Thank you for joining us this afternoon as we markup four strong, bipartisan committee bills. It's been a busy week, and I truly appreciate everyone’s collaboration in helping our team navigate numerous scheduling conflicts.
Given the need to also coordinate with the House voting schedule, we selected this particular set of bills today to ensure sufficient time for thorough consideration and passage.
That said, we’ll continue working with your teams in the coming weeks to review legislation we did not address today for our next markup.
With that, let’s get right to it.
The first bill we will consider is H.R. 390, the Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations Act (ACERO Act), sponsored by Reps. Fong and McClellan.
This legislation builds upon NASA’s existing ACERO project to advance the research and development of innovative airspace management technologies for tracking, coordination, and operations during wildfires.
Federal and state officials too often rely on outdated systems and face poor communication breakdowns during aerial response efforts.
H.R. 390 leverages NASA’s advanced drone and aviation technologies to assist firefighters, streamline coordination between multiple agencies, and ensure safer, more efficient operations.
This is a practical and forward-thinking use of American innovation to protect our communities, public lands, and first responders.
I want to thank Reps. Fong and McClellan for their work on this important bill and for utilizing NASA's cutting-edge research and technology to enhance emergency response efforts.
Next, we turn to two bills that reflect a national imperative: strengthening America’s edge in quantum computing and artificial intelligence, two arenas where global adversaries are actively trying to outpace us.
The first is H.R. 3259, the Post Quantum Cybersecurity Standards Act, led by Reps. Stevens and Tenney.
The bill directs NIST to provide guidance and support for the voluntary adoption of quantum-resistant cryptographic standards—especially to high-risk sectors—and to lead a national transition to stronger post-quantum security.
As quantum computing progresses at an unprecedented pace, current encryption methods are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
This bill ensures America is not caught flat-footed. It promotes smart planning, serious investment in cryptography, and coordination across sectors to secure our digital infrastructure before threats emerge—not after.
Many thanks to Representatives Stevens and Tenney for prioritizing this issue and taking a proactive approach to securing our quantum future.
Our third bill, H.R. 3679, the Small Business Artificial Intelligence Advancement Act, is another commonsense proposal that’s being pushed forward by Reps. Collins and Stevens.
We all know that small businesses are truly the backbone of the American economy, a fact that resonates deeply with many of our districts.
But as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more central to productivity and growth, small businesses are at risk of falling behind the big players.
H.R. 3679 directs NIST to create practical, accessible resources to assist small businesses in understanding, utilizing, and integrating AI technologies into their daily operations without massive overhead or confusion.
We want to ensure that Main Street—not just Silicon Valley—can benefit from the AI revolution. This bill empowers small business owners to innovate, stay competitive, and keep creating jobs.
Thanks to Reps. Collins and Stevens for their support in prioritizing America’s job creators.
Our last bill we will consider today is H.R. 3705, the Fog Observations and Geographic Forecast Act, which I am proud to sponsor alongside Ranking Member Lofgren.
I am unfortunately all too familiar with the safety risks and economic impact of coastal marine fog on ports and coastal communities.
Just a few months ago, Port Houston in my district suffered massive delays due to dense fog, leading to billions in economic losses.
This bill requires NOAA to develop a targeted project to improve the accuracy of fog forecasting along our coasts—enhancing maritime safety, safeguarding critical infrastructure, and reducing the associated economic impacts of fog events.
This initiative would foster dynamic collaboration with both commercial and academic partners while leveraging and enhancing existing NOAA tools for successful implementation.
H.R. 3705 is a focused, strategic investment in safety, commerce, and economic resilience.
Thank you to Ranking Member Lofgren for your partnership on this effort.
In closing, I want to express my appreciation again to all of our Members for their participation and attendance.
I look forward to a productive markup of these four important bills.