Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the long service of Mr. Bernard M. Luketich as National President of the Croatian Fraternal Union, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh.

Since its founding in 1894, the Croatian Fraternal Union has grown with the Croatian community in the United States. It is estimated that 30,000 Croatian Americans currently live in the Greater Pittsburgh area, and I am very happy to represent many of our local Croatian Americans in the U.S. Congress.

The Croatian Fraternal Union has provided much-needed insurance, investment, and social services for its members since its inception and has helped many Croatian Americans establish successful families and communities over the past 100+ years.

The Croatian Fraternal Union also ardently supported the Republic of Croatia's establishment as a stable democratic and free market-oriented nation-state as a result of the devolution of the Soviet Union and the Balkan Wars in the 1990s. The CFU was instrumental in developing American support as a founding member of and in steady concert with the National Federation of Croatian Americans for the new Republic's full accession into western multilateral organizations. This includes full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, in early 2009 and the European Union on July 1, 2013.

This year, Mr. Luketich was re-elected to serve his 35th year as President of the CFU, the largest and oldest Croatian American organization in the United States. I would like to congratulate Bernie for his 35 years of strong leadership as President of the Croatian Fraternal Union.

As we all know, the president of any organization cannot do it alone. It is important to also to note the contributions of his long-time senior staff at the Pittsburgh headquarters--Executive Assistant/Editor Lorraine Turkall, Secretary/Treasurer Ed Pazo, VP Franjo Bertovic, VP George Pavlecic, Editor Ivan Begg, and CFU Board of Trustees President Bernadette Luketich Sikaras.

Mr. Speaker, I submit a June 5th article on Bernie Luketich's career that appeared in the Croatian American community's premier ethnic newspaper, the ``Zajednicar.''

Mr. Speaker, congratulations again to Bernie for his steady leadership and service to his diaspora community and to our United States.

[From the Zajednicar, June 5, 2013]

Bernard M. Luketich--Celebrating 35 Years as National President of the

Croatian Fraternal Union of America

A record-setting milestone was achieved on June 1, 2013 as

CFU National President Bernard M. Luketich began his 35th

anniversary year serving as National President at the helm of

the Croatian Fraternal Union of America. Consecutively

elected as National President since the 1979 CFU National

Convention, President Luketich is currently serving his ninth

full term as president of the Society.

Prior to becoming National President on June 1, 1978,

Luketich had served as a Member of the Society's National

Administration in various capacities, beginning with his

election to the National Board of Trustees at the 1959 CFU

National Convention held at Detroit, Michigan.

The son of Emma and Ivan Luketic, Bernard Luketich was born

and raised in Cokeburg, Pennsylvania. His father, Ivan,

emigrated from the village of Zagorje, Ogulin, Croatia and

settled in Cokeburg where he found work in the Pennsylvania

coal mines. A coal miner himself in his youth, Bernard

Luketich carried his family values and love for his Croatian

ancestry to become a leader of the largest Croatian fraternal

organization outside of the old homeland.

Recognized as the ``Founding Father'' of the CFU Junior

Cultural Federation, President Luketich counts this youth

cultural program among his proudest achievements since it

perpetuates Croatian identity and heritage among CFU children

and young adults. In addition to the annual Junior Tamburitza

Festivals, President Luketich was further instrumental in

initiating the annual CFU Adult Tamburitza Festivals, both

cultural events which have flourished over the years to

promote Croatian tamburitza music throughout the United

States and Canada.

Interested in Croatian activities at a young age, Bernard

Luketich became a member of the Croatian Fraternal Union in

1932. He was elected President of his local CFU Lodge 354 at

Cokeburg, Pennsylvania at the age of 16 and has served in

that capacity since that time. Luketich established the St.

George Junior Tamburitzans of Lodge 354 in 1950 and later

organized the St. George Adult Tamburitzans of Lodge 354 in

which he currently participates as an active tamburitzan.

President Luketich has been the recipient of numerous

prestigious awards, including the Redom Hrvatskog Pletera in

1996, the Redom Danice Hrvatske s Likom Katarine Zrinske in

1998, both bestowed upon him by the late Croatian President

Dr. Franjo Tudjman, and the Red Kneza Trpimira s Ogrlicom i

Danicom in 2003, presented to him by former Croatian

President Stjepan Mesic.

Without question, Bernard Luketich has been the driving

force in promoting Fraternal Unity among the CFU Membership

and is the identifiable face of the Croatian Fraternal Union

who has been instrumental in making our Fraternal

Organization what it is today.

Bernard Luketich, along with his wife, Martha, and their

family, continue to make their home in the small mining town

of Cokeburg, PA. The full legacy of National President

Luketich is yet to be written but we can continue to expect

great things from Bernard M. Luketich as he greets his 35th

Presidential Year with the same pride that he has espoused

since first becoming a member of our Fraternal Society. His

lifelong passion remains the principles, programs and

benefits of the CFU and the preservation of Croatian

heritage, culture and identity.

``Zivio!'', President Luketich!

First off, I want to thank my good friend Joe Barton--he is my good friend--for a good game last night.

I can't really single out individuals. This was a team effort on the Democratic side. Our team had 24 hits and no errors in the field. Cedric Richmond normally strikes out a lot of batters, and, last year, Cedric had 16 strikeouts. For the first five innings, Cedric didn't strike out a single batter. We had 15 putouts in the field. When you hit the ball, we fielded it, and we made the throws to first, and we made the plays.

It was the best team effort that I've seen out of the Democratic side in the 19 years I've been associated with the game, and I want to congratulate my team.

As my good friend Joe Barton knows, the real winners of this game are three charities. We broke a record this year. We raised $300,000 for our charities--the Washington Boys & Girls Club, the Washington Literacy Council, and the Dream Foundation, which is going to help children in the Seventh Ward in Washington, D.C. This is going to be a great program for the kids--for boys and girls to learn baseball, but also to learn more important things in after-school learning centers and the like.

So, to the charities--the real winners of this game--congratulations.

This is a great tradition that helps bring us together. I can tell you that the members of the Republican baseball team are friends of ours, and we enjoy the camaraderie and the game every year, and we look forward to it again next year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary of serving the region's housing needs tonight.

The Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh--``BAMP''--is one of the oldest builders associations in the country. Founded in 1938 by a group of South Hills builders as the Home Builders Association of Allegheny County, it has grown to serve the home building and related industries in all the counties of southwestern Pennsylvania. BAMP was a founding member of a group of local associations that established the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) in 1942, and the Pennsylvania Builders Association (PBA) in 1952.

BAMP members, past and present, have a long history of service to the home building industry and its trade association at the local, state and national levels. It boasts the only member from Pennsylvania to have ever served as President of NAHB--J. Roger Glunt in 1993--who was also inducted as a member of the National Housing Hall of Fame. Several of its others members have served as president of the state association as well as on state and national governmental agencies of importance to housing. Even more are leaders in the communities in which they build and live, in my district in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Many of today's members are second, third and, in some instances, fourth generation home builders and tradesmen.

In service to their community, members of BAMP give individually and collectively in an effort to improving our community and helping our neighbors in need. BAMP has organized countless community service projects throughout its 75 years of existence, lending its members' expertise to building or repairing community assets as well as helping to improve homes for citizens in need of assistance.

I wish to congratulate them on their 75th anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Girls of Steel robotics team on winning the Engineering Inspiration Award at the 2013 Pittsburgh Regional F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Competition.

This is the second year in a row in which they have won the Engineering Inspiration Award. This prestigious award, which recognizes the team's outstanding efforts to advance respect for the engineering profession, also qualified the team to compete at the F.I.R.S.T. Championship in St. Louis for the third year in a row. The championship is the final and largest competition of the robotics season and features teams from across the world.

F.I.R.S.T., which stands for ``For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,'' is an organization dedicated to introducing our youth to the world of science and technology. This year alone, hundreds of thousands of students are gaining practical, team-based engineering experiences by participating in F.I.R.S.T.

As a founder and co-chair of the Congressional Robotics Caucus, I think competitions such as these are outstanding tools for getting students interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. I believe our nation's future economic growth and prosperity depends upon getting young people interested and engaged in scientific pursuits, and I want to commend organizations like F.I.R.S.T. for the important work they do in that regard. The F.I.R.S.T Robotics Competition instills a sense of pride in the individuals who participate in it and allows them to apply their natural creativity in the demanding and competitive field of robotics.

The Girls of Steel team is made up of 40 young women from high schools in and around the Pittsburgh area. In recognition of their hard work, intelligence, and teamwork, I want to mention each of these inspiring young ladies by name. They are Sonia Appasamy, Katie Ashwood, Tammy Bevilacqua, Elizabeth Bianchini, Britt Bovbjerg, Aaminah Bray, Grace Brueggman, Dakota Calvert, Abby Ceraso, Tristan Close-Abuyen, Claudia Contreras, Laurel Donatelli, Samantha Eppinger, Clarisa Espinoza-Delgado, Mackenzie Ferris, Naoka Gunawardena, Heather Harrington, Rosanne Harrison, Kathryn Hendrickson, Imani Horton, Campbell Konrad, Elizabeth Kysel, Sylvie Lee, Sophia Lee, Shana Leshko, Pragna Mannam, Genevieve Nieson, Raina Oravec, Simran Parwani, Korryn Resetar, Kaylyn Rocher, Alex Roth, Rachel Round, Katie Shreve, Lynn Urbina, Molly Urbina, Bryce Volk, Becca Volk, Giulia Watkins, and Natalie Young.

I also want to mention that one of the Girls of Steel--Naoka Gunawardena from The Ellis School--was one of two students at the Pittsburgh Regional who won the prestigious F.I.R.S.T. Dean's List Award, which recognizes student leaders who are outstanding at pursuing and achieving F.I.R.S.T.'s ideals.

I also want to express my appreciation to the staff of the Carnegie Mellon University Field Robotics Center, which has mentored the Girls of Steel. As a result of their efforts, more young women are gaining real-world technological experiences which will certainly aid them in the future.

I congratulate the Girls of Steel and wish them continued success in their academic and professional pursuits.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Patients' Rights Repeal Act.

Today is actually an embarrassment. Today, for the 37th time, we vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act--a messaging vote that is surely dead on arrival when it reaches the Senate.

I would say to my good friend from Texas, you can repeal it in this House 37 more times, and it's going to be just as dead when it gets over to the Senate.

This is a waste of our time. A CBS analysis last year said that Congress spent 80 hours--2 full weeks of work--on repeal votes that cost the taxpayers $48 million. Bryce Covert and Adam Peck of Think Progress estimated that, since then, we've spent an additional $6 million, bringing the total to $55 million on 37 symbolic votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act and waste our time here on the floor of the Congress. Just think what we could have done with $55 million. We could make sure college students have access to Federal work study grants. We could keep low-income kids in preschool.

Quit wasting the taxpayers' money and this Congress' time. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. Speaker, May 14 marks the first annual Childhood Apraxia of Speech Day, a day to raise national awareness about Childhood Apraxia of Speech, a particularly difficult, persistent, and severe speech disorder in youngsters.

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) causes children to have extreme difficulty planning and producing the precise, highly refined and

specific series of movements of the tongue, lips, jaw, and palate that are necessary for the production of proper speech. It is among the most severe of speech and communication problems in children.

While the act of learning to speak comes effortlessly to most children, those with apraxia endure an incredible and lengthy struggle. Although not life threatening it is life altering as families are left to cope with the emotional, physical, and financial challenges of having a child diagnosed with CAS.

Every child should be afforded their best opportunity to develop speech. With early intervention and appropriate therapy, most children with CAS will learn to communicate with their very own voices. These children, as well as their families, deserve our highest respect for their effort, determination and resilience in the face of such obstacles.

The Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America (CASANA) offers information and support related to CAS on its website, www.apraxia-kids.org. Let's use Childhood Apraxia Day to raise awareness about CAS and support the goals of Better Hearing and Speech Month.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the artistic ability of a young woman from my Congressional District, Stephanie Taylor from South Allegheny High School. Ms. Taylor is the winner of the 2013 14th Congressional District of Pennsylvania's High School Art Competition, ``An Artistic Discovery.'' Ms. Taylor's artwork, an acrylic painting entitled ``My Artistic Discovery: Mona and Me'' was selected from a number of outstanding entries to this year's competition.

In fact, 58 works from twelve different schools in Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District were submitted to our panel of respected local artists. It's a real tribute to her skill and vision that her work was chosen as the winner of this year's competition. I am certain that Ms. Taylor's family is proud of her artistic talents and this impressive accomplishment, but perhaps her selection as the winner won't surprise them. Stephanie has received one of the top five awards for 4 years in a row! Last year, she received fifth place for her oil painting ``Shades of Green''. Two years ago, she took Second Place, and in 2010 her painting was the winner. Stephanie has a tremendous amount of artistic talent, and I hope that she'll continue painting after she graduates from high school.

Ms. Taylor's artwork will represent the 14th Congressional District of Pennsylvania in the national exhibit of high school students' artwork that will be displayed in the United States Capitol over the coming year. I encourage my colleagues as well as any visitor to Capitol Hill to view Ms. Taylor's artwork, along

with the winning entries from the high school art contests held in other Congressional Districts, which will be on display in the Capitol tunnel. It is amazing to walk through this corridor and see the interpretation of life through the eyes of these young artists from all across our country.

Miranda McCully from Springdale High School was awarded second place for her graphite drawing ``Breaking Free.'' Reanna Buzza from Springdale High School received third place for her graphite drawing entitled ``Koala in Tree.'' Candice Kubican from Highlands High School was awarded fourth place for her marker composition ``Frederick the Frog,'' and Ashley Guillary, also from Highlands High School, received the fifth place award for her silk painting ``Pittsburgh.''

In addition, Honorable Mention Awards were presented to works by Cassandra Finnegan of Springdale High School, Sarah Welsh of Baldwin High School, Elif Kizilkaya of the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, Elizabeth Schaap of Brentwood High School, Dakotah Yaworski of Highlands High School, John Karp of Penn Hills High School, Roomel Reese of Penn Hills, Stephanie Taylor of South Allegheny High School, Kattie Jones of Brentwood High School, Emily Cotter of Springdale High School, Perri Murray of the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, and Samantha Reiss of Sto-Rox High School.

I would like to recognize all of the participants in this year's 14th Congressional District High School Art Competition, ``An Artistic Discovery:'' from Highlands High School, Meagan Ekas, Ashley Guillary, Candice Kubican, Katherine McDonough, Cassie Olszewski, and Dakotah Yaworski; from East Allegheny High School, Adam Jacko, Shannon Nelis, and Thomas Randall; from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Evalynn Farkas, Alexia Janikowski, Pheobe Kristek, Rebecca Rodgers, Rachael Sarnowski, and Heidi Langhorst; from the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School, Lauren Brown, Maeve Gannon, Elif Kizilkaya, Adam Linn, Ethan Michaels, Perri Murray, and Arianna Williams; From Baldwin High School, Joseph Esposito, Alicia Mastroianni, Kayla Munizza, and Sarah Welsh; from Springdale High School, Reanna Buzza, Emily Cotter, Cassandra Finnegan, Sam Hieber, Miranda McCully, and Skylar Siciliano; from Penn Hills High School, John Karp, Witney Larko, Tyler Madden, Nevia Orsini, Roomel Reese, and Hamilton Rodkey; from Brentwood High School, Sydney Bauer, Kattie Jones, Samanta Sauro, Elizabeth Schaap, Shelby Stockline, and Taiyu Wang; from Riverview High School, Chandler Fescemyer and Jake Morgan; from Sto-Rox High School, Keirstin Bopp, Adam Gilchrist, Alanna Molter, Katelyn Parker, Samantha Reiss, and Cheyenne Simmons; from Woodland Hills High School, Brandywine Dugan, Miranda Miller, and La'tosha DeMaris Milton, and from South Allegheny High School, Amy Underwood and Stephanie Taylor.

I would like to thank these impressive young artists for allowing us to share and celebrate their talents, imagination, and creativity. The efforts of these students in expressing themselves in a powerful and positive manner are no less than spectacular.

I hope that all of these individuals continue to utilize their artistic talents, and I wish them all the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Clairton Bears on another perfect high school football season and their fourth consecutive PIAA Class A state championship victory.

The Bears now have 63 straight wins after their victory in Hershey, PA, giving them the longest winning streak in all of high school, collegiate, and professional football. It is also the longest such streak in Pennsylvania history.

Both the players and the coaches put in years of hard work that led to this sustained success on the field, and in their success they have brought hope to the town and the region.

Tom Nola has now served as the team's head coach for 11 years, and he is assisted by coaches Tim Bukowski, Jim Dumm, Eric Fusco, Marc Gambino, Wayne Wade, Jr., and Remondo Williams, Sr.

The team was led by sixteen seniors--Tyus Booker, Santeaun Sims, Bryon Clifford, Terrish Webb, Titus Howard, Nick Boswell, Vinny Moody, Robert Boatwright, Armani Ford, Tyler Boyd, Sedrick Nash, Devonte Harvey, Damond Flowers, Jordan Gressem, Kyuss Jeter, and Garret Santoline.

In addition, the team included a number of underclassmen--JoJuan Bray, Ryan Williams, Tyreike Hammonds, Khalil Berry, Aaron Matthews, Vance Allen, Esaias Hammons, Brandon Murphy, James Hines, Deven Fritz, Demar Bell, Jjuan Jackson, Brian Brown, Raymone Clifford, Josh Wilson, Dryan Davenport, Vance Gibson, Israel Melvin, Will Hampton, Jhsia Miles, Devondre Brown, Jayll Hall, Carlito Spence, and Allen Norris.

The Clairton Bears continue to make Pittsburgh proud through the high standard of athletic excellence they have brought to the gridiron. Clairton has a rich history of perseverance and hard work, and the Bears continue to build on that legacy. I give them my hearty congratulations, and I wish them all the best as they look to dive deeper into the record books next season.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate and recognize the Pittsburghers who competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

We are proud in Pittsburgh to be a city of champions with deep-rooted team spirit and winning traditions. These Olympians have reached the pinnacle of accomplishment in their sports, and today I would like to salute their unyielding pursuit of excellence. These hometown heroes embody the ambition, resilience, courage, and dogged work ethic that the people of Western Pennsylvania deeply admire. I would like to individually recognize each of these outstanding athletes.

Cassidy Krug attended Montour High School and Stanford University, where she was unbeaten in diving dual meet competitions. The NCAA champion, three time All-American, and 10-time national champion was coached by both of her parents--her father, the head diving coach at the University of Pittsburgh and her mother, a coach at the Pitt Aquatic Club team. She briefly retired before making a comeback to compete in diving in London, coming in 7th in the women's 3m springboard. She now plans to pursue a career in writing.

Trevor Barron of Bethel Park, a race-walking prodigy, studies computer science at Colorado College. He started suffering seizures from epilepsy at age 8 and underwent multiple brain surgeries to overcome them. Thankfully, he is now seizure-free, and throughout the trying episodes, Barron exhibited an extraordinary zeal to achieve greatness. Barron won the U.S. National Junior Olympics every year from 2003 to 2006. He set the American record in the men's 20,000 meter race-walk at the 2012 Olympic trials. He finished 26th in London setting an American record in the event.

Allison Schmitt, two-time Olympian and six-time Olympic medalist hails from the city of Pittsburgh. She took bronze in the 4x200 meter freestyle relay at her Olympic debut in Beijing. This time around she swam the anchor leg in two relays bringing home the bronze in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay and the gold in the 4x100 meter medley relay. She also won silver in the 400 meter freestyle and gold in the 200 meter freestyle. Schmitt, known for her fun-loving nature and infectious positive attitude, is headed back to the University of Georgia for her senior year.

Swin Cash of McKeesport helped the U.S. basketball team to its fifth straight gold medal at the Olympics. The team is on a 41-game winning streak in the Olympics, usually winning by nearly 30 point margins. Cash played basketball for UConn, leading the Huskies to National Championships in 2000 and 2002, when she was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. The second pick in the 2002 WNBA draft, she was selected by the Detroit Shock, and led the team to its first WNBA Championship the following year. This is her second gold at the Olympics, as she also played on the 2004 U.S. team in Athens. Cash has graciously given back to the community in McKeesport through her charity ``Cash for Kids'' which uses sports and cultural

activities to encourage kids to ``get in the game'' on and off the court.

Jake Herbert graduated from North Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh. The two-time NCAA Champion studied communications at Northwestern University, where he was the best wrestler in the school's history. Herbert posted a perfect 34-0 record in his final season and a 149-4 career record, the fifth best percentage in NCAA history. He was a recipient of college wrestling's top honor, the Hodge Trophy. Herbert went on to win silver at the 2009 World Championships and to compete at the London Olympics, where he just missed out in the repechage on a shot at the bronze medal match. This fierce competitor sported a hefty fan club of about 65 friends and family members waving terrible towels in the crowd.

Amanda Polk grew up in Pittsburgh and graduated from Oakland Catholic High School, where she first began rowing. She studied biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame where she was part of the first NCAA team bid in the team's history and was a four time All-American. Polk took silver in the four at the 2009 World Championhips, then won gold in the eight in 2010 and 2011. She recently won gold and set a world best time in the women's eight at the 2012 World Rowing Cup in Lucerne. Polk has consistently been a strong part of the eight that is dominating women's rowing and she was an alternate in London. Unbeaten since 2006, the women were golden again in London, successfully defending their title from Beijing and solidifying what Polk's teammate, Susan Francia, has rightfully dubbed an ``American Dynasty.''

Lauren Crandall grew up in Doylestown, PA and went to school in North Allegheny. She was first named to the U.S. National field hockey team when she was a sophomore at Wake Forest. In 2006, Crandall was named the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player. A veteran of the international field hockey scene, she has 173 international caps, or tournament appearances, which is the second most on the team. Now a two-time Olympian, she helped the team to an 8th place finish in Beijing and captained Team USA in London to come in 12th place. Crandall is going to DeVry University to pursue a master's degree in public administration with a concentration on non-profit organizations.

Christa Harmotto was originally recruited to play volleyball from a 6th grade gym glass. She went on to play at Hopewell High School and then at Penn State where she studied education. She and her team won national titles in 2007 and 2008 and she ended her career with a .433 career hitting percentage, the second best in NCAA history. Harmotto played basketball abroad professionally, where she sharpened her skills gearing up for the Games and now she has a silver medal from the London Olympics indoor volleyball competition to show for it. She plans to continue playing and training for Rio in 2016.

Lauryn Williams, a track and field star, was born in Pittsburgh. Williams studied finance at the University of Miami, where she was the 2004 NCAA Champion at the 100 meter. A three-time World Champion, Williams took home the silver medal in the 100 meter at the 2004 Games and came in fourth in the event in 2008. She competed in the 4x100 meter relay in Beijing but an incomplete pass of the baton put the team out of medal contention. In London, Williams ran the anchor leg of the women's 4x100 meter in the qualification round, and the team went on to win gold in event. Williams aims to finish 100 meter races in under 11 seconds. Every time she goes ``sub 11,'' she has pledged to give out a $1000 scholarship to a female athlete in her senior year of high school. The 2006 Visa Humanitarian of the Year, she is deeply invested in her community as part of USA Track and Field's ``Be a Champion'' community outreach, through volunteering with hearing impaired elementary school students, and through her female athlete scholarship fund.

I applaud all of these extraordinary athletes for their unbreakable spirits, their indomitable will to win, and their thrilling achievements. Training involves serious sacrifices. These athletes put in the work day in and day out, then they put it all on the line on the world stage with gutsy performances full of heart. I want to commend their family and friends who have supported their Olympic dreams and helped them keep striving to be stronger, get faster, and reach farther. And to these Olympians, I want to wish you a hearty congratulations and I want you to know that we in Pittsburgh are proud of yinz!

Mr. Speaker, I want to add my support for this important resolution to safeguard the Internet from government control.

I'd like to thank my friend and colleague, Mary Bono Mack, and my other colleagues from the Energy and Commerce Committee for introducing this measure, and I was delighted to become an original cosponsor.

This bipartisan resolution sends a clear message to the United Nations. It tells the International Telecommunication Union, which is the U.N. arm handling telecommunications issues, not to adopt regulations that would make it easier for governments to exercise tracking, surveillance, or censorship online.

The Internet has developed into the revolutionary medium it is today because decisions over the structure of the Internet have been made by nongovernmental, expert organizations. These groups invite the participation of a number of stakeholders from academia, the private sector, public interests, and other experts, and they've done a good job of avoiding a lot of the political interference.

At a time when some governments have actively been blocking users from accessing certain Web sites online, I am glad to see my colleagues unite against such repressive actions and in support of Internet freedom. Opposition to Internet censorship has always been a very bipartisan issue. I want to make that clear because sometimes this issue gets confused with other policy issues like net neutrality. Some of my colleagues have argued that net neutrality supporters somehow favor Internet censorship. I believe that users should be able to surf the Internet however they want to without being blocked from certain Web sites or services, which is what net neutrality is all about as well, so I think opposing censorship and favoring net neutrality go hand in hand.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to see this resolution move forward in a bipartisan fashion. I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

The bill before us today is the result of efforts from both sides of the aisle to find a solution that really works for industry, government, and our environment.

Currently, the Department of Energy has the authority to issue a ``must-run'' order to a power provider in emergency cases to protect grid reliability. At the same time, environmental laws and regulations could prohibit a company from complying with a DOE must-run order. So a company is left in the position of choosing which law it violates-- environmental rules or an emergency order from the Department of Energy.

In fact, Mr. Speaker, this has happened in the past. During the California energy crisis, and as recently as 2005 in Virginia, a company was issued emergency orders by the Department of Energy. To comply with those orders, the company was temporarily in noncompliance with environmental law. Therefore, after complying with an emergency must-run order, the company was both fined and forced to settle a citizen lawsuit. If it happens once, twice, or 50 times, it will never be proper for the Federal Government to put a company in the position of choosing which law to violate.

Reliability concerns for our electric grid are real, and power plant retirements are being announced nearly every week. In June, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation issued their summer reliability assessment. They told us that reserves in Texas are coming up short to meet peak demand and that the California reserve margin will be extremely tight.

So this bill will fix a clear conflict in Federal laws with a narrow, targeted approach. This bill will ensure that the Department of Energy will have the ability to keep the lights on while still protecting the environment.

The bill before us simply clarifies that if an emergency order issued pursuant to section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act may result in such a conflict with an environmental law or regulation, it shall expire not later than 90 days after issuance. This is to ensure that DOE continues to have the necessary authority to ``keep the lights on'' in true emergencies.

It then gives DOE the opportunity to renew or reissue such an order for an additional 90-day period after consulting with the appropriate Federal agencies and including conditions submitted by such agencies to mitigate adverse environmental impacts. DOE may exclude a recommended condition from the order if it determines the condition would prevent the order from adequately addressing the emergency.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is the result of many months of work with members on both sides of the Energy and Commerce Committee. It is supported by both the chairman and the ranking member of the committee. And I ask my colleagues to support it also.

I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson). It has been a pleasure to work with him on this piece of legislation. It is my hope that all our colleagues also support this legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to now yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green), a valuable member of our Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers, and at this time I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, you all know that last night was the 51st annual Congressional Quarterly-Roll Call baseball game for charity, and I'm pleased to inform the House this morning that the Democratic team won 18-5 last night.

Mr. Chairman, there are 21 outs in the game we play because we only play seven innings. Cedric Richmond struck out 16 batters, so he didn't leave much work for our infield. It's my understanding that if the Republicans should win the Presidency, that Cedric is going to be offered a Cabinet position just to get him out of here. Other notables, Cedric also came within about 3 feet of hitting one out of the park at National Field, too. Ben Chandler also had a fantastic game for our team as co-MVP.

But, Mr. Chairman, the real winner last night was the Boys and Girls Club

of Washington, D.C. and the Washington Literacy Council. This was a record year for the congressional baseball game. We came close to raising, for the first time ever, almost a quarter of a million dollars for the charities.

I want to congratulate my good friend and Republican manager, Joe Barton, on a hard-fought game. I can tell you, as someone who has played in the game for 18 years now, I've been part of the highs and part of the lows. I know what it's like to be on both ends of a winning and losing ball game. But the Republicans were game opponents. They came out there, and they did their best last night; but we were just a little bit better than them. And now I yield to my good friend, Joe Barton.

It's not in my nature, Joe.

I think it is also notable that our House Chaplain, Father Conroy, did get a chance to play in the game last night. We put him in as a pinch runner. I think it's notable to say Father Conroy stole home.

We want to give a round of applause to our Chaplain, too, for playing in the game.

One final look: here's the trophy, guys.

Amendment Offered by Mr. Lankford

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the gentleman's motion to instruct.

Coal ash is a serious issue for this country and especially for Pennsylvania. Nearly all of my constituents get their power from coal, and with that power generation comes its by-product--coal ash. It's an unavoidable part of our power generation in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Though the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has some of the toughest coal ash disposal standards in the country, I've been convinced that coal ash needs to be federally regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. However, this motion to instruct does not fully encompass my position on the issue.

Although this motion to instruct calls on conferees to insist upon the House language on coal ash, that is not the whole story. In fact, I support the coal ash language that the bipartisan group of Senators is working on. I've seen much of the work they've been doing, and I can tell you that I believe it to be an improvement on what we're doing here in the House. The question is: Will the conferees agree to a bill at all and will it include coal ash?

My vote in favor of this motion is meant to urge my colleagues to finish the process so that we can resolve the coal ash issue in a way that's good for the environment, our constituents, and the purposes of recycling these materials.

I want to make it clear that I do not believe that any coal ash or Keystone provisions should be used to hold up the transportation bill conference. Above all else, it is essential that this Congress does its job and completes the highway bill conference before the current program expires on June 30. I continue to support the Federal regulation of coal ash as a nonhazardous waste, and I encourage my colleagues to work quickly towards a bipartisan, bicameral resolution on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill before us.

Today we're debating a bill that Republicans tell us will embrace an all-of-the-above energy strategy. The way this bill purports to do this is by opening large swaths of land to oil and gas drilling, halting regulations, and gutting the Clean Air Act. It's clear that this is not a true effort to develop an all-of-the-above strategy, but instead is a narrow-minded approach to oil and gas development at any cost.

Republicans continue to criticize President Obama and congressional Democrats for opposing efforts to increase U.S. domestic oil production, but the facts disprove this notion. The President hasn't agreed with every proposal to expand oil and gas drilling in the United States and its territorial waters, but he has taken action to open up substantial new public lands and coastal waters to oil and gas development.

Today, roughly 75 percent of U.S. oil reserves on public lands and under our coastal waters have been leased out to oil drillers. In fact, domestic oil production is at an 8-year high, and the production of natural gas plant liquids--liquefied petroleum gases that are used for fuel--is currently at an all-time high of more than 2 million barrels per day. All told, the U.S. Energy Information Agency estimates that U.S. petroleum production in 2012 will average more than 8 million barrels per day.

The number of oil rigs in the United States has quadrupled under President Obama. At the same time, petroleum consumption in the United States has dropped by more than 2 million barrels per day since its all-time peak in 2006. Now, since domestic oil production is up and petroleum consumption is down, U.S. oil imports are at a 17-year low. In fact, the United States is importing 10 percent less oil than it was 8 years ago.

Now, one might reasonably conclude that since the United States is producing more oil and consuming less, oil and gas prices would be going down, but that's not happening. Oil and gas prices are going up. Well, how can that be? Oil prices--and consequently gas prices--are rising because, while oil consumption may be lower in the United States, global demand for oil is, in fact, rising.

Rest assured, this bill does nothing to address the real problem of high gas prices, and it does nothing to develop a real all-of-the-above energy strategy for the United States. This bill is going nowhere in the Senate, and it's a true disappointment as this Congress' effort to address high gas prices and an expanded energy portfolio.

I urge my colleagues to reject this bill.

Madam Chair, I rise today to engage in a colloquy with the chairman and the ranking member.

I'm here today to express my concern with the future of the Nation's inland waterway system.

The bill before us today, despite the chairman's best efforts, continues a trend of underfunding needed infrastructure improvements in our Nation's locks and dams. This underfunding is a combination of the administration's request and lack of a long-term solution to the Inland Waterways Trust Fund.

Locks and dams are a crucial mechanism of commerce and mode of transportation in Pennsylvania. They allow for the transport of commodities that are essential to businesses in my region, like coal, grain, and scrap metal. Along the Allegheny River, the Army Corps' budget for operating locks and dams was cut by nearly one-half in just one year.

Projects on other rivers in the Pittsburgh region, the Ohio and the Monongahela, have slowed to a stop or are in need of repair. The cuts to this fund have the Corps and surrounding communities and businesses wondering exactly how or if a repair will be made if something breaks.

But this is only a portion of the work that needs to be done, and the mechanism that we have to fund new or major rehabilitation projects, the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, is also in need of repair. Even in times of fiscal restraint, we must find ways to fund projects that protect our safety and allow the use of our waterways for commerce. The longer we wait to fully respond to the critical needs for our infrastructure, the more they are going to cost.

Madam Chairman, just in a recent article in the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette, quoting our local Corps person:

This is it for the Allegheny locks and dams. If something

breaks we've got to scramble for funds, and there's no

guarantee we'll fix it.

This has forced the Corps to adopt a fix-when-fail attitude towards maintaining about 200 locks and related dams on about 11,000 miles of the Nation's rivers. The average lock is over 60 years old. In Pittsburgh, they're over 80 years old.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to work with you and the ranking member to find a solution to this urgent need.