[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 26 (Friday, February 7, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H941-H962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DISASTER RELIEF AND PUERTO
RICO DISASTER TAX RELIEF ACT, 2020
General Leave
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on H.R. 5687.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Vargas). Is there objection to the
request of the gentlewoman from New York?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 833 and rule
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 5687.
The Chair appoints the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor) to
preside over the Committee of the Whole.
{time} 0917
In the Committee of the Whole
Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill
(H.R. 5687) making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes, with Ms. Castor
of Florida in the chair.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the
first time.
General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed 1
hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Appropriations.
The gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey) and the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Granger) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
In recent weeks, thousands of families in Puerto Rico were forced
from their homes, schools were flattened, roads and infrastructure were
severely damaged as earthquakes racked an island still struggling to
recover from the devastation of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
While President Trump has finally released some of the aid that
Congress appropriated for those hurricanes, more support is clearly
needed. We must act now on our shared responsibility to assist
Americans in need.
This emergency supplemental would provide $4.67 billion in targeted
assistance to help families and communities recover from these
devastating earthquakes and put Puerto Rico on a better path to long-
term recovery.
It includes: $3.26 billion in Community Development Block Grant
Disaster Recovery funds;
$1.25 billion for repairs to damaged road systems;
$100 million to restart school operations;
$40 million for disaster nutrition assistance in Puerto Rico; and
More than $20 million to help address the island's energy needs.
In addition, this bill would provide Puerto Rico with flexibility to
use this funding in conjunction with earlier disaster relief resources.
Critically, it also takes swift action against the Trump
administration's outrageous withholding of vital aid to Puerto Rico.
This bill would require detailed spending plans and mandate that
funding be released in a timely manner.
Finally, the bill carries a number of tax-related provisions in the
jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means that will complement
the emergency appropriations and support working families and encourage
economic growth.
Madam Chair, our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico need our help.
Unless we step up to the plate right now, we further jeopardize their
safety and security.
With this bill, we can provide families and communities swift relief
and put Puerto Rico on the path to long-term recovery.
I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this legislation, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5687.
While this bill is being sold as an appropriations bill for Puerto
Rico, it has more than $16 billion in unnecessary tax breaks which are
largely unrelated to the recent earthquakes that hit the island.
Also included in this bill are more than $4 billion in new emergency
appropriations, much of that for disasters that haven't happened yet.
And finally, this bill is premature, as Puerto Rico has funds from
previous bills that have not been used.
Over the last 3 years, we have allocated more than $40 billion for
Puerto Rico disasters, and less than half of that has been spent. And
we have all seen recent press reports about warehouses in Puerto Rico
full of water, diapers, and food that have not been distributed to
residents in need.
As for the recent earthquakes in Puerto Rico, the Federal Government
has not completed the required studies and reporting on the extent of
the damage.
While I, too, have been frustrated with the amount of time it takes
the Federal Government to distribute funds after a disaster,
appropriating funds before we know what is truly needed is not the
answer.
There are billions in the FEMA Major Disaster Relief Fund that are
already available and can be used toward earthquake response and
recovery efforts now, while we wait on a full and accurate report on
the damage and estimated cost.
When disasters strike, it is our job to ensure that the Federal
Government helps those in need. We also have a duty to ensure that
taxpayer dollars are used in a fiscally responsible manner.
Unfortunately, including tax breaks related to disaster recovery and
funds
[[Page H942]]
for disasters that haven't even occurred yet is not a good use of
taxpayer funds.
Again, when funds are needed, we will be there, just as we have been
there repeatedly for Puerto Rico for the last several years. But at
this time, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''
Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), the distinguished chairwoman of the
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies.
Ms. KAPTUR. I thank our hardworking chair, Nita Lowey, for yielding
me this time.
Madam Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 5687, the Puerto Rico
earthquake supplemental funding.
This $4.67 billion in funding is a vital lifeline for our fellow
citizens in Puerto Rico reeling most recently from a series of
devastating earthquakes, but also still recovering from the
consequential damage of 2017's massive Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Since late December, a series of quakes rattled Puerto Rico,
including another magnitude 5 earthquake just this last Tuesday. Today,
this body sends a powerful message to the island community: This House
will not let you suffer from inaction by this administration.
Following the most powerful quake in early January, millions were
left without power and running water for days. The electric grid
struggled to keep up with demand. Anxiety remains high as more than 30
category 5 or higher earthquakes have hit this month. 30. Unbelievable.
As we learned from Hurricane Maria, the aftermath can prove to be
even more dangerous and deadly if there is not speedy and effective
action. And I want to thank the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and also
the Ohio National Guard that has made journeys there, and other defense
units that have risen to duty to protect and serve the people of our
country in Puerto Rico.
This emergency supplemental will provide these hard-hit, anxiety-
ridden fellow Americans and communities with strength, hope, and
support to begin moving forward again. A failure to act now is not just
unacceptable, it is immoral.
This bill provides the means to address current challenges inflicted
on the human condition. It also includes funds to strengthen
infrastructure for future mitigation.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mrs. LOWEY. I yield the gentlewoman from Ohio an additional 30
seconds.
Ms. KAPTUR. Within my subcommittee's Energy and Water accounts, the
bill provides over $21 million for the Department of Energy to provide
technical assistance help restore and rebuild the electric grid in
Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. These funds will allow the
Department and our National Labs to provide the expertise necessary to
begin the repair.
Equally important is the significant financial support to meet the
educational needs of island children for disaster nutrition assistance
and repair all of the infrastructure.
This Nation must help destroyed communities of our fellow citizens to
help them recover from these historic disasters. We never know when it
will hit our own backyard.
I urge my colleagues to support this important emergency
supplemental.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, I thank Ranking
Member Granger for yielding.
Since December 28, Puerto Rico has experienced more than 2,100
earthquakes that have significantly impacted our southwestern region.
Actually, I was on the island on January 6 when a 5.8 earthquake struck
us, and then the next day, a 6.4, and then half an hour later another
6.2.
I thank the President for immediately issuing an emergency
declaration and, days later, a major disaster declaration, which
prompted immediate Federal assistance to the now 29 municipalities that
have been hit the most.
However, the seismic activity has not stopped. Every day the
infrastructure weakens. More roads and houses are damaged. The anxiety
of the people on the island grows; and that is why I stand here today
in support of this disaster supplemental package.
I am thankful to Chairwoman Lowey for introducing this bill. And yet,
in order to get this legislation enacted into law, in order to truly
get the aid to Puerto Rico and other States and jurisdictions affected
by natural disasters, it is imperative to have the input of both sides
of the aisles, Senate and House administration, and get this ready to
go.
So it is my sincere hope that, as we move forward with this bill, and
the negotiations that may begin as a result of it, that we keep in mind
that we are dealing with real people's lives and their suffering here.
Every week, every single week, when I go back home, I meet with
people who have lost everything due to the earthquakes. And again, we
are used to hurricanes, but we are not used to earthquakes, so this is
a completely new game in Puerto Rico.
I meet parents who are too frightened to send their kids to schools,
and families refusing to return home out of the fear that their houses
will collapse.
{time} 0930
At one point, over 7,000 people were living in shelters, many
establishing campsites on the side of the road, in parks, and in open
areas. The devastation, my friends, is real.
It is true that the island has already allocated over $40 billion,
not $90 billion, in funding to respond to the unprecedented Hurricane
Maria. However, we are dealing here with an entirely different
disaster. And let me say, of all that money that has been allocated,
just $1.5 billion has been disbursed, so we don't have the cash, and we
don't have the funds that Congress already allocated 2 years ago.
The earthquakes are ongoing. The ground has not stopped shaking.
While FEMA and the administration officials are onsite, Congress cannot
wait until funds are depleted to act.
Madam Chair, I want to highlight also the tax provisions included in
this bill for Puerto Rico. Although some may argue that they have no
place in a supplemental, these provisions are vital for the long-term
recovery of the island and all those efforts.
I thank Chairman Neal for crafting this package, including
legislation that I have previously introduced, such as H.R. 302, to
provide families in Puerto Rico with one or more children the same
treatment currently given to island families with three or more kids
under the child tax credit; H.R. 1786, to make the rum cover-over tax
permanent on the island--we managed to include a 5-year extension, but
now this will make it permanent; and a provision extended to the earned
income tax credit for the island, which is similar to legislation I
introduced in H.R. 754.
I will always stand with the people I represent. I am the sole
representative of the people of the island, 3.2 million Americans. Yet,
we don't have a delegation in the House and in the Senate to support
and push for these kinds of bills. That is why I am supporting this
bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to do the same.
What has happened in Puerto Rico, we don't know yet how much longer
these earthquakes are going to continue to happen. The U.S. Geological
Survey is saying that it may be a year, or it may be months.
Every time this happens, the infrastructure weakens. Again, it began
with just six towns. Now, we have 29 towns in the disaster declaration.
This is an ongoing emergency. I wish nobody would suffer what we are
suffering today without having a complete recovery from the hurricanes.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Serrano), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce,
Justice, and Science.
Mr. SERRANO. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
I rise in strong support of this emergency supplemental, which will
help Puerto Rico recover from damage caused by the ongoing earthquakes
that have struck the island. It will help an island that is still
struggling to recover in the wake of Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
Since December 28, Puerto Rico has experienced thousands of
earthquakes,
[[Page H943]]
including numerous powerful ones. These earthquakes have caused
significant damage to the island's roads and schools and left many
individuals' homes structurally unsound. Many residents are fearful and
uncertain of what comes next.
Thousands of Puerto Ricans are in need of assistance to repair the
damage to their homes and lives. Many have once again left the island
for New York, Florida, and elsewhere, and need help there, also.
This bill provides the island with the support necessary to help
repair damaged infrastructure, allow students to continue learning, and
assist in its economic recovery. It provides nutrition assistance to
the most vulnerable members of Puerto Rican society.
This bill also puts in safeguards to ensure that the administration
spends the money as instructed by Congress so the island's recovery is
not hindered by a further man-made disaster.
We all know what happened to our fellow citizens of Puerto Rico in
the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and how our government's inadequate
response hurt the response and recovery efforts. I am thankful that my
colleagues here in the House are determined not to let that happen
again.
I hope our Republican colleagues in the Senate will act quickly to
help Puerto Rico, and I urge strong support for this bill in the House.
I usually do not comment on any comment made by another Member. The
person who made these comments is a person I have the utmost respect
and admiration for, but our ranking member to the committee said that
the bill is premature. How can it be premature to try to help American
citizens still recovering from two hurricanes? How can it be premature
to help American citizens? It is never premature. The time is right.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman
from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I rise to speak in support of the
supplemental bill for Puerto Rico.
The island has been rocked by earthquakes and tremors. Thousands of
Americans are left without water or power, facing catastrophic property
damage.
In my district, I met with affected families and community members.
We discussed the ongoing disaster and the response and recovery needs.
I have staff, people who have family in Puerto Rico who are sleeping
outdoors for fear of going back into a home that is badly damaged.
There should be no question about providing the resources necessary
to recover. This supplemental package provides $4.67 billion for
educational needs, transportation infrastructure repairs, and disaster
relief activities, including $100 million for education.
For K-12 programs, it helps schools restart operations, support
reenrollment, and pay for the costs of providing education to students
who have been displaced by natural disasters, and yes, it addresses the
mental health needs of children as they have experienced a traumatic
event. Higher education, the funding helps defray the unexpected costs
associated with enrolling displaced students and with rebuilding
damaged facilities.
This supplemental also extends the child tax credit to all children
in Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories. Under the current system,
Puerto Rican families are only eligible for the child tax credit for
the third or subsequent child. What we need to do is to expand and
improve the child tax credit, make it fully refundable, but this is a
necessary step in the meantime so that U.S. citizens in the territories
are treated exactly like those in the States.
Let me just also assure my colleagues on a final note, that we are
working with the administration to determine the costs of our ongoing
response to the 2019 novel coronavirus. We have urged the
administration to work with the Congress on a bipartisan basis to enact
an emergency supplemental for that public health emergency. We stand
ready to move forward quickly to protect public health and safety.
On this supplemental for Puerto Rico, let me urge my colleagues to
vote ``yes,'' vote ``yes'' for Americans who are in dire straits on
that island, and it is unconscionable that we would have second
thoughts about the kind of support that they need during this crisis.
Urge the Senate, urge the President to add their support swiftly. Our
fellow Americans and Puerto Rico cannot afford for us to delay any
longer.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Price), the chairman of the Subcommittee on
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for
yielding, and I am pleased to rise in strong support of this
supplemental appropriation.
This bill provides $4.7 billion for disaster assistance, including
$3.3 billion for HUD's Community Development Block Grant program and
$1.25 billion for emergency highway repairs. This funding will provide
substantial help to the people of Puerto Rico, where devastating
earthquakes have compounded earlier damage from Hurricanes Maria and
Irma, as well as other States and territories still recovering from
major disasters.
I would remind colleagues that CDBG money from earlier disasters
cannot be used for earthquake relief. We need this bill.
The bill also provides targeted resources for Puerto Rico's school
system, as well as nutrition assistance and tax relief for low-income
families and small businesses.
When it comes to disaster relief, we should be putting politics
aside. There should be widespread consensus that the Federal Government
should be there as an active partner in the recovery effort.
Unfortunately, for far too long, the Trump administration has erected
arbitrary barriers that have hindered Puerto Rico's recovery. They have
contributed to desperate conditions to many places on the island.
For example, HUD refused to provide more than $16 billion in already
appropriated recovery funds for nearly 700 days. HUD officials admitted
during a hearing before our subcommittee that they willingly ignored a
statutory deadline requiring them to move forward.
Now, HUD is imposing special grant conditions and other requirements
on Puerto Rico, which will slow down the recovery effort even further.
While the island has clearly been singled out for disparate
treatment, numerous States from Florida to Texas to my home State of
North Carolina have also waited longer than they should for HUD to
publish Federal Register notices governing the use of disaster recovery
funds.
This bill responds to the unacceptable administrative delays by
including new accountability measures, new deadlines--actually, not so
new deadlines; they were included in legislation already passed by this
body--deadlines requiring HUD to publish notices, review and approve
action plans, and sign grant agreements within a fixed timeframe. Those
provisions were included in the bipartisan Reforming Disaster Recovery
Act, which passed the House back in November, but unfortunately, like
so much else, it is still languishing in the Senate.
Madam Chairman, enough is enough. We must provide the vital
assistance to Puerto Rico and other communities that are struggling to
recover, and we need to send a signal to the administration that
Congress, not the White House, holds the power of the purse.
I urge all my colleagues to support this emergency disaster
supplemental.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), the distinguished chairman who came to
Congress at the same time I did and is now chair of the Committee on
Ways and Means.
(Mr. NEAL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. NEAL. Madam Chair, I thank Chairwoman Lowey for yielding me the
time.
I am happy to stand in support of this legislation today. This is a
disaster relief package that I worked on
[[Page H944]]
with Chairwoman Lowey, Congresswoman Velazquez, and Resident
Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon.
In addition to providing supplemental appropriations to respond to
the recent natural disasters that affected Puerto Rico and other U.S.
territories, H.R. 5687 includes the Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief
Act. These provisions will help Puerto Rico rebuild its homes and
communities and provide much-needed relief to workers and families
after these devastating earthquakes.
Specifically, H.R. 5687 provides additional allocations of the low-
income housing tax credit, which will allow critical investments in new
affordable housing throughout the island. It also makes additional
allocations to the new markets tax credit in Puerto Rico, allowing the
island to make important investments, like rebuilding community centers
and hospitals in low-income neighborhoods.
This legislation helps Puerto Rico and other territories implement
the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, two of the most
powerful tools we have to combat poverty.
Last year, the Committee on Ways and Means reported out similar
provisions in our consideration of H.R. 3300, the Economic Mobility
Act.
{time} 0945
Today, many Puerto Rican residents can be taxed into poverty from the
U.S. payroll taxes that they pay. With our changes to the tax credit,
we are creating long-awaited parity between the residents of Puerto
Rico and the residents of the 50 other States.
Additionally, the earned income tax credit is one of the most
important work incentives we have in our code. This bill certainly
rewards work.
And, Madam Chair, I want to acknowledge Bill Pascrell from New
Jersey, who did much of the good work in helping get to those success
stories. We encourage work, we reduce poverty. This is a win-win for
the island.
As Puerto Rico and other territories try to recover from natural
disasters, it is appropriate that we are taking action to ensure that
these territories have access to these critical tools for community
development and poverty reduction.
It is impossible to deny the suffering on the ground today on the
island of Puerto Rico. It is my hope that Congress will come together,
as it has in the past, to help all members of the American family.
We also urge full support on the other side. We took into
consideration what they had to say at the committee.
Madam Chair, I want to thank Chairwoman Lowey for moving this
legislation swiftly to the floor today.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Pascrell), a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways
and Means.
Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Chair, I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking
Member Granger.
I support this supplemental. It is very necessary. The destruction in
Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria and the terrible earthquake last
month, with its ongoing aftershocks, make this relief more necessary
than ever.
I am thankful that legislation I proposed, H.R. 3307, to provide a
Federal supplement to the earned income tax credit in Puerto Rico and
the other U.S. territories, was included in the bill.
Unlike Americans in every other State, working Puerto Rican taxpayers
are excluded from the Federal EITC to supplement their incomes. This is
a deeply unfair restriction. It has tied the commonwealth's hands at
the worst possible time as islanders are recovering from disaster and
facing high unemployment and dreadful levels of poverty.
The EITC has repeatedly proven a critical tool to alleviating
poverty, improving health outcomes, and encouraging labor
participation. Why shouldn't our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico--and
they are our fellow Americans--be able to earn the same benefit?
With this Federal support, we can provide a very powerful tool for
Puerto Ricans to get back on their feet and get a leg up. They deserve
that help.
Madam Chair, I ask that we support this legislation.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
New York (Ms. Velazquez), the distinguished chairwoman of the Committee
on Small Business, who has been an eloquent, persistent speaker in
favor of this aid because she understands that her homeland, where
family still resides, needs this money now, and we have an obligation
to provide it now.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Chair, I thank Chairwoman Lowey and all the
members of the Appropriations Committee for working diligently to bring
this bill to the floor and for recognizing our moral and legal
obligation of this Congress.
Puerto Rico, an island invaded by the United States Armed Forces, a
colony--it is our responsibility to take care of our fellow American
citizens.
Don't come here and say that we have been there for Puerto Rico.
Yes, we passed a disaster relief package. And this administration has
done everything within their power to withhold the money flowing to
Puerto Rico.
Don't come here and say that you have been there for Puerto Rico.
Don't tell that to the parents of a 13-year-old girl who died in
Vieques because they lack a functional hospital while FEMA has been
withholding their money.
Just this past Tuesday, Puerto Rico got hit by another 5.0
aftershock. This is one out of more than 3,000 that have stricken the
island since December 2019. In fact, the USGS has estimated that
aftershocks from the 6.4 January earthquake will persist in Puerto Rico
for years, if not decades.
Imagine, decades of feeling the ground under you shaking, never
knowing when or just how bad it will be on any given day.
More than 1,150 houses are destroyed, while another 3,000 homes have
suffered some structural damage. Such devastation has left over 4,000
people living in tent shelters, with many more families at risk of
losing their homes.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield an addition 1 minute to the
gentlewoman.
Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Chair, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.
Not only are 194,000 children still out of school, countless more
live in fear after they have seen their homes destroyed and loved ones
battle the anxiety and mental health battles common after natural
disasters.
Finally, let me address this administration's recent comments on this
bill. Once again, they are misleading the American people about how
much money has been spent to aid Puerto Rico. They are using these
false numbers as a pretext to oppose assistance following the
earthquake.
Let me just say, and let me be clear, we will not be deterred. The
1.3 million Puerto Ricans who live in Florida will not be deterred. The
thousands and hundreds of thousands who live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, New York, and in every part of this country will not
be deterred.
We will pass this bill.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the chairman of the Committee on Natural
Resources.
Mr. GRIJALVA. Madam Chair, let me thank Chair Lowey and the Speaker
for responding with urgency in bringing this legislation that I
support, H.R. 5687, to the floor to help the families of Puerto Rico
who are enduring, once again, another natural disaster.
Beginning on December 28, seismic activity began in Puerto Rico and
continued to escalate, including a 6.4 earthquake. These quakes and
ongoing quakes have destroyed homes, infrastructure, affected power
generation, and triggered blackouts across the island.
Close to 7,500 people have left their homes out of fear that they may
collapse, seeking shelter wherever they can find it.
Staff from the Natural Resources Committee investigated the damage
caused by the earthquakes on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. In a
committee report, we recommended high-priority actions, including
emergency funding, which H.R. 5687 represents.
[[Page H945]]
The administration's recent statement opposing H.R. 5687 shows total
disdain for the people of Puerto Rico. President Trump continues to lie
to the American people about the amount of Federal funding spent to
address natural disasters on the island.
The President and his administration have a responsibility to ensure
the people of Puerto Rico are treated as full Americans and not
colonized subjects. I hope that, at the National Prayer Breakfast,
there was some echo of understanding regarding the teachings of the
Good Samaritan, the compassion that we must have for other people, and
that those will motivate the House today to pass this bill and move it
forward. The disaster recovery funds that have been appropriated for
Puerto Rico need to be disbursed.
The people of Puerto Rico deserve much more. Our fellow Americans on
the island deserve to be treated as we have treated all Americans, from
Katrina to Sandy, with the same concern, the same support.
Madam Chair, I urge passage of the legislation.
The CHAIR. Members are reminded to refrain from engaging in
personalities toward the President.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to
the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice), a member of the Ways and
Means Committee.
Mr. RICE of South Carolina. Madam Chair, I am not here to cast
aspersions on disaster relief. I live in a coastal area in South
Carolina that has been hit by three storms in the last 5 years:
Joaquin, then Matthew, then Florence.
I was a tax lawyer before I got here. I didn't know that much about
disaster relief, and, unfortunately, I have had to learn way more than
I ever wanted to. But one thing that concerns me, and concerns me
greatly, is the haphazard way in which disaster relief is granted.
And just to understand the order of magnitude that we are talking
about here in relief for Puerto Rico, the request of the Governor in
Puerto Rico amounts to, just for the two hurricanes--I don't even know
what it is for the earthquake; I don't know if they have made an
official request yet--but for the two hurricanes, Maria and the other
one, amounts to $94 billion. They have been awarded $39 billion,
allocated or announced, and they have received, obligated, $20 billion.
Now, there were 476,000 applicants approved by FEMA in Puerto Rico.
So, if you look at the amount that the Governor requested, $94 billion,
that amounts to $200,000 per FEMA applicant, $200,000, roughly. The
amount that has been allocated or announced, $40 billion, divided out,
it is just under $100,000 per FEMA applicant. And then the amount that
has actually been paid works out to--and I have got that exact number
here--$41,816 per FEMA applicant for these two storms.
And there is, remaining, a tremendous amount of money that has
already been allocated that hasn't been paid out yet. And there was
disaster money that was made available in the appropriations bill in
December for storms that occurred last year plus any storms that
occurred within 60 days thereafter, and so these earthquakes are also
allowed to access that money.
So I don't know that we really need to be rushing in to allocate
another $5 billion in aid when there is so much money that is already
available to be used for this disaster. I hesitate to do this, but I
want to point this out just to show you the order of magnitude.
After Hurricane Florence, the Governor of South Carolina requested $1
billion. Puerto Rico has requested $94 billion.
The most affected counties in my district were Marion, Dillon,
Marlboro, and Chesterfield. Marion, Dillon, and Marlboro are three of
the poorest counties in the State. Marion County is 57 percent African
American; Dillon County is 51 percent African American; and Marlboro
County is 51 percent African American. The average number of people in
poverty is 30 percent. The average household income is around $30,000--
just so you know the quality of life of these folks.
There were 14,000 houses flooded, water inside the house. Five
thousand of those, for some reason, were approved by FEMA. Even though
they excluded two-thirds of the people who were damaged in this storm,
we were still only awarded $14,000 per FEMA applicant.
Puerto Rico, right now, stands at $41,816 per FEMA applicant before
this $5 billion that they are talking about adding in here--and keeping
in mind that we already did an appropriations bill in December for
disaster allocation for last year that this earthquake is already
allowed to access.
{time} 1000
So that is what I wanted to say about the disaster, the total amounts
that are asked to be allocated here. But I want to talk also a little
bit about these tax benefits.
In addition to the $4.7 billion in additional money that is being
asked to be allocated here, over the $40 billion that has already been
allocated, there are several tax provisions in this bill that have
never been considered by the Ways and Means Committee. Tax bills should
arise in the Ways and Means Committee. Tax bills should be debated
thoroughly.
I have heard over and over again, you shouldn't legislate an
appropriations bill. This appropriations bill, this disaster bill,
contains a number of very significant changes to the Tax Code. Now,
some of these were a part of a bigger bill that was marked up with no
debate and with no hearings 6 months ago or a year ago, but they have
never been debated. There has never been a hearing on any of this in
the Ways and Means Committee.
The two biggest things are, we are extending here to residents of
Puerto Rico, the child tax credit as it exists under the United States
Tax Code and the earned income tax credit. Now, people don't know what
that means. But, basically, that amounts to about $4,400 per family.
And that is not a one-time thing like this disaster allocation is. That
is forever. It goes on forever.
The really interesting thing about extending this credit to residents
of Puerto Rico, is that residents of Puerto Rico don't pay U.S. income
tax. They don't file U.S. income tax returns unless they work for the
U.S. Government, or unless their income comes from outside Puerto Rico,
which is a small number of people. They don't pay U.S. income tax.
So what we are talking about doing here is the U.S. Treasury will pay
the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit to residents of
Puerto Rico, credits against tax they don't owe and will never owe
because they simply don't pay income tax.
What this is, is a basically $400 a month entitlement forever to the
residents of Puerto Rico and it makes no sense. It is not related to
the disaster in any way. It is simply a pork barrel earmark is what it
is that lasts forever going to Puerto Rico. Those are the big things:
the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit. But let me go
further.
In addition, this bill would provide New Markets Tax Credits of $500
million to Puerto Rico. Now, the New Markets Tax Credit is a wonderful
thing. Again, it is something under the United States Tax Code. Puerto
Ricans don't pay taxes under the United States Tax Code, but this would
extend that credit. I guess, if people invest in Puerto Rico, they
would get a credit on their U.S. tax return, $500 million.
Just to put that in perspective, it is designed to get people to
invest in rundown areas, in needy areas, and it is a good thing. But
last year, the total amount for the whole country that we allocated,
that we made available for the whole country, was $3.5 billion. This
would give $500 million of that to Puerto Rico which would amount to
one-seventh of what was granted to the entire country last year. $500
million.
I just want to step back and just look at and consider carefully
these tax provisions, in particular, before we move forward with them.
In my opinion, again, they are not related to the disaster in any way.
They are simply a method of creating a new entitlement in Puerto Rico,
credits against U.S. tax for people who pay no U.S. tax.
But if we are going to do this, certainly, it should be debated fully
on this floor, and, certainly, before it ever gets to this floor, it
should be debated fully in every committee--particularly, the Ways and
Means Committee--which has any possible jurisdiction.
So let me go back and end where I started. And that is, that I am not
here to cast aspersions on disaster relief. My poor rural counties in
South Carolina have been terribly affected, have
[[Page H946]]
requested disaster relief, and have received disaster relief. Now they
have received far less than we are talking about here in Puerto Rico.
Probably, if you looked at all of this, maybe a sixth of what my poor
families, my poor African American families, who had nothing to begin
with--right in Marion County and Dillon County and Marlboro County--are
receiving about a third of what the people in Puerto Rico are going to
receive with this disaster bill.
We really need to consider the order of magnitude, number one, and
when I say these numbers, I am not even counting these tax credits.
These tax credits need to be pulled out of this bill and they need to
be fully debated.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
would like to remind the gentleman from South Carolina, who is on his
way out, that this bill has $25.7 million for South Carolina to deal
with the destruction and the needs.
I would also urge the gentleman, because he did give a thoughtful
analysis, to perhaps visit Puerto Rico as many of us have. See the
tarps on the homes, people without roofs, kids that are not in school,
homes that don't have water, and don't have heat.
I would be happy to work with the gentleman to analyze, visit Puerto
Rico, see the needs, and I am happy to come to South Carolina if there
are unmet needs that have not been provided for. We are happy to work
together. But again, in this bill, there is $25.7 million for South
Carolina.
Madam Chairwoman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett).
Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for the time.
I was actually going to discuss some of the issues and specifics that
were in the bill, this incredible bill that is so helpful, but I think
the last comments caused me to have to take pause.
First of all, I don't know why we have to single out African
Americans in South Carolina, as if they are in more need than anybody
else for funding or for underfunding when they are more affected by
disasters. But the reason that these things are happening in the
territories is because of the underfunding of this body to the
territories in ways that do not happen in States throughout this
country.
There is no cap on Medicaid in South Carolina. There is no arbitrary
amount of percentage that the Federal Government is paying as opposed
to a local government is paying in South Carolina like there is in
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands where Congress arbitrarily said: We
will only pay 55 percent. You pay 45 percent, based on a number that
has nothing to do with your population or its demographics.
There is no cap on highways and us being removed from Federal
formulas that the rest of the States have. So when we have a disaster,
yes, we need more money because we have underfunding and our
infrastructure is a lot more fragile than the rest of this country
because this body hasn't done its job.
The gentleman talks about taxes. Why doesn't the Virgin Islands pay
taxes in the same way? Because almost 100 years ago, when we asked this
government to be treated in the same way as the others, this government
said: You know what, we will let you keep your Federal taxes and then
we won't have to give you the same amounts of money that we give the
rest of the States, when, in fact, at that time, maybe 100 people met
the criteria of income to pay Federal taxes.
So it is a sham and it is an okeydoke what this country did to the
rest of us. And then everyone wants to hold us to the same standards
and make sure that we are not supposed to get money the same way. It is
just ridiculous.
I think this is an incredible bill. I think it is long overdue. This
does not even put us on the same footing as the States in terms of what
should happen, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Graves).
Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Chair, I want to thank the gentlewoman
from Texas for yielding me the time.
Madam Chair, we are in a situation where we absolutely have needs in
terms of disaster victims, whether it is Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, and other
States that have been impacted by disasters.
We have had hundreds of billions of dollars in damages in those
States in just the last 4 years. It is extraordinary. I had the chance
to travel to many of those States and territories to see firsthand the
impacts, and I wanted to be very clear. Virtually what everyone said on
both sides of the aisle, they are right in terms of what the disaster
victims are going through.
But I do not agree in what folks are prescribing the strategy to be.
We don't need to stand here and see who can out-Puerto Rico the other.
It is not a money problem. I have been through this with millions and
millions of people. We have policy problems. There are literally tens
of billions of dollars in the bank today that we are unable to get to
disaster victims.
Dumping more money on top of the existing more than $40 billion in
the Disaster Relief Fund, and the billions and billions of dollars
available today for Puerto Rico under the Community Development Block
Grant Disaster Recovery Program, that doesn't solve the problem.
There is an amendment coming up later today by our Members from Texas
to put more money into a fund because some of the agencies have had
trouble even getting law changes interpreted out.
This isn't the solution. I want to thank everybody for coming here
and trying to solve the problem for disaster victims. But when you
investigate this, I assure you, every single one of you will come back
and understand that this is a capacity problem. Getting the bureaucracy
in both the territories, the States, and also at the Federal level,
getting the dollars to the disaster victims, that is why we are having
problems today.
I want to say this again. There are tens of billions of dollars
available. President Trump approved individual and public assistance
for disaster victims of the earthquakes in Puerto Rico. We have got to
make sure that the money is actually getting to the right people.
Dumping additional money on top of the tens of billions of dollars
doesn't solve the problem. We need to focus on real solutions and not
stand here and practice politics with one another.
I urge rejection to this bill. Let's take a step back and fix the
policy problems.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), chairwoman of the
Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Chair, I rise in strong
support of H.R. 5687. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, its entire
electrical grid was destroyed and millions of its citizens were without
power. It took years to rebuild a lot of that infrastructure and just
when it was getting repaired, it was struck by another natural
disaster, another huge earthquake on January 7. That led to yet another
round of power outages and even more suffering and deaths in Puerto
Rico.
This bill will provide desperately needed disaster relief that will
allow the island to rebuild its infrastructure and revitalize its
economy. Puerto Rico is home to 3.2 million U.S. citizens, and when
disaster strikes, Congress has a duty to step up and provide all the
support our fellow Americans need.
I want to thank Chairwomen Velazquez and Lowey for their passionate
work on this bill and their help for Puerto Rico. I urge a ``yes'' vote
on this bill. It is desperately needed.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chairwoman, I thank the
ranking member for yielding again.
I think we have not understood the magnitude of this event. Yes, we
do have $40 billion in approved funds for Puerto Rico, but of that,
just $1.5 billion has been disbursed to the island. The rest of the
funds go through a different process.
Actually, in February of last year, there was the publication of the
guidelines to access $8.7 billion. Of that, just 1.7 got a grant
agreement in January of
[[Page H947]]
this year. So, again, in order to get the funds, it will be several
months before we have it.
{time} 1015
That is the reason one of the concerns is that FEMA is getting the
emergency disaster individual assistance as we speak, the same thing as
the other Federal agencies that are doing the job on the ground.
But at the same time, we did have a power plant on the island that is
completely shut down, so we lost the power for a few days. Right now,
we don't have 500 megawatts reserved. Actually, if we do have another
earthquake or any other replicas, we may run out, again, of power
because our power plants were affected as well.
I do believe that roads and pipelines were affected. Government
buildings were affected as well. We haven't seen yet the amount of
destruction.
Again, you will see a lot of Puerto Ricans leaving the island. It is
happening already. It happened with Hurricane Maria. They flew to
Florida. We are depleting, basically, our island because of these kinds
of things.
Yes, we do need the money. We do need to help our people in this
stress. The tax provisions are good in this bill. Let me say, they are
not an invention from me. This House and Senate did a report in 2016
recommending the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, and
many other amendments that treat Puerto Rico and the territories
differently. That is the reason we don't have enough resources to face
a lot of these challenges.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio-Cortez).
Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Madam Chair, I thank the chairwoman for the
generous introduction and time on this bill.
Madam Chair, the fact of the matter is that innocent children,
families, and the elderly in Puerto Rico are dying. They are breathing
poisoned air, and they are now enduring the psychological trauma of
ongoing earthquakes.
My own grandmother is oxygen dependent, and every day when the Earth
shakes below her, we don't know if she will have the power to continue
her equipment that is medically necessary.
While everyone here is arguing over money and over the administration
of a colonial state, we have to take a look at the actual reality on
the ground. Ninety-five percent of schools in Puerto Rico are not up to
code. They are leaving thousands of Puerto Rican children vulnerable to
the effects of natural disasters. Many have lost all their belongings,
and many more live with psychological trauma.
But this administration is not releasing any of these funds that are
supposed to be duly allocated for recovery. For that, we have to make
sure that we support this bill, and I strongly support H.R. 5687.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished
gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan).
Mr. SABLAN. Madam Chair, I thank the chairwoman for yielding.
Madam Chair, I cannot imagine. I come from a district where we are
the typhoon alley. A little over a year ago, the second largest storm
since 1935 that hit the United States hit my island, and that was
subsequent to another typhoon that hit my island just a year before
that.
But for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, for Puerto Rico in
particular, two major storms hit the islands, and before the people
even had a chance to truly get their lives back in order, earthquakes.
Those homes that were not destroyed by the storms are now destroyed by
the earthquakes.
Madam Chair, in a previous administration, I was a Special Assistant
for Management and Budget, and we did an analysis of what it would be
like to apply the U.S. Internal Revenue Code fully to the Marianas. We
would lose more money if we change Federal taxes than if we don't. So I
support the bill, and I ask for its passage.
Ms. GRANGER. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Madam Chair, this emergency supplemental is critical to help Puerto
Rico get back on its feet and build a better future.
In a demonstration of unprecedented hostility to Puerto Ricans,
President Trump has turned his back on the island. This Congress must
not do the same.
With this legislation, Madam Chair, we can feed the hungry, repair
damage, rebuild roads, restart schools, and keep the lights on.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote for this critical
assistance. It is absolutely essential. I do wish more of my colleagues
had visited the island, seen the tarps on the homes instead of roofs,
tried to get back through those roads that are so slushy, walking
through, driving through, and talking to the people. It is essential
that we pass this critical assistance.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. All time for general debate has expired.
Pursuant to the rule, the bill shall be considered for amendment
under the
5-minute rule and shall be considered as read.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5687
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
short title
Section 1. This Act may be cited as the ``Emergency
Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto
Rico Disaster Tax Relief Act, 2020''.
table of contents
Sec. 2. The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
DIVISION A--EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DISASTER RELIEF
ACT, 2020
DIVISION B--PUERTO RICO DISASTER TAX RELIEF ACT OF 2020
DIVISION C--BUDGETARY EFFECTS
references
Sec. 3. Except as expressly provided otherwise, any
reference to ``this Act'' contained in any division of this
Act shall be treated as referring only to the provisions of
that division.
DIVISION A--EMERGENCY SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DISASTER RELIEF
ACT, 2020
That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes,
namely:
TITLE I
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Programs
cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response
For an additional amount for ``Cybersecurity, Energy
Security, and Emergency Response'', $6,750,000, to remain
available until expended, for necessary expenses related to
providing technical assistance related to natural disasters
in U.S. territories, including technical assistance related
to electric grids: Provided, That such amount is designated
by the Congress as being for an emergency requirement
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
electricity
For an additional amount for ``Electricity'', $15,000,000,
to remain available until expended, for necessary expenses
related to providing technical assistance related to natural
disasters in U.S. territories, including technical assistance
related to electric grids: Provided, That such amount is
designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
TITLE II
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Hurricane Education Recovery
(including transfer of funds)
For an additional amount for ``Hurricane Education
Recovery'' for necessary expenses related to the consequences
of earthquakes occurring in calendar years 2019 and 2020 as
of the date of enactment of this Act in those areas for which
a major disaster or emergency has been declared under section
401 or 501 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 and 5191) (referred
to under this heading as ``covered disaster or emergency''),
$100,000,000, to remain available through September 30, 2022,
for assisting in meeting the educational needs of individuals
affected by a covered disaster or emergency: Provided, That
such assistance shall be provided through any of the programs
authorized under this heading in title VIII of subdivision 1
of division B of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public
Law 115-123; 132 Stat. 95), as amended by section 201 of this
Act, as determined by the Secretary of Education, and subject
to the terms and conditions that applied to those programs,
except that references to dates and school years in such Act
shall be deemed to be the corresponding dates and school
years for the covered disaster or emergency: Provided
further, That
[[Page H948]]
the Secretary of Education may determine the amounts to be
used for each such program and shall notify the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
of these amounts not later than 7 days prior to obligation:
Provided further, That $1,000,000 of the funds made available
under this heading, to remain available until expended, shall
be transferred to the Office of the Inspector General of the
Department of Education for oversight of activities supported
with funds appropriated under this heading, and up to
$500,000 of the funds made available under this heading shall
be for program administration: Provided further, That such
amount is designated by the Congress as being for an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985.
General Provisions--This Title
Sec. 201. (a) The second proviso under the heading
``Department of Education--Hurricane Education Recovery''
under title VIII of subdivision 1 of division B of the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123; 132 Stat.
95) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (I), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(B) in subparagraph (J) by inserting ``and'' at the end;
and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(K) assistance provided to an eligible entity under
paragraph (1)(A) that was affected by Hurricane Maria or
earthquakes occurring in calendar years 2019 and 2020 as of
the date of enactment of the `Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2020', to assist with
restarting school operations, including assistance provided
to an eligible entity before the date of enactment of the
`Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief
Act, 2020', may be used by the eligible entity to pay the
non-Federal share of a project described in section 406 of
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster and Relief Emergency Act (42
U.S.C. 5172), notwithstanding section 102(e)(3)(A) of title
IV of division B of Public Law 109-148 (119 Stat. 2794);'';
(2) in paragraph (9), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(3) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (11); and
(4) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following:
``(10) if the amount available under paragraph (3) is
insufficient to meet the need for such assistance as
demonstrated by applications submitted by eligible entities,
the Secretary may use additional funds available under this
heading to fully fund approved applications; and''.
(b) Amounts repurposed pursuant to the amendments made by
subsection (a) that were previously designated by the
Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 are
designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 202. (a) Amounts previously made available for
activities authorized under ``Department of Education--
Hurricane Education Recovery'' in title VIII of subdivision 1
of division B of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public
Law 115-123; 132 Stat. 95) may be used to address unmet
needs, as determined by the Secretary, for that heading in
this Act and in the Additional Supplemental Appropriations
for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-20; 133 Stat.
890). In addition, any funds provided under the heading
``Department of Education--Hurricane Education Recovery'' in
this Act that are allocated in response to a covered disaster
or emergency may be used interchangeably and without
limitation for the same activities related to Hurricanes
Maria and Irma.
(b) Amounts repurposed pursuant to this section that were
previously designated by the Congress, respectively, as an
emergency requirement or as being for disaster relief
pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control
Act are designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or
as being for disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985.
Sec. 203. Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education shall
provide a detailed spend plan of anticipated uses of funds
made available in this title, including estimated personnel
and administrative costs, to the Committees on Appropriations
of the House of Representatives and the Senate: Provided,
That such plan shall be updated and submitted to the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Senate every 60 days until all funds are expended or
expire.
Sec. 204. Section 392 of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1068a) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(d) Waiver Authority With Respect to Institutions Located
in an Area Affected by Hurricane Maria.--
``(1) Waiver authority.--Notwithstanding any other
provision of law, unless enacted with specific reference to
this section, for any affected institution that was receiving
assistance under this title at the time of a covered
hurricane disaster, the Secretary shall, for each of the
fiscal years 2020 through 2022 (and may, for each of the
fiscal years 2023 and 2024)--
``(A) waive--
``(i) the eligibility data requirements set forth in
section 391(d);
``(ii) the wait-out period set forth in section 313(d);
``(iii) the allotment requirements under section 324; and
``(iv) the use of the funding formula developed pursuant to
section 326(f)(3);
``(B) waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision
to ensure that affected institutions that were receiving
assistance under this title at the time of a covered
hurricane disaster are not adversely affected by any formula
calculation for fiscal year 2020 or for any of the four
succeeding fiscal years, as necessary; and
``(C) make available to each affected institution an amount
that is not less than the amount made available to such
institution under this title for fiscal year 2017, except
that for any fiscal year for which the funds appropriated for
payments under this title are less than the appropriated
level for fiscal year 2017, the amount made available to such
institutions shall be ratably reduced among the institutions
receiving funds under this title.
``(2) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Affected institution.--The term `affected
institution' means an institution of higher education that--
``(i) is--
``(I) a part A institution (which term shall have the
meaning given the term `eligible institution' under section
312(b)); or
``(II) a part B institution, as such term is defined in
section 322(2), or as identified in section 326(e);
``(ii) is located in a covered area affected by a hurricane
disaster; and
``(iii) is able to demonstrate that, as a result of the
impact of a covered hurricane disaster, the institution--
``(I) incurred physical damage;
``(II) has pursued collateral source compensation from
insurance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the
Small Business Administration, as appropriate; and
``(III) was not able to fully reopen in existing facilities
or to fully reopen to the pre-hurricane enrollment levels
during the 30-day period beginning on September 7, 2017.
``(B) Covered area affected by a hurricane disaster.--The
term `covered area affected by a hurricane disaster' means an
area for which the President declared a major disaster under
section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) as a result of
Hurricane Maria.
``(C) Covered hurricane disaster.--The term `covered
hurricane disaster' means a major disaster that the President
declared to exist, in accordance with section 401 of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5170), and that was caused by Hurricane Maria
or Hurricane Irma.''.
TITLE III
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
emergency relief program
For an additional amount for the Emergency Relief Program
as authorized under section 125 of title 23, United States
Code, $1,250,000,000, to remain available until expended:
Provided, That such amount is designated by the Congress as
being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985.
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Community Planning and Development
community development fund
(including transfers of funds)
For an additional amount for ``Community Development
Fund'', $2,000,000,000, to remain available until expended,
for necessary expenses for activities authorized under title
I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42
U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) related to disaster relief, long-term
recovery, restoration of infrastructure and housing, economic
revitalization, and mitigation in the most impacted and
distressed areas resulting from an emergency declaration
relating to earthquakes that occurred in 2020 or a
declaration of a major disaster that occurred in 2020
pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.): Provided,
That funds shall be awarded directly to the State, unit of
general local government, or Indian tribe (as such term is
defined in section 102 of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974) at the discretion of the Secretary:
Provided further, That in determining the amount allocated
under this heading for any grantee, the Secretary shall
include an additional amount for mitigation that is not less
than 45 percent of the amount allocated for such grantee for
unmet needs: Provided further, That the Secretary shall
allocate for grantees, based on the best available data,
funds provided for assistance under this heading no later
than 60 days after the date the disaster occurs, or the date
of enactment of this Act, whichever is later: Provided
further, That the Secretary may extend the deadline in the
preceding proviso by an additional 30 days if the Secretary
jointly certifies with the Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency for each such extension, that the
Federal Emergency
[[Page H949]]
Management Agency has not made sufficient information
available to the Secretary regarding relevant unmet recovery
needs to make allocations in accordance with such deadlines:
Provided further, That not later than 5 days after making any
such certification, the Secretary shall transmit to the
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Senate, and publish in the Federal Register such
certification: Provided further, That not later than 90 days
after the allocation of funds made to a grantee under this
heading and before the Secretary obligates any of such funds
for a grantee, the grantee shall submit a plan to the
Secretary for approval detailing the proposed use of all
funds, including criteria for eligibility and how the use of
these funds will address long-term recovery and restoration
of infrastructure and housing, economic revitalization, and
mitigation in the most impacted and distressed areas:
Provided further, That the Secretary shall approve or
disapprove such plan not later than 60 days after submission
of the plan to the Secretary, and shall immediately notify
the applicant of the Secretary's decision: Provided further,
That if the Secretary disapproves a plan, not later than 3
days after such disapproval the Secretary shall inform the
applicant in writing of (A) the reasons for disapproval, and
(B) actions that the applicant could take to meet the
criteria for approval: Provided further, That the Secretary
shall, for a period of not less than 45 days following the
date of disapproval, permit amendments to, or the
resubmission of, any plan that is disapproved: Provided
further, That the Secretary shall approve or disapprove a
plan amendment not later than 30 days after receipt of such
amendments or resubmission: Provided further, That the
Secretary shall ensure that all grant agreements necessary
for prompt disbursement of funds allocated to a grantee are
executed no later than 60 days after the date of approval of
a grantee's plan: Provided further, That prior to making any
grant of funds provided under this heading the Secretary, (1)
must receive from the grantee information that allows the
Secretary to certify that such grantee has in place
proficient financial controls and procurement processes and
has established adequate procedures to prevent any
duplication of benefits as defined by section 312 of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5155), to ensure timely expenditure of funds,
to maintain comprehensive websites regarding all disaster
recovery activities assisted with these funds, and to detect
and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of funds, and (2) shall
certify in advance that such grantee has in place such
controls, processes and procedure: Provided further, That
the Secretary shall not prohibit the use of funds made
available under this heading for non-Federal share as
authorized by section 105(a)(9) of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5305(a)(9)): Provided
further, That with the amounts made available under this
heading, grantees may establish grant programs to assist
small businesses for working capital purposes to aid in
recovery: Provided further, That with respect to any such
duplication of benefits, the Secretary shall act in
accordance with section 1210 of the Disaster Recovery Reform
Act of 2018 (division D of Public Law 115-254; 132 Stat.
3442) and section 312 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5155):
Provided further, That the Secretary shall require grantees
to maintain on a public website information containing common
reporting criteria established by the Department that permits
individuals and entities awaiting assistance and the general
public to see how all grant funds are used, including copies
of all relevant procurement documents, grantee administrative
contracts and details of ongoing procurement processes, as
determined by the Secretary: Provided further, That such
funds may not be used for activities reimbursable by, or for
which funds have been made available by, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency or the Army Corps of Engineers:
Provided further, That funds allocated under this heading
shall not be considered relevant to the non-disaster formula
allocations made pursuant to section 106 of the Housing and
Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5306): Provided
further, That a State, unit of general local government, or
Indian tribe may use up to 5 percent of its allocation for
administrative costs: Provided further, That in
administering the funds under this heading, the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development may waive, or specify
alternative requirements for, any provision of any statute or
regulation that the Secretary administers in connection with
the obligation by the Secretary or the use by the recipient
of these funds (except for any requirements related to fair
housing, nondiscrimination, labor standards, the environment,
and any timelines specified under this heading), if the
Secretary finds that good cause exists for the waiver or
alternative requirement and such waiver or alternative
requirement would not be inconsistent with the overall
purpose of title I of the Housing and Community Development
Act of 1974: Provided further, That, notwithstanding the
preceding proviso, recipients of funds provided under this
heading that use such funds to supplement Federal assistance
provided under section 402, 403, 404, 406, 407, 408(c)(4), or
502 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) may adopt, without
review or public comment, any environmental review, approval,
or permit performed by a Federal agency, and such adoption
shall satisfy the responsibilities of the recipient with
respect to such environmental review, approval or permit:
Provided further, That, notwithstanding section 104(g)(2) of
the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C.
5304(g)(2)), the Secretary may, upon receipt of a request for
release of funds and certification, immediately approve the
release of funds for an activity or project assisted under
this heading if the recipient has adopted an environmental
review, approval or permit under the preceding proviso or the
activity or project is categorically excluded from review
under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.): Provided further, That the Secretary
shall publish via notice in the Federal Register any waiver,
or alternative requirement, to any statute or regulation that
the Secretary administers pursuant to title I of the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1974 no later than 5 days
before the effective date of such waiver or alternative
requirement: Provided further, That of the amounts made
available under this heading, up to $5,000,000 shall be made
available for capacity building and technical assistance,
including assistance on contracting and procurement
processes, to support States, units of general local
government, or Indian tribes (and their subrecipients) that
receive allocations pursuant to this heading, or may receive
similar allocations for disaster recovery in future
appropriations Acts: Provided further, That of the amounts
made available under this heading, up to $2,500,000 shall be
transferred, in aggregate, to ``Department of Housing and
Urban Development--Program Office Salaries and Expenses--
Community Planning and Development'' for necessary costs,
including information technology costs, of administering and
overseeing the obligation and expenditure of amounts under
this heading: Provided further, That the amount specified in
the preceding proviso shall be combined with funds
appropriated under the same heading in prior appropriations
Acts without limitation: Provided further, That the
Secretary shall transmit each certification made under the
authorities provided in this Act to the Committees on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate
no later than 3 days after making any such certification:
Provided further, That such amount is designated by the
Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to
section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985: Provided further, That amounts
repurposed under this heading that were previously designated
by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act are
designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement
pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS TITLE
Sec. 301. For an additional amount for ``Department of
Housing and Urban Development--Community Planning and
Development--Community Development Fund'', $1,260,000,000, to
remain available until expended, which amounts shall be
allocated and used under the same authority and conditions as
the additional appropriations under the heading ``Department
of Housing and Urban Development--Community Planning and
Development--Community Development Fund'' of title XI of the
Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief
Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-20; 133 Stat. 896): Provided, That
not less than $1,530,000,000 of the funds made available in
this section and under the heading ``Department of Housing
and Urban Development--Community Planning and Development--
Community Development Fund'' of title XI of the Additional
Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019
(Public Law 116-20) shall be allocated to grantees, no later
than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, for
mitigation activities in the most impacted and distressed
areas resulting from a major disaster that occurred in 2018
or 2019: Provided further, That such allocations shall be
made in the same proportion that the amount of funds each
grantee received under this section, under the heading
``Department of Housing and Urban Development--Community
Planning and Development--Community Development Fund'' of
title XI of the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for
Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-20), and under the
same heading in division I of Public Law 115-254 bears to the
amount of all funds provided to all grantees that received
allocations for disasters that occurred in 2018 or 2019:
Provided further, That none of the funds made available under
this section or under the heading ``Department of Housing and
Urban Development--Community Planning and Development--
Community Development Fund'' of title XI of the Additional
Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019
(Public Law 116-20) may be used for any part of a major
disaster that was declared in 2020: Provided further, That
in administering funds made available under this section and
title XI of the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for
Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-20), the fourth
proviso under the heading ``Department of Housing and Urban
Development--Community Planning and Development--Community
Development Fund'' in Public Law 116-20 and the first proviso
of section 1102 of such Public Law shall have no force or
effect: Provided further, That such
[[Page H950]]
amount is designated by the Congress as being for an
emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985: Provided further, That amounts repurposed by this
section that were previously designated by the Congress as an
emergency requirement or as being for disaster relief
pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control
Act are designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or
as being for disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985.
Sec. 302. (a) Amounts previously made available for
activities authorized under title I of the Housing and
Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.)
related to disaster relief, long-term recovery, restoration
of infrastructure and housing, economic revitalization, and
mitigation in the most impacted and distressed areas
resulting from a major disaster, including funds provided
under the heading ``Department of Housing and Urban
Development--Community Planning and Development--Community
Development Fund'' in prior appropriations Acts, that were
allocated in response to Hurricanes Irma and Maria, may be
used interchangeably and without limitation for the same
activities funded under the heading ``Department of Housing
and Urban Development--Community Planning and Development--
Community Development Fund'' in this Act. In addition, any
funds provided under the heading ``Department of Housing and
Urban Development--Community Planning and Development--
Community Development Fund'' in this Act may be used
interchangeably and without limitation for the same
activities in the most impacted and distressed areas related
to Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
(b)(1) Until the date on which the Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development publishes a Federal Register Notice
implementing this provision--
(A) grantees may submit for approval by the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development revised plans for the use of
funds related to Hurricanes Irma and Maria that expand the
eligible beneficiaries of existing programs contained in such
previously approved plans to include those activities funded
under the heading ``Department of Housing and Urban
Development--Community Planning and Development--Community
Development Fund'' in this Act; and
(B) approval of any such revised plans shall include the
execution of revised grant terms and conditions as necessary.
(2) Beginning on the date of the publication of the
implementing Notice, any plan revisions shall follow the
requirements contained in such Notice.
(c) Amounts repurposed by this section that were previously
designated by the Congress as an emergency requirement or as
being for disaster relief pursuant to the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act are designated by the Congress
as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985 or as being for disaster relief pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 303. For funds appropriated under the heading
``Department of Housing and Urban Development--Community
Planning and Development--Community Development Fund'' in
subdivision 1 of division B of the Bipartisan Budget Act of
2018 (Public Law 115-123) or the Additional Supplemental
Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-
20), the Secretary shall execute all grant agreements for
disbursement of funds allocated to a grantee no later than 60
days after the date of approval of a grantee's plan for the
use of funds: Provided, That amounts repurposed by this
section that were previously designated as an emergency
requirement or as being for disaster relief pursuant to the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 are
designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or
as being for disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985.
Sec. 304. (a) The Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other Federal
partners, shall complete the interagency consultation and
coordination of Federal investments necessary for the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to develop
administrative requirements for funds provided for enhanced
or improved electrical power systems under the heading
``Department of Housing and Urban Development--Community
Planning and Development--Community Development Fund'' in
title XI of subdivision 1 of division B of the Bipartisan
Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123) no later than 30 days
after the date of enactment of this Act.
(b) With respect to amounts made available for enhanced or
improved electrical power systems under the heading
``Department of Housing and Urban Development--Community
Planning and Development--Community Development Fund'' in
title XI of subdivision 1 of division B of the Bipartisan
Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123), the Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development shall publish in the Federal
Register the allocations to all eligible grantees, and the
necessary administrative requirements applicable to such
allocations no later than 60 days after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(c) Amounts repurposed pursuant to this section that were
previously designated by the Congress as an emergency
requirement or as being for disaster relief pursuant to the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 are
designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 or
as being for disaster relief pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(D)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985.
TITLE IV--GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS ACT
Sec. 401. In addition to other amounts made available by
section 309 of division A of the Additional Supplemental
Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017
(Public Law 115-72; 131 Stat. 1229), and by section 104 of
title I of the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for
Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (Public Law 116-20; 133 Stat. 874),
there is appropriated to the Secretary, out of any moneys in
the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 2020, $40,000,000 to provide a grant to
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for disaster nutrition
assistance in response to a major earthquake disaster or
emergency designated by the President under the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5121 et seq.): Provided, That the funds made
available to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico under this
section shall remain available for obligation by the
Commonwealth until September 30, 2021, and shall be in
addition to funds otherwise made available: Provided
further, That such amount is designated by the Congress as
being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 402. (a) Section 20601 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of
2018 (Public Law 115-123) is amended by striking ``and DR-
4335-USVI'' and inserting ``DR-4335-USVI, and for all major
disasters declared under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Recovery Act (42 U.S.C. 5122) for Puerto Rico or
the United States Virgin Islands during calendar year 2020''.
(b) Subsection (a) shall be applied as if it were in effect
beginning on January 1, 2020.
(c) Amounts repurposed by this section and the amendments
made by this section that were previously designated by the
Congress as an emergency requirement or as being for disaster
relief pursuant to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985 are designated by the Congress as being
for an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985 or as being for disaster relief pursuant
to section 251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985.
Sec. 403. Each amount appropriated or made available by
this Act is in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for
the fiscal year involved.
Sec. 404. No part of any appropriation contained in this
Act shall remain available for obligation beyond the current
fiscal year unless expressly so provided herein.
Sec. 405. Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, the
additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appropriations
accounts shall be available under the authorities and
conditions applicable to such appropriations accounts for
fiscal year 2020.
Sec. 406. Each amount designated in this Act by the
Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to
section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985 shall be available (or rescinded
or transferred, if applicable) only if the President
subsequently so designates all such amounts and transmits
such designations to the Congress.
Sec. 407. Any amount appropriated by this Act, designated
by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to
section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985 and subsequently so designated by
the President, and transferred pursuant to transfer
authorities provided by this Act shall retain such
designation.
This division may be cited as the ``Emergency Supplemental
Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2020''.
DIVISION B--PUERTO RICO DISASTER TAX RELIEF ACT OF 2020
short title
Sec. 101.
This division may be cited as the ``Puerto Rico Disaster
Tax Relief Act of 2020''.
qualified puerto rico disaster zone defined
Sec. 102.
For purposes of this division, the term ``qualified Puerto
Rico disaster zone'' means any area--
(1) with respect to which a major disaster was declared by
the President under section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act by reason of the
earthquakes occurring in or near Puerto Rico beginning on
December 28, 2019, and ending on the date which is 60 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and
[[Page H951]]
(2) which was determined by the President to warrant
individual or individual and public assistance from the
Federal Government under such Act by reason of such
earthquakes.
child tax credit for puerto rico and other possessions of the united
states
Sec. 103.
(a) Puerto Rico.--
(1) Same treatment of families in puerto rico with one
child or two children that is currently provided to families
in puerto rico with three or more children.--Section 24(d) of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the
end the following new paragraph:
``(4) Residents of puerto rico.--In the case of an
individual who is a bona fide resident of Puerto Rico (within
the meaning of section 937(a)) for the taxable year,
paragraph (1)(B)(ii) shall be applied by substituting `1 or
more qualifying children' for `3 or more qualifying
children'.''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31,
2019.
(b) Mirror Code Possessions.--The Secretary of the Treasury
shall pay to each possession of the United States with a
mirror code tax system amounts equal to the loss to that
possession by reason of the application of section 24 of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 with respect to taxable years
beginning after 2019. Such amounts shall be determined by the
Secretary of the Treasury based on information provided by
the government of the respective possession.
(c) American Samoa.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall
pay to American Samoa amounts estimated by the Secretary of
the Treasury as being equal to the aggregate benefits that
would have been provided to the residents of American Samoa
by reason of the application of section 24 of such Code for
taxable years beginning after 2019 if the provisions of such
section had been in effect in American Samoa. The preceding
sentence shall not apply unless American Samoa has a plan,
which has been approved by the Secretary of the Treasury,
under which American Samoa will promptly distribute such
payments to the residents of American Samoa in a manner which
replicates to the greatest degree practicable the benefits
that would have been so provided to each such resident.
(d) Definitions and Special Rules.--
(1) In general.--No credit shall be allowed against United
States income taxes for any taxable year under section 24 of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to any person--
(A) to whom a credit is allowed against taxes imposed by a
possession with a mirror code tax system by reason of the
application of section 24 of such Code in such possession for
such taxable year, or
(B) who is eligible for a payment under a plan described in
subsection (c) with respect to such taxable year.
(2) Mirror code tax system.--For purposes of this section,
the term ``mirror code tax system'' means, with respect to
any possession of the United States, the income tax system of
such possession if the income tax liability of the residents
of such possession under such system is determined by
reference to the income tax laws of the United States as if
such possession were the United States.
(3) Treatment of payments.--For purposes of section
1324(b)(2) of title 31, United States Code, the payments
under subsections (b) and (c) shall be treated in the same
manner as a refund due from the credit allowed under section
24 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
application of earned income tax credit in possessions of the united
states
Sec. 104.
(a) In General.--Chapter 77 of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``SEC. 7529. APPLICATION OF EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT TO
POSSESSIONS OF THE UNITED STATES.
``(a) Puerto Rico.--
``(1) In general.--With respect to calendar year 2021 and
each calendar year thereafter, the Secretary shall, except as
otherwise provided in this subsection, make payments to
Puerto Rico equal to--
``(A) the specified matching amount for such calendar year,
plus
``(B) in the case of calendar years 2021 through 2025, the
lesser of--
``(i) the expenditures made by Puerto Rico during such
calendar year for education efforts with respect to
individual taxpayers and tax return preparers relating to the
earned income tax credit, or
``(ii) $1,000,000.
``(2) Requirement to reform earned income tax credit.--The
Secretary shall not make any payments under paragraph (1)
with respect to any calendar year unless Puerto Rico has in
effect an earned income tax credit for taxable years
beginning in or with such calendar year which (relative to
the earned income tax credit which was in effect for taxable
years beginning in or with calendar year 2019) increases the
percentage of earned income which is allowed as a credit for
each group of individuals with respect to which such
percentage is separately stated or determined in a manner
designed to substantially increase workforce participation.
``(3) Specified matching amount.--For purposes of this
subsection--
``(A) In general.--The term `specified matching amount'
means, with respect to any calendar year, the lesser of--
``(i) the excess (if any) of--
``(I) the cost to Puerto Rico of the earned income tax
credit for taxable years beginning in or with such calendar
year, over
``(II) the base amount for such calendar year, or
``(ii) the product of 3, multiplied by the base amount for
such calendar year.
``(B) Base amount.--
``(i) Base amount for 2021.--In the case of calendar year
2021, the term `base amount' means the greater of--
``(I) the cost to Puerto Rico of the earned income tax
credit for taxable years beginning in or with calendar year
2019 (rounded to the nearest multiple of $1,000,000), or
``(II) $200,000,000.
``(ii) Inflation adjustment.--In the case of any calendar
year after 2021, the term `base amount' means the dollar
amount determined under clause (i) increased by an amount
equal to--
``(I) such dollar amount, multiplied by--
``(II) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under
section 1(f)(3) for such calendar year, determined by
substituting `calendar year 2020' for `calendar year 2016' in
subparagraph (A)(ii) thereof.
Any amount determined under this clause shall be rounded to
the nearest multiple of $1,000,000.
``(4) Rules related to payments and reports.--
``(A) Timing of payments.--The Secretary shall make
payments under paragraph (1) for any calendar year--
``(i) after receipt of the report described in subparagraph
(B) for such calendar year, and
``(ii) except as provided in clause (i), within a
reasonable period of time before the due date for individual
income tax returns (as determined under the laws of Puerto
Rico) for taxable years which began on the first day of such
calendar year.
``(B) Annual reports.--With respect to calendar year 2021
and each calendar year thereafter, Puerto Rico shall provide
to the Secretary a report which shall include--
``(i) an estimate of the costs described in paragraphs
(1)(B)(i) and (3)(A)(i)(I) with respect to such calendar
year, and
``(ii) a statement of such costs with respect to the
preceding calendar year.
``(C) Adjustments.--
``(i) In general.--In the event that any estimate of an
amount is more or less than the actual amount as later
determined and any payment under paragraph (1) was determined
on the basis of such estimate, proper payment shall be made
by, or to, the Secretary (as the case may be) as soon as
practicable after the determination that such estimate was
inaccurate. Proper adjustment shall be made in the amount of
any subsequent payments made under paragraph (1) to the
extent that proper payment is not made under the preceding
sentence before such subsequent payments.
``(ii) Additional reports.--The Secretary may require such
additional periodic reports of the information described in
subparagraph (B) as the Secretary determines appropriate to
facilitate timely adjustments under clause (i).
``(D) Determination of cost of earned income tax credit.--
For purposes of this subsection, the cost to Puerto Rico of
the earned income tax credit shall be determined by the
Secretary on the basis of the laws of Puerto Rico and shall
include reductions in revenues received by Puerto Rico by
reason of such credit and refunds attributable to such
credit, but shall not include any administrative costs with
respect to such credit.
``(b) Possessions With Mirror Code Tax Systems.--
``(1) In general.--With respect to calendar year 2021 and
each calendar year thereafter, the Secretary shall, except as
otherwise provided in this subsection, make payments to the
Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands equal to--
``(A) 75 percent of the cost to such possession of the
earned income tax credit for taxable years beginning in or
with such calendar year, plus
``(B) in the case of calendar years 2021 through 2025, the
lesser of--
``(i) the expenditures made by such possession during such
calendar year for education efforts with respect to
individual taxpayers and tax return preparers relating to
such earned income tax credit, or
``(ii) $50,000.
``(2) Application of certain rules.--Rules similar to the
rules of subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of subsection
(a)(4) shall apply for purposes of this subsection.
``(c) American Samoa.--
``(1) In general.--With respect to calendar year 2021 and
each calendar year thereafter, the Secretary shall, except as
otherwise provided in this subsection, make payments to
American Samoa equal to--
``(A) the lesser of--
``(i) 75 percent of the cost to American Samoa of the
earned income tax credit for taxable years beginning in or
with such calendar year, or
``(ii) $12,000,000, plus
``(B) in the case of calendar years 2021 through 2025, the
lesser of--
``(i) the expenditures made by American Samoa during such
calendar year for education efforts with respect to
individual taxpayers and tax return preparers relating to
such earned income tax credit, or
``(ii) $50,000.
[[Page H952]]
``(2) Requirement to enact and maintain an earned income
tax credit.--The Secretary shall not make any payments under
paragraph (1) with respect to any calendar year unless
American Samoa has in effect an earned income tax credit for
taxable years beginning in or with such calendar year which
allows a refundable tax credit to individuals on the basis of
the taxpayer's earned income which is designed to
substantially increase workforce participation.
``(3) Inflation adjustment.--In the case of any calendar
year after 2021, the $12,000,000 amount in paragraph
(1)(A)(ii) shall be increased by an amount equal to--
``(A) such dollar amount, multiplied by--
``(B) the cost-of-living adjustment determined under
section 1(f)(3) for such calendar year, determined by
substituting `calendar year 2020' for `calendar year 2016' in
subparagraph (A)(ii) thereof.
Any increase determined under this clause shall be rounded to
the nearest multiple of $100,000.
``(4) Application of certain rules.--Rules similar to the
rules of subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of subsection
(a)(4) shall apply for purposes of this subsection.
``(d) Treatment of Payments.--For purposes of section 1324
of title 31, United States Code, the payments under this
section shall be treated in the same manner as a refund due
from a credit provision referred to in subsection (b)(2) of
such section.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for chapter
77 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following
new item:
``Sec. 7529. Application of earned income tax credit to possessions of
the United States.''.
low-income housing credit allocations for puerto rico
Sec. 105.
(a) In General.--For purposes of section 42 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, the State housing credit ceiling for
Puerto Rico for calendar year 2020 shall be increased by
$50,000,000.
(b) Qualified Puerto Rico Disaster Zones Treated as
Difficult Development Areas.--
(1) In general.--For purposes of section 42 of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, in the case of a qualified building
placed in service in a qualified Puerto Rico disaster zone
(as defined in section 102), such area shall be treated as a
difficult development area under subclause (I) of section
42(d)(5)(B)(iii) but shall not be taken into account for
purposes of applying the limitation under subclause (II) of
such section.
(2) Qualified building.--For purposes of this subsection,
the term ``qualified building'' means any building which is
allocated a housing credit dollar amount during calendar year
2020 or 2021.
(3) Other definitions.--Terms used in this section which
are also used in section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 shall have the same meaning when used in this section as
when used in such section 42.
new markets tax credit allocations for puerto rico
Sec. 106.
(a) In General.--For purposes of section 45D of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986--
(1) the new markets tax credit limitation otherwise
determined under subsection (f)(1) thereof for each of 2020
and 2021 shall be increased by $500,000,000, to be allocated
among specified community development entities to make
qualified low-income community investments in Puerto Rico,
and
(2) section 45D(f)(3) shall be applied--
(A) separately with respect to the amounts of the increases
under paragraph (1), and
(B) solely with respect to the amounts of the increases
described in subparagraph (A), the last sentence of such
section shall not prevent such amounts from being carried to
calendar year 2026.
(b) Specified Community Development Entities.--For purposes
of this section, the term ``specified community development
entity'' means any qualified community development entity if
such entity has a history of making qualified low-income
community investments in federally declared disaster areas or
Puerto Rico.
(c) Other Definitions.--Terms used in this section which
are also used in section 45D of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 shall have the same meaning when used in this section as
when used in such section 45D.
cover over of distilled spirits taxes
Sec. 107.
(a) Repeal of Limitation on Cover Over of Distilled Spirits
Taxes to Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.--
(1) In general.--Section 7652 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986 is amended by striking subsection (f) and by
redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsections (f) and
(g), respectively.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 7652(f)(1) of such Code,
as redesignated by paragraph (1), is amended by--
(A) striking subparagraph (B), and
(B) by striking ``as if--'' and all that follows through
``the use and tax'' and inserting ``as if the use and tax''.
(3) Effective date.--The amendments made by this subsection
shall apply to distilled spirits brought into the United
States after December 31, 2019.
(b) Transfer to Puerto Rico Conservation Trust Fund of
Portion of Puerto Rico Rum Cover Over.--
(1) In general.--Section 7652(e) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986 is amended by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4),
and (5) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), respectively, and by
inserting after paragraph (2) the following new paragraph:
``(2) Transfer to puerto rico conservation trust fund of
portion of rum cover over.--
``(A) In general.--From any amount otherwise required to be
covered over to the treasury of Puerto Rico under this
section with respect to taxes collected on rum under section
5001(a)(1) or subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary
of the Treasury shall transfer to the Puerto Rico
Conservation Trust Fund an amount equal to $0.46 per proof
gallon of rum to which such cover over is attributable. Any
amount transferred under the preceding sentence shall be
treated for purposes of this section (other than this
paragraph) as having been covered over to the treasury of
Puerto Rico.
``(B) Puerto rico conservation trust fund.--For purposes of
this section, the term `Puerto Rico Conservation Trust Fund'
means the fund established pursuant to a Memorandum of
Understanding between the United States Department of the
Interior and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, dated December
24, 1968.''.
(2) Effective date.--The amendments made by this section
shall apply to rum brought into the United States after
December 31, 2019.
(c) Cover Over Determined Without Regard to Certain Rate
Reductions.--
(1) In general.--Section 7652 of the Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended by subsection (a)(1), is amended by
adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(h) Cover Over Determined Without Regard to Certain Rate
Reductions.--For purposes of subsections (a)(3), (b)(3), and
(e), the amount of taxes imposed and collected under section
5001(a)(1) shall be determined without regard to section
5001(c).''.
(2) Conforming amendment.--Section 7652(e) of such Code, as
amended by subsection (b)(1), is amended by striking
paragraph (6).
(3) Effective date.--The amendments made by this subsection
shall take effect as if included in section 13807 of Public
Law 115-97.
employee retention credit with respect to individuals employed in the
qualified puerto rico disaster zone
Sec. 108.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall pay to
Puerto Rico the amount determined under subsection (b) for
the purpose of providing an employee retention credit with
respect to individuals employed in a qualified Puerto Rico
disaster zone (as defined in section 102). The preceding
sentence shall not apply unless Puerto Rico has a plan for
implementing such employee retention credit--
(1) which is similar to the plan approved under section
504(d)(1)(B) of the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and
Airway Extension Act of 2017,
(2) under which Puerto Rico will promptly distribute such
payments to its residents, and
(3) which has been approved by the Secretary of the
Treasury for purposes of this section.
(b) Determination of Payment Amount.--
(1) In general.--The amount determined under this
subsection is the product of--
(A) the aggregate amount of payments made under section
504(d)(1)(B) of the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and
Airway Extension Act of 2017, multiplied by
(B) the population adjustment ratio.
(2) Population adjustment ratio.--For purposes of this
subsection, the term population adjustment ratio means the
ratio of--
(A) the number of individuals estimated by the Secretary of
the Treasury to have been present in the qualified Puerto
Rico disaster zone (as defined in section 102), over
(B) the number of individuals estimated by the Secretary of
the Treasury to have been present in the Hurricane Maria
disaster zone (as defined in section 501(c) of the Disaster
Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017).
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 90 days after
substantially all of the employee retention credits under
this section have been paid or allowed to taxpayers in Puerto
Rico, the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico shall
submit a written report to Congress documenting the
implementation of such credits.
DIVISION C--BUDGETARY EFFECTS
budgetary effects
Sec. 101. (a) In General.--The budgetary effects of
division B and each succeeding division shall not be entered
on either PAYGO scorecard maintained pursuant to section 4(d)
of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
(b) Senate PAYGO Scorecards.--The budgetary effects of
division B and each succeeding division shall not be entered
on any PAYGO scorecard maintained for purposes of section
4106 of H. Con. Res. 71 (115th Congress).
(c) Classification of Budgetary Effects.--Notwithstanding
Rule 3 of the Budget Scorekeeping Guidelines set forth in the
joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference
accompanying Conference Report 105-217 and section 250(c)(8)
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of
1985, the budgetary effects of division B and each succeeding
division shall not be estimated--
[[Page H953]]
(1) for purposes of section 251 of such Act; and
(2) for purposes of paragraph (4)(C) of section 3 of the
Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 as being included in an
appropriation Act.
The CHAIR. No amendment to the bill is in order except those printed
in part C of House Report 116-392. Each such amendment may be offered
only in the order printed in the report, by a Member designated in the
report, shall be considered read, shall be debatable for the time
specified in the report, equally divided and controlled by the
proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall
not be subject to a demand for division of the question.
Amendment No. 1 Offered by Ms. Shalala
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 printed in
part C of House Report 116-392.
Ms. SHALALA. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 3, line 25, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $1,000,000)''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 833, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Shalala) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.
Ms. SHALALA. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Chair, our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico have suffered
greatly in the last few years, from fiscal calamity to a monster
hurricane to the Earth shaking and continuing to shake.
I have seen the suffering personally. These disasters have resulted
in many Puerto Ricans leaving the island, and many are children or
young adults who are still in school.
This amendment increases funding to conduct a study on the impacts
that these young people face when they have to disrupt their education.
The truth is, we don't know the best way to help children who have to
leave their homes to pursue their education in another State or have to
miss weeks of school because their school building is structurally
unsound after an earthquake. But we need to. We need to know the best
way to make sure that all children can reach their full potential and
are able to cope with whatever trauma they may have faced.
Ultimately, this amendment will save us money because we will have
future natural disasters where children will have to move away from
their schools or pause their education. Unfortunately, there will be
more Marias and more Katrinas, and there will be more wildfires.
We need to make sure that we are serving both children and the
taxpayers. We should spend our money in the most impactful way
possible. The study will guide us on the most effective policies and
the most effective way we can use disaster funds to help our children.
I thank my distinguished colleague, Congresswoman Gonzalez-Colon, for
her work and her support on this amendment, as well as Congresswoman
Stephanie Murphy, Congressman Alcee Hastings, and Chairman Jim
McGovern.
Madam Chair, I support the underlying bill. I urge my colleagues to
support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, I claim the time in
opposition, although I am going to be in favor of the amendment.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, first, I want to
thank Congresswoman Shalala. I thank the gentlewoman for visiting the
island several weeks ago with Congressman Posey and Congresswoman
Murphy.
Madam Chair, let me tell you what this amendment is about. This will
provide $1 million to conduct a study on the impacts of educational
attainment, long-term economic opportunities, as well as the well-being
of students from Puerto Rico who have had to disrupt or change their
educational path due to a natural disaster.
Although the full extent of the damage is still being assessed, it is
evident that the ongoing earthquakes impacting Puerto Rico have been
particularly harmful for our students and educational system.
Following the collapse of this public school in Guanica--thank God it
was 4:24 in the morning, and there were no students and teachers in
that school. It completely collapsed. The Department of Education
delayed the start of the semester across the island in order to conduct
structural inspections of all public schools. To this day, 69 schools
have already been deemed unsafe and thus unable to reopen. Another 234
have been classified as partially adequate, which means that only some
parts of the school's buildings are safe.
In fact, although inspections are ongoing, the Puerto Rico Department
of Education is projecting that 25 percent of the island's public
schools will be unable to be reopen during this semester.
In Guanica, this town, there are six schools. All of them are closed.
As we speak, tents are being installed as outdoor classrooms to ensure
students don't lose their semester, specifically seniors going off to
college.
The disruptive nature of the event cannot be overstated. Puerto Rico
will need to identify alternative and/or temporary sites to open
schools and relocate misplaced students. Many will probably leave the
island altogether, the way it happened with Maria. The provision of
counseling and mental health services will be crucial to address the
fear and similar challenges among the impacted student population and
their families.
Therefore, I support the $100 million included in the supplemental to
help us meet the educational needs of those affected by disasters.
The study funded by this amendment will provide us with vital
information to help address challenges faced by students impacted by
earthquakes, mitigate additional impacts on their educational
attainment, and better prepare them for future disasters.
I want to conclude by thanking Ranking Member Granger for allowing me
the time and Congresswoman Shalala for her hard work in working
together on behalf of the people of Puerto Rico.
Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SHALALA. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. It is
$1 million that provides funds for a study on the impacts of natural
disasters on the well-being and educational paths of affected students
and children in Puerto Rico.
The children in Puerto Rico have been struggling from the trauma of
multiple natural disasters. It has been resulting in unbelievable
disruptions to their lives at home and at school.
After Hurricane Maria, Congresswoman Grace Meng from New York and I
went to Puerto Rico. We visited the schools, and the teachers told us
that the children were not coming to school. Why? We asked the
question: Why?
They were scared that if they went to school and they returned home,
they would not find their families, their home, or anything else that
gave them their strength and the hope with their families, so they
weren't going. They also couldn't go because the power was out, and the
heat was too much for them to be there.
What is it that you can't understand? What is it that this
administration doesn't understand about what is happening to children,
American children, in Puerto Rico?
{time} 1030
We included $3 million in the 2019 Labor-HHS appropriations bill to
provide behavorial health services and counseling to children in Puerto
Rico. These services are being provided through the National Child
Traumatic Stress Network, which is a national network of grantees that
provide services for children and adolescents exposed to traumatic
events.
Schools are the center of our communities. They offer students stable
schedules, warm meals, and support from teachers and school
professionals. They are the center of learning. We need to act with
urgency to support the school recovery and restore this stability for
the children in Puerto Rico,
[[Page H954]]
but we must take a careful look at the long-term impacts of these
disasters on student well-being and educational access and success.
Madam Chair, this amendment provides those resources. I support it,
and I urge my colleagues to do the same.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, may I inquire how
much time is remaining.
The CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Puerto Rico has 2 minutes remaining.
The gentlewoman from Florida has 1 minute remaining.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, the school that I am
showing you here is one from Guanica. Maybe many people here will not
know that the schools in Puerto Rico are used for shelters during
hurricanes, so this is having the place for shelters being destroyed
and many of them not compliant right now and during the assessment.
Let me give you an example. When we had the first earthquake, 6.4,
and then the replica, the government of Puerto Rico has to do an
assessment of the infrastructure in all schools. But weeks later, we
got more aftershocks of 5, 5.4, 4.9. So that assessment continued to
happen, and it is an ongoing situation every week in order to have our
kids and teachers safe.
So right now, I told you already the number of schools that are
deemed unsafe to return to classes. But if we do have another replica
of 5 or 4.9 during these next days, and we are having between 8 and 12
tremors a day, that may be that many more schools can be included.
Actually, originally, there were just six towns included in the
mayor's declaration of disaster. Right now, it is 29, because the
infrastructure gets weakened with all the tremors, and that is the
reason I do support this amendment.
The mental health issue for students, for parents, for kids is a real
situation on the island. We don't want to lose more kids. We don't want
kids to lose their semester. So I think this amendment would provide
that much-needed help.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. SHALALA. Madam Chair, this amendment is simply about helping
American children, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Madam Chair, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey),
the chair of Committee on Appropriations.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I am pleased to support this excellent
amendment.
Ms. SHALALA. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Shalala).
The question was taken; and the Chair announced that the ayes
appeared to have it.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on
the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Florida will be
postponed.
Amendment No. 2 Offered by Miss Gonzalez-Colon of Puerto Rico
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed in
part C of House Report 116-392.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, I have an amendment
at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 27, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $170,000,000)''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 833, the gentlewoman from
Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon) and a Member opposed each will
control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Madam Chair, today, I rise in support of this amendment. It is a
bipartisan amendment to increase the amount of disaster nutrition
assistance for Puerto Rico to $210 million.
The island has been experiencing constant seismic activity since
December 28 of last year, and thousands of Puerto Ricans have lost
their homes and all their belongings. This challenges their safety and
job security, as well as their ability to provide food for themselves
and their family members.
Puerto Rico does not participate in the national Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, as do our counterparts in the
mainland; Washington, D.C.; Guam; and the Virgin Islands. Instead,
Puerto Rico has the Nutrition Assistance Program, or NAP, which
receives significantly less funding.
Excluding us from SNAP--and that is another issue that this House
addressed and we are making a study in that sense. Excluding us from
SNAP also excludes us from the disaster portion of this program, known
as D-SNAP. This means that every time there is a natural disaster like
the one we are experiencing now, Congress needs to step up and
appropriate Federal funding for disaster nutrition.
We saw that after Hurricane Irma and Maria. And now, we are facing
another emergency, and that is the reason Congress needs to approve
funds for this food nutrition assistance. This amendment will help
support beneficiaries of the program and allow an increase in
enrollment, ensuring that those impacted by disasters were supported in
their effort to maintain food security.
The earthquakes have caused widespread infrastructure damage. Over
15,000 residents have reported damage in their homes. Of those, more
than 1,000 are damaged to a point of being unlivable or destroyed.
This is a wide infrastructure issue that has impacted private homes,
public buildings, and private businesses, including supermarkets,
pharmacies, and stores in that region.
Since the seismic activity is ongoing, we expect the infrastructure
problems to worsen. Some structures have survived seismic movements
thus far, but there is no telling us when or if they will be destroyed
or affected by future aftershocks.
People are living in fear; people are living in desperation--
especially in the southwestern region of the island. At one point, over
7,000 people were living in shelters without a clear idea of when they
will be able to return to their homes.
I have experienced these tremors myself, and I can firmly state that
fear during these times is more than justified.
The unpredictability of earthquakes challenges any forecast
capabilities. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is no
telling when the earthquakes will stop. However, one thing we do know
is that the island needs help, and we need it now.
Madam Chair, this is why I am supporting the underlying bill and why
I am offering this amendment. There are close to 397,000 NAP
beneficiaries in the affected municipalities, of which over 92,000 are
children. These numbers may grow, contingent on more municipalities
being affected and more residents joining the program.
Madam Chair, food security is a critical part of any recovery effort.
My amendment will ensure earthquake victims can count on disaster
nutritional funds to get them through this difficult time.
I thank Congresswoman DeLauro, Congresswoman Velazquez, Congressmen
Soto and Jose Serrano for sponsoring this important amendment for the
people of Puerto Rico.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor. And, again, I
cannot vote for the bill. I cannot have Members in the House and in the
Senate representing Puerto Rico, but I can, with all of you, vote for
Puerto Rico in this amendment.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time
in opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.
The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from
Connecticut?
There was no objection.
The CHAIR. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Chair, I look forward to the day when my
colleague, Miss Gonzalez-Colon from Puerto Rico, can vote in this House
of Representatives.
I also want to add one thing.
A colleague from South Carolina said earlier that folks in Puerto
Rico do not pay taxes. They pay payroll taxes. We
[[Page H955]]
all understand payroll taxes; and, quite frankly, that is the basis on
which the child tax credit is determined. So they are paying taxes.
Madam Chair, I rise in support of this amendment. I am honored to
colead it with my colleague Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, with
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, and Congressmen Serrano and Soto. It
increases funding for Puerto Rico's Nutrition Assistance Program to
$210 million.
The $40 million in the underlying bill provides a strong foundation
on which to build; and, in light of a new analysis from leading
nutrition experts which has shown how great the need is, the amendment
increases the resources to what the experts are now calling for.
Thousands have been left without food, water, or power. We cannot
turn our backs on the people of Puerto Rico. We need to meet basic
needs so that they can rebuild. It is not only a responsibility, but it
is a moral responsibility.
And why is this necessary? Because Puerto Rico receives a block grant
for nutrition assistance. It is known as the Nutrition Assistance
Program, or NAP. Because the value of the block grant is fixed, their
nutrition assistance is unable to meet the heightened needs of children
and families in times of disaster. It is fundamentally different from
how food stamps work for the millions of other Americans elsewhere in
our country.
But we know where this administration falls on the food stamp
program. They are willing to deny 3 million people access to food
stamps, take 2 million kids off of the School Lunch Program.
Folks here are in need, but the people in Puerto Rico, the children
in Puerto Rico are in need. An island ravished by earthquakes and
tremors--Wednesday saw a 5.0 magnitude earthquake.
In her request to the Congress, Puerto Rico's Governor warned:
``Puerto Ricans are currently suffering economic and job loss,
displacement and interruption of essential services, and thousands of
refugees currently located in camps are children and the elderly.''
We offer a bipartisan amendment today to build on the underlying
bill. I commend the committee chair, Congresswoman Lowey, and the
subcommittee chair, Congressman Bishop, for their hard work on this
fast-moving matter.
To my colleagues: Have a sense of what food means to people. We live
in a land of plenty. We should not be about the business of denying
food and nutrition help to others, and especially American children and
American families from Puerto Rico, the nutrition assistance, the food
that they need in order to survive.
Madam Chair, no one should go to bed hungry in this country or in
those countries where we have American citizens, and that is Puerto
Rico.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues, please--please--deal with what our
moral responsibility is in this body. We have the power to make this
happen. Let's make it happen today.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 3 Offered by Ms. Plaskett
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3 printed in
part C of House Report 116-392.
Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 3, line 5, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $3,000,000)''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 833, the gentlewoman from the
Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) and a Member opposed each will control 5
minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands.
Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment. This
amendment would increase the Department of Energy technical assistance
for electrical grid recovery in the U.S. territories by $3 million.
High energy costs have bedeviled the U.S. insular territories for
many years, harming consumers, limiting development, and draining
capital from our islands' economies. The average price of electricity
paid by U.S. Virgin Islands residents in mid-2019 was about three times
higher than the average power price in the mainland United States.
These islands have suffered at least one tropical cyclone, typhoon,
or hurricane in the last 3 years, storms made stronger by warming
oceans.
As a result of unprecedented recent disasters and the impact of
enormous physical damage, the Virgin Islands are currently going
through an energy crisis. Hurricanes Irma and Maria damaged
approximately 80 to 90 percent of the electrical transmission and
distribution systems in the territory. Rolling blackouts persist to
this day.
{time} 1045
Successfully incorporating resiliency measures into the electrical
system recovery effort, including by building microgrid systems, and
adding renewable generation capacity to the system does require
significant technical assistance from the Department of Energy.
I am pleased that the House, through this bill, will be taking action
to make appropriations for technical assistance with rebuilding
electric systems in the insular areas. However, given the current state
of the islands, including Puerto Rico, which has had the unique
challenge of natural disasters reoccurring over the past several
months, I am concerned that the amount of $15 million may not be enough
to adequately address the urgent needs for assistance to improve grid
resiliency and to lower the cost of electricity.
That is why I requested this modest uptick of $3 million. It is to
see that utilities in the smaller territories like my district can get
the technical assistance they need to solve energy problems that are
unlike any other in the United States.
Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who is the majority leader.
Mr. HOYER. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin
Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for yielding. I lament that, as Miss Gonzalez-
Colon pointed out, she will not be able to vote on the final passage of
this bill.
I lament that Puerto Rico is not a State. If it were a State or if
the Virgin Islands were a State, they would have already been addressed
and helped, consistent with what we have done for States.
Madam Chair, history will remember this generation of Puerto Ricans
for their perseverance, their courage, and their strength. Having
endured two devastating hurricanes in 2017, they have had to cope with
their heartbreaking aftermath, characterized by the Trump
administration's failure to allocate resources properly, fairly,
effectively, and timely.
Now a series of powerful earthquakes have struck the island, causing
additional damage and, sadly, loss of life. We have heard reports that,
while much of the power transmission infrastructure that was rebuilt
stronger after the hurricanes were able to hold up, the aging power
plants they serve sustained substantial damage.
Madam Chair, I will remind my colleagues that the people of Puerto
Rico are our fellow American citizens. They are our brothers and our
sisters, our fellow Americans. Their well-being is our concern. Their
capacity to rebuild, and rebuild stronger, is our responsibility as the
representatives of the American people--of all the American people.
That is what we do after natural disasters: We help our fellow
Americans in need.
Madam Chair, I and several of my colleagues will be traveling to
Puerto Rico over the President's Day district work period next weekend.
We will be visiting communities in the south of the island that have
been hardest hit by the earthquakes. Many of the same communities are
still trying to rebuild from Irma and Maria.
I was there in 2017, in Puerto Rico, and in the Virgin Islands with
Representative Plaskett. I was there with the Republican leader, Mr.
McCarthy. We visited with families who lost their homes, who lost loved
ones, and who asked us to come back here to Washington and help.
We worked together, Republicans and Democrats, to pass emergency
funding and partnered on an effort to amend the Stafford Act to promote
resilience
[[Page H956]]
by ensuring that structures are built to 21st century standards.
Madam Chair, when I return to the island later this month, I want to
tell the people I meet that Congress has not and will not forget them,
that their brothers and sisters on the mainland are with them. I want
to tell them that we took action to provide the additional funding the
island needs to recover from this most recent disaster.
I want to tell them that the Congress came together to approve the
necessary funds to help communities on the island restore critical
infrastructure and rebuild schools and housing. I want to tell them
that we came through with assistance for repairing the energy grid and
making it more resilient.
I also want to be able to share with them that Congress made key tax
reforms to give low-income Puerto Ricans some help with childcare and
affordable housing as they rebuild, as we do for people here on the
mainland.
Madam Chair, that is why I am asking my colleagues to join me in
passing this bill and making all of those things possible. When I go
down to Puerto Rico in just over a week, I want to be able to tell the
people there that this House did its job.
Sadly, we have seen the administration's veto threat, which was
little more than a denigration of our fellow Americans, accusing Puerto
Ricans of corruption and being untrustworthy of receiving emergency
aid. Ironic that his administration would make such a charge. Shame on
them for making that allegation, and shame on them even more if they
veto disaster aid to Puerto Rico under such a spurious and hateful
belief.
House Democrats will continue to conduct oversight in order to ensure
that the administration does not continue to withhold critical,
congressionally appropriated disaster aid from the people of Puerto
Rico who need it to rebuild. The stronger they are, the stronger our
Nation will be.
Madam Chair, I want to thank the chairwoman of the Appropriations
Committee, Mrs. Lowey, as well as the chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee, Mr. Neal, along with members of their committees for their
hard work on this package.
Madam Chair, I want to thank Representatives Velazquez, Serrano,
Soto, Ocasio-Cortez, and, yes, Miss Gonzalez-Colon, as well, for
advocating for Puerto Ricans in Congress.
Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote
``yes'' on this package. Keep faith with our fellow citizens wherever
they might live, in the East, in the West, in the South, or in Puerto
Rico, all Americans worthy of having confidence that we will stand with
them in hours of distress.
Vote ``yes.''
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. I would like to claim the time in
opposition, and although I am claiming the time in opposition, I am in
favor of the amendment presented by Ms. Plaskett.
The CHAIR. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico is
recognized for 5 minutes.
There was no objection.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, I think it is
important to understand that living on an island puts us in a different
mode than the rest of the States where you can receive and manage
electricity at the power plants differently.
Our infrastructure is weakened by hurricanes, and by many years of
hurricanes in our case. So I do believe that this allocation of funds
for technical assistance from the Department of Energy will help us to
get through this situation and allow the U.S. Virgin Islands, and
Puerto Rico as well, to figure out what is going to be the kind of
energy we are going to be using.
We approved $1.9 billion for technical assistance in CDBG funds for
the electrical grid on the island of Puerto Rico, but the guidelines
have not been published yet. So that means we don't have access to
those funds, even though the Department of Energy has been doing the
assessments on the islands of Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Because of that, I do support the amendment.
Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Green).
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Chair, I am greatly honored to support this
piece of legislation, especially honored that Chairwoman Lowey has put
language in there that will streamline the process that Mr. Hoyer
helped to develop.
I would just like to add this. I know what it is like to live in
harm's way. In Houston, Texas, we have billion-dollar floods that take
lives, and these are supposed to be 100-year floods. Unfortunately,
they are happening all too often, and sometimes on a yearly basis.
So I stand here today to say thank you to all involved, especially to
Mrs. Lowey for what she has done to streamline this process. It will be
helpful to persons in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but, also, in
the long run, it will be helpful to the people of Houston, Texas.
Miss GONZALEZ-COLON of Puerto Rico. Madam Chair, I yield back the
balance of my time.
Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Chair, I urge adoption of this amendment. This is
important to the territories.
As you heard from my colleague from Puerto Rico, islands are very
fragile, and we do not have the scale that others have, nor do we have
grids that can be attached to other areas. So this is really important
to us, and the technical assistance of this Nation, from the Department
of Energy, would go a long way in supporting a more resilient grid.
Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Crenshaw
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 4 printed in
part C of House Report 116-392.
Mr. CRENSHAW. I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 20, line 7, after the dollar amount, insert
``(increased by $45,000,000)''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 833, the gentleman from Texas
(Mr. Crenshaw) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
Mr. CRENSHAW. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Chair, I rise today to support the people from the great State
of Texas.
It has been 2\1/2\ years since Hurricane Harvey. Many of my
constituents are still struggling to finance their rebuilding. And it
is not as if Texans simply waited on Federal aid. We passed a local
bond for $2.5 billion to address recovery and future prevention.
Additionally, many took out SBA loans, a low-cost loan to get
themselves back on their own feet.
Here is the problem: My constituents never thought that taking out an
SBA loan, a loan that they would be paying back, would prevent them
from also receiving other Federal aid.
This problem of dual benefits was addressed in law recently by my
friend Representative Garret Graves from Louisiana, but the fix came
too late for some. Many victims of disasters who would be eligible for
Federal aid such as CDBG-DR are not able to access that aid.
This amendment will not be able to provide the estimated nearly $3
billion that the Texas General Land Office believes would be needed to
help all of those affected, but my amendment will solve this problem
for some of the most vulnerable people who unfairly fell through the
bureaucratic cracks.
I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this amendment, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to claim time in
opposition, although I do not oppose the amendment.
The CHAIR. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from
Texas?
There was no objection.
The CHAIR. The gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher) is recognized
for 5 minutes.
Mrs. FLETCHER. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
[[Page H957]]
Madam Chair, I rise today to offer this bipartisan amendment with my
colleague and neighbor, Mr. Crenshaw, to help families who, through no
fault of their own, were denied disaster recovery funding--in our case,
for our constituents affected by Hurricane Harvey.
As Members of this body will recall, Hurricane Harvey landed on the
Texas Gulf Coast in August of 2017. It was the second costliest
hurricane in United States history. It took 68 lives, it dropped more
than 60 inches of rain, and it caused nearly $125 billion in damages.
Our community came together to help, and we showed each other and the
Nation how much we can accomplish when we work together to help our
neighbors in need.
This body worked, too, appropriating funds quickly to help those
affected for immediate assistance and for long-term rebuilding.
But the needs were great and the funds, though well-intentioned, were
slow. So many of our constituents took out loans from the Small
Business Administration, where they could get low-interest loans to
begin the necessary and immediate work of rebuilding.
When they applied for the SBA loans, they were told that taking out a
loan would not disqualify them from other disaster aid. Unfortunately,
they were, in fact, disqualified from other forms of Federal aid
because they had taken out an SBA loan.
{time} 1100
If they had taken out a loan from a friend or a bank, they would not
have been in this situation. They would still be eligible for the
Federal aid.
But because they chose to take out an SBA loan in the midst of an
unprecedented disaster, they were disqualified from receiving further
Federal assistance.
Of course, that is inconsistent with the program, it is inconsistent
with the intent of this body to punish people for seeking help from the
agencies that are there to help them in their times of need.
I have heard from so many constituents who have been left behind by
what, by all accounts, was a mistaken interpretation of the intent and
the rules that need to be corrected. We simply cannot leave them
behind.
We now have the opportunity to correct this error here and to bring
meaningful relief to disaster victims. This amendment will fund $45
million to those in Texas who were wrongfully denied assistance because
they took out SBA disaster recovery loans. We have a chance today to
right this wrong and to deliver the help that our neighbors have been
waiting on for years.
During Harvey, our community demonstrated that we are at our best
when we are working together to solve problems, and this amendment does
the same.
I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. CRENSHAW. Madam Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).
Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Crenshaw) for fighting for the disaster victims of the awful
hurricanes that his constituents and others have gone through in Texas,
Florida, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
And I want to thank Congresswoman Fletcher for her co-sponsorship of
this amendment and efforts to get this wrong fixed.
Madam Chair, I want to very simply explain what is happening here. So
you have people that have experienced disasters; that have been through
some type of flood or other disaster. The immediate assistance that is
available to those disaster victims, and this is for homeowners, for
renters, not for businesses--but the Small Business Administration
offers loans, disaster loans, to individuals. They offer it to
businesses, too, but they offer loans to individuals.
And that is the only money that is largely available in the immediate
aftermath. There may be a small grant available from FEMA, but it is
the only money. So if you want to be proactive, if you want to lean
forward, those are the resources that are available. You apply for a
loan. So that is one of your options.
The other option that you have is that you can sit back in a FEMA-
supplied hotel room, or you can sit back in a FEMA-supplied trailer.
The trailers, by the way, cost about $150,000 a piece, under FEMA's
ridiculous process.
So you can have one option where your thousands and thousands of
dollars of taxpayer funds are paying for your hotel room. You can have
another option where $150,000 is going toward a trailer to house you
temporarily, while you sit back and wait.
The other option is you lean forward, you get the loan, and you help
to rebuild. You help to get your community back on its feet. You help
to get the tax base.
Under our ridiculous Federal policies, the people that were proactive
are penalized.
The gentleman from Texas, the gentlewoman from Texas, they are
exactly right. The people are penalized that are trying to get
recovered faster; that are trying to get their community recovered
faster; that are trying to not spend more taxpayer funds on hotel rooms
or trailers.
Yet, our Federal policy penalizes them for it; tells them that when
grants are available, grants that you don't have to pay back; that they
are ineligible. We are rewarding the wrong type of behavior.
So, with the help of many people in this room, we changed the law.
The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 changes, section 1210(a). We
fixed this.
The problem is, it took HUD over a year to write guidance, and they
totally missed it. They invented criteria that is not in the law. They
totally missed it. They introduced discriminatory criteria and make it
virtually impossible for many people to get assistance.
So what this amendment does, it is adding money to help fix a wrong.
It shouldn't have to be done.
I urge adoption of this amendment. But most importantly, Madam Chair,
we have got to fix these policies that are causing the Federal
Government to re-victimize disaster victims. That is not why we are
here. That is not representing.
I will say it again; I urge adoption of this amendment. I want to
thank my friends from Texas for their work on this. We need to move
forward and fix this long-term.
The CHAIR. The time of the gentleman from Texas has expired.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Madam Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Price), the chairman of the Transportation, and
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of
this amendment.
I know the amendment doesn't fully address the Member's concerns, but
it addresses them substantially, and I look forward to working with
them further to engage both HUD and the Texas Land Office to work
toward a solution for this issue.
So I thank both of my colleagues for putting this constructive
amendment forward, and their effort to highlight this issue that is of
great importance. I am happy to offer my support.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of the House.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Chair, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I
thank her and Mr. Crenshaw for this very wise amendment to this
important legislation. I thank them for their leadership. The
experience that they had in Texas is one that is shared in the rest of
the country as well.
I urge an ``aye'' vote on that important Crenshaw/Fletcher amendment.
Madam Chair, many of us remember that nearly 2\1/2\ years ago,
Hurricanes Maria and Irma tore through Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands and left a trail of heartbreak and devastation in their wake.
Thousands of Americans, all Americans citizens, tragically lost their
lives.
Following the hurricanes, many Members traveled to the islands. We
saw firsthand the homes that were destroyed, the communities that were
ravaged, and the businesses and schools left in ruin. And we saw that
the incompetence and indifference of many from here compounded this
terrible humanitarian crisis.
It is unacceptable that the administration illegally withheld for a
full
[[Page H958]]
year the assistance that Congress appropriated and that Puerto Rico
needs, both to recover from Maria, and to prepare for future disasters
in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
In recent weeks, tragedy has once again hit Puerto Rico as more than
1,000 earthquakes--1,000 earthquakes have rocked the island since
December 28. Schools have crumbled, hospitals are in disarray, and
houses have been destroyed. Thousands of people are staying in shelters
or sleeping outside out of fear that their homes could collapse as they
sleep.
And tragically, two Americans have lost their lives, including a 13-
year-old girl in Vieques, where too many are still waiting for the
Federal assistance needed to modernize hospitals and improve access to
care.
Madam Chair, as Members of Congress, our most important
responsibility is to keep the American people safe. Two weeks after
devastating earthquakes struck Puerto Rico, our fellow Americans on the
island still face serious challenges to their safety, health, and well-
being.
Every family that is sleeping outside, every child who no longer has
a school to go to because of seismic dangers, every person who dies
because they can't access a hospital, each is a challenge to the
conscience of our country.
Today, with this strong supplemental assistance package, the
Democratic House and, hopefully, with strong bipartisan support, is
showing the people of Puerto Rico that we are there for them now, and
throughout the road to recovery.
I salute Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez, our fearless, persistent
champion of Puerto Rico in the Congress, born there, family there.
Thanks also to the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for
raising a relentless drumbeat on behalf of the families on the island.
Today, I also salute the distinguished chair of the Appropriations
Committee for working right away, as soon as we came back into session
in January, to provide assistance to Puerto Rico, the best route there.
That guidance was led by our distinguished chair of the subcommittee of
jurisdiction, Mr. Price. So I thank Chairwoman Lowey and Chairman
Price. Thank you for bringing us to the floor today on this important
legislation.
This supplemental assistance package provides the relief that is
urgently needed to help Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands rebuild and
recover today. And it invests billions in efforts to prevent damage and
loss of life in the future.
Although the earthquake was in Puerto Rico, the ramifications are in
that region.
The package, as has been noted, provides more than $3 billion for
disaster relief and long-term recovery; $1.25 billion for highway
emergency relief, which will also go to disaster-struck States on the
mainland; hundreds of millions for critical investments in education,
nutrition assistance, electric grid recovery, and strong tax relief for
Puerto Rico and other territories, including permanent changes to the
Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit, and new investments
to boost local economies and create good-paying jobs on the island.
I thank our distinguished chair of the Ways and Means Committee,
Richie Neal, for his leadership in having this part of the package.
Sadly, there are some who have some obstacles to sending this
emergency money to Puerto Rico following the earthquake. As Members of
Congress, we have a responsibility to act because our fellow Americans
deserve to know that their government will be there for them without
question or hesitation in this dark hour.
Might I say, I am reminded, so many people in our country don't
realize Puerto Ricans are American citizens. Many of them, if you visit
there, you will visit veterans' centers where so many of them come
together. They are American patriots who help our country. We are so
proud of them, and we salute them; and in this time of need we want to
help them.
I urge a strong vote to provide help, healing, and hope for Puerto
Rico.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I thank my colleagues for their collaboration on this bill. I thank
Mr. Crenshaw for working with me on this important effort for our
community and for communities across our State and, of course, our
country.
I thank everyone for their collaboration and support in this effort,
and for the eloquent statements and important statements made this
morning in support of this amendment on the floor.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this amendment. And I yield
back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Crenshaw).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 5 Offered by Ms. Tlaib
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 5 printed in
part C of House Report 116-392.
Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 16, line 11, insert after ``information'' the
following: ``, ensuring meaningful access for individuals
with limited English proficiency in accordance with the Final
Guidance issued by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development on January 22, 2007 (72 Fed. Reg. 2732),''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 833, the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan.
Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I would like to begin by thanking
Congresswoman Lowey, our Subcommittee Chairman Price, and their staff
for working with me on this amendment and for their critical leadership
on this bill.
I would also like to thank my sisters in service, Congresswoman
Velazquez and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez, for leading this amendment
with me. I am so proud to partner with them to make our government more
accessible, especially in times of disaster.
This amendment ensures meaningful access to fellow Americans with
limited English abilities to the public information maintained by
grantees of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community
Development Fund.
The amendment rests on two principles, Madam Chair. First, the Puerto
Rican people have a right to know how this relief money is being spent
in their own communities.
Second, no one is in a better position to hold officials and grant
recipients accountable and to ensure that the money we allocate today
is used in the best interests of the community than the people of
Puerto Rico themselves.
That is why it is critical that we ensure that any information made
available is easily accessible to all people, regardless of what
language they speak.
I cannot overstate how important it is that we pass this bill. The
people of Puerto Rico are struggling and persevering through some of
the most difficult circumstances that any of us have ever experienced.
The bill provides over $4 billion in critical disaster relief and
long-term recovery assistance, and funds programs and grants to get
kids back in fully-functioning schools, repairing damages to
infrastructure and roads, and to rebuild the island's electrical grid
that has been damaged because of disasters and so forth, and ensure
that no one else is affected, or that children don't go to sleep
hungry.
It is time--it is time to release these funds.
To hold the money that can save lives is not only inhumane and
immoral, but it is, more dangerously, a form of oppression. The
disconnection to human suffering that we cause by doing nothing is what
will continue to fail the American people.
Passing this bill fulfills the central promise of our democracy
governed ``of the people, by the people, and for the people.''
{time} 1115
Passing this amendment in this bill ensures that some of the most
vulnerable people have full access to democracy, regardless of who they
are, where they are from, and what language they speak.
I urge my colleagues to please support this amendment.
Madam Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman
[[Page H959]]
from North Carolina (Mr. Price), my distinguished fellow colleague and
chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban
Development, and Related Agencies.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for
yielding.
I am happy to rise in support of this amendment. It is a very well-
considered amendment, one that is an important addition to this bill.
Access to linguistically appropriate materials, understandable
materials, in the CDBG-DR program is vitally important. Meaningful
access to program materials is essential for transparency, for public
input, and for knowledge on how you take advantage of these benefits
and these programs and what is available under the disaster assistance
programs.
While HUD currently requires all grantees to provide meaningful
access, this puts a finer point on it, and we need to do that. It is
important to underscore HUD's responsibility and the grantee's
responsibility to provide access in dispensing this aid.
I thank my colleagues for this amendment.
Ms. TLAIB. Madam Chair, I want to reiterate the importance of this
amendment. As a person who was born and raised in this country and who
didn't speak English when I started school, and who is now a Member of
this Chamber, I can tell my colleagues personally how critical this is
to our democracy and to protecting all of us.
I thank my colleagues again for their tremendous support, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 6 Offered by Mr. Levin of Michigan
The CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 6 printed in
part C of House Report 116-392.
Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.
The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
The text of the amendment is as follows:
Page 12, line 18, after the dollar amount, insert
``(reduced by $1,000,000)(increased by $1,000,000)''.
The CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 833, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Levin) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chairwoman, I thank Chairwoman Lowey and
subcommittee Chairman Price for their leadership and for bringing this
much-needed package to the floor today.
I am pleased to see that this bill includes funding for the long-term
recovery of territories impacted by recent disasters, including
continued support for the electric grid's recovery.
After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, it took an entire year
to restore power to the whole island. Then last month, back-to-back
earthquakes damaged Puerto Rico's main power plants and caused yet
another major blackout.
The people of Puerto Rico--and all Americans, for that matter--cannot
be forced to grapple with blackout after blackout, especially when
climate change has made catastrophic storms all too frequent. As we
think about what is needed to ensure the long-term recovery of these
areas, it is absolutely essential that renewable resources be part of
that conversation.
That is why I have introduced this simple amendment to prioritize
funding for renewable energy projects, like wind and solar power, that
will enhance the long-term resiliency of Puerto Rico's infrastructure.
We have already seen what renewable energy can do in the aftermath of
a disaster. During the blackout that followed Hurricane Maria, Puerto
Rican homeowners, businesses, and hospitals waiting for repair crews
actually installed their own solar panels and batteries to get their
power back faster. Last year, Puerto Rico passed a law setting a
timeline to power the island entirely by renewable energy by 2050. That
is a great step, but it is not nearly enough, and Puerto Rico needs our
Nation's help.
We have to ensure renewables are prioritized for Puerto Rico's
recovery, for the sake of their ability to survive disasters like
Hurricane Maria and for the sake of our planet. Power generation from
fossil fuels is a major source of the greenhouse gas emissions that are
making climate change worse.
We have to make major changes fast. Shifting to renewables is one
change that will help combat climate change and help the American
people cope in the aftermath of major disasters.
Again, I thank Chairwoman Lowey for her work on this bill, and I
yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the
subcommittee chairman and my dear colleague.
Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Madam Chairman, I thank my colleague for
yielding.
I am happy to rise in support of this amendment. This amendment
highlights the importance of prioritizing funding for renewable energy
projects that will enhance the long-term resilience of Puerto Rico's
infrastructure.
A reliable and resilient power grid is critical to Puerto Rico's
ability to withstand and quickly recover from future disasters.
Madam Chairwoman, if I might, I want to take just a moment also to
highlight section 304 of the bill. Section 304 requires HUD and other
Federal partners to finish the consultation on the $2 billion provided
in the Bipartisan Budget Act for electrical grid improvements in Puerto
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands within 30 days and for HUD to issue a
notice in 60 days.
Mr. LEVIN of Michigan. Madam Chairwoman, I will close by saying that
I really appreciate our ability to take this small step, but I think we
ought to all dream big for this beautiful part of our country.
Puerto Rico has been subject to misfortunes, and we can think about a
different future for Puerto Rico where it moves very quickly not just
to renewable energy but to localized renewable energy, so that each
community has solar, microgrids, and battery storage, so that they
really aren't subject to these disasters in the same way at all.
Madam Chairwoman, I yield back the balance of my time.
The CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman
from Michigan (Mr. Levin).
The amendment was agreed to.
Amendment No. 1 Offered by Ms. Shalala
The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, the unfinished
business is the demand for a recorded vote on the amendment No. 1
printed in part C of House Report 116-392 offered by the gentlewoman
from Florida (Ms. Shalala) on which further proceedings were postponed
and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote.
The Clerk will redesignate the amendment.
The Clerk redesignated the amendment.
Recorded Vote
The CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 257,
noes 149, not voting 29, as follows:
[Roll No. 52]
AYES--257
Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Axne
Bacon
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bost
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brindisi
Brooks (IN)
Brown (MD)
Brownley (CA)
Buchanan
Bucshon
Bustos
Butterfield
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Case
Casten (IL)
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crist
Crow
Cuellar
Cunningham
Curtis
Davids (KS)
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny K.
Davis, Rodney
Dean
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Delgado
Demings
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Engel
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Finkenauer
Fitzpatrick
Fletcher
Foster
Frankel
Fudge
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Gianforte
Golden
Gomez
Gonzalez (OH)
Gonzalez (TX)
Gonzalez-Colon (PR)
Gottheimer
Graves (LA)
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Haaland
Harder (CA)
Hastings
Hayes
Heck
Herrera Beutler
Higgins (NY)
Himes
Horn, Kendra S.
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Huffman
Hurd (TX)
Jackson Lee
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
[[Page H960]]
Johnson (TX)
Joyce (OH)
Kaptur
Katko
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kildee
Kilmer
Kim
Kind
King (NY)
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster (NH)
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Levin (CA)
Levin (MI)
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan
Luria
Lynch
Malinowski
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McAdams
McBath
McCaul
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Meuser
Moore
Moulton
Mucarsel-Powell
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
Norton
O'Halleran
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Phillips
Pingree
Plaskett
Pocan
Porter
Posey
Pressley
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Richmond
Rose (NY)
Rouda
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan
Sablan
San Nicolas
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Shalala
Sherman
Sherrill
Sires
Slotkin
Smith (NJ)
Smith (WA)
Soto
Spanberger
Speier
Stanton
Stauber
Stefanik
Stevens
Suozzi
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres Small (NM)
Trahan
Trone
Turner
Underwood
Upton
Van Drew
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walden
Waltz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wexton
Wild
Wilson (FL)
Woodall
Yarmuth
Young
NOES--149
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bergman
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Brady
Brooks (AL)
Buck
Burchett
Burgess
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Cheney
Cline
Cloud
Cole
Collins (GA)
Comer
Conaway
Cook
Crawford
Crenshaw
Davidson (OH)
DesJarlais
Duncan
Dunn
Emmer
Estes
Ferguson
Fleischmann
Flores
Fortenberry
Fulcher
Gallagher
Gibbs
Gohmert
Gooden
Gosar
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hagedorn
Harris
Hartzler
Hern, Kevin
Hice (GA)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Holding
Hollingsworth
Huizenga
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (PA)
Keller
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
Kinzinger
LaHood
Lamborn
Latta
Lesko
Long
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Marshall
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McClintock
McKinley
Miller
Mitchell
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Newhouse
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Pence
Perry
Ratcliffe
Reschenthaler
Rice (SC)
Riggleman
Rodgers (WA)
Roe, David P.
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rooney (FL)
Rose, John W.
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Shimkus
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smucker
Spano
Steil
Steube
Stewart
Stivers
Taylor
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tipton
Wagner
Walberg
Walorski
Watkins
Weber (TX)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams
Wittman
Womack
Wright
Yoho
Zeldin
NOT VOTING--29
Bishop (NC)
Budd
Byrne
Cleaver
Cox (CA)
Foxx (NC)
Gabbard
Gaetz
Hudson
Kirkpatrick
Kustoff (TN)
LaMalfa
Lewis
Lofgren
Marchant
McHenry
Meadows
Morelle
Murphy (NC)
Norman
Radewagen
Reed
Rice (NY)
Roby
Sewell (AL)
Timmons
Walker
Webster (FL)
Wilson (SC)
{time} 1149
So the amendment was agreed to.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Horsford). There being no further amendments,
under the rule, the Committee rises.
Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Ms.
Castor of Florida) having assumed the chair, Mr. Horsford, Acting Chair
of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported
that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R.
5687) making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes, and, pursuant to
House Resolution 833, he reported the bill back to the House with
sundry amendments adopted in the Committee of the Whole.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is
ordered.
Is a separate vote demanded on any amendment reported from the
Committee of the Whole? If not, the Chair will put them en gros.
The amendments were agreed to.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third
reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
Motion to Recommit
Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill?
Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I am in its current form.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to
recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Mr. Cole moves to recommit the bill H.R. 5687 to the
Committee on Appropriations.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Oklahoma is recognized for 5 minutes in support of his motion.
Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I rise in reluctant opposition to this bill.
Long before I was privileged to come to this House, I was Secretary of
State in Oklahoma at the time of the Oklahoma City bombing, and I was
tasked by the Governor to work with my friend, our colleague Mr. Lucas,
to work with the Congress to see that we received timely assistance for
a disaster that was clearly not of our own making. We got that
assistance, and I am forever grateful to this body and the people in it
that worked with us at that particular time.
Madam Speaker, since I arrived in Congress, I never forgot the help
that we received from the Congress of the United States. So I routinely
voted for almost every supplemental that related to disaster relief. I
was one of 49 Republicans who voted for Sandy relief, and I have no
doubt that our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico are in dire need and
certainly need help at this particular time.
I was very proud, as I know many Members were in the last Congress,
to vote for over $40 billion of relief to Puerto Rico. It needed that
money. There was no question about it.
Madam Speaker, we are moving prematurely here. That money, that $40
billion, roughly half has yet to be expended. It is available for
immediate use right now.
We still have $42 billion in the Disaster Relief Fund. That money is
available for immediate use right now.
There is an ongoing FEMA investigation to determine the precise needs
of Puerto Rico. That has yet to be completed and reported to Congress.
We should wait for that disaster relief, not because it may tell us
that we need less, but it might actually tell us that we need more. We
should not act without appropriate information.
So, Madam Speaker, I think the appropriate thing to do is to send
this back to the committee and wait for the information to move. If we
move now, precipitously, it is almost certain that the United States
Senate will not pick up this relief, and the President will probably
not sign this bill if it got to his desk.
If we wait for the appropriate information, use the available funds
that we have right now to help people in Puerto Rico, we have a much
better chance of getting our fellow Americans the help they need, when
they need it, in the right amounts, and in the right way.
There is no doubt in my mind that this Congress will respond
appropriately to an emergency. I have seen us do it time and time again
on a bipartisan basis. I know we will do it again at the appropriate
time.
So Congress will respond, if necessary. Frankly, Madam Speaker, I
simply move that we recommit the current legislation to the
Appropriations Committee, wait on the information, and then act in the
interests of our fellow Americans.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to
recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Florida is recognized for
5 minutes.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, the gentleman from Oklahoma talked about
timely assistance for his State. I think that is important because that
is what we are asking for for Puerto Rico here today.
We talked about the $42 billion for hurricanes. We all know that less
than
[[Page H961]]
half that money has still gotten to the island already, and we are
talking now about earthquakes, a totally different disaster in the
southwestern portions of the island, unique in character.
These funds may not even cover some of these other issues happening.
When you look at the schools, in particular, that are all across the
island, this is unique because they were made to withstand hurricanes,
not earthquakes.
I agree, if we need more funds, we can always supplement with another
bill. Why are we waiting? Why would we wait today when the people of
Puerto Rico, our fellow Americans, need our help?
That is why we are here today. Imagine a thousand earthquakes since
December and imagine those thousand earthquakes happening after
Hurricane Maria--nearly a hurricane five--hits and destroys most of
your island.
My guest was Jessica Carrillo who left the island and had to come to
central Florida because she was weary from sleeping in her car or
sleeping on her porch, day in and day out for over a month.
I had the opportunity to go firsthand to Puerto Rico and see that
damage as the grounds shifted below our feet. We talked about the
schools. We talked about the folks who were in the disaster relief
camps, and the Costa Sur Power Plant, which is closed, that now puts
them in a tough position.
So I ask: Let's put together and pass this bill that will provide
$4.67 billion in disaster relief and vote against the motion to
recommit because we can't wait any longer.
I ask you to vote ``yes'' on the ultimate package, to rise above the
politics of disaster relief because but for the grace of God go you and
your families, your districts, and your States.
We rose together for Hurricane Michael in my State of Florida and for
Hurricane Harvey in Texas.
I ask this House to get the job done here today. Vote ``no'' on the
motion to recommit and vote ``yes'' on this very good bill to help
Americans in Puerto Rico.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the previous question is
ordered on the motion to recommit.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Recorded Vote
Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.
A recorded vote was ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, this 5-
minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by a 5-minute
vote on passage of the bill.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 178,
noes 223, not voting 28, as follows:
[Roll No. 53]
AYES--178
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bergman
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Bost
Brady
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burchett
Burgess
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Cheney
Cline
Cloud
Cole
Collins (GA)
Comer
Conaway
Cook
Crawford
Crenshaw
Curtis
Davidson (OH)
Davis, Rodney
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Duncan
Dunn
Emmer
Estes
Ferguson
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flores
Fortenberry
Fulcher
Gallagher
Gianforte
Gibbs
Gohmert
Gonzalez (OH)
Gooden
Gosar
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hagedorn
Harris
Hartzler
Hern, Kevin
Herrera Beutler
Hice (GA)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Holding
Hollingsworth
Huizenga
Hurd (TX)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Katko
Keller
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger
LaHood
Lamborn
Latta
Lesko
Long
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Marshall
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McKinley
Meuser
Miller
Mitchell
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Newhouse
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Pence
Perry
Posey
Ratcliffe
Reschenthaler
Rice (SC)
Riggleman
Rodgers (WA)
Roe, David P.
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rooney (FL)
Rose, John W.
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Shimkus
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spano
Stauber
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Stewart
Stivers
Taylor
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tipton
Turner
Upton
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Waltz
Watkins
Weber (TX)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Wright
Yoho
Young
Zeldin
NOES--223
Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Axne
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brindisi
Brown (MD)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Case
Casten (IL)
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crist
Crow
Cuellar
Cunningham
Davids (KS)
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny K.
Dean
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Delgado
Demings
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Engel
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Finkenauer
Fletcher
Foster
Frankel
Fudge
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Golden
Gomez
Gonzalez (TX)
Gottheimer
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Haaland
Harder (CA)
Hastings
Hayes
Heck
Higgins (NY)
Himes
Horn, Kendra S.
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Huffman
Jackson Lee
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kildee
Kilmer
Kim
Kind
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster (NH)
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Levin (CA)
Levin (MI)
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan
Luria
Lynch
Malinowski
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McAdams
McBath
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Mucarsel-Powell
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
O'Halleran
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Phillips
Pingree
Pocan
Porter
Pressley
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Richmond
Rose (NY)
Rouda
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Shalala
Sherman
Sherrill
Sires
Slotkin
Smith (WA)
Soto
Spanberger
Speier
Stanton
Stevens
Suozzi
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres Small (NM)
Trahan
Trone
Underwood
Van Drew
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wexton
Wild
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NOT VOTING--28
Bishop (NC)
Budd
Byrne
Cleaver
Cox (CA)
Foxx (NC)
Gabbard
Gaetz
Hudson
Kirkpatrick
Kustoff (TN)
LaMalfa
Lewis
Lofgren
Marchant
McHenry
Meadows
Morelle
Murphy (NC)
Norman
Reed
Rice (NY)
Roby
Sewell (AL)
Timmons
Walker
Webster (FL)
Wilson (SC)
{time} 1204
Mr. O'HALLERAN changed his vote from ``present'' to ``no.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
Pursuant to clause 10 of rule XX, the yeas and nays are ordered.
This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 237,
nays 161, not voting 31, as follows:
[Roll No. 54]
YEAS--237
Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Amodei
Axne
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (UT)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brindisi
Brooks (IN)
Brown (MD)
Brownley (CA)
Bucshon
Bustos
Butterfield
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Case
Casten (IL)
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crist
Crow
Cuellar
Cunningham
Davids (KS)
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny K.
Davis, Rodney
Dean
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Delgado
Demings
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
[[Page H962]]
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Engel
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Finkenauer
Fitzpatrick
Fletcher
Foster
Frankel
Fudge
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Golden
Gomez
Gonzalez (TX)
Gottheimer
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Haaland
Harder (CA)
Hastings
Hayes
Heck
Higgins (NY)
Himes
Horn, Kendra S.
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Huffman
Hurd (TX)
Jackson Lee
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Kaptur
Katko
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Khanna
Kildee
Kilmer
Kim
Kind
King (NY)
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster (NH)
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Levin (CA)
Levin (MI)
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan
Luria
Lynch
Malinowski
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McAdams
McBath
McCaul
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Mucarsel-Powell
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
O'Halleran
Ocasio-Cortez
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Phillips
Pingree
Pocan
Porter
Posey
Pressley
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Richmond
Rose (NY)
Rouda
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan
Sarbanes
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Shalala
Sherman
Sherrill
Sires
Slotkin
Smith (NJ)
Smith (WA)
Soto
Spanberger
Speier
Stanton
Stefanik
Stevens
Suozzi
Swalwell (CA)
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres Small (NM)
Trahan
Trone
Underwood
Van Drew
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Waltz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wexton
Wild
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
Young
NAYS--161
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bergman
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bost
Brady
Brooks (AL)
Buchanan
Buck
Burchett
Burgess
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Cheney
Cline
Cloud
Cole
Collins (GA)
Comer
Conaway
Cook
Crawford
Curtis
Davidson (OH)
DesJarlais
Duncan
Dunn
Emmer
Estes
Ferguson
Fleischmann
Flores
Fortenberry
Fulcher
Gallagher
Gianforte
Gibbs
Gohmert
Gonzalez (OH)
Gooden
Gosar
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hagedorn
Harris
Hartzler
Hern, Kevin
Herrera Beutler
Hice (GA)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Holding
Hollingsworth
Huizenga
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Keller
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
Kinzinger
LaHood
Lamborn
Latta
Lesko
Long
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Marshall
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McClintock
McKinley
Meuser
Miller
Mitchell
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Newhouse
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Pence
Perry
Ratcliffe
Reschenthaler
Rice (SC)
Riggleman
Rodgers (WA)
Roe, David P.
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rooney (FL)
Rose, John W.
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Shimkus
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smucker
Spano
Stauber
Steil
Steube
Stewart
Stivers
Taylor
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tipton
Turner
Upton
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walorski
Watkins
Weber (TX)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Wright
Yoho
Zeldin
NOT VOTING--31
Bishop (NC)
Blunt Rochester
Budd
Byrne
Cleaver
Cox (CA)
Crenshaw
Foxx (NC)
Gabbard
Gaetz
Hudson
Kirkpatrick
Kustoff (TN)
LaMalfa
Lewis
Lofgren
Marchant
McHenry
Meadows
Morelle
Murphy (NC)
Norman
Reed
Rice (NY)
Roby
Sanchez
Sewell (AL)
Timmons
Walker
Webster (FL)
Wilson (SC)
{time} 1212
Mr. McCLINTOCK changed his vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Mr. CRENSHAW. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained and missed
the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall
No. 54.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mrs. KIRKPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I was absent today due to a medical
emergency. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall
No. 52, ``no'' on rollcall No. 53, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 54.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, on February 7, I was unavoidably absent.
Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 52,
``nay'' on rollcall No. 53, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 54.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. MORELLE. Madam Speaker, I regrettably missed rollcall votes 38
through 54 on February 6th and 7th of 2020. Had I been present, I would
have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 38, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 39,
``yea'' on rollcall No. 40, ``aye'' on rollcall No. 41, ``no'' on
rollcall No. 42, ``no'' on rollcall No. 43, ``aye'' on rollcall No. 44,
``no'' on rollcall No. 45, ``no'' on rollcall No. 46, ``aye'' on
rollcall No. 47, ``aye'' on rollcall No. 48, ``no'' on rollcall No. 49,
``yea on rollcall No. 50, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 51, ``aye'' on
rollcall No. 52, ``no'' on rollcall No. 53, and ``yea'' on rollcall No.
54.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. BUDD. Madam Speaker, I had to miss votes today because I am
attending an event in Charlotte, NC, with the President of the United
States. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No.
52 (Shalala amendment), ``yea'' on rollcall No. 53 (Motion to
recommit), and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 54 (H.R. 5687).
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Miss RICE of New York. Madam Speaker, I was necessarily absent from
votes on Friday, February 7, 2020. Had I been present, I would have
voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 52, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 53, and
``yea'' on rollcall No. 54.
PERSONAL EXPLANATION
Mr. HUDSON. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been
present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 52, ``yea'' on
rollcall No. 53, and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 54.
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