Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to come to the floor this morning and talk just a little bit about free speech and how we exercise that free speech in this country. I think it is no secret that the Twitterverse and the Internet has been abuzz with a little bit of concern about what the President is planning to do about the Internet and control and governance of the Internet. I think we all agree that the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on not only this Nation but on the world. You can take a look at what has happened with jobs, with innovation, with economic freedom, and, indeed, with social change. You see it pronounced because the Internet allows people to participate from the bottom up, receiving information about what their governments are doing, about opportunities that are out there. They have the opportunity to get online and do a little bit of research. So, with this open ecosystem and this decentralized nature of information, it is benefiting freedom. It is benefiting free people and free markets. We want to see that continue. Now, like many of my colleagues, I do support a free market, multistakeholders model of Internet governance. And in a perfect world, ICANN, which is the organization with governance of domain names and of the Internet, and IANA would be fully privatized and free from any government influence or control. However, realistically, we know that China and Russia have a very different view of what would be perfection. Their end goal is to have ICANN and IANA functions migrate to the U.N.'s ITU, which is the International Telecommunications Union. That solution is one that I do not support and one that I would never stand in favor of. I stand in opposition to it. If the U.S. Department of Commerce is going to relinquish control of its contractual authority over the IANA contract and move control of DNS into a global, multistakeholder community, the timing and the architecture would just have to be absolutely perfect. This is an area where you have only got one shot of getting it right, only one shot, and we have to make certain that it is a shot that is focused fully on freedom. If this administration wants to prove to Congress and the international community that they are serious about this process, then they must immediately move to bring an end to the net neutrality movement that is alive and well at our Federal Communications Commission. Telling Congress and the international community that they are serious about relinquishing control over the IANA contract while simultaneously having the FCC work to promote net neutrality is disingenuous. While we know Russia has got a land grab going on, we also see the U.N. and the ITU trying to carry forth this space grab. A lot of our colleagues come to us, Mr. Speaker, and they say, so what are we going to do about this? I want to highlight two different pieces of legislation with you; first, H.R. 4342. This is the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters Act, DOTCOM Act. Congressmen Shimkus and Rokita have joined me in this effort. What we would do is to make certain that there is a prohibition against the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications Information Administration--we call it NTIA here--from turning over its domain name system oversight responsibilities pending a GAO report to Congress. Let's put this report in front of the action. Let's have a great discussion about what taking that action of relinquishing oversight would mean to each and every person that is assembled in this great room. How is it going to affect our constituents? How is it going to affect American innovation? Let's have those discussions now. Let's not make a mistake. I also highlight H.R. 4070, a piece of legislation I have authored, the Internet Freedom Act, to bar the FCC and their actions on net neutrality.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I am so appreciative of the opportunity for us to be able to come to the floor and have this discussion today. I think our constituents are just shocked with what they see happening because of the President's health care law. They can't believe it. They had heard the rhetoric from the minority leader that it was going to create 4 million jobs. What they have found out is that it is costing them their jobs. It is costing them wage increases. It is costing them certainty in the job market. I have to tell you, it really is a war on jobs. It is a war on women, and we are seeing that because women--63 percent of those affected by the adverse impact of the President's health care law are women. Let me give you one example of this. I was in the grocery store recently. I passed a lady with two children in her grocery cart, and we chatted, nodded at each other. The next time around, the next aisle, she said: Are you Marsha Blackburn? I said: Yes, I am. She asked: Can I tell you my story? I said: Absolutely. This is her story: She worked in the office park where this grocery store was located. Her husband is self-employed. The family's benefit structure, insurance, was through her job, an employer with just over 50 people. Her hours as an office manager and assistant were cut to 29 hours a week. Her time was cut. Every week impacts her, impacts her husband. In one day, she lost her insurance, she lost her wage increases, and she was forced to healthcare.gov. Also, what she had to do--she is a survivor. She said: I went to the mall, and I went to a retailer and got a part-time job. She said: Thank goodness I have great in-laws. They are going to help watch the children. Here is what is so sad: She now is working two jobs, and she is losing time to be with those children as they are playing soccer and baseball, as they are doing Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, as they are trying to get to church to sing in the choir. She has had to rely on her in-laws to handle those, so that she can work a second job to pay for a program that she doesn't want and pay her taxes to a government that refuses to live within its means. I support the SAW Act.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, there is no shortage of issues here in Washington, and I find it so interesting when people come to our offices and ask: What is going on today? As you will hear, whether it is talking about foreign affairs, the job issues, the budget, the issues that are of such concern to our constituents, there is always something that is on the front burner, and today is one of those days. The Supreme Court will hear yet another legal challenge to one of the many unconstitutional aspects of ObamaCare, and that is the HHS contraception mandate. Of course, this isn't the first time that the Affordable Care Act, the President's health care law, has been pulled into the Supreme Court, and it is probably not going to be the last, but today the hearing is on the contraception mandate. No American should have to choose between feeding their family and abiding by their faith. I have to tell you, that is what we see happening right now. It is precisely what this coercive contraception mandate is doing to millions of hardworking people of faith, like the Hahns and the Greens, who simply want to run a business and practice their faith. These family businesses want to take care of their employees and provide them with quality health care coverage. All they ask is to not be forced to pay for the life-ending contraceptives that violate their religious convictions. Now, ObamaCare's unreasonable mandate has placed them in a bind: violate the tenets of their faith or be fined, fined by the Federal Government, fined by ObamaCare, fined $100 per employee per day. That is what the fine works out to be. Unbelievably, it would be cheaper to strip their employees of health care coverage altogether and pay a single $2,000 fine per employee per year. That is what you find in the 20,000 pages of regulation, in the 2,700 pages of the President's health care law. That is not what these family businesses want to do. They really want to do the right thing and take care of the hardworking men and women who are in their employment. If these family businesses are forced to close or drop health care for their employees, it will be the employees and their families who are made to suffer. This mandate is just another flawed part of a terribly flawed law, and Americans are growing tired of having to cope with it. Fifty-nine percent of the country opposes the contraception mandate because they know what the Greens and the Hahns know. This is a country founded on religious liberty, and that freedom of conscience is a cherished American tradition. The American people know that and they value that; they value that liberty and they value that tradition. The Obama administration has already doled out special exemptions to 100 million health care plans from this mandate, and for every reason under the sun except religious liberty. In fact, the HHS mandate only explicitly contains a religious exemption for churches and their affiliates. The Obama administration even expects hospitals and religious nonprofits to abide by the mandate without complaint, as if the very founding principles of these organizations aren't outright violated by paying for life-ending contraceptives. Unless it is a religious institution, the Obama administration seems to think no organization, not even a charity, is allowed to exercise the right of conscience, unless it is granted a special waiver from the administration, of course. The administration: What the government gives, the government can delay, and the government can take away. That is their plan. It is my hope the Court will act to uphold the protections inherent in the First Amendment, respect America's long-held tradition to right of conscience, and let these families operate their businesses in accordance with their religious beliefs and tenets.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, we are so excited about our talking, we didn't realize that the time had to be split, but so be it. We women stand and abide by the rules of the House, and so we will accept the acknowledgment of the change of time. I will return to directing our attention to Chief Justice Connie Clark in Tennessee. What is so important about her career is that she was first appointed to the State court by a Democrat Governor, again served under a Democrat Governor, and then chief justice under a Republican Governor. Justice Clark is such an incredible inspiration to women in our State. She has proven herself, has really been devoted to the judiciary and the law field, and is so active in our community, a tremendous role model. If we step outside of the venue of politics and law, Amy Grant, who is a singer, songwriter, a native of Nashville, has had such a successful music career. Amy Grant became the first artist in Christian music to ever have a platinum record, and she went on to become a crossover sensation in the music world. Amy Grant has pioneered the Christian music genre, and she has also blazed quite a trail in the music industry. When we look at the world of sports, another Tennesseean, from Clarksville, Tennessee, which is in my district, Wilma Rudolph, many of you will recognize her name. She was a Tennessee State University track star. On September 7, 1960, in Rome, she became the first American woman to win not one or two, but three gold medals in the Olympics. She was a track-and-field champion and was regarded as a civil rights and women's rights pioneer and is warmly remembered and treasured in our State. Pat Summitt, who was the head coach of the Lady Vols at the University of Tennessee and is now the head coach emeritus, she was at the helm of the Lady Vols for 38 seasons. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history--the all-time winningest coach in all of NCAA history. That is men and women's teams. She is forthright, well-respected, ethical, and a winner in every sense of the word. Sandra Cochran, who is the president and CEO of Cracker Barrel, Incorporated, she became the president and CEO on September 12 of 2011, following her service as Cracker Barrel's president and chief operating officer. Cracker Barrel is headquartered in Lebanon, Tennessee. Ms. Cochran was previously CEO at the Nation's third largest book retailer, Books-A-Million. She is serving our community and that country well. Ms. Cochran is a chemical engineering graduate from Vanderbilt University and a masters of business administration from Pacific Lutheran University. After graduating from Vanderbilt, she entered the United States Army, where she ultimately served as a captain in the 9th Infantry Division. There are so many other influential women that come from our State, and we are delighted to know that we will have the opportunity to recognize them and their contributions and the contributions of all women who have contributed to the cause of freedom in that Nation. I yield to the gentlelady from New York.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentlelady for sharing those stories and her insight and what she has experienced in her career and seeking to remove those barriers to overcome obstacles and to make the way smoother for future generations. Indeed, as Congresswoman Maloney and I move forward on H.R. 863, we do, as the gentlewoman from Ohio said, invite and are hopeful that every Member of this body will join us in supporting this legislation and that they will pay attention to the hearing on March 25, and we commend Chairman Hastings and the House leadership for moving this bill forward, for making it a priority and saying, let's have the hearing, let's move the bill forward to markup, let's support women who are willing to give of their time, their talent and efforts, raise all the money for the museum, for the exhibits, for the upkeep, for the endowment, and to make what has been a dream for decades, make it a reality in this great Nation. I thank my colleagues for joining us tonight, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. How true it is that we have to take the time to pause and paint that vision for future generations so that they do know the trails that have been blazed and the roadblocks that have been removed to make their way easier so that they are able to excel, to achieve, to have, and to do. Isn't that what we would desire for them to be able to do, to dream big dreams and make those dreams come true and to have role models and examples who may have been through those same struggles and found a way to make it work? I yield to the gentlelady from Ohio.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentlelady from New York. I want to yield to the gentlelady from Wyoming for some other comments on our conversation this evening.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to stand on the floor of the House and join my female colleagues from both sides of the aisle as we work together to make the dream a reality, which is the dream of a women's history museum, to celebrate the cause of wonderful women who have participated in the push and preservation of freedom here in the United States. It will, indeed, be a wonderful day when we see this as a reality. As Mrs. Maloney mentioned, we are moving forward legislation that would allow for the establishment of a commission to study where to place a museum. By the way, I think everyone will find it so interesting, which is that the women of this great Nation have said that we don't want any Federal money at all involved in this project. We are going to privately raise every single penny that is necessary for the location, for the physical facilities, for the exhibits, for the maintenance and upkeep and endowment. This is a project by the women of this Nation for the women of future generations to celebrate the accomplishments that women have made to the Nation. Indeed, let's think about what has transpired in each and every State, and I hope, over the next few weeks, we have the option, as we celebrate Women's History Month, to talk about what women have accomplished in our country and what our States have contributed. In Tennessee, we talk a good bit about what transpired when women got the right to vote. We had had all of the process through the fight with suffrage, and it came down to the point of ratification of the amendment to give women the right to vote and to make certain that we had the 36 States to ratify the 19th Amendment. It had been through 35 States, and on August 18 of 1920, it went to the Tennessee Legislature. Guess what? It was voted to a tie. There was a State rep, Harry Burn, and he was the one who broke the tie. As we often hear, the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. Indeed, this is a story that is a great example of that because Harry Burn changed his vote and gave women the right to vote. Harry Burn did it because Harry got a letter from his mother. Here is the letter: Dear Son, hurrah and vote for suffrage. Don't keep them in doubt. I noticed some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don't forget to be a good boy, and help Mrs. Catt put the ``rat'' in ratification. Sincerely, your mother. Harry Burn changed his vote, and Tennessee became the ``perfect 36''--the State that gave women the right to vote. So, because of that, we are able to stand today in Women's History Month and push for a museum to celebrate the accomplishments of people like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the suffragettes and so many other women whom we will have the opportunity to learn about and talk about.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I think it is so significant that, again, those two States joined in pushing forward H.R. 863. I want to commend Chairman Candice Miller and the Admin Committee for the hearing they have already held on the legislation and to take the opportunity to announce that Chairman Hastings and the Natural Resources Committee will hold their hearing on March 25. So it is another step as our States and women from our States move forward on moving this to becoming a reality--something women have wanted in this country since they got the right to vote.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Thank you, Mrs. Maloney. I want to talk for just a moment about some of the women from Tennessee who have made such a significant contribution. Now, each of us standing on the floor tonight have stood in this Chamber and have fought for children. Dr. Mildred Stahlman--Millie Stahlman--is from Nashville and is part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center team. She is a pioneering professor in pediatrics and pathology at Vanderbilt. Anyone who has ever been in a neonatology unit has seen some of the pioneering work of Dr. Stahlman because she was the first to ever look at, study, and develop methods for monitoring lung disease in premature babies. With over 1,300 preemies born every single day, if you were to go into a hospital neonatology unit, you would see some of the knowledge, the experience, the insight, and the discovery that has been brought about by Dr. Stahlman in helping these young babies to live. I would also like to mention Beth Harwell. Beth is our speaker of the house in Tennessee. She is the first female speaker of the house ever in our State's history. Beth started her career in public service when she was elected to the general assembly in 1988; and then, in 2011, she was unanimously elected to serve as speaker of the Tennessee House. She is a diligent worker. She is very devoted to public service, and she represents our State so well. Chief justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court, Connie Clark, who is one of my constituents.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. We are so delighted that Mrs. Lummis is here to join with us. I have to tell you she was quite a trailblazer in her State before coming to Congress, as she served as her State's treasurer.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of rural health care providers. Once again, we see President Obama standing on ideological grounds rather than actually taking the time to understand who provides medical care to seniors and how they do it. At the same time he is giving stump speeches and trying to convince us that ObamaCare is working, he is taking $422 billion out of Medicare. Now, part of these cuts come from critical access hospitals, and I am referring to the cuts that he is making to Medicare in his fiscal year 2015 budget. It is similar to what he did each of the past 2 years. He targets the critical access hospitals. In order to pay for ObamaCare, he is proposing to cut Medicare payments to the providers who are providing such an important service--our rural health care providers. These patients have an extremely difficult time with access to medical care. They are poorer and are less likely to have employer- provided insurance or prescription drug coverage. Critical access hospitals are the safety net for many Americans. They provide exceptional care. I see it in my district every day. I commend the rural providers.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee for their leadership and shared goal of promoting legislation that incentivizes stakeholders to manufacture and implement energy efficient technologies throughout our economy. Congress should always be looking for creative ways to incentivize our great American innovators like A.O. Smith to manufacture energy efficient technologies that consumers clearly want. So I commend you on your dedication to this effort and look forward to supporting H.R. 2126. Sometimes we don't have to look too hard for ways to unleash American innovation and promote energy efficiency. Sometimes, we just have to use common sense and get the Federal Government out of the way. One concrete way Congress can force the government to get out of the way of our job creators would be to require the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to recognize independent test results for air conditioning, furnace, boiler, heat pump and water heater products that are already subject to the rigors of an independent voluntary industry compliance program (or ``VICP''). Through the VICP, manufacturers of these highly efficient products contract with an independent, third-party laboratory to ensure their products comply with federal efficiency and conservation standards. Manufacturers spend millions to participate and run the VICP, and the program has been a resounding success for years. But the federal government won't accept VICP data for compliance purposes. Instead, the DOE and EPA (which manages the Energy Star program) force manufacturers that participate in the VICP to subject their products to two additional rounds of tests to satisfy agency standards. But to make matters worse, the DOE and EPA tests aren't any different than the VICP tests. Each test takes place at the same laboratories responsible for the VICP tests, with the same technicians on the same products. The end result: manufacturers of highly efficient air conditioning, furnace, boiler, heat pump and water heater products pay for three rounds of tests to effectuate the same result: making federal regulators happy. That, my colleagues, smacks of inefficient government bureaucracy that serves no purpose other than redirecting operational capital to satisfy the whims of the Obama Administration. We can and should do a better job of incentivizing manufacturers to innovate and invest in job creation--not to waste precious operational capital on complying with nonsensical bureaucratic mandates. I intend to eliminate this regulatory roadblock through legislation very similar to an amendment introduced last September by Senators Sessions and Pryor during debate for S. 1392. That amendment, in the words of Senator Sessions, would have ``require[d] the Energy Department, when conducting routine testing to verify product ratings, to rely on data submitted through voluntary, independent certification programs'' that satisfy a robust test of independence and transparency.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the President filed his budget yesterday, and what a budget it is. It is going to increase spending by $791 billion--that is right, billion with a ``b.'' You would think we had all this money to spend. And when you look a little deeper, you see that the priorities are all askew in this budget. I want to point out just one to my colleagues, and it deals with the Tennessee National Guard and the way they are being adversely impacted by what this budget is bringing to bear, what the President would want to bring to bear. The Tennessee Guard has flown the Kiowa Warrior helicopters all throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. They used them in our natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Tennessee flood. And today, due to that budget that I have mentioned that the President filed yesterday, he would like to put them on the chopping block. All 30 Kiowa helicopters, 692 soldiers, and 113 workers are all on the chopping block. Let's talk about priorities. It is our responsibility in the House to get this right.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I reserve a point of order against the motion to recommit.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I think it is important to realize over 60 percent of the American people agree with us on this issue. You can look at survey after survey. They do not want taxpayers funds used for abortion. I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby), joining us in this fight to make certain that we preserve taxpayer funds, a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I withdraw my point of order and rise in opposition to the motion.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. What an interesting debate we have and what a difference we have in philosophies as we approach the work of this Nation. I have found it quite curious, as we have some who say we should be talking about how we live better lives and jobs and futures. You know what, Madam Speaker? As we talk today, what our focus is on is making certain that these precious unborn children do have that right to life, to liberty, to the pursuit of happiness. Yes, indeed. Today, let me just clear up the record for the legislation before us where we talk about no taxpayer funding of abortion. I want to read from the legislation itself, Madam Speaker. Section 304 in title I: Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as prohibiting any individual, entity, or State or locality from purchasing separate abortion coverage or health benefits coverage that includes abortion so long as such coverage is paid for entirely using only funds not authorized or appropriated by Federal law. Reading directly from the bill and then going to section 306: Nothing in this chapter shall repeal, amend, or have any effect on any other Federal law to the extent such law imposes any limitation on the use of funds for abortion or for health benefits coverage that includes coverage of abortion, beyond the limitations set forth in this chapter. So, Madam Speaker, may I lay the fears aside of my colleagues. This is an issue that 60 percent of the American people agree with us on. It is an action that they think is important to take; that it is important for taxpayers to have the assurance from their government that we are not going to have taxpayer funds used for abortion. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I find it so interesting that we have an MTR when just 2 weeks ago we brought to this floor a bill that Chairman Pitts brought from Energy and Commerce that addressed the privacy issues and concerns of all Americans that have had to go to the healthcare.gov site. I would remind my colleagues that there were 67 Members of their caucus that crossed the aisle and voted with us. Privacy is an important issue, and we are concerned about that issue for all Americans. I would also remind my colleagues who have inquired about the possibility of an IRS audit that we have seen many of those come out of this administration. I would remind them when they say we are remembering our history as women that we all stand and we remember that the first guarantee, the first right is the right to life. We have a responsibility as Members of the people's House to make certain we do the will of the people, and over 60 percent of all Americans say do not use my money. All money we have is taxpayer money, and do not use it to fund abortions. This is what we are doing. I would remind all of my colleagues in the House that the bill that is before us today upholds and follows a longstanding principle that the American people and Members from both sides of the aisle have supported for decades, that is, that taxpayer dollars should not be spent on abortions and abortion coverage except in the instance of rape, incest, and life of the mother. The vast majority of my colleagues, Democrat colleagues, voted for this same principle in last month's appropriations bill; yet this simple fact seems to be eluding most of them who have come to the floor today. I would encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this motion to recommit and to vote for H.R. 7 and the underlying legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), who has been such an advocate on our life issues.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlelady from North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers), who is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 465, I call up the bill (H.R. 7) to prohibit taxpayer funded abortions, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I come in support of H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act. This legislation is written with the same simple principle that has been supported on a bipartisan basis for decades. No taxpayer dollars should be spent on abortions and abortion coverage. H.R. 7 establishes a permanent Governmentwide prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion. This bill is all the more necessary because of the President's health care law and its attack on this long-standing protection of taxpayer dollars. For example, the health care law's premium subsidies can be used to purchase coverage on exchanges that include coverage of abortion. The ACA breaks with the tradition of the Hyde Amendment, which has ensured that Federal dollars do not subsidize plans that cover abortion. The bill before us would simply codify the Hyde amendment language so it applies across the Federal Government. Consumers should also have the right to know whether the plans they are selecting on an exchange include abortion coverage. While the ACA included some notification provisions, many of our constituents are simply unable to find out whether a plan is paying for abortions. In fact, this inability to find out whether exchange plans provide abortion coverage seems to extend to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In October of last year, Secretary Sebelius committed in testimony before the Energy and Commerce Committee to provide the Congress and the American people a full list of exchange plans providing abortion coverage. She was asked again to provide this list in December. Yet we are still waiting as the days tick by. We do not have this list. The self-appointed most transparent administration in history is simply either unwilling or unable to comply with this request. This is why we have added provisions of the Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act. This would ensure Americans have the right to know whether plans on the exchange are providing abortion coverage. This bill is about protecting taxpayer dollars and protecting life. It also ensures we have at least some transparency under the President's health care law. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.