Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, by unanimous consent motion offered by my friend, and the bill's Republican lead, Ted Poe, the House passed H.R. 2901, our Paul Simon Water for the World Act. It was almost anticlimactic, considering all the ins and outs it has taken for years to be able to hammer out the details necessary to take the next step in reform.

The hard work was all worth it, enhancing our efforts to have the United States embrace its responsibility to help the world deal with our water and sanitation crisis. Make no mistake about it; it is a crisis.

Today 152 million hours will be spent by women and girls to get water--often dirty, polluted water--to meet the basic needs of their families. Almost three-quarter billion people still lack access to this fundamental necessity of life.

There is an even greater crisis with inadequate sanitation. There are approximately 2.5 billion people who suffer from this lack of what most of us take for granted. It results in horrific disease, stunted growth, and malnutrition. In fact, the children under 5 who are malnourished in India are suffering less from a lack of food and more from the diseases produced by poor sanitation. The children who do survive are left with mental and physical burdens for their entire life.

In a world where there are more cell phones than toilets, this is something that we can do something about. It is seriously out of kilter. The world knows what to do, and we can afford a solution. The enactment of the Water for the World legislation moves us in that direction by focusing the United States' efforts on things that will work, areas of the world most in need, and making sure our solutions are sustainable.

I deeply appreciate the leadership of my friend, colleague, and principle cosponsor of the bill, Ted Poe, who has been tireless in his efforts; the work of Chairman Royce and the Foreign Affairs Committee; our partners in the other body, Senators Dick Durbin and Bob Corker; and, of course, dozens of nongovernmental organizations that have been at work around the globe making progress while they have been unrelenting advocates here at home.

I must also acknowledge the tireless efforts of my legislative director, Michael Harold, who has done as much as any human alive to get this across the finish line.

Mr. Speaker, this is an amazing and important accomplishment, but it makes me pause. What else could we do in the spirit of bipartisan cooperation and doing what is right?

Might it be possible to take a small step, show a little courage, and embrace what Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill could do over 30 years ago? President Reagan used his radio address on Thanksgiving 1982 to provide leadership to more than double the gas tax, which he correctly pointed out was really a user fee and which had not increased in 23 years while roads were falling apart.

Well, the current gas tax has not been increased in almost 22 years, and America is falling apart and falling behind. The highway trust fund is going bankrupt. Everyone acknowledges an increase is long overdue. With gasoline prices falling dramatically, seemingly every week, and expected to continue doing so well into the foreseeable future, a nickel a gallon per year is hardly going to be noticed.

But as President Reagan pointed out, people will directly benefit. Today poor road maintenance costs the typical family $377 per year in damage to their cars, far more than they would pay in a small increase in the gas tax. Millions of hours and billions of dollars are wasted due to highway congestion.

So let's square our shoulders. Let's show some backbone and vision and take another step forward. Let's raise the user fee we call the gas tax, put hundreds of thousands of people to work all across America at family wage jobs, and renew and rebuild this great country. This would be a nice

Christmas present that Americans will enjoy for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following:

H.R. 5759, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act

Today I voted against H.R. 5759, the ``Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act.'' This year, House Republicans have stonewalled on immigration reform and refused to work with Democrats. Instead of allowing a vote on the bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the Senate nearly a year and a half ago, the House voted on a resolution that is as unproductive as it is insulting to those harmed by our broken immigration system. Today's actions are another example of the loudest voices on Capitol Hill turning their backs on our businesses, our faith leaders, law enforcement, and hard-working immigrant families.

The President's bold action is the right path forward, bringing millions out of the shadows, strengthening families, and growing our economy. The executive order is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform, but, until then, this is a critical step in the right direction.

The President's action is not without precedent. Over the years, there have been dozens of executive actions taken on immigration matters, including from five Republican presidents. We cannot afford to lose billions in economic growth, totaling $1 trillion over the next 20 years, that economists estimate the federal budget will lose as a result of our failed immigration policies.

We must build on the President's action--and the advocacy that inspired it--to enact comprehensive immigration reform. There is no other solution.

H.R. 3979, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015

Today I voted against H.R. 3979, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015. This is a critical time for the U.S. military, yet at the exact moment Congress should be having an in-depth debate over these difficult issues, we will be voting on a bill that's nearly 2,000 pages long and asked to take it or leave it, without amendment.

Support for this bill sidesteps critical issues. Those include dealing with a far-reaching interpretation of the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) currently used to justify U.S. air strikes in Syria; the recent doubling of U.S. troops in Iraq and their role; and, the recent authorization of an expanded role for U.S. troops in Afghanistan next year, instead of ending that war this year, as planned.

This Defense Authorization would also extend for a period of nearly two years the President's authority to train and equip highly vetted Syrian opposition fighters focused on combating ISIS and Syria's dictator, Bashar al-Assad. While not an authorization for U.S. boots on the ground in Syria, it does commit us to a long-term engagement in Syria. Congress should have taken this opportunity to debate the implications. But we did not.

There are some bright spots in this bill that I worked very hard to secure and am pleased to see them included. One is a critical two-year extension and expansion of the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. Without action in the NDAA, the U.S. would have left our Afghan allies in the lurch, without any path to safety in the U.S., as promised to them in exchange for their service to protect our men and women in uniform.

Also included is an amendment I offered to the NDAA in March that will require the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to issue a report, on a regular basis, that forecasts the long-term estimated cost of the United States' nuclear weapons arsenal. The initial report that my amendment codified found that the Pentagon underestimated projected costs by $150 billion. The United States is scheduled to spend at least one-half to two-thirds of a trillion dollars over the next 10 years on our nuclear forces and related programs. This spending, adjusting for inflation, is higher than at the height of the Cold War. Transparency and nonpartisan oversight strengthens our democracy and promotes greater efficiency and effectiveness in government, especially in monitoring government spending.

It is unfortunate that this Defense Authorization is another missed opportunity to have the debate the American public deserves, and to set our military on a sustainable path.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following:

H.R. 3572--To revise the boundaries of certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in North Carolina, as amended: On December 2, 2014, a conflict kept me from voting on H.R. 3572 under suspension of the rules. This bill revises the boundaries of certain John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System units in North Carolina. If I had been present, I would have voted for this legislation.

H.R. 5769--Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014: Today I voted for H.R. 5769, in part as a tribute our retiring colleague Howard Coble. While the legislation contained many good provisions, it also had some disturbing ones. Key among them were those could make it harder for the U.S. to deliver food aid in a more timely, cost effective and impactful way. Any provision that

could lead to increased tonnage requirements for our food aid merits significant scrutiny because added delay directly threatens lives already at risk. The House, federal agencies, and NGO stakeholders were, unfortunately, given no such opportunity for oversight before the final bill was brought to the floor. Should this bill be enacted in its present form, I look forward to working with Secretary Fox to ensure this provision is implemented fairly.

H.R. 5771--Tax Increase Prevention Act: During the debate on the House floor over H.R. 5771, the Tax Increase Prevention Act, it was clear I was torn. The reason I ultimately voted against this legislation is because it should have been the first order of business taken up by Congress, and not the last. This tax extenders package represents another failure to treat people right and fairly, and one more missed opportunity for reform. In addition, H.R. 5771 continues the harmful trend of adding the deficit while ignoring the low hanging fruit, where consensus is within reach and provisions are ripe for reform.

Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago today, I introduced the first gas tax increase in over 20 years. I was joined by a broad coalition in announcing the bill, supported by the AFL-CIO, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, building and construction industries and their unions, local governments, AAA and the truckers, environmentalists, transit, and cyclists. It was gratifying to have that broad base of support. One year later, the only thing that has

changed is that the need, if anything, is greater and the path forward is even easier.

I just completed a press conference with my good friend Tom Petri and with President Ronald Reagan. President Reagan, in 1982, in his Thanksgiving Day radio address, explained why we needed to raise the gas tax.

He said: ``One of our greatest material blessings is the outstanding network of roads and highways that spreads across this great continent. Freedom of travel and the romance of the road are vital parts of our heritage, and they help make America great.

``We simply cannot allow this magnificent system to deteriorate beyond repair. The time has come to preserve what Americans spent so much time and effort to create, and that means a nationwide conservation effort in the best sense of the word.

``So I am asking Congress when it reconvenes next week to approve a new highway program that will enable us to complete construction of the interstate system and at the same time get on with the job of renovating existing highways. The program will not increase the Federal deficit or add to the taxes that you and I pay on April 15. It will be paid for by those of us who use the system, and it will cost the average car owner only about $30 a year. That is less than the cost of a couple of shock absorbers.

``So what we are proposing is to add the equivalent of 5 cents a gallon to the existing highway user fee, the gas tax, which hasn't been increased in the last 23 years. The cost to the average motorist will be small, but the benefit to our transportation system will be immense. The program will stimulate 170,000 jobs, not make-work projects, but in real, worthwhile work in hard-hit construction industries, and an additional 150,000 jobs in related industries.

``Perhaps most important, we will be preserving for future generations of Americans a highway system that has long been the envy of the world and has truly made the average American driver king of the road.

``Thanks for listening, and until next time, God bless you.''

That is a speech that could be given by any of us or by President Obama--and should be. Congress did return after that holiday, and President Reagan and Tip O'Neill more than doubled the gas tax. What has not changed is that we haven't raised the gas tax in 22 years. It costs the average family $377 per year in damage to their cars.

If we increase the gas tax according to my proposal, H.R. 3636, it won't create 300,000 jobs; it will create 1.5 million family-wage jobs across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I understand people don't like the gas tax. I don't like the gas tax. I want to raise it, index it, and then abolish it and replace it with something that is sustainable. But in the meantime, raising the gas tax is the only viable approach, as verified by two Presidential commissions that reported to President Bush.

We have been asleep at the switch. It is time for us to step up. At a time of dramatically falling gas prices--23 cents on average in the last month, and they are projected to continue going down--now is the perfect time to step up, to raise the gas tax slowly over the next 3 years, rebuild and renew America, put family-wage jobs across the spectrum, and make our communities more livable, our families safer, healthier, and more economically secure.

All it takes is a little leadership and courage. Like Ronald Reagan and Tip O'Neill did 32 years ago, I think we can do that now, and we should.

Mr. Speaker, 1 year ago today, I introduced the first gas tax increase in 21 years. The only thing that has changed in that year is that the need is greater and the path forward is even easier. Everyone knows that America is falling apart and falling behind while gas prices have dropped dramatically.

I am joined this afternoon by Ronald Reagan who 32 years ago, on Thanksgiving, made a powerful radio address, explaining why he more than doubled the gas tax--actually, a user fee, he pointed out. The same speech could and should be made by President Obama tomorrow.

I urge you, my colleagues, to join me and Ronald Reagan in fixing the bankrupt highway trust fund, increasing the gas tax so we can rebuild and renew America and put hundreds of thousands of people to work at family-wage jobs all across this great land.

With the need getting worse and gas prices falling, there will never be a better time. All it takes is a little leadership and courage from the President and Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would extend my congratulations to Mr. Camp. I have enjoyed being able to work with him for a lot of these 20 years. I enjoy his leadership, his dedication, and his friendship. In a sense, I feel that it was unfortunate that he had to navigate all these bizarre, choppy waters. It would have been fun to see what would have happened in a little more measured environment.

The legislation we are dealing with here today is kind of a symbol of the difficulty he faces and the frustrations we all met. This should be the first legislation that we deal with in the next Congress, not the last legislation we deal with now.

It has been referenced that this is only going to be in effect for a few days. Look at what has happened when we deal with areas that I care deeply about. I have worked for years with short-line railroad interests. They rely on a tax credit to be able to make a difference in rural and small town America. Some of them are plunging in and have taken the risk that will be extended, some have not. These are investments that can't be made in that fashion.

I have enjoyed working with the wind energy industry and looking at what we have done over the course of 2005 to 2012. When we had the production tax credit in place and there was some certainty, we had the wind industry grow nine times over, over $100 billion in investment and helping us generate clean energy and drop the price per unit profoundly. Now who knows what they are facing.

Looking at the transit benefit, I was pleased to have worked to be able to give transit parity to the millions of Americans who take buses and trains to work, to treat them the way we treat people who drive a car. For 3 years, they were treated that way. And then Congress, after the change in power had dropped to $125 a month, and then we kind of got it back when we dealt with the fiscal cliff, now it is back to $130. It is not fair to people in Chicago, in Detroit, in Metropolitan Washington, in New Jersey, in small town America where they take advantage of this. It is another example of where we are in this squirrel cage.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I appreciate his courtesy.

I am to the point where I don't actually know what is the right vote. I have no doubt that it will pass, but is it the right signal to send for so many industries that have a right to expect certainty, that have a right to expect the things that they have relied upon for years, built their business models around, are treated in the cavalier fashion by this Congress? I don't think that is right.

I think there are many areas of reform. I appreciate my friend Mr. Camp diving in and dealing with some of these tough issues. We had a demonstration that it is not going to be easy to deal with tax reform. But it is not going to help anybody for the long term or short term to have businesses roll the dice on things in many cases

that are critical to the national interest and that they rely upon. They deserve better, and so does the American public.

Mr. Speaker, one of our responsibilities in this Congress is to protect the men and women from Iraq and Afghanistan who put their lives on the line to assist the United States.

Thousands of Afghans and Iraqis who helped us as guides, as interpreters, must not be left to the tender mercies of al Qaeda, the Taliban, and others with long memories who seek to punish those who helped us.

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal had a front-page story about an Iraqi family that is caught in the bureaucratic pipeline for the families seeking safety after years of service and now facing intense threats against them.

There was a recent HBO feature by comedian John Oliver on his program, ``Last Week Tonight,'' that, in graphic, satirical, somewhat profane terms, captured the essence of the bureaucratic nightmare faced by thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan. They and their family members are at risk of being assaulted, kidnapped, tortured, raped, or killed simply because they were there helping Americans.

We are seeing some progress. I deeply appreciate the tireless efforts of Chairman Buck McKeon, Ranking Member Adam Smith, and their staff, the work on the National Defense Authorization Act, which will help us uphold commitments to our Afghan allies.

However, all of us in Congress have a responsibility, and there is an opportunity for all of us to step up and help this desperate situation. Over the last 7 years, it has been a battle to have America honor its obligations by effectively implementing this Special Immigrant Visa program authorized by Congress to help those who helped us to escape.

We are seeing the results of many on this floor who encourage the State Department to more aggressively implement this Special Immigration Visa program. The Afghan program went from an embarrassing 32 visas for all of 2012 to an average of 400 each month this year. This is due to enhanced oversight and pressure and cooperation from Congress. The program is now functioning at a level that almost allows us to keep our promises to our allies.

One thing we all can do is to join me and my colleague, Adam Kinzinger, who has been a tireless champion for justice for these Afghan and Iraqi nationals, in directing a letter to our friends on the Appropriations Committee asking that they, like last year, authorize urgently needed Afghan SIVs in the end-of-the-year appropriations package that we will soon have here on the floor.

We have stepped up before, but we need to avoid this Special Immigrant Visa roulette so that these people are not in limbo, or, worse, resigned to the hell inflicted on them by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Even with the leadership of the Armed Services Committee, we will still fall short of upholding our commitments for a need as great as 9,000 visas for Afghanistan alone. That is why our appropriators must help shoulder the responsibility, and they need to hear from us, every Member of Congress.

It is our moral obligation to take action to protect, not just those people, but the security interests of the United States. It is not just their innocent lives that are at stake. Think about the trust that is going to be necessary when we need help in the future from foreign nationals for our soldiers, our diplomats, and our aid workers.

Let's sign the letter. Let's all detail someone on every staff to pay attention to this issue. Add our voices. It is being done by the Armed Services Committee. Help the Appropriations Committee in this next critical step.

It should not be left to a comedian like John Oliver, God bless him, to carry this banner alone. Sign the letter, speak out, take up the cause.

We must not fail those who are at risk only because they believed our promises and they helped Americans in some of the most difficult circumstances we have ever asked our soldiers, diplomats, and aid workers to face.

This is a failure we can avoid, and we can end this Congress on a positive

note that can make everybody feel better as we approach the holiday season.

Mr. Speaker, today, I am introducing the bipartisan Veterans Equal Access Act along with my colleagues Dana Rohrabacher, Dina Titus, Justin Amash, Paul Broun, Walter Jones, Thomas Massie, Sam Farr, Jared Polis, Beto O'Rourke, Steve Stockman and Steve Cohen, which

will allow Veterans Health Administration physicians to recommend medical marijuana to their patients in states where it is legal.

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have passed laws that provide for legal access to medical marijuana. As a result, well over one million patients across the country, including many veterans, now use medical marijuana at the recommendation of their physician to treat conditions ranging from seizures, glaucoma, anxiety, chronic pain, and nausea.

There are also nine states and the District of Columbia that now allow physicians to recommend medical marijuana for the symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), due to a growing body of anecdotal evidence suggesting that marijuana offers relief when nothing else has.

While outdated federal barriers often prevent the research necessary to develop marijuana into an FDA approved drug, states have heard from their citizens, including veterans suffering from PTS, that marijuana is helping them now, and have adjusted their laws.

Despite this growing state availability of medical marijuana, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) prohibits VA medical providers from completing forms brought by their patients seeking recommendations or opinions regarding participation in a state marijuana program.

The Veterans Equal Access Act would require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to authorize physicians and other health care workers employed by the VA to provide recommendations and opinions regarding the participation of a veteran in a state medical marijuana program. This includes authorizing them to fill out any forms involved in the process of recommending medical marijuana.

Veterans should not be forced outside of the VA system to seek a treatment that is legal in their state. VA physicians should not be denied the ability to offer a recommendation they think may meet the needs of their patient. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this effort.

Madam Speaker, today is World Toilet Day. The concept of a World Toilet Day can make children giggle, some adults blush, and others want to change the subject, but the title is designed to address this serious subject directly.

No one can afford to be squeamish, to make jokes, or change the subject about the fundamental issue of adequate sanitation because 2 and a half billion people live without it, causing about 700,000 premature deaths each year, and it is getting worse.

We have made some progress, but the number living without access has increased by 700 million people. There are now more people on Earth with a cell phone than a toilet.

The consequences of insufficient access to sanitation facilities and poor hygiene are severe. Countries where open defecation is more prevalent have found its way to the United States media recently, reporting on the horrific murder and rape of two young girls that could have been prevented in India if they didn't need to sneak out into the night to relieve themselves in an open field, leaving them vulnerable to attack.

A heartbreaking study linked the root cause of India's malnutrition crisis to a lack of adequate sanitation. It found that many of the 162 million children under the age of 5 who are malnourished in India are suffering less from a lack of food and more from poor sanitation. Those children who do survive are left with mental and physical burdens for their entire lives.

The lack of adequate sanitation is a human economic drain. The total global economic loss associated with inadequate water supply and sanitation is estimated to be over a quarter trillion dollars every year.

This crisis that leaves women vulnerable, needlessly ends lives early, and undermines economic growth does have solutions. Today, at noon, I will join my colleagues on implementation of the Water for the Poor Act we passed earlier to ensure that WASH programming helps leverage the impact of development assistance. It also ensures that our water, sanitation, and hygiene programs are targeted to help the world's poorest, that they are more effective with long-term sustainable impacts.

This bipartisan legislation, with my friend Ted Poe, has well over 100 cosponsors and is scheduled for a markup in the House Foreign Affairs Committee tomorrow.

This significant progress would not have even been possible without the leadership of Chairman Royce, and I thank him for it, along with the many advocates who have demonstrated why the United States must play a greater role to increase sustainable access to clean water and sanitation.

If passed out of committee, which I certainly hope it will, I would urge the House leadership to bring this bill to the floor for a vote immediately when we come back in session in December. That is because we cannot wait, and it is one of those rare bills we can all unite to get water, often dirty water, for their families. That is enough work hours to build 28 Empire State Buildings every day. This is time not spent working on income-generating jobs, caring for family members, or securing an education.

Ted Poe, a Republican, and I, a Democrat who represents Portlandia, don't often agree on a lot, but we are an example of how we can all come together because politics should stop at water.

Mr. Speaker, the front page of last Sunday's Washington Post had a poignant story about Army veteran Amy Rising, who uses medical marijuana to help her deal with her posttraumatic stress disorder. Now, we weren't told exactly where she lives, just that medical marijuana is legal where she uses it, so she could be in any one of 23 States and the District of Columbia.

Fifty-seven percent of Floridians voted to legalize medical marijuana earlier this month, more votes for medical marijuana in Florida than any statewide politician on the ballot. This is part of a growing trend across the country.

But Amy's predicament is that the Federal Government does not allow physicians in the Department of Veterans Affairs to be able to help their patients with medical marijuana, whether it is right for them; instead, people are forced away from their primary care physician and the veterans' benefits that they have earned.

Why do they have to seek out someone else who doesn't know them as well, doesn't have the same relationship, and then bear that extra cost? This actually should be a terrible embarrassment.

I had a proposal during the appropriations deliberations that would have clarified this policy, which actually isn't based on any law or regulation. It is simply what is termed ``guidance.'' My proposal would have enabled doctors to be able to work with their patients in the VA.

Now, I am not suggesting by any stretch of the imagination the nature of those conversations and what the conclusion should be. Some physicians are strongly supportive of medical marijuana. Others have reservations. Others simply don't know. But it is outrageous that the people who know our veterans best are forbidden to work with them on this therapy.

I will be introducing legislation that would put in law what we had for that budget amendment. This is one of several things that I hope this Congress does something about before we adjourn.

While we are at it, shouldn't we want to stop the lunacy of making marijuana an all-cash business by denying them bank accounts? What about giving people tax justice by repealing an outmoded and unfair provision known as 280E, so that it will allow perfectly legal businesses, hundreds of them across the country, to deduct their legitimate business expenses? Otherwise, these hundreds of small legal businesses will continue to pay punitively high tax rates.

Now, the Obama administration is slowly lurching in the right direction.

The President famously said that he had bigger fish to fry than trying to prevent Washington and Colorado from implementing what their voters have approved. Just this last week, we had more approvals from the State of Alaska, the District of Columbia, and in my home State of Oregon. Marijuana got more votes in Oregon than anybody on the Oregon ballot.

While States are still influencing the reform, we need to bring Federal policies out of the Dark Ages. We need to be able to harness the therapeutic power of marijuana. We shouldn't force, for example, families to have to move to another State to be able to get relief for their children who suffer from torturous, violent epileptic seizures, simply because they live in a nonmedical marijuana State when medical marijuana has proven to be one of the few areas of relief for these children.

While the States are moving in this direction, the public is moving in this direction, it is not too late for Congress to move with these small steps that will make a difference.

We should start with our veterans, to give them access to their doctors, to understand what this tool is, to see if it can provide relief for them as it has done for hundreds of thousands of other people, especially veterans with chronic pain and PTSD.

Make no mistake, this is not a Republican issue or a Democratic issue; it is a veterans' issue. It is allowing the public to be able to take advantage of the proven therapeutic value, as over a million Americans are able to do today.

It is past time the Federal Government makes its policies consistent in the States in which our veterans reside. Give them this right, allow them access to the therapy, give them access to their own doctors.

Here is an opportunity for Congress to catch up with the voters, to catch up with the developments in therapy, catch up with veterans' advocates, and do something far less risky and more beneficial than what is too often inflicted upon them.

States have been showing leadership on marijuana reform and hemp legislation. Now is the chance for Congress to make progress, especially for our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, this is the eighth time that the House has voted to approve Keystone and short circuit the review process, and I have opposed it each time. Continuing this pattern is not helpful or a good use of our time.

My position has long been clear: there is a legal and regulatory process that the Administration is currently following to determine if this pipeline is in the interest of the American people.

It is important to consider the environmental impact that this pipeline may have, including a potential direct increase in the energy- intensive extraction of tar sands oil. It is also important to consider the impacts to local communities where this pipeline would be built as well as threats to the water supply. Oil from the tar sands continues to reach American refineries.

We should do the analysis of this pipeline right, and wait for it to finish. Most importantly, we should focus on long-term, sustainable solutions to meet our nation's future energy needs, lower our carbon emissions and make our communities more resilient to a changing climate.

If I had been present for the vote, I would have voted no.

Mr. Speaker, there were many close elections across America last week, but there was one clear winner: ending our failed prohibition on marijuana and instead legalizing, regulating, and taxing adult use.

Alaska and the District of Columbia voters joined Colorado and Washington from 2 years earlier with strong votes to legalize. Nowhere was that more emphatic than in my home State of Oregon. Marijuana legislation passed in Oregon by a greater margin than it did in Washington and Colorado. It got more votes than United States Senator Jeff Merkley, who was overwhelmingly reelected. And this was in a low- turnout, non-Presidential year, which experts predicted would depress the ``yes'' vote.

In a few minutes, I will be joined in a press conference with Eleanor Holmes Norton, whose constituents resoundingly approved legalization, and will make the case that Congress needs to stay out of the way of its implementation. Jared Polis, who has been my partner on efforts at modernizing and reforming marijuana laws, will give a snapshot on the progress in Colorado 2 years after legalization. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher from southern California, the first State to legalize medical marijuana 18 years ago, has been a tireless champion of the Federal Government not interfering with decisions of local voters to modernize and reform local marijuana laws. He has helped dozens of his Republican colleagues understand and support marijuana and hemp reform.

Perhaps just as important as those votes that passed was one that failed: the vote to legalize medical marijuana that failed in Florida. But it should be noted that it garnered 57 percent of statewide voters, again, in a low-turnout, non-Presidential election where many of the people, polls show, who

were supporters did not bother to vote. It got more votes than any statewide candidate in Florida on the ballot this year. Because it was a constitutional amendment that requires a 60 percent voter approval level, it was not approved at this time. But there is no question that medical marijuana is in the immediate future for Floridians. If it were back on the ballot in a Presidential year, it would exceed the 60 percent threshold.

In the meantime, we are going to work hard to implement the Oregon law and take advantage of the next 2 years to learn from the experience of others and refine our approach. We will raise new revenues to help education, addiction treatment, and law enforcement. And most important, we have already stopped prosecuting people for items that will be legal under the law, and we will be better able to protect our kids than the current vast underground black market.

Now Congress needs to do its part. We need to act now in Congress to solve two serious problems, not just for those States that have legalized adult use but the 23 States and counting that have legalized medical marijuana.

A narrow reading of Federal banking regulations requires that these perfectly legal marijuana businesses be on an all-cash basis. Restricting them from having bank accounts is absolutely insane, unfair, and unwise if you care about money laundering, tax evasion, or theft.

Additionally, I have legislation that will permit legal marijuana businesses to be able to deduct their business expenses from their income tax. Because of the quirk in the law--the 280E provision--small and emerging businesses face punitive Federal taxation that is unfair, unwise, and certainly unjustified. Regardless of how people feel about legalizing marijuana, these businesses are here--and here to stay.

Passing H.R. 2240 and H.R. 2652 will help treat this emerging sector of the economy fairly and further protect the public. I am hopeful that as the reality of these elections and future changes set in, we will be able to do a better job of permitting them to operate and allow this rapidly emerging area of commerce to serve the public and thrive.

Mr. Speaker, this Saturday marks the 3rd annual ``American Graduate Day,'' a live, public broadcasting event highlighting those working to keep America's students on the path to graduation.

Our local public broadcasting station's reporting is only the beginning of the work they do.

The American Graduate initiative, made possible with seed money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, is the perfect example of this.

The initiative is a long-term effort by our public broadcasters to shed light on America's dropout crisis. But these efforts don't stop in the newsroom.

It's followed by local stations joining forces with over 1,000 partners and at-risk schools in their communities to find ways of meeting the initiatives goal: A 90 percent high school graduation rate in the U.S. by the year 2020.

This effort couldn't be more critical.

Each year, nearly one million students fail to graduate on time. The U.S., which once had some of the highest graduation rates of any developed country, now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries. That means today's generation will not be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow.

The initiative has made an impact. A study by Johns Hopkins found that American Graduate has successfully built local capacity to end the dropout crisis.

As the founder and co-chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, it's an honor to highlight the success of this program and the broader issue it is meaningfully addressing.

Mr. Speaker, as I get on my bike to ride home tonight I'll be smiling, thinking of Jim Oberstar.

There has never been anyone in public life who was more committed to cycling. The joys of the exercise, the power to help people enjoy the freedom, health and advantages of cycling--no one more committed to making it safe for our families.

And that's just the tiniest fraction of the Jim Oberstar story. We could spend the next two hours talking about his contributions to aviation, to a strong rail system, to making our roads and bridges safe, resources to expand infrastructure where we need, and the vision and money to maintain and improve where we need to.

Jim dedicated his life to rebuilding and renewing America. Over the last half century, his fingerprints are on all the major advances, whether he was in a staff capacity, a Committee member, in a powerful leadership position, in the Minority or in the Majority, Jim Oberstar was there, his influence felt, his advice and guidance welcomed, and he made a difference.

As rich and important were his many contributions to rebuilding and renewing America, he was far more than that. He was a kind and caring Member of this Chamber who listened to people regardless of their position in the legislative pecking order.

Jim truly was interested in what they needed, what they thought, and if there was a way that he could help them, consistent with his vision and values. Because he was a consummate legislator, often, he could do both.

Last, but by no means least, Jim Oberstar was a caring family man, driven by his principles, his faith, love for his family, and concern for everyone else's family.

To his beloved wife Jean, thank you so much for sharing this unique human being with us and being his partner helping him do so much, bring so much joy and so much . . . not just progress . . . but joy . . . a man who truly loved his work as he loved his family and he loved his country.

Yes, Jim Oberstar will be missed. But I for one will feel his presence, his commitment, his example, every day I serve in Congress and so it is for many others.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing legislation to support the continued development of clean energy in the United States. The impacts of a changing climate are far-reaching, representing a threat not only to our ecosystems but to our national security as well. To help avoid the worst effects of carbon pollution, consumers must have a dependable supply of energy that is clean and renewable. That much of this energy--and many of the devices used to produce it--is American-made means that our country retains the innovation, export opportunities, and manufacturing jobs that are so important to a twenty-first century economy.

The Bridge to a Clean Energy Future Act of 2014 would extend critical clean energy incentives to provide market certainty and to strengthen investment in that sector. For example, this extends the Production Tax Credit for wind energy through 2016, offering parity with the Investment Tax Credit enjoyed by solar energy investments, while also granting the solar industry access to credits at the start of a project's construction, as in the wind industry. The bill also provides a range of other important incentives, such as the Advanced Energy Project credit, which aids U.S. manufacturers across the clean energy industry.

This bill supports thousands of jobs in clean energy industries, advances U.S. manufacturing, and supports our transition to clean, renewable energy. Most renewable energy investments are spent on materials and workmanship to build and maintain the facilities, rather than on costly energy imports. Renewable energy investments are usually spent within the United States, frequently in the same state, and often in the same town. Meanwhile, renewable energy technologies developed and built in the United States are being sold overseas, providing a boost to the U.S. trade deficit.

It is in the national interest to cut pollution while growing our economy. Tax credits for

clean energy and energy efficiency must be updated and extended. It is important to note that the fossil energy alternatives these industries are competing with have permanent tax incentives. We cannot continue to direct scarce tax dollars to industries that are a major contributor to climate change.