[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.

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