[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 84 (Thursday, May 26, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H3286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1145
                            ZIKA VECTOR ACT

  (Mr. ALLEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ALLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend my colleagues for 
passing H.R. 897, the Zika Vector Act.
  This legislation works to remove duplicative and costly permitting 
requirements that create barriers to fighting the Zika virus, barriers 
put in place by one of America's most political agencies, the EPA. It 
is another classic example of the Federal Government finding problems 
in every solution.
  Now is not the time to nit-pick policies for politically charged 
reasons. The Zika virus is a public health emergency that deserves our 
immediate attention.
  This is close to home for me. My youngest daughter is in her first 
trimester with her third child. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach 
to deal with Zika. We cannot let it get caught up in Washington 
politics.
  With the summer months approaching rapidly, we need to harness our 
resources and wipe out this virus. I would hope that we can all agree 
that the Federal Government should not be making it harder for people 
to kill mosquitoes, which could be carrying Zika, with pesticides.
  I strongly support this legislation, and I encourage the 
administration to change their position on this legislation. The 
public's health deserves it.

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