Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ross Macciocco, who will be recognized as the Italian Man of the Year by the Lackawanna Columbus Day Association as they celebrate the 525th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of America.

Ross is the son of the late Joseph and Julia Paris Macciocco and grew up on Cabrini Avenue in West Scranton. Ross is a graduate of West Scranton High School, Keystone Junior College, and East Stroudsburg University. Ross received his Bachelor's Degree in Health and Physical Education in 1972. After graduating from East Stroudsburg, Ross was hired to coach basketball by the Dunmore School District.

Ross began his coaching career at Dunmore High School in the 1980- 1981 season and spent 28 seasons as Head Girls Basketball Coach. Over his tenure, Ross compiled 528 wins, 12 league championships, 7 District II Titles, and was runner-up in the 1994 State Championship. He coached three All-State players, and 24 of his players went on to compete at the collegiate level.

Ross then went on to be head coach for Scranton Preparatory School girls basketball team, where he spent 6 seasons. While at Scranton Prep he amassed 132 wins, three League Championship, one District Title, two Lynett Tournament Titles, and two AAA Elite 8 appearances. His Scranton Prep teams have had two All-State players and 10 former players went on to play college basketball.

Ross coached the Keystone State Games, Pocono Region Team in 1985- 1986 and is a member of the Russell/WBCA 400-500 Victory Club. He was inducted in the Chic Feldman Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Local Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 2005. He spent the 2016-2017 season as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Marywood University and is currently the Boys' Varsity Assistant to Joe Ferguson at Stroudsburg High School.

Ross has been married to his wife Terry for 42 years. They reside in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. They have two daughters Tara and Jenna and three grandchildren Lucas, Mollie, and Jaxon.

It is an honor to recognize Ross as he accepts the Italian Man of the Year award by the Lackawanna Columbus Day Association. I am grateful for all the work he has done to help our young athletes strive for excellence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Avenues' 65th anniversary, which will be celebrated on September 28, 2017. For over six decades, Avenues has served disabled Pennsylvanians throughout Schuylkill, Carbon, Northumberland, Lebanon and Luzerne Counties.

Avenues was originally founded as United Cerebral Palsy of Schuylkill County in 1952 by a group of sixty parents whose children had special needs. The group's prime focus was addressing the lack of local medical care and educational services for their children. On September 12, 1952, the founders filed an application for a charter to become a member of United Cerebral Palsy. The organization was incorporated in November that year as United Cerebral Palsy of Schuylkill County.

Today, Avenues is responsible for planning, promoting and assisting the establishment, maintenance and operation of training centers or clinics for the education, social and physical betterment of those with Cerebral Palsy and similar disorders. Its aid has supported a wide array of research in the prevention and treatment of developmental disabilities and handicaps. It sponsors various educational campaigns for the general public to raise awareness about the requirements of and problems facing special-needs clinics. Avenues is a great wealth of information to its clients and their parents, families and friends.

It is an honor to recognize Avenues as it celebrates its 65th anniversary. I am grateful for the assistance it provides to people across its service area which includes Counties in my congressional district. May its staff and volunteers be able to continue their work helping Pennsylvanians with disabilities for many, many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Patrolman Linford Rodway of the Blakely Police Department who fell in the line of duty 50 years ago this year. Patrolman Rodway was an outstanding police officer, son, father, husband, and friend who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the residents of Blakely Borough.

On June 24, 1967, the residents of Blakely Borough were celebrating their centennial year with a festive parade. Patrolman Rodway was one of several officers who were assigned to conduct traffic control during the parade and protect those attending the celebration.

That evening, Patrolman Rodway responded to a disturbance along the parade route. Patrolman Rodway along with other officers were able to resolve the conflict and returned to headquarters shortly thereafter. Once Patrolman Rodway was inside the station, he suddenly felt ill. His other officers caught him before he collapsed and quickly called an ambulance. Patrolman Rodway was rushed to Mid-Valley Hospital. Medical staff did all they could, however the heart attack Patrolman Rodway suffered that day was fatal.

It is an honor to recognize Patrolman Linford Rodway's service to the community of Blakely Borough all those years ago. I am grateful to him for his sacrifice, and I thank all of the first responders who tried their best to save his life that night. May his memory serve as a reminder of duty and loyalty to all members of law enforcement who protect and serve our communities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the late Specialist Dale Kridlo, who gave his life in defense of his county in Afghanistan. On September 24, 2017, the Fort Jenkins Bridge in Pittston, Pennsylvania will be renamed in honor of Dale.

Dale was born on March 27, 1977 to Albert Kridlo and Michelle Shymanski Dale in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was a graduate of Pittston Area High School and a former member of Holy Rosary Church in Duryea. Before enlisting in the Army, he worked as a local painting contractor. Specialist Kridlo was assigned to the 27th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, 18th Airborne Corps in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

On November 7, 2010, Specialist Kridlo died serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Specialist Kridlo sustained wounds from small arms fire when his unit was attacked in Afghanistan's Kunar Province. For his military service, Specialist Kridlo was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. Today, he rests in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

It is an honor to recognize Specialist Dale Kridlo. I am deeply grateful to him and all our brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. May we never forget the cost Dale bore on our behalf.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, to protect Pennsylvania DREAMers like Jazmin here, who aspires to become an attorney.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 40th Anniversary of McDade Park, which will be celebrated on Monday, July 31, 2017. For four decades McDade Park has been an important part of Lackawanna County, providing residents and visitors with a place to have fun and enjoy the beauty and history of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Since 1977, McDade Park has offered services and recreational amenities for everyone. The park's 180 acres include several sports fields utilized by athletes of all ages while nature lovers enjoy the park's hiking trail and ponds for fishing. Programs such as youth soccer, women's golf, children's fishing derbies, and many others bring people together for some friendly competition. More recently, McDade Park has taken great strides to become more accessible to people of all needs. The Boundless Playground is a special structure added in 2009 which contains wheelchair-accessible slides and special sensory areas that allows children of all needs and abilities to have fun.

McDade Park has also helped bring past and present together by commemorating Lackawanna County's history. The Lackawanna Coal Mine tour, Pennsylvania Anthracite Museum, and Miner's Memorial are located at the park to preserve Lackawanna County's rich industrial past. The coal mine tour allows visitors to descend 300 feet underground via a mine car to explore a restored anthracite coal mine. In addition to the mine tour, McDade Park is home to memorials dedicated to honor Cancer Survivors and to commemorate the September 11, 2001 attacks on our country.

It is an honor to recognize McDade Park as it celebrates its 40th Anniversary. May the people of Lackawanna County continue to enjoy the beauty and history that McDade Park offers for many, many years to come.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that would prohibit the Department of Defense from conducting what is called new A-76 studies. I offer this amendment on behalf of myself, as well as Mr. Cole of Oklahoma, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mr. Bishop of Utah, Mr. Donovan of New York, Mr. Cook of California, Mr. Ratcliffe of Texas, Mr. Loebsack of Iowa, Mr. Kilmer of Washington, Ms. Shea-Porter of New Hampshire, and Mr. Beyer of Virginia.

These flawed A-76 studies are relying on a process that both the GAO and the inspector general of the Department of Defense determined could not demonstrate any savings to the American taxpayer. That is why A-76 studies have been subject to a congressional moratorium since 2010. The amendment I am offering today would continue that moratorium.

The fundamental flaw inherent in the A-76 process is the erroneous underlying methodology used to determine whether or not Federal civilian jobs would be outsourced. 2003 was the last time this process was updated.

Mr. Chairman, the inspector general's report notes that it simply fails to keep track of costs and savings. It has no anchor in reality, and incorporates an arbitrary 12 percent overhead factor cost for Federal employees as opposed to contractors.

The inspector general concluded that: ``. . . multimillion-dollar decisions are based, in part, on a factor not supported by data . . . Unless DOD develops a supportable rate or an alternative method to calculate a fair and reasonable rate, the results of future competitions will be questionable.''

Decisions involving taxpayer money should never be based on such a faulty process, especially when American jobs are at risk as well.

We are debating the appropriation of hundreds of billions of dollars, the lion's share of our country's discretionary spending. This is as it should be. We should spare no expense to provide the best care for our veterans. We should not haggle over the national defense, but when we spend this much money, we have a responsibility to do it carefully and based on actual data.

As legislators, we should exercise care to ensure that we represent the interests of our constituents as well as possible. A flawed process based on pseudocalculations has no basis, no place in that reputation.

Ultimately, the A-76 process uses faulty, antiquated methodology to determine whether Federal civilian jobs should be outsourced, a matter we simply cannot approach so haphazardly. Both the GAO and the inspector general of the DOD concluded the process could not demonstrate any savings for the American taxpayer. This A-76 process is outdated, antiquated, and simply not anchored in reality.

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

Mr. Chairman, this body owes a duty to our warfighters, a duty to the taxpayers, and a duty to the civilian workforce. Allowing these flawed A-76 studies to move forward, it really is a breach to all three groups.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, to maintain the moratorium currently in place on these A-76 studies and protect our military readiness from a process in desperate need of radical revision.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation, which celebrated its 50th anniversary on July 19. For 50 years, the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation has worked with individuals, businesses, and professional advisors to help nonprofit organizations and residents in Schuylkill County.

On January 16, 1967, the Schuylkill Community Foundation was established as Ashland Trust by founding members Frederick T. Kull, Wesley T. Fetterolf, Harry Strouse, and Emil R. Ermert. In 1997, Ashland Trusts was renamed the Schuylkill Area Community Foundation as it expanded its operations to include all of Schuylkill County. Its mission is to serve the interests of its philanthropic donors and to be stewards of the financial gifts that support the community in a wide variety of ways.

The Schuylkill Area Community Foundation envisions a county that embraces philanthropy to sustain generations today and tomorrow. Today, the Schuylkill Community Foundation develops, manages, and distributes aid to meet the present and coming needs of the county's residents. It currently manages 162 charitable endowment funds that vary in interests and causes. Supporters of all kinds find that working with the Foundation is an ideal way for them to give back to their community.

It is an honor to recognize the Schuylkill Community Foundation as it celebrates its 50th year of service to the people of Schuylkill County. May the Foundation continue to assist in the cultivation of a better life in the county for many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, there is one thing about us Americans that separates us from the rest of the world: we have a Bill of Rights in this country, and it includes the Seventh Amendment, and my colleague, Mr. McEachin, just mentioned it, the Seventh Amendment: the right of trial by jury shall be preserved. It is what makes us Americans.

And watch out. When you hear them attacking legal fees and lawyers making money, that means they are attacking your rights. They are trying to take them away.

For too long, big banks have gotten away with taking advantage of their customers, from fake accounts to subprime mortgages. American consumers have suffered a great deal of harm at the hands of Wall Street, and now we have a rule that will help consumers fight back. It is a rule from the Consumer Bureau that fixes a flaw in the judicial system that keeps victims from accessing justice by banding together with class actions.

Don't let them take your rights away. Let's fight this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed.

Mr. Speaker, the Ozone Act, or perhaps more accurately, the ``Smoggy Skies Act,'' will put our communities at risk and dangerously harm public health. The delays and exemptions in this act are unprecedented. They will cut critical portions of the Clean Air Act to the detriment of our Nation and our people's health.

This motion to recommit is simple. If the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which is an independent group of nationally recognized experts, if they believe that this act will increase asthma attacks, increase emergency room visits, increase pre-term births, increase impaired fetal growth, lead to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, premature death, then the act will not go into effect.

Now I ask, what is more important or fundamental as the representatives of the people than to ensure that our actions do not bring harm to the American people? How can we go home to our constituents and look a mother in the eye and say we voted for something that could make her child sick? How can we visit a school if we voted for something that could spike rates of asthma?

We originally passed the bipartisan Clean Air Act to protect the health of our people. As we vote to partially dismantle it today, at least we should ensure scientists certify that we are doing no harm to the American people.

Some of my colleagues may vote against this motion to recommit because they already know this act will have a devastating impact on the American people's health. Plain and simple, ozone is a pollutant. It is the leading component of smog. It causes chest pain, shortness of breath, respiratory infections, asthma attacks, acute bronchitis, and even premature death.

Smog is linked to 16,000 preterm births per year. Exposure to ozone in the womb and in childhood causes permanent lung damage. The new ozone standards could prevent 230,000 childhood asthma attacks per year. Delaying implementation of the new ozone standards will only sentence more and more children to lifelong lung disease.

When setting the new ozone standards, the EPA used the best available science and reviewed hundreds of studies on the negative health effects of ozone. One conclusion was clear: the current standards do not protect the American people.

My Republican colleagues here recently passed legislation that would have taken healthcare away from 22 million people. Now we are considering a bill that would make our Nation sicker, a bill that would hurt our most vulnerable: babies, infants, schoolchildren, the elderly.

For good reasons, this bill is opposed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and many, many more. These experts know that this bill is nothing more than a recipe for increased sickness and more suffering.

We know that people are being harmed by ozone. We have a duty to our citizens to raise the bar and protect their health. This is the people's House. We are here to protect the people. We are here to fight for the most vulnerable among us and not to represent special interests. We need to be the body to promote health, not take away healthcare. We need to fight for kids, not make them sick. We need to clean our air, not protect polluters.

Mr. Speaker, support this amendment and make sure this bill is not the health catastrophe all the experts know that it is.

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

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, here we are dealing with some amount of irony with H.R. 1215. The year 1215 was the year the Magna Carta was signed, something that created the seeds of the American right to jury trial, for Heaven's sake.

You know, we were pleased to hear Representative Duncan from Tennessee say: ``Conservatives believe strongly in the jury system.'' And I do, too, and Americans do, too. Our Founding Fathers believed in it.

Here in America, where we trust juries to decide life and death for criminal defendants, why wouldn't we trust them to set a proper and fair dollar amount on a malpractice case?

By definition, these are meritorious cases, cases where there was actual negligence, actual recklessness, actual intentional harm by healthcare providers or nursing homes.

But maybe most importantly, none of us, nary a soul in this House would deny that standing up for veterans and our military families is a core value for all of us. This is a bill that prevents accountability for harm done to military and veterans of the VA system.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Tom Pellegrini on the occasion of his retirement from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance after forty years of service. NEPA Alliance is a regional community and economic development agency that assists businesses and organizations with financial and non-financial resources and solutions to help them grow and succeed. NEPA Alliance's work in Northeastern Pennsylvania has been invaluable.

Tom is a graduate of King's College, holding a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Government and Politics, and he also completed additional coursework in Business Administration. He has been the driving force behind hundreds of grants during his time at the NEPA Alliance. Tom's work has aided numerous economic development agencies, non-profits, colleges, and universities.

Over his stellar career, Tom has been a member of the Luzerne County Business Incubator Center Advisory Board, the Scranton/Lackawanna Labor Management Council Board, and has served as the Campaign Coordinator for the United Way.

Tom resides in Exeter with his wife. He has three children and is also a grandfather. Tom is an avid sports fan and has enjoyed coaching in a number of student basketball leagues as well as the Exeter Lions Little League.

On behalf of the entire political leadership of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I recognize Tom for his years of service working with government agencies to secure funding for key projects in the region. Tom has been a great resource to the community; he will be missed in a well-deserved retirement, and we all wish him the best.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the leadership and Chairman Upton for bringing this bill up under suspension today, and I thank the gentlewoman from Colorado for yielding me the time.

I thank the entire Energy and Commerce Committee, which, once again, voted unanimously in committee in favor of this bill--a bill that has passed the House twice under suspension in each of the past two Congresses. Both times it passed during the final days of the Congress, and the Senate did not have a chance to take the bill up. I am glad the House is considering it now in plenty of time for the Senate to consider it and act.

I would also thank Congressman Peter Welch from Vermont for his leadership on the bill. It is no secret that he is one of the great champions in the House on the issue of energy efficiency, and it has been my pleasure to work with him.

Mr. Speaker, so many schools across the country are in need of upgrades and improvements to their facilities. In its most recent 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the condition of our Nation's schools a grade of D-plus.

As school administrators undertake badly needed improvements, they have an opportunity to substantially improve their facilities' energy efficiency, producing benefits for both the environment and the economy. In reducing their energy bills, schools can put the savings to use on other educational priorities.

According to the EPA and the Department of Energy, K-12 school districts nationwide spend approximately $8 billion on their energy bills every year--second only to personnel costs--exceeding the costs of textbooks and supplies. An estimated $2 billion of that cost could be saved by improving energy efficiency, an amount that could pay for, for example, 40 million textbooks.

Energy expenses are one of the few costs that can be reduced while at the same time improving classroom instruction. In fact, high- performance schools can lower a school district's operating costs by up to 30 percent.

There are numerous Federal initiatives already available to schools to help them become more energy efficient, but these programs are spread across the Federal Government, making it challenging, time consuming, and costly for schools to identify and take full advantage of these programs.

In addition, schools can use several different general purpose programs for energy efficiency projects if they know how to locate and apply for them.

Introduced in the Senate as S. 383 by Senator Susan Collins, this bipartisan Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act aims to provide a coordinating structure for busy school administrators to help them better navigate available Federal programs and financing options.

This legislation does not spend an additional dime and keeps its decisionmaking authority with the States, the school boards, and local officials.

This bill establishes a clearinghouse through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which will disseminate information on Federal programs and financing mechanisms that may be used to develop energy efficiency, distributed generation, and energy retrofitting projects for schools.

The bill also directs the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to coordinate with Federal agencies and develop an outreach effort to streamline communications and promote available Federal programs. Such outreach may include a single website where school officials can learn more about the relevant programs.

Overburdened school administrators should not have to spend hours and hours wading through the Federal bureaucracy as they look for ways to improve energy efficiency. This commonsense legislation will ensure that schools can more easily take advantage of existing energy efficiency programs.

It is a strategic and cost-saving investment to relieve the fiscal pressure felt by school districts across the country, supported by overburdened homeowners, while bringing us closer to energy security in America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

Mr. Chairman, my colleagues have already done a good job of talking in great detail about why this bill is really a festival of bad choices, of wrong choices for America, but I want to focus on one issue in particular: executive pay.

This ``Wrong'' CHOICE Act actually takes away provisions that rein in irresponsible pay to executives, the very people who decide decisions that get us into this entire mess in the first place.

Number one, this bill eliminates a rule barring incentive-based executive pay that encourages ``inappropriate risks.'' It puts the average American in danger of having to pay for another bank bailout. Giving out bonuses for putting our national financial stability at risk is flat wrong.

Number two, it eliminates a requirement for corporations to disclose how their CEO's pay compares to the average employee's salary. This bill eliminates transparency.

And number three, if you can believe it, this bill even abolishes a rule requiring companies to disclose whether executives and board directors are allowed to bet against their own stock. This bill takes us back to the days of Enron.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this irresponsible legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Michael Lombardo. Michael will receive the Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award from Leadership Wilkes-Barre on June 8. Leadership Wilkes-Barre is a local development company that provides future leaders with the resources they need to be successful members of the community. The Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award is awarded annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding community leadership and service to neighbors.

Michael is a graduate of Bucknell University and holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Master's Degree in School Psychology and Counseling. He currently works at Quad Three Group, Inc., an architectural engineering and environmental science firm, as the Director of Business Development & Marketing. Michael served as the mayor of Pittston from 1998 to 2006. He was later appointed to Pittston's Redevelopment Authority Board. Michael also serves on the boards of Leadership Wilkes-Barre and the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce. He has served as the Vice Chair of the Pittston Festival Association for the past 19 years.

Michael resides in Pittston with his wife, Susan. They are the proud parents of twin daughters, Catherine and Kristen. They are parishioners of St. John the Evangelist Church, where Michael is a lector. He is also a Fourth Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus.

It is an honor to recognize Michael as he receives the Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award from Leadership Wilkes-Barre. May he continue serving as a guiding force in Northeastern Pennsylvania.