Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today on Religious Freedom Day to celebrate the numerous faiths that people hold across this great Nation.

Today we commemorate the 233rd anniversary of the passing of a State law that has shaped and secured our important legacy of religious liberty. On January 16, 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. The bill, written by Thomas Jefferson, states: ``All men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.''

Just a few years later, this bill served as the inspiration for the First Amendment, which affirms our right to choose and exercise faith without government coercion or retaliation.

Today, Americans from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds remain committed to the values of faith, honesty, integrity, and patriotism.

Madam Speaker, our Constitution and laws guarantee Americans the right not just to believe as they see fit, but to freely exercise their religion. We observe this day in our homes, schools, and houses of worship because we have the freedom and the right to do so.

Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, I had the privilege of being in Kane, Pennsylvania, McKean County, Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District, for a film screening and a panel discussion about opioid addiction.

The 11-minute film is called ``Eye of the Needle,'' and it chronicles opioid addiction in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was produced in 2017 for the Light of Life Rescue Mission's annual gala.

Light of Life is a homeless shelter in Pittsburgh whose clients are homeless, primarily due to addiction and mental health issues. Light of Life provides a home for the homeless; food for the hungry; and care for the poor, the addicted, the abused, and the elderly.

Like so many shelters in America, the opioid epidemic has greatly impacted them. They have been using this film as an educational tool. It has been screened at Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Point Park University, and Robert Morris University.

On Sunday, it was the first time the film was shown in a community setting. About 100 people gathered in the Kane Area Community Center for the viewing, which also featured a panel discussion.

I proudly participated on the panel, which featured several speakers from the community, including representatives from law enforcement and alcohol and drug abuse services.

Mr. Speaker, I know there isn't a ZIP Code in the country that isn't impacted by the opioid epidemic. We have seen the crippling effects of this epidemic, and we need to act with unified urgency to help those who are suffering.

It is considered by many to be the worst public health crisis of this generation. Overcoming it will not only take a community-wide effort, but a nationwide effort.

Through treatment and recovery, through prevention, by protecting our communities, and by fighting fentanyl and other ever-changing synthetic or foreign illicit drugs, we will overcome this epidemic.

Heroin and pain pill addiction does not discriminate on age, race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Your neighbor could be using heroin, and so could their high-honors high school student.

Unfortunately, the people of Pennsylvania have seen some of the worst. In 2017, the crisis surged when the Commonwealth experienced a 44 percent increase in opioid overdoses.

Addressing this unprecedented rate of opioid-related deaths means that we must focus on nearly 2.2 million Americans who currently struggle with opioid addiction.

In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, we are on the front line. Through community conversations, like the one that took place in Kane this Sunday, we can continue the conversation on how to end this epidemic.

Congress has engaged many agencies, including the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and Customs and Border Protection, just to name a few, to help combat opioid abuse.

This crisis has taken lives, torn apart families, weakened our workforce, and overextended our healthcare system.

Mr. Speaker, this is a modern-day plague and the public health crisis of our lifetime. We need to talk about it. We need to take action. And we need to find solutions.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor PCN for 25 years of outstanding coverage of the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Pennsylvania Cable Network, now called PCN, was organized August 29, 1979, as a nonprofit corporation by Pennsylvania cable companies.

PCN marked the first use of cable television for distance education, and it was the first educational cable television network in the Nation. PCN was on the air before CNN, ESPN, FOX News, MSNBC, and nearly all other nationally distributed cable networks.

In November 1993, PCN began providing public affairs programming in prime time to provide viewers coverage of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

In 1994, it expanded beyond government and covered every aspect of the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show.

This year, PCN exclusively delivered the Pennsylvania high school championships rodeo, the sale of champions, the celebrity rabbit hopping contest, the grand champion junior market goat and lamb show, the draft horse competitions, the mini-horse pull, square dancing competitions, and much more.

Madam Speaker, I commend PCN on 25 years of exclusively delivering the Farm Show to viewers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and I congratulate PCN on this outstanding achievement.

Madam Speaker, one week from today, our Nation celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tomorrow is Dr. King's birthday. He would be turning 90 if his life wasn't violently cut short in 1968.

Madam Speaker, it was November 3, 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill to mark the third Monday of every January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The holiday officially began 3 years later.

Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. King was the son of a Baptist minister. He went on to receive his own doctoral degree in theology.

Dr. King was a powerful orator, and his talents were on full display when he delivered his famous ``I Have a Dream'' speech in 1963. 250,000 people gathered outside the Lincoln Memorial to hear his speech, which peacefully called for the end of racism. It is still regarded as one of the most influential moments in American history.

Madam Speaker, I am thankful for all that Dr. King did to advance the civil rights of all Americans, and I am honored to commemorate his life and legacy.

Madam Speaker, last week, I introduced a bill that protects private property rights in Pennsylvania's only national forest, the Allegheny National Forest. H.R. 245, the Cooperative Management of Mineral Rights Act of 2019, will ensure that private property owners and energy producers in the Allegheny National Forest have access to the property.

Despite being successfully and sufficiently regulated by the Commonwealth for decades, a Federal law passed in 1992 required the Forest Service to write new regulations on oil and gas production in the ANF. However, Federal courts have repeatedly ruled that the Forest Service does not have the authority to do so because the minerals in the ANF are privately owned.

My bill corrects this Federal law by repealing the improper 1992 requirement. In fact, the House of Representatives previously passed my legislation, twice, with strong bipartisan support, overwhelmingly in 2016 and unanimously in 2017.

I hope we can get this commonsense legislation across the finish line during the 116th Congress. I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation to put the brakes on excessive litigation in the ANF and protect private property rights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the small business development centers located throughout my district and throughout the country. These development centers are Statewide, nationally accredited programs that provide one-on-one consulting, training, and information resources to empower new and existing small businesses.

They are a public-private partnership between the Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce and Economic Development, and universities and colleges across the Commonwealth.

Clarion University and Penn State both have fantastic small business development centers whose mission is to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge needed to make smart decisions and to see their businesses grow and prosper.

Over the past few months, I have received many letters in support of small business development centers from constituents who have utilized these services to start or maintain a small business of their own.

Lisa from Smethport wrote that, after growing up working in her family's restaurant, it had always been a dream to operate her own restaurant. Through the help of the Clarion University Small Business Development Center, her dream became a reality.

Joseph from Punxsutawney worked with the center to help manage his business's financial records and receive a line of credit. He wrote that the information and advice they provided helped him make critical business decisions with confidence.

And Emily from Franklin recently opened up a charming bed and breakfast after working with the development center staff to write up a business plan and organize the financial aspects of her business. She hopes to continue working with the development center and said she truly feels as though they want her to succeed.

Mr. Speaker, these are just some of the stories I have received, and I thank all of my constituents that took the time to share their stories with me. The success stories of small business owners that work with development centers are endless. They have greatly helped economic progress in my district.

The Clarion University center helped start up 55 new businesses in 2017 and supported more than 500 constituents.

Nationally, small businesses make up 99.7 percent of U.S. employer firms. In 2018, there were more than 30 million small businesses that employed 58 million people.

The development center program, operated through the Small Business Administration, was allocated $130 million for fiscal year 2018. Through the continued funding of small business development centers, paired with the passage of probusiness legislation like the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, entrepreneurship can continue to thrive in Pennsylvania and all across this country.

Mr. Speaker, that is something every American can applaud and that we should be proud of.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Dick Kline of Rimersburg, Pennsylvania.

Dick passed away at the age of 94. He leaves behind his daughters, Cathy and Mary, and many grand- and great-grandchildren.

He was a World War II Navy veteran who served on the hospital ship the USS Tranquility. During the war, he and his crewmates were dispatched to receive survivors of the sinking USS Indianapolis, which led to the largest loss of life at sea from a single ship in the history of the Navy.

After the war, Dick married his loving wife of 67 years, Rosalyn Jean Kline, and, together, they owned and operated Kline Funeral Home.

Dick stayed active in the community over the years. He was a member of the VFW and the American Legion. He belonged to the Rimersburg United Methodist Church, and he gave 55 years of service as the secretary of Rimersburg borough. In 1999, they named him Citizen of the Year.

Madam Speaker, Dick Kline left a lasting impression in his service to his country, his community, and all those who knew him. He will be missed.

Madam Speaker, over the weekend, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania kicked off one of my favorite events, the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

For more than a century, farmers have gathered each January at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 102 years ago, the very first Pennsylvania Farm Show was held on January 23 through January 25, 1917, under the title of the Pennsylvania Corn, Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy Products, and Wool Show.

In 1955, Dr. Milton Eisenhower, Penn State University president at the time and the brother of the then-President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, dubbed the Pennsylvania Farm Show ``always the greatest show on Earth.''

Thanks to the dedication of the Pennsylvania farmers and farm families, tens of thousands of volunteers, and generations of agribusiness owners

and staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Farm Show continues to be among the greatest shows on Earth.

This weeklong event is the largest indoor agricultural exposition in the Nation, showcasing over 6,000 animals, featuring nearly 12,000 exhibits and more than half a million visitors.

Each year, I host a listening session at the Farm Show, and we covered a range of topics on Saturday during the public forum, from raising awareness about agriculture education to helping our dairy farmers, and more. We discussed the passage of the 2018 farm bill, which will restore certainty for our farm families, provide nutritional support and greater opportunity for ultimate food security through employment for our neighbors in financial need, renew a pathway to prosperity for our dairy producers, and build toward a stronger rural economy.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, Russell Redding, for participating in the listening session, and also my colleagues: Congressman Dwight Evans, Congressman Dan Meuser, and Congressman Lloyd Smucker.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show truly does bring together so many different people in the ag community, and it is an event like no other.

The Farm Show complex houses 24 acres under one roof, spread throughout 11 buildings, including three arenas. There is no admission fee. It is a great event for the entire family, and there are numerous educational shows.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show provides an atmosphere for everyone to walk through, observe, and educate themselves about the different areas of agriculture, the Commonwealth's largest industry, which brings nearly $6.9 billion annually in agricultural cash receipts. Almost half a million jobs are tied to the industry, which positively impacts all Pennsylvanians.

Madam Speaker, 103 years ago, the Pennsylvania Farm Show was a 3-day exhibit. Today, the event is a weeklong celebration of how the agriculture industry touches our lives every day. Proudly, this event draws visitors from across the country to highlight everything our State has to offer when it comes to ag. Numerous students participate in the event as well from 4-H clubs to FFA organizations.

The Pennsylvania Farm Show truly showcases our Nation's farmers and landowners. I was thrilled to again take part in the best agricultural expo in the country.

Madam Speaker, I want to close with the words from the prologue to the 100th anniversary book that is published by the Farm Show Foundation, with the Farm Show being dedicated to the farmers who feed us, the Penn State extension staff that lead us, and the consumers that need us.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day to commend law enforcement officers throughout our Nation who answer the call to serve their communities. This day is designated annually on January 9 to show support to our law enforcement leaders in every community, including our Capitol Police, who are with us here each and every day.

Law enforcement officers face increasingly difficult circumstances while working to serve and protect the public. It is a dangerous job, and, often, it is a thankless job. Our officers put on their uniforms each day knowing that they can be in harm's way at any moment. They answer the call in times of distress, and they follow the rules and wear the badge proudly.

Mr. Speaker, we must remember that our officers are mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, husbands and wives. They are humans, and they arguably have one of the most difficult jobs in America.

So today and each day, let's honor our brothers and sisters in blue. Let's thank them for the important work that they do to keep us all safe.

Madam Speaker, I rise today, on the second day of the 116th Congress, to represent Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District.

The 15th Congressional District encompasses 14 counties, 24 percent of the land mass of Pennsylvania, and includes all of Armstrong, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Elk, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Venango, and Warren counties. It includes parts of Butler, Cambria, and Centre counties, including my hometown of Howard.

Madam Speaker, I take great pride in my service to the people of the 15th Congressional District, and I work hard to earn their trust, help solve their problems, and be a diligent Representative.

When not in Washington, I spend my days on the road in the district, traveling to meetings and events. I work to connect with my constituents and truly be a voice for each community I represent.

Madam Speaker, I also appreciate the opportunity to speak here, as I did 219 days in the 115th Congress, to be a strong voice for the citizens of the 15th District.

The challenges before us remain great, but it is my hope that we will tackle these challenges head-on. It is the American way.

Mr. Speaker, during the holiday season, many people step up to help their neighbors in need. Americans are generous and charitable with their time and energy through both monetary donations and volunteer opportunities.

Food pantries play an important role all year long in communities across America. In 2017, an estimated 15 million households in the United States were food insecure, which means they lack consistent access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

While this number has decreased from previous years, there is much work yet to be done. That is why, as chairman of the Nutrition Subcommittee on the Agriculture Committee, I advocated for an increase in TEFAP dollars in the 2018 farm bill.

TEFAP stands for The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Along with donations, TEFAP funding is the cornerstone of our food banks.

I am pleased that we were able to increase funding for this important lifeline for so many. Food banks are meeting the needs for low-income Americans, the working poor, and those who have fallen on hard times. We must always work towards the ultimate goal of ending hunger in America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 382nd birthday of the National Guard.

A component of the United States Army, the National Guard is primarily composed of citizen-soldiers who hold down full-time, civilian jobs or attend school. They serve their community and their country.

Each U.S. State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands maintain both an Army National Guard and an Air National Guard.

On December 13, 1636, the Massachusetts General Court issued an order requiring all able-bodied men between 16 and 60 years old to create a standing army for protection. With that order, what we now know as America's National Guard was born. The idea was simple: establish an army of citizen-soldiers who could be called upon to fight when needed.

Mr. Speaker, I commend all those who join the ranks of the esteemed National Guard. They answer the call of duty to protect their community and their country. We are grateful for their service and proud of their commitment.

Happy 382nd birthday to the National Guard.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my colleague and friend Chairman Gregg Harper for his service to Mississippi's Third Congressional District in the House of Representatives.

Gregg and I were elected to Congress in the same year, 2008, and we were friends from the start. And while he will retire at the end of this year, his contributions will be long remembered.

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Gregg was selected by the Speaker of the House to serve as chairman of the House Administration Committee. He has had vast oversight and administrative responsibilities in the House and other institutions.

Perhaps most notably, Gregg worked to completely overhaul House policies and implement mandatory sexual harassment training for everyone from Members to interns. He worked to change the culture on the Hill, and he said: ``It has to be understood that taxpayers are not going to be responsible for someone's bad behavior.'' And that is Gregg Harper, a man of high character, always working to do the right thing.

Gregg has also dedicated much of his congressional life to that of advocating for those with intellectual disabilities. Mr. Speaker, 8 years ago, he founded the Congressional Internship Program for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

This program partners with George Mason University's LIFE Program to connect students with disabilities to congressional offices for a semester-long internship. Students get to help office staff with administrative tasks, special projects, and they truly become part of the team.

When Gregg started the program, just 5 congressional offices participated. Today, there are nearly 200 House and Senate offices that host student interns.

Gregg, whose son, Livingston, has special needs, designed this program to not only give students exposure to Capitol Hill offices, but also to give Members and staffers the experience of working with individuals who are living with various types of disabilities.

My office continues to participate in this program, and we have hosted many students from George Mason University. It has been a wonderful experience for me and my staff, and I encourage all my colleagues to join the program next Congress.

Mr. Speaker, it will be bittersweet for me to say good-bye to my friend Gregg Harper, but he has left his mark on this institution, and his contributions will be remembered for generations to come.

Gregg will return to Mississippi to spend more time with his wife, Sidney, their children, and his first grandbaby, a little boy named Lee. Chairman Harper is being promoted to Grandpa Harper, and I know that that will be his greatest role yet. I wish him the best in his next chapter of life.

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 recognize December 15 as the Bill of Rights Day.

The Bill of Rights, which is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, was first ratified in 1791. It protects the rights and liberties of all Americans. The Bill of Rights guarantees our freedoms of religion, speech, press, and to peaceably assemble and petition our government; and it protects our right to bear arms, our private property rights, our right to a fair trial, and our right against unreasonable searches and seizures.

It establishes that we as a nation promote the power of individual liberties and limit the scope of the Federal Government.

Mr. Speaker, Bill of Rights Day came into existence in 1941 on its 150th anniversary. Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing President Franklin D. Roosevelt to make it a national holiday. Roosevelt referred to the document as ``the great American charter of personal liberty and human dignity.''

Mr. Speaker, it is important that we use this day to educate younger generations of Americans on our Bill of Rights and the values it embodies for all.