Bryan Steil

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I remind my colleague that Democratic leadership had the full opportunity in the 117th Congress to bring forward this legislation. They chose not to. They used their time to do things like rename the Cannon Caucus Room after the current Speaker in the 117th Congress. That is just a reminder of the importance that this bill has on our side. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis) to speak on the bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee), also a member of the House Administration Committee, to speak on this bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack), the mother of Augusta, to speak on the bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. De La Cruz) to speak on the bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis), who is the author of the bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 1329, the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum Act, as introduced by my colleague Representative Malliotakis from New York. As we know, this year is the Nation's 250th anniversary, and we have an opportunity to place the Women's History Museum of the Smithsonian on The National Mall. The bill designates and takes an important step by designating the exact location of where that museum would be on The Mall and provides guardrails regarding the content of the museum. Mr. Speaker, I thank, again, my colleague Representative Malliotakis for her hard work on this issue. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, per House Resolution 480 and Committee on House Administration Resolution 119-13, the Chief Administrative Officer has informed the Committee that all current Members of the House have completed the required training for 2025.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 4530) to amend chapters 83 and 84 of title 5, United States Code, to authorize an increase of the retirement age for members of the Capitol Police.

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

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today was drafted to address staffing shortages with the United States Capitol Police. Currently, officers are forced to retire at age 57, unless they receive a waiver from the Capitol Police Board. With a waiver, an officer may continue working until they are age 60. S. 4530 extends the waiver timeline. Under this bill, the Capitol Police Board will have the authority to grant waivers to sworn officers until they turn 62. Right now, nearly 60 sworn officers are working with a waiver. Unless we pass this statutory change, each of these officers will be forced to retire within the next few years. These forced retirements will only compound the staffing shortage issue that we are facing within the Capitol Police force. Notably, there is past precedent for this policy change. On two occasions, Congress has temporarily raised the mandatory Federal law enforcement retirement age to 65 to address staffing issues at the FBI. I will also note that this bill gives the Capitol Police Board discretion when deciding who is still fit for the job. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the leader of the Republican Conference.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I just thank my colleague, Mr. Morelle, for his work in moving this bill through quickly as well as the leadership of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration for also engaging this, as well as Leader Scalise. I think we all recognize the hard work that the men and women of the United States Capitol Police force do day in and day out to make sure that this institution is open and accessible to the people and those who visit here, as well as staff and Members are kept safe. This bill is a real opportunity to make sure that those individuals who have crossed the age of 60 but still are ready, prepared, and able to serve in the United States Capitol Police are able to do that. I appreciate the work of all of my colleagues in moving this through. I encourage all of our colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I was not present during the following House votes today due to a flight delay. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 138 and YEA on Roll Call No. 139. Personal Explanation

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Thomas M. Costello for his service to the United States Congress. Tom is retiring after almost two decades of service with the Architect of the Capitol, concluding a career rooted in public service. Tom began his career as a United States Marine with tours overseas including meritorious service and sacrifice with the Multinational Force in Lebanon. Even during his time in the private sector, Tom continued to serve the Federal Government as a contractor before joining the Architect of the Capitol in 2006. Since then, Tom has worked tirelessly in many behind-the-scenes ways to directly support Congress' legislative mission. For example, Tom's work was key to the restoration of the United States Capitol Dome, the replacement of the Legislative Call System, and ensuring clean, reliable power across Capitol Hill. Tom's dedication to duty has garnered him the respect of colleagues and stakeholders across Congress. His leadership, skills, and wisdom on the jobsite have strengthened the effectiveness and credibility of the Architect of the Capitol with a tenure defined by integrity, accountability, and quality. As Tom completes his service tomorrow, March 31, with the Office of the Chief Engineer, we extend our warmest wishes for a fulfilling retirement. His achievements and outstanding performance of duty stands as a testament to remaining ``always faithful,'' and his actions merit this special recognition and the deepest gratitude of the American People.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I was not present during the following House votes today. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 107 and AYE on Roll Call No. 108. Pursuant to the adoption of House Resolution 1142, the Senate amendment to H.R. 7147 is considered as agreed to with an amendment consisting of the text of the Rules Committee Print 119-21. Senate amendment: Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following:

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1057, I call up the bill (S. 1383) to establish the Veterans Advisory Committee on Equal Access, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include additional material on the bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1383, the SAVE America Act. I thank my colleague, Chip Roy, for his work on this bill, as well as my colleagues on the Committee on House Administration. Today, Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to move forward with election integrity and to regain the trust of the American people in the way that we operate our elections. The SAVE America Act has two key principles, both of which are common sense. The individuals who want to vote in U.S. elections should be U.S. citizens, and we should have a proof of citizenship when individuals register to vote. The second principle is that individuals when they vote show voter ID. Both of these are commonsense principles. We know there are some on the other side of the aisle who want noncitizens to vote in our elections. In fact, we could just look at our Nation's Capital, which allows noncitizens to vote under current law in municipal elections. I am of the view that U.S. elections should be for U.S. citizens only and that we should be proving that citizenship at the point in time that an individual registers to vote. We should also be showing voter ID when we go to vote. This is a commonsense principle. The American people know that they need to show photo identification when they board an airplane, open a bank account, or buy a six-pack of beer. I am often reminded of a debate we had at committee, and then I flew home to my home State of Wisconsin. I went to go buy a six-pack of beer. The clerk recognized me and said: Hi, Bryan. I said: How are you doing? She said: I need to see your ID. I handed over my ID. She confirmed it and allowed me to buy the beer. I think it is nuts that we protect our beer in this country more than our ballots in jurisdictions. This is our opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to change that, to instill significant election integrity. Before I close, let me say that during this debate today, we are likely to hear all sorts of comments from my colleagues on the left. They will make arguments about disenfranchisement. They will use terms like ``Jim Crow 2.0.'' I remind everyone watching to reflect back on the same language that was used when Georgia instituted election integrity provisions in 2021. We can actually look, because the State of Georgia has operated two significant elections since then, and voter participation remained high. The University of Georgia conducted a significant survey to determine how people experienced the election in the State of Georgia. What they found was that people had a positive experience in how that election was conducted across all key demographic groups. The survey found statistically zero percent of Blacks had a poor or negative voting experience in the State of Georgia. Making sure that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat is a core principle. As we instill election integrity in our system, we will see more people participating because they will have faith in our elections. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 1383, the SAVE America Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller), a leader on this legislation and a member of the Committee on House Administration.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) to speak on the bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Luna).

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney), the founder and chair of the Election Integrity Caucus.