Floor Statements

I thank my colleague and our new ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the great lawmakers of our era, who has dedicated his life to fighting for civil rights, to strengthening our Nation's safety net for the vulnerable and elderly, and in pushing for workers' rights and protecting American jobs.

I am honored to call this man a mentor and a friend--the dean of the House, Congressman John Dingell.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my full statement be placed in the Record.

John's illustrious career speaks for itself: the longest-serving Member in the history of the House of Representatives; the author of dozens of Federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Affordable Care Act; the chairman or ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee for 28 years; a veteran of the Second World War.

What the history books will never be able to fully share is the respect and kindness John has given to all who have been fortunate enough to work with him.

John has always been generous with his time and with sharing his unparalleled institutional knowledge of the people's House. In 2005, John was a vital voice, and he supported efforts to pass the Energy Policy Act, which became one of the key Federal supports for the current energy renaissance that is providing jobs and lower energy prices for the American people today. Outside of Washington, I was fortunate to spend time with John on hunting trips, where I had the opportunity to get to know him better as a man, as a father, as a husband, and as an avid sportsman.

Mr. Speaker, before I conclude, I would like to personally thank John for his decades of public service in fighting for America's working families. Our Chamber will not be the same without him. God bless John Dingell and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the great lawmakers of our era, who has dedicated his life fighting for civil rights, strengthening our nation's safety net for the vulnerable and elderly, and pushing for workers' rights and protecting American jobs.

I am honored to call this man a mentor and a friend, the Dean of the House, Congressman John Dingell.

John's illustrious career speaks for itself: longest-serving member in the history of the House of Representatives; author of dozens of federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Affordable Care Act; Chairman or Ranking Member of the Energy and Commerce Committee for 28 years; a veteran of the Second World War.

What the history books will never be able to fully share is the respect and kindness John gave to all who have been fortunate enough to work with him.

John has always been generous with his time and sharing his unparalleled institutional knowledge of the People's House. In 2003, during the DeLay redistricting fiasco in Texas, which gerrymandered out many longtime House Members, John advised me on what avenues were available to Members to voice disapproval.

In 2005, John was a vital voice and supported efforts to pass the Energy Policy Act, which has become one of the key federal supports for the current energy renaissance that's providing jobs and lower energy prices for the American people today.

Outside of Washington, I have been fortunate to spend time with John on hunting trips, where I had the opportunity of getting to know him better as a man, a father and husband, and as an avid outdoorsman.

Mr. Speaker, before I conclude, I would like to personal thank John for his decades of public service in fighting for America's working families. Our chamber will not be the same without him.

God Bless John Dingell and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support S. 2673, the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014.

I rise to reiterate my support of our strategic ally, and the only true democracy in the Middle East, Israel.

I want to applaud my colleagues in the House and Senate for passing this legislation. It is vital that Israel and the U.S. continue to protect our shared values including our commitment to liberty, equality and religious freedom.

I am pleased to offer my support to the legislation that shares technology, prioritizes

trade, exchanges information and intelligence and expands the Iron Dome.

Israel's security should be our first priority but this includes more than just weapons funding.

It requires joint-cooperation with the Israeli government and the Israeli people.

When Israel's national interests are protected, the United States' national security is enhanced.

Mr. Speaker, I have visited Israel almost a dozen times and each time I visit I am reminded of the challenges faced by Israelis every day.

The Israeli people face these challenges with confidence and self- assurance because they know they are an ally of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 551, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Personal Explanation

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to appropriate an additional $200 million to the National Institutes of Health for research on Alzheimer's disease.

More than five million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease. Today, someone develops Alzheimer's every 67 seconds and by 2050, it will be every 33 seconds.

Alzheimer's is the most expensive disease in America. Unless action is taken, the cost of Alzheimer's will total $1.2 trillion in 2050, and Medicare and Medicaid spending on Alzheimer's will increase 500 percent.

My mother-in-law battled this disease, so I appreciate how devastating it can be to patients and their loved ones.

The bipartisan National Alzheimer's Project Act (NAPA) was passed by Congress unanimously.

NAPA called for the creation of a National Alzheimer's Plan, which has resulted in some notable accomplishments. However, scientists and researchers must have the necessary funds to carry out the blueprint set forth in the Plan.

Congress provided an additional $100 million in Alzheimer's research for fiscal year 2014, yet we continue to underinvest.

To address a disease of this magnitude, we must further our commitment by increasing funding for Alzheimer's research by $200 million in fiscal year 2015.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the Affordable Care Act. Over 8 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance plans for 2014, almost 20,000 in the district I represent.

Overall, the number of uninsured residents in our district has declined by 8 percent. 33,000 people in the district purchased quality, affordable care through the new health insurance marketplace. 11,000 young adults were able to continue coverage through their parents' plans. For 84 percent of those enrolled in the health insurance marketplace, the cost of the average plan was reduced to $72 a month.

Unfortunately, 52,000 individuals who would otherwise have health insurance remain uninsured in our district because Texas did not expand Medicaid.

The open enrollment period for 2015 through the marketplace began Saturday, November 15. I encourage all Americans to take advantage of the opportunity to access quality, affordable coverage and enroll.

Please, for your family and for our community, we need more people insured so they have that certainty.

I thank my colleague from Kentucky for yielding to me.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4795. It was my hope to resolve the issues of this bill during the committee. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

H.R. 4795, the Promoting New Manufacturing Act, could be a solution to a longstanding problem. The problem relates to Federal permitting, in this case, New Source Review permits.

While the majority of permitting takes place at the State level, the EPA plays a critical role in the permitting process. When EPA promulgates a final National Ambient Air Quality Standard, called NAAQS, States and industry must respond through implementation and application, respectively.

EPA should work as quickly as possible to offer States guidance on how to implement these new standards. Lack of guidance can lead to significant permitting delays as industry is forced to submit incomplete New Source Review applications.

While I will support the intent of the bill, I can't support the bill itself. H.R. 4795 is ultimately a lengthy delay in the National Ambient Air Quality Standards implementation; and then a NAAQS standard cannot be implemented, and this bill does not reflect current negotiations over that NAAQS implementation.

Until this point, the administration and the EPA have indicated a willingness to work on this issue. Further, EPA has not proposed these new National Ambient Air Quality Standards, so I see this bill as a solution to a problem that doesn't yet exist.

I want EPA to be transparent and work with the industry, and H.R. 4795 does not support a collaborative working relationship.

Additionally, the New Source Review permitting and the construction of new facilities are important to the economy, but we must also have a balance between economic growth and the protection of public health. The bill, unfortunately, does not strike that balance effectively, and, for that reason, I am unable to vote in favor of it.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5728, the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization. This is the continuation of our bipartisan efforts this year to ensure that 1.5 million satellite subscribers don't lose access to broadcast programming when the current satellite television law expires at the end of this year and to make some targeted reforms to the video marketplace. The bill before us today represents a compromise with our colleagues from the Senate, and I look forward to working with them to quickly see it passed into law.

In July, the House passed H.R. 4572, to reauthorize the expiring communications and copyright law that allows households across America, but especially those in rural areas, access to broadcast content. In addition, the Energy and Commerce Committee on which I serve was able to come to agreement on several key reforms to our video laws to benefit the TV-watching public.

H.R. 5728 maintains these bipartisan provisions from the bill we adopted in July, in particular addressing the abuses in the retransmission consent process. The bill prevents two non-commonly owned broadcasters from colluding to jointly negotiate for retransmission consent.

The Energy and Commerce Committee heard extensive testimony about how this practice drives up prices for consumers and potentially threatens access to local broadcast content. I also want to emphasize that this language does not permit broadcast stations that are deemed ``commonly owned'' as a result of the joint sales agreement to negotiate jointly for retransmission consent.

Our colleagues on the Senate Commerce Committee proposed additional pro-consumer reforms, and I am pleased that we were able to include those in H.R. 5728. Mr. Speaker, these provisions include an FCC rulemaking to assess the standard for determining whether parties are negotiating in good faith for retransmission consent, a prohibition on broadcasters preventing significantly viewed signals from being carried in local markets, and greater transparency for consumers by including retransmission consent payments in the FCC's report on cable rates.

H.R. 5728 also makes further changes to the provisions that were heavily debated in the House during consideration of H.R. 4572. The bill now extends by 6 months the deadline for broadcasters to unwind certain joint sales agreements, a rule which the FCC tightened earlier this year to address concerns that broadcaster coordination in local markets were undermining localism, competition, and diversity.

Finally, H.R. 5728 reflects further compromise on the FCC's cable set-top box rules. The FCC's integration ban--the rule written to promote competition in the cable set-top box market--will sunset in 1 year. This well-intentioned rule has not resulted in the kind of competition Congress envisioned and has actually caused significant energy inefficiencies in cable set-top boxes.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that we are including an idea from our Senate colleagues to create a working group that is charged with identifying a successor solution. I support further efforts to promote competition in the set-top box market and look forward to engaging with the working group and the FCC on this issue.

I want to thank Chairman Upton and Chairman Walden, and on the Senate side, Chairman Rockefeller and Ranking Member Thune, also our ranking members on our side of the aisle, Ranking Members Waxman and Eshoo, and other Democrats on our committee.

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

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

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I continue to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the millions of Astros fans in Houston and Texas and throughout the

world to recognize the historic performance of our all-star second baseman and Venezuelan native, Jose Altuve, during the 2014 Major League Baseball season.

Jose finished the 2014 season with 225 hits and a .341 batting average, the best in all of baseball, along with 56 stolen bases, tops in the American League. Jose is just the second player since 1945 to lead the AL in all three categories.

Baseball writers at the season's end noted that Jose's 2014 season will go down as one of the greatest performances by a second baseman in baseball history.

Most notably, Jose had more hits than any second baseman since Charlie Gehringer's 227 hits in 1936 and became only one of two players since the turn of the 20th century to record 220-plus hits, 55-plus extra-base hits, and 55-plus stolen bases in one season. The other is Ty Cobb.

But beyond the numbers, Jose shows baseball fans, young and old, that with tenacity and a commitment to be the best, anyone, no matter their background or size, can achieve greatness.

On the last day of the season, the Astros planned to keep Jose out of the line-up in order to secure his batting championship, a first for any player in an Astros uniform. Instead, Altuve convinced Coach Lawless to put him back in the line-up just minutes before the game started. Jose proved to all that he was the true batting champion, going 2-for-4 with a double.

I had the opportunity to meet Jose last April, when he, fellow Astro Jason Castro, and baseball great Nolan Ryan, came to Denver Harbor, a working class neighborhood in our congressional district in Houston, to celebrate the opening of the revitalized baseball fields at Denver Harbor Park and spend the morning with little leaguers from the area.

It was a pleasure to see Jose, Jason, and Nolan spend time with these wide-eyed little leaguers and inspire them to work hard and achieve their dreams.

On behalf of the Astros faithful, I would like to say ``thank you'' and anticipate that with Jose and our squad of talented young players, Houston will continue to be competitive in the American League.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5682, a bill to approve the northern portion of Keystone XL pipeline.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill because I support North American energy development.

But I also rise in support of the bill because the Keystone XL pipeline has become an obstacle created by indecision and inaction.

Keystone XL is not the first cross-border pipeline project built in North America.

But if some opponents had their way, Keystone XL pipeline would be the last pipeline we built in North America.

Today, the United States, Canada and Mexico are revolutionizing the world and the world of energy.

These three North American partners are reshaping the geo-political balance of the entire world.

Between the three countries, we can satisfy our own energy needs for the first time in memory.

But to accomplish this feat, we must be able to move products to market.

My colleagues who oppose Keystone XL have forgotten that just because there isn't a-pipeline doesn't mean the products aren't moving.

In fact, they are moving just as rapidly as ever.

Unfortunately, the products are moving to market at the expense of other commodities and even at the expense of people's schedules.

Opponents cannot deny that pipelines are the safest, most effective way to move products to market.

Opponents cannot say the State Department has failed to consider the environmental consequences of the pipeline.

Opponents cannot say this project hasn't been reviewed by the proper authorities.

If they do, they are incorrect.

The Keystone XL pipeline is the most scrutinized project in as long as I can remember.

If we built railroads, the way we built KXL, we wouldn't have a rail system.

If we built roads, the way we built KXL, we wouldn't have a highway system.

As we face the 114th Congress, we have real problems we need to address.

Keystone XL pipeline is good for the United States, it's good for North America and we should support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the hardworking men and women of Houston and Harris County, who go to work every day without complaint and the failure of this Congress to do its job and pass pressing legislation that the good people of the 29th District of Texas and Americans throughout our country are relying on.

The 113th Congress, which is scheduled to end in less than 4 months, has passed only 142 laws to date. And 34 of those were ceremonial.

Last Congress had passed 151 laws by the same date.

The ``Do-Nothing Congress'' of 1947 and 1948 that President Harry Truman famously campaigned against passed 906 public laws. That is not even including the 458 private laws that were passed or the modern conveniences that we have today that should enable us to do more for the American people.

Over the past 20 months, our chamber has failed to bring to the floor critical legislation that would extend emergency unemployment insurance, cutting off benefits for 4 million Americans, raise the minimum wage for the 10 million-plus Americans who work full-time and live below the poverty line, or ensure equal pay for equal work for working men and women in our country.

Mr. Speaker, if this Congress ends without this chamber even bringing these bills for a floor vote, historians will have no choice but to rewrite the textbook and name us the true ``Do-Nothing Congress.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 2. Here we are, the next day after we passed bipartisan legislation with a majority on both sides, and now today we come up with H.R. 2, which has a combination of bills that this House has already considered.

And what, we are here the last day of voting, the day before we go home to campaign, passing a bill that has zero chance of becoming law.

H.R. 2 is an affront to the bipartisan work we have done in the Energy and Commerce Committee. Over the past year, the members of our committee have worked together to craft legislation that would support the dramatic energy renaissance our country is experiencing. Unfortunately, H.R. 2 that we are considering today is not reflective of this hard work, some of the compromises we did.

Instead of working to improve the decisionmaking made by Federal agencies, H.R. 2 seeks to eliminate Federal authority.

Instead of expediting export permits, H.R. 2 opens the door to sending U.S. gas to countries that are not even our friends.

Instead of respecting the balance we worked so hard to establish between the States and the Federal Government, H.R. 2 rescinds all the authority for our government in State affairs.

It is my hope that we would stop wasting time on these bills that have no bipartisan support and work together to pass legislation in a bipartisan fashion.

We actually have addressed a number of these bills already on this House floor. Everyone, Democrat or Republican, has acknowledged that the energy sector has common ground. We may not always agree on what fuel mix we have or how to best serve our country, but we can agree that the energy sector is vital to our economy and our independence.

The bills included in H.R. 2 include bills I have cosponsored and worked hard to craft with my Republican and Democratic colleagues. It is disappointing that our leadership would use this window of opportunity to pass bills that harm our environment, create uncertainty in our economy, and ultimately delay job growth and energy development.

In the Energy and Commerce Committee, we work across party lines to draft legislation that solves the problems of the American people and American industry. We work to ensure that the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, is promulgating rules that make not only economic sense, but, as well, environmental sense. We work to support our natural resources sector and send American gas and refined products overseas to benefit our U.S. economy and balance of trade.

All of these things will garner bipartisan support and establish the U.S. and North America as the world energy leader. But this H.R. 2 takes away all that we have worked for for almost 2 years, and that is why I oppose H.R. 2.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the millions of hardworking men and women in America today who are barely making ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck, and how this chamber can

help our fellow Americans by raising the minimum wage.

Last year the Census Bureau reported that over 10 million Americans work full-time and are still below the poverty line, about $24,000 for a family of four.

In my home state of Texas, over 450,000 people are paid the minimum wage, more than any other state and account for nearly 8 percent of all working Texans.

African-Americans and Hispanics are the most likely in our country to be among the working poor. Nearly 1-in-7 black and Hispanic Americans work full-time and live below the poverty line.

Eight percent of all working women in our country, 5.5 million, are also among the working poor.

Mr. Speaker, this is simply not right. We cannot allow our country to become a place where hard work is not valued and allow millions of our fellow Americans to continue to live in poverty despite their great efforts.

This is why this chamber must bring H.R. 1010, the Fair Minimum Wage Act, for a floor vote before we go into recess.

This legislation would raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and index it to inflation afterwards.

The House Majority has refused to bring this bill for a vote in spite of its overwhelming support among the American people. The current Congress' record of inaction and obstruction has undermined our economy's recovery and harmed American families.

This is why I urge my colleagues to demand a vote before we recess for the November elections.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3522.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my opposition to H.R. 3522, the Employee Health Care Protection Act.

While the title of this legislation and those supporting it claim that it will protect employees, in fact, it will prevent millions of Americans from accessing the consumer protections and important reforms included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

H.R. 3522 would permit any health insurance issuer offering coverage in the group market in 2013 to continue to offer that coverage through 2018. These insurance policies would not have to comply with the consumer protections that went into effect in 2014.

This bill is different--and much worse--than the Administration's grandfathering policy. It means that insurance companies would be able to cherry pick, offering low rates for inadequate bare-bones policies for some groups but discriminate against, charge higher prices, or offer weaker coverage for others.

The bill would put insurance companies back in the driver's seat. If this became law, insurers will be able to continue to discriminate against small businesses if they have an older workforce, more women in their workforce, or if any of their employees or their children has pre-existing health conditions. And small businesses will face higher premiums and continue to see their premiums spike year to year if an employee has an accident, develops a chronic health condition, or has a complicated pregnancy.

Since the Affordable Care Act became law, businesses have added nearly 10 million jobs and in just the past few months, more than 10 million people who were previously uninsured have gained health insurance coverage. Premiums have risen at historically low levels, and the life of the Medicare trust fund has been extended by 13 years.

We have come far in the effort to stop the worst abuses of the insurance industry and provide Americans with true coverage that protects them from bankruptcy, annual and life-time limits, discrimination, and from being dropped from their plans when they need them the most. Rolling back critical reforms and returning to a broken system is not the answer. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and work together to improve the law for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to note that while I was in Washington for much of Friday, August 1, 2014, I was unable to vote on legislation considered that day due to previously scheduled events in the district.

If I had been able to vote that day, I would have voted as follows:

On the Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 700, roll No. 474, I would have voted ``no.''

On consideration of H. Res. 700, a resolution to waive certain requirements under Clause 6(a) of House Rule XIII, roll No. 475, I would have voted ``no.''

On the Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 710, roll No. 476, I would have voted ``no.''

On consideration of H. Res. 710, a resolution providing the rule for H.R. 5230 and H.R. 5272, roll No. 477, I would have voted ``no.''

On Passage of H.R. 5230, Supplemental Appropriations Related to the Humanitarian Crisis at the Southwest Border, roll No. 478, I would have voted ``no.''

On Passage of H.R. 5272, to prohibit certain actions with respect to deferred action for aliens not lawfully present in the United States, roll No. 479, I would have voted ``no.''

On Concurring to the Senate Amendments to H.J. Res. 76, Emergency Supplemental Funding to Israel for the Iron Dome Defense System, roll No. 480, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Medicare Trustees' report projected that the Medicare Hospital Trust Fund would remain solvent until 2030, four years beyond last year's projection and 13 years longer than was projected in 2009.

In the 50 months since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, health care costs have risen at a slower rate than any comparable period in the last 50 years.

And per capita spending is projected to continue to grow slower than the overall economy during the coming years.

This is in part due to the reforms implemented in the Affordable Care Act.

We have made progress in reducing hospital readmissions, improving patient safety and transitioning to new payment models that reward quality and reduce costs.

Thanks to these important steps, the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries has improved, along with the long-term solvency of Medicare.

For the second year in a row Medicare Part B premiums will not grow, meaning that seniors will be able to keep more of their annual Social Security COLA.

The ACA has also saved America's seniors over $11.5 billion in prescription drug costs by improving drug benefits and closing the ``donut hole.''

I am proud to have played a significant role in the authorship of ACA and hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will come together and look for ways to further improve ACA and Medicare.

Now is the time to build on these successes and ensure all Americans have access to quality affordable care and that our health care system remains on a path to fiscal solvency.