On the House floor prior to the Congressional recess, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) delivered remarks on the House Floor regarding voting safety.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act,
00:07the SAVED Act, which requires individuals to provide proof of citizenship when registering
00:13to vote in federal elections.
00:16I am very grateful to say that I voted for this bill today and that it is passed out
00:22of the House of Representatives with bipartisan support, though not nearly as much bipartisan
00:27support as it should have.
00:30In states like Massachusetts, Ohio, and Virginia, non-citizens have recently been removed from
00:36the voting rolls, and many of those non-citizens, it appears, have actually voted.
00:40The Arizona Secretary of State website is currently falsely promoting the idea that
00:44individuals who fail to present proof of citizenship when registering will be eligible to vote
00:50in federal elections.
00:52We also have several municipalities, including in California, that have explicitly authorized
00:58non-citizens to vote in municipal elections.
01:02So H.R. 8281, the SAVE Act, seeks to address these problems in a couple ways.
01:09It will, number one, require an individual to provide proof of citizenship when registering
01:14to vote in federal elections, and number two, provide states with access to existing federal
01:18databases so they can clean up their voter rolls and remove non-citizens from the rolls.
01:24This should be a pretty common-sense idea, that only American citizens should vote in
01:31American elections.
01:33And it's astonishing to me that you had a couple hundred people in the House of Representatives
01:40today that voted against this, although, fortunately, it did pass, again, with bipartisan support.
01:48And one of the objections to the bill was very interesting.
01:51The objection was, well, wait a minute, it's already illegal for non-citizens to vote in
01:57federal elections.
01:58We don't need this law.
01:59Well, it's also already illegal for folks to cross into our border illegally.
02:07It's kind of a tautology.
02:09It's illegal to immigrate illegally.
02:12So does that mean it's not happening at all?
02:13Of course.
02:14It's happening in an overwhelming way, unlike we've ever seen in our country's history,
02:18with millions and millions and millions of people coming into this country illegally.
02:23Illegally.
02:24So what we have learned from this administration's approach to illegal immigration is that simply
02:34having something be unauthorized under our laws is sometimes insufficient to address
02:43the problem.
02:45And so while it's true it's already illegal to come into this country without being granted
02:50a pathway to be here legally, nevertheless, we need to pass bills like H.R. 2 that provide
02:59enforcement and that provide safeguards and that assure that the law is being followed.
03:07And in a similar vein, even though it is already illegal for non-citizens to cast
03:13a ballot, we need to have this legislation to put in place equivalent safeguards to make
03:20sure that it doesn't occur.
03:23So that's why I am encouraging the Senate to act promptly now that it's in its court
03:29to pass the SAVE Act, to close the loopholes that are allowing this to happen, to enhance
03:34our election security, to minimize the risk of outside interference, and to restore and
03:40protect Americans' confidence in our elections.
03:51Mr. Speaker, every year millions of high schoolers across the country who are interested in pursuing
03:56higher education fill out the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
04:02The FAFSA is designed to make post-secondary education accessible and affordable for students
04:08across the United States, and let students know what federal student aid, Pell Grants,
04:13or work-study programs are available to them.
04:16Traditionally, the FAFSA is released by October 1 every year, giving students, families, and
04:22schools plenty of time to decide what post-secondary education is right for them.
04:27Unfortunately, the Department of Education, under President Biden, has been unable to
04:32meet this standard.
04:34As early as November of 2022, the Education Department refused to commit to the traditional
04:39October 1 release of the FAFSA application for the 2024-2025 school year.
04:45Six months later, in March, the Department finally admitted that it would be delayed
04:50until quote, sometime in December, only to reveal in November that the launch date would
04:54be on December 31.
04:57When the forms were finally released, processing of completed FAFSAs was delayed for months.
05:04Once processing finally began, millions contained calculation errors, rendering them useless
05:11for schools and requiring reprocessing.
05:14This caused great confusion for schools and families, and schools were forced to push
05:17back deadlines, causing uncertainty and stress for fall enrollment.
05:22Current law recommends FAFSA be released by October 1, but allows the Education Department
05:32to delay the FAFSA release until January 1.
05:36Last year, the Department abused this statutory gap and continually failed to give a clear
05:41date for when the FAFSA would be released.
05:44So that's why I'm co-sponsoring a piece of legislation that passed the Education
05:51and Workforce Committee yesterday.
05:53The FAFSA Deadline Act.
05:56The FAFSA Deadline Act gives students, families, and schools much-needed clarity and stability
06:01by ensuring the FAFSA is released on October 1.
06:05Choosing the right college is stressful, and students and families should not have to deal
06:09with added uncertainty from the Department of Education.
06:12This legislation will prevent any future delayed rollouts by the Education Department.
06:17I'm proud to have supported a committee to be a co-sponsor.
06:20I'm hoping it will soon pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the President.
06:43Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to represent truly one of the most beautiful places in
06:49the world, Lake Tahoe.
06:52And I'm very proud to be a sponsor of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Reauthorization Act.
07:00We got some good news just this week.
07:03The Senate has acted on this legislation to extend the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act for
07:10another 10 years.
07:12Lake Tahoe is a national treasure, and we must honor our commitment to preserving it
07:16for generations to come, which is what this legislation seeks to assist with.
07:22For over 50 years, presidents, governors, senators, and representatives from both parties
07:27have worked in a bipartisan fashion to protect the natural beauty and wonder of Lake Tahoe.
07:33I was honored to join many of them last year at the Lake Tahoe Summit and will be doing
07:39so again this August.
07:42Nearly 80% of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin is controlled by the U.S. Forest Service.
07:47The bipartisan Lake Tahoe Restoration Act provides the federal share for the environmental
07:52restoration projects in the basin, in partnership with California, Nevada, local governments,
07:59non-profit, and for-profit partners.
08:01Since its enactment, a total of $104.7 million has been appropriated for the current Lake
08:07Tahoe Restoration Act as of fiscal year 2023, which is about 27% of the total authorization.
08:14While Congress has steadily increased the pace of appropriations under the bill since
08:19its enactment, the act has a significant level of spending authority remaining under what
08:23was originally a seven-year bill.
08:25Since its previous authorization, funds have gone to more than 700 projects in the Tahoe
08:30Basin, and Lake Tahoe's waters are the clearest they've been in decades.
08:34We are keeping Lake Tahoe blue.
08:38But that won't happen without continued work on the part of all of these stakeholders and
08:45the assistance provided by this legislation.
08:50For Lake Tahoe welcomes millions of visitors from around the world every year and is home
08:55to 55,000 residents, I remain committed to continuing the long history of bipartisan
09:01leadership that has preserved and protected this special place.
09:06It's up to all of us, working together, to assure that future generations will continue
09:12to be able to experience the beauty that those of us who live or vacation or travel to Tahoe
09:19have the great fortune to experience.
09:22I urge the House to act quickly on this bipartisan legislation, and I urge the President to sign
09:28it into law.
09:41Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I wish to take a moment to honor the memory
09:47of Jackie Weston, an Auburn resident and community leader who sadly tragically passed away recently
09:55at the age of 40.
09:57Jackie was an anchor to the local business community, serving as the Chief Executive
10:03Officer of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.
10:07Her journey began when she moved to Auburn, California in 1985, where she became an integral
10:13part of the community, graduating from Placer High School and embedding herself into the
10:18fabric of the community.
10:20She dedicated herself to the betterment of Auburn, channeling her enthusiasm and dedication
10:27into countless community initiatives.
10:30Jackie embodied the essence of leadership, tirelessly volunteering her time, organizing
10:37parades, nurturing the local business community, and extending a helping hand to all.
10:44Her impact on Auburn has been profound, and it will be enduring, leaving an indelible
10:50mark that will resonate for a long time to come.
10:55Therefore, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives and California's
11:013rd Congressional District, I wish to extend my deepest condolences to Jackie's partner,
11:07Ian, her children, Solomon and Evelyn, and the countless others whose lives were touched
11:13by her remarkable spirit and generosity.
11:26Mr. Speaker, I wish to mark and celebrate the 25-year anniversary of Scott's Seafood
11:32Roundhouse in Folsom, California.
11:35In 1976, Scott's Seafood Grill and Bar opened in San Francisco, but it was in 1999 when
11:41John and Suzanne Cook brought Scott's to the Folsom community.
11:45For the past 25 years, the bar and grill has served as a premier community establishment,
11:51engaging and enriching Folsom and the broader region with its quality food and service.
11:57While it has always been located in Folsom, it moved four years ago to the city's historic
12:02district.
12:03Now located in the heart of Folsom, Scott's Seafood is becoming a local household name
12:09that was able to navigate through the immense challenges of COVID-19 as well as the devastating
12:15passing of the owner, John Cook, in 2022.
12:19However, the resilience and continued passion for their business is very much evident with
12:25John's wife, Suzanne.
12:27Scott's Seafood is known not only for their fresh seafood and delicious meals, but also
12:32for their commitment to actively participating in and serving the community.
12:37It is a true honor to represent exemplary businesses like Scott's Seafood here in Congress.
12:42Therefore, on behalf of the United States House of Representatives, it is my privilege
12:47to recognize Scott's Seafood Roundhouse for reaching this significant milestone of 25
12:53years in business.
12:55Congratulations, and thank you for all you do for our community.
13:00Mr. Speaker, I yield back.