Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, on this day that lives in infamy, we recall MacArthur's message from the Philippines. He said famously:

From the Far East, I send you one single thought, one sole

idea written in red on every beachhead from Australia to

Tokyo: There is no substitute for victory.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the Corps of Cadets at the United States Military Academy to remember that on the football field on Saturday.

Go Army. Beat Navy

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to work with Mr. Sherman and the rest of the committee on this bill. It is indeed impressive that it was 59-1 in our committee in its present form. It does do some really good things, and I think the message that it really sends is that it is important for our government agency to lead by example.

The SEC holds people that they oversee accountable for maintaining cybersecurity and protecting personally identifiable information.

What we know: on September 20, Chairman Clayton highlighted that they had had a breach of the EDGAR system. This follows on an April 2016 report by the GAO that highlighted some concerns with their cybersecurity program with SEC. The concerning thing is that when Chairman Clayton took over the SEC, he found this so much time afterwards. It wasn't part of his in-briefing. So there is a real concern that there could be some systemic cybersecurity risks there.

I think it is great that our committee came together to provide SEC a mandate to get their own house in order in quick fashion, and to do that with not just their existing products, but with products that are on the cusp of launching: notably, the consolidated audit trail.

The consolidated audit trail became the subject of some additional concerns because it is so close to launching.

What we are trusting here is that Chairman Clayton does the right thing--takes the message from this vote that we are about to take, and then begins to work with our committee to get this cybersecurity risk under control to provide the assurances that the American people want and that the markets need in order to trust that no more data is collected and made vulnerable than is necessary to accomplish the mission, but that whatever data is made available is secure.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to support the passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Emmer for his leadership on this bill.

As a small businessman, prior to coming to Congress, I have raised capital for startups, and I can tell you that one option is no option.

I can tell you that the regulatory framework, particularly made worse by Dodd-Frank, is crippling access to capital for small- and medium- sized businesses. This is a very important thing.

One option is no option, and it is great to have this for small, early-stage companies that are trying to raise capital in private placements. Right now, most of this is done for accredited investors.

Effectively, this protects deal flow for people that are already wealthy. It locks people out of access to capital. Importantly, for the entrepreneur, sometimes in disadvantaged communities, they don't have this vast network of accredited investors to go to. They don't know how to access the SEC. They certainly don't have the time or money to spend working with the SEC on regulation. They have a business to grow. They need to have access to their friends and family and this early-stage capital to come in. $500,000 isn't much, but it is a start.

I hope that we can not just secure this win, but grow the protections, so that we can raise even more capital in this way.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as an Army veteran and former Army Ranger, I am proud to join Representative Stivers, Representative Beatty, and really the Ohio delegation in today's designation of the Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, as the National Veterans Memorial and Museum. I am thankful to all my colleagues and the work of the committee to do this not just as something for Ohio, but something for our Nation and for our Nation's veterans.

This museum is squarely focused on telling the personal stories of those who have served, including those who have lost their lives serving our country. The National Veterans Memorial and Museum will be the only one of its kind that uses personal belongings, letters, and memories to bring the stories of our servicemembers and their families to life.

In addition to world class interactive exhibits that will serve to educate the next generation about the value of military service, this project will also be connected to an online database featuring the collection.

The National Veterans Memorial and Museum will also serve to honor our men and women in uniform by providing space for celebrations, and veterans ceremonies and reunions.

Ohio has a proud history of honoring our Nation's veterans and supporting our current men and women in uniform. Ohio is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the National Museum of the United States Air Force, and was recently selected as the United States Veterans Affairs National Archives. It is fitting that Ohio should be the place for telling these stories.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the bipartisan support on this bill and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, access to capital is crucial to promoting a thriving U.S. economy. It allows companies to invest in growth and to develop new and innovative products and services. Historically, companies seeking a considerable amount of capital have preferred to use an initial public offering and have shares traded on a national securities exchange.

However, the United States has experienced a 37 percent decline in the number of U.S. listed public companies, which is considerably lower than in the 1980s and 1990s.

Public company compliance costs have grown sufficiently large that many smaller firms stay private rather than spend their profit overcoming these regulatory burdens. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd- Frank Act, and other legislative and regulatory actions have contributed to these costs.

Title I of the JOBS Act created a new category of issuers known as emerging growth companies, or EGCs. These issuers must have less than $1 billion in annual revenue or $700,000 million in public float when they register with the SEC.

While the JOBS Act made it easier for companies to go public, it was not enough to overcome capital formation obstacles entrepreneurs and small businesses are facing.

H.R. 3903, the Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2017, would allow any company, regardless of size or EGC status, to take advantage of the popular provisions of title I of the 2012 JOBS Act.

Title I of the JOBS Act has proven to be a real policy success, and Congress and the SEC should continue to advance policy that will reduce or eliminate barriers to economic growth.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Mr. Budd and Mr. Meeks for their work on this important piece of legislation. I appreciate our chairman, Mr. Huizenga, for moving it expeditiously through our committee; and our chairman, Mr. Hensarling, for presiding over it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1585 does one of the things that most of us came to Congress to do: solve problems and change laws.

The current law excludes most of America from participating in one of the most dynamic parts of our economy, which is private placement investment into small startup companies or, sometimes, very big companies but they are not yet publicly traded. There are opportunities all over to do this, but there are only a small number of Americans who can make the investment.

For many smaller companies, they are faced with a dilemma. One option is no option. They may not have the network of prospective high net worth, accredited investors who can take a look at the kind of capital that would help that company become a thriving larger company, that would help grow the companies that drive the growth in our economy.

As investors, there are people who work in the investment industry who are doing the underwriting--charter financial analysts, for example. Whether they are working for a private equity group, they are doing the work but don't yet have the high net worth. They have true domain expertise.

Imagine the skilled labor who is actually doing the technology implementation, who knows exactly everything that it would take in a program to make a program be the winner in the marketplace but is also well informed on the rest of the risks, has been well educated on the market, and he is prevented from participating.

This act is a step in the right direction. I hope we can accomplish more together. I am confident we will see great success if we can pass this and build on it by taking a bigger bite at the apple soon.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues Mr. Schweikert for offering the bill, Mr. Hill for getting it through, Mr. Hensarling, and Mr. Huizenga, but I also want to thank my colleagues because it is really nice to see something go through unanimously in our committee.

Mr. Chairman, I stand in support of the amendment.

The amendment does a great deal to restore our constitutional right to due process and protects the institution of federalism. The equitable sharing program incentivizes local law enforcement agencies to ignore State laws regarding civil asset forfeiture in favor of Federal law.

After Ohio reformed civil asset forfeiture laws, local agencies have been able to bypass, just as the gentleman from Michigan described. DOJ allows this even when Federal officials play no role in the investigation or the arrest. Congressman Amash's amendment would end this policy.

This program violates the independence of State's police powers and promotes an asset forfeiture scheme that undermines due process. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize and celebrate the 200th Anniversary of New Paris, Ohio. The bicentennial celebration is a historical benchmark for New Paris, as well as the State of Ohio.

In the 1800s, pioneers from Kentucky traveled north in covered wagons and settled in a valley 50 miles west of Dayton, Ohio, on the border of Indiana. There, they built family homes and a local church. In 1817, founders James Fleming and Andrew Ireland named the town ``New Paris'' after the City of Paris in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Songwriter Benjamin R. Hanby made New Paris known throughout the entire country after he composed the Christmas song, ``Up On the House Top'' in 1864.

The first school opened in 1818, and its first newspaper was established in 1844. By 1865, New Paris' 650 residences were very involved in agriculture and developed cotton mills, tanneries, pork- packing plants and had a meat market.

Over the past 200 years, New Paris, Ohio has developed a rich heritage and a high level of community involvement that would make its forefathers proud. I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in congratulating the citizens, elected officials and businesses in New Paris on their rich history, and bright future ahead.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize and celebrate the 150th Anniversary of St. Joseph's Catholic Church. St. Joseph's Catholic Church is the oldest Catholic parish in the city of Hamilton, Ohio and has served as a uniting force in the community since its founding. In the 1800s, Ohio was home to many German and British Catholics who sought refuge in America after having fled religious persecution in Europe. Due to differences in their national origin and their language, English and German Catholics attended separate services. At the time of its founding in 1867, the church was known as a ``German Catholic Church,'' but through shared faith and the passing of time, these differences faded.

St. Joseph's Catholic Church continues to be a pillar of the community as a school, community center, and as a place of worship. Today, St. Joseph's Catholic Church stands as a testament to the uniting power of faith in our communities both historically and in the present. I applaud St. Joseph's Catholic Church for its 150 years of service to Hamilton, Ohio.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise to encourage my colleagues to support this amendment which simply says that none of these funds may be used in contravention of the War Powers Act in Yemen.

We are involved in a critical effort to defeat enemies of our country who took action on 9/11. Al-Qaida and their affiliates have been declared enemies, an authorized force, for nearly 16 years now. And in Yemen, al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula has found sanctuary.

Unfortunately, we also find ourselves in conflict with other enemies there. It is clear that the Houthis, who are Shia, are not affiliates of al-Qaida. In fact, they are engaged in a civil war there.

Over the years, we have sold arms and munitions, built a great alliance with a good ally in Saudi Arabia, and they are involved there. An enemy of the United States, Iran, is also involved as supporters of the Houthis, and so it is important to maintain our relationship with our ally Saudi Arabia.

It is important to recognize the strategic, operational, and tactical threats posed by Iran and their proxies like the Houthis, but it is also important that

we restore the emphasis of Article I of our Constitution and our clear duty in Congress to authorize our Nation's wars. So this amendment simply says nothing outside of the War Powers Act may be engaged in without further future authorization.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I respect the arguments of my colleagues in support of our national command authority. I wholeheartedly support that. In fact, I wore our Nation's uniform for nearly 12 years, served in Ranger Regiment, though I was not involved as a combat veteran.

I would not want to do anything to limit our ability to fight and win the war on terror. Indeed, the sole intent of this is to keep us laser- focused where we can. Resources are scarce, and the need to focus on defeating our enemies who have already been authorized by combat to engage in combat is critical.

In fact, it does alarm me to see that there is some concern that this is overly broad and limiting, as it is the law of the land. The War Powers Act is recognized as something that does give our Commanders flexibility. It gives them 90 days to engage in combat anywhere where there is a clear and present danger to the national security of the United States.

That could very well happen in that region of the country. The waters are tight. The threats are real. As I said, there are strategic, operational, and tactical concerns at play.

But this is nothing different than what President Eisenhower foresaw. In an enduring conflict, he said: ``We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method.

``Unhappily, the danger it poses promises to be of indefinite duration. To meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory sacrifices of crisis, but rather those which enable us to carry forward steadily, surely, and without complaint the burdens of a prolonged and complex struggle--with liberty at stake. Only thus shall we remain, despite every provocation, on our charted course toward permanent peace and human betterment.''

I couldn't say it better, so I borrowed President Eisenhower's words.

I hope we can respect our Constitution, as our duty under it, the oath we have sworn to support and defend it, to limit the scope of our war to things that are Congress-authorized and not passive-aggressively through funding and cutting the checks, but through full authorization. We do not have such authorizations with respect to the Houthis, whether they are in Yemen or other Iranian proxies outside the scope of the War Powers Act.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment No. 80 as en bloc No. 4.

My amendment encourages collaboration between the FAA and DOD on unmanned aircraft systems so that the FAA may leverage the unique capabilities and insights of the DOD. These are important activities as the FAA moves forward with incorporating unmanned systems into the national airspace.

The efforts highlighted in my amendment are already ongoing activities between the FAA and the DOD, but more work needs to be done, as documented in a 2014 joint report to Congress.

The Air Force Research Laboratory located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, AFRL, in particular, has expertise in these sense-and-avoid technologies. AFRL is planning to conduct unmanned aircraft research activities at Springfield, Ohio's, Air National Guard base in Ohio's Eighth District, upon FAA approval.

I am proud of our airmen and the work conducted at both Springfield and Wright-Patterson and to offer this amendment to help the FAA make good use of the capabilities located there.

I also rise in support of my amendment No. 120 as part of this en bloc package.

My amendment is critical for ensuring Congress reclaims its war-making powers by prohibiting funding for U.S. operations in Yemen that are not in compliance with the 2001 AUMF. I am concerned about any U.S. operations in Yemen that are outside the scope of the current AUMF and have no identifiable authorization from Congress.

My amendment is very simple. If the military operation is within the scope of the 2001 AUMF, it is permissible. If it has not been authorized by Congress, then it is not permissible.

I look forward to working with the chairman and my colleagues in the Senate to ensure this provision is adopted in the final NDAA conference report.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I recognize and celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hartzell Propeller. Hartzell Propeller has been a tremendous leader in aviation engineering since its founding in 1917 and it represents the best of American innovation and entrepreneurship. Robert Hartzell founded the company when Orville Wright suggested he use his wood processing plant to manufacture propellers for him and his brother. Since then, the company has developed composite and aluminum propellers for the general aviation market that have broken numerous records and received many awards.

Hartzell Propeller has provided propellers in both world wars and successfully transitioned into the general aviation market because of its commitment to build the highest quality propellers. The phrase ``Built on Honor'' is placed on the company's propellers to reflect their dedication to this mission. Hartzell Propeller has had a profound impact on the history of American aviation and on its local community in Piqua, Ohio and it will continue to do so for years to come. I ask that my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives join me in celebrating the 100th anniversary of Hartzell Propeller.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that, if enacted, would provide additional data on the performance and effectiveness of the programs created under H.R. 2842, the Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act.

In particular, my amendment would require States to include in their annual reports to the Health and Human Services Department whether individuals who participated in this demonstration project still need additional forms of Federal or State assistance after the fact. The data point really shows whether they are truly independent of the safety net.

The most meaningful solution to poverty is a job. I believe the data point outlined in my amendment will further help Congress measure the performance of this program in the scope that should apply to all of our Nation's welfare programs: placing people into meaningful work and helping them and their families achieve self-sufficiency. We need this data to ensure the project is truly working.

When I worked in manufacturing, data was a vital component to solving problems. It showed me what worked best, what failed, and, most importantly, what needed to be changed and how to get to the root cause. The same science applies to solving problems here and to this program.

Too often we measure the success of our safety net programs based on dollars spent rather than effectiveness. Fixing our welfare system is a sentiment shared by both sides of the aisle. This is a bipartisan bill, and I believe this legislation is a great step forward.

Additionally, my office has been working on another bill, the Welfare BRAC Act, which would create a bipartisan commission to review the 90- plus means-tested programs that spent nearly $850 billion a year. I hope one day to have a vote on that bill just as we are having one on this today.

We need more deeds and not just words. This bill is a great step forward to solving the problem. There is widespread agreement on both sides of the aisle that our safety net is not accomplishing all it needs to. If enacted, my amendment would help us here in Congress identify new methods to help our Nation's most vulnerable by getting them into the workplace.

It is crucial that everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in our communities and contribute by earning financial independence through the dignity of work.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in support of my amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith).

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this.

Sunlight brings truth. Truth will set you free. My hope is truth will set folks free from the trap that many people find in multigenerational poverty. We really, truly want to help solve the problem and get the information that will help us make our systems work effectively.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congressman from Pennsylvania for yielding.

As a former manufacturer, I have experienced firsthand the importance of career technical education in promoting meaningful work. It is especially helpful for helping people transition from a social safety net or a second-chance program, but I have seen it firsthand. For high school students and for adults who change careers, it can truly change lives.

I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. I am confident it can do for our country what it has done in the Eighth District of Ohio.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman and the work of the committee for doing the work of the American people.

Prior to coming to Congress, as a small-business owner and small- business leader, I was feeling the pain of the Dodd-Frank Act, wondering whether anyone in Washington, D.C., was listening. Now that I have had the opportunity to serve just this 1 year now in Congress, I have gone around the district. I have gone around and talked to businessowners, to farmers, and to community bankers who have been suffering under this law.

One of the things that hasn't been talked about is how the Dodd-Frank Act has harmed the SEC, how it has deprived people of due process. All but the wealthiest Americans are trapped in a system where the SEC has quasi-judicial hearings using administrative law judges. They have a 90 percent win rate because they have all the keys. They can block discretion, they can block discovery, and they can limit the facts and limit the debate.

So one of the good things that the Dodd-Frank reform--known as the CHOICE Act--accomplishes is ending this process so that people do have the right to due process in our courts.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 10 and to end the abuses of the previous era.