Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding, and I thank Congressman Carter for his hard work and commitment with this very important issue, in addressing this very important issue that directly impacts hardworking Americans. Judge Carter and I have worked on an amendment together in committee to try to stop these duplicate government tasks that are going on right now. And I think you've done a good job in articulating the importance of having that amendment.

I can tell you, Judge, I fly home every weekend to Ohio, back to my district, number one, to be home with my family, but also to be out in the district and get what I call my reality check, to talk to the hardworking Ohioans, the small businessowners and farmers. And like many other Members of Congress, I do town halls, and I attend different events and meetings.

What I do hear from those hardworking families and those small businesses is that, number one, we have got to stop this out-of-control spending. And part of that includes wasting hard-earned taxpayers' dollars because of duplicate services that are going on with different agencies in the government; and, number two, we've got to get government out of the way. We've got to stop these unnecessary, burdensome regulations that are hurting small businesses and that are killing jobs.

Back in 1975, Congress, this body, tasked NHTSA, the National Highway Transit Service Authority, under the Department of Transportation, that agency, with the task of setting those standards. And those standards were called the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, or the CAFE standards. And they were enacted, again, in 1975 with accountability and transparency with Congress to gradually and responsibly increase the fuel economy in America. And they've been reinforced and raised by Congress repeatedly, as recently as 2007.

And what we saw shortly after this administration came in was that EPA expanded its authority to start setting its own standards. And then they expanded it even further allowing California to create its own State standards. And what's happened here is we've created duplicate services, wasting taxpayers' hard-earned dollars creating the most expensive regulations ever. You get three different agencies sometimes setting different standards, creating uncertainty in the auto industry, and raising the cost of vehicles for hardworking families to pay for this, hurting our small businesses and killing jobs.

Last year, we saw the EPA, again without authorization from Congress, propose rules to regulate the fuel economy of cars and light trucks for model years 2017 to 2025. This is last year, in 2011 they're doing this. They increased the required average fuel economy over 54 miles per gallon. Because the EPA is not accountable to Congress for this, because they don't have any substantive guidance on how to create these regulations and they don't have to follow the same rules that were put in place, they're not required to take into account factors like job losses. We're going through one of the most difficult economies we've seen in decades. Unemployment is at one of the highest levels it's been, and they don't have to include job losses or consumer demand or safety. It became very apparent to myself and many of our colleagues that these regulations are out of touch with the American people. They're out of line with Main Street, USA, with small businesses that are the backbone of this economy. And in some cases, they're irresponsible.

I was proud to join you last July in offering an amendment during our full committee consideration of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies bill that simply just put a 1-year time-out on the EPA's rulemaking process so that Congress and our constituents could have time to determine what's the most responsible path here to move forward. And the amendment also prevented the EPA from granting permission to California to create their own regulations, State regulations, that would lead to an impossible patchwork of State laws. So what this could lead to is, think about this, if you have an activist State, they could actually hijack Federal policy with regulations they're putting in place.

Our amendment was included in the Interior appropriations bill. It was reported out of committee. I joined you again in October, Judge Carter, in sending a letter to the committee, along with 64 of our colleagues, bipartisan support on this, encouraging that this amendment be included as part of the final appropriations package that passed last year.

Unfortunately, this administration and their allies in the Senate, the Democrat majority, blocked this commonsense amendment, leaving the EPA with the authority to go out and continue to move forward with this harmful and ill-conceived rule.

I think the facts are, and you pointed this out, number one, it's the most expensive regulation ever on the auto industry, $210 billion in new regulations. It's going to raise the average cost of a

vehicle for a hardworking family by roughly $3,200. It's going to regulate cheaper vehicles that are under $15,000 pretty much out of existence. And the EPA has already wasted over $24 million creating these duplicate regulations.

This is out of control what's happening right now. It's a waste of the taxpayers' dollars. And we have to, at some point, understand what's happening here. We're accountable for the taxpayers' dollars. We have to ensure that the way things are being done are being done properly. The EPA, again, has already spent 24 million, as I mentioned, on these duplicate services with the largest budget deficit in history. Congress and the administration should focus on eliminating the duplicate government programs and protecting the taxpayers' dollars. The redundant regulations of the fuel economy by the EPA is simply just a magnitude of the government waste that we're seeing today.

With that, Judge Carter, I appreciate, again, your leadership on this very important issue. I know we have a lot of Members here to speak on this.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Reed Elsevier, Henry Horbaczewski, as he is retiring from the company. Henry Horbaczewski has been with

Reed Elsevier for over 25 years. During his tenure, Mr. Horbaczewski has been a key participant in many of the transformative events that have built Reed Elsevier into one of the world's leading publishing and information companies. Mr. Horbaczewski played a key role in the acquisitions of LexisNexis, Matthew Bender, Variety, and other businesses that have helped to grow Reed Elsevier into a world-class company. Today, Reed Elsevier has over 30,000 employees in over 200 locations worldwide. Reed Elsevier's LexisNexis business has its roots in Ohio, with nearly 3,000 employees in the state and around 65 employees in the Seventh Congressional District where LexisNexis, a key data center, is located.

Henry Horbaczewski has been a vocal proponent for the strong protection of intellectual property rights. He is a recognized leader in the area of copyright law and has worked across business sectors to promote the strong enforcement of intellectual property rights that fuel creativity and innovation and help our country remain strong.

Mr. Horbaczewski's contributions extend beyond Reed Elsevier. He has been a strong advocate for human rights and has worked tirelessly to promote the Rule of Law around the world. Mr. Horbaczewski has made significant contributions in the area of human rights and has worked to protect basic rights for all individuals, and ensure the fair and equal enforcement of laws. In 2011, Mr. Horbaczewski was honored for his contributions in the human rights area by Humanity in Action, an international organization dedicated to promoting human rights around the world.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Mr. Horbaczewski on his many accomplishments, and thanking him for the significant contributions he has made in protecting human rights, promoting the protection of intellectual property rights, and advancing the Rule of Law around the globe.

Mr. Speaker, on November 20, 2011, the Wittenberg University Tigers Women's Volleyball team won their first NCAA Championship. After ending the regular season with a 37-3, 16-0 NCAC record, the Tigers advanced through the post-season tournament to sweep the title in a 3-0 match against Christopher Newport University. This championship represents years of hard work and dedication by these volleyball players and their coaches. This achievement is also a reflection of the support these women have received from their families, Wittenberg University, and the Springfield, Ohio community.

Members of the 2011 Women's Volleyball team include Hallie Donathan (Tipp City, Ohio); Tessa Litman (Magnolia, Ohio); Hillary Monnin (Russia, Ohio); Katie Sumner (Dublin, Ohio); Ali Hock-James (Cincinnati, Ohio); Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Indiana); Hannah Riley (Minerva, Ohio); Miranda Sagle (Springfield, Ohio); Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio); Kate Shoemaker (Vallonia, Indiana); Courtney Lauber (Zionsville, Indiana); Christine Simpson (Dublin, Ohio); Catherine Fumy (Fort Wayne, Indiana); Andrea Behling (Columbus, Indiana); Christina Gilene (Milford, Ohio); Meghan Vodopich (Canton, Ohio); Jessica Batanian (Sylvania, Ohio); Quin Gable (West Chicago, Illinois).

The Wittenberg University Women's Volleyball team was lead by Head Coach Paco Labrador and assisted by Laura Jensen and Amy Cox. The team was also heavily supported by Athletic Director Garnett Purnell, and University President Dr. Mark H. Erikson.

Thus, today I ask my colleagues to join me and the constituents of the Ohio's Seventh Congressional District in congratulating the Wittenberg Tiger Women's Volleyball team.

Mr. Speaker, on November 20, 2011, the Wittenberg University Tigers Women's Volleyball team won their first NCAA Championship. After ending the regular season with a 37-3, 16-0 NCAC record, the Tigers advanced through the post-season tournament to sweep the title in a 3-0 match against Christopher Newport University. This championship represents years of hard work and dedication by these volleyball players and their coaches. This achievement is also a reflection of the support these women have received from their families, Wittenberg University, and the Springfield, Ohio community.

Members of the 2011 Women's Volleyball team include Hallie Donathan (Tipp City, Ohio); Tessa Litman (Magnolia, Ohio); Hillary Monnin (Russia, Ohio); Katie Sumner (Dublin, Ohio); Ali Hock-James (Cincinnati, Ohio); Kiah Murray (Yorktown, Ind); Hannah Riley (Minerva, Ohio); Miranda Sagle (Springfield, Ohio); Kimmie Dyer (Copley, Ohio); Kate Shoemaker (Vallonia, Ind.); Courtney Lauber (Zionsville, Ind.); Christine Simpson (Dublin, Ohio)

The Wittenberg University Women's Volleyball team was lead by Head Coach Paco Labrador and Assisted by Laura Jensen and Amy Cox. The team was also heavily supported by Athletic Director Garnett Purnell, and University President Dr. Mark H. Erikson.

Thus, today I ask my colleagues to join me and the constituents of the Ohio's Seventh

Congressional District in congratulating the Wittenberg Tiger Women's Volleyball team.

As a former chairman of the Ohio Senate judiciary committee, I helped lead the fight to pass the first concealed-carry law in the State of Ohio. And I can tell you, even with this law and this right, as one of the thousands of Ohioans with a concealed-carry permit, I understand the need to reinforce our Second Amendment rights by resolving the confusion and the problems that exist when traveling between States.

The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act does just that; it allows Ohioans and others with valid CCW permits issued by their home State to concealed-carry while visiting any of the 49 States where it's not expressly prohibited.

H.R. 822 is not a Federal takeover. The bill preserves States' rights by requiring residents to comply with their home State's rules for getting a permit. The bill also maintains reciprocity agreements the States have already entered into with other States.

The bill simply strengthens and protects our constituents' Second Amendment rights, and that's why I've cosponsored this legislation and look forward to its passage.

I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his hard

work on this bill. As a member of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and original cosponsor of this bill, I strongly support the Protect Life Act.

We heard during the health care reform debate that tax dollars would not be used to fund abortions. However, this important language was stripped from the final bill and replaced with accounting gimmicks and an Executive order that can be reversed at any time by this President or future administrations.

This opens the door for federally funded abortions in the future and goes against the majority of Americans who believe that the government should not be in the business of paying for abortions. Congress must act now to protect the lives of our unborn children and to fully ensure that no tax dollars from ObamaCare are used to fund abortions.

The Protect Life Act also ensures that medical providers and workers are not discriminated against for refusing to perform abortions. These protections are crucial for health care providers around the Nation whose core values include a deeply held belief that we must protect all human life. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Protect Life Act.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I rise today to recognize Ms. Alice Wiseman for her induction into the Greene County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. Alice Wiseman along with five other candidates were selected from a pool of many worthy women to receive this honor, and thus, she was nominated for her great endeavors in the field of Public Education.

Ms. Wiseman, has been a teacher at Sugarcreek Local Schools for 30 years. During this time she has never stopped in her effort to educate children. As a teacher, she was ahead of her time identifying and accommodating students with learning difficulties, challenging gifted students and serving as a mentor to new teachers. After retiring, Alice authored an elementary level book, The History of Bellbrook, which is used in conjunction with the third-grade curricular tie-in to a tour of the town, for which she serves as director. She has been an Ohio Reads program tutor, a member of the Bellbrook Family Resource Center Board, and currently is the President of the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Historical Society. She is also an elected member of the Greene County Educational Service Center Board of Governors.

Thus, with great pride, I congratulate Ms. Alice Wiseman for her exemplary service to Greene County and extend best wishes for the future.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I rise today to recognize Ms. Sandy Skinn for her induction into the Greene County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. Sandy Skinn, along with five other candidates, was selected from a pool of many worthy women to receive this honor, and thus,

she was nominated for her great endeavors in Girl Scouting.

Ms. Skinn has worked closely with co-leader and fellow inductee Jan Dobo. Sandy has worked for over 30 years to promote the positive qualities of leadership skills, strong values, confidence and conviction about self-worth to young women. The troop led by Ms. Skinn and Ms. Dobo have maintained an open troop, reaching out to girls interested in joining the Girl Scouts from beyond their North Beavercreek neighborhood. Her love of the outdoors has led to many camping trips, both in Ohio and as far as Maine for activities ranging from outdoor survival training, to week-long sailing and adventures. Sandy and Jan have been co-chairs of the Beavercreek North Service Unit, which serves over 500 girls, as a Council area of Greene, Warren, Miami, Montgomery and Clark Counties. Additionally, Sandy has served as the Greene County representative on the Buckeye Trails Girls Scout council Board, which covered a multi-county area, and she has also served on various Council committees.

Thus, with great pride; I congratulate Ms. Sandy Skinn for her exemplary service to Greene County and extend best wishes for the future.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I rise today to recognize Ms. Jan Dobo for her induction into the Greene County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. Jan Dobo along with five other candidates were selected from a pool of many worthy women to receive this honor, and thus, she was nominated for her great endeavors in girl scouting.

Ms. Dobo has provided countless travel opportunities and taught valuable skills to hundreds of Junior, Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts for well over 30 years and on-going to this day. Despite suffering a debilitating stroke while on a scouting campout, Jan has continued to be deeply involved. Typically, Girl Scout Troops are organized within communities, but Jan and co-leader Sandy Skinn, have always maintained an open troop and allowed any girl to join without consideration of where she lived. The troop has had a reputation for working hard with women in order for them to achieve Gold Awards which is equivalent of an Eagle Scout in Boy Scouting. Jan has also volunteered her home over the last 30 years to be the Girl Scout Cookie Cupboard for the area. Jan has received many awards for her service, including the Thanks II Badge--the highest award to volunteers in Scouting.

Thus, with great pride, I congratulate Ms. Jan Dobo for her exemplary service to Greene County and extend best wishes for the future.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I rise today to recognize Ms. Margaret Arnold for her induction into the Greene County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. Arnold along with five other candidates was selected from a pool of many worthy women to receive this honor, and thus, she was nominated for her great endeavors in the fields of Public Education and Government.

Ms. Arnold was elected to the Beavercreek Board of Education in 2000 and is still an active on the board. Under her leadership the district passed an $80 million dollar bond issue to build two new buildings in an effort to serve the rapidly growing population of the community. This was the first new school construction in 40 years. While it did take three attempts to gain the support of voters on the issue, she kept fighting for it until the plan was passed. She continues to play a key role to make sure the 2010 strategic plan is implemented properly. Further, Peg was awarded the Educator of the Year award by the Beavercreek Chamber of Commerce. At the same time, Peg is a certified level three acquisition professional and has been a highly successful and valued government employee at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for over 30 years, in the contracting field. In 1994, Peg was named one of the top 100 Federal Government Employees by Federal Computer Magazine.

Thus, with great pride, I congratulate Ms. Margaret Arnold and wish her well in her service to the community.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I rise today to recognize Dr. Mary Agna for her induction into the Greene County Women's Hall of Fame.

Dr. Mary Agna, along with five other candidates, was selected from a pool of many worthy women to receive this honor, and thus, she was nominated for her great endeavors in the field of public health.

Dr. Agna was the first woman Health Commissioner in Greene County, where she served from 1963 until 1970. During this time she started the first home care program within the County Health Department. She was also an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the Wright State School of Medicine from 1979 to 1987, and, continues today as Emeritus Associate Professor. She also served on the State Public Health Council from 1974 unti1 1981. This council is the primary rule-making body for the State Department of Health. Her vision and leadership led to Greene County being recognized by the Ohio Council of Home Health Agencies and the Ohio Department of Health as one of Ohio's premier home health agencies.

Thus, with great pride, I congratulate Dr. Mary Agna for her exemplary service to Greene County and extend best wishes for the future.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I rise today to recognize Ms. Macy Reynolds for her induction into the Greene County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ms. Macy Reynolds along with five other candidates was from a pool of many worthy women to receive this honor, and thus, she was nominated for her great endeavors in the field of Horticulture.

Ms. Reynolds, a teacher by profession, taught in Mad River Schools and as an adjunct at the University of Dayton. Becoming a Master Gardner in 1998, she has taught many educational programs and volunteered in many public gardens all over Greene County. An Ohio certified insect, weed and tree specialist, Macy has removed invasive species from various locations around Greene County while also working hard to restore prairies by harvesting and planting seeds in their natural areas. Macy also put together an educational program for the Miami Valley Juvenile Rehabilitation Center in Xenia. The resident youth attend gardening classes, plant and care for the garden. The produce from these gardens are then donated to the local Fish Food Pantry. She is also a founding member of the Midwest Native Plant Society and has worked to maintain the Women's Park in Yellow Springs where she also serves as secretary of the Tree Committee. Ms. Macy also was Greene County's first representative to the Heritage Garden Ambassador Program.

Thus, with great pride, I congratulate Ms. Macy Reynolds for her exemplary service to Greene County and extend best wishes for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my deep concern about today's vote in the U.N. General Assembly regarding Palestinian statehood.

This unilateral attempt by the Palestinians is not in the best interest of the United States. It is not in the best interest of Israel--our closest ally in the Middle East. And, in my opinion, it is not in the best interest of the Palestinian people. Any decisions regarding Palestine's statehood must come in conjunction with security for the Israeli people and multilateral talks with Israel.

Today, as the world watches the actions of the United Nations, I plant my feet firmly on the side of the Jewish State of Israel, and express my unwavering support for their country and security.

Israel stands as a beacon of hope in a region of the world where democracy and freedom are in short supply. With our continued friendship, we can ensure that Israel has the support and resources needed to continue on as a banner of freedom and democracy in the Middle East.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District to congratulate Colonel Mike ``MR'' Roberts on the occasion of his change of command and retirement and for his outstanding service to our Nation.

Colonel Roberts is to be recognized for his outstanding command of the 178th Fighter

Wing, Springfield Air National Guard from January 5, 2008 to August 21, 2011, and upon his retirement after more than 29 years of dedicated service to the United States and the United States Air Force.

Colonel Roberts received his commission in 1982 upon his graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. After graduation, he completed Air Force Pilot Training with an assignment to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt. Following his A-10 assignment, Colonel Roberts went on to fly the AT-38 and various models of the F-16C, while stationed in numerous locations including: New Mexico, Florida, Arizona, and Torrejon Air Base in Spain.

While assigned to Torrejon Air Base, he deployed and flew combat sorties in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Colonel Roberts was shot down over downtown Baghdad on January 19, 1991 and spent six weeks as a Prisoner of War until combat operations ceased and he was released in March of 1991.

In 1996, Colonel Roberts was assigned as the Active Duty Advisor to the 178th Fighter Wing, Springfield Air National Guard. In 2000, he resigned from active duty and was commissioned into the Ohio Air National Guard. As a member of the Ohio Air National Guard, Col. Roberts held numerous leadership positions, culminating as the Commander of the 178th Fighter Wing, Springfield Air National Guard Base.

Colonel Roberts' command of the 178th was simply outstanding, as evidenced by his winning the 2010 Ohio Adjutant General's Commander of the Year Award. He won this award for his invaluable contributions to the families of the 178th by ensuring all of their needs were met while maintaining a 100 percent deployment cycle and a changing mission set that required a complete retraining and reassignment of many of the Wing's personnel.

His ``people first'' style of leadership helped lead the 178th Fighter Wing through a successful transition from an F-16 Training Wing, including international students, to an Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing flying the MQ-1 Predator. During this transition, the 178th completed all sortie requirements, totaling more than 5,800 flying hours with zero mishaps.

Colonel Roberts is a Command Pilot with over 5,000 flying hours, and has received numerous Department of Defense Awards, including the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, and Prisoner of War Medal.

For his tireless service and strong dedication to our Nation and the world's greatest Air Force, I join the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District in extending our congratulations for a mission well done and a huge thanks for his many years of service. We wish him and his family the very best in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District to honor the life and memory of Congressman Clarence Ellsworth Miller.

Congressman Miller began his extensive and prolific public service career in 1963 when he was elected mayor of Lancaster, Ohio. During that time, he was also very active in the National League of Cities and the Ohio Municipal League. Congressman Miller was also a member of the executive committee of the Mayors Association of Ohio.

In 1967, Congressman Miller was elected to represent Ohio's Tenth Congressional District where he served for 26 years. Congressman Miller always represented his constituents with pride and integrity. He understood his southeastern Ohio district and fought vigorously to ensure that his constituents' needs were constantly being met.

Congressman Miller was well known for being a staunch fiscal conservative. While in Congress, Congressman Miller gained respect for introducing bills that were aimed at reducing spending but still meeting the obligations of our Nation. He was awarded a Treasury watchdog award every year he was in Congress because of his great concern with regard to the national debt and overspending at the federal level.

Throughout his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Miller served on several House committees including Appropriations, Agriculture, and Public Works and Transportation. Additionally, he served as vice chairman of the Office of Technical Assessment and served on a special committee which forced other countries to reimburse the United States for costs associated with the 1991 Gulf War.

Congressman Miller dedicated much of his time in Congress to the Armed Forces. The Congressman worked tirelessly to ensure that all branches of the military had the resources they needed to protect this great Nation. He respected all men and women in uniform and admired their dedication and bravery.

Representative Miller further impacted Lancaster and Fairfield County by serving on the Board of Directors for the YMCA and Red Cross, and devoting time and support to public officials in the area.

In honor of Congressman Miller's influential and selfless efforts to the community, the Lancaster Post Office was renamed after him as well as the county health department building.

Congressman Clarence Ellsworth Miller truly was a fine example of what all members of Congress and those in public service should strive to become.

After a long life of dedicated public service, Clarence Ellsworth Miller, 93, passed away on August 2, 2011. Congressman Miller was preceded in death by his wife, Helen, and left behind a son, Ron, daughter, Jackie, five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and two stepgrandchildren.