Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Chief Master Sgt. Tamara Phillips on her retirement from the Ohio National Guard.

Phillips most recently served as the State Command Chief Master Sgt. for the Ohio National Guard where she worked directly for the Ohio Adjutant General. She also served as the Superintendent of the 178th Force Support Squadron, 178th Fighter Wing, Springfield Air National Guard Base, Ohio where she was responsible for four flights dealing in a wide range of products and services. She also was in charge of mentorship and professional development of all assigned enlisted members.

Chief Phillips first enlisted in the 168th Air Refueling Wing, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska in March 1987 as an Administrative Specialist. She transferred to the 445th Airlift Wing, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, for 18 months and then enlisted in the Ohio Air National Guard, Springfield Ohio.

She was then a full-time technician with the 162nd Fighter Squadron orderly room and shortly thereafter moved into the Wing Commander's executive administrative position. She also served as the Wing Staff and Operations Group First Sergeant. In 2002, she was selected as the 178th Mission Support Flight Superintendent, and later served the men and women of the 178th Services Flight as well when the two units merged to form the new Force Support Squadron.

Throughout her life Phillips has been unwavering in her service to our great nation and the people of Ohio. I would like to thank her for her dedication.

I would like to thank the gentleman for yielding, and I would like to thank him for his strong leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 3685. The health care law could cause many communities to lose fire service because of an unintended consequence of the law that would treat these volunteer firefighters as employees and that would require them to have health insurance.

Volunteer firefighters risk their lives every day to provide our safety. They provide important emergency services in many of our communities. In fact, in Ohio, 70 percent of our fire departments are either fully or partially staffed by over 16,000 volunteer firefighters. Unfortunately, we could risk service in some of our communities if these communities are required to pay either a penalty or provide insurance. My district towns, like McConnelsville, Ohio, use volunteer firefighters, and they raise money. Every year at a dinner, they raise about $10,000 to help pay for the costs associated with their volunteer firefighters. If they had to pay penalties and insurance on top of that, it could cause them to lose service. I think these families and these communities that are served by volunteer firefighters deserve the same service as other communities and shouldn't lose their services as a result of the health care law.

We don't want to put American families and Ohio families at risk of losing their fire service, which is why I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 3685.

I would like to thank the gentleman for his leadership, and I hope everyone will support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding time.

The Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act is an important bill that I believe will allow more capital to go and flow to small business so they can create jobs.

You know, at a time when we have 7.3 percent unemployment, and underemployment over 10 percent, we have a need for more capital to flow into our businesses so they can create jobs.

Meanwhile, the Dodd-Frank Act created burdensome new SEC registration on private equity firms but, as the gentleman from Connecticut said earlier, not on venture capital firms that do exactly the same thing. So, in fact, I would argue that venture capital firms have more risk than private equity.

There already are important protections, consumer protections, around private equity. You have to be a sophisticated, accredited investor, and there is already important fraud detection and fraud enforcement actions that are available to the SEC in the cases of these investors being taken advantage of.

So at a time when private equity is helping provide over 6 million jobs in America, we should be doing everything we can to actually encourage more activity by private equity, to encourage more jobs in America, not burdening them with big regulations.

I want to just make four quick points. These middle-market private equity firms, like we have in towns like Columbus, Ohio, where I live, contribute a lot toward job creation, but not a lot toward systemic risk.

And the compliance costs for these smaller firms in towns like Columbus, Ohio, will be especially high as a percentage; and it could drive many of them out of business.

Many of these firms that manage both SBIC and non-SBIC funds already face multiple layers of regulation.

And the fourth point is many of these investment adviser rules are not really pertinent to private equity funds.

So I stand in support of the Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act. I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia, Representative Hurt, for his hard work on this. I think it is a win for job creation, and I urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, 3.5 million Americans have seen their health care plans canceled under the Affordable Care Act. I've personally heard from many constituents in my district who are seeing their health care plans canceled.

For example, Anthony, who is a small business owner in my district, got these letters from his insurance plan saying that his plan would be canceled. As a result of that, there is a new plan that is available to him, but his monthly cost goes up by a little over 80 percent, and that is low compared to some.

He is in the process of building a business, and he just hired his first employee. He told me he is scared to death to hire another employee because he just got his health insurance canceled and the cost doubled. It is just another story of how this law is hurting people and stifling job creation.

I would like to ask all my colleagues to join me in supporting Chairman Upton's bill, the Keep Your Health Plan Act. I urge all of you to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Sharon Stanley, my constituent from Circleville, OH, on being inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame for 2013. Each year, Governor John Kasich honors a handful of distinguished veterans with this recognition. Throughout her life and career, Ms. Stanley has been unwavering in her dedication and service to our great nation, and I commend her for this distinction.

Sharon Stanley was an Army nurse on both active duty and the reserves, and she continued to serve her community after retirement. From 2009 to August 2013, she served at the national level as Chief Nurse of the American Red Cross, where she led and trained Red Cross nurses in all areas of service, including disaster response and the National Student Nurse Program.

During her time with the Red Cross, Ms. Stanley was responsible for the volunteer management of over 15,000 Red Cross nurses and volunteer nurses. She also increased the presence of Red Cross volunteer nurses in both military hospitals and the health care system at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

But her service does not stop there. Ms. Stanley has been a part of the Community Health Resilience Initiative for the Office of Health Affairs and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Nursing, and she is directly involved with Wright State University in developing a national standardized program that will provide nurses with a certificate in Disaster Nursing.

In addition to her recent induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, Ms. Stanley was honored in 2013 as one of only five nurses from the United States to be awarded the prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.

Ms. Sharon Stanley has improved the lives of countless service members and civilians. She is a hero by nature and a true public servant, and for that I respect and appreciate her. Ms. Stanley has rightfully earned her place in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, and I offer my deepest congratulations to her.

Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues in the House and the Senate today to work together to address our differences to fix this government shutdown.

The House has started by unanimously passing a bill that will pay furloughed Federal workers back pay. We've also passed bills that will fund lifesaving research, Head Start, veterans, and many other important parts of the government.

While some people have called this a piecemeal approach, those people ignore the fact that that's how our appropriations process has worked for over 230 years, with multiple appropriations bills every year. That is the real normal.

Mr. Speaker, let's tone down the rhetoric and work together and get our government funded and pay our debts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true American hero from Logan, Ohio, General Michael Scaparrotti, who is being promoted to a four star general today in a ceremony at Whipple Field Joint Base Myer in Henderson, Virginia. He is only the 223rd four star general in the history of the United States Army.

Prior to rising to the rank of general, General Scaparrotti has served as director of the joint staff at the Pentagon, second in command of U.S. forces in Afghanistan from July of 2011 to June of 2012, and he is now commander of all U.S. forces in South Korea.

Throughout his career, General Scaparrotti has rightfully earned a number of awards and decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal with an oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, and many more.

As a Nation, we are fortunate to have leaders and patriots like General Scaparrotti defending this country.

I am truly honored for this privilege to recognize General Scaparrotti, and I ask all the Members of Congress to join me in thanking him for his service and congratulating him on his promotion.

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

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 1 o'clock and 35 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Monday, September 23, 2013, at 11 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Master Sergeant Ronald Eugene Rosser of the United States Army.

Master Sergeant Rosser was serving with the 2nd Infantry Division and received his Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in action on January 12, 1952 in Korea.

When Master Sergeant Rosser's platoon came under heavy enemy fire from two sides, he charged the enemy's positions, taking the hill, and killing 7. Master Sergeant Rosser then descended to rearm and retake the hill once more while eliminating enemies along the way. After he had taken the hill a third time and killed at least 13, Master Sergeant Rosser helped retrieve the wounded men and make a successful withdrawal.

It is for his gallant actions and courageous and selfless devotion to duty that I am proud to honor and remember the actions of Master Sergeant Ronald Eugene Rosser.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 95th anniversary of the Murphy Theatre in Wilmington, Ohio.

The Murphy Theatre was financed by Chicago Cubs owner and Wilmington native Charles Webb Murphy. Many thought the construction of a 1,000 seat theatre was much too large for a town of 5,000, but the theatre soon became a hub of activity for the area. After its completion in 1918, the Murphy Theatre hosted many traveling shows and performers. Its popularity quickly grew, and the Murphy Theatre began hosting additional community events--soon finding itself as a focal point in the Wilmington community.

Throughout its history, the Murphy Theatre has hosted plays, musicals, and graduations in addition to other events. In the early 1990's, the Murphy Theatre was the set location for the film Lost in Yonkers. The renovations from the set creation allowed for the theatre to begin hosting movies. The theatre now serves as a community center hosting weekly movie nights, traveling shows, plays, and musicals.

Again, I offer my congratulations to the Murphy Theatre for celebrating its 95th anniversary. The members of the community in Wilmington have worked hard to preserve the theatre throughout time and have played a crucial role in helping the theatre adapt to the changing forms of entertainment throughout history. It is my honor to represent in Congress such dedicated members of the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a true American hero for his dedicated public service, Tom Moe, who is a colonel in the Air Force and is from Lancaster, Ohio. He's retiring after 46 years of service to our Nation and our State.

While in the Vietnam war, serving in the United States Air Force, he endured 5 years of torture and isolation

as a prisoner of war. In his civilian life, he dedicated his career to serving veterans. Most recently, joining Governor John Kasich's cabinet as director of the Department of Veterans Services, he also served as the Ohio director for Troops to Teachers in the Department of Education, and he served as director of the Fairfield County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Through his career, Colonel Moe has rightfully earned a number of public service awards and decorations, including two Silver Stars, a Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star Medal for valor, and two Purple Hearts. He was also inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2009 by Governor Ted Strickland.

I'm truly honored to call Colonel Moe a friend, and I join hopefully with the other Members of Congress in wishing him a happy retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Chris Walls, one of my constituents from Wilmington, Ohio. Mr. Walls pulled his community together to help the 33,000 victims from the May 2013 tornadoes in Oklahoma.

Many of those affected by the tornadoes lost their homes and all of their possessions. When Mr. Walls found out about the extensive damage done, it reminded him of the time his home was ruined by a fire. Mr. Walls remembered how much he appreciated the support of his community when he lost so much and felt it was his job to help the tornado victims.

The way Mr. Walls felt he could best help the victims was by starting a drive for needed supplies. He called upon our community in Wilmington and opened up his tattoo shop as a drop-off point for the drive. The Wilmington community donated many supplies including bandages, bottled water and toothpaste. Then, on June 10, 2013, Mr. Walls and his wife drove out to Oklahoma to personally deliver supplies to the tornado victims.

I am very thankful for Chris Walls' hard work in helping the people of Moore, Oklahoma. I ask that all Members of Congress stand with me to recognize Mr. Walls and the people of Wilmington, Ohio, for their acts of selflessness and kindness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of a grateful nation to recognize Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsman John J. Crowley from Hilliard, Ohio, for his selfless acts of bravery and valor while deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. A true American hero, Crowley risked his life to ensure the safety of others in his squad when he aided them after the explosion of two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Corpsman Crowley has served in the Marines since 2009 where he has rightfully received numerous honors including the valor-designated Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. On June 13, 2012, his squad was on night patrol and struck by two IEDs. The first strike resulted in a dual-amputee casualty, which Corpsman Crowley promptly stabilized. The second explosion occurred as Marines swept a path toward the original casualty, resulting in three additional casualties. Corpsman Crowley was in close proximity to the second device and suffered wounds to his face and a ruptured eardrum.

Despite his injuries, Corpsman Crowley maintained composure and treated an additional double amputee, as well as the squad leader, who had severe fragmentation wounds to his hands, body and face. He then helped move the Marines with casualties to a collection point and provided life-saving updates on the patients' status until the medical emergency evacuation helicopter arrived. His decisive actions were instrumental in saving the lives of three critically injured Marines. By his guidance, initiative, and dedication to duty, Corpsman Crowley reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

I ask that all Members of Congress join me in offering our appreciation for Fleet Marine Force Navy Corpsman John J. Crowley and his meritorious service to this great nation. He went to the greatest extent in order to secure our freedom here at home, which deserves the highest of recognitions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of my constituents from Lancaster, Ohio, who pulled together to make a difference in the wake of an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas that injured hundreds and killed at least 14 people.

Of those lost in the explosion on April 17, many were firefighters from different departments who responded to the fire and explosion. When the wives of Lancaster firefighters and members of ``Firewives.com'' heard about what happened, they knew something had to be done.

Whitney Coy and the other members of ``Firewives.com'' formed a committee to fundraise for the West, Texas Volunteer Fire Department. Their group has grown to roughly 350 members since April. The group's original goal was to sell 150 T-shirts, which they sold in the very first day. So far, they have sold more than 850 t-shirts and raised more than $7,500 for West, Texas.

The money raised by our neighbors in Lancaster will be used to purchase new equipment to help protect firefighters in West, Texas. I am confident that Whitney Coy and her team played a very important role in ensuring the new equipment could be purchased.

Again, I am thankful for Whitney Coy's hard work in helping the people of West, Texas. I ask that all Members of Congress stand with me to recognize her, and her team, for their acts of selflessness and kindness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Molly Frey on her achievement as a Military Kid of the Year from ``Our Military Kids.'' I am honored that one of my very own constituents has been selected for this prestigious award.

According to ``Our Military Kids,'' Molly was selected for the award because of her talents in ballet, figure skating, and sailing. She also has a philanthropic spirit, which has led to her helping raise money for breast cancer awareness and volunteering to support other military families through ``Operation Baking GALS'' (Give a Little Support).

Molly's father, Ohio Air Reserve Guard Senior Master Sgt. Kim Frey, was away on a seven-month deployment, which included six months in Afghanistan. As a Colonel in the Ohio Army National Guard and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I am impressed with the sacrifices that Molly and her family have made for our country and our freedom. Their family knows all too well that these sacrifices are shared, and I admire their strength to persevere.

Again, I offer my congratulations to Molly Frey. It was an honor to meet her and her family in April when she was in Washington, DC I ask that all Members of Congress rise and join me in recognizing the sacrifices that all military families and personnel make for this great nation, including Molly Frey and her family.