Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Ryan sense of the House resolution which would improve the 2013 farm bill by reducing insurance subsidies for the wealthiest producers, saving taxpayers almost $1 billion.

The Senate bill includes a provision authorized by Senator Richard Durbin and Tom Coburn to reduce the level of crop insurance premium subsidies for participants with an adjusted gross income over $750,000 by 15 percent. The amendment was approved in the Senate on a bipartisan basis, 59-33. During the House consideration of the farm bill, I offered a companion amendment which was, unfortunately, not made in order.

By supporting this sense of the House, our Chamber now has an opportunity to go on record to support this modest, very commonsense reform. The limitation is expected to impact only 1 percent of the wealthiest farmers in the entire country. The vast majority of farmers in our district will see no change in the level of premium provided by the Federal Government.

Last year, the Federal Government spent $7 billion to cover 62 percent of crop insurance premiums. A 2012 GAO study found that 4 percent of the most profitable farmers accounted for nearly one-third of all Federal premium support. Now is the time to include modest means testing to reforms in crop insurance programs.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Ryan sense of the House to protect taxpayers in the new farm bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of this Nation's Gold Star Mothers, especially those in New York State and in particular in New York's 22nd Congressional District.

It is fitting that we recognize the American Gold Star Mothers, whose sons and daughters have died in defense of the ideals of individual liberty. On Sunday, September 29, 2013, our Utica chapter will host its Gold Star Mother's Day at 2 p.m. at the CPT George A. Wood Postal Facility at 100 Pitcher St. in Utica, New York.

This day is made possible in large part due to the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 944, which annually honors our Gold Star Mothers and families during this event complete with Color Guards, a rifle salute, the singing of our national anthem, and a wreath-laying at Gold Star Mothers monument.

Our Gold Star Mothers should be honored and offered respect and gratitude for their personal sacrifice. Gold Star Mother's Day is intended to honor women who deserve special recognition and gratitude for their tremendous personal loss on behalf of our country.

During the early days of World War I, a Blue Star was used to represent each Soldier in military service of the United States, and as the war progressed and Soldiers were killed or wounded in combat or died from wounds or disease, a Gold Star superimposed over the Blue Star designated the loss of these individuals. This tradition recognized Soldiers for their ultimate sacrifice to our country and the Gold Star offered families an outward symbol by which to honor the loss of a loved one.

Our Gold Star Mothers serve as the strength and inspiration for this country. They are part of an exclusive group--one that no one ever hopes to belong. One can imagine that there is no pain more far- reaching or deeper than losing a child.

While it's not possible to ever find solace in losing a child, our Gold Star Mothers find comfort in the women standing beside them. Their hurt may be soothed by knowing the lives of their sons and daughters live on through them. Their children live not only in their hearts, but in the heart of this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I believe to serve one's country--particularly during times of war--is one of the most noble and selfless acts available to man. I urge all of my colleagues to appreciate the services rendered to the United States by the mothers of America who have strengthened and inspired our Nation throughout history. May we always honor the Gold Star Mothers of America for their courage and their strength.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today in support of K-12 education and our national public school system. I recently voted in favor of H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, as an imperfect but essential piece of legislation to move forward the necessary reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Had the opportunity been presented, I would have supported measures to strengthen The Student Success Act by supporting altered Title I funding allocations as well as reiterating the importance of STEM education at a young age.

The intent of Title I funding within the original ESEA was, and should continue to be, to provide federal funding to public schools with the highest concentrations of poverty. Supporting our must vulnerable populations provides impoverished communities and students with some of largest barriers to educational success an enhanced opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential.

The State of New York alone is home to thousands of public schools receiving Title I funding. We know that in order to prepare our students to succeed in a globally competitive environment, we need to equip them with the most relevant and enhanced resources available to expand their knowledge of 21st century demands. By supporting schools and students who wouldn't otherwise have the resources to improve efforts in early childhood education and emphasizing learning in in- demand subjects like science and math, we can truly support our future.

I will continue to advocate for an enhanced reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that fully supports our public school system, teachers, and students for a better America.

Offered By: Mr. Hanna

Amendment No. 5: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a great American, Lt. Col. Frank Blackburn, of Rome, NY, who will be buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, 27 June, 2013. Lt. Col. Blackburn was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force in December 1953 after completing flight training school in Texas. He graduated from Syracuse University.

Lt. Col. Blackburn had a distinguished flying career with the Air Force. He was stationed in Korea following the war with the 405th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Langley, VA; with the 353rd Tactical Fighter Squadron in Myrtle Beach, SC; as a missile crew commander in Sembach, Germany; and with the 37th Tactical Fighter wing in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, as a forward air controller. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and retired from the service in 1972. While in the Air Force, Frank piloted many of the nation's earliest and most important jet aircraft, including the F-84, F-86 Sabre and the F100 Super Sabre.

Lt. Col. Blackburn earned numerous commendations, including: the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Distinguished Unit Citation, Air Force Expeditionary Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Small Arms Expert Marksman Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and Air Force Medal.

He followed this career with 25 years of service at PAR Technology Corp. in Rome, NY where his responsibilities included operations, purchasing, and security. He and his wife, Donna Logan Blackburn raised five children: Wendy, James, Debra, David and Andrea. Lt. Col. Blackburn served as a council member, elder and Sunday School teacher at St. John Lutheran Church in Rome and he was a member of the Retired Officers Association and a past member of the Rome Kiwanis Club.

Mr. Speaker, Lt. Col. Blackburn was a 20-year career U.S. Air Force officer, a dedicated husband, father, grandfather and member of his community. Let us honor him as a true American patriot. May his memory never be forgotten.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend from New York for yielding and for his work on this amendment.

I rise in support of this bipartisan amendment to strike the new trade barrier on imported olive oil included in this farm bill.

This would place a new effective tax rate on olive oil imports, which hurts small businesses like restaurants, retailers, and especially consumers. It will seriously threaten good jobs in many communities, including my own.

Roughly 98 percent of the olive oil consumed in the United States is imported. Only 2 percent--2 percent--is produced here. This new barrier would benefit a very small segment of the olive oil producers in very few States at the expense of all 50 States.

CBO pegged the new olive oil regulation as a private sector mandate-- an earmark effectively--potentially costing businesses and consumers tens of millions of dollars.

Now is not the time to implement trade barriers with our allies as we begin new trade negotiations with the European Union. This amendment protects small businesses, consumers, and robust trade. I urge the support of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to honor high school graduates from the Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational Services area who are entering the United States Armed Forces. These young men and women have made an admirable decision to defend our county. I join the Conklin Kiwanis Club in honoring them.

The Conklin Kiwanis Club will hold a special celebration to honor these graduating high school seniors. ``The First to Say Thank You'' event will take place on Wednesday, June 12th at Susquehanna Valley High School in Conklin.

Mr. Speaker, I would ask you join me in honoring the following students entering the Army National Guard: Ms. Tessa Brown, Harpursville; Mr. Joshua Decker, Tioga; Ms. Holly Rowe, Tioga; Ms. Holly St. Hilaire, Tioga; Ms. Emily Stansfield, Tioga.

Honoring the students entering the United States Air Force: Mr. Brandyn Sloan, Binghamton; Ms. Ashley Blanton, Johnson City; Mr. Patrick Bidwell, Owego-Apalachin; Mr. Kyle Johnson, Owego-Apalachin; Mr. Deven Nauta, Tioga; Ms. Dakota Lockwood, Union-Endicott; Mr. Brendan Griffis, Vestal; Ms. Tiffany Stoeckel, Windsor.

Honoring the students entering the United States Army: Mr. Zachary P. Cepeda, Binghamton; Mr. Patrick M. Stanton, Binghamton; Mr. Johnathan M. Truesdell, Binghamton; Mr. Aaron Tiikkala, Candor; Mr. Alex T. Vessey, Chenango Forks; Mr. Andrew Kinner, Hannock; Ms. Anna Carman, Homer; Mr. Michael J. Sarnoski, Newark Valley; Mr. Andre T. Judge, Owego-Apalachin; Mr. Nathan Bomysoad, Union-Endicott; Mr. Andrew Gregor, Vestal; Mr. Richard Pedro, Vestal; Mr. Daniel Bond, Windsor; Mr. Jack Teetor, Windsor.

Honoring the students entering the United States Marines: Mr. Michael Elliott, Candor; Jacob Seymour, Deposit; Ms. Brook Bart, Maine-Endwell; Mr. Matthew Morgan, Maine-Endwell; Mr. Jarrett Thomas, Maine-Endwell; Mr. James Raab, Newark Valley; Mr. Cody Harbst, Owego-Apalachin, Mr. Shaun Chamberlain, Vestal; Mr. Ilioff Garrett, Vestal; Mr. Brian Jennings, Vestal; Mr. Cody Bellmore, Windsor; Mr. Jacob Colwell, Windsor; Mr. Nicholas Freed, Windsor.

I would also like to honor Ms. Savannah Murry of Harpursville entering the United States Military Academy and Mr. Kory Newton of Vestal entering the United States Navy.

I thank the chairman emeritus for yielding and for his strong support of the National Baseball Hall of Fame commemorative coin bill.

Mr. Speaker, the United States Mint is working hard to produce spectacular coins next year honoring the National Baseball Hall of Fame's 75th anniversary.

As called for in the legislation I authored in last year's Congress, the coin will be unique in the history of the Mint. It will be domed, with the back of the coin depicting stitches that appear on a major league baseball.

In doing the production work, the Mint discovered that the work to make the coin domed would make the finished coin slightly smaller than the standard finished commemorative coin. I am pleased the Mint has brought this to our attention and asked that we do a technical amendment to allow them to use standard coin blanks, instead of having to secure expensive custom ones.

Since all production costs of commemorative coins are passed on to the consumer, this will keep the cost of these coins down for baseball fans around the world who want to commemorate 75 years of collecting, displaying, and honoring our national pastime.

Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill that actually saves money and effort, and I urge its immediate passage.

Mr. Speaker, last Friday, sequestration went into effect. The House has passed two plans to replace sequestration with smarter, targeted spending cuts. Unfortunately, the Senate has not approved a plan. We desperately need to cut spending, but sequestration is an extremely poor way to do it.

Where I'm from in upstate New York, it means taking an ax to cybersecurity precisely when we need it the most. It means furloughing the men and women who make sure that our Armed Forces get paid. It also means slashing education programs that make our country more competitive.

We need to make tough, smart choices and reduce spending now so that we don't hand our children the most regressive tax there is--an immoral national debt approaching $17 trillion. There is no reason and should be no reason why both sides can't agree on cutting $85 billion. Mr. Speaker, we need to replace this sequestration with responsible cuts and reforms. Let's do it as soon as possible.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 49, on motion to suspend the rules and agree to Academic Competition Resolution of 2013, I was unable to successfully cast my vote by electronic device.

Had I been able to vote, I would have voted ``yes.''

I rise today in support of the rule which provides for consideration of S. 47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.

Mr. Speaker, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act has been successful. We have seen its benefits. It has saved lives and helped millions of women find safety, security, and self-sufficiency. While there are deeply held differences about some policies in the bill we consider today, now is the time to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act.

If a daughter, sister, or perfect stranger were raped, battered, or needed help, no one would ask or care what her ethnicity, national origin, or sexual orientation was before coming to her aid--nor should the Violence Against Women Act. No community, no person should be neglected when it comes to domestic violence. As a father of a young daughter, Grace Catherine, I don't know or care what her orientation is--and neither should Congress. I simply know that she and all women and girls should be equally protected under its laws.

We have an opportunity now to finally pass a bipartisan, inclusive Violence Against Women Act that service providers, law enforcement and, most importantly, all victims deserve. I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution and commend Chairwoman Miller and Ranking Member Brady for offering this thoughtful legislation.

As cochair of the STEM Education Caucus, I'm grateful the House has brought forth this issue which is critical to American economic competitiveness. In order to rebuild our middle class, increase our standard of living, and ensure that the 21st century is another prosperous American century, one of the most important things that Congress can do is prioritize science, technology, engineering, and math.

I'm a member of the Joint Economic Committee, which reported last year that STEM fields spur economic growth through innovation and value-added tradable goods. We also know that STEM unemployment rates are half of the normal unemployment rate. STEM salaries are double what other salaries are for non-STEM work. Putting people solidly in the middle class creates taxpayers, which grows our economy and helps control our debt, ensuring that the increasingly elusive American Dream is still attainable.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution to establish academic STEM competitions in each of our districts is a great way to highlight the importance of educating our youth in fields which are so necessary to the future competitiveness of our Nation.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I look forward to this House continuing to find bipartisan ways to prioritize science, technology, engineering, and math education.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6324, the Cutting Federal Unnecessary and Expensive Leasing Act. I sponsored this legislation with my friend and colleague from Georgia (Mr. Barrow).

Mr. Speaker, this is a simple bill which takes up a recommendation of the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission to help our Federal Government operate more efficiently. The Federal Government now owns and operates over 500,000 civilian vehicles, according to the Government Accountability Office. Simpson-Bowles found that the government's annual vehicle budget is over $4 billion, and the Federal fleet has increased by 30,000 vehicles in recent years. These are staggering numbers at any time, but particularly when our national debt has surpassed $16 trillion.

Rapid advances in technologies like video conferencing and telecommuting are making travel much less necessary, not more. The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform recommended that the Federal Government's fleet be cut and trimmed by 20 percent. The Cutting FUEL Act does just that. It requires civilian Federal agencies over the next 5 years to spend 20 percent less than their fiscal year 2010 levels on vehicles purchased and leased. The bill exempts our Armed Forces, postal service, and other vehicles which have a national security purpose as determined by the Office of Management and Budget and General Services Administration.

The bill encourages agencies to share vehicles with another agency that may need temporary or long-term use of additional vehicles. For example, if the VA required additional vehicles to meet certain program needs, the administration could task other agencies to help and assist the VA. The benefits of this bill are clear. We will be saving hundreds of millions of dollars over 10 years that are better used for deficit reduction or core agency missions. We will be reducing congestion on our roads. And because these fleets burn more than 1 million gallons of fuel each day, we will be saving fuel costs and reducing emissions. The simple reality is that we have to cut spending, and the Federal Government needs to live within its means. Buying and leasing new cars that the government does not need and cannot afford is a waste of hard- earned taxpayer dollars.

I would also note that the Congress has capped its own spending on vehicle leases for the past 2 years, an amendment which I authored. This bill today is just another commonsense bipartisan solution to save where it makes obvious sense.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Peggy Combs on her promotion to Brigadier General in the United States Army.

Brigadier General Combs is the commandant of the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. The change of command ceremony was streamed live to her hometown American Legion, R.K. Parkhurst Post 1448 in Oriskany, NY, where both she and her parents are members. Approximately 1,400 members of the community gathered to watch the ceremony.

Brigadier General Combs is the first female general officer to hail from the upstate New York community, and is the first general with ties to Oriskany since Gen. Nicholas Herkimer, who led local militia during the famed battle of Oriskany during the Revolutionary War.

Brigadier General Combs is the eldest of Jack and Pat Huther's four children and is a 1981 graduate of Oriskany Central School. Brigadier General Combs was the first member of her family to go to college. In 1985, she graduated from the esteemed Syracuse University and received her direct commission as a second lieutenant through the university's Army ROTC program, where she was a distinguished military graduate. Together with her husband Brad, they have raised three grown children. Brigadier General Combs stands as a role model for women and female soldiers throughout the United States of America. Only in America can a young girl from rural upstate New York climb the ranks of the best Army in the world.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Congress and the United States of America, I would like to recognize Brigadier General Peggy Combs on her promotion in the United States Army. Brigadier General Combs has been an asset not only to the United States Army but to the people of New York State and certainly Oneida County and her hometown of Oriskany. It is an honor and a privilege to applaud Brigadier General Combs' promotion and I wish her great success as she continues her upward journey in the United States Army.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 537, I was unavoidably absent. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 538, I was unavoidably absent. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 539, due to severe thunderstorms over the Northeast, my flight was unavoidably delayed. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''