Chairwoman Foxx Opening Remarks on H.R. 471 and S. 5
As prepared for delivery:
Good afternoon. The Committee will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare a recess at any time.
Today, the Rules Committee is convening to consider two important pieces of legislation: H.R. 471, the Fix Our Forests Act and S.5, the Laken Riley Act.
The first, the Fix Our Forests Act, is a piece of bipartisan legislation that addresses restoring forest health, bolstering resiliency to devastating wildfires, and protecting at-risk communities.
When the House considered this bill months back in the 118th Congress, many bipartisan member ideas were incorporated – and that same bipartisan nature is still present today.
I believe we have all seen the devastation caused by the wildfires in California as of late – the footage that has been broadcasted on television and reflected within print media has been nothing short of harrowing.
H.R. 471 offers us the opportunity to lead the way with commonsense solutions to strengthen forest management and stewardship in 2025 and beyond.
S. 5, the Laken Riley Act, is the Senate companion legislation to H.R. 29, that the House passed on January 8th of this year.
On January 8th, we saw bipartisan support for the House-version of the Laken Riley Act, and I expect that we will see the same result this go-round as well.
This legislation would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal aliens who commit crimes related to either theft, assaults on law enforcement officers, or other violent crimes resulting in death or serious bodily harm. Immigration and Customs Enforcement would utilize the existing definitions of these acts in the criminal codes of the state or local jurisdiction in which they took place.
It also allows state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions such as parole, violation of detention requirements, or other policy failures harm that state or its citizens.
Again, this is another piece of bipartisan legislation that will make a sizable, positive impact not only for border security, but also for the safety and security of men, women, and families across the nation.
I look forward to the open discussion of these two bills, and I now yield to the Ranking Member, Mr. McGovern, for any comments he wishes to make.
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