[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 8767-8768]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        CALLING ON SENATE ACTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Zeldin) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ZELDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the Senate to act 
now to send to the President's desk several important bills that I have 
introduced in this Chamber, which have all now passed this House.
  In Congress, I have been working hard to pursue my New Era of 
American Strength agenda to protect America's security at home and 
abroad, help grow our economy, support our veterans and first 
responders, improve the quality of education, repair our Nation's 
infrastructure, improve health care in America, and safeguard our 
environment.
  Working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the House 
and Senate, I have been able to secure a number of important victories 
for my district. These include a 5-year fully funded transportation 
bill, including my Safe Bridges Act, which was passed and signed into 
law.
  My proposal to allow States to opt out of Common Core without penalty 
from the Federal Government was also passed and signed into law.
  Working with Peconic Bay Medical Center, I was able to open a new 
veterans healthcare clinic in Manorville.
  I also helped lead the effort to permanently reauthorize the Zadroga 
Act for our 9/11 first responders and stop the Medical Device Excise 
Tax for 2 years.
  Additionally, my office has successfully resolved over 3,000 cases in 
favor

[[Page 8768]]

of New York's First Congressional District constituents.
  While I am very proud of the victories I have been able to secure 
thus far for New York's First Congressional District, I have introduced 
a number of other bills that have now passed this House.
  The Senate should act to pass all of the following bills:
  My Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act, which is H.R. 4314. 
With the rise of terrorism across the world, the need for an improved 
security clearance process and increased border security has become 
even more apparent. The free movement of those who would commit 
horrific acts of terror is one of the greatest threats to America's 
safety, both at home and abroad. My bipartisan bill, H.R. 4314, would 
help close gaps in foreign borders by establishing international 
security standards while also guaranteeing that U.S. resources are 
utilized in the most efficient way possible wherever they are needed 
the most. H.R. 4314 would also put in place a monitoring system to 
screen for infectious diseases abroad, like Zika, in order to contain 
and prevent any potential outbreaks.
  The Senate should also pass my three bills for our Nation's veterans: 
H.R. 2460, H.R. 1569, and H.R. 1187. One of my greatest priorities is 
ensuring that the veterans of our Armed Forces receive the treatment 
and benefits that they have earned and deserve. In Congress, I have 
introduced several pieces of legislation to provide for our heroes, 
including H.R. 2460, which would provide adult day health care for 
disabled veterans at no cost; H.R. 1569, to require the VA to pay 
accrued benefits to the estate of deceased veterans; and H.R. 1187, to 
eliminate the loan limit that the VA can guarantee for a veteran. 
Passing all these bills, all of which have received enormous support 
from Democrats and Republicans alike, are essential to increase our 
veterans care and assistance.
  I also introduced a bill to save Plum Island: H.R. 1887. This island 
is a critical natural, cultural, and historical treasure that has been 
cherished by our local community since before the 1700s. Rather than 
allow the Federal Government to sell the island to the highest bidder, 
H.R. 1887 would safeguard the island from development to preserve this 
beautiful land, almost all of which is completely undeveloped. 
Additionally, we can ensure good-paying research jobs are on the island 
while allowing public access for more Long Islanders and others to 
experience this great land that is right in our own backyard.
  Another one of my bills, H.R. 3070, would allow striped bass fishing 
off the coast of Montauk. Just this month, H.R. 3070 passed the House 
with unanimous bipartisan support. My bill would clarify Federal laws 
governing the management of the striped bass fishery in the exclusive 
economic zone between Montauk, New York, and Block Island, Rhode 
Island. Fishermen are desperately pleading for commonsense relief, and 
the EEZ Transit Zone Clarification and Access Act is one way that 
Congress can help.
  The Senate should act quickly on all of these essential pieces of 
legislation. I will continue doing everything in my power to bring home 
more victories for Long Island through my New Era of American Strength 
agenda.

                          ____________________