Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Chairman, last November, Americans spoke with a very clear voice. They told us that we needed to get the country working again. They told us that Big Government was not the solution. They told us to lead or get out of the way on the economy, and our side got it, particularly with the cap-and-trade vote in the last Congress.

Well, Mr. Chairman, today the House has a chance again to vote for a bill that directly responds to the demands of the American people. This legislation will remove the biggest regulatory threat to the American economy. This is a threat imposed not by Congress, but entirely by the Obama Environmental Protection Agency.

We all know that this administration wanted a cap-and-trade system to regulate greenhouse gases, but Congress said no. So beginning in early 2009, EPA began putting together a house of cards to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide. The agency began with automobiles, declaring that their emissions endangered public health and welfare.

That single endangerment finding has since been used by EPA to launch an unparalleled onslaught. The result, 2 years later, is a series of regulations that will ultimately affect every citizen, every job creator, every industry, really every aspect of our economy and way of life.

Mr. Chairman, this bill is about protecting jobs. EPA regulations will hit our manufacturing sector hard, with direct limits on factory emissions, indirect costs from the higher prices to power their facilities.

It will hit small businesses hard too, because when the electricity to power your business and the gasoline to fuel your vehicles is more expensive, your profit is less and you hire fewer new employees. That's why the NFIB, the Farm Bureau, NAM, Chamber of Commerce, and others, have endorsed H.R. 910. This is a key vote with many of those different groups.

Mr. Chairman, this bill is also about energy prices for working families. Power plants will be forced to comply with strict new emission caps. You will have to purchase expensive new equipment to retrofit their facilities. We all know the costs have nowhere to go except on families' and businesses' monthly utility bills.

And it is about gas prices. The refiners that turn oil into gasoline will also be caught into the web of costly regs. When it costs more to make gasoline, it costs more to buy gasoline. And with prices already at $4 a gallon across much of the country, the last thing that our families need is government policies designed to make the price at the pump even higher.

I am from Michigan. I know what a struggling economy, indeed, looks like. And I think that it is a travesty that this government is deliberately imposing policies that are going to harm job creators and working families.

And for what, Mr. Chairman, for what? EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson herself admits that U.S. regulation of greenhouse gases will not affect global climate conditions. The only environmental impact may be to ship our jobs to countries with no environmental protections at all, so, Mr. Chairman, at the end of the day the EPA climate regime is all economic pain and no environmental gain.

So let's pass this bill today and get the American economy back on track.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the chairman emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton).

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the chairman of the Environment and the Economy Subcommittee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Gardner).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the former chairman of the Natural Resources Committee and the current ranking member on the Transportation Committee, the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), a member of the committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Berg).

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the House Ag Committee, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to a cosponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Boren).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Peterson), the former chairman of the House Ag Committee and now ranking member of that committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the chairman of the Energy and Power Subcommittee, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy), a member of the committee.

Mr. Chairman, if I might just enter in a brief colloquy with my friend, the gentleman from California.

Each of us has about the same amount of time left. I have allocated my time; I presume you have as well. My remaining speakers are meeting someplace, and I'm prepared to close and yield back if you are, unless somebody comes to the floor awfully fast.

Is it the same for you?

Fine.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, we followed regular order on this bill. We had plenty of hearings. We issued a discussion draft. We had markups in both full and the subcommittee. We sought bipartisan support. In fact, we received it. Mr. Peterson, who spoke earlier, the former chairman of the House Ag Committee, Mr. Rahall, the former chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, are both original cosponsors.

We have different rules than the other body, the Senate. They are debating this same issue today in fact.

They have been debating it now for a couple of weeks. And it's interesting to me that a number of the amendments on the amendment tree in the Senate by different Democratic sponsors--in fact, I would confess that the EPA has run amok because they, too, though they might not be fully supportive of this legislation, they too are supporting a 2-year time-out to the EPA, to tell them to stop. They're not ready for this.

I supported, I voted for the Clean Air Act back in 1990. And I think most of my colleagues then, it was a strong majority that supported that. It allows the EPA to regulate 188 different contaminants. They do that. This bill does not weaken that work by the EPA.

There was an issue then that the Senate included in their version of the bill something that did regulate greenhouse gases. And when it went to conference with the House, John Dingell was then chairman of the conference committee, the House did not accept the Senate language. The Senate receded to the House, as the lingo goes, and in fact the Clean Air Act then ended up without regulating greenhouse gases.

We had a huge debate in the last Congress on cap-and-trade. Speaker Pelosi had an 86-vote margin here in the House. Cap-and-trade, yes, it did pass in the House. It passed by seven votes. So you switch four votes, it goes the other way. But despite that passage in June of 2009, the Senate did not take that legislation up. Didn't go through subcommittee, full committee, never got to the Senate floor, and it died with the conclusion of the 110th Congress.

What we are saying is that the Congress, elected leaders here, should decide what is regulated. We know from the testimony that we had in committee we may lose as many as 1.5 million jobs. We heard from the refineries. They know that it's going to increase costs because they're going to have additional regulation. They're going to pass those costs on. And, in fact, it will raise the price of gasoline by 20 cents to 50 cents over the next number of years. That's not what we want to see in this country.

And what's going to happen? What's going to happen to those jobs? They're going to leave this country, and they're not going to come back. And they're going to go to other places like, let's face it, India and China, where neither country has nearly the environmental laws that we have today. We are going to continue to enforce, to see the Clean Air Act enforced. This does not weaken that act. We just say we're not ready to regulate greenhouse gases, not when we have an unemployment rate where it is today--Michigan much higher than the national average--knowing that it's going to cost a lot of jobs.

So I would urge my colleagues to support this legislation. It tells the EPA, no, you are not going to do this. We will see what happens with the Senate, as they debate this issue the rest of the day and perhaps into tomorrow. But I would urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 910, particularly now as we get into the amendments.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

I just want to say to my friend from Texas that with regard to the hue and cry of folks that support this legislation, not a lot of business folks, I have a whole series of letters of support for our legislation from the American Electric Power to the Farm Bureau, the Iron and Steel Institute, Americans for Tax Reform, American Public Power, Business Roundtable, Chamber of Commerce, Metalcasters Alliance, Multi-Traders Letters, auto dealers, Realtors, manufacturers, National Association of Manufacturers, cattlemen, Mining Association, petrochemical, Rural Electrical Cooperative, and on and on.

Letters of Support

AF&PA Press Statement

American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity Press

Statement

American Electric Power

American Farm Bureau Federation

American Iron and Steel Institute

Americans for Prosperity Press Statement

Americans for Tax Reform

API-ACC Coalition Letter

American Public Power Association

Business Roundtable Letter

Chamber of Commerce

Cornwall Alliance

Freedom Action Press Release

Industrial Energy Consumers of America Press Statement

Metalcasters Alliance

Midwest Power Coalition

Multi-Traders Letters

May I ask how much time remains.

I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray), a member of the committee.

Madam Chair, will the gentleman yield?

We are prepared to accept the agreement.

Madam Chair, I think we have the right to close. How much time is remaining on each side?

Madam Chair, I would just urge again my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment.

One and one. Why don't we do 1 minute each.

We can accept one and one.

Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent that the majority and the minority each have an additional 1 minute on this amendment.

We're working against the clock a little bit; so I would prefer that we just do one and one and end it there on this amendment.

Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent that each side have 1 additional minute on this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Maroon Giants of Kalamazoo Central High School on their second straight Michigan state championship win in men's basketball. These outstanding young men have worked hard for this accomplishment and have made their community very proud.

Winning a state championship is a remarkable achievement that few teams attain. Winning back-to-back championships is an incredible legacy that will live with Kalamazoo Central forever. The Maroon Giants and Coach Mike Thomas know what brought this second straight state title back to Kalamazoo--hard work. It was running that one extra sprint and shooting that extra free throw after practice that helped make the Maroon Giants champions. Nobody outworked the Giants, and nobody could beat them in the state tournament, and nobody had a greater following or more community support. The Giants truly lived up to their name on the court.

It is an honor to pay tribute to the entire Maroon Giants squad: Tyler Bell, Allie Buchanan, Tens Buchanan, TJ Buchanan, Jamaal Conger, Brandon Delk, Juwan Gamble, Lee Gardner, H'ian Hale, Quante Hill, JeRon Johnson, Mark Justice, Daquavion McCants-Wilson, De'tavia Moore, Darius Norman, Von Washington III, and Davarius Williams. I also want to recognize head coach Mike Thomas and assistant coaches Thomas Dillard, Anthony Stuckey, Matt Price, Brandon Williams, Tim Gleeson, Alan Lee and team manager Aminder Sohi. We salute all of you.

On behalf of all the residents of southwest Michigan, congratulations again to the Maroon Giants, Coach Thomas, and the entire Kalamazoo community--you are an inspiration to us all. It is Giant pride at its finest. Go Giants!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Eagles of Schoolcraft High School on their men's basketball state championship title. These outstanding young men have worked hard for this accomplishment and have made their community very proud. Their 73-59 victory is an achievement that will be remembered forever.

Winning a state championship is a remarkable achievement that few teams ever experience. This championship is a legacy that the 2010-2011 Eagles will remember forever. The Eagles and Coach Randy Small, along with assistant coaches Bob Saxman, Derrick Small, Lee Ingram, Jon Tone, and Aaron Beery, know that success comes through teamwork and dedication. The Eagles' commitment to the game and their drive to go the extra mile, led them to victory.

It is an honor to pay tribute to the entire Eagles squad: Jon Cakmakci, Kody Chandler, Benny Clark, Zac Decker, Tyler Dow, Bryan Jones, Blake Krum, Jonathan Lawrence, Jacob Lenning, Jacob Marshall, Luke Ryskamp, Joe Savage, Cam Schwartz, Jeffrey Scott, and Trent Skippers. We salute all of you.

On behalf of all the residents of southwest Michigan, congratulations again to the Schoolcraft Eagles, Coach Small, and the entire Schoolcraft community--you are an inspiration to us all. Go Eagles!

Under clause 2 of rule XII, bills and reports were delivered to the Clerk for printing, and bills referred as follows:

Mr. UPTON: Committee on Energy and Commerce. H.R. 358. A

bill to amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

to modify special rules relating to coverage of abortion

services under such Act; with an amendment, (Rept. 112-40 Pt.

1); referred to the Committee on Ways and Means for a period

ending not later than April 15, 2011, for consideration of

such provisions of the bill and amendment as fall within the

jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to clause 1(t), rule

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings. Jennings, a native of my district from Kalamazoo, Michigan, was a star for the Packers in their recent 31-25 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.

Jennings began his football career playing for the Kalamazoo Central High School Maroon Giants. There, he was not only recognized for his accomplishments on the gridiron, but also as a basketball player, runner, and long jumper.

After high school, Jennings went on to play football at Western Michigan University where his athletic accomplishments continued to soar and he won the 2005 MAC Offensive Player of the Year Award. In 2006, Jennings was selected in the second round of the NFL Draft and signed to the Green Bay Packers. During Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2010, he scored two touchdowns that helped to secure a Super Bowl victory for the Packers.

In his private life off the field, Jennings is a family man and a person of faith who continues to give back, including his work through The Greg Jennings Foundation. He is truly a model athlete and a treasure to southwest Michigan. True to his high school's moniker, Greg has truly been a Giant, both on and off the field. It is no wonder that the city of Kalamazoo proclaimed March 14th as Greg Jennings Day.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly rise this afternoon in support of this resolution which authorizes the placement of a statue of President Gerald R. Ford in the Capitol Rotunda, with an unveiling ceremony which is set for May 3.

I'm pleased that this resolution has garnered the support of the entire Michigan delegation who have lent their names as original cosponsors. This is a testament to President Ford's high esteem among Michiganders and Americans of all political stripes.

As one who has the honor and privilege of representing some of the very

same people in southwest Michigan that President Ford did during his tenure in the House--and I would note that Mr. Huizenga is going to speak after me, and he represents some of the same areas; certainly Mr. Amash from Michigan has some of that same district and, I believe, Mr. Camp as well--it gives us pleasure to witness this fitting tribute to Michigan's native son.

President Ford is a Michigan original and a model for all those called to public service. A seemingly ordinary American who unexpectedly found himself in the Presidency at one of our Nation's most tumultuous times, President Ford led with honesty and integrity. By standing above the political fray, he allowed a wounded Nation to heal.

And I would just note that before he lay in state in the Capitol, his coffin actually passed through this Chamber on the way to lie in state in the Rotunda, and it is fitting for Michigan to bring his statue here and for us to pass this resolution.

Thank you, Mr. Stearns.

I rise in strong support of this amendment offered by my friends Mr. Walden, Mr. Stearns and others on both the authorizing as well as the Appropriations Committee.

There is an old adage, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Internet is not broken. It is working. It is creating jobs. Look at all the devices out there, whether it be iPods, iPhones, BlackBerrys, cell phones. Look at all the things that are working. We don't need regulations on the Internet.

I think it was George Will that said that most Americans think the government doesn't work so well and the

Internet does. Why are we allowing the FCC then to regulate the Internet? It makes no sense.

This amendment denies funds to the FCC to implement this order. It is a good amendment. I would like to think it would be bipartisan. I support the authors that are offering this.

Offered By: Mr. Upton

Amendment No. 215: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, if I may just ask how much extra time I might have been given by the gentleman from Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, today we take a step toward compassionate, innovative, and job-creating health care. It is ironic we must end something to realize a new beginning, but that is exactly what ObamaCare has compelled us to do; and that is precisely what we will do today.

It's time to be honest with the American people. Remember the Hippocratic oath? First, do no harm.

ObamaCare produces the opposite of growth, compassion, and innovation in health care. It destroys jobs, busts budgets, creates an unsustainable set of mandates on individuals, employers, and States. It will stifle innovation and the development of life-saving medicines. It will make health care more expensive, not more affordable.

Mr. Speaker, that is not compassionate. That won't produce innovation, and that's why repeal is the first step toward a better beginning. What is compassionate about forcing employers to provide insurance that they cannot afford to employees who will lose their jobs due to ObamaCare? What is compassionate about creating a rigid new entitlement that States are commanded to fund with money that they simply do not have? What is compassionate about cutting over $200 billion from the Medicare Advantage program, leaving seniors with fewer services, higher co-pays, and more out-of-pocket expenses? What is compassionate about shackling more Americans with greater government dependence?

ObamaCare was created--erected--on a foundation of false promises: if you like your health insurance, you can keep it; health care premiums will go down; employers will not drop coverage; seniors won't see any changes in their Medicare benefits.

Today we know that those were only slogans--sound bites in a cynical sales pitch--and certainly not promises kept. Yes, today repeal will pass in the House. We will then embark on reform that I believe can be supported by both Republicans and Democrats.

I yield myself an additional 1 minute.

Ensuring those with preexisting conditions have access to affordable coverage, we'll do that. Allowing families to include their children up to 26, we'll do that. Medical liability reform to reduce the unneeded cost of defensive medicine, we'll do that. Provide incentives for employers rather than penalties and mandates that will cost jobs and depress wages, we will provide those incentives. Yes, we will.

Those are just some of the principles that I believe we can agree on with both sides of the aisle.

So first is repeal; then replace. I'm ready for the challenge to put real health reform back together that is bipartisan rather than partisan and

achieves the goal of lower health care costs for every American family.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the chairman emeritus of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Joe Barton, whose State could lose perhaps 64 hospitals that would close with the continuing of ObamaCare.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Cliff Stearns.

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

Mr. Speaker, before I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield), I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield).

Mr. Speaker, before I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the Health Subcommittee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the vice chair of the full committee, the gentlelady from North Carolina, Sue Myrick.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), whose State would be devastated with the Medicare Advantage cuts.

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan), I yield 30 seconds to the gentlelady from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Again, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan).

Mr. Speaker, before I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry), I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Burgess.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania, Dr. Murphy.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Burgess, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Gingrey.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Burgess, the vice chair of the Health Subcommittee.

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

I yield 15 seconds to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the Member from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass).

Mr. Speaker, before I yield 1 minute to Dr. Gingrey of Georgia, I would like to yield 15 seconds to Dr. Burgess of Texas.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta).

I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) to respond to that.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham).

Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining on both sides?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Harper).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana, Dr. Cassidy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. McKinley).

I would just say I was hoping I was going to get a few extra seconds from people yielding back their time, but that apparently is not the case.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a member of the committee, the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Cory Gardner.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Pompeo).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds.

I appreciate what the gentleman from Vermont just said. I want to assure him that as we look at the replace piece of this, that element-- to make sure children under the age of 26--will, in fact, be covered. I made that point in the Rules Committee 2 weeks ago, and we will be doing that again in the days to come.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia, Morgan Griffith.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the great State of Michigan, Dr. Benishek.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Burgess.

May I inquire how much time is left.

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Canseco).

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Guinta).

Madam Speaker, may I inquire of the time remaining.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland, Dr. Harris.

Madam Speaker, to close our debate, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hultgren).

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to my dear friend, State Senator Ron Jelinek of Berrien County on the occasion of his retirement. A lifelong Michigan resident, Ron has dedicated himself to serving the people of southwest Michigan and improving the quality of life for all Michiganders.

After receiving his degrees from Michigan State University and Western Michigan University, Ron began his career as an educator in the River Valley School District, where he taught for three decades.

In 1996, Ron was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives where he was popularly reelected to two additional terms. Ron was then elected to the Michigan State Senate in 2002. Throughout his 14 distinguished years in public office, Ron has been a leading champion of public education and Michigan agriculture.

Beyond the duties of elected office, Ron has proven himself to be a natural community servant. He serves as a member of the Berrien County Farm Bureau, the Three Oaks Free Methodist Church, the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, and the River Valley Engine Club. He also was a co-founder, officer, and volunteer for the Three Oaks Ambulance Service, and involved in Future Farmers of America, 4-H, and Girl Scouts.

Ron's leadership, knowledge, and compassion have made him an indispensible asset to the citizens of Berrien County and the State of Michigan. As Senator Ron Jelinek prepares for his retirement, he leaves both an example for future public servants and a legacy that will benefit southwest Michigan for years to come. I am truly honored to call Ron a colleague and friend.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Portage Northern High School Library Media Center and Media Center Specialist Jeanna Walker for being selected by the American Association of School Libraries as the most outstanding library program in the State of Michigan and one of the top 35 programs in the nation.

The media center was remodeled last summer to fully envision the goal of delivering 21st century skills to both students and teachers. With a media classroom and three classroom areas all equipped with the technology-enhanced classroom model, the media center and learning commons are overflowing with teaching and learning on a daily basis. The media center is an active learning environment for the student population and is being used by approximately 4,000 students per week.

The media center's cutting-edge technology gives students the opportunity to work with and learn from off campus groups and experiences. With the help of social studies teacher Stacie Phillips, Jeanna Walker teamed with Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business to bring online collaborative tools to Portage Northern American history classes. Also, access to live video conference capability gave students the ability to watch an autopsy through the Columbus Center for Science and Industry.

In honor of this national recognition, the media center will be featured on the American Association of School Libraries Vision Tour, an initiative by the association's President, Dr. Nancy Everhart, to visit school media centers across the United States in order to provide the public with examples of what exceptional school media centers offer students and communities.

On behalf of all residents of southwest Michigan, congratulations again to the Portage Northern High School Library Media Center, Media Specialist Jeanna Walker, and the entire Portage Community on this worthy achievement. Go Huskies!

Madam Speaker, it was a few months ago that Congress passed and the President signed this health care bill; 2,700 pages that I don't think a lot of people read. But if you did read it, you might have gotten to this one section, section 9006, and I will just read it very quickly.

``Expansion of Information Reporting Requirements. In General-- Section 6041 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:

``(h) Application to Corporations.--Notwithstanding any regulation prescribed by the Secretary before the date of the enactment of this subsection, for purposes of this section the term `person' includes any corporation that is not an organization exempt from tax under section 501(a).

``(i) Regulations.--The Secretary may prescribe such regulations and other guidance as may be appropriate or necessary to carry out the purpose of this section, including rules to prevent duplicative reporting of transactions.''.

(b) Payments for Property and Other Gross Proceeds.--Subsection (a) of section 6041 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--

(1) by inserting ``amounts in consideration for property,'' after ``wages,'',

(2) by inserting ``gross proceeds'' after ``emoluments, or other'', and

(3) by inserting ``gross proceeds,'' after ``setting forth the amount of such''.

(c) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall apply to payments made after December 31, 2011.''

A lot of gobbledygook, right? Anybody here know what that means? No, they don't. Let me tell you what it means. That section that I just read, even if you read it before we voted on

the House floor, is a requirement that every business in America, beginning January 1 of next year, 2011, will have to file a 1099-MISC for any transaction that exceeds $600 during the course of the year.

So what does that mean? You've got a business that goes to Staples. They're going to have to keep track of every transaction that they made. If you buy, as a business, $50 a month from Staples, you are going to have to file a 1099. If you've got a sales force, maybe they go out to a bunch of hotels or restaurants during the course of the year, you are going to have to find every one of those for all of your employees.

During this recent break that we were home, I met with one of my small business people in Michigan. Last year, they filed 10 1099s. They figure that next year--they have, I don't know, 30 people that work for them--they are going to have to file 350 1099s. Any business transaction that exceeds $600 over the course of the year, they are going to have to file a 1099.

And what does that have to do with health care? How does that help the employees that are working there? Maybe they will have to hire some more people to fill out the 1099s, and they are going to be covered. Well, that's just crazy. This is a new regulation that's going to be put on businesses. It's going to cost a lot more money. If anything, it's going to take away from folks that have health care in America.

Now, we have some good news. There is a bill. My colleague Dan Lungren from California introduced a bill, H.R. 5141, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act. Just on the title, you know what that means versus what I just read at the beginning of my remarks. It takes this away. What the heck are we going to be collecting that information for? Well, somewhere else--I don't know what page it's in here, but of course it calls for the hiring of 15,000 more IRS agents. Maybe that's why they have to hire them, so they can look at all these 1099s that every business is going to have to file.

Now remember, when you do a 1099, it's more than just the amount. You're going to have to go get the Employer Identification Number for every business that you made that purchase. So, as I talked to my Kalamazoo homebuilders the last couple of times over the last couple of weeks, if they just happen to take their pickup and fill up at that Marathon or Speedway station every other week and it's going to be more than $600 over the course of the year, they are going to have to get that Employer Identification Number and keep track of all those gas records. Think about the utilities, Consumers Energy, American Electric Power, I&M. All of the utility companies will have to do a separate 1099 for every business that they serve if they sell more than, in essence, $50 worth of electricity a month to them.

What a nightmare.

Now, some might suggest that this is the first step to a VAT tax. That's right. The IRS now is going to assemble all this information and maybe--and remember, it says it's effective in 2012, but that means you have to start filing beginning January 1, only 5 or 6 months from now. It's the first step. It's the wrong step. We need to repeal it.

Mr. Speaker, I would just briefly like to say I echo the remarks by the dean of the House and the dean of the Michigan delegation.

I knew Marv Esch as a staffer. He was a wonderful man, dedicated to this House and to making things work.

We will all miss him. It is sometimes tough to be a Wolverine, and as you know, he was a great Wolverine.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of defeating the previous question, which is the next vote here on the House floor. I worked for Ronald Reagan. We have a $1.5 trillion deficit this year. The last thing that we should do is to raise taxes. The first thing that we should do is cut spending.

As many folks here know, the Republican side has been offering five different proposals every week for the last month or so, letting folks across America vote on the proposal that they think merits the most sense. This week, it was my proposal that won. That is, we are going to tell the IRS that we're not going to hire another 15,000-some IRS agents in the next couple of years to monitor health care, and we will save the taxpayers $5 billion to $10 billion--billion, as in big. That's not a bad proposal. Save the taxpayers some money by not hiring 15,000 more bureaucrats.

What are these folks going to do? They're going to make sure that every American verifies that they have health insurance. Maybe they will look at page 737 in the health care bill, which says that every business will have to file a new 1099 with the IRS for any $600 business-to-business transaction. So if you're a homebuilder and you just happen to show up at that same Chevron or Shell gas station every other week to fill up your car or your pickup and you spend more than $600 over the course of the year there, you're going to have to file a 1099.

Let's fight the deficit--not by raising taxes but by cutting spending. This proposal does that. We were denied at the Rules Committee to allow this amendment to be offered, which is why we want to defeat the previous question, offer this amendment to cut spending, and help the taxpayers across the country.

Madam Speaker, I would urge all my colleagues to support this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to the city of Sturgis,

Michigan and its trademark patriotic summer festival that is currently under way. While the name of the festival has changed throughout the years, this year's inaugural ``Sturgis Dam Days'' will surely foster lasting memories for the multitude of generations that look forward to the annual festival.

The 6-day festival brings the entire community together to celebrate the city's rich history and pay special tribute to the Sturgis Dam, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2011.

The hydroelectric dam transmits electricity 18 miles to the Sturgis Municipal Power Plant, giving Sturgis the moniker of the ``Electric City.'' While the dam generates power for the town, ask most folks about it and they will highlight the postcard-perfect views of the dam: the flowing St. Joseph River and the surrounding scenes at the adjacent Covered Bridge Park.

This year's Sturgis Dam Days festival includes a variety of events throughout the week for all to enjoy. The Sturgis Chamber of Commerce kicked off the festival by welcoming the community for dinner and the St. Joseph Sheriff's Department transformed into the Pony Express in period clothing to give the official proclamation to commence the celebration. Events throughout the week include an art fair; the American Legion Hog Roast; ``Experience Sturgis,'' a history walk through the city; a family picnic in Franks Park; a vintage Sturgis Biscuits baseball game; the Relay for Life at Sturgis High School; a parade down US-I2; and the culminating event, the Sturgis Dam Rodeo.

The festival has been a beacon of economic activity and growth through the years, and continues to draw countless families to the region each year.

I congratulate the city of Sturgis and all of its residents for sharing such a wonderful community event. Through the years the annual festival has become woven into the fabric of the lives of so many folks throughout southwest Michigan. Sturgis has such a rich heritage and offers so much to the region's families. I look forward to the festival's continued success with many more Sturgis Dam Day celebrations for years to come.