“I move to pass this bill. I want NOAA and NIST to develop a standard way to identify the country of origin of seafood. This is to help enforce against illegal fishing.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It helps stop illegal fishing by finding better ways to trace where seafood comes from.”

“Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 283) to require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and the Administrator of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood to support enforcement against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”

“I want this bill to pass. It helps the fishing business in my state. Illegally caught seafood hurts my state's fishermen. This bill uses science to find illegal seafood. This science already works on beef and honey. I put parts of my bill into this bill. I want you to vote for this bill.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It directs federal agencies to create chemical tests that show where seafood comes from. Illegal fishing hurts honest American fishermen, especially red snapper fishermen in the Gulf of Mexico. This test will help law enforcement stop seafood fraud.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 283, the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act, as amended. This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a standard methodology using chemical analysis to identify the country of origin of seafood. Both commercial and recreational fishing contribute significantly to the Texas economy. Red snapper, in particular, is highly sought after by the recreational fishing sector. This effort is especially important in the Gulf of America, where red snapper is a valuable resource for American fishermen and coastal communities. Illegally harvested seafood can make its way into U.S. markets, undercutting the fishermen and seafood producers who play by the rules. NIST scientists have developed chemical methods to identify the geographic origin of foods like beef, honey, fruits, and rice. This bill would build on that expertise to give law enforcement another tool to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and seafood fraud. Today's bill also incorporates edits made by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee during our bipartisan markup earlier this year as part of H.R. 3706, the Standards for Understanding Source and Habitat Identification Act, also known as the SUSHI Act, which I sponsored. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.”

“I want this bill to pass. It helps stop illegal seafood from coming into the country. I thank the people who worked on the bill.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It helps create new technology to stop illegally caught fish from being sold in the United States.”

“Mr. Speaker, again, S. 283 supports the development of new technology that can help identify and cut off IUU fish products entering our markets. I greatly appreciate Senator Cruz and Representative Babin for their leadership on this legislation. I urge the passage of S. 283 and yield back the balance of my time.”