Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the original GI Bill, also known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. This legislation has had an enormous impact on the lives of millions of veterans, creating access to low-cost home loans and educational and vocational training.

Signed into law on June 22, 1944, the GI Bill came into being during the height of World War II, when America was mobilized into war around the globe. These veterans returned from war, utilized access to education and training, and began building an America that would lead the world economically and militarily for generations to come.

Since then, veterans from other conflicts, including Korea, Vietnam, and others, have used the GI Bill. Recently, it was amended to allow a new generation of veterans to gain access to a variety of benefits to transition to civilian life. The post-9/11 GI Bill builds upon the success of a bill signed into law 70 years ago.

Mr. Speaker, our veterans have paid a high price to earn these benefits, and they deserve as much.

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, on June 20, members of the Pennsylvania congressional delegation joined together to protect Pennsylvania farmers by fighting back against another regulatory overreach by the Environmental Protection Agency.

I, along with Senator Pat Toomey and U.S. Representatives Scott Perry, Lou Barletta, and Bill Shuster, filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, in a case that centers on the proper scope of the EPA's authority under the Clean Water Act and the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Over the past decade, regional and State-led conservation efforts have substantially reduced agriculture's ecological footprint within the watershed. Today, farmers continue to improve land management practices and remain the best stewards of our natural resources, which their livelihoods are dependent upon.

Despite these success stories, the EPA is seeking to seize, for the Federal Government, powers traditionally held by the States and impose an unconscionable economic burden on farmers and taxpayers.

Mr. Speaker, the EPA has continued a foolish and impractical pursuit to put forth oppressive mandates that threaten the economic livelihood of our local farms and businesses. It is abuse of power that cannot and will not be tolerated.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 9 o'clock and 4 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, June 24, 2014, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Allegheny Watershed Improvement Needs WINS Coalition. This is a group of local, State, and Federal Government agencies, and local leaders of various nonprofit organizations, that promotes ecological health of watersheds and habitats in and around the Allegheny National Forest.

Last month, Allegheny WINS was recognized by the U.S. Forest Service with the Rise to the Future Award for their work in the ANF. The Rise to the Future Award was created by the Forest Service to help enhance fisheries and watersheds on national forests. The award acknowledges collaborative work in areas such as soils management and aquatic restoration.

The Allegheny WINS Coalition was recognized for amassing $4.8 million in external funding to the ANF and providing more than 5,000 volunteer days toward ANF projects. Overall, the coalition reached over 10,000 students through more than 50 environmental education and outreach events.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Allegheny WINS for their creative work to help keep our forests vibrant and healthy. This group of local partners is a model for our national forest system, and they should be praised for their leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Actuated Medical, Incorporated, a Bellefonte, Pennsylvania-based medical device company that focuses on state-of-the- art, minimally invasive instruments, for being selected by the Small Business Administration as a 2014 Tibbetts Award winner.

The SBA presents the Tibbetts award to companies who exemplify the best of the Small Business Innovation Research Program.

Recipients of the Tibbetts award are selected by a panel of judges based upon the economic impact of their innovation, how they supported Federal research and development needs, and their ability to increase commercialization of Federal research.

As a former Member of the House Small Business Committee, I witnessed firsthand this woman's business enterprise grow from a young start-up to the top National Institutes of Health SBIR-funded company in Pennsylvania for 2013, placing them fifth in the country.

Mr. Speaker, small businesses remain the backbone of our economy, and innovators like Actuated Medical not only create devices that save lives and change the face of modern health care, they also provide good-paying, family-sustaining jobs in our local communities.

I lend my congratulations to everyone at Actuated Medical, Incorporated.

Mr. Speaker, coordinated medical rehabilitation provided in an inpatient rehabilitation setting is crucial to Medicare beneficiaries with injuries, disease, disabilities, or chronic conditions.

Unfortunately, beginning in 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began placing limitations on what types of therapy a beneficiary could receive, despite the professional judgment of a treating physician. This ties a physician's hands, and it limits recreational therapy from being prescribed, despite it being medically necessary in many cases.

These services are often prescribed to assist an individual in transitioning from the rehabilitation hospital to the home, helping patients recover their functions and decreasing the chances of costly readmissions. CMS, the Medicare agency, should not have put in place barriers for physicians and their patients when determining the best course of action for recovery.

This is why I introduced the bipartisan Access to Inpatient Rehabilitation Therapy Act of 2014 with my colleague, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).

I encourage my colleagues to lend their support to this commonsense bipartisan measure, H.R. 4755. It has zero cost, yet will empower doctors and patients to gain access to the most appropriate mix of therapeutic rehabilitation services.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Bill Cline for receiving the 2014 Colonel Edwin Drake Legendary Oilman Award, presented by the Petroleum History Institute.

The award is named after the famed Colonel Edwin Drake who, in 1859, drilled the first commercial oil well in the world, beginning the oil industry in Titusville, Pennsylvania. The award honors a lifetime of achievement within the oil and gas industry.

Mr. Cline is no stranger to the oil industry. Following his grandfather Willard Cline, he owns and operates Cline Oil in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The company operates hundreds of small

wells in the same oil patch that once produced over 80 percent of our Nation's oil. These small wells pump out several barrels a day, slowly churning day and night. Cline's well number one has been producing oil for over 140 years.

It is because of the tireless efforts and ingenuity of men like Bill Cline and his family that America has led the world in energy production and will continue to be a leader for generations to come.

Congratulations, Bill, on this very well-deserved award.

I thank you, Chairman Frelinghuysen, for yielding for the purpose of a colloquy.

I want to thank you for your tireless efforts for our Nation's brave servicemen and -women and, just as importantly, for those who served and never made it home. This legislation fully funds the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Personnel Office account. The hardworking staff over at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, work tirelessly to track, locate, and recover these fallen heroes, and I thank them for their continued efforts.

I would like to have a moment to discuss a hero of the Vietnam war. Major Lewis P. Smith III majored in music at Penn State and graduated in 1964. He planned to teach music after his obligation to the Air Force was over.

Upon graduation from Penn State, Smith was trained on the T-38 and C- 130 aircraft for the next 3 years, sent to Vietnam, and was assigned to the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron in Pleiku, South Vietnam.

On May 30, 1968, Smith piloted a Cessna O-2A Skymaster aircraft in Saravane Province, Laos. During the mission, Smith encountered enemy fire, resulting in the crash of his plane.

Electronic signals were heard at the scene, indicating that he had survived the crash, but he was not rescued. Major Smith was listed as missing in action and is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, panel 62W, line 2.

Major Smith's family has been working with the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command to recover his remains. The excavation site in Laos has been on the list for over 2 years, and the trip to excavate the crash site has been postponed twice due to budget pressures and sequestration.

Major Smith's family has reached out to me to help with their efforts to bring Lewis home. While I understand the budget-constrained times, the recovery of fallen servicemembers will bring closure to the families after such a loss.

Mr. Chairman, I ask for your support and urge the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command to schedule the recovery trip to Laos and to bring home Major Lewis Smith's remains to his family and his country.

I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss an important issue that will be on the floor during debate over the Department of Defense appropriations for fiscal year 2015: the growing field of telemedicine.

Mr. Speaker, dating back to 2011, I introduced the Servicemember Telemedicine and E-Health Portability, or STEP, Act. This legislation allows health care professionals credentialed by the Department of Defense to work across State lines without multiple licenses, regardless of where the servicemember is located.

It was an important beginning for the Department of Defense to utilize telemedicine, which is efficient, convenient, and a cost- effective way to address the challenges of delivering mental and behavioral health services.

Included in the committee report for fiscal year 2015 is language that improves upon the existing infrastructure and highlights the many advantages of utilizing telemedicine, along with an encouragement for all military branches to expand and prioritize these technologies.

I thank the chairman and the committee for their recognition of the importance of telemedicine in delivering care to our servicemen and - women, and look to continuing our work to ensure our troops are getting the care that they have earned and deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 23 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, June 18, 2014, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize June as National Dairy Month. As a means to promote increased milk sales and consumption, the dairy industry began National Milk Month in 1937.

Over the years, National Milk Month evolved into National Dairy Month in order to recognize the importance of all American-made milk and dairy products. The dairy industry has had great success with just promotions--particularly with the ``Got Milk?'' campaign over the years.

With over 8,300 dairy farms throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, dairy production remains the single-largest sector of Pennsylvania's agriculture industry--the number one industry in Pennsylvania. This makes Pennsylvania fourth in dairy production nationally.

The 2014 farm bill makes numerous positive changes to the former dairy

programs. The new law repealed a number of outdated programs and replaced them with a free-market margin insurance program. Now, I was proud to support this new farm bill and the reforms that the law legislates.

Madam Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to support our Nation's dairy industry and celebrate June as National Dairy Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Flag Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, June 14. This date is important to all Americans, as June 14, 1777, is the date the Continental Congress adopted a resolution officially designating a flag of the United States. That same date in 1775 is also recognized as the birthday of our Army.

On our flag, those 13 broad stripes and 50 bright stars are an important symbol of America that is recognized across the globe and, quite frankly, even on the Moon.

Our flag has many meanings. Our flag is raised by our athletes during the Olympics. Our flag is flown with pride and honor during ceremonies. Our flag is worn on the right arm of every soldier. And our flag is draped over the coffins of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country that it represents and that they served.

This Saturday, June 14, I encourage all to remember why we fly our flag and to also use the opportunity to remember the Army's birthday and the many soldiers who have defended the flag and what it has represented for the past 239 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers' proposed regulation ``the waters of the United States rule.''

Undoubtedly, we all want and rightfully deserve clean water and healthy watersheds, especially those that make their living off the land, whether through farming, natural resource development and harvesting, or recreation and tourism.

The EPA suggested that expanding the reach of the Clean Water Act is necessary, yet they have not illustrated a clear end of the jurisdiction they seek. As a result, many are concerned about the threat to private property rights, active land management, agriculture, and energy development--especially in rural communities.

Without direct input from stakeholders and the legislative process, these new regulations would circumvent congressional approval, with limited transparency.

Economists have suggested the EPA has systematically underestimated the economic impact that may occur. Counties across the country are concerned about losing control over their ability for local planning and fear additional mandates from Washington, with little guidance or economic incentives.

Mr. Speaker, the American people elected the representatives of this body to preside over the making of law. An agency cannot rule by fiat.

The American people deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Sergeant Luke Porter of State College, Pennsylvania, serving within the United States Army's 4th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment--better known as The Old Guard.

On June 9, Sergeant Porter was formally inducted into the ultra- selective unit which stands guard as a Sentinel for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Since 1958, only 622 other individuals have been selected to share in Sergeant Porter's distinct honor and responsibility. He now will become number 623.

The Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier stand guard over their fallen brothers-in-arms 365 days a year in squelching heat, rain, hurricanes, and blizzards.

Sergeant Porter could not have made it this far in his military services without the life lessons and guidance of his parents and family, who were present during the ceremony, and during his first changing of the guard.

Congratulations, Sergeant Porter, on this outstanding distinction. You have joined a highly motivated regiment that proudly honors all American servicemembers who are ``known but to God.'' May you remain resolute in your convictions and serve as an example for the countless others selflessly serving in our Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud the faculty, staff, and students of the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology, referred to as ``CPI,'' in Centre County, Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District.

On April 30, CPI's Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning class graduated with a 100 percent job placement rate.

The HVAC class included over 900 hours of technical training in order to prepare students for careers in repairing basic residential and commercial heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and pipe fitting. Students also learn plumbing, mechanical, building codes, design schematics, blueprints, and hazardous materials and gas handling techniques.

As the cochair of the bipartisan House Career and Technical Education Caucus, I am very proud to have a great model of career and technical education right in Pennsylvania's Fifth District.

Despite unemployment remaining above average levels, many industries face challenges finding qualified employees to fill job vacancies. The skills gap between those seeking jobs and those businesses requiring highly qualified and skilled workers can adequately be addressed with the rigorous, high-quality career and technical education programs, such as those offered at CPI.

Mr. Speaker, congratulations to the recent CPI graduates. I wish them the best in their new jobs.