Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Michigan for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, what turned out to be a silly exercise has suddenly turned into an insane exercise. We find ourselves, for the 40th time in the House of Representatives, debating repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

We understand they don't like it. But I beseech my colleagues on the other side to start working with us to improve a system that's in desperate need of reform, and make changes and adjustments along the way as we learn what's working and what isn't. That's the only way this can work.

But let me just inject a few facts into this debate, especially for the benefit of the previous speaker. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, U.S. health care spending grew at 3.9 percent for the last 3 years, the lowest growth rate in over 50 years.

Medicare per beneficiary spending rose just 0.4 percent last year, the lowest rate since it was created in 1965. Medicaid per beneficiary spending dropped by 1.9 percent in 2012. And according to the Congressional Budget Office, Medicare and Medicaid will now spend $1 trillion less over the next 10 years than previously projected.

Nearly $15 billion in fraudulent Medicare payments have been recovered and recaptured under the Affordable Care Act. Hospital readmissions under Medicare have fallen for the first time on record, resulting in 70,000 fewer readmissions in the second half of last year alone.

And more than 250 new Accountable Care Organizations, under the Affordable Care Act, serving over 4 million Medicare beneficiary enrollees are getting paid now according to the quality of health care being delivered, and no longer the quantity of services being rendered.

Finally, the growth in private plan premiums has also slowed, Mr. Speaker. Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health care increased by only 4 percent in 2012, the smallest increase in the last 13 years.

We still have more work to do, but this debate and effort to delay and to defund and to dismantle and to destroy the Affordable Care Act is not where we need to go as a nation.

I encourage my colleagues to once again vote ``no'' on this ill- conceived legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Dr. Jeff Thompson, CEO of Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, for being honored as a White House Health and Climate Champion of Change. Dr. Thompson is not only a nationally recognized health care leader but he is also a visionary leader in promoting environmental responsibility for health care organizations. This Climate and Health Champion of Change award was given to a select group of national leaders who promote public health through such environmental stewardship.

Dr. Thompson's record of extraordinary leadership starts with Gundersen's core mission of providing high-quality care to patients in western Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota, and northern Iowa. Dr. Thompson has been a leader in developing the type of coordinated, integrated and patient centered care that is the model for the direction we need to move our nation's health care system. His successful leadership can be seen through the long list of accolades Gundersen has received for their quality care and innovation, including being named one of Becker's Hospital Review 100 Integrated Health Systems to Know, winning Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinic Excellence for the 6th consecutive year in 2013, ranking as the fourth safest hospital in the country as measured by Consumer Reports, and being named one of the 100 Most Wired hospitals according to a report from Hospitals and Health Networks magazine. Dr. Thompson was also personally named one of the Top 100 Physician Leaders of Hospital and Health Systems by Becker's Hospital Review last year. The additional honor of being named a White House Health and Climate Champion of Change is further confirmation of the extraordinary role Gundersen Health, under Dr. Thompson's leadership, has taken to improve patient health and promote an environmentally sustainable health care system.

Gundersen Health is setting the standard for how to make health systems environmentally responsible. They are on track to be 100 percent energy independent in 2014. Gundersen partners with businesses and communities to encourage environmentally and economically sustainable business practices and economic growth. They are developing their own energy infrastructure, using equipment owned by the health system, instead of purchasing renewable power at premium rates. This initiative demonstrates their commitment to lowering the cost of healthcare for the people and businesses that pay for it through socially responsible and environmentally friendly means.

Gundersen has invested in a wide variety of renewable energy programs, including a dairy digester, wind farms, biomass boiler, solar panels, and geothermal systems to provide a diverse portfolio of renewable resources to offer clean, green energy. Those initiatives are all directed toward the goal of making Gundersen the first fully energy independent hospital in the country by next year.

Dr. Thompson has provided national leadership in changing the way health care is delivered in America toward a more quality, value based focus. Combined with his leadership in setting the national standard for promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainability programs within health care systems, Dr. Thompson is very deserving of the White House Health and Climate Champion of Change award. It is with great pleasure that I congratulate Dr. Thompson on receiving this prestigious honor.

Madam Speaker, I rise today again with disappointment at the fact that these two bills are nonsense and completely unnecessary.

One is doing what the Obama administration has already said they would do, and that is to delay the employer reporting requirements because of the feedback they got from businesses large and small and from associations who said not that they can't do it; they just need a little bit more time in implementing it.

The other would do away with the individual responsibility component.

But the real story today, Madam Speaker, is not what's happening on the House floor or the votes that these two bills are going to get. It was what announcement came out of the State of New York and was reported in The New York Times:

``Health plan costs for New Yorkers set to fall 50

percent.''

This is because of the creation of the health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act. Individual policy rates are going to be at least 50 percent less than what individuals are currently paying today because the exchanges are doing what they were meant to do, increase competition and transparency, making it more affordable for uninsured Americans to go out and obtain affordable coverage.

My father gave me some pretty good advice early on in my life when he said, Son, you are going to encounter two forms of critics in your life: one who criticizes you because they want to see you fail, and the other is going to criticize you because they want to see you succeed, and being able to differentiate between the two is going to determine how successful you are in life.

That has been the problem with the Affordable Care Act from the very beginning. We have a major political party who does not want to see this succeed, and they're doing everything they can to undermine it, even if it brings increased pain and difficulty to more businesses, families, and individuals throughout the country. Today's demonstration with these two bills just reaffirms that proposition.

I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 2668.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ho-Chunk Nation's sovereignty. The people of the Ho- Chunk Nation trace their origins to a time before the arrival of Columbus to lands throughout Wisconsin and surrounding states. In these lands, the Ho-Chunk people provided for themselves through hunting, gathering, and farming. Their rich cultural heritage is defined by a reverence for the land along with a pride and strength that has persevered through tremendous hardships.

In 1634, the French explorer Jean Nicolet became the first European to make contact with the Ho-Chunk people. Welcoming Nicolet, the Ho- Chunk began trade with the French who referred to them as the Winnebago, a name that became their official title in the United States until 1993. Though the United States government initially recognized the Ho-Chunk as a sovereign nation holding title to several million acres of farmland, this position was reversed in the midst of westward expansion in the early 19th century. As lead miners began taking over the choice land of southern Wisconsin, the Ho-Chunk were forced to sell their remaining territory for a fraction of its worth.

Beginning in 1836, the Ho-Chunk were subjected to a series of forced relocations pushing them westward onto small desolate plots of land. In spite of the continuing, often violent, efforts by authorities to expel the Ho-Chunk from their native land, many continued to return to Wisconsin. Through persistence and perseverance, the Wisconsin Ho-Chunk prevailed and was eventually given 40 acre homestead plots to farm.

In 1962, the first Wisconsin Winnebago Tribal Constitution was drafted and redrafted. On March 19, 1963, the Constitution and Bylaws of the Wisconsin Winnebago Tribe was approved by the Assistant Secretary of the Interior marking the beginning of the sovereign

government known today as the Ho-Chunk Nation.

Known as ``People of the Big Voice,'' or ``People of the Sacred Language,'' the Ho-Chunk Nation are a people rich with culture and a resolute spirit. It is with great pride that I rise today to recognize them for 50 years of self-governance and thank them for their contributions to communities in Wisconsin and beyond.

Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend from Ohio for yielding me this time.

I thought his summary was very accurate on what our amendment would do. What Mr. Gibbs didn't point out, though, is this would also save $12 billion over 10 years by a more fiscally responsible approach, one that we feel is market-based, and one that we think is economically feasible, one that also maintains an important safety net for farmers if commodity prices do drop.

But, listen, the supporters of the Price Loss Coverage program, as currently drafted, will claim the program is necessary to ensure farmers have a safety net for when the market collapses. But, instead, the program in the FARRM Bill before us sets target prices so high that some commodities are guaranteed an 8 percent profit. We don't guarantee any other business in

the country that type of a profit margin other than crop insurance companies that are guaranteed a 14 percent profit under this bill.

By setting the target prices for programs at this historically high level, it will all but ensure a much higher likelihood of government payouts in the future.

In fact, implementation of the Price Loss Coverage program will already require government payouts for the five top commodity crops. Rice alone would pay out $14 per hundred while the current price is at $10.50 today. So it's outrageous that while we're cutting over $20 billion in the nutrition title of the FARRM Bill, we're adding on this additional high target price with additional taxpayer subsidies in an area where it's not economically needed or feasible.

And since farmers receive these payouts on their planted acres, we are encouraging them to overplant and to plant marginal lands that probably wouldn't be brought into production anyway because their losses would be covered and the profit margin would be assured.

Also, given the fact that we're still trying to work our way out of the WTO complaint from Brazil on the cotton subsidy program, this program sets up another potential WTO trade case against us.

I encourage our colleagues to keep working with us to improve the program.

Will the gentleman yield an additional 30 seconds?

I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership on this issue. As the former past Farm Bureau president in the State of Ohio and someone who is intimately familiar with these commodity programs, his lead has been crucial. He knows how the market works. And I think this program is setting up a lot of market distortions, unnecessary taxpayer subsidies that aren't economically justifiable. Our Amendment is a way of providing a safety net in a fiscally responsible manner. I hope we can continue working with the leadership of this committee to make this right.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. Chairman, I offer this bipartisan amendment with my friend and colleague, Representative Petri from Wisconsin, that would call for further reforms in tightening of the crop insurance program. By the steps we take with this reform amendment, we would save the American taxpayer over $11 billion over the next 10 years. It was based on bipartisan legislation that Representative Petri and I offered earlier this year that was supported by Representatives McGovern, Sensenbrenner, DeLauro, Radel, Blumenauer, Conyers, Cooper, DeFazio, Connolly, and Waxman, and supported by a variety of outside groups.

What we're trying to do is maintain an element of risk in farming, again, in a fiscally responsible manner, by tightening up crop insurance programs that we feel have become too excessive with the shifting of title I commodity money and direct payments into the crop insurance category. We'd save over $11 billion over the next 10 years by doing the following:

We'd call for a limit of Federal crop insurance subsidies to $50,000 per farmer per year. Currently, there are no limits, no cap on the amount of taxpayer subsidies going to farm entities. Last year alone, over 26 entities received over $1 million in taxpayer premium subsidies alone. We think that's wrong, and we're trying to correct it with this amendment.

We'd also extend the adjusted gross income limit of $250,000 per farm entity to apply to crop insurance programs. The concept there is simple. If you're a farm entity with a gross profit of over a quarter of a million dollars, you really ought not be receiving taxpayer subsidies. This is after you back out the operating expenses of doing business. We're talking a quarter of a million dollars worth of profit.

It would promote crop insurance company efficiency by ending the 100 percent government subsidy of the administrative and operating costs that the private insurance companies currently enjoy today. Last year we spent over $1.3 billion on these insurance companies just for their A&O expenses alone. We're asking them to live with the total spending of $900 million, which is consistent with what the Obama administration is offering in its budget.

This would also guarantee that the crop insurance companies do not pass along the riskiest policies back to the American taxpayer, which is currently the practice.

It would lower the profit guaranteed to these private insurance companies from 14 percent to 12 percent. We don't offer that type of guarantee for any other business anywhere else in the country, and yet now they're guaranteed a 14 percent profit. We're saying can you at least live with a 12 percent profit for the sake of some savings within this program.

And it would also promote transparency to help the taxpayer know where the money is going and who's benefiting from it. It opens the sunshine up so we have greater disclosure of these programs and, therefore, greater scrutiny.

So we think this is commonsense reform. We think this is something that maintains the risk management tool of crop insurance. We're not proposing eliminating it, but we're just trying to propose making it more market sensitive and maintaining that element of risk.

Finally, one of the reasons we feel that this is so important is because of current commodity prices. There is great pressure on farmers now to plant everywhere, in the most fallow, highly sensitive, highly erodible land because they know if they experience any loss, their loss is covered. Therefore, the risk is taken out of it. That is leading to bad stewardship practices throughout our country. With this reform, we're trying to introduce that element of some second guessing, some risk in the most fallow, unproductive land that's right now being brought back into production.

So I would encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds. Unless my good friend wants to include the National Taxpayer Union, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Citizens Against Government Waste, Americans for Tax Reform, Committee for Responsible Taxation, American Commitment for the Center for Individual Liberty, ``R'' Street Competitive Enterprise Institute in that category of radical environmental groups, they've all come out in support, endorsing this legislation.

But we're not taking the private insurance companies out. We're just asking them to carry some risk and to reduce their guaranteed profit margin from 14 to 12.

With that, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my good friend and colleague from Wisconsin, Representative Petri.

I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have?

Mr. Chairman, at this time I'd like to yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), a champion for family farmers and for the nutrition program in the farm bill.

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.

How much time remains, Mr. Chairman?

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume in response.

To my good friend in Minnesota, my average dairy herd size in western Wisconsin is 125 cows. I don't have the mega-dairy operations and that. So we'll have plenty of time to debate the federally run supply management program that he's been advocating for in the FARRM Bill, which I think will be a disaster and won't work.

But to my friend from Iowa, we're not talking about eliminating the crop insurance program. This risk-management tool will be in place. It won't touch 96 percent of the producers out there.

The last time I checked, we're running some record budget deficits, and there are areas in this farm program, especially in crop insurance, that we can go to for sensible, commonsense savings that's economically justifiable while maintaining risk within the program today.

It's a little ironic that we have such defenders of this crop insurance program when last year alone, the typical insurance company received $1.46 in taxpayer subsidies to every dollar that went into the pocket of our farmers. And five of the 10 biggest insurance companies offering these programs are foreign-owned entities. As the gentlelady from Connecticut just pointed out, many of them are using tax havens on the taxpayer dime. And how they can get up here and justify this program with a straight face is really beyond me.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. Chairman, at this time, I'd like to yield 1 minute to my good friend, the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree).

I believe the chairman has the right to close.

Mr. Chairman, let me close by saying that, listen, I understand there's a lot of hard work that goes into the committee in producing a farm bill. I get that. But there are areas of cost savings that we can justify to the American taxpayer without jeopardizing the risk-management tools.

Crop insurance is ripe for that type of reform. And, again, what we're offering and what we're setting out is very commonsense, economically justifiable, and would save the American taxpayer over $11 billion over the next 10 years.

If the average taxpayer knew just how this crop insurance program is set up today, they'd be aghast in horror. It's not right. We're trying to correct that right now while maintaining the safety net in a viable crop insurance program that can work.

I encourage my colleagues to support the amendment.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to show my strong support for the Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013, H.R. 1206. I want to thank my coauthor and friend, Rob Wittman, for his dedication to getting this important legislation passed. In the 109th Congress, I authored legislation that created a pilot program for selling duck stamps electronically. The legislation passed with wide bipartisan support and the Electronic Duck Stamp program went on to become one of the most successful conservation programs in our history.

Since the beginning of duck stamp sales in 1934, the stamps have generated more than $750 million used to purchase more than 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat. In Wisconsin alone, 6.78 million duck stamps have been sold thereby conserving numerous acres for waterfowl, birds, reptiles, mammals, fish, and amphibians. In addition to the benefits of conservation for wildlife, the habitats preserved give hunters and nature enthusiasts places to enjoy hiking, hunting, and animals watching. Additionally, these wetlands naturally purify water supplies, keep flood lands, and help decrease soil erosion.

The Electronic Duck Stamp is terribly important to the district I represent in Wisconsin, which is home to three wildlife refuges. Almost the entire west side of my district is a refuge--the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife & Fish Refuge which is visited by 4 million people every year, more than Yellowstone. I want to urge my colleagues to support this commonsense yet vital legislation. I look forward to working toward getting this bill through the Senate and signed into law this year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May as Exercise is Medicine Month.

Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem and contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, depression and anxiety, arthritis, and osteoporosis. The Exercise is Medicine program seeks to reverse that trend. In addition to improving a patient's overall health, increasing physical activity has been shown to be effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases. Beyond the benefits to individual health and quality of life, increased levels of physical activity are associated with lower health care costs, reduced environmental impact and other co-benefits.

Exercise is Medicine is an initiative focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. Exercise is Medicine is committed to the belief that exercise and physical activity are integral to the prevention and treatment of chronic disease and should be regularly assessed as part of medical care. The U.S. Federal Physical Guidelines and many studies show that 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity is required to achieve these health benefits.

During May, communities throughout the U.S. will hold activities that recognize physical activity and exercise--shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases--should be part of everyone's health care plan. Since 2010, Exercise is Medicine Month has been proclaimed by mayors, governors, Congress and the President. Individuals and organizations of all kinds, from youth groups to universities, churches, fitness centers, corporations and hospitals, hold events aimed at keeping people active and healthy.

I urge all Americans to recognize Exercise is Medicine month this May to build, support and advocate for physical activity as essential for global health and wellbeing by committing to action.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to recognize the Northwestern Wisconsin Regional Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony.

For over two decades law enforcement agencies from across Northwestern Wisconsin have held an annual ceremony during National Police Week to honor and remember those officers that were killed in the line of duty while serving their local communities. This year's ceremony commemorates 45 law enforcement officers from 20 Wisconsin counties whose names are among the over 19,000 inscribed in marble at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC. Each one of these officers made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of our citizens.

The ceremony, which includes a vehicle procession, formal honor guard presentation, wreath laying, rifle salute, speakers, and music, will also be accompanied by a public screening of the documentary film, Heroes Behind the Badge. The film highlights the selfless acts of bravery committed by the men and women of law enforcement in the line of duty. The event will provide an opportunity for law enforcement officers to come together and interact with the public in order to heighten awareness of the dangers police officers face each day and the sacrifices they make to protect our communities. Proceeds from the event will go to benefit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S), and the Northwest Regional Law Enforcement Memorial.

As a former prosecutor in western Wisconsin, I've had the honor of working closely with law enforcement officers. I am greatly humbled by the selfless service and bravery exemplified by these individuals, and it is with my deepest appreciation that I stand today to honor those who have given their lives to ensure the safety of our communities.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and I, too, rise in opposition to the Pay China First Act.

Madam Speaker, I, for the life of me, do not understand why we are even seriously considering this legislation which would call for the default on our Nation's financial obligations for the

very first time in our Nation's history, completely jeopardize the full faith and credit of the United States of America, jeopardize the economic recovery, which still needs help right now, and it would be the greatest unforced, self-inflicted wound that this body can commit against the U.S. economy in our Nation's history.

But let's be clear. This has very little to do about true fiscal responsibility. This issue, this legislation is being driven by a very narrow bunch on the other side with a radical governing philosophy which basically says, I hate my government so much that I'm willing to jeopardize the full faith and credit of the United States and bring this economy down until we get our way. That's what's driving this legislation right now. That's the jeopardy that we face with it.

And I doubt that this has a serious chance of passing. But what the answer to this is is for us to go to conference on the budget resolutions that have now passed the House and Senate and start talking and listening to each other to find the common ground we need to reach a long-term deficit reduction agreement.

But defaulting on some of our obligations will mean putting great doubt in the rest of the investors in the United States in regards to who will be next. And that's what this legislation is promising: a default with some, a payment of China and others at the expense of the U.S. economy.

I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this ill-conceived legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great River Road; one of our Nation's most historic and extensive scenic byways.

Spanning nearly 3,000 miles from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great River Road traces its origins back to a time when Franklin Roosevelt was President and the automatic transmission was the cutting edge of automotive technology. In 1938, governors from 10 States came together to form the planning commission for what was initially envisioned as a continuous national parkway extending along the entire length of the Mississippi River. Over the next two years the U.S House of Representatives Committee on Public Lands held hearings to authorize a feasibility study of the parkway concept. While popular, the idea was soon overshadowed in the wake of the Second World War.

More than a decade passed before a feasibility study was finally completed by the Bureau of Public Roads in 1951. Finding the construction of an entirely new parkway to be too expensive, the study offered an alternative proposition; the development of a scenic route built from the existing network of rural roads and highways that meandered and crisscrossed the Mississippi River. This route, now known as the Great River Road, is a testament to the cooperative effort of States and the Federal Government working together with local communities to preserve the many historic features and natural beauties of the Mississippi River Valley.

Today the Great River Road offers travelers not just a leisurely scenic drive but a unique and lasting journey through diverse communities and landscapes; from charming river towns to lush forests, from bluffs to the delta, from big city to sprawling rural vistas. The Great River Road is truly a national treasure. It is with great pride that I rise today to commemorate the 75 years of hard work and dedication that have gone into developing and preserving the Greater River Road so that it will continue to serve as a gateway to the rich heritage of the Mississippi River for future generations.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Trane, a company based in my home city of La Crosse in western Wisconsin. La Crosse's third largest employer, Trane provides high-quality, energy-efficient heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems and building management systems throughout the United States and the world. I would like to congratulate all of Trane's workers, including the members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 66 and my very own brother, Tim, who has been a loyal employee for many years. These dedicated workers partner with the management team to produce excellent products for a great price.

I'm very proud of the extraordinary contributions that Trane has made to our nation's technological advancements of the 20th and 21st centuries and for their contribution to job growth in Wisconsin. James Trane and his son Reuben started the company in 1913. Reuben's invention of the convector radiator in 1925, which replaced the heavy and bulky cast-iron radiators of the time, launched the company into worldwide prominence and firmly established its reputation as an innovator. Trane has upheld its reputation ever since.

Trane's innovations have been used during noteworthy moments in our nation's history. Their parts have been used to create products for the Armed Forces, such as the Trane Aircraft Intercooler during World War II, and they have even ventured into outer space when their heat exchanger design was used on the lunar rover of the Apollo 15 mission. Furthermore, Trane launched the world's most effective whole-house air filtration system that has helped families breathe easier in their homes.

It is with great pride that I rise today to congratulate Trane Co. on a century's worth of exceptional service and premium quality. Trane wouldn't be the success that it is if it wasn't for their hard work and dedication. Trane is truly deserving of recognition for their remarkable contributions to innovation and to the La Crosse community, and I am confident that they will carry on their work into the future.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team, the Blugolds, on winning the NCAA Division III National Championship. Their 5-3 victory over Oswego State on March 16, 2013 was an exceptional display of teamwork.

In winning the team's first National Championship, the Blugolds capped off their best season in program history. Their 14-3-1 record in conference play not only placed them at the top of the standings for the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Conference, but it also earned them their first conference championship. The Blugolds also finished the season with an overall record of 24-5-2, the best in school history. Their success during the season earned them a spot in the NCAA Championship Tournament for the second time in program history.

The success of the UW-Eau Claire Blugolds did not go unnoticed. Senior forward and captain, Jordan Singer, was named to the All-NCHA team. Head coach Matt Loen received the Edward Jeremiah Award, honoring him as the NCAA Division III coach of the year. Additionally, at the conclusion of the NCAA Division III Tournament, Kurt Weston, Jordan Singer, Drew Darwitz, and Brandon Stephenson were named to the all- tournament team, with Singer named as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

The Blugolds rode the momentum of their season's success by winning their first three games of the tournament, earning an opportunity to compete in the National Championship game. Nonetheless, heading into the championship off an incredible season, the team found themselves down by two goals in the first period. The Blugolds banded together and rose to the challenge with four unanswered goals.

They tied the game by the end of the first period, with one goal from Jordan Singer during a power-play, and another goal from Andrew Wilcox with less than a minute remaining in the first period. Then, with six minutes remaining in the second period, Daniel Olszewski gave UW-Eau Claire their first lead of the game. Devin Mantha's goal in the final period increased UW-Eau Claire's lead, and although Oswego scored a goal with ten minutes left in the game, Kurt Weston's final goal clinched the title for the Blugolds. Brandon Stephenson, the goalie of the Blugolds, finished the game with 27 saves. When the final buzzer rang through Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York, the Blugolds won their first National Championship by defeating Oswego State 5-3.

This momentous win at the end of a very successful season exemplifies the dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship of each and every member of the UW-Eau Claire men's hockey team. Furthermore, this victory is a source of great pride for the entire Eau Claire community. Once again, I want to congratulate the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire men's hockey team on their incredible season and hard-earned title as NCAA Division III National Champions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to commemorate and acknowledge a long-time curator from western Wisconsin, Mr. Michael P. Douglass. Michael is a knowledgeable, hard working man from Grant County who is retiring after 30 years of service to the Wisconsin Historical Society as site director at the Villa Louis historic site in Prairie du Chien.

I'm very proud of the extraordinary dedication and positive contributions that Michael has made during his time at Villa Louis--a National Historic Landmark that was the estate of the prominent H. Louis Dousman family in the 19th century. Thanks to the stewardship of Michael, since his very first day at the site on August 4, 1983, the Villa Louis mansion has been restored and renovated to what it once was, making it one of the most well-tended historic sites in Wisconsin. Michael discovered distant Dousman relations and brought back many of the mansion's original furnishings; throughout this process, he helped to preserve and share accurate accounts of Wisconsin's history.

The Wisconsin Historical Society and people of Wisconsin have greatly benefited from his extensive knowledge of the Dousman family and dedication to Villa Louis. Michael excelled in the mission of the Society--to preserve and share stories of Wisconsin history. Good narratives bring past events back to life, and Michael has undoubtedly and successfully championed these efforts in the expansion and enhancement of the collections of Villa Louis. I commend Michael Douglass for his extraordinary efforts in bringing history to life.

Mr. Michael P. Douglass's hard work and 30 years of dedicated service to the people of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and Villa Louis is truly deserving of recognition. It is with great pride that I rise today and congratulate Michael on a job well done, and I wish him all the best in his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the Eau Claire Memorial High School boy's hockey team, the Old Abes, on winning the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Championship. Their 6-1 victory over Verona on March 2, 2013 was a true display of sportsmanship and teamwork.

After starting 0-2-1 and finishing second to Hudson in the Big Rivers Conference, the team faced a seemingly impossible road to the State Championship. But the Old Abes did not let those set-backs deter them from their dream of being the second team in history to bring home the State Championship for Eau Claire Memorial High School.

With the loss of two key players before the season started, Coach Mike Schwengler and senior team captain Brady Bollinger worked hard to build the young team into a strong, cohesive unit. After reassigning some key players to new positions, the puzzle pieces started to fit together, and the Old Abes won 20 of their last 23 games.

Nonetheless, heading into the championship off of an incredible winning streak, the team still found themselves down 1-0 late in the first period. The team banded together and rose to the challenge. Bollinger answered Verona's goal less than a minute later to tie the score, and the rest of the team stepped up to follow his lead. Jacob Bresser scored two goals, Charley Graaskamp added a goal and two assists, and Dylan Ross added a goal and an assist. Finally, Austin Phippen had the sixth and final goal, while Alex Geving, the goalie, finished the game with a phenomenal 26 saves.

This momentous win at the end of a difficult season exemplifies the dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship of each and every member of the Eau Claire Memorial High School boy's hockey team. Furthermore, this victory shines as a proud achievement for the Eau Claire community. Once again, I want to congratulate the Eau Claire Memorial High School boy's hockey team on their incredible season and hard-earned title as Wisconsin State Champions.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge the hard work of court reporters and broadcast captioners nationwide, as well as the recognition of the National Court Reporting and Captioning Week from February 17-23, 2013.

Court reporters and broadcast captioners have the unique skill of translating the spoken word into text to record history, preserve judicial proceedings, assist individuals who are deaf and hard-of- hearing with access to audio communications, and even capture the work of Congress in committees and on the floor of the House and Senate. They are truly the guardians of the record.

The profession of court reporting is thousands of years old; its roots can be traced back to 63 B.C., when Marcus Tullius Tiro created shorthand reporting to service the Roman philosopher, lawyer, and orator Cicero. Since the dawn of civilization, the desire to capture the spoken word and record our history has been the responsibility of the scribe, known today as the court reporter.

The scribe has been an essential part of history from times in Ancient Egypt, to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation and the recording of our entire American history.

Since the advent of shorthand machines, these scribes are now known as court reporters and have played a prominent and invaluable role in courtrooms, state legislatures, and in Congress preserving Members' words and actions.

Court reporters and captioners are also responsible for the closed captioning seen scrolling across television screens, at sporting stadiums and in other community and educational settings, bringing information to almost 40 million deaf and hard-of-hearing Americans every day.

Congress has continuously worked with the National Court Reporters Association to make increasing this access a reality and to ensure that every American has access to the spoken word.

Whether called the scribes of yesterday or the court reporters and captioners of today, the individuals who preserve our Nation's history are truly the guardians of our national record. They have a tough profession but continue to excel through their dedication and expertise. With that, it is my honor to acknowledge February 17-23 as National Court Reporting and Captioning Week across the country.