[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2649-H2650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING NATIONAL AGRICULTURE WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from

[[Page H2650]]

Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, during 
National Agriculture Week, to celebrate American farmers and farm 
families.
  This nationwide effort recognizes and celebrates the abundance 
provided by American agriculture. It also reminds citizens that 
agriculture is a part of all of us and plays a critical economic and 
food security role.
  Thursday is National Ag Day, which began in 1973 as a way to increase 
public awareness of agriculture's role in society. National Ag Day 
encourages every American to understand how food and fiber products are 
produced; appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, 
abundant, and affordable products; value the essential role of 
agriculture in maintaining a strong economy; and acknowledge and 
consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food, and fiber 
industries.
  In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we are fortunate to have more 
than 58,000 farmers. These men and women are the lifeline of the 
Commonwealth, as agriculture is our number one industry.
  Our farmers produce a safe and abundant food supply, including our 
dairy farmers, who produce the milk that is stocked in the cases of our 
supermarkets and in lunchrooms across America.
  My bill, the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, would further expand 
milk choices in our schools. It would allow for whole milk, both 
flavored and unflavored, to be offered in school cafeterias.
  Mr. Speaker, milk was once a staple in the diets of our students, but 
consumption in schools has dramatically decreased since the Healthy, 
Hunger-Free Act of 2010--which demonized milk fat, which is where 
nutrition and flavor is--was implemented.
  Milk is the number one source of nine essential nutrients in the 
diets of many young Americans. We can provide the foundation for a 
solid, healthy lunch in our schools that also tastes great and students 
will want to drink.
  When students don't consume milk, they are not getting nutrients such 
as calcium, potassium, and vitamin D.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids 
Act, and National Agriculture Week is the perfect time to sign on to 
this important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, we know that farmers feed; nutrition matters; and 
agriculture plays a critical role in modern society. I would like to 
thank all Americans who work tirelessly in the ag sector. On behalf of 
a grateful Nation, we thank you.


                    Cybersecurity Skills Integration

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 1592, the Cybersecurity Skills Integration Act.
  As co-chair of the House Career and Technical Education Caucus, I am 
proud that we continue to provide the resources necessary to have a 
dominant and prosperous workforce. For instance, this past July, we 
authorized the Carl D. Perkins Act to advance career and technical 
education.
  We must continue developing a 21st century workforce to meet the 
technical demands our country is facing now and into the future. That 
is why, together with my friend, Congressman  Jim Langevin, we have 
introduced a bill to help protect our sensitive data and critical 
infrastructure from bad actors.
  Our legislation directs the Department of Education to create a 
comprehensive grant program that integrates cybersecurity education 
into new and established postsecondary CTE programs.
  With more than 16 critical infrastructure sectors in our country, we 
must prepare our next generation of learners to have the most 
sophisticated and comprehensive educational programs to protect our 
Nation's most dire assets, systems, and networks.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank Mr. Langevin 
for his work and leadership on this issue.

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