Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, human sex trafficking continues to be a major problem plaguing both America and countries around the globe.

The Department of Homeland Security cumulatively estimates there are approximately 1.4 million victims of sexual servitude at any one time on an international scale; furthermore, the FBI has estimated that over 300,000 American children are at risk of sexual exploitation and trafficking annually.

Last week, the House moved forward on several pieces of legislation aimed at preventing and combating this horrific fact. I am proud to have cosponsored and voted in favor of several bills last week which diverted more financial and labor-intensive resources to countering these atrocities.

These bills include H.R. 514, the Human Trafficking Prioritization Act, and H.R. 469, the Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act, among others. Each of these bills passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and will be commonsense steps in the path towards shutting down these operations.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support further actions that will further protect these vulnerable populations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of Jim Nystrom of Titusville, Pennsylvania, who passed away last weekend.

After serving in the military, raising a family, and building a successful practice as a CPA, Jim still answered the call of his community each and every time it was raised. Over the years, he served as president of the school board, as a city council member, as mayor of the city of Titusville, and on almost every board and organization that needed volunteer help to fulfill their mission. When local businesses found themselves in trouble, Jim was always there, lending his advice and expertise that saved countless jobs in the process, never with the expectation of credit or recognition.

Please join me in celebrating the life of Jim Nystrom and in sending the sympathy of this institution to Jim's family and to the many friends who survive him.

You will long be remembered, Jim, for your drive, your generosity, and for a life well lived.

Madam Speaker, earlier this month the United States Department of Agriculture announced $370 million for 115 conservation projects in 50 States. These dollars are a result of the Regional Conservation Partnership Program which was recently created in the 2014 farm bill by the consolidation of numerous regional conservation programs previously authorized under the 2008 law.

This RCPP funding will also leverage an additional $400 million through non-Federal matching funds. Roughly 40 percent of these total dollars are going towards national or multistate projects, and about 35 percent towards ``critical conservation areas,'' which include the Great Lakes region, the Chesapeake Bay watershed, as well as other high priority agricultural regions.

As chairman of the Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry, the committee will be closely watching how USDA administers this critical program through oversight of the conservation title in the coming year.

I strongly support commonsense, voluntary agriculture conservation. I look forward to working with USDA and the various stakeholders on how to make these programs as effective and results driven as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an area of great concern. The Obama administration has just announced their intention to designate more than 12 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska as wilderness.

Now, this move would place a de facto moratorium on oil and gas production on the largest onshore, unexplored, and potentially productive areas in the United States.

While this area only represents about 8 percent of the total size of ANWR, the Energy Information Administration suggests a great potential for the recovery of oil and gas based upon nearby plays in Canada.

Mr. Speaker, the President often touts America's move towards greater energy independence. The irony is that most of that, much of this production has occurred on private lands and by private hands. Placing new prohibitions on Federal lands is simply doublespeak.

Thomas Edison once said, and I quote, ``Seeming to do is not doing.''

Mr. Speaker, while we may not be focused on energy prices at the moment, planning for the future is as prudent as it is wise. I encourage the administration to think about our future. The American people deserve as much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and thank the thousands--tens of thousands--of Americans who traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in today's March for Life.

They came here today to remember a somber occasion, the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. It has been 42 years since that fateful decision, and while years have worn on, its impact on this country have not diminished.

Those who participated in the march today came from across the Nation, from every State--despite the cold and the weather--for one reason: the next generation of Americans depends on it.

Millions of Americans have been unable to pursue their dreams and defend their inalienable rights because of abortion. This is not justice. This is not freedom. I stand with those who march for life. I honor those who march for life.

This is my seventh March for Life since coming to Congress. Knowing that, I can promise that as long as the lives of innocent unborn children are at risk, there will be those who will make a stand against it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the men and women of the Pennsylvania State Showmen's Association. These small business owners have been working together since 1967 to keep the outdoor amusement industry alive and strong through their combined efforts to remain one of the best forms of American family entertainment.

I am proud to have many of these individuals and families in the Pennsylvania Fifth Congressional District, such as the Bartlebaughs, Carters, Garbricks, and Snyders.

Above and beyond providing good fun and family entertainment, members of the Pennsylvania State Showmen's Association have remained dedicated to

giving back by supporting both youth educational scholarships and FFA programs. Since 2005, the Pennsylvania State Showmen's Association has raised and donated over $350,000 to youth educational scholarships and FFA programming through the work of more than 100 of their volunteers.

Mr. Speaker, the Pennsylvania State Showmen's Association put their individual goals aside for the common goals of the industry to serve the welfare of the community, the State, and the Nation. Their generous record reflects their success, and I thank them for their efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Penn State World Campus on being ranked number one in the Nation for the best online bachelor's programs in the country.

The recognition was given by the U.S. News & World Report's 2015 Best Online Programs and marks the highest ever ranking for the university; further, Penn State ranks in the top 10 for the best online graduate programs in business, engineering, education, and computer information technology.

The assessment criteria included student engagement, faculty credentials and training, peer reputation, student services, and technology.

Penn State World Campus, which provides high-quality online education to meet the needs of busy adults who want to advance their careers, currently has 10,805 students enrolled in 119 degree and certificate programs.

The third year that U.S. News & World Report has ranked online degree programs, almost 300 institutions that offer online bachelor degrees are included in the rankings.

Mr. Speaker, I commend my alma mater for this esteemed recognition, including the talented staff and the innovative educators at Penn State University.

Thank you for yielding. Thank you to the chairman, and to my colleague from Arizona, Congressman Salmon, for your work on this legislation and this amendment.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Salmon-Thompson amendment.

President Obama's recent expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, protects a large number of unlawfully present aliens from deportation.

In addition to constitutional concerns and national security implications, Madam Chair, the action poses a range of unintended consequences.

Case in point: the President's policy creates an incentive to hire illegal immigrants over lawfully present workers. Illegal aliens who are granted deferred action are exempt from being counted under the 2010 health care law's employer mandate, which requires employers with 50 or more employees to offer health insurance or pay a penalty.

Essentially, the President has created a situation where employers face a penalty for hiring Americans over illegal aliens.

Madam Chairman, the President's current deferred action expansion promotes the hiring of individuals who have broken the law over the men and women who have come through legal channels, worked hard, and played by the rules.

Congressman Salmon and I are proud to offer this commonsense amendment. The amendment merely states that it is the sense of Congress that this administration should not pursue any actions that put the interests of illegal immigrants before U.S. workers.

I encourage all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' on the Salmon-Thompson amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss President Obama's recent expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which will protect a large number of unlawfully present aliens from deportation. In addition to constitutional concerns and national security implications, the action poses a range of unintended consequences.

Because illegal immigrants who are granted deferred action are exempt from being counted under the 2010 health care law's employer mandate, which requires employers with 50 or more employees to offer health insurance or pay a penalty, the President's policy, in effect, creates an incentive to hire illegal immigrants over lawfully present workers.

Mr. Speaker, the President's policy disadvantages the hiring of American citizens and those lawfully present in the United States--the men and women who have come through legal channels, worked hard, and played by the rules--by making it economically advantageous to hire workers who came to the country illegally.

This week Congressman Matt Salmon of Arizona and I intend to offer an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security appropriations that will address this injustice. I encourage my colleagues to join in support of the commonsense, necessary check on the Obama administration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss work in the House to secure our borders and address the Obama administration's unilateral actions on immigration.

This week, the House will consider the 2015 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, which takes a number of steps to bolster border security and law enforcement efforts.

To start, the legislation provides for the largest operational force levels in the history of the Customs and Border Protection agency. The measure also supports several critical border security initiatives, including around-the-clock surveillance of air, land, and sea approaches to the border.

Furthermore, the legislation boosts internal enforcement efforts and strengthens related domestic and international investigations.

Finally, the legislation will provide for the amendments that will stop the President's executive actions on immigration.

Mr. Speaker, the President's unilateral executive orders should be of concern to each and every Member of this body. I call on colleagues from both sides of the aisle to do what is right--support this legislative package. It protects the borders, it restores the rule of law. The American people deserve as much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the President's executive orders on immigration, set to take effect in mid-2015.

The Constitution, in article I, section 8, expressly grants the legislature the sole authority to establish rules for naturalization. Yet on November 20, 2014, the President announced new policies that would enable a substantial portion of the unlawfully present alien population to obtain relief from removal and work authorization.

In addition to substantive constitutional separation of power concerns, the action raises national security implications and a range of other potentially harmful consequences.

For this reason, in December, the House passed H.R. 83, which imposes a February 27 funding sunset for the agencies responsible for carrying out the President's orders.

While this limitation creates an opportunity for the new majority in Congress to take action against the President's unilateral actions, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle should want to protect the rule of law, our constitutional separation of powers, and the best interests of hardworking Americans. The American people deserve as much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the 99th annual Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania hosts the largest indoor agriculture exposition in the Nation with nearly 6,000 animals, 10,000 competitive exhibits, and 300 commercial exhibits. The Farm Show showcases Pennsylvania agriculture, an industry exceeding $7.5 billion in annual cash receipts. Pennsylvania has 62,000 farm families, stewards of more than 7.7 million acres of farmland.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show features the full spectrum of Pennsylvania-preferred food and products. It is only possible through the hard work of staff of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and hundreds of volunteers.

Special thanks to Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture George Greig and one of my favorite Pennsylvania agriculture ambassadors, Mike Firestine, for their leadership.

I encourage all Pennsylvanians to attend the 99th Pennsylvania Farm Show and to celebrate Pennsylvania's affordable, high-quality, and safe food.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one individual and one organization from Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District that during the past year made substantial contributions to rural health in support of the communities our hospitals and caregivers serve each and every day.

The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, which is funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Pennsylvania State University, is a public partnership designed to expand data-driven health care outcomes for rural communities.

Each year, the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health's ``Rural Health Awards'' recognize individuals and organizations in the Commonwealth that have gone above and beyond in their respective field or program and made significant improvements towards improving health outcomes.

Mr. Daniel Blough, chief executive officer of the Punxsutawney Area Hospital in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, received the 2014 State Rural Health Leader of the Year Award. Mr. Blough was recognized for 28 years of dedicated service to the health and well-being of the residents in and around Punxsutawney, which is located in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.

As a founding Pennsylvania member and president of the Pennsylvania Mountains Healthcare Alliance, a collaboration of 18 rural hospitals, Mr. Blough's leadership served to strengthen clinical outcomes for residents throughout the region.

Additionally, the Total HEALTH Program at the Dickinson Center, Incorporated, in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, which is also located in the

Fifth District, received the 2014 Rural Health Program of the Year Award.

The Total HEALTH Program, a regional collaboration of health service providers encompassing Penn Highlands-Elk, Dickinson Center, Incorporated, and an independent physician in Elk County, aims to provide primary and behavioral health care services to individuals with physical, mental, and behavioral health needs.

Total HEALTH received the recognition for innovative programming in Elk, Cameron, and McKean Counties that resulted in both improved patient coordination and clinical outcomes.

Madam Speaker, I offer my thanks, my congratulations, and my praise to Mr. Daniel Blough of the Punxsutawney Area Hospital and the professionals and the staff represented through the Total HEALTH Program for their commitment to strengthening and improving the quality of care in the communities of our region.

Mr. Speaker, over the past three terms, the House has acted to grow our economy, control spending, and limit the abusive Federal regulations that are harming small businesses and making it harder for American families to make ends meet.

Despite some progress, a large portion of this agenda was denied consideration in the Senate.

As we begin this new Congress, we face new opportunities and challenges, but what is certain, Mr. Speaker, is the American people sent a clear message: they have called on Washington to put forward solutions and solve the problems that they face.

This week, we begin on that path with consideration of several legislative measures designed to grow the economy and create jobs, including the Hire More Heroes Act, the Save American Workers Act, and approval of the Keystone XL pipeline.

These are several of the many jobs bills that have received broad bipartisan support; yet for one reason or another, they have been denied consideration under the previous Senate majority.

The American people deserve better, Mr. Speaker, and more gridlock is not the option.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the Proudly Restoring Officers of Prior Enlistment Retirement, or PROPER, Act legislation that I will be introducing this week that will support America's involuntarily separated servicemembers.

For the first time since the 1990s, the Army is shrinking. As our military continues to draw down in the Middle East, all service branches have been tasked with making difficult force reduction decisions.

Our All-Volunteer service has made considerable sacrifices, valiantly fighting two concurrent wars while solely remaining dedicated to the mission at hand.

As the Pentagon continues to implement a drawdown policy, provisions in the law could create unwarranted and unnecessary reductions to military retirement pay for thousands of involuntarily separated servicemembers.

Mr. Speaker, these men and women have honorably served our country and deserve better. For example, some prior enlisted soldiers who received a commission into the officer corps are now facing a difficult situation. Years after being commissioned, the Army has made the determination to relieve these experienced soldiers from military service.

To make the situation worse, many of these individuals do not have the required time in the officer corps and are forced to receive a lesser retirement pension. Mr. Speaker, after having earned an officer's rank, these soldiers have been reduced in rank for retirement purposes.

Mr. Speaker, our soldiers have honorably served our country and deserve better. These men and women deserve to collect full pension and benefits equivalent to their service in uniform and not subjected to an arbitrary reduction in rank and pay after being involuntarily separated from the military.

To prevent this injustice, I will soon be introducing the Proudly Restoring Officers of Prior Enlistment Retirement, or PROPER, Act. The PROPER Act does not prevent further troop reduction. It merely assures these soldiers and those affected, through each military branch, can be made financially whole with due respect for their service.