[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15852]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               ADDRESSING OUR COUNTRY'S NATURAL DISASTERS

  (Mr. DENHAM asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the lives of the 
victims of the California wildfires.
  We have seen some devastating fires throughout California, 
specifically huge fires in northern California, that have already 
burned over 142,000 acres. It is one of the deadliest weeks in 
California wildfire history, already seeing 23 lives perish in those 
fires.
  Today, we will see disaster relief funding here on the floor. It is 
important that, while we have already passed one funding bill, we pass 
another to address all natural emergencies across the entire country. 
We must also have funding available for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and 
Maria in devastated areas like Puerto Rico, Texas, and Florida.
  We have had big challenges in this country, and it is time to make 
sure that we pass a second relief funding bill that will address many 
of those concerns in the disasters that we have seen across the 
country.
  Shortly hereafter, we are going to see another funding bill come 
forward that will address some reforms. While some of our States have 
building codes and are addressing the impacts so that we don't see this 
devastation in the future, we need to make sure that these reforms are 
passed in the coming bill as well.
  We have three major bills. We will pass one today. Another one is 
soon to follow. We have to address the country's national emergencies.

                          ____________________