Floor Statements

Certainly, this afternoon I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1919, the Safeguarding America's Pharmaceutical Act of 2013. I want to thank the bill's authors, including Mr. Latta, for their bipartisan leadership on this very important issue.

This bill strengthens the prescription drug supply chain in order to protect American families against counterfeit drugs. The bill also would help prevent increases in drug prices, avoid additional drug shortages, and literally eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars worth of duplicative government red tape on American businesses that is harming job growth.

As Mr. Latta said, supporters of the Federal track and trace legislation include the U.S. Deputy Sheriffs' Association and also those in the supply chain, including the National Community Pharmacists Association. According to the CBO, the bill would reduce the deficit by $24 million.

Last Congress, we spent a significant amount of time working on this very important issue as we successfully moved the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act through the legislative process, and our efforts continued beyond enactment and into the 113th Congress. During that entire process, we also sought input from stakeholders like Pfizer and Perrigo, in my district in Michigan, as well as our smaller pharmacies, too. This hard work allowed us to better understand the issue, and this bill reflects that understanding.

At the Energy and Commerce Committee, we held a legislative hearing on the bill last April. We approved the bill in both subcommittee and full committee by voice vote. We certainly did have a spirited debate at the committee, but we stand here united in our belief that the prescription drug supply chain has to be strengthened.

We look forward to working with our Senate colleagues on H.R. 1919 on a bipartisan basis to improve the bill, including how it addresses issues related to wholesale distributors during phase one. Because of the hard work that has already been put in on this issue and the importance of protecting our Nation's families from counterfeit drugs, I am hopeful we can get a product to the President's desk by the August recess.

I rise today in strong support of S. 622, the Animal Drug and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Reauthorization Act of 2013.

This bipartisan bill is nearly identical to H.R. 1407, which we favorably reported out of the Energy and Commerce Committee last month. This bill, as well as the Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act, has proven to be very successful; and they are so important for the Nation's public health. Congress first created ADUFA back in 2003 and AGDUFA in 2008. Collectively, these programs have yielded many benefits for the American public.

These two bills have ensured that veterinarians, livestock, poultry producers, and pet owners have access to new and affordable animal drugs to keep their animals healthy. They have assisted animal drug producers by fostering a stable and predictable FDA review process, a rigorous process that helps expedite access to new therapies and fosters new drug development. The programs have also helped American consumers by keeping the food supply safe. Having medications that keep our animals healthy is essential to keeping our Nation's food supply safe. For companies like Zoetis, which employs some 700 people in southwest Michigan, these programs are vital in allowing them to keep producing innovative drugs for pets and livestock.

I was the lead sponsor of the original ADUFA legislation back in 2003, and it is terrific to see how successful it has been and how many Americans it has helped over the last decade.

I want to thank my colleagues, particularly Mr. Shimkus and Mr. Gardner, for their real leadership on this important issue. They deserve tremendous credit as we work to get this bill to the President's desk, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Keystone pipeline and in strong support of the Northern Route Approval Act, which will finally make this project a reality for the American people.

There may be a few of my colleagues who are tired of Keystone bills, but the American people are also tired. And they're tired of $3.70 a gallon of gasoline. They're tired of unemployment above 7 percent. They're tired of 4 years of delays that continue to block this critical jobs and energy project. Remember that the President said only last year that he would do ``whatever it takes'' to create U.S. jobs.

Every stated reason for previous delays has now been addressed--most recently, a reroute of a portion of the pipeline through Nebraska. In fact, you can count Nebraska's Governor among the many Americans who want to see the Keystone pipeline built. And while some may try to make this a partisan issue here in the Congress, it is not a partisan issue across the country, with a majority of Americans--Democrats, Republicans, Independents--supporting the pipeline, including a vote last March on the Senate budget.

I give credit to President Obama for saying some of the right things as of late. Just last week during a visit to Baltimore manufacturer Ellicott Dredges, at that factory the President declared:

One of the problems we've had in the past is that sometimes

it takes too long to get projects off the ground. There are

these permits and red tape and planning and this and that,

and some it's important to do, but we could do it faster.

Those are his words.

Well, guess what, the very day before, the president of that same company was here on Capitol Hill testifying in support of the Keystone pipeline and how it would help his business. The President has it exactly right, and Exhibit A is the Keystone pipeline.

Some are trying to claim this bill is an unprecedented attempt to rush the process. Give me a break. In truth, the only thing that is unprecedented is the lengthy delays we have already encountered for a project that has been the subject of over 15,000 pages of Federal environmental review and, yes, found to be safe.

Congress faced much of the same dilemma 40 years ago when the Federal red tape was holding up a project called the Alaska pipeline. At the time, Congress realized that the bureaucratic process had gotten out of hand and that a pipeline that was clearly in the national interest was being subjected to never-ending delays. But thanks to the bipartisan 1973 Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act, the red tape was cut, the ground was broken, and the project was built. It became an incredible success story, a game-changer for American energy policy, providing thousands of jobs, billions of barrels of oil while safeguarding Alaska's environment. Guess what, H.R. 3, this bill, takes much of the same approach for the Keystone pipeline.

Unfortunately, while the delays over the Keystone grow longer, so do the excuses. Some argue that Keystone won't create very many jobs and most of them would be temporary. Tell that to the labor unions and the American

workers who are begging for this pipeline to be built. Even the administration's own State Department found that Keystone would support over 40,000 jobs during the pipeline's construction. That's a lot of jobs to me. And the paychecks created by the Keystone pipeline would be paid for by the private sector, not taxpayer dollars.

Some also claim that Keystone won't impact gas prices. Well, the law of supply and demand still stands. Keystone is going to deliver up to a million barrels a day of Canadian oil to American refineries. And remember, already today, we're getting 1.5 million barrels from Canada from the oil sands.

So if the pipeline isn't built, guess what, the oil is going to come by truck or by rail, certainly a riskier form of transport, not nearly as cost efficient as the Keystone pipeline would be. This will be the most technically advanced and safest pipeline ever constructed. It will cost probably $4 million to $5 million a mile, adhering to the new pipeline safety standards that we worked together on on a bipartisan basis, signed by the President last year, adding 57 additional safety standards specific to the project. So for that reason, Mr. Chairman, we need to support the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, at this point I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield), the chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee.

Mr. Chair, may I ask how much time we have remaining?

I yield 1 minute to the chairman emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).

(Mr. BARTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the vice chair of the Energy and Power Subcommittee, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson), a member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Gardner), a member of the Energy and Power Subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time we have left on our side.

We have two speakers--unless you'd like to yield some of your time to us. We still have two speakers. Do you just have one speaker left? Why don't you do one speaker, then we'll do one--one-one- one, and finish up.

I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, a review over how to treat crude oil derived from oil sands for the purposes of the oil spill liability trust fund is one in fact that we look forward to having, but it needs to be at the appropriate place and time.

I've got to say that we are fully supportive of the goals, purpose, and funding mechanisms of the trust fund, and we believe that the allocation of fees should be done equitably among crude oil received at a U.S. refinery and petroleum products entering the U.S. for use. However, a bill or an amendment to approve a single pipeline project is not the appropriate vehicle for this debate. Frankly, it needs to be part of the tax reform bill that I'm sure that Mr. Camp and others are going to move later on this year. I wish we could have debated this as an amendment to this bill, but we don't have that opportunity. It's simply a motion to recommit. So let's push it to the right date, and that is part of tax reform later this year.

Mr. Speaker, we have waited over 1,700 days for this project. Many of us have folks that commute 80, 90, even 100 miles a day. They need a source of gasoline. Canada provides 1.5 million barrels literally every day to the United States. They want to send as much as 6 million barrels by 2030. This is the best way to do it. Why send it by truck? Why send it by rail? Let's send it by pipeline. It's safer, more economical, and in fact it's going to help the consumer.

I remind my colleagues that 62 Members of the U.S. Senate earlier this year voted for this project. We need to do it here. Reject the motion to recommit and vote for final passage.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, since the law's passage over three years ago, the Energy and Commerce Committee has conducted rigorous oversight to educate the country on how the law impacts patients, providers, the economy, taxpayers, and states. At every turn, we have encountered an ugly reality filled with broken promises, rampant uncertainty, rising premiums, and harsh consequences on jobs and our economy.

The alarm bells over how Obamacare will unfold are getting louder by the day: costs are going up, insurers are warning about premium increases, and small businesses are struggling with the choice about whether they can provide employees with coverage. One of the law's chief architects and ally of the president even scolded the administration over the looming ``train wreck.''

But as we fast approach the law's full implementation, the Obama administration is in full propaganda mode, and the facts don't seem to matter. Last week the president publicly declared, ``And whenever insurance premiums go up, you're being told it's because of Obamacare. Even though there is no evidence that that's the case.''

Mr. President, we have plenty of evidence, and sadly millions of Americans nationwide, from recent college graduates to older adults, will not be able to afford the law's rate shock. We have the plans of some of the nation's leading insurers for 2014, and the looming rate shock will be devastating. One of the nation's leading insurance companies that insures millions of folks predicts premiums will nearly double for individuals getting a new plan, those keeping their insurance will see an average increase of 73 percent, and some individuals could see increases of as much as 413 percent. The last three years have been littered with the Obama administration's broken promises. Today we keep our promise to the American people as we continue working to repeal this disastrous experiment, and work towards real solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the departure of a valued member of my team, Mr. Deke Tompkins.

A proud native of the Great Lakes State and a graduate of Michigan State University, Deke began working in my Washington, DC office as a staff assistant in 2006. Sitting in the front office, he quickly distinguished himself as a welcoming face to all who walked through the door. He was a great resource to those calling the office and made everyone he spoke with know that their voices were being heard.

Deke worked his way up to legislative assistant, working on projects in the district and managing a broad legislative portfolio, including: national security, foreign policy, law enforcement, immigration, and labor issues, to name a few. But above all, Deke was a passionate advocate for Michigan's military service members, veterans, and their families, as well as our local farmers and the Great Lakes.

Deke has been an invaluable member of our office--a team player who was always willing to pitch in wherever help was needed and a friend to us all. His enthusiasm in the office was contagious; his intense love for all things Michigan State unmatched. A hardworking, humble, and selfless person, Deke made a lasting impact in the lives of many, which is what public service is all about. Our team will not be the same without him.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Deke Tompkins and his outstanding service to the folks of Michigan's Sixth Congressional District. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors and know that he will continue on to do great things. Go Green!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a legend in Michigan broadcasting, Pat Moody, on forty remarkable years of service to the greater Michiana area.

A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Pat came to Berrien County in 1973 as news director of WSJM Radio. We didn't let him get away. Now four decades later, Pat is the area's most well-recognized on-air personality and host of the popular ``Moody in the Morning'' radio show.

Thousands of households and commuters tune in every morning as Pat informs, enlightens, and entertains. Like that first cup of coffee or newspaper over breakfast, Pat has become a morning staple for folks in Michigan's Great Southwest.

While perhaps best known as the area's favorite radio personality, Pat is also widely recognized as a passionate and engaged member of his community and an outspoken champion of all things Michigan.

Pat has served as Executive Vice President of the Cornerstone Chamber of Commerce for nearly two decades; authors a weekly business column, ``Moody on the Market;'' and has participated in a diverse array of civic organizations and boards, including Lake Michigan College, the Lakeland Regional Health Foundation, Michiana public broadcasting, and the Berrien Community Foundation, just to name a few.

Pat's hard work and selfless commitment to make Southwest Michigan a better place to live, work, and play has rightfully earned him the respect and admiration of the entire region.

It is truly an honor to recognize Pat Moody on reaching this tremendous milestone; to have worked alongside him on so many issues and to call him friend for so many years. Well done and congratulations! He is a local treasure, and we look forward to many, many more years of waking up to his welcoming voice.

But, he's more than just a voice . . . he's a Friend.

Certainly, tonight I stand in support of this legislation, H.R. 307, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013.

This legislation is going to help our Nation's families, local communities, first responders, and innovators as we prepare for and respond to public health emergencies, including those caused by terrorist attacks. As the Nation recovers from a severe flu season, the need to pass this legislation is evermore apparent.

This bill is going to help families by requiring that the special needs of our Nation's children are taken into account as medical countermeasures move through the FDA process and are

purchased for the Strategic National Stockpile. The bill also would require the Department of Health and Human Services to improve public health emergency preparedness, response, outreach, and communication with respect to children.

H.R. 307 also would aid local communities and those on the front lines in disaster response, providing assistance to local law enforcement, emergency management and public health officials in planning, training and preparing for emergencies so that if disaster strikes their communities are ready. Last month, I had the opportunity to address the American Burn Association here in Washington. The bill's Hospital Preparedness Program is critical to them as it helps hospitals prepare for disasters that would result in a surge in the need for medical care.

In addition, this legislation is going to help innovators as they develop medical countermeasures that may be necessary in the event of a biological, nuclear, radiological, or chemical attack. The bill contains provisions to improve the predictability, consistency, and transparency of the FDA process. These improvements will assist innovators in getting their medical countermeasures across the finish line.

It is also important to note that H.R. 307 would reauthorize programs for 5 years at the fiscal year 2012 appropriated level. This bill would not create new programs; and according to the CBO, as Mr. Pitts said, it would not increase spending.

The House bill passed back in January, and the Senate passed a nearly identical version of the bill last week by unanimous consent. Upon House approval today, this critical legislation will, in fact, head to the President to be signed into law, ensuring that our Nation is preparing for the unthinkable.

I want to thank all of the Members who have worked on this issue, not only this year but last year--certainly Mr. Rogers of Michigan, Chairman Pitts, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Pallone, and Ms. Eshoo. I also want to thank our Senate colleagues--Senator Harkin, Senator Alexander, Senator Enzi, and Senator Burr--for their leadership on this issue as we got together and got this bill ready tonight.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the City of Portage, Michigan--A Natural Place to Move.

On February 18, 1963, residents of Portage Township voted 3,762 to 2,315 in favor of becoming a city. On December 31, 1963, the City of Portage was formally incorporated. From just over 20,000 residents in 1963, Portage is now home to over 46,000. Historically, Portage grew as a crossroads for traders in the 19th century and benefitted from fertile farmland and abundant natural resources.

Today, Portage is a vibrant community with affordable, safe housing in well-maintained neighborhoods; hundreds of successful commercial and industrial businesses; and is the retail crossroads of southwest Michigan. This strong, diverse community is family-focused and proudly boasts over 2,000 acres of park and recreational space, 56 miles of bikeways, three nature preserves and seven lakes that connect its citizens and visitors to each other and the natural world.

The City of Portage is a robust community that excels with an accredited public safety department, low tax rate, accredited senior citizen center, comprehensive and efficient city services, diverse employment opportunities, an excellent public school system, award- winning district library and world-class healthcare that together facilitate an economic climate that allows Portage residents to thrive. Quite simply, it is a great place to live, work, and play.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize the City of Portage and applaud the city on its 50th anniversary. A momentous milestone for a remarkable community.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation, H.R. 225, the National Pediatric Research Network Act of 2013, indeed brings us a step closer to helping kids with unmet health needs, especially those with rare pediatric and genetic diseases. According to the NIH, there are more than 6,800 rare diseases, and most of them have no treatment or cure; and, yes, they primarily affect children.

I've met a number of times with one family in my district, the Kennedys, who have two precious little girls, Brielle and Brooke. I actually call them Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. They have the rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy. They're great kids, and Brielle and Brooke have been little warriors in our effort to make the National Pediatric Research Network a reality.

It is so difficult to conduct research into these diseases due to the very small number of people with that disease, but tonight we're working to provide families like the Kennedys and so many others with greater hope for a cure or advances in treatment.

This bill is going to support and coordinate research on rare pediatric and genetic diseases and help improve the health and well- being of these kids afflicted with these diseases.

This bill establishes a national pediatric research network comprised of pediatric research consortia. These consortia are a proven way to overcome the gaps in research. They include leading institutions that act as partners to consolidate and coordinate research efforts. They're going to promote efficiency and collaboration, which is especially important when a disease impacts just a small number of kids.

This bill is in essence the same bill as H.R. 6163 of the last Congress, which passed in September and was part of S. 1440 in December of 2012. Last month, in January, our committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, passed this legislation on a very broad bipartisan voice vote.

I want to particularly commend the author of the legislation, Lois Capps. I want to thank Cathy McMorris Rodgers on our side, the Republican side, for her leadership, as well as Joe Pitts, Mr. Waxman, and others. This is a bill that all of us should support, and I would urge my colleagues to do the same thing.

It was unfortunate that last year it took the House a little while to pass this; and in the last waning days of the session, we couldn't get the Senate to move. This year, there's a reason why this is now one of the first bills to pass in the House: to give the Senate the time to get this thing done and get it to the President's desk to have him sign it into law so that he can help not only the Kennedys in my district, but the Kennedys literally in every district around the country and so many kids that deserve our help. We can make a difference tonight, and we will when we pass this on a bipartisan vote.

I thank all those Members and staff, particularly, for getting this to the floor in such a timely fashion.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(2) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, I present the Rules of the Committee on Energy and Commerce for the 113th Congress, which were adopted by the Committee on January 22, 2013.

Today, we take a stand for future generations as we work to get our $16 trillion national debt under control and as we put ourselves on a path towards a more sound fiscal future.

In the Spending Reduction Act of 2012, we identified key areas to sensibly reduce spending in the effort to replace the blunt instrument known as the ``sequester.'' Without this thoughtful, balanced package of savings, in 2 weeks the sequester is going to cut discretionary spending indiscriminantly while shielding the lion's share of the government's budget from reductions.

Critical priorities, such as important cancer research at the NIH and FDA review and inspection budgets to help keep foods and medicines safe, are on the chopping block because we have failed to engage in a substantive discussion on reforming entitlement programs that, in fact, threaten to derail the long-term solvency of the U.S.

I am proud of the work of our committee. It has identified over $100 billion in savings over the next decade, and we accomplished it in a sensible, responsible manner. We say enough is enough to the litany of slush funds tucked into ObamaCare, slush funds that we discovered, through aggressive oversight, to be blank checks given to HHS that are going to cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

We made commonsense changes to Medicaid that are going to put important programs on firmer ground. Among other reforms, we eliminated the Medicaid maintenance-of-effort requirement. This Federal mandate impedes a State's ability to implement program integrity measures, and it actually weakens the safety net by making it more difficult for States to target resources to the most vulnerable Americans. We achieved significant savings, as well, in something that was noticeably absent in the President's health care law, that being tort reform. The President declared in his 2011 State of the Union Message:

I am willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs,

including one that Republicans suggested last year--medical

malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits.

After 2 years of empty promises, now is the time for the President to fulfill that pledge and to finally put doctors, patients, and taxpayers first. That's in this bill.

The House passed a budget and now legislation again that truly cuts spending to offset the automatic spending cuts, or sequester. Our debt grows by nearly $4 billion a day, and it's our kids and our grandkids who are going to pay the price if we stand by and do nothing. Without action, a $20 trillion debt could soon be a reality.

So, if not us, who is going to do it? If not now, when is it going to happen? Our work is not easy, but it's necessary. It's time to make the tough choices to get this deficit down. Let's vote for this bill.

I particularly want to thank Mr. Rogers, who has helped shepherd this bill through our committee. I appreciate the very hard work of Chairman Pitts, Ranking Members Waxman and Pallone, along with all the members of our committee to get this bill done and to the floor this afternoon.

Madam Speaker, this bill, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2012, would reauthorize programs designed to encourage the development of medical countermeasures and improve the Nation's health infrastructure to help us respond to a terrorist attack. This bill is very similar to H.R. 2405, the Pandemic and All- Hazards Preparedness Act of 2011, which passed the House last year. This bill, H.R. 6672, reflects common ground reached between the House and Senate through months and months of bipartisan negotiations. I'm hopeful that the Congress, House and Senate, will enact the bill this week so that we can ensure that our Nation is prepared for the unthinkable.

This bill reauthorizes the special reserve fund, the Biodefense Advanced Research and Development Authority, and public health preparedness programs, while eliminating duplicative reports. It also clarifies that the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response is the leader of the Federal Government's efforts on preparedness

and response. This clarification will help in removing duplication, improving coordination, and providing accountability.

The bill also takes important steps to foster medical countermeasure development by ensuring that the FDA's regulations of medical countermeasures are predictable, consistent, and, in fact, transparent. Finally, the bill would provide additional flexibility for emergency distribution, stockpiling, and use of medical countermeasures so the Nation is prepared for whatever may happen.

I would urge all of my colleagues to support the bill. Again, I commend Republicans and Democrats for working together on a bill that really does need to get to the President's desk.

I, too, want to commend the Republicans and Democrats, who worked very, very hard to get this legislation to the floor and, hopefully, to the President's desk as soon as possible. I particularly commend Chairman Pitts and Ranking Member Pallone, Leonard Lance, Anna Eshoo, Lois Capps, and the staffs, really, on both sides. I made a commitment to all of these Members early on that we would work very diligently to get this legislation here, and we are finally here.

Madam Speaker, this bill, S. 1440, known as the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, is designed to strengthen health care for kids, particularly for vulnerable kids. Not only does the bill reauthorize the PREEMIE Act, but it also includes the reauthorization of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education program, and it authorizes the National Pediatric Research Network.

The original PREEMIE Act that I sponsored brought attention to the problems related to preterm birth, and since its passage, the preterm birth rate has declined. Good news. Yet, despite that improvement, according to the CDC, still a half a million babies are born prematurely every year in this country. That's one out of eight. We can and we must do better. This reauthorization will continue to strengthen the ongoing effort to track,

prevent, and treat prematurity, ensuring that every child has a healthy start and a better chance at a healthy and a productive future.

Madam Speaker, the National Pediatric Research Network brings us a step closer in providing more help to children with unmet health needs, particularly to those with rare pediatric and genetic diseases. I've met a number of times with a family in my district, the Kennedys, whose wonderful little daughters--Brielle and Brooke, who are affectionately known in our office as ``Sleeping Beauty'' and ``Cinderella''--have a rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy. It's often difficult to conduct research into these diseases due to the very small number of kids with that disease, but today, we are working to provide families like the Kennedys and so many others with greater hope for a cure or an advancement in the treatment.

This bill will help establish pediatric research networks and the consortia that are effective in overcoming gaps in research. Networks and consortia will be comprised of leading institutions that will act as partners to consolidate and coordinate those research efforts.

With the passage of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education in 1999, freestanding children's hospitals began receiving funds to support their pediatric medical residency programs. As a result, the number of pediatricians in the U.S. has grown steadily. Today, over 40 percent of the pediatricians and pediatric specialists are trained in the 57 freestanding children's hospitals that receive this funding. A proven track record. We need to get it done.

Again, I congratulate the Members on the floor today for getting this bill, hopefully, to the President's desk before the year is out.

Thank you so much. And I rise with so many to honor a really good friend, Jay Pierson.

Years ago I came to this Capitol Hill as a congressional aide. I had the pleasure of working as a legislative aide at the White House, and then I headed Congressional Affairs at the Office of Management and Budget. And my job was what's going on; make sure my boss, the President of the United States, in essence, knew what was going on. That meant I had to have a direct line right here.

And this was before C-SPAN. You couldn't turn on the TV and watch what's going on. Sorry.

And by the way, Mr. Petri, there are 30 million people watching tonight as they let us honor Jay Pierson. But you had to know what's going on, and Jay was my contact. He was my link. He would let me know what was going on.

I have to say that when I probably surprised a few people and became a Member and actually had a voting card here, he still had my back. He really did. And there's probably not a week, probably not a week certainly when we've been in session, but even when we've been out of session, that I haven't called his office to find out what's going on and be able to share with my colleagues and really do the people's business.

We've had a great relationship, we really have. And just like he had my back, he had the back of every Member in this institution. He taught us the rules and the procedures, time on amendments, how to get things done.

When we took over the majority and actually had to run the Speaker's chair, he knew the rules then and walked us and guided us through those procedures. And frankly, he did it the way that our Founding Fathers wanted it to be done.

On our side of the aisle, he really followed folks who loved this institution, who really knew its rules, people like Billy Pitts and Ron Lasch and Jim Oliver and J.L. Cullen, and Peggy and Tim, who are here tonight. They care about not only the institution, but the people on both sides of the aisle to make sure that this place runs the way that it should.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, wish Dave Curson a warm welcome in joining this body.

We have great Members on both sides of the aisle. I will say, from the Republican perspective, that I don't think any of us knew you before. We surely look forward to getting to know you in the next couple of weeks. We know that you'll be an active Member, and we look forward to your service and to getting to know you well. And we wish you the very best.