Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, a loving husband, father, and grandfather, Sam Houston, IV was a blessing to Texas, not just because of who his great-grandfather was, but because of his passion for Texas history.

Born on September 25, 1931, in Claremore, Oklahoma to Sam Houston, III and Ruth Helen Nilson, Sam Houston, IV was the great grandson of General Sam Houston. He was one of Texas' founding fathers whose statue stands in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, and whose bust is displayed in the historic Ways and Means Conference Room in the Capitol as well. Sam Houston, IV shared his tries to Texas history with all who would listen. A frequent speaker at annual San Jacinto Day celebrations, Sam brought history to life.

He enjoyed sharing his love of Texas history and his special connection to the founding of the Texas Republic with children, school groups, civic and other organizations. His great-grandfather, who once said about Texas that ``no country upon the globe can compare with it in natural advantages,'' would have been proud of his great grandson.

A salesman with U.S. Steel for many years, Sam attended Schreiner Military Academy and Allen Academy in Texas. He also attended St. Michael's College in New Mexico before earning his BA in history at the University of Houston.

Always a patriot, Sam served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and led an infantry platoon. After active service, he served an additional 16 years in the Army Reserves, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

He was appointed to the Bi-centennial Commission of the U.S. Constitution and served on the Sesquicentennial Commission of the Republic of Texas celebration. He served as President General of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and was Knight Commander of the Knights of San Jacinto. He is one of nine men in the over one-hundred year history of the Sons of the Republic of Texas to have been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was commissioned as Commanding General of The Texas Army on April 20, 2010 by Governor Perry. On February 23, 2011, he was awarded the George Washington Award by the Paul Carrington Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Houston, Texas.

Sam would carry his weighty name with pride as he spoke to tens of thousands of schoolchildren about Texas history. He also appeared in the EMMY Award winning documentary, Sam Houston: American Statesman, Soldier, and Pioneer, that will live on for generations to come.

For the past several decades, he called the Houston area his home. Sam and his wife, Virginia Rose, were blessed with three children, Vicky, Steven, and Kevin, three grandchildren, Sherry, Bridgett and Scott, and seven great-grandchildren, Jessica, Chelsea, Patrick, Mackenzie, Nicole, Sophia and Dylan. Sam is also survived by his brother, Temple.

On March 10, 2017, Sam passed away at the age of 85 and will be sorely missed.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 157, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``No.''

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 158, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.''

Personal Explanation

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the life of a dedicated community leader and a dear friend, Dr. Ann Snyder.

Ann's knowledge, faith, and understanding have always been her guide, which may explain her numerous accolades. A committed public servant, Ann served as President and CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands and the Interfaith Community Clinic for over a decade. Today, she serves on The Woodlands Township and Convention and Visitors Center boards, as well as numerous others.

Ann earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Education from Colorado State University, her Master of Education degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and her Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from Baylor University.

Her past service as Chair of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, President of The Woodlands Rotary Board, and President of the National Charity League Board, in addition to her work on the boards of the YMCA, Friends of the Library, Junior League, and The Woodlands Junior Golf Association, perfectly illustrates why she was named one of Houston's Most Influential Women in 2015.

Our future leaders hold a special place in Ann's heart. Whether they were students in her classes at the University of Houston, budding scientists participating in the Education for Tomorrow Alliance 'science fairs, students in the Conroe Independent School District where she served on the Board of Trustees, and students at Lone Star College where she served on the facilities review committee. It is too numerous to name all the organizations Ann has helped faithfully guide.

A devoted member of The Woodlands United Methodist Church, Ann's many community honors include: Hometown Hero, Montgomery County Woman of Distinction, South Montgomery County Person of the Year, Citizen of the Year, Rotary International's Service-Above-Self Award, The Woodlands Paul Harris Award, Rotary Hall of Fame, and many more.

In 2013, the Conroe Independent School District ensured that future generations would know of her service by dedicating the Ann K. Snyder Elementary School. I am proud to recognize my friend and community hero, Ann

Snyder, who continues to show us exactly what servant leadership should look like by striving to make our community a better place to call home.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor the Pregnancy Assistance Center North (PACN) for more than three decades of dedicated work to empower women and men to choose life-affirming healthcare options, address health issues for medically underserved women, and build healthy families in the northern Houston suburbs.

In January of 1986, a small group banded together with the common goal of helping families struggling with unplanned pregnancies. Members of this group poured out their compassion on those families, and demonstrated their willingness to serve by donating tools for education, support, and resources to the new ministry.

PACN served its first clients in February of 1987. These families were welcomed into donated office space and later, Sunday school classrooms of partnering churches. From that early network of eight churches, support has now grown to include over seventy-five church partners and nearly one-thousand financial supporters.

The organization, which started with just $100, now operates two full-service medical clinics totaling almost 15,000 square feet and provides top-notch well-woman care on an annual budget of just over $1.25 million, all without a single tax-payer dollar.

In its early years, PACN served just 360 clients each year. Today, an average of 7,000 clients visit the clinics annually, receiving pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI testing and treatment, women's health exams, post-abortion support, and material assistance for those who choose to give birth and raise their children.

By placing their focus on empowerment through education, PACN's education and counseling programs provide clients with the tools they need to break free from past decisions, chart a new path for their lives, and begin building strong family legacies.

Each week, over 130 volunteers give their time to PACN. They are the backbone of this

organization, each one possessing their own story of why they choose to invest in The Cause for Life. Their assistance to this organization's mission cannot be overstated.

I am proud to recognize PACN's mission to bring about positive change in northern Houston by providing a community of support, which allows women and men to confidently choose life.

Mr. Speaker, on roll call No. 103, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted YES.

Mr. Speaker, on roll call no. 104, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted YES.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 99, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 42) disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to drug testing of unemployment compensation applicants, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.J. Res. 42, currently under consideration.

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

Next Wednesday, February 22, will mark 5 years since the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act was signed into law. This 2012 law has made important reforms in the unemployment insurance system, improvements that were specifically designed to help more out-of-work Americans successfully return to the workforce.

This included a key provision which overturned a 1960s-era ban by the Department of Labor on drug screening and testing of unemployment insurance applicants.

Unemployment insurance serves those that have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. It seeks to promote swift reemployment through several key requirements. Namely, to be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, applicants must be able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work. So if a worker loses his or her job due to drug use, that worker is not truly able to work. In addition, if a worker cannot take a new job because they can't pass a mandatory drug test from their employer, this worker is not truly available to work either.

In recognition of this issue, the 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act allowed but did not require States to drug screen and test certain unemployment applicants, specifically those seeking a job or an occupation that regularly required new employees to pass a drug test. I was proud to lead this effort in 2012 because I knew it would have a meaningful impact on the lives of many Americans struggling with drug use.

The goal is simple: get the incentives right in unemployment insurance so that Americans can confront and overcome these challenges.

With a growing number of employers now requiring drug tests for new workers, we wanted to empower these out-

of-work Americans to be ready to pass that drug test, take that new job, and get back on the path to earning their own success.

My home State of Texas was one of the first to step up when this provision was established by the 2012 law. They even changed their own laws to get ready. But before this provision could be implemented by States, the law required the Department of Labor to issue a regulation defining those occupations that regularly conduct drug testing. The intent was to match real-world expectations from employers.

In a 2012 hearing of the Committee on Ways and Means' Human Resources Subcommittee, an official from the Department of Labor assured us the rule could be drafted quickly and according to congressional intent. Well, despite those assurances, months went by with no action from the Obama administration.

During that time, the Ways and Means Committee held another hearing on this issue and even sent a letter to the Department of Labor in anticipation of the regulation. We urged them to craft the rule broadly, which was consistent with what we were hearing from businesses.

In October of 2014, more than 2 years after the law was passed, the Department issued its proposed rule. Counter to our recommendations, the draft rule was incredibly narrow. So narrow, in fact, that States like Texas would be severely limited in their ability to successfully implement an unemployment insurance drug testing program.

Again, the Ways and Means Committee made our concerns known to the Obama administration by submitting a public comment on the draft rule, calling for significant revisions. We made clear that the proposed rule did not faithfully adhere to the intent of Congress, and these same concerns were also echoed in other public comments from prominent stakeholders.

Two more years went by. Meanwhile, Congress continued to press the administration to revise the rule so it followed the intent of the bipartisan law.

That brings us to August of last year, when, at long last, the Department of Labor published its final rule. And just like the proposed rule 2 years earlier, it ignored the intent of Congress. It disregarded most of the comments and the concerns of stakeholders. Above all, the final rule directly undermined the ability of States to implement this important bipartisan reform that would help unemployed workers in their quest to find a good-paying new job.

So on his way out of office, former President Obama flat out refused to implement the law he signed in 2012. Instead, he directed the Department of Labor to issue a regulation that effectively blocks States from taking action.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are sick of Washington not keeping its promises. They are sick of unaccountable Federal bureaucrats abusing their authority to undercut the will of Congress and the American people. And this eleventh-hour regulation by the Obama Department of Labor is a prime example of just that.

The debate we are having today is not about the merits of drug testing unemployment insurance applicants. That is now for the States to decide because, in 2012, Congress passed a law providing them--not the Federal Government--with the ability to do so.

This debate is about placing a check and balance on blatant executive overreach that all but prohibits States from moving forward with this reform. More importantly, it is about ensuring that the will and the intent of this body is upheld.

In closing, I thank the House for its consideration of H.J. Res. 42. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith) be permitted to control the remainder of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Karen Spar on the occasion of her retirement from a lifetime of dedicated service at the Congressional Research Service. Since she began her career in 1980 at CRS, Karen has risen from an analyst to the head of the Children and Families Section and eventually the Division of Social Policy's first Division Research Coordinator.

In her early days as an analyst, Karen worked on major legislative initiatives of American social policy, including the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, the Job Training Partnership Act of 1983, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, and the Adoption and Safe Family Act of 1997.

As head of the Children and Families Section, she supervised work in many of these same policy areas, including income support, child care, nutrition assistance, housing, child welfare, vulnerable youth, child support enforcement, poverty, and others. Her leadership efforts shaped a disparate group of policy areas and analysts from different backgrounds. They became a coherent and highly

effective research group to support Members from both sides of the aisle.

Of special importance to the Committee on Ways and Means, Karen has been a major contributor to nearly every one of the 23 editions of the Committee's Green Book, going back to its creation in 1980. She has contributed sections on child care, child welfare, and the Social Services Block Grant. For more recent editions, she managed the extensive contributions from CRS and helped shepherd it into its new electronic format, which has enabled the Committee to publish it on a more frequent and consistent basis.

On behalf of especially the many Members of the Committee on Ways and Means who benefitted from her thoughtful work over her decades of service, I say thank you and congratulations to Karen Spar on an outstanding career. She truly has made a difference, which is a testament to her hard work and dedication. I wish her nothing but the very best for all that awaits her in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Sam Proler's 100th birthday. The world was a different place when Sam Proler was born a century ago. The oldest of nine children, Sam was born to Ben and Rose Proler during war times. Sam started working at the age of 13 and was later joined by his brothers. Through hard work, innovation and perseverance, the Proler's achieved the American Dream-- Proler Steel Corp.

What would become the country's largest scrap metal recycling operation, Proler Steel Corp, NYSE (PS), started from a meeting between Sam Proler and Henry Ford. It was that meeting that led to an idea that there could be a better way to recycle used cars.

Through research and modifying mining machines, Sam Proler did what no one else had done before--he figured out how to melt entire vehicles in mere seconds. At that time, the recycling industry could not keep pace with the numbers of discarded cars each year. His invention was a game changer that helped reinvent the steel industry, and this led to the employment of hundreds of thousands of workers in the United States at more than 35 plants.

Because of Sam Proler, used cars and appliances gained new life as recycled steel. In fact, his patented process is known around the world as ``Prolerized'' scrap.

Sam Proler is one of America's original, innovative recyclers long before it was popular to be environmentally conscious. His innovation helped shape an American industry and protect our environment.

When you go to sell a used car for recycling, remember the name Sam Proler. Because of him, that car will be recycled into steel in a process that saves energy, conserves our nation's natural resources and protects our environment.

We know his lovely wife Marie, daughters Nina and Joyce, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are incredibly proud of what he has accomplished in his century. As we wish Sam Proler a Happy 100th Birthday, America also says thank you to one of our nation's innovative citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of John W. Wiesner. On January 26, 2017, the Wiesner family lost a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather, and our district lost an icon. Those who knew John W. Wiesner are better people today thanks to his wise counsel. His philanthropy, business, faith, and family are all admirable examples of what to aspire to because John made the most of his 88 years.

While known locally as the chairman and CEO of the Wiesner auto dealerships, John's story is admirable. Born in Richmond on November 13, 1928, John was raised in Hempstead where he met and married his childhood sweetheart, Elizabeth. Shortly after, they started a family and built an automotive empire. A graduate of Southern Methodist University and member of the Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, John went from working in his father-in-law's Sorsby Motor Company to later purchasing it in 1954. John and Elizabeth moved to Conroe in the 1970's and purchased the Buick Pontiac Dealership. Throughout the last few decades, the Wiesner dealerships continued to expand, employing over 500 people in Conroe, Huntsville, Tomball and Rosenberg.

A consummate gentleman, John leaves a legacy to be proud of with his son, Don, his six grandchildren and great-grandchild. However, because John did not showcase his good deeds, the full extent of his philanthropy may never be known.

As a Mason, a Shriner, a Paul Harris Fellow, Sam Walton Business Leader, Time Magazine Quality Dealer, Man of the Year, and Key Man-- just to name a few of his many accolades--family, faith, and doing business the right way mattered the most to my friend.

Since 1974, Don Wiesner has been working alongside his father who was proud to welcome the 4th generation to serve in the family business. It is no surprise that the Houston Business Journal acknowledged the Wiesners as a top 10 Family Owned Business in Houston.

John's community spirit lives on in his dedication to the First United Methodist Church in Conroe and numerous boards and organizations from the YMCA, County Fairs, the Appraisal District, Youth Services, Economic Development, Chambers, Rotary, the Salvation Army, American Heart Association, Junior League, the performing arts, scholarships, the American Cancer Society, Boy Scouts, Crime Stoppers, Montgomery County Performing Arts, National Dealer Council, Houston Automotive Dealers Association, GMAC Dealer Advisory Board, Texas Automobile Dealers Association, Pontiac-GMC Division Dealer Council, South Central Region Dealer Council, Nations Bank Conroe, Conroe Symphony Orchestra, and more.

When I served as a local chamber executive, I had the privilege of working alongside John on key projects such as the creation of the North Harris Montgomery Community College (now Lone Star College System). This is just one example of how John's involvement helped make our community a better place. John and Elizabeth, their sons Howell and John III, are together again in the loving arms of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. This bill is pro- life, it is pro-family, and it is pro-taxpayer. I want to thank Representatives Chris Smith and Diane Black for their unwavering leadership in bringing this bill forward.

Among other important actions, what I am excited about is this bill finally makes the Hyde amendment permanent. This important and longstanding policy prohibits taxpayer dollars from being used to fund abortions through Federal programs. For many years, it was the policy of America that, whether you were pro-choice or, as I am, strongly pro- life, your taxpayer dollars would not be used for the controversial act of abortion.

Taking this action now is especially important given that, under the Affordable Care Act, taxpayer-funded health insurance subsidies have been funneled toward health plans that do cover abortion services. The bill before us today will ensure that taxpayer dollars aren't used in any form to cover elective abortions. This policy will be permanent, and it will apply governmentwide, including to the Affordable Care Act.

Right now, House Republicans are working to repeal this failed law and put in place a 21st century healthcare system Americans deserve. By passing this bill, we can also take immediate action to protect life and taxpayer dollars from the law's harmful impacts.

For me, this is a family issue. My wife and I are proud parents of two adopted children. We have a family only because two women in two very difficult situations chose life. It is important that our government and the laws that represent us encourage those choices and encourage and protect innocent lives. This bill today takes such an important step forward.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank, again, Congressman Smith and Representative Diane Black for their leadership. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Carmen Solomon-Fears on the occasion of her retirement from a lifetime of dedicated service at the Congressional Research Service. Carmen's knowledge of American social policy, and especially in recent years involving the complex and important child support enforcement program, is nothing short of encyclopedic. Indeed, in stretching back to the late 1970s, Carmen's career at CRS spans most of the history of the child support enforcement program as well as other key social welfare programs of our time like SSI and TANF/AFDC. So if at times it seemed like Carmen was personally familiar with every word, comma, and footnote in the Social Security Act, it may be because she helped write so much of it during her outstanding career.

And what history she has seen and helped shape during that time. From the 1988 Family Support Act to the landmark 1996 Welfare Reform Law to the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act, Carmen has played a key role in all of the major social welfare reform legislation of the past generation. But she has done more than just assist Congress in crafting the law. She has worked diligently to help us explain what detailed provisions of law mean to real people, both through her interactions with our personal office staff as well as her summaries of child support and other program policies that appeared in CRS reports as well as literally dozens of issues of the Ways and Means Green Book. This all speaks to her outstanding skills in legislation and policymaking. But there is much more to Carmen than that. She is truly one of the nicest people you will meet on Capitol Hill, or any other place for that matter. Her ready smile, easy laugh, and thoughtful counsel are a key part of her success, putting people on both sides of the partisan aisle at ease in trusting her always sound guidance.

On behalf of especially the many Members of the Committee on Ways and Means who benefitted from her thoughtful work over her decades of service, I say thank you and congratulations to Carmen on an outstanding career. She truly has made a difference, which is a testament to her wisdom, hard work, and dedication in everything she does. I wish her nothing but the very best for all that awaits her in the future.

Mr. Chair, this bill is a critical first step in our effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act and deliver relief to the millions of Americans who continue to be hurt by this failing law.

The Affordable Care Act has helped some, but it's also inflicted tremendous harm to families and small businesses nationwide. And the damage grows bigger each passing year.

Out of pocket cost are skyrocketing--often more than $10,000 a year.

Choices have disappeared.

And control over your personal health care decisions--whether it's which doctors you can see or which health plan you can have--is gone. It doesn't belong to the American people anymore. Instead, Washington is now in control of people's personal healthcare decisions.

It doesn't have to be this way.

The American people sent a clear signal in November. They are sick of this law because it hasn't improved their care, lowered their costs, or kept its promises.

They want the Affordable Care Act repealed and replaced with a 21st century system--one based on what patients and families want and need, not what Washington thinks is best.

Today, with this legislation, we have an opportunity to send a clear signal of our own:

Relief is on the way.

That's what I want to say to all of my constituents in Texas.

People like Bill in The Woodlands, who just had his health plan canceled for the second year in a row.

People like Lauren in South Montgomery County whose premiums just went up to $900 a month.

Families like the Thomas's in Montgomery, who say they have paid over $24,000 this year for the poorest-quality care they have received in their adult lives. The Thomas's say it'll be $30,000 before their insurance contributes a dime.

To the people of my district--to Bill, to Lauren, to the Thomas family--and to the millions of Americans across the country who are suffering because of the Affordable Care Act:

Relief is on the way.

We are working to deliver health care solutions that truly lower costs, increase choices, and put Americans back in control of their own health care decisions.

That all starts today. It starts by passing this budget legislation and taking the crucial first step to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Calman Cohen on his retirement after a distinguished and productive career. Dr. Cohen built on his public service at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the Senate by leading the Emergency Committee for American Trade for many years, an organization of leading U.S. companies with a mission to support economic growth through the expansion of international trade and investment. He has effectively represented his member companies by working with Members of Congress and many Administrations on a broad range of trade and investment issues, including all major trade agreements during his tenure as well as Trade Promotion Authority. He has vigorously defended the needs of U.S. companies and their employees as they strive to compete in today's global marketplace, achieve market access for their exports, and create jobs here at home.

I send my best wishes to him, and his wife Susan, who is always by his side, during his retirement.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 596, legislation to repeal the President's controversial and expensive health care law, a law that put 159 Federal agencies, commissions, and bureaucracies in between you and your physician.

Mr. Speaker, today the House of Representatives again acts to repeal the costly mistake known as the Affordable Care Act. In the years since the law's passage, too many Americans have discovered the reality behind the President's promises.

Americans lost plans that they liked and wanted to keep. They saw their premiums soar, and their deductibles, and they discovered their family doctor was suddenly out of network and unaffordable.

They saw their hours reduced at work, and hiring slowed as a result of the law's $1 trillion in new taxes. They realized that, under the law, more work doesn't necessarily mean more pay.

They saw their tax dollars risked on insurance organizations that are now failing. They tried, frustratingly, to navigate the complicated health care site to get help buying what turned out to be more costly coverage. And soon, millions of unsuspecting Americans may learn that errors beyond their control could leave them on the hook to the IRS.

Today's action is not simply opposing the Affordable Care Act. It is about standing up for our families, patients, small businesses, and local health care providers who have been hurt by this law.

The American people deserve better than this. We need to start over, and that begins with the full repeal of the President's health care law.

But we can't just stop there. We also have to continue to advance our own patient-centered solutions to the problems in health care, solutions that actually lower the cost of health care; to make our current system more fair; to

protect the most vulnerable; and put our crucial safety net programs on a path to sustainability for the long term.

I am pleased, Mr. Speaker, that this bill will allow us another opportunity to put forward these ideas, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), one of the health care leaders on the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer), one of the new Members of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Walters), a businesswoman and former State legislator who understands the harm of the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer), a new Member of Congress and a former State legislator who helped lead the fight against the damage caused by the Affordable Care Act.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith), a new member of the Ways and Means Committee, who has quickly become a leader on health care issues.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), a businessowner who has provided health care to his workers and is a leader on the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Pittenger), a small business person and a dynamic Member of our House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), a veterinarian involved deeply in health care issues.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard a lot about 56, 56 times we have voted to repeal or defund this bill, but think about the hundreds of times this White House and our Democrat colleagues have tried to force tax increases on families and small businesses.

How many hundreds of times have they tried to force global warming mandates that only drive up energy costs? How many hundreds of times did they force red tape down our local businesses so that they can't possibly survive? How many millions of people have been forced into the health care plans they don't want and forced into higher monthly premiums, higher deductibles, and they can't see their doctor or their hospital or their provider?

Mr. Speaker, these numbers matter. We can do better.

Mr. Speaker, we are ready to close, so if the ranking member would like to proceed, I would reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Brat) to speak about health care and the Affordable Care Act.

In a moment, sir, yes, sir. So if you would like to close, we will follow.

Yes, sir.

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

Frightened--in the days before this health care law was brought to the floor, Democrats were meeting in the White House in secret, cutting special deals, trying to find a way to pass this bill because they were frightened that if they did it in the public, out where the people could see what they were creating, that they would fail.

The night they brought it to the House floor, they were frightened that the American public would know what was in it. They brought it to the floor, and literally no one on this floor knew what was in this bill. They were frightened about what the American public would believe.

Since it has passed, frankly, too many Americans are frightened by what they have been exposed to, which is forced into health care plans. They had good ones in their business, and now, they are forced into ones that cost more, the deductibles have soared, and they can't see their local doctor or go to their local hospital or even pay for medicines for their children because of this health care plan.

Democrats at the time didn't allow a vote on any other alternative-- no ideas, no options--because they were frightened the American public could see there is a better way.

The question today, Mr. Speaker, is: Can we do better? Can we do better than this law? Yes. It has helped some but has hurt so many more.

Today is about taking the first step to allowing a better option for American families, providers, and patients by first repealing this controversial and troubling law and then bringing to the floor-- directing our committees to bring a better idea to the floor so that the American public has a chance for real, affordable health care that is directed toward them--not Washington--that goes with them from job to job and State to State, home to raise a family or to start that small business, one that is tailored to them, not Washington.

Mr. Speaker, this law is about not top down, but bottom up; and it is long overdue. I support and strongly urge repeal of the health care law and passage of this bill.

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