Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to one number that has remained too high for too long, and that is the number of unemployed people in this country. Right now, that number stands at 11.3 million. That is 11.3 million of our fellow Americans. These are not just statistics. These are real people. They are our friends, our neighbors, our children; and they deserve better. These are policies that encourage real economic growth that will create jobs Americans need--not higher health care costs, policy cancelations, and threats of job loss brought on by ObamaCare.

This unworkable law is causing health care premiums to rise all across the country, particularly in my home State of North Carolina; and millions of Americans have had their insurance policies canceled. This is not a plan for growth. It is a plan for more strain on hardworking Americans. It is time for real solutions. It is time to get Americans back to work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for the TSA Loose Change Act, authored by my good friend, Jeff Miller of Florida.

We see loose change at security lines in every airport, from Charlotte down to Pensacola and all across this Nation. It may not seem like much, but as people quickly shuffle through the checkpoints and leave change behind, it adds up to almost $500,000 a year. Under current law, the money is used for civil aviation security, but this bill will allow TSA to use this loose change to direct it to a good cause.

Mr. Speaker, I agree with Mr. Miller. This money should be put to the use of supporting our military members and their families by providing them a place to rest at the airports.

I would like to thank Chairman Miller for his tireless effort, his work on this issue, and also thank other members of the Homeland Security Committee. I particularly want to recognize the ranking member on our subcommittee, Mr. Richmond, who has dedicated himself to this work. He has worked with me on this and many other issues in a bipartisan way.

Mr. Speaker, that is what the American people are looking for. They are looking for us to come here and work together for solutions for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the work that we have produced with this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support a critical piece of legislation, the Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act, which I introduced in July and have been working on for many months.

I thank Chairman McCaul for helping move this bill through our committee, and I commend all of the members on the committee for a swift and unanimous vote to bring this bill to the floor. Again, this was a unanimous vote both in the subcommittee and in the full committee. This bill has the bipartisan support of our chairman and ranking member on the full committee as well as having mine and the ranking member's on the Transportation Security Subcommittee. Let me also say that this bill would not be possible if Mr. Thompson and Mr. Richmond were not willing to work with me on this. Frankly, their collaboration made this better legislation. As I have said before, the American people expect us to come here and work together for solutions, and this is a prime example of that.

This bill has withstood the careful scrutiny of our committee's oversight, and it has also been endorsed by numerous stakeholders outside the Capitol, and I submit for the Record their letters of support.

Mr. Speaker, in today's partisan culture of a divided Congress, I am very proud to report that we can come together from across the aisle in order to address very real issues that we have in the Transportation Security Administration, those being acquisition and procurement. For over 10 years, we have all witnessed hundreds of millions of dollars being wasted on failed technologies and have witnessed machines sitting idly in warehouses. Poor planning, inventory management, and limited communication with stakeholders have decreased security, limited innovation, and squandered taxpayer dollars.

I recognize that TSA is constantly trying to respond to new threats-- they have a difficult job--but in some cases, the pressures to perform and deploy new technologies can lead to a reactive approach without sufficient planning. They still have a long way to go. Having a long- term plan that leverages experts within government and within industry can help to prevent these capability gaps. Our bill provides that roadmap to success.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot continue to let TSA drag its feet on establishing greater transparency and accountability for technologies that protect our Nation's traveling public. It is incumbent upon us to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently. We must take action. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

July 23, 2013.

Hon. Richard Hudson,

Chairman, House Subcommittee on Transportation Security,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Hudson: On behalf of the Airports Council

International-North America (ACI-NA), which represents local,

regional, and state governing bodies that own and operate

commercial airports throughout the United States and Canada,

I am pleased to offer our endorsement of H.R. 2719, the

Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act.

Airport operators have long advocated for the

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to implement

best practices and improve the transparency of its technology

acquisition programs. H.R. 2719 would also require TSA to

incorporate feedback and input from the private sector on

technology trends and other research and development

information that helps TSA develop a strategic plan on

technology acquisition.

Again, thank you for your continued support of airport

operators and on recognizing the need to improve TSA's

technology acquisition process. We look forward to working

with you on the passage of H.R. 2719.

Sincerely,

Deborah McElroy,

Interim President, Airports Council International-North

America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act introduced by my friend, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, Mr. Bennie Thompson.

This commonsense bill ensures stakeholders have a seat at the table when working with their partners at the Transportation Security Administration. Too many times in government we see a lack of communication between government officials and industry stakeholders. This gap is troubling as it creates a vacuum of ideas and does not allow for a flow of information between the Federal Government and the private sector that is necessary.

Mr. Thompson's bill, which passed out of our committee unanimously, would bridge that gap by allowing the Aviation Security Advisory Committee to take effect and have the constant line of communication to exchange ideas and formulate thoughtful procedures at the agency responsible for security of commercial aviation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Jimmie Johnson for winning the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship. With this achievement, Jimmie has earned his sixth Sprint Cup championship, further securing his spot in racing history.

North Carolina's Eighth Congressional District is home to many of NASCAR's greatest teams and, without a doubt, some of NASCAR's biggest fans. The Charlotte Motor Speedway, one of the premiere tracks where NASCAR races, sits in my hometown of Concord, North Carolina.

Jimmie Johnson, his No. 48 Lowes team, and Hendrick Motorsports skillfully clinched the Sprint Cup title, swiftly leaving other teams in the rearview mirror. But more than a champion driver, Jimmie uses his platform as one of the best drivers in NASCAR history to assist those in need. From public education to disaster relief efforts and rebuilding homes, he has raised more than $5.6 million to better the lives of our children and families across the nation.

The impact Jimmie has had on our local communities is undeniable, and we are grateful for his commitment to help those in need. I am proud to represent Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports as well as NASCAR, and we are thankful for the success this championship team brings to our state.

Mr. Speaker, given the bicameral and bipartisan support for our bill and the overwhelming consensus about the systemic risk created by the section we are working to reform today, I am genuinely surprised we are even here debating this today.

Nevertheless, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 992, the Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act, which my Democrat friend from New York, Sean Patrick Maloney, and I have worked together on in the House Agriculture Committee.

As my colleagues are aware, our bipartisan bill amends a provision in the Dodd-Frank Act which was included at the 11th hour to ``get 60 votes in the Senate'' as former House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank indicated during a markup of the bill back in February, 2012.

This section we reform with our bill was mischaracterized as an effort to prevent ``risky'' swaps activities in the bank. While we believe this provision was proposed in good faith, it simply does not prevent the risk that its authors intended. Moreover, this provision of the bill will cause many American financial institutions to operate at a significant disadvantage to their foreign competitors.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker have both publicly raised concerns about section 716.

In the 112th Congress, the House Financial Services Democrats, including Chairman Frank and current Ranking Member Maxine Waters, endorsed H.R. 1838, agreeing that this measure addressed the valid criticisms of section 716 without ``weakening the financial reforms law's important derivative

safeguards or prohibitions on bank proprietary trading.''

The bill before us today is virtually identical to H.R. 1838 from the last Congress.

Mr. Speaker, to echo what Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said at a hearing on February 27:

Section 716, as drafted, will not reduce risk and will

likely increase costs of people who use the derivatives and

make it more difficult for the bank to compete with foreign

competitors who can provide a more complete set of services.

It is crystal clear: this section needs to be reformed.

I ask my colleagues to support this bill and look forward to my Senate colleague, Kay Hagan, passing her companion bill in the Senate so we can get this commonsense reform completed.

Board of Governors of the

Federal Reserve System,

Washington, DC, May 12, 2010.

Hon. Christopher J. Dodd,

Chairman, Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: You have asked for my views on section

716 of S. 3217. This section would prevent many insured

depository institutions from engaging in swaps-related

activities to hedge their own financial risks or to meet the

hedging needs of their customers, and would prohibit nonbank

swaps entities, including swap dealers, clearing agencies and

derivative clearing organizations, from receiving any type of

Federal assistance.

The Federal Reserve has been a strong proponent of changes

to strengthen the regulatory framework and infrastructure for

over-the-counter (OTC) derivative markets to reduce systemic

risks, promote transparency, and enhance the safety and

soundness of banking organizations and other financial

institutions. Title VII and Title VIII of S. 3217 include

important provisions designed to achieve these goals. For

example, Title VII would require most derivative contracts to

be cleared through central clearinghouses and traded on

exchanges or open trading facilities, require information

concerning all other derivatives contracts to be reported to

trade repositories or regulators, and provide the regulatory

agencies significant new authorities to ensure that all swaps

dealers and major swap participants are subject to strong

capital, margin, and collateral requirements with respect to

their swap activities. Title VIII also includes provisions

designed to help ensure that centralized market utilities for

clearing and settling payments, securities, and derivatives

transactions (financial market utilities), which are critical

choke points in the financial system, are subject to robust

and consistent risk management standards--including

collateral, margin, and robust private-sector liquidity

arrangements--and do not pose a systemic risk to the

financial system.

I have also frequently made clear that we must end the

notion that some firms are ``too-big-to-fail.'' For that

reason, the Federal Reserve has advocated the development of

enhanced and rigorous prudential standards for all large,

interconnected financial firms, and the enactment of a new

resolution regime that would allow systemically important

financial firms to be resolved in an orderly manner, with

losses imposed on the Federal Reserve to provide emergency,

secured credit to nondepository institutions only through

broad-based liquidity facilities designed to address serious

strains in the financial markets, and not to bail out any

specific firm.

S. 3217 makes important contributions to the goals of

reducing systemic risk, eliminating the too-big-to-fail

problem, and strengthening prudential supervision. I am

concerned, however, that section 716 is counter-productive to

achieving these goals.

In particular, section 716 would essentially prohibit all

insured depository institutions from acting as a swap dealer

or a major swap participant--even when the institution acts

in these capacities to serve the commercial and hedging needs

of its customers or to hedge the institution's own financial

risks. Forcing these activities out of insured depository

institutions would weaken both financial stability and strong

prudential regulation of derivative activities.

Prohibiting depository institutions from engaging in

significant swaps activities will weaken the risk mitigation

efforts of banks and their customers. Depository institutions

use derivatives to help mitigate the risks of their normal

banking activities. For example, depository institutions use

derivatives to hedge the interest rate, currency, and credit

risks that arise from their loan, securities, and deposit

portfolios. Use of derivatives by depository institutions to

mitigate risks in the banking business also provides

important protection to the deposit insurance fund and

taxpayers as well as to the financial system more broadly. In

addition, banks acquire substantial expertise in assessing

and managing interest rate, currency, and credit risk in

their ordinary commercial banking business. Thus, banks are

well situated to be efficient and prudent providers of these

risk management tools to customers.

Importantly, banks conduct their derivatives activities in

an environment that is subject to strong prudential Federal

supervision and regulation, including capital regulations

that specifically take account of a bank's exposures to

derivative transactions. The Basel Committee on Banking

Supervision has recently proposed tough new capital and

liquidity requirements for derivatives that will further

strengthen the prudential standards that apply to bank

derivative activities. Titles I, III, VI, VII and VIII of

S.3217 all add provisions further strengthening the authority

of the Federal banking agencies and other supervisory

agencies to address the risks of derivatives. Section 716

would force derivatives activities out of banks and

potentially into less regulated entities or into foreign

firms that operate outside the boundaries of our Federal

regulatory system. The movement of derivatives to entities

outside the reach of the Federal supervisory agencies would

increase, rather than reduce the risk to the financial

system. In addition, foreign jurisdictions are highly

unlikely to push derivatives business out of their banks.

Accordingly, foreign banks will have a competitive advantage

over U.S. banking firms in the global derivatives

marketplace, and derivatives transactions could migrate

outside the United States.

More broadly, section 716 would prohibit the Federal

Reserve from lending to any swaps dealer or major swap

participant--regardless of whether it is affiliated with a

bank--even under a broad-based 13(3) liquidity facility in a

financial crisis. Experience over the past two years

demonstrates that such broad-based facilities can play a

critical role in stemming financial panics and addressing

severe strains in the financial markets that threaten

financial stability, the flow of credit to households and

businesses, and economic growth. These facilities will be

less effective if participants must choose between continuing

(or unwinding) derivatives positions and participating in the

market-liquefying facility.

I am concerned that section 716 in its present form would

make the U.S. financial system less resilient and more

susceptible to systemic risk and, thus, is inconsistent with

the important goals of financial reform legislation. We look

forward to continuing to work with the Congress as you work

to enact strong regulatory reform legislation that both

addresses the weaknesses in the financial regulatory system

that became painfully evident during the crisis, and

positions the regulatory system to meet the inevitable

challenges that lie ahead in the 21st century.

Sincerely,

Ben Bernanke.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of United States Army Command Sergeant Major (CSM) Donald R. Wingrove and commemorate his valiant service to our great nation.

CSM Wingrove was born on November 12, 1936, and enlisted in the United States Army two short months after turning eighteen. After basic training, CSM Wingrove quickly rose up the ranks, training and serving from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Thailand. In November of 1970, CSM Wingrove heroically put himself in harm's way and displayed immense dedication to this nation in a clandestine mission to rescue American prisoners of war in North Vietnam.

CSM Wingrove was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the third highest military decoration for valor, for his extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty in the face of enemy forces.

I applaud CSM Wingrove's bravery and service, and I thank him for his heroic and selfless actions. We are fortunate to have brave men and women like CSM Wingrove who stand committed to defending our great nation at home and abroad. His dedication and sacrifice represent the best our nation has to offer.

Mr. Speaker, CSM Wingrove was one of the greatest American soldiers and patriots, but he was also a loving father and husband, and a faithful friend to many. North Carolina is no stranger to heroes like CSM Wingrove. Our state boasts some of the finest warfighters the nation has ever seen. We are forever indebted to him and other American soldiers who dedicate their lives to defend our freedom, secure our homeland, and protect our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jesse Carson High School. This school, established in 2006, has been awarded the Wells Fargo Conference Cup for overall interscholastic athletic performance within its individual conference.

Last year, the school's volleyball team won the Western Regional Championship, and the baseball and softball teams were also tournament champions.

These accomplishments exemplify the hard work and dedication of the students, teachers and mentors of Jesse Carson High School.

Principal Kelly Withers is dedicated to her students and believes that with the right opportunity and environment, each student can achieve his or her goals.

I believe that a strong athletic program teaches students the importance of teamwork and how to overcome challenges. Along with a strong academic background, these skills will help our students in future endeavors.

Jesse Carson High School has made the Eighth District of North Carolina proud, and its success serves as an example to other schools in North Carolina and across the nation.

Mr. Speaker, it has been 8 days since the government shut down. The postal service is still running. Social Security and unemployment checks are being processed. Citizens can get passports and food stamps, and certain groups that have the right ideology are even given permits to protest on our National Mall; but for some reason, our military families, including those at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, cannot receive emergency death benefits.

This is worse than excusable. It's shameful.

Last week, Congress unanimously passed the Pay Our Military Act, with the intent that all military pay and allowances will be disbursed during the government shutdown. Unfortunately, this administration has been playing political theater with the families of our war heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

To make our intent crystal clear, today the House passed the Honoring the Families of Fallen Soldiers Act. Certain things should transcend politics, and it is up to the Senate and the administration. In fact, they have a moral obligation to join the efforts of the House to fix this problem and to express our deepest gratitude to the families of our heroes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the community service of retiring Stanly County Chamber President, Tom Ramseur.

Mr. Ramseur has served two counties in the 8th Congressional District of North Carolina as Chamber President for more than two decades. He served as President and CEO of the Cabarrus Chamber of Commerce from 1988 until 2001.

Mr. Ramseur then served as President and CEO of the Stanly County Chamber of Commerce from 2006 until his retirement this month.

I had the privilege of working with Mr. Ramseur while I was serving as District Director for Congressman Robin Hayes.

During a time in which Cabarrus County was hit hard by textile and manufacturing job losses, Mr. Ramseur helped bring business and community leaders together to spur the local economy and create jobs.

He recognized the importance of an economic-friendly environment that allows businesses to grow and hire people. The 8th district is fortunate to have hardworking men and women like Mr. Ramseur who are committed to strengthening our economy and bringing jobs home.

I'm proud to have worked with Mr. Ramseur over the years, and I know the folks in both Stanly and Cabarrus Counties are grateful for his service to their communities.

(From the Stanly News and Press, Sept. 18, 2013)

Ramseur Prepares for Exit at Stanly County Chamber of Commerce

Tom Ramseur is cleaning out his office at the Stanly County

Chamber of Commerce and will cede his chair to his successor

as he winds down his nearly eight years as the organization's

president and CEO.

But he will not be packing up his enthusiasm for the

Chamber or for the county it serves.

``The way I got involved in the Chamber several years ago

was as a volunteer in Cabarrus County and I knew that side of

it,'' Ramseur said.

He was involved in his family's business, which brought the

real-life work experience into the mix.

``We sold our business and I was working for the parent

company and I was asked to run the Chamber in Cabarrus County

and it appealed to me and I saw both sides of being a

volunteer and running the organization,'' Ramseur said.

His wife, Diane, is a native of Stanly County, which gave

him knowledge of the area and he also had known Marianne

Bright, who was the former president of the Chamber.

When he came to the Stanly Chamber, the board had just

completed a planning retreat and had some goals.

``Chambers are run the same no matter where they are. They

are membership-based and we needed to grow our membership,''

Ramseur said.

``We also, more importantly, needed to grow our sphere of

influence because the Chamber needs to be relevant in each

community.''

Ramseur said that was somewhat of a problem with as many

communities and municipalities spread out over such a large

area.

``We needed to tell our story and be more of a county-wide

chamber,'' he said.

``We needed to show how we could help people in

Misenheimer, Locust, Stanfield and all the others. They

needed them to know how we could help and we wanted to

help.''

He also said governmental affairs is a big part of what the

Chamber has done.

``I understood how to work with governmental officials and

building relationships and we had to do that,'' he said.

He said relationships, through no particular one's fault,

had not been as good as they should have been with the county

commission.

``It just needed to be enhanced,'' Ramseur said.

He said most people do not understand how the Chamber

works.

``We're not funded by the government. We are a nonprofit

run by a board of directors,

and the income is primarily through dues and special

events,'' he said.

Ramseur said he can understand why the Chamber may be

viewed by some as just a ``social club.''

``I have tried to eliminate that label,'' Ramseur said.

``We do have social events, and we have fun, but you might

meet somebody who you can talk to about refinancing or other

business subjects.

``Networking is important and can't all be done online.

They have to get out of their comfort zone.''

He mentions the success of the legislative breakfasts,

which are designed to help local businesses have quality time

with their representatives in Raleigh and Washington.

``We have 200 coming in to those events, and the

representatives are telling us the other counties do not have

that kind of attendance,'' Ramseur said.

``Those things happen because the Chamber makes it happen.

It's no accident and there's a lot of hard work that goes

into promoting those events.''

``I also tell people to give us a try for a year. Come to

some meetings. Go to some of the seminars we're doing with

Stanly Community College. Come to some business after hours.

Come to some of our events and you'll meet somebody.''

He said the organization has been responsible with its

funds and owns its own building and has no debt.

``I'm also proud we have now built a reserve fund and we

had a successful membership drive last year with 220 new

members,'' Ramseur said.

One of the programs Ramseur said he is proud of helping to

establish is the Career Academy for Educators.

The program brings teachers in to meet with existing

businesses and educates them as to what skills are currently

needed to supply the county's industries and businesses.

``The problem is many times getting teachers, counselors,

parents and students to make realistic decisions. Everybody

wants to go to Chapel Hill. Many people don't know how to

cope after high school and a four-year degree is not always a

ticket to a job,'' he said.

``That is not to discourage anyone from pursuing that goal.

It just may be some would be better prepared by entering the

workforce first and this program helps in that regard.''

If there was one magic moment during his years directing

the Chamber, it happened in March 2009. ``We found out Harris

Teeter announced it would close its Albemarle location,''

Ramseur said.

``The manager said he thought the decision was final. I

asked what we could do.''

What happened is what Ramseur said needs to happen

throughout the county when it comes to the economic

betterment of the area. Come together.

``Everybody was on the phone with each other and Harris

Teeter got more than 700 calls and emails within hours,'' he

said.

``They announced the store would remain open within a few

days. That's what happens when everyone works together.''

He said there weren't many disappointments, but mentions

the prolonged discussions between Alcoa and the county as

``not very helpful.''

``The Chamber did not take sides on the issue. Alcoa is

still an active member of the Chamber. We have an excellent

relationship with the county. But the fact it hung on that

long probably did not cast a good image on Stanly County,''

Ramseur said.

``The only time we ever got covered or noticed was when it

had to do with that issue.''

He said he was ``very pleased when there was a settlement.

I commend the two parties for settling that. What it means is

we can move on to other issues that can make a difference

such as education and recruiting businesses.''

As Ramseur leaves his post, he does so with a busy schedule

ahead for the next few weeks.

The Chamber will initiate the new class of Leadership

Stanly and host its annual Business Expo, which is already

successful by the number of participants who have signed to

be there.

He will do that while guiding his successor, Kathy Almond,

into her new role which begins officially Oct. 1.

Ramseur has no worries about the job Almond will do, taking

into account her already being active with the Chamber and a

superb board of directors.

``I will never be able to express how much I have

appreciated the board and their support in all we've done,''

he said.

``They are volunteers and yet they are always there and do

what needs to be done. With their support and enthusiasm,

they have been great to work with.

``We have the best staff with Stephanie Gresham and Winona

Vullo who always work hard to make everything we do

successful as well as being there to help our members in any

way they need us,'' he said.

His advice to Almond or to anyone else in the post is to

keep focused on the main reason the Chamber exists.

``Just help people to find what they need and go the extra

mile and everything else will be fine,'' Ramseur said.

Ramseur has some parting shots as to what he's learned and

what the county should learn about the local economy.

``I think you need to keep the personal touch. Call people

back. But you can't do everything,'' he said.

``I said I'd get by and see every member the first year. I

found I couldn't. But I still try to communicate as much as

possible.''

He said he would put a personal note on each yearly fee

announcement and one when it was received.

``The Chamber can't be all things to all people. My

successor needs to always ask if it is something that is part

of what the mission is and what we do,'' Ramseur said.

He said there are many people in the business of economic

development and commends the county for funding a separate

economic commission.

``(Economic Development Director) Paul Stratos can do the

hard fast economic development. He understands the land use

and utilities and you have to have someone doing all of

that,'' he said.

``We shouldn't lose sight of the Convention and Visitors

Bureau, where we have more and more people coming through

here. People come from all over.

``I have no problem with the cities doing more in economic

development on their own part as long as they try to

coordinate their efforts.''

``I encourage people to work together, but if a group can

financially commit to have more work for the good of the

county, who is going to complain? We're going to get more

jobs and that's the goal.''

Ramseur has received praise from his Chamber colleagues for

his leadership of the organization.

``Even during a down economy, under his leadership the

Chamber has grown and thrived,'' Past Chamber Chairman Matt

Smith said.

``He has also been very instrumental in making our chamber

a strong voice in the community that works hard to bring

people together and build a better business environment in

Stanly County.''

Current Chamber President Bill Lawhon echoed Smith's

remarks.

``He has been good for our chamber, working extremely hard

to bring our community of businesses together,'' Lawhon

said.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to join my colleagues to voice my strongest opposition to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty currently before the United Nations.

First and foremost, by signing this overreaching treaty, the administration is crippling one of our most fundamental rights: the Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment is our most fundamental right because it ensures that we can maintain our other rights.

Second, by their own admission, the President and his administration have said this vague treaty is difficult to interpret. Why would we engage in an ambiguous and harmful agreement like this?

Finally, the President's own State Department said this treaty will have international implications for U.S. arms sales to Israel and Taiwan. Why would we engage in an agreement that would damage our relationships with two of our strongest allies and give veto power over decisions to sell arms to our allies to other nations around the world?

Mr. Speaker, I spent the past weekend in a deer stand and cannot imagine allowing the laws of other countries to stop my ability and the ability of other Americans from enjoying this tradition that I've enjoyed my entire life. The people I represent in North Carolina can't understand why this administration is seeking to damage our personal liberty and the sovereignty of our great Nation.

We must oppose this treaty, and I encourage our colleagues in the Senate to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 2013 North Carolina Principal of the year, Lynn Rhymer.

Ms. Rhymer, who lives in Cabarrus County and is originally from Asheville, N.C., is currently the principal at Central Cabarrus High School in Cabarrus County, N.C.

She has served in education for the past 25 years, dedicating 15 years as a high school mathematics teacher and basketball coach and the past 10 years as an administrator.

She first received her bachelor's degree in mathematics and a teaching certificate from Western Carolina University. Since receiving her master's degree in school administration from Appalachian State University, Ms. Rhymer has served as an assistant principal and principal.

She began her career as principal at Northwest Cabarrus High School, transforming it within three years from a failing school to the sixth best for the state of N.C. as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. She is in her seventh year as principal and loves the time she gets to spend with staff and students.

When asked about her profession, Ms. Rhymer simply states, ``I wouldn't do anything else in the world than what I'm doing now. This is my fate, and it's a pretty amazing job.''

As the son of a school teacher, I understand that education is imperative for the future of our nation, and I appreciate Ms. Rhymer's dedication to our students. Her success serves as an example to other teachers in North Carolina and across the nation.

The students of the Eighth District of North Carolina are fortunate to have administrators,

teachers and mentors like Ms. Rhymer who recognize the importance of building a culture where every student can succeed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered to be the first sponsor of H.R. 1001, a bill originally introduced by Representative Bonner of Alabama, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprinting pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 435, I was unavoidably detained at a personal doctor's appointment.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 434 I was unavoidably detained at a personal doctor's appointment.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''