Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Captain Steven Chris Kockos for his 30 years of service as a police officer for the City of Euless, Texas.

Captain Kockos began his career with the Euless Police Department on June 26, 1983, when he was hired as a patrol officer. By 1985 he was a detective and, in that year, he earned his Intermediate Certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education (TCLEOSE), completed the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) course, and was assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division.

Kockos received his Advanced Certification in 1989 and, in 1990, was promoted to the rank of sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Division. In that time, he also trained in the use of the intoxilyzer and completed the Police School of Supervision at the Southwest Law Enforcement Institute. At the end of 1992, he was assigned to Internal Affairs, a position in which he coordinated training and investigated any violations of policies or procedures by police personnel. Kockos earned his Police Instructor Certification in that same year. In January of 1993, Kockos was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Police Administration.

Over the years, Kockos continued to advance his honorable career. He was made commander of the multi-agency Tarrant County Narcotics Intelligence and Coordination Unit in January of 1995. In 1997, he received the Master Police Officer Certification from TCLEOSE and, a few months later, was reassigned to the Patrol Division after successfully serving the narcotics unit. Starting in 2001, Kockos led the Criminal Investigation Division for nearly three years before returning to the Patrol Division. On February 3, 2011, Kockos was promoted to the rank of captain and was assigned to command the Communications, Property, Records, and Detention Divisions.

Years of steadfast service saw many honors and memories for Captain Kockos. He received twenty commendations, a certificate of achievement for his work in the D.A.R.E. program in 1997, and won Supervisor of the Year in 2007--an award he was nominated for nine times, demonstrating the relationships and respect that he had on the force. One memorable commendation was for an occasion on which Kockos used his certified scuba diving expertise to recover a murder weapon from a lake.

Before entering the Euless Police Department, Kockos had a history of selfless service to others. His father was an Assistant Chief in the Dallas Police Department. Kockos himself was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served four years, two as a military policeman, and was honorably discharged in 1979. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from University of Texas at Arlington in 1983. He is an avid golfer and has two adult children, Chris and Matt, with his wife Judy of 32 years.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in thanking Steven Kockos for his 30 years of public service as an officer of the Euless Police Department.

Mr. Speaker, due to a mechanical problem with my flight to Washington yesterday, I was unavoidably detained and missed the following votes. On rollcall vote No. 484, passage of H.R. 1961, to amend title 46, United States Code, to extend the exemption from the fire-retardant materials construction requirement for vessels operating within the Boundary Line, I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote No. 485, passage of H. Res. 354, Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 527, with an amendment, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, the government has enough trouble ending waste, fraud, and abuse that is already currently occurring. We should not knowingly allow even more to occur.

This is why I am a cosponsor of H.R. 2775, legislation that we will soon vote on that will prohibit taxpayer funded subsidies to individuals without income verification. The Administration has had three and a half years to implement a system to verify that only those individuals who qualify for a taxpayer funded subsidy will receive them. Despite having significant time, the Administration has failed to safeguard taxpayers from even more waste, fraud, and abuse.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation that will protect taxpayers until the Administration can establish a better form of income verification than the honor system.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in solemn remembrance of the events of twelve years ago today, of the people who lost their lives, the families that have carried on, and the brave men and women who risked everything to save others. The human loss was tremendous and we pause with to honor those personally affected.

This is also a time for our nation to remember the resilience and unity that we showed in the days following September 11, 2001. It is an opportunity to renew our commitment to serving this country that we love. In times of difficulty or disagreement, may this day always provide a reminder of the blessings that we share as Americans and the responsibilities that come with that.

Today we again resolve to honor the sacrifice of citizens who risk their lives to help those in harm's way. The courage of first responders who gave all for the protection of others demonstrated that September 11th would not be the downfall of our great nation but would be a defining moment. May we all, like them and so many others who labored on that day, always stand ready to assist our neighbors in need.

I wish to give thanks to the brave men and women who defend our freedom as members of the armed services, many of whom may have enlisted as a direct result of the events of September 11th. We are all forever indebted to you for your tireless and selfless efforts that ensure our security. Thank you.

My prayers continue to be with the families and friends of the loved ones lost on this day twelve years ago, with our great nation, and with those who serve it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the President and my colleagues to oppose any U.S. military action in Syria. Based on the evidence given to Congress, I have serious reservations about authorizing the use of military force in another Middle Eastern country. The President has not convinced me that we have vital national security interests at stake in Syria or a clear military objective. There are far too many unanswered questions and unclear objectives.

My constituents in the 24th District of Texas are deeply skeptical about the value of military intervention in Syria. I fully agree with their concerns. On behalf of my constituents and many concerned Americans, I respectfully urge my colleagues to weigh the evidence fully and to be realistic about what can be achieved in military intervention. Let us vote for what's best for the United States. Keep the U.S. military out of Syria.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting the ``Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act.'' This bill authored by my friend, Dr. Price, will prohibit the IRS from implementing any provisions of the President's health care law.

The IRS is an agency plagued by a multitude of scandals and significant misuses of taxpayer funds. The IRS is probably the worst government agency that we would want to have involved with Americans health care.

The IRS cannot fulfill its current core missions. With this in mind, we should not allow them to hire thousands of new employees to oversee our health care. The IRS cannot even properly supervise many of its current employees. We cannot trust the IRS with our health care. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Corporal James ``Jay'' Earl Alexander for his 36 years of public service as a police officer, 30 of which for the City of Euless, Texas.

Corporal Alexander began his career in law enforcement with several police departments in Texas, starting in 1970 at the age of 19 as a dispatcher for the Commerce Police Department. Two years later, he was a jailer and

deputy for Hunt County. In 1976, Alexander took the step of becoming an officer for the Lakeworth Police Department then, in 1977, he went to work for the Bedford Police Department and went on to receive his Basic Police Certification as a police officer a few months later. In 1982, he worked for the Grapevine and then Azle police departments.

In January 1983, Alexander joined the Euless Police Department as a police officer. In October of 1985 he earned his Intermediate Certification and, with Office Haywood, became the department's first Field Training Officer. That same year he received his Intoxilyzer Certification and, the following year, his Instructor's Certification. In 1987, Alexander was assigned to the Tactical Team as a sniper. He received his Advanced Certification in 1989 and, in 1991, his years of hard work were rewarded with a promotion to the rank of corporal.

Upon request, Corporal Alexander was assigned to be a School Resource Officer at Euless Junior High School in 1995, where he remained for the rest of his career. In 1997 he earned the Master Police Officer Certification. Over his outstanding and honorable career, Corporal Alexander has received eleven commendations, one of which was for his capturing of a Fort Worth murder suspect. He earned two years of credit from Tarrant County College and Texas Christian University, and accumulated 1,800 hours of continuing education as an officer.

Alexander was raised in Weatherford, Texas, and worked for a veterinarian and then moved to the Dallas--Fort Worth metroplex where he worked for a delivery service before getting involved with law enforcement. He is an avid student of local history and knows much of the pioneering families who settled the area. He is married and he and his wife Teresa have four children--Michael, Cody, Ashley, and Chris.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in thanking Corporal James Alexander for his many years of public service as an officer of the Euless Police Department.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5, the Student Success Act.

I have heard often from educators about the urgent need to remove many Federal mandates that create needless barriers to educate our children. The legislation the House will consider goes a long way to restoring State and local control in how best to educate our children.

I appreciate the support of teachers, administrators, charter schools, and school board members in my district that strongly advocate for the reforms in this bill that will allow States to control the accountability decisions rather than unaccountable bureaucrats in Washington that are far removed from the classroom. This bill gives State and local school districts maximum flexibility to improve their schools rather than be caught in a one-size-fits-all bureaucracy.

I thank Chairman Kline and my fellow members of the Education and Workforce Committee for their hard work on this legislation, and I urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, the House will vote today to delay the implementation of both the employer and the individual health insurance mandates dictated by ObamaCare. The administration announced by way of a blog post that it could not implement the employer mandate by its legal deadline despite repeated assurances that everything was okay.

It is completely unfair for the administration to grant an extension to businesses but not to individual tax-paying Americans. House Republicans are fighting for all Americans. There is still much work to be done. ObamaCare continues to be a drag on our economic recovery, leading to fewer choices and more expensive insurance premiums. I urge the support of these bills and the complete repeal of the President's health care law.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mark the upcoming sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Korean War and it is with the utmost respect that I recognize this milestone.

On July 27, 1953, an armistice was signed which brought to a close over three years of terrible war on the Korean Peninsula. In the aftermath of World War II, a newly-divided Korea became the site of global crisis as 75,000 invading North Korean soldiers crossed the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950. The global community was fast to respond, as the United Nations Security Council recommended on June 27 that member states take action. Twenty-one nations heeded the call and collectively sent over 340,000 troops, 88 percent from the United States, to assist the over 600,000 South Koreans fighting for their country.

The three years of tragic bloodshed helped stem communist conquest and secure a people's independence in a dangerous world. Yet it came at a great price. 36,574 Americans lost their lives, and approximately 100,000 were injured. Over 170,000 allied troops were confirmed killed with half of a million wounded and, to this day, many thousands remain missing. By some counts, 2.5 million civilians on both sides, 10 percent of Korea's pre-war population, perished.

No words here, then, can adequately mark our recognition and the deep honor that we owe to the men and women who sacrificed so much in Korea sixty years ago. What we can do is pause to ensure that what they went through and what they accomplished will never be forgotten. And we can give the highest respect to those who survived and that we have with us today--our veterans whom I wish to thank and honor this day for their great service.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in recognizing the sixtieth anniversary of the end of the Korean War, and honoring our veterans and those who lost their lives in that great struggle.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of renaming the ``Spousal IRA'' so that it carries the name of its champion--my friend and fellow Texan--Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.

This bill was a product of Senator Hutchison's personal experience before joining the Senate. After putting aside money for her retirement as a single working woman, Senator Hutchison found that she could only put aside $250 in an IRA once she married her husband.

When Senator Hutchison was elected to the Senate in 1993, she led the effort to change this discriminatory part of our tax code, and worked to pass the ``Spousal IRA''.

Senator Hutchison has said that, over the course of her 19 years in the U.S. Senate, this law is the accomplishment she is most proud of. I think it is therefore fitting that we should amend the tax code so that women in America know that they're benefitting from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA.

Mr. Speaker, due to my flight to Washington, DC arriving late yesterday, I unexpectedly missed the following rollcall votes:

On rollcall 245, passage of H.R. 876, Idaho Wilderness Water Resources Protection Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall 246, passage of H.R. 253, Y Mountain Access Enhancement Act, I would have voted ``yea.''

On rollcall 247, passage of H.R. 862, To authorize the conveyance of two small parcels of land within the boundaries of the Coconino National Forest containing private improvements that were developed based upon the reliance of the landowners on an erroneous survey conducted in May 1960, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Charles Swearengen for his 30 years of service as the councilman for Place 1 of the City of Hurst, Texas.

Charles has spent nearly a half-century of his life serving Hurst. Prior to taking the oath of office as a councilman in 1983, Charles served 18 years on the Hurst Parks and Recreation Board in which he spent 13 of those years as the chairman.

Throughout his years of service to the City of Hurst, Charles has been a pivotal influence in the development of recreational projects in the city. Under his guidance, the city has opened two aquatics centers, renovated a

recreation center, developed multiple parks, established the Hurst Athletic Center, and opened the Hurst Senior Citizens Activities Center.

Aside from his leadership role as a councilman, Charles has served on numerous civic committees and boards in North Texas. Some of these civic organizations included North Central Texas Council of Governments, Tarrant County Crime Prevention Resource Center Board of Directors, Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, National Management Association, City of Hurst Finance and Investment Committee, City of Hurst Crime Control District Board of Directors, City of Hurst Community Services Development Corporation Board of Directors, Resource Conservation Council and Stop Illegal Dumping Committee, Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee of the National League of Cities, and Fort Worth Water and Wastewater Advisory Committee for the City of Hurst.

Charles is married to Gwendolyn, and together they have two children and four grandchildren. He and his wife have been attending the First United Methodist Church of Hurst since 1959 where he once served as the chairman of church's Mission Central Program.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in thanking Charles Swearengen for his 30 years of public service as a councilman for the City of Hurst.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Harold Eugene ``Gene'' Haywood for his 31 years of public service as a police officer for the City of Euless, Texas.

Gene began his career with Euless in 1981. He was hired on as a jailer, and within a couple of months he was promoted to a sworn officer.

In 1988, Gene was one of the founders of the Field Training Program for Euless. He wrote the Standard Operating Procedures and created the training program. In 1990, Gene founded the Euless Honor Guard program. In 1991, Gene transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division where he worked as an investigator.

In 1993, he transferred to the Patrol Division and was promoted to corporal. During this period, Gene managed the implementation of the Field Training Program. He continued to train new officers and ensure that they were ready to meet the demands of police service. In 1994, Gene was assigned to the Tarrant County Auto Theft Task Force where he worked along with officers from several cities within the county to combat vehicle thefts.

In September, 2001, Gene transferred to Keys Alternative School to serve as a School Resource Officer. He finished his career at Keys where he was able to positively influence students.

During his tenure at Euless, Gene has been nominated for Officer of the Year twice. He has received 15 commendations from citizens, other police agencies, and his peers. Gene has served on the board of the Euless Benevolent Peace Officer Association which provides city employees with scholarship money to their children and donates to other worthwhile causes.

Gene has accumulated 2,300 hours of training while at Euless. He was certified as an Instructor in 1987. He received his Masters Police Officer Certification from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Education in 2005.

Prior to his employment with Euless Police Department, Gene served for five years as Sergeant in the Police Reserves at Winters Police Department in Winters, California, and then two years as a firefighter for South Placer Fire Department in Granite Bay, California. During this period of time in California, Gene served for six years in the National Guard from which he was honorably discharged in 1978. Before becoming a Euless police officer, Gene worked for the University of Texas Health Science as a campus security officer.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 24th Congressional District of Texas, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in thanking Gene Haywood for his 31 years of public service as an officer of the Euless Police Department.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share a letter I received from a concerned constituent. Mr. Tom Hardeman owns and operates a McDonald's restaurant in my district, and in his letter he writes:

``I used to think of Burger King, Wendy's and Sonic as my competition and the greatest risk to my business. But now I believe it is the federal government.

``It is regulation, taxation, mandated programs and interference from government that has the potential to destroy small businesses like mine across this great land.

``I'm asking you to protect small businesses like mine so that I can protect the jobs of the people I employ,'' he wrote.

Sadly, Mr. Hardeman's concerns are shared by small business owners across the country. This is why House Republicans continue to push policies that make life easier for hard-working taxpayers--without expanding government.