Media

Thank you Chairman Fleming, Ranking Member Sablan, and Members of the Subcommittee for having this important hearing today.

Invasive species are something that affects communities across our nation. These environmental invaders include Burmese Pythons, Purple Loosestrife, Kudzu, Hydrilla, Brown Tree Snakes, Emerald Ash Borer, Zebra Mussels, Gypsy Moth, and Asian Carp. We realize that different communities are facing different threats. And each species may require a different solution.

[as prepared]

Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended.

This bill is about coal ash. Coal ash is a toxic substance. It contains lead, selenium, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Coal ash is a deadly poison and it must be kept out of America’s drinking water.

[as prepared]

Mr. Chairman, it disappoints me greatly to be here today with this bill before us.

I came to this subcommittee to work in partnership with my Republican and Democratic colleagues to keep our air and water clean, protect our nation’s natural treasures, and ensure this Congress honors our trust responsibilities to Indian Country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the partisan House Republican plan to destroy and dismantle the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Simply, this bill, H.R. 5, abandons our national commitment to equity in education for all K-12 students.

July 8, 2013

Ms. McCOLLUM: Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the families of the Rondo neighborhood in Saint Paul, Minnesota on the 30th anniversary of the Rondo Days festival. Rondo Days offers a remembrance of this historically African-American community that was dramatically altered by the construction of U.S. Interstate 94 in the mid-1960s. More importantly, Rondo Days is a celebration of the perseverance and tenacity of the modern Rondo community, which remains a vibrant, diverse and thriving neighborhood.