I have started a bipartisan technology transfer caucus to begin to look at ideas and ideals around the Bayh-Dole legislation.

The blowout was not the product of decisions made by a rogue industry or government officials.

Congress must take action, do our part to prevent the disasters like this from happening again.

We cannot turn a blind eye on this issue.

It is in everyone's best interest, including industry, to not let this happen again.

The failure of companies who knowingly refused to implement the necessary safeguards to prevent this disaster, and it was a failure of governmental policies and regulators that did not apply the proper oversight.

The legislation Democrats introduced today creates a permanent scientific group.

It is not to debate whether one supports or opposes offshore drilling. It is to make sure that we don't let this happen again.

I want to thank Representative Martin Heinrich for his leadership in introducing H.R. 205.

One of the issues I wanted to touch on is that for home buyers on non-trust land, buyers can get their title and mortgage documentation finalized oftentimes within about 48 hours.

I introduced the HEARTH Act after meeting with several housing directors from New Mexico's Pueblos, where I learned about the owner's process for securing a long-term lease on Indian Trust land.

Our nation is home to a vast diversity of tribes, and federal policy should reflect that diversity.

The last thing that the Federal government should do is to stand in the way of families who are ready, willing, and able to buy a home.

Families shouldn't be forced to make such an important decision based on how many months or years it will take the Federal bureaucracy to approve a mortgage on tribal land.

The HEARTH Act will allow tribes to exercise greater control over their land, and eliminate the bureaucratic delays that stand in the way of homeownership in tribal communities.

In speaking with tribal housing officials from across New Mexico, one concern that they shared with me is that families are having to move off reservations if they want to buy a home because of the difficulty of the process.

It is crucial that any such proposal be entirely optional to Indian tribes, and to determine whether they wish to participate in such an initiative.

Would you say that amending how we deal with long-term leasing, particularly with respect to this legislation, would be much more consistent with self-determination as a policy?