with the funds needed to address immediate relief needs and begin the recovery process. I do want to thank the chairman and ranking member for their commitment to this issue and for taking my phone calls at all different times, on weekends. You have been very helpful and very supportive. Both will be visiting the island tomorrow and will be able to see firsthand the dramatic and comprehensive needs that Puerto Rico is facing. Right now, 85 percent of the island still lacks electricity more than 3 weeks after the hurricane hit. One-third of the island doesn't have access to clean drinking water. Most of the island still lacks cellular service, hampering the vital information to deliver assistance in the areas that are needed. Federal employees on the island now are doing important and vital work, but we need more boots on the ground. This funding provides them with the resources needed to do that in the short term. But to succeed, there needs to be a commitment from the highest levels of government to ensure the recovery of all areas that are part of our Nation, including its territories. Unfortunately, given the President's latest Twitter rant this morning, it seems unlikely that we have that focus and commitment. So it is up to us in Congress to make sure that the Federal Government doesn't forget about Puerto Rico, and that is what I intend to do in the days and months ahead. But to both of you and to our membership here, thank you for not forgetting Puerto Rico. This is an ongoing battle and an ongoing issue.

Mr. SERRANO

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I am in support of the en bloc amendments. We have worked on it jointly, and I support all of the amendments that are included in the en bloc. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Rosen).

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to take a moment to say to my friend that my prayers and my thoughts are with him, his family, his constituents, Texas, Florida, the Caribbean, South Carolina, my birthplace of Puerto Rico, and all the other folks who have been through this very difficult time. I intend to use my vote on appropriations in whatever way it can to serve to help those communities as they get back on the road to recovery. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, and I commend the authors for offering it. This effective program funds a series of centers that help small- and medium-sized manufacturers to develop new products, attract new customers, and reduce protection costs. Because this bill received an inadequate allocation, the chairman was forced to partially agree with the President's efforts to undermine our manufacturing sector, and the bill currently contains a cut of $30 million from the MEP program. This amendment provides an important downpayment in restoring funding for this important program. We will have to do better down the line, but this is a good start. Mr. Chairman, I urge Members to support the amendment.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I feel comfortable with Mr. Cohen withdrawing his amendment because I know the chairman, Mr. Culberson, is very supportive of this program. It is interesting to note that this program was born in a bipartisan fashion, with President Nixon, at that time, being the main supporter of it. The bill only provides $300 million for Legal Services, which is a cut of $85 million from fiscal year 2017. This amendment provides a downpayment towards restoring these cuts, and I commend the authors for offering it. We should not be cutting LSC funding at a time when more people than ever qualify for these services. Legal aid providers always must turn away more than half of eligible applicants. They already do that, and these cuts would only create a bigger problem. Very briefly, in closing, there are a lot of issues that we can discuss that make America great. One of them is the right to legal representation. If you can't afford it, then this is where programs like Legal Services come in and support.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding. This reduction would have a significant impact on public safety. The ATF would be investigating fewer firearm traffickers and violent gangs. They would be unable to respond effectively to theft burglaries from Federal firearms licensees. These cuts would weaken the ATF's ability to do its primary responsibilities: combat violent crime and regulate the firearms and explosive industries. Not surprisingly, a reduction of this magnitude would result in approximately 400 employees being laid off. According to the ATF, that means they would have to eliminate approximately 200 special agents, 65 industry operations investigators, and 135 professional technical positions. The elimination of these positions at ATF directly degrades the Department's capacity to combat violent firearm crimes and regulate the firearms and explosives industries. I just think that this is not a proper amendment at this time or, for that matter, at any time, and I join the chairman in agreeing on this.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this very misguided amendment. This amendment would allow felons and other dangerous individuals to try to regain the ability to own guns by sending an application to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. I am not sure why the Member would offer an amendment that makes it easier for felons to get guns. Most Americans would be shocked by such a proposal. Each year since 1993, Congress has prohibited ATF from processing applications from felons seeking to have their gun rights restored, and with good reason. Prior to 1993, there were numerous examples of felons who had their gun rights restored by ATF only to go on to commit further crimes later. For example, in 1977, Michael Paul Dahnert of Wisconsin was convicted of burglary. In 1986, he was granted relief and allowed to, once again, own firearms. Two months later, he was rearrested and charged with first degree sexual assault and four counts of second degree sexual assault, for which he received 5 years in prison. In 1977, James Morgan was convicted of perjury to a grand jury. In 1988, he was granted relief and allowed to gain and own firearms. He was arrested that same year for first degree wanton endangerment and later sentenced to 6 months confinement and 2 years probation. These are only a few examples. It is important to point out that the gentleman's amendment makes no distinction as far as the seriousness of the offense for which the individual was initially denied a firearm, and ATF would need to investigate all applications for gun rights restoration. Furthermore, simply processing these applications would require significant ATF agent resources and would divert ATF away from its core law enforcement mission of fighting firearm offenses. Since 1998, when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System was put in use, well over 1 million firearm transfers have been denied after background checks established that the individuals attempting to purchase the firearms were prohibited from processing firearms. Even if only 20 percent of the denied individuals file an application with ATF to have their gun rights restored, this would require the efforts of hundreds of full-time ATF agents to perform background checks of these individuals. The agents would be diverted from their primary law enforcement investigation. Even though ATF is legally required to ensure that the applicant ``will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety,'' we know that this process is not perfect, as evidenced by the examples I just gave. The bottom line is that this amendment would give guns back to felons and, at the same time, sharply reduce ATF's resources for pursuing violent crime investigations. Both of these outcomes would seriously harm public safety, and for these reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to reject this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chairman, if you hear the opposition to this amendment, you would think that discrimination does not exist in this country any longer. Oh, how I wish that were the case. Mr. Chairman, I support the amendment. This amendment would strike the harmful EEOC rider which blocks the EEOC from collecting data on the expanded EEO-1 form. This data collection would allow EEOC to better examine pay patterns by industry and/or geographic region and/or employer or establishment, conduct comprehensive statistical analysis, and evaluate the context of the discrimination allegations. The EEOC will use the data primarily for early assessment of allegations of discrimination based on sex, ethnicity, or race. In short, the newly expanded form will be critical to closing gender and racial wage gaps. Preventing the collection of this information will result in less oversight and more wage discrimination. Mr. Chair, I strongly support the amendment.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the gentleman's amendment.

Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Chair, if the gentleman had brought some cooked fish, I probably wouldn't read this. Mr. Chair, this is not an appropriate amendment for inclusion in an annual spending bill. Congress should not be in the business of micromanaging fish conservation in this manner. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is an interstate compact that was established in 1942 as a mechanism to allow Atlantic coastal States to join forces in managing their shared fishery resources. For over 75 years, this Commission has served as a body for the Atlantic coastal States, coordinating the conservation and management of 27 nearshore fish species. Each State is represented on the Commission by three commissioners who participate in deliberations and interstate fisheries management, fisheries science, habitat conservation, and law enforcement. Through these activities, the States collectively ensure the sound conservation of management of their shared coastal fishery resources. We should allow the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to do its job in managing fish stocks. We must not allow the House to be in the business of second-guessing them and micromanaging fish regulations in particular locations. There is a process currently in place for addressing these issues at the regional level, and we should allow that process to work. A stock assessment for striped bass is planned for next year. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission can make a determination as to whether it intends to ask the Federal Government to open up the Block Island Transit Zone to striped bass fishing. Currently, the consensus position of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission is that the fishing restrictions should remain in place. I believe that this is a bad precedent for Congress to interfere with this State-driven process. For that reason, I oppose the amendment. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.