[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 208 (Thursday, January 3, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 3, 2019

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to have my votes recorded on the 
House floor from Wednesday, December 19 through Friday, December 21, 
2018. Had I been present, I would have supported all bills considered 
under a suspension of the rules, with the following exceptions:
   I would have voted no on S. 1934 as I feel that it is important that 
environmental standards in remote areas must be strengthened whenever 
possible to preserve natural landscapes.
   I would have voted against H.R. 7388. While I support long term 
reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program, I feel that it is 
important to avoid any lapse in the program to ensure continuity for 
homeowners and those looking to purchase a home. To that end, this bill 
would have been counterproductive by creating uncertainty about the 
NFIP by sending the extension back to the Senate at the 11th hour.
   I would also like to add a few comments on a couple bills that I 
would have supported:
   In particular, as an original cosponsor of the Codifying Useful 
Regulatory Definitions (CURD) Act, I would have voted yes on final 
passage of S. 2322. This bill would give real Wisconsin cheese makers 
the certainty they need to produce a special natural product.
   I also would have voted yes on the Space Frontier Act of 2018, 
despite serious concerns about process. Just as Ranking Member of the 
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Bernice Johnson stated 
on the floor, I support NASA's mission and thus would have supported 
this bill.
   Additionally, I would have opposed the following bills considered 
under a rule:
   I would have voted against H.R. 88. A $100 billion boondoggle, H.R. 
88 would have arbitrarily extended some important credits but not 
others, leave some communities suffering from disasters out in the cold 
and inject unnecessary social politics into our tax code. As I said on 
the floor on November 29th, the first time this bill was brought to the 
floor, I would have opposed the package.
   I would have voted against H.R. 695, as amended. Rather than 
providing pay for dedicated public servants over the holidays, 
particularly TSA agents working to protect Americans traveling to see 
loved ones over the holidays, House leadership rejected a unanimous 
agreement in the Senate to keep the government open. Instead, they 
passed a blatantly partisan package that had no chance of passage in 
the Senate and virtually ensured a government shutdown.

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