Floor Statements

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 566, a bill that would name a Slatersville, Rhode Island, post office after Army Specialist Matthew R. Turcotte.

Matthew Turcotte was a lifelong resident of Smithfield where he played high school football just 4 miles down the road from the post office that will bear his name. While in high school, Turcotte enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division. He was deployed overseas to Kosovo and earned the Army Achievement Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, among others.

In 2017, he was tragically killed during a training exercise at Fort Carson, Colorado. This American hero is dearly missed by his wife, parents, sisters, and friends. Specialist Turcotte was a dedicated soldier and patriot.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and I yield back the balance of my time

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2324, which would name a Tallahassee post office after D. Edwina Stephens.

Edwina Stephens was a community activist, a civil rights icon, and nurse, working to improve Tallahassee's Southside neighborhoods. She was affectionately known as the ``Mother of Southside.'' She was also awarded the ``Florida Finest Award'' by former Governor Lawton Chiles.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 735. This bill would name a post office after Arthur Luis Ibleto.

When Arthur was 17 years old, he deserted Mussolini's fascist army, joined the Italian resistance, and fought behind enemy lines to help the Allies defeat the Nazis.

After World War II he came to California and met his wife, Victoria.

A proud immigrant, Arthur cofounded the North Bay Cultural Foundation and served as State president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. He was also known as the ``Pasta King'' and is an esteemed member of the Sonoma County food and wine community.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3539, which would name a post office in Guam for Atanasio Taitano Perez.

It is fitting that this post office would be named for Perez, who was appointed as the first postmaster of Guam in 1901. In addition to his extensive government service, Perez was personally involved in the movement that petitioned Congress for U.S. citizenship for the people of Guam.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2842, which would name a California post office after former Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.

Woolsey first entered politics after winning a seat on the Petaluma City Council in 1984. She served on the city council until 1992, when she entered the race to succeed then-Representative Barbara Boxer.

During her two decades in the U.S. House, she brought attention to the struggles of impoverished women and children. She retired from Congress in 2013 at the end of the 112th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would name a post office in Illinois after Army National Guard Specialist Jeremy Ridlen.

Ridlen was born and raised in Maroa, Illinois. Jeremy and twin brother, Jason, went on to attend Illinois State University, and both signed up for the National Guard.

They were assigned to the 1544 Transportation Company, which was activated in 2003 and deployed to Fallujah, Iraq. Jeremy served as the postal clerk there.

Sadly, on May 23, 2004, Jeremy was killed in an ambush after a truck exploded next to his convoy.

Specialist Ridlen was an outstanding patriot, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill which honors Corporal Jeffrey Robert Standfest. Inspired by his grandfather, a Marine in World War II, this all-American kid joined the military as a combat engineer. Corporal Standfest was later selected to become one of his unit's few dog handlers, a testament to his maturity.

Tragically, Corporal Standfest was killed by an IED on June 16, 2010, while clearing a building in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. His bomb-sniffing dog, Sergeant Ruppert, was also killed. Corporal Standfest was only 23 years old.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring a true American hero. I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Michigan for coming down here to speak about such a brave American hero.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close. I do support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4168 which would name a post office after Petty Officer Charles Jackson French.

Petty Officer French enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1937. He completed his first enlistment in 1941 but decided to reenlist after the horrendous attack on Pearl Harbor.

He served as a mess attendant on the USS Gregory where he saved 15 of his fellow sailors when their ship was attacked and sunk by Japanese gunfire. Officer French helped his fellow sailors into a lifeboat, tied it to himself, and swam for nearly 8 hours in the dark until they were finally rescued

After retiring from the military, Petty Officer French moved to Omaha and later California. His heroism is a true testament to the strength and bravery of our U.S. Navy. I strongly support this bill and encourage my colleagues to vote in support as well.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I stand today in support of H.R. 1298, which would name a post office after Technical Sergeant Marshal Roberts.

Sergeant Roberts was from Oklahoma and enlisted in the Air Force in May 2014. He was assigned to the 219th Engineering Installation Squadron of the Oklahoma Air National Guard's 138th Fighter Wing. Sadly, he was killed in a rocket attack on Camp Taji in Iraq.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this bill honoring an American hero, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor, remember, and celebrate the life of a true American hero who was the very personification of service.

I am proud and humbled to stand in for the over 700,000 Kansans in my district who wish they could be in the Capitol today to pay tribute to Senator Bob Dole.

Senator Dole grew up in a small town called Russell, Kansas, at a time when many hardworking families were being burdened by the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. The Doles were not immune to these hardships, living in their basement so they could rent out the top of their house to make ends meet.

Bob Dole attended the University of Kansas where he was a star athlete playing under the famous Phog Allen on the Jayhawks basketball team and began his service when he enlisted in the Army.

Like many of the Greatest Generation, Bob Dole dropped everything at the age of 21 when he was called to Active Duty and shipped off to Italy to fight for freedom across the world.

Toward the end of the war, Senator Dole was struck in the upper back and right arm by shrapnel from a German shell while fighting in the mountains of northern Italy and was paralyzed from the neck down. He was sent to the Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan, where he met some fellow soldiers who would have an impact on the rest of his life.

They ended up calling themselves the Percy Jones Alumni Caucus, which consisted of Senator Dole; the ward's ranking officer Colonel Philip Hart, who later became Senator Phil Hart; and a longtime friend of Bob Dole, Daniel Inouye, who represented Hawaii in the United States Senate.

Many doctors, like Dr. Kelikian of Chicago, and medical professionals

thought Senator Dole wouldn't survive his injuries, and if he did, they thought he would never walk again. But he proved them wrong.

The hospital was turned into a Federal building and renamed the Hart- Dole-Inouye Federal Center in 2003. Senator Dole spent the rest of his life fighting for veterans and those who served our Nation and was instrumental in making the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., a reality.

After being awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for his selfless service in World War II, Senator Dole served in the Kansas statehouse and as county attorney before being elected to the House of Representatives where he served for 8 years. He then moved across the Capitol to represent all Kansans in the United States Senate for almost three decades, serving as Republican majority leader twice and then becoming the Republican nominee for President in 1996.

Senator Dole was a giant in Congress. He fought to preserve freedom and democracy while also working across the aisle to champion legislation that has impacted millions of Americans from all walks of life.

Many Americans know and recognize his major legislative achievements such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education Program, but many do not realize the impact he had on passing legislation that his name was not on at all, and how good he was at getting things done and moving the ball down the field for Kansas and for our Nation. Bob Dole truly embodied what it means to be a statesman and never wavered from his passion for a better and stronger America.

I urge my colleagues to join me in praying for his wife, Elizabeth, his daughter, Robin, and the entire Dole family as they mourn the loss of not just one of our Nation's greatest public servants, but also a devoted husband and father.

I want to close on something that Senator Dole once said. He said: It's not who you were, it's whether you made a difference. May we all remember that every single day in this building and across this country.

Senator Dole will be dearly missed.

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

Madam Speaker, last year, Congress set aside $8 billion in the CARES Act for Tribal Governments to spend on pandemic-related expenses. However, much of this $8 billion was held up in litigation and distributed to Tribes only 4 short months ago, more than a year after the funds were originally appropriated.

This money is supposed to be used by December 31, 2021, about 3 weeks from today. But it is irresponsible to expect Tribal Governments to spend all this money within a few months of receiving it.

This bill would extend the deadline an additional year, giving Tribes more time to responsibly allocate these funds and best serve their people.

I thank my colleagues, Representative Young of Alaska and Representative Cole of Oklahoma, for their efforts in working on this matter.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), who is the dean of the House.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Dakota (Mr. Johnson).

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Madam Speaker, because I believe this is sensible legislation and good for tribal governments, I will vote in support of this bill. I urge my colleagues to support this needed and bipartisan legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank a member of my staff for her tireless service to my district and our state. Whitney Tempel began her time working for the constituents of the Kansas Second Congressional District as an intern in 2017, and joined my team as a district representative when I was first sworn in.

Each and every day, Whitney advocates for my constituents in every aspect of her job from grant applications to passport requests. Just this summer, I know that lives were saved in Afghanistan because of Whitney's perseverance and diligence in securing safe travel out of Kabul. This week is Whitney's last with my office, and while we are sad to lose her, I will always be grateful for her work and look forward to seeing the great things she has in store.

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

Mr. Speaker, agency guidance serves an important function in the Federal regulatory system.

Agency guidance helps regulated parties and the public understand how agencies will interpret the laws and administer their programs.

However, agency guidance can be--and has been--abused.

For example, agencies can use guidance documents to intimidate small businesses and individuals into compliance with agency views, sometimes under the threat of enforcement action.

Small businesses and ordinary individuals often do not have the legal resources or necessary background to understand when an agency statement is binding law.

It can be difficult for them to determine what agency statements must be complied with versus what is merely a nonbinding description of an agency's views on which they can push back.

Agencies have been known to try to start enforcement actions based on mere guidance.

Agencies also have been known to attempt to issue binding rules by quietly slipping what they intend to be rules in guidance documents.

This clearly bypasses the Administrative Procedure Act's requirements that were put in place to protect regulated individuals and small businesses.

The courts coined the term ``nonrule rule'' to describe this Big Government sleight of hand.

And the courts have rightly struck down such rules that only appeared in agency guidance.

The Guidance Clarity Act offers a simple solution to these problems.

It requires agency guidance documents to include the following explicit statement: ``The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and do not, of themselves, bind the public or the agency.

``This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.''

With that stroke of the pen, gone will be the days in which agencies can use guidance documents to force small businesses and individuals to comply with nonbinding agency views.

Gone, too, will be the days of agencies trying to issue nonrule rules that bypass the Administrative Procedure Act's requirement for legislative rules.

I thank the sponsor of the bill, the ranking member of the Small Business Committee, Blaine Luetkemeyer, who has worked tirelessly on this bill since it was first introduced.

I thank Chairwoman Maloney for her speedy efforts to help make passage of this bill a bipartisan success.

And I also thank Senator James Lankford and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters for their critical efforts to achieve a bipartisan compromise on this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Luetkemeyer).

Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Guidance Clarity Act, small business owners and individuals across the country will soon have confidence that agency guidance, however helpful and clarifying it may be, is not legally binding.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this necessary bipartisan legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1170, which would name a post office after Lieutenant Colonel Robert J. Friend, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen.

Lieutenant Colonel Friend was a fighter pilot for 2 years during World War II, and destroyed critical Nazi military assets, bolstering the United States. He also served in Korea and Vietnam.

After retiring from the military, he studied astrophysics and business at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill and I yield back the balance of my time.