Candice S. Miller

I certainly thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the combined rule, but specifically I want to talk in favor of the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, which will finally approve this very, very long overdue project. The act that we are going to be passing will certainly show this House's intent to pass it, and I do believe that now the Senate will pass the Keystone Pipeline project as well.

There are just so many reasons--so many reasons--to vote in favor of this bill:

First of all, tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, American jobs, at zero cost to the American taxpayers.

Greater American access to safe and reliable North American energy resources, because certainly getting more energy from our close friends, our neighbors, our closest ally, the Canadians, makes perfect sense.

Reduced energy costs for American families. How important is that?

Enhanced American energy security. And in today's modern world, more than ever, energy independence and energy security equals national security.

So no wonder, Madam Speaker, that this project is supported by so many groups from all across the spectrum: labor organizations, so many labor organizations are supportive of this because of the jobs that it will bring; so many business organizations because of what it is going to do to help turbocharge our economy; and certainly the vast majority of American people, in poll after poll after poll, have demonstrated that they want this project to happen. They are totally cognizant, very aware of what this project means, again, to reducing our reliance that we have currently on fossil fuel from foreign sources, some countries that are not particularly favorable to American values and our way of life, and the American people are very, very supportive of this project.

I say now, Madam Speaker, that it is time to turn away from the extreme environmentalists and work toward the priorities of the American people. The time to act is now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1691, the Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014.

This measure would replace the current antiquated overtime system used by the Border Patrol and create a new pay system that results in more hours worked on the border, provides more reliable schedules and paychecks for agents, and saves taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

As Chairman of the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, I have been focused on increasing border security efforts along our long and porous border and supporting the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol who defend our nation against drug and human smugglers and others who would do us harm.

This measure supports that effort.

The men and women who secure our borders often work alone, in very remote locations on the border. They cannot simply punch a clock at the end of their shift if they are in pursuit of illicit border crossers. Instead they work irregular hours to track and apprehend dangerous criminal aliens.

This bill will allow front line supervisors to better manage agents' work schedules, saving taxpayers millions of dollars each year. In fact, according to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill will save taxpayers up to $100 million a year.

Last year, the Office of Special Counsel issued a scathing report about the misuse and

abuse of the current overtime system by Customs and Border Protection. This legislation will end such abuse in the future, at the same time increasing the number of hours the Border Patrol can secure the border, which is the equivalent of adding an additional 1,500 Border Patrol agents.

With additional hours on the border, our nation will be more secure as additional agent hours will help gain control of the border, carry out additional law enforcement missions, and apprehend dangerous criminals.

Mr. Speaker, the mission carried out by the men and women of the Border Patrol is extremely dangerous--more than one hundred agents have given their lives protecting our nation.

We owe it to them to give them a stable, predicable paycheck that takes into account the irregular nature of the arduous work they do every day on the border.

So, I want to commend the leadership of the Chief of the Border Patrol, Michael Fisher, and the Deputy Chief of the Border Patrol, Ronald Viteillo, for their commitment to finding sustainable reforms for agent pay, while also improving the security of our border.

I urge my colleagues to support this common sense bill that saves the taxpayers millions of dollars.

Mr. Speaker, certainly, protecting and preserving the Great Lakes has always been a principal advocacy of mine through my entire tenure in public office and even before I came into public office. I actually grew up on the Great Lakes. My family was in the marina business. So the lakes were more than just a source of recreation for us. They put food on the table in our family. Like so many from the region, the Great Lakes are a proud part of our identity. We have heard from so many of the various States in the Great Lakes basin today the passion that we all have for these magnificent, magnificent Great Lakes.

As has been said, they generate billions of dollars each and every year through fishing, through the shipping industry, and recreational activities as well. They are 20 percent of the freshwater drinking supply on the entire planet, quite frankly.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, we have not been the best stewards of these magnificent lakes, and we do owe it to future generations to help assure that they are protected and that they are preserved. One great way to do this for the Great Lakes is through this continued funding and support of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that we are debating here on the floor today.

Over the years, Mr. Speaker, I have seen firsthand the impact the GLRI is having on our lakes. From dredging to beach and shoreline restoration to fighting against invasive species, these projects are critical to protecting and restoring the Great Lakes ecosystems.

Actually, in October, I was at a place called Harsens Island in my district where I saw an effort underway to control phragmites, which is sort of an odd name. It is a huge, invasive plant that has been actually choking wetlands throughout the Great Lakes Basin, but funding through this program is eradicating them and letting Mother Nature breathe again.

Along the shoreline of the St. Clair River, GLRI funded the restoration of natural habitats, improved stormwater drainage, and improved water quality, but there is so much more to do. For example, the Clinton River, which flows through a very major metropolitan area in southeast Michigan, is in need of similar restoration projects.

We also need to look at ways that can better detect toxins in our waterways with real-time water quality monitoring systems, some of which we have in my area as it comes through Lake Huron, the St. Clair River, into Lake St. Clair, and down the Detroit River. It is not happening in Lake Erie, and it has to be part of the notification protocol there as well. We also are having some of these green-blue algae blooms in our area.

As was mentioned, these are a gift from God. God gave us these magnificent lakes that have provided us with so much, but we do need to be better stewards of them, and quite frankly, we have a lot of making up to do to Mother Nature.

Mr. Speaker, we can start that certainly today by strongly supporting H.R. 5764, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act. I certainly rise in strong support of this bill from the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce), and I urge all of my colleagues to support it as well.