Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4792) to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to expand access to capital for small businesses affected by hurricanes or other natural disasters, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, small businesses across the country are especially vulnerable to natural disasters. Recent natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey in Texas and the wildfires in California have left small businesses torn apart in their wake.

Nationally, there has been a survey of 500 small businesses. In 2015, they found that 75 percent of small businesses do not develop plans to be able to prepare for disasters. This means that small businesses are nationally unprepared for natural disasters and are likely to experience a fair amount of difficulty in reopening their doors, a concerning economic challenge in the aftermath of an already challenging time.

Ms. Velazquez's bill, the Small Business Access to Capital After a Natural Disaster Act, would help alleviate some of these challenges by requiring the Securities and Exchange Commission's Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation to identify any unique challenges in securing access to capital for small businesses that have been affected by hurricanes or natural disasters.

As a former small-business owner and co-chair of the Small Business Caucus, I know firsthand the positive economic impact a small business can have on regional and local economies that they serve. In the wake of a natural disaster, small businesses that reopen and rebuild can have a major impact on helping the local economy recover.

Mr. Speaker, as the small business advocate is already involved in communicating with small businesses, requiring the SEC to study issues with access to capital after a natural disaster and report annually on its finding is common sense.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Ms. Velazquez for taking the initiative on this important issue, and I encourage my colleagues to support her legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Hensarling for his leadership on this issue as well.

Mr. Speaker, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act continues to be an important resource for regulators to identify discriminatory lending activity. But the previous administration's interpretation of the act's reporting requirements has become overly burdensome for smaller financial institutions.

Community banks and credit unions are weighed down with the same compliance burdens as larger institutions, without the advantages of massive compliance departments. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's rulemaking of October 2015 on the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act would require financial institutions to report

33 new data fields for each borrower, more than double the statutory requirement laid out by Congress on top of an already detailed HMDA data collection requirement.

Fortunately, Mr. Emmer's bill, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Adjustment Act, would remove some of the compliance burdens placed on our Nation's smallest financial institutions by exempting depository institutions that have originated fewer than 500 closed-end mortgage loans and fewer than 500 open-end lines of credit from disclosure requirements and maintenance of mortgage loan records under the 2015 HMDA rule.

The CFPB's October 2015 rulemaking requires financial institutions to report on over 100 total data points for any loan application, regardless of whether the institution agrees to make the loan or not.

To put that in perspective, the time and resources required by a community financial institution to fill out all 100 of these data points for each application could be the difference between being able to make one more loan in a community or not. And in small communities across America, small communities like I represent, every single loan counts.

With Mr. Emmer's legislation, the community financial institutions least able to absorb compliance burdens would be able to turn their attention and resources back to providing loans for hardworking families, rather than meeting overly burdensome regulatory requirements.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to applaud Mr. Emmer for introducing this legislation and encourage my colleagues to be able to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gus Kenworthy of Telluride, Colorado. Mr. Kenworthy will be one of hundreds of other athletes competing in the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea as part of Team USA.

Mr. Kenworthy is an accomplished freestyle skier who has competed in slopestyle and halfpipe competitions for most of his adult life. His hard work and dedication has led to numerous commendations. From 2011 to 2013 he won the Association of Free-skiing Professionals World Championships overall titles. In 2013 while competing in the X Games he was awarded the bronze medal in slopestyle skiing as well as two silver medals in 2016 for the superpipe and slopestyle competitions.

Next years' Olympics won't be the first time Mr. Kenworthy is competing in the Olympic Games. In 2014, he represented Team USA in the Sochi Olympics and won a silver medal in the slopestyle event. His qualifying events for the 2018 games in the halfpipe will take place at Copper Mountain December 6 through 8, and for slopestyle in Breckenridge on December 15.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored that Mr. Kenworthy will be representing not only the United States but the people of Telluride, Colorado in the 2018 Olympics. I stand with the people of the Third District in recognizing him for his achievements and wishing him luck in next years' Olympic events.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jim Doody. Mr. Doody's hard work led to the opening of the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Park at the Fruita Visitor Center in Fruita, Colorado. Shortly after his work on the memorial, he went on to serve as a member of the Grand Junction City Council from 2005 to 2009 and as Mayor of Grand Junction for two of those years.

Mr. Doody was compelled to honor the brave men and women that sacrificed so much to fight for this country and wanted to permanently display that appreciation. To celebrate our veterans he worked to create the Western Slope Vietnam War Memorial Park. His dedication to the project was clear when he drove across the United States to pick up a UH-1H `Huey' helicopter for static display at the memorial, and his work led to the park opening on July 4, 2003.

Mr. Doody continues to work to maintain the memorial to this day. Mr. Doody helps fundraise for continued maintenance needs and has aided in designing the three bronze statues of a mother and father welcoming home their son at the memorial. On top of all this, he ensures that every November 11th there is a ceremony at the memorial where people can gather and recognize veterans.

I was fortunate to attend the ceremony on November 11, 2017. At the ceremony it was evident that Mr. Doody did not create this memorial for the purpose of commendation, but he nonetheless deserves to be recognized for his service to veterans and the community.

Mr. Speaker, just as Mr. Doody pays homage to our men and women that served, it is my honor to pay tribute to him for the work that he does on the Western Slope Vietnam Memorial Park. On behalf of the Third District of Colorado, I would like to thank Mr. Doody for his generous service to his community.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 5 o'clock and 4 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, December 7, 2017, at 10 a.m. for morning-hour debate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Damon Martin, the Head Coach of the Adams State University Men's and Women's Cross Country teams in Alamosa, Colorado.

Mr. Martin's leadership has led to the cross country and track programs achieving success on a national level. For his work, he has been named National Coach of the year 34 times, a Joe Vigil Award recipient 9 times, and a Duane Vandenbusche Awardee 13 times.

In his 26 years in charge of the women's program and 19 years in charge of the men's program, Mr. Martin has coached 29 National Championship teams. But his achievements don't solely lie in awards and wins. His success is also evident in the performance of his athletes off the field. Under his management, 995 of his athletes have earned All-American honors.

Decades of hard work and dedication led to Mr. Martin being inducted into the University of Arkansas-Monticello Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004, the Arizona State University Hall of Fame and Arkansas State Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Colorado Running Hall of Fame in 2015.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Martin's professional contribution to Adams State University has made a lasting impact. I stand with the residents of Colorado and the students of Adams State University in thanking Mr. Martin for his service and congratulating him on his innumerable achievements. I am confident he will continue to be a valuable part of Adams State University and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Paulette Stuart and Mr. Jim Stuart for their work in planning and hosting the National Medal of Honor Society Convention in Pueblo, Colorado.

In 1993, the 103rd Congress of the United States designated Pueblo, Colorado as the Home of Heroes, as it is the home of four recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor. Since then Jim and Paulette have dedicated much of their time to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Both worked tirelessly hosting the National Medal of Honor Society Convention this year in Pueblo, Colorado from September 12 to 16, 2017. This was the second time the National Medal of Honor Society Convention was held in Pueblo, Colorado (September 2000) thanks to Jim and Paulette's efforts.

Jim was born, raised and educated in Pueblo, Colorado. He became an entrepreneur starting Sangray Corporation, which marketed and sold finished ceramic gift products. He retired after running the business for 30 years, and now serves on numerous commissions and non-profit boards. Paulette started her career in Pueblo with the Pueblo Chamber of Commerce where she served as Vice President of the Conventions and Visitors Council. Later, she retired from the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper as Promotions Manager, and now is an advertising and marketing consultant and community volunteer, donating her time with non-profits and civic organizations. For their dedication and commitment to the Pueblo community, they have been inducted into the Pueblo Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, Paulette and Jim Stuart continue to be advocates for the Medal Of Honor Society, the Pueblo Home of Heroes Association, and veterans across the nation. I'm proud to recognize these engaged civic leaders and valued members of the community for their work on behalf of our heroes and for promoting the City of Pueblo and its wonderful attributes.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2768) to designate certain mountain peaks in the State of Colorado as ``Fowler Peak'' and ``Boskoff Peak''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, my bill, the Fowler and Boskoff Peaks Designation Act, would designate two unnamed peaks in the Uncompahgre National Forest in Colorado as Fowler Peak and Boskoff Peak.

Charlie Fowler and his partner, Christine ``Chris'' Boskoff, were longtime residents of San Miguel County, Colorado, and were avid alpinists.

Charlie Fowler was one of North America's most experienced mountain climbers. He was also an author, a guide, a filmmaker, a photographer, and an advocate for the outdoors. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Charlie worked full time as a mountain guide, leading mountaineering expeditions in the United States and abroad.

His photographs and articles were published in a variety of books and magazines, and he was the author of multiple mountaineering guidebooks. In 2004, Charlie was awarded the Robert and Miriam Underhill Award by the American Alpine Society, an honor given annually to an individual who has demonstrated the highest level of skill in the mountaineering arts and who, through the application of this skill, courage, and perseverance, has achieved outstanding success in the various fields of mountaineering endeavor.

Christine Boskoff began her climbing career in 1993 and quickly rose to become a leader in the sport of mountaineering. Christine summited Mount Everest and five of the globe's more than 26,000-foot mountains. One of the world's leading female alpinists, a professional mountaineering guide and an adventure entrepreneur, Christine participated in numerous expeditions in the United States and on five continents.

Charlie and Christine were also known for their philanthropic work. Charlie worked to promote his sport by installing climbing walls in schools across southwest Colorado. Christine was active in nonprofit organizations that supported the rights of porters and Sherpas, women's education, global literacy, and gender equality.

Sadly, Charlie and Christine were killed in an avalanche in 2006 while exploring a series of unclimbed summits in China's Sichuan province.

The naming of these peaks is a fitting tribute to Charlie and Christine,

who were outstanding mountaineers and advocates for our Nation's treasured open spaces.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2615) to authorize the exchange of certain land located in Gulf Islands National Seashore, Jackson County, Mississippi, between the National Park Service and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Member may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 2615, introduced by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Palazzo), authorizes the National Park Service to convey to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5699 1.54 acres located within the Gulf Islands National Seashore in Jackson County, Mississippi, in exchange for a 2.16-acre parcel of land owned by the VFW post.

This bill benefits both the VFW post and the Park Service. It provides the VFW post with permanent access to their building via a long driveway currently owned by the Park Service while also adding land to the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Palazzo).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1491) to reaffirm the action of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1491, which would reaffirm the Bureau of Indian Affairs' action placing approximately 1,400 acres of land known as Camp 4 into a trust for the benefit of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians in Santa Barbara County, California.

The Chumash Tribe has about 140 enrolled members with a 138-acre reservation in Santa Ynez, California. The Tribe constructed a casino and hotel resort on its reservation pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which has lifted the Tribe from historic poverty to economic success.

With other private investments in the region, the Tribe has become one of the largest employers in Santa Barbara County.

In 2010, the Tribe purchased a 1,400-acre tract of land known as Camp 4, located about 2 miles from the reservation in an unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County, from the Fess Parker estate. The Tribe has testified that it intends to use Camp 4 for suitable Tribal housing for its current and future members. At present, the landscape of Camp 4 is mainly agricultural.

In 2014, the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved an application filed by the Tribe to place Camp 4 in trust under the agency's regulatory procedures. However, the title had not been transferred to the United States pending the resolution of an administrative appeal filed by Santa Barbara County and private citizens.

On January 17, 2017, the Department of the Interior dismissed pending appeals of the application and affirmed the 2014 decision.

Despite the dismissal of the appeals, the Tribe and the County of Santa Barbara continued work to address concerns with the trust acquisition. On November 1, 2017, the Tribe and county entered into a long-term memorandum of agreement to protect the mutual interests of both the Tribe and the county. The bill, as amended, includes a reference to this agreement and support of the County of Santa Barbara.

I would like to thank the sponsor of this bill, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs, Mr. LaMalfa, for his hard work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this measure.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from California an additional 2 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3115) to provide for a land exchange involving Federal land in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota acquired by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Weeks Law, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3115, authored by Congressman Richard Nolan, is a bipartisan bill that implements a land exchange to facilitate the exercise of certain mineral rights in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota to create economic growth for the area.

Congressman Nolan will certainly provide the history of this exchange,

but I do want to take note that this bill has greater impacts than just a single forest in Minnesota.

Across the United States, people hold mineral estates underlying lands that were acquired by the National Forest under the Weeks Act. Without an agreement such as the one authorized by this bill, their ability to exercise those valid preexisting rights is in jeopardy.

I note that the land exchange authorized in this bill has undergone extensive environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and was supported by the Obama administration.

This is an equal-value land exchange, but the holder of the mineral estate forgoes any equalization under the bill if the private land being swapped for the Federal land is worth more.

Finally, the bill provides a net increase in the size of the Superior National Forest of 40 acres. It is no wonder that this bill was supported by the ranking members of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands and the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources when it was considered by the Natural Resources Committee in July.

I commend Congressman Nolan, Congressman Collin Peterson, Congressman Tom Emmer, and Congressman Jason Lewis for working together to craft this commonsense solution bill to help Minnesota.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 995) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to amend regulations for racial appropriateness, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, the United States is 241 years old. In that time, the country has seen an immense amount of change and growth. Over the course of history, laws and policies have been updated to be able to reflect this growth. However, some decades-old statutes and regulations still contain antiquated terms.

Enacted in 2016, Public Law 114-157 modernized antiquated ethnic terms related to minorities found in the Office of Minority Economic Impact of the Department of Energy and section 106 of the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 for racial appropriateness.

H.R. 995 would make similar changes to terms found in certain regulations of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor of this bill, Mr. Jeffries, and I urge adoption of the measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Natural Resources,

Washington, DC, November 20, 2017.

Hon. K. Michael Conaway,

Chairman, Committee on Agriculture,

Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: We thank you for agreeing to discharge

the Committee on Agriculture from further consideration of

H.R. 995, the 21st Century Respect Act, that the Committee on

Natural Resources ordered favorably reported, as amended, on

November 8, 2017.

This concession in no way affects your jurisdiction over

the subject matter of the bill, and it will not serve as

precedent for future referrals. In addition, should a

conference on the bill be necessary, I would support your

request to have the Committee on Agriculture represented on

the conference committee. Finally, I would be pleased to

include this letter and your response in the bill report and

in the Congressional Record.

Thank you for your consideration of my request and for the

extraordinary cooperation shown by you and your staff over

matters of shared jurisdiction. I look forward to further

opportunities to work with you this Congress.

Sincerely,

Rob Bishop,

Chairman,

Committee on Natural Resources.

Mr. Speaker, I think the legislation that we are seeing on this floor today demonstrates addressing a variety of issues, be it on our public lands, needing that to be able to be updated, private property rights to be able to update it, but probably nothing is more personal than the legislation that we are addressing at this particular moment, to be able to be respectful of individuals and have that there to actually be able to be addressed.

This legislation is a long time coming--much like Mr. Jeffries, coming to the floor--to be able to address this important piece of legislation, for the House to be able to consider, as we move forward with our business.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Sharon Swerdfeger of Pueblo, Colorado and her lifelong commitment and work for Pueblo, Colorado and the business KR Swerdfeger Construction, Inc. she started with her husband, Keith.

In 1968, Sharon and Keith went into business for themselves at the age of 21 after learning the construction trade from Keith's father. They had a loan co-signed by Sharon's father for $5,000 to purchase a backhoe and have some operating capital and began an excavation company specializing in water and sewer lines. From there, the company quickly expanded into natural gas distribution pipeline and telephone lines and has grown to a multi-million dollar business that has expanded throughout the Southwest United States. KR Swerdfeger Construction, Inc. will be celebrating 50 years in business in 2018.

Ms. Swerdfeger is also very active in the Pueblo community with civic service and activism. She is the founder of the Pueblo chapter of The National Association of Women in Construction and is President, charter and emeritus member of the Pueblo South High School Alumni Foundation. Her involvement with other organizations includes the Pueblo YMCA, Pueblo Community College Foundation, Colorado Business Education Coalition, Parkview Hospital Foundation, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pueblo County, St. Mary-Corwin Healthcare Foundation, the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center, Friends of the Library, Kiwanis Club and the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center.

Mr. Speaker, Sharon Swerdfeger has been a tireless business leader and advocate for her hometown of Pueblo, Colorado. She is a dedicated mother, wife, business owner and a valued member of the Pueblo Community. It is my honor and privilege to recognize and honor her today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Connect Charter School in Pueblo, Colorado, which was recently named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

With this award, the Connect School has been recognized as one of the nation's highest performing educational institutions. Members of the Pueblo community know that this honor is well deserved. The dedication shown by the teachers, administrators, and school staff is extraordinary, and I know they have a profound impact on the lives of each student who attends Connect School.

National Blue Ribbon Schools are among the nation's highest performing educational institutions, as measured by state assessments, nationally normed test scores, and graduation rates. Now in its 35th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has recognized over 8,500 public and private elementary, middle and high schools. The Connect School should be proud of its inclusion in the 2017 award group, and I join the Pueblo community and entire state in offering my enthusiastic congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in support of the gentleman from Minnesota's legislation, the Micro Offering Safe Harbor Act.

As I have traveled through my district back in Colorado, I have often been dismayed by the ever-increasing number of storefronts, once thriving businesses, which now have ``for sale'' and ``for lease'' signs out front.

Small businesses are essential to job creation and job innovation, but they have been so hamstrung by the burden of compliance with regulations intended for large public companies that their ability to be able to create jobs and innovate has been stifled.

The Micro Offering Safe Harbor Act will exempt certain micro offerings from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, thereby removing obstacles to obtaining funding in capital markets for Main Street businesses. It is hard for capitalism to work, Mr. Speaker, without capital.

This legislation tackles that problem and creates opportunities for hardworking small businesses to be able to go public to raise that initial capital in the early stage and to be able to develop that seed capital that is needed. Growth is often contingent on capital. Without investment, it is easy for small businesses to falter.

By defining the ``nonpublic offering'' exemption under the Securities Act, this legislation will provide small businesses with much-needed clarity and a renewed confidence in what the proper procedure is for a nonpublic offering that does not violate the law and helps to be able to grow businesses.

Removing this confusion will provide small businesses with much- needed certainty and allow them to be able to focus their resources on growth, rather than on compliance.

For this reason, I support the measure that is before us today, and I would encourage my colleagues to do the same. I commend Mr. Emmer for introducing this legislation to alleviate the burdensome compliance environment that is imposed on small businesses. Again, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.