Haley Stevens

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleague in encouraging Members of this legislative body to support H.R. 847. I recognize that privacy- enhancing technologies are an innovation opportunity for the United States of America. The role that the National Institute of Standards and Technology will play with this legislation will convene industry stakeholders and nonprofit groups to a standard set, which is certainly welcome by many, and will also ensure us the ability to continue to succeed and compete in years to come. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5324, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, NOAA Weather Radio is absolutely essential. We have a bill to modernize it. The American people need it now. H.R. 5324, the NWR Modernization Act of 2021, has my full support. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I voice my support for this bipartisan legislation led by Ranking Member Bice and Chairwoman Sherrill of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee's Environment Subcommittee. The NWR Modernization Act of 2021 will direct NOAA to undertake various updates to the NOAA Weather Radio. NOAA Weather Radio serves as a consistent and reliable source of weather forecasts, warnings, and watches from the National Weather Service to communities across America--something that is all too palpable to Americans today given the rise of extreme weather incidents. Because of its broad reach and continuous coverage, NOAA Weather Radio also provides information related to natural disasters and other hazardous, nonweather events. In order to ensure that NOAA Weather Radio can continue to provide reliable, life-saving information, it is vital to ensure the system is upgraded to reflect the modern era. This bill requires NOAA to require more transmitters and update vital software and telecommunications infrastructure to support operation of NOAA Weather Radio and enhance its transmission of nonweather emergency messages. These updates should help to expand NOAA Weather Radio coverage to ensure all communities, especially underserved rural communities, receive these critical alerts. Mr. Speaker, this bill will provide benefits to many across this incredible country. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I will to take a moment to reflect. The Congresswoman from Oklahoma mentioned something that I believe is important to reiterate, which is that the technology adoptions occurred before the iPhone. Last June, in Oakland County, Michigan, the city of Farmington and Farmington Hills experienced an extreme weather event otherwise known as a supercell. This is rapid winds at a high level, multiple-- hundreds of feet, sometimes up in the air, ripping large trees from their roots. It was very destructive. There was no warning. It terrified residents of my district. We also reflect that in Mason City, Iowa, just last month, there was a major tornado that blew through, again, without warning. So this is very real and palpable to the American people. I again recognize the leadership of the Congresswoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill), who is the subcommittee chair of the Environment Subcommittee, for her leadership, along with the Congresswoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice) for bringing us this very critical bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, for those watching at home, a friendly reminder that S. 66 passed the House last session of Congress, the 116th Congress. We are now in the 117th Congress. We will pass this bill again. That is our intention, to send it over to the Senate yet again to get it passed and signed into law. As a friendly reminder, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee oversees and has jurisdiction over the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act, which is why we are passing it through not only our committee but, obviously, here on the House floor. Madam Speaker, yet again, I join my colleagues in urging the passage of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I note that, with this bill, the task force to develop an action plan based on an integrated assessment that details methods for reducing, mitigating, and controlling HABs and hypoxia in South Florida is obviously essential. This is an interagency effort involving the State, local and Tribal governments, as well as non-Federal stakeholder groups. I urge the passage of S. 66. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam 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. 7077, the bill now under consideration.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7077, the Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act. Although fire loss has improved significantly over the past 25 years, the fire problem in the United States of America remains serious and is deserving of our attention and our legislative action. The United States still has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world. It is clear we have work to do to prevent these fires and, unfortunately, their deadly consequences. According to FEMA, between 2017 and 2019, residential building fires caused an estimated 2,770 deaths, 11,650 injuries, and $8.1 billion in property loss. In Michigan--and this is deeply personal to those of us in Oakland County--we have recently experienced a significant rise in fire-related deaths during 2022, just this year alone. According to the Bureau of Fire Services, fire-related deaths across Michigan increased by 144 percent. Fires themselves are on the rise in the first month of 2022 alone compared to 2021. Unfortunately, it was reported that these increased fires in Michigan were all preventable, Madam Speaker, and that is why I am proud to be joining my incredible colleague from New York, Congressman Torres, today in supporting his legislation. The Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act is part of a Federal legislative package aimed at solving the underlying issues that cause deadly fires. H.R. 7077 is led by my friend and colleague, Congressman Ritchie Torres. On January 9 of this year, a major fire occurred at the Twin Parks North West apartment building in Representative Torres' district in which 17 people, including 8 children, tragically lost their lives. Following that, we experienced a less deadly fire, although monumental, at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, in which the second-largest wood frame structure caught on fire and nearly all collapsed. A key objective of the U.S. Fire Administration is to significantly reduce the Nation's loss of life from fire while also achieving a reduction in property loss and nonfatal injury due to fire. This bill authorizes the U.S. Fire Administration to conduct onsite investigations of major fires by authorizing the USFA to send incident investigators to the site of a major fire. This bill will more fully leverage the unique expertise of the USFA to contribute to what we can learn from these fires to continue to strengthen prevention going forward. These catastrophes deserve Federal support. They hamper our local fire departments. Our local residents deserve answers. I mentioned the tragedy in my own region in February that the Oakland Hills Country Club, a fixture that has been in our community for generations, experienced. The 99-year-old clubhouse is one of the oldest, all-wooden structures in Michigan and it was where I worked as a hostess following my graduation from high school at Birmingham Seaholm. I was saving up money for college. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the Oakland County Sheriff recently forecasted that the total fire investigation could take up to a full year to complete. We must learn from these fires to inform efforts to prevent major fires from occurring in the future, and the USFA is an important component of these efforts. The agency is limited in its ability to learn from these fires, as it currently lacks the authority to conduct on-site investigations. This is what this bill will achieve. It will unlock the expertise of Federal fire safety specialists and engineers to coordinate and cooperate with local firefighter investigators after a major fire incident in their community. It authorizes the USFA to send their own experts to the site of a major fire to conduct an on-site investigation in coordination and cooperation with appropriate Federal, State, and local authorities. In doing so, this bill more fully utilizes the agency's extensive expertise to help learn from major fires and to help inform prevention efforts in the future. Additionally, this bill requires USFA to issue a public report on the findings of the investigation to local, State, and Federal authorities. This report would include recommendations on how to mitigate the causes of the investigated fire, as well as buildings with similar characteristics that may bear similar fire risks. The sharing of national best practices is how we succeed as the United States of America. If other Federal agencies, for example, NIST, are also investigating the fire, the bill would encourage the agency to collaborate on a comprehensive report and interagency effort. In fact, collaboration with local, State, and other Federal authorities is a central theme of this entire bill. We are just ensuring that USFA also has the specific authorities it needs to carry out its mission. I thank my colleague, Congressman Ritchie Torres, a freshman in this body, for his fantastic leadership on this bill. I also recognize my Science Committee colleagues, Congressman Peter Meijer from west Michigan and Congressman Anthony Gonzalez from the State of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join us in passing this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres).

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this critical bill, H.R. 7077, a bill to empower the U.S. Fire Administration to act in regard to the event of fires for investigative purposes. I also note that the Members who are supporting this bill not only share a time zone but also share a generation and share a vision for the future, a vision for the future of this country that utilizes the best of government and interagency effort, government acting cohesively together when needed, having the Federal Government come in and support local fire departments in the wake of catastrophic fires. This is quite palpable, Madam Speaker. The urgency to pass the bill, H.R. 7077, could not be more palpable. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1437) to amend the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017 to direct the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to provide comprehensive and regularly updated Federal precipitation information, and for other purposes, as amended.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I have seen Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan's 12th District, in her waders, moving around her district, including Dearborn, in flood-ridden neighborhoods. This is a crisis. It is important to pass the PRECIP Act, as introduced by the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill), co-led by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick). This is a remarkable piece of legislation that will make a huge difference to this country. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, in closing, H.R. 1437, the PRECIP Act, is of great merit. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Ms. Denise Smith of Canton, Michigan, upon her 70th birthday. Ms. Smith is a tireless community servant and personal friend who has dedicated her life to advancing many social and political causes that are critically important to the people of Michigan's 11th Congressional District and the greater Metropolitan Detroit community. The entire Nation benefits from the work of Ms. Smith, and it is a pleasure to join her family and friends in celebrating and thanking her today upon achieving this significant milestone. Ms. Denise Smith grew up in Waterford, Michigan and has continued to make Southeast Michigan her home for many years since. She spent much of her career with Ford Motor Company in corporate finance, retiring after 25 years, in 2014. In addition to the full-time commitment of maintaining a family and career, Ms. Smith found great pleasure in serving her community through volunteering and grassroots organizing. She was inspired to lead a life of service by her experience as a child, watching her parents offer help to anyone in need. This instilled in Denise a strong sense of service, leading to her affiliation with many local organizations throughout her life that have the mission of helping others. Among the many causes that Ms. Smith has taken up, she has worked to support and advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence with First Step Michigan, address the gun violence epidemic with Moms Demand Action, and organize and distribute clothing to those in need as a high school clothing bank volunteer. Expanding the scope of her activism, Ms. Smith was drawn to assist with the election of Barack Obama, serving as a volunteer for his 2008 campaign. Ms. Smith loves sharing her enthusiasm for her community by making phone calls to engage voters, assembling yard signs to remind neighbors of the upcoming election, and overseeing campaign offices and their administration. She also served on the board of the Canton Democratic Club and was Treasurer of the Township Treasurer's campaign. Because of her tireless efforts, she was deservedly awarded the 2013 Grassroots Activist Award from her local Democratic Party organization. Along with being a prolific local activist, Ms. Smith is proud to be a mother and grandmother. Her beloved son, Sam Plymale (Chelsea Plymale) of Livonia, Michigan, and daughter, Sarah Plymale-Ponza (Victor Ponza) of Portland, Oregon, have brought her great joy in welcoming two lovely grandchildren, Annabelle Plymale and Zadian Ponza; she is also thrilled for another grandson, Joseph Plymale, to join the family this June. Being a mother and grandmother motivates Ms. Smith's efforts to extend beyond rhetoric, as she translates her passion into action that is certain to leave our nation a better place for future generations. Madam Speaker, Ms. Denise Smith has dedicated herself to helping others and has improved the lives of countless individuals within Michigan's 11th Congressional District and beyond. Her acts of kindness as a servant leader have an impact that will positively influence our community and Nation long into the future. It is with great pleasure that I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. Denise Smith upon her 70th birthday and to thank her for the years of service on behalf of her fellow Americans.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today--as I have every day I have served in this very Chamber--on behalf of my constituent, Paul Whelan, who has been wrongfully detained in Russia since the end of December, 2018. Throughout Mr. Whelan's detention, the Russian Government has repeatedly violated his rights, denied him proper medical care, and refused to provide any evidence to substantiate the charges against him. He was held in pretrial detention for over 18 months in the notorious Lefortovo Prison. Then Mr. Whelan's trial was held behind closed doors, and his defense was prohibited from calling witnesses. Mr. Whelan now serves a 16-year sentence of hard labor, and he is in his fifties. He is currently being held in a prison camp where he has been since August 2020, facing unbelievably harsh conditions, injury, and illness. Early this morning the news broke that fellow American, Trevor Reed, a marine and Texan who had also been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia, was freed through a prisoner swap orchestrated by President Biden. This is incredible news. While this is incredible news for Mr. Reed and his family, let us say in this Chamber that Paul and his family deserve to experience the same joy and relief. Paul has been imprisoned longer than any other detained American in Russia. He has had years stolen from him, including precious time with his aging parents and siblings. One by one, he has lost his home in Novi, his job, his ability to communicate with friends, his beloved dog, Flora, and so much more. I want to see my constituent of Novi, Michigan, back home. This innocent man has had his life and his livelihood stolen from him by Vladimir Putin. Today, we have the opportunity as a Congress to denounce Paul's wrongful imprisonment and stand up to the lawlessness of the Putin regime. In the years since Paul's detention, we have seen Mr. Putin further isolate himself on the world stage as his government has dissolved into one of true lawlessness leading to threats and violence. We have all borne witness to the tragic loss of life of thousands of innocent Ukrainians and watched while a democratic nation is being destroyed at the directive of this dangerous war criminal. We must stand up from this Chamber. I thank my colleagues who have joined us. I thank Mr. Keating, and I certainly recognize the chairman, Mr. Meeks, and the ranking member, Mr. McCaul, for their attention to this matter. If Paul is watching this, he will know that I am praying for him, I am rooting for him, and I will never stop fighting for him. Let's pass H. Res. 336 immediately.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the incredible life of Rebecca M. Adelman, an accomplished young woman and personal friend who passed away in April of 2020. Rebecca would have become 39 years old on May 14, 2022 and is adored and missed as ever before. Rebecca is remembered by many as a caring healthcare provider, passionate academic, and noble public servant. In addition to these accolades, Rebecca was proud to be the daughter to Patricia and Howard Adelman, sister to Mara (Pat) and Mike (Dani) Adelman, devoted spouse of Caroline Lemelin, and loving mother of her greatest joys, twin sons Rory and Finn Adelman, who turn four years old this Spring. I am honored to join with Rebecca's loving family to recognize her impactful life. Upon Rebecca graduating from Wellesley College in 2005, she had a world of opportunity ahead of her. She headed to Washington to work for ABC News and eventually joined the Obama presidential campaign's staff, energetically serving the Vice President's press team as the general election approached. After President Obama and then-Vice President Biden's landslide election in 2009, Rebecca was given a position on the President's transition team, managing press at the inauguration, and then joined the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as one of the Administration's first DHHS staff placements. Ms. Adelman rose throughout the agency, serving as the Special Assistant to the Administrator at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), as DHHS's Deputy Liaison to the White House, and Acting Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary. Inspired by her HHS colleagues to be a ``doer rather than a talker,'' as well as by the idea of direct healthcare service, she achieved her status as a Registered Nurse (RN) and earned a Master of Public Health degree with Honors from Johns Hopkins University. Her nursing career began in New York as a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Mount Sinai, before advancing to become Clinical Nurse Manager and then Patient Care Director at New York Presbyterian Hospital. No matter the professional arena or personal circumstances, her intuition and broad skill set enabled her to perform at the highest level of proficiency. At the time of Ms. Adelman's passing, she was the Nurse Manager responsible for running the entire neonatal intensive care unit at New York-Presbyterian, an incredible achievement to her career journey. Madam Speaker, Rebecca M. Adelman accomplished so much and earned the love and respect of so many during her short time with us, and she is truly missed. Her family and all who knew her and benefitted from her many contributions to the community can attest to her remarkable impact and inspiration, as well as her enduring optimism and commitment to community. Two years after her passing, Rebecca Adelman's incredible legacy continues to improve the lives of others and will last for a long time to come. Our nation is better off because of the service of Ms. Rebecca M. Adelman, and we are forever grateful for her many contributions.

Ms. STEVENS

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, as the gentleman from Arkansas reminds us, I am proud that Michigan is the destination where the combustion engine was invented and innovated, and very proud to be the destination where our workers are manifesting and innovating electric vehicles. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer).

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close. We have heard today, Madam Speaker, a commitment to act, a commitment to move into a conference, a commitment to get the America COMPETES Act done for the United States, CHIPS Act funding, investment in scientific research, and more. This is an exciting moment in this Chamber. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks).

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong and enthusiastic support of moving forward to conference the America COMPETES Act of 2022 with the Senate. For those watching back at home, a conference committee is a joint committee between the House and Senate, a temporary ad hoc configuration to negotiate elements of a bill; and it is, frankly, the best of legislative action; Congress working for the American people, debating through democracy and deliberation to produce an end result. As a Member of Congress, I often ask myself, I often pose the question, what will drive our economy for the next 10 years, 20 years, 30 years? What is our moonshot of the next 50 years? What can I do today to ensure that my neighbors in southeast Michigan are on a strong path to a successful future? What are the technologies and research investments that we can make today to ensure the success of the Nation for all of us? The legislation that we are moving to conference today, the America COMPETES Act, tackles those big questions and secures our competitive edge for generations to come. This bill is an investment in our people. It reflects our ability to reach higher, to think deeper, and to invent solutions to not only today's problems but solutions for tomorrow's opportunities. Americans are known for their hustle, for their ingenuity. My job, our job in Congress is to connect people to the tools to unlock a good life, to connected opportunity for everyone. And, frankly, the tools of the future are in this bill. The COMPETES Act turbocharges America's scientific research and technological leadership while strengthening America's economic and national security at home and abroad. Even more, this bold investment in innovation ensures our top scientific minds have the tools to rise to the challenge of our climate crisis, from clean energy technologies to emissions measurement. Not only does this bill look to the future, but it also mends the acute stressors that we are all feeling today due to our years of Federal underinvestment in science and innovation. A conference committee to discuss this, my friends, the America COMPETES Act tackles our supply chain vulnerabilities to make more goods in America and surges production of American-made semiconductors, chips, that which we invented here in this Nation, and in the 1990s were producing 40 percent of a crucial component in everything from cars to computers to medical devices. And the American people are ready; ready for investments that will spur innovative solutions to create jobs across the Nation, support American manufacturing, and build a strong and diverse STEM workforce ready to address the challenges we face as a Nation. During President Biden's State of the Union Address, he called on Congress to get our innovation package to him for his signature. So we should be proud--I certainly am--to be here as we move to take the next step in this process. There is, frankly, no time to waste in getting the COMPETES Act to the President's desk. As the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology, I am so proud of the range of bipartisan Science, Space, and Technology Committee provisions that have long been championed that are included in this package. I am especially proud of the NIST for the Future Act, my legislation. This critical investment in NIST will ensure the agency and its employees have the resources they require to be a key part of bolstering our American technology enterprise: a resilient supply chain, small and midsize manufacturers being brought to the table to deliver for America, and the American workforce that compels them. Since Michigan's 11th District sent me to Congress, I have been laser-focused on bringing innovation economy solutions not only to folks in southeastern Michigan but also, obviously, all across the United States. We built a transformative piece of legislation from the ground up. The ranking member is right--bipartisan years of work on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to do such legislation. We heard from the science community. We heard from industry. We heard from academia. We heard from other stakeholders. They all told us the same thing: Don't leave Americans behind. Don't leave anyone behind based on geography or demographics. Bring the scientific research enterprise to all. We are here, and we are here with a lot of hardworking people from the Science, Space, and Technology Committee staff. We have not had a conference committee since 2018, albeit for NDAA. Many people have not been able to be privy to such an action, and they deserve our gratitude. These are the folks writing the text late into the night based on our corrections, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee staff who work so hard and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee members. The United States has long been a beacon of excellence in science and innovation, and it is long overdue that we restore Federal support for these vital initiatives, that we invest now and lead the world. The House's and Senate's approaches may certainly have some differences, but we seek the same goal: to deliver for this Nation. I am very confident that we will have a very productive conference process and hope to get the America COMPETES Act to President Biden's desk for signature very soon. The U.S. has endless potential to compete globally in science and innovation. The America COMPETES Act provides the critical resources and tools we need to achieve that. I look forward to working with my colleagues throughout conference to invest in America's most valuable resource, the talent of our people. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, the ranking member, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), has given us a motion to instruct, a negotiation that we will pursue in the conference to come. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Ms. STEVENS. Madam Speaker, we are lucky to have such a chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs here in the Congress. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.