[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 185 (Friday, December 30, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1741-E1742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                     REMARKS ON THE 114TH CONGRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GRACE MENG

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 30, 2016

  Ms. MENG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the 114th 
Congress. To be honest, I feel we failed the American people at times. 
When calls were made for sensible gun reform after the Pulse nightclub 
tragedy, the majority in this body refused to listen. When the American 
people clamored for policy solutions that would mitigate the effects of 
climate change during the warmest year on record, the majority refused 
to listen. When workers demanded increased wages, seniors called for 
the protection of retirement security programs, and the poor simply 
asked to be treated with a bit more dignity in the face of assistance 
cuts, the majority failed to listen.
  Despite these disappointments, however, there were opportunities for 
good that were seized. We recently passed the ``21st Century Cures 
Act'', we shepherded through multi-year water resource development and 
surface transportation reauthorizations, we began to address the opioid 
epidemic, and we finally replaced ``No Child Left Behind''. In each of 
these instances, there were opportunities for Members to improve these 
pieces of legislation, and I feel fortunate to have had several 
opportunities to do so successfully on behalf of my constituents. Mr. 
Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to read into the Record 
some of the legislative achievements that were signed into law this 
Congress on behalf of the people of the Sixth Congressional District of 
New York:
  (1) H.R. 4238, ``To amend the Department of Energy Organization Act 
and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 
1976 to modernize terms relating to minorities'', which struck the 
outdated and offensive term ``Oriental'' from the U.S. Code in each 
place it appeared referring to a person.
  (2) Section 111 of H.R. 3700, the ``Housing Opportunity Through 
Modernization Act of 2016'', which requires the U.S. Department of 
Housing and Urban Development to publish model guidelines for minimum 
heating requirements for public housing units. This effort originated 
in response to reports of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) 
residents receiving inadequate unit heating when outside temperatures 
were well below freezing.
  (3) Section 5511 of H.R. 22, the ``Fixing America's Surface 
Transportation Act'', which requires a national review of existing 
federal and state rules covering the transportation of elementary and 
secondary school children on school buses, and mandates the creation of 
best practices for ensuring safe and reliable school bus 
transportation.
  (4) Section 6025 of H.R. 22, the ``Fixing America's Surface 
Transportation Act'', which requires the U.S. Government and 
Accountability Office to publish a report detailing the organizational 
readiness of the U.S. Department of Transportation to address 
autonomous vehicle technology challenges, including consumer privacy 
protections. This provision mirrors H.R. 3876, the ``Autonomous Vehicle 
Privacy Protection Act of 2015'', which was the first federal 
legislation ever introduced dealing solely with autonomous (driverless) 
vehicle concerns.
  (5) Section 24407 of H.R. 22, the ``Fixing America's Surface 
Transportation Act'', which requires improved data collection and 
reporting of child car seat performance during vehicle crashes, and a 
national study to be published on the topic within three years.
  (6) Section 565 of S. 2943, the ``National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2017'', which reauthorized the Yellow Ribbon 
Reintegration Program, an expiring suicide prevention and resilience 
program for members of the National Guard, Reserves, and their 
families.
  (7) Section 1291(a) of S. 2943, the ``National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2017'', which authorizes the Secretary of Defense 
and the Secretary of State to enter into water resource agreements with 
foreign governments. Pursuant to this provision, the United States will 
be permitted to partner with nations such as Israel to research and 
develop initiatives that will ensure access to water for U.S. troops 
stationed in regions of the world that experience water scarcity, such 
as the Middle East.
  (8) Section 5301(a) [Sec. 856. Art. 56. (b)(2)(F)] of S. 2943, the 
``National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017'', which 
makes conspiracy to commit rape or sexual assault an offense that 
requires dismissal or dishonorable discharge under the Uniform Code of 
Military Justice.
  (9) Section 1814(a) of S. 2943, the ``National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2017'', which requires the Small Business 
Administration (SBA) to provide annual training to the Defense 
Acquisition University, the Federal Acquisition Institute, and other 
federal entities regarding regulations altered by the SBA during the 
prior year that affect federal acquisition procedures. This provision 
of law mirrors H.R. 4337, the ``Education for Contracting Personnel 
Improvement Act of 2016''.
  (10) Section 1150 of S. 612, the ``Water Infrastructure Improvements 
for the Nation Act'', which authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to 
pursue projects and technologies that prevent and mitigate flood damage 
associated with ice jams.
  (11) Section 704(a) of S. 1635, the ``Department of State Authorities 
Act, Fiscal Year 2017'', which strengthens the Department of State's 
Rewards for Justice Program by authorizing the Secretary of State to 
pay rewards to individuals who provide information about persons aiding 
or abetting war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and other 
criminal acts.
  (12) Page 43 of House Report 114-497--``Female providers.'' 
(Incorporated by reference into the Joint Explanatory Statement 
accompanying H.R. 5325, the ``Continuing Appropriations and Military 
Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations 
Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness Act''). This provision 
urges the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ``to seek to hire more 
female health care professionals in order to provide female veterans 
greater opportunities to choose the gender of their healthcare 
provider.''
  (13) Page 46 of House Report 114-497--``Medical opinions from non-VA 
health care providers.'' (Incorporated by reference into the Joint 
Explanatory Statement accompanying H.R. 5325, the ``Continuing 
Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika Response and Preparedness 
Act''). This provision encourages the U.S. Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA) ``to accept medical opinions from non-VA health care 
providers when the evidence is sufficient for rating purposes'' in 
order to ``conserve VA's resources, enable faster rating decisions, and 
reduce the number of appeals.''
  (14) Page 54 of House Report 114-497--``Placement of emblems of 
belief on headstones of unclaimed, deceased veterans.'' (Incorporated 
by reference into the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying H.R. 
5325, the ``Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, 
Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and 
Zika Response and Preparedness Act''). This provision encourages the VA 
``to permit the placement of emblems of belief on headstones of 
unclaimed, deceased veterans if reliable . . . documentation of the 
veteran's beliefs can be produced (such as through dog tags or other 
military identification documents).'' This provision will make it 
possible for the Queens County American Legion to bury veterans who die 
without any living family in a manner consistent with the burial of 
other veterans.
  (15) Page 56 of House Report 114-497--``Asian American representation 
on the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans.'' (Incorporated by 
reference into the Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying H.R. 5325, 
the ``Continuing Appropriations and Military Construction, Veterans 
Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017, and Zika 
Response and Preparedness Act''). This provision encourages the VA ``to 
consider appointing, in keeping with the demographic make-up of 
America's veteran community, an additional Asian American to the 
Advisory Committee [on Minority Veterans] in the coming year.'' This 
provision led to the appointment of Flushing, New York resident Fang 
Wong to the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans in August of 2016.
  Additionally, Mr. Speaker, I would also like for my constituents to 
know that the following legislative items were passed through the U.S. 
House of Representatives in their name, and that I am committed to 
ensuring each of these items are signed into law during the 115th 
Congress:

[[Page E1742]]

  (1) H.R. 2669, the ``Anti-Spoofing Act of 2016'', which would make it 
illegal for scam artists to purposefully disguise telephone numbers 
displayed on caller ID, or over texts, in order to lure unsuspecting 
victims into answering the phone. This bill would significantly deter 
the rise in fraud being perpetrated by individuals claiming to 
represent a government agency, bank, hospital, or credit card company 
who then demand unwarranted payments over the phone.
  (2) H.R. 4570, the ``100 Years of Women in Congress Act'', which 
seeks to rename the Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Program at the 
U.S. Department of Agriculture the ``Jeannette Rankin Women and 
Minorities in STEM Fields Program'' in honor of the 100 year 
anniversary of the election of the first woman to Congress--Jeannette 
Rankin.
  (3) Section 2(5) of H.R. 6303, ``To designate facilities of the 
United States Postal Service, to establish new Zip Codes, and for other 
purposes,'' which would designate a single, unique ZIP Code for 
Glendale, New York. This section stems from H.R. 657, ``To direct the 
United States Postal Service to designate a single, unique ZIP Code for 
Glendale, New York'', an effort whose origins begin with former-
Representative, and Vice Presidential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro 
almost 40 years ago.
  (4) Amendment No. 63 to H.R. 5293, the ``Department of Defense 
Appropriations Act, 2017'', which would increase funding for the Peer-
Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) by $8 million. These 
additional funds would be used to combat bladder, brain, colorectal, 
liver, pancreatic and stomach cancers, as well as lymphoma, melanoma 
and other skin cancers, mesothelioma, and cancer in children, 
adolescents and young adults. Unfortunately, the federal government 
will instead be funded pursuant to a continuing resolution through the 
New Year.
  (5) Amendment No. 117 to H.R. 5538, the ``Department of the Interior, 
Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017'', which 
would increase funding for the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American 
Center (APAC) by $300,000, tripling APAC's federal funding. 
Unfortunately, again, the federal government will instead be funded 
pursuant to a continuing resolution through the New Year.
  (6)Amendment No. 66 to H.R. 5485, the ``Financial Services and 
General Government Appropriations Act, 2017'', which would increase 
funding for Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) by $5 million 
for a total funding amount of $130 million, an amount sufficient to 
place a new SBDC assistance center in New York's Sixth Congressional 
District. Again, unfortunately, the federal government will instead be 
funded pursuant to a continuing resolution through the New Year.
  (7) Section 1259R of H.R. 4909, the ``National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2017'', which would renew for three years an 
expiring Iranian sanction that requires monitoring and tracking of 
certain ships and airlines traveling to and from Iran.
  (8) Section 568 of H.R. 4909, the ``National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2017'', which would require an independent U.S. 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on the admissions 
practices and gender composition of each U.S. service academy in order 
to ensure adequate female and minority representation (which would ten 
directly translate into a more diverse officer corps in the U.S. 
military).
  (9) Amendment No. 6 to H.R. 2406, the ``Sportsmen's Heritage and 
Recreational Enhancement Act'', which would permit U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service Law Enforcement Officers to be placed in U.S. 
diplomatic and consular posts in African nations in order to assist 
local wildlife rangers in the protection of elephants.
  (10) Section 597 of H.R. 1735, the ``National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2016'', which would require directors of 
underperforming VA regional offices to explain why their regional 
office did not meet minimum national standards for claims processing 
and accuracy in a given year, describe what additional resources would 
be needed to meet such standards in the following year, and describe 
what new actions they will implement in response to their poor 
performance.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with you on behalf of the 
American people in the coming Congress.