Greg Walden

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of my friends, and two exemplary Oregonians who have dedicated their lives to service of their community and country. Retired Lieutenant Colonel Les Cochenour and his wife, Jody, are stalwart citizens of The Dalles, Oregon--my birthplace--who will be relocating from their treasured home in the Columbia Gorge to start a new chapter in their lives in Bend. Before Les and Jody's new chapter begins, though, I would be remiss if I did not provide a brief account of their impactful chapters written in Wasco County. Like me, both Les and Jody were raised in The Dalles. They are both proud alumni of The Dalles High School--high school sweethearts who graduated one year apart from each other and married just a few short months after Jody graduated. The foundation of their 56-year-long marriage began in high school, and so did the start of an inseparable duo of public servants. Les entered the local National Guard Unit as a private straight out of high school. With a work ethic acquired at a young age on his farm in Dallesport, Les soon went on to officer candidate school and became a second lieutenant. After more than two decades in the National Guard, Les joined the Army reserve, where he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and retired after another decade of service. Les' military record spans 31 years with the Army reserves, and 42 years as a military officer. Just as his military service was winding down, Les' community service in The Dalles was just beginning. Les served as Mayor of The Dalles for two terms from 1990-1994. His leadership qualities and dedication to his constituents, including the planning of the Fort Dalles Readiness Center, earned him the position of President of the Oregon Mayor's Association in 1994. A veteran himself, Les made it a top priority in his life to serve his fellow service men and women. He served on the board of the Oregon Veterans' Home for five years, dedicating his time to providing veterans and their families with a place to seek care, rehabilitation, and a roof over their heads. Les is a founding member of the Mid-Columbia Veteran's Memorial Committee, providing another venue for service to his fellow veterans. All the while, Les has had a partner in this admirable endeavor of service to those who have served our country: his wife, Jody. Jody, also a public servant who worked for the state in the Building Codes Division, is a board member of Mid-Columbia Veterans and a lifetime member of The Dalles Veterans of Foreign War Auxillary. A trailblazer of her own right, Jody launched the Red Crested Purple Breasted Cronies, a chapter of the National Red Hat Society that donates to a charity of their choosing each month. Les and Jody have not been without recognition for their unique history of devoted service to others. Les has been honored with the bronze medallion of the Order of St. George from the U.S. Calvary and Armor Association, a prestigious honor that recognizes the long and honorable service to cavalry and armor, and recognizes the very best cavalryman. Jody was awarded the Order of St. Joan D'Arc, an equally prestigious recognition for a spouse with ``significant voluntary contributions to the morale, spirit and welfare of the armor and cavalry communities.'' Suffice to say, today will be just one of many accounts of Les and Jody Cochenour's service to their fellow citizens in The Dalles, and people across America. While their address may change, I know that their commitment to our state and country will not. Their home will always be in The Dalles, and their legacy of service to others will certainly be passed along to their five grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, and I imagine it will only be a matter of time before their impact will be profoundly felt by the community in Bend. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the whole House of Representatives and the people of The Dalles, please join me in expressing our sincerest thanks and gratitude to Les and Jody Cochenour for their lifelong dedication to community and country.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains for each side.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, when the Energy and Commerce Committee took up this issue in its broadest form, we heard from the FDA Commissioner, we heard from patients, we heard from family members, and what we heard was that there are barriers in States that preclude these State laws from working. That is what the Government Accountability Office told us. They identified two issues--liability and use of outcomes--as the two barriers as to why these laws passed in 38, soon to be 39, States. And in many cases--most cases, I would say--these laws have passed unanimously, with Republicans and Democrats back home supporting them, including in my own State. I think it was unanimous in both the house and the senate, all controlled by Democrats, in Oregon. We have listened to our constituents; we have observed what has happened in our States--great laboratories--and we are acting here today to allow those who have been given this wretched, wretched prescription that their life is about to end to have a chance and a choice. That is what we are doing today. We are overcoming the barriers that exist at the State level. We are doing it in a reasonable and thoughtful way that protects patient safety and creates this new alternative pathway for them. This is important legislation. It is not often in this body we get this opportunity to make this kind of a change and provide chance and hope for those who see their loved ones dying before their eyes. I met with Jordan McLinn and his mother, Laura, earlier today. They have been incredible advocates for this cause. And they had just come from a meeting with Vice President Pence, who, with the President, has been an extraordinary supporter of this effort. From his Bible, Jordan showed me the Parable of the Lost Sheep, which is one of his favorites. It is a parable he had shared with the Vice President. That Parable of the Lost Sheep tells us that not a single sheep should be lost, that the shepherd cares about them all. That same sentiment is what brings us here to right to try today. Every opportunity to save a life matters, and every patient deserves that right to try. That is the legislation before us today, Mr. Speaker. It is well conceived, it is well thought out, and it will make a difference in saving lives. I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and pass this legislation and give people a right to try. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, we have two, I believe, left.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 seconds. Mr. Speaker, the last two speakers from California and Texas, two of our biggest States, a grand total of two legislators voted ``no.'' Otherwise, it was unanimous in both those States to do what we are doing here today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs), an incredible advocate of this legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), the chair of our Health Subcommittee. Texas voted unanimously for the Right to Try Act.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, when Illinois took this up, they approved it 169-1 in their assembly. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Griffith).

Mr. WALDEN. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), a distinguished member of our committee and a pharmacist by training and trade.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the patients who face terminal diagnoses but have exhausted all available treatment options. These are patients like Jordan McLinn, who is with us today. Jordan is a tireless fighter who self-advocates for others living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He is a namesake of this bill we are considering, like Matt Bellina, who testified before the Health Subcommittee last year. Because of folks like Jordan and Matt, we have a chance to increase patient access to experimental therapies. Thirty-eight States across our great land have right-to-try laws, including my home State of Oregon. Wisconsin, with a bill on its way to Governor Scott Walker's desk, will soon make it 39. While the State policies vary, they have a common goal: helping vulnerable patients. President Trump praised the movement during the State of the Union, saying: ``People who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. I want to give them a chance here at home.'' Now, today, there is an existing process for patients to access unapproved drugs. The FDA oversees expanded access, commonly known as compassionate use. This program has been critical in helping patients access experimental drugs. Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and the Agency, the FDA, should be commended for their continued work to improve the expanded access program for patients. To improve this successful program, the bill before us today also provides liability protections for manufacturers, sponsors, physicians, clinical investigators, and hospitals that participate in the existing expanded access program and the new alternative pathway created under this legislation. This provision removes one of the biggest hurdles that patients have faced in getting access to these medicines, in gaining access to experimental therapies, as identified by the Government Accountability Office: manufacturer hesitancy to participate. That is the big hurdle. We seek to overcome it with this legislation. The bill also creates a new alternative pathway for patients who do not qualify for a clinical trial. This legislation strengthens patient protections with clearer informed consent and adverse event reporting. The bill also ensures the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, is notified when a patient receives an unapproved drug through the new alternative pathway to ensure there is proper oversight. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the House sponsors of this legislation who have worked tirelessly to bring this to a good place today: Brian Fitzpatrick, our colleague from Pennsylvania; Andy Biggs from Arizona; and Morgan Griffith from Virginia. I also thank the Vice President, with whom Jordan and I met today. I am grateful for their work on behalf of these courageous patients, and I urge all my colleagues in the House to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton), the former chairman of the full committee and the current vice chairman. (Mr. BARTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5247) to authorize the use of eligible investigational drugs by eligible patients who have been diagnosed with a stage of a disease or condition in which there is reasonable likelihood that death will occur within a matter of months, or with another eligible illness, and for other purposes.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on the bill.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I now have the honor of yielding 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick), who has been, even before he got to the Congress, an extraordinary advocate for this cause and for the patients with terminally ill conditions.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, ask anyone who lives in or near communities with waste coal piles from abandoned mines and they will tell you that they can be a significant environmental hazard. They can leak acidic water into rivers and streams. They can sometimes catch fire, burn uncontrollably for months and result in both damage and heavy emissions. And they can be an economic drag on any community that has to deal with them. The good news is that a process exists that can take this byproduct and use it to produce electricity. The result of that process is an environmentally-safe ash that can be used to remediate the land from which the waste coal was taken. It has worked well, and there are numerous examples of contaminated lands and streams being restored because of these coal refuse-to-energy plants. Given the substantial environmental benefits of coal refuse-to-energy plants, I believe we have an obligation to work to keep them open. That is why I urge support for H.R. 1119, the SENSE Act. Unfortunately, these plants are at risk of being tripped up by EPA regulations aimed at conventional coal-fired power plants. Specifically, EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics standards did not distinguish between conventional coal-fired plants and these coal refuse-to-energy plants that operate very differently. The EPA's standard as written for one of the targeted compounds, hydrogen chloride, or HCL, would be difficult for these facilities to consistently meet. The bill before us today, H.R. 1119, the SENSE Act, addresses these concerns and provides an alternative compliance mechanism for HCL that still requires substantial emissions reductions, but one that is achievable for these facilities. By finding a use for potentially dangerous and damaging coal refuse piles, coal refuse-to-energy plants provide affordable energy and a tremendous environmental benefit. The SENSE Act is commonsense, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill that benefits both consumers and the environment.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today, the BRICK Act, makes commonsense adjustments to preserve small businesses and American jobs while still protecting the environment. This bill addresses the impact of regulations and policies aimed at brickmakers, and-- particularly important to many in my home state, wood stoves. In many parts of Oregon, we're surrounded by forests and affordable wood, so wood stoves are often the most economical way to heat a home or a ranch shop. Oregonians also know what a real air pollution crisis looks like, as we have recently dealt with the thick smoke from several very bad wildfires across the state. Compared to that, wood stove emissions are far from a crisis, especially now that they all must comply with EPA's 2015 emissions standards. There is no reason to threaten wood heater affordability as well as industry jobs by insisting on the unworkable 2020 deadline for the next round of standards. This bill takes the sensible step of extending the deadline to 2023, thus preserving wood heater choice and affordability. Opponents of these bills have claimed that H.R. 1917 is harmful to the environment and public health protections, but I think we need to maintain a sense of perspective. Neither brickmakers nor wood heaters are a significant source of emissions, and both industries have already reduced emissions significantly due to earlier regulations that are not affected under this bill. For example, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the brick industry has already committed millions of dollars to install and operate controls to reduce emissions by nearly 95 percent in order to comply with previous regulations. Perhaps most importantly, this bill does not repeal any health-based regulation--it simply makes minimal, temporal adjustments to reduce the risk of plant shutdowns, layoffs, and higher prices for consumers. We should be looking at ways to get people working, not imposing unnecessary and tough to meet regulatory timeframes that take away people's livelihoods. We need a balanced approach. These brickmakers and wood heater manufacturers are important employers in the small communities where many are located. The data shows that there is little environmental justification for inflicting economic harm on these small businesses and their communities, and thus there is every reason to pass this bill to ensure that any such harm is avoided.

Mr. WALDEN

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased today that the House of Representatives is taking up an important bill from the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It is titled the Repack Airwaves Yielding Better Access for Users of Modern Services Act of 2018, or RAY BAUM'S Act. I thank our subcommittee chairman, Marsha Blackburn, for her hard work in introducing and moving this legislation forward. Before I get into the policy side, I want to touch on the meaning behind this bill's title. H.R. 4986 is a nod to our dear friend, and mine of 30 years, the former staff director of our Energy and Commerce Committee, who recently lost his battle with cancer. It is a testament of not just Ray's dedication to telecom policy--as you know, he served as public utility commissioner, he chaired the Joint Board with the FCC on communications issues, and was such a policy brain for our committee--but also his ability to work across the aisle and with all levels of government officials. He got good things done for America. Years ago, when I became chairman of what was then called the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Ray, at my invitation, finally agreed to come back to Washington and work on the committee. He had served as a State representative and as majority leader of the Oregon House. He had been chairman of the public utility commission in Oregon and brought a lot to our process as senior policy adviser. In the years that followed, these issues remained both a priority and a passion for Ray, and I believe and I hope our bipartisan work today reflects admirably the kind of commitment he wanted all of us to share in making good public policy. By the way, that is Ray right there, for those who didn't know. The RAY BAUM'S Act reauthorizes the Federal Communications Commission. It includes efficiency and transparency reforms for the FCC, and it spurs the development of next generation 5G technologies. It is good for consumers, and it is good for our Nation's critical telecommunications services. Importantly, the bill before us today is the product of a bipartisan and bicameral agreement, House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, including my friend from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), Senate Commerce Committee chairman Mr. Thune, and the ranking member in the Senate, Bill Nelson. Mr. Speaker, we bring you a good product today of sound policy named for a wonderful individual, and I reserve the balance of my time. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, March 6, 2018. Hon. Greg Walden, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Walden: I write concerning H.R. 4986, RAY BAUM'S Act of 2018. This legislation includes matters that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. I recognize and appreciate your desire to bring this legislation before the House of Representatives in an expeditious manner, and accordingly, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forego action on the bill. However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that foregoing consideration of the bill does not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. Further, this is conditional on our understanding that mutually agreed upon changes to the legislation will be incorporated into the bill prior to floor consideration. Lastly, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I request your support for the appointment of conferees from the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure during any House-Senate conference convened on this or related legislation. I would ask that a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest as well as the mutually agreed upon changes to be incorporated into the bill be included in the Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on the House floor, to memorialize our understanding. I look forward to working with the Committee on Energy and Commerce as the bill moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Bill Shuster, Chairman.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Costello), a very important member of our committee.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson), who has been a real leader on telecommunications issues.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis) to speak on this important legislation.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Michigan.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I would concur with my friend's comments. I am happy to work on these issues involving spectrum. I know there are multiple uses around, and we want to make sure that those using these frequencies are not disadvantaged. I look forward to working with the gentleman on that. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), a distinguished member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. He also happens to have a pretty important title around here as the whip of the House. He has been very involved in telecommunications policies since he first came on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the chair of the subcommittee, who has been an incredible leader on our communications issues on the Energy and Commerce Committee for some time.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance), who is a talented member of our committee.

Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from New Jersey for his good work on this legislation and his kind words in memory of our mutual friend, Ray Baum. I think it would be appropriate, as well, to thank the staff who put so much work into this, including Robin Colwell, Tim Kurth, Sean Farrell, Lauren McCarty, Evan Viau, and Elena Hernandez on the Republican side, and David Goldman, Gerald Leverich, and Dan Miller on the minority side. We thank all of them for working both here and on the Senate side. Mr. Speaker, I just want to quickly go through the provisions again, because this really is important. For more than a quarter of a century, the FCC has not been reauthorized. We do that here, thanks to Chairwoman Blackburn's legislation. Second, we take care of our broadcasters, both public and private, and their translators, including FM translators as well as public broadcasting. Mr. Pallone has been a long champion of the repack effort and, of course, his SANDy legislation. You heard from Mr. Scalise on the legislation to consolidate redundant and outdated FCC reports: get rid of the ones we don't need, streamline the rest, and bring efficiency. Mr. Johnson's legislation to establish an independent inspector general at the FCC, this is just good government we can all embrace. Congresswoman Mimi Walters' legislation gives the chief information officer of the FCC the authority to play a significant role in planning, budgeting, and programming. Congresswoman Grace Meng's bill to prohibit spoofing calls or texts originating outside the U.S., plus an 18-month shot clock, is put on the FCC to conduct rulemaking in this matter. I think we are all kind of getting tired of those spoofs we get on our phones. It looks like they are coming from our hometowns, and it turns out they are not. We are going to try to get to the bottom of this and have the FCC work to do that. Congressman Guthrie and Congresswoman Matsui's bill to include a spectrum auction deposit fix, this will actually allow future actions to go forward legally. They couldn't do that under existing law because of an interpretation, and so we fixed that. That was very, very important. Congressmen McNerney and Kinzinger's legislation to require the FCC to report to Congress on promoting internet excess for veterans, we all know how important that is, especially those low-income veterans in our rural communities. Congressman Loebsack's legislation to improve mapping methodology for mobile coverage, we need to know where we have service in America and where we don't and have numbers we can trust. Representative Ruiz's legislation is very, very important, dealing with broadband in Tribal areas and carrying out rulemaking to address unserved Tribal areas. We have lots of Tribal areas in our country that lack service. Anna Eshoo's legislation to provide further improvements on 911 caller information that builds on Kari's Law that we have already approved, that is really, really important. And, again, Eliot Engel's legislation requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the NTIA, to study and consider how the agency can best coordinate the interagency process following cybersecurity incidents. It just goes on and on, including Senator Thune's MOBILE NOW Act that will help us move forward on 5G. So, as you can see, this is comprehensive, thoughtful, well-written legislation on telecommunications, moves our country forward, reauthorizes the FCC, and is a fitting tribute to my friend and our policy leader, Mr. Ray Baum from Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.