Congressional Record—Senate S6691
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November 16, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6691 counties’ health departments have in- tegic investment that Congress made are addressing what we generally call creasingly relied on this funding to en- back in March to support our commu- phase 4, another effort to improve the sure they are able to meet the needs of nities that need it the most. opportunities for us to provide relief to their community now and into the fu- I believe that State and local govern- our constituents due to the pandemic— ture as this pandemic stretches on. ments know what is best for their com- whatever all those machinations are— Many States, including my own of munities, including where and when to they will not happen quickly enough, Kansas, have also established forward- spend these Federal dollars. and they certainly will not happen looking programs to distribute grants Extending the relief for CRF pay- quickly enough to make certain that for economic development projects ments dedicated to, particularly, job our local officials and their citizens that respond to COVID–19, such as tele- creation projects will allow Kansas and know that they no longer would need medicine, tele-education projects, and other States to strategically target to spend the money that we have pro- projects that would improve broadband areas of need over a longer period of vided them in the next 5 or 6 weeks. infrastructure in rural and underserved time, making more certain that our By including the coronavirus relief areas. These communities already face taxpayer dollars are making the great- fund in the CARES Act, Congress ex- a sharp divide in terms of broadband est impact to help our people recover tended a hand to States, local govern- availability, and this pandemic has from this pandemic. This will better ments, and areas in need across the highlighted that. Unfortunately, for all ensure that the areas in need identified country that are looking to adapt to the work we have accomplished in by States and localities have a stable the new realities of the ongoing pan- spreading the use of broadband, the source of investment that will aid in demic. In the absence of an extension availability of broadband, increasing the ongoing economic recovery. of the deadline, money will be misspent its connectivity, there are still plenty That said, I remain engaged with the and will certainly not be spent in the of areas that need to be improved for Treasury and Senate Finance Com- most effective and valuable way. access to quality internet services. mittee to improve the RISER Act to I urge my colleagues not only to sup- As more broadband-intensive work ensure the availability of bipartisan port the legislation that I have intro- like video conferencing and virtual ap- support. This is a bill I want to pass, duced, the RISER Act, but to work pointments now takes place at a much not a bill I just want to introduce. with others—all of us—to come to a higher rate, the urgency to improve While this thoughtful discussion with point in which we are capable this these services increases. Rural commu- Treasury and the Finance Committee week—if it doesn’t get done this week, nities stand to lose the most without continues, I recognize that Congress it probably means very little in an ex- these types of projects. must urgently act to extend the dead- tension—to this week pass an exten- Many of the projects require long line in the meantime. sion beyond December 31 for the use of lead times to wisely plan, appropriate, While I have a particular bill that those CARES dollars in States across and expend Federal funding. However— does things that I think are hugely im- the Nation. and here is the problem—the CARES portant in this arena, I also recognize I urge my colleagues to join my legis- Act mandates that CRF funds be spent that we don’t have the time to wait. lation. I urge my colleagues to join to by the end of this year, now just a lit- Often throughout these few days that I ensure that the hand we offered under tle more than a month away. This is have been home, away from Wash- the CARES Act won’t be withdrawn absolutely not enough time for prepa- ington, DC, I have been asked: How is way too soon. I am thankful for the op- ration-intensive projects to be care- your legislation coming? The answer portunity to address my colleagues in fully planned and executed. The cur- is: There is broad bipartisan support. the Senate. rent deadline puts several long-term Most Senators—most Republican Sen- I yield the floor. economic development plans at risk of ators and most Democratic Senators— The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. losing funding if they are not com- are supportive of this measure, but the ERNST). The Senator from Iowa. pleted by December 31, and it also pre- issue is: Will we be able to extend the vents new, meaningful proposals from deadline in time for our local units of REMEMBERING ROGER JEPSEN being considered in the first place. government to know that they have an Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, Many Kansans—from our county additional amount of time, or, in the today I pay tribute to our former col- health departments to our universities, absence of that, will we allow them or league and my friend, former U.S. Sen- to our schools, to our cities and coun- require them to spend money in ways ator Roger Jepsen. Roger Jepsen ties, to mayors and county commis- less effective or efficient than they passed away last Friday, at age 91, at sioners whom I have visited with—have otherwise would? Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Quad urged us to extend this looming dead- I know that there are other pieces of Cities, IA. line. We need to have a longer period of legislation introduced by a few of my An Iowa native and an American pa- time so that the Federal dollars are colleagues that would offer what we triot, Roger devoted his life in service not spent—I always try to avoid using would call a clean extension of the CRF to his family, faith, and community. the phrase ‘‘Federal dollars.’’ They are deadline, and I urge my Senate col- He spent his youth on his family farm really taxpayer dollars or borrowed leagues to support the immediate en- near Cedar Falls, about 5 miles from money that has to be paid back by tax- actment of these legislative proposals where I was born and grew up. I still re- payers. It is a silly proposition that we to provide flexibility in fostering side within 4 miles of the farmhouse would require the money to be spent meaningful investments in our home where I was born. when what it will mean is we will States. Regardless of the close proximity of spend money less effectively and less Around here, too often, it seems that us as young people, I didn’t become ac- efficiently than we otherwise would in if we can’t do everything to solve a quainted with Roger until he rep- the absence of this near-term deadline. problem, we do nothing to solve a prob- resented Scott County in the Iowa Leg- That is why Senator ROBERTS and I lem. I have never understood that atti- islature. I wish I had known him ear- have introduced the Remove Impedi- tude or approach. The things that we lier when we were neighbors, as chil- ments for a Successful Economic Re- can agree on—and this is one, I think, dren. covery Act, or RISER. This bill would on which we can, this extension of the For 14 years, Roger served our coun- extend that deadline for State and deadline—we ought not wait for a larg- try in the U.S. Army. He was a para- local governments by 2 years for a set er package that continues to be nego- trooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, of currently eligible expenditures that tiated between the White House and and then he later served in the Army meet criteria for qualified economic Speaker PELOSI or between Republican Reserve. development plans. and Democratic leadership in the Sen- Roger worked for 20 years in the life This bill would allow funds for crit- ate or the Republican leadership with insurance business and was a member ical projects that require additional at- the Democratic leadership in the of the National Association of Life Un- tention and time for a more thoughtful House. derwriters. Along the way, Roger an- investment to be spent more effec- Whatever the negotiations ongoing swered the call to public service and tively without cutting short a stra- today to get us to a point in which we civic leadership. For more than two VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:20 Nov 17, 2020 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G16NO6.007 S16NOPT1 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with SENATE S6692 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 16, 2020 decades, he climbed the ranks of elect- Christian Rescue Effort for the Eman- that help. Through the same simple ed officials in service to his community cipation of Dissidents, known as steps we heard about since the begin- and the State of Iowa. CREED, to promote religious freedom ning of the pandemic, we can stop or at He started out as a county supervisor as a human freedom around the world. least dramatically slow the trans- in Scott County, IA, and went on to Each time I return home by way of mission of COVID–19.