Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his time and certainly his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill to make permanent the tax cuts for families and small businesses we passed last year through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I am particularly pleased this bill also makes permanent the grain glitch fix we enacted last spring.

This important provision ensures producers and buyers across agriculture could benefit from tax reform as intended. This bill also continues the treatment of property taxes on agricultural land and property as a fully deductible business expense, which is vital to ag producers in Nebraska's Third Congressional District as well as across the country.

The initial version of tax reform we moved out of the Ways and Means Committee and passed in this House last year provided permanent tax relief, and our families, farmers, ranchers, and small businesses deserve the certainty of knowing their taxes will not increase. I am disappointed we could not get this permanence through the Senate last year, but I am pleased we have another opportunity to do so.

This year our economy is booming with economic growth continuing above 3 percent, and the certainty of permanence will allow our small businesses to make future investments and families to know they can keep more of their paychecks as well as plan for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, under Federal reclamation law, irrigation districts that receive water from a Bureau of Reclamation facility typically repay their portion of the capital costs of water projects under long-term contracts.

Under its current contract and current law, Northport Irrigation District is exempt from annual capital repayment if their carriage fee exceeds $8,000 per year. Given the carriage fee has greatly exceeded this amount every year since the 1950s, Northport's capital repayment debt has been stagnant at more than $923,000 since 1952. So long as the debt endures, landowners are subject to burdensome reporting requirements and acreage limitations, and no revenue is generated for the Federal Government.

I introduced this bill to provide members of the Northport Irrigation District early repayment authority under their dated reclamation contract. Allowing producers within the Northport Irrigation District to pay off their portion of the contract means the government will receive funds otherwise uncollected and landowners will be relieved of costly constraints that threaten family-owned operations.

For example, at a previous Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee hearing, a member of the Northport district testified that acreage limitations will prohibit parents who own land in the district from passing down or selling farmland to sons and daughters who also own land in the same district.

Similar legislation has previously passed under bipartisan majorities and, according to past CBO projections, could generate as much as $440,000 in Federal revenue.

This is a very simple bill that would make a big difference to some family farmers in Nebraska.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor eleven individuals and businesses from Nebraska receiving the 2018 Third District Excellence in Economic Development Award.

Throughout the 75 counties of the Third District, entrepreneurs and innovators are working hard to grow opportunity in our state.

In May, I called for nominations for individuals, businesses, and organizations helping to strengthen Nebraska communities through innovation, hard work, entrepreneurship, and historic preservation.

The Hub of Burwell is currently owned by John and Melissa Schere. ``The Hub'' was originally built as a professional building in 1906 by Burwell-area entrepreneur H.J. Coffin. The building, the first in the area to be built of concrete block, was an early home of the Burwell Mercantile and Burwell Drug Company. This building served as an important part of the commercial center (or Hub) of Burwell until it was abandoned in 2003. The building was purchased by John and Melissa Schere in 2006, and joined the Register of National Historic Places the same year. Their goal was to restore ``The Hub'' to its status as a community center and to its original early 20th century purpose and aesthetic. Today, the Scheres are proud to provide a coffee and old fashioned ice cream soda fountain and retail space capable of hosting public meetings for community members of all ages.

Lukjan Metal of Sidney is a family owned and operated business which has been manufacturing high quality sheet metal pipe, duct, and fittings for the wholesale HVAC industry since February 1964. Opening their Sidney location in early 2017, the family-owned company is proud to provide 30 jobs currently, with plans to nearly double this capacity by 2021. The Lukjan family believed Sidney provided an excellent expansion opportunity which allowed their company access to the Denver market.

Blue Print Engines of Kearney was founded by Norris Marshall in the early 1980s in a rented garage. Blue Print Engines recently moved into a 150,000 square foot production and testing facility, and now employs over 100 people in the Kearney area. Having an attitude which ``exemplifies Kearney,'' according to Kearney Mayor Stan Clouse, Mr. Marshall has quietly turned his passion for rebuilding high performance car engines into one of the largest crate engine manufacturers in the world, serving customers ranging in size from individual car collectors to NASCAR. Recently, Mr. Marshall has embarked on a new journey, training the next generation of engineers and craftsmen who will carry on his passion for the next several decades through his award winning collaboration with Kearney Public Schools.

LiteForm of South Sioux City, led by their founder, Pat Boeshart, has proven to be a committed, innovative economic and community partner in northeast Nebraska and the greater Siouxland area. Their organization is committed to constructing extremely energy efficient buildings throughout the world, constantly seeking ways to improve the energy efficiency and construction techniques of their units. LiteForm also came to the rescue for the Siouxland area during the Missouri River flooding in 2011, providing needed resources and rebuilding support. Over the last several years Boeshart has developed an energy and resource efficient replacement for rebar called GlassBar, a non-rusting material which reduces cost and material weight.

The Urwiller Family of Ravenna, led by family matriarch Bea Urwiller and her late husband Richard, started Urwiller's Melon Patch out of a desire to share their abundant melon harvest with area residents and those driving down Nebraska's Highway 2. Though their son Robert, his wife Christie, their children Kody, Michaela, Kent, and his wife Sara have now taken lead of the Urwiller Melon Patch, they have never missed a season, and always remained committed to producing quality melons and vegetables dedicated to the Nebraska values of hard work, common sense, and fairness in their business. The Urwiller family took their entrepreneurial energy a step further and opened two additional businesses in the last 10 years in the Ravenna community. Christie and her daughter Michaela translated a baking and catering home-based business into a popular Ravenna-area breakfast establishment, ``Christie's Kitchen.'' Knowing their business has succeeded because of their commitment to quality, they arrive by 2 a.m. every day to ensure their customers receive fresh-baked, and locally provided items every morning. Kent and his wife Sara opened Prairie Hills Wireless in 2013. Prairie Hills is an independent high-quality broadband provider. They now serve over 70 percent of the Ravenna community, and have the capacity to provide service to every community within a 20-minute drive of Ravenna. The Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) recognized Kent as their 2017 Operator of the Year.

Larry Paulsen of Cozad has worked tirelessly for many years to create opportunities for others to be successful. These successes can be seen not only in his own business, Paulsen Incorporated, a construction/ redi-mix company and one of the largest employers in the Cozad area, but in the downtown district of Cozad, local baseball fields, the chamber of commerce, community festivals, local museums, and many other places. Larry often purchases and renovates buildings in downtown Cozad to allow small businesses an opportunity to grow. He is also at every Legion baseball game, behind the grill, ensuring all the fans have enough to eat, and assisting with field preparation before and after the games. As an avid volunteer and promoter of Cozad who is committed to community service, Larry's actions have truly strengthened Cozad, Dawson County, and state of Nebraska.

The Anson Family of Grand Island--Charles, John, and Amos--is changing the landscape of Grand Island's downtown area. Renovating and giving new life to a historic building can be a daunting task, and is not for the faint of heart. This type of challenge takes vision, outside-the-box problem solving, patience, and public-private collaboration. Each of the Anson family renovations becomes a modern, up-to-date, multi-use center appropriate for business, retail, and upper story living while still paying tribute to the historic roots of the building. Current Grand Island businesses renovated by the Anson family include The Chocolate Bar, McKinney's Irish Pub, Tower 217, GIX Logistics, and Prairie Pride Brewing. In addition to their for-profit efforts, Amos lends his time and talents to the Grand Island area Habitat for Humanity and HEAR Grand Island.

Butler Professional Farrier School of Crawford is led by Dr. Doug Butler and his sons, Peter and Jacob. The internationally recognized Butler Professional Farrier School is committed to providing quality, intensive educational experiences to students and current professional farriers. Rooted in blacksmithing techniques dating back to medieval Europe when teaching horse shoe fabrication, the Butler family provides a 21st century educational experience focused on the health and viability of the horse and its feet as their primary concern. When asked what he appreciates about their profession, Butler has said, ``there is a heritage in the craft, and I like this style for that reason. There is as much art as there is science; that's what I enjoy the most about it.''

Central Nebraska Regional Airport of Grand Island was originally opened by the Grand Island Aero Company, organized by World War I pilot Floyd Thompson, on private land owned by H.O. Doc Woodward in 1919. Other than a stint as a U.S. Government training facility for the 6th, 502nd, and 376th Bombardment Groups during World War II, the Grand Island area airport has enjoyed a long history of local public ownership and commercial use. The facility is known today as the Central Nebraska Regional Airport. In 2016, it completed the construction of a $14 million passenger terminal. When this terminal opened, its annual enplanement numbers exceeded 64,000 and its local economic impact rose above $158 million. These numbers have only continued to rise. Today, the Central Nebraska Regional Airport rivals its eastern Nebraska counterparts for service and travel availability to support greater Nebraska's travel needs.

GROW Nebraska of Oxford was founded in 1993 as a dynamic, membership- based, non-profit entrepreneurial, service, and educational organization charged with helping small businesses build and expand economic capacity. This organization's mission is to provide education and training to individuals and small business owners across Nebraska, with an emphasis on economically depressed areas and to create sustainable economic development and marketing opportunities. Their goal is to connect Nebraska to the global marketplace through mentorship, classroom education, technical assistance in your place of business, e-commerce, wholesale and export guidance, professional marketing training, and much more. Members of GROW Nebraska number in the hundreds and include software company Hollman Media of Kearney, Pacha Soap of Hastings, a recipient of the Whole Foods Market Supplier Award for Outstanding Innovation, and Preferred Popcorn of Chapman, a 100 percent farmer-owned company whose product is sold in 70 countries worldwide for a total of more than one billion servings annually.

Main Street Beatrice has been a ``Main Street'' community since 1996, when a group of stakeholders came together over concerns about the future of their downtown area. Together, they worked to include Beatrice in the

Nebraska Lied Main Street program and the Certified National Main Street program. Main Street Beatrice provides guidance and resources to downtown businesses, building owners, and others by utilizing the National Main Street Program approach. The organization has grown by leaps and bounds in the last two years. Together with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Nebraska State Historical Society, Main Street Beatrice has been a leader in advocating for and sharing the message of the importance of utilizing available resources for historic preservation through training, awareness events, and community outreach. Beatrice was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

I am proud to recognize each of these award winners today, and I thank them for their many contributions to Nebraska.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6311, the Increasing Access to Lower Premium Plans and Expanding Health Savings Accounts Act.

This bill gives all Americans the option to purchase a catastrophic plan if they so choose, which, under current law, is restricted to a limited population. This bill will increase health insurance plan and pricing options as we continue our work to address the underlying problems of ObamaCare.

Nebraskans continue to tell me that they are desperate for more options to buy health insurance for their families. We are down to only one insurer in Nebraska, in Nebraska's exchange; and with premiums for a family, which can exceed $30,000 before even factoring in four- and five-figure deductibles, families need more options, Nebraskans need more options.

The way to create access to healthcare for more people is by understanding better the buyer-seller relationship.

If you want to reduce costs through increasing participation, whoever is doing the selling must create products the consumer is willing to buy. The more barriers are wedged between the buyer and seller, the more transparency and competition will decrease and the more healthcare costs for consumers will increase.

It is obvious that ObamaCare policies, which have restricted choice through one-size-fits-all requirements for insurance products, continue to fail, and this bill will help give Nebraskans and all Americans the choices they need and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Roskam for bringing us this bill, and I urge support for it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the community of North Platte, Nebraska, for its many decades of service to our men and women in uniform.

Earlier this week, the North Platte Canteen came together once again to host more than 700 Army National

Guard soldiers based in Arkansas who were returning from a training mission in Wyoming, not having eaten a hot meal in days.

The North Platte Canteen traces its history to World War II, when the community came together to feed more than 6 million servicemen and - women as they traveled by train across the country.

The North Platte Canteen was organized this time to feed more than 700 soldiers, like I said. They were transported on 21 buses over 2 days, and these experiences included homemade birthday cakes for those celebrating, which is that time-honored tradition at the Canteen.

I would like to thank Lisa Burke, Muriel Clark, Amanda Connick, Courtney Fegter, and Michelle Thomas at the North Platte/Lincoln County Visitors Bureau, who coordinated what became a whole-community effort with just a few days' notice.

This is really what Nebraska's support for our troops is all about.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 208.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment. It is interesting to listen to the various arguments here, but certainly there is unfair competition, if you will--it is hard to even call it competition--overseas, but we have unfair trade practices. Sugar policy here helps us defend ourselves.

These are manufacturing jobs in western Nebraska that utilize, very responsibly, our natural resources, and I think it is only reasonable to continue a policy that is not generally a cost to taxpayers.

I urge opposition to this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 174.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Nebraska's Thedford High School National Science Bowl Team on winning their regional competition and securing a position in next week's tournament in our Nation's capital.

The National Science Bowl is one of the largest and most prestigious academic competitions, having been created in 1991 by the Office of Science within the U.S. Department of Energy.

Our team from Thedford High School, comprised of students David Gordon, Andrew Gordon, Rhiannon Painter, Kalee Jepsen, and Ariel Bryant, and led by Coach Geri Smith, brings pride to Nebraska's Third District.

I know the constituents I represent join me in wishing them well as they begin the tournament on Sunday, April 29, 2018. On behalf of the people of Nebraska's Third District, I commend the Thedford High School National Science Bowl Team for this noteworthy accomplishment, and wish them well in the competition.

Go Knights.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment, which would direct the Comptroller General to study the current and future availability of pilots in the aviation workforce.

Since the implementation of new pilot training requirements for first officers in 2013, two airlines which provided air service to my congressional district have filed for bankruptcy, citing the inability to find pilots as a primary factor in their financial struggles. Even before withdrawing from Nebraska, both airlines had poor flight cancellation records, which they indicated was caused by this issue, severely reducing enplanements at these airports.

In rural areas like Nebraska's Third District, commercial air service provides a vital economic link for communities which are several hours' drive from the nearest major airport.

In an effort to further address the concerns of the seven communities with passenger air service in my district and numerous others around the country, this amendment merely asks GAO to study what the current state of the aviation workforce is, where it is going in the future, and what, if anything, we can do to mitigate pilot shortages. We must do more to address these communities' concerns, and this study will provide valuable information as we seek to address this problem.

Beyond the direct economic impact on these communities from the loss of these flights, these cancellations have also caused overall enplanements at airports such as Kearney, North Platte, and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and other airports in a number of other States, to fall below the minimum 10,000 required to qualify for full Airport Improvement Program funding.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member for moving my other amendment en bloc to provide regulatory relief to airports by treating them consistently with how they have been treated previously.

Again, I urge support of this amendment we are currently debating, which will direct GAO to study our current and future aviation workforce needs, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Shuster).

Mr. Chairman, again, this amendment just asks the Comptroller General to assess our current situation for aviation and pilot needs. Canceled flights have been a major problem for communities with the smaller airlines, and certainly we want to prevent something in a similar manner from impacting the larger airports around the country as well.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and ranking member for their support, and I urge others to support this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time, and I certainly appreciate the chairman's long-term commitment to the issue of a balanced budget.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, providing States the opportunity to add a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution.

Let me also say that amending our Constitution is something we should never take lightly. When drafting our foundational document, our Founders intended it to provide not just the outline of our Federal Government, but also to restrict the powers of each branch through a system of strong checks and balances.

We must also understand this amendment, if ratified, is still just one part of addressing our current fiscal situation. We must still do the hard work of looking at spending. Reducing spending, reforming entitlements for the future, and encouraging the economic growth and opportunity needed to eliminate our deficits in the short term, and certainly pay down our debt in the long term.

This is a very vital first step, Mr. Speaker, in getting our Nation on better fiscal footing, but we have a long road ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate James Smith of Kearney, Nebraska, on his promotion to Cadet Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Cornhusker Division.

This is a great accomplishment. Of the 415 cadets who have served in the Cornhusker Division, only four have been promoted to Chief Petty Officer (CPO), the highest rank a cadet can achieve in the program. The three other cadets to achieve this rank prior to CPO James Smith were CPO Dan Seaman in 1993, CPO Crystal Simmons in 2002, and CPO Vincent Lombardo in 2014.

It was also my honor to nominate James to the U.S. Naval Academy earlier this year. He has clearly demonstrated the dedication and drive necessary to succeed in our military.

On behalf of the people of Nebraska's Third District, I commend James for his leadership and commitment to serving our country.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 91.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to share and reflect, just briefly, on Reverend Billy Graham. What a tremendous legacy he leaves in so many forms, and I think of how his humility has had such an impact on so many.

I was one of the thousands in a stadium at a crusade in California back, I believe, in 1985, and to personally witness the impact that that meeting had was a great opportunity. But I also realized how one person can really impact the world and how his efforts have led to humanitarian efforts, whether it is his family members or others, really stepping out and ministering to others all around the world.

So I am very grateful to honor Reverend Billy Graham for certainly his stewardship of religious freedom. I hope that we can all reflect on our country and religious freedom and how important it is and hopefully follow in the footsteps of someone who, I think, as the list of most admired Americans would reflect, with Reverend Graham being on that list for 60 years--that someone like that can have such a great impact. So I appreciate this opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this continuing resolution package.

While I appreciate this legislation will keep government open, fund community health centers for 2 years, and fully fund our military while we continue to work toward a broader budget agreement, I would like to focus on the various Ways and Means Committee provisions included in the bill.

This legislation includes numerous Medicare provisions important to rural health providers and patients, including permanently repealing therapy caps and extending the floor on geographic payment adjustments for rural providers and add-ons for rural ambulance providers.

Just as importantly, these health provisions are paid for without cutting swing bed reimbursements to critical access hospitals, including the 55 critical access hospitals in Nebraska's Third District as originally proposed.

I am particularly pleased that two important programs within the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Human Resources--which I chair--are included today. We have much work to do to lift Americans out of poverty and into prosperity, and each of these bills will play an important part in this effort.

The Family First Prevention Services Act reforms our child welfare system to reinforce the importance of keeping children with their families whenever possible. We know children who stay with their families have better long-term outcomes than those who move to nonfamily settings, and our goal for every program in this space to demonstrate results through empirical evidence.

I want to thank the sponsor of Family First, Mr. Buchanan, for working with me to address my concerns about nurse staffing requirements which would have been costly to implement for entities like Omaha-based Boys Town, while providing no tangible improvements to their family driven model of care.

The other H.R. item in this package, the supporting Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act, also moves our family support programs to a more results-driven model by incentivizing States and local governments to pilot new ideas and reserving Federal funding until they demonstrate outcomes through rigorous data-driven evaluation. We still have more work to do in this space, starting with completing the work begun by this Chamber last September when we passed a paid-for 5-year MIECHV reauthorization.

But like the rest of this legislation, these provisions are a downpayment on the work we are committed to completing.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time, and I certainly urge passage of this bill.