[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 72 (Thursday, May 2, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2616-S2619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. CORNYN:
S. 1303. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to
address the protective custody of alien children accompanied by
parents, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, during the last break in our schedule here
in Congress in Washington, I spent 2 weeks traveling across my State--
as all of us, no doubt, did--and listening and talking to my
constituents about what is on their minds, what they think we ought to
be doing, and what our priorities should be.
In one city, I spoke with students and teachers about the need to
improve college and career readiness for historically underrepresented
populations and how a piece of legislation that we have introduced with
colleagues called the GEAR UP for Success Act would better serve those
students.
It was a little bit of a revelation for me, having come from a family
where my parents expected me to go to college, and they themselves went
to college, that if other children are growing up and don't have that
experience--many times, their parents are not prepared to help counsel
them on which courses they ought to begin to take as early as seventh
grade in order to be prepared with the prerequisites to advance up the
educational ladder and be ready for college, to get into the college of
their choice. So that was an important piece of legislation. Certainly,
working together with colleagues here, I hope we can reauthorize and
fund those grants so that more of our young people can get the
advantage that comes from that sort of counseling and tutoring and
help.
I also spent a little time at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, TX, to
talk about military readiness and the importance of the new strategic
bomber--the B-21--mission that is coming to Texas and to the U.S. Air
Force.
I also had a chance to talk to some of my educators and other
advocates about the Jenna Quinn Law, which is designed to help give
caregivers and teachers training so that they can actually recognize
and report signs of child sexual abuse in the children for whom they
are responsible.
It has been interesting to me because it actually follows on
legislation that passed and has been successful in Texas to train
teachers and caregivers on the signs of child sexual abuse so that they
can help get those children the help they need, sometimes by asking
questions they would never ask if they had not been trained to
recognize those signs.
Jenna Quinn herself was an example--this bill is named for her--of
somebody who was asked by her sister: Jenna, has somebody hurt you? And
that opened up the story and, fortunately, a prosecution and began the
path to healing from that trauma.
It is great to be able to talk about a number of topics as we all
return home, and you can imagine, coming from Texas, with 1,200 miles
of common border with Mexico, one of the things we talked about is the
humanitarian crisis along the southwestern border.
Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector encountered
several large groups of people trying to enter the United States last
week. This is just in 1 week. On Thursday, agents near La Joya
responded to a report of a large group of migrants and found more than
220 people in that one group, mostly families and unaccompanied
children from Central America. The very next day, they came across two
additional large groups, one with 145 people and another with nearly
300. On Sunday, they apprehended a group of 170. That brings the total
to more than 800 people from just 4 groups in 1 week.
These numbers represent a surge in the volume of people we see coming
across the border historically. In fact, now almost all of them come
from someplace other than Mexico. There is actually no new net
migration from Mexico. But we see people being recruited and paying for
the services of human smugglers to come from Central America and
actually many other countries around the world where people realize
that if they can get access to Central America and they can pay the
fees to the human smugglers, they can make their way into the United
States.
That is why even President Obama said in 2014 that this is a
humanitarian and security crisis. In fact, the statement that President
Obama made in June of 2014 when he said that came on the heels of 2
months of record-high apprehensions of unaccompanied children. Between
May and June of 2014, more than 135,000 people were apprehended at the
southern border. Those numbers were absolutely mind-boggling to us at
the time, but those figures pale in comparison to the level of
apprehensions we are seeing today.
In February and March of this year--again, a 2-month period--more
than 180,000 people were apprehended at the southwestern border. So in
2014 when President Obama called it a humanitarian and security crisis,
it was 135,000. Today, in February and March, it was 180,000. That is
more than a 33-percent increase from the humanitarian crisis President
Obama referred to in 2014. So if it was a crisis then, it has now
turned into a full system failure, and all lights are blinking red.
Detention centers are at over capacity. The already understaffed
Border Patrol is struggling to meet their needs. Officers and agents
are pulling double duty, as law enforcement officials have become
caregivers for children. Customs agents are being pulled off their duty
to process migrants. NGOs--the nongovernmental organizations--and
community organizations that usually help the migrants process the
system are unable to keep pace. Cities and counties across the border
are bearing the brunt of this massive wave of humanity.
But if you think the situation is bad now, and it is, it will only
continue to get worse because we typically see higher apprehension
rates in April and May than we do in February and
[[Page S2617]]
March. These rapidly depleting resources are being overwhelmed, as I
said, and cannot keep pace.
We need to address the root of the problem, and we need to do it
soon. Only Congress can pass the legislation that is needed in order to
come to grips with this crisis. It is time for us to pass legislation
that will provide our frontline officers and agents with the resources
they need in terms of staffing, authorities, and infrastructure.
It is also important for us to plug some of the holes that are being
exploited by the human smugglers and others that allow them to
successfully place migrants into the United States 97 percent of the
time as long as they are an unaccompanied minor or come with a family.
Fortunately, I found a partner and ally from the House body who
happens to be a Democrat by the name of Henry Cuellar, who is willing
to work with me on this issue. He has been my ally on a number of
efforts to bring commonsense reform, when it comes to border security
or trade, to Texas. We don't always agree, but we can agree on a number
of things, and those are the things on which we like to work together.
Earlier today, Henry Cuellar and I introduced the HUMANE Act, which
will make important and long-overdue reforms to our immigration system,
and it includes commonsense provisions that Republicans and Democrats
can and should agree on.
First, it closes a major loophole that is often exploited by the
human smugglers when they bring families into the United States across
the border illegally. This is called generically the Flores Settlement
Agreement. That name comes from a 1997 agreement that determined that
the Department of Homeland Security can only detain unaccompanied
children for 20 days before releasing them to the Department of Health
and Human Services.
While this was unquestionably well-intentioned at the beginning, it
has morphed into a much bigger problem because in 2016, the Ninth
Circuit Court of Appeals expanded the Flores holding, effectively
applying the settlement not just to unaccompanied children but also to
families and turning it into a pull factor for illegal immigrants
hoping to game the system.
I am grateful for the support of my friend and ally Congressman
Cuellar because we recognize that rather than single adults arriving at
the border alone, many people are now bringing children with them so
they can pose as a family. They realize they can bring a child--
anybody's child--and pose as a family unit so they can be released
after 20 days. Children are literally being kidnapped to serve as a
free ticket into the United States. Sadly, many are abused along the
way, and many arrive at our border in very ill health. We simply cannot
stand by and do nothing and let this continue to occur.
I know today I read in one of our newspapers that the San Antonio
Chamber of Commerce said that because Customs agents are being
redeployed to deal with children and families, handing out juice boxes
and diapers, that there has been a huge slowdown in cross-border
commerce and trade. Because of the unique nature of the supply chains
that apply to manufacturing both in Mexico and the United States, they
estimate that as much as $800 million a day is being lost because now
our infrastructure and our staffing at our borders are being
overwhelmed.
So the HUMANE Act would clarify that the Flores Settlement Agreement
only applies to unaccompanied children and not to families, and it
would provide greater time for processing and immigration proceedings
to take place before the families are released from custody.
Secondly, this legislation would require that all unaccompanied
children are processed the same, regardless of the country of their
origin, because under current law, children from Mexico and Canada can
be promptly returned home if they don't have a legitimate claim, but
processes for other countries move much more slowly, if at all. Put
simply, we should make every effort to safely return these children to
their home countries as quickly as possible if they don't qualify for
an immigration benefit, just as we do now for those from Mexico and
Canada.
It would also require all children to undergo biometric and DNA
screening to establish family relationships and ensure that they are,
in fact, traveling with relatives rather than human smugglers.
To better protect children who are released to Health and Human
Services, this bill would place prohibitions on certain individuals who
could be serving as guardians. For example, no child should be released
to the custody of a sex offender or a human trafficker.
Third, the HUMANE Act would enable family units to stay together--
something, I would think, that all of us should agree on--and
streamline the process for those in custody.
Consistent with the recommendations from the bipartisan DHS Homeland
Security Advisory Council, the bill would require DHS to establish at
least four regional processing centers along the southern border to
house and process families. This would literally serve as a one-stop
shop, with DHS personnel from Customs and Border Protection, ICE,
USCIS, and FEMA assisting migrants and working to process their claims.
Under this legislation, asylum officers and immigration judges would
be forward-deployed to adjudicate claims and expedite the entire
process, which we hope would begin to ease the burden on our current
debilitating immigration court backlog.
In addition to those changes, the legislation also includes
provisions to make commonsense improvements, like additional Customs
and Border Patrol personnel, and training for our CBP and ICE employees
who work with children.
While we know this will not fix all of the problems that exist in our
immigration system, we believe it is an important start to change the
calculation when it comes to people who say: I know I don't qualify for
asylum, but I am going to try anyway, and I am going to pay a human
smuggler $5,000, $6,000, $7,000, or $8,000 to try to get me from my
home in Central America into the United States because right now, 97
percent of the time, it works.
This is also a huge bonanza to these cartels that are commodity
agnostic. They trade in drugs. They traffic children, women, and, yes,
they move migrants across the border for money. This will put a big
dent in their profits, as we should want to do.
It will also send a message to those who do not have valid claims:
Don't even try.
So it will have a deterrent value, which I think will begin to help
us control the huge surge of humanity coming across now, which were, as
I said, 76,000 in February and 103,000 in March. We are going to see
those numbers continue to go up and up and up, further overwhelming our
capacity to deal with this humanitarian crisis unless we do something,
like this legislation that Congressman Cuellar and I have introduced.
I am grateful for the support and cooperation of my friend and
colleague from the House. I am sure there are people in his party who
will say he has done too much, just as there are people in my party who
will say we haven't done enough. But around here, you have to start
somewhere, and where you start is where you can find common cause and
agreement and begin to build consensus to solve problems.
Hopefully, if we are successful in passing this legislation, this
will not only address this humanitarian crisis, but it will maybe
establish a downpayment of goodwill and demonstrate our ability to
solve some of our other problems here in the Congress, particularly
those that relate to our broken immigration system.
I hope we will soon have the opportunity to consider this text in the
Judiciary Committee--I talked to Chairman Graham, who seemed willing to
do that--and bring more members into the debate so we can provide
relief for those struggling to manage the crisis.
______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Duckworth, Mr.
Blumenthal, Mr. Casey, Mr. Peters, Ms. Klobuchar, and Mr.
Coons):
S. 1315. A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to award
grants to establish, or expand upon, master's degree programs in
orthotics and prosthetics, and for other purposes; to the Committee on
Veterans' Affairs.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
[[Page S2618]]
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1315
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wounded Warrior Workforce
Enhancement Act''.
SEC. 2. ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT.
(a) Grants Required.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
award grants to eligible institutions to enable the eligible
institutions--
(A) to establish a master's degree program in orthotics and
prosthetics; or
(B) to expand upon an existing master's degree program in
orthotics and prosthetics, including by admitting more
students, further training faculty, expanding facilities, or
increasing cooperation with the Department of Veterans
Affairs and the Department of Defense.
(2) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority in the
award of grants under this section to eligible institutions
that have entered into a partnership with a medical center or
clinic administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or
a facility administered by the Department of Defense,
including by providing clinical rotations at such medical
center, clinic, or facility.
(3) Grant amounts.--Grants awarded under this section shall
be in amounts of not less than $1,000,000 and not more than
$1,500,000.
(b) Requests for Proposals.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than
annually thereafter for two years, the Secretary shall issue
a request for proposals from eligible institutions for grants
under this section.
(2) Proposals.--An eligible institution that seeks the
award of a grant under this section shall submit an
application therefor to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary
may require, including--
(A) demonstration of a willingness and ability to
participate in a partnership described in subsection (a)(2);
and
(B) a commitment, and demonstration of an ability, to
maintain an accredited orthotics and prosthetics education
program after the end of the grant period.
(c) Grant Uses.--
(1) In general.--An eligible institution awarded a grant
under this section shall use grant amounts to carry out any
of the following:
(A) Building new or expanding existing orthotics and
prosthetics master's degree programs.
(B) Training doctoral candidates in fields related to
orthotics and prosthetics to prepare them to instruct in
orthotics and prosthetics programs.
(C) Training faculty in orthotics and prosthetics education
or related fields for the purpose of instruction in orthotics
and prosthetics programs.
(D) Salary supplementation for faculty in orthotics and
prosthetics education.
(E) Financial aid that allows eligible institutions to
admit additional students to study orthotics and prosthetics.
(F) Funding faculty research projects or faculty time to
undertake research in the areas of orthotics and prosthetics
for the purpose of furthering their teaching abilities.
(G) Renovation of buildings or minor construction to house
orthotics and prosthetics education programs.
(H) Purchasing equipment for orthotics and prosthetics
education.
(2) Limitation on construction.--An eligible institution
awarded a grant under this section may use not more than 50
percent of the grant amount to carry out paragraph (1)(G).
(3) Admissions preference.--An eligible institution awarded
a grant under this section shall give preference in admission
to the orthotics and prosthetics master's degree programs to
veterans, to the extent practicable.
(4) Period of use of funds.--An eligible institution
awarded a grant under this section may use the grant amount
for a period of three years after the award of the grant.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``eligible institution'' means an educational
institution that offers an orthotics and prosthetics
education program that--
(A) is accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic
and Prosthetic Education in cooperation with the Commission
on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs; or
(B) demonstrates an ability to meet the accreditation
requirements for orthotic and prosthetic education from the
National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education in
cooperation with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied
Health Education Programs if the institution receives a grant
under this section.
(2) The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given that term in
section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated for
fiscal year 2020 for the Department of Veterans Affairs,
$15,000,000 to carry out this section. The amount so
authorized to be appropriated shall remain available for
obligation until September 30, 2022.
(2) Unobligated amounts to be returned to the treasury.--
Any amounts authorized to be appropriated by paragraph (1)
that are not obligated by the Secretary as of September 30,
2022, shall be returned to the Treasury of the United States.
SEC. 3. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE IN ORTHOTIC AND PROSTHETIC
EDUCATION.
(a) Grant for Establishment of Center.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
award a grant to an eligible institution to enable the
eligible institution--
(A) to establish the Center of Excellence in Orthotic and
Prosthetic Education (in this section referred to as the
``Center''); and
(B) to enable the eligible institution to improve orthotic
and prosthetic outcomes for veterans, members of the Armed
Forces, and civilians by conducting evidence-based research
on--
(i) the knowledge, skills, and training most needed by
clinical professionals in the field of orthotics and
prosthetics; and
(ii) how to most effectively prepare clinical professionals
to provide effective, high-quality orthotic and prosthetic
care.
(2) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority in the
award of a grant under this section to an eligible
institution that has in force, or demonstrates the
willingness and ability to enter into, a memoranda of
understanding with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the
Department of Defense, or other appropriate Federal agency,
or a cooperative agreement with an appropriate private sector
entity, which memorandum of understanding or cooperative
agreement provides for either, or both, of the following:
(A) The provision of resources, whether in cash or in-kind,
to the Center.
(B) Assistance to the Center in conducting research and
disseminating the results of such research.
(3) Grant amount.--The grant awarded under this section
shall be in the amount of $5,000,000.
(b) Requests for Proposals.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a
request for proposals from eligible institutions for the
grant under this section.
(2) Proposals.--An eligible institution that seeks the
award of the grant under this section shall submit an
application therefor to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary
may require.
(c) Grant Uses.--
(1) In general.--The eligible institution awarded the grant
under this section shall use the grant amount as follows:
(A) To develop an agenda for orthotics and prosthetics
education research.
(B) To fund research in the area of orthotics and
prosthetics education.
(C) To publish or otherwise disseminate research findings
relating to orthotics and prosthetics education.
(2) Period of use of funds.--The eligible institution
awarded the grant under this section may use the grant amount
for a period of five years after the award of the grant.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``eligible institution'' means an educational
institution that--
(A) has a robust research program;
(B) offers an orthotics and prosthetics education program
that is accredited by the National Commission on Orthotic and
Prosthetic Education in cooperation with the Commission on
Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs;
(C) is well recognized in the field of orthotics and
prosthetics education; and
(D) has an established association with--
(i) a medical center or clinic of the Department of
Veterans Affairs; and
(ii) a local rehabilitation hospital.
(2) The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given that term in
section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated for fiscal year 2020 for the Department of
Veterans Affairs, $5,000,000 to carry out this section.
______
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Murphy):
S. 1316. A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to award grants
to fund research on orthotics and prosthetics, and for other purposes;
to the Committee on Armed Services.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1316
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wounded Warrior Research
Enhancement Act''.
SEC. 2. ORTHOTIC AND PROSTHETIC RESEARCH.
(a) Purpose.--The purpose of the grants described in this
section is to advance orthotic and prosthetic clinical care
for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and civilians who
have undergone amputation, traumatic brain injury, and other
serious
[[Page S2619]]
physical injury as a result of combat or military experience.
(b) Grants for Research on Patient Outcomes.--The Secretary
of Defense shall award grants to persons to carry out
research on the following:
(1) The actions that can be taken to prevent amputation of
limbs.
(2) The point in the course of patient treatment during
which orthotic and prosthetic intervention is most effective.
(3) The orthotic interventions that are most effective in
treating the physical effects of traumatic brain injury.
(4) The patients that benefit most from particular orthotic
and prosthetic technologies.
(5) The orthotic and prosthetic services that best
facilitate the return to active duty of members of the Armed
Forces.
(6) The effect of the aging process on the use of
prosthetics, including--
(A) increased skin breakdown;
(B) loss of balance;
(C) falls; and
(D) other issues that arise during the aging process.
(c) Grants on Materials Research.--The Secretary shall
award grants to persons to carry out research on the
following:
(1) The improvement of existing materials used in orthotics
and prosthetics for the purpose of improving quality of life
and health outcomes for individuals with limb loss.
(2) The development of new materials used in orthotics and
prosthetics for the purpose of improving quality of life and
health outcomes for individuals with limb loss.
(d) Grants on Technology Research.--The Secretary shall
award grants to persons to carry out research on the
following:
(1) The improvement of existing orthotic and prosthetic
technology and devices for the purpose of improving quality
of life and health outcomes for individuals with limb loss.
(2) The development of new orthotic and prosthetic
technology and devices for the purpose of improving quality
of life and health outcomes for individuals with limb loss.
(e) Request for Proposals.--A person seeking the award of a
grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an
application therefor in the form and accompanied by such
information as the Secretary shall require.
(f) Award Requirements.--
(1) Peer-reviewed proposals.--Grants under this section may
be awarded only for research that is peer-reviewed.
(2) Competitive procedures.--Grants under this section
shall be awarded through competitive procedures.
(g) Grant Use.--A person awarded a grant under subsection
(b), (c), or (d) shall use the grant amount to carry out the
research described in the applicable subsection.
(h) Reports.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than annually
thereafter, the Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation
with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, veterans, community-
based clinicians, and expert researchers in the field of
orthotics and prosthetics, submit to Congress a report
setting forth the following:
(1) An agenda for orthotic and prosthetic research that
identifies and prioritizes the most significant unanswered
orthotic and prosthetic research questions pertinent to the
provision of evidence-based clinical care to members of the
Armed Forces, veterans, and civilians.
(2) For each report after the initial report under this
subsection--
(A) a summary of how the grants awarded under subsection
(b) are addressing the most significant orthotic and
prosthetic needs; and
(B) the progress made towards resolving orthotic and
prosthetic challenges facing members of the Armed Forces and
veterans.
(i) Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term ``veteran''
has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 38,
United States Code.
(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated for fiscal year 2020 for the Department of
Defense for the Defense Health Program, $30,000,000 to carry
out this section.
______
By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Ms. Harris, Mr. Wyden, Mr.
Merkley, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Booker,
Mr. Sanders, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Markey, Mrs. Gillibrand, and
Mr. Peters):
S. 1318. A bill to amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to
permanently prohibit the conduct of offshore drilling on the outer
Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington;
to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce the ``West
Coast Ocean Protection Act.''
This bill would amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to
permanently block new leases for offshore oil or gas in federal waters
off the coast of California, Oregon or Washington.
I'm pleased to be joined today by Senators Harris, Wyden, Merkley,
Cantwell, Murray, Menendez, Booker, Sanders, Whitehouse, Markey,
Gillibrand, Peters in sponsoring this bill, which has been introduced
in every Congress since the Deepwater Horizon disaster in April 2010.
11 people were killed and 17 others injured when the Deepwater
Horizon well blew out. Oil and gas spewed into the Gulf of Mexico for
87 days.
Oil slicks covered the Gulf. Tar balls and toxic sludge covered
beaches and wetlands. More than one-third of Federal waters in the Gulf
were closed to fishing.
The impacts of the Deepwater Horizon disaster continue to affect
birds and marine life, and marine biologists are still learning about
the long-term effects, demonstrating the risks of offshore oil and gas
extraction. Californians know all too well the dangers posed by
offshore drilling. Before Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez, there was
the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara.
A well blowout on an offshore rig spilled more than 3 million gallons
of crude oil according to some estimates--the worst spill in U.S.
history at the time.
The spill closed local beaches--which were covered by a thick layer
of oil--and thousands of marine mammals and birds were killed. Tourists
were turned away and commercial fishing operations were halted, hurting
the local economy.
After the Santa Barbara spill, California had enough. The State
blocked all new offshore drilling in state waters--which extend three
miles from the shore--and in 1994 enacted a permanent offshore drilling
ban.
Through local ordinances, congressional opposition, and presidential
moratoria, all new drilling in federal waters off California has been
blocked since 1984. Today, opposition to offshore drilling is higher
than ever. Recent polling has found that nearly 70 percent of
Californians oppose new drilling off our coast.
Yet, on January 8, 2018, the Trump administration proposed to allow
drilling in nearly all Federal waters, including in all three regions
off the California coast. The leases are proposed to begin in 2020 and
would lead to the first new drilling operations in these areas in more
than 35 years. Sixty-eight cities and counties representing a majority
of California's population have voiced their strong opposition to
President Trump's misguided plan.
In an addition, California's Governor, Senate, Assembly, Attorney
General, Coastal Commission, Fish and Game Commission, and State Lands
Commission have shared their opposition to the administration's
drilling plan. Fortunately, the Administration has already suggested
that its plans for offshore drilling have been delayed as they
determine how to respond to legal setbacks. The plans are flawed, and
should be withdrawn altogether.
Those of us on the Pacific Coast do not want any further offshore oil
and gas development.
It is long past time to respect the substantial local opposition by
passing the ``West Coast Ocean Protection Act'' to permanently ban
offshore drilling and protect our coast for generations to come. I
yield the floor.
____________________