On the recordJuly 30, 2020
I thank the ranking member for yielding. I rise today in support of my bipartisan amendment to halt the sale and marketing of Plum Island, New York, by the General Services Administration. Situated at the gateway of the Long Island Sound, Plum Island is treasured by our local community in both New York and Connecticut. Since World War II, Plum Island has been utilized as a research laboratory. In 2005, the Department of Homeland Security, which currently has jurisdiction over the island, announced that the Animal Disease Center would be moved to a new Federal facility in Kansas. To offset the cost of this relocation, a law was enacted in 2008 that called for the sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder. However, according to a DHS report issued in April 2016, the new site in Kansas is already fully paid for through a combination of Federal appropriations and funding from the State of Kansas. The current law is the wrong path forward. The better way is to provide for public access, permanent preservation of Plum Island, and continued use of the state-of-the-art research infrastructure. That is why I have been working with my colleague from Connecticut, Congressman Joe Courtney, and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers from both sides of Long Island Sound to repeal this flawed mandate. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues' support. {time} 1345
