Michael Burgess

Mr. BURGESS

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

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 304) to amend the Controlled Substances Act with regard to the provision of emergency medical services.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 304, the Protecting Patient Access to Emergency Medications Act, introduced by the gentlemen from North Carolina, Mr. Hudson and Mr. Butterfield. H.R. 304 would update the Drug Enforcement Administration registration process for emergency medical services agencies with multiple locations, clarifying recordkeeping requirements related to the transportation and storage of controlled substances in the process. Further, the bill would ensure that paramedics and other EMS professionals are able to continue to administer pain and antiseizure medications in emergency situations pursuant to standing or verbal orders when certain conditions are met. This commonsense measure is supported by over a dozen EMS and trauma care organizations. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 304, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the chairman of the full Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 304, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 309) to amend the Public Health Service Act to foster more effective implementation and coordination of clinical care for people with a complex metabolic or autoimmune disease, a disease resulting from insulin deficiency or insulin resistance, or complications caused by such a disease, and for other purposes.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 309, the National Clinical Care Commission Act, introduced by Representative Pete Olson and which was supported by over 229 cosponsors in the 114th Congress. H.R. 309 establishes a clinical care commission to evaluate and recommend solutions regarding better coordinating and leveraging of Federal programs related to complex metabolic or autoimmune disorders, such as diabetes. Metabolic disorders take a large toll on many Americans each year, and complications from these disorders can lead to catastrophic health outcomes. Currently, there are various programs across the Federal Government that touch on metabolic disorders--some focus on prevention and others focus on treatment--but there is a lack of coordination among these programs. Improving coordination of such efforts provides an opportunity to reduce costs while improving health outcomes. This legislation received broad support from the Energy and Commerce Committee, passing through a full committee markup by a voice vote during the 114th Congress. H.R. 309 provides no new spending and utilizes only existing funds at the Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Olson).

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), a new member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers at this time. This is a good bill. It did pass at the end of last Congress. Maybe by passing at the beginning of this Congress, we will give the other body ample time to take it up this year. It is a good bill. It is worthy of our consideration again today. It provides no new spending. I urge passage of H.R. 309. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 315) to amend the Public Health Service Act to distribute maternity care health professionals to health professional shortage areas identified as in need of maternity care health services.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 315, the Improving Access to Maternity Care Act, which I introduced with Representative Eshoo. H.R. 315 increases data collection by the Department of Health and Human Services to help better place maternity care providers through the National Health Service Corps repayment program. Currently, maternity care providers participate in the National Health Service Corps through the primary care designation, but they are not always placed where they are needed the most. H.R. 315 will require increased data collection on maternity care providers who will then be placed in geographic areas within existing health professional shortage areas, again, where they are most needed. This legislation enjoyed broad support on the Energy and Commerce Committee, passing through the full committee markup by a voice vote in the 114th Congress. H.R. 315 provides no new spending, Mr. Speaker. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe), the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and a fellow OB/GYN.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 315, once again, is a bill that passed with overwhelming support in the last Congress. I hope that by taking it up early in this Congress, we will allow time for the other body to attend to this needed legislation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 315. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 302, the Sports Medicine Licensure Clarity Act of 2017, introduced by my colleague on the Health Subcommittee, Brett Guthrie. The bill is identical to H.R. 921 from the last Congress, which passed by a voice vote in the House in September. Team physicians and other licensed sports medicine professionals often travel with their athletes to away games and other sanctioned sporting events outside of their home State. When providing care to an injured player during the game or in the locker room afterwards, they are often doing so at great personal and professional risk. If they are sued, their home State license could be in jeopardy and their malpractice insurance may not cover them. This commonsense bill would provide needed clarity. First, by stating that their liability insurance shall cover them outside of their home State for limited services within the scope of their practice, subject to any related premium adjustments. Second, to the extent that the healthcare professional is licensed under the requirements of their home State to provide certain services to an athlete or to a team, they shall be treated as satisfying corresponding licensing requirements of the secondary State in these narrowly defined instances. H.R. 302 is supported by a wide range of professional medical associations as well as amateur and professional sports organizations. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 302 by this body, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Flower Mound, Marcus, and Hebron High School bands for their noteworthy success at the 2016 UIL Class 6A Marching Band Contest. These Lewisville ISD bands achieved the first, second and third place honors, setting a first-time UIL record for a single school district to win the top three spots in the largest classification. Their outstanding performances were made possible through the talents, perseverance and hard work of the band students under the incredible leadership of Brent Biskup at Flower Mound, Andy Sealey at Hebron, and Amanda Drinkwater at Marcus. The Flower Mound High School band won the state marching contest for the first time in the school's history as well as secured its second consecutive top spot at the Bands of America Super Regional competition four days earlier. Their rise to victory is no doubt due to their creative and extraordinary dedication to their craft. Hebron High School took a narrow second place, and their achievements this year have served to inspire the students around them. Marcus High School finished in third place, and had previously been consecutive five-time winners. Their long-term success reflects well on the organization and the students and parents who make the show possible. It is a privilege to represent these bands and the Lewisville Independent School District in the U.S. House of Representatives. I look forward to seeing more great accomplishments from LISD and their bands and wish them the best of luck in all future endeavors.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dale E. Kimble, Chief Executive Officer of DATCU, as he retires after nearly forty years in the financial services sector and also for his tireless community service in Denton County. Since joining DATCU in 2001, Mr. Kimble has dynamically led the Credit Union to double digit growth, increasing the assets of the institution from $180 million to $868 million and more than doubling the membership of the Credit Union from 40,000 to over 88,000 members. Under his leadership, DATCU recently completed their construction and relocation of its core operations to the new 52,000 square foot Corinth headquarters, providing much needed support for their growing assets and membership. During his tenure, DATCU has expanded the number of Denton County branch locations from four to ten. Through this tremendous growth, Mr. Kimble has ensured the financial stability of the organization, recently ranked 7th best performing large credit union in 2012 by SNL Financial. DATCU has had consistent recognition as a five-star rated institution by Bauer Financial and recognition by IDC Financial Publishing as one of the few credit unions to achieve a perfect score of 300, accomplished in both 2010 and 2011. In addition, Deposit Accounts.com has named DATCU a ``Top 200'' of the approximate 6,500 credit unions in the country. Mr. Kimble's effective leadership has also ensured that the growing number of members has been served by a strong and loyal employee base, evidenced by DATCU's ranking by Texas Monthly as the 2nd Best Place to Work in Texas in 2009 and 2010, as 4th best place in 2013 and 2014 and 17th in 2015. This recognition resulted from nominations by the credit union's own employees. Service to his community has also been a hallmark for Mr. Kimble and his wife, Pamela. In 2007, he and his wife were named as joint recipients of the Boy Scouts of America-Denton Distinguished Citizens Award. In 2009, they were again jointly honored by Health Services of North Texas' Hearts and Heroes with the ``Founders Award.'' Mr. Kimble has also served in multiple North Texas community organizations, including his role as the inaugural Chairman of the Board for Serve Denton, Board Chairman of Denton Regional Medical Center, Health Services of North Texas, and the Denton Rotary Club. I am pleased to honor Mr. Kimble for his years of dedicated work and service to his profession and community and wish him as much success in his retirement as he has had in his career. It is privilege to represent Mr. Kimble, his family and DATCU in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a long-time Denton business, Weldon's Saddle Shop & Western Wear. The community and I are saddened that the store will close its doors after nearly 60 years of business on January 14, 2017. Weldon's presence on the downtown Denton square will be long remembered. Weldon Burgoon opened his shop in 1957, where he sold handmade leather saddles and accessories. In the '60s and '70s Weldon's was surrounded by many feed shops and farming centers, and when ranchers and cowboys came into town, many made sure to stop by Weldon's before they left. Over the years, Mr. Burgoon worked with his daughter, Kippie, and grandson, Clint, to make Weldon's a staple in downtown Denton. During his time as store owner, Mr. Burgoon crafted over 150 custom saddles and provided thousands of customers with quality Western wear, but he also offered more than just merchandise. Weldon's attracted many high school and college students who were members of the Future Farmers of America organization. These students would work at Burgoon's shop and on his ranch to get school credit and to gain valuable work experience. Mr. Burgoon also served as the rodeo chairman for the North Texas Fair and Rodeo for 14 years. Noted for his reputation for excellence, demonstrated work ethic and dedication to cowboy culture, he was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2010. Last year, his store was named a Denton County Heritage Business for being in existence for over 50 years. Mr. Burgoon, now 86, has decided to close the shop after the 2016 holiday season. He looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Joy, and seeing his grandson's new luxury leather store open in Weldon's original location. It is an honor to represent Mr. Burgoon, a local business icon, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3381) to maximize discovery, and accelerate development and availability, of promising childhood cancer treatments, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).