Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Rules Committee has actually read the bills that are in this package and knows that they are much more than what my colleague and friend from Colorado just described. Because actually, the forestry legislation is something that passed this House 363 days ago in a big bipartisan vote, a big portion of which was written by my Democratic friends Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader. That is in this package.

We have another bill coming up later that has twice passed this House unanimously. Those aren't partisan bills that are being put out, as you said, Mr. Polis, to reward donors or anything else. This is about creating jobs in America.

By the way, lots of parts of the world, like my district, need jobs. They need the certainty of jobs. And I don't know about Colorado, but Oregon and California and a lot of places are going up in smoke, choked with smoke because of forest fires.

The legislation in this package that we are going to send back over to the Senate one more time, thanks to this rule and thanks to the leadership of this chairman, would allow us to get people back to work in the woods, address the problems of these fires, produce revenues for schoolteachers, for sheriffs and sheriff's deputies, for search and rescue, for all the basic, fundamental services that matter in rural communities and, I think, matter across the West.

So, if you don't believe in taking care of your forests, then vote ``no'' on this rule.

Mr. Speaker, 363 days ago, the House passed H.R. 1526, the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act. Two days short of a year, the Senate has done nothing--nothing. They failed to pass a single active forestry bill--nothing. Our forests are going up in smoke. We are spending taxpayer dollars to fight the fires. We are devastating watersheds. This has to change.

The Federal Government controls over 50 percent of the land in Oregon. In 10 of the 20 counties I represent, they control over half of the land. Over the last 30 years, timber harvests on these lands, these Federal lands, has been decreased by 90 percent--nine-zero. Forests aren't static; they keep growing and they keep dying. We get beetle infestations; we get drought; and then we get fire. Nothing happens after the fire, other than the trees sit there and burn. Then they die; then they rot; then they fall over. There is no productive use. All that needs to change.

Ninety percent reduction in harvest of Federal lands.

Do you know what that means out in our areas where the Federal Government is supposed to be the steward? It means that we have lost 300 mills and 30,000 American jobs--30,000 American jobs. These are jobs bills we are talking about here. These same rural areas that I represent have poverty rates at 20, 25, 30, even as high as 33.9 percent in Josephine County, right down in here, 33.9.

You want to do something about poverty? Create a job. You want to do something about getting America on track? Pass these bills. Get the Senate to pass these bills. We will create jobs. We will generate revenue. We will have positive cash flow in this country for once. It doesn't have to be this way. We can put people back to work. So Chairman Hastings and Chairman Bishop and myself and others worked on the bipartisan forestry legislation.

As I mentioned, we actually have run this bill through an independent evaluation process to say what does this mean for the people of Oregon, because there is a portion here that relates just to the O&C lands which are only in Oregon. Democratic Governor--Democratic Governor-- John Kitzhaber, his team took a look at our bipartisan bill, and they concluded that it would create or save 3,000 Oregon jobs. These are real jobs. These are real people. These are real families that have been suffering. Three thousand Oregon jobs.

It would generate $100 million in revenue or thereabouts. That would pay--pay--for basic services, pay for basic services. 500 million board-feet of timber a year would be harvested. It would be predictable. You would have a private sector involvement here.

Twenty-nine Oregon counties, from Klamath, to Hood River, to Wallowa, including all 20 in my district, 29 Oregon counties passed resolutions supporting this bipartisan legislation. We passed it 363 days ago. The Senate, I don't know what they do over there, not much productive. We are going to give them another chance.

Yes, we are repackaging these bills. Yes, the House has passed these bills before. Yes, they passed in a bipartisan manner. We are at the end of our legislative session. It is time, one more time, to make another attempt to pass this into law, to wake up the Senate, to get them to do the right thing.

So support the rule. Let's move forward. We don't need more partisan rhetoric here. We need to help America get on its feet. We need to take better care of our forests. We need to take better care of our watersheds. We need to put people back to work in America. And that is what these bills do.

I thank the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee who has been most helpful in our endeavors in the West on the issues of private property, water rights, improving the health of our forest, and diminishing wildfires through active forest management.

I want to thank him again for his legislation and one that a number of us have shared in helping draft, H.R. 1526, which has been part of our jobs package that we are again sending over to the Senate because they have done nothing in the area of improving forest health and management and stopping these horrible wildfires that we are all trying to deal with--because they are much more than just a budgeting issue, although that is important, it really is about how do you get ahead of these fires, have active management, generate revenues, and generate jobs.

Mr. Speaker, another bill that we are taking up again in the House is one that actually has passed twice in this House unanimously-- unanimously--in the last couple of years.

This will be the third time in less than 3 years we have acted. Why are we doing that? Because, at some point, we hope to wake up the Senate to where they actually will take up this issue and pass it because it means jobs for Crook County, which has a very high unemployment rate and a very high poverty rate.

It means better water quality for fish because we changed a designation on a dam that will allow the water to come out in a better way by adding renewable, carbon friendly hydropower to be generated off this dam. It would create 50 jobs over 2 years when they do the hydro piece. The water will come out better, and it will be better for the fish.

The city of Prineville--you talk about drought--the city of Prineville has several hundred residents who cannot access city water because they don't have enough of it.

This legislation will free up 5,100 acre feet of water that will take care of the city of Prineville for some time to come and allow them to actually take care of their citizens with city water. They will pump it out downstream, and water will stay instream for--I think it is something like 20 miles upriver from Bowman Dam.

There is 80,000 acre feet of water sitting unallocated in this reservoir. We take 5,100 acre feet of it. The city is going to pay the appropriate price so there is no cost to the Treasury. It will serve 500 homes, and we have got a bunch of data centers that have come up in Prineville.

They need to make sure they have access to water for cooling. Apple and Facebook and a couple of others need access to this, and all we do is fix an errant boundary decision made many years ago that laid down the boundary of wild and scenic right across the top of the dam.

Now, there is nothing wild or scenic about a dam unless you are falling off the face of it. It was temporary, and that has been decades ago. This moves it a quarter mile downstream.

Beyond that, there are benefits for Ochoco Irrigation District farmers to ensure they will continue to operate their family farms for generations to come. We make sure there is enough water behind the dam for flat water recreation and fishing, which is an important part of the economy there. And we worked with the tribes and others to expedite the McKay Creek restoration project, which will result in increased water flows for redband trout and summer steelhead, a project long supported by the Warm Springs Tribe and the Deschutes River Conservancy.

Just like other bills in this package, this is a good, commonsense piece of legislation. It has achieved overwhelming--in fact, in the House, unanimous--support.

We look forward to working with the Senate, but it is hard to dance with yourself. It is just no fun. So we need a dance partner over in the Senate that will come to the table so we can take this years of work, pull it together in a package that can finally get to the President's desk.

I don't know what else you do. You try again. You never quit trying. And that is what this package of bills is all about. One more time before we leave town, trying to create jobs in America, do the right thing for the environment, and take care of problems at home, that is what this is about.

We hope the Senate will finally take a look at these bills in a meaningful and thoughtful way and be able to come to the table with terms and work these things out.

So I commend the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee for all his work over the years, but especially for the work he and I have done together to improve forest health, improve forest jobs, improve water quality, take care of these issues that are so important to the rural West.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Utah for his leadership on this and many other natural resource issues.

All across Oregon, farmers and ranchers and other property owners are walking around their land wondering what the EPA will regulate under the proposed rule to expand its Clean Water Act jurisdiction.

Ranchers in eastern Oregon wonder about their stock ponds. Wheat growers in Columbia Basin worry about an intermittent stream adjacent to a field. Fruit growers in Hood River and onion growers in Ontario are concerned about their irrigation ditches.

This proposed rule is based on faulty science. It underestimates the tremendous harm it poses to our rural economies, so it is no wonder people are concerned.

At a town hall meeting I had in Grants Pass Saturday morning, three of them, 30 people there, this was their number one issue. They are involved in real estate. They are very, very upset, very concerned about what this could do.

Further, this regulatory overreach by the EPA blatantly ignores Congress' repeated rejection of similar legislative efforts to expand jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act.

Of course, we shouldn't be that surprised. The EPA has tried this before. They have been rebuked by the Supreme Court, twice in fact, in 2001 and 2006.

The EPA says this new rule was meant to ``clarify'' the scope of the Clean Water Act, but I have heard across my district how the vague language in this proposal actually creates more uncertainty, not less, more red tape, not less. And for our farmers and ranchers, property owners, and other Oregonians and others that utilize our water and resources, it is a huge threat.

I have long opposed expansion of this authority, whether through legislation or administrative rulemaking. Detrimental action of this size and scope should not be pushed by anyone, much less by unelected bureaucrats.

The economies of rural Oregon and other communities around the country face enough obstacles already. The broken Federal forest policies have strangled our communities, often leaving only agriculture to grow jobs and combat unemployment rates that now are still in double digits.

We don't need agencies in Washington erecting more hurdles and creating more uncertainty as our farmers and ranchers work to feed the world and create jobs in rural communities. It is time to ditch this rule.

So I applaud Mr. Southerland from Florida for writing this bill, and I appreciate Chairman Shuster for helping to bring it to the floor. I urge its passage to stop yet another regulatory overreach by a Federal agency out of control, threatening jobs, threatening private property rights, threatening rural communities and our way of life.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4572) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to extend expiring provisions relating to the retransmission of signals of television broadcast stations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today, we are offering a bill that will ensure that 1.5 million subscribers in hard-to-reach areas, including many in my home State of Oregon, will continue to receive vital news and information through the television. The STELA Reauthorization Act extends the copyright and retransmission consent provisions for distant signals retransmitted by commercial satellite providers for 5 years.

Our committee has worked hard on this bill. We have engaged members of industry and consumer groups, and we have talked about the difficult policy matters that affect all consumers when it comes to video programming. Every member of our committee, on both sides of the aisle, has engaged with industry and consumers to figure out the right policy and to get to the right outcome, which we bring to you today.

Our bill not only reauthorizes the compulsory copyright and retransmission exemption for 5 years, but it also targets and, in some areas, gives much-needed reforms to our communications law.

Specifically, this bill repeals the FCC's integration ban on cable- leased set-top boxes. That clears the way for innovation and investment by lifting an unnecessary regulatory burden that has cost the cable industry and its consumers who pay the $1 billion--$1 billion, Mr. Speaker--since 2007.

I especially want to thank my friend, the extraordinary, terrific vice chair of the Telecommunications Subcommittee, Mr. Latta of Ohio, and my Democratic colleague from Texas, Gene Green, who brought this issue to our attention and helped us in this bipartisan lift to get rid of the integration ban.

Our bill also evens the playing field for cable operators and broadcasters during sweeps weeks by removing a government restriction on cable's ability to drop broadcast signals during the Nielsen sweeps.

Additionally, broadcast stations in a single market will no longer be able to negotiate jointly with pay-TV providers. Pay-TV subscribers will no longer have to worry about losing more than one signal should a programming distributor be unable to reach its retransmission consent agreement with a broadcast station.

These can be very contentious matters, Mr. Speaker. I am proud to say that the STELA Reauthorization Act is yet another example of working together, getting true bipartisanship, with support from all sectors of the communications industry.

This type of collaboration has long been the hallmark of our subcommittee and full committee, and I am pleased to see this legislative result. I can only urge the Senate to act swiftly and pass this bill into law before the end of the year.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim my time.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton), the leader of our Energy and Commerce Committee.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), the vice chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Vermont for his kind words and his good work on this legislation. Certainly, I recognize our counterparts on the Democratic side, Mr. Waxman and Ms. Eshoo, who have worked tirelessly on this bill, as well as their staff: Shawn Chang, Margaret McCarthy, and David Grossman. Also, our staff, David Redl; my senior policy adviser, Ray Baum; and Grace Koh, all of whom have spent a lot of time working this through.

It seems interesting that we get to this point and it kind of goes naturally, but there is a lot of work that went in to getting it to this point. So I thank our staff and the Members who worked with us in a very good-spirited way.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge the House to approve this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 50 World War II veterans from Oregon who will be visiting their memorial this Friday in Washington, DC through Honor Flight of Eastern Oregon and Honor Flight of

Portland, Oregon. On behalf of a grateful State and country, we welcome these heroes to our Nation's capital.

The veterans on this flight from Oregon are: Eldon Ashmore, U.S. Army; Joseph Bakkensen, U.S. Army; Elvin Ballou, U.S. Army; Marceline Clark, U.S. Army; William C. Eggiman, U.S. Army; William Gaddie, U.S. Army; Clarence Giebelhouse, U.S. Army; Donald Gourley, U.S. Army; Roy Haley, U.S. Army; Harold Johnston, U.S. Army; Edward Lapp, U.S. Army; Phillip Leveque, U.S. Army; Charles Marshall, U.S. Army; Jack Morse, U.S. Army; Vernon Charles Newton, U.S. Army; Charles B. Wilkins, U.S. Army; Robert Blomquist, U.S. Army Air Corps; Atlee Hawes, U.S. Army Air Corps; Donald Manwiller, U.S. Army Air Corps; Gustave Mohr, U.S. Army Air Corps; Robert Perrin, U.S. Army Air Corps; Harold Pickrell, U.S. Army Air Corps; Robert Schuberg, U.S. Army Air Corps; Norman Bailow, U.S. Army Signal Corps; John F. Kramer, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps; Robert Wing Eisenhart, U.S. Marine Corps; Ellery Marvel, U.S. Marine Corps; George Vukich, U.S. Marine Corps, William Adams, U.S. Merchant Marine; Charles Bergseng, U.S. Navy; William Copp, U.S. Navy; Robert Goss, U.S. Navy; Richard Graham, U.S. Navy; George Hamlin, U.S. Navy; James Holland, U.S. Navy; James Hurd, U.S. Navy; Robert Jurgens, U.S. Navy; Melvin Leak, U.S. Navy; Jack Marsicano, U.S. Navy; Clarence William McDonnell, U.S. Navy; Leo Miner, U.S. Navy; John Orloff, U.S. Navy; Richard M. Page, U.S. Navy; Harlie Peterson, U.S. Navy; Arthur Ragan, U.S. Navy; John Ervin Rice, U.S. Navy; Jack Royle, U.S. Navy; Benjamin C. Webb, U.S. Navy; Jack Yaggie, U.S. Navy; Carl Duyn, U.S. Navy; Lois Raftshol, U.S. Navy Wave.

These 50 heroes join more than 81,000 veterans from across the country who, since 2005, have journeyed from their home states to Washington, DC to reflect at the memorials built in honor of our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, each of us is humbled by the courage of these brave Americans who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today.

My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Eastern Oregon and Portland, Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country. I especially want to recognize U.S. Army veteran Dick Tobiason and the Bend Heroes Foundation, whose tireless work will result in over 100 World War II veterans from Oregon visiting the memorials and U.S. Capitol.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 25 World War II veterans and the Vietnam War veteran from Oregon who will be visiting their memorial on June 3rd in Washington, D.C. through Honor Flight of Oregon. On behalf of a grateful state and country, we welcome these heroes to the nation's capital.

The veterans on this flight from Oregon are as follows: Robert A. Davis, U.S. Army Air Force; Otis E. Huskey, U.S. Army Air Force; Donald G. Severson, U.S. Army Air Force;

Elvis A. Warthen, U.S. Army Air Force; George F. Cooper, U.S. Army; John Crisp, U.S. Army; Warren L. Goold, U.S. Army; Kenneth C. Holgate, U.S. Army; Willard W Miller, U.S. Army; James E. Smith, U.S. Army; Donald Thiel, U.S. Army; Erhard H. Ulrich, U.S. Army; Dale W. Jackson, U.S. Marines; Howard E. Wells, U.S. Marines; Charles W Anglin, U.S. Navy; Oliver C Hardy Jr., U.S. Navy; Clayton E McCormick, U.S. Navy; Richard S McLaughlin, U.S. Navy; Richard W. Miller, U.S. Navy; Douglass O. Nicholson, U.S. Navy; Marvin T. Rogers Sr., U.S. Navy; Charles B. Salt, U.S. Navy; John Stuart Sherbeck, U.S. Navy; Adelbert L. Taylor, U.S. Navy; Harvey A. Tofte, U.S. Navy; and Vietnam War veteran, Ronald K. Stogsdill, U.S. Air Force.

These 26 heroes join more than 98,000 veterans from across the country who, since 2005, has journeyed from their home states to Washington, D.C. to reflect at the memorials built in honor of our nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, each of us is humbled by the courage of these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today.

My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country. I especially want to recognize and thank Gail Yakopatz for her tireless work as president of Honor Flight of Oregon.

I thank the chairman and the members of the Natural Resources Committee for their work that brought this legislation to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3366, the Hermiston Reversionary Interest Release Act, is very important to the city of Hermiston--as you all have heard--to Umatilla County, and to Oregon State University, so I appreciate being able to speak in support of it today.

Oregon--and the nearly 70,000 square miles that I represent in my district--is full of unique landscapes, ranging from high deserts to green valleys, which produce more than 220 different agricultural crops.

Farmers in this part of Oregon, the Columbia Basin, grow crops from commodities--like corn and wheat--to specialty crops--like onions, potatoes, asparagus, and, of course, the world-famous Hermiston watermelons.

In fact, Umatilla County is the second highest agricultural producing county in the State of Oregon, with sales topping $487 million annually.

Agriculture has always been the economic backbone of Umatilla County. However, growth of the industry would not have been maintained without significant innovation in what types of crops are grown and in improvements in production techniques.

The land that this legislation deals with was conveyed to the State of Oregon and then to Oregon State University by the Federal Government. It is the home of the Hermiston Agricultural Research and Extension Center, capably and ably managed by Superintendent Phil Hamm, with whom we have worked closely on this legislation.

This center has fueled these innovations, and it has helped growers in the region maximize the use of precious water, fight off new pests and diseases, and achieve record-breaking yields.

This commonsense legislation simply places the home of the research center back fully under local control by removing the retained reversionary interest. This bill also conveys 6 acres of land that were orphaned from the station after the construction of a railroad line.

This release and conveyance provides the flexibility OSU needs to better manage the station for the future benefit of area farmers and to meet the needs of the city of Hermiston, eastern Oregon's largest city.

When this land was originally conveyed in 1954, the Hermiston population was fewer than 4,000 people, and the research station was located well out of town. Today, with a population of 16,745 people, the research facilities now lie within the city limits of Hermiston, presenting potential challenges to growth in the future.

Despite economic and population growth in the last 60 years, the needs of farmers have not changed much. They still rely upon the quality work done by researchers at the station to grow top-notch crops and to create jobs in the region.

Unfortunately, as station managers try to plot the path for continued viability of the station as the city continues to grow, they find their hands tied by the reversionary interest the Federal Government maintains over the property.

Commonsense opportunities that could generate additional revenue for research, like siting a cell tower on a small portion of the property that can't be farmed, are passed over because of these improvement restrictions.

Also, if the need arises in the future, the reversionary interest stands in the way of the relocation of the facility, which would provide additional economic opportunities for the city, while maintaining the research capabilities at a site better suited for agriculture production, rather than being stuck between industrial sites or residential communities.

By removing the reversionary interest, H.R. 3366 removes these hurdles and provides opportunities for economic and job growth for the local

community, which is why it has been strongly supported by farmers in the area, by the city of Hermiston, and by the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners as well.

For farmers in the Columbia Basin, it is a way for valuable agriculture research to continue into the future, bringing new techniques they need to tackle new challenges as they continue to feed and clothe the world.

For Oregon State University, it provides the flexibility they need to ensure they continue their mission of providing the quality research they have provided in the area for decades.

Again, I want to thank the staff on the committee, as well as my own staff--Riley Bushue and Thomas Griffin--for their work on this legislation.

I would ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 52 World War II veterans from Oregon who will be visiting their memorial this Saturday in Washington, DC through Honor Flight of Oregon. On behalf of a grateful State and country, we welcome these heroes to the Nation's capital.

The veterans on this flight from Oregon are as follows: Don W. Bohnert, U.S. Army Air Force; Wallace F Burton, U.S. Army Air Force; Walter D. Haines, U.S. Army Air Force; Glenn V. Koch, U.S. Army Air Force; Ernest A Meyer, U.S. Army Air Force; Orvin J Sletten, U.S. Army Air Force; Robert H. Walton, U.S. Army Air Force; Thomas L. Warren, U.S. Army Air Force; Miles R. Barfield, U.S. Army; Chelsey T. Barton, U.S. Army; John C. Bates, U.S. Army; Donald L. Freeman, U.S. Army; Theodore P. Geck, U.S. Army; James C. Hickey, U.S. Army; Cordino Longiotti, U.S. Army; Richard M. Macdougall, U.S. Army; Benjamin D. Morrison, U.S. Army; David Ha. Packard, U.S. Army; Albert V. Panacy, U.S. Army; James B. Ragsdale, U.S. Army; Robert J. Resner, U.S. Army; Gordon P. Rutter, U.S. Army; Raymond O. Sims, U.S. Army; Arthur N. Sorenson, U.S. Army; Charles W. Weeks, U.S. Army; Howard L. Abbe, U.S. Navy; Fred A. Carneau, U.S. Navy; Gail D. Cox, U.S.

Navy; Herbert N. Ellis, U.S. Navy; Henry T. Fuqua, U.S. Navy; Marlin E. Hammond, U.S. Navy; Donald F. MacLean, U.S. Navy; Donald Cl. Moberg, U.S. Navy; Wayne D. Mosher, U.S. Navy; Francis G. Nelson, U.S. Navy; Harlan S. Nice, U.S. Navy; Omer L. Oyster, U.S. Navy; Frank S. Palmer, U.S. Navy; Robert E. Peterson, U.S. Navy; Charles W. Pio, U.S. Navy; John D. Randall, U.S. Navy; Robert E. Reindl, U.S. Navy; Matt S. Satalich, U.S. Navy; Eugene J. Schmidt, U.S. Navy; Roy Al. Schnurr, U.S. Navy; George R. Schwarz, U.S. Navy; John S. Sherbeck, U.S. Navy; Kenneth E. Thomas, U.S. Navy; Howard P. Thomas, U.S. Navy; William F. Tromblee, U.S. Navy; Robert J. VanDyke, U.S. Navy; Fred R. Young, U.S. Navy.

These 52 heroes join more than 98,000 veterans from across the country who, since 2005, have journeyed from their home states to Washington, DC to reflect at the memorials built in honor of our Nation's veterans.

Mr. Speaker, each of us is humbled by the courage of these soldiers, sailors, and airmen who put themselves in harm's way for our country and way of life. As a nation, we can never fully repay the debt of gratitude owed to them for their honor, commitment, and sacrifice in defense of the freedoms we have today.

My colleagues, please join me in thanking these veterans and the volunteers of Honor Flight of Oregon for their exemplary dedication and service to this great country. I especially want to recognize and thank Gail Yakopatz for her tireless work as president of Honor Flight of Oregon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take the opportunity to recognize the newly completed Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles, Oregon. For the past fifteen years, the Oregon Military Department, Columbia Gorge Community College, The Dalles Outreach Team, and other local, state, and federal officials have worked tirelessly to bring this innovative project to life. The Readiness Center will be home to the Oregon National Guard's Alpha Company, 3-116 Cavalry and replaces the original unit armory built in 1951. What makes this building so unique is its dual-use capability and its state-of-the-art construction. Situated on the campus of the Columbia Gorge Community College, the Readiness Center complex will host not only the unit's 150 soldiers during regular monthly drills, but also share a large portion of its nearly 63,000 square foot space with the college for use as a lecture hall and workforce training center for students, and flexible rental space for the community at large. The Readiness Center is likely the first armory in the country to achieve ``net zero'' energy consumption, meaning it will produce as much energy on site as it uses, and will serve as an example of efficiency for Oregon Military Department's future armory projects. The building's solar panels, sod roof, and geo-thermal heat pump system also will serve as a working classroom for the college's Renewable Energy Program.

I would be remiss to not point out the Center's special relationship with Columbia Gorge Community College. Throughout his tenure as college president, Dr. Frank Toda, a 30-year veteran of the Air Force, has maintained his commitment to his fellow veterans and the local citizen- soldiers of the Oregon National Guard. This dedication was reflected in Columbia Gorge Community College being recognized as among the top fifteen percent of schools nationwide in helping returning veterans acquire needed job skills.

The Fort Dalles Readiness Center will be officially dedicated to the public on April 17, 2014. While I cannot be there to help the community celebrate its success, I believe it fitting to recognize the years of hard work and steadfast devotion by all of those involved.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a remarkable economic partnership under way in the Pacific Northwest, where the Columbia River Gorge joins the states of Oregon and Washington. This initiative, the Columbia Gorge Regional Center of Innovation, is aimed at streamlining the region's education to prepare its students for the modern workforce, in turn, bringing economic growth and development to the region.

With economies originally based firmly in agriculture and natural resources, communities within the Columbia Gorge have become a center for a burgeoning technology sector, anchored by a Google data center in The Dalles, Oregon, and a Boeing subsidiary, Insitu, in Bingen, Washington. Quality of life, outdoor recreation, and natural beauty helped attract those employers.

While regional prosperity beckons, challenges remain. The cost of housing in the area makes it difficult for persons on low to moderate incomes to live where they work. There are significant infrastructure concerns, most notably two interstate bridges serving the central Columbia Gorge. And most importantly, the continued growth of the region's technology sector requires a skilled workforce. This is a special challenge in a region where 80,000 people are dispersed over a rural area roughly the size of Massachusetts. Innovation, creativity and collaboration are essential to address these common challenges.

The Columbia Gorge Regional Center of Innovation is a cross-sector partnership that brings together private industry, economic development, a regional housing authority, workforce training, K-12 school districts, early childhood education, community colleges, the land-grant universities of Oregon and Washington, and other regional public and private universities to find solutions to these challenges. The result of this partnership is improved cooperation across the state line; innovative strategies to construct ``attainable housing'' for the region's workforce and tackle infrastructure concerns; and promoting job creation through improved access to industry-specific skills.

This dialogue will continue on Friday, April 18, when the first-ever Columbia Gorge Education and Industry Summit takes place on The Dalles Campus of Columbia Gorge Community College, and on May 16, 2014, when the first-ever Columbia Gorge Bi-State Legislative Summit will bring together state lawmakers from Salem and Olympia. The goal is to recognize the Columbia Gorge as a bi-state region with common concerns, which can best be resolved through improved cooperation across the state boundary in partnership with the federal government, Mid-Columbia Economic Development District, and the Columbia River Gorge Commission.

I ask my colleagues to join me in commending local leaders of the bi- state Columbia Gorge for their innovation and courage in addressing the economic challenges that still confront their region. Their hard work deserves our recognition.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill

(H.R. 3675) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to provide for greater transparency and efficiency in the procedures followed by the Federal Communications Commission, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the communications sector is one of the most innovative, competitive, and robust sectors of our economy. But for innovation and investment in communications to continue, we must not weigh industry down with needless red tape and delay.

Now, despite the lackluster overall economy, the communications and technology market continues to grow at a very rapid pace. In fact, in 2012, Mr. Speaker, the industry invested $68 billion in broadband infrastructure alone. That totals $1.2 trillion invested in upgrading broadband infrastructure networks since just 1996--$1.2 trillion.

Communications and technology companies, as well as the consumers that enjoy their products and benefit from their services, deserve a transparent and responsive government agency. While agency process has improved under recent chairmen, this legislation will ensure that reforms remain in place from one administration to the next.

Even with the positive changes at the Commission, recent examples of bad processes have resulted in what I would say are dangerous outcomes at the Commission. To wit, late last year, the Federal Communications Commission issued a notice for a study that would call into question the editorial decisions of journalists in their own newsrooms, which I think threatens their First Amendment rights. Somehow, an item as controversial as this study made it all the way through the FCC without so much as a Commission vote. Americans deserve greater accountability and transparency from their government.

So this bill is the result of a multiyear process, ending with bipartisan agreement that takes important

steps towards improving this very important agency. This legislation will produce a joint effort where the Commission establishes procedures to achieve the goals established by Congress.

The Commission is charged with setting its own deadlines and timelines. While the legislation allows the Commission a good deal of flexibility in meeting the goals we have set, the bill includes backstops to ensure accountability. The annual scorecard we call for in the bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to report to Congress on the agency's success in meeting its own self-imposed metrics.

The bill requires the FCC to undertake two separate proceedings, Mr. Speaker. The first requires a notice and comment rulemaking, resulting in the FCC's adopting rules to address several different reforms. Setting a minimum time period for comments in an FCC rulemaking will allow for certainty for those who wish to comment--the public.

In addition, adopted rules must address issues like data dumps at the end of a comment period, transparency as to items pending before the Commissioners, and publication of the language of proposed rules. All those are very important parts of a more open and transparent government and a process that taxpayers can rely upon.

The rulemaking also requires the Federal Communications Commission to adopt deadlines for action on several types of filings before the agency. As I know all too well from my own experience, having been regulated by the Federal Communications Commission when my wife and I were in the radio industry, items can sit at the agencies for literally years without any action, and then they are acted upon and the person bringing the action may have 30 days on something that sat there for 10 years.

Now, the second proceeding is an inquiry that deals with more complex issues, giving the Federal Communications Commission flexibility in deciding whether and how to implement those reforms. Now, by giving the FCC flexibility when setting procedures and deadlines, we are not constraining the agency; rather, we are providing them with goals to meet and allowing them, the professionals there at the FCC, to determine the best way to meet those goals.

Now, many of the reforms in the bill are things that the Commission itself already has the authority to do under existing law; however, the bill also changes the existing Sunshine Act to allow for greater collaboration among the Commissioners themselves. I think that will bring about better government--all of these reforms combined will.

The FCC has started its own review of agency processes, and in a report released earlier this year, many of the areas the agency itself found needing reform mirror provisions of our legislation, H.R. 3675.

The American public expects and deserves a transparent and accountable Federal Government no matter who is in charge in the White House. So let's start this reform with this agency that oversees one of our most innovative and robust sectors of the economy.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for his kind comments and his diligent work on this effort and that of his colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle.

I think when it comes to reforming the FCC and getting something that really worked for the public, we are joined at the hip. So I appreciate their input and the work we did together. Our subcommittee has actually done quite a bit of bipartisan work over the last couple of years moving forward with an incentive auction program to free up more spectrum for all of these new wireless devices that are out there and new technology and innovation. We are really at the center of the ability of the country to grow, innovate, and produce really good- paying jobs. So I appreciate Mr. Doyle's comments.

I now yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), the vice chair of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, who has been an extraordinary member of our team in working on this and other major communications policy going forward. He will play a key role tomorrow when we have our hearing on the reauthorization of the Satellite Viewer Act.

Mr. Speaker, I conclude by again thanking my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle for their good work on this legislation, and their partnership on this. This is good government. This is how we get things done on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and it is how we are going to improve the activities and procedures of these agencies to restore a little confidence in at least this sector of government.

The Federal Communications Commission has a lot of work to do. It is very important work for the future of our country.

Tomorrow, as I said, our committee will take up draft legislation to make sure that those who watch television over satellite will be able to continue that process, and we will do some other reforms along the way. Throughout this year, Mr. Speaker, our Subcommittee on Communications and Technology plans to solicit all kinds of information from individuals around the country on how to update the antiquated Telecommunications Act that dates back to either 1934 or 1992 or 1996, depending upon which law. So we have a lot of work to do, Mr. Speaker, and this bill moves an important piece forward. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend Curtis Martin for his life-long efforts to support agriculture and ranching, which are so important to jobs and the economy in rural Oregon. Over the past two years, Curtis has done a tremendous job serving as the president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association. As his term as president comes to an end, I'd like to take a moment to pay tribute to his leadership.

Before and during his service as president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association, Curtis served in several capacities locally to the benefit of farmers and ranchers. He has been a member of the Powder Basin Watershed Committee, a Director on the Union Soil and Water Conservation District and President of the Powder Valley Water Control District.

During his tenure as Oregon Cattlemen's Association President, Curtis has worked tirelessly to represent Oregon's livestock industry across the state. During the summer of 2012, wildfires devastated over one million acres of rangeland and forest across Oregon, affecting many ranchers' livelihoods along the way. Curtis took the lead in coordinating a relief effort, helping raise over $200,000 in donations for ranchers who had lost cattle and pasture due to the fires. In a further response to the fires, Curtis established the Restore Everything Strategically Through Organized Response (RESTOR) Task Force, bringing together federal agencies, the State of Oregon, local governments and the Oregon congressional delegation to channel resources and assistance to affected livestock communities. RESTOR also put forth proactive solutions to reduce the frequency and intensity of wildfires, and improve government and community responses when fires occur. Federal agencies continue to work towards implementing several of the task force's recommendations.

Curtis also led the Oregon Cattlemen's Association Oregon Habitat Monitoring Initiative, pulling together a diverse group of stakeholders from federal and state agencies, Oregon State University, private consultants and other industry groups to develop a cooperative monitoring standard for producers on the ground. This effort resulted in the current development of the Oregon Rangeland Monitoring Guide, so that livestock producers can easily monitor their pastures and supplement federal agency data supporting public land grazing allotments.

Curtis was raised on a ranch in Vale, Oregon, on the far eastern edge of the state. After high school, he moved full time into the family's ranch operation, building fence, piping water and moving cattle on horseback. By 1978, Curtis had married his wife Cheryl and moved to North Powder, where Cheryl's family has roots back to the Oregon Trail pioneers who first settled the Baker Valley in the 1860s.

In 1983, Curtis and Cheryl bought a ranch in North Powder, where they now center their ranching operation. Curtis has said that upon buying the property, it was so run down it was only suitable for producing ``weeds and ground squirrels.'' Together, they turned their efforts to rehabilitating the property to a state fit for raising cattle and have been successful in their efforts. Curtis and Cheryl treasure their four sons and six grandchildren. They take great pride in their family ranch operation and in seeing yet another generation involved in the ranch and learning the lifestyle that means so much to them.

I'd like to offer a special thank you to Curtis and Cheryl for their friendship and guidance over the years.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Curtis Martin for his tireless dedication to agriculture and ranching in Oregon as president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of my colleague Rep. Kurt Schrader and myself, I rise today to convey our deepest appreciation to the team members of both the Klamath County and the Marion County Veterans Treatment Courts on visiting the nation's capital this week. These Oregonians are here to

attend the inaugural ``Vet Con,'' or Veterans Treatment Court Conference, the first ever gathering of veterans court team members from across the nation. The conference is being put on by Justice for Vets, a professional service division of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, with the goal of providing in-depth training to the nearly 200 vet courts across the nation.

Key to the operation of a veterans treatment court is the collaborative partnership of the judicial system, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the county Veterans Service Office, veterans service organizations, community agencies and volunteers. These community members partner in a treatment team which convenes before each court session to review cases and develop problem solving recommendations. This coordinated response addresses an array of issues from community protection and restitution to offender rehabilitation. Weekly court appearances afford close judicial supervision of the veteran defendant's progress. The court hands out encouragement and sanctions as warranted.

Mr. Speaker, it may seem a bit lengthy, but we think it is important that we recognize each of the team members in order to honor the hard work of holding veterans accountable while guiding their progress in a treatment court setting.

We are very proud of the work done for veterans in the Marion County Circuit Court. Back in 2010, the Honorable Joseph V. Ochoa perceived that many of the veterans in the criminal justice system had a certain nexus between their crime and their military service. Judge Ochoa sought to create a protocol to handle these veteran criminal defendants with the goal of obtaining treatment services for these veterans through the Veterans Administration.

Judge Joseph Ochoa decided to retire after 16 years on the Marion County Circuit Court and in the later months of 2011 handed over the dream of building a veterans' treatment court to the Honorable Vance D. Day. Judge Ochoa has remained active in the building the Marion County Veterans Treatment Court and has set aside his title as a judge and committed to serve as one of the defense attorneys in the treatment court. Joe Ochoa is a member of the team participating in the in-depth training this week at the Vet Con.

I have known Judge Vance Day since my first year in the Oregon House of Representatives. Vance and I have worked on numerous projects together for the betterment of Oregonians over the years. Judge Day is a collaborative leader who is well known in his work with World War II veterans. Leading an exceptional team of professionals, Judge Day launched the Marion County Veterans Treatment Court in October of 2012. Just recently, Judge Day's Vet Court team competed for and was awarded a three year federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. As a result of this funding, and the broad base of community support for the vet court, Judge Day believes that his team can grow the program to service sixty veterans at any given time. Judge Day is a principled and visionary leader--a true Oregon pioneer in every sense of the word.

We also want to recognize The Honorable Tracy Prall. Judge Prall has served on the Marion County Circuit Court since 2003. Judge Prall grew up in Keizer, Oregon and hails from a family of veterans. Her father and uncle served in the Vietnam War, and her maternal grandfather lost his right arm over North Africa in the early days of World War II while serving as a navigator on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Judge Prall's family service in the military extends back to the Revolution through her ancestor Captain Samuel Newell, a Virginia patriot. Judge Prall is part of the team being trained this week and serves as the judicial officer who steps in for Judge Day when he is unable to preside over the Marion County Veterans Treatment Court.

E'lan Lambert is the Court Coordinator for the Marion County Veterans Treatment Court. We have been told that E'lan is a navy veteran who served in the Vietnam era and has been involved in veteran's issues for years, even starting a non-profit organization, Partnership for Veterans at Risk, some years ago.

The Mentor Coordinator for the Marion County Veterans Treatment Court is Steve Koyen. Also a navy veteran of the Vietnam era, we understand that Mr. Koyen has a wealth of knowledge and experience he brings to this volunteer position. Mr. Koyen is nearly done with his Mentor Bootcamp at the Vet Con, and as I said before, the mentor aspect of these courts is such an important part of their success. Mr. Koyen should be given a ``shout out'' for the fine volunteer work he is doing.

Deputy District Attorney Bryan Orrio is the prosecutor on the Marion County team and he is here attending the Vet Con, as well. We understand that Marion County District Attorney Walt Beglau selected Mr. Orrio not only because of his skill and experience as a prosecutor, but for his passion for veterans and the heritage they represent. Without the support of District Attorneys like Ed Caleb and Walt Beglau, veterans courts like Klamath and Marion County would not be free to thrive and grow. Mr. Orrio is one of those hard working Oregonians laboring to ensure our legal system keeps us safe, but fairly dispenses justice.

Attorney Tom Sermak is also in attendance at the ``Vet Con'' conference this week. Mr. Sermak is the Executive Director of the Marion County Public Defender's Office and serve on the vet court team as one of the defense attorneys. We're told that Mr. Sermak has a long and distinguished history as a public defender in what is most typically a very adversarial system. Mr. Sermak's dedication to this new type of court--a non-adversarial, collaborative court--demonstrates his commitment to seeking justice for all through whatever creative means possible.

The final member of the Marion County team attending the Vet Con is Austin Herman. Mr. Herman is the team's Parole and Probation Officer. It is Austin who does the daily contact and visits with the veteran defendants. We're told he is an affable and highly competent law enforcement officer who deeply cares for the program and the veterans it serves. Sheriff Jason Myers should be commended for his support for the court, but even more so for assigning Austin Herman to the team.

Mr. Speaker, we are ever so grateful and proud to be associated with the patriots in Klamath and Marion County circuit courts who have established veterans treatment programs of such high quality. Judge Day told me recently that ``our soldiers are victors, not victims. They fought and bled for the liberties we enjoy. It is our task to fight for their freedom now--freedom from mental and physical pain, freedom to return home healthy, freedom to enjoy the legacy of their sacrifice.'' We could not agree more.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to convey my deepest appreciation to the team members of both the Klamath County and the Marion County Veterans Treatment Courts on visiting the Nation's capital this week. These Oregonians are here to attend the inaugural ``Vet Con,'' or Veterans Treatment Court Conference, the first ever gathering of veterans court team members from across the Nation. The conference is being put on by Justice for Vets, a professional service division of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, with the goal of providing in-depth training to the nearly 200 veterans treatment courts across the Nation.

Key to the operation of a veterans treatment court is the collaborative partnership of the judicial system, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the county Veterans Service Office, veterans service organizations, community agencies and volunteers. These community members partner in a treatment team which convenes before each court session to review cases and develop problem solving recommendations. This coordinated response addresses an array of issues from community protection and restitution to offender rehabilitation. Weekly court appearances afford close judicial supervision of the veteran defendant's progress. The court hands out encouragement and sanctions as warranted.

I have had the honor of working with the Klamath County Veterans Treatment Court since it was started by Judge Marci Atkinson in November 2010. The development of the Klamath County Veterans Treatment Court began with discussions between Klamath County District Attorney Ed Caleb and Klamath County Veterans Service Officer Kathy Pierce. They formed an exceptional team to attend one of the first veterans court training seminars. Since then, Judge Atkinson and her team have built a very effective court utilizing best treatment practices to address the needs of veteran defendants in the criminal justice system.

Only two members of the Klamath County Veterans Treatment Court were able to attend this week's ``Vet Con'' conference. Kathy Pierce, as I mentioned before, is the Klamath County Veterans Service Officer. Kathy has been such an important part of ensuring that veterans in Klamath County are linked up with the benefits they have earned. Kathy works very closely with my office to help veterans resolve issues with their claims and appeals.

Steve Tillson serves as the Klamath County Veterans Treatment Court Coordinator. Steve has a great deal of responsibility in keeping the court well run and organized.

Steve is here this week not only for the training, but is serving as a trainer for other coordinators. We are proud of the work that Steve and Kathy have accomplished over the last four years and we are grateful for their

commitment to excellence demonstrated by their attendance at this week's Vet Con.

Kathy and Steve are both tireless advocates for those who have worn the Nation's uniform.

I am very grateful and proud to be associated with the patriots in Klamath and Marion County circuit courts who have established veterans treatment programs of such high quality. Judge Vance Day told me recently that ``our soldiers are victors, not victims. They fought and bled for the liberties we enjoy. It is our task to fight for their freedom now--freedom from mental and physical pain, freedom to return home healthy, freedom to enjoy the legacy of their sacrifice.'' Mr. Speaker, I could not agree more.

I thank the chairman for yielding and for bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as the voice of at least 150,000 Oregonians who have already received their cancelation notices. They have been told that the policy they liked, that they wanted to keep, they cannot have any longer.

I was out in my district for 8 straight days last week--36 meetings, 12 counties, 2,476 miles on the road, from morning to late at night. And I am going to tell you there are people like Chuck and Jan in Medford who had gone into retirement, had health insurance, and got a notice that their plan has been canceled.

From Mitchell to Bend to Enterprise to Medford--all over--not only are their plans being canceled, the replacements are coming back with deductibles that are $12,000 to $15,000, when they were paying a couple thousand dollars. The premiums are going up--in some cases, double or more.

Some of them may get a subsidy, a lot of them won't, and now they don't have the plan they were promised that they could keep.

And another thing that is insidious that is going on below the surface, in meeting after meeting, hours are being cut back. People are losing their jobs. They are getting less take-home pay because of ObamaCare. This is a problem all across America.

The promise that you could keep your plan was never to be kept, and they knew it. And they continued to say it, and it wasn't true.

People are losing their plans, they are losing their coverage, and they are losing access to the specialists that may save their lives. They won't be able to keep their doctors. Oh, they may, but if the doctor is out of network, there is no cap on what they will pay in terms of a deductible. So financially, you take away their access to health care.

The prices have gone up; the access has gone down. And by the way, in many cases, they have lost their jobs or their hours have been cut back.