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Floor Speech

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Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition and appreciation of Dr. Jeffrey Beauvais, Ph.D. upon his completion of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program. Dr. Beauvais served as a Knauss fellow in my Washington, D.C. office from February 2023 until February 2024.

As an integral member of my legislative staff, Dr. Beauvais assisted my work on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, particularly my work on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. Over the past twelve months, he worked closely with the Committee and the rest of my personal office staff in developing several pieces of critical legislation.

Dr. Beauvais overhauled my ``FEMA Disaster Preparedness Improvement Act'' from the 116th Congress to include new, novel reforms to federal programs for disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. He also developed new legislation, the ``Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Removal Act of 2024,'' in response to a blue-ribbon report by the Pacific States' Oil Spill Task Force published on January 14, 2020. Among other key reforms, this new legislation would unlock more than $1.5 billion annually in dedicated federal funding under the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to remove abandoned and derelict vessels from federally regulated waterways. I expect to introduce both bills in the coming months, thanks in no small part to his work.

Dr. Beauvais received his doctorate in integrative conservation and ecology from the University of Georgia, Athens in 2022, and graduated with honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in biology in 2015. I expect Dr. Beauvais' fellowship in my office will inspire and inform his future endeavors with his passion for his native coastal Georgia a recurring theme throughout his career and life.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of California's eighth Congressional district, I extend our deepest appreciation to Dr. Beauvais for his dedicated service as a Knauss fellow. He will always remain a deeply valued member of Team Garamendi.

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