Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to an ongoing employment challenge facing our Nation's veterans. When I go back home to Oklahoma, I speak with a lot of local veterans who can't find jobs.

It is unfortunate because these men and women are some of the hardest-working individuals you will ever find. I know because I have hired veterans in my private sector business, and I currently have two congressional team members who are veterans.

So I can tell you they are motivated and they are ready to work, but we must remember that serving our Nation is no easy task, and these men and women are facing transitional challenges. On top of that, our wounded warriors battle a whole host of adversities, but with the right training, I have seen our veterans do amazing things.

In my district, companies like Baker Hughes--one of the world's largest oil field service companies--are training and hiring veterans and seeing tremendous results.

So I stand here today to encourage both the private and public sector to come together to give our Nation's heroes a fighting chance for their incredible service to this great Nation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation that aims to help out one of my local tribes, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. I was approached by Chief Lankford, and at his request, I crafted this bill to remove an inoperable financial charter of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma's. The bill is needed because these charters can only be revoked through an act of Congress.

The tribe has said that this outdated charter often hinders business and economic development. It imposes restrictions on the operation of business activities that are unrealistic in today's business environment. My bill removes the charter and those unneeded barriers for business for this tribe. I ask all of my colleagues to support this.

Mr. Speaker, for Oklahoma our water navigational system is an essential part of our economy, allowing our local farmers and manufactures to ship goods all over the world.

This legislation with zero earmarks takes a historical step in supporting our Nation's waterway systems while making critical policy reforms. This bill does exactly what I came to Congress to do. It cuts red tape, reduces burdensome bureaucracy, increases transparency, and, most importantly, strengthens our economy.

Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member Rahall have done an incredible job in helping shape this bipartisan legislation. I want to thank them and the rest of my colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for their hard work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Chandler and Maria Smith on the birth of their daughter, Rosslyn Marie Smith.

When my wife and I were married sixteen years ago, Chandler was our ring bearer. His family is very special, and I have been close to his parents for years.

Chandler graduated Basic Training on December 13, 2013 as a Private First Class, and graduated from the Infantry Training Battalion on April 1, 2014. It's my privilege to honor him for becoming a father.

Rosslyn Marie Smith was born on December 28, 2013. She and her mother, Maria, are both healthy, and their family is currently stationed at the United States Marine Base in Camp Pendleton, California. I thank Chandler for his service and his commitment to our country. I wish him and Maria all the best as they watch their daughter grow.

I ask my colleagues to join me, Chandler, and Maria in celebrating Rosslyn Marie Smith's birth, and look forward for the many years of happiness for their family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk tax. Every year, Americans approach April 15 with a dread as they are reminded of just how burdensome our tax structure really is.

But there is a group of Americans that have been focused on taxes long before April 15 arises, and that is our small businesses, the backbone of our economy. While individuals prepare their taxes once a year, business owners have a different story to tell.

By the time July arrives, my companies have prepared taxes four times. With hours spent on tax preparation and regulation compliance, small businesses are missing prime opportunities to focus their energy on business expansion and job creation.

Over the past year, I have heard a recurring message from small businesses across this country: Taxes and overregulation are killing our businesses.

At what point, Mr. Speaker, will this administration listen to the business owners of America?

The success of small businesses sets the tone for our Nation's economy, and

it is my hope that their countless stories will soon be heard.

I would like to thank my colleague from Arkansas for bringing this to the people's attention.

Madam Speaker, it is almost funny. The President wants to take something that is the heartbeat of America--and that is our work ethic--and redefine it by saying that 30 hours is considered full time now. What are we teaching the generations that are coming behind us if we say you can work less and still be considered full time?

The backbone of this country was created by entrepreneurs and individuals that got up and worked hard, worked long hours, and they did what it took to be successful.

Now, this President has given the generation coming behind us, which is my five kids, and redefining what is called full time by saying it is okay to work 30 hours because it is convenient to a piece of legislation that is bankrupting this country called ObamaCare.

Now, what is it that we are really trying to teach this generation? Are we trying to teach this generation that staying home and working fewer hours is okay?

My colleagues on the opposite side stood up and said that it is good for people to work less hours because they can spend more time at home, but yet the people this is going to affect want to work more. They are trying to pull themselves out of the situations they are in.

My goal as a father is to teach my kids the value of work. We want to make sure our kids get a great education. I get that. But what is an education without a work ethic?

And yet this administration, the one that is trying to say they are going to protect the youth, is making excuses and excuses and excuses for them to sit home and be okay with 30 hours a week.

Being okay isn't what drove this country to be the greatest country in the world. We are better than okay. We are above being okay. We are the best, and it is because of our work ethic. This shouldn't be used as a political ploy by this President.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my constituent, Mr. Arthur J. Filkins, Jr., who will celebrate his 90th birthday on April 10th, 2014.

Larry Filkins is a World War II veteran, and I cannot thank him enough for his strength of character, his service to our country, and his patriotism.

He was a combat medic with the 3rd Armored Division, First Army. He landed on Omaha Beach three weeks after D-Day, endured the bitter cold of the Battle of the Bulge, and pressed on to Germany.

At age 18, Mr. Filkins was an Army private. At war's end, he came home, age 21 and a Sergeant. He is an example to those who will follow in his footsteps, and it is a privilege to be a part of thanking him and acknowledging him. He is the kind of person who makes Oklahoma great. I am fortunate to be able to represent him, and I wish him all the best on his 90th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues join me in celebrating Mr. Arthur J. Filkins, Jr.'s 90th birthday, and the many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, time and time again, we have been reassured by this administration that ObamaCare is working, but when I talk to my constituents in Oklahoma's Second District, this is not the case. When I read the news headlines and discover yet another delay in ObamaCare, this is not the case.

Even this week, this administration was unable to provide--you know, I am up here, and I am reading talking points to you that you have heard over and over and over again, and yet we all know that ObamaCare is an absolute failure.

We all know that. The media knows that. This President knows that; and yet, he continues to force it down the throat of the American people, just because it is his signature piece of legislation.

What is sad is that this is just one of many things that has made this President and his administration an absolute failure. What is unfortunate is the American people are the ones that are having to pay for his mistakes. I, for one, have had enough.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the table.

Madam Chair, protecting the rights of the sovereign tribes is a top priority of mine, and I am proud to work with Congressman Tipton in supporting the Water Rights Protection Act and offering this amendment to clarify protections for the water rights of American Indian tribes. Many tribes rely on reserved water rights and water rights guaranteed by treaty to provide critical water supplies for their people. This amendment makes clear that these water rights are fully protected.

This amendment also ensures that the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture can't use one-sided permits, licenses, approvals, and other land management tools to take water from Indian tribes without just compensation. American Indian tribes have a distinguished record of being outstanding stewards of their water supplies and should never have to fear forfeiture of their water rights to the Federal Government. By prohibiting these Federal agencies from using heavy-handed tactics to take Indian water rights, we can proactively protect tribes from the potential Federal water grabs.

Taken together, H.R. 3189 and this amendment provide comprehensive water rights protections for all water users and help ensure the water supply certainty and jobs that are dependent on those rights.

I thank the chairman and urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Washington, Chairman Hastings.

In Indian country, we have learned that we can never just take something that the Federal Government says and take it as truth. We have to always verify. This is simply trying to clarify that the Federal Government has no rights to come onto the Indian land and tell us how we can and can't use our water. This is just simply saying, look, we have the rights; the treaties say we have the rights, and we want to make sure that the Federal Government doesn't come in and grab our water rights. There should be zero opposition to this. There should be bipartisan support.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank Mr. James Lankford from Oklahoma. What a wonderful colleague you are. You are absolutely correct, and the only reason I stand in front of you today is truly the biggest threat I had as a business owner, from a gentleman who literally had the opportunity to have a very small company and see how the Lord can bless it and take it until now we employ over 120 people across the State of Oklahoma, when I woke up one day and realized that the biggest threat I have to my company is the Federal Government, that is a sad reality.

You are absolutely correct. It is ridiculous to sit and think we have to ask Washington, D.C., for permission to be able to hire. They literally regulate who we can hire and how we can fire them. We don't ever want to fire an employee, but the truth is sometimes you have to move on. The relationship doesn't work, and yet you are told how you have to do that.

As a business owner, we want to hire the best people and keep the best people. That is how we grow the company. But at the end of day when we have to constantly ask permission how we do our job, can we do our job this way, are we allowed to grow the company, are we allowed to complete it, what agencies do we have to go through just to get a permit to do something that needs to be accomplished, it gets out of hand. We woke up one day and we realized we were spending 40 cents out of every dollar that comes into our company to simply comply with a mandate or a regulation coming down from the government. Forty cents out of every dollar.

I was questioned one time on an interview. They said, How is that possible? Aren't you including taxes?

I said: No, this doesn't include taxes.

The person said I don't believe what you are saying, and I challenge you.

I told them, just walk the halls with me in my office, and you will go past a compliance office, you will go past a payroll department, which is strongly regulated. You will go by an H.R. department that is strongly regulated, and so on and so on. I said you will be shocked how much we spend on payroll just to meet those certain mandates and those regulations.

It is literally laughable when you have people up here in Washington, D.C., get up and say they got a job package. If they were really that good at creating jobs, why didn't they do it before they got here? The truth is they don't know because if they did, the only thing they would have to do is start reining in the regulations. At the end of the day, is America the land of opportunity because right now if Washington, D.C., if the Federal Government continues to overregulate, the opportunities and the entrepreneurial spirit that exists in America is no longer going to exist.

I would like to thank the gentleman for bringing this to our attention and taking the time and your time to say hey, enough is enough.

I thank the chairman for this opportunity to speak on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today out of concern for thousands of Americans struggling to heat their homes this winter. The bitter cold has caused an unwelcome rise in heating costs that has resulted in smaller paychecks and financial strain for individuals and organizations across Oklahoma's Second District.

Money is not going as far, especially among low-income families that already find themselves under tight budgets.

Areas that are in dire need of propane to heat their homes are left out in the cold--literally--due to a lack of adequate infrastructure. It is critical that we pass today's HHEATT Act to ensure the issues with heating fuel transportation and distribution are resolved and that relief is finally available.

Fuel costs aren't just numbers on a page. They are factors that critically impact our neighbors, our families, and our friends. The fact is we have a responsibility to maintain our Nation's public safety.

I urge my colleagues to remember your fellow Americans today and help pass this commonsense solution that will provide certainty and will quickly address a critical need.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize my constituent, Mrs. Wilma Green, who celebrated her 100th birthday on February 12, 2014.

Mrs. Green is an Oklahoma native. Her father, Neely Factory, was a Deputy United States Marshall. She has been and continues to be an inspiration to all of her family and friends.

She has been an active member of the community for her entire life, a foster mother to many, and a trusted child caretaker for working parents. She has also received numerous community and religious awards.

Mrs. Green is the kind of person who makes Oklahoma great. I am fortunate to be able to represent her, and I wish her all the best on this special day.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues join me in celebrating Mrs. Wilma Green's 100th birthday, and the many years to come.

I would like to thank the gentlelady from Missouri.

Mr. Speaker, this is something that is very near and dear to my heart. The only reason I stand in front of you is that I realized one day that the biggest threat that I had to my family business was the Federal Government from its overregulation. I woke up one day and realized that I was literally spending 40 cents on every dollar that came into our company to simply comply with different mandates and regulations that came down from this area.

I never dreamed I would ever stand up here one day as a Congressman. It was never a thought. I never even owned a suit until after I won the election. My family is strongly rooted in entrepreneurs--from farming to plumbing, all the way to banking--and we understand regulation well, but the biggest threat we have to this economy is overreaching regulation.

Let me share just a real quick story. My uncle, Darryle Mullin, is from Clearfork, Oklahoma, a big metropolitan area I am sure everybody around here has heard of. It is the same place he was born and raised, the same place my dad and his brothers and sisters were born and raised. He has been raising chickens there since 1971. For 42 years, he has raised chickens. He raised a family by raising chickens and farming.

The EPA came in and started fining people on little, silly stuff, including feathers. Fining poultry growers, chicken farmers, on feathers.

Now you are going to tell me that in a place where my Uncle Darryle grew up his entire life, he doesn't have pride on the land that he lives on? You are telling me people that never stepped foot in Oklahoma, and probably never on a farm, but they are up here in D.C., know how to manage our land better than we know how to manage our land?

I find it a joke. It is embarrassing, and they should be embarrassed. Because they are going to kill the entrepreneur spirit. They are going to run small farmers out of business.

2013 was the last batch of chickens my Uncle Darryle got. It wasn't because of his health. It wasn't because he didn't want to still manage it. He just got to the point where it wasn't profitable for him to be able to do it anymore. Rather than doing what he loves, he was spending his time trying to comply with mandates that the EPA is putting down on small farmers all over the country.

What we are seeing is these small farmers have raised families, and they were raised on the same farm. Generations of farmers are starting to have to sell out. Large corporations that have more people to balance the pay, to balance the cost around, are having to come in and take the spot of these small farmers that started the same way my uncle did.

Now you tell me, what good are they doing? Are they helping America? No. They are killing the entrepreneur spirit of America. They are costing us jobs. They are taking away our life. They are ruining families.

This country was built on the backs of farmers. The work ethic that we

have as Americans came from the farming community. We get up every day, we pull our boots on, we go to work, and we take pride because we accomplish something that no one else can accomplish--and we did it that day.

We overcome challenges every day. More and more challenges we overcome. It is something we take pride in. You can't tell us we can't do a job. We are the only one that can tell us we can't.

But one challenge we haven't been able to get over--and that is right here in Washington, D.C.--is bureaucrats that get up every day and try to tell us how to live our lives. Yet we survived all these years without them.

As I stand in front of the gentlelady from Missouri today, the EPA is the biggest threat we have to this country right now. They are the biggest threat we have to our way of life right now. They are doing nothing but costing us jobs by trying to say they are saving us from ourselves. It is embarrassing, but I am sure glad I am up here standing in front of you today to fight for our way of life.

I would like to thank the gentlelady from Missouri for giving me this time and the opportunity to stand in front of you. Thank you for exposing the EPA for what they are instead of what they hide behind.

Madam Speaker, I would like to call attention to recent remarks made by Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. Regarding document requests submitted by the Natural Resources Committee, the Secretary gave excuses as to why it was inconvenient for her agency to comply with these requests and allow Congress to fulfill its duty in providing oversight to Federal agencies.

I serve on the Natural Resources Committee, and the document requests submitted concerned Federal regulations burdening this Nation. The Secretary noted that going through these documents was a waste of time and money for her agency.

Yet Congress is charged with keeping an agency like the Department of the Interior accountable because we are all, in turn, held accountable to the American taxpayer. We want answers to these regulation questions.

A battle is being waged in our country between an increasingly overbearing government and an increasingly burdened country of entrepreneurs. The struggle between regulation and innovation has tied the hands of many job creators.

The Federal Government must stop putting people out of business through regulation and help get our country back to work.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the American Dream. Our country is the land of entrepreneurs. We get up every morning, put our boots on, and go to work. Americans should have the opportunity to have a good job and a good life rather than develop a life of dependency on unemployment.

As a business owner, I don't want my company to simply maintain the status

quo. In the business community, if you don't grow, you die. So why would we want to keep our country at the status quo?

If we only focus on maintaining our current unemployment structure and we don't focus on job creation, we simply are admitting we don't want to grow. The goal should be to provide a way forward for people, not keep them on government assistance even longer. We need to focus on ways to combat joblessness.

Let's rein in overreaching regulations that are killing jobs. Let's grow the private sector. Let's grow the energy sector, and let's approve the Keystone pipeline. The result will be the creation of private sector jobs and living above the status quo.