Gun Bill

Floor Speech

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Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bipartisan legislation I have recently filed to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists.

H.R. 5576, the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016, is similar to the bipartisan agreement championed by Senator Susan Collins, and would deny the sale of firearms to individuals on the no fly and selectee lists, while ensuring due process is protected for law-abiding gun owners.

It was recently announced the House is unlikely to consider any legislation this week pertaining to terrorist access to firearms, and for this, I am truly disappointed.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to do something, and this commonsense, bipartisan legislation is a step in the right direction. I will continue to work with Members on both sides of the aisle to strike a bipartisan compromise that will protect law-abiding citizens' constitutional rights, while denying the sale of guns to terrorists. Recognizing Norberto Orellana

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Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Mr. Norberto Orellana, an incredible young man who, despite facing health challenges and long-term homelessness, recently graduated from the School for Advanced Studies at the Miami-Dade College Homestead campus with a near perfect GPA, a full ride to college, and a dream to go to medical school.

Mr. Orellana has already confronted more hardships in his young life than many of us will encounter in our lifetimes, but he does so with a positive attitude that inspires all of us.

Mr. Orellana was born with cerebral palsy, a permanent movement disorder caused by abnormal development in the part of the brain that controls balance and posture.

By the time he was 5, he had undergone three major surgeries to correct a club foot, lengthen his muscles, and reshape his bones.

He and his family also battled homelessness, moving from shelter to shelter. However, he never allowed his circumstances to dictate his attitude or detract from his belief in his own potential. He used his time spent in hospitals to fuel his burning desire to become a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.

It is an honor for me to recognize Mr. Norberto Orellana on the occasion of his graduation. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for such a bright young mind. Comprehensive Strategy to Destroy ISIL

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Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the attacks in Orlando, San Bernardino, and across Europe are a horrific reminder that the war on terror continues, and that radical extremism from groups like ISIL remains a danger to all freedom-loving people. It is critical that a plan is in place to destroy this enemy before the United States and our allies face more senseless violence from cowardly terrorists.

For these reasons, I have cosponsored Representative Kinzinger's bill, H.R. 4869, the Comprehensive Strategy to Destroy ISIL Act of 2016. This legislation directs the Secretaries of State and Defense to submit a joint report to Congress on the strategy to destroy ISIL and its affiliates.

It is imperative the U.S. and our allies defeat these radical terrorists on their home turf, and this legislation will require a plan from the administration to do just that. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass this critical bill. Congratulating Two Florida Keys Community College Student-Teams

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Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two Florida Keys Community College student-teams who won five medals, two of them gold, at the annual NASA Engineering Challenges at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

This yearly competition is geared towards encouraging students to pursue STEM-related fields. The TechKeys and RocketTrees worked together to take home the gold in the high-altitude balloon experiment.

FKCC is one of only three colleges in Florida to receive a $134,000 grant from the Florida Space Grant Consortium to support the program for 2 years. This grant also provides scholarships to each participating student. Each of these students is also now eligible for an internship at NASA as long as they remain enrolled in a Florida college.

Congratulations to the students and their professor, Dawn Ellis, on this prestigious accomplishment. I am proud that they are bringing awareness to the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math.

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