Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Bruderhof communities in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Florida. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of Woodcrest, the first Bruderhof community in the United States.

Founded in 1920 in Germany, the Bruderhof is a Christian church community known for its exemplary contributions in education, care for the needy, excellence in business, and interfaith cooperation. Expelled from Germany by the Nazi regime in 1937, Bruderhof members initially found refuge in England and South America before settling in 1954 in Rifton, New York.

In celebration of this anniversary, it's my honor to quote from Foundations of Our Faith and Calling, the Bruderhof community's constitution:

Our life together is founded on Jesus, the Christ and son

of God. We desire to love him, to follow him, to obey his

commandments, and to testify in word and deed to the coming

of his kingdom here on earth.

Our faith is grounded in the Bible, the authoritative

witness to the living Word of God. Through the Holy Spirit,

we seek to be guided in all things by the New and Old

Testaments.

We hold to the teaching and example of the early Christians

and affirm the apostolic rule of faith in the triune God as

stated in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.

We stem from the Anabaptist tradition, but feel akin to all

who are pledged to full discipleship of Jesus. We recognize

his power to work in all people, regardless of their creed or

walk of life.

Our calling is to Jesus, who calls all people to himself.

Jesus sums up the nature of his kingdom in two great

commandments: ``Love the Lord your God with all your heart,

and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all

your strength,'' and ``Love your neighbor as yourself.''

Jesus asks us to live as citizens of his coming kingdom. We

must prove our love to him in deeds, putting into practice

his words in the Gospels, especially the Sermon on the Mount.

His commands are practical: to forgive unconditionally; to

renounce all violence; to stay faithful in lifelong marriage;

to live free from wealth; to serve as the least and lowest;

and to give up all power over others.

To live for the kingdom of God leads to church community.

God wants to gather a people on earth who belong to his new

creation. Such a people came into being in Jerusalem at the

first Pentecost. As described in Acts 2 and 4, the Holy

Spirit descended on the believers who had gathered after

Jesus' resurrection, and the first communal church was born.

We are a fellowship of brothers and sisters, both single

and married, who are called by Christ to follow him together

in a common life in the spirit of the first church in

Jerusalem. Our vocation is a life of service to God and

humankind, freely giving our whole working strength and all

that we have and are.

If asked whether we are the one true church, we reply,

``No''--we are merely objects of God's mercy like everybody

else. But if asked whether we experience the church as a

reality in our daily lives, then we must affirm that we do,

through the grace of God.

We give all honor to God, knowing that our life together is

nothing unless it is filled with his love and continually

renewed by his mercy.

I thank my friend and neighbor from New York.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to be here today with my colleagues as we jointly pursue the effort to prevent sexual assault. I think this is something that really goes to the core of who we are as a people.

I am reminded at this moment of some of our ideas at the very founding, inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These inalienable rights come from God, but governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed to secure these rights.

We have taken action here in this Chamber. We have worked together to do that. The Violence Against Women Act we passed a little over a year ago, and then the budget agreement that we enacted at the end of last year increased by $10 million. Certainly we need to do more than that, but we are taking some action.

I want to highlight how that can make a difference right at the local level. These resources go towards education for law enforcement professionals and for conduit with the judicial system. It is also for shelters and for supporting infrastructure and health care networks.

I am reminded of one of the visits my wife and I made recently to the Washbourne House in Kingston. That is the largest city in my district, the 19th district in New York, where I met with Michael Berg, who heads the Family of Woodstock shelters, and Cathy Moriarty, who actually runs the Washbourne House.

Madam Speaker, this is really hard work. These victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, when they first show up at the doorstep of the Washbourne House, security, the most basic of human needs, that is their biggest concern, and for these leaders, providing that security and helping the family to be able to trust again; then, for basic needs, some of these victims come with children, and providing for them to get back into a sense of normalcy, to get them back into school, all the while, to help our victims to get back up on their feet and to be self-reliant going forward, these resources are just critical to support these programs.

I am very proud of the work that is done there. I think it is illustrative of the kind of work that is done by very special people in our country all across our land. But there is more to be done, and there is an opportunity for us to do more. I am talking about, now, H.R. 3571. This is the International Violence Against Women Act, and this provides resources to help coordinate USAID and Department of State efforts about our funding programs to make them more effective as we work with our friends and allies across the world.

I will tell you, this will not only help, I think, prevent sexual assault and bring more security, but it will also make us a stronger country. It will make us a stronger country, and it will bring us truer and in line with our founding principles. I argue that when we do that, on our best day, other countries want to be like us; and in that regard, it actually makes us safer as well.

So I just want to thank the organizations that work with us on this effort. I am talking about a number of organizations, but I would like to point out Amnesty International, CARE USA, and Futures Against Violence. I thank them for their leadership on this issue.

I thank everyone for being here today, and I thank my friend from New York.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the honorable and distinguished career of Army Chaplain Colonel Eric Olsen. I have had the distinct privilege of knowing Colonel Olsen since serving in the United States Army.

Born in Staten Island, Chaplain Olsen entered the United States Army in December 1983 through the Pennsylvania National Guard. He completed the Chaplain Candidate Course in 1985 and was subsequently ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1988. From 1988 until 1992, he led the parish at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Saranac Lake before going on Active Duty and serving tours of duty in South Carolina, Germany, Egypt and Fort Drum. Finally, he transitioned to the New York National Guard in 1999 where he remained throughout his career.

Chaplain Olsen's long career has included assignments as Assistant Chaplain HHC 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Chaplain HHS 1-156 Field Artillery, Chaplain HHC 27th UEX, and the State Chaplain of the New York National Guard.

A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Chaplain Olsen deployed to Iraq, operating in the dangerous Sunni Triangle region. Serving as the Battalion Chaplain, his unit conducted combat and stability operations as a part of Task Force Hunter.

During his notable career, Chaplain Olsen earned various awards and decorations including the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with bronze oak leaf cluster), Army Commendation Medal (with 3 bronze oak leaf

clusters), Army Achievement Medal (with 1 silver oak leaf clusters and 1 bronze oak leaf cluster), Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (with 3 bronze oak leaf clusters), National Defense Service Medal (with 2 bronze oak leaf clusters), Multinational Force and Observers Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Combat Action Badge.

Eric had a truly commendable career, of which he, his wife Susan Marie, and his two sons Garth and Evan should all be very proud. Notably, he made the difficult sacrifice of serving both the United States as well as the higher power of God. I would like to wish him and his family all of the best in his future service and retirement from the United States Army and New York National Guard.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Brad Roberts, who recently passed away. Mr. Roberts' impressive career will surely be remembered by all. As the sponsor of H.R. 1465, the STORAGE Act, I am a strong proponent of energy storage and have had the opportunity to get to know this industry and the individuals who comprise it.

Brad Roberts was a leader in this industry, serving for decades as the volunteer Executive Director of the Electricity Storage Association, which advocates for technologies that make our electric grid more resilient, cleaner, more efficient, and less expensive. Mr. Roberts worked full-time as the Power Quality Systems Director for the Power Quality group of S&C Electric Company.

Growing up, Mr. Roberts was a graduate of Pensacola High School and a member of the Pensacola Fighting Tiger Band. During this time he had the opportunity to march in the Inaugural Parade for President John F. Kennedy. He then earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida and was registered as a professional engineer.

Mr. Roberts began his engineering work as a systems reliability engineer in the Apollo Lunar Module Program at Cape Kennedy, and amassed over 35 years of experience in the design and operation of critical power systems. These systems ranged from single phase UPS systems to medium-voltage applications. His career grew to include senior management positions and the publishing of several technical papers and journal articles. Throughout his life he held many leadership positions in various organizations. In addition to his roles at ESA and S&C, Mr. Roberts served as the Chairman of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power Engineering Society's Emerging Technologies Committee. He was also a member of the US Department of Energy's Electricity Advisory Committee, and the University of Florida's College of Engineering Advisory Committee.

During his remarkable career, Mr. Roberts was honored with the 2004 John Mungenast International Power Quality Award, the 2009 Phil Symons Electricity Storage Award, and was also recognized as a Senior Life Member of IEEE.

In closing, I know Brad Roberts will surely be missed by those who knew him or knew of him. His passing is a loss to the industry. I send condolences to his family and loved-ones on behalf of my own family as well as the people of New York's 19th Congressional District.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for coming forward with these moving tributes. I want to add to those my condolences, and those of my family.

This is a very resilient Nation, and New Yorkers in tough times like these, we come together. Every day I have thousands of my constituents who ride these trains back and forth to provide for their families. I pledge my support and those of our district as we ensure that a tragedy like this is not repeated.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Master Sergeant Jon Jensen for his extraordinary service to the nation while serving in the United States Army for the past 25 years. His record of distinguished service includes tours in Kuwait, Korea, and a competitive selection assignment as a Congressional Legislative Liaison to the Office of the Chief, Army Reserve.

As the 295th Ordinance Company First Sergeant while deployed to Kuwait in 2004 and 2005, he superbly integrated 110 cross-leveled Army Reserve Soldiers and 44 active duty Soldiers into one cohesive company. First Sergeant Jensen utilized his superb leadership abilities to provide command and control and health and welfare of his unit, despite their dispersal throughout the Kuwait area of responsibility. First Sergeant Jensen also assumed operational duties during this deployment and successfully established three ammunition holding areas and a theater amnesty program resulting in the company's ability to maintain and provide more than 74,000 short tons of ammunition in direct support of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom.

During his tenure as the 303rd Ordinance Group Operations Senior Non- Commissioned Officer, MSG Jensen successfully ensured full munitions support for all U.S. and coalition forces on the Korean Peninsula during the Ulchi Focus Lens Korea 06 exercise. While serving as the 1st Brigade, 104th Training Division Operations NCO, MSG Jensen was hand selected by the Ordinance Corps Advisory Group to present a proposal to the U.S. Army Chief of Ordinance on recommended upgrades to the 89B (Ammunition Specialist) Military Occupational Specialty. While in this role, he also led the Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Command from last to first place in Division operational readiness in a span of only four months.

MSG Jensen's military career culminated in his competitive selection as the Army Reserve's only senior enlisted Legislative Liaison. At this strategic level, MSG Jensen heavily engaged with key congressional leaders and key senior leaders of governmental and non-governmental entities. MSG Jensen supported numerous congressional hearings, frequent office calls, and countless Hill engagements with members of Congress and Army Reserve Senior Leaders. He spearheaded, organized, planned and executed the Army Reserve Congressional Staff Delegation to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin to showcase the capabilities of an Operational United States Army Reserve.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the grateful Nation, I join my colleagues today in saying thank you to Master Sergeant Jon Jensen for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to the country throughout his distinguished career in the United States Army.

Mr. Speaker, as I rise in support of the bill, I thank the chairman, the ranking member, and all the members of the committee and the staff for their work.

Our veterans deserve our very best effort, and it is simply taking too long to process these claims. We have got to do better. I believe this bill will take a step in the right direction.

I also appreciate the leadership of this committee including one of my bills along with this bill.

Since arriving here, I have been working on supporting our Vietnam veterans who have been exposed to agent orange. The chairman mentioned that if you served on the ground or in the river in the Navy, you get presumed coverage; but if you served just offshore, you don't get that presumed coverage. I believe that needs to change.

I have the bill to do that. Until the time of such policy change, I believe the DOD and VA need to be better organized so that we can work this out on a case-by-case basis, which is what we are doing right now. The leadership was kind enough to include that bill in this effort. I think we are going to make a positive difference.

I do want to give a shout-out to a couple of ladies in upstate New York making a difference, Carol Olszanecki and Susie Belanger, for the work that they have done on this, and we are going to continue to work it together.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the incredible work done by the Combat Paper Project in California, New York, New Jersey and across the globe in helping combat veterans transition into civilian life.

Having served 24 years in the United States Army, one of my most profound responsibilities as a commander was to help my troopers readjust when we returned home from combat deployments and assist in their transition to civilian life after leaving the Army. Since retiring from the Army and becoming a United States Congressman, I have been proud to support the countless public and private sector groups, businesses, organizations, and individuals who are also dedicated to this mission of assisting our veterans.

The Combat Paper Project is an outstanding example of this effort. Founded by artist and papermaker Drew Matott and Iraq War veteran Drew Cameron, this organization seeks to assist in the veteran's transition by turning the uniform of the soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine into a piece of unique art. Notably, this is a collaborative process with the veteran helping to make the transition, breaking down the uniform and personally turning it into a unique piece of art that captures their own interests or life experiences, made up of the fabric in which they served their country.

I recognize the difficulty in finding ways to acclimate our uniformed men and women back to. civilian life. Combat Paper is a unique way to do so and I thank its founders, supporters, and participants for its success to date. I wish this organization continued success and I and my colleagues in Congress will continue to work alongside them in repaying these men and women who have sacrificed so much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce for being named the winner of The Business Council of New York State's Chamber of the Year award. As the Representative of New York's 19th Congressional District, I have the great honor of working with the Otsego County Chamber and know first- hand the good work they do for Upstate New York.

Each year, The Business Council Chamber of the Year Award is given to a Chamber of Commerce that displays a positive commitment to pro- business activities within their community and state. In awarding this honor to the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, The Business Council of New York has recognized Executive Director Barbara Ann Heegan's leadership and the entire Otsego County Chamber's work on behalf of the business community. Their commitment to quality programs and services, fiscal responsibility and membership growth makes them an example for Chambers of Commerce across New York and across the Nation.

In these tough economic times, it is more important than ever that we have strong organizations dedicated to economic growth. Located in Oneonta, N.Y., the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce works to improve the overall business climate in Otsego County and create an atmosphere which attracts investment by building a positive, forward-thinking business community through partnerships with government, individuals and private institutions.

Of particular interest to me was the Otsego County Chamber's partnership with local education institutions. These efforts included coordinating with the SUNY Cooperative Ed Initiative to create a college intern program, developing a partnership with Broome Community College to provide courses to county residents, expanding networking opportunities for community members, and providing seminars and educational programs. At a time where unemployment is hovering around 8 percent but around 4 million jobs remain unfilled in the United States, it is more vital that job creators and educators work together to build the workforce our country needs to remain competitive on the international front.

It is an honor to represent Otsego County in the United States Congress and I am proud to stand today in recognition of the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce. I look forward to continuing to work with Executive Director Heegan and her award-winning membership at the Otsego County Chamber to grow the economy and bring jobs to Upstate New York.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the generous staff, volunteers, and supporters of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Upstate New York/Vermont Chapter. On Saturday, September 28, in recognition of Blood Cancer Awareness Month, 1,000 walkers will gather at Siena College in Loudonville, NY for the chapter's Light the Night Walk. Participants have raised more than $200,000 to fund treatments that are saving the lives of blood cancer patients.

I am delighted to formally recognize the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for its hard work, community spirit, and dedication to fighting cancer. By bringing people together at Siena and similar events around the country this month, the society is making great strides in its mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Blood cancer is the number three cancer killer in our country. Nearly 149,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed in 2013. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has invested almost $1 billion in research, contributing to the development of life-saving drugs. Since 1963, myeloma survival rates have more than tripled. Lymphoma survival rates have more than doubled. Leukemia survival rates have more than quadrupled.

This movement is made possible by the friends, families, and co- workers of cancer patients who form fundraising teams around the Nation. These efforts culminate in inspirational evening walks in over 200 U.S. communities, including the Siena campus and the city of Burlington, VT. Last year the Upstate New York/Vermont Chapter raised $1.1 million, hosted 19 educational seminars, welcomed 300 attendees to monthly support groups, and disbursed more than $300,000 in patient financial support.

I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to this organization for bringing the light of hope and caring to the dark world of cancer. May God bless and protect these good citizens and their loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, during my time in the military, I had the privilege of serving as an assistant professor of American Government at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The opportunity to educate young minds about our democracy, our Constitution, our exceptional way of life was one of the greatest privileges I ever had.

The continuation of our Nation relies upon the engagement of an informed citizenry. In a time when education funding is being stretched thin at the Federal, State, and local levels, civics and history are often among the first subjects to be pared down or even eliminated.

I'm proud of the work of my colleagues such as Representative Honda and Representative Cole and what they're doing to promote civic education. One of my own constituents, Jonathan Estrin from Columbia County, has been helping them. I'm proud of him, as well.

Though it is the role of the State and local governments to establish curricula, I support Federal efforts to assist States and localities who wish to empower their students by civic education.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure future generations come to learn about our Nation's history and remain engaged as citizens.

Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. Chairman, I want to say to our chairman of the Agriculture Committee and to our staff, I deeply appreciate all the work on this farm bill. I am proud to have been associated with it.

I will say to the gentleman from Georgia, who just moments ago cited data from about a decade ago and then a report from 2009, I acknowledge the challenges with the program. However, as the gentleman mentioned, a couple of developments that have occurred are, first of all, implementation that has occurred just several months ago that addressed the points that were made in an IG report, and also the fact that in the underlying language--and I will thank the chairman--we incorporated other measures that deal with transparency and clarification that were talking about unserved areas.

So I would say to the gentleman, and I appreciate him very much, but I want to tell you that this program is really important to districts like mine. The FCC claims that there are up to 19 million Americans who do not have access to high-speed broadband. The place that I represent in upstate New York, we've got many communities that don't have access to high-speed broadband. A program such as this has been helpful and will be helpful going forward.

I want to remind everyone--it is worth pointing out--that this is a loan program that is paid back with interest. This expanding broadband helps us not only with job creation, but it helps us with health care delivery, it helps us with education, and overall quality of life. I know that even in your own State this has been a program that has done some good, certainly needed reform, and has happened, reform has come about.

What I would say to the gentleman is I appreciate his concern for the taxpayer, I share that concern, and believe that we have made significant progress with regard to transparency, efficacy in the program, and want to see us continue this program because we need to move forward and continue to--just as we did with electrification for this country--to see all communities have access to high-speed broadband.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to my friend from Virginia (Mr. Wittman).

I reserve the balance of my time.

How much time do I have, Mr. Chairman?

In order to demonstrate the bipartisan nature of this amendment, I yield 30 seconds to my friend from California (Mr. Garamendi).

I will yield in just a second. I will be happy to do it. Let me first yield 30 seconds to our acting chairman, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Crawford).

I yield to the gentleman.

I appreciate the debate here, but I will just end where I began.

I think that there have been significant improvements that have been made over time. I appreciate both the chairman and the ranking member for allowing us to improve this program.

This is a program that's going to particularly help small companies so that we can build out broadband. It will be good for job creation and good for rural America. It's going to be good for health care delivery, and it's going to be good for education. I urge my colleagues to defeat this amendment.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank my friend for yielding, and I am honored to join with him in support of this amendment. And I would say to my good friend from Pennsylvania, absolutely, and I believe I speak for my friend Mr. Garamendi as well, we think the program is working very well. We think it can work even better.

We've got land trusts in my area of upstate New York that are highly confident. In fact, you know, I'll tell you that they played a major role in preparing me for this farm bill. I'm thinking of Teri Platchek out in Washington County, and Peter Paden from Columbia County at the Columbia Land Conservancy, and Ned Sullivan and Andy Bickening with the Scenic Hudson, Becky Thornton, Duchess Land Conservancy.

These are folks that are passionate about finding that nexus between agriculture and tourism where conservation plays a key role; and, you know, their insight to me helped me influence this farm bill. They're ready to step up and be more involved. That's going to help.

As my friend from California said, it's going to help us use our money in even a more efficient manner and to reach out more in this program.

So I urge support of this amendment. This only allows States the authority. You know, it really empowers States to make this decision. I think it's a good choice, and let's do it.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

This is a bipartisan amendment addressing some underlying language in the bill pertaining to olive oil advanced by my good friends from California and Georgia who are here today to defend and to advance their olive growers. They are very proud of them.

I just want to say how proud I am of their olive growers, as well, and also to address fraud. I want to also express my commitment to combating fraud as well.

Regrettably, this underlying language misses the mark. In fact, it is going to significantly drive up costs. It is going to cost hundreds, in fact thousands, of jobs across America, including hundreds of jobs in my home State.

I think it is important to focus in on what this underlying language does. We should face the facts that at least at the moment 98 percent of the olive oil that we consume in America is imported from overseas. In fact, we've got hundreds of jobs in New York State that deal with that. But 98 percent of the olive oil is imported. The underlying language will require 100 percent of that 98 percent to be chemical- and taste-tested at the port. Now you have about 5 to 8 percent that's spot checked. We're talking about going to 100 percent. I don't even think the United States Government has the capacity to do that. I certainly would fear if it ended up with the capacity to do that.

Look, the way that we should deal with fraud is strike this language. We should look to the FDA for standards. We did this in New York. We have standards in New York. The olive oil distributors are certainly complying with it. They were part of making it come about. But what we've done in this underlying bill, I want to make sure it is very clear that this is going to drive up costs for all of our consumers, millions of dollars according to the CBO, and we are going to end up crushing jobs.

With that, I want to reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Chairman.

At this time, I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hanna).

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time I have remaining.

I yield my last minute to my good friend from New York (Mr. Grimm).

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank the gentleman from Washington. I am honored to be offering this amendment with him.

From our Bill of Rights, the Fifth Amendment: no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process. From our Sixth Amendment: the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial.

That is the supreme law of the land.

Evidently, we have some ambiguity based out of the 2001 AUMF. So, clearly, we need to offer this amendment here today, and I rise in strong support of it.

We think about the founding in that period, shortly after the Revolution, and remember the fact that we had Americans who at the time did not support the Revolution. There were a lot of hard feelings in the immediate aftermath of the war, but the one thing that united everyone was the way that we arrayed our institutions--to check absolute power--and, further, to check the power between the Federal and the State governments. Of course, underpinning all of that was the Bill of Rights, the Bill of Rights that unites all of us--united us then, unites us now.

That's why I think it is very important that we bring clarity to this matter, that we pass Smith-Gibson and that we ensure that we bring clarity to the situation, which is that our Bill of Rights is the supreme law of the land.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is very simple. It strikes the language in section 1251, which pertains to Syria--a very serious subject that's been talked about here this evening. In my view, we should be debating this in regular order, and there should be a stand- alone resolution that deals with Syria.

You know, this language that we have in the underlying bill, the intent of it I understand, it was supposed to deal with the weapons of mass destruction in Syria, the control of them. That would be one thing. But I just want every Member to understand what's in the underlying language.

Subsection b, subsection 1:

President Obama should fully consider all courses of action

to remove President Assad from power.

That sounds a lot like unilateral action for regime change to me.

Subsection 5:

The United States should continue to support Syrian

opposition forces with nonlethal aid.

I don't remember authorizing any aid to begin with, much less continuing.

Subsection 8:

Should the President decide to employ any military assets

in Syria, the President should provide a supplemental budget

request to Congress.

Well, yes on the supplemental budget request if it ever comes to it. But should the President decide to employ any military assets, that's for us to decide, not for the President.

So, Mr. Chairman, I have concerns. I certainly understand the initial intent. It is my strongest recommendation that we strike this language, that we work together on language that is more suitable for an NDAA, and then, if desired, to have broader discussion with a separate resolution if somebody wants to move forward with regard to action in Syria.

I would say that I oppose military action in Syria, but I certainly think there should be voices. We should have Representatives speaking for their people.

And I hope that we learn. You know, in 2011, I came here very concerned about Libya. I spoke out against military action. We ended up taking military action. I was concerned that we would empower forces hostile to us. And I regret to say on September 11 of last year, we ended up with a situation in Benghazi that we all are very saddened by. I want to see us learn from this, and I certainly want to see us strike this language.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I'll yield myself about 20 seconds, and then I'm going to yield to my good friend from California.

I just want to say in response that, with regard to planning, absolutely. I know our military forces are always in the process of planning.

Standing with Israel, absolutely. But I just would remind my colleagues to read the language in here. This is inappropriate for an NDAA. It is not in our interest to be affirming this language.

At this point, I'd like to yield to my good friend from California (Mr. Garamendi).

I would like to yield my remaining time to my colleague from Minnesota.

Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment at the desk.

I thank the chairman. And I thank the gentlelady from Alabama (Mrs. Roby) for bringing the bill.

I have an amendment, but I first want to say that I support the underlying bill.

I take a look at the fact that almost 30 years ago, right here in these halls, in bipartisan work, Democrats and Republicans worked together here, led by the Democratically controlled Congress, and worked with the President--then President Reagan--to provide comp time for State and local workers. What we're doing today is taking that same concept and extending it out to the private sector.

I reflect on my constituents. I think about the busy lives that all our workers have, and I think about how challenging it is to bring balance to those lives. I think this is an important concept to bring forward, to think about those who are pursuing higher education, mothers and fathers that are looking to bring balance to the workplace, but also to raising their children, and how important that is for our families, for individuals, and for our country. So I think it's important that we extend this concept to the private sector.

Now, I have friends who have concerns, and we've heard some of the concerns here today. I have reflected very extensively on those. I will tell you that what I see in this bill--and the chairman actually, I think, summed it up very well just moments ago--is, first and foremost, that this is a choice for the worker on whether or not they want to join this program. I recognize that there are arguments that are concerning on that score. But also, if the worker decides to enter the comp time program and decides to take comp time and then something unexpected happens where they choose to change their mind, there are provisions in this bill where the individual can notify their employer, and within 30 days the business needs to pay the employee.

So as I reflect on the wording in this bill, I think there is a balance. But I also recognize that there are still concerns out there, and I want those voices to be heard. So this is the purpose of my amendment. I think we should hear from our government, hear from the GAO to talk about the implementation on how well it's going. This amendment says that after 2 years of implementation of this law, that the GAO would report out to us on how well that's going, and also provide us data if there are abuses and what's being done about those abuses.

So I see this as yet another protection to ensure that as we look to extend this concept from the State and local governments, that we have protections in there to ensure that our workers are having justice.

So I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I just want to say that the gentleman from Connecticut is somebody whom I've very much enjoyed working with. I think he is a very thoughtful Member. I consider him a friend. I have listened very carefully to his comments and certainly will give him further consideration. I still believe that this amendment will be helpful.

At this point, I would like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Alabama (Mrs. Roby).

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the start of Building Safety Month, specifically in recognition of the expertise, leadership, and influence of the International Code Council (ICC). The ICC develops and publishes the building safety, energy efficiency, and fire safety model codes used throughout the United States, as well as in many other nations.

Over the past year, we have had several sobering reminders about the effects of properly-enforced building codes. When Hurricane Sandy devastated New York, New Jersey, and several other states, we were reminded of how much we rely on these vital safety standards in mitigating damage and loss of life. Reports after Sandy and other natural disasters show that the loss of life and property damage would have been considerably worse had modern building codes not been in place and enforced.

For these reasons, I want to congratulate the leaders of the ICC who sponsor Building Safety Month. These leaders include Ronald Piester, the Director of New York State Division of Code Enforcement and Administration, Stephen D. Jones, Construction Official for Millburn Township, New Jersey, and Guy Tomberlin, Code Specialist for Fairfax County, Virginia. These professionals also act as the President, Vice President, and Secretary-Treasurer of the ICC's Board of Directors. ICC's Chief Executive Officer Dominic Sims will join them in Washington, DC this week to discuss the critical need for the adoption and enforcement of current building codes in order to maximize our safety.

I would also like to thank the thousands of men and women who work every day to make sure our buildings comply with building and fire codes. Their work, largely unseen and often unnoticed, is critical to keeping Americans safe. The model building codes, produced by ICC, allow every community in the United States to share the advantage of building codes that are adaptable to local conditions, but at the same time incorporate the very latest research, materials, and building practices. This is achieved in a private-public partnership, saving local jurisdictions from bearing the significant cost of code revision, updating and coordination. These model codes are produced with the input of thousands of local officials as well as the building industry and represent a consensus on what the minimum safety requirements are for various building types, all developed without using federal taxpayer funds. In fact, the Architect of the Capitol maintains the safety of this building, and all congressional office buildings, following the requirements in the current International Building Code.

During May's Building Safety Month, I recommend that all of my colleagues aim to reach out to building code and fire officials from their districts to learn more about the great work they do in ensuring the safety of the American people and infrastructure through building code compliance and enforcement.

Thank you again to the hard working members and leadership of the International Code Council.