Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First, I would like to compliment the Senate on passing the bill we passed last week, the 21st Century Cures Act, which will help research and save the lives of many Americans, something we did in a bipartisan fashion. I am pleased that that happened. I rise in support of S. 2971, the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System Act of 2016, as amended, which codifies the Urban Search and Rescue Response System. Authorizing the urban search and rescue teams, better known as USAR teams, and codifying protections for team members, such as workers' comp and liability protections, have been a top priority of mine since I first introduced a bill to do so in 2007, my first year in Congress. I was pleased that the late former Democratic Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman, an outstanding Member, Mr. Oberstar, now deceased, included my USAR language in a bill that was reported from the committee in 2010. Since then, legislation authorizing USAR teams has passed the House several times, and now the Senate has passed one as well. {time} 1515 The 28 urban search and rescue teams that are strategically located across the United States provide timely response when needed in the aftermath of a disaster. In fact, USAR teams can be ready for deployment within 6 hours of being called up.…”