Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to honor the life of Michigan State Police Trooper Paul Butterfield, who was tragically killed in the line of duty on September 9, 2013. Trooper Butterfield was an Army veteran who bravely served his community as a State police officer since 1999. He served at the Michigan State Police post in Manistee and in Hart.

Like all of our law enforcement officers, Paul risked everything to ensure our communities and neighborhoods were safe. He gave his life to protect us. His service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. Sadly, northern Michigan has lost a true hero.

To Trooper Butterfield's family, I am aware no words will ever match your deep sorrow. A loss this great can only be eased by the grace that is beyond all worldly powers. But I am hopeful that you will be embraced by the angels of Heaven and comforted by the knowledge that Paul is safely in the hands of God.

On behalf of the citizens of Michigan's First District, I thank Trooper Butterfield for his service and tremendous sacrifice to Michigan and our Nation.

I yield to my friend and colleague from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2009, the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act, and urge my colleagues to support this necessary legislation.

The bill will keep the Internal Revenue Service from implementing any aspect of the President's health care law. With the recent revelations that employees of the IRS targeted U.S. citizens based on their political views, it's imperative that we keep the IRS from being further involved than it already is in the lives of the American people.

This legislation would repeal both the individual mandate and the employer mandate, while at the same time helping to shrink the IRS.

As a doctor, I've been taking care of patients for the last 30 years. I know that putting the Federal Government between patients and doctors will be disastrous. Many families in northern Michigan agree, and they want to see this law repealed. This legislation is a good step toward rolling back this massive expansion of Federal Government power.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of it.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to urge support for amendment No. 9, which encourages States to include the number of students attaining career and technical education proficiencies that are enrolled in public secondary schools in its annual State report card. This information is already required to be collected by current law and would simply streamline access to information for the public.

To preserve the American Dream, we must ensure that our children and grandchildren have the skills needed to land a good-paying job that provides for a family and pays the bills. These jobs require knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and math fields, along with industry-recognized credentials through career and technical education, or CTE.

A 2012 Talent Shortage Survey indicated that one in three job providers finds it hard to fill vacancies because job applicants with the right skills are not easily attainable. Currently, U.S. employers are having difficulty filling positions such as skilled trade workers, IT staff, mechanics, machinists, and machine operators.

Whether a student wants to pursue a college degree or plans to enter the workforce immediately after high school, we have to work to ensure that they have the necessary training, education, and skills to have a successful career in the path of their choosing.

Just this weekend, I spoke with a manufacturing company in my district that told me about their need for job applicants with voc-ed skills. They told me there are jobs waiting to be filled; they just need to have the individuals with the right training.

Moms and dads in northern Michigan have also told me that they weren't even aware of voc-ed programs being offered at local high schools. One of my goals is to be sure that parents and students are aware of these programs and the long-term benefit they can provide to young adults.

Through the outstanding work of our teachers, school administration officials, and partnerships with universities and industry, numerous vocational ed initiatives are already under way in my district. For example, the Delta Tradecraft ISD in Escanaba has an outstanding partnership with Vanaire, a manufacturing company. Throughout high school, students can take career and technical education courses that are aligned with job requirements at Vanaire. From participating in voc-ed courses, numerous students have been offered jobs at Vanaire immediately upon graduation.

My amendment would make career and technical education data more visible for parents and students who are choosing where to enroll and what programs to participate in, as well as for teachers and administrators to understand the impact career readiness has on student performance, graduation, and success in post-secondary ventures.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and the passage of the underlying bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for his support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2642, the farm bill.

Like many of my colleagues in this body, I am honored to represent a district with a deep agricultural heritage. Because I am a doctor by trade, not a farmer, it has been important for me to get to know the farmers in my district over the last 3 years. As I travel around the First District, nearly every producer I meet with stresses the importance of passing a long-term farm bill.

The programs in the farm bill are important to keeping our farmers in business with some certainty. I know some will say this bill isn't perfect. Some want more reform. Some would like more spending, and some would like less. Yet, I urge all of you to strongly consider moving H.R. 2642 forward. We have one thing in common: we all need to eat. Our country is the breadbasket of the world. Let's keep that in mind and remember our farmers who produce our food here today. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida, and I rise today in support of H.R. 1171, the FOR VETS Act of 2013.

This bipartisan legislation will allow veterans service organizations access to Federal surplus property. In December, 2010, President Obama signed the original FOR VETS Act into law. This legislation added qualified VSOs to the list of organizations eligible to receive Federal surplus property under the Federal surplus property program. However, the wording of the statute requires all organizations to demonstrate that they are acquiring the property for purposes of public health or education.

Unlike many of the other organizations on the list, most VSOs are not set up to administer a health or education program. A strict interpretation of the law by the General Services Administration has prevented these VSOs from accessing Federal surplus as Congress intended.

Our bill would simply correct the error in current law and ensure that qualified VSOs will have the access to Federal surplus that our veterans have earned. This bill has been scored by the CBO as having no significant impact on spending. In this difficult economy, veterans service organizations can use valuable service items that are considered surplus property to better serve those who have given so much to our Nation. Some of these items could be a refrigerator for everyday use at a local post or even a vehicle to be used to take disabled veterans to appointments.

Last year I spoke to a veteran in Elk Rapids, Michigan, who told me that the error in current law was preventing his AMVETS post from using Federal surplus computers for unique veteran service tasks. This bill will help him and so many others like him put Federal surplus property to work for our Nation's veterans. I am very proud to be part of this effort.

I am grateful to Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings and the members of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for the unanimous support this bill received during markup on June 25.

I also want to thank the National Association of State Agencies for Surplus Property, as well as the American Legion and the Disabled American Veterans, for their support and assistance in getting this legislation to this point.

I urge the House to adopt this bipartisan legislation that will help veterans service organizations in every State better serve our Nation's veterans.

I have an amendment at the desk.

I would like to thank the chairman for the opportunity to speak on this amendment and to bring this issue to the floor.

As many of my constituents and colleagues know, I'm a doctor, not a farmer. So what they taught me in medical school is, when you don't understand something or you need a second opinion, you ask the experts.

Since becoming a Member of Congress in January 2011, I began talking to farmers in my district when I needed to learn more about agricultural issues. In fact, I realized how much farming and agribusiness contributed not only to my district, but to Michigan's economy. I asked to join the Agriculture Committee so I could better represent them in Congress.

Earlier this spring, I began to hear about a regulation that some of the farmers in my district were really concerned about. Now, if you don't have farmers in your district, let me tell you something; they will make sure that you know there's an issue.

Gradually, they began to talk to me more and more about a rule that had been proposed by the FDA that would make farming fruits and vegetables, better known as specialty crops, much more difficult in the near future. This rule, better known as Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption, was imposed by the FDA as a result of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act.

Before I go any further, I want to make one thing crystal clear. I support access to clean, safe, and healthy food, but this proposed rulemaking will have widespread consequences for American family farmers. For example, farmers will have to comply with a new set of rules as determined by the FDA when cleaning and storing their equipment--meaning tractors, harvesters, knives, et cetera--so that domesticated animals may be prevented from contaminating them. In addition, the same rules suggest that farmers inspect each individual piece of fruit or vegetable for bird excreta and refuse to harvest it if they find any evidence.

Mr. Chairman, I don't know if you've ever seen a cherry harvester or picked an apple, but if you had to hand inspect each individual piece of fruit for bird feces and throw it out before sending it to a packer, well, let's just say that most of our growers would go to a pick-it- yourself system or simply stop growing.

Let's move on to some other aspects of this rule.

The FDA suggests continuous soil and water monitoring. While that might not sound like a bad idea, we've already heard that some growers will have to completely redesign their irrigation systems to meet the new set of standards.

I spent the last few years visiting with farmers in my district. I know that they want to provide clean, safe foods for the American public. All specialty crop growers I have met eat the foods that they grow. So my point is that if the FDA estimates that this rule will cost at a minimum $460 million to the industry, why not make sure we're doing this right?

My amendment simply asks that the Secretary of HHS delay implementation of any final regulations resulting from the Food Safety Modernization Act until a scientific and economic analysis of the rule can be completed. This analysis will focus on both the science behind and the economic impact of these regulations. In particular, the study will look at the regional differences in agriculture production to see how producers will be impacted by these rules. If we take the time to study the proposed rules, I think the FDA will be able to see that some changes may be in order.

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

I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas).

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentlewoman's comments, and I am certainly willing to work with you in the future on this issue, but we are just concerned that we are not going to make food any safer, and it is not going to help the jobs and the cost of our food because some of the rules are very difficult to comply with at the local level. There is difficulty in keeping wildlife away from apple orchards, for example. It is very difficult and more costly than I think the gentlelady suspects. I encourage everyone to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for allowing me to be here as well.

I rise today in support of the rule for H.R. 1797, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and to urge my colleagues to support this important and long overdue piece of legislation.

This bill will help to protect those in our society who are least able to defend themselves--the unborn. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will prohibit late-term abortions after the 20th week of a pregnancy for the simple reason that by 20 weeks of development, unborn children are able to feel and react to pain. This time period is based on extensive scientific research, and the majority of the American people are in favor of banning late-term abortions when they know that the unborn child is able to feel pain.

As a doctor, I was horrified to hear the stories of gross misconduct and negligence that came to light in the trial of the Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell. The callous disregard for innocent human life that was displayed in the Gosnell clinic extended beyond unborn children to adult patients, and I believe that there is bipartisan agreement that this was terrible. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will help to prevent some of the worst abuses that were perpetrated by Kermit Gosnell and protect patients nationwide.

As the overwhelming majority of my constituents in northern Michigan believe, life inside the womb is just as precious as life outside the womb, and it must be protected.

I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying legislation.

I rise today in support of H.R. 1947, better known to everyone simply as the farm bill.

Over the past 3 years, I've been talking to farmers all over northern Michigan. My district is home to a diverse group of farmers. These family-owned operations are a vital and growing part of northern Michigan's economy, and it has been a privilege getting to know them.

Earlier this month, I visited with farmers in Leelanau County. I spoke to farmers at the Bardenhagen Farm in Suttons Bay, Michigan. Jim Bardenhagen and his family have been working their farm for over a century, so they know a thing or two about agriculture. Their story is like that of a lot of farmers across the First District and this whole country. These farmers have been telling me about the need for a strong farm bill, and I believe that's just what we have here.

Look, I understand this farm bill is not an easy issue for everyone. I can fully understand. I'm a doctor, not a farmer, so I tend to talk and trust those who understand these complicated issues best--the farmers in my district. For those of you who don't have a lot of farmers, don't worry. You sure eat. I'd be happy to give you the numbers of lots of farmers in northern Michigan, and they'd be happy to talk to you.

I look forward to a robust debate.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I missed a vote on H.R. 258, ``To amend title

18, United States Code, with respect to fraudulent representations about having received military declarations or medals'' due to a funeral. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' In addition, I also missed a vote on H.R. 1073, ``To amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for protection of maritime navigation and prevention of nuclear terrorism, and for other purposes.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge support of H.R. 45, legislation that will repeal the President's massive and unaffordable health care law. As a doctor, I am extremely concerned with many different aspects of the bill, which is broad and overreaching.

When this law was passed, I was in northern Michigan treating patients and wondering how this bill would change the relationship between a doctor and his patients. I can tell you that after my 30 years of experience and after continuing to speak with doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, and patients across northern Michigan, there are innumerable problems with this law, and it needs to be repealed.

Thanks to ObamaCare, we will face severe problems with access to quality health care. We are looking at massive cuts to reimbursements to hospitals and other care providers, cuts that will end up limiting access to care.

ObamaCare does not fulfill the most basic promises that were used to pass this law. Health care costs have not gone down. My constituents are not able to ``keep their plans.''

These are just some of the reasons why I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill so we can work together to provide patient-centered reform that will reduce costs and expand access.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to announce that the circle drive of the Oscar G. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Iron Mountain, Michigan, will be named after local son and Iraq War veteran, Sergeant 1st Class James Priestap.

Sergeant Priestap graduated from North Dickinson High School in 1985 before attending Ferris State University and Northern Michigan University and joining the U.S. Navy as a rescue swimmer. Sergeant Priestap also served as a police officer at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, where I worked as a physician. While bravely defending his Nation in Iraq, Sergeant Priestap was killed in action on Thanksgiving Day 2006.

The entire Dickinson community came together to memorialize Sergeant Priestap at the VA facility where he guarded our veterans, and I am honored today to have helped him fight for this distinction over the past 2 years.

This memorial represents a small but important gesture of gratitude, not only for Sergeant Priestap's sacrifice but for his lifelong pursuit of selfless service to others. I'm very pleased that all visitors to the world-class VA hospital in Iron Mountain will soon be able to remember a true hero from northern Michigan who laid down his life so that others could live in freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the life of R.D. ``Dan'' Musser, owner of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, who passed on at the age of 80 on April 13, 2013.

Born in Circleville, Ohio in 1932, Mr. Musser graduated from Dartmouth College and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After returning in 1951, Mr. Musser went to work at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan, which was owned by his family. In order not to show favoritism, his uncle W. Stewart Woodfill, who was the hotel's owner, had Mr. Musser work twice the number of hours other employees did while learning about the operations of the hotel.

Mr. Musser became the manager of the hotel in 1960, when he doubled the number of rooms in the establishment and extended the hours of the hotel during the summer season. Mr. and Mrs. Musser purchased the hotel from W. Stewart Woodfill in 1979.

During the Musser's ownership of the hotel, Mr. Musser worked to run the large hotel with an impeccable attention to detail and a level of personal service found in much smaller establishments. Mr. Musser often wrote over 50 handwritten notes to employees of the Grand Hotel a day regarding items needing attention. During his tenure as owner, the Grand Hotel became a National Historical Landmark in 1989.

In addition to his work at the Grand Hotel, Mr. Musser served as Chairman of the Michigan Travel Commission, Chairman of the Mackinac Island Public Works Commission, and was remembered as a civic pillar. When not working to improve the Grand Hotel and Mackinac Island, Mr. and Mrs. Musser also enjoyed raising show dogs, his Scottish terrier, Sadie earned the prestigious ``Best in Show'' at the 2010 American Kennel Club Dog Show.

Survived by his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren, Musser's great legacy includes building the Grand Hotel into what it is today and working to share Northern Michigan hospitality and beautiful summers with all citizens. On behalf of all residents of the First Congressional District of Michigan, I wish to express my condolences to the Musser family and salute R.D. Musser's contribution to our state and country.

Mr. Speaker, while we are right to focus this week on passing a budget that puts our country back on a responsible economic path, I rise today to remind my colleagues that it has been over 6 months since four Americans, including our ambassador, were killed by terrorists in Benghazi, Libya.

In 6 months, what have we learned? We still don't know why U.S. military assets in the region were not ready, alert and in a position to respond. We still don't know why injured survivors of the attack have been pressured not to come forward with their stories. Frankly, we still don't know what specifically is being done to ensure that decisions about the security of our diplomatic missions are given the highest priority.

I stand with Congressman Frank Wolf and 58 of our colleagues in supporting an effort to establish a select committee to investigate and report on the Benghazi attack. Only by aggressive congressional oversight will we ensure that our pitiful response to this attack will never be repeated.

I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in demanding the administration provide the straight answers that Americans deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Great Lakes Exploration Group on the occasion of the work they do to discover and preserve the maritime history of the State of Michigan and the Great Lakes. The group has not only worked to identify and save historic artifacts, but do so in a way that preserves the cultural heritage of the Great Lakes.

In particular, I wish to commend the Great Lakes Exploration Group on discovering the possible location of Le Griffon, a ship that went missing in 1697. If Le Griffon is found, not only will a centuries-long mystery be solved, but, more importantly, the Great Lakes Group will add to the historical treasure trove of our Nation's earliest days of settlement.

Through community-based, non-invasive underwater archaeology and research that leaves the bottomlands intact, the Great Lakes Exploration Group was formed to be a worldwide leader in identifying, protecting, and preserving rare pieces of North American history found in Michigan's waters.

I wish the Great Lakes Exploration Group all the best in locating and preserving the wreck of Le Griffon and learning what secrets it may hold.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, like all of my colleagues, I come before you today very concerned about my fellow Americans whose lives were torn apart in October of 2012 due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy, like many natural disasters before it, has caused billions of dollars of damage and has upended the lives of thousands of Americans. Congress gathers here today to consider a very important question: Exactly what is the role of the Federal Government in rebuilding our communities following a natural disaster?

Like many of my colleagues, I believe the Federal Government must be a strong partner in responding to natural disasters, but local communities must lead the way in making the important decisions. Only local communities have the firsthand knowledge to prioritize how precious resources should be spent following a natural disaster. While the Federal Government can and should be a partner, it must be just that--a partner.

Madam Chair, the Federal Government currently plans ahead and budgets for natural disasters. We have an entire agency, FEMA, dedicated to managing these disasters. Perhaps Congress should have a more comprehensive discussion on how to better budget and prepare for natural disasters, but we can't use one hurricane as an excuse to fund or enhance programs that would normally go through the regular appropriations process.

Local communities and property owners impacted by Hurricane Sandy face tough choices. They must prioritize and decide what projects will be rebuilt and in which order.

One of the provisions in the underlying Frelinghuysen amendment provides for an additional $50 million in grants from the Historic Preservation Fund for necessary expenses related to the consequences of Hurricane Sandy. Currently, these types of grants typically require a non-Federal match. The Frelinghuysen amendment strikes the non-Federal match requirement for the Sandy funds.

Madam Chair, my amendment would not reduce any of the supplemental funding provided for in the underlying amendment. Again, the amendment does not reduce the supplemental funding. My amendment simply restores the provision that the non-Federal match be applied, as normally required by the National Park Service. In actual practice, this would make the funds more widely available for a larger number of citizens.

My amendment is about good government and good investments. It simply ensures that local communities have ``skin in the game'' and truly support the grants that they apply for. If a local community is truly supportive of rebuilding a project, they will band together and find a match, whether it be a local municipality, State government, or private nonprofit.

I understand that those opposed to the amendment will say that the impacted property owners require emergency funding. They will argue that in order to obtain the funds, stakeholders should be released of the obligations of a non-Federal match, as many are struggling to get by.

To this, I'd like to remind you that our government is still borrowing over 40 cents for every dollar it spends. Just as families must prioritize their budgets, the Federal Government must learn to make adjustments.

Federal grants should not be about having fancy consultants or great grant writers. These type of programs should come down to one thing: local support for a project. The ability to provide a non-Federal match ensures community support for those projects.

We should no longer waive requirements that ensure local communities will support their efforts. This is about good government and ensuring fiscal responsibility now and in the future.

It is my hope that you will join me in supporting this amendment to ensure that this good guiding principle of good government is continued.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I just want to use the balance of my time to say $50 million is able to be spent in a larger area, with more impact, if the spending is done with priorities determined by local contributions, and that it's not going to be the best grant writer or the person with the most connections but it's going to be the communities that come together with their local support that is going to determine how this money is being spent. And I think that's just a better way of prioritizing the increase in spending for the historic preservation fund in this method.

I think we've seen in previous disasters where Federal money has been just wasted. And I think that having community input and community donations to this would ensure that the money will go as far as it can and be put to the most effective use determined by local input.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.