Eric Swalwell

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the passing and recognize the life of Tom McCormick: loving husband, father, marine, man of great faith, and dedicated public servant to the city of Dublin, California. Following graduation from high school, he joined the U.S. Marines and served honorably in the Korean war, where he received a Purple Heart. Tom loved Dublin deeply, serving 17 years as an elected representative for the Dublin-San Ramon Services District, where he pushed, and was one of the first in the State to push, for water recycling systems. We can also thank Tom for his role in helping to create and establish the Dublin Heritage Park. Tom also had a big heart. In 1975, he and his wife, Claudia, took in some of the last South Vietnamese refugees. Tom will be missed. I send my condolences to his wife, Claudia, of 42 years, who also served as a Dublin City Council member; his sons, Marshall and Thomas; and stepchildren, Melinda, Desiree, and Kathy.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the free concert on August 1 organized by the Jenny Lin Foundation. The Jenny Lin Foundation was founded 20 years ago, in 1994, following the tragic murder of Jenny Lin of Castro Valley at just 14 years old. Thanks to her parents, John and Mei-lian, Jenny's talents and spirit will never be forgotten through the work of this wonderful organization. In recognition of Jenny's love of music, the Jenny Lin Foundation sponsors a free summer music program. It culminates in a free community concert each year. Not only have thousands of East Bay students benefited from this music education, but they have gained leadership skills too. That is because the Foundation's programs are student led. The Foundation also supports music education through two scholarships to help with private music lessons. These are annual awards given to a Castro Valley Unified School District Music Program participant chosen as the ``Most Promising Musician'' and a Castro Valley middle school student for ``Academic and Musical Achievement.'' Another focus of the Jenny Lin Foundation is to help protect our children. It has done this through fairs to educate parents and children on how to stay safe, self-defense classes, and art contests. Thank you to John and Mei-lian, the Foundation, and everyone involved in it for making a tremendous contribution to the East Bay. I want to wish everyone involved in this year's concert the very best. It is moving to see that such a positive benefit can come out of such a terrible crime. May the Jenny Lin Foundation continue to help our East Bay community for many years to come.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), the ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker I will include an article from The Wall Street Journal in support of H.R. 1022 in the Record. This is a December 5, 2013, Wall Street Journal article titled, ``China Still Dominates Rare-Earth Processing.'' [From the Wall Street Journal, Dec. 5, 2013] China Still Dominates Rare-Earth Processing (By James T. Areddy) Shenzhen, China.--When U.S. Rare Earths Inc. begins mining on the border of Montana and Idaho about two years from now, the U.S. will gain a new domestic, non-Chinese source of minerals essential to making electronic devices and weaponry components. But at the moment, there's virtually no place for these minerals to be processed into something useful--except China. China's share of global rare-earth output has been shrinking recently as miners elsewhere capitalized on fears the country controls too much global supply. Even so, China still dominates the complex--and often polluting--middle steps that turn mined material into useful ingredients, including metals and magnets. For example, China supplies about 80% of the specialized magnets produced with rare-earth ingredients like neodymium that are used in everything from elevators to cruise missiles. ``It's amazing people haven't connected these dots,'' said U.S. Rare Earths Chief Executive Kevin Cassidy. His company plans to build facilities in the U.S. to handle difficult middle-stage processes, but that will be expensive and require numerous regulatory approvals. Three years ago China shocked high-technology industries by tightening export controls on a group of 17 elements called rare earths that sent their prices rising as much as tenfold, prompting then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to dub the scare a ``wake up call.'' Miners responded by racing to find new rare-earth sources in the U.S. and elsewhere. Industry authority Dudley Kingsnorth says those new sources already cut China's share of global supply to 86% from 93% between 2011 and 2012. China's export policies are the subject of a continuing dispute between Beijing, Washington and others before the World Trade Organization. The WTO in October ruled illegal certain restrictions on Chinese rare-earth exports, though Beijing is expected to appeal the largely symbolic decision. But when it comes to processing rare earths, China faces little competition--and Wang Qin's greasy hands illustrate why. The 45-year-old machinist for Feller Magnets Corp. in the southern city of Shenzhen runs dozens of machines that slice magnetic blocks made with rare earth into razor-thin discs that his company says will be installed in mobile phones. While his computerized saws can meet precision specifications for Feller's high-technology customers, the machines also slick its factory floors with oil. Basins of acids and extreme heat feature in other parts of the facility. The company, which says half its output is sold in China compared with only 30% in recent years, didn't respond to a request for comment on factory conditions. China's dominance in a field with a poor environmental record illustrates one way it plays key roles more generally in global manufacturing. China tops world output of chemicals and fertilizers, as well as making lead-acid batteries and harvesting of scrap computer parts for metal. Business executives say that China's backbone in intermediate industries, including rare-earth processing, allows it to draw in related businesses that depend on the products and thereby deepening its importance to production supply chains from computers to automobiles. In 2010 Beijing significantly crimped exports of rare-earth minerals citing environmental reasons to clean up a chaotic industry. Seeing prices of the elements soar, investors funded dozens of mine exploration projects around the world. Since then, a California mine and one in Australia have ramped up, with others in South Africa, Vietnam, India and Kazakhstan now in the construction phase, according to Gareth Hatch, an industry investor and principal at Illinois-based Technology Metals Research LLC. But he said many prospectors who rushed after 2010 to bring new supplies to market wrongly assumed, ``if you build the mine, the downstream supply chain will magically appear outside of China.'' A number of U.S. defense contractors declined to comment on industry trends. Northrop Grumman Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp. referred questions to the Aerospace Industries Association, which pointed to a September report from the U.S. Congressional Research Service that said ``most rare earth materials' processing is performed in China, giving it a dominant position that could affect world-wide supply and prices.'' A Defense Department spokesman said the military continually monitors the situation while citing an ``increasingly diverse and robust domestic and global supply chain for rare earth materials.'' A March 2012 military report highlighted positive trends ``for a market capable of meeting future U.S. Government demand.'' While Mr. Kingsnorth, executive director of Industrial Minerals Company of Australia, estimates China's share of world production could slide to 63% by 2016, he points out that China continues to dominate the nine steps between mining rare earths and producing something with the material. After ore is pried from the ground and unwanted minerals are sifted away to make a concentrate of minerals, complex acid and chemical treatments are required to separate individual rare earths into quantities that are useful. Many of the 17 rare earths share such similar physical properties that separating individual elements can require several months and 1,000 chemical treatments. Outside China, few places have the industrial capacity to separate the elements. Companies in the U.S., Russia, France, Japan and elsewhere handle some of these steps, but China is the only place that has the industrial capacity to do them all. Among those producing fresh output is U.S.-based Molycorp Inc. Yet Molycorp exports some of the neodymium and samarium from its giant deposit in California's Mojave Desert to its processing facilities in China. ``The downstream does take longer to develop,'' says Constantine Karayannopoulos, who until this month was Molycorp's interim chief executive officer and is now vice chairman. Molycorp said it spent $1.5 billion to build a separation facility in California, and Mr. Karayannopoulos estimates a quarter to a third of that cost is related to ensuring the plant operates to high environmental standards, which include recycling wastewater. Still, Molycorp says it is cheaper to make some of its materials at its facilities in China. Mr. Karayannopoulos also estimates around 60% of that output is sold to multinational companies already in China. ``I can't overemphasize how complex supply chains are,'' said Mr. Karayannopoulos. A big effort to reduce China's role in the intermediate steps of processing rare earths is being undertaken by Australia's Lynas Corp. with a plant opened last year in Malaysia to handle separation processes. But local environmentalists decry the facility as dangerous, and Lynas says it has processed only a fraction of its output there this year. Lynas says none of its material is being sent to China for separation. Increasingly, China is taking steps to expand into more profitable aspects of the rare-earth business that follow the separation processes, instead of exporting those raw materials. Mr. Kingsnorth likens such efforts to European winemakers: ``France doesn't sell any grapes,'' he said.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 1022, the Securing Energy Critical Elements and American Jobs Act of 2014. I want to thank Chairman Smith for working with me on this bill for over a year. We introduced this in March 2013. We have talked a number of times about this bill, and I appreciate the attention the majority staff has shown to get this bill to the floor. I also appreciate the work of our ranking member, Ms. Johnson, on the minority side, and that of Congressman Hultgren, as well as the work of Mrs. Lummis, the chair of the Energy Subcommittee. We have truly worked in a bipartisan manner to move this bill to the floor. Did you know, Mr. Speaker, that energy critical elements are crucial to powering our cell phones? to powering our airplanes and to producing renewable energy? They include elements, many of which I never learned about in my chemistry class in high school, like cobalt, lanthanum, and helium. These elements are critical to the innovation economy and to our national defense, but here is the problem. Today, almost entirely all of them are imported from other countries like China. It is time to get America into the game. I introduced this bill to help ensure that the United States continues to have access to materials that are essential to technologies we rely upon every day. These materials are also crucial to developing new technologies that will help make us leaders in the clean energy economy of the future, helping to create good jobs here in America. I also want to note an important distinction from this bill and a bill that passed in the House in the 111th Congress in 2010. There are three big differences: one, this bill does not have any loan guarantees; two, this bill does not spend a single new dollar; and three, this bill does not create a new program. Those are important distinctions from the bill that passed in the 111th Congress. Many Americans may not realize just how dependent we are upon energy critical elements. One of these elements, No. 3 on the periodic table and represented here on this poster, is lithium. The cell phones, laptops, and other mobile devices upon which we all greatly rely and use--not to mention the energy storage systems for many commercial aircraft--all require lithium to function effectively. To make these products here in America and not cede leadership across the world, we need to have access to lithium. We also can't lose sight of how important these elements are in enabling a new era of energy production and use. From advanced solar energy technologies to natural gas and wind turbines, nuclear reactors, and state-of-the-art batteries for electrical and hybrid vehicles, a series of specific elements in limited supply are currently irreplaceable, and we need to ensure continued access to them even as we work to develop substitute materials wherever possible. It is not just about commercial products and explicit energy production. Rhenium, No. 75 on the periodic table, which is represented here on this poster, is used to make parts for jet engines, including the jets that provide America's air superiority for our Air Force and Navy. Having access to this metal, thus, has an important national security component. A subset of these critical elements, with names like neodymium and terbium, is what are considered rare earth elements. Incidentally, there is nothing rare about these elements in the sense that they are only found in one or two places in the world but, rather, that, in many instances, they aren't found in sufficient quantities to make them minable and, where they are, doing so would be cost prohibitive and a very long-term endeavor. As one example, I have a poster here representing terbium, No. 65 on the periodic table. It is a silvery metal. Most people probably have never heard of it, but it is used in high-efficiency lighting and, as exemplified on this poster, in wind turbines, among many other energy uses. One country, China, has recognized the importance of these rare earth elements, and it has put vast amounts of resources into becoming the world's leading supplier of them. As a result, China is currently responsible for the mining and distribution of 97 percent of rare earth elements. Predictably, China hasn't been shy about using this monopoly as leverage against its international competitors. In fact, just a few years ago, China temporarily cut off rare earth supplies to Japan, the European Union, and the United States, further highlighting the potential consequences of relying so heavily upon a single nation for rare earth production and driving up the costs for American manufacturers. The bipartisan version that we are discussing here today, H.R. 1022, provides a strong and sustainable path forward for helping ensure that the United States maintains a sufficient, reliable supply of energy critical elements. It explicitly authorizes in law the Critical Materials Energy Innovation Hub--a collaboration among national laboratories, universities, research institutes, and private companies that has been up and running since early last year--and subjects this hub to a rigorous merit review process prior to renewal for an additional 5 years. Essentially, there are tight controls in place to make sure we always have the oversight of this hub. Let me pause here and emphasize this point as there seems to be some confusion. There are tight controls that will be in place in authorizing this hub. Again, I want to remind the Speaker that there are no new programs, no loan guarantees, and not a new dollar spent. My bill requires the Department of Energy to develop and regularly update a strategic plan in this area, and it authorizes the hub to maintain a critical materials information center to aid in the collection and dissemination of data to ensure that all of our Nation's researchers in the public and private sectors have access to the most up-to-date information. Finally, my bill charges the National Science and Technology Council with ensuring the appropriate interagency coordination with research activities. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, efforts that went into bringing this bill to the floor reflect what our constituents at home want to see from us here in Washington, a bill that was introduced in March of 2013, a bill where revisions were made, compromises were made. The loan guarantee part of the bill was taken out at the request of the majority staff so that we could bring this bill to the floor in a bipartisan way. I am proud that I can go home and tell my constituents I was able to work with my colleagues on a bill that will advance American innovation, American energy security, and national security. So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. If you want to go home and tell your constituents that you were part of a bipartisan bill that protects American innovation, manufacturing, energy security, and national security, vote for this bill. If you want to go home and tell your constituents that you are a part of seeing jobs go over to China and ceding leadership in energy, critical elements, then you should vote against this bill. But I think this Congress wants to take back leadership when it comes to where we get our energy. That is why I am supporting this bill. That is why I am grateful that the chairman brought this bill to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan H.R. 1022. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5035, legislation that would reauthorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology, also known as NIST. NIST, founded in 1901, is a nonregulatory Federal agency within the Department of Commerce. Its mission is to promote U.S. innovation and competitiveness by advancing measurement science. H.R. 5035 makes important changes and updates to NIST programs, including the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, or MEP, program. MEP centers work with small- and medium-sized U.S. manufacturers and help them create and retain jobs, increase profits, and save money. In my district, the 15th Congressional District of California, the California MEP center helped Plastikon, a plastic and contract manufacturing company that provides service to medical, automotive, and electronics industries, revisit its business model after one of its largest customers shut down. The MEP center supported market research, strategic planning and training, and lean manufacturing for Plastikon. The project increased the company sales by 20 percent. The MEP program has proven to be a very successful public-private partnership for districts across the country. For every dollar of investment, the MEP program generates almost $19 in new sales and $21 in new client investment. This totals more than $2 billion in new sales every year. H.R. 5035 helps ensure that the MEP program will continue partnering with the full range of small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies, helping them to innovate and create jobs here in America. I was pleased that when this bill was considered as a section of the FIRST Act in the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, we worked in a bipartisan manner to make improvements to it. That section, as improved, is what we are considering today as a stand-alone bill. I appreciate the majority working with us in this new way. Although I support the important policy provisions contained in this bill, I am also a little disappointed by the low authorization level. NIST is the one of our Nation's most important, yet least known, agencies. Because of its unrivaled expertise in measurement science, its unique research facilities, and its strong industry partnerships, NIST has been asked by Congress and by one administration after another to take on leadership roles in a number of crosscutting Federal efforts, from cybersecurity to advanced manufacturing. To adequately support their mission and work in these critical areas, the authorization level for NIST should be closer to the President's fiscal year 2015 budget request and the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations fiscal year 2015 bill. My hope is that when this bill goes to conference with the Senate we can work on a higher authorization level for NIST. That said, H.R. 5035 is an important bill that contains sound policy provisions that were developed, again, on a bipartisan basis and that will help ensure NIST's ability to promote U.S. innovation and competitiveness. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. This legislation asks the simple question: Will we look forward, as a country, as to where we draw our energy resources, toward cleaner, more renewable sources? Or will we continue to look backwards toward dirtier fossil fuels that will harm our environment? Do we want to be a part of a 21st century energy policy? Or do we want to be a part of a 20th century energy policy? My amendment increases the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, or EERE, R&D funding levels by $111.6 million above what is in the bill. The offset comes from the fossil energy R&D in an amount necessary to make the outlays in my amendment budget-neutral. The request from the majority exceeds the White House's request for fossil fuel R&D but cuts the request for EERE. This increase in EERE would bring the funding levels back to fiscal year 2014 level and help ensure that, at the very least, we are not moving backwards in our work towards energy security. My colleagues across the aisle, instead, are seeking to cut this forward-looking program by $111 million. Reducing funding for EERE on top of the cuts that it suffered last year is incredibly shortsighted, not to mention it is done at the expense of protecting the fossil fuel industry which is already doing pretty all right, if you ask me. I find it hard to believe that any of us actually have a problem with supporting efforts to become more energy efficient. The only reason I can think of that anyone would support any cuts to EERE would be a dislike on the part of some for the term ``renewable energy.'' By increasing energy efficiency in our homes, at our businesses, and through developing advanced models and methods of manufacturing, we will save money, we will improve productivity, and create new good- paying jobs here the United States. And, most importantly, yes, we can reduce emissions from power plants that are contributing to global climate change and leave an Earth that is much healthier for our children. One great example of this is that EERE is partnering with Colorado State University to provide small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies no-cost energy assessments. More than 650 energy assessments have been done to date, with an average of $30,000 in energy savings per assessment. I would say that programs like this are worthy of a sustained support and that $5.6 billion in savings has been found across the country. EERE's manufacturing program is also enabling us to become a world leader in making new energy technologies. So the choice is clear: we can accept this massive cut to EERE and risk becoming a net importer of next-generation energy technologies, or we can do what America has always done, and we can look forward, and we can make the needed investments to help us become a net exporter of these next generation technologies. EERE supports all types of innovative and potentially groundbreaking research in solar, wind, geothermal, and water technologies. Given how abundant these resources are, from the sun in the southwest to the wind in the plains to the numerous rivers and potential for tidal power, we would be foolish to pull back on the potential for using these environmentally sustainable resources for power on a larger scale. The greatest challenge today with the renewables is that when the sun is not shining and wind is not blowing, it is very hard to harness those energies. However we are very, very close to closing that gap, and EERE goes a very long way to bridging that gap. They are also helping to pioneer research into advanced combustion engines that will drastically increase gas mileage, with EERE funding, in traditional cars, saving taxpayers countless amounts of money even as they remove harmful emissions from the atmosphere. EERE R&D can help our Nation transform the way that we generate and use energy. This cut that is proposed by the majority is unnecessary, ill-conceived, and I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to restore the funding level of fiscal year 2014. Appropriations is about priorities, and priorities reflect values. America has always looked forward. And we should not look anywhere but forward when it comes to where we receive America's energy needs. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Will the gentleman yield for a question?

Mr. SWALWELL of California. I appreciate the gentleman from Idaho and his comments. I would just ask that the majority's reasoning for--and I understand tough budgetary priorities have been made--but to reduce EERE's budget but to increase the fossil R&D budget, maybe if you could explain the reasoning behind an increase in fossil but a decrease in renewables?

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1671, which would designate the U.S. postal facility located at 6937 Village Parkway in Dublin, California, as the James ``Jim'' Kohnen Post Office. I thank the Chair and the ranking member for bringing this to the floor today. On May 29, 2012, the city of Dublin, California, and the entire Tri- Valley community lost a lifetime public servant in Dr. Jim Kohnen. Naming this postal facility after Dr. Kohnen would be a fitting tribute to a distinguished community member and Dublin's modern-day renaissance man. Dr. Kohnen retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a colonel after 30 years of service in the Corps of Engineers. During his service, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College, the Air War College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Through his work and in the community, Jim emphasized the importance of lifetime learning. His journey started with one of his earliest achievements, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Jim never stopped learning, earning multiple degrees, including two bachelor degrees, two master's degrees, and a doctorate in education. A constant advocate for education and its importance, Dr. Kohnen completed his career by serving as a high school teacher at San Leandro High School, where he taught political science, management, and general science. Jim Kohnen also never stopped serving. Using his education and experience, Dr. Kohnen served in just about every local community organization possible by volunteering with a variety of local organizations, most often serving as their treasurer, including for the Boy Scouts, the Dublin Historical Preservation Association, the League of Women Voters, and the Knights of Columbus at St. Raymond's Church. Dr. Kohnen also served as an elected or appointed official on five boards, including the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District, the Dublin San Ramon Services District, the Zone 7 Water Agency, the Alameda County Special Districts Association, and the American Association of Quality. Jim was always there to step up when we needed him to serve in any capacity. Jim never stopped learning and he never stopped serving, so naming Dublin's post office--our only post office--after Jim is a fitting tribute to his lifetime contributions, and it helps to inspire the Tri-Valley community residents to follow in his footsteps by dedicating their lives to the service of others. Passing this bill now also ensures that Jim's surviving wife, whom he was married to for 47 years, Pat, and their children, Bill and Mark, will be able to see Jim honored. It is also the 50th anniversary this week of when Jim and Pat both met and graduated from Ripon College in Wisconsin. Today, we honor Jim Kohnen--loving husband and father, faithful public servant, soldier, and Eagle Scout. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 1671.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Brad Kearns, chief of inspectors with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, who is retiring at the end of June after 38 years of law enforcement experience. Before serving as chief of inspectors, Brad worked for 24 years at the Oakland Police Department and also served as chief of police to the town of Moraga. For 7 years as a deputy district attorney, I had the opportunity to work with Brad at the District Attorney's Office and appreciated his commitment to ensuring crime victims received the justice they deserved and also his openness to embracing new technologies to better prosecute cases. It is fitting that I am honoring Brad in Washington, D.C., as just 2 years ago, he and I were here with District Attorney Nancy O'Malley for Federal advocacy to bring more Federal grant money back to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Brad plans to take a well-earned retirement and spend it with his wife of 39 years, Diane, and his children and grandchildren, all of whom live nearby in the Bay Area. On behalf of the residents of the East Bay, I want to thank Brad for his years of hard work and dedication to keeping our community safe. And I want to wish him well as he begins this new, exciting chapter in his life.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee).

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Saanchez).

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici).

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Ben Ray Lujaan). Mr. BEN RAY LUJAAN of New Mexico. Madam Chairman, the ability of our national labs to meet their mission relies on the strength of their foundational capabilities. I submitted an amendment that would give the Directors of our national laboratories the authority to accept grant funding from nonprofits and foundations for scientific research that supports the core missions of these labs. After discussion with the committee staff, rather than offering this amendment tonight, I look forward to working with Chairman Rogers of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee and Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith of the Armed Services Committee to find an acceptable solution on this issue. I also want to thank Mr. McKeon for his service and his time. It has really been an honor to get to know him, and I continue to look forward to working with him for many years to come.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Nolan).

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to fix the Department of Defense (DoD) policy with respect to military bands. I want to thank my friend, Congressman Patrick Meehan, for cosponsoring this important amendment I also want to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith for their support. For decades, military musical units have accepted assistance from community organizations to travel and perform at public events such as ceremonies and parades at no cost to taxpayers. Last April, the DoD decided to no longer accept such support, forcing military bands to cancel numerous public performances across the country. We learned that this new policy was issued because gifts from community organizations were not credited to the appropriate account. To combat this problem, last year Congressman Meehan and I sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (NDAA) in order to credit these contributions to the appropriate accounts, and thus, allow military bands to perform at community events. Our amendment was adopted. A version was included as Section 351 of NDAA, as enacted into Public Law 133-66. Despite the intent of the amendment, it has come to our attention that, although the Secretary of Defense is allowed to accept outside donations, his office likely will continue the status quo and prevent military musical units from receiving assistance from outside organizations. It is hard to believe that during a time of tight budgets DoD would reject assistance from community organizations to facilitate band performances. It would be in the financial interest of DoD to continue to allow military bands, such as the Marine bands, to travel with the assistance of community organizations. Additionally, public performances by military bands bring a sense of patriotism and community to our cities and towns. It also increases goodwill and helps to enliven community events, increasing attendance and economic activity. The intent behind the Section 351 of Public Law 133-66 is clear--to allow bands, like the Marine Band, to perform at community events when the expenses are fully covered by a private organization. In early May, Congressman Meehan and I sent a letter to DoD expressing our frustration with it continuing the current policy. We have not yet received a response from DoD on this issue. Since DoD apparently is choosing not to abide by the intent of our original amendment, we offered this new amendment to require DoD to accept gifts for military bands. Our amendment removes the discretion of DoD. This simple amendment will once again allow military musical units to travel and perform at community events at no cost to taxpayers. I urge all Members to support the amendment.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition on behalf of the ranking member.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chair, I yield myself 2 minutes. I rise in opposition to the Hastings amendment, and while I understand and appreciate the gentleman from Washington's interest in environmental cleanup, I am afraid that it does so at the expense of research. Inertial confinement fusion is critical to our national security. It keeps our nuclear weapons safe and ready at a time of growing threats across the globe. This amendment does not just target research at the National Ignition Facility--which is in my congressional district, which includes Livermore, California--it also tries to cut the whole budget for inertial confinement fusion. It ropes in the Z facility at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico and the OMEGA laser at the University of Rochester in New York. Budgets right now are tight, and I know all Members would welcome the chance to add more money to priorities they believe in, but it is a mistake to try to fund such priorities by shortchanging critical science that helps us in our national security mission, as well as meet our future energy needs. This science keeps us safe. It will also eventually revolutionize how we think about and produce energy, and we can't let ourselves fall behind or cede leadership to other nations who are making large investments in inertial confinement fusion, including France, Russia, and China. I ask all Members to reject this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SWALWELL of California

Mr. SWALWELL of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished citizen and community advocate, the Honorable Michael Sweeney, mayor of Hayward, California, as he approaches retirement. Mayor Sweeney put himself through college, earning a bachelor's and master's degree from Cal State Hayward. His career as a public servant spans 32 years, starting as a member of the Hayward City Council, serving in the California Assembly, and continuing his role now today as mayor. His service as an elected official is complemented by 38 years of advocacy for the underprivileged. Since November 2004, he has served as executive director of Spectrum Community Services. Spectrum provides people with the tools necessary to sustain independent living and achieve financial stability. This month, Mayor Sweeney will retire from his position as executive director of Spectrum, and he will also be retiring from his service as mayor in July. As he begins a new chapter in his life, I want to take this opportunity to thank Mayor Sweeney for his steadfast dedication to the people of Hayward. His years of service are truly an inspiration. I wish him all the best. Thank you, Mayor Sweeney.