Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to come to the table and urge Speaker Pelosi to come to the table to negotiate an end to this shutdown.

This week, Democrats called us back to Washington to solve this problem, but they voted against paying Federal workers three times over the past week, while Republicans have been standing up for those who have now missed paychecks.

It has been 15 days since the Speaker has sat down to negotiate with the President.

Last week, I went to the White House for what was supposed to be a bipartisan meeting to discuss ending this shutdown and, unfortunately, none of my Democratic colleagues showed up.

Before Democrats even heard President Trump's proposal offering a solution for DACA recipients and TPS individuals in return for border security, they rejected it.

Speaker Pelosi gave the longest speech ever in this Chamber, on protecting DACA recipients, but now she is refusing to provide certainty for them.

We have an opportunity to get real border security and protect DACA recipients. It is time to set politics aside and for the Speaker of the House to go to the table, end this shutdown, and negotiate a deal with the President.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Illinois State University's Mennonite College of Nursing on celebrating 100 years of excellence in nursing education.

Founded on January 23, 1919, the Mennonite Sanitarium Training School had a vision of training the Nation's best nurses. In 1982, they grew to become the Mennonite College of Nursing, thereby offering undergraduate degrees for the very first time.

In 1995, they added a graduate degree; and in 1999, the college became part of Illinois State University, where it has expanded to include even more academic offerings, including a doctorate degree.

Today, the ISU Mennonite College of Nursing boasts a state-of-the-art simulation lab and a 10,000-square-foot facility to provide students with hands-on experience in real-life situations with patient simulators.

As the husband of a nurse who is a former nurse educator, I am proud of the strong legacy of ISU's Mennonite College of Nursing and their commitment to educating future generations of nurses just like these students here. I commend them on their century of leadership and look forward to the many achievements to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the young people from my home diocese in Springfield, Illinois, who traveled to Washington, D.C., for the 46th annual March for Life tomorrow.

Each year, nearly 200 students from throughout the Diocese of Springfield and the 13th District come to our Nation's Capital to show their support for choosing life. It is truly inspiring to see so many-- especially young people--marching for life, and I am proud to stand with them in their defense for life.

Last year, I attended mass with these students to pray for all unborn children and for an end to abortion. Before mass, I learned that, when the students arrived in Washington, one of their classmates, Ayden O'Malley, from Nokomis, Illinois, suffered a serious medical episode. Ayden passed away 5 days later here in Washington. Although I never met her, I admire her convictions and willingness to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

This year, we remember Ayden as well as all unborn children whose lives were cut short.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my friend and hobby radio control industry legend, Joe Ambrose, who passed away unexpectedly on Friday.

Joe was a lifelong resident of central Illinois and a graduate of the University of Illinois. He joined Horizon Hobby in Champaign in 2005 as vice president and in 2008 he became CEO, where he successfully grew the business over the next decade. This past year he led the largest acquisition in radio control industry history through the purchase of crosstown competitor Hobbico RC.

Joe and his company were leading voices for establishing the micro UAS regulations, hosting myself and other stakeholders in June of 2016 for a roundtable on the topic. Horizon Hobby also participated in the FAA's UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee. That group ultimately developed recommendations for performance-based regulations to allow certain unmanned aircraft to operate over people.

Joe made things happen in this institution. His visionary leadership will be missed, and I extend my deepest condolences to his wife, Julie, their four children, and eight grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend, Jeff Bell, who will be retiring after working for more than 30 years at the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Throughout his tenure at IDOT, Jeff has served in a number of roles and has remained a valuable asset for the citizens of Illinois due to his dedication, hard work, and attention to detail. Most recently, as Bureau Chief for Federal Affairs, Jeff has been an excellent liaison between IDOT and the Illinois Congressional Delegation, helping our offices better serve our State's transportation infrastructure needs when federal policy is developed out here in Washington, D.C.

I have had the privilege of working with Jeff as both a member of Congress and also while serving as an aide to Congressman John Shimkus, and Jeff has never been anything but an invaluable resource on transportation infrastructure legislation and projects. Jeff has staunchly advocated for federal initiatives that improve Illinois' infrastructure, and has helped maximize the federal resources our state has received.

It is my honor to congratulate Jeff on his retirement and thank him for his friendship and service to the State of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Florida for yielding. I know he is probably worried about what I might say in this final speech here on the floor tonight, but I have got to tell you about a friend that I met just shortly after going to a meeting across the street where I had the honor of becoming a mentor to a candidate who wanted to run for Congress.

His name was Carlos Curbelo, and I knew we were going to get along well when I called him the first time on the phone and he said: ``Why are you my mentor?'' I said: ``Because you have Key West in the district you are winning in. I would like to come visit you.''

He took my first joke well, and we hit it off and became very close friends. And imagine my glee when, on election night, in 2014, my mentee became a newly elected Member of Congress. And to see him walk into this institution, to see him immediately become, not just a friend to me and to many others, but a legislator and one of the best legislators I have ever had the opportunity to serve with.

It is bittersweet for me to stand here tonight and wish him the best in his next endeavors. I know he will have plenty of opportunities to spend a great deal of time with his wife Ceci and their two lovely young daughters in one of the most beautiful places in the world, in Miami-Dade.

But I have got a feeling this isn't going to be the last for my friend, Mr. Curbelo. And this speech may be the last one he delivers as a Member of this institution, but whether it is he comes back here or whatever his next step is, he knows that it is not only me who is going to be standing there right behind him, but so many of his colleagues and friends that he has met along the way and has meant so much to.

I thank him for being a great friend. I thank him for being a member of the wolf pack, and I will always know him as my good friend, Chuck Curbelo.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham).

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Conaway and my fellow conferees on reaching a conference agreement that benefits all of agriculture. This bill maintains programs critical for central Illinois farmers, strengthens agricultural research, and improves protection for organic products.

First and foremost, this bill ensures crop insurance remains a vital risk management tool for farmers. It also ensures farmers have a choice between two different commodity protection programs, something I fought for in the 2014 farm bill, and I am glad we were successful again in this farm bill.

Consumer demand for organic products continues to increase, and this bill makes positive changes to support organic products by placing higher scrutiny on organic imports, helping farmers who seek organic certification, and increasing funding for organic research.

The bill also strengthens agricultural research by including my bill to ensure USDA's research focuses on agriculture's most-needed priorities and helps universities like the University of Illinois, Illinois State University, and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, in my district, continue important research.

Additionally, ensuring rural communities have access to broadband is an important part of this bill. Not only do we invest in expanding broadband, we ensure rural communities have access to broadband that will now meet minimum standards and requirements for today's technological age.

We have written a strong bill for our farmers but, Mr. Speaker, 80 percent of this farm bill is related to SNAP, and that cannot be ignored. We missed a golden opportunity to fill in the cracks of our existing workforce development programs to get millions of families the opportunity to get educational benefits to get them out of poverty with the jobs that we know are available in this community.

I am disappointed we weren't successful, but I look forward to supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the grounds that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Monticello High School Sages and Coach Cully Welter on winning the State football championship last week.

The Sages capped off an undefeated season with their 24-20 victory over Byron High School in the Class 3A championship game. This season's championship was the first in Monticello's history, and also the first time its football team has played in a championship game.

Monticello's 2018 season was a record-breaking season, and it will be remembered for years to come. Before the championship game, none of Monticello's opponents had finished within three touchdowns of the Sages.

I want to send a special message to the Sages' defense. As someone who watched this game comfortably from my home, I clearly saw that the Byron running back fumbled the ball at the goal line, and it was a very bad call. But you recovered, and you won the championship.

Mr. Speaker, I was proud to follow the Sages' championship season, and I congratulate the team and the entire Monticello community on this well-deserved title.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and legacy of Eldon ``Twirp'' Williams, whose life was tragically ended last month at the age of 87.

Endearingly known as ``Twirp'' by those throughout the Riverbend community, he had been involved in local government for more than 60 years.

In 1957, Twirp was appointed as Godfrey Township assessor, a position he held until 1997. In 1999, he was elected

as a trustee to the Godfrey Village Board, where he served until his untimely death.

In addition to his decades of service to Madison County, Twirp was also an Air Force Veteran.

Outside of his public service, Twirp worked as a Realtor for more than 50 years and was even out on a real estate call at the time of his passing.

Twirp leaves a long-lasting legacy of service that will never be replaced. He is survived by his wife, 6 daughters, 11 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

Please join me in keeping the Williams family and the Godfrey community in your thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as the many advocacy groups, health organizations, and constituents working with our offices, for ensuring an extension of the Violence Against Women Act while a long-term reauthorization is finalized. This is a crucial first step toward ensuring that victims of violence continue to have the resources they rely on and our law enforcement officers can keep up the fight against domestic violence and sex crimes.

VAWA is a landmark piece of legislation enacted over two decades ago. It plays two very important roles: first, to prevent against violent crimes against women; and second, to provide care and assistance to women who were victims of violent crimes.

VAWA has enhanced domestic violence and stalking penalties, added protections for abused elderly and disabled women, helped to fight against sex trafficking, and addressed the rape kit backlog in many States.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues toward a long-term reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, H.R. 6760, the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act of 2018.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Brady, the entire Ways and Means Committee, and the Ways and Means staff for their hard work in getting tax reform 2.0 to the House floor.

Last December, this Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. That legislation was the first major tax reform in 31 years and delivered on our promise to bring tax relief to middle class families across the country.

In fact, in my district in central Illinois, the average family of four making the median income of $78,500 will see a tax cut of roughly $2,200 this year. That is certainly not crumbs, Mr. Speaker.

Since passage of tax reform, we have seen historic growth in our economy. It currently sits at 3.9 percent unemployment, with approximately 6.6 million open jobs, and a GDP last quarter of 4.2 percent. With companies raising wages and increasing benefits, it is no wonder 90 percent of workers are seeing bigger paychecks, thanks to last year's tax cuts.

Unfortunately, last year, the constraints of the budget reconciliation process in the Senate forced us to sunset many of the provisions found within that act. H.R. 6760 simply makes those sunsetting provisions permanent.

These provisions include the expanded child tax credit, which we increased from $1,000 to $2,000; the new double standard deduction; and the improved tax brackets, which have lowered rates for all taxpayers.

As the economy continues to reach new heights, H.R. 6760 represents our continued commitment to the millions of hardworking middle class Americans who have benefited from the tax cuts enacted last year.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support middle class families by voting for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this bill includes my bill, the Disaster Declaration Improvement Act, which requires FEMA to place greater consideration on the severe localized impact of damage following a disaster.

I have fought for this critical disaster fairness legislation for years, and we finally have an opportunity to get it signed into law. Enacting this language will help level the playing field, help central and southern Illinois receive greater fairness when disaster happens.

Thank you, Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio, for working to include this provision. I urge adoption of this legislation and this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember Petty Officer Logan Palmer of Harristown, Illinois, who was tragically lost in the accident last August aboard USS John S. McCain.

Logan knew early that he wanted to serve his country. After he graduated from Sangamon Valley High School and Richland Community College, he enlisted in the Navy as an interior communications electrician.

Petty Officer Logan Palmer died serving and protecting our country, and for that, we remain eternally grateful.

Today, the House will vote on a bill to designate Harristown's post office in Logan's hometown of Harristown, Illinois, a small rural community in Macon County, Illinois, as the Logan S. Palmer Post Office.

Although I never had the honor of meeting Logan, I have since come to know his parents, Theresa and Sid, and I was honored they were able to join me when I introduced this bill earlier this year. While they sat in the gallery, I was able to drop that piece of paper in the box to introduce this bill to the floor of the House, and I am honored today to ask my colleagues to join me in passing this important legislation to honor one of America's heroes.

Designating this post office will not only honor Logan's service, but serve as a grave reminder of the risks that our servicemembers take on each day and the responsibilities we have to them as a country.

It is my privilege to be able to honor Logan today, but, again, it is not why we are here. Many times this chamber will be criticized for naming post offices, naming public buildings, but, again, let us remember the sacrifices that many of those who those buildings are named after made for the freedoms and the liberties that many of us in this country take for granted every day.

When Logan joined the Navy, no one in his hometown, let alone his family, thought that he would sacrifice so much for the freedom and liberty of our great country.

It is my honor to honor Logan S. Palmer with this bill today, and his name will live forever on his local post office.