Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, for more than 5 years, the Obama administration has played politics with the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that is essential to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and creating jobs.

Progress has been blocked at every turn by the President more concerned with his popularity with environmental extremists than supplying our Nation with OPEC-free energy.

House Republicans have joined with members of the labor movement to move this project forward. Just last year, I worked through my committee to advance H.R. 3 to approve the Keystone pipeline with Congressman Lee Terry. The House passed the bill back in May of 2003, but once again we were ignored by the Senate and the President.

The State Department just released its final Environmental Impact Statement, which estimates that Keystone XL will produce 42,000 jobs and will be safe.

President Obama often talks about wanting to create jobs, improving our economy, and strengthening our energy independence. He claims to support an all-of-the-above energy strategy. But with his stopping the Keystone pipeline and his war on coal, we are losing jobs, we are not strengthening the economy, and we are decreasing our ability to become energy independent.

Mr. President, stop dragging your feet and approve the Keystone pipeline.

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen's Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act.

The bill protects the Second Amendment rights of visitors to Army Corps

recreation lands. The Army Corps of Engineers has more outdoor recreation visitors than the National Park Service or the Forest Service lands. My district is home to many of these recreational lands, such as Lake Raystown or the Youghiogheny River.

While we currently have protections for American's Second Amendment rights in National Park lands and forest lands, the same rights are not protected on Corps properties. This bill corrects that. It removes unnecessary firearm restrictions while maintaining the safety and security of Corps buildings and property.

I urge all Members to support the Second Amendment and vote in favor of H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen's Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act.

I don't believe we did this year, but I think in the past we did.

It protects people's rights, just like in the State forests and other properties of the Federal Government, to carry firearms; law-abiding citizens. I think it is something reasonable, and something I support. I thank the gentleman for the inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, the President, on the heels of the State of the Union, is traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, today. Well, I have invited the President to travel 50 miles south to Greene County, Pennsylvania, in my district, a rural county, a struggling county, a county that produces coal.

The President's wrong policies, his out-of-control EPA regulations, have shut down the Hatfield's Ferry coal-fired electric plan in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Over 100 good-paying jobs are gone.

But to make matters worse, the small community in East Dunkard and East Dunkard Valley, their water authority, the rate payers are going to have to pay more because the largest user of that system was the Hatfield's Ferry electric plant. So these 2,000 folks are going to have to pay more money for their water and their sewer because of the President's wrong energy policy. The President's energy policy is wrong, and it is hurting hardworking Americans.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I gave a speech on the floor drawing attention to the important pro-life rally that is occurring in Washington next week.

At one point, I misspoke, but today I want to make it crystal clear that life begins at conception.

I am proud of my record fighting and voting to protect the right of the unborn.

Yesterday, we also passed an important appropriations bill to move our Nation in a financially sound way. Four years in a row, we have reduced spending. It is the first time since the Korean war. But equally important, in that bill, it keeps in place laws that protect the life of the unborn. For that, I am very proud of that vote we took yesterday.

Mr. Speaker, our Founders understood that all human beings are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. The most important of these rights is the right to life.

Next week is the March for Life, the largest pro-life demonstration in the world. It has been over 40 years since the tragedy of ROE v. WADE, and the March for Life has brought together pro-life advocates every year since.

The March for Life is an important demonstration of our ongoing commitment to being advocates for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

Congress has made critical gains in the fight to protect life, but there is still work that must be done. We have a duty to stand and fight for the protection of the unborn, and I believe that life begins at conception and should be protected at all stages.

Every day, more and more Americans join us in this battle to protect life, and the movement to protect the unborn grows stronger each year.

We must continue to build on the gains that have been made and work towards building a future where the sanctity of life is upheld across the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3628) to eliminate certain unnecessary reporting requirements and consolidate or modify others, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 3628.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 3628 eliminates, consolidates, and modifies 27 congressionally mandated reporting requirements of the executive branch agencies that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

This bill does not reduce the congressional oversight of the affected agencies. Instead, it rids the agencies of outdated reporting requirements that are no longer utilized or have been replaced by different methods of information collected, thus enabling the agencies to concentrate on more pressing aspects of their mission.

This legislation also consolidates and modifies certain existing reporting requirements, bringing consistency across law and regulation, eliminating duplicative and wasteful efforts, making technical corrections, and improving the ability of Congress to conduct effective oversight.

This legislation makes several reporting requirements digital, resulting in reduced production and delivery cost, expedited delivery, and more useful and interactive formats. Additionally, the reports will now be made publicly available, enhancing transparency. According to the CBO this legislation could reduce the administrative costs of these agencies.

This legislation is a basic, good-government, fiscally sound bill that just makes sense. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, again, I appreciate my colleague's support on this, and, as mentioned, this was reported out of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unanimously.

But I also want to point out a couple of these reports just to drive home the point of how unnecessary some of these reports are, and were, and that's why we were eliminating them.

For instance, in the Department of Transportation, the Air Traffic Services Committee Report. The Air Traffic Services Committee has not met for more than 2 years. As such, no report has been submitted to Congress in that time. Additionally, since its creation in 2003, many other committees and boards have created the report and it is no longer needed. That, for instance, is one.

The Pipeline Safety Information Grants to Communities Annual Report, sounds important, is important, but we recommended the elimination by OMB. This information is online, so it is more timely for Americans to be able to get online and review this type of report.

The Pilot Program for Innovative Financing of Air Traffic Control Equipment Annual Report, the report was required to supplement innovative air traffic control systems being tested 9 years ago. The tests have long since been completed, and, therefore, there is no report that is required.

Again, the list goes on and on. The Standards for Aircraft--aircraft engines to reduce noise levels--Annual Report requires an annual report in the implementation of new technologies to decrease aircraft noise levels. Since then, the FAA has updated noise requirements to meet stage 4 standards; therefore, again, this report is no longer required.

Again, we go through, and there are 27 in total that we have eliminated. We haven't been quantified as to how much savings, but there certainly is going to be hundreds of thousands--if not millions-- of dollars saved by eliminating these reports. As I said, many of these reports you can get online now

and see them quickly and efficiently and the most up-to-date reporting.

And with that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from Connecticut for her kind words and for all of her hard work on the committee. We have been working very hard in a bipartisan manner. There aren't many things in this Congress that really bring people together; but when it comes to transportation and infrastructure, that is certainly one of them. We will continue to work together.

Again, this bill is a good-government bill. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3628, which again eliminates and consolidates 27 congressionally mandated reports. It is good government, saves money, and increases transparency.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of Dr. Frank Meloy and the positive impact he's had in Altoona and Logan Township in Blair County, Pennsylvania as both a professional educator and a dedicated public servant.

Dr. Meloy is a retired administrator with the Altoona Area School District. During his 42 year tenure with the district, he rose from the ranks of Special Education Teacher to Assistant Superintendent--a position he held for twenty years.

Dr. Meloy received his Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Education degree from Pennsylvania State University and a Doctor of Education from Temple University.

In addition to his esteemed career in education, Dr. Meloy has been an elected Supervisor in Logan Township since 1996. At the end of his current term in 2013, he will have served eighteen continuous years on the Township Board of Supervisors--the majority of those years as Chairman.

Under Dr. Meloy's fiscal leadership, tax rates in Logan Township have remained among the lowest in the county, and he has saved his municipality thousands of dollars by refinancing several bond issues. He has been extremely instrumental in transforming the Township's system of fire protection into a modern, well-equipped and cost- effective unit. Dr. Meloy also has been the Township's representative on numerous committees and boards during his term, and has been recognized for his active volunteerism by several community organizations including the PA Homeless Children's Initiative, the Blair Bedford Central Labor Council AFL-CIO, and the Kiwanis Club of Altoona.

Dr. Meloy will be honored on December 12, 2013 at his last official meeting as a Township Supervisor. I congratulate him on this recognition, and thank him for his distinguished careers in education and public service.

Mr. Speaker on rollcall No. 598, I was not present for the vote due to a family emergency.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 590, I was not present for the vote due to a family emergency.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 601, I was not present for the vote due to a family emergency.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 602, I was not present for the vote due to a family emergency.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 603, I was not present for the vote due to a family emergency. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 604, I was not present for the vote due to a family emergency.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 1900, the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act. In my state of Pennsylvania, the Marcellus Shale boom has reinvigorated our economy and created thousands of jobs. American energy production is booming, and we need the infrastructure to keep up with demand and transport the gas from well to market.

I have seen in my own state the frustration and delays in getting gas from well to market due to unnecessarily long permitting processes. These delays keep gas from flowing, hold up royalty payments to my constituents, and prevent tax revenue from making it into the state and local coffers.

While we must ensure that pipelines are constructed safely, many times these delays have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with politics. We've seen President Obama and the EPA do everything they can to delay natural gas production and destroy the energy industry in this country in order to appease the radical environmentalist left.

We must not allow this to happen. Congress must take action to ensure that our domestic energy production thrives and the United States can be energy independent. The Natural gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act will expedites the federal review process for applications for natural gas pipeline certificates, allowing us to build this much needed infrastructure efficiently and safely.

I support passage of H.R. 1900 and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and introduce a good friend and community leader in my home State, Reverend Paul Taylor, and to thank him for offering today's invocation. Reverend Taylor made the trip to the Nation's Capital from the great city of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. I know my colleague, Tim Murphy, joins me in welcoming Reverend Taylor to the House of Representatives.

For the past 17 years, Reverend Taylor has dedicated his life to the students and faculty at Saint Vincent College. As a member of the college, he has held several prominent positions, including dean of admission, dean of students, and his current role as executive vice president.

Reverend Taylor's civic engagement and enthusiasm for improving the lives of others is not limited to higher education. Reverend Taylor also serves on the board of directors for the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation and assists as a weekend parish priest.

In his personal life, Reverend Taylor is an avid hunter and serves as the chaplain to the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, and he performs mass every Sunday for every home game.

Reverend Taylor is a warm and welcoming leader. He has helped build a strong foundation at Saint Vincent College that will last for decades to come. I am proud of the work he has done in the Pennsylvania community and am privileged to call him my friend.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore