Bryan Steil

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Colorado seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 10 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 10 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Connecticut seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 7 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 7 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Florida seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 30 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 30 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Georgia seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 16 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 16 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Illinois seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 19 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 19 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Indiana seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 11 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 11 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Kentucky seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 8 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 8 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Louisiana seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 8 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 8 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 11 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 11 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Michigan seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 15 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 15 votes for Vice President. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Minnesota seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 10 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 10 votes for Vice President. Senator FISCHER. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Mississippi seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 6 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 6 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Missouri seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 10 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 10 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Montana seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 4 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 4 votes for Vice President. Senator FISCHER. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Nebraska seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 4 votes for President and Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 1 vote for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 4 votes for Vice President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 1 vote for Vice President. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Nevada seems regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 6 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 6 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of New Hampshire seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 4 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 4 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of New Jersey seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 14 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 14 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of North Carolina seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 16 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 16 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of North Dakota seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 3 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 3 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Oregon seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 8 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 8 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 19 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 19 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. The certificate of the electoral vote of the State of South Dakota seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 3 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 3 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Tennessee seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 11 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 11 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Vermont seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 3 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 3 votes for Vice President. Senator KLOBUCHAR. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the Commonwealth of Virginia seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Kamala D. Harris of the State of California received 13 votes for President and Tim Walz of the State of Minnesota received 13 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the great State of Wisconsin seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 10 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 10 votes for Vice President. Senator FISCHER. Madam President, the certificate of the electoral vote of the State of Wyoming seems to be regular in form and authentic, and it appears therefrom that Donald J. Trump of the State of Florida received 3 votes for President and J.D. Vance of the State of Ohio received 3 votes for Vice President.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill. This is one step forward in making sure that online contribution platforms are secure from foreign interference, and I encourage passage of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I share my heartfelt condolences to the victims of the tragic events that took place at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wisconsin, this morning. We continue to monitor the situation, but we are all thankful to the first responders, the men and women of law enforcement, and medical professionals who responded and answered the call. We keep all of them, the first responders, as well as the victims, in our prayers today. Mr. Speaker, coming back to the matter at hand, across the political spectrum we are seeing an increase in online political fundraising. Serious questions have been raised related to how criminals and, in particular, international criminals can abuse our financial and campaign finance system. We must ensure online fundraising platforms cannot be abused. Today, I am proud to support my bill, H.R. 9488, the Secure Handling of Internet Electronic Donations Act, or the SHIELD Act. The SHIELD Act will strengthen donor verification standards for political committees. The legislation will prohibit political committees from accepting online contributions from credit or debit cards without disclosure of the card verification value, or CVV, and the billing address associated with the card. Additionally, the SHIELD Act would prohibit political committees from accepting contributions from gift cards, like those bought over the counter. Finally, the SHIELD Act will strengthen existing law that prohibits individuals from making a contribution in the name of someone else. With the SHIELD Act as law, the FEC will have the authority to pursue individuals who knowingly break the law. This suggestion has been a top bipartisan legislative recommendation from the Federal Election Commission for years, and I am proud this legislation adopts that recommendation. As chairman of the Committee on House Administration, my focus has been on increasing participation and restoring confidence in our elections. Nearly a year ago, my committee launched an investigation into ActBlue, a major online fundraising platform. At the time, ActBlue did not require a card verification value, or CVV. That is that three- or four-digit code on the back of the credit card that you have to use almost anytime you transact online. It wasn't used in that case in order to make political contributions. Requiring the CVV is standard practice across the e-commerce industry to reduce fraud and prevent unlawful foreign transactions. It is a necessary security measure that ensures the person making the donation is actually in physical possession of the card. After ActBlue confirmed that it did not require a CVV in order to make an online contribution, I sent a letter to the FEC urging them to initiate emergency rulemaking to require that political committees, like ActBlue, require the CVV for donors to make online contributions. I also urged the FEC to initiate a rulemaking process to prohibit political committees from accepting online contributions from gift cards. For too long now, Americans have grown weary of our election system. We are constantly hearing reports of how foreign actors are attempting to influence our elections. The SHIELD Act makes it more difficult for foreign entities to improperly influence our elections through online fundraising platforms. Keeping foreign funding out of our elections helps restore confidence in our election system. Greater confidence in our elections leads to greater participation, which is a good thing for the whole country. I thank Representatives Stephanie Bice, Laurel Lee, Anthony D'Esposito, Greg Murphy, and Ken Calvert for their work and support on this important legislation. I believe that keeping foreign influence out of our elections is an idea we can all get behind. I also thank Ranking Member Morelle, my Democratic colleagues on the Committee on House Administration, and the committee staff for working together on this important piece of legislation. Americans deserve free, fair, and secure elections. The SHIELD Act will bring us one step closer to making sure that happens. We should pass the SHIELD Act to keep foreign funding out of our elections. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9488) to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require the disclosure of the card verification value as a condition of the acceptance of online contributions made through the use of credit or debit cards in elections for Federal office and to prohibit the acceptance of contributions made through the use of gift cards and prepaid credit cards in such elections, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 9488.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 932) to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for the halt in pension payments for Members of Congress sentenced for certain offenses, and for other purposes.

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 submit extraneous material on the bill, S. 932, the No CORRUPTION Act.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this measure will halt annuity payments for Members of Congress sentenced for public corruption charges. This includes charges of bribery of public officials and witnesses, acting as an agent of a foreign principal, or engaging in conspiracy to commit an offense to defraud the United States. Under current law, a Member of Congress who is convicted on public corruption charges is prohibited from receiving their congressional pension. That said, Members may continue receiving pension payments while appealing their conviction. The No CORRUPTION Act addresses this gap and will withhold pension payments immediately upon conviction. If the conviction is overturned on appeal, the pension will be restored. The Member will be able to receive any benefits withheld. This is a commonsense measure for the House to consider and pass. Let's be clear: A Member of Congress convicted of public corruption charges should not be paid at taxpayer expense. The bipartisan measure was introduced by Senators Rick Scott and Jacky Rosen and passed the Senate this summer. I am pleased to bring the measure forward to ensure accountability for Members of Congress. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 932, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Norman) to speak on the bill.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from South Carolina.

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my colleague, Mr. Norman, for his work on this commonsense legislation. It is good to see, in the home stretch of the year, that we are still able to get some commonsense legislation across the floor of the House and, hopefully, signed into law in the near future, as this bill already passed the Senate. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. STEIL

Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9487) to amend the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 to authorize the Legislative Counsel of the House of Representatives to designate more than one of the attorneys of the Office of the Legislative Counsel as a Deputy Legislative Counsel, and for other purposes.

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 H.R. 9487, the House Office of Legislative Counsel Modernization Act.