Floor Statements

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

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

Mr. Chairman, today I rise to offer an amendment to this bill to help agriculture in southern Illinois, my State of Illinois and, indeed, in the entire Nation the next time drought strikes.

After Hurricane Sandy, the drought of 2012 was the second most costly natural disaster in the world. The drought cost upwards of $35 billion in total losses. It devastated southern Illinois crops and crops throughout the Midwest. The fact that there is no national response or preparedness plan for drought increases these costs by at least 25 percent. Indeed, FEMA is not even authorized to address drought even when areas are declared natural disasters due to drought.

In the 110th Congress, my colleague from Florida, Congressman Alcee Hastings, offered legislation to establish a national drought council. I applaud his foresight and his work, which was included in the House version of the farm bill. Unfortunately, House and Senate conferees failed to include it in the final bill. Had it been included, perhaps the Federal response to last year's drought would have been streamlined and devastating losses mitigated.

My amendment, which is based on Congressman Hastings' work, would give the Secretary of Agriculture an important tool to help our farmers more quickly. The council would be tasked to develop a comprehensive national drought action plan that defines responsibilities for drought preparedness, mitigation, research, risk management, training, and emergency relief programs. The plan provides guidance to Federal agencies to ensure their activities are coordinated with the activities of States, local governments, Indian tribes, and neighboring countries.

Through an annual report to Congress, the council will make recommendations to eliminate duplication and to establish common interagency triggers to authorize Federal drought programs.

Based on a review of drought preparedness plans, the council will develop and make available to the public drought planning models. What this appointed council would not do is draw a paycheck, establish a new office, or increase the Federal bureaucracy.

It's not a question of will a drought strike; it's a question of when. When it does, we need to be better prepared.

I urge adoption of this amendment and ask the support of my colleagues.

I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.

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

Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of this important and long overdue legislation.

When I ran for Congress, I pledged to work for southern Illinois' agricultural industry. That's why I voted in committee to advance this bipartisan 5-year bill.

The inability of the House to pass a farm bill was among the biggest failings of the last Congress. This is by no means a perfect bill. It cuts far too deeply to the SNAP program. There are real people in my district and in yours who depend on this program, and while we must reduce the deficit we shouldn't be doing that on the backs of those who can't afford to put food on the table. However, I believe that funding will be bolstered here on the floor of the House and in conference.

Let's look at what the bill does right:

It funds infrastructure upgrades for Midwestern waterways so farmers can get their crops to market;

It increases energy access to rural America, improving efficiency and reducing input costs for farmers and small businesses;

It ensures farmers have the flexibility to grow a wide array of crops without penalty and without fear of losing their insurance;

It saves taxpayer dollars and conserves critical wildlife and hunting habitats while still allowing farmers to manage their lands as they see fit;

It makes the USDA more efficient by streamlining programs and by cutting down on unnecessary paperwork and burdensome regulation for farmers;

It eases access to lines of credit so that farmers who want to expand their businesses have the tools necessary to do so;

It strengthens crop insurance to protect taxpayers while also making sure that farmers don't lose the farm if disaster strikes.

It's time that we do what we were sent here to do. It's time to act on a bill that, although imperfect, should have been adopted a year ago. It's time to pass a comprehensive farm bill. I stand in support of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to join with me.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed in its present form.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this amendment to H.R. 2216 to increase funding for veterans claims processors so that we can reduce the disgraceful backlog of claims waiting to be processed.

This is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill nor send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

We have been fighting two wars for over 10 years, which has resulted in a large number of veterans returning home with both physical and mental injuries.

In addition, veterans who served in Vietnam and the gulf war are getting older, and many are discovering health issues that are related to their service. The result is that currently there are over 900,000 veterans' disability claims waiting to be processed. The average wait for that backlog is now 9 months.

We are talking about American heroes like Michael Boren of Energy, Illinois. Michael is a veteran in my district who was in danger of losing his home because the VA took 19 months to track down his paperwork and process his claim. Veterans like Michael are in your district, and you've heard their stories, just as I have. Too many veterans are threatened with home foreclosure, having their cars repossessed, having their credit cards cut off, all because of the VA backlog. It's shameful.

We must act to speed up the process so that disabled, honorably discharged American veterans are not waiting without income for months and years. This motion to recommit adds $9.2 million to hire 94 additional VA claims processors. This doubles the number of claims processors in the base bill. The amendment is fully offset from unobligated and unused funds and funds from military construction.

This vote serves as a lifeline to countless veterans who can no longer wait for this problem to be solved.

When I look out at this House, I look down the center aisle. I look at the right side and see my colleagues, my friends in the party of Dwight David Eisenhower; I see the party of Teddy Roosevelt; I see the party of Abraham Lincoln.

When I look at the left side, I see my friends who represent the party of Harry S. Truman; the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; the party of Woodrow Wilson--great wartime leaders, all.

Those great Presidents knew the meaning of commitment to the troops that we sent to defend and protect our Nation. Today, we stand in their shadows. We in Congress committed to send these brave men and women in harm's way for our country. Folks in the Active Duty service, in the Guard, and in the Reserve, they have served us honorably; they have served their commitment proudly. Now we must complete our commitment to veterans in our time.

To paraphrase President Lincoln, many of the votes we cast here in Congress will be little noted, nor long remembered. But the veterans, veterans up there in that gallery, veterans back in your district, veterans all across this Nation will remember this vote; their families will remember this vote. Today, we vote to fulfill the promise of a great Nation to those who have served that great Nation. This is a vote to serve them.

Vote ``yes'' on this final amendment to help veterans get the benefits they have earned and they deserve. Vote ``yes'' on this motion to recommit.

When I step down from this podium, I will walk up that center aisle, not to the right, nor to the left, but up that center aisle, and cast my vote ``yes'' for this amendment, because it is for the veterans and for our great Nation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank the gentlelady from New York.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1739, the Veterans Backlog Reduction Act. As a retired military veteran, one of my top priorities is caring for our veterans. The sad fact is the VA is not honoring its commitment to our veterans today. There are currently over 900,000 claims waiting to be processed. The average wait for that back- log is now 272 days, or nearly 9 months.

These are real people, real American heroes, who deserve disability benefits because they sustained injuries in service to our country. One of these is Michael Boren of Energy, Illinois. Michael came home from Active Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan with nerve damage, an injured back, and other physical problems. By every measure, Michael is legitimately deserving of disability benefits.

The reason I know about Michael is because he contacted my office a few months ago when he was at the end of his rope and in danger of losing his home. Permanently disabled from his injuries sustained in service, he is unable to find gainful employment to sustain himself and his family. The VA couldn't coordinate his paperwork to make a ruling on his claim for nearly 19 months, all while he waited and worried without income.

Too many veterans like Michael are threatened with home foreclosure, having their cars repossessed, their credit cards cut off, all because the VA can't get its act together. It's shameful. And despite promises from the VA to reduce the backlog, just yesterday we learned the backlog is actually increasing and the VA hasn't met a single one of its benchmarks.

The solution is the Veterans Backlog Reduction Act. It says the VA has 125 days to process claims filed by disabled veterans. If the VA can't live up to a reasonable timetable on processing these claims, then disabled veterans will get a provisional payment until a final ruling is made. If the claim is ultimately deemed valid, then the remainder of the disability benefits will be paid out. If the claim is denied, then the veteran is held harmless and would not have to repay the provisional benefit, unless there would be a finding of fraud or bad faith on the part of the veteran.

The goal is to get these claims processed in a timely manner. And it's my belief that this legislation gives the VA a powerful reason to clean up its act and speed up the process.

This bill serves as a lifeline to countless veterans who can't wait months or years for this problem to be solved. Our veterans are demanding leadership now. This is not a Democrat or a Republican issue. Taking proper care of our wounded veterans is an American issue.

This is a national embarrassment, and we in Congress must meet it head on. It is my hope that we can restore the trust veterans have lost in their government to care for them when they need it most.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of this important legislation.

The threat we face today from cyber attacks poses a clear and present danger that must be addressed. When I was sworn in to Congress to represent the people of southern Illinois, I took a vow to protect them from all enemies, both foreign and domestic. It was not the first time I had taken such an oath. By supporting CISPA, we move to fulfill our oath.

I know there are good Americans who oppose this legislation because they believe the protections for civil liberties and privacy don't go far enough, but we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This bill prohibits the government from forcing private sector entities to provide information to the government. It places restrictions on the use of any data voluntarily shared. The bill provides for strong congressional oversight. These are tremendous victories to protect our civil liberties.

I support this bill because American jobs hang in the balance. Every day, our companies are subject to cyber attacks seeking to steal valuable trade secrets which deprive American citizens of high-paying high-tech jobs. Locally, my hometown grocery store in southern Illinois, Schnucks, was recently hacked, and customers' debit and credit card information was compromised, making many of my constituents vulnerable to theft.

I cannot stand by and let an opportunity to prevent such actions pass me by, which is why I stand in support of this legislation. To protect the jobs of those who work to build planes at Boeing in Belleville or workers at Afton Chemical in Sauget, I must support this legislation. To ensure that those who make weapons to defend our country at General Dynamics in Marion, Illinois, don't lose their jobs because some Chinese hacker has stolen proprietary information, I must support this legislation.

As the weapons of warfare change and adapt, we must make the necessary adjustments to protect our Nation while adhering to our founding principles. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the number one concern I hear when I'm home in southern Illinois is from families who are worried about jobs. They're worried about how to find a job and get back on their feet.

In southern Illinois, we know all too well how bad trade deals in Washington have given our working families a bum rap. We see good manufacturing jobs leave us. We see the empty factories, high unemployment rates, and lose faith in the future.

I believe in helping to attract and create new jobs and in protecting and saving the good ones we have. That's why I am proud to introduce my new initiative, the Job Opportunities Between Our Shores, or JOBS, Act. The JOBS Act will address the challenge industry faces of growing jobs without workers who have the necessary skills to fill them locally.

Southern Illinois has the advanced manufacturers who are leading the way for the future of manufacturing and creating new, good jobs. We have talented workers, and we have the educational programs to get them a great, new job that can support their family.

My JOBS Act is a way of bringing communities, workers, and employers together to protect good jobs and invest in our future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 110th anniversary of the Boilermakers Local 363 of East St. Louis, Illinois.

By the late 19th century many of the skilled craftsmen who powered the Industrial Revolution were seeking to improve pay and working conditions through the formation of unions. Workers in the boilermaker and iron ship building trades had formed a union in Chicago as had boilermakers in Atlanta. These two organizations would merge in 1893 to form the International Brotherhood of Boiler Makers and Iron Ship Builders and, on March 22, 1903, Local 363 in East St. Louis, Illinois received its charter.

Over the years the Boilermakers Union would continue to grow and diversify as other related trade unions merged with it. A Helpers Division was added in 1902 and Blacksmiths and Drop Forgers merged in 1954. In 1984, the United Cement, Lime, Gypsum and Allied Workers merged, to be followed, in 1994, by the Stove, Furnace and Allied Appliance Workers. The Metal Polishers, Buffers and Platers would merge in 1996. As a result of these many mergers, the name of the union is now the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers.

Membership in the union grew in the 20th century as the needs for the skilled labor grew. At the dawn of the century, membership was about 8,500 but had grown to over 350,000 by the end of World War II in the mid-1940s. There are currently 534 members in Local 363.

Local 363 has always realized that its responsibility to its members also extends to those members' community. The list of organizations that have been assisted by the local's support include: the United Way, Special Olympics, the Illinois Cancer Society and the Boy Scouts.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the leadership and members of Boilermakers Local 363 as they celebrate their 110th anniversary and to wish them continued success in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 50th Anniversary of the St. Clair County Bar Association, in St. Clair County, Illinois.

Prior to 1963, there were two bar associations in St. Clair County, the East St. Louis Bar Association and the Belleville Bar Association. East St. Louis was, at that time, the most populous city in St. Clair County and Belleville, just to the east, was the county seat. A review of the Illinois Court System that led to the current judicial structure also prompted the East St. Louis and Belleville Bar Associations to combine and form the St. Clair County Bar Association.

The stated purpose of the St. Clair County Bar Association is ``cultivating the science of jurisprudence, promoting reform in the law, facilitating the administration of justice, elevating the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession, encouraging a thorough and liberal legal education and cultivating and cherishing a spirit of camaraderie among the members thereof.'' They accomplish this through a number of programs and initiatives that extend the benefits of the organization beyond its members to include their entire community.

The Bar Association fosters and promotes continuing legal education and its mentoring program takes advantage of the wealth of experience within its membership to assist newer members.

The St. Clair County Bar Association Foundation is the charitable arm of the Bar Association and channels a number of assistance and charitable initiatives back to the community, including extensive pro bono legal assistance. The Bar Association's Law Day Run, now in its 12th year raises money for the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, which assists low-income residents with obtaining legal services. Their participation in the Lawyers Feeding Illinois initiative has brought in tremendous support to help provide nutritional assistance for the hungry within their community.

The St. Clair County Bar Association has grown to approximately 700 members and is

currently headed by the Honorable Michael N. Cook, President, Thomas B. Cannady, First Vice President, Joe Rosenstengel, Second Vice President, Laura K. Beasley, Secretary and Garrett P. Hoerner, Treasurer.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the St. Clair County Bar Association on their 50th Anniversary and to wish them the very best in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am opposed to the bill in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, I haven't been in Washington very long. Like so many in southern Illinois and across our Nation, I answered the call to serve. I grew up in a household where I was taught the importance of fairness, duty, and honor. Whether it was walking the beans on my grandparents' farm or working with my father on the line at Caterpillar, I understood the importance of hard work, fair pay, and taking responsibility for myself and our family.

When I was 19, I enlisted and arrived for duty at Scott Air Force Base, a vital component of our national security and major employer in the district I now represent. For 35 years, I served in the military. For the past 5 years, I served as the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, where I led our response to natural disasters and oversaw the largest deployment of Guard troops since World War II. Serving alongside those 13,000 soldiers and airmen and hundreds of civilian employees proved to me that the resiliency of Illinoisans, whether recovering from floods, ice storms, or earthquakes, or coming together as a community to support our service men and women overseas, is unparalleled.

Today, I offer the final amendment to the bill. It will not delay nor kill the bill nor send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will proceed immediately to final passage, as amended.

From my experience as an enlisted man to that of commander of the Illinois National Guard, I'm concerned about how this bill interferes with States' rights and might unfairly affect unemployed veterans and their families, victims of domestic violence, and victims of natural disasters, as well as grandparents caring for children whose parents are deployed.

In January, families in Sparta, a town I represent in southern Illinois, had the joy and blessing to welcome home over 150 soldiers with the Guard's 661st Engineer Company and 662nd Engineer Fire Fighting Detachment from Afghanistan. I was the commander who signed their deployment orders and sent them into harm's way. I was honored to see their safe return. For many of these men and women, their return means making a young family whole again. They could not have borne their responsibilities in Afghanistan without support from grandparents, spouses, and a community like Sparta.

That's why I'm so alarmed by this bill in its current form. Why would Congress seek to make it more difficult for a single parent or grandparent to care for children while their mother or father is deployed overseas? Is that the message we want to send our troops, that their service is a burden to those back home?

For our veterans in Sparta and across the Nation facing new, sometimes heartbreaking challenges in their transition to civilian life, know that the promises we made to them are on the line. For us in southern Illinois, I'll be blunt. We need jobs.

Southern Illinois hasn't seen an economic recovery yet. Out of 102 counties

in Illinois, six in my district in southern Illinois are among those struggling most, with more than 20 percent of families trying to make ends meet on incomes less than $23,000 a year.

The fact is that our heroes, our veterans returning home, don't necessarily have jobs waiting for them. That's why this bill in its current form is so out of touch with the realities that our veterans face. Instead, Congress is telling our veterans and our military families: your service isn't good enough. You haven't done enough for our Nation. Once again, Congress has gotten it wrong.

Another example, in Illinois we don't qualify assistance for victims of domestic violence. That's why I have to ask, given the critical need for us to responsibly reduce the deficit and actually work on improving our economy, why would Congress focus on questioning the expertise and recommendations made by my State or any other?

Where I come from and where I'm proud to represent, we all share the southern Illinois values of hard work, integrity, and fairness. Veterans and military families, victims of domestic abuse, communities overcoming natural disaster, like Harrisburg, Illinois, these are the good people who shouldn't be pawns of politics in Congress, and we owe them the assurance that this bill will not reduce critical assistance.

I urge my colleagues to stand by our veterans and military families. I urge them to consider honoring our home State's authority. I ask they pass this commonsense amendment to invest in the resiliency of our communities.

I yield back the balance of my time

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because southern Illinois folks are worried about sequestration undermining the economy and costing us jobs. I want to share with you today a letter about those concerns. This letter is from the supervisor of a young National Guard family.

Sarah and Mike, a young couple, one small child and another

on the way, both deployed to Afghanistan with us in 2008. If

nothing changes, Sarah will get hit with the furloughs, and

Mike will probably lose his full-time National Guard job

entirely. This is just devastating. Obviously, don't blame

you. You weren't even in Congress when the Budget Control Act

passed. But real people are going to get hurt--bad--veterans

and soldiers. This is just incredible. I cannot believe

Congress is going to let this train wreck happen. I know you

know this, but it matters a great deal to us in DOD and the

Guard, both to the civilian employees who will be the

immediate victims, and to the rest of us who have to deal

with the fallout.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I often hear from folks who work hard but are struggling to make ends meet. Families across southern Illinois are frustrated with the complacency in Washington.

Unless we act, nearly $1.2 trillion will be cut from defense and domestic programs. Scott Air Force Base, a major economic hub, the largest employer in my district and a vital component of our national security, would be hard hit, as would important programs that keep our children and our Nation safe.

If sequestration goes into effect, 1 million jobs could be in jeopardy. It is irresponsible to let a failed plan with an artificial deadline and politically manufactured crisis cost our workers, our veterans, our men and women in uniform, our seniors, our small businesses their livelihood and risk our fragile economy.

It's time for Congress to set aside partisanship and to work together to produce a comprehensive solution that responsibly addresses the deficit but doesn't cost jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the dedicated community service of Du Quoin, Illinois Mayor John Rednour as he retires after 24 years as mayor.

John Rednour grew up in Cutler, Illinois and began working as an ironworker. He worked on projects throughout the State, from Southern Illinois, to the St. Louis area and Chicago. It was during this phase of his career that John founded Rednour Steel Erectors, a company with which he maintains a partnership to this day.

John moved with his family to Du Quoin in the early 1970s and, in the 1980s he began a successful banking career when he led a group of investors that assumed control of the Du Quoin State Bank. John continues to serve as chairman of the bank.

While John was raising a family and embarking on successful careers, he also showed an early interest in public service. He served six years as a Perry County Commissioner, from 1967 to 1973, and was elected to the Trico School District Board of Education while in his 20s. John was elected mayor of the City of Du Quoin in 1989 and will officiate at his last City Council meeting next Monday, February 11.

In his 24 years as Mayor, John Rednour has left an indelible mark on Southern Illinois. He has been able to lead as well as compromise and he is justifiably proud of the infrastructure improvements that have occurred during his tenure as mayor, most notably the Highway 51, Poplar Street overpass, an industrial park and water and sewer improvement projects. All of these infrastructure improvements were completed while maintaining balanced municipal budgets. In evaluating potential projects, John's simple criterion was always, ``Is it good for Du Quoin?''

John Rednour's community contributions were not limited to his successful business ventures and service as mayor. John also serves as Chairman of the Illinois State Police Merit Board and is a commissioner of the Perry County Housing Authority. He has been active in politics his entire adult life, having served as a member of the Democratic National Committee for nearly 40 years.

John and his wife, Wanda, have been married for over 60 years and are proud parents, grandparents and great grandparents.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in an expression of appreciation to Mayor John Rednour in recognition of his years of service as a community leader and to wish him and his family the very best in the future.

Article I, section 1:

``All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the southern Illinois coal industry, which had a record year last year--the best in decades.

Southern Illinois is blessed with abundant natural resources like coal that provide good jobs and support our

middle class. I'm proud to say that Illinois is a leader in coal production and outpaced every other State in 2012. Bucking national trends, Illinois mines produced more than 40 million tons of coal in 2012, the most since 1995. This is in large part due to southern Illinois mines and a talented and dedicated workforce.

Folks in my district are worried about jobs. They want to have faith in the southern Illinois way of life. Our coal industry in southern Illinois presents enormous economic potential; and judging by the record-setting production last year, we are well on our way to power good jobs and address domestic energy needs.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to focus on good jobs and support southern Illinois workers and coal.