Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a courageous young man, Colin Hayward Toland, who lost his battle with brain cancer on Saturday, March 17, 2018 at the age of ten.

Officer Colin had served as an honorary member of the Ithaca Police Department since September 12, 2016, becoming the youngest member of the police force. On March 8, 2018, Officer Colin was promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant and assigned to the tactical unit by the Memphis Police Department.

During his time on the force, Lieutenant Colin showed resilience and determination to keep his community safe, making him the perfect candidate to investigate and arrest The Grinch who was trying to steal Christmas from his community in December 2016. Lieutenant Colin's courage in the arrest set forth an example to his brothers on the police force.

I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Lieutenant Colin Hayward Toland and his exemplary service to the Ithaca Police Department and ensuring his family and community that he leaves behind that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. David Herd, a resident of New York's 23rd congressional district in Geneva, New York.

Dr. Herd just completed his term as president of the American Chiropractic Association, where he has been a member for nearly four decades. In his time at ACA, Dr. Herd has served in many leadership posts, including serving as New York's delegate to the organization's governing body, as chair of the ACA's strategic planning committee, and as chair of the ACA's membership committee.

A native of Buffalo, Dr. Herd received his BA at the State University of New York at Buffalo and his Doctor of Chiropractic degree at Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. Dr. Herd has also served on the faculty of the New York Chiropractic College, located in Seneca Falls. In addition, Dr. Herd has also served in the leadership of the New York State Chiropractic Association, as president of the Rochester district in the early 1990s.

These past two years, Dr. Herd has spearheaded a move to streamline the governance structure of the ACA, leading to a more dynamic and responsive organization. A tireless advocate for chiropractic patients and his beloved profession, he and others at the ACA have now laid the groundwork for a strong and vibrant organization for years to come.

On March 1st, the American Chiropractic Association recognized Dr. Herd with their most prestigious honor, the Chiropractor of the Year award. Mr. Speaker, this is truly an honor befitting of an individual who has dedicated his life to his patients and his profession. I congratulate him on this honor and for a successful tenure as president of the ACA.

Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to stand with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, as well as those on our side, in recognition of a life well done; that is, the passing of our colleague Louise Slaughter. To me, tonight, it is something we should take a moment to reflect upon and recognize: her life, her commitment to this body.

Having served with her on the Rules Committee, I can personally attest, being a fellow New Yorker, that we shared a commitment to our home areas; that we always brought the passion of our beliefs, both on the left and the right, into the room; but at the end of the day, Louise Slaughter represented us well, in the sense of how she represented and carried herself in this Chamber as she represented her people, her folks back home in Rochester, New York.

And I am proud to call her and remember her this evening as a Member of this body and her service to all of us. She was a Southern lady at heart, had a good wit, and she will be missed by many Members, if not all Members, on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate constituent Dr. Allen ``Doc'' Dimon on his one-hundredth birthday and to recognize his important service to our local community and the entire country.

A lifelong resident of Waverly, New York, Dr. Dimon served in the United States Army Medical Corps during World War II and was deployed in France. After the war, Dr. Dimon went to work as an optometrist and continued to serve his community in that role for fifty years. At age fifty, he earned his pilot's license and continued to fly into his seventies.

Dr. Dimon served on the boards of Guthrie Clinic/Robert Packer Hospital and the old Tioga General Hospital as well as the Waverly School Board. He is a current member of Rotary International, the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, the Methodist Church in Waverly, and is the founding member of the ``ROMEO'' (Retired Old Men Eating Out) group at Becky's Diner in Waverly.

I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Dr. Allen Dimon on his one-hundredth birthday and wishing him continued happiness and success in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered to be the first sponsor of H.R. 1098, a bill originally introduced by Representative Tiberi of Ohio, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a dedicated public servant and trusted leader, Cattaraugus County Legislature Chairman Paula Stockman, who unexpectedly passed away late last week.

Mrs. Stockman had served on the Cattaraugus County legislature since 2010, and became the second woman to hold the chair in 2015. Prior to her tenure on the county legislature, Mrs. Stockman served as village clerk in her home of South Dayton, New York. She also served as co- chairman of the Cattaraugus County Shared Services Initiatives.

Mrs. Stockman played an important role in the county legislature's work to reestablish the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cattaraugus County. She also worked to ensure the continuation of the 4-H program for more than four-hundred young people.

I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Mrs. Paula Stockman and her exemplary legacy of service to Cattaraugus County, and in assuring the family and community that she leaves behind that our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to today to recognize the commissioning of the newest combat ship to be added to the United States Navy, the USS Little Rock (LCS-9).

This three hundred and eighty-nine foot littoral combat ship is named in honor of the previous USS Little Rock, which began service in 1944 and was taken out of service in 1976, subsequently being converted into a floating museum.

This commissioning ceremony in Buffalo, New York, is the first time in the history of the United States Navy that a ship has been commissioned next to its namesake. It serves as a moment to remember the proud history of the United States Navy as well as the brave men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country at sea.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the commissioning of the USS Little Rock and wishing success and safety to all of her future crew members as they serve and protect our great nation and advance the cause of liberty around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding to me.

And to the colleague from New York, to all of the people you referenced in the middle class, I say: Hell yes, they are going to be helped by this bill.

And do you know what it is going to do? It is going to let them keep the money in their pocket that they earned, the $1,600, for the average resident in my district.

And what it is also going to do, Mr. Speaker, is it is going to create jobs.

And what does a job do for a person?

I will tell you what it does. It not only puts money in their pockets, Mr. Speaker, but we are going to have a new wave of optimism. We are going to have a new wave of opportunity, where people will be able to go to work, soil their hands, and earn their livelihood, which gives them dignity, which gives them pride, and gives them honor.

This is a new day in America. And with tax reform and tax cuts coming, I say to all of my colleagues: Join us to stand for those hardworking Americans, give them their money, and allow us to give hope and opportunity to all of them going forward.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Judge Walter F. Drag, who is retiring after more than three decades of judicial service to the City of Dunkirk, New York.

Judge Drag was recommended for appointment as Acting City Court Judge on January 1, 1985, and became City Court Judge in 1990. Over that time, he has heard thousands of cases and upheld the law with distinction. In addition, he maintained a private law practice until 2007, and spent several stints teaching law as a college professor.

Among Judge Drag's many accomplishments as City Court Judge is the establishment of a Treatment Court in 2002 for individuals charged with crimes related to substance abuse. In the years since then, more than seven hundred people have participated, with the majority successfully completing the treatment program.

It is a privilege to congratulate Judge Walter F. Drag on a distinguished career of service to the City of Dunkirk, and to wish him all the best in retirement. He leaves behind a legacy that will benefit the residents of his community for years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Brady for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, before I get into my speech this evening, I just want to take a moment.

I just heard a colleague on the other side of the aisle call me, essentially, a master of deceit. This country is sick and tired of this type of divisive rhetoric. I am here to tell you that it is time to put the American people first.

I understand that we sit sometimes in this Chamber in the biggest political theater in the United States of America, but at some point in time I have got to say enough is enough.

To my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, I would ask us and the American people back home to look at the legislation that we have done in the committee.

The bottom line, in the House bill, hardworking taxpayers in my district are going to see $1,600 of their hard-earned dollars remain in their pocket with the government not taking that money away from them.

There are differences between the House bill and the Senate bill. I think there are legitimate parts to the Senate bill we should consider in this conference committee that we are going to entertain here very shortly. They are things like the medical expense deduction, things like, potentially, the historic tax credit. But that is how legislation is drafted. We have a body in the Senate, we have a body in the House, and we come together to put the best product forward for the American people.

I will tell you, as I have heard from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, if reducing taxes is not a part of economic growth, then you disagree with every Governor in the United States of America, because every Governor's economic development plan across this country, what does it do?

You see the commercials as you travel around this country: Come to New York State; we are open for business because we have lowered our taxes for opportunities and growth. I see it in Illinois. I see it in California. I see it in Texas.

So what we have done with the proposal in the House is exactly that. We have focused relief on hardworking taxpayers, and we have lowered the tax burden overall so that people can invest in their businesses, invest in their families, and grow the economy, which, at the end of the day, do you know what that means for an American person?

It means more money for them, but, most importantly, it means a job-- a job not only to make money, but it is good for the soul. It is good for the heart. It brings you pride in knowing that you did an honest day's work to get an honest day's amount of pay. That is what growth is about. It is not about numbers. It is about people and opportunity.

I ask my colleagues, join us in rejecting this motion to instruct, and let's get to the business of the people and finish the job once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today and join my colleagues. The Republican and Democratic men and women stand together here on the floor of the House to join in the recognition that when it comes to sexual harassment and sexual assault across America, we say ``no more.'' We say ``enough is enough?''

Yes, this is a step--a small step in the right direction, but it is a legitimate step for us to reflect those that we represent across America and saying to the issue that have impacted all of us, my family included, when it comes to sexual harassment and sexual assault, we stand together as Americans and in this body to declare that no more shall sexual harassment and sexual assault be allowed to exist in our society.

I applaud my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for doing this and the leadership they have demonstrated on this issue once and for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize St. Paul's Episcopal Church on its bicentennial, and to congratulate its clergy, staff, and members, as they celebrate this remarkable milestone.

St. Paul's was incorporated on November 17, 1817, in Waterloo, New York, and has ministered to the spiritual and physical needs of its surrounding community without ceasing in the two-hundred years since.

From its inception, St. Paul's has practiced the traditional Christian values of inclusion, hospitality, caring for the poor and others who are struggling. St. Paul's also strives to provide a welcoming environment for all individuals, regardless of where they are in their respective faith journeys.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing St. Paul's Episcopal Church as it celebrates two centuries of spiritual ministry and service to the community of Waterloo, New York.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for all of his hard work in putting this bill together.

Mr. Speaker, this bill has been in the process for over 7 years in regards to the time I spent on the committee. There have been multiple hearings on the issue of tax reform, well over 40-plus. There have been hours upon hours of debate.

There were efforts done by our former chairman, Dave Camp. I know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have recognized, during our committee markup process, the hard work that Chairman Camp did with rewriting the entire Code from the bottom up.

These issues have been out there for the American people and for the people from across the country to look at, to digest. Now is the time to rise in support of this legislation, Mr. Speaker, because what we have before you is a new Tax Code for the 21st century.

Mr. Speaker, we have a Tax Code that is going to, for once in 31 years, put our corporations on the multinational level across the world in a competitive position by lowering the rates and getting to a 21st century taxing program on a territorial basis.

Most importantly, Mr. Speaker, we deliver tax relief. I know the folks on the other side aren't going to agree with this because they are going to say this is a Tax Code for the rich, this is a Tax Code, tax reform for the rich and the almighty 1 percent.

But, Mr. Speaker, I have done the math. I have looked at this bill inside and out, and it delivers a simplified Code where $1,600 is left in the pockets of my constituents in western New York. That is $1,600 that they earned that the government won't have to take from them anymore; $1,600, Mr. Speaker, that will allow them, as senior citizens, to go visit their grandkids in the South because New York State has driven them out of New York State with its high tax policies at the State capital. That is $1,600 that maybe they can go on a trip with their family and experience a little relaxation because of the hard work that generated those moneys and those dollars in their pockets.

Mr. Speaker, these are the people whom we represent, the Perrys. Mr. and Mrs. Perry are hardworking people of western New York, and those are their two beautiful children. What this is going to allow them to do is get a little bit more of their money kept in their pocket so they can spend a little bit more time with their kids and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues on the other side advocate because there is another issue with tax reform that I want to highlight real quick.

The easy approach of government is to spend more money, develop more programs, and maybe give a little bit in regards to a government welfare check. But what this Tax Code and reform does is deliver a job opportunity for these people, and I don't know a better program in America that serves more people than an honest day's work and an honest paycheck and an honest job, and that is what this Tax Code will do.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 603.

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 572.