Thank You to the Line Workers

Floor Speech

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Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the line workers in my district. They are literally keeping the lights on.

When ice storms hit, when the winds are hitting 60-miles-an-hour in my district, when we are warm in bed, the folks who work on the power lines are getting in their trucks and they are working in these conditions to keep and get the lights on.

Power transmission is not sexy. It does not get the status and the attention that a Tesla does or that many of our electrification projects do. But transmission is critical for grid resiliency and clean energy. We have got to focus our efforts on increasing transmission capacity.

I take this opportunity to specifically thank the linemen in my county, Skamania County. A few weeks ago, we had a huge winter storm. I woke up to 20 inches. A lot of people like me get our water from a well, so when the power is out, we don't have water.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank all of those line folks who are keeping the power on, getting up in the middle of the night, and taking care of our power supply. Funding for Water Infrastructure

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Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about water infrastructure in my community.

A few weeks ago, I was reviewing congressional funding requests, and one pervasive theme that came up over and over was municipal water infrastructure problems in the district. This issue touches every county in my district and every home, from Underwood to Long Beach to Washougal.

Over and over, we see infrastructure that is past its recommended life span, undersized, or on the brink of collapse, frankly. In order to resolve this, communities are forced to either slap a Band-Aid on it or take out massive loans. Some wastewater systems are also beginning to fail, and they have been releasing sewage into the environment, which places a lot of people at risk.

Local governments alone can't address this issue. In the past, the government has mandated state-of-the-art equipment, essentially requiring that these folks put a Lamborghini sewer system in when what they really need is a Toyota Corolla. This makes it incredibly expensive and difficult to keep up with maintenance in a small community.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass Federal legislation that will ensure all Americans have access to clean energy. Prescription Drug Shortages

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Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the drug shortages happening across the country.

Like most Americans, I live on a budget. My monthly prescription just went from $16 a month to $250 a month, and we are seeing this across the board. We are seeing shortages in Infants' Tylenol and in cough syrup. We have shortages of vital drugs. It is becoming incredibly difficult for everyday people to keep up with the cost of these necessary medications.

No surprise, Big Pharma can find the capacity to manufacture the expensive on-brand drugs, and they are actively stonewalling efforts to produce the generic drugs that working families can actually afford.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address this critical issue and ensure folks across the Nation can access their medications. In Support of Law Enforcement

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Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of law enforcement officers in my district and across the Nation.

The national starting wage for police officers is $67,000 annually. That is not very much, folks. These are careers that we are asking people to step into the line of fire for us, and these wages do not reflect the risks of the job.

As a result, no surprise, recruitment and retention of good officers is the top issue facing law enforcement agencies across the country. But our Federal priorities don't reflect this necessity. We are continually funding capital projects and not operating expenses. So while the cost of living is going up and up and up, we are funding, I kid you not, body cameras for dogs.

In my district, one of my local sheriff's offices received Federal funding for dog body cameras at a time when their deputy wages are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. We have got to make sure Federal resources are being spent wisely, not on, literally, pet projects.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in working to realign our Federal spending to reflect the real issues facing law enforcement. Celebrating the Life of Larry Cassidy

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Ms. PEREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Larry Cassidy.

When I first met Larry, I remember how amazed I was by his constant positivity. Larry was born in Portland but moved to Vancouver, the good side of the river, his home since 1966. He was a husband, father, and grandfather. He was passionate about salmon and steelhead in the Northwest and was a community activist and conservationist before receiving a Governor-appointed position on the Washington Game Commission.

Sadly, Larry passed away in January of this year after battling prostate cancer for 25 years.

I thank Larry for being a friend and a mentor. I stand with my community in being grateful to Larry for all he did in Washington's Third Congressional District.

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