[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D562-D565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page D562]]




                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 43 public bills, H.R. 7437-
7479; and 5 resolutions, H. Res. 1036-1040 were introduced. 
                                                         Pages H3056-58
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H3059-60
Reports Filed: There were no reports filed today.
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed 
Representative Cuellar to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H2985
Recess: The House recessed at 9:50 a.m. and reconvened at 10 a.m. 
                                                             Page H2991
Recess: The House recessed at 1:21 p.m. and reconvened at 1:42 p.m. 
                                                             Page H3033
Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface 
Transportation in America Act: The House passed H.R. 2, to authorize 
funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit 
programs, by a yea-and-nay vote of 233 yeas to 188 nays, Roll No. 138. 
Consideration began yesterday, June 30th.             
  Pages H2995-H3039
  Agreed to the Crawford motion to recommit the bill to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure with instructions to report the 
same back to the House forthwith with an amendment, by a yea-and-nay 
vote of 224 yeas to 193 nays, Roll No. 137. Subsequently, 
Representative DeFazio reported the bill back to the House with the 
amendment and the amendment was agreed to.               
Pages H3036-38
Agreed to:
  DeFazio en bloc amendment No. 4 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part E of H. Rept. 116-438: Babin (No. 1) that 
authorizes the expansion and improvement of interstate 14; Balderson 
(No. 2) that strikes ``lane splitting'' in Sec. 5304 and inserts 
descriptive language to better account for varying state laws; Beyer 
(No. 3) that authorizes a study by GAO to determine the effectiveness 
of suicide barriers on physical structures other than bridges; Brownley 
(CA) (No. 4) that ensures the installation of protective devices and 
the replacement of functionally obsolete warning devices at railway-
highway crossings are eligible under the rail grade crossing program; 
Calvert (No. 5) that establishes the Western Riverside County Wildlife 
Refuge; Cohen (No. 6) that authorizes a study by GAO on the reporting 
of alcohol-impaired driving arrest and citation results into federal 
databases to facilitate the widespread identification of repeat 
impaired driving offenders; Crawford (No. 7) that applies TIVSA 
protections to buses; Cuellar (No. 8) that adds a new section that 
provides I-27 Future Interstate Designation for Texas and New Mexico; 
Dingell (No. 9) that adds the bipartisan natural infrastructure bill 
H.R. 3742, the Recovering America's Wildlife Act, which will enable 
States, Territories, and Tribes to complete habitat restoration and 
natural infrastructure projects, specified in Congressionally-mandated 
Wildlife Action Plans, to recover more than 12,000 wildlife, fish, and 
plant species of greatest conservation need, build recreational and 
educational infrastructure, and bolster community resilience through 
natural defenses; Garcia (IL) (No. 10) that amends parameters of the 
study on travel demand modeling described in section 1404 to account 
for induced demand and update antiquated models like `Level of 
Service'; Gianforte (No. 11) that permits the continued use of Pick-
Sloan Missouri Basin Program project use power by the Kinsey Irrigation 
Company and the Sidney Water Users Irrigation District; Gonzalez-Colon 
(PR) (No. 12) that makes Puerto Rico an eligible applicant location for 
the Bureau of Reclamation's WaterSMART Grants; currently, Puerto Rico 
is the only territory and noncontiguous jurisdiction in the United 
States where these competitively-awarded water conservation and 
efficiency grants are not available; Gonzalez-Colon (PR) (No. 13) that 
allows Puerto Rico to issue Commercial Driver's Licenses and also be 
eligible for Commercial Drivers License Improvement Program grant 
funding; Graves (LA) (No. 14) that includes fishermen that have been 
impacted by unfair trade practices for consideration under Sec. 83101; 
Grothman (No. 15) that allows the Secretary of Commerce or the 
Secretary of the Interior to consider the threat of invasive species 
before prescribing a fishway be constructed into a dam; Hastings (No. 
16) that expands eligibility for the Surface Transportation Block Grant 
program to include rural roads that serve to transport agriculture 
products from farms or ranches to the marketplace; Keller (No. 17) that 
allows the Department of Transportation to award transit research, 
development and testing funds in a competitive manner; Krishnamoorthi 
(No. 18) that adds a grant program for states that ban non-navigational 
viewing; Lowenthal (No. 19) that directs the Secretary of 
Transportation to issue a vehicle safety standard to require that new 
commercial motor vehicles are equipped with a universal electronic 
vehicle identifier; McKinley (No. 20) that authorizes and provide 
funding for a DOE carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology 
commercialization program and direct air capture technology prize 
program; Rouda

[[Page D563]]

(No. 21) that creates a grant program to support the modernization of 
the Nation's publicly owned treatment works to maintain reliable and 
affordable water quality infrastructure that addresses demand impacts, 
including resiliency, to improve public health and natural resources; 
Ruiz (No. 22) that provides authorization for construction of an access 
road to the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center, the only IHS Youth 
Regional Treatment Center in California; Sarbanes (No. 23) that 
reauthorizes the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Water trails program; 
Scott (VA) (No. 24) that authorizes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
to establish a program to restore and protect the Chesapeake Bay 
watershed by investing in green infrastructure, habitat preservation, 
and ecosystem restoration to enhance community resilience, improve 
water quality, and increase recreational opportunities while also 
creating jobs and enhancing economic opportunities; Walberg (No. 25) 
that adds the term ``mode of transportation'' to the criteria for 
collection of data on traffic stops; Walden (No. 26) that temporarily 
waives certain limitations for purposes of pedestrian and bicycle 
safety improvements on the National Trail System in National Scenic 
Areas; and Welch (No. 27) that creates an online energy efficiency 
contractor training program; the amendment also makes improvements to 
the home energy efficiency rebate program already included in the 
committee text of the bill;                           
Pages H2995-H3010
  Waters en bloc amendment No. 5 consisting of the following amendments 
printed in part F of H. Rept. 116-438: Adams (No. 1) that supports HBCU 
infrastructure development by asking the Secretary of Education to 
comply with the GAO's recommendation that the Education Department 
analyze the potential benefits to HBCUs by modifying the terms of 
existing HBCU Capital Financing Program loans, as described in the 
GAO's report published on June 15, 2018; Axne (No. 2) that establishes 
a grant program for the purchase and preservation of manufactured 
housing communities as long term affordable housing; Bonamici (No. 3) 
that directs the Department of Labor to provide grants to partnerships 
that support paid work-based learning programs, including Registered 
Apprenticeships, and supportive services to improve worker training, 
retention, and advancement for individuals who have historically faced 
barriers to employment in targeted infrastructure industries; Brownley 
(CA) (No. 4) that requires that medium- and heavy-duty vehicles 
purchased by the federal government are zero emission vehicles to the 
maximum extent feasible; Cardenas (No. 5) that encourages USPS, in its 
process of replacing its aging delivery vehicle fleet, to take all 
reasonable steps to ensure that its vehicles are equipped with climate 
control units to protect the health and safety of its mail carriers, 
especially those working in areas of the country that are subject to 
extreme temperatures; Courtney (No. 6) that ensures that the list of 
activities eligible for Community Development Block Grant funds from 
Division J of the bill include housing remediation due to iron sulfide 
or other minerals that cause housing degradation; Gallego (No. 7) that 
requires Tribal and Native Hawaiian consultation in the development of 
the State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program and improves technical 
assistance for Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations accessing the 
program; Garcia (IL) (No. 8) that directs HUD to check public housing 
projects and federally assisted housing projects for lead pipes and 
issue grants to remove them; Hastings (No. 9) that requires the 
Comptroller General of the United States to study high-speed internet 
connectivity in Federally assisted housing, and requires the Secretary 
of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to submit a master 
plan to Congress for retrofitting these buildings and units as 
necessary to support broadband service; Jayapal (No. 10) that ends the 
sunset date for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and makes 
procedural and functional changes to allow the Council to provide more 
guidance to federal agencies as to how agency policies impact persons 
experiencing homelessness and housing instability; creates a new 
advisory council composed of people currently and formerly experiencing 
homelessness & groups representing people experiencing 
homelessness; Jayapal (No. 11) that requires GAO to issue a report on 
the housing infrastructure needs of populations at higher risk of 
homelessness, including people of color; LGBTQ persons; justice system-
involved persons; foster and former foster youth; seniors; people with 
disabilities; survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and 
intimate partner violence; and veterans; the report will recommend 
policy and practice changes by federal agencies to ensure housing 
infrastructure needs of those populations are better met; Lowenthal 
(No. 12) that establishes a Water Reuse Interagency Working Group; 
McCollum (No. 13) that applies Buy America requirements to the 
Community Development Block Grant program with exemption for housing 
development; Neguse (No. 14) that directs GAO to complete a report 
every three years on the status of federal research facilities 
infrastructure, and strengthens current science infrastructure 
reporting requirements for the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
(OSTP) Director by requiring that they report to Congress not only the 
infrastructure improvements that are needed at federal research 
facilities, but also the estimated funding levels that are required to 
complete them; Ocasio-Cortez (No. 15) that sets

[[Page D564]]

aside $50,000,000 of funds for updating postal facilities to increase 
accessibility for disabled individuals, with a focus on facilities that 
are included in the National Register of Historic Places; Ocasio-Cortez 
(No. 16) that repeals the Faircloth amendment which prohibits the 
construction of new public housing; Omar (No. 17) that requires the 
Office of Internet Connectivity and Growth to conduct a study of the 
extent to which federal funds have expanded access to and adoption of 
broadband internet service by socially disadvantaged individuals; 
Pressley (No. 18) that requires the Secretary of HUD to conduct a study 
on the effect of criminal history or involvement with the criminal 
legal system on access to private and assisted housing; Ruiz (No. 19) 
that takes land into trust for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla 
Indians; Ruiz (No. 20) that includes Indian Country and areas with high 
Native American populations in the priority areas for broadband 
expansion under the Universal Service Fund; Rush (No. 21) that 
establishes a nationwide energy-related industries workforce 
development program; Soto (No. 22) that directs the Director of the 
United States Geological Survey to establish a program to map zones 
that are at greater risk of sinkhole formation; Speier (No. 23) that 
amends the eligibility for the additional broadband benefit for low-
income consumers to include households in which at least one member of 
the household has received a Federal Pell Grant in the most recent 
academic year; Torres (CA) (No. 24) that triggers Treasury borrowing 
during recessions when the real interest rate is zero or lower to 
support infrastructure investments; and Velazquez (No. 25) that revises 
the distribution of funds under the Public Housing Capital Fund to 
ensure at least 50 percent of the funding is distributed according to 
formula; also ensures that PHAs working in good faith effort to resolve 
urgent health and safety concerns remain eligible for funding awards; 
and                                                      
Pages H3010-22
  Tlaib amendment (No. 3 printed in part H of H. Rept. 116-438) that 
adds $4.5 billion per fiscal year for 5 years for comprehensive lead 
service line replacement projects. Priority will be given to entities 
serving disadvantaged communities and environmental justice communities 
(with significant representation of communities of color, low-income 
communities, or Tribal and indigenous communities, that experience, or 
are at risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse human health or 
environmental effects) (by a yea-and-nay vote of 240 yeas to 181 nays, 
Roll No. 136).                                 
Pages H3031-33, H3035-36
Rejected:
  Graves (MO) en bloc amendment No. 6 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part G of H. Rept. 116-438: Bost (No. 1) that 
sought to preclude funding for programs under the Transportation 
Alternatives Program where lands are acquired through eminent domain; 
exceptions made for projects carried out under the Safe Routes to 
Schools Program, those that necessary to assist the disabled with daily 
needs under the Americans with Disabilities Act; Crawford (No. 2) that 
sought to strike full mega-project set-aside; Fulcher (No. 3) that 
sought to include amended text of H.R. 2871, the Aquifer Recharge 
Flexibility Act; Graves (LA) (No. 4) that sought to require the 
Secretary to certify that the actions in Sec. 82201 are more critical 
than the sustainability of the region responsible for generating the 
revenue; Hice (GA) (No. 5) that sought to strike $25 billion in 
unfunded vehicle purchases for the United States Postal Service; 
LaMalfa (No. 6) that sought to strike changes to credit risk premiums 
under 45 U.S.C 822; McKinley (No. 7) that sought to make clarifying 
changes to Section 401 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to 
ensure appropriate compliance with applicable water quality 
requirements; and Stauber (No. 8) that sought to eliminate duplicative 
404 permitting requirements only if the state's 404 permitting standard 
is equal or higher than the federal government's (by a yea-and-nay vote 
of 179 yeas to 241 nays, Roll No. 134); and       
Pages H3022-27, H3034
  Foxx (NC) amendment (No. 1 printed in part H of H. Rept. 116-438) 
that sought to eliminate the requirement that all laborers and 
mechanics working on federal-aid highway and public transportation 
projects shall be paid wages at rates not less than the locally 
prevailing wage rate (by a yea-and-nay vote of 147 yeas to 274 nays, 
Roll No. 135).                                 
Pages H3027-31, H3034-35
Withdrawn:
  Courtney amendment (No. 2 printed in part H of H. Rept. 116-438) that 
was offered and subsequently withdrawn that would have aligned state 
and federal truck weight limits for agricultural products in the State 
of Connecticut on interstate highways.                       
Page H3031
  H. Res. 1028, the rule providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 
2) was agreed to yesterday, June 30th.
  Agreed that in the engrossment of the bill, the Clerk be authorized 
to correct section numbers, punctuation, spelling, and cross-
references, and to make such other technical and conforming changes as 
may be necessary to reflect the actions of the House.        
Page H3039
Committee Resignation: Read a letter from Representative Olson wherein 
he resigned from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. 
                                                             Page H3039

[[Page D565]]

Committee Elections and Committee Ranking: The House agreed to H. Res. 
1037, electing Members to certain standing committees of the House of 
Representatives and ranking a certain member on a certain standing 
committee of the House of Representatives.                   
  Page H3039
Imposing sanctions with respect to foreign persons involved in the 
erosion of certain obligations of China with respect to Hong Kong: The 
House agreed to discharge from committee and pass H.R. 7440, to impose 
sanctions with respect to foreign persons involved in the erosion of 
certain obligations of China with respect to Hong Kong, as amended by 
Representative Sherman.                                  
  Pages H3039-44
Extending the authority for commitments for the paycheck protection 
program and separate amounts authorized for other loans under section 
7(a) of the Small Business Act: The House agreed to take from the 
Speaker's table and pass S. 4116, to extend the authority for 
commitments for the paycheck protection program and separate amounts 
authorized for other loans under section 7(a) of the Small Business 
Act.                                                         
  Page H3044
Public Interest Declassification Board--Appointment: The Chair 
announced the Speaker's appointment of the following member on the part 
of the House to the Public Interest Declassification Board for a term 
of three years: John Tierney of Salem, Massachusetts.        
  Page H3044
Senate Referrals: S. 132 was held at the desk. S. 2864 was held at the 
desk. S. 3758 was held at the desk. S. 4104 was held at the desk. 
                                                             Page H3039
Senate Message: Message received from the Senate by the Clerk and 
subsequently presented to the House today appears on page H3039.
Quorum Calls--Votes: Five yea-and-nay votes developed during the 
proceedings of today and appear on pages H3034, H3034-35, H3035-36, 
H3037-38, and H3038-39.
Adjournment: The House met at 9 a.m. and adjourned at 7:20 p.m.