[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 28, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1471-H1472]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THANK YOU TO THE LINE WORKERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. Perez) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the line workers in my 
district. They are literally keeping the lights on.
  When ice storms hit, when the winds are hitting 60-miles-an-hour in 
my district, when we are warm in bed, the folks who work on the power 
lines are getting in their trucks and they are working in these 
conditions to keep and get the lights on.
  Power transmission is not sexy. It does not get the status and the 
attention that a Tesla does or that many of our electrification 
projects do. But transmission is critical for grid resiliency and clean 
energy. We have got to focus our efforts on increasing transmission 
capacity.
  I take this opportunity to specifically thank the linemen in my 
county, Skamania County. A few weeks ago, we had a huge winter storm. I 
woke up to 20 inches. A lot of people like me get our water from a 
well, so when the power is out, we don't have water.
  From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of those line folks who are 
keeping the power on, getting up in the middle of the night, and taking 
care of our power supply.


                    Funding for Water Infrastructure

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about water 
infrastructure in my community.
  A few weeks ago, I was reviewing congressional funding requests, and 
one pervasive theme that came up over and over was municipal water 
infrastructure problems in the district. This issue touches every 
county in my district and every home, from Underwood to Long Beach to 
Washougal.
  Over and over, we see infrastructure that is past its recommended 
life span, undersized, or on the brink of collapse, frankly. In order 
to resolve this, communities are forced to either slap a Band-Aid on it 
or take out massive loans. Some wastewater systems are also beginning 
to fail, and they have been releasing sewage into the environment, 
which places a lot of people at risk.
  Local governments alone can't address this issue. In the past, the 
government has mandated state-of-the-art equipment, essentially 
requiring that these folks put a Lamborghini sewer system in when what 
they really need is a Toyota Corolla. This makes it incredibly 
expensive and difficult to keep up with maintenance in a small 
community.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to pass Federal legislation that will ensure all Americans have 
access to clean energy.


                      Prescription Drug Shortages

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the drug 
shortages happening across the country.
  Like most Americans, I live on a budget. My monthly prescription just 
went from $16 a month to $250 a month, and we are seeing this across 
the board. We are seeing shortages in Infants' Tylenol and in cough 
syrup. We have shortages of vital drugs. It is becoming incredibly 
difficult for everyday people to keep up with the cost of these 
necessary medications.
  No surprise, Big Pharma can find the capacity to manufacture the 
expensive on-brand drugs, and they are actively stonewalling efforts to 
produce the generic drugs that working families can actually afford.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
address this critical issue and ensure folks across the Nation can 
access their medications.


                     In Support of Law Enforcement

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of law enforcement 
officers in my district and across the Nation.
  The national starting wage for police officers is $67,000 annually. 
That is not very much, folks. These are careers that we are asking 
people to step into the line of fire for us, and these wages do not 
reflect the risks of the job.
  As a result, no surprise, recruitment and retention of good officers 
is the top issue facing law enforcement agencies across the country. 
But our Federal priorities don't reflect this necessity. We are 
continually funding capital projects and not operating expenses. So 
while the cost of living is going up and up and up, we are funding, I 
kid you not, body cameras for dogs.
  In my district, one of my local sheriff's offices received Federal 
funding

[[Page H1472]]

for dog body cameras at a time when their deputy wages are struggling 
to keep up with the cost of living. We have got to make sure Federal 
resources are being spent wisely, not on, literally, pet projects.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in working to realign 
our Federal spending to reflect the real issues facing law enforcement.


                 Celebrating the Life of Larry Cassidy

  Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Larry 
Cassidy.
  When I first met Larry, I remember how amazed I was by his constant 
positivity. Larry was born in Portland but moved to Vancouver, the good 
side of the river, his home since 1966. He was a husband, father, and 
grandfather. He was passionate about salmon and steelhead in the 
Northwest and was a community activist and conservationist before 
receiving a Governor-appointed position on the Washington Game 
Commission.
  Sadly, Larry passed away in January of this year after battling 
prostate cancer for 25 years.
  I thank Larry for being a friend and a mentor. I stand with my 
community in being grateful to Larry for all he did in Washington's 
Third Congressional District.

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