Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, it never ceases to amaze me how good my friends on the other side of the aisle have become in putting politics before jobs.

They've said ``no'' to the dozens of job bills that the House Republicans have put forward and ``no'' to unleashing investment in small business.

Mr. Speaker, we have all been somewhere where you've seen a family, a family with a small child, and the child is crying and throwing a tantrum and the parent turns and gives the child what they want, but the child still cries. Today we see another good example of something good still not being good enough for the other side.

At a time when the economy is struggling, unemployment above 8 percent for more than 35 consecutive months, underemployment above 15 percent, you have a bill here that would

unshackle and unleash small business growth. So it is beyond me why, after both subcommittee and full committee markups where provisions passed almost unanimously, this idea never came forth after a full and open debate on the floor with 15 Democrat amendments.

What really shocks me the most is that the President of the United States offered a statement in support of the bill. But when I read his entire statement, Mr. Speaker, he never mentions this motion to recommit or the concern. So, Mr. Speaker, it's one more time that the floor tries to come together, but politics are put before job growth.

So I urge all my friends to come together in a bipartisan fashion-- the way this bill was created--to vote down this motion and support the underlying bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is designed to make several small changes to make sure the regulation D, rule 506 provision in this bill meets its original intent.

In consultation with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our friends on the other side of the aisle, we identified several areas where the language in the bill could have had some unintended consequences that may have limited the effectiveness of the provision or expanded its reach beyond what we originally intended.

This amendment does three things:

Clarifies that general advertising provision should only apply to Regulation D, rule 506 of the securities offerings;

Protects investors by allowing for general advertising in the secondary sale of these securities, so long as only qualified institutional buyers purchase the securities;

Provides consistency in the interpretation for regulators that general advertising should not cause these private offerings to be considered public offerings.

Our goal with this amendment is to ensure that more small businesses have the opportunity to find the investors they need while preserving investor protections.

Mr. Chairman, as many people know on this floor, I created my first business at age 20. I was fortunate enough to be successful enough to pay my way through college.

Mr. Chairman, if I look today, I don't know if I could start that same small business. Entrance to market is great, access to capital. What our goal to do it in this bill and amendment is to expand that. And as we measure across America, the greatest growth we have is small business.

Mr. Chairman, I was reading the other day, if you looked at the challenge that we have, this current administration and their policies hampering our ability to grow, you look back to the end of the last recession, 2001, you look at the beginning of this recession in 2007, a lot of people in America say that was a time of growth in America, from 2001 to 2007.

Well, if you ever measured who created those jobs, small businesses. Companies under 500 employees added 7 million jobs, and 70 percent of those new 7 million jobs came from companies 5 years old or younger.

But, Mr. Chairman, under this new administration, we're at an all- time low of new start-ups. So we're hopeful, with this new legislation, that that will all change, that the future will be brighter, small businesses will continue to grow, and we'll put America back on the right path.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I urge adoption of the amendment and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Hastings for his work in committee, and I'd also like to thank, Mr. Chairman, the subcommittee chairman, Tom McClintock, and the authors of this bill, Devin Nunes and Jeff Denham, for their work.

Now, in California there's a saying: ``Whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting,'' and for too long we've been fighting about water. For too long this man-made drought in California has been ignored. Well, you know, today that stops. I'm excited about it stopping today; because you're going to hear a lot of arguments on both sides, but that's where we're supposed to debate, on the floor of the House.

But, you know, the thing we've always yearned for, the thing we've always taught our children? That an agreement is an agreement, that you keep your bond. You come into a debate where you make your points, but when you come to an agreement, you keep it.

Simply put, what does this bill do? This bill simply says an agreement is an agreement.

When both sides sat down from the Bay Area-Delta Accord--why was it named that? Because people from the bay area and people from the delta had discussions, had fights, had policy arguments, and they finally came to agreement.

Now, who was on what side? Was it all just based upon a farmer or just based upon environmentalists? No. There was the Clinton administration. There was Pete Wilson from the State. He was Governor at the time. There were farmers. There were environmentalists. Mr. Chairman, there were people that were in the administration that are even Members of this Chamber today who spoke in support of this. So if you made an agreement then, why do you want to break it?

And because of what the man-made drought has done, have you ever examined the pain that it has caused? I know people, when they think of California, sure, you think of Silicon Valley, you think of Hollywood, you think of San Diego. Well, you know what? There's this whole area in the valley. When you start and talk about this area in the valley, you know where my district is? My district is from the ``Grapes of Wrath.'' It's the shantytown everybody ended up in. Cesar Chavez is buried in my district. But you know what I saw from my valley on up? Thirty, 40 percent unemployment. I saw people standing in line.

I'm very proud of the district I'm fortunate to represent. There's two families in my district that grow 80 percent of all of the carrots in the country. But you know, because of this man-made drought, where hundreds of people were lined up to get food at the food bank, they were getting carrots. But were they getting carrots from America? No. They were getting carrots from China. The breadbasket of America.

Well, you know, that all ends today. It ends with a bipartisan agreement that America craves for us to find. You know what? In the Bay-Delta Accord, I didn't get everything that I would represent philosophically. The other side didn't as well. But, you know, the greatest thing about America is the rule of law, and if we make an agreement, we should stick to the agreement. Simply put, that's what this bill does and ends the man-made drought.

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

I first want to start by thanking the gentlelady from California for her work on this legislation and her amendment making the bill better.

Mr. Speaker, as many know on this floor, I started, before I was in Congress, as a small business owner. At the age of 20, I took some savings I had, some luck within a lottery, and some investments in the market and I took a risk. I went out and opened a deli. I didn't put a lot of thought into the name, so I named it after myself.

But as I took that risk, as many people across this country do, you find the challenges of a small business. Fortunately, I was successful, able to hire people, able to work through; and at the end of 2 years, I now had enough money to pay my way through college.

But when I think back to those days of the risk I took, I wonder if in today's environments could I do the same. Unfortunately, the answer is, no, I could not. I cringe at the thought today of the regulations and the challenges a small business faced.

When I look at what small businesses do to this economy, they represent 99.7 percent of all employers. When you analyze the growth of America, if you just want to take from the beginning of the last recession, 2001, the end of it to the beginning of this one in 2007, and you look at that time in America when we had job growth, when you think about who created that growth, well, small businesses added 7 million jobs. Large corporations cut 1 million jobs during that same time.

Today, when we look at the market, we're at our all-time low in the last 16 years for new small businesses entering. And all statistics tells us we will not grow unless small businesses grow.

Unfortunately, the entrance to market has become too great. The regulations have been too tough, and the access to capital has been too hard to get.

So just with that story I tell you of starting my own small business when it became successful, before I sold it I actually looked to expand. I had dreams of putting five new delis throughout my town. I even started negotiating on a new lease.

But to raise that extra capital, when, one, a bank had turned me down, because of the regulations by the Federal Government, I could only talk to those people I already had a relationship with. Well, I came from a side of town that didn't have great wealth. I didn't know people with money.

So for me to be able to talk to them, I'd have to hire an attorney, file with the SEC all things that I did not have the time to do as a small business, even to talk to somebody about the idea. So I ended up selling.

Well, that law was based in 1933. This country has moved forward, and this Congress should move forward as well. That's why today that's exactly what this bill will do. It will allow the small business to unshackle the capital which it needs. It will allow the individual to talk to those who are accredited, and it has the protections to do that. But the idea could actually gain the capital. And you have to think, when you're in a small business, sometimes this capital is better than going to a bank. It's what you negotiate.

The cash flow is very important in a small business. A bank makes you pay monthly. The investment of an individual allows you to have growth. It also allows Americans to invest in America. It is a win-win all the way around. It is involving in a place that allows small business to grow.

I will tell you that the strength from the amendment from Maxine Waters, and the adoption in the committee, requires insurers to verify that purchasers are in fact SEC accredited. And I thank you for that amendment.

This was approved in the Financial Services Committee by a bipartisan vote. This is another example of an issue where we can find common ground, work on both sides of the aisle, work with this President, but more importantly, let America start working again.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a doctor, mother, businesswoman, who brings a fresh perspective to the freshman class and knows firsthand the challenges that job creators face, having started her own medical practice from scratch, the gentlelady from New York's 19th District, Congresswoman Nan Hayworth.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to an integral member of the Financial Services Committee, a member who ran one of the oldest pest management companies in the country and who has personally faced many of the challenges confronting small businesses today, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Dold).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to a man who knows what it takes to create jobs and meet a payroll in having spent 20 years building a real estate development company that he started with his brothers and sisters, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Canseco).

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure now to yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee, one who has been a leading advocate for pro-growth economic policies, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the former chairman of the Small Business Committee, who has never stopped working to create good-paying jobs for northern Illinois, Mr. Manzullo.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a Member who is leading the way in encouraging job creation in Ohio's 15th Congressional District, Mr. Stivers.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a new Member who knows firsthand how to create jobs through his work--he has employed over 100 people--the gentleman from Butler, Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the Member whose top priority in Washington is getting the Granite Staters back to work, the gentleman from Manchester, New Hampshire (Mr. Guinta).

Mr. Speaker, this bill represents an important step towards unleashing the potentials of entrepreneurs and small businesses. We must all remember, an entrepreneur never takes a job from someone. They only create them. Today we're going to unleash them.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in this bipartisan effort to help promote small businesses' capital formation by supporting the underlying bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to claim the time in opposition.

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

The gentleman from North Carolina's amendment goes against the very purpose of this bill. This amendment would force private companies raising capital to actually face stiffer regulations than public companies regarding compensation. The Securities and Exchange Commission doesn't require public companies selling to retail investors to put this in their advertising, and even Dodd-Frank did not go this far.

With Ms. Waters' help, we made sure that this bill specifically targets only sophisticated Securities and Exchange accredited investors. The SEC has no authority to regulate the compensation of executives at private companies. At a time when the costs and benefits of regulations are so important, the Miller amendment would fail anyone's cost benefit analysis. I, therefore, urge my colleagues to reject this amendment.

I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from New York, Nan Hayworth.

Mr. Speaker, the purpose of H.R. 2940 is to help facilitate capital for small business. This amendment flies directly in the face of that effort. I urge my colleagues to oppose the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Speaker may postpone further proceedings on the amendment offered by Mr. Miller of North Carolina to H.R. 2940 as though under clause 8(a)(1)(A) of rule XX.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order.

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion.

It never ceases to amaze me. Not once, but twice today you have just taken two bills on the floor that have been through subcommittee and full committee unanimously and came down.

This bill accepted every single amendment that came to rules. This bill accepted Maxine Waters' amendment in the committee. Had the gentleman listened to the debate on the floor, you would have heard from your side of the aisle support of this bill. Had the gentleman talked and listened about this bill itself, this has nothing to do about lending. Let me tell you why.

When I was 20 years old I started my first small business. You know what the government does for a small business? If you're someone like me and you come from the wrong side of the tracks, they punish you. They tell you you can't go find money from an individual source unless you have a preexisting relationship. It dates back to 1933.

The only thing that this bill does is correct that problem. It opens it up for an individual that has to be accredited. This has nothing to do with lending.

I would tell the gentleman from the other side of the aisle, maybe you are not used to a regular order and an open order because your side of the aisle did not play that way in the majority. I will tell you, the committee acted as the American people wanted it to, unanimously, working on small business and job creation. America's looking for partnership, not partisanship.

I will not yield. You did not take the time to read the bill, understand the bill, and you brought a motion that does not deal with the bill.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

The bill does one thing, the number one thing the American people are looking for: create more jobs, less partisanship, and more small businesses.

I urge my colleagues to reject this motion to recommit and support the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that in the engrossment of H.R. 2930 and H.R. 2940, the Clerk be authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, and cross-references and to make such other technical and conforming changes as may be necessary to accurately reflect the actions of the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Taft Union High School in my district which celebrated its 100th anniversary yesterday on September 18, 2011.

Taft Union High School is located in the city of Taft and is a comprehensive public high school where students receive the best possible education. The school provides programs for students to develop their communication skills, critical thinking and problem solving capabilities, and technological aptitude. These programs help develop the students into independent thinkers who are active participants in their communities.

I celebrate with the students, parents, teachers, staff, and alumni of Taft Union High School on such an outstanding accomplishment of providing opportunities for teamwork, leadership, competition, and personal and intellectual development over the last century. The many years of dedication to the young people in Kern County will continue to benefit us for years to come.

On behalf of the residents of the 22nd Congressional District, I commend Taft Union High School on the 100th anniversary of its founding. I am very proud of the accomplishments of the school since its founding in 1911 and I know that the parents, teachers, neighbors and fans in our community will join me in congratulating this wonderful achievement and we hope there are 100 years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Thomas N. Clark, former General Manager of the Kern County Water Agency and respected water expert in our community, who passed away on July 23, 2011, after battling cancer.

While Tom rose to the height of California water politics as General Manager of the Kern County Water Agency, KCWA, he was proud of his Oildale beginnings and never let anyone forget that. After graduating from North High School in 1963, he served for two years in the United States Army and married his sweetheart, Karen. Tom and Karen moved back to Bakersfield in 1970, and he quickly earned degrees from Bakersfield College and California State University, Bakersfield. Tom then received a full scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where he received a Master's Degree in water supply and pollution.

Back in Bakersfield, Tom began his career with KCWA in 1974. During this time, he honed his understanding and knowledge of California water contract law, as well as the ins and outs of Kern County and California water policy. He left KCWA in 1978 and went to work for the late local farmer and entrepreneur George Nickel, where he learned a great deal about Kern River water rights. He later returned to KCWA and became General Manager in 1990, serving in this capacity for 14 years.

As General Manager, Tom was at the center of California water politics, fighting tirelessly for Kern County residents and farmers to ensure our local communities received the water they needed and were entitled to. Recognized as a skilled and shrewd negotiator, Tom could wade through complex water problems to achieve collaborative, win-win solutions, all the while improving water supply reliability for Kern County.

One of Tom's greatest achievements and lasting legacies was the Monterey Agreement, which he helped negotiate with the California Department of Water Resources and other State Water Project contractors. This averted an agricultural disaster in Kern County by preventing tens of thousands of acres of farmland from being fallowed because of lack of water. He also was at the table and worked on the historic 1994 Bay Delta Accord, which provided an agreement among water agencies and environmentalists, leading to the CalFed Record of Decision by the United States Department of the Interior.

To provide more water reliability and supply stability, Tom was the driving force behind the Pioneer Project, a 2,253-acre groundwater recharge and water banking project located in Kern County, which KCWA operates to this day. This project was deservedly renamed the ``Thomas N. Clark Recharge and Banking Project'' in 2010. His leadership over the years helped KCWA navigate through ``wet'' and ``dry'' years, and the benefits of that leadership are still seen throughout the community and at all levels of government.

Tom is survived by his wife, Karen, his children, Krista and Jeff, and his grandchild, Henry. I will miss Tom's great sense of humor and barbequing, but I know he will be fondly remembered as a strong leader who was a passionate advocate for Kern County water and respected by many.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Warren Carter, who passed away on July 21, 2011. Warren was a family man and a respected community leader.

Warren grew up in McFarland and earned his bachelor's degree in 1958 from La Verne College (now the University of La Verne). He worked briefly as a teacher and later in the insurance industry. However, his true passion was farming.

In the 1960s, Warren planted almonds on 200 acres in McFarland, becoming one of the first to grow a crop that turned out to be one of Kern County's largest agricultural commodities. He was also active in almond production research.

His commitment to the agriculture industry extended beyond just farming. Warren served on the Almond Board of California from 1979 to 1992, including for two years as chairman and four years as vice chairman. Additionally, he served as president of the Kern County Farm Bureau, and shared his love of agriculture as chairman of the parent advisory committee for McFarland High School Future Farmers of America.

Warren also was involved in many community activities. For instance, he enjoyed working with the local youth, and was a past director and chairman of Kern County Youth for Christ. Additionally, he was a co- founder and past director of Kern County Student Leadership, a high school leadership program that is now on 20 campuses throughout the county.

Warren brought his leadership, charisma, and work ethic to the real estate industry when he purchased Watson Realty in 1980, eventually growing it from 20 agents to 100. His son, Ken Carter, is now president and owner.

Warren is survived by his son Doug and, daughter-in-law Dena, son Ken and daughter-in-law Renee, daughter Karen and son-in-law Joey, 10 grandchildren, and his brother Wayne and sister Opal. His wife, Lenore passed away in 2009. Warren will truly be missed, but he will be remembered as a strong leader and a man dedicated to improving his community.

I thank my colleague from Ohio for yielding and for his work on this legislation.

It is interesting to listen to the debate, and that is healthy. That's why we are on this floor.

``Defying logic,'' an interesting term. Defying logic, when you think of a debt limit. What is a debt limit, and why are we debating it?

The debt limit, to the American people so you understand, is to pay for the obligations that this government has already promised.

So let's think about defying logic.

The economy is tough, so I sat in this House and I watched the other side of the aisle, Mr. Speaker, put together a stimulus bill where I even watched their own people stand on the floor and say they didn't know if it would work. At the end of the day, defying logic meant $278,000 for every job that was created.

Defying logic to the American public is that more people in America today believe that Elvis Presley is alive than the stimulus created a job. Defying logic is that we have gone 28 straight months with unemployment above 8 percent. Defying logic is to continue this pattern. But today we have a debate. Today we have a choice. Today we can take a new path.

I understand why so vigorously you fight this; because it would be a change to America. It would change the direction. And the one thing I would ask is: When will the assault on the American people stop? That would be defying the pattern of where we are going to go.

So I want to ask you one thing. We ask in this bill to cut where you had government spending, just discretionary, gone up 84 percent in the last 3 years--to small business, that would be quite odd that they weren't able to

do that--that we are going to cap it so it can't grow out of control, and then we're going to ask for a balanced budget that 49 States even have as a statute.

What I want to say today is a new path. It is not a path to repeating mistakes; it is a path to a new future. When you think of a balanced budget and you question whether it will pass, you know, 16 years ago we came one vote shy in the Senate. It passed this body with fewer people on this side. That meant people on the other side of the aisle voted for it. There are some of the people in your leadership who have voted for it.

Now, I want the American people to think and imagine, imagine had we gotten that one vote, the debate today would not have taken place. The debate today would not be about $14 trillion. The debate today wouldn't be that we had to change the path. The debate today would be about the future of this country. What do you think we would be debating? What investments we would make to continue to make this country strong? What ability we could grow with our businesses, and it wouldn't be about unemployment.

So I want to harken back to a former President who said we could go to that shiny city on the hill. My charge is for this body to join us on that climb because this is the first step. And when we get there, we will recharge that light so this country burns brighter with freedom and liberty than it has in times before.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Michael Lingo, who is retiring as Superintendent of the Bakersfield City School District (BCSD) in Bakersfield, California. Mike has been an education leader in the district for 41 years and has spent the last 5 years as Superintendent of BCSD, the largest non-unified pre- kindergarten through eighth-grade district in California.

Mike grew up in Bakersfield and was educated in the community where he now works. He attended Horace Mann Elementary, Sierra Junior High, East High, and Bakersfield College. He finished his college education at California State University, Fresno. After graduating, he returned to Bakersfield and started teaching in BCSD in 1970.

After 20 years of teaching, Mike shifted his career and began his service in school administration. He served as the Supervisor of Employer-Employee Relations for BCSD in 1990. Then in 1995, he became Director of Personnel Services. In 2000, he was again promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Business Services. In this role, he oversaw all of the financial and services aspects that the district performs on top of pupil instruction. Mike became Superintendent in 2006.

Many of his coworkers have expressed appreciation for Mike's leadership at a time when the school district has seen budget cuts year after year. Yet during Mike's time as superintendent, the district's academic performance index score rose from 643 to 688, a testament to his leadership and the hard work of the teachers, students, and parents in the school district. In addition, BCSD was the first major district in California to implement Learning Village, an online curriculum system.

Dedicated to education on multiple levels, Mike's retirement will leave big shoes to fill at BCSD. The Bakersfield community and I commend his service to the thousands of BCSD students over four decades and we hope that Mike enjoys his transition into the next chapter of his life.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to welcome Monsignor Craig Harrison from Bakersfield, California, and appreciate that he was able to be here today to open up our floor session with the invocation. It is great to have a fellow Bakersfield High School Driller here on the floor with me.

Since he returned to Bakersfield in 1999 to be the pastor of his hometown parish, Monsignor Craig has had a profound, positive impact on the lives of the thousands in our community. The fact that the number of families in his parish has increased by over 5,000 and enrollment in the parish school has doubled is a testament to his leadership in our community.

He is more than just a faith leader. He is an author of a children's book, he is a faith leader to many of us throughout the community, and, on a personal note, he was a faith leader to my father as he battled his fight with cancer.

Monsignor Craig is a true friend to the Bakersfield community, and I appreciate that he was able to share his words of wisdom on the House floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the efforts by many in the community of Ridgecrest to honor our service men and women on Armed Forces Day 2011.

The City of Ridgecrest is home to the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake. NAWS China Lake was established during World War II for the purpose of weapons testing. Since then, NAWS China Lake has become the premier weapons development laboratory for the United States Navy. Many of my constituents living in Ridgecrest work at NAWS China Lake and take great pride in the support they provide to our Nation and they are properly recognized for their efforts on this day.

The 2011 Armed Forces Day is especially significant to the community of Ridgecrest because this year marks two significant anniversaries for NAWS China Lake and the United States. This year marks the centennial anniversary of Naval Aviation. In this anniversary, the Navy will be commemorating 100 years of Naval Aviation and honoring a century of mission-ready men and women and their many aviation achievements. Additionally, this year is significant for veterans of World War II because it will mark the 70th anniversary of our Nation's entry into that war.

There have been many significant achievements by the scientists and engineers at China Lake. For example, they developed the air-intercept missile 9 Sidewinder in 1950. This has become the world's most used air-to-air missile technology. Additionally, other rockets and missiles developed or tested at China Lake include the Mighty Mouse, Zuni, Shrike, Joint Stand-off Weapon and Joint Direct-Attack Munition.

Considering these two significant anniversaries and their importance to the City of Ridgecrest it gives me great pleasure to recognize the Ridgecrest community and their efforts there to pay tribute to the dedicated men and women who devote their lives to military service.

Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by first thanking the chairman of the Budget Committee, Mr. Ryan, and the entire Budget staff. I would also like to thank the Democrat members on the Budget Committee as well.

What we are taking up today is the point of where this country goes. Because this debate has gone on for quite some time, there is probably not one person in America that has not watched the news and watched the clock of our debt of $14 trillion.

I want you all to imagine for one moment, just imagine for one moment, what the future of this country would hold in the dreams if that clock was zero. What could we invest in? What could we build? And what would our

children become? But because that clock does not say zero and that clock continues to climb in the wrong direction, that's why we are here today. But it is a good day because today is the day that we turn that clock back around.

We have a plan and a Path to Prosperity that will create jobs--even those on the outside that looked at it said there will be more than 1 million jobs, a plan that will make us energy independent, but also a plan that does something the rest of America has to do as well: tighten our belts.

So today, when we come and have to put our card in the voting slot, I want you to think of one thing: Today could be the day that we create the great America comeback, or it could be the day that America goes into the long fade into history. The floor is made up of a microcosm of America, and all of America knows that we have to control the situation we are in.

So today, a ``yes'' vote is for jobs, for energy independence, and a new Path to Prosperity.

Announcement by the Acting Chair

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Robert Otis ``Bob'' Price, a dedicated community leader and friend who passed away on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, at the age of 79. Bob was a family man committed to public service who always looked to give back to our community, our State, and our Nation.

Bob was born in Abilene, Kansas on January 4, 1932 and moved with his family to San Luis Obispo in 1937. The Price family eventually moved to Bakersfield in 1947 where he graduated from Kern County Union High School (now Bakersfield High School) in 1949. In 1952, Bob was drafted by the U.S. Army and became a Mess Sergeant in the 5th Army.

After being honorably discharged from active duty, Bob returned to Bakersfield. His career at the Bakersfield Police Department soon began after a police sergeant from church suggested that he apply. This recommendation set up his successful 32-year career with the Department. Bob spent his first 30 days in ``rookie school,'' as it was called, and was quickly promoted to ``motor cop.'' According to his family, Bob loved being a motorcycle cop and according to him he ``had a motor in (his) garage when (he) made Chief of Police.'' Bob rose through the ranks having made Sergeant in 1964, Lieutenant in 1966, Captain in 1970, and eventually Chief of Police in 1973. He retired in 1988 after 15 years as chief.

He was elected Mayor of the City of Bakersfield in 1992 and he spent eight successful years in office before his second term ended in 2001. Bob worked to help Bakersfield continue to prosper during this time by working on projects like the Centennial Garden arena, the downtown streetscape, and the restoration of the Fox Theatre.

During the final years of his life, Bob still worked to help his community. Bob helped me by serving as district coordinator in my California State Assembly office when I was first elected. Then in 2009, Bob saw that the Bakersfield Police Department was overcrowded because the department was understaffed and, as was always his way, Bob found a solution. He started a program to bring in retired police department staff to help with all of the paperwork.

Bob loyally served his community in a distinguished career. He was a strong, genuine, straight talking leader and he will be dearly missed. Additionally, he will always be remembered as a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. Bob and his first wife Dorothy, who had a long battle with cancer, had two sons Fred and Donald.

Bob is survived by his wife, Sandi and his son, Fred, his grandchildren, Erin and Robert, and Sandi's daughter Kim and her husband Jim, and their children Audrey, Robert, and Lauren. His life was devoted to serving his community. He will be remembered as a man of deep faith, a strong leader, and a role model who remains respected by many.