Darren Soto

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this good, bipartisan amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz). Lionfish are disrupting Florida's natural ecosystem. Lionfish are taking away prey from our native fish stocks and prey on reef fish that perform essential ecological services on the reefs. This amendment would give an incentive for fishermen to remove the lionfish by awarding a tag for desired reef fish in return for every 100 lionfish tails turned in. That is quite the bounty. The amendment will promote cooperation between local, State, and Federal governments to eradicate lionfish from Florida waters. This amendment is derived from a bill of which I am a cosponsor. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Florida for offering this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, my amendment would increase funding for the Quantum Information Science program within the Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army account by $5 million, and decrease the operation and maintenance defense-wide fund by an equal amount. This amendment is intended to increase funding for innovative research projects within the Army's Quantum Information Science program, QIS. This program sits at the intersection of quantum, material, computer, and engineering sciences with the potential to revolutionize multiple technologies for the Army, Department of Defense, and the country as a whole. These funds will allow the United States to maintain its vital leadership and quantum science. The importance of quantum science to our national security cannot be understated. The nation that first develops quantum communications technology will be able to completely secure networks and possess powerful decoding capabilities. Recognizing the promise of this groundbreaking technology, China has publicly stated its goal of surpassing the U.S. in quantum computing in the next decade and has invested $10 billion to construct a state-of- the-art quantum research facility. Investing in quantum information science will help the U.S. preserve itself as a global leader in the 21st century. The U.S. must preserve its global leadership in science and technology, and this amendment is a step in the right direction. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would increase funding for the Peer-Reviewed Gulf War Illness Research Program under the Defense Health Program by $1 million and decrease the operation and maintenance defense-wide account by an equal amount. This amendment is similar to an amendment I offered last year that passed this body by voice vote, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment again this year. This amendment is intended to increase funding for innovative, competitively peer-reviewed research to provide a better understanding of the pathobiology underlying Gulf war illness, to identify objective markers for improved diagnosis, and to develop treatments for the complex of Gulf war illness symptoms and their underlying causes. Gulf war illness is estimated to have affected between 175,000 to 250,000 of the nearly 700,000 troops deployed to the first Gulf war. This program is working to make a significant impact on Gulf war illness and to improve the health and lives of affected veterans and their families. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to help find a cure for Gulf war illness, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for her support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 4528, a bill to make technical changes to certain marine fish conservation statutes. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bishop--and, Mr. Speaker, I did ask my third cousin; he is in support, too--as well as Ranking Member Grijalva for all of their collaboration and support on this important bill. H.R. 4528 makes technical amendments to two marine fish conservation statutes, the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012 and the Shark Conservation Act of 2010. First, the bill amends the Billfish Conservation Act of 2012. It clarifies that the exemption from marlin and billfish fishing in Hawaii and Pacific insular areas, as is tradition, can only be sold locally. More specifically, it clarifies these fish cannot be sold to the other 49 States. This strikes a balance between preserving traditional cultural fishing in these areas and the overall intent to prevent large-scale commercial fishing of these billfish. Second, it clarifies that, under the Shark Conservation Act of 2010, there is no language in the Shark Conservation Act that alters existing authority of the Secretary of Commerce to manage Atlantic highly migratory species under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. It also cleans up language in the Shark Conservation Act by removing an expired offset. The main goal of this is to ensure protection against shark finning. H.R. 4528 will fix confusion within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to allow rulemaking to go forward for the Atlantic smooth dogfish, a type of shark. This bill has support from both the sportsmen-anglers communities and conservation groups. Again, I thank the Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva for working with me on this. Without their support, this legislation would not be on the floor today. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues in the Chamber to support H.R. 4528, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman for yielding. Of course, at the end of this, I am going to give the gentlewoman the last word, if that is okay with her. So it has been a busy last couple of days as we pay tribute to the second annual remembrance of the Pulse nightclub shooting. This weekend, I got to go to PrideFest Kissimmee, and there is much to be proud about in Kissimmee. We actually have a human rights ordinance in Kissimmee County and Osceola County. People in Orange and Osceola can't be fired if they are gay or lesbian, bisexual or transgender. But in a third county I represent, Polk County, they still can be. In fact, there is a community called Poinciana that is in both counties. If you live on the east side of Poinciana, you have rights. If you live on the west side, you still do not. We also have now the Zebra Coalition that works with LGBT youth who are subject to bullying and can be intimidated. We are about to get the center in Kissimmee as well to be a beacon of services and of hope, a safe place in a county that welcomes inclusiveness. I also got to go to the 49 Fund scholarship ceremony where we saw LGBT youth be awarded scholarships. These are the future leaders who talk about how they are going to lead in LGBT rights, lead in gun safety reform. But I believe education is the seed of hope to stop this hate from happening in the future, and the future is bright. We also had Congressman Mark Takano come down to visit with us, the co-chair of the LGBT caucus, for an LGBTQ roundtable. We heard about how HIV funds are being cut in Florida because Federal funds are being cut, even though our State trades off with being the number one State for new HIV contraction. So this is an issue that is affecting us. We heard there about how these transgender school guidelines were one of the first things that the Trump administration took out, which is now leading schools to uncertainty in how they have to protect these vulnerable kids. Also, we heard even about some of the things that we take for granted, like that we are going to be having, through Zebra Coalition, an LGBTQ prom, because a lot of these kids, they get outcast in high school, and we want it to be an inclusive community. We are an inclusive community. We also visited the Pulse nightclub memorial with Barbara Poma, and we watched the photos of grief. We looked at the names. We signed in and took our pilgrimage. We went to the GLBT Center and heard about them coordinating services on that day and afterward, about the outpouring of love and supplies, and folks coming in to ask what they could do to help. Then last night, we had the rally against gun violence. It rained the whole time, but people's spirits were up. This was the neatest point: It ended with an actual rainbow. Because the sun came out, a rainbow came down. It was right after our prayer, so I believe God was watching and gave us a sign with a rainbow at the end of that. Then the Orange County Historical Museum this morning, as we saw in the photographs, we saw the memorabilia and more quilts than I have ever seen in my life, beautiful, colored tapestries, pictures of so many of our friends who fought side by side, and memorialized this great tragedy. Lastly, we were at First United Methodist Church. The gentlewoman and I got to participate in that this morning, where we heard the 49 bells with each of the victim's names being discussed, being memorialized. So I am going to leave it back to the gentlewoman and say it was an honor to be able to be there this morning, to hear the ringing of the 49 bells for our 49 victims, and we will never forget. I thank Congresswoman Demings for spending this time with me.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Demings. I thank her for her service in law enforcement. I know she can view this at a level that some of us who have never witnessed this type of tragedy, never felt this type of tragedy--she has an understanding of it that I am grateful for her imparting to me. As someone who was a State legislator and a lawyer, I have never seen this kind of tragedy up close. And even still to this day, as we remember these 49 souls, these 49 angels whom we lost and the 68 injured 2 years ago at the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Orlando, we still, as a community, are trying to understand this carnage, this loss, this tragedy. Our hearts still ache, Mr. Speaker. This was the single deadliest known violent attack on the LGBTQ community, an attack on our Latino community, an attack on our African American community, and an attack on the whole Orlando community. Until last September, it was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Mr. Speaker, they have gotten even deadlier, with Las Vegas just recently. Yet our community showed its resiliency and strength in the face of diversity. Orlando Strong is more than just a hashtag; it is our commitment to pledge to stand up to hate and to gun violence. Since then, Floridians stand stronger than ever. Over the past 2 days, I have had the honor of attending events with Congresswoman Murphy, Congresswoman Demings, and Congressman Mark Takano, co-chair of the LGBT Congressional Caucus. We had an LGBTQ roundtable with local groups. We visited the Pulse Memorial. We helped hand out scholarships under the 49 Fund Scholarship Ceremony. We toured The LGBT Center. We went to a rally on action for gun violence. We went to the Orange County History Museum to see the history of those days, and I joined with Congresswoman Val Demings, my colleague here today, to hear the 49 church bells ring for the 49 victims at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando. Today, we honor the 49 lives taken by displaying love, acceptance, and kindness. But, most importantly, we honor them with action. That has been the theme over the last couple of days: we honor them with action. I would like to recognize and focus my comments, in large part tonight, on following local groups and survivors in central Florida who, 2 years later, continue to transform their grief and mourning into positive change for all. We cannot change the tragedy that happened. We cannot change the past. We cannot bring back those 49 angels whom we lost, but we can give meaning to this great tragedy through action to make sure these types of shootings no longer are commonplace in our society. We honor them with action. First, I would like to talk about Brandon Wolf. Brandon, a native of Oregon, was one of the survivors during the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2 years ago today. Brandon moved to Orlando in 2008, after attending the University of Oregon Political Science School. He now lives in Tallahassee, where he has become a leading activist in LGBTQ issues in minority youth. After the shooting, Brandon and his friends launched The Dru Project, named after Drew Leinonen, an LGBTQ nonprofit organization on a mission to spread love across the Nation. I got to meet with Drew's mother this past week at our LGBT roundtable, and I will talk a little bit more about that in a little while. The advocacy group sponsors gay-straight alliances in public schools and offers scholarships to help send future leaders to college. In August of last year, Brandon joined the board of advisers for a political action committee dedicated to ending gun violence. Following the Pulse tragedy, Brandon was inspired by Drew's words: ``We never say I love you enough.'' He travels the Nation speaking on behalf of LGBTQ youth--education, commonsense gun legislation, and the future of intersectionality are some of the topics he discusses-- spreading the message of unconditional love and inclusion. I attended the Pulse rally to honor them with action yesterday, organized by Brandon at Orlando City Hall, an amazing event that I will talk a little bit more about tonight. Another call for action, to honor them with action was the onePULSE Foundation. The onePULSE Foundation was established by the owners of Pulse nightclub, including Barbara Poma, to create a sanctuary of hope following the shooting. The foundation supports the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of a memorial and museum to remember the Pulse nightclub shooting. They also work towards giving out community grants to care for the victims' families and the survivors. The foundation has currently established an interim memorial, which serves as a sanctuary of quiet reflection and love, dedicated to honoring the senseless loss of innocent life. There is hope to create an official permanent museum in the future, something that I look forward to working on with my colleagues, Congresswoman Demings and Congresswoman Murphy. The onePULSE Foundation is also creating annual 49 individual college scholarships named in honor of each victim and designed for their specific vocations, hobbies, or life aspirations. Through their work, the onePULSE Foundation makes sure that the names and legacies of each of the victims, the 49 victims, these angels whom we lost that night, live on and are never forgotten. I would also like to talk about our Q-LatinX community. LatinX is a term referring to our younger, next generation of our Latin community. In fact, many of our more senior Hispanics think: What the heck are these crazy kids talking about with LatinX? It is a self-styling of folks who are Millennials and who are Generation X who are Latin. It is amazing that this name has come into the common nomenclature now, really amazing, and a testament to this kind of intersectionality that we saw that night, that we lost so much of, that is now being highlighted as a result. Q-LatinX was founded in response to the mass shooting and active hate that occurred on June 12, 2 years ago today, at the Pulse nightclub. Its mission is to bring together and empower the most marginalized members of our community, establish affirming and supportive healing relationships and spaces, build a strong and united community, and work towards a society free of fear, violence, and hate. Through their program of social justice education, they built a supportive infrastructure, addressing inequity and promoting inclusionary practices for local leadership and partnership agencies. Q-LatinX strives to give a voice to the community. Through their immigration committee and HIV prevention education committee, Q-LatinX makes sure to prioritize issues that affect both the LGBTQ and Latino communities. But it gets at this bigger issue of intersectionality. I know when you look at our 49 victims, just like the rainbow flag that honors our LGBTQ community, it is a rainbow of individuals, a rainbow of backgrounds, and it is symbolic of the intersectionality of Orlando, an area that Congresswomen Demings and Murphy have the honor of representing with me. I am proud of that diversity, and I know Congresswoman Demings and Congresswoman Murphy are proud of that diversity. Mr. Speaker, I want to now give Congresswoman Demings the opportunity to continue her impressions on both intersectionality, gun violence, and so many other issues that I know that we will be addressing tonight.

Ms. SOTO

Ms. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Demings for bringing up something that I know has troubled all Orlandoans right now, which is a day before the second annual remembrance of the Pulse nightclub shooting, we had a standoff where four children were killed. It is a testament to the fact that there is so much left to be done. Next I want to talk about Christopher Hansen. Christopher Hansen is a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting. That night, he personally helped save the lives of those around him by assisting injured victims. Mr. Hansen is now a member of the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence's board of advisors. Pride Fund works towards supporting candidates on the Federal and State level who will promote gun reform and advocate for LGBTQ safety and equality. Pride Fund is currently America's only LGBTQ organization that focuses solely on gun policy reform to ensure safety for all. Through his own recovery, Hansen has found a home in a community which he recently joined months before the shootings. He has become a spokesperson for the memory of those killed at the Pulse nightclub and a central figure of support for survivors and everyone affected by the tragedy. In an op-ed for the Orlando Weekly, Christopher writes: ``It started with an invitation. An invitation to a popular gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida: Pulse. In preparation for my night out, I decided to see a movie--'The Conjuring 2'--a horror movie based on a true story. Little did I know that I would have a night of horror of my own. And my night of painting the town red would be drenched in blood. ``Before the attack, I was having the time of my life. I was tearing up the dance floor and mingling with fellow club-goers. Then everything changed. I heard three loud booms, but I didn't think much of it. I continued dancing, thinking it was the base from the music and not the sound of gunshots. By the time I realized what was happening, screams, smoke, and flashing lights filled the club. People were rushing toward me, desperately looking for exits and places to hide. I followed the crowds and moved past the bathroom where people were hiding. I managed to get out unscathed. There was a pause in gunfire, and I was compelled to go back. Before I knew it, the gunfire started again, and I watched two men heading towards the hospital--one was shot twice. I urged his friend to keep him calm as I tried to stop the bleeding. I took my bandana off and wrapped it around one bullet wound, and pressed my hand on the other, praying he wouldn't die. I kept him level on the curb until an ambulance arrived. ``I turned and saw a girl in the grass, begging to be moved because she couldn't get up. We were told not to move her to avoid further injury, but I couldn't ignore her cries. I picked her up and her body became cold. I put her on my lap, which saved her life; she was shot in the back, and my thigh pressed against her wound. As she began to fall asleep, I slapped her face and asked her questions. Through keeping her awake, I learned her name was Kalisha, and she was a 19-year-old from Ohio.'' Just 19 years old. ``A man came to me and said I saved him as well, but I didn't remember; everything became a blur. ``I wanted to help as many people as I could, but I was later told to leave since I wasn't a professionally trained paramedic. My phone died earlier that night and my wallet was still in the club. Without a way to contact loved ones or money to get home, I walked the streets of Orlando covered in blood. I feared for my life that night and felt helpless and alone. I thought about the victims who were still there and the families who would learn their loved ones never made it home. ``That night, I met the mother of a victim I had seen hiding in the bathroom. She showed me his frantic text messages. His name was Eddie Justice, and he was killed in that very bathroom. The girls I met that night, Akyra Murray, Tiara Parker, and Patience Carter, were hiding in the same bathroom--all three had been shot. Akyra, who just graduated from high school and was ready to attend Mercyhurst University in the fall on a basketball scholarship, had died. At 18 years old, she was the youngest Pulse victim.'' 18 years old. We lost her. ``Her life was drastically cut short due to gun violence and someone with easy access to military-style assault weapons. ``Forty-nine people lost their lives that night, and another 38,000 will lose their life this year to senseless gun violence. I've joined Pride Fund's Board of Advisors so I can be a voice for the survivors and victims of Pulse, Las Vegas, and every shooting to come. ``Pride Fund's mission to save lives starts by supporting candidates on the Federal and State level who will act on sensible gun reform and champion for LGBTQ safety and equality. Pride Fund and I are turning tragedy into action''--they are also honoring these victims with action--``through a focus on commonsense gun reforms like enacting background checks, limiting ammunition sales, and preventing those convicted of hate crimes from purchasing guns. ``Members of Congress, reluctant as they are to cross the NRA, can effect change. They can address the easy access to assault weapons, large-capacity magazines, and ammunition sales. They can address our safety, rather than focusing instead on the safety of their own seats, courtesy of NRA cash. ``If Members of Congress won't prioritize our safety, then we have the power to find those that will.'' Those are powerful words by Christopher Hansen of the Orlando Weekly, so I want to take a few minutes about action. First, I want to talk about gun reform actions and lack of actions on the Federal and on the State level. On the Federal level, we have had some reforms actually pass this past year. In the omnibus, we saw that the CDC can now study gun violence, even though they are not allowed to take any positions or say anything that would be deemed to promote or to advocate against gun violence. We had a Fix NICS bill that will ensure that our agencies are getting the information about those who have been convicted of crimes or those who may be ineligible for other reasons into the background check system earlier, so that those background checks will be more accurate. We even see rulemaking to potentially ban bump stocks which were used in the Las Vegas shooting. But the list is short of action that has been taken by this Congress, and the list of unfinished business is long. First, is the failure to even give a hearing on re-instituting the Federal assault weapon ban. I say re-instituting because many people forget, from 1994 to 2004, we had such a ban. During that time, people's Second Amendment rights were still in effect; but we banned weapons that have no civilian use whatsoever. And we saw, during that period, the statistics bear out, because when you look at gun violence and mass shootings at that time, I challenge anybody watching this tonight across America to recall whether they remember during that time the number of mass shootings, the number of deaths during the assault weapons ban. Then we look at 2004-2014, the number of incidents tripled. The number of deaths tripled. And that is just to 2014, not including Charleston or Vegas or the Pulse nightclub shooting or recently, in Parkland. We also see universal background checks still not fixed. Ninety percent of Americans support this. Ninety percent of Americans support that there should no longer be loopholes in our universal background checks. That you could easily, right now, sell in a gun show without any background check; this makes no sense. You could sell in a private sale without a background check; this makes no sense. This is an easy way for people who are wholly ineligible to be able to buy guns every day in every State. And so what is the purpose of fixing our Fix NICS bill and having better background checks, if these giant loopholes that swallow the whole? Also, these extended magazine clips. The reason people heard 45 to 50 shots fired in a minute is because of these extended magazines and these assault weapons. When you have a shotgun, when you have a handgun--and I will let Congresswoman Val Demings talk a little bit more with her background in law enforcement--yes, you can hurt people. But you can't do the kind of carnage we have seen with these assault weapons. And I look forward to hearing your opinions on that Congresswoman Demings. I also want to talk about gun reform on the State level. We had some victories, we had some defeats. After fighting to keep guns out of teachers' hands in schools, that battle was lost; while we have been able to prevent them from being on college campuses. But we did have some positives, and I give 100 percent of the credit to the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting, who stood hand in hand and went up to Tallahassee to advocate for greater gun safety. And I could say, having survived nearly 10 years in the Florida Legislature, it is not a welcome place for a lot of these reforms. But they had some great reforms passed. They raised the age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21. They banned bump stocks--which, President Trump, it is time to follow suit like they did in Florida. Attorney General Sessions, it is time to get those rules in place. They also were able to harden our schools. Now that is something that I was remiss before to not mention. We did have the Safe Schools Act to help harden our schools. They also created critical red flag legislation that allows our law enforcement--and I look forward to your comments on this as well, from your background, Congresswoman Demings--to allow law enforcement officers who are on the scene and see that someone will be a danger to others, to be able to take away their guns for a limited time period and then to be able to go and request a judge to get it back. We do this in domestic violence, as you are familiar with. So these are things that actually have happened in Florida that are moving the ball forward. And if it can happen in our State, that has been so protective of some of these critical reforms, I believe it can happen, both on the Federal level and that Republicans and Democrats can join together for these reforms. But the last thing I want to talk about, but not least, are first responders, because you can't talk about action without talking about our first responders. The brave men and women of the Orlando Police Department that you had the honor of being chief of, Congresswoman Demings; the brave men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, which your husband is our honorable sheriff of; our Orlando and our Orange County Fire Department who were on the scene, along with our EMTs, to give lifesaving aid to 68 injured people and try to save some of those 49 we lost. We have had some action to help out our first responders, too. Our UCF Restores program, which helps with PTSD for firefighters, law enforcement, and our military, immerses these heroes into virtual reality so that they can, unfortunately, have to relive those experiences, but then meet with a psychologist or a psychiatrist to talk about that, to bring up these repressed memories. And we have had tremendous success. We have had tremendous feedback from our local fire departments, from our local law enforcement, and from our military. We are able to work together, you and I and Congresswoman Murphy, to get $4 million in our Federal budget and open up more of this treatment, not only to our military, but to victims of sexual assault in this recent National Defense Authorization Act bill. We also saw, and I will let you expound on this more, anti-terrorism dollars finally come back down to Orlando, that you led the charge on. And thank you for that, Congresswoman Demings, for doing that, from your perch helping out with homeland security and being our expert on security and on antiterrorism, protecting the homeland. And then, finally, I want to end this part of our section by talking about the advancements in our pension system in Florida to help out our first responders. Your husband was a leader, is a leader, but was a leader in the State Legislature, as Sheriff, to help with the Adam Pierce Act, which made sure that our fallen law enforcement who were paralyzed but still wanted to work, wouldn't lose their pensions because they want to do some administrative work and want to still be involved and want to go to work every day and do their part for justice. And that was a bill that your husband spearheaded through, and I remember. We also had an amendment of my bill onto that bill; you may or may not recall, and the Sheriff was really nice to allow us to do it along with law enforcement, to help our firefighters. There was a loophole where, if our firefighters died in training exercises, they would get nothing. They would get no death benefit for their families. They wouldn't get the healthcare benefit. They would be left with nothing because of this loophole. And John C. Curry, Mr. Begg, and Mr. Mickle from Osceola County, John Curry, from Volusia County, they, retrospectively, were able to get relief because we made it retrospective. Then finally, we were able to, after we lost Deputy Pine in Orange County, with Sheriff Jerry Demings helping us lead the way, made sure that first responders who died in the line of duty didn't get 50 percent of their pension. They weren't half heroes. They now get 100 percent of their pension for their families, because they are 100 percent heroes and they gave 100 percent of their life and put 100 percent of their courage and their life on the line. And, at the very least, their families can be taken care of when they are no longer with us. So there is a lot that we have honored with action over the years, both before and after Pulse. But there is a lot more to go, and I look forward to hearing your comments on that, Congresswoman Demings. And thank you again for your service as our Orlando chief. And I know that there is a lot that you could bring to this conversation that we are continuing on with based upon your rich experience in these fields.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, my amendment would increase funding for the Electric Delivery program by $1 million and decrease the departmental administrative fund within the Department of Energy by an equal amount. This amendment is intended to increase funding for the new Electric Delivery program's activities to accelerate discovery and innovation in electrical transmission and distribution technologies and create next generation devices, software, tools, and techniques to help modernize the electric grid. Additionally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the committee for all their work in advancing high-power capacity batteries and grid restoration efforts in Puerto Rico. First, I thank the committee for the inclusion of report language discussing the potential benefits of high-power, high-capacity batteries. These batteries could provide energy resilience in the face of extreme weather disasters. These technologies could have prevented hardships during last year's hurricane season and decrease reliance on generators during emergencies. In Florida, Hurricane Maria caused a prolonged power outage in assisted living facilities that cost lives. This could have been prevented, and this amendment assists in that. Second, I thank the committee for the report language that supports the Department's involvement in the grid restoration efforts in Puerto Rico. Their continued effort and support provide technical assistance as Puerto Rico works to rebuild its energy infrastructure and is essential to long-term recovery. Again, my amendment would increase funding for the Electric Delivery program, which would advance our Nation's grid reliability and resiliency. I thank the chairman and the committee for their support, and I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, my amendment would increase funding for the Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response program by $1 million and decrease the departmental administration fund within the Department of Energy by an equal amount. The new Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response addresses the emerging threats of tomorrow while protecting the reliable flow of energy to America's broad population today by improving energy infrastructure security and supporting the Department of Energy's national security mission. Being prepared and ready to respond quickly and effectively to all hazards is crucial. We need to make sure we can improve the ability of energy sector stakeholders to prevent, prepare for, and respond to threats, hazards, natural disaster, and other supply disruptions. Additionally, in today's highly interconnected world, reliable energy delivery requires cyber resilient energy delivery systems. This amendment would increase funds to focus on preparedness and response activities to natural and manmade threats, ensuring a stronger, more prosperous, and secure future for the Nation. Mr. Chair, I thank the chairman for his support. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SOTO

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that my amendment be modified by striking ``line 3'' and inserting ``line 2''.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, my amendment would direct the Secretary of the Army to endeavor to inform all residential property stakeholders of adjoining Army Corps of Engineers' interest in their adjacent property. Section 137 of this bill would expand public access to residential real estate data by placing information related to all real property data that the Army Corps holds an interest in online. Not all constituents have easy access to the internet. Elderly constituents may not be able to easily search information about Army Corps projects online. Thus, my amendment would expand access to the real estate information by directing the Secretary of the Army, to the maximum extent practicable, to endeavor to provide such information to all adjoining residential stakeholders of real estate with which the Corps holds an interest. By informing residential stakeholders, we will ensure they are aware of how Army Corps property interests might influence their property values, the enjoyment of their property, or their way of life. Mr. Chairman, I urge support for my amendment and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. Shuster for his support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, my amendment directs the Secretary of the Army to consider water storage when carrying out a water resource development feasibility study. Section 109 requires the Secretary to consult with local governments and integrate their water management plans when developing a water resource development feasibility study. My amendment would include consideration of water storage when developing these studies. Water storage is an essential tool that many States use to take full advantage of their water resources. In Florida, we receive over 50 inches of rain annually; however, we don't always get the rain where we need it. Water may be moved for flood control or water supply. For example, from November 1, 2017, through June 4, 2018, the South Florida Water Management District moved approximately 151 billion gallons of water from Lake Okeechobee to preserve optimal levels for the ecosystem. In my own congressional district, our water management district uses water storage to maintain maximum levels in Lake Toho. Additionally, these storage areas provide wetland habitat to many endangered species. Water storage is important and should be a consideration when studying water resources feasibility. Mr. Chairman, I urge support for my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chair, my amendment would direct the GAO study in section 130 to specifically consider trough bars, coastal wetlands, and barrier reefs in their study on the feasibility of natural features projects for the purposes of flood risk management, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and ecosystem restoration. Section 130 directs the Comptroller General to submit to the Congress a study of consideration by the Corps of Engineers of natural features and nature-based features in the study of the feasibility of projects for flood risk management, hurricane and storm damage reduction, and ecosystem restoration. Specifically, one aspect of the GAO study of consideration in H.R. 8 asks for an assessment of the costs, benefits, impacts, and tradeoffs associated with natural features and nature-based features, as well as the effectiveness of such features. My amendment specifies some of the natural features and nature-based features that could and should be considered by adding the language: ``(including trough bars, coastal wetlands, and barrier coral reefs)''. In my home State of Florida, we are no stranger to the issue associated with national features and the role they play in storm damage reduction, especially after the devastating effects of last year's hurricane season, but this is by no means a Florida-specific issue. Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy showed us firsthand what happens when natural flood protection features do not exist. This amendment would serve to highlight important natural infrastructure options to the GAO study, namely, trough bars, coastal wetlands, and barrier coral reefs were specified with storm damage reduction concerns in mind. These natural structures buffer shorelines against waves, storms, and floods, which help prevent loss of life, property damage, and erosion. For example, trough bars and sand dunes provide substantial protection from storm-induced erosion. The larger the trough bar, the more time it takes to be eroded by waves and the more protection it provides areas further landward. Coastal wetlands lower flood heights, filter floodwater, and protect from storm surges. Coral reefs reduce wave energy by an average of 97 percent, dissipating disproportionately more wave energy as wave energy increased. Taken together, these natural features would reduce storm damage and are items that would be specifically evaluated in the GAO study. Mr. Chair, I urge support for my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, my amendment adds universities to the list of entities the Secretary of the Army Corps of Engineers should consider when submitting their report to Congress on the use of innovative materials in water resource development projects. Section 128 requires the Secretary of the Army to submit to Congress a report that describes the activities of various entities involved in the development of innovative materials for water development projects. Currently, as written, the bill mentions centers of expertise, technological centers, technical centers, research and development centers, and other similar centers. Universities are often at the cutting edge of research and, therefore, should be specified for consideration in preparing the report. While the current language could already include universities in the category of ``other similar centers,'' such consideration would be discretionary. As such, a relevant area of activity may not be considered for the report because a single word was not added to the text. As Members of Congress, we ask for reports and recommendations from government entities so their expertise can be utilized in assisting the legislative process. Here, the activities conducted at universities should be considered so we can best capture the relevant information on the testing, research, development, and identification to best inform the Army Corps report and their congressional recommendations to resources development projects. Mr. Chairman, I urge support for my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SOTO. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman, and I yield back the balance of my time.