Charles W. Boustany, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, today I would like to pay tribute to Mr. Dan Fager on his retirement with thirty-five years of service with Chevron Corporation.

Dan was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, and he graduated from Topeka West High School in 1970. After high school he attended the University of Kansas for two years. He then transferred to Michigan State University and graduated in 1974 with a degree in Criminal Justice. Dan was a police officer in Baltimore, Maryland for one year before heading back to the University of Kansas Law School, where he obtained a Juris Doctor degree in 1977. Dan lived in Denver right after law school where he worked as a law clerk for the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Dan Fager began his career with Chevron in September of 1980 as a Land Representative in the Denver office. In 1985, he became District Supervisor for Land. Dan then moved to Washington, DC as the Upstream Representative in 1988 on a ``temporary'' assignment. That temporary assignment soon morphed into his permanent placement.

Fager quickly became a highly respected and effective lobbyist in Washington, DC establishing Chevron as a go-to company on Capitol Hill. His word was his bond and his fact-based approach and commitment to integrity made him indispensable to Chevron and the people in Washington with whom he worked.

His accomplishments are numerous, including the Unocal acquisition for Chevron, first preserving Chevron's right to operate in Burma and then later helping to lift the sanctions that allowed the U.S. to normalize the commercial relationship. He also played a key role ensuring that U.S. tax policy encouraged U.S. investment in oil and gas.

As the head of Chevron's federal affairs team, Dan managed a staff of four. While his tendency to play the ``devil's advocate'' could sometimes frustrate the team, they agree that his challenges helped them sharpen their lobbying skills.

Anyone who knows Dan will describe him as a true gentleman with a bi- partisan spirit. He is well respected for both his knowledge on issues and his calm and kind demeanor. He is a consummate professional, with a warm sense of humor and strong work ethic. I am proud to call him a personal friend.

I congratulate Dan on his retirement and thank him for his diligent service to the energy industry. I wish him all the best that retirement has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to draw attention to an issue with serious implications for Louisiana.

Over the past 20 years, Customs and Border Protection has not only failed to collect $2.3 billion in antidumping duties, it has doubled down by refusing to pay collected interest owed to American industries like Louisiana's crawfish processors.

Last October, CBP promised this Louisiana industry it would disburse $6 million in interest, only to reverse its decision 1 month later. This is just unacceptable.

While I was able to include language in the Homeland Security Appropriations bill to address this issue, I still don't believe it goes far enough to ensure that CBP is forced to follow through on paying what it owes under the law.

It is vitally important that Congress hold CBP accountable. This industry is not only an important job creator, it has deep Louisiana roots in Louisiana's culture.

Mr. Speaker, I will not allow CBP to run over this industry without a fight.

Mr. Speaker, it has been demonstrated many times over that ObamaCare is a broken law. For example, under the law, full-time employment is classified at 30 hours a week, requiring these businesses to provide insurance to these employees.

Now, what is the consequence? This creates an incentive to limit hours. This will disproportionately affect 2.3 million low-income workers. It puts our economy in danger of creating a class of part-time employees where having two or three jobs is the norm. That is just unacceptable. That is not the answer for America.

Even major unions like the Teamsters say this law will destroy the very health and well-being of working families. That is not the promise of America. That is not the America we all aspire to. We should be encouraging businesses to hire more, to offer more pay, not to limit growth and employment. That is not the answer.

Today, the House is taking action to save the American worker by lifting this threshold to a more realistic 40 hours a week.

I could tell you real-life experience. Having talked to companies, they are going to be pushing more and more of these workers into part- time employment. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to talk to businesses in their districts and understand what is really happening as a consequence.

That is why we should pass this legislation. I encourage all Members to please support this bill.