Today's hearing seeks to address Federal fisheries management issues that we have been discussing in this Committee for quite some time now.

Unfortunately, these measures weaken the science-based conservation standards and approach of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA).

I want to thank Mr. Graves and the co-sponsors of this bill for bringing a fresh approach to the table.

This proposal would further extend the states' management of this important fishery to 25 miles from shore.

This bill affords the necessary tools to regional fishery managers to tailor fishery management plans to the unique characteristics of their region.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act. This much- needed legislation will drastically increase access to healthcare and support services for our veterans. Most importantly, this bill…

I look at the people of Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas with great empathy because that was our state 10 years ago.

It seems like if ever there were a place for both distributed energy and distributed storage, that would be Puerto Rico.

I think there's a present opportunity to utilize it as a test bed to integrate all sorts of renewables.

Easier to put up solar panels than to rebuild lines across the mountain.

Mr. Speaker, I rise and want to make comments actually echoing a lot of the comments that were made already. The gentleman from Massachusetts talked about this needing to be a bipartisan bill, and I agree. The gentleman from New Jersey…

Mr. Speaker, extraneous provisions on flood insurance that should not be pasted into this legislation were included. These provisions actually undermine the very solvency of the program. They are establishing a private market at a time…

I would urge the recreational sector to work with the MSA process, rather than weakening it by working around it!

In weakening the conservation standards and eliminating catch limits for private anglers, the bill ignores the precautionary principle for data-poor stocks.

H.R. 2023, the Modernizing Recreational Fisheries Act, seeks to create the flexibility necessary to effectively balance management of commercial and recreational fisheries.

My life work has been to care for such fellow Americans. This bill continues this work by other means.

My colleagues, it is a privilege to speak to the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson amendment to H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act.

I don't defend this process, but I will say that no Democrat was interested in addressing the problems with Obamacare in my State.