Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. I can't think of anybody in the Congress who has done more for medical innovation, his leadership on the medical device tax, on FDA reform issues, than Mr. Paulsen. It's an honor for me to be here tonight to discuss this issue before the House.

What we have done in a very strong and forceful bipartisan way, which is critically important and something we don't do nearly enough of in this Chamber, is to send a message that we want to protect the medical device industry in America. The innovations that are created in this country are second to none. The way that we handle the FDA process could be improved, and we are going to talk about that shortly.

But with regard to medical device issues in particular, I'm fortunate that the district I represent is home to a number of large and small medical device manufacturers that are doing great work right here in America, producing medical devices that we rely on in this country, that millions of Americans depend on.

And when we last year, in the last session of Congress, went through the debate and eventually passage of the health care reform bill--which I voted against--one of the issues that was in there was the medical device tax, which seemed pretty arbitrary. They were looking for sources of funding. They were looking for ways to make the bill come into balance. And one of the industries that they targeted for the tax was the medical device industry. I believe very forcefully that it was shortsighted. I think it was something that should not have been done. That's an industry that we have international leadership on in this country. It's an industry that millions of Americans have an everyday benefit from.

What we did was say, Well, you look at the portion of overall health care costs in the country that that industry represents, and you are going to create a tax that's going to pay for approximately that portion of that industry to go towards the health care bill. I didn't think it made sense then. I don't think it makes sense now. What I want to do, along with the gentleman from Minnesota and the other 202--the total of 204 cosponsors of this legislation--is just put common sense back in place to say, we want to continue to have those innovations take place in America, not in other countries; to continue to show the worldwide leadership that we have shown and to continue to allow American citizens to benefit from the great work that's being done across the spectrum, large and small, of medical device manufacturers in this country.

So the $20 billion cost that's associated with this tax is just the tip of the iceberg. We're going to lose a lot more than just the cost of what it's going to take to pay that tax if you're in the medical device industry. We're going to lose the innovation. We're going to lose the talent because we're competing with other countries for the top talent in the world, and where individual people want to reside when they undertake research and development of new drugs, new pharmaceuticals, and also new medical devices. This tax is absolutely the wrong thing to do, and I strongly support the gentleman's effort to repeal the tax. We're going to talk later on, and I'm going to join the discussion on FDA reform and some of the things we're doing, working together, but this medical device tax, the reason it has attracted bipartisan support for the repeal is because it makes no sense. It's burdensome, and it's absolutely the wrong thing to do.

I rise in support of this legislation, which is bipartisan and cosponsored by almost two-thirds of our colleagues in this Chamber. Earlier this year, Congress passed another bill with almost equal support when we repealed the burdensome 1099 requirement. Today, we are again working in a bipartisan way to make this commonsense change to the Tax Code that will provide much needed certainty to businesses around the country.

I've heard from numerous small businesses in my district that if the 3 percent withholding provision goes into effect as scheduled, firms that do business with the Federal, State, and local governments will face what amounts to a tax increase at this time when they can least afford it. Congress has previously voted to delay implementation of this provision, but we can do more to show businesses in western Pennsylvania and across the country that we are serious about helping them succeed.

I urge my colleagues to join me in permanently repealing the 3 percent withholding tax provision.

I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, we should do this more often, have a bipartisan discussion on the floor. We have debates. We have bipartisan interaction, but we don't have this type of situation occur very often where we have Members from all across the country, from all political points of view that have come together in support of a piece of legislation that is going to impact the country. It's going to impact all of our districts. There is no district in the country that is not going to see a positive benefit from the legislation that we are discussing here today, H.R. 1861.

When I'm home, I hear from constituents all the time about infrastructure. And in southwestern Pennsylvania, we have 1,000 structurally deficient bridges. We have roads that are in great need of modernization and improvement, and we need to invest in our locks and dams. The district that I represent along two different rivers in southwestern Pennsylvania has six locks and dams that average more than 84 years old, and they're crumbling and they need help.

We have a discussion every day in this Congress about the importance of Federal investment and the wisest use of money and taxpayer funds. I can't think of anything that we could be doing in this country that's more important domestically than improving our infrastructure, than repairing our roads and bridges, our locks and dams, our airports.

The waterways commerce that has been discussed here tonight means billions of dollars in southwestern Pennsylvania, and it's critically important for the entire country. Our roads and bridges need to be repaired. I talked about the thousand bridges in southwestern Pennsylvania. We have 6,000 just in Pennsylvania as a State that are in need of repair. So this bill takes a critical step in answering the fundamental question that we all deal with every day. That's great, I'll hear, that's fine. We need to improve our infrastructure, but where's the money going to come from? Where are we going to get the funds to do this investment? Hundreds of billions of dollars are required to complete or even make a dent in the work that needs to be done with the infrastructure in this country. How are we going to pay for it?

Well, currently we have a Federal highway trust fund that's 18.4 cents per gallon of gas purchased in the country. That trust fund annually runs out of money before the end of the fiscal year. Every year we find ourselves scrambling just to maintain our current infrastructure.

What the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) has done in introducing H.R. 1861 is come up with an alternative source of revenue that does not include raising taxes. It does not include finding revenue from some other program or transferring funds from some other priority for the country. It increases the amount of money that's available by doing something that I think we all agree we need to do in this country and that's explore our own domestic resources for energy, because if there is any issue that I hear about as often or more often than transportation infrastructure, it's energy. It's this country's energy resources and why aren't we tapping into our own reserves and why aren't we exploiting the use of coal and natural gas and in this case offshore drilling to increase our domestic energy supply.

We have had many discussions and will in the future on this floor about the necessity of getting ourselves off foreign oil, of increasing our domestic energy reserves. And what this legislation does is increase the supply of our own domestic resources, yes, which is critically important; but it then takes the royalties, it takes the money that is generated from that and applies it to our much needed infrastructure repair.

So what does this bill do? This bill expands offshore drilling and uses the

permit and royalty revenue to fund the infrastructure improvements and clean energy technology--solar, wind, hydro--the things that everybody in this country wants to support, but there hasn't been the money to maintain and upgrade that technology and do the innovations that are necessary in the future.

The revenue goes towards repairing roads, bridges, locks and dams, developing that renewable energy structure, developing clean coal technology, and improving nuclear technology. Twenty percent of the domestic energy supply with electricity comes from the nuclear technologies, and it helps develop alternative fuel vehicles. I hear all the time the internal combustion engine is a century-old-plus technology.

With all of these wonderful things that we have done in this country, can't we find a way to make a car run on something other than gasoline? It seems like something we should have done a long time ago. We haven't done it yet. We're making progress. This bill helps us get there, whatever that technology may be, whether it be electric, natural gas; some advocate hydrogen. But it does the R&D that's necessary to pursue those technologies. And 10 percent of the drilling revenues are set aside to pay down the national debt. Nobody can argue with that. So it creates a new pot of money that doesn't exist currently that's going to be used to pay down our debt, expand our energy resources, and repair our roads and bridges and our locks and dams.

I just can't imagine there is a more worthwhile piece of legislation and a piece of legislation that impacts everybody in a greater way in this Congress. So I would say to my friend from Pennsylvania, thank you for your leadership on this issue. And to the Members from across the country who have spoken here tonight, I hope that is a message not only to this Congress but to the entire country that, yes, we can come together as a Congress. There are things that we agree with on a bipartisan basis; there are things that we can do to improve the financial situation in this country, to improve our roads and bridges, to get ourselves off of our dependence on foreign oil, and to cultivate our own domestic resources. And we are going to get this done.

I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, October 12, tragedy struck my home town of Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania. That night, Police Officer Derek Kotecki was shot during an armed confrontation with a wanted criminal. He is believed to be the first Lower Burrell police officer ever to be killed in the line of duty.

Patrolman Kotecki was a 1989 graduate of Burrell High School and had been a local police officer for 18 years. At the time of his death, Patrolman Kotecki was Lower Burrell's K-9 officer and a regular and respected face at community events throughout the year.

I ask my colleagues to join me in praying for the family he left behind. We hope that his wife, two sons, and his parents know that Lower Burrell will always remember Derek's bravery and valor. He died serving the community he loved, and for that we are forever grateful.

Recently I had the honor of being reappointed to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, a committee on which I served during my first two terms in Congress. Consequently, caucus rules require me to, in turn, step down from the Small Business Committee, where I've proudly served for the past 5 years.

As I leave the Small Business Committee, I wanted to take a moment to discuss a few of the important initiatives on which the committee has played a meaningful role during that time. Some of the most important initiatives have been to support the brave men and women who have served our Nation in uniform. The Small Business Committee, over the past 5 years, has led the way in helping small business owners deal with the loss of key employees during long-term overseas deployments, and has helped incentivize the hiring of our military veterans.

Committee successes include the enactment of my legislation to increase business opportunities for veterans and reservists, and support business owners who employ them. This bill was signed into law by President Bush in 2008 and has since helped countless veterans and employers.

We also successfully enacted laws to help returning veterans access job training programs and learn entrepreneurial skills to help them transition back into the workforce.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight, I was able to convene hearings that gave voice to all sides on pending issues in Congress, including bringing more than a dozen people from western Pennsylvania before the committee to make sure that their voice was heard and their point of view understood during the critical early stages of the legislative process.

Our subcommittee held hearings that brought to light the unintended consequences of the Consumer Product Safety Commission's lead regulations on small businesses and home-based toy manufacturers. We also held hearings that raised concerns about the effect that various health care reform proposals might have on small employers, and the devastating impact that skyrocketing gas prices can have on businesses and consumers.

When CMS proposed a flawed Medicare competitive bidding program that would harm medical equipment suppliers and negatively impact patient access and quality of care, our subcommittee heard the concerns of small businesses across the country. And when necessary, our subcommittee also convened field hearings to discuss important issues, such as a hearing we held in western Pennsylvania to discuss ideas on how to increase access to capital for small businesses.

When flooding impacted businesses in western Pennsylvania, we brought the SBA to Aliquippa to personally inspect the damage and improve the SBA's response. And as gas prices continued to climb and the Nation looked for solutions to our energy crisis, I joined our former colleague, Mary Fallon, now Oklahoma's Governor, to cochair a field hearing in Tulsa to hear directly from the oil industries their explanation of why gas prices were so unacceptably high and what we can do to help bring them down.

Our subcommittee also led the way in twice passing through the House my bill to expand access to private capital investment through the SBIR program. And we held the first hearing in either Chamber of Congress on the controversial credit card interchange fee, an issue that since has grown into a top priority for businesses, consumers, and banks.

We worked in a bipartisan way to successfully advocate for repeal of the onerous 1099 reporting requirements included in the health care reform law. All in all, quite a record of bipartisan success.

As I leave the committee, I want to thank Ranking Member Velazquez for her help and support during my time on the committee, and I look forward to continuing to work on small business issues through my new committee assignments in the months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the brave men and women who have served our Nation and are today members of the American Legion, a congressionally chartered organization. That charter is in need of modernization. So the American Legion, at their national convention, adopted a resolution asking Congress to amend the charter to clarify that the Legion members may pay their annual dues and renewals using modern technology, such as over the Internet by credit card.

For this reason, I have joined my good friend from Florida, Congressman Rooney, in introducing a bill to support the Legion's recommendation.

Our bill, H.R. 2369, enjoys widespread support, as evidenced by the 350 of our colleagues who have cosponsored this legislation. Hopefully, this bill will soon move through the legislative process in order to modernize the Legion's charter and make this small, but significant, change to make life a little more convenient for members of the American Legion.

I thank the chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act. The cement industry is in its weakest economic condition since the 1930s. Domestic demand for cement has dropped by more than 35 percent in the last 4 years, killing more than 4,000 manufacturing jobs.

In March of last year, 136 cement workers were laid off at the Wampum cement plant in my district. It was the oldest continuously operating Portland cement manufacturing site in the United States, but now cement production at Wampum has ceased and only 15 jobs remain.

Despite this bleak scenario, the EPA issued its regulation which has a $3.4 billion price tag and standards that no cement plant in the United States can achieve while demand languishes. The economy will have to improve for these jobs to return to Wampum; but when the EPA issues unfair, unachievable regulations, it sets these manufacturers back even further.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 2011 Deer Lakes High School Boys Volleyball Team. This past season, the team won the WPIAL championship as well as the Pennsylvania State Championship. I congratulate them on an outstanding season and commend their hard work in winning both prestigious titles.

Over the course of their season, the team showed remarkable consistency while displaying exemplary team play. Incredibly, the team did not lose a match all season.

I would also like to give special recognition to two members of the team who played to the best of their abilities each and every game. Tony Nicotra and Jeremy Gaston deserve praise for their team leadership and work ethic throughout the season. Their hard work was rewarded when they received the co-most valuable player award for both the WPIAL and state tournaments.

In addition, a team is only as good as the coaching staff that stands behind their players. Head coach Richard Tatrn along with assistant coaches BJ Ruyes, Terry Gaston, Joe Giradi, and Kevin Hamilton all deserve recognition for their encouragement, instruction, and leadership throughout their championship season.

I again congratulate the Deer Lakes Boys Volleyball Team's players and coaching staff on all of their achievements. It is with great joy that I pay tribute to this team on their well-deserved accomplishments this season.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the achievements of Colonel David A. McCracken, a graduate of the Army ROTC program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a native of New Castle, Pennsylvania, who passed away on September 2, 2011 after a battle with brain cancer.

I, along with all Americans, am extremely grateful for his brave and honorable service in the United States Army during such an important period in our Nation's history.

Colonel McCracken's awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with one silver and one bronze oak leaf cluster, the National Defense Service Medal with bronze star, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Bosnia), Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with an ``M'' device, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, NATO Medal and Army Engineer Associations and the Bronze DeFleury Medal.

His career was celebrated and his bravery unflagging, even as he received treatment for cancer. His service is an example of courage, dedication, and the values that make western Pennsylvania and our country great.

Our prayers, gratitude, and condolences go to his family in New Castle: his parents Theo and Laura McCracken, as well as his wife of 15 years, Tammy, sons, PFC Tyler Hindley and Connor, and daughter Maitlin.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Salt Smith as he retires from the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa. I congratulate him on his outstanding career and extraordinary service to his community.

Over the course of his education and career, Salt has worked tirelessly to better his hometown of Aliquippa, PA. A graduate from Aliquippa High School in 1956, Salt went on to attend Geneva College, Duquesne University, and Robert Morris College.

A licensed barber, a licensed insurance agent, and a licensed real estate agent, Salt is a man of many talents. He put his degrees to good use working for LTV Steel Corporation, Prudential Insurance Company, and, finally, as the General Manager for the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa.

In addition to his career, Salt is an entrepreneur. Thirty years ago, he began what has proved to be a successful real estate company, E & J Smith Real Estate, in Aliquippa. His company has sponsored a little league baseball team for the past 30 years and has won the championship five times.

As a member of the Aliquippa School Board for 32 years, Salt dedicated his time to improving the local school system. Additionally, Salt was the first African-American ever to be elected as a trustee of the Community College of Beaver County.

As an active member of the community, Salt is the Chairman of the Aliquippa Democratic Party and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Beaver County Hospital Authority.

Salt and his wife, Jackie, have been married for 51 years and still call Aliquippa their home. They have three children and six grandchildren.

I commend Salt for the work that he does, making him an invaluable member of the Aliquippa community. It is with great joy that I pay tribute to him on his well-deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, with the clock tick, tick, ticking away towards a default on our financial obligations for the first time in American history, we need to come together to find bipartisan solutions. It's time to stop holding America's credit rating hostage.

To be clear, what we face is not a possible government budget shutdown. The consequences of default would have far-reaching and long- lasting effects. The increase in interest rates resulting from a default could cost Americans an additional $10 billion in borrowing costs, and the loss in confidence from investors in government securities worldwide could easily send America into another recession. Default is simply not an option.

I support commonsense compromise solutions to reduce our deficit and return to balanced budgets.

I hope that my colleagues on both sides are ready to put the partisan politics aside and move forward with a plan to help keep America and the U.S. in good financial standing.

Mr. Speaker, in the midst of one of the most contentious congressional debates in recent times, I knew just who to bring to Washington to help bring people together. It is my great honor to welcome Reverend Miroslaus Stelmaszczyk, who today serves as our guest chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Known simply as ``Father Miro,'' he has led the Holy Family Parish in Creighton, Pennsylvania, for 12 of his 36 years in the priesthood. He has received numerous awards in recognition of his public service since he first came to the United States from Poland in 1986.

As testament to his popularity among his congregation, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to welcome the three dozen Holy Family parishioners who made the trip to Washington, along with Father Miro, and are now seated in the gallery to witness his opening prayer today.

Welcome to you all.

On behalf of my colleagues in the House, welcome, Father Miro, and congratulations on being chosen as today's guest chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, on May 26, 2011, a hero from western Pennsylvania was lost in Afghanistan. Staff Sergeant Edward D. Mills Jr. was killed by a bomb planted by insurgents as he was serving bravely on his third overseas tour since joining the Army in 2005.

I, along with all Americans, am extremely grateful for his brave and honorable service in the United States Army during such an important period in our nation's history. Mills graduated from Union High School and is survived by his wife, Amanda Brenner and parents Edward Mills Sr. and Kathie Greenawalt from New Castle, Pennsylvania.

During his 6-year career as an infantryman, Staff Sergeant Mills received the Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Arrowhead Device, Iraq Campaign Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, Air Assault Badge, Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and Combat Infantryman Badge.

He was an example of service, dedication, and the values that make western Pennsylvania and our country great. We will miss him dearly as a hero and asset to our community, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family in New Castle.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to modify my amendment with the text that has been placed at the desk.

I rise today in support of an important program at the Library of Congress, whose sole mission is to preserve the books and documents that tell our Nation's history. The Library of Congress, a 211-year-old institution and our national library, offers an incredible range of research, interactive programming and innovative technologies. However, most would agree that books remain the fundamental components of any library.

Since 1995, the Library of Congress has been conducting a specific preservation campaign to save its books. The current program, known as the Thirty-Year Mass Deacidification Program, aims to treat and preserve millions of hardbound books, paperback books, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, artworks, music scores, letters, pamphlets, and drawings. The program ensures that future generations are able to enjoy the important historical artifacts that are housed in the Library of Congress.

Many of the older books and papers at the Library of Congress are printed on acidic paper, which can turn brittle and fall apart with age. Deacidification extends the useful life of these works for up to 1,000 years longer than their useful life without treatment. Delaying the acidification process means more books would deteriorate beyond repair. Unfortunately, many old books in the Library's collection are already too brittle or in such poor shape that they cannot be preserved further. We must continue the work now to maintain the remaining books that can still be saved before they deteriorate further.

I am offering this amendment which would restore $1 million in funding for the Thirty-Year Mass Deacidification Program at the Library of Congress. Decisions that will affect the preservation of our Nation's heritage and history must be made carefully. We have to ensure that the Library has the resources it needs to maintain its collections.

For example, Mr. Chairman, if we cut $1 million from this project for this 1 year, as this legislation proposes to do, the project will take an estimated 20 years longer to complete while books continue to age and lose years off their useful life. Furthermore, the cut to this particular program is about 20 percent. It's disproportionate to the overall levels of cuts to expenses in other programs within the Library of Congress.

While cuts must be made, this program is something that cannot be put on hold. It cannot wait. Books will continue to decay, and we will risk losing irreplaceable works that chronicle and illustrate our Nation's history.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

In reclaiming my time, I appreciate the gentleman's comments. I'm going to go ahead and read my last paragraph if the gentleman doesn't mind, but I do appreciate that.

The Library of Congress, the repository of our national knowledge, does incredibly important work in preserving our Nation's history. In turn, we must provide them with the capacity to preserve their books for generations to come.

I thank the gentleman for his acceptance of the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to former Congressman Frank R. Mascara, who passed away Sunday, July 10 at the age of 81. Born in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, Congressman Mascara proudly served southwestern Pennsylvania for over 30 years, first at the county level, then for four terms in the United States House of Representatives.

A first-generation Italian-American, Mascara embodied the humble, hardworking nature of his immigrant parents and his constituents

throughout his political career. Known as the ``Dean of Washington County politics,'' Mascara fought successfully for projects to spur economic development in his district, including the Mon-Fayette Expressway and the Southpointe development project, which is now home to 150 businesses.

Congressman Mascara served in the Army and worked as an insurance salesman and an accountant before he entered politics as Washington County Controller in 1973. From there, he served as county commissioner as well as a trustee of his alma mater, California University of Pennsylvania. In 2009, he received his university's Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming only the third alumnus to receive such an honor.

Although he was sent to Washington as a leader of his district, he never lost touch with the blue collar, middle-class values of his western Pennsylvania home of Charleroi. He famously spurned fancy Capitol Hill restaurants for cheaper eateries, always aware that he was spending the taxpayers' money through his salary. While in Congress, he continued to live in the same house in Charleroi that he purchased for $7,500.

Congressman Mascara had a calm, good-natured manner, but he fought vigorously in Congress for his district. For a time, the Southpointe development project that he championed was popularly known as ``Frank's Folly.'' However, looking back on the project at the end of his career, despite difficulties getting it off the ground, he believed it to be his greatest political achievement. Through his blue-collar attitude and political wit, Mascara was a strong and effective advocate for his constituents.

Frank Mascara is survived by his wife Dolores, two sons, Frank and Jon, a daughter, Karen, and a brother, John. He will be remembered as a dedicated family man and a hardworking, down-to-earth public servant. He will be deeply missed by his family, his fellow Pennsylvanians, and his former colleagues here in Congress.