Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this coming weekend, I will have the opportunity and the honor to attend Penn State University's 11th Annual Equine Science Showcase and Quarter Horse Sale.

As a land-grant university, horses of various breeds have always been a part of Penn State's Department of Dairy and Animal Science. As machinery replaced the draft horse, Penn State started the move towards the lighter horse types. Today, PSU focuses on the quarter horse for its diverse abilities, from working stock to show and recreation. Quarter horses are estimated to generate more than $10.5 billion in economic output nationally.

This Saturday, 21 quarter horses will go on the auction block at Penn State's popular Equine Science Showcase and Quarter Horse Sale. The auction has grown with support from students and people in the equine industry, from 70 in the first auction to almost 500 last year.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the 2013 sale's participating Penn State students, student co-managers Jordy Hudson and Melissa Wise, and instructor of equine sciences and horse farm coordinator Brian Egan.

Mr. Speaker, despite blocked attempts to fully repeal the so-called Affordable Care Act, this law is doomed to collapse under the weight of its own flawed design. Just last week, Democratic Senator Max Baucus of Montana, a key architect of the Affordable Care Act, referred to the administration's signature health care law as a looming ``train wreck.'' Another promise that was used to force passage of the President's health law was broken in February, when the administration's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it would stop enrolling people with preexisting conditions due to funding constraints.

This week, the House will vote on the Helping Sick Americans Now Act, which would extend access to those with preexisting conditions. The coverage would be funded by eliminating the Prevention and Public Health Fund, a program under ObamaCare identified as rife with mismanagement and taxpayer abuse.

While full repeal would have been less costly and painful, the gradual failure of the Affordable Care Act is inflicting significant pain on families, businesses, and our economy. Don't take my word. Just listen to the Senator from Montana. His recent remarks aren't far off the mark.

Mr. Speaker, in the debate over the terrible acts of violence that have been committed upon innocent men, women, and children, there is frequently one common issue, that of mental health.

As we all know, the profiles of the perpetrators in many of the recent acts of mass violence had histories of mental health illness. Deaths from suicide as well obviously have significant mental health implications.

The access barriers to mental health services and the stigma associated with seeking help are significant. The safety of individuals living with these potentially disturbing behaviors, family members and surrounding communities, deserves a more robust mental health system responsive to these issues.

Now I'm proud to be the author of one of the only new laws in recent years to expand access to mental health services and reduce the stigma of seeking help. The STEP Act, or the Servicemembers' Telemedicine and E-Health Portability Act, expands access to care in a confidential manner, through telemedicine.

While the STEP Act serves only our Active Duty, Reserve and Guard, it provides a template that can be expanded to all those living with mental health issues.

Madam Speaker, 100 years ago, Congress passed the 1914 Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Appropriations Act, which established a separate department within the Library of Congress to serve the legislative and resource needs of the United States Congress.

The legislation authorized the Library of Congress to ``employ competent persons to prepare such indexes, digests, and compilations of laws as may be required for Congress and other official use.''

In 1946, the Department was renamed the Legislative Reference Service, which is today known as the Congressional Research Service, or CRS. Over the years, CRS has served the Congress by providing comprehensive and reliable legislative research and analyses that are timely, objective, and authoritative.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the Congressional Research Service, and today I want to thank these research professionals for the work they do and the contributions they make to the United States Congress and our Federal legislative process.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1520, the POW/MIA Accounting and Recovery Support Act of 2013.

The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, or JPAC, is a task force within the Department of Defense with a mission to account for prisoners of war or those missing in action from all past conflicts. It's part of a commitment we have made to these American heroes, along with their families and loved ones seeking closure.

As most are aware, the Pentagon recently announced plans to furlough as many as 800,000 Federal civilian workers in order to achieve spending reductions under the Budget Control Act. These workers will be required to take 14 unpaid days off between now and October. As a result, JPAC employees will have to take at least 1 furlough day a week, with no exceptions. This will significantly impact JPAC's accounting and recovery teams, which are actually deployed on operations that last between 35 and 45 days.

The POW/MIA Accounting and Recovery Support Act will allow JPAC civilian employees to continue these critical missions without unnecessary disruption or delay. I encourage my colleagues to join me and Representative Stephen Lynch in cosponsoring H.R. 1520.

Mr. Speaker, earlier today, two explosions tore through the finish line of the Boston Marathon, according to the Boston Police Department. These blasts have so far reportedly resulted in several deaths and perhaps more than 100 injuries.

Mr. Speaker, when faced with such adversity, now is the time for the American people to come together with their thoughts and prayers for those who have been injured and those lives that have been so tragically lost.

My thoughts and prayers are also with the Boston fire rescue and emergency medical personnel that, as I speak, are still on the job.

My thoughts and prayers are also with the Boston police and investigators, that they will quickly determine who is responsible for what appears to be a cruel, senseless, and cowardly act.

Today marks the 238th annual Patriots' Day in Boston. Mr. Speaker, let it be known that the evil that transpired today will not deter the courage of American patriots from the past, the present, or the future.

Mr. Speaker, over a century ago, the Federal Government pledged to actively manage our forests when Congress created the National Forest System. This management includes activities such as prescribed fires and thinning--and, yes, timber harvesting is a core part of this duty. A portion of the revenues reaped from the forests would go to the counties containing National Forest lands in order to supplant the lost local tax revenues. Unfortunately, the Federal Government has failed to uphold this commitment.

One example is revealed when you compare the harvests of adjacent lands. In the Fifth District of Pennsylvania, the Collins Pine Company currently owns 120,000 acres in the Allegheny Plateau, an area adjacent to the Allegheny National Forest, which totals 493,000 acres of forest land. Collins Pine sustainably harvests the same amount of timber as the entire Allegheny National Forest on less than a quarter of the acreage. This lack of adequate forest management has deprived rural counties of revenue needed to fund critical local projects such as schools and infrastructure projects.

Mr. Speaker, we must restore the active and healthy management of our national forests in order to provide a stable revenue stream for rural schools and counties and to help build back these robust local economies.

Mr. Speaker, today my colleague, Representative Loebsack, and I are proud to reintroduce the Recovering Service Members Disability Benefits Act. This legislation is commonsense and fixes a glaring problem.

Currently, our Nation's wounded warriors are forced to wait 5 months for their approved Social Security disability benefits. This is injustice to our Nation's heroes. These are benefits that they have earned at a very high price, and they deserve better.

The Recovering Service Members Disability Benefits Act will remove this mandatory 5-month waiting period, allowing the wounded warriors to collect the benefits for which they have been already approved. To be clear, this bill does not approve benefit requests or add new individuals into the system. The bill simply expedites earned and approved benefits to eligible wounded warriors.

It is an honor to introduce this legislation and correct this issue. Our disabled servicemembers deserve the immediate reassurance of knowing there is financial support as they cope with the emotional and physical challenges of recovery.

Together, we hope this bipartisan legislation will be brought through committee and to the House floor in a swift manner.

Thank you, and God bless all those who serve our country.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday it was reported that the United States has 2.4 quadrillion cubic feet of natural gas that can be recovered by current drilling techniques, according to a study by companies working in various shale basins across the country. That's 26 percent higher than the previous assessment, and at current consumption rates, a 90-year supply. The Marcellus shale has the largest share of resources, with an estimated 741,320 billion cubic feet.

What has caused such a jump in resources and production? Not the Federal Government, that's for sure. According to the Congressional Research Service, production of natural gas has decreased on Federal lands by 33 percent. It's the hard work and innovation of private industry, a combination of technological and drilling advances that have allowed us to access resources that were previously inaccessible, all in a responsible and environmentally friendly way. In fact, just last week, the Energy Information Administration stated that expanded use of natural gas has driven down energy-related U.S. carbon dioxide emissions to their lowest level since 1994.

America is just beginning to realize the opportunity of this growing and economically beneficial resource.

Mr. Speaker, GE Transportation, a division of General Electric, is a locomotive manufacturing facility in Lawrence Park, Erie County, which is located in Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District. The plant is one of the largest employers in the county with over 5,500 employees.

Earlier today, GE announced its intent to restructure operations, which could result in over 950 employees being impacted--a tremendous loss for Erie County, especially for the individuals and families directly impacted. Company officials cited ``lower order and production volume within locomotive and mining businesses due to decreased coal demand'' as the justification for the decision.

GE supplies locomotives to the freight-rail industry, which has relied more on coal than any other commodity. The announcement is another reminder of how the administration's regulatory agenda is impacting more and more businesses connected to the coal supply chain. Equally so, it raises questions as to what the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania can do to become more competitive and improve business retention.

While this is a major upset and I am extremely disappointed, in moving forward we must pull together as a community and support those who have been affected by this decision.

Mr. Speaker, the Congressional Research Service, the nonpartisan research arm of Congress, recently issued a report confirming a startling trend over the last 5 years: the amount of oil and natural gas being produced in this country is down on Federal lands and up dramatically on private and State lands.

The 1.1 million barrels per day increase in oil production from 2007 to 2012 that continues to make national headlines did not come from our national Federal lands. The boom in shale gas production that's providing unprecedented economic opportunities across my district and continues to make national headlines did not come from Federal lands. In fact, Mr. Speaker, natural gas production climbed 40 percent on State and private lands, while falling about 33 percent on Federal lands.

America's energy resurgence is before us today due to the innovation of our private sector, hardworking American men and women from all walks of life, but their efforts are hindered by the actions of this White House, as demonstrated by these figures.

With what has been accomplished by private individuals on privately held lands, just think how much sooner America can be energy independent if this administration joins this effort.

Mr. Speaker, science is beginning to prevail in the debate over America's natural gas revolution, and it's time to begin telling the real story of what it means for all Americans.

Just 7 years ago, America was facing the fact that we would have to import an increasing amount of natural gas to fulfill our domestic demand. Today, new technologies have enabled us to access previously inaccessible energy resources, and almost overnight America's energy resource picture flipped from deficit to surplus.

In the past 5 years, we've become stronger as a Nation through the development of these God-given resources. As a result, we're more competitive. From the low-income to the high tax brackets, everyone is benefiting.

The future is bright, but only if we educate, dispel myths and half- truths, and begin telling the real story of America's natural gas revolution and what it means to all Americans.

The story is about technology, private sector innovation, investment, financial risks, thousands of new jobs, new competition, new growth, a growing and better standard of living for more Americans, lower energy costs, new industries, a revitalized manufacturing sector, more growth, more jobs,

energy security, and optimism. This is the story of America's natural gas revolution.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, I had the honor of joining hundreds of fellow Americans at an open-carry walk in Brookville, Pennsylvania, which is located in the Fifth District of Pennsylvania. As a responsible gun owner, I was proud to join this peaceful gathering among citizens to reaffirm the fundamental significance of an individual's constitutionally protected right to bear arms.

The right to own firearms has nothing to do with hunting. The Second Amendment was adopted as part of our Constitution to assure the safety and security of our Nation, our States, as well as our families, our homes and our personal selves.

Many of my constituents are alarmed at the gun control proposals being considered in the U.S. Senate for fear they violate this sacred constitutional right. I share this concern.

When it comes to violence prevention, I believe there are areas of policy that can be improved upon, especially in the area of mental health. The people of Brookville and so many others across this Nation want this body to come together on solutions to thwart future acts of mass violence, but they will not tolerate--and I will fight against-- any violation of constitutionally protected rights.

Mr. Speaker, a durable medical equipment supplier recently sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over Medicare's competitive bidding program. In February, the judge dismissed the case, stating the supplier had no jurisdiction because Congress prohibited judicial review of the program in 2003.

The court was, however, ``deeply concerned about the unjust consequences of its order''; so concerned, the court was compelled to issue a memorandum prior to its full opinion:

Every citizen is entitled to equal justice under law, which

is not measured by incidence of death or hospital admissions,

but rather by the right to receive medically necessary

treatment and to live each day with dignity. To the extent

that a civilized society is measured by the manner in which

it protects its most vulnerable members, it has failed today.

Congress has a responsibility to beneficiaries to ensure CMS is transparent and the competitive bidding program is truly competitive and does not prevent access to these critical services.

I will not be complacent, Mr. Speaker, and this body should not be content with a culture of insecurity for providers and the vulnerable populations that they serve.

The American people deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow the House will vote on the Supporting Knowledge and Investing in Lifelong Skills Act, or SKILLS Act. With 12 million Americans out of work and 3.6 million job openings unfilled, the SKILLS Act will modernize and reform our Federal workforce development programs and reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act.

As a former volunteer member of a Workforce Investment Board who had the responsibility for administering these training opportunities, I witnessed firsthand the difficulty and expense these duplicative and overlapping programs create. The SKILLS Act consolidates current programs efficiently so that individuals seeking training will be able to navigate the system with greater success and greater access. The SKILLS Act also refocuses the accountability and control at the local level rather than Washington.

Mr. Speaker, America's competitiveness depends on having a qualified and trained workforce. The SKILLS Act offers just that. President Obama called on Congress in 2012 to work with him to develop a skills training program that is more efficient and effective. The SKILLS Act does just that. Let's take action to put Americans back to work and make America more competitive.