Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, the gentleman just spoke about liberty. My friend from Pennsylvania spoke about self-rule. Today we are talking about bureaucrats, but what we really should be talking about is the effect of this bill on our agencies in Homeland Security and our intelligence agencies, given the unprecedented intrusion by the Russians in our elections and other affairs of this Nation. If we don't stay focused on that liberty and the foundation for freedom so that another country doesn't interfere with our affairs, we as Members of Congress are ignoring the oath that we just took 2 days ago.

So I would suggest to my friends that I appreciate there can be overregulation, but I would suggest you have to look closely at how this bill affects our ability to protect our liberties and our freedom. I am afraid it affects it badly, in the face of interference that we haven't seen from another country since 1776.

Mr. Speaker, on January 3, 2017, my electronic voting card malfunctioned and I was not registered as recording a vote on H. Res. 5, ``Adopting Rules for the 115th Congress.'' I wish to reflect my intentions on roll call No. 6, as a ``NAY'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Sarah Garvey as the West Chamber's Young Professional of the Year.

Sarah has served as the president of the West Chamber's Young Professionals Group for the last two years. She has been instrumental in raising funds for the Chamber's annual ``Pub Crawl for a Cause'' and other young professional events. She is also a member of the West Chamber through her company, Shred-It.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Sarah Garvey for her honor by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same commitment to her community in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud the West Chamber's Ambassadors of the Year, Glyn and Alan Masi, for their outstanding commitment to the local community.

Glyn and Alan own Ticker Tuners, a local business in Morrison with a mission they are both passionate about: helping people identify, treat and monitor their heart health. In addition, Glyn and Alan attend every ribbon cutting, open house or other event where help is needed and involve West Chamber members and local businesses.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Glyn and Alan Masi for the honor by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt they will exhibit the same commitment to their community in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud the Rockley Family for their outstanding service and commitment to their community with their business, the Rockley Music Center.

Founded in 1946 at Colfax and Wadsworth, Melvin and Mildred Rockley, the first generation, began selling print music, record players, band and orchestral instruments, along with washers, dryers and other appliances. The business was passed on to Melvin's son Bob and his wife Nina in the 1960s at which time the business was expanded and added teaching studios. In the 1980s, the third generation, Tobin and Robin, joined the business.

Today the center includes a foundation run by Tobin and his wife Diane. Over the years, the Rockley Family has become a Lakewood icon. It is for their ongoing support of the community, Colfax BID and the Jefferson County Public Schools that the Rockley Family and the Rockley Music Center is a deserving recipient of the Steve Burkholder Diamond Legacy Award.

I extend my deepest congratulations to the Rockley Family for their honor by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt the Rockley Family will exhibit the same dedication and service in all future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud the West Chamber's Woman-Owned Business of the Year, Table Mountain Vision, for their outstanding service to the local community.

For the last 17 years, Dr. Kelly Jackson Condon has operated Table Mountain Vision and provided the finest vision care experience in Golden. In addition, Dr. Jackson Condon is very involved in the local community, and has served on various boards and committees including: Leadership Golden; Downtown Merchants; The Original Shopping Districts; and numerous others. Dr. Jackson Condon was also elected as chair of the Golden Chamber of Commerce in 2004 and again in 2009.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Table Mountain Vision for the honor by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt Table Mountain Vision will exhibit the same service and dedication in all future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Rachel Grace Hultin for receiving the 2014 Wheat Ridge City Council Partnership Award.

The Wheat Ridge City Council Partnership Award recognizes a company or individual for their overall contributions to the City. It incorporates business achievements as well as contributions in volunteerism, leadership, and community investment and involvement.

Rachel Grace Hultin is very active in the Wheat Ridge community with an emphasis on health and wellness. She was instrumental in leading the charge to have Wheat Ridge designated as a Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) city. In addition Rachel leads the Active Transportation Advisory Team. This group was formed to provide citizen input to the Wheat Ridge City Council in order to create a community which encourages citizens to participate in physical activity by making it safer to walk and bicycle to local merchants.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Rachel Grace Hultin for this well-deserved recognition by the City of Wheat Ridge and the Wheat Ridge Business Association. Thank you for your dedication to the health and wellness of the citizens of Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Kaiser Permanente Colorado for their outstanding service and commitment to the community.

Kaiser Permanente Colorado is the state's largest nonprofit health plan, proudly working to improve the lives and health of Colorado residents for more than 45 years. As one of the largest businesses in our community, Kaiser Permanente Colorado provides comprehensive health care services to 630,000 members through 29 medical offices and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Kaiser Permanente Colorado for their honor by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt they will exhibit the same commitment to healthcare and service to residents in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Jim and Kate Curtis for their outstanding dedication to their local community.

Owners of the Village Roaster since 1979, Jim and Kate Curtis have been proudly providing Jefferson County and Lakewood residents with some of the best coffee, tea, spices and gift selections from around the world. In addition to running the Village Roaster, the two have worked to support their community for their entire lives continually giving of themselves and their coffee.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Jim and Kate Curtis for their honor as Members of the Year by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt they will exhibit the same community service and dedication in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Seyfer Specialties for receiving the 2014 Wheat Ridge Reinvestment Award. This award recognizes a business that invests in a significant improvement or maintains an excellent level of quality in a business property.

Seyfer Specialties was established in 1961 and is primarily focused on restoring classic cars and building hotrods, so it is fitting that they purchased an old dilapidated barn and rebuilt it into a modern performance garage while still emphasizing the classic barn-style. Seyfer delivers a great service with a knowledgeable and friendly staff, and they are a classic component of the Wheat Ridge Community.

I extend my deepest congratulations to Seyfer Specialties for this well-deserved recognition by the City of Wheat Ridge and the Wheat Ridge Business Association.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Banner Signs and Decals for their outstanding service and commitment to the community.

Dan, Carol and Jeff Lundin bought the company in 2007 with a vision to ultimately make Banner Signs and Decals one of the best sign companies in Colorado. The original business had been located at Colfax and Carr for more than 11 years. The Lundins recently moved the business to the new 40 West Arts District at Teller and Colfax. This Small Business of the Year goes above and beyond for their customers and their local community each and every day.

I extend my deepest congratulations to the Lundin family and Banner Signs and Decals for their honor by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt they will exhibit the same commitment and service in all future accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA) of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties for their outstanding service to the local community.

CASA's mission is to provide trained volunteers to advocate in court for the safety and well-being of abused and neglected children. CASA volunteers attend 35 hours of intensive training before being appointed to a case of child abuse or neglect. Each volunteer commits to stay with the case until it has concluded to ensure they are able to advocate for the child's best interests in the areas of education, health, foster placement, and most importantly a permanent and safe home.

I extend my deepest congratulations to CASA of Jefferson and Gilpin Counties for their honor as Nonprofit of the Year by the West Chamber serving Jefferson County. I have no doubt they will exhibit the same service and dedication in all future accomplishments.

Thank you, Mr. McGovern, for giving me a chance to tell a little personal story about the success of the Affordable Care Act and its impact on the Perlmutter family.

On election day, my wife, a teacher in the Jeffco school system in Colorado, who had hardly ever been to the hospital, had something that they thought was pretty devastating. She went into surgery on election day.

It turned out it was exploratory. A very rare condition was exposed which required a second surgery. Only a handful of surgeons across this country deal with that kind of condition. The surgeons who do it were outside of the network of the original insurance company that provided insurance for her.

Because of the Affordable Care Act, we were able to go into the exchange and find an insurance company through an outstanding insurance broker. Rocky Mountain Health Plans had a surgeon who could handle this kind of condition and was within their network.

It provided her with fantastic medical care and peace of mind that she was going to somebody who knew precisely what they were doing, and it was all because of the Affordable Care Act.

Under the Affordable Care Act, you cannot discriminate against people with a preexisting condition; so for her, she was able to have the peace of mind that is required for recovery. She got the best medical care possible through a coverage that was professional and prompt in its service.

Physically, mentally, and emotionally, the Affordable Care Act helped her find a physician equipped and qualified to help her condition.

The Affordable Care Act is a civil rights act, and it has got to be upheld.

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, January 22, 2015 I was not present to vote on H.R. 7, legislation intruding on women's reproductive freedom and access to health care. I wish the record to reflect my intentions had I been present to vote. Had I been present for roll call No. 45, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Dr. John M. Poate for his prominent career and service to energy conservation and environmental research. For over fifty years Dr. Poate has been active in research and development in the renewable energy sector. His personal research activities span several areas of solid state physics, materials science and engineering. He led a distinguished research career at Bell Labs where he headed the Silicon Processing Research Department. Since then he has served as Dean at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Chief Technology Officer of a semiconductor capital equipment company, and the vice president of Research and Technology Transfer at the Colorado School of Mines.

Dr. Poate has served on many advisory panels during his career such as NATO, NSF, NRC, DOE and International Universities. He continues his work on the Board of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and chairing the Director's Review Committee for the Physical and Life Sciences of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and Materials Research Society, MRS past- president, and the John Bardeen award winner of the TMS.

To say he is an accomplished research scientist is an understatement. Dr. Poate's dedication and enthusiasm for research is reflected in his authorship of over 300 publications in archival journals as well as 12 patents.

I extend my deepest thanks to Dr. Poate for his service to the science community. Thank you for your continuous dedication to research.