Personal Explanation

Floor Speech

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Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained on September 22, 2016, and I missed votes in the House. If I had been present, I would have voted against the motion ordering the previous question on H. Res. 879 (the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 5931, Prohibiting Future Ransom Payments to Iran Act), against the rule (H. Res. 879), and against final passage of the Empowering Employees through Stock Ownership Act (H.R. 5719). I would have supported H.R. 5320, Social Security Must Avert Identity Loss (MAIL) Act, H.R. 5946, the United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act, H.R. 2285, the Preventing Trafficking in Cultural Property Act, and H.R. 5523, Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers RESPECT Act.

I would have voted against ordering the previous question on the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 5931 so that H.R. 4479, the Families of Flint Act, could have been made in order. I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 4479, which would provide $765 million to improve water infrastructure and provide resources to the residents of Flint, Michigan. I was disappointed that the House moved the previous question and blocked H.R. 4479 from coming to the House floor.

I would have opposed H. Res. 879, the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 5931, because the rule limited amendments and did not provide for an open floor debate.

I would have opposed final passage of H.R. 5719, the Empowering Employees through Stock Ownership Act, because the bill did not include a critical amendment offered by Rep. Crowley that would have provided an offset to the $1 billion in lost revenue created by the policy.

Although I support efforts to promote employee ownership and reward employee's commitment to their companies, I was disappointed that the bill did not include Rep. Crowley's amendment.

H.R. 5320, the Social Security MAIL Act, provides an important privacy protection to anyone receiving Social Security documents through the mail. The bill restricts the Social Security Administration from sending documents that include an individual's complete Social Security number through the mail unless completely necessary. This commonsense policy will protect Americans from having their sensitive personal information compromised, and I would have supported this bill.

H.R. 5946, the United States Appreciation for Olympians and Paralympians Act, updates a provision of the federal tax code that requires Olympians and Paralympians to declare their prize winnings and medals as income for tax purposes. Although I would have preferred that this provision had been part of a comprehensive tax reform package, I would have supported this bill.

H.R 2285, the Prevent Trafficking in Cultural Property Act, would bolster the ability of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to protect against illegal trafficking of cultural property. The bill requires CPB and ICE to create a coordinated plan to update procedures and directive, and to train personnel in relevant laws and best practices for intercepting trafficked property. I support this bill and other efforts to ensure trafficked artifacts are not brought into the United States.

H.R. 5523, the Clyde-Hirsch-Sowers RESPECT Act, would prohibit the IRS from engaging in civil asset forfeiture of more than $10,000 without probable cause. Unfortunately, in recent years there have been many instances of small businesses having their money seized without probable cause, and they have struggled to recoup their losses. This bill provides important protections to individuals and small businesses, and I support its passage.

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