Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Monessen Police Chief John D. ``Mando'' Mandarino on his recent retirement from the Monessen Police Department in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

Chief Mandarino first joined the City of Monessen as a police officer in May, 1990. From that point on, John became a decorated officer within the local force and the State because of his leadership in helping combat the ongoing opioid crisis that his community and Pennsylvania faces. His dedication propelled him through the ranks, eventually he became Chief of the Department in June of 2013.

In 2003, Mandarino was presented with the Outstanding Police Performance Award from the Pennsylvania Narcotics Officers Association and an accommodation from the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office for his work investigating and arresting three illegal drug dealers within the City. As his career continued, Mandarino became vital in arrests in both the City of Monessen and Westmoreland County. Not only is John respected amongst his peers on the force, he is also a respected member of the community where his heroism to the people of Monessen will never be forgotten.

Today I am honored to recognize John Mandarino for his exceptional law enforcement career and his many accomplishments. His impact on the community has been too great to put into words, and he has represented Western Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County with great distinction. May God continue to bless Chief Mandarino, his wife Kelly and son Gianni, and may he continue to bless all the men and women in the law enforcement community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize David Arbutina, MD, FACS, Founder and Medical Director of Tyrone Regional Health Network's Breast Cancer & Women's Health Institute.

Dr. Arbutina is a board certified general surgeon with a focused area of expertise in breast cancer surgery. He is a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons and a retired Colonel of the United States Air Force.

During his military career, Dr. Arbutina served at United States Air Force bases in Japan and California. He served as Chief of Surgery and Chief of Hospital Services in Japan at Misawa Air Base. He also served as the Commander of the second largest department of surgery in the Air Force at Travis Air Force Base.

Dr. Arbutina is a nationally recognized educator and leader in surgery. Since 1988, he has dedicated his career to the treatment of breast cancer and has personally treated over 1,000 breast cancer patients.

As Medical Director of the Breast Cancer & Women's Health Institute, he has provided educational programs in the community and authored articles on breast health and breast cancer topics to educate community members and raise breast health awareness.

Dr. Arbutina is recognized for his unwavering commitment to educate women on breast health issues and provide guidance to empower them with the knowledge they need to make the right decision regarding their care.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and I thank the chairman and the Appropriations Committee for bringing forward this extremely important legislation, which includes important FEMA reforms which were approved unanimously by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee partially in response to this year's historic hurricane season.

The bipartisan, bicameral Disaster Recovery Reform Act addresses the rising costs of disasters in the United States. It reforms Federal disaster programs to ensure our communities are more resilient and better prepared for the next hurricane, flood, earthquake, wildfire, or other disaster.

It focuses on predisaster planning and mitigation and creates incentives for communities to build better and smarter to speed recovery when disaster does strike. This will save lives, and it will also save money.

Putting our focus on mitigation is good government and is fiscally responsible. For every dollar we spend on mitigation, between $4 and $8 is saved in avoided disaster recovery costs later. This is good policy that will benefit every single congressional district across the country.

I want to thank many Members who contributed, but especially to my Democratic colleagues who contributed to this effort: Congressmen Johnson, DeFazio, Huffman, Wilson, Maloney, Ruiz, Sinema, Frankel, and Nadler. And again, many, many others contributed to this important reform legislation.

Many Americans are still recovering from hurricane damage, and California is in the middle of fighting massive wildfires. This is extremely important legislation. I would urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an effective public-private partnership used to put fugitives behind bars.

For the last ten years, the FBI has partnered with outdoor advertisers in the search for the nation's most wanted criminals. The partnership started in my state of Pennsylvania in 2007, Mr. Speaker, where a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy suggested digital billboards be donated to local law enforcement to aid in the apprehension of fugitives. After initial success in Pennsylvania, the concept grew to what it is now a nationwide partnership where the FBI is able to relay and receive critical crime-fighting information with the general public at no cost to taxpayers. In the 10 years of the partnership's history, tips from the public generated directly from billboards have resolved 57 FBI cases.

Seven years after the program began in Pennsylvania, it was used prominently in one of the largest manhunts in recent history. In 2014, Pennsylvanians were on high alert after a man opened fire on a state police barracks, killing one state trooper and injuring another. The suspect quickly fled into the woods, and local communities were terrorized by a killer on the loose. The FBI, in partnership with the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, plastered the suspect's picture and the number for their tip line on hundreds of billboards across Pennsylvania and five other states. The manhunt would continue for 48 days until Eric Frein's arrest, and Pennsylvanians were given the peace of mind and sense of safety when hundreds of billboards were updated to proudly say ``CAPTURED.''

Mr. Speaker, as this effective public-private partnership enters its next decade, I commend the FBI and outdoor advertisers for finding a creative solution to fight crime and keep our streets safe.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of House Resolution 615, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Falling Spring Elementary School on being honored as a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School. The outstanding nomination from the Pennsylvania Department of Education comes after a vast amount of activities and efforts which were implemented at the Falling Spring School for the betterment of their students.

Falling Spring Elementary School has shown outstanding academic achievements through continual improvements of resources and materials provided to the students, the application of strategies that engage students in their learning, maximizing instructional time with students, and presenting a model of expected outcomes for students to follow. The integration of SMART boards and iPads in each classroom allows for teachers to better incorporate realistic examples of materials, motivate students with fun activities, and provide more direct communication.

Not only is Falling Spring Elementary laser focused on student learning, but it also offers additional opportunities for students to grow. The school garden allows students in grades K-5 to come together as one through planning, planting, and maintaining garden beds, and provides them the chance to have fresh produce tastings in the fall and spring. In addition to the school run garden, they also have a recycling and composting program where students assist with composting and recycling of materials from within the school cafeteria.

Falling Spring Elementary School offers a wide variety of clubs that appeal to the interests of all students. These clubs range from the STEM club with activities focused on science, technology, engineering and math, to the Compassion in Action club which has raised awareness for kindness in the school and the community. One exemplary program offered at Falling Springs is the SOAR or Student Leadership club. Over the years, SOAR has developed the school pledge, addressed bullying issues, and organized a positive incentive program. The school has also incorporated a Parent Teacher Association which consists of parents who are deeply committed to supporting students and contributing to the success of the children within their community.

Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to congratulate the students, staff, and parents of Falling Spring Elementary School for this outstanding nomination. The level of care and dedication to the success of the students necessary for an award such as a Blue Ribbon School is clearly shown in Falling Spring Elementary School, and it is an honor to recognize them for this wonderful achievement.

Mr. Speaker, according to their website, ``The Office of the Legislative Counsel provides legislative drafting services to the Committees and Members of the House of Representatives on a non- partisan, impartial, and confidential basis. Our goal is to work with Committees and Members to understand their policy preferences in order to implement those preferences through clear, concise, and legally effective legislative language.'' For the last 30 years, no one has performed all of the above more professionally and more successfully than Curt Haensel.

Curt has specialized in transportation law his entire career. His sharp mind and relentless pursuit of perfection (sometimes in spite of staff and Member interference) ensured that bills considered by the Committee and the House were clear and coherent expressions of legislative intent. I and my predecessors have relied on Curt's expertise and creativity to draft legislative solutions to many complex issues. Even under immense pressure, Curt's guidance was always calm, balanced, and fair. I don't know how many bills or amendments Curt has drafted (it must be in the thousands), but I can tell you that a great many of our Nation's most profound laws bear his fingerprints.

Curt not only cared about the work product, but more importantly, he cared about the people he was working with. He has infinite patience, is humble, and is kind. He served as a mentor and tremendous professional example to many young legislative counsels and Committee staff over the last 30 years.

On behalf of myself, the staff of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the entire House of Representatives, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Curt for his years of service. His contributions to this institution have been invaluable and the impact of his guidance will be felt for many, many years to come. I wish him, his wife Meg, and his two children well. I wish him good luck with his future endeavors. He will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, Congress has just approved an FAA extension to fund the agency for 6 months, but our work is not done. We have a responsibility to pass a long-term FAA bill that ensures America remains a leader in aviation.

The status quo means American aviation manufacturing will lose out to competitors in Europe, China, Brazil, and Canada. We will lose jobs. It means the drone industry will continue to go overseas for testing and development. That is more lost jobs. The status quo means more delays and lost time for our passengers.

Let me read you a quote: ``The FAA is the only agency of government worse at procurement than the Pentagon. Congress has tried to reform it; it didn't stick. We have got to try something different to get it to be more agile to give us 21st century equipment and software that we need.''

Mr. Speaker, that is not my quote. I am quoting the ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. And that, based on what he has said and what we have seen over the last 20 years, that is why it is time to reform the FAA.

With my Republican and Democratic colleagues, I have introduced H.R. 2997, the 21st Century AIRR Act. Like all major reforms, there have been false claims made against this bipartisan bill. The false issues I want to address are from general aviation.

My colleagues and I, including Sam Graves, worked with the general aviation community to include everything they have asked for in this bill. Not one of their legislative requests was excluded. In fact, Congressman Graves now supports the bill because of how far we went to address the needs of the GA community. We did so because general aviation is vital to our unique aviation system, and I would never sponsor legislation that harms my own rural community and the GA pilots and the several hundred GA pilots who live within it.

Here is what the general aviation community asked for:

They did not want to pay user fees to use air traffic control services, and they won't. All they have to do is look at page 83 in the bill. The only entity that will be able to change this is Congress, just like it is today.

They did not want any airspace restrictions. This bill prohibits airspace restrictions for the GA, and just look at page 114 to find that. In fact, GA doesn't have that guarantee today. Our bill actually puts that guarantee in law for the first time.

They wanted to fully fund the Airport Improvement Program. I want to fully fund the Airport Improvement Program, in part, because it helps my district and small- and medium-sized airports in rural communities around this country. AIP will be funded the way it has been in the past, and it will be, going forward, by the traveling public.

Currently, AIP funding is flatlined at $3.3 billion a year, but over the course of the bill, we will raise that up to almost $4 billion, and you will find that on page 7 of the bill.

GA wanted parity on the board, and they got it, the ability to nominate two board members. So the board will be balanced. It will include airports, pilots, controllers, commercial passenger carriers, cargo carriers, regional carriers, general aviation, business aviation, plus the government will put two seats on the board.

A super majority will choose two independent board members, and then they will choose a CEO.

Yet even when faced with these facts in black and white text, opponents of reform still claim these guarantees are not in the bill. Ask a member of the GA community what we can do to get their support, and they will say: ``Nothing.'' They want to keep the status quo.

Unfortunately, a few Washington special interests that represent business jets oppose this commonsense reform. Think about it this way: 850 million passengers will fly commercially every year, and that number will go to a billion over the next 10 years; this bill is real reform that will benefit them at no cost and harm to the business jet aviation; in fact, every person that flies commercially subsidizes business jets using the air traffic control system.

A small number of GA owners, the number is about 500,000, are opposing something that will benefit a billion passengers that will fly annually.

Another thing that was brought up is that we harm the defense of this country. That is absolutely not true. As a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, I would never do anything that would harm the defense of this country. And Secretary Mattis and Deputy Secretary of Defense Shanahan have been on the Hill, have written letters supporting our efforts to this fact.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, this is not speculation. This reflects the very carefully drafted text of the bill that the House will vote on in the coming days. I encourage Members to read the bill and come to us with questions.

This bipartisan bill has broad and diverse support. For example, Heritage Action, the pilots and the air traffic controller union, and the flight attendants union all support this very bipartisan bill, a bill that will transform aviation in this country, keep us competitive, keep us safe, and keep us efficient.

I ask all my colleagues to support the bipartisan H.R. 2997.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3823.

Mr. Speaker, I want to be very clear what is at stake if Congress fails to pass the FAA extension. Starting on October 1, no aviation taxes will be collected. Approximately $40 million of revenue will be lost each day; the revenue that would have been used for airport infrastructure funding and the FAA's important safety, operational, and research functions.

No new Airport Improvement Program grants will be issued to airports in the communities across the country.

All FAA accounts funded out of the aviation trust fund--the Facilities and Equipment; AIP; Research, Engineering, and Development accounts--will be impacted.

Thousands of employees will be furloughed and some will be required to show up to work for no pay.

We must also be clear on the impact to hurricane recovery efforts currently underway by the FAA and funded from the Facilities and Equipment account,

including those in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The FAA is currently trying to restore radars, navigational aids, and other equipment damaged during Hurricane Maria. This is happening while stranded passengers in the San Juan airport wait without air- conditioning and electricity for flights off the island.

The FAA technicians are working around the clock to restore services, but because of the extent of the damage and the challenges of the terrain where equipment is located, it is difficult to determine when full restoration will happen.

For instance, as we debate this bill, technicians are making their way to a long-range radar site on a mountain in Puerto Rico. The last two miles to the site through the rainforest are impassable, so the technicians are using chainsaws to clear a path for themselves and their replacement equipment. The radar and navigation equipment are critical for the safe operation of flights.

We will have plenty of time to debate aviation policy in the coming weeks, and I look forward to it. But the FAA extension we are considering this week is not a pawn in a Washington game of political brinksmanship.

It is time for Congress to ensure the FAA's authorities, funding, and disaster recovery efforts continue uninterrupted in order to help those impacted by the hurricanes that are desperately needed.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this critical legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Lori J. Bechtel-Wherry of Martinsburg, PA and Chancellor of Penn State Altoona, for receiving the 2017 Altoona Kiwanis Club Citizen of the Year Award.

Dr. Bechtel-Wherry is Penn State Altoona's Chancellor and Dean and is the first woman to hold such a position in the college's history. She is also the first female full professor at Penn State Altoona. Her involvement on campus is tremendous as she engages with students, pushes for the lasting success of the college and even sponsors a Challenge the Chancellor Ping Pong fundraiser each year to support Penn State Altoona's THON Team.

Dr. Bechtel-Wherry has been recognized by the Blair County Board of Commissioners for her dedicated involvement and service towards the local community through Penn State Altoona.

Dr. Bechtel-Wherry serves on the board of directors for the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation and will become the first female Chair of its Board in January 2018.

Dr. Bechtel-Wherry has earned countless awards both at Penn State and in the surrounding Pennsylvania communities. Her work is clearly deserving of the Altoona Kiwanis Club Citizen of the Year Award. As such, it is my honor to help celebrate her having received this award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Judge Jolene Grubb Kopriva for 30 years of devoted service to Blair County and to wish her well on her upcoming retirement.

Since earning her Juris Doctorate Degree in 1978 at the Duquesne School of Law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Judge Kopriva has been an essential part of the Blair County community. In November of 1987, Judge Kopriva challenged the status quo by becoming the first elected female judge in Blair County. In January 2006, she broke through another barrier by becoming the first female President Judge of Blair County--a position she held for over ten years.

Judge Kopriva has been rightfully recognized time and time again for her service to the community. Despite her busy career, Judge Kopriva has been an active volunteer serving on the United Way Board of Directors, the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA Board of Directors and Officer, the Multi-Disciplinary Child Abuse Team of Blair County, the Governor's Community Partnership for Safe Children, as well as several other spots in her church and around Blair County. These positions earned her many distinctions such as the Altoona YWCA Tribute to Women Award, a NAACP Humanitarian Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from WISE Women of Blair County.

Judge Kopriva's devoted service is an inspiration to us all, and I wish her the best on her retirement. Though her time in court may be coming to a close, the impact she has made to improve the lives of those in Blair County will be felt for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding me time.

I rise today in support of the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017.

This extension provides stability to our aviation system and extends the funding to the FAA over the next 6 months while Congress continues to make progress on a full FAA reauthorization bill. This extension is absolutely necessary to prevent a shutdown in FAA programs, delays in airport construction projects, and the possible furlough of thousands of FAA employees across the country. I will be the first to admit I am disappointed we have not passed a long-term bill yet.

Unfortunately, this is not a new problem for Congress. Between 2007 and 2012, Congress passed 23 extensions before approving a full reauthorization. These short-term stopgaps, while necessary, create long-term budget instability, and they contribute to the FAA's overall inability to effectively manage the modernization of our antiquated air traffic control system.

Congress has passed numerous piecemeal reforms over the years to try to help the FAA act more like a business and efficiently modernize the system. These reforms have not worked, and passing the same kind of reforms again is not going to change the simple fact that the Federal Government is not an innovative, high-tech service business.

It is time to face the truth that, without transformational reform, the American people will not get the most modern and efficient air traffic control system that they have been promised and deserve. For too long, we have been trying to manage the symptoms of the problem instead of finding a cure.

Thankfully, we now have that cure. H.R. 2997, the 21st Century AIRR Act, and progress is being made every day on this bill to provide long- overdue reform of the FAA.

While we have made progress, I believe we will move this bipartisan bill through the House in the next few weeks. In the meantime, we have to pass this extension today to provide 6 months' worth of certainty and stability to the FAA, the aviation community, and the flying public.

Without it, starting this Sunday, October 1, the FAA programs will face a shutdown, thousands of FAA employees could be furloughed, airport projects across the country will come to a halt, and approximately $40 million a day in aviation trust fund revenue will go uncollected. That is funding for air traffic control, airport development, and other safety and modernization programs that will never be recovered.

I want to remind my colleagues again that the very fact that we have to pass this bill today is one of the many reasons we need fundamental, comprehensive FAA reform.

In order to ensure America remains the world leader in aviation, I look forward to bringing the bipartisan 21st Century AIRR Act to the floor in the coming weeks. Until then, I urge my colleagues to support today's bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Brady and Chairman Hensarling for their work on this bill, and I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Curbelo for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I just heard the ranking member get on the floor and call me stubborn. I am pretty committed to what we are doing here because this week will be the second year anniversary of this quote by the ranking member in debate on the floor on H.R. 3614. ``The FAA is the only agency in government worse at procurement than the Pentagon. Congress has tried to reform it; it didn't stick. We have got to try something different to get it more agile, to give us the 21st century equipment and software that we need.''

That is exactly what we are trying to do in the 21st Century AIRR Act. We

have tried for the last 40 years to get it modernized. We spent somewhere around 40 to $50 billion, and we haven't been able to get it done. This is a true transformational reform.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Debbie Byler of Martinsburg, PA, winner of the Patient Advocate Award from the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona.

Debbie is cofounder and coordinator of John's Way Medical Equipment Ministry, a faith-based outreach program of Clover Creek Church of the Brethren. John's Way provides wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds and other medical equipment to individuals who do not have the necessary funds or medical insurance.

Debbie has been instrumental in the growth of John's Way which donated 16 pieces of equipment in its first year in 2009. Last year, the program made available more than 4,200 items to those in need. She oversees 40 volunteers who take requests, clean and repair equipment, pick up donations and deliver items to clients.

Debbie and her work at John's Way have had a significant, positive impact on the local community. Given her admirable actions in support of individuals and families facing hardship, Debbie is unquestionably deserving of this recognition. As such, it is my honor to help celebrate her having received this award.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Shelly Kerchner, one of the winners of the 24th annual Personal Achievement Award from the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Altoona. This award is given to encourage and recognize those who have made an outstanding effort to deal with or overcome a disability. This year, Shelly has earned that distinction.

Shelly's life changed eleven years ago in 2006 with she fell down a flight of stairs, suffering a devastating spinal cord injury. She was only able to move her eyes and had weak movement in both of her hands. Shelly's medical prognosis was bleak, indicating she would never walk again or use her hands. Yet, through perseverance, hard work and dedication she proved that grim forecast wrong.

Today, Shelly is now walking with braces and a rolling walker and is independent with her everyday tasks. She cooks, cleans, drives, practices yoga and is an author. She is said to be an inspiration to many people through her Internet blog and her published book--Standing Tall: The Healing Power of Gratitude.

I am humbled to recognize the truly impressive recovery Shelly has made. Her strength and positivity in the face of such adversity is remarkable. As such, it is my pleasure to wish Shelly the best as she continues to reclaim her health and life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Fayette County Community Action Agency for 50 years of service to the communities of Fayette County in western Pennsylvania.

The work of this agency has set an example for Community Action Agencies nationwide causing FCCAA to be recognized on numerous occasions for its community and economic work, as well as the quality of services which its employees provide. In addition to recognitions by the United States Department of Agriculture and the AARP foundation, just last year the Pennsylvania Housing and Finance Agency recognized FCCAA with its Lender Partnership Award.

The agency's Board of Directors is composed of elected officials, business leaders and community representatives, and has built an agency which is an example for other communities. Their work touches thousands of people each year by providing services such as emergency food and shelter, housing development, services for older residents, education and support for first time mothers, and training and education programs. Fayette County Community Action Agency is fulfilling their mission of helping people and changing lives, and I am proud to have such a fine agency in my district. Fayette County is lucky to have an agency so committed to improving the livelihood of its citizens, and I am thankful for their dedication to this community.