Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives U.S. House Of Representatives 20180206

Federal government and related agency until march 23rd, live house the floor of the here on cspan. The speaker pro tempore the house will be in order. The prayer will be offered by our chaplain, father conroy. Chaplain conroy let us pray. We give you thanks, o god, for giving us another day. Bless the members of the Minority Party as they prepare may her these next days, they with those who accompany them, travel safely and meet in peace. Bless also the Majority Party as they may to their those return constituencies, give them hearts and ears to listen. To listen well to all those whom they represent. May the work that needs to be done to their presently result progress toward addressing the needs of the nation to the benefit of all. May all that is done this day be for your greater honor and lrry glory, amen. The speaker pro tempore the chair has examined the journal of the last days proceedings and announces to the house his approval thereof. Pursuant to clause 1 of rule 1, the journal stands approved. Props the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule 1, i demand a vote on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. The speaker pro tempore the question is on agreeing to the speakers approval of the journal. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The aye vs. It. The journal stands approved. Mr. Poe mr. Speaker, i object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make a the requisite number of words. And and make a point of order a quorum is not present. The speaker pro tempore the plemming pledge will be led by gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Costello. Mr. Costello i pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. The speaker pro tempore the chair will entertain up to 15 requests for one minute speeches on each side of the aisle. For what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Mr. Costello ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Costello mr. Speaker, i rise today to reiterate the critical importance of stabilizing the individual Health Insurance market. To be for tinues pennsylvanians to have access to affordable and Quality Health care. To end i have introduced h. R. 4666, the premium relief act, legislation that will provide t pennsylvanians to have access to affordable and quality funding for cost sharing duction payments for 2017, 2020. Nd c. S. R. s lower cost sharing for thousands of pennsylvanians who purchase low deductible and high quality Health Insurance. It also includes a fund guaranteed by the federal government, that will provide certainty to the insurers when they set the rates. It can result in lower premiums for my constituents and many across the country by providing c. S. R. s lower cost sharing for thousands maternity care, treatment for Mental Health discords, among other needs. Mr. Speaker, this temporary federal fallback will provide states with the necessary time to implement a thoughtful program that best fits the needs of each states unique patient population. I ask my colleagues to consider their name as a cosponsor. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from new york seek recognition . I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Their name aa i rise today to make it clear that treason is not a laughing matter. It is a serious crime embedded in the constitution, punishable by death. Mr. Jefferies since your commander in chief chose to raise it at a political rally, discussion about treason. Is it treason for a president ial campaign to meet with a hostile foreign power to sell out our democracy and rig the election . Is it treason for a president ial campaign to meet with russian spies who promise was negative at discussion abot about a political opponent and then failed to report that meeting to Law Enforcement officials . For a reality show host masquerading as president of the United States of america. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the president. For what purpose does the gentleman from texas seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Speaker, the state department has announced that it is adding pakistan to a special watch list for severe violations of religious freedom. The long overdue decision recognizes that pakistans shameful policies target and encourage violence against religious minorities. Primarily christians. Pakistans blasphemy laws declare open season for attacks on these already persecuted communities. Pakistan also lets radical islamic terrorist groups, like the afghan taliban, go unchallenged in pakistan. This makes pakistan one of the most dangerous places in the world for christians. Just last month isis suicide bombers struck a densely packed church in pakistan, killing nine and wounding dozens. I applaud the president s decision to reexamine our relationship with pakistan and freeze military aide. Pakistan has aid. Pakistan has played the United States for too long. We not continue to provide billions of dollars to a country that fossers terrorism and hate. Thats fosters terrorism and hate. Thats just the way it is. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from organize oon seek recognition . Without objection. Mr. Blumenauer thank you, mr. Speaker. With all thats going on in washington, d. C. , these days its hard to keep up with some things that are amazingly consequential. One item that is flying below the radar screen is the new Nuclear Posture review from the trump administration. Ey are talking about expanding our nuclear arsenal. Embark us on a path of spending 1. 2 trillion. Not only expanding our do we have more t and pay for, and pay for, were talking about other elements here that are disturbing. Developing new destabilizing Nuclear Weapons. Being able to use Nuclear Weapons in nonnuclear situations. For example, responding we need to cyber attacks. Where you might not even know who did it. We still have all these Ballistic Missiles on hair trigger alert, and we just saw the vulnerability there in hawaii with the recent threatened, mistaken threat. We need to take a hard look how to do this right before its too late. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from florida seek recognition. I ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Speaker, i dedicate my time today to a man that i am honored to represent in congress, his name is mr. Thomas corey, a deck kated vietnam hero who proudly served our country as a combat infantryman. During the 1968 at the time offensive, he received an enemy round in the neck that struck his spinal cord cord leaving him paralyzed. But with true american grit, that did not stop him from dedicating his life and his work to our veterans and to our country. He was a tireless patient advocate, working on medical research and Family Support for disabled veterans. Mr. Corey returned to vietnam 16 times promoting reconciliation for individual veterans, accounting for those missing in action, and study the Health Effects of agent orange. Mr. Mast for these extraordinary efforts he was nominated for the nobel peace price. Also the first recipient of the Vietnam Veterans of america commendation medal, their highest award for service. Mr. Corey, your nation is grateful to you. I am grateful for you. America is proud and blessed to have men like you who never stop fighting for this country on and off the battlefield. Mr. Corey, i salute you. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition . Unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend my remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Fitzpatrick mr. Speaker, february is africanamerican history month. And i rise today to recognize the africanamerican museum of bucks county, pennsylvania, in my district, for the work that they do in our community. With the mission of promoting an understanding and appreciation for the africanamerican experience by focusing on history, education, inspiration, and building up the community, they are already having a huge impact. I had the opportunity to meet with many of the women and men who are responsible for the museum when they came down to washington, d. C. , in december. And i would like to recognize them now. President linda sally, Vice President bill reed. Secretary nancy bell. Secretary robin johnson. Treasurer nicole brown. Assistant treasurer alonzo sally. Founders Harvey Spencer senior and millard mitchell, natalie y, marion fryeburg, and neal right. The mission of the africanamerican museum of bucks county is an important one. I commend all those involved and wish them continued success and growth. I encourage everyone in our community to get involved and support this outstanding organization. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. He speaker pro tempore the speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 123. House resolution 725. Resolved, that upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h. R. 772, to amend the federal rood, drug, and cosmetic act to improve and clarify certain Disclosure Requirements for restaurants and similar retain Food Establishments, and to amend the authority to bring proceedings under section 403a. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on energy and commerce now printed in the bill shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on energy and commerce, and two, one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Section 2, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h. R. 1153, to amend the truth in lending act to improve upon the definitions provided for points and fees in connection with a mortgage transaction. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as ead. All points of order against provisions in the bill are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and on any amendment ll points of order against thereto to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on Financial Services, and two, one motion to recommit. Section 3, upon adoption of this resolution it shall be in order to consider in the house the bill h. R. 4771, to raise the consolidated assets threshold under the Small Bank Holding Company policy statement, and for other purposes. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived. An amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of the text of rules Committee Print 11557 shall be considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be considered as read. All points of order against provisions in the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous questions hall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any further amendment thereto, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on Financial Services, and two, one motion to recommit with or ithout instructions. Section 4, the requirement of clause 6a of rule 13 for a twothirds vote to consider a report from the committee on rules on the same day it is presented to the house is waived with respect to any resolution reported through the legislative day of february 9, 2018. Section 5, it shall be in order at any time on the legislative day of february 8, 2018, or february 9, 2018, for the speaker to entertain motions that the house suspend the rules as though under clause 1 of rule 15. The speaker or his designee shall consult with the minority leader or her designee on the designation of any matter for consideration pursuant to this section. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from colorado is recognized for one hour. Mr. Buck thank you, mr. Speaker. For the purposes of debate only i yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend, the gentleman from florida, mr. Hastings, pending which i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Buck during consideration of this resolution all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Buck mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of the rule and underlying legislation. This rule makes in order two bills, reported favorably by the committee on Financial Services, and one bill reported favorably by the energy and commerce. I just want to take a moment at the beginning to point out there are no amendments made in order by this rule because there were no amendments offered to any of these bills. Both of the Financial Services bills were the subject of hearings in the Committee Last year. Both bills were reported out of committee with bipartisan support of 75 or more of the committee members. The energy and commerce bill was reported favorably by the committee with a large bipartisan vote of 3914. The rule also provides us with the necessary tools to ensure we can bring government funding measures to the floor quickly to prevent a government shutdown. Mr. Speaker, we have three bills before us today, each of these bills deals with one underlying problem washington overregulation. Thats it. These are not bills protecting americans from some foreign hostile force. These are bills protecting americans from the overreach of their own government. Its a sad time in which we find ourselves when we must dedicate legislative effort to undoing the harmful effects of the American Government on the American People. Mr. Speaker, in 2013, the cfpb issued its rule commonly referred to as the qualified mortgage rule, or the q. M. Rule. It requires creditors to make a good faith effort to determine a customers ability to repay a loan if the loan is secured by a home. However, the rule creates a legal safe harbor from liability under the rule for qualified mortgages. One aspect of a qualified mortgage is that it cannot have total points and fees exceeding 3 of the total loan amount if the loan amount is at least 100,000. However, some fees may be excluded from the points and fees cap if they are reasonable and the lender or any affiliate of the lender receives no compensation from the service. This all sounds well and good. We certainly dont want predatory lending institutions referring business to themselves just to pad the bottom line at the expense of unsuspecting borrowers. This shows how onesizefitsall washington regulation ends up hurting americans. The result of the points and fees cap within the q. M. Rule has been to place low and moderateincome borrowers in a position where they end up spending more money to secure a loan. Mr. Speaker, my home state of colorado has been experiencing explosive population growth over the past decade and longer. Between 2009 and 2016, we added a net increase of more than 600,000 people. Home prices also increased significantly over that time. More than 57 . In 2016, according to the denver post, we had the lowest growth we have experienced in many years at only a 30,000 person net increase. In part, the slow in growth rate has to deal with rising house cost. This is why it is vitally important that many firsttime homeowners and others have access to affordable loans. Government regulation should not be a part of driving up housing costs. Why does this happen . Why does a federal regulation result in hurting the very people its intended to help . Its simple. Washington regulators cannot take into account the unique circumstances of each individual american. This is a crucial difference between the common sense of americans across this land and the selfimportance of some here in d. C. Many in d. C. Believe firmly that the federal government is able to protect every american from every bad experience. They express enormous faith in socalled experts who believe they can effectively govern from afar the lives of americans. I reject this notion. I reject the belief that a class of enlightened experts and bureaucrats in washington can better run the lives of individuals. That philosophy deprives americans of the freedom to make their own choices. When washingtons power expands, individual liberty retreats. And so we have to have bills like the ones before us today. The doddfrank financial regulate bill requires the cfpb issue the q. M. Rule. The q. M. Rule was supposed to help low to moderateincome borrowers save money, but instead the q. M. Rule created a situation where low and moderateincome borrowers cannot take advantage of discounted Services Offered by their lender. The rule forces these borrowers to secure these services from third parties which almost always charge more than the lenders would charge for the same services. The negative impact of this rule is so abundantly clear that half of the committees democrats voted with all of the republicans in support of fixing this provision of doddfrank. Passing this bill will not magically cause housing in colorado to become affordable but it will eliminate an unnecessary regulation that needlessly drives up borrowing costs. Mr. Speaker, in addition to rolling back doddfrank regulations, the second Financial Services bill protects small banks to issue debt and raise capital. The Federal Reserve discourages Bank Holding Companies from using debt to finance acquisitions, particularly the purchasing of banks. However, the Federal Reserve carved out certain small Bank Holding Companies. In order to be considered a Small Bank Holding Company, these companies had an asset cap of 150 million. By 2015, the cap had been increased to 1 billion. The bill before us today increases the cap to 3 billion. As we have heard last night during testimony at the rules committee, there is no science or data behind the level of the cap. Think about that for a second. The government has established a cap that has a negative impact on our Community Banks and the cap has no basis in anything. Not science, not data, not historical finance patterns, nothing. The cap is simply a whim of washington. Mr. Speaker, this is absurd. Its time we allow our Community Banks to have an avenue to continue being locally owned and based in our communities rather than being bought out by wall street. Today we have two Financial Services bills before us to reduce regulations and allow coloradans and all americans greater freedom in their choice of banking services. I urge support of these two bills. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman, my friend from colorado, for yielding me the customary 30 minutes for debate. I rise today to debate this rule, the commonsense nutrition disclosure act, the Mortgage Choice act, the Small Bank Holding Company relief act of 2018. H. R. 772 would amend the labeling requirements for Nutrition Information displayed by restaurants and other retail Food Establishments. This measure would unnecessarily complicate and further delay the implementation of nutrition labeling requirements established by the Affordable Care act. In what can only be described as a rather astounding attempt to avoid good sense, this bill will make calorie and Nutrition Information less accessible and less useful to consumers at a me when we are spending 147 billion annually on health care measures related to chronic illnesses that are directly tied to obesity. Consumers need more access to this information, not less. The second measure, h. R. 1153, the Mortgage Choice act, would introduce some of the high fees that borrowers face leading up to the 2008 mortgage and financial crisis. This bill would roll back important homebuyer protection reforms, taking us back to the days when the true cost of a loan could be obscured in mortgage documents to the detriment of homebuyers everywhere. The third measure, the Small Bank Holding Company relief act of 2018, would direct the Federal Reserve board to triple the Small Bank Holding Company policys statement from 1 billion to 3 billion, allowing even larger Banking Institutions to use greater amounts of debt to finance acquisitions. Seemingly ignoring the lessons from the previous financial disaster that we continue to climb out of to this very day. Indeed, these Financial Services bills would weaken and politicize the policies created after the financial crisis to identify and guard against Systemic Risk in our Financial System and will allow even larger Bank Holding Companies to leverage themselves with debt when financing the purchase of other banks. Reviewing this legislation i had asked myself, are the memories of my republican colleagues really so short that they do not remember the complete breakdown of our Financial System only a few short years ago . Let me remind my friends across the aisle that the financial crisis of 2008 was the worst economic downturn americas faced since the great depression. Four million homes went through foreclosure, and nine million americans lost their jobs. Yet, instead of supporting efforts to ensure a financial collapse of such magnitude does not happen again, the majority has instead chosen to weaken the very protections put in place to prevent it. With this in mind, were left with two questions of equal importance. On the one hand, why are the republicans so set on weakening muchneeded and proven economic protections and making it harder for people to knowingly buy healthy food . And secondly, why are they doing so now . Mr. Speaker, the government runs out of funding this thursday at midnight. We once again are forced to stare down the very real possibility of another shutdown because the Republican Leadership either cannot or will not govern in a mature and reliable manner. Instead, our country is forced to lurch from continuing resolution to continuing resolution for no discernable reason. I think were coming up on continuing resolution number five. Rather than taking the time to address their everpresent inability to govern responsibly, we are here today to debate evidence of that very inability, namely, the three bills we will be asked to vote on shortly. It strikes me as odd and its certainly frustrating that i must once again remind the majority that we have yet to pass a Budget Amendment agreement that provides an equal increase to both defense and nondefense spending. Caveat right there. Later today when we take up the c. R. , its likely going to be said by a lot of people that our primary responsible is to provide for the defense of this nation, and i agree 100 , but that does not ignore the secondary responsibility of promoting the general welfare, and there are a variety of measures that are unattended and need to be attended and i might add military people, veterans, and others find themselves in need of those particular services that are unattended as well. We have yet to enact disaster aid so that our fellow americans in florida, texas, puerto rico, the virgin islands, california, southwest louisiana can recover from the devastating hurricanes and wildfires. We have yet to provide funding and we will be talking about that a little bit later in our p. Q. Request. We have not provided funding for what we know is the urgent Opioid Crisis. We have yet to protect hardworking americans pensions, and we have yet to see a serious proposal from Republican Leadership to protect dreamers and those whose temporary protected status will soon run out. With that, mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. Soap the chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado the speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes gentleman from colorado, mr. Buck. Mr. Buck i just want to point out to my friend from florida that we were both here on the floor as the house of representatives passed all 12 Appropriations Bills in early september. As we look across the to the other side of the capitol, not much work has been done on those Appropriations Bills since we left the house and traveled to the senate. The answer to the continuing problem that we have with continuing resolutions is to find members of the senate willing to work as hard as the house has and pass Appropriations Bills and fund the government. Unfortunately, that doesnt seem to be happening right now. I hope we do pass a continuing resolution. I hope we do fund the military. And i hope we give some more stability to this government. In this inger pointing case i dont think is warranted n the house. Mr. Speaker, i yield five minutes to the gentlewoman from tah. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from utah is recognized for five minutes. Mrs. Love thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise in support of the rule nd the underlining bills, h. R. 772, the commonsense nutrition disclosure act of 2017, h. R. 1153, the Mortgage Choice act of 2017, and my bill, h. R. 4771, the Small Bank Holding Company relief act of 2018. Both h. R. 1153 and h. R. 4771 have received strong bipartisan support in Financial Services committee, and i urge my colleagues to support this rule. The goal of h. R. 4771 is one that i have been pushing for the past few years to help our small banks thrive and serve their communities. And since that is a shared goal of both sides of the aisle, im grateful that mr. Gottheimer and mr. Meeks joined me in cosponsoring this bill. The small bank holing Company Relief act of 2018 is a very simple bill that helps small banks in savings and Loan Companies get the access to capital they need to serve the financial needs of Small Businesses and individuals in their communities. This bill would simply raise the consolidated asset threshold under the Federal Reserve small bank holing Company Policy statement from one billion to 3 billion in assets. Raising the asset threshold means that hundreds of additional small banks and thrift Holding Companies around the country will qualify for coverage under the policy statement and therefore be exempt from certain regulatory and capital guidelines. These exemptions make it easier for these small Holding Companies to raise capital and issue debt. Many Holding Companies 245 are that are above the current threshold face challenges with regards to capital formation, which is part which is particularly of concern for small institutions that are struggling to meet higher capital level demands by regulators. The small bank holing Company Policy statement was first issued in 1980. And provides exemptions from rtain capital guidelines for small bank institutions. These capital standards were originally established for larger institutions and disproportionately harm small these capital Standards Bank holing companies. The policy statement also makes it easier to form new banks and thrift Holding Companies and to make the acquisition by issuing debt at the Holding Company level. These are all important stools in ensuring our smallest institution can continue to lend to consumers and Small Businesses in their communities. And survive in an environment that continuously challenges our Community Banks. Statement also contains several safeguards designed to ensure that small bank holing companies that operate with higher levels of debt permitted by this policy statements do not present an un due risk to the safety and soundness of these subs sidary banks. Mr. Chairman, that is simple bell to bill to help our small banks stay strong and continue to support their communities. The last time the threshold was raised in 2014, the effort received widespread bipartisan support. R. 4771 also received strong bipartisan support in Financial Services committee during the most recent markup. I urge my colleagues to give equal support to this rule. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back her time. The gentleman from colorado reserves his time. The gentleman from florida is recognized. Mr. Hastings thank you very much, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, every day more than 115 americans die from an opioid overdose. In 2016, the Opioid Epidemic claimed more american lives than Car Accidents and even breast cancer. In order to tackle this growing crisis, we need to pass legislation that invests in effective solutions. Even president Donald John Trump agrees. Last year he said, and i quote him, its a national emergency. Were going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort, and a lot of money on the Opioid Crisis. Unquote. Well, mr. Speaker, we have not spent a lot of time, a lot of effort, or a lot of money on this crisis. Instead, the president and the Republican Party spent most of last year trying to take away health care from millions of americans and passing a tax cut for billionaires and corporations. And to that, mr. Speaker, i say enough. We need to act now. For that reason, if we defeat the previous question, im going to offer an amendment to the rule to bring up representative cufters kusters bill, h. R. 4938, the respond to the needs in the opioid car act. This legislation would create a 25 billion Opioid Epidemic Response Fund to invest in programs that will help states respond to the epidemic over the next five years. I happen to live in south florida which has an equivalent crisis with everyone around the nation. The people will addiction problems seem to gravitate to several areas in south florida, particularly delray beach and lm beach county, where i live. Mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Hastings to discuss our proposal, i yield four minutes to live. The distinguished gentlewoman from New Hampshire, ms. Kuster, who is a true champion on this issue. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from New Hampshire is recognized for four minutes. Ms. Kuster thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, in New Hampshire and all across this country, people are dying every day. Communities have been devastated by the heroin and Opioid Epidemic. Last year we lost nearly 500 people to Substance Use disorder in my small state of New Hampshire. Helping families, first responders, treatment providers, Law Enforcement officials, and activists in the Granite State confront this coycies has been one of my Top Priorities in congress. Our communities need our help and there is strong bipartisan commitment here in the house to respond effectively to this crisis. Well, we have passed important legislation over the last two years, including the comprehensive addiction and recovery act, the most important thing that we can do is to provide the funding to help those on the frontlines of this crisis do their jobs. And my democratic colleagues welcome the president s declaration of an opioid public of th emergency, the lack corresponding funding means that this commitment has been little more than empty rhetoric. We need leadership from congress and the president to save of corresponding lives across the by providing Real Solutions to the Opioid Epidemic. And i call on my colleagues to act now. During the state of the union the president once again expressed his commitment to working to address the opioid and heroin epidemic. But unfortunately his actions have fallen short of his rhetoric. I have come to the floor today so we can defeat the previous question and bring up for consideration my legislation, the respond now act. This critical legislation creates a 25 billion Opioid Epidemic Response Fund to provide 5 billion annually over five years targeted to numerous key initiatives involving agencies such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health services administration, the centers for disease control, and the National Institutes of health. This includes 18. 5 billion for sam a grants to states, particularly samsa grants to state, thrick those targeted for expanding medication treatment which opioid experts agree is the most critical ways to help those suffering from Substance Use disorder. My bill also provides funding to increase the number of Substance Use treatment providers and to expand medical Research Related to the Opioid Epidemic. Additionally, it provides 2. 5 billion for critical c. D. C. Initiatives such as expanding and strengthening evidencebased prevention and education strategies. And finally, the bill includes funding specifically to support children and families impacted by this Opioid Epidemic. Including 250 million to support the child abuse prevention and treatment act, which can help address the risk adverse childhood experiences, a known driver of this epidemic. We need to break the cycle and these programs are ideally suited to support Substance Abuse Treatment Services to help families Stay Together and keep children in safe and stable holes. Homes. The Opioid Crisis a multifaceted challenge and were fortunate that so many amazing researchers, first responders, Law Enforcement officials, community activists, and others are doing amazing work in communities all across our country. But they need the resources to effectively meet these challenges. We must stop playing political games and act immediately to provide emergency funding to help stop this crisis in New Hampshire, florida, and all across this country. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back her time. The gentleman from florida reserves his time. The gentleman from colorado is recognized. Mr. Buck thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to turn now to the final bill made in order under this rule, the commonsense nutrition disclosure act. Mr. Speaker, in 2016 i had the privilege to visit with one of my constituents, lamont owns a papa johns pizza franchise and invited me to come to his restaurant. Taught me how to toss, maybe throw, toss, a pizza. It was a great experience. I got to meet members of his team and hear about their professionals goals. Im happy to say the American Dream is alive within the hearts of the people of colorado. However, my visit with him was not without concern. You see recently washington had decided to push a hugely disruptive regulation on our food service industry. In the interest of ensuring americans had information on their food choices, washington crafted a one size fits all mandate that every menu item be labeled with its nutritional content. As someone who has become extremely aware of the quality of foods that i consume, i certainly understand the dogo intentions behind this kind of regulation. But the impact on businesses like lamonts has been substantial. In fact, some business vs. No realistic way of complying with the rules. Further, the law that put these regulations in place, obamacare, placed criminal penalties on those who fail to comply. How ridiculous is that . If you mislabel or fail to properly label the calorie count on a menu item, you could be fined and go to jail. The bill before us today rectifies some of the harm done by this rule. The bill allows multiple avenues for businesses such as lamonts pizza restaurant to comply with menu labeling requirements in the most costeffective manner possible. I dont believe the federal government needs to require the calorie count of a food item on a menu in colorado, this bill offers a compromise. Americans will still have information rition about the food they are purchasing information about the food they are purchasing while businesses will be able to provide a variety of prepared and local foods without fear of major penalties. If one serving happens to be slightly different in its calorie count then the last serving. Mr. Speaker, i cannot tell you how frustrating it is to visit with coloradoans working hard to build their business, provide for their families and communities, and employ people only to be met with the constant headwind that our federal government blows in their faces through its washington knows best regulatory schemes. Washington should get out of the way and let americans do what we do best, cultivate food for our families and neighbors. I think of californians like lamont. Its men and women like him across this great land that are doing the important work. I am committed to ensuring that this federal government stops jeopardizing their hard won success and washingtons socalled experts give honor where its due, the hardworking American People. I thank lamont for taking the time out of his day to visit with me, and this bill answers the needs of his team. I urge its passage. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The gentleman from florida. Mr. Hastings thank you very much, mr. Speaker. Just to ask my good friend, and ill be happy to yield to him, does lamont own more than one establishment . Mr. Buck he does. Mr. Hastings does he own more than 20 . Mr. Buck i dont believe he owns more than 20. Mr. Hastings if he doesnt own more than 20 then hes not affected by this law. Im with you. I want lamont to be successful. Mr. Buck i will pace that information on to lamont but i disagree with your reading. Mr. Hastings all right. Democrats dont want to weaken the financial protections keeping our economy stable and strong. Democrats dont want to make it harder for americans to know the nutritional value of their food. Rather, democrats are ready to pass a budget that creates jobs and grows the paychecks of hardworking americans. Democrats are ready to provide relief to our fellow americans suffering from natural disasters. Democrats are ready to protect americans pensions, and democrats are ready to protect dreamers, people whove known no other country than the United States, people who but for one piece of paper are just as american as anyone who will walk in this chamber today, people who serve in the united tates military, almost 1,000 of them. Preferably, we would like to do that work in a bipartisan way. All we need is for the republican conference to stand up to the extreme faction in their party and to finally work with us. Mr. Speaker, i urge a no vote on the rule and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back his time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from colorado, mr. Buck. Mr. Buck mr. Speaker, i would inquire of my friend from florida if he has any more witnesses . Mr. Hastings i do not. Mr. Buck i do not also so i am prepared to close if the gentleman is. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida has already yielded back his time. Mr. Buck has yielded back his time, ok. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from colorado is recognized for the remainder of his time. Mr. Buck thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, washington is out of step with the vast majority of the American People. It is true we often do work here that moves our country forward, that protects this great land, but its also true that there is a competing world view in the city which seeks to rule over the American People. In colorado, we have experienced the negative effects of overreach by the federal government. How is it that regulators living 1,700 miles away from us believe they can create rules that take into account our needs and that respect our way of life . Its just not possible. Washington is good at stamping out large federal programs. The problem is that it usually stamps out individual liberty in the process. This city must stop telling people of colorado how to live every detail of their lives. Washingtons socalled experts must stop bearing burying colorado business men and women under rules. If we want them to pursue their hopes and dreams, we will experience a renaissance of growth unmatched in our history. This congress has done good work rolling by the strong arm of the federal government but there is nor work to more work to do. These bills will give back to the people their personal liberty which has been confiscated by a overreaching federal government. I thank chairman hensarling and chairman walden for their work on these bills. I thank chairman sessions for bringing these bills to the floor. I urge passage of the bills and the rule. I yield back the balance of my time and i move the previous question on the resolution. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the remainder of his time. And the question is on ordering the previous question on the resolution. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Mr. Hastings mr. Speaker, i ask for the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. For what purpose does the gentlelady from new mexico, ms. Lujan grisham, seek recognition . Ms. Lujan english ham i rise to request the questions of the privileges of the house and offer the resolution previously noticed. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the resolution. The clerk whereas on january 30, twathe, representative paul gosar tweeted a series of statementes that included, today, congressman paul gosar contacted the u. S. Capitol police as well as attorney general Jeff Sessions asking that they consider checking identification of all attending the state of the Union Address and arresting any illegal aileyans in attendance. Aliens in attendance. Whereas he tweeted, any illegal aliens under pretext of invitation or otherwise should be arrested and deported. Said congressman gosar. Whereas representative gosars comments explicitly targeted the Daca Recipients that members of congress brought as their guests to the state of the Union Address. Whereas Daca Recipients have been granted deferred action have been thoroughly vetted by the u. S. Immigration and citizenship. Whereas representative gosars a pressure Capital Police to detain and deport dreamers that are staying in the country according to u. S. Department of Homeland Security regulations and intimidated these young people who are already facing fear and uncertainty. Whereas representative gosar abused the power in an attempt to interfere with and politicize the United States capitol polices efforts to provide for a safe, secure and open environment during the state of the union. Whereas representative gosar has violated clause 1 of rule 23 of the code of official conduct which states that a member, delegate, resident commissioner, officer or employee of the house shall behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the house. Now, therefore be it resolved that the house of representatives strongly condemns representative paul gosar for his inappropriate actions that intimidated state of the union guests and discredited the house of representatives. The speaker pro tempore the resolution qualifies. So what purpose does the gentleman from colorado seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, i have a motion at the desk. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the motion. The clerk mr. Buck of colorado asks that the resolution be laid on the table. The speaker pro tempore the question is on the motion of the gentleman from colorado. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Ms. Lujan english ham ms. Lujan grisham mr. Speaker, i demand a the yeas and nays. The speaker pro tempore those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, this 15minute vote on the motion to lay the resolution on the table will be followed by fiveminute votes on ordering the previous question on House Resolution 725. And adopting House Resolution 725, if ordered. This vote is a 15minute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 231. The nays are 187. The motion is adopted. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The Unfinished Business is the vote on ordering the previous question on House Resolution 725 on which the yeas and nays are ordered. The clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk house calendar number 123, House Resolution 725, resolution providing for consideration of the bill h. R. 772, to amend the federal food, drug and cozz mountainic act to improve and clarify certain Disclosure Requirements for restaurants and retail Food Establishments and to amend the authority to bring proceedings under section 403a, providing for consideration of the bill h. R. 1153, to amend the truth in lending act to improve upon the definition providing for points and fees in connection with a mortgage transaction. Providing for consideration of the bill h. R. 4771, to raise the consolidated assets threshold under the bank Holding Statement and for other purposes. And for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore the question is on ordering the previous question. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 231. The nays are 188 much the previous question is ordered. The question is on adoption of the resolution. So many as are in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Mr. Hastings mr. Speaker, on that i ask for a recorded vote. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida requests a recorded vote. A recorded vote is requested. Those favoring a recorded vote will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, a recorded vote is ordered. Members will record their votes by electronic device. This is a fiveminute vote. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc. , in cooperation with the United States house of representatives. Any use of the closedcaptioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u. S. House of representatives. ] search on this vote the yeas are 2 the speaker pro tempore on this vote the yeas are 231, the nays 1 6. The motion is adopted. Without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause of rule 20, the chair will postpone further proceedings today on motions to suspend the rules on which a recorded vote or the yeas and nays are ordered, or on which the vote incurs objection under clause 6 of rule 20. Recorded votes are postponed questions will be taken later. He house will come to order. For what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition 1234 mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i move that recognition . Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i move that the house a suspend the rules and pass had h. R. 4924. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 4924, a bill to amend the congressal accountability act of 1995 to reform the procedures provided under such act for the initiation, investigation, and resolution of claims alleging that employing offices of the legislative branch have violated the rights and protections provided to their employees under such act, including protections against Sexual Harassment, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from mississippi, mr. Harper, and the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Brady, each will control 20 minutes. The chair recognizes the gentleman from mississippi. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and and their remarks include extraneous material on the bill. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Harper at this time id like to enter into the record the committee report. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i include in the record the following exchange of letters from the committee on oversight and government reform. The committee on ways and means, and the committee on ethics. Mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, a little more than three months ago you tasked the committee on the House Administration with a great responsibility to undertake a comprehensive review of the training, policies, and mechanisms to guard against Sexual Harassment in the Congressional Workplace. I believe that the legislation were considering today, h. R. 4924, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 reform act, and immediately following that the House Resolution together respond to this great task. At the outset id like to thank the speaker of the house, paul ryan, for his leadership on this issue and the trust he placed on our committee to conduct this important review. Id also like to thank and work done the on the committee on the committee on House Administration, thrick the Ranking Member, mr. Brady, he has been a great friend and colleague over o the last decade and i appreciate being able to work closely on this issue with him. Both the c. A. A. Reform act reflect the dedication and commitment of a Bipartisan Group of members, including representatives byrne, speier, brooks and deutch who want to ensure this institution remains worthy of the trust placed in it by the American People. I also want to thank representatives desantis, love, comstock, and chris smith for their contributions to this bill. As i have said previously and will state again unequivocally, there is no place for sleafment or any type of harass Sexual Harassment or any type of harassment, period, in the u. S. House of representatives. There is no secret, the culture on capitol hill is unique. While there are hundreds of employing offices, we should all share the common goal of creating an Effective Work environments, environments that are safe, productive, collegial and most important responsive, responsive to the needs of our constituents and the public. During our review, the Committee Held two hearings, three member listening sessions, a roundtable discussion with stakeholders and meetings with victims and their advocates to examine how we can improve the workplace for everyone. We found the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to be outdated and in need of this comprehensive reform. We found the house Training Programs to be inadequate in order to meet the needs of all house employees. Additionally, we found that our house policies and procedures are in need of change as it relates to Sexual Harassment in the workplace. Last november, the house took the first step in addressing these issues by passing h. Res. 630, a resolution that among other things requires all house employees to take annual inperson antiharassment and antidiscrimination training. Passage of the c. A. A. Reform act is the logical next step. The c. A. A. Reform act makes a number of important reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act that will ensure its future effectiveness, including reforming the dispute resolution process to establish procedures for initiating, investigating and resolving alleged violations of part a, title 2 of the c. A. A. Ensuring all claims are filed in writing and are made under oath. Requiring members who have engaged in intentional discrimination to reimburse the department of the treasury. Requiring the office of compliance, the o. O. C. , to report every six months of a calendar year to congress and to publish on their website the awards and settlements from the previous year. Directing the o. O. C. To conduct a Climate Survey of the legislative branch every two years. Directing the o. O. C. To establish a permanent record retention program. Expanding the definition of covered employees to include unpaid interns, fellows and detailees and clarifying certain commissions such as the Helsinki Commission that they are covered by the Congressional Accountability Act and providing the process for disposing of claims. These are just a few of the reforms that the c. A. A. Reform act makes. And im proud of the work of this committee and our Bipartisan Group of members who have worked on this so diligently over the last several months. I would encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and with that i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from mississippi reserves. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Brady mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Brady mr. Speaker, since we began this process several months ago i met with experts, my colleagues and most importantly the survivors of Sexual Harassment and assault. Their insight has formed this legislation today. By passing this proposal, the congress will take the muchneeded first step in changing how we do business. We eliminate counseling. We eliminate the cooling off period. We make mediation optional. We change the system so we protect the victim and not the perpetrate overplet we require more transparency with regular reporting that has meaningful information. We change the confidentiality rules so the victim decides what to talk about and when. And we hold members accountable for their behavior by referring every case to the Ethics Committee. This is long overdue. There is one person that has been championing her work this entire career. That the gentlelady from california, Jackie Speier. Without her we wouldnt be here. Remember persistence is one of the main reasons we are close to getting this done and the entire congress should be grateful for her work. Its because of your leadership, mr. Chairman, that we are here on the floor today. As you have your entire tenure on the committee you have focused to working together in a bipartisan way we can agree and because of that commitment he will be remembered as one of the most consequential chairmen of this committee. I thank you and treasure your friendship. Mr. Speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i yield 2 1 2 minutes to the gentleman from alabama, mr. Byrne. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from alabama is recognized for 2 1 2 minutes. Mr. Byrne i thank the chairman for yielding. Prior to coming to congress i worked for 30 years as a labor and employment attorney in alabama. I advised clients on how to prevent Sexual Harassment and how to navigate the proif a harassment claim was made. I was shocked to see how complicated the congressional process for handling Sexual Harassment and other claims was. Mr. Speaker, this legislation is a shining example of how congress should work. Chairman harper and Ranking Member brady engaged a Bipartisan Group of members, including representative Jackie Speier and myself, interested in solving this problem. After months of thoughtful negotiation, we come to the floor today with a product that this house and the American People can be proud of. Under this legislation, we will bring the Congressional Workplace into the 21st century and ensure Congress Plays by the same rules as the private sector. There are far too many important reforms to mention all of them, but i want to highlight a few that i think are especially transformative. First, the bill creates a fairer and simpler process for employees to file an Employment Law claim and for that claim to be resolved. The bill creates an office of employee advocacy to ensure staff has access to Legal Counsel just as member offices are provided. The process is also simplified to make the claims process smoother, faster, and fairer. Second, the bill increases transparency by requiring that basic information about any Sexual Harassment or other claims be made public so the American People are fully aware of what is happening in congress. Third, the bill will ensure that members of congress, not taxpayers, are responsible for paying out Sexual Harassment settlements that theyre responsible for. Fourth, the related resolution paves the way for every Congressional Office to have a clearly defined antiharassment and antidiscrimination policy. Fifth, the resolution prohibits members of congress from engaging in a sexual relationship with any staff member under their supervision and makes clear that Sexual Harassment is a violation of the code of official conduct and will not be tolerated. In closing, i want to again thank chairman harper and Ranking Member brady for their leadership on this issue, and i strongly urge my colleagues to support this Bipartisan Legislation and the related resolution and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from mississippi reserves. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Brady mr. Speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from california, and, again, the main reason why we are on this floor today, ms. Speier. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for three minutes. Ms. Speier thank you, mr. Speaker. I thank my Ranking Member for his generosity and for his great leadership. Members, we are truly here on a historic occasion. It is a rare and crucial moment of bipartisanship. This is the way you can do it. Men and women, republicans and democrats, conservatives and liberals coming together to make this place better. You know, i first started this work back in 2014, i dreamed but i did not dare to dream more than to hope that we would end up here today. Today, this Bipartisan Group of legislators is taking a historic step that has plagued this institution for generations. For years members of congress have gotten away with truly egregious behavior by mistreating their staff. A story that will be etched in my memory forever is a young woman who sat in my office earlier this year and told me her story and who said, as she cried, the process was almost worse than the harassment. No more, ladies and gentlemen. No more will that be the case. Thanks to the me too movement, the American Public has made it clear that they have had enough. They expect congress to lead, and for once we are. Today im proud to support the c. A. A. Reform act based on the me too congress act which i introduced last fall. This bill empowers survivors. They will no longer be subject to mandatory mediation. They will be represented by counsel. They will no longer have cooling off periods and periods where they have to be counseled legally. And they have the right to sue. Most importantly, it creates the kind of transparency that we talk about but rarely ever provide and, members, yes, members are going to be held responsible for their bad behavior. And we will require them to pay the settlement in full in 90 days. If they cant do that, we will garnish their wages, we will garnish their thrift savings plan and we will garnish their social security. We would not be here today were it not for the unwavering commitment of chairman harper, Ranking Member brady, speaker ryan, leader pelosi, congressman byrne, who i have delighted to work with on this issue, congresswoman brooks, congressman deutch, and the entire committee of House Administration. But this would not be here today but for the majority and Minority Committee staff, especially jamie who has shown extraordinary leadership as has kim betts. For all the late nights and lost weekends to get this bill over the finish line. And to my staff who worked just hard, to molly fishman, and to maryam goldstein, i have un forever be grateful for hat you do for my the speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. Ms. Speier can i have 30 seconds . Mr. Brady additional 30 seconds. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. Ms. Speier i thank you. But our work is not done. The me too movement is driving change from the board rooms to the break rooms, across our great country. I am committed to ensuring that congress looks beyond itself to improve the lives of all workers in america. Today we take a great step forward for the Congressional Workplace. We show that we can come together across party and geography. Tomorrow, lets continue to work to make Sexual Harassment and violence in all workplace settings a thing of the past. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The gentleman from pennsylvania reserves. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentlewoman from indiana, the chairman of our Ethics Committee, mrs. Brooks. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from indiana is recognized for two minutes. Mrs. Brooks thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of the bipartisan Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, introduced by House Administration chairman mr. Harper and the Ranking Member mr. Brady. I also want to thank the colleagues who have helped lead the effort representative byrne and representative speier, along with my colleague, the Ranking Member of the house Ethics Committee, representative deutch. Current law, the c. A. A. , as we call it, was enacted over 20 years ago and it has become so outdated. The proposed reforms in this reform act work to improve our response to harassment and discrimination so that allegations of wrongdoings can be investigated swifter, fairer, and in a more efficient manner. This legislation prioritizes protecting the victims while ensuring due process for the accused. Congress must be a force for justice in order to ensure all employees have a safe Workplace Environment free of Sexual Harassment or discrimination of any kind because it is completely unacceptable to be subjected to harassment or discrimination of any kind at any workplace in our country. The element of the c. A. A. That allowed for silencing of victims and spending taxpayer dollars to settle claims for members of Congress Must be changed. The c. A. A. Reform act will increase the transparency and accountability in congress and create a more victimfriendly process. It ensures Sexual Harassment and discrimination settlements made moving forward will no longer be secret. This bill will protect taxpayer dollars by requiring members of congress who have an award or judgment against them for harassment to personally pay for any settlement. As chairwoman of the how the Ethics Committee, im proud to work alongside my our Ranking Member, representative deutch, on this important Bipartisan Legislation. I want to thank our colleagues who worked to ensure that in order for the Ethics Committee to fulfill its obligation of the house to investigate and potentially discipline members and staff, now the committee must be given information on potential bad actors. C. A. A. Reform act ensures the Ethics Committee is given that information. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewomans time has expired. Mr. Harper ill yield 30 seconds. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Brooks it provides an automatic referral to the Ethics Committee before the office of workplace rights, currently known as office of compliance. So now the Ethics Committee can quickly investigate allegations of wrongdoing while protecting the identity of the accuser and ensuring due process of the accused. By supporting this reform act, were showing the nation that congress is taking strong bipartisan action to improve the workplace called the peoples house and the conduct of those who work in it. Thank you. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman yields back. The gentleman from mississippi reserves. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. I yield one minute to the gentlelady from california, our democratic leader, ms. Pelosi. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Ms. Pelosi i thank the gentleman for yielding and i thank him and mr. Harper for their leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor. Congratulations to the House Administration committee. I commend congresswoman brooks and congressman deutsch, their works on the Ethics Committee in this regard. Mr. Raskin, thank you as well. I want to thank congresswoman Jackie Speier of california who has made this part of her lifes work in her Public Service in the California Legislature and here. Today this the fruit of your labor, madam congresswoman, comes to fruition. Your strong leadership will ensure no survivor of discrimination or harassment will face the injustice of having his or her voice silenced. The me, too congress act is our promise in a bipartisan way to hold every person accountable to the rule of absolutely zero tolerance. No matter squns contribution aa country, a harassment. Were shining a light on workplace abuse which has been allowed to fefter in the shadows for too long. Were securing Protection Force all employees by stream lining and strengthening the resolution and reporting process. Members ding personally responsible for settlements and are guaranteeing taxpayer money will never again be used to create culture of complicity d silence around workplace harassment. This bill is bipartisan because it transcends party or members personally responsible politics. This legislation is about protecting the personal safety of every person who comes to o congress to serve. Either as a member or in the work force. This is about upholding Human Dignity and unalienable right to live free from abuse. Our nation is at a watershed moment in the fight against Sexual Harassment and discrimination. Brave men and women from hollywood to washington, from sacramento, i might add, where my daughters been involved in this campaign, from the boardroom, to the newsroom, hotels, restaurants, workplaces, every place in the country people are standing up to say times up. But the me, too, movement they really have made quite a difference. Their voices are correcting the culture around harassment and abuse. More needs to be done. The Congress Must continue to work with the equal Employment Opportunity commission and others to forge a path forward to improve protections for all american workplaces. Thats why im so pleased to bring this bill to the floor over recent time members of congress listened to survivors and advocates, learned from public and private sector experts, and received constructive recommendations from many members. We will not rest until every person in every workplace has full safeguards against harassment and abuse and discrimination. This is a time for shaking off the status quo not for bowing to inaction and incrementalism. Members of congress are trustees of the people. We have a solemn responsibility to do well by the people. Both the people who sent us to washington and those who serve by our sides here. Our values and our humanity compel us to take action and to finish this fight so that every woman, man, and child can live free from the fear of abuse. Again i thank you, mr. Brady, for your leadership on this issue and for yielding. Thank you, mr. Harper, as well. Yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from california yields back. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, the vice chairman of the committee on House Administration, mr. Davis. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Davis thank you, mr. Chairman. I would like to thank chairman harper for his leadership on this important piece of legislation and i would be remiss, mr. Chairman, if i didnt offer my thanks to our House Administration committees Ranking Member, mr. Brady. Thank you, sir, for your leadership on this important issue, too. I want to thank my fellow colleagues on that committee for their hard work and diligence. No one should have to worry about Sexual Harassment when they come to work. This bill is vital to addressing this problem as we work to increase professionalism in the house and establish a workplace that is grounded in respect. In congress, weve got to lead by example. As a member of this committee, my colleagues and i held hearings on preventing Sexual Harassment in the Congressional Workplace and the effectiveness of the Congressional Accountability Act, which demonstrated the need for reform. Im pleased to report this bill continues the House Administrations administrations commitment to increasing transparency in the federal government. Last congress we worked hard to pass reforms that made house Office Spending more transparent and accountable than any other area of the federal government. And today were voting on a bill that will increase transparency of member conduct by requiring the office of compliance to report on awards and settlements every six months and Holding Members personally responsible. This strengthens the dispute resolution process, enables employees to speak without fear of retribution, and ensures every house office has an antidiscriminatory and antiharassment policy. For that, mr. Chairman, i urge my colleagues to vote yes and support this bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from illinois yields back. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Brady i yield two minutes to the gentleman from maryland, a valued member of our committee, mr. Raskin. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maryland is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Raskin mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I want to thank our chairman, mr. Harper, and the Ranking Member, mr. Brady, for their excellent leadership on this legislation. I rise as a proud cosponsor and strong supporter of h. R. 4924, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, reform act. And h. Res. 724, the companion resolution which strengthens antiharassment and antidiscrimination policies and procedures in this institution. These two bills show how congress can make dramatic progress on a bipartisan basis when we listen to the people. Specifically the me, too, movement against Workplace Discrimination and harassment that has swept america into the 21st century by demanding equality and dignity in the workplace for all women as well as all men. This continuing womens march across america for Workplace Fairness has forced the members of this body to acknowledge that here in congress Sexual Harassment has been a serious occupational hazard for thousands of women who only want to come to work to support their families and to contribute to the common good of the country. We have heard about shameful cases of quid pro quo harassment, hostile Workplace Environment, groping, forcible kissing, sexual coercion, and reprisal and retaliation for saying no or complaining. As the representatives of the American People, we have a compelling obligation to lead america to a culture of zero tolerance for Sexual Harassment and assault in the workplace. We in Congress Must lead not only by strong legislation but by strong example. Our current dispute resolution process is stacked against victims requiring people to go through a protracted and duplicative process. Members are provided Legal Counsel while victims are left to navigate this convoluted process on their own. Settlements it provided are paid for with taxpayer money instead of the money of the perpetrators offense. This legislation eliminates protracted mandatory waiting periods t. Empowers victims to move directly to a Court Proceeding if they desire, it creates an office of employee advocacy with lawyers on hand to understand their rights, it contributes sexual relationships. 30 seconds more. It prohibits sexual relationships between members of congress and their staffs. And hold offending members personally responsible for their conduct by requiring that they pay any settlements that are made. I thank chairman harper and Ranking Member brady for their leadership and especially congresswoman Jackie Speier for her untiring and exemplary advocacy over the years. I am glad were being part of this great cultural paradigm shift in america. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from maryland yields back. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i yield three minutes to the gentlewoman from california, mrs. Comstock, who continues to work tirelessly on this issue. The speaker pro tempore the the gentlewoman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. Miss come tock slon thank you, mr. Speaker. Mrs. Comstock thank you, mr. Speaker. Thank you, mr. Chairman, for your leadership and my colleagues on the committee and those who participated in this process on this bill and resolution. I rise in support of both the bill and the resolution. We know Sexual Harassment is about power. Misuse of power that impacts careers, lives, and selfesteem. We know most women do not come forward and disclose Sexual Harassment. We know often they leave their desired careers because of that. We have seen it in all industries, predators such as Harvey Winestein in hollywood, matt lawyer, roger ailes, charlie rose in the media, john conyers, and trent franks in our own body. It is so important that this legislation, this historic step, is fundamentally changing that a balance of power. By creating an office for the victims, the oafs of employee add vow can office of employee advocacy, this is the single most important thing in this legislation to restore that balance of power that has been misused by those in power. When i spoke to a woman who 30 years ago was sexually harassed in this body by congressman jim baits of california, she didnt have an office to go to. She didnt have one that wasnt very good. So now 30 years later were writing this. We now have transparency. People cant hide behind the process anymore. The members names will be known and taxpayers will not be on the hook for any of this. The offender themselves will have to pay and we have all types of methods in here to get that money because we want to make sure the victim is made whole. I appreciate we have also adopted some of the an tiss provisions to get a full accounting of past cases so we know the amounts and what happened. Im still concerned about those members who may have used their m. R. A. s, member allowances, in an inappropriate way that. Is corrected in this bill and no longer allowed. We have made it clear there are no relationships with subordinates. I do want to mention that i still do believe, this is a great bill and i hartley support it and so appreciate all the hard work and staff and everyone has done, i still do believe we need to disclose the past names that are still unknown. Some of those names have come forward because of the press. Because of victims speaking out. We need to let the victims know that they can speak out from the past. If they want to speak out, they can. That this body is not going to be using any of our resources to stop a victim from the past from speaking out. And i also do think we still need to disclose all of those names Going Forward so that we have full accountability. Because part of that misuse of power is that they can continue to know they wont be held accountable and the victims see that. So we need to have a strong message that theres nobody in this body that would ever be allowed to go forward without being held accountable. I thank you. I encourage all my colleagues to support this resolution and this important legislation. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlewoman has expired. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Brady mr. Speaker, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from florida, mr. Deutch. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from florida is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Deutch thank you, mr. Speaker. Last Year American culture experienced a moment of reckoning. Doesnt matter what political party. It doesnt matter what industry. It doesnt matter when or where sexual a harassment and Sexual Violence are unacceptable. America has been willfully blind to political party. It doesnt abuses of power for far too long. The bravery of survivors of sexual assaults and harassment has changed that. Changed our country. Its time for congress to follow their lead. Im grateful to introduce this bill with my colleagues, House Administration chairman harper and Ranking Member chadebradey, my Counter Party on the house Ethics Committee, chairwoman susan brooks, all worked so hard to develop these forms. I thank representative byrne for his effort and sharing his experience. My colleague and friend, congresswoman Jackie Speier, deserves particular appreciation and acknowledgement for her strong leadership not just in crafting this bill but throughout her career in standing up for the rights of women. But in this case for crafting a bill that will produce lasting change for the United States congress. This bill will allow survivors to speak out, ensure that Legal Resources are available to them, and offer Justice Without fear of retribution. This bill will not only strengthen our outofdate workplace protections but send an Important Message to the entire country that members of congress will be held accountable w this legislation, also the office of compliance must provide the house Ethics Committee with all of the information required for the transparent pursuit of full accountability. It is time to end protections for powerful abusers and to empower survivors. Each survivor must be heard, allegations must be taken seriously, and abusers and harassers must be held accountable. Every congressional employee and every american deserves the equal chance at success in their careers, free from Sexual Harassment, and free from retaliation for defending themselves and asserting their rights. Its time to do the work necessary to change culture. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill. I ensure that congress does its part. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentleman has expired. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper may i inquire of the time remaining for debate. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from mississippi has six minutes remain, the gentleman from pennsylvania has 9 1 2 minutes remaining. Mr. Harper i yield one minute to the gentleman from florida, mr. Santies. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Desantis when news broke that there had been a series of Sexual Harassment settlements paid for by tax dollars, i think a lot of american, even by the low standards they have for this body, were shocked to hear that and its almost as if the rules to set up to allow members get away with this im happy that the provisions of my bill have been adopted in this. I think its important. Taxpayers should not bail members of congress out for misconduct. And this bill fixes that and makes them personally liable. We also need a full accounting of any payments being made with tax dollars. This bill does that. And we have to protect identities of victims. I think were making a step in the right direction. Thing start tots foster a culture of respect on capitol hill. I urge my colleagues to support the bill and i thank chairman harper for his efforts. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania is ecognized. I yield two minutes to the gentlelady from the district of columbia, ms. Norton. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Norton mr. Speaker, i want to thank both sides for the bipartisan way in which this true to what it is in this country, bipartisan. Today the house is doing no more than bringing itself in line with what we have long required of private employers and other federal agencies. When i started working, we Sexual Harassment wasnt recognized as employee harassment in drawing the Sexual Harassment guidelines it never occurred to us that congress ould set different standards for themselves, preference rble to members and prejudicial to employees. The current process creates multiple steps and time frames that exhaust complainants and deter resolution. It takes courage to file a Sexual Harassment complaint because most are unwitnessed and theyre difficult to corroborate. The most important provisions of this bill, i believe are the provisions from assistants to complainants which members have long had and personal liability for harassment liing with the member, not the taxpayers. This bill marks the congress holding itself accountable to the public. It is another however, it is another in line of the of public focus on high profile workplaces. I ask the house to move next to the workplaces of america where the average woman and man work. Hospitality, factories, offices and retail. Increasingly, we find Sexual Harassment widespread. I hope the house will pass my bill to create a National Commission to hear from ordinary workers so that the average worker gets our equal attention and equal time. Again, thank the sponsor os of this bill for this bipartisan effort. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlewoman has expired. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper i yield one minute to the gentlewoman from utah, ms. Love. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Love thank you, mr. Speaker, id like to thank chairman harper and Ranking Member brady for including the stop act in the House Administration legislation. Shockingly, the office of compliance confirms that hundreds and thousands of dollars have been paid with taxpayer money to settle Sexual Harassment cases against members of congress. I am pleased to say that the bill that is before us today incorporates a bill i introduced last december to stop this practice. Will require members of congress to pay back any taxpayer money used to settle Sexual Harassment cases. Victims will be compensated, the taxpayers wont be footing the bill this bill promotes and supports due process. It sends a message that there isnt a set fund out there paid for by the taxpayer, ready for someone to access, but it also doesnt encourage a member who feels they have done nothing wrong to settle so an issue can just go away. If a member of congress behaves badly, the consequences of those actions are that persons responsibility, not the taxpayers. I believe that members should live by the laws this they create and the taxpayers should not be responsible for inproacht behavor. Id like to thank you and i encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill. Thank you. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlelady has expired. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Brady i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper i yield two and a half minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. Smith. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman select niced for two and a half minutes. Mr. Smith let me begin, mr. Speaker, by thanking chairman harper for this outstanding, Bipartisan Legislation, and mr. Brady as well. This is what this place can produce when we do come together. Obviously it provides congressional employees with comprehensive protection from abuse, including zero tolerance for Sexual Harassment. The bill significantly increases transparency on member conduct by publishing reports on rewards and settlements and holds members personally responsible, ending the charade of having taxpayers foot the bill for abuses. Significantly, the new office of employee advocacy which the legislation creates, will provide Free Legal Services to congressional employees. , mr. Is absolutely critical speaker that house employees have a dedicated vadvo cat to consult, assist, and to represent them. Mr. Speaker, i want to thank chairman harper for including my bill, h. R. 4393, as section 303 of this bill. This section makes clear that employees of the Helsinki Commission and the china commission, both of which i cochair are covered by the c. A. A. In 2011, mr. Speaker, an employee, a woman, employeed by the commission on security and cooperation in europe, filed suit making sex harassment and workplace retaliation allegations directed to a former chairman of the commission. When i learned that the woman was being told, the woman who lodged the complaint, that the c. A. A. Did not apply to her, i immediately as chairman changed that policy. I deemed it, thankfully i checked with the house counsel, had the full backing of the house counsel, i thought it was unconscionable, that the woman did not have representation but that the c. A. A. Itself did not cover her. That was a terrible, terrible wrong that will be rectified forever by this legislation. Again, i want to thank chairman harper for his leadership. This is a remarkable bill, an important bill, and will protoket protect employees from abuse. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Brady i yield two minutes to the gentlelady from texas, ms. Jackson lee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Jackson lee let me thank the Ranking Member, mr. Brady, and acknowledge his longstanding leadership and friendship and as well the work he does with the chairman and for his leadership as well this is a highlight on the floor of the house for the bipartisanship that it represents. The tone of which we are speaking, even though we know that this is a matter of urgency nd we have seen the telling of situations that none of us would want to see repeated. And i forgive me for using more of a most recent set of circumstances just to capture the intensity of the moment and that is of course the recent conspicuous and le sex offender to the 200plus young women athletes. This is not the circumstances here in the house of representatives, but i think it captures the intensity of silence. Because those young women had to live or thought that that was what they were only gated to do because they wanted to achieve greatness in their field. And they were stopped by the wall of silence. And therefore could not find relief. The courts have finally given them relief but through an enormity of pain. I think it is important for the congressional standards to be such that it sets a wide net across the nation to be able to ensure that the wall of silence is broken. So i support h. R. 4924 to amend the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to reform the procedures provided under such act for the initiation, investigation and resolution of claims alleging that employeing officers of the legislative branch violated the right and protections provided to employees under such act include position tech against Sexual Harassment and other purposes. So this bill will provide a broader subpoena authority to the office of compliance which adjudicated workplace disputes and as well it will provide, mr. Speaker, in other areas of antidiscrimination. Let me say that this is a positive statement made by all of us and i ask my colleagues to support h. R. 4924. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlewoman has expire. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper i yield one minute to the gentleman from new jersey, mr. Lance. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for one minute. Mr. Lance thank you, mr. Speaker. As a member of the house Ethics Committee, i rise in strong support of this legislation and resolution combating the scourge of Sexual Harassment. I commend the leadership of chairman harper and representative Jackie Speier a National Leader on this issue for many years. From this day forward, as a lawmaker if a lawmaker commits an act of Sexual Harassment and breaks the trust of the people that information will be made public and taxpayers will not foot the bill. Im pleased that this legislation mirrors my bill that would increase governmental transparency and accountability concerning taxpayer financed harassment settlements in congress. The people who come forward to serb this country, particularly young people, need to know that protections are in place than offenders, no matter how powerful, will face accountability. Congress must be an emparticular for the nation on this important issue. I encourage other institutions in this country, business, labor, hollywood and the press to examine their own practices to ensure a safe workplace. Now is the time for action and results, mr. Speaker. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentleman from new jersey has expired. The gentleman from mississippi has 30 seconds remaining and has the right to close. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Berry di im prepared to close if the gentleman is prepared to close . I yield myself such time as i my consume. Mr. Speaker this is an important day for the house of representatives. Republicans and democrats from all different parts of the country have come together to make meaningful change in how congress operates. As i conclude id like to thank the staff that work sod hard on this, especially kim, molly, mare yam, members of my staff, terry morgan and my staff director, jamie fleet. Thank you again for your leadership and i urge my colleagues to support this legislation before us now and mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania has yielded back. The gentleman from mississippi, the chairman of the committee is recognized. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker this is a historic moment for the house of representatives. Nd i too want to thank kim betts for her hard work on her staff as well as jamie fleet, the staff director and i want to give a special thanks to Jackie Speier and Bradley Byrne for the many hours they have spent working on this process. This makes historic and important steps in the house of representatives. It brings us that step closer to achieving our goal of creating effective, safe working environments, environments that are safe, product i, collegial and most importantly responsive to the needs of our constituents and the public. Theres no place like the house of representatives. This should be for every employee the most special place that they will ever work. I urge my colleagues to support h. R. 4924 and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentleman from mississippi has expired. Ll time has now expired. The question is will the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h. R. 4934, as 4924. Those in favor will 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, the bill is passed, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition . Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and agree to House Resolution 724, requiring each employing office of the house of representatives to adopt an antiharassment and antidiscrimination policy for the offices workplace. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the resolution. The clerk House Resolution 724, resolution requiring each employing office of the house of representatives to adopt an antiharassment and antidiscrimination policy for he offices workplace, establishing the office of employee advocacy to provide Legal Assistance and consultation to employees of the house regarding procedures and proceedings under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from mississippi, mr. Harper, and the gentleman from brady, each mr. Will control 20 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from mississippi. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Harper this is the second measure before us today. The House Resolution makes a number of administrative reforms to the house, including requiring each employing office of the house to adopt antiharassment and antidiscrimination policies for the offices workplace. Establishing within the chief Administrative Officer an office of employee advocate who will provide legal consultation, representation, and assistance to house employees. Directing members to certify that the members representational allowance is not being used to settle or pay an award under the Congressional Accountability Act. In addition, the resolution makes a number of changes to the code of official conduct that together will strengthen the houses policies on Sexual Harassment. Its a critical piece to the comprehensive reform package needed to strengthen the policies, procedures, and mechanisms to guard against and respond to Sexual Harassment claims in the Congressional Workplace. I encourage my colleagues to support this important resolution and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from mississippi reserves the balance of his time. The gentleman from pennsylvania is recognized. Mr. Brady mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Brady this resolution continues to work the work we started in the legislation we just considered. It makes much needed improvements to how the house operates t requires every office to have an antiharassment and antidiscrimination policy. It provides Legal Counsel for house employees who need assistance in fighting harassment in their offices. It strengthens our code of conduct, the ethics we live by to make clear this behavior will not be ol traited. And bans use of the m. R. A. For paying settlements. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation and again id like to thank my chairman for his cooperation as always we Work Together and as you can see when we Work Together things get done. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania yields back. The gentleman from mississippi is recognized. Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i want to certainly thank the Ranking Member, mr. Brady, for the great bipartisan work and his friendship in making this possible to get these important things done. And with that i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from mississippi yields back the balance of his time. All time having now expired, the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to House Resolution 724. So many as are 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, the resolution is agreed to, and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. For what purpose does the gentleman from mississippi seek recognition . Mr. Harper mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution concurrent resolution 102 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the concurrent resolution. The clerk house concurrent resolution 102, concurrent resolution authorizing the use of emancipation hall in the capitol visitors certainty for an event to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of frederick douglas. The speaker pro tempore is there objection to the consideration of the concurrent resolution . Without, the concurrent resolution is agreed to, and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from michigan seek recognition . Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 725, i would ask to call up the bill h. R. 772 and ask for its immediate consideration in the house. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk Union Calendar number 360, h. R. 772, a bill to amend the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act to improve and clarify certain Disclosure Requirements for restaurants and similar retail Food Establishments, and to amend the authority to bring proceedings under section 403a. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 725, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the committee on energy and commerce printed in the bill is adopted and the bill as amended is considered as read. The bill shall be debatable for one hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the committee on energy and commerce. The gentleman from michigan, mr. Upton, and the gentlewoman from illinois, ms. Schakowsky, each will control 30 minutes. The air now recognizes gentleman from michigan, mr. Upton. Mr. Upton thank you, mr. Speaker. I would ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks the gentleman from michigan, mr. An extraneous material to h. R. 772. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for such time. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, this bill, h. R. 772, is a bipartisan piece of legislation introduced by representative Kathy Mcmorris rodgers and tony gar deans in a, to add mend the menu labeling rule issued in november of 2014. The goal of the bill was to make implementation of the nutrition disclosure law useful for consumers and workable for Food Service Establishments. The existing framework, which has not yet been implemented, is not only cumbersome for the Food Industry but also impedes business ability to provide meaningful information that customers can use to make nutrition decisions. The commonsense nutrition disclosure act is critical to avoid harming consumer choices, jobs, and certainly Small Businesses. This bill was drafted to address the challenges of an overly perfect scripive onesizefitsall approach to regulation affecting a very, very diverse industry. We need to ensure that the law works for all Food Establishments. Convenience stores, supermarkets, Grocery Stores, pizza shops all have enormous challenges complying with the regs as written. This bill will provide those entities with the flexibility and the certainty that they need to comply without compromising consumers access to Nutrition Information. The commonsense nutrition disclosure act will establish a more reasonable standard for federal regs and allow nutritional information to be provided by a Remote Access menu for establishments where the majority of orders are placed off premises. Consumers should have this information when they are placing an order, and a menu board may work for some businesses, where customers work at the counter, where they also pay, but for an establishment where most now order online or from a phone having the calorie information when they pick up their order wont be very helpful to that consumer. So this legislation also takes steps to preserve local foods and fresh items that might be sold at just a few locations. To do so the bill clarifies hat many labeling regs are i intended for standard are intended for standard menu items. Drafted with those items are substantially the same recipe, the same way, with substantially the same food components routinely included on a menu or menu board or are routinely offered at a selfservice food or food on display at 20 or more locations. It also eliminates criminal federal penalties for store managers and allowing restaurant and retail managers to take correct i action this shields their usiness owners and employee for human error. Nobody should be criminalized for putting too many pickles on a sandwich or maybe too many olives. They will have time to will ve 90 days to correct before the f. D. A. Brings corrective action. The froth shouldnt impose arbitrary regulations that are going to cause unnecessary harm to businesses and consumers. The businesses impacted by this bill widely support providing consumers with nutritional information to better inform their food decisions but they want to do it in a practical and commonsense way. This legislation provides clear guidance to Small Business owners, ensuring compliance, and at the same time delivering critical information. I want to thank the energy and commerce colleagues for their work on both sides of the aisle and urge passage today and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan reserves the balance of his time. The jerusalem from illinois is ecognized. Ms. Schakowsky i rise in opposition to this bill and yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for such time. Ms. Schakowsky this bill is overly preprestrictive. At a time when our country is facing an obesity epidemic, i would say crisis, we should not be undermining efforts to educate consumers about the nutritional value of foods, including calories. As a country, we pay a high price for obesity. It is estimated that medical 192. 2 obesity top billion an wrulely. Childhood obesity alone is responsible for 14 billion in direct medical costs. We should be embracing effort it is reduce this enormous cost to our health care system. A harvard study found restaurant menu labeling could prevent up to 41,000 cases of Childhood Obesity and could save over 4. 6 billion in Health Care Costs over 1 years. So if you want to eat a pizza and fries, thats great. But why not have the opportunity to know how many calories are in that pizza and fries . You should be able to have that information. And more information for consume sers a good thing. The menu labeling law that passed in 2010 requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to provide consumers with basic Nutrition Information like calorie content for standard foods and beverage items on the menu. Since then, the f. D. A. Has been working to ifrlment this rule only to face numerous delays along the way. Research has shown that calorie information can help people make healthier choices and mr. Chairman, listen to, in 80 of americans support providing this type of calorie information on the menu. But far from common sense, the legislation we are considering today would undermine the law. H. R. 772 takes us back, backwards, by undermining the law and further delaying consumer protection. This is not about flexibility. This bill just gives cover to bad actors and special interests that do not want to come ply with the law. First, it would allow Food Establishments to display calorie information in ways that would only serve to confuse and mislead customers. For example, well, it is it allows the Food Establishment to set arbitrary serving size and cut the calorie counts way below what a normal person would eat. Without standardized calorie reporting for menu items, people will have a tough time figuring out and computing Nutrition Information and comparing across items. It is deceptive to label an entree or muffin as multiple servings because we know, everyone knows, that they are mostly consumed by one person in one sitting. And second, it would deny consumers opportunity to view valerie information and other Nutrition Information regardless of how or where they purchase food from a chain restaurant. Not only does it allow deceptive serving sizes serving size manipulation, the bill would allow Food Establishments to make that information difficult to find. Calorie labeling is not useful if it is posted somewhere that it will not be seen. Provisions in this bill would deny customers Nutrition Information from not only inside the pizza chain but inside fast food and other chain restaurants, if the majority of their orders are placed offsite, like on the telephone or online. For example, under the bill a restaurant or similar retail Food Establishment could have the option to only list nutritional Information Online or via some other Remote Access place, and therefore deny consume terse who order in a brick and mortar location access to the information sms speed limits are not useful if theyre hid on a highway. And calorie counts cannot help if they are concealed from the public. Finally, it has been nearly eight years since the original menu labeling requirements were passed. But this bill would once again delay the final menu labeling rules and send f. D. A. Back to the drawing boards. The f. D. A. Has already put forth a proposed rule, solicitted comments, worked with stake holders to finalize the menu labeling rule. In fact, just this past november, f. D. A. Published new aft guidelines intended to help answer any of the outstanding questions regarding compliance. This guidance including sample menus and pictures to help Food Establishments tackle how to label for a variety of ingredients mike multiple pizza toppings. This rule has been delayed long enough. The final menu labeling regulations should go into effect as scheduled in may of this year. Countless businesses and restaurants and other retail Food Establishments have already invested time and money into coming into compliance with the current menu labeling rules and it would be irresponsible to further delay implementation of this important rule. This bill is another hardship excuse me, its another handoff to businesses and an affront to consumers. It will keep consumers in the dark about the Nutrition Information that they need and create consumer and industry confusion. H. R. 772 would weaken an important tool intended to help americans make informed food choices at a time when obesity and other nutritionrelated Health Problems are at a crisis level. And thats why countless consumer and Public Health organizations oppose the bill. Including the American Cancer Society opposes the bill, cancer action network, the American Diabetes association, the American Health soshese, the American Nurses association, center for science in the public interest, consumers union, and the trust for americas health. All of these Health Organizations oppose this legislation because it is not good for the health of our country or for consumers. I reserve the balance of my time the speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman reserves. The gentleman from michigan is ecognized. I know i have other speakers. Im told force mr. Upton im told many of them are at jimmy johns trying to get through the menu. We all want information but we ought to agree that Food Service Establishments shouldnt face criminal penalties for inadvertent failure to comply. Under the food, drug, and cosmetic act has to be truthful and not misleading and labeling that doesnt meet that standard is deemed misbranded. And under u. S. Code, introducing a misbranded food into commerce is in fact a prohibited act and the liable party shall be imprisoned for up to a year by not more than fined not more than 1,000 or both. Food to which these menu beling requirements aply are deemed misbranded. Its not necessary that the person intentionally mislead customers. Under f. D. A. Framework, adding that extra olive or pepperoni is going to rend they are calorie content on the menu misleading and the chef then becomes criminal. Come on. People say that the f. D. A. Wont put people in jail over this, i dont think there ought to be an issue codifying that in statute. The commonsense nutrition disclosure act will give people an opportunity to correct inadvertent mistakes so long as they are acting in good faith. At this point, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from the great state of michigan, a mber of the committee, mr. Waltrip. The f. D. A. Put forward an unworkable one size fits all mandate on restaurants and establishes for providing providing calorie information for customers. Many businesses cannot comply with the rules. H. R. 772, a bipartisan solution that makes compliance possible by providing Small Businesses with a greater flexibility to provide nutritional information theirs that best serve customers. Mr. Walberg it ensures customers receive the Nutrition Information they want but takes into account the diversity of restaurants and Food Products this commonsense bill takes a flexible approach that will actually increase access to information for customers and allow good, hardworking michigan restaurants, grocers, and Convenience Stores to continue meeting the needs of consumers. I urge its passage and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the gentlewoman from illinois is recognized. Ms. Schakowsky it is my honor and pleasure to yield to the gentlelady from connecticut, rosa delauro, for as much time as she may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman is recognized for such time as she may consume. Delauro ms. Schakowsky how much time do i have left . The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady has 23 minutes. Ms. Delauro i thank the gentlelady for yielding the time. Let me first dispel a couple of myths that have been suggested on the floor of the house. And one myth has been that Small Businesses are negatively impacted by the menu labeling requirement. Small businesses are unilaterally exempt from menu labeling requirements. The rule only applies to, quote, covered establishments, meaning those that have 20 or more locations. This rule does not and never, never was it intended to apply to Small Businesses. That is misinformation being given out by the majority. Second item which i just heard momentarily about penalties. Menu labeling will be subject to the exact same mechanisms and penalties as those for packaged foods. The f. D. A. Has maintained its commitment to compliance, outreach, and education, has waived enforcement for the first year, and the adecisionally numerous state and local governments have menu labeling requirements and not one chain restaurant has faced criminal liability. Once again, misinformation being distributed by the majority. I rise in opposition to this special interest driven attack on popular and necessary menu labeling rules. When we crafted the Health Reforms in the Affordable Care act, we kept several critical goals in mind. We aimed to slow the staggering growth of health care spend, make prevent i and Wellness Care more central, give americans access to more data so they could make their own informed health care decision. Menu labeling is an essential tool to meet all three of those goals. That is why i have been a longtime champion of menu labeling and i fought hard to secure its inclusion in the Affordable Care act. When Congress Passed standardized menu labeling, in 2010 the goal was to arm americans with the information they need to make informed nutritional decisions for themselves and their families. The language the language was built on consensus and compromised. Interests including industry partners, including the National Restaurant association was included. They had nearly eight years of input for the implementation of the labeling rule, and yet, with this misguided bill, certain sectors of industry, what they want to do is tear down the progress that we have made. This bill would roll back and weaken this crucial step to combat the obesity epidemic in the United States. This is obstruction and American Families are paying the price in their Health Care Costs. 2015, sales at restaurants and bars surpassed spending at Grocery Stores for the first time. Typical day 1 3 of our children, four in 10 adolescents and a third of adults eat at a fast food restaurant. They are eating 1 3 of their calories outside the home. So nutritional information must be made readily available where the consumer is at the point of purchase. A healthimpacted assessment from Los Angeles County found that menu labeling could avert 40 of the 6. 75 millionpound average weight gain in the country. You think of that in terms of Health Care Costs and the impact that that decrease would have. Children, our children are especially at risk. Today, more than a third of our kids and adolescents are overweight or obese. Children eat more than twice as many calories at a restaurant than they do at home. They consume less nutrients and more saturated fats. Children should be reason enough to oppose a measure that undermines a consumers ability to make an informed, nutrition choice at mealtime. Menu labeling is popular. National poll, over 80 of americans support menu labeling in chained restaurants. Over 100 nutrition and Health Organizations support menu labeling. Chains from starbucks to panera to mcdonalds are already implementing menu labeling. The rest of the industry must follow suit. You know, consumers have the right to make an informed decision. Its disrespectful for the industry and their partners to argue that the American People cannot understand menu labeling. Give people the ability to make their choice. You go in to eat. Its been a great day. You look at the board, you see something that you want, you look at the calories and say, today i think i will watch my calories and order accordingly. Other days, bad day. Bad day. You go in and you throw caution to the wind. I will order whatever i can no matter what the calorie count is. This is about the right to choose and freedom of choice. That is what were talking about here today. This bill denies consumers the right to nutritional information at that point of purchase. Even 49 of orders are placed from instore menus, Food Establishments could bury menu labeling online. Multiple studies show providing calorie labeling information can help americans make lower calorie choices but they cannot do this if they do not have the information they need. This bill increases consumer confusion, allows restaurants to list deceptive portion sizes, listing an entree as multiple servings even though they are most consumed by one person. It weakens enforcement in consumer protection, completely removes an establishment incentive to comply with the menu labeling requirement. It removes the ability of individuals to hold retail Food Establishments accountable for violations to the Food Labeling law. The existing law is already extremely flexible. I said restaurants with less than 20 locations, mom and pop Small Businesses are excluded. I dont believe my colleagues on the other side of the aisle understand that. Read the legislation. Let me mention something which has been very interesting and that is about pizza companies. I come from new haven, connecticut, from the Italian American neighborhood, i know something about pizza. What we have done with the industry is to work with them and what the f. D. A. Did is we opened the door to allow them what they asked for, to give a range of pricing of calories on a per a per slice piece of pizza. They have done it. These are f. D. A. Charts which demonstrates how easily you can put a label on the food so people understand what the calories are. Ill now show you this one. It is calories are listed per slice. That is what the industry wanted. Thats what we did. And they have the ranges that they have for their various toppings. Dont let the other side sell you a bill of goods. The f. D. A. Has conceded that they can list the calories in a single slice rather than an entire pizza. This all illustrates that the food and Drug Administration has already been working closely with industry to address their concerns. We should let them work through this process rather than complicating it with legislation that in fact would harm what we have been doing, what we have worked on all hese years, meaningful, impact ful work on menu labeling. This is a special interest driven bill. Its not the answer, and i urge my colleagues to oppose it and i ask unanimous consent to submit for the record a document that outlines the myths that are perpetrated by the majority and what the underlying facts are. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Ms. Delauro thank you. I yield back and i thank the gentlewoman for the time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, might i ask how much time each side may have on this bill . The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan has 23 minutes. The gentlelady from illinois has 14 1 2 minutes. Mr. Upton thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield myself 30 seconds. I just might say to the previous speaker, my friend, that she talks about she asked about what the original stakeholders had in mind when before these regs were written, i was one of those. This is my bill. This is a bipartisan bill offered by jim matheson and fred upton a lot of years ago. It was never our intent to put people behind bars for having some misinformation based on the number of olives or pickles or dijon or mayonnaise. Ms. Delauro if the gentleman will yield . Mr. Upton i will not. It was not our intent to what f. D. A. Has done. Now i yield as much time as she may consume the author of this bill, the honorable Cathy Mcmorris rodgers, a member of the committee, where it passed 3914 in committee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from Washington State is recognized. Ms. Mcmorris roger r. S. C. Thank you. I rise today with legislation to address one of the most burdensome rules in the Obama Administration. When f. D. A. Announced its final rule implementing a National Menu labeling standard in 2014, the intent was twofold. Deliver customers increased access to Nutrition Information and establish a uniform Single National standard. However, in trying to establish this uniform standard, the f. D. A. s 400page rule attempts a onesizefitsall approach to an industry as diverse as its ingredients. Under the current rule, every deli, salad bar offering, every possible pizza topping combination will have to be calculated and their calorie count displayed on physical menus. Last week i was home in spokane and visited my fresh basket. This newly opened Grocery Store is a great place to eat lunch with fresh local options and madetoorder food. This rule would mean new physical sinage every time this locally owned grocer changes the options they offer which is just about every day. This bill is not about the merits of calorie counts. This bill does not remove the requirement of calorie counts on menus. This bill certainly does not make it more difficult for customers to receive nutritional information. This bill, at its very core, is about flexibility. Flexibility for businesses to meet the requirements of the rule and present this calorie information in a way that makes sense for them and their customers. The onesizefitsall approach proposed by f. D. A. Is problematic for two reasons. First, the madetoorder portion of the Food Industry of Food Industry offers endless, constantlychanging combinations of ingredients. For some sandwich shops and pizzerias, the possible variations are tens of millions. The f. D. A. Wants these restaurants to put on paper all of these variations and their calorie counts and have it publicly displayed in the restaurant. Its unrealistic. And its not a good use of the Business Owners time. Second, digital and online ordering is customers preferred method for ordering. Nearly 90 of orders in some restaurants are placed without an individual ever stepping food into the restaurant. So tell me, how does it make sense to force a restaurant to have a physical menu with calorie listings when 90 of your customers arent going to see it . Or how does it make sense to force a customer to navigate millions of combinations to find the Nutrition Information that matches their order . This legislation provides flexibility in how restaurants provide the nutritional information. It makes it easier for customers to actually see and understand the information because its displayed where customers actually place orders, including by phone, online, or through mobile apps. By bringing this rule into the 21st century, customers can trust that theyre getting reliable information in a way that is easy to access and its customer user friendly. I want to take this unit to larify this bill does not time to clarify this bill ensures no state or political subdivision of a state may directly or indirectly establish or enforce any requirement for nutrition labeling of food that is not identical to the requirement laid out in the final regulation. While some states may disagree, i am committed now and moving forward to ensure ensuring we have one unified menu labeling requirement. Before i close, i want to thank all my colleagues and the stakeholders for their hard work on this Bipartisan Legislation. Thank you because this has been a teamwork over a number of years now and i appreciate your support. Finally, i encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important amendment and ultimately vote yes for the bipartisan commonsense nutrition disclosure act. Thank you and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from illinois is recognized. Ms. Schakowsky yes. It is now my pleasure and honor to introduce the gentleman from new york for two minutes, eliot engel. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. Ms. Engel mr. Engel i thank my friend from illinois for yielding to me, and i thank her for the good work shes doing on this and so many other bills. I rise in opposition to this bill. In todays world when Technology Allows us to constantly be logged into the workplace, its understandable americans often find themselves seeking more convenient meals outside of the home. But dining out should not be about sufficing nutrition. I believe americans should sacrificing nutrition. I believe should make informed choices what they eat and what they feed their families. Why wouldnt we want that . Why wouldnt we let the consumer decide . Why would we try to rob some tools and take things away from them . Menu labeling gives americans those tools, and weve been making progress towards more transparent labeling for consumers. Its a good thing. This bill, h. R. 772, would undo that process. It delays muchneeded transparency and will cause confusion for both consumers and businesses, many of which have already started implementing existing menu labeling requirements. So lets not turn back the clock. Menu labeling is both a vital Public Health tool and an important consumer protection. People are smart enough to make their own choices. If you want to make it impossible for them to know everything, then youre not allowing the consumer to make the final choice in an informed way. I dont see why wed want to do that, so i urge my colleagues to vote no and i thank the gentlewoman from illinois and i yield back the balance of my time. Ms. Schakowsky i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Upton mr. Speaker, id yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, member of the energy and Commerce Committee, mr. Carter. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from georgia. Mr. Carter i thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in mrs. T of my good friend, mcmorris rodgers, bill, the commonsense nutrition disclosure act. This legislation would make commonsense reforms to menu labeling and help ease the burden on businesses while providing consumers with the information that they need. The regulations finalized by the Obama Administration in 2014 presented incredible challenges to businesses and would cause some insurmountable challenges for them to be in compliance with the law. This bill allows for a more targeted approach while ensuring people have the information they need to make educated decisions about their health. Lets look at how exactly this bill benefits people across the country this directs restaurants and Food Establishments to disclose visible information on calorie counts. The numbers of calories per serving, and accounts for online ordering with Remote Access labeling directions. Selfservice establishments will need to place signage with nutritional information for each food item. Finally, it ensures that nutritional disclosure of food contents would need to comply with current standards, ensuring restaurants will adhere to a guideline they know they can trust. While this is good for consumers, it makes important reforms for establishments. It sets out protections to prevent frivolous lawsuits. It puts forth a good faith threshold so businesses arent ultimately penalized for what could be a small error from one of their employees. It gives establishments the flexibility and labeling that hay not maintain the same item list at all of their locations. This legislation is about ensuring integral parts of our communities arent subjecting to unfeasible regulatory expectations while providing transparency to customers. Im proud to cosponsor this legislation and i urge my colleagues to support the underlying legislation. Thank you, mr. Speaker, and i yield become. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves this egentlelady from illinois is recognized. Ms. Schakowsky i yield three minutes to my colleague from california, mr. Cardenas. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Cardenas i thank the gentlelady from illinois for yielding. I also want to thank her so much for her diligence and her efforts and her sincerity in trying to make this issue and this and many bills on this issue as good as possible. Though we may disagree on the final version of this bill its my sincere wish we continue to Work Together as this issue will never go away because nutrition and the understanding of that for every american is paramount for our individual health and for communities as a whole. Mr. Speaker, i rise in support 772, the22, excuse me, commonsense nutrition disclosure act of 2017. Im proud to colead this bill with my colleague, congresswoman mcmorris rodgers. Americans recognize the importance of having Accurate Information about the food we eat and we need to make schauer businesses are providing this information. No two Food Establishments, Grocery Stores are identical and the government should take that into account as we implement guidelines on making nutritional information available. As a former Small Business owner myself, i know the costs and challenges associated with regulatory compliance. Not all businesses can afford a Legal Department to help them stay within the rules, despite their best intentions. This legislation would help businesses, help consumers be smart about what theyre eating. The f. D. A. s 2014 rule on nutrition disclosures is set to take effect in may of this year, though some issues remain unresolved this bill will give f. D. A. The authority to fix these issues and hold businesses to stuff dan to tough standards they can and shall meet. Right now the rule exempts Small Businesses but not those that sell to large suppliers. Those Small Businesses would have to undertake expensive nutritional analysis to comply with the law even if they dont have the resources. Another example is right now the f. D. A. Rule would require delivery restaurants to post nutritional information in those in favor say aye brick an mortar establishment instead of online even though nobody would see it, especially those that go online to order food. This bill fixes that. Finally, this bill reins in out of proportion penalties in the current rule that would have severe unintended consequences. No one should have to worry about losing their business if they mistakenly make sandwiches with too much meat of cheese. The bill makes certain that f. D. A. Can enforce the law in ituations where businesses are misleading customers. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill to help the businesses in districts like mine to help our constituents eat healthier. Once again, i thank you and yield back. Ms. Schakowsky i reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves. Mr. Upton we have no further speakers, were prepared to close if the gentlelady wants to close. Ms. Schakowsky im waiting for an additional speaker and i have a few things to say. The speaker pro tempore the gentlewoman from illinois. Ms. Schakowsky yes, i would like to continue so i want to hold up this board. This is an example that the f. D. A. Gave to businesses on how they could easily, we see all kinds of signs like this. Sometimes its the price at the end of the item and in this case it would be the calories. So it talks about a slice of pizza, now, im feeling kind of chunky today, i go into the pizza parlor and it says that for cheese pizza, for the iginal, its about 2,000 240 calories. For the thin and crispy, 150 to 190 calories, and for pan, now we love our pan pizza, our deep dish pizza in chicago but thats 260 to 300 calories. So im thinking yeah, i want pizza, but i think im going to go with the thin and crusty which is going to save me at least 110 calories. Now what do i want on top . Im looking now at all the things, the meats an the veggies that can go on top and each one of them has calories per slice listed there. Simple. Im a pretty good i can do math pretty well. And i can also compare. Do i want something that is up to 50 calories or something thats 20 calories . And i can look at this sign and make a decision for myself. This is not too cumbersome. This is something that could easily be displayed. I go to a lot of restaurants that already are in compliance and have the calories. But if im like, between the pasta and the salmon and i want to make that decision, its good for me to know. What is the real difference in calories. I want to say, i started out as an activist in the Grocery Store, i was a very, very young housewife, many years ago. 1970. When a small fwroup of women got together, called ourselves National Consumers united because we wanted to know how old our food was in the Grocery Store. Everything was code dated. You couldnt tell how old the food was. And we were actually told if we didnt like it, you could shop somewhere else. Well we started cracking the codes like detectives. Pushing the stock boys, they were all boys, against the shelf and telling us how they found to put the old stuff in front and the new stuff in the back. Finally, we were able to get one of our retailers to say, come to jewel, we sell our food has freshness dates. And people loved it. And it turned out that even over the initial opposition from the retailers that it was good for them because people appreciated that and went to their stores. And now those dates on food are ubiquitous. Customers like it. Retailers like it. And this would be yet another thing that we could do. And so you have no more, can i yield . I would like at this point to yield two minutes to the chairman of our committee, frank the Ranking Member, sorry, Ranking Member on the energy and Commerce Committee, frank pallone. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new jersey is recognized. Mr. Pallone thank you. I want to thank my colleague from illinois request for all her work on this and other good legislation. Not the bill thats on the floor today, though. I rise in strong opposition to h. R. 772. This bill would undo years of progress toward implementing menu labeling requirements and only lead to Greater Consumer and industry confusion. We included requirement in the Affordable Care act that certain restaurants and other retail Food Establishments with 20 or more locations display calorie and other nutritional information in order to give consumers access to the information they need to make healthy choices in a way that would be consistent and be easy to understand. Now g. O. P. Efforts to sabotage thee the Affordable Care act continue with this legislation today which also undermines the a. C. A. s prevention goals. Unfortunately, h. R. 772 would weaken the current menu labeling requirements and lead to extended compliance delays, putting those establishments who have begun complying at a disadvantage. While proponents of this bill claim it will increase flexibility for covered entities , in reality it would allow restaurants and other retail food establish. S to determine their own serving sizes and what would be one designated menu or menu board for the purpose of disclosing caloric information. It would also allow them to disclose information through a choice of methods instead of using a standardized format. It would also limit the civil liability of covered entities, impeding private citizens ability to take Legal Recourse should an establishment fail to comply with the menu labeling rirnltes. And as i noted when we considered a similar version of this bill last congress, i continue to believe that legislation is not the right approach to address the concerns raised by some Industry Groups regarding the menu labeling rule. The f. D. A. Has been diligently working with stake holders since the law was passed to find a workable approach that provides consumers with transparency when eating out and ensuring that covered establishments have the information they need to implement the rule. Just this last kess december they issued guidance to help answer any other questions. Could i have an adegreesal 30 seconds . Ms. Schakowsky 30 seconds. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Pallone the f. D. A. Has demonstrated it is best positioned to address specific concerns with the regulation and this new guidance is an example that f. D. A. Is taking the necessary steps to make compliance attainable. So again we have a new f. D. A. Administrator, appointed by the trump administration, and hes trying to work with industry to get this done. We wouldnt roll back the clock and undo the proguess we made. With beshed moving forward with menu labeling requirements as they currently stand and are set to go into effect later this year. H r. 772 would do the opposite. For this reason, i oppose the bill. I urge my colleagues to oppose as well. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman time has expired. The gentleman from michigan. Mr. Upton im ready to close if the gentlelady wants to go first. Ms. Schakowsky thank you, i appreciate that. I wanted to you know, your friends at jimmy jobs are not going to go to jail. In fact, just this past november, in new supplemental draft guidance, f. D. A. Explained that the agency, quote, does not intend to penalize or recommend the use of criminal penalties for minor violations, unquote. The f. D. A. Went on to explain that minor violations would include inadvertently missing a calorie declaration for a standard menu item on the buffet, Minor Discrepancies in the type, size, color, contrast of calorie declarations, minimal variations or inadvertent error that would only minimally impact the calorie designation, such as adding extra slices of pepperoni or extra doll lop of ketchup. This is not going to happen. Let me just say in close, the law that Congress Passed almost eight years ago, so the calls for more time is just ridiculous, should be allowed to go into effect. It is long past due. This is about freedom, about freedom of consumers to make and form to make informed choices. I know my friends across the aisle talk about freedom all the time. This is about freedom to make choices that will help you. Empowering consumers to make informed decisions that beb fit their health is exactly what the urrent law allows h. R. 772 would undermine that important goal. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields back. The gentleman from michigan is recognized. Mr. Upton i would like to close on our side. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. Mr. Upton i would remind my colleagues that this bill is supported by literally hundreds of national, state, and local organizations including the National Grocers association, the National Association of Convenience Store the Food Marketing institute, the american pizza community, the National Association of truck stop operators, amongst many, many others. I want to also reiterate that this bill again is bipartisan and has passed the energy and Commerce Committee 2914 in this congress and last year in the house where it passed 266144. Bottom line is this. It clarifies that establishments acting in good faith will not be penalized, particularly in a criminal way, for inadvertent human error and reasonable variations in serving sizes and increed ingredients, giving them 90 days to correct the violation before ebb forcement action is brought by the f. D. A. I would urge my colleagues to support this bill, to vote for it, and with that, mr. Speaker, i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back. All time for debate has expired this pursuant to House Resolution 725, the priest question is ordered on the bill as amended. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to amend the federal food, drug, and cosmetic act to improve and clarify certain Disclosure Requirements for restaurants and similar Food Establishments and to amend the authority to bring proceedings under section 403a. The speaker pro tempore the question is on passage of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. In the opinion of the chair the bill is passed, without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. Ms. Schakowsky i ask for a ecorded vote. The speaker pro tempore does the gentlelady request the yeas and nays . Ms. Schakowsky yes. The speaker pro tempore the yeas and nays are requested. Those favoring a vote by the yeas and nays will rise. A sufficient number having arisen, the yeas and nays are ordered. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20, further proceedings on this uestion will be postponed. Pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house