completely opaque to us and we see challenges ahead potentially. we don't know if -- we assume that evan will go to trial at some point on this baseless charge, but we haven't been told. we haven't seen any evidence of what russia purports to have that may have caused this baseless charge to be filed in the first place. we don't know if we would see a trial. we don't know how long a trial would last. there's so much that is in the hands of the russian government that we feel that this window, running to june 30th, is really such an important time for the u.s. government and russian government to make progress on releasing evan. and it is one of those equations where there's only one definition of success. we really appreciate all the work that's gone into trying to

get this done up to this point, but him being home is the only thing that counts for success in this equation and we'd like to see it done now. >> and now is really-- it was always now, i think, from the moment he was [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] >> including the secretaries of state and defense to immediately notify the white house and congressional leaders of any personal medical emergencies that would effect their service. votes are expected at 6:30 eastern this evening. live coverage of the u.s. house here on c-span.

the speaker pro tempore: the house will be in order. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings on the motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote of the yeas and nays are ordered or the vote is objected to under the clause 6 of rule 20. the house will resume proceedings on postponed questions at a later time. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? >> mr. speaker i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6972 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 6972, a bill to amend title 5 united states code to require an executive agency whose head is a member of the national security council to notify the executive office of the president, the comptroller general of the united states,

and congressional leadership of such head becoming medically incapacitated for 24 hours and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuan t to the rules, the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner and the gentleman from maryland, mr0 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i ask all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. like many of you i was shocked when we learned lloyd austin was medically incapacitated for days before the congressional leaders or president was made aware. it set off alarm bells on both sides of the aisle and across the national security community. we're experiencing crises across the world, crises that requires our defense leadership to be alert and ready. unfortunately, our defense leadership was not ready earlier

this year. secretary austin was incapacitated and no one knew. in these times we cannot afford to be caught so unprepared. that's why this bill is an important measure to ensure military reddiness. the act requires presidential notification when someone a member of the national security council and is the head of an executive agency becomes medically incapacitated. under the bill the person fill inning for the incapacitated official must send it in 24 hours after the official medical incapacitation. if the proper notice is not required a report why the rules were not followed must be sent to congress, the president and comptroller general within 72 hours. this is a measured and balanced solution to this national security issue. i thank my colleagues, representative kiggans of virginia and representative davis of north carolina for their bipartisan work on this important and timely legislation.

i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself as much time as i may consume. thank you, mr. laturner, for your excellent introduction. i rise also in support of h.r. 6972 which would amend the federal vacancies reform act of 1988 to require any agency head who is a member of the national security council to notify the executive office of the president, g.a.o., and congressional leadership within 24 hours in the event of medical incame passity. this bill was brought forth after the hospitalization several months ago of lloyd austin to treat complications from cancer surgery. mr. austin has taken responsibility for the lack of notifying the president during this time and assures the american people there were no gaps in authority and no risk to the department in command and

control. a report confirm as much and found no ill intent by the secretary's staff. i commend the biden administration for the swift action it took to construct a thorough review of protocols and ensure the office of the president receives all proper notifications. this bill aligns with the biden administration's efforts in the field. consistent with the spirit of transparency embodied in the 25th amendment of the constitution that requires leadership to be notified if the president is unable to discharge the duties of his or her office, i agree congress should be notified if an agency head is similarly incapacitated. i support the legislation and congratulate secretary austin on his recovery, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker, and mr. raskin. i'd like to recognize the gentlewoman from virginia, mrs.

kiggans, for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. mrs. kiggans: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm proud to rise to speak in support of my legislation, securing the chain of command continuity act. at a time when our nation is facing threats around the world, we cannot afford for people critical to america's national security to disappear without explanation and a clear delegation of their responsibilities. as someone who served in the armed forces for nearly 10 years, i was alarmed by reports back in january that those at the highest levels in the chain of command were not informed when secretary of defense austin required an unexpected leave of absence due to health challenges. for days essential members of the national security council, including the president, were left in the dark regarding his status, causing a serious breach of command and control that is the bedroom of america's defense supremacy. i'm concerned for secretary austin's health and wish him well. however, the department of defense's lack of transparency surrounding his absence is concerning. critical communication breakdowns like these could have disastrous results and put our

men and women in uniform at risk. to ensure america remains capable of combating threats wherever and whenever they occur, we not only need an unparalleled fighting force but also a strong chain of command among our military's leadership that can't be compromised and why i produced the securing the chain of command continuity act along with my colleague on the other side of the aisle, congressman davis of north carolina, to prevent any similar chain of command in the future and preserve the integrity of our national security. my bipartisan legislation would amend existing law to require all members of the national security council to notify the executive office of the president, the comptroller general of the united states, and to each chamber of commerce within 24 hours of any emergency medical incapacitation. in the event this does not occur, a comprehensive report must be submitted surrounding incame passity and related notification failure within 30 days. at a time our service members are facing lethal attacks from

our adversaries across the seas, it ensures continuous chain of command so our military and command systems can act seamlessly to achieve success. it's my goal in congress to advance legislation that protects our country, our citizens, and men and women in uniform. that's why i drafted this national security bill in a way that all commonsense members can support no matter which side of the aisle they're on. i was pleased when securing the chain of command continuity act was passed out of the oversight committee in february proving how nonpartisan this effort it. i want to thank congressman davis for his partnership with me on this dangerous issue. the world is a dangerous place and we can't afford a lack of transparency from our senior military leaders. we must preserve the national security and i urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will keep our military men and women safe. thank you, and i yield back.

mr. laturner: reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to yield two minutes to the gentleman from north carolina. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. davis: thank you, mr. speaker, and ranking member raskin. i rise in support of h.r. 6972, the securing chain of command continuity act. as a proud united states air force veteran, i join my colleague, representative kiggans of virginia, who also served our country in uniform, to introduce this bipartisan bill. if we've learned anything from the past several months, it's indeed we are in a more dangerous world. as tensions and threats rise across the globe, timely responses are vital to safeguarding the american people and saving lives. congress must require national security council agencies to provide a notice of the incapacitation of their agency

heads within 24 hours. that's reasonable. this requirement for our nation's leaders is a minimum expectation to ensure transparency and accountability. the american people deserve nothing less. thank you. i support the legislation, and i yield back the balance of my time. mr. raskin: thank you. i want to thank the gentleman from north carolina for his eloquent remarks and return. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i yield five minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, my friend, mr. van orden. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. van orden: i spent over 25 years in the united states military. i've designed elements from as large as a seal team down to a small tactical unit. and the first thing you establish is something called ccir's, commanders critical information requirements and the first one is where's the commander? is the commander in place and

able to make decisions? and unfortunately, the most powerful department of defense in the history of the world, led by lloyd austin, failed to do the most simple task that is required of any commander and that is to inform the commander in chief of your presence. this to me is another sign of an incredibly incompetent department of defense and the biden administration's inability to lead and protect this nation. i'm so thankful that my colleagues across the aisle have identified this, also. and they know that the biden administration must be held accountable in later lack of -- their lack of leadership in protecting the united states of america. it's unquestionable the world is a more dangerous place under biden administration's and mr. austin's role as secretary of defense. i want to thank you for this bill to hold the biden

administration accountable and make sure any member of the national security council is incapable of performing their duties is informing the president in a timely manner. and with that i yield back. mr. laturner: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. mr. laturner: i'm prepared to close. mr. raskin: i'm prepared to close as well. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: we had such a nice bipartisan spirit going. i almost want to bite my tongue. but i do have to respond to the last speaker who took a gratuitous shot at president biden and the biden administration who moved very quickly to get behind this legislation and address this gap in the law. we do need to always establish the chain of command and we need to know, as the gentleman from wisconsin was saying, where is the commander in chief. where is the leader?

that was the question everybody was asking on january 6 when this institution, this body came under brutal merciless attack by a mob insighted by the former president. and nearly 150 of our police officers were wounded, brutalized and hospitalized in that attack and everybody was asking this very question the gentleman from wisconsin was asking, which is where is the commander in chief? where is the leader? where is the national guard? so i'm sorry to have to make that refutation of the interjection from the gentleman, and i strongly support the legislation and yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: we were so close, mr. speaker, so close. mr. speaker, i encourage my house colleagues to support this government transparency bill to address a relevant national security concern. i yield back the balance of my

five. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yield. the question is bull the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 6972 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7219 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the tight of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7219, a bill to ensure the federal agencies rely on the best reasonably accurate statistical facts to inform the department of rules and guidance and for other purposes.

the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, and the gentleman from maryland, mr. raskin, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous consent all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this bill, the information quality assurance act. each year thousands of regulations are imposed as an added burden on the american public. the code of federal regulations in this these rules are housed spans it 43 volumes that contain over 180,000 single spaced pages. agency guidance explaining this guidance to the public spans millions more pages. if we must have rules imposed by federal regulatory agencies, we should, at the very least, ensure that regulatory agencies rely on the best available information. . .

unfortunately, they frequently do not rely on the best available information to make their regulations. year after year, courts are clogged with regulations -- with lawsuits showing that agencies have act and flawd information. in 2000, congress enacted the information quality act which charged the office of management and budget and each federal agency to adopt guidelines to ensure agencies relied on high quality information. in 2015, congress enacted the foundations of evidence-based policymaking act, expanding on the information quality act to further ensure agencies use high quality information. still, disputes continue to arise over whether regulators are basing decisions on the best quality information available. every year, courts strike down agency rules that do not rely on adequate information. every year, agency guidance that does not rely on the best information forces regulated parties down pathways that do

not make sense. the information quality assurance act takes several major, but straightforward steps to solve that problem. for the first time, it requires the naftion on which agencies rest their rules and guidance be best reasonably available information. it includes several terms to ensure agencies are held to that standard. that will improve agency decision making, and avoid the need for many disputes over agencies' use of information to go to court. i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i thank representative mcclain and representative porter for their work on this important bipartisan legislation. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: thank you. i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. raskin: i rise in support of this act. technological advances have expanded access to rule making

documents and made it easier for the public to comment on proposed rules and that's a good thing about transparency and deliberation. at the same time, in recent high profile rule makings they have received a high volume of duplicative comment which is has created challenges for aiming snies processing them and managing their online rule making dockets. i'm sure members are familiar with receiving a standardized message hundreds or even thousands of times from constituents or people across the country this. bill is designed to help agent sis manage such mass contents in computer generated comments submitted in reresponse to proposed rules. it is not intenned to discourage mass comments which are a vital part of the regulatory process. the bill would allow agencies to post a representative sample of mass comments. if they choose to do that they'd be required to post the

number -- hold that thought if you would, mr. speaker. ok, i was describing the next bill. forgive me, we got our papers confused here. so keep that in mind, i like that one too. the information quality assurance act is bipartisan legislation introduced by representatives porter and mcclain and i commend them for their work on it. it would require the director of o.m.b. to update guidance issued under the information quality act. that guidance is more than 20 years old and much work has been done by congress and the executive branch on these issues in the interim. the evidence-based policymaking act, the data act and the open government act are just a few new laws requiring updated guidance. updated guidance would enable agencies to better ensure the quality of information and evidence used in promulgating regulations. the new guidance would ensure

the best reasonably available scientific, demographic, financial and statistical information is relied on in the regulatory process. the bill also continues the practices of information quality act that allow for public inphut on the information sub mitd and mechanisms for o.m.b. to report complaints to congress. i want to thank the majority for working closely with us and the administration in crafting this bill. the result is strong and i fully support it. the speaker pro tempore: thelt -- the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, and i thank the gentleman for making that mistake, when i make it here in a few bill, it will be easier for me. i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from michigan, ms. mcclain. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. mcclain: i'm proud to be the sponsor of h.r. 7219, the information quality assurance act. i would like to thank representative katie porter for

partnering with me on this important piece of legislation. from my time in business i can tell you american employers and workers cannot afford for the federal government to impose new regulations on them that are misinformed, misconceive and backed by bad data. regulations like that only harm the american people. they needlessly drain employer's resources, kill jobs, and cede economic victory to americans' other competitors like china. the same could be said of ill-informed and ill-conceived guidance. when the guidance rests on flawed information it risks sending regulated parties and their resources down rabbit holes just to avoid the threat of misguided agencies' enforcement actions. one of the most important ways we can make sure the federal government does not issue ill-informed regulations and guidance is also, quite frankly,

one othey have simplest. it is to require that federal regulators, federal regulators to be based on new regulations and guidances on the most reasonably available information. my information quality assurance act does just that. it requires three simple things. first and foremost, it requires agencies to use the best data possible in drafting legislation. this includes data on the impacts oh regulation will have on the american people. second, it requires the agencies to make public in a timely fashion any model, methodology or source of scientific, technical, demographic, economic or statistical information upon which it intends to utilize the rule making. and third, it makes sure the public has a chance to question whether that information is thas reasonably available.

with these three simple, common sense reforms we can make sure the federal regulatory systems avoid a mountain of mistakes that would unfairly burden american people. and that is what our job in congress truly is. is making the government more efficient so we canmen the most amount of people. by making these three simple changes to how agencies utilize data, we can achieve that simple goal and make life better for people in this country. and it's clearly colleagues on the other side of the aisle agree, that bill pass through the oversight committee with unanimous -- be careful, listen for it, with unanimous, bipartisan support. that is the kind of thing this country needs right now. i'm proud to lead this bipartisan bill to improve the way our government works for generations to come. i urge my colleagues to support

this bill. and i yield back the remainder of my time thank you. mr. laturner: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland. mr. raskin: i reserve and i'm ready to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: despite the fact that i didn't know we were on this bill originally, we are in very strong and unanimous support on our side of the aisle for this and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i urge my colleagues to support this bill to ensure agencies relie on the best reasonably available information to create their regulations. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7219 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no.

mr. laturner: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. laturner: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking the vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on the question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7528 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7528, a bill to amend section 206 of the e-government act of 2002 to improve the integrity and management of mass comments in computer -- and computer generated comments in the regulatory review process and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, and the gentleman

from maryland, mr. raskin, will each control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner i -- mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. every american deserves the opportunity to participate in rule making. agencies are required to provide an opportunity to participate in rule making by submitting data. recent abilities have athroid public to comment on proposed rules electronically. however, agent sis may struggle to manage computer-generated or mass comments. h.r. 7528, provides additional support to agencies navigating these challenges by allowing them the flexibility necessary

to manage electronic comments. it allows them to confirm that any comment submitted electronically has been submitted by an actual human. it requires agencies to identify, to the extent practical, if the exphent a mass comment and identify this on any publicly available copy of the comment. it requires agencies to establish and make public any policies they have regarding how they'll handle computer-generated and mass comments in the rule making process. further this legislation requires the office of management and budget to issue implementing guidance to agent sis and requires the government accountability office to submit a report to congress. it's time our federal agencies adapt their processes to accommodate the latest tech enologist. i thank representative clay higgins for his idea and work in developing this forward-thinking legislation. i reserve the plans of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: thank you, mr. speaker. i yield myself such time as i might consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognize. mr. raskin: i rise in support of the comment integrity and management act, again. as i was say, i was eager support my friend mr. higgins' legislation here. the basic issue is that it's gotten easier for people to post comments online in rule making. and that's a really good thing, it means that the process of implementing regulations is more accessible, more transparent, more open, more participatory. but the -- a number of agencies have found what members of congress have found. sometimes you get the same paragraph 100 time, 1,000 time, 100,000 times. this would allow agencies to post a sample of mass comments like this but if they do they are required to post the number of such comments received that

the volume of public sentiment is still fairly and effectively registered. and the bill would also require agencies within one year to establish policies for handling computer generated comments which is a growing concern to management with the recent remarkable advances in artificial intelligence. but i -- i am eager to hear from mr. higgins. i you his legislation as one that supports the administrative rule making process which is so much under attack these days. there are people who say, we shouldn't have rules and regulations but of course the way our system works is that in congress we pass laws. on things like the clean air act and clean water act. but we don't get into all the fine details, that's left to the executive branch to do a rule making that. too is an open process where people can register their concerns and send comments in. we want to make sure that

process cons to operate effectively and is not overwhelmed and overburdened by a.i. and just by computer duplicated comments. i thank mr. higgins, i thank the chairman and his staff to work -- for working with our side to address some querns had with the original language. i understand the administration and outside groups have registered some concerns about the legislation that have been addressed. we've worked with them and our majority counterparts to incorporate their feedback into this bill. i'm pleased to support this bill at this time. i reserve the balance of my t time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i yield five minutes to the gentleman from kansas, mr. higgins. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. higgins: i thank the gentleman from kansas, i appreciate the commentary of my friend and colleague, the ranking member of the oversight committee, representative raskin. it may interest you, mr. speaker, to know that representative raskin and i have worked in the spirit of mutual respect and camaraderie for

eight years now and we have enjoyed many vigorous debates in this body. and i find it encouraging that he has risen enthusiastically now twice in support of my bill. .. i rise in support of h.r. 7528, the integrity and management act. people speak with us more with electronic means. it safeguards the first amendment right to participate in the federal rule making process. this participation includes the invaluable process of submitting public comments on proposed federal rules and regulations. comments that help shape the very fabric of our governance. with the advent of digital technology and the rise of artificial intelligence being of increasing import, the channels

for such participations have expanded, providing broader access but also introducing new challenges. these challenges include computer-generated comments, which can obscure genuine public input and hinder our agency's ability to gauge public sentiment effectively. the cornerstone of this bill is its commitment to ensuring every comment submitted by electronic means comes from a real person, not an automated program. by requiring human verification, we're taking a significant step towards preserving the authenticity of public input. furthermore, the comment integrity and management act equips our agencies with the flexibility and tools necessary to include computer generated

and mass comments, ensuring they're handled transparently and effectively. additionally, the legislation directs the office of management and budget to issue guidance on best practices for managing electronic comments and mandates a report for the accountability office for the prevalence and impact of computer-generated comments. i urge my colleagues to recognize the importance of adapting our processes to the realities of the 21st century. it is imperative we ensure every american is heard and that genuine public input is not drowned out by the noise of automation. this bill represents a good government approach to embracing technological advancements while safeguarding the principles of public participation and transparency in the rule-making process. i urge my colleagues to support

this bill, and i yield back. mr. laturner: i have no further speakers and reserve my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: i'm ready to close, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: you are recognized to close. mr. raskin: i just wanted to salute the distinguished gentleman from louisiana for making the administrative rule making process up to date and rapid and transparent and effective for all of us so we can keep it going. i urge all members to support this bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: h.r. 7528 makes sure every person is heard and i urge my colleagues to support this necessary legislation and yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7528 as amended.

those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed, and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7527 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7527, a bill to direct the united states postal service to issue regulations requiring postal service employees and contractors to report to the postal service traffic crashes involving vehicles carrying mail that result in injury or death and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuan t to the rule, the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, and the gentleman from maryland, mr0 minutes. chairman -- the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas.

mr. laturner: i ask that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the material. extraneous material on the matter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: i rise to support h.r. 7528. last year "the wall street journal" published a article alleging the postal service contracted with low cost trucking companies that did not follow highway safety regulations. they also reported they've been involved in crashes that killed 79 people in the last three years. to provide oversight of this, congress needs to be informed. the mail reporting act requires the postal service to report to congress any traffic accidents that result in injury or death. under the bill the contractors and postal -- postal workers will have three days to report. it will include the date, time, location, nature of the crash,

information identifying the contractor and the number of fatalities. they will maintain a digital base for this information. the postal service is required to compile a publicly available report summarizing annual stats related to injuries and death from traffic accidents. i thank representative connelly and house oversight committee chairman james comer for bringing this necessary legislation to the consideration of the house. i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: i yield myself as much time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. raskin: thank you kindly. i want to rise in strong support of this legislation introduced by mr. connolly. between 2021 and 2023, trucking drivers contracted by the postal service were involved in at least 68 different traffic accidents and 79 people were killed.

on february 27, 2024, the postal service office of the inspector general found the postal service failed to record all mail transport accidents in a essential database, including accidents involving trucker-driving contractors. as a result, the postal service failed to have a complete understanding of traffic accidents and the comprehensive safety performance of its mail transport drivers. with this new information from the i.g., it's clear the level of fatalities across this period could have even been higher. the mail traffic death reporting act, the excellent bill brought forward by mr. mr. connolly would resolve these serious deficiencies by increasing com hence and understanding of the full scale of mail transport accidents and ultimately improve safety for postal transport drivers and for the public. the bill would require all postal service mail transport drivers including 4600 postal

contractors to adhere to a range of reporting, tracking, and accountability measures. i thank subcommittee ranking member connolly for his leadership and strengthening mail transport safety and am pleased to support this legislation. i'll yield five minutes to the gentleman from virginia. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. >> i thank my good friend from maryland, the distinguished ranking member and manager from kansas. mr. speaker, i rise in support of the mail traffic deaths reporting act. this necessary bill which i'm co-leading with my distinguished colleague, the chairman, mr. comer, has strong bipartisan support. mr. connolly: it passed through our committee 40-0. i'm thrilled the chairman could partner and pass the mail traffic reporting act which requires the united states postal service to collect, track, and report on serious

crashes and fatalities involving vehicles transporting u.s. postal mail. the chairman and i both met with the families of truck crash victims and heard their painful stories and am committed to stopping preventible tragedies involving mail transport. these families, turn advocates, welcome this legislation which is endorsed by the truck safety coalition. in june of 2022, the gudine family was traveling to their home in gillette, wyoming. traveling behind the family on i-25 as they passed greeley, colorado, was a freight truck, a contract freight truck carrying u.s. mail with the u.s. postal service contract. the truck's brakes were out of alignment. it was uninsured. and its driver had no commercial driver's license.

when that truck carrying u.s. postal delivery material slammed into the back of the family's vehicle, in an instant, mr. speaker, three generations of the family were killed. they lost their lives, including a 3-month-old baby, tesley. safety concerns about freight contract practices at the postal service have been increasing ever since. between 2020-2023 as has been noted, at least 79 people have been killed in crashes involving trucks contracted by the postal service. the true number is higher because just last year, we learned that the postal service did not report serious crashes involving its trucking contractors. that revolution raised serious questions of safety oversight by

the usps involving their contracted vehicles, including the troubling allegation that the postal service is managing truck freight operations which do not adhere to legal and commonsense safety standards. the postal service has, for example, set delivery schedules requiring drivers to exceed hours of service requirements and has selected carriers with extensive safety violations. it would look like there's no vetting of these contractors at all. between december of 2020 and december of 2022, the department of transportation identified a frightening 466 postal service trucking contractors that had high rates of violations related to driving hours. in 2021 and 2022, 39% of trucking companies carrying u.s. mail by contract violated rules meant to prevent driver exhaustion and did so

repeatedly. between 2017-2022, one single trucking group contracted by usps had broken those rules 200 times plus. when i asked the postal service for the number of deaths involved in the contracted transport of mail, the postal service said they didn't have that information because they did not collect, monitor, or report such information. imagine that comfort to grieving families. that was until, of course, may of 2023 when i asked the inspector general of the postal service to look into this issue, and all of a sudden the postal service responded by establishing an ad-hoc centralized supporting mechanism for serious and deadly crashes involving postal freight contractors. at the usps. i.g. stated in its report -- and i ask unanimous consent to enter

into the record. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. connolly: this past march, that while a welcome step the postal service still does not have a single written policy requiring the tracking of trucking contractor accidents and fatalities after all this. the o.i.g.'s recommendation was the postal service fix this safety oversight immediately, and that's what we're doing today. our legislation would codify the number one recommendation of the o.i.g. to begin to improve usps freight trucking safety and provide accountability. this bill will maintain an internal database and i hope will lead to reforms by the postal service and save lives. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: i'll reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: is the

gentleman from kansas closing? maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: i wanted to pose a couple of questions in a colloquy. mr. connolly, is it the case that rules that would clearly apply to usps trucks carrying postal mail have not been applied to the contractors? mr. connolly: i think that's a fair conclusion. mr. raskin: so in other words, the postal truck drivers working for the postal service, they have to have all the proper licensure and all the proper certification and training, presumably the brakes are checked on their trucks but because of the contracting out, they somehow have been able to escape all the rules we have with respect to road safety. mr. connolly: again, that's a fair conclusion, mr. raskin. mr. raskin: i want to commend you for bringing this to public attention.

that's an extraordinary number of people to lose their lives on the road to private contractors who seem to have completely escaped the grasp of the rules that have been adopted under the postal service and we know the postal service takes a far more -- traditionally has taken a far more serious interest in public safety and the welfare. mr. connolly: if i may say to you, mr. raskin, what's so troubling is these are 100% preventible tragedies, not one of these lives had to be lost, but for the callousness and lack of regard at the postal service in vetting freight contractors. . . mr. raskin: i'm prepared to close, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas. the gentleman from maryland is recognized. mr. raskin: thank you, mr. speaker. this is excellent bipartisan legislation with congress acting just as it should to address a serious public policy problem. let's hope that we pass this quickly, the president signs it

quickly and we don't lose any more americans or postal service workers on the road. i thank you and urge everyone to support it. yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. the postal service is tasked with the job of providing fast, reliable mail service nationwide. while they do so, safety should be prioritized. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill that increases transparency into the postal service's safety record to improve public safety throughout our nation. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7527 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the

rules are suspended, the bill spacessed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7525. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7525, a bill to require the director of the office of management and budget to issue guidance to agencies requiring special districts to be recognized as local government for the purpose of federal financial assistance determinations. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous

consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous materials on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: i rise in support of h.r. 7525, which establishes a definition in law for special district and clarifies that special districts are eligible to receive federal financial assistance. many americans receive essential services through special districts. units of lo kohl government authorized under state law to deliver specific services to communities. there are approximately -- approximately 35,000 special districts across the country in every single state. some examples of special districts are ambulance service district, drainage districts, emergency service boards and flood control district to name a few. these special districts provide critical services to mostly rural communities across the nation. the office of management and budget already recognizes special districts as units of local government similar to townships or ville annals.

yet special districts often struggle to compete for or access to federal funding. the special district grant accessibility act works to solve this problem and ensures that special districts are on equal footing with other units of local government. this requires the office of management and budget to issue guidance to federal agencies emfaing how special districts should be recognized as a unit of local government. this legislation is supported by the national special districts coalition. i thank representative fallon and representative peterson for they work on this important bipartisan bill, which impacts nearly every congressional district in our nation. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: i rise in support of h.r. 7525, the special district

grant accessibility act. it's a bipartisan measure that takes a positive step forward, ensuring that federal policy better reflects the complex toifs local governments and how they work. congress confronted these complexities when it acted and to sended ato local governments during the coronavirus pandemic. this included committees historic work with the biden-harris administration to provide $350 billion in direct financial assistance to more than 30 governments across the country. the vast majority of which were

small, local governments and many of whom received significant assistance for the first time. this bill would provide further clarity around special districts, a special unit of local government. according to the national special districts coalition, there are roughly 35,000 such special districts across the nation that play an important role in delivering essential services like wastewater treatment and fire protection to millions of americans. special districts have reported challenges on trying to access federal funding opportunities and have indicated that a unified federal definition of, quote, special district, unquote, would help clarify how entities can best assist local communities through federal assistance programs.

to address these concerns, h.r. 7525 will codify the definition of the term and direct o.m.b. to clarify federal agencies can recognize special districts as units of local government for the purpose of being eligible for federal grants and other federal assistance. congress and the federal government must continually work to ensure federal assistance programs are authorized, funded and implemented to best address the needs of local communities. this should include careful consideration of the i wantry kacys of local governments and a rigorous commitment to ensuring federal assistance for equal opportunity for everyone. i appreciate subcommittee chairman pat fallon and representative britney peterson for their excellent bipartisan work in support of this bill and

i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from texas, my friend, mr. fallon. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. fallon: thank you, mr. speaker. i want to thank my colleague, my good friend from kansas, as well. i rise in support of h.r. 7525, the special district accessibility act, introduced by myself and my colleague, representative peterson from the centennial state of colorado. mr. speaker, special districts are a type of local government authorized by state law which deliver specialized services to specific communities that would otherwise not be provided. rural areas, for instance, special districts may provide fire protection, mosquito control, ambulatory service, etc. special districts also occur in

urban areas and can provide airport road and -- airport, road, and transit services. according to the special district coalition, as my colleague, mr. laturner, said, there are about 35,000 special districts in the country. and they're in every state in. texas we have over 3,300 districts providing all manner of government goods and services. yet, as these lesser known units of government, special districts have struggled to consistently access federal financial assistance. h.r. 257 -- h.r. 755 would remedy that and emphasize that special districts are units of local government and are therefore eligible for federal financial assistance by establishing a definition in law for special drights and requiring the office of management and budget to issue guidance to federal agencies as well as grant issuing agencies. this bill also requires o.m.b.,

an o.m.b. report to congress on the agency's implementation and conformity to the guidance. again, i'd like to thank representative peterson and the bipartisan coalition of members who co-sponsored this bill. i encourage a yes vote and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the gentleman from kansas reserves. mr. laturner: i have no further speakers and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: i yield the gentlelady from colorado, ms. peterson two minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. ms. peterson: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the special district grant accessibility act and i want to thank my colleague, representative fallon, for your leadership and bipartisan collaboration on this bill. ms. pettersen: and i want to give a huge shoutout to my team for doing the work to get it to this point. special districts are local governments created by the

people for community to deliver specialized services. there are 35,000 special districts across the country and this includes providing services from drinking water and wastewater management to health care, transit, natural resourcee conservation and much more this bipartisan bill will ensure federal policies better reflect local government by creating a definition. i didn't realize there were so many barriers at the local level to actually drawing down federal funds, when it comes to community block grant, child care services and even transportation needs. we saw significant barriers when it came to the pandemic and the arpa funding going down to help support communities in that difficult time. we know this is an important -- it is a small step forward that's going to make a big difference for people across colorado and the nation. i urge your support and with that, i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia reserves. ms. norton: i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i have no further speakers, i'm prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: i support h.r. 7525 and yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill to emphasize that special districts are eligible for federal financial assistance. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7525. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair the ayes have it. 2/3 being in the affirmative -- for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek

recognition? mr. laturner: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays being requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having risen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill s. 2075 as amended. -- s. 2073 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate 2073, an act to amend title 31 eyes code to require agencies to include a list of outdad or due lick publictive reporting requirements in annual budget justifications and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kansas,

mr. laturner, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, will each control 20 minutes. the chair reck newses the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you. every year, numerous laws requires aimcis to produce many reports. each report costing thousands of dollars. while many are required some are outdated or duplicative. with nearly 100 agencies issuing required reports, there's an opportunity for cost save big addressing outdated reports. agencies are required to compile loifs reports they generate. but this information is not included in an agency's annual budget dumont which congress scrutinizes on an annual basis. the eliminate the useless

reports act requires each agency to identify or reduce the due public ty or outdated reports. this would increase government efficiency by eliminating unnecessary reports. i would like to thank representatives garcia and grothman for their leadership on this issue and budget committee chairman arrington for his collaboration with the house oversight committee for advancing this bill today. i encourage my colleagues to supporti urge support of this by time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of s. 2073 and i want to thank my colleague from california, ranking member robert garcia, for introducing the house companion, to eliminate useless reports act -- the companion to the eliminate useless reports act of 2023. i'm proud to support this

bipartisan legislation. the accumulation of outdated and redundant reports is something that the oversight committee is trying to deal with -- has tried to deal with several times over the past few decades. the eliminate useless reports act takes an innovative approach. it would establish clear procedures for federal agencies to request the elimination or modification of duplicative or outdated reports in their annual budget justifications. this would ensure that the correct committee of jurisdiction with the appropriate expertise considers this request. this bill would better inform congress and the executive branch and ensure that agencies are not wasting time or resources on redundant or archaic reports. i urge support of this

legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from wisconsin, mr. grothman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin is recognized for five minutes. mr. grothman: thanks. i think i'll get this done in less than five minutes. as has been pointed out, anybody around here a while knows that frequently when a bill passes, we include requirements that the agency provide reports. it looks another way for a congressman to pass a bill is just to pass a freestanding bill. that requires another report. obviously these reports aren't cheap. spend as great deal of hours, as the agencies compile the reports. it's time to have a look at this report -- these reports and see how many are necessary and how many we can do away with. the president's most recent budget request identified 53 reports that were outdated or duplicative. some examples, department of commerce report on business licensing, activities in iraq, this report was signed into law

in 2023 during the start of the iraq -- 2003 during the start of the iraq washington. the need for regular reporting -- iraq war. the need for regular reporting on iraq-bound business licenses has outlived its usefulness. a department of labor report on community college and career training grants. another report outdated, the altogetherrization of the -- authorization of the appropriations is expired. no funds have been appropriated for this program since 2014. nevertheless the requirement for the report lives on. an annual f.t.c. report on the market concentration of the ethanol industry, the f.t.c. has submitted the report every year since 2005, but each and every year the ethanol market is not -- has not been overly concentrated, entry into the market is easy, and the present circumstances do not justify a presumption that a single ethanol producer could set prices. in other words, the usefulness of the report is no longer in existence. the eliminate useless reports act simply requires each agency

to identify and recommend eliminating, modifying or reducing the frequency duplicative reports. recommendations from agencies will be considered by the relevant committees so they can take appropriate legislative steps. this bill would increase the efficiency of identifying outdated or duplicative reports. this bill would increase -- i'm happy to co-lead the house version, nice bipartisan effort, with my oversight subcommittee colleague, congressman robert garcia from california. i'm also thankful for the bipartisan senate co-sponsors of this bill, senators ossoff and lankford. i urge adoption of senate bill 2073, an important bipartisan step towards improving the efficiency of federal the -- of the federal government. thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from wisconsin yields back. the gentleman from kansas reserves. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i have no further speakers and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i urge support for s. 2073 and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia yields back the balance of her time. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill that will increase government efficiency. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass senate 2073. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed, without objection, and the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 7524, as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7524. a bill to amend title 40, united

states code, to require the submission of reports on certain information, he technology services funds to congress before expenditures may be made and for other purposes. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. norton, each will control 20 minutes. the chair troizs the gentleman from -- recognizes the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of the g.s.a. technology accountability act. the general services administration's technology and transformation services or t.t.s. manages several federal technology projects and initiatives. these projects and initiatives are mostly funded through two funds. the citizens services fund and the acquisition services fund. there's little transparency, however, into how money from these funds is allocated and

what t.t.s. is doing with its resources. this bill requires t the administrator of g.s.a. to submit an annual report to congress regarding each program funded by the citizens services fund and some programs funded by the acquisition services fund. this annual report will include information about funded programs, projects and initiatives and reimbursements associated with each program. this bill provides much-needed transparency into these programs and projects. i thank representative pete sessions, chairman of the house oversite committee and representative -- oversight committee and representative gerry connolly for their work on this legislation. i urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, to increase transparency and provide additional oversight of taxpayer dollars. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas reserves. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may

consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i rise today to support -- in support of g.s.a. technology accountability act. i thank my colleagues, representatives comer and chairman sessions, and their staffs for their partnership and collaboration on this bill and i'm pleased to support the updated form of this bill. the bill would bring increased transparency to some of the general services administration's leading programs that are funded by the federal citizens services fund and the federal acquisition fund. as g.s.a. continues to make the technological advancements that allow the american people to securely access government services, this bill will allow congress to fulfill its virtual

-- its vital oversight responsibilities. once again i thank my colleagues for working with us to address g.s.a.'s concerns about the original legislation and ensure that this bill allows for increased transparency without creating unnecessary administrative burdens. i urge my colleagues to support this legislation and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentleman from the great state of texas, my friend, mr. sessions. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized for five minutes. mr. sessions: thank you very much, mr. speaker. and i want to thank the distinguished gentleman, my friend from kansas. i would also like to thank my colleague from the district of columbia, representing the minority or the democratic party on the government reform and oversight committee. today i rise in support of this bill. it's a bill that we've written, we've tried to make it bipartisan and we've tried to

include ideas from a number of people that were on the committee. as the chairman of the government reform and oversight subcommittee on government operations in the federal workforce, we worked together not only holding hearings, but discussing need for transparency and better technology for projects from the general services administration. as it stands now, the government's internal technology consultsy is mostly opaque in its operation, resulting in the lack of competition and a few instances of serious failures from the g.s.a.'s products. and those are products that were developed in-house. last year the g.s.a. inspector general reported that login.gov, a g.s.a. product that was intended to be a single sign-on solution for the federal government and government

agencies was intentionally misleading federal agencies about its technical capabilities and ability to actually authenticate the users. in other words, mr. speaker, as people came in to do business with the government agency, g.s.a. had a front to that that would with assurity tell that agency wherever they were going with great likelihood, exactly who that person was. this left government websites exposed to fraudulent users and removed a critical barrier for criminals to improperly claim government benefits. in other words, they said that it contained certainty about who that person was that came to them, where those agencies then did not need to do further investigation to make sure who was seeking government benefits. while we do not currently know the total amount of fraud that

was committed because login.gov did not provide adequate system security, that it was required and stated that it was prepared to do. so, we do know that the american taxpayer was on the hook for hundreds of billions of dollars, up to $400 billion, in fraud from various covid relief programs. each of these agencies, counting on the person that they were speaking with, to, and in contact with, were the correct person. the central tactic used in this was identity theft. it was fraud. in order to prevent such fraud in the future, federal systems must have to identify verification capacities and how they intend for them to work. instead the g.s.a. marketed and federal agents paid for an identity verification system that was either not present, and

certainly did not work. it left the door wide open for criminals pretending to be someone else to steal benefits, to steal information and to otherwise compromise government systems with a false identity. last year the committee on government reform and oversight u.n. is keselowski, which i chair, -- subcommittee, which i chair, held a hearing and it was a bipartisan answer that we came up with. it's a problem. so i appreciate my colleagues, including the gentleman from virginia, mr. connolly, his support of this legislation. but certainly back in the committee, as we brought this bill forward, it was a bipartisan answer that no matter, no matter whose fault it was, it needed to be fixed. we looked at it i think the same way and i'm very proud of this committee and i'm very proud of my colleagues, the democrats, the minority party, for working with us just like it was a part of their responsibility, which

it was, and i totally support that. so, with login.gov, the technology transformation service failed. now we're going to provide the transparency that's required in this bill. i'm very proud of this work that was done on a bipartisan basis. i yield back my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i have no further speakers and i'm prepared to close. i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i urge members to support this bipartisan bill and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i encourage my colleagues to support this commonsense bill to increase transparency and provide additional oversight of taxpayer dollars. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the questionwill the house suspe rules and pass the bill as

amended. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended. the is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: i move to pass the bill h.r. 272. the clerk: h.r. 272 a bill to amend title 31 united statescode to authorize transportation for government astronauts returning from space between various locations and for other purposes. pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kansas, and the gentlewoman from district of columbia each will control 20 minutes. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise remarks and include extraneous materials on this. i rise in support of h.r. 272 the astro act -- and first of all let's give respect for the

astro act. that ranks way up there as far as the ones i have seen. this will streamline a burdensome administrative process regarding government provided transportation for astronauts returning from space flight. nasa provides with home to work transportation so the agency can monitor and evaluate and diagnose knows them with meed will treatment until they are medically cleared to drive. nasa's authorization for the astronauts must include reports with details of the authorized transportation. reporting can be challenging to nasa and make it difficult to obtain as crew members are replaced. it will amend current law to use official transportation between residents and work sites without reporting requirements. the bill maintains transparency by requiring nasa to provide an

annual report on this new authorization. i thank the sponsor of this bill for his work and i thank the science committee for its bipartisan support of this legislation. i encourage my colleagues to support this bill. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the astro act would give the administrator of nasa the authority to allow astronauts returning from space receive home to work transportation from the agency. such transportation is permitted only on a case by case basis and must report to congress. this bill also requires nasa to report annually to congress on the use of this authority.

these seem like reasonable changes to this. and i support this bill and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the woman reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i yield five minutes to dr. babin. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. babin: i thank the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner. i rise in support of h.r. 272 astronaut safe temporary ride act or astro act. i would like to thank chairman comer in his help getting the bill to the floor. one of the great honors associated with serving as the chairman of the subcommittee on space and aeronautics is having the opportunity to meet our astronauts preparing to go to space, hear from them after they return from their missions and the astro act is a result of these conversations and nasa's

advocacy for increased astronaut safety. the brave men and women who wear the iconic blue flight suit risk their lives. we owe it to them to ensure that when they return from long duration space missions, their recovery and health studies are not hampered by bureaucracy. the space environment poses significant medical issues such as muscle at trophy, broken bones from re-entry, vision and occular changes and disrupted equilibrium which prohibits them to drive when they come back home. research and longitudinal studies upon their return from space informs future exploration efforts in how we treat the

future astronauts and it is imperative they get these things checked. this streamlines the approval process for astronauts to receive transportation to and from their home and johnson space center until they are immediately cleared to resume driving. there are no costs associated with this bill but rather a significant paperwork reduction is in the approval process. additionally, my bill provides transparency by requiring nasa to send an annual report to congress on how this authority is used in the future. astronauts' health data acquired by the johnson space center is invaluable. this bill ensures hassle-free transportation to and from these important medical evaluations so we can study the impacts of space exploration on the human body. and as we prepare to go to the

moon and farther on to mars and beyond, it is incumbent to streamline operations to enable discovery and innovation. america has long been the leader in space exploration and we must remain there and we will continue to push the bounds in our universe outward. i thank congressman jackson as well as chairman comer and chairman lucas for their support and i urge my colleagues to please support this bill. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas yields back. the gentleman from kansas -- mr. laturner: i have no further speakers and am prepared to close. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from columbia is recognized. ms. norton: i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: it may seem like a mundane problem it is anything

but that. they leave families and friends to cut through the red tape and take care of them. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 272. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the bill is passed and without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule 17 during consideration representative wexton of virginia be used to use a communication device while under recognition. the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr. laturner: i move the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3354. the clerk: h.r. 3354 a bill to

designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 220 north hatcher avenue as the secretary of state madeleine albright post office building pursuant to the rule the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner and the gentlewoman from from district of columbia, ms. norton, each will control 20 minutes. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. i rise in support of this bill which would name in purcellville. secretary albright was born in prague in 1937 came to the united states in 1948. 1993 president clinton a position in which she searched as appoint of secretary of state in 1996, first woman to be appointed and highest ranking

woman in the history of the u.s. government at that time. for 50 years, secretary albright resueded in lewd oin county. and i ask my colleagues to support this bill. and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 3354, to designate the facility at the united states post alpha silt at 220 north hatcher avenue in purcellville, virginia, as the secretary of state madeleine albright post office building. this legislation introduced by my tremendous colleague,

representative jennifer wexton of virginia would designate a post office after former secretary of state madeleine albright. secretary albright fled communist rule and emgrated to denver, colorado. and she committed her life to public service and working for the u.s. senate under then senator musk yes and served the carter administrator as a white house staff member and a staffer of the national security council. secretary albright was appointed by president clinton as ambassador to the united nations in 1993 and was a critical force behind the expansion of nato to, quote, build for a very -- for the very first time on a peaceful democratic and

trans-atlantic community. end quote. she was committed to democracy and security of european nations and escaped soviet rule. secretary albright is remember as an important force behind the global fight against climate change including by supporting the ratification of the kyoto protocol, an international treaty to fight global change. this protocol was eventually adopted in 1997. and i now yield to the the gentlewoman from virginia representative wexton for any remarks she may have. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. wexton: thank you, mr. speaker, last year i was diagnosed with super palsy. tfer s.p. makes it difficult to speak and i use an instrument

for you to understand me. i'm here to rename the virginia post office in honor of my the late secretary of state madeleine albright who chose not to have her mail delivered but a fixture at the post office. secretary albright was a fearless trailblazer for women and devoted public servant who touched the lives of so many she taught, mentored and worked with including me. her relentless advocacy for human rights fleeing nazi persecution made her an icon and i celebrate her life and legacy where her farm is located and spent as much time as she was able. secretary albright said the greatest donor was representing the united states of america, a sentment that we share as

members of the house of representatives. throughout her life, secretary albright was received awards including the presidential medal of freedom in 2012. i am honored that the virginia delegation bestow this to ensure that her legacy lives on in virginia for generations to come. i urge my colleagues to vote for this measure and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentlewoman from district of columbia -- ms. norton: i urge members to support this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from kansas. mr. laturner: i urge my colleagues to support this bill and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 3354. those in favor, say aye. those

opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 being in the favor -- mr. laturner: mr. speaker. i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. and those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing and be counted. a sufficient number having arisen having risen, indiana. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7423. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 7423 a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 103 benedette street as the luke letlow post office building. . . . .

the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from kansas, mr. laturner, and the gentlewoman from the district of columbia, ms. north p, each will -- ms. north be, -- ms. norton, each will control 20 minutes. mr. laturner: i ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. laturner: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: thank you, mr. speaker. i rise in support of this bill which would name a post office in rayville, louisiana, for congressman-elect luke letlow. letlow was a native louisianan who attended louisiana tech university where he was a member of the louisiana tech college republicans and the louisiana federation of college republicans. as a young college graduate, letlow was a staff member for former congressman ralph abe are abraham, as well as governor bobby jindall. he launched a suckful bid for -- a successful bid for louisiana's congressional seat. he was set to be sworn in to the u.s. house of representatives on

january 3, 2021. sadly, he passed away from complications due to covid-19 on december 20, 2020. i support naming a post office in memory of congressman-elect letlow and i encourage my colleagues to support this bill. and i would say on a personal note that i consider it a loss to me and to my colleagues to not have the opportunity to serve with mr. letlow. we would have been sworn in to congress on the exact same day. but i am grateful, however, to get to serve along with his wife, julia, and get to experience him through the memory of her and their two beautiful children, jeremiah and jacklin. i am honored to get to manage the republican time on this bill today and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized.

ms. norton: mr. speaker, i rise today in support of h.r. 3354, the depends -- to designate facility of the united states postal service located at 220 north hatcher avenue in purcellville, virginia, as the secretary of state madeleine albright post office building. sorry. to designate the facility at the united states postal service located at 103 benedette street in rayville, louisiana, as the luke letlow post office building. congressman-elect luke letlow was poised to represent louisiana's fifth legislative district after winning the special election seat when he tragically passed away from

complications of covid on december 22, 2020. he is remembered by his congressional colleagues for his staunch commitment to public service. i encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of congressman-elect letlow by naming the post office at rayville, louisiana, after him. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia reserves. the gentleman is recognized. mr. laturner: it's my honor to yield five minutes or however. she needs to -- however much she needs to the gentlewoman from louisiana, ms. letlow. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from louisiana is recognized for as much time as she may consume. ms. letlow: thank you, mr. speaker. and thank you to my friend. i rise today to voice my support for this bill and also to express to the house the heartfelt gratitude of luke's family, his friends and all who loved him. my husband was someone i knew to be a truly exceptional and

gifted individual. luke's purpose was always driven by people and his passion was public service. luke was the kind of person who would never meet a stranger -- who would only meet a stranger and just a few minutes later, could walk away having established an enduring friendship with them. mr. speaker, i can't even begin to count the number of people who called, texted, emailed or wrote me letters in the days after we lost luke. telling me how he had touched their lives. throughout his career, i saw so many times when he would spend hours on the phone talking to local mayors and police jurors about the problems in their communities. showing them the same care and attention that he would give if it had been the governor of louisiana or the speaker of the house on the other end of the line. as i traveled the fifth district to this day, i still meet many of those same people who fondly remember those times that he helped them. but what was different about luke and one of the incredible

things that set him apart was the fact that his mind was like aan atlas and historical narrative of our little corner of northeast louisiana. he not only knew the people, he not only knew their concerns, he knew their stories. he could drive-through those little small towns all over our region and show you where ulises i grant and his troops had prepared for the attack on vicksburg. where theodore roosevelt had gone hunting for the famous black bear. but there's no place that luke loved more than his own richland parrish. the home for the letlow family for eight generations. his story was deeply rooted in the fertile soil of the delta, which gave name to his pet project, richland roots. a website he created to tell the stories of richland parrish and its rich history. he would spend countless hours

researching the past of the towns and villages of the parrish, the landmarks, the churches and, yes, even the post offices. you see, luke understood that all over richland parrish there were these little pieces of the past that were left with us, containing both the stories and the lessons from those who came before us. now he'll receive his very own landmark, a little piece of richland parrish, to help tell his story. it's my hope, mr. speaker, that one day another history-loving kid from richland parrish will see that post office and learn about luke's story. i hope they'll learn about how his journey took him from the back roads and small towns of northeast louisiana to the corridors of the united states capitol in washington. i hope they'll learn about how he dedicated himself to the people of our region, working every single day to make their lives better. i hope they'll learn about the fact that even though he was never able to serve as a member of this house, the men and women

who served here thought so highly of him that they bestowed this high honor. mr. speaker, when luke's light would shine on you, it was impossible to feel anything other than his warmth and love. he had a way of making you feel exceptional and i know that to be true for every person in his life. it is what i miss the most. luke may be gone, but his light will never leave us. i see it every day in the faces of my children, my son, jeremiah, and our daughter, jacklin. i see it every time i go home and i drive those back roads in richland parrish and see the places that he loved so much. by bestowing this honor on him, you're ensuring his name and his legacy will live on long after all of us are gone. so i ask my colleagues to join our majority leader and our louisiana delegation in supporting this bill on behalf of luke's family and his friends

and all who loved him. thank you. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, i want to thank the gentlelady from louisiana and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlewoman from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from the district of columbia reserves. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: mr. speaker, it is my honor and privilege to yield one minute to the gentleman from louisiana, our majority leader, mr. scalise. the speaker pro tempore: the majority leader is recognized. mr. scalise: thank you, mr. speaker. and i thank my friend from kansas for yielding. especially having julia letlow, our colleague, here, it's bittersweet for us in the louisiana delegation, for all of us in congress, those of us who knew luke, and i got to know him so well over so many years. to those who didn't know him but were getting ready to serve with

him, literally passed away days before getting sworn in, after being elected as a member of congress. but it's luke's journey, it's luke's story that we're here to celebrate today and ultimately which will live on at the luke letlow post office in rayville, his hometown. he was born in start, louisiana, in richland parrish. and it's there in richland parrish that this post office that we're dedicating is hopefully going to be enjoying a formal ceremony with all of us and the whole family. but when i think of how i first met luke, it was when he was working for bobby jindal. as julia said so eloquently, luke's whole life was dedicated to public service. when he graduated, he immediately was an intern for

congressman cooksy and came up here and i think probably got the bug a little bit. but ultimately got the bug to serve other people. and luke did it so well. he served other people with joy. in so many different roles. after he worked for congressman cooksy, he then worked for candidate bobby jindal. that's when i got to know him. and no harder worker than luke letlow, but also no happier person. he was always happy. always had a smile. always just wanted to do the best he could. win the day was luke's term. and he would just work incredibly hard for whoever he worked for. bobby ultimately won that seat in congress and luke became his district director. and the district director's the person who covers the district, does so many of the unheralded things that those of us members of congress deal with and the people that call us and we just

call our district director and say, can you take care of this and can you see if we can help that person out, and that was really where luke thrived the most. and then ultimately he went into the private sector, but was called back yet again when ralph abraham ran for congress and luke served as his chief of staff. ralph had set a term limit on himself and when the term limit hit, ralph stepped down from congress and at that point, that's when luke made the decision, here's my moment, do i do this? ultimately he decided to run. i remember he and i spoke when he chose to get into the race as a candidate, and i knew he was going to do well. i could just tell because he was a natural. he was a natural with people. he actually cared about people. and it's hard to be in this line of work without caring about people. but he had done it in so many other roles. for so many other people.

and finally when it was time to run himself, he did it with the fervor that you would expect. he never slowed down every single day. he worked so hard. i know for those of us who have gotten to know julia so well, the family is what always came first to luke. and he wanted to be known really firfirst as a husband and a fatr and he did both of those jobs incredibly well. exceeded i'm sure what anybody would have expected. but the legacy that i think we all really remember of luke here is that of a public servant. when you hear all of the things that he did in his life, he was somebody who just wanted to serve other people and he did it so well. i think that the hardest part for me is, after he had gotten elected, we talked a lot because he was so eager to get ready for

this new role, this new career, to come up to congress and do something that he had thought about doing for so long. a role he had played helping so many other people who served in congress, but now this was the time where he was going to start his new career. and he was talking about what committees he wanted to get on and in fact, you know, in the days before he passed, the last conversation i had with him was about him talking to me about what committees he wanted to be on. and how he wanted to best serve that district and all of the parrishs, it was a very large, sprawling district, and yet he couldn't wait to serve in that capacity. and that was the conversation that we had and you never thought someone so young and so vibrant could leave us so early. i tell you, you know, for julia, we're all so proud of you and just the strength that you've

shown in these years since. we call julia our steel magnolia because she has represented the family incredibly well and she's represented luke's legacy incredibly well. because while he never got the opportunity to serve himself as a member of congress, he served. he served the state of louisiana. he served the united states of america in so many different roles. and i consider him a colleague because we talked about what that would be like so much and i just think this is one way we can pay tribute to luke's legacy of service, to name this post office so that people, when they're carrying out their daily chores and going to check their mail or send an important note to somebody, they can just look up and think about what luke meant and what they meant to luke. because he really did care about the people that ultimately he worked for and that he was going to represent in congress.

with that, i think on behalf of the whole delegation and others will be speaking as well, but the legacy of luke letlow will shine on for a long time. but it's what he represented in that spirit that strong, positive energy every single day to win the day is what i will remember about luke letlow and i urge my colleagues to pass that bill and look forward to that ceremony where we are in front of the whole family paying tribute to a man who lived a life of public service. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i thank our majority leader and i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas reserves. the gentlelady from district of columbia. ms. norton: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is

recognized. mr. laturner: it is my great honor and privilege to yield one minute to the gentleman from louisiana, the speaker of the house, mr. johnson. the speaker pro tempore: the speaker is recognized. the speaker: i rise in support of h.r. 7423 a bill to designate the the post office after our dear friend and former 5th district congressman. in december of 2020, he passed away just days before taking his oath of office and serving with us here in congress. we were devastated and he was in the prime of his life, 41 years old with two beautiful children and lovely life who is one of my wife and i beautiful. he spent serving the people of louisiana and no greater ambassador of louisiana culture and values and he would have been a leading member of our delegation. he was a native son a ton of

people. and it was there that he developed what was a servant's heart. and peaceful easy going nature and and and luke listened first and then acted. he was passionate about louisiana about our issues, agriculture and energy and more than anything else his beautiful family. i don't remember this many conversations that didn't involve his family. he is smiling down on his wife. she has been a tremendous asset to this institution and great champion. two beautiful children who have become fixtures are blessed to have incredible role models and grateful for our louisiana delegation and i am grateful for the idea that we have had here and comfort of knowing where he

is. bypassing this legislation, we will honor the life and legacy and i look forward to its swift passage and i yield back. mr. laturner: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman from from district of columbia is recognized. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i yield three minutes to the gentleman from louisiana, mr. higgins. mr. higgins: thank you, mr. speaker. i had prepared remarks but let me just speak from my heart. it's a beautiful gesture that this body can name a post office after our friend and colleague luke letlow in honor of his service and dedication to the

state and community and country to children of god across the world. luke was a very special man. it's a gesture to the american family who see the loss including my own. today, we stand in support of the love of family and we extend the heart of our nation by naming our oldest institutions of microcosm of what america is, postal service, to name the post office after luke is to honor not just his family and his wife, our colleague, julia, but

to honor all american families and i thank my brothers and sisters of this august body for allowing this moment where we cherish what it is to be an american to serve our country, my fellow man, to be part of a family and to remember those that we've lost. thank you, mr. speaker. i yield. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: i thank the gentleman. i have no further speakers and prepared to close. ms. norton: i reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman reserves. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from kansas reserves and the gentlewoman from district of columbia is recognized. ms. norton: i have no further

speakers and i urge the passage and i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. the gentleman from kansas is recognized. mr. laturner: this bill honors the legacy and life of congressman-elect lukelet low. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 7423. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 in -- for what purpose does the gentleman from kansas seek recognition? mr. laturner: i request the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will remain standing until counted. a sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this question will be postponed.

pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house in recess until approximate