Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chairman, I first want to commend Chairman Goodlatte and Congressman King and others who worked on H.R. 1215, the Protecting Access to Care Act, which aims to address the real problem of junk lawsuits in the context of medical care.

Seventy-five percent of the doctors will face a malpractice lawsuit over the course of their careers, and many of these claims are frivolous, which drives up the cost of healthcare, encourages defensive medicine, and contributes to the Nation's severe shortage of doctors and nurses, especially in high-risk areas such as obstetrics, neurosurgery, and emergency medicine.

We need to enact sensible medical malpractice reform, and given the clear Federal interest in reducing taxpayer costs wherever Federal policy affects the distribution of healthcare, I support H.R. 1215.

However, H.R. 1215 does not go far enough to discourage the practice of defensive medicine, the provision of health services, tests, and procedures designed to shield the provider from legal liability but which may not be medically necessary or in the best interests of the patient.

Defensive medicine is a major driver of healthcare costs and also reduces the quality of patient care.

In that spirit, I offer this amendment, which would expand upon the reforms in H.R. 1215, to protect physicians from frivolous lawsuits, while promoting the practice of evidence-based medicine to lower costs and improve healthcare quality.

My amendment offers a legal safe harbor in the form of an affirmative defense for defendants who can show that they adhered to clinical practice guidelines in their area of medical practice. Rather than Washington-based care, the guidelines would be developed by the physician community-based on the best available scientific evidence. This allows doctors to focus on practicing medicine and improves healthcare quality by encouraging the practice of evidence-based, not defensive medicine.

A New England Journal of Medicine study on clinical practice guidelines and tort reform stated that ``Safe harbor rules hold promise for realigning legal incentives with good medical practice and promoting fast uptake of proven modes of care.'' By promoting adherence to clinical practice guidelines that are already maintained by medical specialty groups, this amendment would encourage physicians to provide higher quality care, while reducing medical errors and waste.

Several States have already adopted safe harbor legislation and have significantly lowered the length and costs associated with medical malpractice cases. My amendment would build on the success of State safe harbor laws by expanding it to a national level, while not infringing on States' ability to implement additional tort reform.

Americans deserve healthcare reform that will help lower the cost of care and protect the sacred doctor-patient relationship. The current reforms within H.R. 1215 are an important first step to reducing the high costs of medical malpractice claims. My amendment will further strengthen this legislation to promote affordable evidence-based patient care, reduce defensive medicine, and allow health professionals to focus on patients' actual needs.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, in brief response to my friend from Tennessee, the safe harbor legislation would not supplant the standard of care, but it would allow for evidence-based medicine to improve healthcare quality. Those standards would be developed by local doctors participating in their medical societies.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), my friend.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for those comments.

Mr. Chairman, the clinical practice guideline safe harbor policies have been supported by the American for Tax Reform, American College of Radiology, Healthcare Leadership Council, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Academy of Neurology, American Urological Association, American College of Surgeons, American Health Care Association, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Alliance of Specialty Medicine, Third Way, American College of Physicians, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Osteopathic Association, American College of Cardiologists, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

As originally drafted, the amendment set forth the procedure in detail.

Nevertheless, the process by which clinical practice guidelines are proved and published is well established and well known. The text of the amendment clearly references that existing and well-defined process that provides for guidelines to be proposed, submitted, approved, and published through the National Guideline Clearinghouse under the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This is a process that ensures the integrity and quality of the applicable guidelines.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to proudly recognize Lexmark International, a global leader in printing solutions headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, for its development of an innovative program for training U.S. veterans and soon-to-be-separated Active Duty personnel with the goal that they can become certified service technicians of Lexmark printers.

The program, called the Lexmark Printer Service Training Partnership, is under the auspices of VALORR, the Veterans Association of Lexmark: Organized to Recognize and Respect.

We all recognize that our veterans bring with them tremendous know- how and a can-do attitude, the ability to step into new fields and master them quickly. By completing the printer

service training program, these veterans will be certified to service Lexmark printers worldwide.

I am proud that my constituents at Lexmark have developed such a thoughtful program for veterans. I hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing those companies and organizations going the extra mile for those who have served our Nation in uniform.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight to honor the memory of a legendary Kentucky statesman, a baseball Hall of Famer, a man of this House, and a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great- grandfather, Senator Jim Bunning, who recently passed away at the age of 85.

The Members who are joining us tonight, many of them who hail from Senator Bunning's home in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, extend our deepest sympathy to his beloved wife, Mary, who was his best friend for many years; his nine children; his 35 grandchildren; and his 21 great- grandchildren.

Those who met Senator Jim Bunning walked away with an impression, and that impression was: That has to be the most competitive person I have ever met.

In a recent op-ed in the Lexington Herald-Leader, providing a great tribute to Senator Jim Bunning, one of his very best friends, sports marketing executive Jim Host, wrote that Jim Bunning was ``full of integrity'' and, ``the straightest arrow I ever met.''

In that op-ed, he recounted a story where a reporter of the Louisville Courier-Journal wrote that former U.S. Senator Jim Bunning was ``one of a kind,'' and Jim Host, in remembering his friend, said, ``I agree, but more than that, he was an original. No one in politics in Kentucky or, for that matter, nationwide has been or ever will be like him.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressman Hal Rogers, the dean of the Kentucky delegation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to John Yarmuth, my friend from Louisville in the Third Congressional District of Kentucky and a good Kentuckian who will demonstrate that Jim Bunning's appeal crossed party lines.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressman Brett Guthrie, my friend from the Second Congressional District of Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from the First Congressional District of Kentucky, Congressman James Comer.

Mr. Speaker, when you think about U.S. Senator Jim Bunning and when you think about his remarkable baseball career before politics, Jim Bunning could have gone anywhere and he could have done anything, but it is important to remember that those early days during his baseball career--and I will have to recount a story that was in that tribute that Jim Host wrote about the Hall of Famer Jim Bunning.

And he said that, after his career had ended, it had been about 15 years, and he had not yet been named to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the baseball writers, though when he retired, he was second in strikeouts to the famed Walter Johnson, he had won 100 games in both leagues, he had a perfect game in one of those leagues, and he had a no-hitter in the other league.

He had never pitched for a pennant winner.

A prominent sportswriter told me, quoting Jim Host, that

the writers would have never elected him because he never

developed relationships with most of them.

But this wrong was corrected the first year that the old-

timers committee of the Hall could vote on him. Probably his

greatest thrill, other than the birth of his nine children,

was the call he got from Ted Williams and others saying they

were correcting a tragic wrong by voting Jim Bunning into the

Hall of Fame.

When he called Jim Host to tell him the news, his voice was

filled with emotion unlike any that he had heard from him

before.

And here is what Jim Bunning said to Jim Host:

I am glad those writers--he used another word--did not vote

me in, being voted in by the players means more anyway.

In his acceptance speech, he attacked the ills in the game

he loved so much that the commissioner and others were not

addressing. The officials of Major League Baseball sat on the

stage quite uncomfortable. Vintage Bunning.

But you know, after that remarkable baseball career and after that wrong was corrected and he was ultimately voted into the Hall of Fame by the players, he chose to come home to Kentucky where he dedicated his life to his family and to public service.

He served on the Fort Thomas City Council and in the Kentucky State Senate before serving in this body, in the House of Representatives, as a Congressman from Kentucky's Fourth Congressional District, and he did so for six terms in a very distinct fashion.

And he capped off his remarkable career in public service by serving two terms and very consequential terms in the United States Senate. Throughout his entire career, he remained a principled conservative, and he was an unrelenting fighter for the causes he believed in and for the people of the commonwealth. Just as he was unafraid to face the boos and the jeers of tens of thousands of opposing fans in Major League Baseball stadiums around the country, Jim Bunning was unafraid to stand alone in Congress for the causes that he felt were right.

And a great example of this--and I like telling this story as the current chairman of the Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee in this House. Jim Bunning was a fighter for accountability and transparency of the Federal Reserve. And when so many just took the Fed for their word, Jim Bunning stood up and he challenged then-Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. And many of his colleagues looked at him in dismay because they believed that the Fed just deserved deference, and this great economist should always be taken as being right in what he was doing.

But Jim Bunning, in the end, was right, as Fed policies ended up being one of the causes of the Great Recession of 2008. Senator Bunning's legacy lives on in his amazing wife, Mary, and their many children and grandchildren, including his grandson Eric Bunning, who has been an important part of my team since I first took office.

And I just have to tell one story from the campaign trails. Many of my colleagues have told these stories, but I have got to tell one that is personal to me. Jim Bunning was a legend, and we all revered him. And when I made my first run for Congress, it was kind of coming down the home stretch, and we were the underdog, but I really respected Senator Bunning, and I wanted his political experience and his advice.

And as we were going down the home stretch of the campaign--it was a tight election--Jim Bunning approached me at an event, and he said: ``Andy, how are you doing?''

And I said: ``We are doing great. We have got the momentum. We are moving forward, and it is really tightening up, and I really feel like we have got the momentum, and we are going to get over the top.''

And in his way that only Jim Bunning could be, as honest as he was, he said: ``That is not what I hear. I hear you are down by 10 points, and you are going to lose in a landslide.''

Well, as it turned out, a few weeks later, it was a close election, and we only lost that campaign by a few hundred votes. But you know what? Just a few days after that concession speech that I had to give, you know who called? It was Senator Jim Bunning.

And even though he was certainly candid in that conversation a few weeks before election day, he said: ``Andy, you ran a great campaign. You are a tenacious campaigner. Don't give up. Keep fighting. Be persistent. Do it again. The next time you are going to win.''

And you know, that embodies the character of Jim Bunning: tenacious, persistent, determined, principled, a man of integrity.

And so, Mr. Speaker, I ask that all of my colleagues join me in praying for the extended Bunning family as we remember a respected former member of this House and a great Kentuckian.

Mr. Speaker, it has been an honor to join many of my colleagues from Kentucky, and all of the other fellow members of this body, to celebrate the life and the legacy of Senator Jim Bunning.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the marking of a very special occasion--the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky. Since 1942, the Blue Grass Army Depot's dedicated civilian workforce has been called upon time after time to fulfill their critical role as key ammunition suppliers to our nation's joint warfighters by providing ready and reliable ammo at the right place and right time, every time.

Throughout the course of our nation's history, our great success in establishing our country as a beacon of hope to the world has been largely defined by the everyday bravery and dedication of individual citizens. The Blue Grass Army Depot has exemplified that bravery and dedication through direct civilian support of our warfighters.

From World War II to the Korean War, the War in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and through today's ongoing Global War on Terrorism, wherever and whenever our men and women are engaged in conflict and risking their lives fighting on the front lines, the Blue Grass Army Depot has been there.

The civilian employees of the Blue Grass Army Depot are amongst the thousands of often unsung heroes who have provided, and continue to provide, unwavering support for our nation's ongoing fight to defend and preserve democracy and freedom. Their work has ensured that our nation's joint war fighters are victorious, and sustains the reputation of the United States Armed Forces as the world's preeminent military.

The Blue Grass Army Depot and its workforce are to be commended for their service, dedication to duty, and loyalty to our nation. I join with a grateful nation in thanking them and wishing them the best in years to come.

It is my privilege to represent such an outstanding military installation and civilian workforce among my constituents in Kentucky's Sixth Congressional District, and to honor the Blue Grass Army Depot and its workforce before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Chairman, the Dodd-Frank Act is a failure, period. It is estimated to reduce economic output by nearly $1 trillion over the next 10 years, and it contains more regulatory restrictions than all of the other regulations enacted by the previous administration combined, including ObamaCare.

The Financial CHOICE Act provides an off-ramp--much-needed relief--to Dodd-Frank's growth-crushing regulations. Financial institutions like community banks and credit unions will have the choice to stay under the Dodd-Frank regulatory regime or opt for the relief that they are willing to obtain if they meet a 10 percent simple leverage ratio, a level that ensures that they can weather economic downturns without the help of taxpayer bailouts.

This legislation also reins in the primary culprit of the regulatory onslaught that has caused one in five community financial institutions in my State of Kentucky to close: the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This is done by giving Congress the power of the purse over the Bureau for the first time, making its Director removable by the President, requiring it to conduct cost-benefit analysis, and enhancing its mission to focus on consumer protection through competition and choice.

This legislation also delivers important regulatory relief to community financial institutions, incorporating the TAILOR Act, which requires Federal regulators to tailor their regulations based on the size of financial institutions instead of using the typical one-size- fits-all Washington model.

Additionally, the Financial CHOICE Act ends stifling Dodd-Frank regulations that constrain lending for manufactured homes by including the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act. It also further reduces the chances of a mortgage crisis by giving financial firms an incentive to retain 100 percent of a mortgage's risk and greater flexibility to lend by including my Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act.

Finally, this legislation places the steepest penalties in history on financial firms that actually break our laws.

So it ends too big to fail, it includes tough penalties--the toughest penalties in history--for financial fraud and other misdeeds, but it preserves consumer protections through competition, choice, and access to the credit Americans need to build our economy.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Hensarling for his leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, when former President Obama signed the Dodd- Frank financial control law into law about 7 years ago, supporters promised that it would repair the economy; they promised that it would end too big to fail; they promised it would enhance financial stability and protect consumers. But none of those promises have been kept.

Nearly 9 years after the financial crisis, Americans are still stuck in the slowest, weakest economic recovery in 70 years. The percentage of Americans who are actually in the workforce is at its lowest level since the late 1970s, and we still have not fully reached the potential of our economic recovery. This is precisely because of the Dodd-Frank law. The Dodd-Frank law has clogged the plumbing of our economy with an avalanche of red tape.

Far from ending too big to fail, Dodd-Frank has guaranteed that too- big-to-fail banks will get a taxpayer bailout whenever they go into distress.

As big banks have gotten bigger as a result of Dodd-Frank, the small banks, the community banks, the credit unions--the credit providers for the entrepreneurs, the small businesses, the job creators in this country--are fewer. That is a huge problem for the dynamism of the economy, and that is one of the reasons why we haven't seen economic recovery the way that we should.

Dodd-Frank has made it more difficult for small businesses and startups to obtain capital to grow, invest, and hire. Before Dodd- Frank, small business lending was more than 150 percent of large bank lending. Today, due to Dodd-Frank, small bank lending is about 80 percent below that of large bank lending. This is why new business formation is at a generational low, because small businesses and startups and entrepreneurs have much more success obtaining capital from community banks than Wall Street banks.

Financial services and products have been impaired. Since Dodd-Frank, the number of banks offering free checking has shrunk from 75 percent to 37 percent, the ranks of the unbanked have gone up, and one in five community banks in my home State of Kentucky have disappeared as a result of Dodd-Frank.

Consumer protection? Hardly. Taking away financial services and products, eliminating competition and choice from the marketplace, eliminating free checking, taking away access to credit, that is not protecting consumers. That is hurting consumers. Dodd-Frank is the worst bill for consumers that we could possibly have.

We need the Financial CHOICE Act, which will preserve access to financial services and products and give consumers access to mortgages and access to financial products like credit cards and overdraft protection and home equity loans. All of these services and products are going away because of Dodd-Frank and the busybodies in Washington.

We need to protect consumers. There is nothing wrong with effective regulation, but this is regulation gone awry. It is unaccountable, it is not transparent, it is hurting the American consumers, and it is certainly not adding to financial stability when big banks and Wall Street are getting bigger and our community banks are going away.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special man, Mr. Billie Paul Bailey, of Bath County, Kentucky.

Mr. Bailey has always loved his country. He was honored to serve when drafted into the United States Army in 1952, during the Korean War. Following training at Camp Breckenridge, Mr. Bailey was deployed to Stuttgart, Germany where he served in the 29th Transportation Company. He was honorably discharged in 1954 and remained in the Reserves until 1960.

Mr. Bailey returned to Bath County following his service. He and his wife Emma Lea married in 1954. They have three children. Mr. Bailey operated a dairy and crop farm for 52 years. He has been described as a dedicated follower of Christ and a pillar in the community.

Mr. Bailey and his fellow men and women of the United States military answered the call to serve our great nation. America is forever grateful and appreciative of the service of Mr. Bailey and all our patriots. I am honored to recognize Mr. Billie Paul Bailey before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special person, Mr. Claude Carter, of Bath County, Kentucky. Mr. Carter, a veteran of World War II, is a member of the Greatest Generation.

Mr. Carter enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 18. After completing basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Base in Illinois, he was then placed on a troop transport train to San Francisco. There, he received hatchman and winchman training. The sailors were trained to load and unload tons of supplies from the merchant ships as quickly as possible. Mr. Carter and 3,000 others then boarded the U.S.S. Pondera for Honolulu. There they were transferred to a naval supply depot where they were in charge of transporting supplies to ships outside the harbor. Mr. Carter and others were struck by the destruction left following the attack on Pearl Harbor, and were always mindful of the sacrifices made there on December 7th, 1941. During his time in Hawaii, the names of all those in his company were listed on the wall, and every other man was chosen to transfer to Iwo Jima or Okinawa. Mr. Carter was not chosen and stayed on the island to finish his service. He reached the rank of 3rd Class Boatswain's Mate Coxswain and was discharged in June of 1946.

Mr. Carter returned home where he attended Tennessee Tech, worked at the family hardware store, and built electricity and telephone line systems. He and his wife Lena have lived in Owingsville for 22 years where they enjoy retirement.

Mr. Carter and so many other men and women accepted the call of their country and volunteered to serve. Their sacrifice protected freedom and preserved it for future generations. Mr. Carter is truly an American patriot. I am honored to recognize Mr. Claude Carter before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special man, Mr. Walter McGlothin, of Bath County, Kentucky.

Mr. McGlothin was born on the 4th of July. He was drafted into the United States Army on November 15, 1951. He received training on anti- aircraft artillery and was sent to Japan, where he spent 16 months on a 120mm artillery gun. He returned home on October 29, 1953. Mr. McGlothin was in active reserve for 6 years and was honorably discharged on November 15th, 1959.

Mr. McGlothin and his wife Joyce have been married for 53 years. They have four children, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Mr. McGlothin and his fellow men and women of the United States military answered the call to serve our great nation. America is forever grateful and appreciative of the service of Mr. McGlothin and all our patriots. I am honored to recognize Mr. Walter McGlothin before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special person, Mr. John Bradley, of Bath County, Kentucky.

Mr. Bradley volunteered to serve in the United States Army and began basic training August 4, 1948. He trained in Food Service School. He served at Fort Knox and Yokohama, Japan before being sent to Pusan, South Korea in 1950. His unit later moved northward to Seoul, where he oversaw the field kitchen, feeding 500 soldiers. Gunfire was constant, both day and night.

Mr. Bradley's time of service was extended for 9 months. While he was serving, his mother died and his daughter was born. He was discharged on May 10, 1952 and returned home to meet his 2-year-old daughter for the first time.

During his time in Korea, Mr. Bradley was awarded the Korean War Occupation Medal, five Bronze Stars, a Merit Unit Citation, a Good Conduct Medal, and the Korean Service Medal. Upon returning home, Mr. Bradley farmed and provided for his family. He is an active member of his community. Mr. Bradley and his wife Edith have been married over 68 years.

Mr. Bradley and so many other men and women volunteered to serve our great nation in the United States military. His sacrifice is appreciated by a grateful nation. Mr. Bradley is truly an American patriot. I am honored to recognize Mr. John Bradley before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of a very special Kentuckian, Mr. Jerry Thatcher.

Mr. Thatcher spent 34 years as an educator in Bath County, Kentucky. He taught at Bethel Elementary and Bath County Middle School. He served as assistant principal at Owingsville Elementary School and as principal at Crossroads Elementary School. Mr. Thatcher also coached soccer, basketball, and tennis and sponsored the Beta Club and many science fairs. He was passionate about education and was a lasting influence on countless lives.

Following his retirement in 2016, Mr. Thatcher became involved in the Kentucky Patriot Guard Riders. While returning from his third mission, he tragically lost his life in an accident. He is survived by his wife Melanie, two sons, and two grandchildren. In memory of his exemplary life, a stretch of US 60 between two of the schools he served is being name the ``Jerry Thatcher Memorial Highway.''

Mr. Thatcher was a passionate educator, dedicated family man, follower of Christ, and patriotic American. I am honored to recognize the life of Mr. Jerry Thatcher before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special individual, Mr. Malcolm Stokely, of Clark County, Kentucky. Mr. Stokely, a part of the Greatest Generation, answered his nation's call to service during World War II.

Mr. Stokely enlisted in the United States Army on March 28, 1945. After training in Texas, he was sent to Missouri to board a massive train that transported thousands of troops across the Rocky Mountains to Portland, Oregon. The troops then boarded a ship, which, unknown to them, was part of a top-secret invasion party of hundreds of ships and thousands of troops headed for Japan. While en route, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Japan, which was ineffective in stopping the war. After the second bomb was dropped and Japan surrendered, the troops were told they had actually been headed for Japan and thousands of them likely would have died in battle. After the surrender, the ships turned around. Mr. Stokely's ship landed in Hawaii where he served out the remainder of his tour in the signal corps. He was discharged on December 9, 1946.

Mr. Stokely returned home to lead an active and productive life. At the age of 93, he is a regular on the golf course and leads an aerobics class. He is very active in his church, Ephesus Baptist, where he serves as a deacon and choir leader.

The bravery of Mr. Stokely and his fellow men and women of the United States military is heroic. Because they were willing to serve our great nation, our freedoms have been preserved for our generation and for future generations. He is truly an outstanding American patriot. It is my honor to recognize him before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a very special individual, Mr. Bascom Sorrell, of Nicholas County, Kentucky. Bascom has been a prominent member of his community for many years.

Bascom Sorrell is a lifelong resident of Nicholas County and a graduate of Nicholas County High School. Jockey International employed him from 1966 to 2005, where he served as Plant Manager from 1984 until 2005. Bascom served in the Kentucky National Guard from 1960 to 1966 and reached the rank of Sergeant. He coached Babe Ruth baseball for many years and was chairman and coach of JC's Little League basketball from 1966 to 1975. Bascom was a member of Daugherty Lodge 65 of F & AM for 45 years and Master in 1975. Bascom has served on the Advisory Board for Hospice of the Blue Grass and continues to serve on the Advisory Board for the Community Action Council. A loyal member of the Carlisle Rotary Club, Bascom is a past president and recipient of the Paul Harris Fellowship award.

Bascom recently retired as Chair of the Nicholas County Economic Development Authority, having served on the board from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2011 to 2017. His leadership with this group was critical in improving economic opportunities in Nicholas County.

There is no question that Carlisle and Nicholas Counties are much better places due to Bascom's dedication to the community and its citizens. His devotion and long-term service to Carlisle and Nicholas Counties are widely recognized and greatly appreciated. Bascom is a true leader in his community and a role model for future leaders. His fellow citizens are honoring him for his leadership and devotion.

Bascom Sorrell is a fine man who has earned the respect of his community. He is a true servant leader. It is my honor to call him my friend and to recognize him before the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, ObamaCare is collapsing. It is hurting more people than it is helping. It is forcing Americans to buy insurance they don't like, they don't need, and cannot afford. Premiums have increased by an average of 25 percent this year. Deductibles

are skyrocketing. Nearly 70 percent of U.S. counties have only two or fewer insurers offering plans on their State's exchanges. Thirty-four percent fewer doctors and other healthcare providers accept ObamaCare insurance compared to private insurance. Congress must act decisively to protect the American people from this failed law.

The American Health Care Act is an important step in this process. While not perfect, it moves us significantly in the right direction, which is why The Wall Street Journal says that the legislation would be ``the most consequential social policy reform since the welfare overhaul of 1996.''

I am also encouraged that the committees of jurisdiction are, as we speak, entertaining amendments in regular order that will improve the legislation. But even without these amendments, the American Health Care Act is a dramatic improvement over ObamaCare.

The bill ends job-killing individual and employer mandates. It cuts $1 trillion of ObamaCare's worst taxes, including the medical device tax, the health care insurance tax, and the Medicare payroll tax. It blocks Federal funds from Planned Parenthood. It reduces regulations so that individuals can buy plans that they want and can afford. And it reforms Medicaid by returning power to the States.

Some have criticized this bill because it lacks certain important reforms that will bend the cost curve down, such as association health plans, interstate competition, reforms to facilitate more competition and choice in the private health insurance marketplace, and medical liability reform. These are important reforms, and I support them.

In fact, I have introduced a medical liability reform bill that would deal with the doctor shortage and junk lawsuits and reduce costs. Unfortunately, these reforms are not eligible for inclusion in the reconciliation bill under the rules of the Senate. But it is important to note that this is just the first phase in a three-phase process to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

This bill is a crucial and necessary first step in a step-by-step process. In stark contrast to ObamaCare, we are actually reading the bill, and we invite the American people to do the same-- readthebill.gop. I hope all Americans will take this opportunity to learn more about this bill and offer their feedback.

Mr. Speaker, we have tried to put Washington in charge of health care. Now it is time to put patients, their doctors, and their families in charge.

CFPB Regulations Hindering Manufactured Housing Financing

Mr. Speaker, last month, a hospital worker in Paducah, Kentucky, applied for a loan of $38,500 to finance a manufactured home. He had an 8 percent down payment. His monthly income was $2,200 per month--plenty to cover the all-in housing costs of $670 per month. The payment for his own home would have been less than what he was spending on rent, but he was unable to get financing. He contacted his local banks and credit unions, but they did not finance manufactured homes.

This hospital worker from Kentucky can't get financing because of the very entity that was created to protect consumers--the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. That is right, the Federal Government is protecting people right out of homeownership. Consumers are protected so much they can't even purchase a manufactured home.

Lenders have stopped making manufactured housing loans because of the Dodd-Frank Act and CFPB regulations. Even worse, current owners are having to sell their homes below market value to cash buyers because potential buyers can't find financing.

And this isn't just anecdotal. Government statistics prove that CFPB rules have prevented credit-worthy consumers from accessing affordable financing that would allow them to purchase manufactured homes. According to 2014 HMDA data, manufactured home loan volume for loans under $75,000 decreased in the first year that these regulations went into effect.

This is proof that many lenders who were previously willing to make manufactured home loans are no longer capable of doing so under Dodd- Frank. These are exactly the kinds of top-down bureaucratic Federal regulations that my constituents in rural Kentucky are fed up with.

The CFPB has the authority to make adjustments to its requirements, but it has refused to act even when the data shows that consumers are being harmed.

A bipartisan group of Members of this body came together in the last Congress to do what the CFPB has refused to do. The House voted three times to make these changes so that people seeking to purchase manufactured homes would have access to financing.

I invite my colleagues to join me in this fight for consumers. Let's work together to make these changes to the CFPB and to their regulations and stop Federal bureaucrats from hurting modest income Americans who need access to affordable housing and deserve access to the American Dream of homeownership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a cutting-edge aerospace and defense company located in the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky, SMC Manufacturing Services.

For more than 30 years, the Coats family has been the epitome of Kentucky ingenuity and progress. In 1978, they began Southland Manufacturing Company, which has evolved into SMC Manufacturing Services, and now employ more than 140 people at its Nicholasville, Kentucky, headquarters.

Recently, I had the chance to visit SMC and tour their 45,000-square- foot facility, which helps to build components for the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS. This product is a stabilized mount that contains a sensor suite and fire control software, allowing on- the-move target acquisition and first-burst target engagement.

This facility has increased by 20,000 square feet in 2016 and has the ability to house more than 300 employees, drawing its employees from counties in the Sixth District and surrounding counties.

However, SMC not only supplies companies in Kentucky, but across the United States and abroad. One example of where SMC supports the defense of this Nation is their partnership with Kongsberg Protech Systems, KPS, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which is located in the district of my friend and colleague Congressman Keith Rothfus.

Today, with more than 15,000 CROWS in service, this weapon system can be found on more than 25 different platforms in the United States arsenal, including the Stryker, MRAP, Abrams, and Amphibious Combat Vehicle. It is a tested, proven system that is relied on by the Army, the Navy, and the Marines.

I applaud SMC for being a veteran-friendly workplace and a manufacturing company that is proud to employ about an equal number of men and women. I am pleased to support job-creating manufacturing companies like SMC and KPS which positively impact States like Kentucky and help to strengthen our national security capabilities while supporting our veterans.