Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to deliver a few words honoring Ted Leipprandt who is being awarded the Leaders and Legends Award given by Michigan Agri-Business Association. This prestigious award is given annually to an individual who has been a leader in Michigan's agricultural community and honors a lifetime dedication to making a positive difference advancing the agriculture industry in the state.

Born to Theo and Lillian Leipprandt, Ted was the youngest of four children and grew up in the 1930s and 1940s on a 160 acre farm that was truly diverse. The family grew grain seeds, corn, sugar beets, while also raising cows, pigs and laying hens. As a teen, Ted helped his family around the farm staying active in the community by participating in organizations such as 4-H and Future Farmers of America until he went off to college at Michigan State University where he studied animal husbandry, and crop and soil sciences.

Once graduated from college, Ted volunteered to serve his country in the United States Army. While stationed at Fort Benning, he met his lovely wife Margaret, who together, would eventually raise three sons and one daughter: Jeff, Joel, Jim and Jill, and enjoy the company of 15 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

After his time spent serving this nation, Ted took a job with the Macomb County Cooperative Extension Service where he worked at the soil testing laboratory before taking up his long career at the Cooperative Elevator in Pigeon, Michigan.

Throughout his career at the Co-op Elevator, Ted helped set up the first soil testing program for the members of the community working closely with local farmers on soil sampling that would eventually be used to make fertilizer recommendations.

As time grew, Ted gained the area farmers confidence and trust building strong relationships which would later lead to taking on more responsibilities in the role of manager of the feed and fertilizer division and participating in the Board of Directors meetings at Co-op Elevator.

His reputation would later gain him a seat as General Manager and CEO of the Pigeon Co-op Elevator in 1974.

Over the next 13 years, Ted helped Co-op Elevator flourish by investing in major projects to increase grain storage as well as overseeing the organization's fertilizer blending facility, which at the time, was ``state of the art'' and is still used today.

His innovative thinking helped continue the Co-op Elevator's growth constantly expanding the outreach and impact on Michigan's agriculture in the Thumb where I represent.

Through his life, Ted believed that being active in the community where you live and work was essential. With that in mind, Ted stayed active in his local church, was a member of the Pigeon Rotary Club and has been very supportive of the 4-H and F.F.A. He was a member to multiple organizations which includes sitting on Michigan Bean Shippers Board, the Michigan Bean Commission and Michigan Grain and Agri-Dealers Association just to name a few.

Even after his retirement, Ted continued to serve the interest of agriculture in the Thumb while on the Board of Directors of DTE Energy and East Central Farm Credit Services.

Looking back at Ted's story is something to be admired and the community thanks him for all his hard work and dedication he has put in over the years to support not the just the agriculture industry but his community has a whole.

I am honored to represent Ted who is constituent of mine and congratulate him on this well deserved ``Leaders and Legends Award.''

You truly deserve it.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement at the conclusion of the first session of the 113th Congress, Ranking Member Robert Brady and I join together on behalf of the House of Representatives to express our most sincere gratitude to Mr. Daniel Strodel for his nearly three decades of outstanding dedicated service to the United States House of Representatives.

Since 2010, Dan has been tapped by both Republican and Democratic leadership to oversee nearly every administrative aspect of the House-- a true testament to the overwhelming bipartisan confidence in is capabilities. During his tenure as CAO, Dan not only ensured the continuity of daily operations, but he spearheaded major internal reforms and IT modernization projects that significantly improved the House's IT security, operational efficiency, financial accountability and transparency.

Prior to his tenure as CAO, Dan worked for the Committee on House Administration, U.S. Capitol Police and the House and Senate officers, including the Clerk of the House and the House and Senate Sergeant at Arms, in multiple capacities for the betterment and safety of the House community. As a senior advisor to the Committee, Dan provided invaluable counsel on operational matters related to the CAO, where he first started right out of college.

Dan's dedicated, longstanding service to this great institution is understood and greatly appreciated by the Members and employees who have benefited from his work.

On behalf of the entire House community, we extend congratulations to Dan for his years of outstanding contributions and service to the United States House of Representatives.

We wish Dan much happiness in fulfilling his retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, 12 years ago on September 11, 2001, al Qaeda terrorists trained and supported by Osama bin Laden from Afghanistan attacked and murdered nearly 3,000 Americans.

Shortly after that horrible day, American armed forces struck back in Afghanistan. Our troops have performed brilliantly and have significantly damaged al Qaeda terrorists' operations and brought the ultimate justice to bin Laden. At the same time our troops have shed their blood to provide the Afghan people with the opportunity to break from the tyranny of the Taliban and achieve freedom and liberty.

In recent months, our government has offered the additional opportunity provided by a bi-lateral security agreement which would keep American forces in that country beyond 2014. To date, Afghan President Karzai has refused to sign that agreement.

I believe that agreement should be withdrawn and President Obama should bring our forces home by the end of next year. Our troops have performed brilliantly. And now it is time for the Afghan people to step up and secure their own nation. We have offered freedom and democracy to Afghans and they must either choose to take it or not. And it is time for our troops to come home.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and recognize Bernard E. Beidel, an employee of the Chief Administrative Officer of the U.S. House of Representatives. Mr. Beidel was honored with the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA). The Lifetime Achievement Award honors an EAPA member who has made a significant contribution to Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), the EA profession, and to individuals over an extended period of time.

Mr. Beidel has been a leader in providing EAP services to organizations and currently serves as Director of the Office of Employee Assistance. He has held this role for over 20 years providing direct EAP services to members and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives since its inception in 1991.

I am proud to stand before you and the Nation on Mr. Beidel's behalf to recognize the importance of his public service, and honor his award for lifetime achievement and his contributions to the House community.

We wish Bern much happiness in fulfilling his retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and recognize the staff that retired through the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer 2013 voluntary separation incentive payment program, for their collective years of distinguished service to the U.S. House of Representatives: Sharyn Alexander; -Kenton Armas; Timothy Babcock; -Gerald Bennett; Frederick Bowles, Jr.; Lorenzo Braye; -- Elery Caskey, Jr., Tredway Childress; -Alessandro Cusati; - Mark Dalton; --Thomas D'Amico; -Sandra Durham; -Estanislao Field; Jerry Gallegos; - Terry Hancock; -Monroe Holliway; -Barbara Holmberg; - Alfredda Horton; -Richard Hughes; - Trevera Jackson; -Christine Jensen; - Stephen Johnson; Eric King;-- Thomas Mako; --Russell Malone;-- Roy McLeod; Gwendolyn Melvin; George Moore; Ronald Mullvain; Thoa Nguyen; David Peebler; Robert Ransom II; Alan Richardson; Willie Roane; Delma Rutkowski; Joe Taylor; Alvin Thompson; Ben Vann; Robert Watson.

These individuals are acknowledged and commended for the hard work, dedication, professionalism, and spirit of public service that each contributed to the operation of the House. On behalf of the Office of the CAO and the entire House community, I am proud to stand before you in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of myself and Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, our Ranking Minority Member, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize Christine Davenport who is leaving the House at the end of this year after serving in the Office of the General Counsel for more than ten years, first as an Assistant Counsel and then as a Senior Assistant Counsel. We will miss her.

Ms. Davenport provided frequent and invaluable legal advice and representation to the Committee on House Administration, as well as to Members, officers and other committees of the House more generally. Our staff came to rely on her expertise and guidance, particularly in connection with their internal oversight activities. Over the years, Ms. Davenport played a significant role in safeguarding the legal and institutional interests of the House of Representatives.

Ms. Davenport served the House with great distinction. On behalf of the Committee on House Administration, we thank Ms. Davenport for her devoted service, and extend to her our very best wishes for her continued success.

Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct privilege today to recognize the Peck Pirates High School 8-Player Football Team. The Pirates had what can only be described as a perfect season. The young men that make up the Pirates 8-Player team displayed remarkable teamwork which drove their memorable season home to Sanilac County, keeping the 8-Player trophy in a Sanilac County School since the inception of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) 8- Player football sport in 2010.

The Pirates won the State Championship on November 22, 2013 with a decisive 67-32 win over Rapid River Rockets High School 8-Player Football Team, capping a perfect 13-0 season.

This championship game showcased the Pirates skills that carried them through the season. Their defense took charge executing key plays with tackles, sacks and a big interception before halftime. Their offense wasted little time getting points on the board, working together to complete drive after drive down the field. Both in defensive battle and offensively, the Pirates kept constant pressure on their opponent and making their claim to the trophy clear.

The Pirates proved they had the skills, teamwork and fortitude to rise to the challenge and accomplish their ultimate goal--a State Championship! I am certain the community and the entire Thumb Region takes great pride in what these young individuals were able to achieve as a team.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor the hard work and sportsmanship displayed by all of the members of the Peck Pirates team.

Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of his retirement on October 31, 2013, we would like to thank Mr. Steve Kaeser for his over twenty-five years of distinguished service to the United States House of Representatives. Steve has served this great institution as a valued employee of House Information Resources (HIR), within the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

Steve has held a multitude of senior engineering positions over the years and his technical expertise and skills have been invaluable to servicing customers in the House community as well as staff within Technology Support and Enterprise Operations. Before moving to Enterprise Operations, Steve served as an engineer on the Software Support Team, in the newly created Technology Call Center, and on the Escalations Team. Among his many accomplishments, Steve helped create and run the House's new anti-virus software program with the establishment of Trend. His other defining achievement was the establishment of an Apps-server, which created a central access point for the download of all supportable software.

Moving forward, Steve has remained committed to supporting the ever- changing technology environment. After a few years in Technology Support, Steve joined Enterprise Operations where he became involved in critical aspects of client server architecture. He played an integral role in Windows server delivery and support and he performed system builds, security analysis and troubleshooting. In addition to server support, on occasion, Steve would lend his ``radio'' voice to the Recording Studio as a narrator for House training or you might see him at a co-workers desk helping them solve a problem. Throughout his career, Steve has provided House customers with the world class service they expect from the CAO.

On behalf of the entire House community, we extend congratulations to Steve for his years of dedication, outstanding contributions and service to the United States House of Representatives.

We wish Steve much happiness in fulfilling his retirement dreams.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the House of Representatives to pay tribute to eight outstanding and long- term employees of the Office of the Sergeant at Arms who will be retiring in the upcoming months:

John Boardman--Chamber Security Division staff.

Geraldine Cassidy--House Garages and Parking Security Division Staff.

Dennis Engel--House Garages and Parking Security Division Staff.

Karen Forriest--Identification Services Division staff.

Nicarsia Mayes--Chamber Security Division staff.

Linda Shealy--Emergency Management Division, Executive Assistant.

Bill Sims--Director of Chamber Security.

Lee Trolan--Emergency Management Division, Director, Continuity Planning.

Taken as a group, these exceptional public servants have served the House of Representatives and the federal government for a combined total of 242 years. I know we are deeply grateful to each of them for their many years of hard work, diligence, and sacrifice to this institution.

Taken individually, each has held positions of trust and responsibility within the Office of the Sergeant at Arms. From the Floor of the House, to the House Office Building garages, to the Identification Office, and Emergency Planning, their commitment to the Congress is second to none. Their institutional knowledge and skills, honed through years of hard work and dedication, will be sorely missed by their colleagues, as well as by Members and staff alike. Every single one of them has much to be proud of as they reflect on long and distinguished careers.

Please join me in commending the outstanding service of John Boardman, Geraldine Cassidy, Dennis Engel, Karen Forriest, Nicarsia Mayes, Linda Shealy, Bill Sims, and Lee Trolan to the Congress of the United States and congratulating each on their retirement. On behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives we wish each of you well in all of your future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3487) to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act to extend through 2018 the authority of the Federal Election Commission to impose civil money penalties on the basis of a schedule of penalties established and published by the Commission, to expand such authority to certain other violations, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the bill.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 3487, reauthorizing the Federal Election Commission's Administrative Fines Program. This program, which was established in the year 2000, provides the FEC with a consistent, transparent process for determining and administering fines for campaign finance reporting violations primarily related to late or incomplete filings with the Commission. It also provides filers with an inexpensive and efficient alternative to full investigations and enforcement proceedings to resolve very minor filing violations.

Using a public formula that takes multiple factors into consideration, like length of delay and repeat offenses, the FEC's program simply assesses the appropriate fines associated with a minor violation.

For example, if a Political Action Committee or Federal candidate files their quarterly expenditures 24 hours past the submission deadline, the Administrative Fines Program will automatically determine the financial penalty using its formula and then send a notification. If there is no dispute, the fine is just simply paid.

H.R. 3487 also expands this successful program to include reports filed by other types of organizations if the FEC's commissioners adopt a formula of fines for them. This effective program saves the agency, filers, and taxpayers money. However, without this bill, the program will expire on December 31 of this year.

With that, I certainly want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady) as well as the other members of our committee, the House Administration Committee, for their support of this bill. And I would urge my colleagues to support this reauthorization.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would just close by saying that, as a former secretary of state from the great State of Michigan and a former chief elections officer of my State, I think this is a very commonsense, cost-efficient, cost-effective program. It has worked very, very well for the agency, for the FEC, and certainly for filers as well as taxpayers.

I would urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3487 and reauthorize the Federal Election Commission's Administrative Fine Program.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 25) authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for activities associated with the ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Native American code talkers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the concurrent resolution.

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

I rise in very strong support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 25, authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall on Wednesday, November 20, for a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Native American code talkers who assisted the United States military and our ally powers. This ceremony, Mr. Speaker, is a very long overdue recognition of all Native American code talkers that served this Nation during times of foreign conflict.

Although the contributions of the Navajo code talkers during the World Wars have been the most celebrated, many, many other Native American tribes deserve recognition for their courage and dedication to this Nation as well. Thousands of Native Americans from over a dozen tribes across the country saw the threats to humanity being posed and joined with our military forces to protect our common homeland. It was a call to action that they selflessly and successfully accomplished.

I want to thank our former colleague from Oklahoma, Mr. Boren, for his leadership on H.R. 4544, the Native American Code Talkers Act, which provides for this overdue recognition and celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great honor to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a member of the Rules Committee and also recently named last week as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations. Also, Mr. Cole is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and the Chickasaw Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure and Natural Resources Committees. He is also a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I don't know how I follow on from the two previous speakers we had on our side that talked very eloquently from their heart about their pride in their heritage and their pride as being Americans and now as Members of the Congress about this bipartisan bill, and it is a ceremony that I tell my colleague from California we are all looking forward to.

As I mentioned in my opening remarks, it is certainly a ceremony that is long overdue for the recognition of all Native Americans, and particularly these code talkers and what they did to keep America free. They are great ambassadors of liberty, freedom, and democracy.

I urge all my colleagues to support Senate Concurrent Resolution 25, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, President Obama misled the American people about ObamaCare, and now he has admitted it.

And here is a letter to me from a small business owner in my district:

My husband and I have a small medical education business,

and ever since ObamaCare passed, our business has been cut in

half. Doctors are not spending money on education, so for the

last 4 years, our business has really suffered.

Then we were told we could keep our insurance. We had good

insurance, not junk. We currently paid $514 a month with a

$2,000 deductible. We were canceled as of 12/31/13. To get

anything near what we had, we will have to pay $1,900 a

month, which we cannot afford. So much for affordable health

care.

This is the first time in 30 years that we might not be

able to have health insurance. We have always run our life

not depending on the government for handouts, and now we are

losing our insurance. I ask you, what are we to do? Americans

are suffering. This is just wrong. Yes, I believe that

something needed to be done, but not this.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to keep the promise to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I come from the great State of Michigan, also known as the Great Lakes State, and I have lived my entire life along the shores of this national treasure. For those of us in Michigan and the other Great Lakes States, the Great Lakes are not just a source of much of our drinking water or a place that we go to enjoy their natural beauty or recreational opportunities or where so many work and make a living; they are central to our very identity. That is why I have made the protection of the Great Lakes a principal advocacy during all of the years that I have been in public service.

The Great Lakes actually represent fully one-fifth of the freshwater drinking supply on the entire planet. They provide the drinking water supply to tens of millions in our Nation and millions more in Canada as well. They are also vital to our economy. Over 160 million tons of commercial cargo is shipped on the Great Lakes. This commerce supports over 227,000 jobs and contributes over $33 billion to the economy.

The recreational aspect of the Great Lakes also builds our economy. Recreational boating on the Great Lakes supports over 100,000 jobs and $16 billion in economic activity. The secondary effect of all of that means an additional 244,000 jobs and $19 billion in additional economic activity. Of course, that includes boat manufacturers, marinas, charter operators, and other businesses as well. So, a healthy Great Lakes system is not only important to our economy in Michigan or the Great Lakes States, it is important for the entire Nation.

Today, unfortunately, the use of those waters is threatened by our inability to maintain our ports, our channels, and our harbors. A decade--we have had actually a decade--of below normal water levels and very limited or uncoordinated Federal funding for harbor dredging and infrastructure repair has dramatically curtailed shipping, and it has made, actually, some of our recreational harbors almost inaccessible. In fact, this year, many of our recreational harbors were really in crises as low water levels made the need for dredging vital to the economic survival of so many communities.

We as a Nation, Mr. Speaker, must recognize the importance of the Great Lakes and give this natural wonder the properly coordinated support that it needs. That is why I have joined with several of my Michigan colleagues--Bill Huizenga and Dan Benishek--to introduce the Great Lakes Navigation System Sustainability Act. Our legislation is supported by the Great Lakes Maritime Task Force, the Great Lakes Metro Chambers of Commerce, the Lakes Carriers Association, the American Great Lakes Port Association, the Great Lakes Small Harbors Coalition, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the United States Great Lakes Shipping Association, and the Great Lakes Commission, as well as the Great Lakes Governors Association.

I am very pleased that the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Bill Shuster, worked with us to include important provisions of that legislation in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act, also known as WRRDA, which we will be voting on in this House later on today.

The most important of these provisions will establish the Great Lakes Navigational System and require the Army Corps of Engineers to look at the Great Lakes system in its entirety rather than looking at it port by port when they are thinking about dredging and maintenance. This would really end the practice of pitting one port in the Great Lakes against another, and, instead, it focuses on the interdependence of all of them.

The WRRDA bill also helps recognize our recreational harbors by providing 10 percent of all the funds authorized by the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to be directed to recreational harbors. This type of funding will allow recreational harbors across the Great Lakes to have another opportunity for needed dredging support, places like Port Huron, Lexington, Port Sanilac, Harbor Beach, Port Austin, Sebewaing, and many others--those are just in my district--but there are so many others throughout the entire basin as well.

Mr. Speaker, if you travel to the State of Michigan and visit the shores of the Great Lakes, you will find the magnificence of what we call ``pure Michigan.'' But, as possessive as those of us from Michigan are of the Great Lakes, we also recognize that they are ``pure American,'' so this incredible natural wonder deserves the recognition and protection from our entire Nation. Today, we can take a very important step forward in the protection of the Great Lakes, our magnificent Great Lakes, by passing the WRRDA bill.

I certainly urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

I certainly thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very strong support of the bill that we are debating here, the Border Safety and Security Act.

As vice chair of the House Homeland Security Committee and chair of the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, I, along with so many others, have worked to ensure that Congress gives the agents and the officers in the field the tools and the direction that they need to keep drugs and terrorists and others who would do us harm from entering our country. That is what this legislation is about today.

Much of the controversy surrounding the government shutdown has actually focused on ObamaCare. But, Mr. Speaker, there is nothing, absolutely zero, in

the bill that we are talking about right now that has anything to do with ObamaCare.

The only thing that is in this bill and that we are discussing today is whether or not we will help provide the funds to ensure that we can protect our Nation's borders and pay the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol, the Customs and Border Protection, and also the Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

I know many of our friends on the other side of the aisle will once again oppose this legislation because they say they need an entire government funding bill or they won't accept anything else, yet I would note that they are calling Republicans ``absolutists.''

I also know that there are many on the other side of the aisle that will support this bill and will help us pass this, again, with a very strong bipartisan majority. I simply hope that the leaders of the Senate will look at the strong bipartisan support of this bill and take it up. Border security, Mr. Speaker, cannot be a casualty of our inability to compromise. The agencies that are responsible for protecting this country must be fully funded.

I urge the House to support this bill today, to pass this bill today, and I certainly urge the Senate and the White House to join us in supporting the men and women across the Nation charged with protecting our border.

I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of this bill to fully fund the FAA, the Federal Aviation Administration. It is so absolutely critical, both to our economy as well as to our security in the airways, not only on commercial flights but general aviation as well.

Mr. Speaker, during this shutdown, we keep hearing a lot about ObamaCare, but this bill has nothing to do with ObamaCare. It has no strings attached. It just funds the FAA.

I know that many of our colleagues on the other side will say, well, they can't vote for this unless they have an entire clean CR funding the entire government, because they want exactly what they want, and nothing else will do. Yet, they call Republicans ``absolutists.''

Fortunately, many on the other side will support this bill. In fact, I think it is of note that with all the various CRs, clean CRs, that we have been passing since this shutdown began, all with no strings attached, all that have nothing to do with ObamaCare, we actually now have funded a large part--if not more than half--of the entire discretionary Federal budget.

Unfortunately, the President and the Senate Majority Leader keep saying that they will not negotiate; they won't consider any of these things.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this important funding bill.