Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 662 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Part A Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Tierney

Mr. Speaker, I heard from a small agribusiness owner in my district. His business is growing, and he actually wants to hire new employees. However, he is concerned the new mandates and taxes imposed on him as an employer by the government's takeover of health care would mean he wouldn't be able to create new positions. He is not the only small business owner concerned about

the economic well-being of our country.

Mr. Speaker, we have already passed a massive bill we called a stimulus, but which failed to create jobs, and a cap-and-trade bill which will cost us at least 2.5 million jobs. While every Member of this body wants to ensure Americans have access to affordable health care, it is vital we oppose a government takeover which destroys the ability to create jobs. Let's not kill jobs before small businesses even create them.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the House Republican standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Adrian Smith

Bill Number: H.R. 3293

Account: Education/FIE

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of Nebraska Kearney

Address of Requesting Entity: Office of Sponsored Programs, University of Nebraska at Kearney, Kearney, NE 68849

Description of Request: Provide an earmark of $350,000 for the University of Nebraska--Kearney's On-line Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education program. The on-line program will enable in-service early childhood educators to retain their current jobs while earning bachelor's degrees to stay ahead of evolving federal and state professional development standards. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states are working to close the achievement gap and ensure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. Schools that do not make progress must provide supplemental services, such as free tutoring or after-school assistance; take corrective actions; and, if still not making adequate yearly progress after five years, make dramatic changes to the way the school is operated. This project will enable Nebraska to stay in compliance with No Child Left Behind, Good Start, Grow Smart, Head Start Regulations, and state Early Childhood Initiatives.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate two cities in my district for being named to the list of 100 best small towns to live in in America by Money Magazine.

Columbus was recognized for its low jobless rate with its industry and manufacturing infrastructure providing employment for more than 5,700. Columbus is home to major agricultural equipment companies and the Nebraska Public Power District. Glur's Tavern, the oldest bar west of the Missouri River reminds residents of the days when Buffalo Bill Cody frequented the area.

Money Magazine took note of Norfolk's public school system. The 13 schools in the K12 district are relatively diverse, teacher-student ratios are often under 1:20, and the ``Challenge'' program offers differentiated instruction for academically talented children. It was also pointed out that Norfolk is a major retail trade center for northeast Nebraska, and the manufacturing industry in the city employs more than 4,000 people.

These designation weren't accidents. Columbus and Norfolk are strong communities of people who care for each other, who help out during hard times, and who live up to the benchmarks set by our forefathers.

So, congratulations to Columbus and Norfolk for representing Nebraska and making us proud.

Last night, President Obama held a prime time press conference in which he repeated many of the health care claims that are making their way around Capitol Hill. But what are the myths versus the realities?

Some even claim health care reform will not add to our deficit over the next decade. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has released its cost estimate on the House health care legislation, showing it will increase the Federal deficit by $239 billion over the next 10 years.

Another claim is that no one will lose health insurance they have right now. This defies reality, Madam Speaker. According to an independent study, 114 million Americans will be forced out of their current health care coverage.

Madam Speaker, it's simple: Washington-run health care will mean more deficits, more debt, and more government interference in our lives.

Mr. Speaker, earlier this week we celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. At 4:18 Eastern time on the afternoon of July 20, 1969, the Lunar Module appropriately named ``Eagle'' touched down on the Moon at Tranquility Base.

A few hours later, just before 11 p.m., Neil Armstrong descended from Eagle's ladder and set foot on the lunar surface.

Days before, on July 16, 1969, Apollo 11 lifted off into an uncertain future. In the end, the mission gave us a monumental moment in the history of exploration and cemented America's place as a leader in science and technology.

Since then, the men and women of our space program have experienced triumphs and tragedies--all the while inspiring our younger generation to explore what lies beyond the next horizon.

I have been honored to meet some of the individuals involved with the Apollo 11 mission, and I hope to see their legacy continued.

Mr. Speaker, we were told a $1 trillion stimulus package would create jobs immediately. But since then, nearly 2 million Americans have lost their jobs, and unemployment is at 9.5 percent, the highest in 26 years. Then the House passed cap-and-trade legislation which will cost our country 2.5 million jobs each year. Now we're rushing to take up the Democrats' health care bill, which research shows will cost 4.7 million more jobs.

As House Republicans offer plans and ideas to get our economy moving again, all we get in return is more of the same, spending and taxing, and it keeps yielding the very same results: Longer unemployment lines and a longer list of promises.

Mr. Speaker, we need new ideas and new approaches to deliver different results.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of today's guest chaplain, Pastor Gary Hashley. He is joining us from my hometown of Gering, Nebraska, where he serves the congregation at the Calvary Memorial Church. Pastor Hashley's journey began in Michigan, where he graduated both from high school and the Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music.

Over the years, he has served communities as diverse as Kalamazoo, Michigan, and LaGrange, Wyoming, before settling in Nebraska. It is an honor to be here with him today.

For 30 years, Pastor Hashley's service has had a profound impact on his community. He has led efforts to feed the poor, to spread his faith to those in need, and has even been active with local 4-H councils. I thank Pastor Hashley for his dedication, leadership, and service to our community and for his words of faith this morning.

Madam Speaker, in early 2008, President Bush established the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative to address cyberattacks on federal networks and President Obama has committed to fully continue this effort under his administration.

Awareness of our vulnerabilities to cyberattack and the need for action is nearly universal and goes beyond party lines.

The seriousness of this situation was brought into focus this week, when it was revealed a powerful attack overwhelmed computers at U.S. and South Korean government Web sites.

Other targets included the National Security Agency, the State Department, and the New York Stock Exchange.

It is our responsibility as a Congress--and my commitment as a member of the House Science and Technology Committee--to ensure we get this issue right, and ensure taxpayer dollars provide a return in the form of lasting and effective security, while also protecting privacy.

The need is real, the threat is present and clear, and I want to make sure our country is prepared.

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 507, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Part B Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Kingston

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I'm pleased to rise today in support of H.R. 2965, the Enhancing Small Business Innovation Act of 2009. As the country continues to suffer through this deep economic recession, we have regular debates in this House and in Washington regarding what policies will best help to alleviate the current downturn and accelerate recovery.

All too often in these debates it seems there is a tendency to overlook an important fundamental fact: The government does not create wealth and prosperity. It is created, rather, in the private sector, by risk-taking, entrepreneurial Americans with ideas and capital, and their own hard work. There is arguably no element of the private sector better equipped to drive the economic turnaround than America's high- tech small businesses.

To this end, there are ways the government can help turn our economy around, by minimizing its interference in the economy and fostering an environment where private sector innovators can flourish and their ideas can be developed into new goods and services which increase productivity and our quality of life. By providing small amounts of early-stage seed funding to entrepreneurs with cutting-edge ideas, the Small Business Innovative Research program and Small Business Technology Transfer program can help do that. With 12 participating agencies and total funding in excess of $2.3 billion, the SBIR and STTR programs reauthorized in this bill serve to facilitate increased private sector commercialization of these promising ideas while helping the government advance its R&D goals and meet its technology needs.

The legislation before us today makes important improvements to this program, most notably by providing statutory clarity to what have been changing interpretations of the eligibility of majority venture capital-backed small businesses. Both the Science and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee have considered this issue in detail in recent years, and I think the growing consensus in support of this legislation's proposed changes is a strong indication that they are on target, maximizing the eligibility of legitimate small businesses while minimizing inappropriate eligibility of large businesses.

I also want to note my strong support for title III of this bill, which includes amendment language I included in a similar version of this legislation last year. The language requires agencies to give priority consideration to applicants from rural areas so as to increase award recipients from these areas. This is important to reach areas such as my home State of Nebraska, which tends to have low participation in the programs but are, nonetheless, home to entrepreneurial and innovative small business owners who would benefit from consideration in the grant review and award process.

I want to commend Chairman Gordon, Ranking Member Hall and Chairman Wu--as well as our colleagues on the Small Business Committee--for their work on this legislation. I look forward to working with them to ensure smooth and timely passage of this bill as it moves to the Senate and into conference.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the cap-and-trade bill we will be taking up shortly.

Agriculture is one of the Nation's most energy-intensive industries and will be negatively impacted by this legislation. Even a small increase in operating costs could devastate rural farmers and ranchers, and this bill could prove to be a huge burden on our agricultural producers. U.S. farmers would also be at a severe disadvantage compared to farmers in nations which do not have cap-and-trade systems with the correspondingly high input costs.

Yesterday I offered an amendment which would have helped defray increased costs of production and declining prices resulting from increased imports or decreased exports.

It is simply not appropriate for allowances to be set aside for other industries heard by the cap-and-trade bill, but agriculture is left out.

Mr. Speaker, the 2010 census will mark the 23rd census in our Nation's history. Although the manner in which the data is collected has evolved over time, an accurate count of our country's residents remains essential to the future of rural communities.

As competition increases for both government and private resources, it is imperative every rural American be counted during the 2010 census. In rural communities especially, door-to-door counting often proves difficult and time-consuming and can result in undercounting, which, in turn, means rural areas get left out.

It is important census funds are used as effectively as possible to ensure outreach into rural areas. This isn't a case of rural versus urban, but it's a chance for those of us in rural America to stand up and be counted.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Army Sergeant Justin Duffy, a proud son of Nebraska who lost his life earlier this week. Sgt.

Duffy was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in eastern Baghdad.

Sergeant Duffy was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He had served in Iraq since November, where he provided escort security for a general, a colonel and other high-ranking Army officers.

Sergeant Duffy graduated from Cozad High School and then the University of Nebraska at Kearney with a criminal justice degree. He rose to supervisor at a Kearney manufacturing plant before joining the Army in May 2008.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Sgt. Duffy's family and friends. He was known as ``The Shepherd'' because of his concern for others. This trait drove him to protect even those he didn't know.

We all owe Sgt. Duffy a debt of gratitude we can never repay. His courage, love of family, and strength should set the bench mark for us all.

Mr. Speaker, I have serious concerns about cap-and-trade legislation and its impact on the American people, especially rural communities. This, at its core, is a national energy tax which will be passed on to the American people. The stakes are even higher for our Nation's agriculture industry.

Agriculture is an energy-intensive industry, relying on fuel for the pickup truck, fertilizer for the crops, and generators to keep heaters on during the winter.

The Third District of Nebraska is one of the largest agricultural districts in the country, home to more than 30,000 farmers and ranchers. And everyone knows that even a small increase in the operating costs would have dire results.

As higher energy prices hit other areas of our economy, farmers and ranchers will pay more for seed, equipment, steel and other supplies. As the cost of production increases, so will the price of food on the shelves in urban areas.

This national energy tax is the wrong way to go, and certainly my colleagues know that.