Quantcast

Honolulu Reporter

Friday, September 20, 2024

Congressional Record publishes “HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021.....” in the House of Representatives section on March 3

2edited

Ed Case was mentioned in HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021..... on pages H1279-H1284 covering the 2nd Session of the 117th Congress published on March 3 in the Congressional Record.

The publication is reproduced in full below:

HONORING OUR PROMISE TO ADDRESS COMPREHENSIVE TOXICS ACT OF 2021

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Dingell). Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further consideration of the bill (H.R. 3967) to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances, and for other purposes will now resume.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

Amendment No. 20 Offered by Ms. Ross

The SPEAKER pro tempore. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 20 printed in part B of House Report 117-253.

Ms. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment.

The text of the amendment is as follows:

Page 67, after line 10, insert the following:

(1) Initial report.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report regarding the following:

(A) Sources of PFAS on military installations other than AFFF.

(B) Any recommendation of the Secretary regarding whether to expand eligibility for the registry to individuals exposed to sources of PFAS described in subparagraph (A).

Page 67, line 11, strike ``(1) initial'' and insert ``(2) Interim''.

Page 68, line 3, strike ``(2)'' and insert ``(3)''.

Page 68, line 14, strike ``(3)'' and insert ``(4)''.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 950, the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.

Ms. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge support for my amendment, along with my colleague from North Carolina, Representative Rouzer.

This amendment will require the Department of Defense to study additional non-fire extinguishing agent sources of toxic PFAS, known as forever chemicals on military installations.

Our amendment also requires the Department of Defense to make a recommendation to Congress on expanding the eligibility for the VA's registry of individuals exposed to PFAS during their service.

While fire extinguishing agents are a common source of servicemember exposure to forever chemicals, as the Speaker knows, PFAS toxins are ever present on military bases from other sources.

Studies have shown that these dangerous toxicants are ubiquitous in the kinds of ready-made meal packages, textiles, and cookware used on military installations. Use of these products has exposed servicemembers and veterans to PFAS, which have been proven to cause cancer, liver damage, birth defects, and other troubling medical conditions.

We must ensure that we fully understand the scope of PFAS exposure on military bases and expand our parameters for veteran eligibility for medical care accordingly. Doing so will give veterans exposed to these toxins the opportunity to receive care for the conditions they develop as a result of their service in uniform.

This amendment not only empowers and protects veterans, but it solicits a critically important study from the DOD to better understand the presence of PFAS on military installations and prevent exposure in the future.

In alignment with the mission of the Honoring our PACT Act, this amendment upholds our responsibility to prevent and mitigate the health consequences of exposure to toxic substances.

Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano for his outstanding leadership in bringing this important legislation to the floor. I also thank Representative Rouzer from North Carolina for joining me in offering this amendment.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I claim time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.

There was no objection.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I am pleased to support this amendment by the gentlewoman and Congressman Rouzer.

It will require DOD to submit to Congress a report on sources of PFAS on military installations other than aqueous film-forming foam and providing recommendations regarding whether to expand registry eligibility to individuals exposed to PFAS from other sources.

The PFAS data gathered by this amendment will be a tremendous value as VA, DOD, and other agencies across our Federal Government continue their research related to this important matter.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes''.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. ROSS. Madam Speaker, this amendment will help us understand additional sources of PFAS exposure on military bases and empower veterans to seek medical care accordingly.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment along with Representative Rouzer and the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 950, the previous question is ordered on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross).

The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross).

The amendment was agreed to.

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

Amendment No. 22 Offered by Mr. Ruiz

The SPEAKER pro tempore. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 22, printed in part B of House Report 117-253.

Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment.

The text of the amendment is as follows:

At the end of title VII, insert the following:

SEC. 707. BURN PIT REGISTRY UPDATES.

(a) Individuals Eligible to Update.--

(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall take actions necessary to ensure that the burn pit registry may be updated with the cause of death of a deceased registered individual by--

(A) an individual designated by such deceased registered individual; or

(B) if no such individual is designated, an immediate family member of such deceased registered individual.

(2) Designation.--The Secretary shall provide, with respect to the burn pit registry, a process by which a registered individual may make a designation for purposes of paragraph

(1)(A).

(b) Definitions.--In this section:

(1) The term ``burn pit registry'' means the registry established under section 201 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note).

(2) The term ``immediate family member'', with respect to a deceased individual, means--

(A) the spouse, parent, brother, sister, or adult child of the individual;

(B) an adult person to whom the individual stands in loco parentis; or

(C) any other adult person--

(i) living in the household of the individual at the time of the death of the individual; and

(ii) related to the individual by blood or marriage.

(3) The term ``registered individual'' means an individual registered with the burn pit registry.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 950, the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.

Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my amendment to the Honoring our PACT Act, which includes language from my bill, the Burn Pits Registry Enhancement Act.

This amendment would allow veterans in the burn pits registry to designate someone to update the registry with their cause of death. I hope that makes common sense. This data is crucial to further identify illnesses that are causing burn pit exposed veterans to die and will help doctors recognize early symptoms.

I also rise in support of another amendment I submitted that was part of an en bloc package that passed yesterday. That amendment is from my Reducing Exposure to Burn Pits Act. It would require the DOD to consider safer alternatives to burn pits. This amendment will get us one step closer to ending the exposure to toxic burn pits once and for all.

I have fought for years to bring attention to this issue and its devastating toll on our Nation's servicemembers and their families.

I have told the story of Jennifer Kepner, an Air Force veteran from Cathedral City in my district. She was an otherwise healthy mother of two who lost her courageous battle with pancreatic cancer likely caused by her exposure to burn pits during her military service.

I have told the story of Alejandro Camacho, my constituent from Palm Desert, who developed testicular cancer from the toxic smoke and carcinogens he breathed in every day during his service in Iraq.

It is for Jennifer, Alejandro, and the millions of other veterans suffering from their burn pit exposure that I founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Burn Pit Caucus.

It is why I introduced the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act to create a presumption of service connection for 23 illnesses related to service near burn pits.

That bill is included in the Honoring our PACT Act and highlights the urgent need to pass it now. The Honoring our PACT Act will take urgent and aggressive action to give the veterans the care they need and ensure we don't repeat the Agent Orange delays that our Vietnam veterans experienced.

Last night, I texted the widower of Jennifer Kepner, Ben Kepner, and I said: Tomorrow is the big day, my friend. He texted back: Tomorrow is Jennifer Kepner's birthday. So we will pass this bill on Jennifer Kepner's birthday, which is amazing.

Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to Chairman Takano.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the amendment introduced by Representatives Ruiz, Ryan, and Gonzalez-Colon.

Madam Speaker, I want to take my 30 seconds to just say how much this bill, the Honoring our PACT Act, rests on the work, passion, and energy of the gentleman from the neighboring district in Riverside County, which we both have the honor to represent.

Dr. Ruiz has brought his tremendous knowledge as a doctor, somebody with three medically-related degrees from Harvard University--the first Latino to do so. I can't say enough about the work that he has done to make this possible, and we all are grateful.

Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I claim time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.

There was no objection.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 1\3/4\ minutes remaining.

Mr. RUIZ. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Takano and the Veterans' Affairs Committee staff for their tireless work, their leadership, their courage and bravery to address this incredible problem.

I would also like to thank all the veterans who spoke up when nobody listened, like Rosie Torres from Burn Pits 360; and many others who have lost a loved one; and all the widows who have been crying to be recognized and pleading with us to do something so that other veterans wouldn't suffer these atrocities.

This is a self-inflicted DOD wound that our military did to our servicemembers, and now they are dying as delayed casualties of war due to those exposures. We need to save lives today. This is a life-and-

death situation.

If there is ever a human face to policy, it is now in this policy because there are children wondering why, when their parents came back healthy from the war, they died 5, 6, 7 years later. This is why we need to pass this bill and ensure that our promise to our veterans, and our promise to our Vietnam veterans, that we will never allow their Agent Orange experience to translate ever again into the American experience.

This is our time to stand up for our veterans, not just in hugging flags, but also in pragmatic solidarity and support to give them the care and the relief that they need right now.

Madam Speaker, I wish the Kepner family a very happy birthday celebration in memory of Jennifer Kepner. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, as both a physician and a 24-year military veteran coming from a family of veterans, married to a veteran of 30 years, let me say to my colleagues: We can save lives today with a bill on the President's desk today by passing in this Chamber the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act. We can pass that now and they can receive healthcare now.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

{time} 0930

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 950, the previous question is ordered on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz).

The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz).

The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.

Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

Amendment No. 23 Offered by Mr. Ryan

The SPEAKER pro tempore. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 23 printed in part B of House Report 117-253.

Mr. RYAN. Madam Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the amendment.

The text of the amendment is as follows:

At the end of title VII, add the following:

SEC. 707. BURN PIT TRANSPARENCY.

(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``SFC Heath Robinson Burn Pit Transparency Act''.

(b) Notifications and Reports Regarding Reported Cases of Burn Pit Exposure.--

(1) Quarterly notifications.--

(A) In general.--On a quarterly basis, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on each reported case of burn pit exposure by a covered veteran reported during the previous quarter.

(B) Elements.--Each report submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include, with respect to each reported case of burn pit exposure of a covered veteran included in the report, the following:

(i) Notice of the case, including the medical facility at which the case was reported.

(ii) Notice of, as available--

(I) the enrollment status of the covered veteran with respect to the patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs under section 1705(a) of title 38, United States Code;

(II) a summary of all health care visits by the covered veteran at the medical facility at which the case was reported that are related to the case;

(III) the demographics of the covered veteran, including age, sex, and race;

(IV) any non-Department of Veterans Affairs health care benefits that the covered veteran receives;

(V) the Armed Force in which the covered veteran served and the rank of the covered veteran;

(VI) the period in which the covered veteran served;

(VII) each location of an open burn pit from which the covered veteran was exposed to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes during such service;

(VIII) the medical diagnoses of the covered veteran and the treatment provided to the veteran; and

(IX) whether the covered veteran is registered in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry.

(C) Protection of information.--The Secretary shall ensure that the reports submitted under subparagraph (A) do not include the identity of covered veterans or contain other personally identifiable data.

(2) Annual report on cases.--

(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing the following:

(i) The total number of covered veterans.

(ii) The total number of claims for disability compensation under chapter 11 of title 38, United States Code, approved and the total number denied by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with respect to a covered veteran, and for each such denial, the rationale of the denial.

(iii) A comprehensive list of--

(I) the conditions for which covered veterans seek treatment; and

(II) the locations of the open burn pits from which the covered veterans were exposed to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes.

(iv) Identification of any illnesses relating to exposure to open burn pits that formed the basis for the Secretary to award benefits, including entitlement to service connection or an increase in disability rating.

(v) The total number of covered veterans who died after seeking care for an illness relating to exposure to an open burn pit.

(vi) Any updates or trends with respect to the information described in clauses (i), (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v) that the Secretary determines appropriate.

(B) Matters included in first report.--The Secretary shall include in the first report under paragraph (1) information specified in paragraph (1)(B) with respect to reported cases of burn pit exposure made during the period beginning January 1, 1990, and ending on the day before the date of the enactment of this Act.

(3) Information regarding the airborne hazards and open burn pit registry.--

(A) Notice.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall ensure that a medical professional of the Department of Veterans Affairs informs a veteran of the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry if the veteran presents at a medical facility of the Department for treatment that the veteran describes as being related to, or ancillary to, the exposure of the veteran to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits.

(B) Display.--In making information public regarding the number of participants in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry, the Secretary shall display such numbers by both State and by congressional district.

(4) Comptroller general report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report containing an assessment of the effectiveness of any memorandum of understanding or memorandum of agreement entered into by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs with respect to--

(A) the processing of reported cases of burn pit exposure; and

(B) the coordination of care and provision of health care relating to such cases at medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and at non-Department facilities.

(5) Definitions.--In this section:

(A) The term ``Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry'' means the registry established by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs under section 201 of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note).

(B) The term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--

(i) the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and

(ii) The Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.

(C) The term ``covered veteran'' means a veteran who presents at a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs (or in a non-Department facility pursuant to section 1703 or 1703A of title 38, United States Code) for treatment that the veteran describes as being related to, or ancillary to, the exposure of the veteran to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits at any time while serving in the Armed Forces.

(D) The term ``open burn pit'' has the meaning given that term in section 201(c) of the Dignified Burial and Other Veterans' Benefits Improvement Act of 2012 (Public Law 112- 260; 38 U.S.C. 527 note).

(E) The term ``reported case of burn pit exposure'' means each instance in which a veteran presents at a medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs (or in a non- Department facility pursuant to section 1703 or 1703A of title 38, United States Code) for treatment that the veteran describes as being related to, or ancillary to, the exposure of the veteran to toxic airborne chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits at any time while serving in the Armed Forces.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 950, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.

The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.

Mr. RYAN. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano for including in this bill the Heath Robinson Burn Pit Transparency Act as a part of this comprehensive bill to address toxic exposure in our veteran community. I rise today to discuss my amendment, the Heath Robinson Burn Pit Transparency Act, named for Heath Robinson whom I spoke about in this very Chamber just 4 months ago.

I stand here humbled to see it come to the floor in a bipartisan effort to finally address this dire problem.

Heath deployed to Kosovo in 2004 and Iraq in 2006 and was the Ohio National Guard NCO Soldier of the Year in 2012 and 2013.

Being a soldier was Heath's identity. He was proud of his service and humbled to serve overseas defending those he loved. While deployed, Heath was exposed to burn pits in Iraq, and those toxic wounds of war followed Heath home. He was a loving father, husband, and son who, unfortunately and tragically, lost his life on May 6, 2020, at the young age of 39. His story is a sobering one but reminds us why this amendment is needed.

In late 2016, Heath began noticing early symptoms starting with fatigue which worsened to chronic, gushing nosebleeds and bleeding from his ears. After a dozen doctors were unable to provide answers, it was finally determined that at the age of 35 he suffered from a rare autoimmune disease. After new symptoms presented and Heath's condition deteriorated, his family learned Heath was stricken with an extremely rare form of lung cancer that, according to 20 oncologists, could have only been caused by prolonged inhalation of concentrated toxic substances.

Heath was eventually forced into a medical separation with his lung cancer being deemed 100 percent service connected by the Veterans Administration. His retirement documents specify that Heath was a recently retired combat veteran. However, once he applied for comprehensive caregiver benefits, the VA denied him. They stated that although Heath Robinson's lung cancer was 100 percent service connected, there was no evidence that his cancer was caused by burn pits or combat related. His wife, a doctor of physical therapy, had to take an unpaid leave of absence from a full-time job to handle her husband's round-the-clock care. This service was paramount to this family, and the VA failed them.

The final year of Heath's life consisted of his wife and her mom watching helplessly as Heath suffered in pain, struggling to breathe daily, and coughing incessantly. Many days were spent holding a basin under his face to catch vomit and blood streaming from his nose while they shoved the oxygen tube into his mouth intermittently so he wouldn't die. They lost count of the number of times he had to be rushed to the nearest emergency room only to be transferred to a trauma hospital because the doctors had no idea what to do with him. Doctors exclaimed that they had never seen a cancer like Heath had.

The VA decided this American soldier and war veteran didn't qualify for caregiver benefits because his exposure to inhaling toxic burn pit smoke did not cause his lung cancer. The Robinson family suffered tremendously while earned benefits were withheld by the VA.

The story of the Robinson family is one of many dating back years to the days of Agent Orange when other veterans suffered the same fate. When veterans seek treatment related to burn pit exposure, my amendment requires the VA to report it to Congress. It demands transparency and helps find policy solutions driven by large-scale data to get our veterans the care they need and that they have earned. We can do better to provide care for soldiers and family members, and we must provide safeguards and transparency to ensure that.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Iowa is recognized for 5 minutes.

There was no objection.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. RYAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), who is the chairman of the committee, for any comments.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Congressman Ryan's bipartisan amendment.

Let me just say that the PACT Act is something that this Congress must do, and the Republican substitute is simply what we, this Congress, can get away with. We cannot simply rest on what we can get away with.

Mr. RYAN. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 950, the previous question is ordered on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio

(Mr. Ryan).

The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.

Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.

Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question are postponed.

Amendment No. 22 Offered by Mr. Ruiz

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the question on amendment No. 22, printed in part B of House Report 117-253, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the yeas and nays were ordered.

The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.

The Clerk redesignated the amendment.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Ruiz).

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 425, nays 0, not voting 7, as follows:

YEAS--425

Adams Aderholt Aguilar Allen Allred Amodei Armstrong Arrington Auchincloss Axne Babin Bacon Baird Balderson Banks Barr Barragan Bass Beatty Bentz Bera Bergman Beyer Bice (OK) Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NC) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Boebert Bonamici Bourdeaux Bowman Boyle, Brendan F. Brooks Brown (MD) Brown (OH) Brownley Buchanan Buck Bucshon Budd Burchett Burgess Bush Bustos Butterfield Calvert Cammack Carbajal Cardenas Carey Carl Carson Carter (GA) Carter (LA) Carter (TX) Cartwright Case Casten Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Cawthorn Chabot Cheney Cherfilus-McCormick Chu Cicilline Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Cleaver Cline Cloud Clyburn Clyde Cohen Cole Comer Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Craig Crawford Crenshaw Crist Crow Cuellar Curtis Davids (KS) Davidson Davis, Danny K. Davis, Rodney Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier DesJarlais Deutch Diaz-Balart Dingell Doggett Donalds Doyle, Michael F. Duncan Dunn Ellzey Emmer Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Estes Evans Fallon Feenstra Ferguson Fischbach Fitzgerald Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Fletcher Fortenberry Foster Foxx Frankel, Lois Franklin, C. Scott Fulcher Gaetz Gallagher Gallego Garamendi Garbarino Garcia (CA) Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Gibbs Gimenez Gohmert Golden Gomez Gonzales, Tony Gonzalez (OH) Gonzalez, Vicente Good (VA) Gooden (TX) Gosar Gottheimer Granger Graves (LA) Graves (MO) Green (TN) Green, Al (TX) Greene (GA) Griffith Grijalva Grothman Guest Harder (CA) Harris Harshbarger Hartzler Hayes Hern Herrell Herrera Beutler Hice (GA) Higgins (LA) Higgins (NY) Hill Himes Hinson Hollingsworth Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Hudson Huffman Huizenga Issa Jackson Jackson Lee Jacobs (CA) Jacobs (NY) Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (LA) Johnson (OH) Johnson (SD) Johnson (TX) Jones Jordan Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Kahele Kaptur Katko Keating Keller Kelly (IL) Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) Khanna Kildee Kilmer Kim (CA) Kim (NJ) Kind Kinzinger Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster Kustoff LaHood LaMalfa Lamb Lamborn Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latta LaTurner Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Leger Fernandez Lesko Letlow Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lieu Lofgren Long Loudermilk Lowenthal Lucas Luetkemeyer Luria Lynch Mace Malinowski Malliotakis Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Mann Manning Massie Mast Matsui McBath McCarthy McCaul McClain McClintock McCollum McEachin McGovern McHenry McKinley McNerney Meeks Meijer Meng Meuser Mfume Miller (IL) Miller (WV) Miller-Meeks Moolenaar Mooney Moore (AL) Moore (UT) Moore (WI) Morelle Moulton Mrvan Mullin Murphy (FL) Murphy (NC) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Nehls Newhouse Newman Norcross Norman O'Halleran Obernolte Ocasio-Cortez Omar Owens Palazzo Pallone Palmer Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Pence Perlmutter Perry Peters Pfluger Phillips Pingree Pocan Porter Posey Pressley Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Reed Reschenthaler Rice (NY) Rice (SC) Rodgers (WA) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rose Rosendale Ross Rouzer Roy Roybal-Allard Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Rutherford Ryan Salazar Sanchez Sarbanes Scalise Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Schweikert Scott (VA) Scott, Austin Scott, David Sessions Sewell Sherman Sherrill Sires Slotkin Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (WA) Smucker Soto Spanberger Spartz Speier Stansbury Stanton Steel Stefanik Steil Steube Stevens Stewart Strickland Suozzi Swalwell Takano Tenney Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thompson (PA) Timmons Titus Tlaib Tonko Torres (CA) Torres (NY) Trahan Trone Turner Underwood Upton Valadao Van Drew Van Duyne Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Wagner Walberg Walorski Waltz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Welch Wenstrup Westerman Wexton Wild Williams (GA) Williams (TX) Wilson (FL) Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Yarmuth Young Zeldin

NOT VOTING--7

Bost Brady Guthrie Simpson Stauber Taylor Tiffany

{time} 1014

Mr. NORMAN changed his vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''

So the amendment was agreed to.

The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

Stated for:

Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 55.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Aguilar (Gomez) Amodei (Balderson) Babin (Duncan) Barragan (Gomez) Bass (Kelly (IL)) Blumenauer (Beyer) Brown (MD) (Connolly) Cardenas (Gomez) Cawthorn (Boebert) Cherfilus-McCormick (Beatty) Correa (Gomez) Costa (Takano) Cuellar (Connolly) DelBene (Kuster) Deutch (Rice (NY)) Doyle, Michael F. (Connolly) Dunn (Cammack) Evans (Mfume) Fallon (Van Duyne) Gohmert (Boebert) Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez) Gosar (Greene (GA)) Grijalva (Garcia (IL)) Hudson (Murphy (NC)) Issa (Van Duyne) Jackson (Van Duyne) Johnson (SD) (Armstrong) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Takano) Keating (Cicilline) Kelly (PA) (Keller) Lawson (FL) (Soto) Letlow (Garbarino) Lofgren (Jeffries) Manning (Beyer) Neal (Beyer) Nehls (Garbarino) Norman (Donalds) Payne (Pallone) Pocan (Garcia (IL)) Raskin (Cicilline) Reschenthaler (Armstrong) Roybal-Allard (Takano) Rush (Jeffries) Salazar (Cammack) Sewell (Kelly (IL)) Sires (Pallone) Speier (Escobar) Strickland (Jeffries) Suozzi (Beyer) Swalwell (Gomez) Trone (Connolly) Underwood (Jeffries) Van Drew (Burgess) Veasey (Beyer) Wagner (Walorski) Wilson (FL) (Cicilline)

Amendment No. 23 Offered by Mr. Ryan

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Auchincloss). Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, the unfinished business is the question on amendment No. 23, printed in part B of House Report 117-253, on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the yeas and nays were ordered.

The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.

The Clerk redesignated the amendment.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 348, nays 78, not voting 6, as follows:

YEAS--348

Adams Aguilar Allred Amodei Armstrong Auchincloss Axne Bacon Baird Balderson Banks Barr Barragan Bass Beatty Bera Bergman Beyer Bice (OK) Biggs Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NC) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Boebert Bonamici Bourdeaux Bowman Boyle, Brendan F. Brown (MD) Brown (OH) Brownley Buchanan Buck Burchett Bush Bustos Butterfield Calvert Carbajal Cardenas Carey Carson Carter (GA) Carter (LA) Cartwright Case Casten Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Chabot Cheney Cherfilus-McCormick Chu Cicilline Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Cole Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Craig Crawford Crenshaw Crist Crow Cuellar Davids (KS) Davidson Davis, Danny K. Davis, Rodney Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier DesJarlais Deutch Diaz-Balart Dingell Doggett Doyle, Michael F. Duncan Dunn Ellzey Emmer Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Evans Fallon Feenstra Fischbach Fitzpatrick Fleischmann Fletcher Fortenberry Foster Foxx Frankel, Lois Gaetz Gallagher Gallego Garamendi Garbarino Garcia (CA) Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Gibbs Gimenez Golden Gomez Gonzales, Tony Gonzalez (OH) Gonzalez, Vicente Good (VA) Gottheimer Granger Graves (LA) Green (TN) Green, Al (TX) Griffith Grijalva Grothman Guest Guthrie Harder (CA) Hayes Herrera Beutler Higgins (LA) Higgins (NY) Himes Hinson Hollingsworth Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Hudson Huffman Huizenga Jackson Lee Jacobs (CA) Jacobs (NY) Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (OH) Johnson (SD) Johnson (TX) Jones Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Kahele Kaptur Katko Keating Keller Kelly (IL) Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) Khanna Kildee Kilmer Kim (CA) Kim (NJ) Kind Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster LaHood Lamb Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latta Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Leger Fernandez Lesko Letlow Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lieu Lofgren Lowenthal Lucas Luetkemeyer Luria Lynch Mace Malinowski Malliotakis Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Manning Massie Mast Matsui McBath McCaul McCollum McEachin McGovern McHenry McKinley McNerney Meeks Meijer Meng Meuser Mfume Miller (WV) Miller-Meeks Moolenaar Mooney Moore (UT) Moore (WI) Morelle Moulton Mrvan Murphy (FL) Murphy (NC) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Newman Norcross O'Halleran Obernolte Ocasio-Cortez Omar Owens Palazzo Pallone Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Perlmutter Peters Phillips Pingree Pocan Porter Posey Pressley Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Reed Reschenthaler Rice (NY) Rodgers (WA) Rogers (KY) Rose Ross Roybal-Allard Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Rutherford Ryan Salazar Sanchez Sarbanes Scalise Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, Austin Scott, David Sewell Sherman Sherrill Sires Slotkin Smith (NJ) Smith (WA) Smucker Soto Spanberger Spartz Speier Stansbury Stanton Stauber Steel Stefanik Steil Stevens Stewart Strickland Suozzi Swalwell Takano Tenney Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thompson (PA) Titus Tlaib Tonko Torres (CA) Torres (NY) Trahan Trone Turner Underwood Upton Valadao Van Drew Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Wagner Walberg Walorski Waltz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Welch Wenstrup Wexton Wild Williams (GA) Wilson (FL) Wittman Yarmuth Young Zeldin

NAYS--78

Aderholt Allen Arrington Babin Bentz Brooks Bucshon Budd Burgess Cammack Carl Carter (TX) Cawthorn Cline Cloud Clyde Comer Donalds Estes Ferguson Fitzgerald Franklin, C. Scott Fulcher Gohmert Gooden (TX) Gosar Graves (MO) Greene (GA) Harris Harshbarger Hartzler Hern Herrell Hice (GA) Hill Issa Jackson Johnson (LA) Jordan Kustoff LaMalfa Lamborn LaTurner Long Loudermilk Mann McCarthy McClain McClintock Miller (IL) Moore (AL) Mullin Nehls Newhouse Norman Palmer Pence Perry Pfluger Rice (SC) Rogers (AL) Rosendale Rouzer Roy Schweikert Sessions Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Steube Tiffany Timmons Van Duyne Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Westerman Williams (TX) Wilson (SC) Womack

NOT VOTING--6

Bost Brady Curtis Kinzinger Simpson Taylor

{time} 1033

Messrs. LONG, GOSAR, PALMER, ADERHOLT, and GRAVES of Missouri changed their vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''

Mmes. BICE of Oklahoma, LESKO, Ms. WATERS, and Mr. PALAZZO changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''

So the amendment was agreed to.

The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress

Aguilar (Gomez) Amodei (Balderson) Babin (Duncan) Barragan (Gomez) Bass (Kelly (IL)) Blumenauer (Beyer) Brown (MD) (Connolly) Cardenas (Gomez) Cawthorn (Boebert) Cherfilus-McCormick (Beatty) Correa (Gomez) Costa (Takano) Cuellar (Connolly) DelBene (Kuster) Deutch (Rice (NY)) Doyle, Michael F. (Connolly) Dunn (Cammack) Evans (Mfume) Fallon (Van Duyne) Gohmert (Boebert) Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez) Gosar (Greene (GA)) Grijalva (Garcia (IL)) Hudson (Murphy (NC)) Issa (Van Duyne) Jackson (Van Duyne) Johnson (SD) (Armstrong) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Takano) Keating (Cicilline) Kelly (PA) (Keller) Lawson (FL) (Soto) Letlow (Garbarino) Lofgren (Jeffries) Manning (Beyer) Neal (Beyer) Nehls (Garbarino) Norman (Donalds) Payne (Pallone) Pocan (Garcia (IL)) Raskin (Cicilline) Reschenthaler (Armstrong) Roybal-Allard (Takano) Rush (Jeffries) Salazar (Cammack) Sewell (Kelly (IL)) Sires (Pallone) Speier (Escobar) Strickland (Jeffries) Suozzi (Beyer) Swalwell (Gomez) Tiffany (Fitzgerald) Trone (Connolly) Underwood (Jeffries) Van Drew (Burgess) Veasey (Beyer) Wagner (Walorski) Wilson (FL) (Cicilline)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.

Pursuant to House Resolution 950, the previous question is ordered on the bill, as amended.

The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.

The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.

The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it.

Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.

The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 256, nays 174, not voting 3, as follows:

YEAS--256

Adams Aguilar Allred Auchincloss Axne Barragan Bass Beatty Bera Bergman Beyer Bice (OK) Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Blumenauer Blunt Rochester Bonamici Bourdeaux Bowman Boyle, Brendan F. Brown (MD) Brown (OH) Brownley Burchett Bush Bustos Butterfield Carbajal Cardenas Carey Carson Carter (LA) Cartwright Case Casten Castor (FL) Castro (TX) Cherfilus-McCormick Chu Cicilline Clark (MA) Clarke (NY) Cleaver Cline Clyburn Cohen Connolly Cooper Correa Costa Courtney Craig Crist Crow Cuellar Davids (KS) Davidson Davis, Danny K. Dean DeFazio DeGette DeLauro DelBene Delgado Demings DeSaulnier DesJarlais Deutch Dingell Doggett Doyle, Michael F. Escobar Eshoo Espaillat Evans Fitzpatrick Fletcher Foster Frankel, Lois Gaetz Gallego Garamendi Garbarino Garcia (CA) Garcia (IL) Garcia (TX) Golden Gomez Gonzalez, Vicente Gottheimer Green, Al (TX) Grijalva Harder (CA) Hayes Herrera Beutler Higgins (NY) Himes Horsford Houlahan Hoyer Hudson Huffman Jackson Lee Jacobs (CA) Jayapal Jeffries Johnson (GA) Johnson (OH) Johnson (TX) Jones Joyce (OH) Joyce (PA) Kahele Kaptur Katko Keating Kelly (IL) Khanna Kildee Kilmer Kim (NJ) Kind Kinzinger Kirkpatrick Krishnamoorthi Kuster Lamb Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Lawrence Lawson (FL) Lee (CA) Lee (NV) Leger Fernandez Levin (CA) Levin (MI) Lieu Lofgren Lowenthal Luria Lynch Mace Malinowski Malliotakis Maloney, Carolyn B. Maloney, Sean Manning Massie Mast Matsui McBath McClain McCollum McEachin McGovern McKinley McNerney Meeks Meijer Meng Mfume Moore (WI) Morelle Moulton Mrvan Murphy (FL) Murphy (NC) Nadler Napolitano Neal Neguse Newman Norcross O'Halleran Obernolte Ocasio-Cortez Omar Pallone Panetta Pappas Pascrell Payne Pelosi Perlmutter Peters Phillips Pingree Pocan Porter Posey Pressley Price (NC) Quigley Raskin Reed Rice (NY) Ross Roybal-Allard Ruiz Ruppersberger Rush Ryan Sanchez Sarbanes Scanlon Schakowsky Schiff Schneider Schrader Schrier Scott (VA) Scott, David Sewell Sherman Sherrill Sires Slotkin Smith (NJ) Smith (WA) Soto Spanberger Speier Stansbury Stanton Stevens Strickland Suozzi Swalwell Takano Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Titus Tlaib Tonko Torres (CA) Torres (NY) Trahan Trone Underwood Upton Valadao Vargas Veasey Vela Velazquez Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Coleman Welch Wexton Wild Williams (GA) Wilson (FL) Yarmuth Young

NAYS--174

Aderholt Allen Amodei Armstrong Arrington Babin Bacon Baird Balderson Banks Barr Bentz Biggs Bishop (NC) Boebert Brooks Buchanan Buck Bucshon Budd Burgess Calvert Cammack Carl Carter (GA) Carter (TX) Cawthorn Chabot Cheney Cloud Clyde Cole Comer Crawford Crenshaw Curtis Davis, Rodney Diaz-Balart Donalds Duncan Dunn Ellzey Emmer Estes Fallon Feenstra Ferguson Fischbach Fitzgerald Fleischmann Fortenberry Foxx Franklin, C. Scott Fulcher Gallagher Gibbs Gimenez Gohmert Gonzales, Tony Gonzalez (OH) Good (VA) Gooden (TX) Gosar Granger Graves (LA) Graves (MO) Green (TN) Greene (GA) Griffith Grothman Guest Guthrie Harris Harshbarger Hartzler Hern Herrell Hice (GA) Higgins (LA) Hill Hinson Hollingsworth Huizenga Issa Jackson Jacobs (NY) Johnson (LA) Johnson (SD) Jordan Keller Kelly (MS) Kelly (PA) Kim (CA) Kustoff LaHood LaMalfa Lamborn Latta LaTurner Lesko Letlow Long Loudermilk Lucas Luetkemeyer Mann McCarthy McCaul McClintock McHenry Meuser Miller (IL) Miller (WV) Miller-Meeks Moolenaar Mooney Moore (AL) Moore (UT) Mullin Nehls Newhouse Norman Owens Palazzo Palmer Pence Perry Pfluger Reschenthaler Rice (SC) Rodgers (WA) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rose Rosendale Rouzer Roy Rutherford Salazar Scalise Schweikert Scott, Austin Sessions Simpson Smith (MO) Smith (NE) Smucker Spartz Stauber Steel Stefanik Steil Steube Stewart Tenney Thompson (PA) Tiffany Timmons Turner Van Drew Van Duyne Wagner Walberg Walorski Waltz Weber (TX) Webster (FL) Wenstrup Westerman Williams (TX) Wilson (SC) Wittman Womack Zeldin

NOT VOTING--3

Bost Brady Taylor

{time} 1059

Ms. Mace and Mr. Cline changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''

So the bill was passed.

The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

personal explanation

Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I was unavailable to vote in the House. Had I been present, I would have voted ``YEA'' on rollcall No. 55, ``NAY'' on rollcall No. 56, and ``NAY'' on rollcall No. 57.

members recorded pursuant to house resolution 8, 117th congress

Aguilar (Gomez) Amodei (Balderson) Babin (Duncan) Barragan (Gomez) Bass (Kelly (IL)) Blumenauer (Beyer) Brown (MD) (Connolly) Cardenas (Gomez) Cawthorn (Boebert) Cherfilus-McCormick (Beatty) Correa (Gomez) Costa (Takano) Cuellar (Connolly) DelBene (Kuster) Deutch (Rice (NY)) Doyle, Michael F. (Connolly) Dunn (Cammack) Evans (Mfume) Fallon (Van Duyne) Gohmert (Boebert) Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez) Gosar (Greene (GA)) Grijalva (Garcia (IL)) Hudson (Murphy (NC)) Issa (Van Duyne) Jackson (Van Duyne) Johnson (SD) (Armstrong) Johnson (TX) (Jeffries) Kahele (Takano) Keating (Cicilline) Kelly (PA) (Keller) Lawson (FL) (Soto) Letlow (Garbarino) Lofgren (Jeffries) Manning (Beyer) Neal (Beyer) Nehls (Garbarino) Norman (Donalds) Payne (Pallone) Pocan (Garcia (IL)) Raskin (Cicilline) Reschenthaler (Armstrong) Roybal-Allard (Takano) Rush (Jeffries) Salazar (Cammack) Sewell (Kelly (IL)) Sires (Pallone) Speier (Escobar) Strickland (Jeffries) Suozzi (Beyer) Swalwell (Gomez) Tiffany (Fitzgerald) Trone (Connolly) Underwood (Jeffries) Van Drew (Burgess) Veasey (Beyer) Wagner (Walorski) Wilson (FL) (Cicilline)

____________________

SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 39

The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.

House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.

ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY

!RECEIVE ALERTS

The next time we write about any of these orgs, we’ll email you a link to the story. You may edit your settings or unsubscribe at any time.
Sign-up

DONATE

Help support the Metric Media Foundation's mission to restore community based news.
Donate

MORE NEWS