Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully request the House's attention today to help congratulate Honda Manufacturing of Alabama on its 10th anniversary as an economic engine and community partner in Lincoln, Alabama.

Ten years ago, on November 14, 2001, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) started production of the first customer-ready Odyssey minivans and V-6 engines at its new plant in Lincoln. Today, the plant is Honda Motor Co.'s largest global light truck production source, with the capacity to produce more than 300,000 vehicles and engines each year. Its 3.5 million square foot manufacturing facility represents a capital investment of more than $2 billion.

In the midst of challenging economic times, HMA has provided a stable work environment for many people across the 3rd Congressional District and surrounding region. HMA employs more than 4,000 associates and recently announced plans to hire an additional 50 workers in manufacturing, engineering, purchasing and production management positions. Along with its 35 suppliers, HMA is responsible for more than 45,000 direct and indirect jobs in Alabama. Annually, Honda purchases more than $2 billion in goods and services from suppliers and businesses located in the state.

Honda's flexible manufacturing system allows the Lincoln facility to produce multiple models on the same assembly line, including Odyssey minivans, Pilot sport utility vehicles and Ridgeline pickup trucks. The plant will also begin manufacturing the Acura MDX sport utility vehicle in 2013, making it the first Acura product built by Alabama associates.

HMA is also a generous community partner and good neighbor. Over the last decade, HMA philanthropic contributions to Alabama charities, community and civic groups have totaled more than $7 million. Just this year, HMA associates committed both time and money to support local tornado relief efforts, in addition to Honda's corporate commitment of $150,000.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in recognizing Honda Manufacturing of Alabama on its lot anniversary. HMA has been a dedicated partner to the citizens of Alabama in strengthening the relationships with the communities where its associates live and work. I am proud to congratulate them on their first ten years in our community, and wish them well in the coming decades.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the life of Dr. Richard Leon Hooks who passed away on October 29, 2011.

Dr. Hooks was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in August of 1943, and graduated from Alabama State University with a degree in Secondary Education. Dr. Hooks also attended the University of Alabama, where he earned a Masters of Arts and Doctorate of Philosophy in Education.

Dr. Hooks began teaching in 1963 at Cobb High School in Anniston, Alabama. Later in his career, in 1980, he began administrative work with Anniston City Schools. In 2003, he retired and in 2008, was elected to serve on the Anniston City Board of Education. He served two years as the school board president.

It is a sad day in Alabama as we have lost one of our great educators. We honor the memory of Dr. Richard Leon Hooks today.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the life of Mrs. Mildred Hemmons-Carter who passed away on Friday, October 21, 2011.

Mrs. Hemmons-Carter was born in Benson, Alabama, on September 12, 1921 and graduated from school in 1941 with a degree in Business from the Tuskegee Institute.

On February 1st of 1941, Mrs. Hemmons-Carter received her pilot's license making history as the first African-American woman to do so.

On February 1st of this year, a celebration was held to honor the 70th anniversary of her licensing.

Mrs. Hemmons-Carter is survived by her husband of 70 years, Ret. Col. Herbert E. Carter, an original Tuskegee Airman.

It is a sad day in Alabama as we lose one of our great women who proved the sky is the limit. We honor the memory of Mildred Hemmons- Carter today.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to a special school superintendent today, Dr. Larry DiChiara.

Dr. DiChiara was named Superintendent of the Year by the School Superintendents of Alabama in October 2011.

Dr. DiChiara has always been committed to teaching and helping students. He was a former principal, teacher and coach from Loachapoka Elementary and High Schools in Lee County, Alabama, before taking over at Phenix City Schools in Russell County.

I'm proud to congratulate Dr. DiChiara on this great achievement and hope he will continue his service for many years to come to our children, parents, teachers and our community. Congratulations!

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 745 I was entering the House Chamber when the vote was closed. Had I been able to cast my vote it would have been a ``yea'' vote.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to request the House's attention today to recognize the service of a longtime public servant, Mrs. Liz Decker, to Alabama's Third Congressional District.

Liz will retire on September 30, 2011. After working as a packer and fine threads spinner at the Blue Mountain Cotton Mill in Anniston, Alabama, Liz became the church secretary at Gladeview Baptist Church in 1973. In 1977, she worked as an assistant to the Calhoun County Superintendent of Education and in 1981 began her Federal service by working for former Third District Congressman Bill Nichols who served in Congress from 1967 until he passed away in 1988. Since then, Liz has continued working for the Third Congressional District for three more Representatives, including Congressman Glen Browder, Congressman Bob Riley and now in my office. In addition, Liz also was elected to the Board of the

Calhoun County Board of Education for two six-year terms. Liz is married to Ronald Decker.

Liz has served countless East Alabamians through the years, assisting them with any number of concerns they may have had, from the grants process to casework focusing on immigration and Social Security. She is known as a kind and genuine public servant, and a joy to have in the Third District family. She will be missed. Thank you, Liz, for your service to the people of the Third District. On behalf of so many East Alabamians you have helped, we wish you well and congratulate you on your retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to request the House's attention today to recognize the life of a proud American hero, Anniston Police Officer Justin Sollohub.

Officer Sollohub of Jacksonville died August 25th due to injuries sustained while on duty.

Like others who have lost their lives serving their communities in the line of duty, words simply cannot express the sense of sadness we all have for Officer Sollohub's family, and the gratitude we feel for his service to the community. He was a selfless servant for the Anniston area, and he will be missed.

We will forever hold him closely in our hearts, and remember his willingness to serve and protect our community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the House's remembrance at this mournful occasion.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to a special Chaplain today, Vincent Turner.

Chaplain (Second Lieutenant) Turner of Alabama was named Chaplain of the Year by the United States Corps of Chaplains for 2011.

Turner has always been committed to helping others and serving God and country both through the United States Corps of Chaplains and the American Legion and Disabled Veterans.

I'm proud to congratulate Chaplain Turner on this great achievement and hope he will continue his service to God, to the United States and helping people in need. Congratulations, Chaplain Turner.

Mr. Speaker, this country has a real problem with jobs, or the lack of jobs, and our economy. It's what we in the Congress need to be debating solutions to resolve. Instead, we're having to argue with the President about our debt ceiling.

The President is refusing to cut spending that every American knows we have to do unless he gets tax increases. And he's threatening to withhold Social Security checks from seniors to get his way. I think that's shameful, and he's going to have to answer for that one day. But right now, we've got a solution in the House, the Republicans do, called Cut, Cap, and Balance, that will limit spending to a level that we can afford in a responsible way without new taxes.

We're urging the President to do something big. He says he wants to do something big about our debt problem. This is the solution. We urge him to work with us and not demand new taxes. And once he will do that, we can turn to some meaningful things that will help improve the job situation, which, by the way, is at 9.2 percent unemployment and going in the wrong direction. We can do some things, like getting the regulators off our community banks so that small businesses can have access to capital, and shrinking the size of EPA and OSHA and NLRB, which are bloated in their infrastructure and are just stifling jobs in America. We have a lot of things we can do. But first, we've got to get our spending under control.

I urge my colleagues to vote for Cut, Cap, and Balance.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to the people of Honda by including an editorial below from The Daily Home on May 28th about their resilience after the tragedies in Japan.

It is very good news that Honda expects all its North

American operations to be back to full speed by August and

that includes its Lincoln plant where three of its most

popular vehicles are assembled.

The March earthquake and tsunami in Japan severely hampered

Honda's supply chain and ended up costing the giant automaker

months of production as it faced difficult and at times

insurmountable obstacles to getting supplies from Japan to

North America.

Without those supplies, cars could not be built.

As time passed, the supply chain opened up a bit, and then

a little more.

But not too long ago Honda officials (along with other

Japanese automakers) were expecting a late fall date for full

production to resume.

Last week, however, the company announced it wouldn't take

that long.

``Honda will increase production volume at its North

America automobile plants to a rate of 100 percent original

production plan in August,'' a company press release

announced.

Honda's employees in Lincoln met the news with enthusiasm.

``Today we announced to our associates in plant-wide

meetings that we are planning to accelerate recovery of our

production. . . .'' said Mark Morrison, a company spokesman.

``When we announced that the Odyssey and Pilot would reach

100 percent of their original production plan in August, our

associates greeted the news with great applause,'' he said.

That kind of reaction is what you would expect from Honda

employees. The 4,000 people who work in the local plant are

intensely loyal and, based on the plant's expansion since

opening, also are very productive.

That loyalty and productivity have been rewarded with a

unique approach to the forced slowdown in production. Rather

than lay off workers, Honda allowed them to work on

maintenance chores, or to take earned vacation time to keep

their paychecks coming. And after the April 27 tornadoes

ripped through our area, Honda allowed its employees to take

two days per week to volunteer at cleanup activities while

getting paid as though they were at work.

Those policies say a lot about Honda and the kind of

company it is. And they say a lot about Honda's employees and

the kind of people they are.

Honda made it through this parts crisis without laying off

a single employee in their North American plants, the company

said. Now that they are ready to ramp up production again,

those employees are available and their morale should be

high, since no one had to do with a reduced paycheck during

the difficult times.

The Japanese automaker obviously enjoys great economic

strength to be able to weather such a crisis without cutting

employee paychecks. We commend Honda for its approach, we

continue to wish the company a long and prosperous future in

Lincoln and the rest of its North America plants.

I want to thank Chairman Aderholt, my good friend from Alabama, for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I commend you for bringing this important legislation to the floor and for your hard work during these difficult budget times. As chairman of the subcommittee with sole authorizing jurisdiction over the Transportation Security Administration in the House, I welcome our continued

collaboration on transportation security issues.

Specifically today, I want to discuss with you the need to increase the number of explosive detection canines within TSA for aviation and surface transportation security. Within the area of passenger screening, we all know that explosive detection canines are one of the most effective screening means, and they do it without many of the concerns and costs of other types of detection technology.

They do not impede the flow of traffic, and they avoid privacy concerns because they do not come into direct contact with passengers.

We know that the military canine units in Iraq and Afghanistan can detect improvised explosive devices with an 80 percent rate, much higher than the 50 percent expected from those units with other technologies.

And for all the good that canines do, they do it at a better price than other technologies. If there is a better, more cost-efficient option to increasing canines, I am open to any suggestion.

In fact, according to published reports, the elite Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden likely carried at least one canine with them on that mission into Pakistan. Surely, then, canines can and do provide invaluable bomb detection services here at home.

Especially in these times of heightened terrorist threats, along with the information that we gathered from killing bin Laden, we need to prudently increase the number of detection canines in TSA.

Thank you, Chairman Aderholt. I also want to thank my colleague, Representative Jason Chaffetz, for his work on this issue and my friend and colleague, Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, for her dedication to it as well.

Offered By: Mr. Rogers of Alabama

Amendment No. 25: Page 3, line 9, after the dollar amount

insert ``(reduced by $5,000,000)''.

Page 21, line 16, after the dollar amount insert

``(increased by $5,000,000)''.

Offered By: Mr. Rogers of Alabama

Amendment No. 25: Page 3, line 9, after the dollar amount

insert ``(reduced by $5,000,000)''.

Page 21, line 16, after the dollar amount insert

``(increased by $5,000,000)''.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

First, I want to thank Chairman Turner for his hard work and dedication when it comes to the national defense and well-being of our warfighters. I am privileged to be able to serve on the House Armed Services with my friend.

With that said, I disagree with my friend on this amendment. I believe this amendment calls for an unnecessary report to Congress meant to delay the Air Force's decision to consolidate and move the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems. This consolidation is at no cost to the Air Force.

Adequate cost studies already exist as a part of the 2005 BRAC Commission Report. Those reports show that executing these operations at Gunter Annex in Montgomery, Alabama, is more cost effective than at either Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, or Wright-Paterson Air Force Base in Ohio. The Air Force chain of command supports the decision to consolidate and relocate.

In short, Mr. Chairman, I believe that this amendment is an example of one of the ways that we can save money and make efficient choices when it comes to the Defense Department that doesn't come at the expense of the warfighter. At a time when our Nation is facing its dire fiscal situation, these are the types of small cost-saving decisions that add up over time.

I would also like to thank my colleague from Alabama, Mrs. Martha Roby, for her leadership on this issue. She is a strong advocate for our brave warfighters, and I would like to associate myself with her remarks.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to C.L. Thomas, Sr.'s 10th anniversary as pastor of Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church in Mathews, Alabama.

Calvin L. Thomas, Sr. is the youngest of nine children and is the fifth son of James and Anna Thomas. He had the privilege of growing up in a spiritual and loving home where discipline was taught, house rules derived from biblical lessons and mother-wit was put in place that required particular actions and reactions.

His employment began at Winn-Dixie Stores at the age of 16 and at age 21 he was promoted to Assistant Manager. At 22, he pursued a career as an insurance agent at North Carolina Mutual. At 25, he was promoted to District Sales Manager in charge of two large cities, Montgomery and Birmingham, and was one of the youngest to achieve this goal.

Calvin's desire was to have his own business, so in 2000 he started T & T Insurance Group. In 2007, he founded the Kingdom Investors where he serves as President and CEO.

He has served as Deacon and Chairman of the Deacon Board of the Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church. In 1999, God called him to the Ministry to preach at Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church in February 2001 and was installed as Pastor on May 6, 2001.

He attended Samford University from 2000-2003, receiving a certificate in Christian training and doctrine of the books of the Bible. He studied the Principles of Communication, Prayer and Righteousness and Sermon preparation and preaching at Fresh Anointing International School of Ministry.

I congratulate Mr. Thomas on his 10th year as the pastor of Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church and thank him for his service to the Mathews area.