Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 170 inventors who will soon be recognized at the California Institute of Technology and inducted as the 2014 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). In order to be named as a Fellow, these men and women were nominated by their peers and have undergone the scrutiny of the NAI Selection Committee, having had their innovations deemed as making significant impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. Collectively, among this elite group holds nearly 5,000 patents.

The individuals making up this year's class of Fellows include individuals from 114 research universities and non-profit research institutes spanning not just the United States but also the world. The now 414 member group of Fellows is comprised of 61 presidents and senior leadership of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 208 members of the other National Academies, 21 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 16 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, 10 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science, 21 Nobel Laureates, 11 Lemelson-MIT prize recipients, 112 AAAS Fellows, among other awards and distinctions.

The National Academy of Inventors was founded in 2010 by Paul R. Sanberg at the University of South Florida. Its mission is to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society.

The contributions made to society through innovation are immeasurable. I commend these individuals, and the organizations that support them, for the work that they do to revolutionize the world we live in. As the following inventors are inducted, may it encourage future innovators to strive to meet this high honor and continue the spirit of innovation.

The 2014 NAI Fellows include:

Ilhan A. Aksay, Princeton University; Nancy L. Allbritton, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jan P. Allebach, Purdue University; Daniel W. Armstrong, The University of Texas at Arlington; Frances H. Arnold, California Institute of Technology; Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, University of California, Davis; Nadine N. Aubry, Northeastern University; David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology; Amit Bandyopadhyay, Washington State University; Joseph J. Beaman, Jr., The University of Texas at Austin; James A. Birchler, University of Missouri-Columbia; Donald R. Bobbitt, University of Arkansas; Jeffrey T. Borenstein, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory; H. Kim Bottomly, Wellesley College; Scott A. Brandt, University of California, Santa Cruz; Steven P. Briggs, University of California, San Diego; Robert A. Brown, Boston University; Karen J.L. Burg, Kansas State University; Robert H. Byrne, University of South Florida; A. Robert Calderbank, Duke University; Emily A. Carter, Princeton University; Alexander N. Cartwright, The State University of New York; H. Jonathan Chao, New York University; Ching-Shih Chen, The Ohio State University; Ashutosh Chilkoti, Duke University; Arul M. Chinnaiyan, University of Michigan; Steven Chu, Stanford University; James J. Coleman, The University of Texas at Dallas; J Edward Colgate, Northwestern University; Barry S. Coller, The Rockefeller University; R. Graham Cooks, Purdue University; Rory A. Cooper, University of Pittsburgh; Harold G. Craighead, Cornell University; Charles S. Craik, University of California, San Francisco; Alfred J. Crosby, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Marcos Dantus, Michigan State University; Huw M.L. Davies, Emory University; Mark R.D. Davies, University of Limerick; Mark E. Dean, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Richard D. DiMarchi, Indiana University; Michael A. Dirr, The University of Georgia; Richard A. Dixon, University of North Texas; John P. Donoghue, Brown University; Jonathan S. Dordick, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Jennifer A. Doudna, University of California, Berkeley; Anatoly Dritschilo, Georgetown University; Robert V. Duncan, Texas Tech University; Russell D. Dupuis, Georgia Institute of Technology; Victor J. Dzau, Duke University; James H. Eberwine, University of Pennsylvania; Elazer R. Edelman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; J. Gary Eden, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Jennifer H. Elisseeff, Johns Hopkins University; Sir Martin J. Evans, Cardiff University; David A. Evans, Harvard University; Gregg B. Fields, Toney Pines Institute for Molecular Studies; Stephen R. Forrest, University of Michigan; Michael W. Fountain, University of South Florida; Ingrid Fritsch, University of Arkansas; Cynthia M. Fuse, The University of Utah; Elsa M. Garmire, Dartmouth College; Samuel H. Gellman, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Amit Goyal, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Bruce D. Hammock, University of California, Davis; Justin Hanes, Johns Hopkins University; Frank W. Harris, The University of Akron; Vikki Hazelwood, Stevens Institute of Technology; Maurice P. Herlihy, Brown University; John C. Herr, University of Virginia; David R. Hillyard, The University of Utah; Jeffrey A. Hubbell, The University of Chicago; Suzanne T. Ildstad, University of Louisville; M. Saif Islam, University of California, Davis; Robert D. Ivarie, The University of Georgia; Allan J. Jacobson, University of Houston;

Trevor O. Jones, Case Western Reserve University; Michael E. Jung, University of California, Los Angeles; Kattesh V. Katti, University of Missouri-Columbia; Jay D. Keasling, University of California, Berkeley; Behrokh Khoshnevis, University of Southern California; Marcia J. Kieliszewski, Ohio University; Michael N. Kozicki, Arizona State University; Juan C. Lasheras, University of California, San Diego; Wen- Hwa Lee, China Medical University; Chiang J. Li, Harvard University; James Linder, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Stuart M. Lindsay, Arizona State University; Robert J. Linhardt, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Philip S. Low, Purdue University; Yuri M. Lvov, Louisiana Tech University; Asad M. Madni, University of California, Los Angeles; Marc J. Madou, University of California, Irvine; Richard A. Mathies, University of California, Berkeley; Richard D. McCullough, Harvard University; Carver A. Mead, California Institute of Technology; Wen Jin Meng, Louisiana State University; Xiang-Jin Meng, Virginia Tech; Thomas O. Mensah, Florida State University; Antonios G. Mikos, Rice University; Richard K. Miller, Olin College of Engineering; Duane D. Miller, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center; Jan D. Miller, The University of Utah; Sergey B. Mirov, The University of Alabama at Birmingham; Jeffrey R. Morgan, Brown University; Brij M. Moudgil, University of Florida; Josee M.F. Moura, Carnegie Mellon University; Shuji Nakamura, University of California, Santa Barbara; Jagdish Narayan, North Carolina State University; Shree K. Nayar, Columbia University; Douglas F. Nixon, The George Washington University; Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, University of Delaware; Iwao Ojima, Stony Brook University; Nicholas A. Peppas, The University of Texas at Austin; Michael A. Peshkin, Northwestern University; Victor L. Poirier, University of South Florida; Mark R. Prausnitz, Georgia Institute of Technology; Darwin J. Prockop, Texas A&M University; Alain T. Rappaport, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition; Renee A. Reijo Pera, Montana State University; Daniel E. Resasco, The University of Oklahoma; Rebecca R. Richards-Kortum, Rice University; Yasuko Rikihisa, The Ohio State University; Pradeep K. Rohatgi, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee; Baarbel M. Rohrer, Medical University of South Carolina; Erkki Ruoslahti, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute; B. Don Russell, Jr., Texas A&M University; Ram Sasisekharan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; W. Gregory Sawyer, University of Florida; Axel Scherer, California Institute of Technology; Joseph M. Schimmels, Marquette University; C. Richard Schlegel, Georgetown University; Saiid M. Sebti, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute; George E. Seidel, Jr., Colorado State University; Arup K. SenGupta, Lehigh University; Wan Y. Shih, Drexel University; Kevin M. Short, University of New Hampshire; Richard B. Silverman, Northwestern University; Marwan A. Simaan, University of Central Florida; Raj N. Singh, Oklahoma State University; Thomas C. Skalak, University of Virginia; Mohamed Y. Soliman, Texas Tech University; Bruce J. Tatarchuk, Auburn University; Gordon A. Thomas, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Mark E. Thompson, University of Southern California; Thomas G. Thundat, University of Alberta; Richard B. Timmons, The University of Texas at Arlington; Mark L. Tykocinski, Thomas Jefferson University; Kamil Ugurbil, University of Minnesota; Anthony J. Vizzini, Wichita State University; Horst Vogel, EEcole Polytechnique Feedeerale de Lausanne; Nicholi Vorsa, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Columbia University; Kristiina Vuori, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute; Kevin M. Walsh, University of Louisville; Christine A. Wang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Shaomeng Wang, University of Michigan; Paul H. Weigel, The University of Oklahoma; Jonathan A. Wickert, Iowa State University; Alan E. Willner, University of Southern California; Richard C. Willson III, University of Houston; Chi-Huey Wong, Academia Sinica; John A. WooIlam, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Shelby D. Worley, Auburn University; Chris Xu, Cornell University; Ping Xu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Zhi Xu, University of Missouri-St. Louis; Janet K. Yamamoto, University of Florida; Shu Yang, University of Pennsylvania; Michael J. Yaszemski, Mayo Clinic; Phillip D Zamore, University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 170 inventors who will soon be recognized at the California Institute of Technology and inducted as the 2014 Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). In order to be named as a Fellow, these men and women were nominated by their peers and have undergone the scrutiny of the NAI Selection Committee, having had their innovations deemed as making significant impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. Collectively, among this elite group holds nearly 5,000 patents.

The individuals making up this year's class of Fellows include individuals from 114 research universities and non-profit research institutes spanning not just the United States but also the world. The now 414 member group of Fellows is comprised of 61 presidents and senior leadership of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 208 members of the other National Academies, 21 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 16 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation, 10 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science, 21 Nobel Laureates, 11 Lemelson-MIT prize recipients, 112 AAAS Fellows, among other awards and distinctions.

The National Academy of Inventors was founded in 2010 by Paul R. Sanberg at the University of South Florida. Its mission is to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society.

The contributions made to society through innovation are immeasurable. I commend these individuals, and the organizations that support them, for the work that they do to revolutionize the world we live in. As the following inventors are inducted, may it encourage future innovators to strive to meet this high honor and continue the spirit of innovation.

The 2014 NAI Fellows include:

Ilhan A. Aksay, Princeton University; Nancy L. Allbritton, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Jan P. Allebach, Purdue University; Daniel W. Armstrong, The University of Texas at Arlington; Frances H. Arnold, California Institute of Technology; Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, University of California, Davis; Nadine N. Aubry, Northeastern University; David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology; Amit Bandyopadhyay, Washington State University; Joseph J. Beaman, Jr., The University of Texas at Austin; James A. Birchler, University of Missouri-Columbia; Donald R. Bobbitt, University of Arkansas; Jeffrey T. Borenstein, The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory; H. Kim Bottomly, Wellesley College; Scott A. Brandt, University of California, Santa Cruz; Steven P. Briggs, University of California, San Diego; Robert A. Brown, Boston University; Karen J.L. Burg, Kansas State University; Robert H. Byrne, University of South Florida; A. Robert Calderbank, Duke University; Emily A. Carter, Princeton University; Alexander N. Cartwright, The State University of New York; H. Jonathan Chao, New York University; Ching-Shih Chen, The Ohio State University; Ashutosh Chilkoti, Duke University; Arul M. Chinnaiyan, University of Michigan; Steven Chu, Stanford University; James J. Coleman, The University of Texas at Dallas; J. Edward Colgate, Northwestern University; Barry S. Coller, The Rockefeller University; R. Graham Cooks, Purdue University; Rory A. Cooper, University of Pittsburgh; Harold G. Craighead, Cornell University; Charles S. Craik, University of California, San Francisco; Alfred J. Crosby, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Marcos Dantus, Michigan State University; Huw M.L. Davies, Emory University; Mark R.D. Davies, University of Limerick; Mark E. Dean, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; Richard D. DiMarchi, Indiana University; Michael A. Dirr, The University of Georgia; Richard A. Dixon, University of North Texas; John P. Donoghue, Brown University; Jonathan S. Dordich, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Jennifer A. Doudna, University of California, Berkeley; Anatoly Dritschilo, Georgetown University; Robert V. Duncan, Texas Tech University; Russell D. Dupuis, Georgia Institute of Technology; Victor J. Dzau, Duke University; James H. Eberwine, University of Pennsylvania; Elazer R. Edelman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; J. Gary Eden, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Jennifer H. Elisseeff, Johns Hopkins University; Sir Martin J. Evans, Cardiff University; David A. Evans, Harvard University; Gregg B. Fields, Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies; Stephen R. Forrest, University of Michigan; Michael W. Fountain, University of South Florida; Ingrid Fritsch, University of Arkansas; Cynthia M. Furse, The University of Utah; Elsa M. Garmire, Dartmouth College; Samuel H. Gellman, University

of Wisconsin-Madison; Amit Goyal, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Bruce D. Hammock, University of California, Davis; Justin Hanes, Johns Hopkins University; Frank W. Harris, The University of Akron; Vikki Hazelwood, Stevens Institute of Technology; Maurice P. Herlihy, Brown University; John C. Herr, University of Virginia; David R. Hillyard, The University of Utah; Jeffrey A. Hubbell, The University of Chicago; Suzanne T. Ildstad, University of Louisville; M. Saif Islam, University of California, Davis; Robert D. Ivarie, The University of Georgia; Allan J. Jacobson, University of Houston; Trevor O. Jones, Case Western Reserve University; Michael E. Jung, University of California, Los Angeles; Kattesh V. Katti, University of Missouri-Columbia; Jay D. Keasling, University of California, Berkeley; Behrokh Khoshnevis, University of Southern California; Marcia J. Kieliszewski, Ohio University; Michael N. Kozicki, Arizona State University; Juan C. Lasheras, University of California, San Diego; Wen-Hwa Lee, China Medical University; Chiang J. Li, Harvard University; James Linder, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Stuart M. Lindsay, Arizona State University; Robert J. Linhardt, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Philip S. Low, Purdue University; Yuri M. Lvov, Louisiana Tech University; Asad M. Madni, University of California, Los Angeles; Marc J. Madou, University of California, Irvine; Richard A. Mathies, University of California, Berkeley; Richard D. McCullough, Harvard University; Carver A. Mead, California Institute of Technology; Wen Jin Meng, Louisiana State University; Xiang-Jin Meng, Virginia Tech; Thomas O. Mensah, Florida State University; Antonios G. Mikos, Rice University; Richard K. Miller, Olin College of Engineering; Duane D. Miller, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center; Jan D. Miller, The University of Utah; Sergey B. Mirov, The University of Alabama at Birmingham; Jeffrey R. Morgan, Brown University; Brij M. Moudgil, University of Florida; Jose M.F. Moura, Carnegie Mellon University; Shuji Nakamura, University of California, Santa Barbara; Jagdish Narayan, North Carolina State University; Shree K. Nayar, Columbia University; Douglas F. Nixon, The George Washington University; Babatunde A. Ogunnaike, University of Delaware; Iwao Ojima, Stony Brook University; Nicholas A. Peppas, The University of Texas at Austin; Michael A. Peshkin, Northwestern University; Victor L. Poirier, University of South Florida; Mark R. Prausnitz, Georgia Institute of Technology; Darwin J. Prockop, Texas A&M University; Alain T. Rappaport, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition; Renee A. Reijo Pera, Montana State University; Daniel E. Resasco, The University of Oklahoma; Rebecca R. Richards-Kortum, Rice University; Yasuko Rikihisa, The Ohio State University; Pradeep K. Rohatgi, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee; Barbel M. Rohrer, Medical University of South Carolina; Erkki Ruoslahti, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute; B. Don Russell, Jr., Texas A&M University; Ram Sasisekharan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; W. Gregory Sawyer, University of Florida; Axel Scherer, California Institute of Technology; Joseph M. Schimmels, Marquette University; C. Richard Schlegel, Georgetown University; Said M. Sebti, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Institute; George E. Seidel, Jr., Colorado State University; Arup K. SenGupta, Lehigh University; Wan Y. Shih, Drexel University; Kevin M. Short, University of New Hampshire; Richard B. Silverman, Northwestern University; Marwan A. Simaan, University of Central Florida; Raj N. Singh, Oklahoma State University; Thomas C. Skalak, University of Virginia; Mohamed Y. Soliman, Texas Tech University; Bruce J. Tatarchuk, Auburn University; Gordon A. Thomas, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Mark E. Thompson, University of Southern California; Thomas G. Thundat, University of Alberta; Richard B. Timmons, The University of Texas at Arlington; Mark L. Tykocinski, Thomas Jefferson University; Kamil Ugurbil, University of Minnesota; Anthony J. Vizzini, Wichita State University; Horst Vogel, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne; Nicholi Vorsa, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Columbia University; Kristiina Vuori, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute; Kevin M. Walsh, University of Louisville; Christine A. Wang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Shaomeng Wang, University of Michigan; Paul H. Weigel, The University of Oklahoma; Jonathan A. Wickert, Iowa State University; Alan E. Willner, University of Southern California; Richard C. Willson, III, University of Houston; Chi-Huey Wong, Academia Sinica; John A. Woollam, University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Shelby D. Worley, Auburn University; Chris Xu, Cornell University; Ping Xu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Zhi Xu, University of Missouri-St. Louis; Janet K. Yamamoto, University of Florida; Shu Yang, University of Pennsylvania; Michael J. Yaszemski, Mayo Clinic; Phillip D. Zamore, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of this bipartisan legislation that will award a Congressional Gold Medal to the civil rights leaders who so bravely marched for voting rights and equality from Selma, Alabama, to the State capital of Montgomery in March of 1965.

As an adopted son of the great State of Alabama, having been educated at both Auburn University and Samford University's Cumberland School of Law, it is an absolute honor to recognize these peace-loving, God- fearing patriots. These marchers, led by civil rights leaders such as Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and my colleague from Georgia, Representative John Lewis, changed the course of our Nation's history. Ultimately, their fearless efforts led to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award presented by Congress, and I can think of no better time than the 50th anniversary of this moment in our Nation's history to honor and recognize the civil rights leaders who sacrificed so greatly to bring equality to the voiceless across the United States. May their sacrifice, diligence, and dedication to this cause stand as an example to all of us as we continue to serve in this Chamber and in every aspect of our lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to bring to the attention of my colleagues an important event taking place this Friday in the 15th Congressional District of Florida which I have the privilege to represent.

With the opening of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity on the campus of the University of South Florida, also known as USF, in Tampa this Friday, our State marshals the strength of all of Florida's public universities to respond to our Nation's cybersecurity workforce needs.

The center will help develop the next generation of technology to prevent cyber attacks and provide a resource for Florida businesses to help them prevent and, if necessary, respond to cyber threats.

I want to congratulate the board of governors for our State university system, our Florida State Legislature, and our Florida Governor for recognizing the critical importance of the growing cyber threat to Florida residents and businessowners throughout the world. These leaders are doing something about that threat by establishing the Florida Center for Cybersecurity.

They recognized that with our growing reliance on Internet connectivity each and every day, cybersecurity becomes increasingly more vital. Cybersecurity reaches every facet of modern life, from national security to personal communication, from data storage to banking security, from health care privacy to transportation safety.

In just 7 short months, the center has enrolled its first 100 students in a special cybersecurity master's degree program. Just last October, the program at USF became only the second in the Nation to be designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity.

The center continues to address the serious shortfall in our Nation's cybersecurity workforce by bringing online degree, certificate, and training programs to facilitate industry-recognized specializations to enhance the cybersecurity workforce, mitigate cybersecurity threats, and attract new businesses to Florida and across our great Nation.

Most importantly, the university will reach out to our Nation's heroes who have proudly served in uniform and return to civilian life to allow them to continue to protect our homeland.

Tampa is the perfect home for this new cyber mission with its close proximity to the headquarters of the U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, and the Joint Cyber Command at MacDill Air Force Base.

The Tampa Bay region is also a center for our State's financial and health care industries. National, State, and local businesses--large and small--will benefit from the continuing outreach and educational programs offered by the Florida Center for Cybersecurity at USF.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud USF's energy and innovation in responding to the national and international cyber threat. This is the type of quick and thorough response our Nation needs as we bring together the best our public and private sectors have to offer in protecting our citizens and our businesses from this ongoing threat to our national security, our personal security, and economic security.

Congratulations to USF, and go, Bulls.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the service of Kuo-yu Hans Chiao. Mr. Chiao is the outgoing Senior Officer in the Congressional Liaison Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative office, TECRO. Mr. Chiao is returning to Taiwan for his next assignment in the Department of North American Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan). During his service as the TECRO contact for my office, as well as the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Senate Committee on Finance, and House Committee on Ways and Means, Mr. Chiao has served as an invaluable resource for my staff and me.

In 2009, Mr. Chiao was hand-picked to serve as a congressional liaison for TECRO. During his 6 year tenure in this position, Mr. Chiao developed a strategy that pro-actively expanded partnerships with key U.S. congressional offices to enhance Taiwan's impact and credibility in Washington. Mr. Chiao worked tirelessly to garner support for S. 1683 that would allow the transfer of naval vessels to Taiwan. This legislation passed the Senate and the House, and was signed into law in December 2014. Mr. Chiao was also part of the TECRO team that worked toward the passage of H.R. 1151, which directs the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan at the triennial International Civil Aviation Organization Assembly (ICAO). This became public law in July 2013. Additionally, Mr. Chiao organized and oversaw many Congressional Member and Staff Delegation visits to Taiwan, forging solid ties between our two countries.

Mr. Chiao has served in Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2005. Early in his diplomatic career, he served in Department of North American Affairs. Mr. Chiao received a Bachelor of Arts degree from National Taiwan University, majored in Foreign Languages and Literatures and minored in Political Science.

Though Mr. Chiao secured many legislative victories for Taiwan while he served in Washington, D.C., he made even more long-lasting relationships. My colleagues and our staff are proud to call him a friend, and we hope to see him back in Washington, D.C. one day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call my colleagues' attention to a very special dedication ceremony taking place in my home town of Lakeland, Florida.

The World War II Memorial Plaza at Veterans Park will be dedicated this Sunday, on the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks on December 7, 1941. It is fitting that the first portion of the memorial to be placed will honor the casualties of Pearl Harbor.

Mr. Speaker, December 7, 1941, is still a day that lives in infamy. The War in the Pacific was a hard-fought, slow, and deadly campaign that tested the very resolve of the American military. And yet, through the valor and heroism of our service men and women, we were victorious.

My own father served in the Navy in the Pacific theater, and the stories he told me growing up made me appreciate not only his patriotism and courage, but that of his brothers in arms. I am thankful that these brave heroes will be honored in Lakeland this weekend for their courage and sacrifice during one of the most important military campaigns in our nation's history, and with that, I yield back.

Mr. Speaker, as Taiwan's national day, known as Double Ten Day, approaches on October 10, I rise to remind my colleagues that Taiwan, our democratic ally, continues to be left out of international organizations at the insistence of China.

Taiwan's exclusion does not befit a society that is modern, prosperous, and democratic, and a government whose institutions have implemented the operating procedures and guidelines set forth by the very international organizations from which it has been shut out. America shares many values with Taiwan, including our commitment to democracy, human rights, and free markets, and this is a voice from which we should hear in the forums debating the complex issues and challenges of our time.

The best way we can honor our friends in Taiwan as they celebrate their national day, in addition to extending our best wishes and congratulations--which I do now--is to continue to build on the work we have done to strengthen Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations where Taiwan's membership is impossible due to its unique political status. I hope my colleagues will join me in this effort and also join me in wishing Taiwan a Happy Double Ten Day.

I thank Chairman McKeon for his leadership on this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, prior to September 11, 2001, terrorist groups had a much different strategy. They remained virtually invisible, and their strategies were unpredictable.

Today, the terrorist threat to America and the free world is on the rise, the enemy is expanding, and that enemy is ISIL. This is an enemy that commits human atrocities and distributes video footage showing brutal human torture.

It is now very clear what threats America and all of the international community face if ISIL is not destroyed.

Two Americans and one British citizen have tragically fallen victim to ISIL's radical terrorist actions. These barbarians are the face of pure evil, and they must be crushed.

We have heard Secretary of State John Kerry call American military actions against ISIL ``significant counterterror'' operations. This is a pitifully weak way to motivate the men and women of our Armed Forces, Mr. Speaker. This is war, and the United States and the free world must be victorious.

The House's action today calls to mind a discussion I recently had with a mother in my district of Bartow, Florida. Aileen Payne is a Gold Star Mother. She is the mother of Corporal Ronald Payne, Jr., the first marine who was killed in combat in Afghanistan.

When we met last week, she exuded a passion for ensuring that Congress has a thoughtful debate on providing the President the authority required by our Constitution to take the fight to ISIL. She understands, perhaps more than most Americans, the significance of putting the lives of American soldiers at risk.

Her son's death came with a very high price, the price of freedom, the price of national security, and the price of victory. She, nor I, want the loss of her son to be in vain.

The amendment we are deliberating today is a step in the right direction. While I support this amendment, I believe the words of this Gold Star Mother must be heard and considered. If we do not develop and implement a strategy, a winning strategy to eradicate ISIL, we will be taking for granted the very freedoms that we have been afforded and defended by our brave troops, now and throughout the history of our country.

Corporal Payne would want us to defend American freedom and defeat terrorism worldwide. He gave his life for that cause.

I thank the chairman.

Mr. Speaker, while this amendment does not represent my ideal military strategy against ISIL, I believe that Congress is fulfilling its constitutional duty today, and I stand in support of its efforts.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of a brave soldier and to recognize his dedication to serving his fellow man. His name is Sergeant 1st Class Daniel M. Ferguson.

Sergeant Ferguson was one of the servicemembers whose lives were tragically taken on April 2, 2014, at Fort Hood, Texas. A shooter shook the entire Nation on that somber day when he turned his weapon against his own military community.

We must never forget those who were lost and must remain ever- vigilant to provide medical attention to all veterans in need.

Sergeant Ferguson was a hero to our Nation. He demonstrated sovereign loyalty and selflessness on this horrific day of the shooting. When shots rang out, Sergeant Ferguson, without hesitation, blocked a set of unlocked doors to deflect the attacker's advancement into the room where his comrades remained. He was literally shielding them from the dangers of the shooter.

Sergeant Ferguson's first instinct was to protect, and with that, he saved many uniformed soldiers. Grievously, Sergeant Ferguson succumbed to his wounds and left behind the broken hearts of loved ones. But his brave actions will live on forever.

It is heroes like Sergeant Ferguson who we need not forget but rather we must continue to honor his courage.

Today, I stand in support of H.R. 5089, a bill I introduced that will name

the post office located at 2000 Mulford Road in Mulberry, Florida, in honor of Sergeant 1st Class Daniel M. Ferguson. His respected name and brave actions will never be forgotten. A veteran of Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Sergeant Ferguson will remain in the hearts of his family, friends, and those in the military community.

Please join me in paying respect to Sergeant 1st Class Daniel M. Ferguson for his immeasurable adherence to duty, honor, and country. His name should be voiced for the years to come.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in relation to language in H.R. 5016 addressing Puerto Rico's financial management.

I applaud the effort to work in tandem with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico--an island composed of U.S. citizens--to provide lasting improvements to their financial structure and day-to-day management.

I am concerned, however, that the taxpayer funds provided to assist Puerto Rico could potentially be spent in vain. I believe that stronger language holding the government of Puerto Rico to basic economic and democratic standards is essential to providing productive assistance.

Two ongoing issues backed by the government of Puerto Rico give me pause.

One was recently outlined by Mary O'Grady in the Wall Street Journal.

In reference to the current financial woes and the enactment of a new bankruptcy law in Puerto Rico--O'Grady said, and I quote, ``so far Puerto Rico's political class seems more inclined to stick it to creditors and keep on keeping on,'' instead of getting their books straight.

The bankruptcy bill--shepherded and signed into law by Puerto Rican Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla--allows the restructuring of more than 19 billion dollars of debt by the government owned electricity, water, and highway monopolies.

The constitutionality of this law has also been widely called into question.

This is not the approach you want from a Government facing a potential default, especially one whose debt is `widely held by mutual funds and individuals'.

It is important that any technical assistance provided by the U.S. Government is predicated on a strong foundation for the rule of law. Investors nationwide will suffer if Puerto Rico's political class does not stalwartly uphold the rule of law.

This is a serious and timely matter. At the end of June--Moody's Analytics reported that Puerto Rico's probability of default within the year is higher than that of Argentina, Venezuela, and Ukraine.

These concerns regarding the political class have already played out through the government's lack of respect for its contractual obligations.

For example, after seven years of agreements between the government of Puerto Rico and a private institution--the Doral Financial Corporation--the government is now refusing to uphold its end of the contractual obligations. Puerto Rico's Government has announced a unilateral decision to annul the contract that required the Government to pay over $200 million in tax refunds to Doral.

This example demonstrates a true lack of regard for the rule of law.

As the U.S. Congress considers providing technical assistance to the Government of Puerto Rico due to the deteriorating economic and fiscal situation--certain assurances must be established to ensure that U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent on achievable, reliable, and long-lasting objectives.

In conclusion, I believe that assurances should be made by the government of Puerto Rico to uphold all contractual obligations and respect for creditor rights in order to receive U.S. Treasury technical assistance.

Moreover, if such assurances are made, I express my support for the collaboration between the U.S. Treasury and Puerto Rico to improve Puerto Rico's financial management.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an important amendment to this year's Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.

My amendment would protect access to commissaries for our Active Duty servicemembers, our veterans, and their families. As a representative of a community with such a strong military presence, I have had the honor to be advised by a number of active veterans and military leaders. The requests have always been consistent. We must not balance our Nation's fiscal problems on the backs of our veterans and Active Duty personnel.

Unfortunately, the Secretary of Defense released his fiscal year 2015 budget request for the Department of Defense, which included the proposed closure of commissaries. Just last night, I held a town hall meeting, and a retired chief master sergeant, Richard Redhill, voiced his concern over the closure of commissaries. Now, look, there are already attempts out there to gut their health care by way of cutting TRICARE, and there are attempts out there to gut their cost-of-living adjustments. Let's at least leave their commissaries alone. Let us respect the obligations that we owe to those who raised their right hands to give the ultimate sacrifice of their life in the defense of this country.

Our military is the most advanced and well trained the world has ever seen, not just because we are the best in technology and weapons systems, but also because of those men and women who volunteer to stand in defense of their country.

I want to thank Chairman Culberson and Ranking Member Bishop for their hard work on this important funding measure and hope that my colleagues will join me in adopting this important amendment.

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

Offered by: Mr. Ross

Amendment No. 8: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Hungary's newly re-elected Prime Minister Victor Orban. The Prime Minister, and the conservative governing Fidesz-Christian Democratic alliance, won this election with a decisive margin.

This makes Prime Minister Victor Orban the first conservative prime minister in Hungary to be re-elected since the regime change in 1990. In addition, it is important to recognize that this is the first election that all Hungarian Citizens living outside of Hungary could also participate in the electoral process.

Many of these Hungarian emigrants, like my Great Grandparents, traveled to the United States but retained a close tie to their homeland. It is wonderful that those who still retain their Hungarian identity have the ability to remain involved in this democratic process.

Hungary's significance cannot be overstated and the country's position as a world partner before WWII is important to always remember. Hungary has a rich culture and heritage that adds a great dynamic to the world.

As a Member of Congress with deep Hungarian roots, and as a proud Member of the Hungarian Caucus, our nations must continue to build upon our strong bilateral diplomatic and economic relations.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize the 2014 Florida Strawberry Festival, which was held from February 27 through March 9, 2014 in the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World--Plant City, Florida. This event, which began in 1930, recognizes and celebrates the historical legacy of the Florida strawberry, and its importance to Hillsborough County.

Hillsborough County produces about 15 percent of our nation's strawberries annually--with virtually all grown during the winter months. More than 10,000 acres of strawberries are grown in Hillsborough County, and 50,000 American jobs are impacted directly by the local strawberry industry. In total, this industry has an economic impact on our community exceeding $700 million per year.

With attendance at the annual Florida Strawberry Festival regularly topping half a million attendees, this is one of the premiere festivals in the country, and I am proud to recognize its success.

Mr. Chairman, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is one of the largest Federal undertakings in recent history, created by Congress yet unaccountable to Congress. One man is tasked with oversight of essentially the entire financial services industry.

Director Cordray works hard for consumers, but no single individual can have sufficient expertise to make determinations that impact low- income families, community banks, mortgage lending, auto lending, credit card users and students.

A real estate lawyer in my district who represents clients who specialize in lending to low-income people, whose clients have a foreclosure rate of less than 5 percent, commented:

The only way these folks can own a home is to finance the

purchase from an unconventional source. My clients get

financial information from the prospective buyers relating to

their ability to pay, but it does not meet the thresholds

established to qualify as a Qualified Mortgage.

This year, that lawyer advised all his clients to discontinue lending. This is the same story we are receiving from our community banks.

These are the results of an unaccountable agency with insular focus. H.R. 3193 would bring much-needed accountability and ensure that enough experts are at the decision table that American families are actually protected by Federal regulations, not harmed by unintended consequences, a situation we have seen all too often in recent months.