Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support a legislative effort to modernize the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. I have joined with Congressman Steve King to introduce the BATFE Reform Act, which will safeguard American citizens' Second Amendment rights by bringing commonsense reform to the BATFE so that it can do a better job of punishing lawbreakers and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, without placing undue restrictions on local businesses in this difficult economy.

Our proposed legislation would make sure that federally licensed firearms dealers are not subject to poorly formulated and unnecessary regulations by updating the rules and potential penalties governing individuals and businesses that hold a Federal firearms license so they are clear and fair.

Our goal is to create a fair system under which firearms dealers with minor paperwork errors are no longer threatened with the loss of their livelihoods. Defining a willful violation is an important step in clarifying the way Federal firearms license holders are punished by the BATFE. Currently, the Bureau is limited in most cases to either giving a warning or totally revoking a license, no matter how minor or severe the violation. That's the current law. But I believe that these small business owners and law-abiding citizens should not be so harshly punished for small or even insignificant bookkeeping errors.

Our legislation would create a new system of penalties for Federal firearms license holders who commit minor violations, and prevent the Bureau from revoking Federal firearms licenses for minor technical violations such as improperly using abbreviations or filing records in the wrong order. Revocation of a license could still be an option for the BATFE to punish willful violation of the law, but it would not be the only option.

The BATFE Reform Act would also make commonsense reforms to help small businesses that sell firearms. For example, it would provide a Federal firearms license holder with the time to liquidate their inventory if they are going out of business. It would also allow a grace period for people taking over an existing firearms business in which they can correct preexisting record-keeping violations from the previous owner and make necessary updates to the license application procedures.

Our bill would permanently ban the creation of a centralized electronic index of dealers' records to protect gun owners' privacy and ensure that law-abiding gun owners will not unknowingly end up in a Federal gun registration database. Congress has included this language in its annual appropriations bills banning the creation of an index for more than a decade. This time we want to give it the weight of law so we can give gun owners certainty and make this policy part of the existing law.

The NRA has endorsed this legislation, and I would ask my fellow Representatives to show their support for the Second Amendment and small businesses nationwide by cosponsoring the BATFE Reform Act.

I thank the gentleman.

My good friend from Nevada does a wonderful job of representing his district and his State. I believe this, however, is a misguided amendment, respectfully.

I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in opposition to Mr. Heller's amendment to divert federal funding from the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository.

Expanding America's nuclear energy industry is vital to strengthening our energy independence and meeting the growing demand of electricity across the country.

While I understand the intent behind the Congressman's amendment, and I respect Mr. Heller's defense of his district's interests, I do think it is misguided.

Despite your views on the nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain, it is the law of the land and has been congressionally approved. It would be a mistake to zero out the funding that has been authorized and allocated by Congress for this project.

The Department of Energy is currently litigating Yucca Mountain's license application. The funding in this bill is reserved to answer questions about the merits of the project and will help both sides-- those who support the repository as well as those who oppose--make their case.

I look forward to working with the gentleman to advance our mutual interest of advancing new and innovative domestic energy production and research and development on advanced energy technologies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of Major League Baseball player and manager Chuck Tanner, who died in his hometown of New Castle, in my district, on February 11 at the age of 82.

After hitting a home run in his first Major League at-bat in 1955, Tanner played eight seasons and later rose through the ranks to manage four Major League teams, including the Pittsburgh Pirates, who acquired him in a 1977 trade. It's in Pittsburgh where he reached the pinnacle of his baseball career, in 1979, when he managed the Pirates to a World Series championship.

Following his retirement from baseball, Tanner returned to New Castle with his late wife, Babs, of 56 years. Chuck became a fixture at the New Castle restaurant that bears his name and where he ate nearly all his meals. Nearby, the Shenango High School baseball field is also named in his honor.

Chuck Tanner spent a lifetime in baseball, and made friends and fans the world over; but it is in New Castle where he will be most fondly remembered and most sorely missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to fulfill my side of a friendly wager with my good friends in the Wisconsin delegation to commemorate the Green Bay Packers on winning Super Bowl XLV.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was flawless, throwing for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns without an interception to earn Super Bowl MVP honors. And despite playing much of the game without injured stars Charles Woodson and Donald Driver, the Packers never trailed, and ended their season by winning the trophy named after the franchise's most storied coach, Vince Lombardi.

In winning Super Bowl XLV, current Packer coach Mike McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, led Green Bay to its 10th NFL championship, the most of any NFL franchise since the league first initiated a playoff system in 1933. Again, I offer my congratulations to the Green Bay Packers.

Mr. Speaker, the rapidly expanding Federal regulatory burden is a bipartisan problem, and I commend the chairman of the committee, my friend from Missouri, for his efforts in working, not just in his time as chairman, but working with the committee in the previous years.

And I know that he understands that this is not a Republican or a Democratic problem, because the regulatory burdens on small businesses increased by $30 billion from the years 2001-2008, and Federal regulations now cost Americans $1.75 trillion each year, which is up 50 percent from the $1.1 trillion in annual costs just in 2005.

And last year, the Federal Register contained 80,000 pages. In its first year in print, the Federal Register contained 2,355 pages. And each year, Federal agencies continue to release thousands of pages of new regulations and accompanying information. And I know that the gentleman understands that, and we share the goal of reducing this burden because the burden is detrimental, and it affects small businesses.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, studies indicate that adhering to Federal rules cost $10,585 per worker for small businesses with 19 or fewer workers, but only 78 percent of that amount for businesses with 500-plus workers. It affects small businesses disproportionately.

Overall, on a per-employee basis, it costs $2,400, or 45 percent, more for small businesses to comply with Federal regulations than their larger counterparts.

Small businesses face the greatest disadvantage in complying with environmental and tax regulations. Compliance with environmental regulations cost 364 percent more in small firms than large, and 67 percent more for the cost of corporate tax compliance.

So we agree on the problem. The question is, Where do we go from here?

And this is where I have a concern with what Chairman Graves is putting forward. What does H. Res. 72 call for that we're not already doing?

The Committee on Small Business has been reviewing regulations in a bipartisan fashion for years. The gentleman has been involved in that. And as a result of these examinations, it's called on Federal agencies to modify or alter regulatory requirements that impose costs on small firms. This has included regulations pertaining to medical equipment at CMS, accounting requirements at the SEC, real estate procedures at HUD, environmental regulations at the EPA, and on it goes.

So the reality, Mr. Speaker, is we've already done, as a committee, what this resolution calls for. And I will include in the Record the 112th Congress Small Business Committee's Oversight of Federal Regulatory and Paperwork Burdens administrative plan, what the committee has already passed.

So my question for the gentleman from Missouri to answer during the course of the debate is: What exactly does this resolution do for small businesses that we're not already doing? Is there anything in this that's not already being done now? Does it actually reduce any real regulatory burden on small businesses? Does it reduce paperwork? Does it limit government requirements on the small business community?

I would submit that this particular resolution does not. It sets up a bureaucratic process here in the Congress with a goal of inventory of regulations, a long list of inventory regulations. But this list will be submitted as part of an administrative reporting process. It does nothing for small businesses.

So I would suggest, Mr. Speaker, in closing, that instead of approving this bookkeeping resolution, what Congress really needs to do is strengthen the tools it already has available to reduce regulatory burdens. This includes the Regulatory Flexibility Act, which mandates that Federal agencies consider the potential economic impact of Federal regulations, strengthening the requirements and increasing agency reviews and regulations, regulatory relief that we passed here in the Congress during the 110th Congress, reported out by the Small Business Committee related to bipartisan regulatory reductions.

And as we continue to revisit these issues here in the 112th Congress, we must remember that small businesses are who we're trying to help.

So, in closing, I'm concerned, Mr. Chairman, that what this legislation does is add an unnecessary step to getting down to the business that we can all agree on, which is actually reducing the regulations that we all agree are a problem.

oversight of federal regulatory and paperwork burdens

The Committee will conduct hearings and investigations into

unnecessary, burdensome, and duplicative federal rules,

reporting and recordkeeping requirements affecting small

businesses that may include any or all of the following, as

well as matters brought to the attention of the Committee

subsequent to the filing of this Report:

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Consumer Safety Products Commission.

Department of Agriculture.

Department of Energy, particularly the Office of Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Department of Interior, particularly the Bureau of Land

Management and Minerals Management Service.

Department of Labor, particularly the Occupational Safety

and Health Administration.

Department of Homeland Security, particularly the

Transportation Security Administration.

Department of Transportation, particularly the Federal

Aviation Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration.

Environmental Protection Agency.

Federal Communications Commission.

Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council and its

constituent agencies.

Food and Drug Administration.

Office of Federal Procurement Policy.

Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Committee will identify specific rules and regulations

already issued or at the proposed rule stage to assess the

impact on small businesses. The Committee will pay close

attention to the effect that regulations have on the

implementation of advanced technologies including, but not

limited to, the deployment of broadband communications

(either by wireline or wireless services) throughout the

United States. Oversight of the regulatory process also will,

to the extent relevant, examine the work of the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs at the Office of

Management and Budget. Special attention will be paid to the

work performed by the Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the

United States Small Business Administration to ensure that

Office is fulfilling its mission to advocate vigorously on

behalf of America's small business owners in regulatory

matters at federal agencies. Finally, this oversight will

entail an examination of compliance by federal agencies with

amendments to Executive Order 12866 and memoranda on

regulatory flexibility and regulatory compliance issued by

the President on January 18, 2011.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Democratic Caucus, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, as we look forward to tonight's State of the Union Address, it is important for all of us to keep in mind the most important issues to the American people: jobs, the economy, and deficit reduction. In the weeks and months ahead, we look forward to working together, Democrats and Republicans, to focus our legislative attention on these issues.

As we debate these issues, it is easy to simply identify the problem. We all know that unemployment is too high, that recovery is not as fast as we would like, and that the deficit is out of control; but the time for simply defining the problem has long since passed, and realistic solutions are long overdue. As we near completion of our first month of the new Congress, the American people are still waiting to hear the majority's specific recommendations on how to address these issues.

Tonight, we will hear from the President. I look forward to soon hearing from the majority some specific details about their deficit reduction plans, not just ambiguous goals.

On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District of western Pennsylvania, I rise to pay tribute and offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the 20 victims of the tragedy in Tucson. And as a member of the class of 2006, I grew to know Gabby quite well, and we look forward to the day, hopefully very soon, when she will join us back here in this Chamber. And I know her well enough to know that her first priority on a day like today would be to honor the 19 constituents who were taken and affected by this tragedy, especially the six who lost their lives.

So it is in that spirit that I honor, and we all honor in this Chamber, 63-year-old U.S. district judge John Roll, a Pittsburgh native, an active Catholic parishioner; 9-year-old Christina Green, a Pennsylvania native, third grader who had already told her parents she was looking forward to a career in public service and attending college, she hoped and said, at Penn State; 30-year-old Gabe Zimmerman, Gabrielle's staffer, newly engaged, master of social work, who dedicated his life to public service; 79-year-old Phyllis Schneck, New Jersey native, church volunteer, loved cooking and spending time with her family; 76-year-old Dorwan Stoddard, devout Christian, survivor of 17 heart stents, who died saving the life of his wife, a grade school friend; and 76-year-old Dorothy Morris. We pay tribute to them all, and we thank them for their service to this country.

And we will not let this attack deter us from carrying on the business of the American people and engaging in civil discourse in our representative democracy.

Section 3: ``Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in an open court.''

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize and congratulate North Allegheny High School on winning the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's (PIAA) Class AAAA title. On December 18, 2010, the North Allegheny Tigers defeated the defending state champions, the LaSalle College Explorers, to earn the 2010 championship title.

LaSalle College of Philadelphia was powerless against the Tigers' outstanding running game, despite the fact that an injury kept star running back, Alex Papson, on the sideline for North Allegheny's win. Before being sidelined by a dislocated collarbone in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Championship, Papson rushed for more than 2,000 yards this season. He is one of only six running backs to ever run for over 4,000 career yards in WPIAL history.

During the game, running back Matt Steinbeck led North Allegheny with 120 rushing yards on 20 carries, including a 27-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. In total, North Allegheny rushed for 220 yards on 44 carries, including a rushing touchdown in each of the first three quarters. With La Salle unable to score, the title game at Hershey Park Stadium ended with a score of 21-0.

It was a remarkable victory for North Allegheny, as they became only the second team to win the Class AAAA title with a shutout. To complete the 2010 season, the Tigers finish up with a 15-1 record, adding a WPIAL and PIAA championship in Class AAAA to the North Allegheny trophy case.

I would also like to pay tribute to Coach Art Walker, Jr. for leading his team to victory during the 20th anniversary of North Allegheny's first PIAA title. Mr. Walker has been at North Allegheny for six seasons. Before that, he spent seven seasons at Central Catholic, where he also won a PIAA Class AAAA title.

It is with great pride that I recognize the school district where I live and where my daughters go to school for its tremendous accomplishment. On behalf of my family and the Fourth District of Pennsylvania, I extend our congratulations to the North Allegheny Tigers for earning the title of State Champions.

Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate National Guardsmen all across America on the passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Improvements Act, which the President will sign into law later this week. Legislation that I introduced in the House last year to allow National Guardsmen to use their title 32 service--which includes homeland security troop support and disaster relief--to qualify for post-9/11 GI Bill benefits is included in the bill we sent to the President last week. Under this bill, 130,000 National Guardsmen who have helped to protect our citizens here at home will now be able to qualify for the GI Bill's many education benefits.

The heroes in America's National Guard, including the 20,000 soldiers and airmen in the Pennsylvania National Guard, provide invaluable service to our country during times of crisis; and thanks to this bill, they too will benefit from the landmark legislation signed into law in 2008.

I stand today to thank America's National Guard for their service and let them know our work is not done in honoring their commitment to our safety and security.

Mr. Speaker, as we work to close out this session of Congress, Members of this House today will vote on a major piece of legislation to extend tax cuts for every American. While this bill is expected to help provide a boost to our economy, perhaps equally important is the way that we arrived at this stage in the legislative process--through bipartisan compromise.

This bill is a result of negotiation between Republicans and Democrats, between the President and the Congress, between the House and the Senate. That's right. This bill which we are going to pass today and send to the President is a result of the type of give-and- take negotiation that is supposed to be part of the legislative process but that, unfortunately, has long been lacking in Congress.

Hopefully, passage of this bill today will be but a sign of things to come. I hope the new Republican leadership in Congress taking office on January 5 will incorporate all points of view--of Republicans and Democrats alike--and will continue working in a bipartisan way to put the American people ahead of partisan politics.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bill because it strikes the right balance between support for the unemployed and those who continue to suffer in the economic downturn, the continuation of pro-American and pro-family economic policies, and providing the much needed certainty for American job creators to make the long-term strategic decisions necessary to help grow our economy.

Now is not the time to raise taxes for anyone in America. One of the key factors that has stalled our economic recovery is the uncertainty about the regulatory environment and tax rates that small businesses will face in the coming years. With passage of this legislation, we can provide the certainty these businesses have sought, enabling them to finally be able to make the long-term strategic and hiring decisions that they were reluctant to do before they knew what the playing field would look like.

I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation compromise that will help kick-start our economy.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1761) congratulating Auburn University quarterback and College Park, Georgia, native Cameron Newton on winning the 2010 Heisman Trophy for being the most outstanding college football player in the United States.

Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 1761 into the Record.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, as a member of the Higher Education Subcommittee, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1761, which congratulates Auburn University quarterback and College Park, Georgia, native Cam Newton on winning the 2010 Heisman Memorial Trophy.

Each year, the most outstanding college football player in the United States is recognized by the Heisman Committee. Mr. Newton has earned the 76th such distinction this year.

Cam Newton was selected as winner of the Heisman Memorial Trophy last Saturday, December 11, live from Times Square. He became the third Auburn Tiger to win the Heisman, joining 1971 winner Pat Sullivan and 1985 winner Bo Jackson, and he is the 31st college quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy.

Mr. Newton became Auburn University's starting quarterback just this season, and with one very big game remaining, he has so far completed 165 of his 246 passes for 2,589 yards and 28 touchdowns. Additionally, he rushed 242 times for 1,409 yards and 20 more touchdowns. Both Newton's passing and rushing touchdown totals are the best in Auburn University's history, and he becomes only the third NCAA major college player in history to have more than 20 rushing and passing touchdowns in the same season.

While leading the Auburn Tigers to an undefeated 13-0 regular season, Mr. Newton was also named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led his team to a number one ranking and an appearance in the January 10 BCS championship game. He was one of the four finalists for the 2010 Heisman Trophy, and he was awarded that trophy in a well-deserved landslide victory. For his outstanding performance, Cam Newton was officially honored at the 76th annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Award Dinner in New York last Monday evening.

Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Representative Rogers, who represents Auburn University, and Representative Lewis, who represents Cam Newton's hometown, for sponsoring this resolution and, once again, express my congratulations and the congratulations of everyone in this House to Cam Newton as the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner and wish him continued success. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would recognize also the other three finalists for the Heisman Trophy and the schools, Oregon, Boise State, and Stanford. Congratulations on great seasons. But without question, Cam Newton deserved the award. He is the best player in college football. We wish him continued success and congratulations.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I thank the gentlewoman.

Madam Speaker, I was listening to the debate earlier this evening, and I heard the chairman say that he hopes that he has left this institution, the U.S. House of Representatives, better than it was when he first got here 47 years ago, first as a staffer, then as a Member, then as chairman. And I thought to myself, My goodness, you, Mr. Chairman, have certainly left this place better. But, Madam Speaker, the chairman has left the country much better than had it not been for the work that he has put forward in transportation, which is unmatched by any 10 people that have ever served in this institution. I can't think of anyone in recent history who has made more of a difference in their area of expertise and in their subject matter than Chairman Oberstar.

As a second-term Member of Congress, when you are first elected, Madam Speaker, as we all know, you think about what committee do you want to serve on, what Members do you want to associate yourself with. And I chose immediately Transportation because I wanted to learn from the best, and there was no one better than Chairman Oberstar to talk about all of the subjects that fall under transportation. Certainly our waterways, our infrastructure, roads and bridges, aviation, rail, nobody in this House, and nobody in the country, I would suggest, has a better grasp of any of those issues than Chairman Oberstar.

And like many who have spoken before me this evening, I had the opportunity, thankfully, to bring Mr. Oberstar into the district in western Pennsylvania that I represent to meet with transportation leaders. And I remember vividly a group meeting that we had with some of the brightest minds in transportation in western Pennsylvania. And the chairman was throwing out facts and figures, names and dates, and places and people. And when I left and returned to my office after the meeting, I thought to myself, I'm going to look some of this stuff up. That can't possibly all be accurate. He couldn't have made that up off the top of his head. And lo and behold, I looked it up, and everything he said was true, down to the specific dates, down to the middle names of people that he was referring to, down to the long names of legislation that we come to know when you add sponsors and cosponsors. He knew them all. It was an unbelievable breadth of knowledge, and we've all experienced it in dealing with Mr. Oberstar.

But I know not only where I started these remarks from, is the country a better place for Mr. Oberstar having served here? Certainly this House is better. But I know that I am better for having served with Mr. Oberstar. So I know you're not going away, Mr. Chairman. I know, Madam Speaker, that the chairman is going to continue to be actively engaged in transportation issues in the country. I, for one, look forward to continuing to work with him, soliciting his advice and expertise. And most importantly, Mr. Chairman, I wish you well.