Mark Amodei

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you Madam Ranking Member. I also want to thank the chairman of the full committee as well as my cosponsors in this measure: Mr. Polis from Colorado, Mr. Shimkus from Illinois, and Mr. Jones from North Carolina. So as not to risk snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, I will be brief. I would like to say that this was my idea and it is a wonderful thing, but this represents taking care of business that has been knocking around for probably a decade or more as far as the Forest Service is concerned. We are not moving the frontier into national forests; we are simply giving them the ability to administratively dispose of those lands that have become not attached to the national forest and have no management or land use characteristics with respect to the managing of a national forest. The other thing I want to point out is that it will allow them the ability to dispose of well into six figures' worth of acres, potentially, over the next few years, much more than last year, which was almost nothing. The most interesting thing is that the resources generated by this will stay with the Forest Service for use under their various charges as opposed to disappearing into that sometimes black hole in space, referred to as the ``United States Treasury.'' I urge nationwide bipartisan support.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my colleagues from Pennsylvania and Utah and their committee work on this. Management reduces catastrophic wildfire. In the high desert rangelands of Nevada, as well as the conifer forests of such mountain ranges as the Sierra Nevadas around Lake Tahoe, the Ruby Mountains around Elko, or the Toiyabes around Austin, Nevada, we have a 100-year resource there. Once it burns, it is 100 years before it comes back by the time you take into account those moisture regimens and everything affiliated with that. And then when you have years-long processes after it burns to get permission just to go after that, this is great legislation. I want to thank my colleague from the Razorback State for his work on it and the other folks that have helped him. One of the reasons that this is so important to our State is, in the last 20 years, just on BLM land, we have burned between 6 and 7 million acres. And guess what. We are dealing with a thing called the sage- grouse listing, where they talk about loss and fragmentation of habitat. It is nobody's fault, mostly lightning-caused fires 40 miles from the end of the nearest dirt road--6 or 7 million acres to catastrophic wildland fire. More management, more restoration, thinning of fuels, and also the ability to recognize that the funding for this is something that needs to be a FEMA-related thing rather than just through the normal budget process are all great ideas. I want to thank my colleagues for their help. On behalf of the people of the Silver State, thank you very much.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, New York Times, get out of the way. Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, not good enough; keep trying harder. May 16 marks the 150th anniversary of the publishing of Nevada's oldest daily newspaper, the Nevada Appeal, published in its capital city, Carson City. I am here to say happy sesquicentennial birthday to the Nevada Appeal, which, by the way, was one of the first newspapers in the land that was owned by a woman, from 1878 to 1880. The paper has been a mainstay of Nevada journalistic enterprise. Forget it, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun, Reno Evening Gazette. These are the folks that have been there for 150 years. I couldn't be prouder because, as a matter of fact, in my more productive years, at the age of about 9 and 10, I was a paperboy for the Nevada Appeal and have a picture to prove it, with the paper bag with ``Nevada Appeal'' blazoned across it on the front of my Columbia Stingray bicycle that I delivered the papers on. Go, Nevada Appeal. Happy birthday to the publisher, Mark Raymond, and the editor, Adam Trumble. Way to go.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the retirement of a member of Nevada's public service varsity team, Reno mayor Bob Cashell. Bob was not a native of Nevada, but like most people in Nevada, he got there as quick as he could. He has been there for a long time and has had various titles during his public service career: chairman of the board of regents of the university system, Lieutenant Governor of the State of Nevada, and finally--maybe finally--as the mayor of the city of Reno. Bob is one of those folks who is blessed with vision that does not have many shades of gray. It is pretty black and white with the mayor when you talk to him, whether formally, informally, or whatever. Words like ``gosh'' and ``gee whiz'' are not used in his vocabulary much. He possesses an incredible volume to his voice, uses it often, and is happy to share with you his thoughts. Bob also has the support of an outstanding family: his wife and partner in life, Nancy, and his sons. His family has been key in terms of the fabric of the community of Truckee Meadows in northern Nevada for half a century or more. In the resort hospitality industry, Bob was involved with properties, ownership-management--whatever--in Reno, Winnemucca, Carson City, and that little town where they do a little bit of the gaming business in the south known as Las Vegas. He was an outstanding participant in all of those. A native of the Lone Star State, we were lucky to have Mayor Cashell come and make Nevada his home for all of his adult life and raise his family. Mr. Speaker, I thank Bob Cashell very much for his public service. We appreciate it, and I look forward to hopefully being able to speak about him not here on the floor of the House of Representatives, but in a roast in the Truckee Meadows some time where I can pay him back for when he spoke at my roast upon my retirement from the legislature.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the committee for yielding me this time, and I also thank my colleague from California, the ranking member, and also the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young), for processing this bill. I also want to associate myself with the remarks of my colleague from Idaho earlier regarding the departure of the committee chairman, Mr. Hastings from Washington, and while he talked about who is going to miss who more, I think it is probably accurate to say that I will miss Mr. Hastings more than he will miss me, but I will endeavor to change his mind over the years no matter what. This is a prime example of what happens when we work together. This is several tens of thousands of acres which some have been waiting since I was in the eighth grade. The original legislation for the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe was introduced in 1971 by then-United States Senators Alan Bible and Howard Cannon who represented Nevada, so those folks get the patience award. This bill does housekeeping things that we should all be happy to have been part of finally finishing up. With checkerboard reservations, you have multiple issues of law enforcement--you are on the reservation, you are off the reservation--economic development, jobs for some of the most economically-challenged cultures in our Nation, multiple use, cultural resource protection, all those sorts of things which I am proud to be associated with. I want to thank the chairman and the tribal council members who brought this to our attention at a meeting originally with Mr. Young in Nevada several years ago, and we are looking forward to, since the committee and the subcommittee did great work, along with the minority, on changing some of this since it now conforms with the Senate wishes, to the Senate processing this expeditiously.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to retiring Mayor of Fernley, Nevada, LeRoy Goodman. A native of the Silver State, born in Virginia City, Nevada, resident of Fernley for the last 44 years, former educator and high school coach, also a key member of the private sector after that working for Sentex from the Silver State in Nevada, for Nevada Cement, Mayor Goodman had and has a statewide network of friends which helped him serve his native city, his city that he is the mayor of, in an extraordinary manner. Member of the Association of Counties, Lyon County commissioner for 12 years, he is one of those few folks that the phrase ``politician'' does not apply to; it is ``public servant.'' What also applies to him is a word that we see used less and less these days when we talk about people who are elected by those, and that is a ``leader.'' The father of the effort to create Nevada's newest incorporated city, being Fernley, in the legislature during his term on the Lyon County Commission, his leadership was effective and resulted in the creation of that city. The people of Fernley were very well served. I want to read to you what he said when he was elected to be the mayor after serving a short term as the appointed one: I am both privileged and proud to be voted in as mayor of Fernley. I shall endeavor to fulfill the role with dignity and purpose. My priorities and mandate will be centered on improving the overall functioning of the council, city operations, and focusing on doing the people's business. Fernley is my home. I am committed to giving the residents of Fernley my absolute best. Mr. Mayor, your absolute best does us all proud. I want to add a few more praises to this tribute, and that is ``class act'' and ``true leader.'' I want to also thank the first lady of Fernley, your wife, Diana, for her support of you and your endeavors, and say thank you very much on behalf of those folks not only at the home of the Vaqueros in Fernley, but also throughout Nevada. You are truly, truly a part of the fabric of not only your community, but our State.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself with the remarks of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle that went before me on this measure. I want to also say thank you to the House of Representatives for passing this bill again in the 113th Congress. It was passed in the 112th Congress. There were concerns about not having a conservation element. It contained 75,000 acres of wilderness, 50 in Lyon County, 25,000-- congratulations to the folks in Humboldt County who have worked on the pine forest bill for a long time--elements in Elko, elements in Fernley--it clears up some title problem for the folks in Virginia City dating back to the Comstock days. I guess, now, it is appropriate since we have shown such unity on this bill in passing it out of the House twice for all eyes--for all eyes--to turn to our colleagues at the north end of the building and see what they can do with the bill that my colleague from Nevada (Mr. Horsford) has so eloquently described as nearly unanimous and overwhelmingly bipartisan. Go, Senate.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, my colleague from Big Sky Country. This legislation would authorize the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe to grant waivers against both Fish Springs Ranch and the United States Government. The provisions would take effect after the tribe signs the waivers and Fish Springs pays the tribe. The amount in payment--for those of you keeping track--is about $3.6 million. The tribe would also dismiss pending litigation against BLM for violations in NEPA and potential trust responsibilities related to the groundwater project. At that point, any potential Federal liability would be eliminated. This is a settlement reached at arm's length between the two parties as a result of a lawsuit filed in 2005. Settlement was reached in 2007. The damage amount of $3.6 million would also have added to it interest from 2007. The approach is simple and straightforward, with no Federal dollars involved. I recommend passage of the bill.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, thank you for the chance to speak on programs at the Nevada National Security Site that are critical to our Nation's ability to ensure the safety and performance of our nuclear weapons stockpile and for the excellent job you and the ranking member have done in managing the fiscal year 2015 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill. However, the bill before us does not include the full amount requested for a new advanced radiography capability that will establish an integrated facility at the Nevada National Security Site to help us understand the effects of aging and manufacturing processes on proposed approaches to stockpile life-extension programs. I appreciate that in this fiscal environment we must all make difficult choices. Yet, I am hopeful in conference there will be budget flexibility to support the full request for advanced radiography. Furthermore, going into conference, I appreciate, Mr. Chairman, the fact that you would be open-minded to additional information from the Department of Energy on this proposed capability to better understand its strategic value to our nuclear weapons stockpile. We stand ready, willing, and able to assist you in getting more transparency and more information from the Department of Energy regarding proposed plans for advanced radiography capability.

Mr. AMODEI. I yield to the gentleman from Idaho.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow in Carson City, Nevada, there will be a memorial service for former Mayor Marv Teixeira. Marv called Carson City home for about 50 years, coming from the bay area as the IBM typewriter--I know that is a phrase that is foreign to many of you--as the IBM typewriter salesman in the State capital of Nevada. During those decades, Marv set a blistering pace as a member of the community: husband, coach, businessman, public servant, lobbyist, and kind of a self-appointed Carson City gadfly. Before he became what we friendly referred to him as the ``mayor for life,'' he was the unofficial youth sports czar for Carson City. He coached recreation league basketball, coached Little League baseball, founded the Pop Warner football league in Carson City. In this later role as the founder of the Pop Warner football league, he had the distinction of molding a then young Dean Heller, now a United States Senator from Nevada, into the football athlete that Senator Heller didn't become. Once he was elected mayor of Carson City, his Portuguese charm was on full display. If he called you ``pal'' during a board of supervisors meeting, you weren't a pal. He called for motions to adjourn when the agenda was completed by announcing, ``We are out of Schlitz.'' He fancied himself a top-tier lobbyist for Carson City, both at the State level and here in the Nation's Capital, because if lawmakers didn't do what he thought should be done, he simply questioned your intelligence and, in a fatherly way, advised you to do what he wanted you to do, and please be quick about it. Finally, Marv understood that he was both good-looking and a sharp dresser. In this role, he taught me an invaluable lesson as a public servant: when you are at functions, the proper thing to wear was not a tie, that you should wear a turtleneck; because, invariably, if food was being served at these functions and you happened to drip something down the front, you could, as Marv demonstrated to me on one occasion at a function, simply go to the men's room, turn the turtleneck around, put your sport coat back on, and come back as if nothing ever happened. Carson will miss our mayor for life. When you go by the bypass, the hay barn as we like to call it, or Governors Field, think of our mayor for life, Marv Teixeira. Rest in peace, Your Honor; and thank you, Coach.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, it is nice to see that the assault on the authority of this branch continues. It is sad that it continues from within, and it is interesting to hear westerners talk about issues that are particularly acute in Western lands. I happen to hail from a State that is 87 percent owned by the Federal Government. The key word there is ``owned.'' If you want to protect natural resources that are Federal--which, by the way, this law takes into account--the Federal Government already owns them. You do not have enough authority by virtue of ownership interest over the last 110 years, almost, to protect things? Things have not changed. I have heard criticism about the mining reform law of 1874 from my colleagues. Here is something from 1906, and it is like, if you can't protect it by being the owner, as the Federal Government--under the land management auspices of multiple Federal land use agencies, I am wondering why--and I heard somebody say these areas enjoy tremendous support of the people--what is the problem with allowing the people to participate in the process of monument designation? Why is it awful for these people who want these areas, want to enjoy them, to say, hey, you know, we are thinking of making a monument of this, and even though you control it by virtue of ownership and countless regs? We want to use the regulation that applies to that, to let the people who enjoy them so much participate in the process. We want to cede all authority to the executive branch because we happen to disagree on some things? Let me tell you, as a member of the Republican side of the aisle who has been advocating for the creation of 96,000 acres of wilderness in a bipartisan context with my colleague from Nevada--which I can't get through yet. I am frustrated too. I fail to see the harm in allowing the people that so much appreciate these Federal lands to participate in their further designation, adding another layer of administration, as monuments. Let's, please, defend our authority as this branch, and let's support this bill.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, this week, at its Public Media Summit in Washington, D.C., the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) honored Gail Sande, Member of the Board of Trustees, KNPB Public Broadcasting in Reno, with the 2014 National Advocacy Award for her exceptional efforts in support of public television. Said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS, ``Gail is a tireless advocate for public broadcasting, helping to advance bipartisan support of public broadcasting in Congress. She has demonstrated tremendous effectiveness on both sides of the Hill and both sides of the aisle.'' Gail is the immediate past Chairman of the Board and stepped down after serving in that position for three years. She is a Trustee of the National Association of Public Television Stations. Gail serves on the Nevada State Board for the Humanities and is a board member for the First Tee of Northern Nevada and the American Heart Association. She has been a dynamic member of the Reno community for the past 37 years. Some of Gail's activities have included serving as vice president and development chairman for the Lear Theater, a member of the Reno Tahoe Young Professional Network advisory board, treasurer of Young Audiences, president of the Roy Gomm Parent Facility Association, treasurer of the Sons of Norway, president of Law Wives and director of community relations for the Assistance League of Reno/Sparks. A graduate of the University of Nevada at Reno--go Wolf Pack--Gail was an operations officer at First National Bank of Nevada until 1977, when she retired from the business world to be a stay-at-home mom and community activist. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, Gail, and thank you for all you do to make Northern Nevada a better place.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of retired Nevada Assemblyman Bernie Anderson, who passed away Friday at the age of 71. A graduate of Bishop Manogue High School and the University of Nevada in Reno, Bernie was a high school government teacher in the Washoe County School District. Also, Bernie was a colleague of mine for 14 years in the Nevada Assembly, ruling the Assembly Judiciary Committee with an iron hand for many of those sessions. But behind that iron hand and that gruff surface was a gentleman who had a heart of gold and was basically a loveable teddy bear. When you talk about a life well-lived, Bernie checked all the boxes. His family, his community, students, constituents, colleagues, and the State of Nevada can all attest to the fact that Bernie was a good man. I am privileged to have called Chairman Anderson my friend. Nevada is better off because of his service. I offer my sincere condolences to Bernie's wife, Clyda; their children; his family and friends. Rest in peace, my friend.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, Mike Landsberry, a math teacher at Sparks Middle School, passed away just about 50 hours ago. He was 45 years old, an Alabama native, high school athlete, coach, husband, brother, dad, marine, Nevada Air Guard senior master sergeant, and a friend. Mike Landsberry observed the horror of an active shooter at his school Monday morning, and simply moved without hesitation, instinctively, into harm's way to protect others. In so doing, Mike made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the end to his students, his school, and his community. Coach, you humble us all with your warrior spirit and compassion. They will be your lasting legacy. Thank you for your service, and may you rest in peace.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of the retirement of Chief Master Sergeant Kenneth D. Gray. Ken Gray served for 26 years in the Air Force medical field achieving the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. During his service, he served several years overseas including two tours in Iraq. As a decorated officer, he received many awards including the Meritorious Service Award and the Air Force Commendation Medal. Ken Gray has always had a mind for public service and I thank him for his duty to his community. Mr. Speaker, I ask that our colleagues join me in praising the accomplishments of Chief Master Sergeant Ken Gray and recognize his achievements in service to our Nation.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, having a real debate on this issue is something that I wholeheartedly support. We probably ought to start with the facts. First of all, you've heard much about the overly broad definition. H.R. 761 deliberately contains a broad definition of strategic and critical minerals. Here are some of the reasons why: In 2006, prior to the worldwide economic downturn, there was great concern over the future availability of platinum, group metals, and copper. At the time, projections in demand for copper indicated that by 2016, 30 large-scale copper deposits would have to come online to meet worldwide demand. At the time, there were not enough copper deposits in the permitting pipeline to make up for the projected downward curve. And you have heard much about sand and gravel. Even sand and gravel and other construction mineral materials can be in short supply or not available, as the USGS discovered in 2009 during the great California shakeout. What they discovered during that was that, in its assessment of scope and damage and materials needed for construction in the event of a large-scale earthquake, USGS discovered there were not enough sand, gravel, and other construction materials available in the region to meet the affected area's reconstruction needs. So when you talk about the ability to foretell the future and you say, well, we should just limit things to the i-u-m ending minerals, I say you probably ought to think about what it takes to get a bill through Congress to respond to those things because it's less timely than the Federal permitting process. Much has been made about getting rid of NEPA review. You know, when all else fails, read the bill. Take a look at page 7. And when you look at lines 4 through 9 there, these are not the words that you would be using if you were trying to get rid of the NEPA process. Starting up at page 6, line 24, it says, ``The lead agency with responsibility for'' permitting. Then you go down to page 7, line 5, it says, ``if the procedural and substantive safeguards of the permitting process alone,'' they must find that those are there. Look at line 5, ``if the procedural'' are found. That is unlimited discretion in an executive branch agency. So don't tell me that we're getting rid of NEPA, because the bill would have been written differently if we were trying to get rid of NEPA. I want to also point your attention to the base of this is an infrastructure executive order from the current administration that talks about avoiding duplication of efforts. I also want to point out some words in there. It says, ``infrastructure projects in sectors, including surface transportation''--oh, by the way, I think that has something to do with sand and gravel--``aviation''--runways I think have some of those elements that people don't think are critical-- ``ports, waterways, water resource projects, renewable energy generation, electricity transmission, broadband, pipelines''--hello, Keystone. See how good it's done them. If this is an attempt to skirt environmental regulations, somebody probably should have written it differently. We didn't. It is simply not the truth. And I want to talk about fair return on all this taxation stuff. In my State, which is 85 percent owned by the Federal Government, the Federal Government gives $22 million a year to the rural counties in Nevada for PILT. And I know some of my colleagues from east of the Mississippi don't understand what that acronym means. It's payment in lieu of taxes, $22 million. What this bill is really about is about jobs. The final piece is this. This does not require anybody in the Federal permitting agencies to say, Yes, you can have your permit in 30 months. It requires an answer in 30 months. Nobody seeks to apply this to get a nice, crisp ``no'' in 30 months, which is why the language is in there, Mr. Chairman, that says, by the way, if both sides agree, you can have longer to process it. Now, when you bounce that off the claims of 3\1/2\ and 5 years, under existing administration permitting timelines, asking them to set a 30- month timeline is not something which undoes environmental responsibility, rapes the landscape, and outdoes the taxpayers out of their normal revenues that are there.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, only in Washington would we be having a debate about whether 4 years is okay or 2\1/2\ years is okay when we're talking about a jobs bill. And only in Washington would we talk about cherry-picking when we're talking about the vast majority of the production that is sought for permitting, and the vast number of jobs that is created is not--I want to make this very clear so the record is clear--is not handled within 3 years. Now, it may be true that it's less than the Bush administration, which is fine. Let's assume that it is. But when you're talking about primarily issues that deal with Western lands whose States are at or near a majority of Federal ownership, and you want to talk about the middle class, and you want to talk about generating jobs, and you want to say, hey, by the way, you can take as long as you want; we don't know if you're going to have a job in that industry or not because there are no rules. Only in Washington would we be defending no time limits whatsoever. To say 30 months is a bad idea, with language that says, if both sides agree, you can take longer, is not an unreasonable environmental or administrative stance. Nobody wants a nice, crisp denial in 30 months; and by the way, if the application should be denied, then I presume that it will be denied. But what we're seeing now, and you can find no legislative history for this anywhere in any of the applicable environmental regulations and statutes, of which all still apply, there is nothing that says, by the way, if nothing else works, just see if you can drag it out as long as possible and hope that that capital goes away. Because when you talk about permitting attractiveness, it's not what these folks are those folks say, it's where the capital goes. And the capital isn't going here. And the strategic interest of having to go to China for your rare- earths or having to go to other countries to produce those is not apparent.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Rhode Island for the eloquent description of what the underlying bill does. I tend to agree with his description on how critical this legislation is. I am surprised at the tone, though, when we already have multiple rules, regulations, statutes on the books that talk about import and export. I am surprised at the tone when we talk about the danger of producing these materials in this country when right now we're not producing many of them, and we are entirely reliant upon those with whom we compete globally and militarily to attain these. I would suggest to you that while well-intentioned, that this matter is, in fact, already taken care of under existing law; but let's not forget the underlying purpose of the bill. It's about jobs. You want to talk about the middle class? You want to talk about the economy? You want to talk about the western half of this country where over 40 percent of many of those States are owned by the Federal Government, where people who are elected by nobody within the State are making decisions about permitting? You want to talk about permitting times and how long it takes to do that? By the way, did you hear that if it isn't grown, it has to be mined? The purpose of this bill is to put people to work and put us back in control of supplying those minerals for the building industries, the communications industries, the manufacturing industries, all of that. By the way, not that anybody wants to trade with any of the folks mentioned in here specifically and you have the whole executive branch to take care of that, but there is that thing called ``balance of trade,'' which is something we could use some help with. Mr. Speaker, I urge your vote against the motion to recommit. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a true ambassador of the Silver State, Congresswoman Barbara Vucanovich, who was the first person to hold the Second Congressional District seat from Nevada and who died yesterday, peacefully, after a brief illness. She was 91 years old. She was elected to the House of Representatives in the same year that Harry Reid--a name that may be familiar to some in this part of the building--was also elected to the House of Representatives from Nevada. She served 14 years, which is the second-longest tenure of any Member of Congress from the State of Nevada. A champion of rural constituents, concerned with mining, grazing, and water issues, it might also interest you to know that she was a national leader on the issues of the early detection and treatment of breast cancer and of the repeal of the 55-mile-an-hour speed limit. She was also the lady who led the fight in the House to create the only national park created in the lower 48 States during the Reagan administration--the Great Basin National Park in Nevada. She was most notably, though, not only the dean of the Second Congressional District, but she was also somebody who set the standard by which we can all learn, Mr. Speaker, and that is this: it was never about Barbara Vucanovich when she served in these Halls; it was about the people who gave her the job. She embodied public service and humility. For that, Godspeed, Barbara. We wish you well, and thank you for a life well lived and for serving the people of the Silver State.

Mr. AMODEI

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

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, first of all, I would like to thank Chairman Culberson and Ranking Member Bishop for their effort on bringing forth a good bill that addresses the needs of our veterans and maintains our commitment to providing them with the benefits that they earned and deserve. I rise with this amendment for the first time since I've been in this body because of the existing claims backlog, which is over 600,000 claims nationwide. As a member of the primary committee of jurisdiction and the primary subcommittee of jurisdiction on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I can tell you that, in dealing with this number of claims, we are not making mission in the Department of Veterans Affairs. I can also tell you that the proposal to spend $44 million, according to the Veterans Affairs testimony in front of our committees, to clear 50,000 of those claims in the backlog is, quite simply, more of the same. That's about $900 a claim and will leave you with 550,000 claims when it's done this year. I appreciate the opportunity of coming technology, but I can tell you this: if you represent a district that's in California, New York, Arizona, Indiana, Virginia, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio, Maryland, another Texas hit, Boston or Mississippi, which is the majority of Members in this House, then guess what; you've got a majority of those claims in your district offices. I say it's time for this House to take action and say this: don't cut a single regional office's budget. This amendment does not attempt to do that. This amendment says take that $44 million and allocate it for personnel in those 15 offices that all have over a year of processing time. By the way, while we're mentioning that, I want to give you a quote that is from Under Secretary Hickey that basically says: Quite frankly, we have a resource allocation model that doesn't make any sense. That's before the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Let's try something new. Let's put the staffing where those offices are that are in need of it most. Two of them are in California and two of them are in the Lone Star State. Chicago also needs help. You name it. Let's try that instead of just doing what we have been doing. It adds no money to the bill, and it also does not take any money away from existing offices. In closing, Mr. Chairman, I would like to say this. Even though staffing at the VA's 58 regional offices has increased by almost 300 people since September 2010, because of turnover and loss of more than 2,000 workers temporarily paid through stimulus funds, the VA regional offices are severely understaffed. Overtime will not be the answer. At a majority of the regional offices, including those in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Waco, and Oakland, the VA presently employs fewer people than it did 2 years ago, according to their own internal documents. Let's take the leadership on this issue and do something that's a little different than, quite frankly, a resource allocation model which the determined Under Secretary says makes no sense. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. AMODEI

Mr. AMODEI. Mr. Speaker, true healthcare reform will lower costs, improve care, provide greater patient choice, and increase access to care for all Americans. Congress missed an opportunity in 2010 to achieve these goals in the extensive legislation enacted by Democrats. As a result, we must go back to the drawing board and consider real options to address the rising costs in our healthcare system. As we pursue these goals, we should look to solutions that have already been effective in reducing costs and meeting the needs of patients. Skilled home healthcare is one example of the type of effective care that Congress should protect. In 1972, the US Department of Veterans Affairs established the Home Based Primary Care Program (HBPC) in order to meet the needs of its growing population of chronically ill veterans. This program established a novel and creative model of care for the VA's growing population of chronically ill Veterans--providing skilled and high quality care to these patients, and promoting their independence by providing this care to patients in their own homes. The results of this program have been remarkable. Studies show that this program has provided high quality care and resulted in great satisfaction among patients. What is truly impressive, though, is that this program resulted in a substantial reduction in nursing home stays and hospitalizations for its program participants. The HBPC has achieved a 62 percent reduction in inpatient hospital days and an 88 percent reduction in nursing home days, achieving a 24 percent REDUCTION IN TOTAL COSTS. I am not aware of any reform to our healthcare system or to Medicare that has ever achieved similar results. We must reform the Medicare program because it is not solvent in its current form, and will reach insolvency by 2024. As we consider reform to the Medicare program, I believe that we should be incentivizing cost-effective and high quality services that show results. I urge my colleagues to look to the success of the HBPC at the Veterans Administration as a possible model for how Medicare can provide high quality care and lower costs. Forty years of data from the HBPC program proves that many medical treatments that were once offered only in a hospital or a physician's office are now being safely, effectively, and much more cost- efficiently provided in patients' homes. These services are typically less expensive, more convenient, and as effective as care provided in a hospital or skilled nursing facility. The success of the Home Based Primary Care program at the VA is evidence that skilled home healthcare not only is good for seniors, but also good for taxpayers. Mr. Speaker, skilled home healthcare is an asset that we need to fully utilize in order to further reduce costs in our Nation's healthcare system. As Congress works to improve our healthcare delivery system, we should avoid changes to the Medicare program that would limit patient access to proven and cost effective services like skilled home healthcare.