Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Eastern Band of Cherokee in Cherokee, North Carolina on becoming a Certified Entrepreneurial Community by the AdvantageWest Economic Development Group. AdvantageWest, an economic development commission which serves 23 Western North Carolina counties, created the ``Certified Entrepreneurial Community Program'' to train local communities to encourage small business start-ups in the mountain region and to help such businesses thrive.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Roy Welch on his 50th birthday. Born with Down Syndrome in 1960 in my home town of Bryson City, North Carolina, the doctors told his parents he would not live long enough to take him home from the hospital. Fifty years later, Mr. Welch is a standing testament to the importance of faith, strength, and the desire to live a fulfilling and fruitful life.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to rise with me in recognizing the incredible story of Roy Welch, and the inspiration he has provided to all of Western North Carolina. I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating the courage, character, and vitality of Mr. Welch.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Bryson City Lions Club as they celebrate their 70th anniversary in Swain County, North Carolina. For the past 70 years, this outstanding volunteer organization has worked tirelessly to help the visually impaired through their SightFirst initiatives, and I commend their outstanding efforts to promote civic projects in the community.

Many years ago, Helen Keller challenged Lions across the country to be ``Knights of the Blind'' and the Bryson City Lions Club has continued to live up to that challenge. The generous efforts of the Bryson City Lions Club include providing the visually impaired with glasses, eye surgeries, and vision screening, as well as awarding college scholarships to children of blind parents. The organization's members and their works are a source of pride to Western North Carolina. I deeply appreciate all they have done in the past 70 years to make the lives of the visually impaired citizens more comfortable and fulfilling. I also want to commend the leadership of Judy Burnett, the current club President and the first female to hold the position.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues today to rise with me in recognizing the inspiring good works of the Bryson City Lions Club, and the civic leadership they have demonstrated in Western North Carolina. I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating this outstanding organization's 70 years of service to those in our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of legendary American Jazz musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone. A native of Tryon, North Carolina, Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933. In the United States House of Representatives, it is an honor to represent Ms. Simone's birthplace and the town where she began her legacy of musical innovation and civil rights activism.

Ms. Simone began playing the piano at age three and made her first classical piano debut at the age twelve. During this first recital she witnessed her parents being escorted from the front row to make room for a Caucasian family. Ms. Simone refused to play until her parents were seated in the front row. This event marked the beginning of a lifetime of civil rights activism.

As the sixth of seven children in a poor family, Ms Simone began her musical career singing as an accompanist to earn extra income for her family. As the civil rights struggle developed in the United States, so did her music. In any number of her protest songs, one can hear her emotional response to the situations of African Americans in the United States.

By 1974, Ms. Simone was traveling the world. Her music, both in French and English, has been an inspiration for artists around the world. The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Project honors the legacy of Nina Simone in Tryon, her hometown in Western North Carolina. The Project honors her remarkable life and musical contributions. The Project also seeks to inspire and support talented youth to reach their full potential through a variety of scholarship programs. On the 21st of February they will be unveiling a life-size bronze statue of Ms. Simone. The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Project keeps her legacy alive in Western North Carolina.

Ms. Simone passed away on April 21, 2003 at the age of 70 in the French countryside. Her daughter, Lisa Celeste Stroud, is also an actress and singer. Born in New York, Ms. Stroud spent much time traveling the world with her mother before enlisting in the United States Air Force. Today, she is a successful singer with a resume that includes starring in the Tim Rice Musical ``Aida.''

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Ms. Simone's 77th birthday, and celebrating her extraordinary accomplishments as both an extraordinary jazz musician and strong civil rights activist.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Ronald Tyler Woodle of Waynesville, North Carolina. Tyler was a proud Navy SEAL, and an exemplary member of our community. His life, while short, sets an example of patriotism and dedication for future generations.

Tyler grew up in the mountains of Western North Carolina. He was home schooled until high school, when he transferred to Asheville Christian Academy. A star high school soccer career led to a two year scholarship to Mars Hill College. After a brief time in the construction industry, he enlisted in the United States Navy in June of 2007, and graduated from boot camp in August of the same year. Always pushing himself to excel, he completed his advanced SEAL qualification training and was transferred to an East coast SEAL team in October of 2009. Since October, Tyler had been training for an overseas deployment.

Tyler was taking part in an intensive training in Key West, Florida, when he passed away on February 18th. He was only 26 years old. He was buried with full military honors.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing remorse at the passing of Ronald Tyler Woodle. Tyler's life was an example of service and passion for us all to follow. We owe all of our veterans a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid. It is an honor to represent people like Tyler who are prepared to give their lives protecting our everyday freedoms.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of legendary American jazz musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone. A native of Tryon, North Carolina, Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on February 21, 1933. In the United States House of Representatives, it is an honor to represent Ms. Simone's birthplace and the town where she began her legacy of musical innovation and civil rights activism.

Ms. Simone began playing the piano at age three and made her first classical piano debut at age twelve. During this first recital she witnessed her parents being escorted from the front row to make room for a Caucasian family. Ms. Simone refused to play until her parents were seated in the front row. This event marked the beginning of a lifetime of civil rights activism.

As the sixth of seven children in a poor family, Ms. Simone began her musical career singing as an accompanist to earn extra income for her family. As the civil rights struggle developed in the United States, so did her music. After the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963, Ms. Simone wrote an emotional response to the situation of African Americans in the United States. By 1974, Ms. Simone was traveling the world.

In 1987, while in Paris, her song ``My Baby Just Cares for Me,'' was featured on a major television network. Her music, both in French and English, has been an inspiration for artists around the world.

The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Project honors the legacy of Nina Simone in Tryon, her hometown in Western North Carolina. The Project honors her remarkable life and musical contributions. The Project also seeks to inspire and support talented youth to reach their full potential through a variety of scholarship programs. On the 21st of February they unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Ms. Simone. The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Project keeps her legacy alive in Western North Carolina.

Ms. Simone passed away on April 21, 2003 at the age of 70 in the French countryside. Her daughter, Lisa Celeste Stroud, is also an actress and singer. Born in New York, Ms. Stroud spent much time traveling the world with her mother before enlisting in the United States Air Force. Today, she is a successful singer with a resume that includes starring in the Tim Rice musical ``Aida.''

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Ms. Simone's 77th birthday, and celebrating her extraordinary accomplishments as both an extraordinary jazz musician and strong civil rights activist.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In.

Bucking the convention of segregation, on February 1, 1960, Ezell Blair, Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond sat at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, refusing to leave without service. These four courageous young students at the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, now the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, became known as the A&T Four. Their actions on February 1st inspired a wave of sit-in demonstrations across the nation that played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement.

After the first sit-in on February 1st more than twenty other A&T students joined the A&T Four for the second day of the sit-in. By the end of the first week, hundreds of students from colleges throughout the area came to the downtown Greensboro area to participate in the Woolworth sit-in and rally in the streets in support. The following week, student sit-ins were launched across the state of North Carolina, and soon thereafter, across the country. After months of commitment by young civil rights activists, the first African-American was served at the Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter on July 25, 1960. The lunch counter was officially desegregated the following day.

As a Representative from the great state of North Carolina, it brings me great pride to recognize the outstanding efforts of this group whose actions were instrumental in securing equal treatment for African- Americans throughout North Carolina and the United States. The story of the A&T Four exemplifies the sacrifices made by countless courageous individuals to end inequality. The culmination of their efforts resulted in the end of an era of racial segregation and structured discrimination.

Madam Speaker, it is with great respect and appreciation that I recognize the bravery shown by the young men who launched the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-In, and all those who followed in their footsteps, making the state of North Carolina and the nation a better place for all Americans.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the recent accomplishments of the A.C. Reynolds High School football team, the Rockets.

On Saturday, December 12, the Rockets won the North Carolina 4-A State Football Championship against Hartnett Central High School, with a score of 14-13. They finished the season with a record of fourteen wins and only two losses. A.C. Reynolds is the first high school in the history of Buncombe County to win three State High School Football Championships in 1999, 2002 and 2009.

I especially wish to congratulate A.C. Reynolds Head Football Coach, Shane Laws. I know from experience that teams do not rise to this level of success without a strong coach. It takes a great leader to instill the determination and work ethic that lead to victories on the football field.

The A.C. Reynolds Rockets Football team is known throughout the mountain area for their strong defense. This season's championship and stellar defensive play only continue that legacy. These young men have well represented the mountains of Western North Carolina throughout their drive to this year's State Football Championship. It is my privilege to recognize their accomplishments today in this chamber.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our congratulations to this group of young men and their coaches for their accomplishments on the football field this season.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Timothy Will of Rutherfordton, North Carolina, for his exemplary service to the people of Western North Carolina. Mr. Will

recently received the $100,000 Purpose Prize for two local projects he has dedicated his time, energy and resources toward.

Mr. Will created FarmersFreshMarket.org, a Web site that connects local small farmers to chefs and consumers in metropolitan areas. Many of these farmers were previously unemployed after textile and furniture factory closings in the area. FarmersFreshMarket.org opens farmers to a new, lucrative market and helps those in urban areas take part in the local food movement and reconnect to the farm to serve local, fresh, and seasonal fare in their homes and restaurants.

Mr. Will also helped create the Foothills Connect Business and Technology Center to support local entrepreneurs and provide community Internet access to an area with few public computer terminals, and limited home and business access. With the help of grants, Foothills Connect wired Rutherford County's public schools with fiber optic connections. Foothills Connect also trained teachers how to use the technology, and instructed area residents on how to refurbish old computers to donate to low-income families.

By creating new business opportunities and providing vital community services to an area hit hard by unemployment, Mr. Will is a testament to the spirit of entrepreneurship and community giving. I am proud to honor Mr. Will today, and want to thank him for his invaluable contributions to Western North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, as you know I am opposed to the bill we are considering today for many reasons that I have articulated previously. I am pleased, however, that the bill strikes the appropriate balance on the issue of follow on biologics. This bipartisan compromise language will provide lower cost options to consumers and my constituents without destroying a healthy and functioning bio-tech industry in this country. The Barton-Eshoo biosimilar amendment in the Energy and Commerce Committee was one of the few issues that was addressed on a truly bi-partisan basis and ought to serve as model on how things should get done in Congress.

I believe it is critical that the creation of a pathway for new products does not destroy the ability or the incentives of innovator companies to develop breakthrough technologies. We have a moral obligation to provide a safe and effective pathway of bringing competition that will benefit patients. I wish we could consider this as a stand-alone bill because it would pass with the kind of overwhelming bi-partisan support that Americans across the country wish to see.

However, these provisions are only the first step in a long path to the marketing of these new products. New research and clinical testing will have to occur and the FDA will write rules that will ensure this research is done safely and effectively. One of the reasons I have long supported the U.S. biotechnology industry is that it is a homegrown success story that has been an engine of job creation in this country and in my home state of North Carolina. Unfortunately, many of the largest companies that would seek to enter the biosimilar market have made their money by outsourcing their research to foreign countries that don't have the same safety and efficacy standards that we have in the United States. With this week's devastating news that unemployment has reached 10.2 percent it is critical that we preserve jobs in America. While the innovators have created jobs here, these generic companies have shipped them overseas, so they can turn around and sell cheap knockoffs of innovative American products.

As this new market launches in the U.S., we need to ensure that we foster innovative products in this country for the creation of jobs and research that will go into proving whether these products are interchangeable with the innovator's products. I don't know whether these companies can create such interchangeable products, but I am certain that the research and testing of whether or not they should occur in this country and not somewhere across the globe. Testing and research on these interchangeable biosimilars should be required to occur in this country to ensure that it is done properly and safely.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate National Bible Week and encourage my colleagues to join me in commemorating this important week. I am honored to serve as a Congressional Co-Chair for National Bible Week, taking place from November 22nd to 29th this year. As we gather with family and friends to enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday, we should also take time to celebrate the Holy Book which guides the lives of so many and has fundamentally shaped our great nation's history. We read in Proverbs 3:6 ``think about Him in all your ways and He will guide you on the right paths.''

From the earliest American settlers onward, the Bible has played a pivotal role in the shaping of our nation. Throughout our history, many of our great leaders have turned to the Bible for direction and consolation. We are blessed to live in the United States where we may worship as we please, with the freedom to rejoice in the teachings of the Holy Bible without fear of persecution.

The Bible provides important guidance and comfort in our daily lives, and it teaches the moral code that many of us live by. Our nation's ideological foundations of justice, equality, and service reflect the guiding principles of the Bible. The teachings of the Holy Bible continue to guide many of us as we govern.

Madam Speaker, as we celebrate National Bible Week, we remember the importance of our faith, in both our public and private lives. The National Bible Association is to be commended for their work inspiring interest in the teachings of the Holy Bible and God's Word. I encourage everyone to read and seek comfort in the Bible, during this week, and thereafter.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege today to finally announce that after a lot of hard knocks and tries on the gridiron, the Capitol Hill Police versus the Members of Congress, we finally successfully came away with a victory last night.

Along with a lot of help, former members of the NFL certainly helped us along, certainly excluding me, Ken Harvey, John Booty and others played an outstanding game, but our Members of Congress did an outstanding job. I think it just goes to show you that, working together across the aisle, we too can succeed.

The co-captain, Mr. Shuster, probably had the most difficult job all night of managing who was in the game. You can only imagine; every Member of Congress thought that they were the best player on the team. So he had the most difficult job all night.

I would yield to my co-captain, Mr. Shuster.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Haywood County Sheriff's Office for their outstanding commitment to serving our community. With a population of more than 50,000 and over 550 square miles in the county, the 100 dedicated individuals in the Haywood County Sheriff's Office must maintain constant vigilance to ensure the safety of all those they serve.

Haywood County's Sheriff, Bobby Suttles, has done a phenomenal job since he assumed his post in early 2009. The previous Sheriff, Tom Alexander, served his community honorably for over 22 years. Sheriff Suttles began working with Sheriff Alexander and the Haywood County Sheriff's Office in 1995, joining the team as a deputy. His exemplary service led him to become Chief Deputy in 2003, and he was thus the natural choice when Sheriff Alexander retired in February of 2009. As a community, we look forward to working with Sheriff Suttles as he continues the remarkable legacy inherited from Sheriff Alexander.

The Haywood County Sheriff's Office has an extremely distinguished history in the community. They are able to react immediately to new and unexpected challenges. One of the most successful projects implemented by the Haywood County Sheriff's Office is a special squad of deputies called the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team which focuses on woodland operations, land navigations and man tracking. These skills are invaluable to other facets of the Haywood County Sheriff's Office, for example the Team has assisted the county's Drug Enforcement Unit with the service of high risk warrants and drug surveillance. The deputies on the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team undergo an additional sixteen hours of training per month and must maintain higher than average fitness standards. As this is a voluntary program, the deputies involved purchase much of the specialized equipment out of their own pockets, demonstrating their exemplary dedication and commitment.

In addition to their role as law enforcement professionals, the Haywood County Sheriff's Office also takes part in the Explorer Post program. This program affords young adults between 14 and 21 years of age access to community service projects that enable them to learn about the law enforcement profession. Participants have the opportunity to do ``ride alongs'' observing the work of deputies, participate in community fingerprinting, and take part in other events geared towards crime fighting and community involvement. Through this program they are also taught essential teambuilding and leadership skills.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in support of the Haywood County Sheriff's Office and our dedicated law enforcement professionals across the country. Without these committed individuals, none of us would be able to enjoy the quality of life or the security we experience in our great Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Reverend Dr. Johnny Tiller, who celebrated his 70th anniversary of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ on September 10, 2009. Reverend Tiller has dedicated his life to this work, and has pledged that he will continue to do so until God calls him home to heaven.

Reverend Tiller has spent his life preaching and ministering to the needs of those in western North Carolina. At the young age of 12, Reverend Tiller preached his first sermon at a cottage prayer meeting. In November of 1944, at only 18 years of age, Reverend Tiller became the first full-time pastor of Starnes Cove Baptist Church, in Asheville, North Carolina.

In November of 1993, after serving as a full-time pastor of four different churches over 49 years, Reverend Tiller retired from full- time ministry. Since retirement, he has served as interim pastor for six different churches and currently serves at Sunrise Baptist Church in Asheville, North Carolina. He also has taught New Testament courses at Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute for the past 16 years. Reverend Tiller has preached on many radio stations, and has held numerous revivals and Bible study courses across the United States and around the world.

Madam Speaker, Reverend Dr. Johnny Tiller has done an exemplary service for the people of western North Carolina and throughout the world during his 70 years of ministry. His dedication and honorable commitment to serving God is truly a source of pride to western North Carolina. I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring Reverend Tiller for his contributions to spreading God's word.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Cherokee County, North Carolina, hosting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall. Because of the outstanding efforts of the Cherokee County Marine Corps League, Western North Carolina residents can visit the Moving Wall at the Koneheta Park in Murphy, North Carolina.

The Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, allows veterans around the country to experience the Memorial with their families and friends in their communities. The Wall will also provide area schools with valuable hands-on educational opportunities for children to gain better understanding of the Vietnam War. The Memorial honors members of the U.S. armed forces who served in the Vietnam War and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I am honored that Cherokee County has the opportunity to host the Wall as a commemoration to the sacrifices made and the respect earned by our veterans in Western North Carolina.

Madam Speaker, it is with greatest appreciation that I recognize the outstanding contributions made by our veterans in Western North Carolina to ensure our nation's freedom and safety. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the importance of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Moving Wall as a tribute to the invaluable service of our veterans, and to celebrate the unique opportunity it provides people around the country to honor our veterans in their home towns.