Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, for the last 30 years, I have spent my life as a husband, a small business owner, and a State legislator. And one thing I have learned from this is that common sense is not so common here in Washington, D.C. As a husband, I know it would be irresponsible to buy a shiny new car or a new boat when my family couldn't afford to make their mortgage payment or their food payment. As a business owner, I know that when I didn't have enough to meet my expenses, I didn't raise revenues on my customers. I cut back my expenses. And as a legislator, I knew that with a balanced budget amendment, we could operate a State successfully. In the State of Florida, we did that. You do not see Floridians running down the street hungry and rioting. No, you see Florida living within its means because of a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. Speaker, those opposed to this plan are frightened. They are frightened because they know that any cuts agreed to in ``deals'' aren't binding on a future Congress and a balanced budget amendment is. They know that Cut, Cap, and Balance brings real spending reductions today and will force government in the future to get an agreement of the whole family, the supermajority, to go into debt or raise taxes. A balanced budget amendment is common sense. The American people are watching, and their patience is wearing thin.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 289, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 793) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Inverness, California, as the ``Specialist Jake Robert Velloza Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 793, introduced by the gentlelady from California (Ms. Woolsey), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Inverness, California, as the ``Specialist Jake Robert Velloza Post Office.'' The bill is cosponsored by the entire California State delegation and was, favorably, without amendment, reported out of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last Thursday, March 10.

It is altogether fitting and proper that we name this post office in Inverness for Army Specialist Velloza to honor a true American hero and his service to our country.

Jake Robert Velloza was born on June 21, 1986, in Santa Rosa, California; and he grew up in Inverness. From a young age, he knew that he wanted to serve his country in the military. His high school football coach recalled after his death: ``He was set on his goals. He was one of those young men who knew what he wanted to do and did it. Service to his country is what appealed to him.''

Specialist Velloza enlisted in the Army in 2006 and was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division based out of Fort Hood, Texas. Tragically, on May 2, 2009, Specialist Velloza was shot and killed by enemy forces while on his second tour of duty in Mosul, Iraq. He was 22 years old, and left behind his fiancee, Danielle Erwin, whom he had proposed to just 6 months prior to his tragic death. For his bravery and service to his country, Specialist Velloza was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, both of which were presented to his parents, Robert and Susan Velloza.

Mr. Speaker, having a father who fought and served in World War II, along with three brothers who are all combat veterans of the Vietnam war, it is a privilege for me to stand here today before this body and honor the memory of a true American hero. As the Representative of Florida's 12th Congressional District, I have the honor of representing many of our brave retired servicemembers who were based out of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, just a few miles west of my district.

The men and women who were once based out of MacDill and those who currently work there have much in common with Specialist Velloza, a courageous young man who made the ultimate sacrifice promoting freedom and protecting our great Nation.

I am grateful for the service of Specialist Velloza and for all of those who serve and protect us each and every day. I urge all Members to join me in strong support of this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge all Members to support passage of H.R. 793.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the chairman for this opportunity.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of House Resolution 72. Now more than ever, regulatory reform is needed. Agencies have expanded their authority to levels far beyond what was ever intended, in circumvention of the legislative process.

At a time of record unemployment, the last thing businesses, and in particular, our small businesses, need are burdensome regulations and added compliance costs. Why would we make it harder for our job creators to expand and grow? Shouldn't we create an environment that fosters prosperity, innovation, and global marketplace competitiveness?

For example, in my home State of Florida, we have what's known as Numeric Nutrient Water Criteria that is being thrust upon us by EPA, a regulatory law that is supported by nothing but junk science, not accepted principles of science. And yet what it's going to do is cost my citrus industry $325 million in initial compliance costs. It is going to cost my agricultural industry anywhere from $855 million to $3 billion in initial costs, with an annual impact of $1.1 billion to Florida's overall economy and over 14,000 jobs lost. Those jobs, lost in an economy like this. In Florida, water is our livelihood. We can regulate our own control of water. We believe in clean water. But we need to have a voice in what is happening to us with these regulatory controls.

Is it fair for an unelected regulatory agency like the EPA to have unchecked rulemaking authority and prevent Florida's job creators from employing hardworking citizens in need of jobs? We are regulating jobs out of existence. Would those who promote more regulatory control not be satisfied until we have choked the last breath out of our American economy and our American job market because of too much regulatory control?

Massive oversight is needed, and I applaud congressional efforts to reform the current out-of-control regulatory process. The REINS Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act reforms are necessary. They will provide transparency to a rulemaking process and give businesses, large and small, proper due process in agency decisions that greatly affect them. They are the important first steps that will allow businesses the ability to grow, our citizens to work, and our economy to flourish.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to President Reagan on his centennial celebration. As our country 's 40th President, no leader in modern history has had a more lasting and greater impact in shaping America's policy on economics, national defense, and social issues. Throughout his time as a public servant, President Reagan championed the core values of lower taxes and less burdensome government that stimulated the economy and brought this country out of a long recession.

Reagan's firm belief in a strong national defense inspired future democracies all over Europe and led to the defeat of the ``evil empire,'' which ended the Cold War and brought peace with Russia.

He became a role model for all Americans with his sense of humor, his sense of compassion, untiring belief in unlimited freedom and respect for the unborn. President Reagan was a leader of extraordinary character, courage, and vision. He changed our great nation and never tired of firmly believing that America's best days were ahead.

Happy birthday, Mr. President.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of repealing and replacing the recently enacted health care law that nationalizes nearly one-sixth of our country's gross domestic product.

This past November, the American people sent a resounding message to Congress and to this administration that they do not want to pay higher taxes for a one-size-fits-all health care system that replaces doctors with bureaucrats. Instead, the American people want complete control of their health care dollars and health care decisions, and they want to be able to take their policies with them from job to job without being penalized by the Federal Government.

Americans need privatized health care that forces competition in order to achieve affordability, choice, and innovation. As a small business owner, I understand that adding $104 billion in taxes and compliance costs to our unstable job market creates a massive burden on our taxpayers and is not the best way to encourage economic growth.

Imposing new regulations on small businesses by mandating employers provide health insurance stifles economic growth and makes it difficult for businesses to survive.

We can bring down costs and increase affordability by allowing the free market to create robust competition. One commonsense reform is to allow for the interstate sale of health insurance. By breaking down the barriers to the sale of health insurance, American citizens will have the ability to choose the plan that best fits their needs at a rate that is affordable to them. By allowing competition, we bring costs down and provide the best possible product for the American people.