[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 5, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1034-E1035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SUZANNE BONAMICI

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 5, 2016

  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes on Tuesday, 
June 21, 2016 because my flight from Oregon was delayed because of 
inclement weather. Had I been present, I would have supported passage 
of H.R. 5389, Leveraging Emerging Technologies Act, and H.R. 5388, 
Support for Rapid Innovation Act, and I would have opposed H.R. 5525, 
End Taxpayer Funded Cell Phones Act.
  The Leveraging Emerging Technologies Act and the Support for Rapid 
Innovation Act are commonsense bills that will make it easier for the 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify threats to 
cybersecurity and develop strategies to partner with industry to combat 
these cyber threats. Cybercrime is--and will continue to be--a serious 
threat to families, the United States economy, and our national 
security. I am proud to support two bills that will provide more tools 
for DHS to use when combating cybercrime.

[[Page E1035]]

  I would have opposed the End Taxpayer Funded Cell Phone Act, a 
shortsighted bill that seeks to eliminate access to affordable cell 
phones and broadband for low-income individuals and families. Currently 
the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Lifeline program provides 
subsidies for low-income families to obtain landline or wireless cell 
phones. This service is critical for people looking for jobs, children 
working on homework after school, and families scattered across the 
country who need to stay in touch. Under the End Taxpayer Funded Cell 
Phone Act, the Lifeline subsidy would only be available for landline 
phones. In our increasingly mobile economy, it is neither practical nor 
fair to force people to rely only on a landline phone. This bill would 
do nothing to level the playing field for those who need it most, and 
it would impede families who are trying to make ends meet and 
struggling to get ahead.

                          ____________________