Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Tessie Cecil, who has dedicated her career to the citizens of New Haven and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Cecil served for 20 years as the Mayor of New Haven, Ky., in Nelson County, where she consistently gave her all to the community.

A native of the Philippines, Cecil met and married her husband, Don, while he was stationed with the U.S. Navy in her native country over 30 years ago. She and Don moved to New Haven to raise a family and in 1979, shortly after the move, she was hired as the New Haven city clerk.

Cecil is known for her work to improve the water and sewer systems, sidewalks and parks. She is also proud of her involvement with the veterans' monument in front of City Hall and the Kentucky Railway Museum.

Cecil is a person of integrity and has demonstrated a strong passion for making her community a better place. I join with the citizens of New Haven in thanking her for her years of relentless service.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Tessie Cecil for her commitment to the citizens of New Haven, Nelson County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise today in opposition to H.R. 5012. To refresh my colleagues' memories, just last week the House sent the reauthorization of child nutrition and school meal programs to the President for his signature. That bill spent an additional $4.5 billion and added more than a dozen new programs. It was a significant expansion of Federal child nutrition programs at a time when the American people have told us to stop growing government and, instead, to make current programs better rather than simply layering on new programs.

Every Member of this Chamber wants to fight childhood hunger and promote healthy school meals, but adding one more program in a long line of new programs is not the way to do that. We could have debated this bill, along with several other proposals, during floor consideration of child nutrition legislation last week, if only this majority did not insist on stifling debate with closed rules.

Unfortunately, just like the responsible Republican alternative, this program was not considered at the time it should have been during that debate. Instead, we are here today debating whether to add yet another program to the ever-expanding Federal Government under this majority. This is another new program to add to the list of new programs created just last week.

The Federal Government supports numerous programs to feed children in school, after school and during the summer. If the majority did not see fit to include this new program when it reauthorized child nutrition programs last week, I do not see how we can justify its creation today and urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

I rise in support of Senate bill 3817, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Reauthorization of 2010.

This bill reauthorizes the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, and the Adoption Opportunities Act. This is a narrowly tailored and responsible reauthorization for these important laws to update and improve these programs that help protect children and their families from violence.

This bill maintains current funding reauthorization levels and does not add any new programs. It does, however, make some good policy changes that will help protect children in need, help abused and neglected children with special needs find new families faster, and help local governments coordinate efforts to protect these children better.

One of the policy changes made in this bill is to support training and collaboration between child protective services and domestic violence service providers. This collaboration will help prevent child abuse and neglect through initiatives such as differential response, which allows professionals to assess children and families' needs without requiring a determination that a maltreatment has occurred.

This legislation also includes training for professionals on best practices to meet the needs of children with disabilities and supports better links between child protective services and disability groups to improve diagnosis and assistance to these children.

The bill provides technical assistance and training on domestic violence to State and local agencies and puts an increased emphasis on prevention of family violence, including dating violence.

This bill is a responsible reauthorization that modernizes these important programs and does so without increasing the authorization levels or adding new Federal programs. This reauthorization will help States and local governments protect our most vulnerable citizens through better coordination and training.

This is a good, responsible reauthorization, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers at this time, and I continue to reserve.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

On April 5 of this year, tragedy struck Montcoal, West Virginia. On that day, an explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine killed 29 miners and provided a stark reminder that coal mining is a profession marked by risk and danger. And while steps have been taken to strengthen protections for miners, this tragedy and others like it remind us that more work remains to be done.

I believe steps can be taken by Federal and State regulators, mine operators, and miners, themselves, to reduce the dangers inherent for those who mine for natural resources that power our Nation. That is why it is with deep regret that I oppose the legislation before us today.

Once again, well-intended reforms addressing a vital issue are being rushed through a flawed process that results in a deeply flawed bill. This is not the way to govern. This is not the way to advance the concerns and interests of the American people, and it is not the way to strengthen important safety protections for miners.

The bill we are considering today under a suspension of the House rules is the wrong response for several important reasons. First, it seeks to create a solution to a problem we do not

fully understand. The explosion at Upper Big Branch resulted in the worst mining disaster in 40 years. Since that time, significant State and Federal resources have been brought to bear to investigate the cause of the incident, help identify weaknesses in existing law, and determine whether current law is being obeyed by mining operators and aggressively enforced by Federal authorities. These are critical questions for which we are still awaiting answers.

The majority's proposal also ignores important steps the Mine Safety and Health Administration has taken in recent months to strengthen standards to existing law. Republicans have consistently called on the Mine Safety and Health Administration to utilize all the tools at its disposal to protect miners and hold bad actors accountable. I am pleased to see the agency is finally beginning to do just that.

As part of its efforts, the Mine Safety and Health Administration has revised the current framework of identifying mines operating with a pattern of violations. For 30 years, this process has been broken. Today, that process has changed, and we are just beginning to see the results. The Mine Safety Administration has reformed the process and has notified more than a dozen mine operators that they are at risk of being placed in a pattern of violations. It is a step in the right direction.

The agency is also implementing new rock dusting standards, issued a proposal to increase the use of personal dust monitors, and is looking at ways to improve the broken conference process. We may question why the agency did not act sooner, but it is important to recognize that steps are being taken today. Congress should not preempt and potentially undercut reforms underway before we have had the opportunity to learn whether they work.

Some of my colleagues may argue that these are simply process arguments that ordinary Americans don't care about. I don't like discussing process any more than the next person, but I think we have learned over the last 2 years that the American people care a great deal about the manner in which Congress conducts its business, because a flawed process results in bad law. Today's legislation is no exception.

The process we are considering today puts punishment before prevention. It is based on the faulty premise that simply increasing penalties can lead to better safety. Our goal is to prevent injuries and illnesses before they occur. Everyone agrees bad actors should face stiff penalties for jeopardizing the safety of miners, but we shouldn't establish a regime that may discourage employers from taking actions they believe to strengthen their worker safety. We can punish bad actors, but we must never lose sight of the fact that promoting safety and preventing hazard should be our first priority.

There are other flaws in the legislation, including a provision that will expand the criminalization of a person's knowing conduct as well as upending, in some cases, the long-established at-will employment doctrine which will insert Federal judges into voluntary hiring and firing decisions of mine operators and their workers.

Last Friday, the majority introduced H.R. 6495 with no advance warning and not consulting with Republicans. Yet here we are days later being told this is the only opportunity Members of the House will have to enhance safety protections for underground miners. Following the same playbook used by the majority time and time again by this majority, we have no opportunity for a full and open debate and no opportunity to offer amendments to fix the errors I have just described. A flawed process is resulting in yet another flawed bill.

On behalf of miners and their families, let me respectfully say they deserve better. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from West Virginia, Mrs. Moore Capito.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the days that followed the tragedy at the Upper Big Branch, Republicans joined many Members here on the House floor to mourn this tragedy. Our incoming chairman has said that our Nation would be searching for answers, and our response must follow a comprehensive review of how such a tragic event could have happened.

We had then, as we do today, a responsibility to look at the laws on the books and how those laws are being implemented and followed. We will in due course have the answers to many of those questions, but the rush to legislate means the answers will arrive too late to inform our debate and help ensure we are doing the right thing.

We are all committed to work in good faith to answer tough questions and pursue commonsense reforms that would enhance miner safety. Unfortunately, such a good faith process has not occurred. This legislation was crafted behind closed doors without input from Republican lawmakers concerned with miners' safety and pushed through the Education and Labor Committee.

Today, we are considering a different proposal developed through the same closed process. There has been has been no effort to consider or incorporate Republican ideas for strengthening mine safety. In fact, the majority was so focused on corralling votes with their own caucus that they modified this bill in the dark of night.

Throughout this process, the majority has taken out the carving knives, exempting a mine type here and a mine type there, hoping that the more of the bill they eliminate, the more support they will gather. How can anyone believe this is the best approach to meaningful mine safety?

It is unfortunate that we are here today under these circumstances. As I stated earlier, the miners and their families who deserve strong worker protections also deserve better than this bill. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' so we can take the time to understand and respond to the tragedy in the Upper Big Branch Mine.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Pastor Michael L. Bell for his faithful service to his community and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. On December 27, 2010, he will celebrate 40 years of service at Glendale Christian Church.

Known as the `go-to-guy,' Pastor Bell is quick to lend a helping hand and an ear to listen. He is a caring, thoughtful and considerate individual who is always interested in assisting others.

Beyond his service to Glendale Christian Church, Pastor Bell is also very active in the community. He is currently serving as Commissioner of the Hardin County Water District #2, Chaplin of the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce, is a member of the Board of Regents for Louisville Bible College and is on the Board of Directors for Helping Hand.

Pastor Bell is also the announcer for Hardin County High School football games and for both the boys and girls basketball teams.

A testament to Pastor Bell's dedication to the community can be seen in his regular visits to those in hospitals and nursing homes, and also through his outreach to widows, who often need help with physician visits, financial decisions and home maintenance.

Pastor Bell and his wife Sharon have been married for 44 years and are the proud parents of two sons, Jon Michael and Christopher David, and proud grandparents of Samantha and Caehla. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Pastor Michael L. Bell for his steadfast commitment, service and dedication.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Connie Shaffery, who has dedicated herself to the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Connie has proven herself to be an exceptional communicator and representative for the United States Army and Fort Knox. Connie will retire after 28 years of devoted service.

Connie graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BA in Communication and continued her education, graduating from the Defense Information School's Public Affairs Officers' Course.

Connie began working in Army Public Affairs at the Philadelphia Recruiting Battalion in 1987. She moved to the Baltimore Recruiting Battalion in 1990 to accept a position as their chief of advertising and public affairs. Because of her proven skills and leadership, Connie was promoted in 1993 to a position with the Military District of Washington as their community relations officer.

A move to Fort Knox, Ky., led to a position as the chief of advertising and public affairs for the 3rd Recruiting Brigade, overseeing activities in seven recruiting battalions throughout the north central states. In 2003, she was promoted to be the Army Armor Center and Fort Knox public affairs officer, a position she held for over seven years.

This year, she was temporarily promoted to be the public affairs officer for Army Accessions Command where she was responsible for managing the commanding general's public affairs activities throughout the command and within the local Fort Knox region.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Connie Shaffery for her commitment to the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, our nation and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Frank Shaffery, who has virtuously served the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Mr. Shaffery has served as a civilian employee within the U.S. Army Recruiting Command Headquarters G3 at Fort Knox, KY, since 1994. Mr. Shaffery will retire after 46 years of dedicated service to the United States Army.

A native of Newark, N.J., Frank Shaffery enlisted in the Army in 1965. His Army career included assignments in Fort Dix, N.J., Korea and Vietnam before he became an Army recruiter.

Mr. Shaffery has held several positions as an Army recruiter including field recruiter, station commander, senior guidance counselor and battalion sergeant major. The Baltimore Recruiting Battalion was the second largest recruiting battalion during his tenure and he ensured its success as one of the top battalions in the command.

Mr. Shaffery retired after 30 years of active Army service at the rank of Command Sergeant Major. His dedicated service resulted in his awarding of a Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and several Meritorious Service Medals. He wears his Recruiter Ring still today, the highest honor for a recruiter when he was an NCO.

Upon retirement from active duty in 1994, Mr. Shaffery accepted a civilian position with the U.S. Army Recruiting Command HQ as the Chief of Plans and Policy for the Operations Directorate. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Director in 1999.

Frank lives in Elizabethtown, Ky., with his wife, Connie. He is the father of two sons, Mark and Michael, and the proud grandfather to 6 year old Madison.

I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring Mr. Frank Shaffery today because of his dignified and steadfast commitment to the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, his Soldiers, the citizens of this country and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce. In August of this year, the chamber was selected by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, ACCE, as the 2010 Chamber of the Year.

This award is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of the employees, members and volunteers of the chamber as well as the Owensboro community.

The Chamber of the Year award recognizes up to four chambers of commerce each year for their dual roles in creating and leading both businesses and communities.

The chamber's advocacy role in creating the Chamber Leadership Initiatives for Northwestern Kentucky, C-LINK, alliance and the Owensboro Buys It! program are significant reasons the chamber was chosen for the award.

C-LINK includes 12 chambers in the region and has been a leading proponent of Interstate 69 in western Kentucky. Owensboro Buys It! was started in 2009 to spur local commerce and teach small business members

how to create an ``elevator pitch'' to grow and expand their businesses.

Owensboro is a historic and beautiful city and the chamber continues to work to make it an even better place to live for future generations. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce and congratulate them on this incredible achievement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great news source in the Commonwealth of Kentucky--the Central Kentucky News-Journal. This year, the Central Kentucky News-Journal will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

After a series of changes in ownership, Mrs. T. W. Buchanon became the editor-manager of the journal and it was launched as the Central Kentucky News-Journal in January of 1910. The newspaper now, one hundred years later, is in circulation twice a week, providing unparalleled coverage for the citizens of Taylor County.

As a community paper, the Central Kentucky News Journal plays an important role bringing readers news and articles that directly affect their readers. Campbellsville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky are fortunate to have such an outstanding newspaper with a proven history of providing exceptional news coverage.

I am proud to represent the employees at the Central Kentucky News- Journal and thank them for the countless contributions they have made.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Central Kentucky News-Journal and congratulating them on 100 amazing years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Independent Living Services for the Kentucky Office for the Blind.

Independent Living Services is a rehabilitation program administered by the Kentucky Office for the Blind and provides a broad range of services. They value self-determination and encourage individuals to learn skills that will allow them to achieve their desired level of independence.

In September of this year, the Independent Living Services will celebrate 30 years of dedication to helping individuals throughout the commonwealth with vision impairments achieve their maximum level of independence.

Through the effective leadership of the Office for the Blind and the dedication of Independent Living Counselors, thousands of Kentuckians have realized their goal of greater independence in their homes, communities and workplaces.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 30th anniversary of the Independent Living Services and thank the individuals who have committed so much of themselves to help ensure all Kentuckians are given the resources they need to succeed.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to be here this morning to talk about during the last few weeks I've been back in my district doing America Speaking Out events and listening to people and talking with people about what their issues are and sharing with me what we should be doing here in Washington, D.C.

In my district, unemployment is the number one issue like it is across the country. And not just hearing from people looking for jobs but talking to people who want to provide jobs. And they are concerned about the tax increases that could be coming with the expiration of the tax cuts.

And one of the concerns that we heard Secretary Geithner talk about this weekend, Madam Speaker, is that the taxes could increase on those making $250,000 or more, which we know half of that runs through small businesses. So I'm talking to a lot of small business owners who are afraid of taxes because they want to grow their business and hire people and put them to work.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Captain Deron Berthold, who has virtuously served the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

After 20 years of dedicated service, Captain Berthold will retire from the Kentucky State Police. However, he leaves behind a great legacy and is an example for all current and future officers.

Captain Berthold earned his degree from the University of Louisville and went on to graduate from Police Academy on November 23, 1981, receiving the Commissioner's Commendation Award.

Throughout his career, Captain Berthold demonstrated exemplary dedication and outstanding leadership, working his way up

through the ranks from a sergeant in Madisonville to the Drug Enforcement Captain at DESI WEST.

He represents his State proudly as a man of honor and is an officer of tremendous depth, intellect and vision.

I honor him today because of his dignified and steadfast commitment to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, his fellow officers and the citizens of our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ann G. Hutchinson, who has dedicated her career to the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

On July 30, 2010, Ms. Hutchinson will retire after over 30 years of dedicated service. She has been an asset to the Fort Knox community and has distinguished herself while serving in positions of increasing responsibility at the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC.)

In her latest role as the Deputy Protocol Officer, Ms. Hutchinson provided exceptional executive services to nine commanding generals. Her outstanding reputation with so many senior leaders is based on her attention to detail and her ``can-do'' attitude.

Ms. Hutchinson's unique abilities to manage competing requirements while maintaining the flexibility to respond to changes are unparalleled.

I know she means so much to her colleagues. Her hard work ethic, personal sacrifice and professionalism will be an example for so many others to follow.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ann G. Hutchinson for her commitment to the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Recruiting Command, our Nation and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, just Friday I was in my district in Barren County, Kentucky--voted the number one rural county in America to live in--and I was at the Chamber of Commerce. I sat and talked at a roundtable with business leaders, people who own franchises and other types of small businesses, and their concerns about getting the economy moving again didn't have to do with George W. Bush or even when the majority took over in 2006. Their concern was this Congress, the debt from the stimulus bill that didn't keep unemployment from going above 8 percent. They were concerned about the energy cost that is going to greatly affect the great Commonwealth of Kentucky, the cap-and-trade. And also, they were talking about how they're going to implement the health care bill that was passed by this majority. Those were their concerns.

I left with them saying, if we got back to our belief in limited government and unlimited faith in the American people, that we will get this economy moving again and bring back the jobs they need.

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

I rise today in support of House Resolution 1472, expressing support for designation of the week of September 13, 2010, as National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week.

Illiteracy is a nationwide problem. According to a recent report, nearly one out of two adults is illiterate, without the minimum skills required in today's society. Unfortunately, many adults in this country cannot read a newspaper or fill out a job application.

The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 93 million U.S. adults have ``basic'' and ``below basic'' literacy skills. Department of Education studies have also found that adults living in poverty were more likely to have lower than average literacy scores than adults with higher incomes. Half of the adults who did not have a high school diploma performed in the ``below basic'' levels. Seniors and the elderly over age 65 had the lowest average literacy scores of any range, with 64 percent performing in the ``basic'' and ``below basic'' levels. And the more than 1 million incarcerated adults in the Nation had lower average literacy scores than adults in households on nearly every comparable scale.

Literacy skills impact every aspect of adult life. Adults who are more literate are more likely to read to their children and discuss school topics, be employed full time and receive a higher income, use the Internet and email and vote, volunteer, and access information about local and national events.

Unfortunately, only a fraction of low literate adults seek literacy services from community providers. Many people with low literacy do not perceive their skills as a problem until a crisis, such as the loss of a job or a child's need for school, helps make them aware of their literacy needs.

National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week highlights the importance of efforts to ensure each and every citizen has the necessary literacy skills to succeed at home, at work, and in society. It encourages people across the United States to support programs to assist those in need of adult education and family literacy programs.

I support this resolution and ask my colleagues to do the same.

I yield back the balance of my time.