Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 93.

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, this year, beautiful Bond County, located in the southeastern part of Illinois, celebrates its becentennial--200 years as a county is a great honor.

Bond County was one of the state's original 11 counties when Illinois applied for statehood

in 1818. It was named after the first governor of Illinois, Shadrach Bond who helped develop the first big transportation and infrastructure project for Illinois.

Bond County has witnessed many moments in our nation's history. Both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas gave speeches there in 1858 for their Senatorial election and the Liberty Bell made its way through the county in 1915. Additionally, President Ronald Reagan appeared there in 1980 for a campaign speech.

Bond County is also home to Greenville College, a 4-year Christian university founded on prayer that focuses on the pillars of faith and community to advance students' learning. Greenville facilitated multiple mission trips, study abroad programs, and home-service projects in 2016.

There is much for the citizens of this county to be proud of. A county with such a rich history of beauty, politics, and pride deserves to be recognized after 200 fantastic years.

Mr. Speaker, this year, Bond County's Health Department celebrates fifty years of serving the community.

For five decades, healthcare professionals at Bond County Health Department have provided citizens with important health services such as immunizations, dental clinics, maternal and child health education, and much more. Their mission to promote good health, safety, and sanitation has helped thousands of people across the area.

The Bond County Health Department has excelled at meeting the needs of the population it serves. Whether it be assisting seniors with home healthcare, inspecting the food safety of community restaurants, or helping new parents with infant and child resources, Bond County Health Department has been an important part of southwestern Illinois. For half a century, they have worked to improve public health in the region and have provided valuable education to the citizens of Bond County.

I understand the important role of institutions like Bond County Health Department and I commend its staff for all of their hard work over the years. Congratulations on your 50th anniversary, and I wish you all the best in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution providing for a congressional disapproval of the stream buffer rule.

In my home State of Illinois, coal production employs roughly 5,000 workers and the industry contributes $2 billion a year to our State's economy. In southern Illinois, these are some of the region's best- paying jobs.

Unfortunately, this rule was one of the final shots the Obama administration fired in their war on coal. Unless reversed, this rule is directly going to hurt our Illinois coal miners and those working at coal power plants and, in the end, consumers--those who pay the utility bills in this country.

The last administration refused to work in good faith with the States when finalizing the rule, even after Congress told them to do so in the 2015 omnibus bill.

I include in the Record a letter from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in opposition to the rule.

Illinois Department of

Natural Resources,

Springfield, IL, January 30, 2017.

Re The Stream Protection Rule and The Congressional Review

Act.

Hon. Paul Ryan,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Mitch McConnell,

Majority Leader, U.S. Senate,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell: As the

regulatory authority for administering the federal Surface

Mining Control and Reclamation Act (``SMCRA'') in the State

of Illinois, the Department of Natural Resources

(``Department'') appeals Congress to use its power under the

Congressional Review Act to disapprove the ``Stream

Protection Rule'' (``Rule''), issued by the Office of Surface

Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (``OSM'') at 81 Fed. Reg.

93066 (Dec. 20, 2016).

The Rule's ``one size fits all'' approach to regulatory

performance standards fails to incorporate important regional

differences, such as local geology, hydrologic regime, and

climate, as required under SMCRA. For example, stream loss

has rarely been a problem in the State of Illinois given the

regional hydrogeology of the Illinois Basin. To universally

require long term upstream and downstream monitoring would

place an undue burden on the State to continually review such

data. The rule gives no discretion to state regulatory

authorities.

Despite the claims of OSM in its Regulatory Impact

Analysis, the Rule would place significant burdens and

additional costs on state regulatory programs. Compliance

with the rule would require the Department to revise and

restructure its entire coal mining program and add $600,000

to $800,000 per year in staffing and equipment costs.

OSM's failure to properly consult with the State of

Illinois and the other states has resulted in a burdensome

and unlawful Rule that usurps states' authority as primary

regulators of coal mining as intended by Congress under

SMCRA, and demands congressional action.

The Congressional Review Act provides Congress the

authority to take action to avoid the harm imposed by the

Rule. Accordingly, we respectfully request that you and your

colleagues in the Congress pass a joint resolution

disapproving the Final Stream Protection Rule under the

procedures of the Congressional Review Act, S U.S.C. 801 et

seq., so that it shall have no continuing force or effect.

Thank you for your careful consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Wayne A. Rosenthal,

Director, Department of Natural Resources.

In this letter, IDNR notes that the Office of Surface Mining failed to properly consult with the State of Illinois and the other States, resulting in a burdensome and unlawful rule that usurps States' authority as primary regulators of coal mining as intended by Congress and demands congressional action.

Mr. Speaker, rules like this are what the CRA is all about. I ask for your support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Scott Graves, staff director of the House Agriculture Committee. After ten years of service on the Hill, Scott is leaving his post at the committee.

I met Scott four years ago when I was a freshman member of the committee and he was Chief of Staff for Chairman Conaway. Our staffs worked together closely, and Scott became a trusted advisor to our team as we navigated passage of the Farm Bill. When Mr. Conaway became chairman of the committee, I was pleased that he elevated Scott to staff director. Scott has gone above and beyond to make the Agriculture Committee one of the best run committees in the House. Under his leadership, Chairman Conaway has passed every bill up for reauthorization and held an unprecedented number of hearings in his first two years. I am grateful to have worked with Scott as a Subcommittee Chairman during the last two years and to be part of this dynamic team.

I wish Scott and his family well as he pursues the next chapter in his career and look forward to seeing the work he will continue to do on behalf of our country's farmers. Good luck Scott and thank you for your service to the House.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 588) to direct the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a study on network resiliency during times of emergency, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 588.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 588 includes a provision to facilitate the repair of communications infrastructure in the wake of a disaster.

We know how critical communications can be following a disaster for first responders and everyone that is impacted. I commend the bill's sponsor for pursuing this legislation, and I thank the Energy and Commerce Committee for working with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on this language.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) be permitted to control the remainder of the time.

Mr. Chairman, ObamaCare is not working. We know this because the average increase for plans in Illinois was between 45 and 55 percent this year. As a matter of fact, a good friend of mine had an 87 percent increase.

We know this because millions of Americans who were told they could keep their health insurance were kicked off their plans. We know it is not working because 31 million people are underinsured, meaning they can't afford to use the insurance they have. Deductibles are simply too high.

It is not enough to judge this law simply by the number of people who are insured, since it mandates people buy insurance anyway. We must remember the people paying premiums that continue to double and then have a deductible so high that it will never be reached.

That is not success. That is a problem for hardworking taxpayers, many of whom don't qualify for subsidies but were forced off their previous plans because they didn't meet the standards set by ObamaCare and now can't afford the plan they are mandated to buy.

We know it is not working because people in a third of our counties in the U.S. only have one insurance provider to choose from. ObamaCare is collapsing on itself.

Some say: Why not work to fix it? I did. We did. We passed my Hire More Heroes Act. It helps small businesses, helps our heroes. But we have to begin today to fix the bill itself.

To know why this process is needed, let's remember how we got here. This bill was rushed through Congress. It then had 20,000 pages of regulations just for that one bill.

But taking this first step to repeal it should not be mistaken for supporting the status quo before the ACA was put in place. We have a plan. We are going to cover preexisting conditions. Because my wife is a cancer survivor, we have to do that.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of this legislation.

Farming is an inherently risky business. Yet, I am incredibly grateful to the farmers in my district and across the country who proudly take on these risks in order to provide our country and many countries across this globe with a sustainable, abundant food supply. Given the importance of agriculture to our Nation's food supply, it makes sense to provide farmers, agribusinesses, and manufacturers the tools to hedge the risks that come with doing their business.

Because of the risks of price movements in commodities, such as corn and soybeans, these end users use derivatives to ensure they and their customers aren't negatively impacted by sudden price changes.

This legislation reauthorizes the CFTC, which has been without a statutory authorization for almost 4 years. That is unacceptable, Mr. Chairman. If we are serious about getting back to regular order in regards to the appropriations process, the authorizing committees must hold up their end of the bargain.

The derivatives industry has been through major reforms during the past few years. This legislation recognizes and appreciates the transformation of this industry while providing Congress with an opportunity to use the reauthorization process as a means to improve the regulatory environment and the impact it has on responsible market participants.

In that vein, this legislation also includes an amendment I offered at the Committee that would remove unnecessary and duplicative regulations created by the CFTC that requires certain registered investment companies, such as mutual funds, to be regulated by both the SEC and the CFTC.

Costly, burdensome, redundant regulations have real-world impacts. Congress needs to shift its focus back to policies that promote strong and healthy markets. This is a great start.

Mr. Chairman, I am proud of the Committee's work on this bill. I want to express my appreciation for Chairman Conaway's leadership and work to get us here.

This is an important bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Section 2:

``The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.''

Amendment XVI:

``The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.''

Well, thank you to the gentleman from Florida for actually putting this Special Order together tonight and also for yielding me time.

You brought up a great number of issues that I think are very important to many of us, regardless of whether or not you represent 800,000 constituents in Florida or--like me--800,000 constituents in central and southwestern Illinois.

I will tell you, David, that the other night, I was cleaning out one of my son's pockets in his jacket because I was throwing it into the laundry, and I pulled out a copy of the Constitution that he got at school.

I flipped through it, and I reread article I, article II, article III, and the Bill of Rights. You learn something new each time. What you don't forget is that our forefathers who created this great institution understood that it took equal powers. It took equal branches of government to produce the freedoms that we here in America sometimes take for granted.

It is exactly what you said about let's work with each branch of government. We can disagree without being disagreeable. You address so many issues. I would like to actually talk back and forth on some of those.

Let's start with the invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu. We have a tremendous disagreement on whether or not the United States should unilaterally enter into negotiations with the terrorist State of Iran.

I worry. I worry what it means for America and what it means for our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel, if Iran finally was given access to a functional nuclear weapon. What would they do with that? Whom would they provide that technology to? It is something in a geopolitical sense that we have to be concerned about in our position as Members of Congress.

These are issues that we have to put a check and balance on the administration to ensure that we are working towards what is the common goal for our allies.

I think that Prime Minister Netanyahu's being invited to this great institution to come here to address the United States Congress, to address 435 Members of this House and many others, to talk about how we are working together as allies, I don't think that is an insult.

Frankly, Mr. Speaker, I say: What took so long? Why did it take the Speaker of the House to put the invitation out? Why did the administration continue to block this? These are the types of issues that we as an equal branch of government have to address in this body. That is why we are happy to talk about many of the other issues.

You mentioned Guantanamo Bay. I am a proud cosponsor of your bill that is going to ensure that this administration cannot negotiate away the United States' ownership of Guantanamo Bay, regardless of whether or not the President is going to--which I think is a terrible policy-- regardless of whether or not the President is going to clear out Guantanamo Bay of the terrorists who are there because they want to hurt Americans.

I think we need to ensure that there is a law of the land that does not allow this administration to negotiate away a very important base in Cuba that protects Americans.

Mr. Speaker, these are the types of issues, foreign policy issues-- ISIS is one that I know we will be able to discuss tonight and others-- but I am happy to begin a discussion on whatever it is you think is most important when it comes to America's foreign policy and our ability to be that oversight branch, that equal branch to the executive branch.

Well, like my colleague, Mr. Jolly, I look forward to the Prime Minister's address, too. It is really beyond what I thought serving as a Member of Congress we would see here, and it is the sheer pettiness of the fact that the Speaker of the House invited the Prime Minister and many decided to say they are going to boycott this.

Do you know what--boycott it. If that is your idea of your freedom of speech, go ahead. We will fill the seats. We will make sure that Prime Minister Netanyahu understands that America stands with him and his nation as our greatest allies in the Middle East.

When that happens, he will come here, he will be received with a reception that is worthy of the Prime Minister of Israel, and I am just honored to be able to sit in this room and to hear why our bilateral relationship is of the utmost importance.

Mr. Speaker, I wish we didn't have this pettiness here in this Congress because I think the American people are sick and tired of the infighting. I think they are wanting us to govern together.

This is just one more example that goes out to the American people that tells them that people in Washington in this institution can't get along. I hate to say it, but they are wrong on many issues because we do get along, but on this one, it is so important that we show respect to our greatest ally.

Mr. Speaker, I notice we have been joined by our colleague from California (Mr. Valadao), who I think wants to participate in this discussion on Prime Minister Netanyahu also.

Mr. Speaker, I am, again, so proud to be joined by my colleague from Florida and my colleague from California.

When we talk about ISIS, this is a true threat to Americans abroad. I have never in my lifetime seen such a savage organization who finds it entertaining to show the death of innocent civilians.

Let us also recognize that most of the civilians who have been killed by ISIS have been fellow Muslims. So it is not something that we here in America with our freedoms that we enjoy can comprehend. I think we have to do everything we can to eradicate them, to destroy them and ensure that they never get a foothold in any type of nation-state whatsoever because their plans will be to do one thing, and that is to kill Americans.

Part of our job as Members of Congress is to come here and make some pretty tough decisions. These are decisions that none of us, when we stood up to get sworn in in this institution, thought we would have to make, but they are decisions that the American people demand that we make. We are being demanded to ensure that America remains safe here in the homeland and Americans should remain safe abroad.

The President talks about a trajectory of peace. I don't know what he is looking at. It seems like a flat line of destruction to me. We have an opportunity now to put forth an Authorization for Use of Military Force, something I never wished that we would vote on in this House, but we are forced to by the failures of the foreign policy coming out of this administration in dealing with ISIS.

I stood on this floor and I said I am willing to stand with the President, who told me this strategy of using air superiority and working with our allies on the ground was going to work. It is clearly not working. The last thing I wanted to do was stand here and offer up an opportunity for American Special Forces and ground forces to partner with allies to go in and defeat ISIS, but it may be the only chance we have.

And this Authorization for Use of Military Force, I like the fact that it may expire in 3 years. Let it be reauthorized. But the fact of the matter is we need the President to stand up and be the Commander in Chief. We can put any piece of paper in front of him and his administration that we want, but if he is not willing to do the job and be the Commander in Chief, to destroy, defeat, and ensure that America remains safe here and abroad, then he is not doing the job that he was elected to do.

We will do our job. We will pass an Authorization for Use of Military Force, and we will give the President the opportunity to fight ISIS, but we have to make sure that our men and women in the military are the ones who are put at the forefront of what matters most, and the only thing that we should consider is that the American military, our soldiers, our men and women who fight for our freedoms, should be given the opportunity to do what they are trained to do.

Let's not play politics with destroying ISIS. Let's actually allow our men and women in uniform to do just that. They can do it. They have done it throughout history, and that is exactly what we need to continue to do in this institution. Let's work together. Let's make this happen.

I thank the gentleman again for organizing this opportunity.

I just want to remind all of our fellow colleagues, it is a privilege to serve in this great institution. These decisions that we will make will not be easy, but the decisions we make will be judged in history as to what happens here and what the future holds. Let's make sure that we make our forefathers and those who follow us proud to be Members of Congress. Let's do the right thing.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank one of my newest colleagues, Congresswoman Martha McSally, who has shown true leadership on this issue because it is personal. It is your district. Just like many issues that we face in the Midwest are issues that you and I will talk about but you don't have to experience, but these are issues that you see and we hear about. You see many cases where the border is not secure, where drug cartels are coming through private property. We in Illinois cannot imagine someone walking through our backyard hauling drugs and criminals. These are things that we don't experience, but we have to experience as Members of this institution because every vote we take impacts every single citizen in this great country.

I just am proud that you are willing to stand up and talk about the issues that matter most to this debate, and that is how we secure our borders, because once we do, we can fix our broken immigration system. We can fix the process that we already have, called the naturalization process, and ensure that we have a system that is going to work.

My fear, though, is that many in this debate, they don't want to see this problem fixed because they want to use it as a political hammer.

I will tell a personal story very quickly. I can remember doing one of my public meetings and having an organization come in and talk to me about their view of how we make our border more secure. As I was going to another public meeting, this organization decided to send members to my house and send the same message to my then 12-year-old son. Bullying tactics like that are not conducive to solving problems, not just in this institution but in this great country.

That is why I am so proud to be able to stand here with both of you today and talk about the issues that are important, and the fact that we are willing to talk about it and find solutions and begin our address towards making those solutions real is the reason why we came to this institution.

Thank you for your leadership, both of you, on many issues, especially this one. I hope, some day, I can follow in the footsteps of my colleague from California and visit your district and see the same things he did.

Absolutely. And it relates to the fact that sometimes the policies that are put in place through administrative rules or by this body hinder our ability to achieve the goals that Americans want us to achieve.

We could build fencing, but you know there are many times people will find a way around that fence. And that doesn't mean let's not do it, but what it means is let's also enact policies that will not hinder our Border Patrol agents from actually doing their job.

One of my colleagues from Illinois flies National Guard duty over the southern border and talks about how different groups will overwhelm a single Border Patrol agent. And understand that a majority of those who are trying to cross into America will get in. Some won't, but a majority will. And it is worth the risk to many.

Frankly, if we weren't living in this great country, we would probably want to be here too. This is a wonderful country that is the beacon of hope for so many throughout this globe.

But we also have to take into consideration the impact that it has in this country. And we need to make sure that we put policies in place that allow our border to be secure by making sure our Border Patrol agents have the tools and the ability to address the problem that both of you have addressed so well this evening.

So thank you again for being here. Thank you again for being willing to stand up, because it is not an easy issue to talk about. It is not an easy issue because it has become so politicized. But I commend you for that because we have to stand up and take courage. We have to take courageous stances, and we have to take courageous votes that may not make all of our constituents happy. But these are opportunities to lead, and that is exactly why we all came to Congress.

Again, thank you to my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great man and a great soldier.

In 2013, I had the honor of meeting Fred Stolley and presenting him with the Soldier's Medal, the highest honor a servicemember can receive for an act of valor in a noncombat situation.

Private First Class Stolley proudly served his country during World War II; and in 1944, he saved a fellow soldier from drowning. Stolley's commanding officer wrote a commendation letter praising him for saving the soldier who was twice his size and deeply troubled by the devastating news of losing his brother in combat.

After the war ended, Stolley returned home to Decatur, Illinois. He worked nights, weekends, and, between classes, building houses and hauling water to graduate from my alma mater, Millikin University, with a degree in business.

Out of respect for the soldier he saved, Stolley never requested a medal to recognize his act of heroism, but 70 years later, my office was able to present him with the medal in front of his family and friends.

This week, we lost a hero. Fred Stolley passed away at the age of 90.

It is because of people like him and all of our men and women in uniform that we are able to enjoy the freedoms that we have today.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they lay him to rest in Decatur this afternoon.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of House Concurrent Resolution 12, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the 2014-2015 Illinois State University football team on an outstanding season.

The Redbirds made it to the FCS National Championship game for the first time in school history.

While they ultimately fell short with a heart wrenching 37 seconds to go, they made us very proud.

The team captured their first conference title since 1999 and broke 16 school records. Those included most points in a season, total offense, rushing touchdowns, passing touchdowns, and most wins in a season.

A number of individual Redbirds also received Missouri Valley Football Conference recognition. Head coach Brock Spack was named Coach of the Year, Marshaun Coprich was named Offensive Player of the Year, and Tre Roberson was named Newcomer of the Year.

As a future Illinois State University Redbird dad, I look forward to the opportunity to watch these young players continue in their careers.

Bloomington-Normal and all of Illinois are proud of the effort the team put forth this season. We look forward to their success next year. Go Birds!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the thousands of students from across the country who are participating in tomorrow's March for Life event. I am praying for safe travels for all the groups from my district, including St. Thomas More High School, St. Louis Parish--the parish I attended Mass at this weekend--Holy Trinity in Stonington, Illinois, and the Illinois Life Caravan as they drive through the night and travel almost 800 miles to come to Washington to stand up for what they believe in.

Mr. Speaker, I have renewed hope and faith in our Nation's young people as I see students from high school to elementary school age showing their commitment to life. I am proud to be pro-life. I believe it is my duty and part of my faith to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves, and I will continue to do so as I serve in this great Congress.

In the words of Pope Francis:

All life has inestimable value. Even the weakest and most

vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn, and the poor are

masterpieces of God's creation, made in His own image,

destined to live forever and deserving of the utmost

reverence and respect.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of those who are standing here for life with us.