Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as chairman of the Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition to honor The Food Trust on celebrating 25 years of helping improve food security in Pennsylvania.

The Food Trust is a nonprofit founded in 1992 in Philadelphia that works to develop a stable food supply in underserved communities, educate youth and family about healthy eating, and improve the connection between urban communities and regional farmers.

A number of Food Trust programs have become national models that have expanded beyond Philadelphia to other regions in need of healthy food access and nutrition education. The Food Trust provides nutrition education for youth and adults in Philadelphia and the wider region, serving more than 70,000 lower-income individuals.

It also increases access to nutritious food in underserved communities by operating a network of 22 farmers markets in lower- income city neighborhoods, which accept SNAP benefits for the use of onsite wireless card readers.

I commend The Food Trust for the fine work it does promoting food education and to ensure that no one goes hungry in America.

Congratulations on 25 years.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank a very special member of my team, Andy Leung, who is an intern in my office.

Andy comes to us through the Congressional Internship Program for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. This is a unique program designed to give students with varying intellectual disabilities an opportunity to gain congressional work experience. It is part of George Mason University's LIFE Program. To date, 150 congressional offices from the House and Senate have participated in this wonderful program.

Mr. Speaker, Andy is a part of our team, and we look forward to the hours he spends with us each week. He quickly settled into the office, and he is always in great spirits.

Andy is hardworking and curious. He is interested in the projects the full-time staff are working on. He loves picking up the flags from the Capitol, and we are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated intern.

I would like to thank Andy for his service and thank his employment assistant and the Congressional Internship Program for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities for making this possible.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, this week, the House Committee on Agriculture's Subcommittee on Nutrition hosted a hearing to examine USDA's three commodity distribution programs: the Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Commodity Supplemental Food program, and the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.

Committee members heard from a panel of witnesses representing each of these programs who explained how the programs differ, interact, and work together to meet the nutrition needs of America's most vulnerable citizens.

Mr. Speaker, as chairman of this subcommittee, I know Federal nutrition programs are vital to ensuring that all Americans have healthy foods within reach, whether low-income populations, the elderly, or those living in areas with strained access to nutritious foods. Along with SNAP, these programs support agriculture and lessen the effects of poverty on our most vulnerable citizens.

As we begin to work on the next farm bill, we will continue to identify ways to work alongside State and local organizations to help provide safe, nutritious food for those who need it most. I thank our witnesses for sharing their time and their expertise to help strengthen these programs.

Mr. Speaker, recently, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education hosted a hearing to discuss the state of career and technical education in America, as well as changes that can be made to strengthen CTE and better prepare students of all ages for the workforce.

One of the biggest challenges facing career and technical education is the stigma associated with it. Through the years, we have seen wrongheaded claims that students involved in the trades lacked ambition. Those misplaced assumptions are slowly subsiding, but not soon enough.

CTE has established itself as a path that many high-achieving students choose in pursuit of industry certification and hands-on skills that they can use right out of high school, in training programs, or in college.

At this hearing, we heard from many knowledgeable witnesses, including Mike Rowe, the television host of the television show ``Dirty Jobs.'' Mike shared his experience as a young student who didn't know what career path he wanted to follow. So, he looked no further than his local community college.

His eyes were open to hundreds of courses that he could afford to study. And Mike said: ``That experience opened doors I didn't even know existed. But that same experience is precisely what thousands of kids are discouraged from pursuing every year.''

Mr. Speaker, the reality is, a huge gap exists in communities nationwide. There are jobs out there, good family-sustaining jobs, but the unemployed or underemployed are either ill-prepared or lack the appropriate training to fill these vacancies. The answer to this problem starts with career and technical education.

That is why last Congress I introduced Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act. This bill, which passed the House in the fall by a vote of 405-5, aimed to close the skills gap by modernizing the Federal investment in career and technical education programs and connecting educators with industry stakeholders--the job creators.

I look forward to reintroducing similar legislation with my Career and Technical Education Caucus co-chair, Congressman Jim Langevin from Rhode Island, later this month.

During the hearing, Mike Rowe described naysayers as viewing a job in the trades as a ``vocational consolation prize.'' Well, Mr. Speaker, nothing could be further from the truth. We must change this stigma, this bias, and help encourage American students to study a career that they are interested in and that they are passionate about. The list is endless with career and technical education, and the jobs are out there.

Mr. Speaker, today is Brain Injury Awareness Day, and I welcome those who are in Washington today to share their stories.

This is near and dear to my heart. I spent nearly 30 years in healthcare rehabilitation services, and this was one of my areas of practice and expertise. I served as a board member for the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania, and I helped form a brain injury support group for the patients and their families that I served.

The theme for this year's campaign is ``Not Alone.'' This is a platform for educating the general public about the incidence of brain injury, and the needs of people with brain injuries and their families. The campaign also works to destigmatize the injury, empower those who have survived, and promote the many types of support that are available.

The need to raise awareness is great: more than 3.5 million children and adults sustain an acquired brain injury each year, but the incidence is unknown.

Mr. Speaker, everyone recovers at a different pace, but the support the patient receives can actually let them know that they are not alone in this fight.

Mr. Speaker, today marks the 44th anniversary of National Agriculture Day, which is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country. This year's theme is ``Agriculture: Food for Life.''

Today marks a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture and remind citizens that agriculture is a part of all of us. The National Ag Day program encourages every American to understand how food and fiber products are produced; appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant, and affordable products; value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy; and acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food, and fiber industry.

America's next wave of agriculture leaders are also in Washington today: members of the National FFA Organization, 4-H, Agriculture of America, and MANRRS. Their advocacy and leadership is critical to the future of agriculture.

Mr. Speaker, our farmers feed and agriculture plays a critical role in modern society. I would like to thank all Americans who work in this essential industry.

Happy Ag Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Spring Creek Trout Unlimited Chapter located in Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District for receiving the National 2016 Gold Trout Award as the Nation's most outstanding Trout Unlimited chapter.

The Spring Creek Chapter's conservation and angler science activities this year are world class, with more than 1.5 miles of riparian habitat planted, 13 in-stream structures built, water quality monitoring, redd count and angler surveys totaling more than 4,500 hours. These volunteer efforts are valued at more than $210,000.

Beyond this outstanding conservation activity, the chapter reaches into the community, hosting events and activities. The Veterans Service Partnership program serves hundreds of veterans, with the power of healing and a sense of community.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to joining the members of the Spring Creek Trout Unlimited Chapter this Saturday for the 44th annual dinner to celebrate the chapter's gold trout award. It is just 1 of 400 Trout Unlimited chapters across the country. This outstanding achievement shows the power, dedication, and teamwork from local Trout Unlimited members.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, last week, with Representative Suzan DelBene, I introduced the Timber Innovation Act to help find new and innovative uses for wood as a building material.

Proudly, the Allegheny National Forest is a part of the Fifth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. Communities in my district depend on the revenue from high-value timbering and forest products that are generated by the forest as well as privately held lands throughout the Commonwealth.

This bipartisan legislation encourages the advancement of tall wood building construction along with research and development.

Mr. Speaker, since our earliest days, we have used wood as a building material. New technology will help expand and develop the use of wood in larger construction projects. Currently, most wood buildings do not exceed three to four stories in height, but we hope to change that.

There is so much potential for mass timber, and this bill truly encourages new advancements of wood construction. This bill is good for both consumers and the industry, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill and advance the sustainable forest management and opportunities in our rural communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the efforts of Penn State Extension, which is an educational network that gives the people in Pennsylvania's 67 counties access to the university's resources and expertise, especially its agricultural resources as a land-grant university.

Cooperative extension services began in 1914. The Smith-Lever Act established a system of cooperative extension services connected to the land-grant universities in order to inform people about the current developments in agriculture, home economics, public policy and government, leadership, 4-H, economic development, coastal issues, and many other related subjects. It helped farmers learn new agricultural techniques by the introduction of home instruction.

Since its inception, it has been focused on informal, noncredit adult continuing education. Thus, cooperative extension is not a service, but a scholarly content-driven educational mission of the university. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, State, and county governments. Through these county-based partnerships, Penn State Extension educators, faculty, and local volunteers work together to share unbiased, research-based information with local residents.

Penn State Extension can help you become a master gardener. It helps teach families how to prepare and preserve food safely. It can help you learn about how to start a home-based business or how to properly prepare tax forms. Penn State Extension helps individuals, families, businesses, and communities throughout Pennsylvania with information and a broad range of educational programs.

Everyone in the community can tap into the assets and information of our major research university, and there are numerous ways to learn. You can attend an educational event, take an online course, read a publication, or speak face-to-face with an extension educator. There is no shortage of learning opportunities with Penn State Extension.

Mr. Speaker, this is just one way that Penn State is extending knowledge and improving the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians. The programs are very localized and touch every county in the State through 21 separate districts. Extension is particularly helpful to farmers and those involved in the agriculture industry, which is Pennsylvania's number one economic driver.

Whether you are a beginning farmer or you have a few years under your belt, it is good to know you are not in the farming world alone. Extension activities can help connect you with others to share ideas, trials, and tribulations. In fact, Federal cooperative extension programs have helped more than 137,000 farmers stay in business just since 1985. Without cooperative extension and the underlying research, researchers have estimated that the country would have lost 28 percent more farmers than those who actually left agriculture.

Who would feed us? Who would provide that food, fiber, building materials, even forms of energy that our farmers and farm families do today?

By design, extension is locally directed and responsive to the needs of local communities. I am grateful that Penn State is one of those land-grant universities and can offer this service to the public. It helps keep our local farmers abreast of the most up-to-date information that impacts the industry and impacts the lives of families. It helps promote lifelong learning and provides invaluable support and assistance to our communities. That is something for which we can all be very proud.

Mr. Speaker, a healthy diet for many Americans may have nothing to do with commitment, but, rather, accessibility.

Limited access to supermarkets and grocery stores with fresh nutritional food can be a challenge in both rural and urban communities. These are often called food deserts.

This is a particular concern for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which intends to provide nutrition to millions of Americans.

According to the USDA, to qualify as a low-access community, at least 500 people and/or at least 33 percent of the population must reside more than 1 mile from a supermarket or large grocery store. For rural areas, the distance is more than 10 miles.

It is difficult to eat healthy when the easiest store to get to primarily provides packaged and processed food. SNAP recipients may find a local market convenient, but it often offers high-calorie foods with minimal nutritional value. These foods can often be a staple for families with limited resources.

It is my hope that we can increase access to fresh food for communities throughout the country. Our families deserve no less.

I look forward to working with the Agriculture Nutrition Subcommittee to continue to look at the SNAP program so that it serves those it is intended to serve.

Mr. Speaker, this year, the Trinity United Methodist Church in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, marks its 200th year as a house of worship.

Founded in April of 1817, the church congregation began with just seven people. Schoolmaster and Methodist layman James McGee led the first meeting. Over the years, Trinity's congregation has steadily grown, and today it boasts 200 members. The current church was built in 1875, and in 1962, an educational building was added on.

The church plays an important role in the Bellefonte community and it organizes several programs throughout the year, including a free community lunch, a New Year's Day dinner, free public concerts, and a toy drive before Christmas for children in need.

Mr. Speaker, for the last 200 years, Trinity United Methodist Church has opened its doors for people to hear the Word of the Lord, but a church is much more than a building. It brings a love of God into the community and into the hearts of those who fill the seats each Sunday.

God bless Trinity United Methodist Church on the momentous occasion of its bicentennial.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to continue the discussion on the Agriculture Committee's findings from hearings conducted to ensure that SNAP--or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program--is meeting the needs of those it is intended to serve. After individual resources, family support, and community programs, SNAP is critical to supporting nutritional needs.

The program integrity within SNAP is critical for both the functioning and the long-term sustainability of the program. Jessica Shahin of the USDA Food and Nutrition Service emphasized in testimony:

``As vital as the program is to so many, and as well as it operates, we can all agree that it can do even better. And it is up to all of us--the Federal Government, the States, and the local providers--to work together to improve it by holding ourselves accountable. FNS is committed to continually improving the integrity of SNAP.''

Mr. Speaker, opportunities for SNAP program integrity improvements includes defining clear program goals and metrics that generate program improvement and reduce SNAP fraud rates through innovative State and Federal strategies and technologies.