Michael Burgess

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsors of the bill for bringing this important legislation to the floor. I yield back the balance of my time.

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. 985, the Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act, introduced by Mr. Guthrie from Kentucky. H.R. 985 enjoys strong support from industry and has nearly 250 cosponsors. Concrete product manufacturers are local businesses, and this promotion program will be run by the industry and will support jobs. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 985. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), the author of the bill.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, 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. 4665) to require the Secretary of Commerce to conduct an assessment and analysis of the outdoor recreation economy of the United States, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I urge an ``aye'' vote on the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4665, the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016. The outdoor recreation industry encompasses activities and sports such as bicycling, camping, hunting, fishing, off-roading, and wildlife viewing, and is enjoyed by consumers of all ages, all ethnicities, all income levels. This industry has become a significant engine for economic growth and job creation in the United States. Despite the growing contributions made by the outdoor recreation industry to the United States economy, the industry's full economic impact has not been measured and not accounted for like other economic sectors. H.R. 4665 would ensure that the outdoor recreation economy is measured and is accounted for by the Federal Government as part of the country's gross domestic product, as it has done for many other economic sectors. The work that is directed to be done by the Department of Commerce, in consultation with other Federal agencies, would not require new employees and would use existing funds within that agency. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4665. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2566) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to ensure the integrity of voice communications and to prevent unjust or unreasonable discrimination among areas of the United States in the delivery of such communications, as amended.

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 material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to rise today in support of H.R. 2566, the Improving Rural Call Quality and Reliability Act of 2016. This bill addresses a serious problem that impacts so many of our rural constituents: telephone calls that are not completed or, if they are, they are of poor quality. The Committee on Energy and Commerce has spent a great deal of time over the past 5 years looking to the future of technology, all the great and innovative things it will bring, all the ways in which it will change lives. While these new and exciting offerings are an important piece of the future, we can't ignore the very real technological problems that exist today. As we talk about 5G service and the Internet of Everything, let's not forget that for some folks the big technological advancement they are hoping for is to be actually able to receive all of their voice calls. The problem for rural customers comes when someone tries to call them but something goes wrong. Somewhere in the handoff and the delivery of traffic, calls to rural customers are being dropped or degraded. The caller continues to hear ringing on their end, but the call never makes it to the intended recipient. As our witnesses told us during the committee's consideration of the bill, this isn't just an inconvenience for them--it results in lost business or much worse. The simplest explanation for what happens is that the long-distance and voice traffic starts with one provider, who then hands off the call to a third-party router, who will ultimately deliver it to the end provider serving the person who is being called. This process is typically seamless, typically high quality, and is typically transparent to the American consumer. However, in rural and hard-to- serve areas, it can be expensive to move traffic to remote customers, so the provider who originates the call will look for the least expensive option for delivering the call. In some cases, these least- cost routers simply cut corners to offer the lowest prices, which means that the call can be low quality or not connected at all. This is a national problem affecting all of our constituents. So many of my colleagues shared letters that they received or stories that their constituents shared about how call failure or poor call quality has impacted their businesses or their lives. One of our witnesses operated a telephone company that serves rural customers in Ohio, and he has told us that he has lost customers over call completion issues. When his customers don't receive their calls, they get angry with him, even though he typically doesn't have any control over the path that the call must take to get to the network. In fact, he has made major network upgrades to improve his service to his customers, but when his customers miss a call, who do they contact? Not the least-cost router who abandoned the call traffic somewhere along the line. They call the provider or they find a new provider. In his case, he has lost a major business client because of call completion issues despite the fact he had not done anything wrong. The committee also heard from a witness who discussed another very real consequence of a call not going through. When a family tries to reach relatives in a rural area, particularly elderly relatives, they are unable to do so because the calls aren't completed. Understandably, this causes serious concern to the callers, who often turn to the local police department for help. As a result, the police must take time out of their day to check on the intended call recipient, who is typically fine other than the fact that their phone service is failing them. Today we consider the legislation authored by the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Young). We have an opportunity to make a significant step forward in the fight to ensure that rural customers get the same high-quality voice service that others simply take for granted. By requiring the network providers in the middle to adhere to service standards, we also greatly improve the likelihood that calls are delivered to where they are supposed to go. By requiring these intermediate providers to register with the Federal Communications Commission, we deter fraudulent and bad actors that abuse the system and drop or degrade calls. I was very pleased to hear of the strong bipartisan support for this measure, and I am optimistic we can make a big difference in the way rural consumers receive their telephone calls. I do want to thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Young) for his work on behalf of his constituents and the rural consumers across the country. Reliable access to communications networks is a cornerstone of our telecommunications policy, and this bill takes steps to ensure that every person gets their telephone calls completed. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the authors of this bill for bringing it forward. It is an important concept and one that deserves our attention. I urge all Members to vote ``aye'' on the bill. Mr. Speaker, 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. 2669) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to expand and clarify the prohibition on provision of inaccurate caller identification information, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Lance), the vice chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, you have heard the testimony from a number of Members testifying on this bill. It is important work. It is important that it get done. It is important that it get completed and down to the President's desk. Mr. Speaker, we have done a number of bills this afternoon, and I do want to just thank the Energy and Commerce Committee both on the minority and majority side and all of the subcommittee staff that were involved in preparing these bills and getting them ready for this afternoon's consideration. It has indeed been an impressive body of work that has come through the Energy and Commerce Committee today. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill we have before us. I urge Members to vote ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for yielding. I thank him for leading this hour this evening. It is entirely appropriate that we gather this evening and remember our friend, Steve LaTourette. Steve was a friend, and you know what they say about friends in Washington, but Steve was a friend. I arrived here in 2003 and had never served in a legislative body before. I was on Steve's subcommittee, on one of the Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittees, and I will never forget how he ran his subcommittee. It was so even, so evenhanded, no partisanship. I try to carry that with me today, even now, 14 years later, in other subcommittees where the subject matter can get a little bit more contentious, just remembering the respect with which he treated Members of both sides of the dais. It was almost as if Steve didn't even have a dog in the fight, as we say back in Texas, but of course he did. Steve would give you the shirt off his back. I got kind of put in a tight spot. I needed a speaker for a transportation summit I was doing back in Texas--I mean in Denton, Texas, for crying out loud. Nobody in Ohio even knows where that is. This was in 2012. He had actually had his last election. He wasn't coming back. But I implored upon him: Steve, you have got such a great transportation mind, come and talk to the leaders in transportation in Denton, Texas. He didn't hesitate. He did it. Steve taught me something that day. He got to Ronald Reagan Airport without his wallet. You actually can get on a flight in the United States of America without an ID. I guess it helps having been a subcommittee chairman on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and perhaps an appropriator in the transportation area. But I was so worried when I got word that Steve had gotten to the airport without his wallet that he wouldn't be able to make it down to Dallas/ Fort Worth, but indeed he did. He gave a great presentation. People still talk about it today. Steve did have that wit. He had that wit that we all experienced at one time or another. He had a way of really bringing you back to earth with his turn of phrase and with his humor. Steve, we do miss you. The fact that there is a recalcitrant cancer out there that can still claim the lives that it does is something this body should focus on. That is something this body should work on. We can do that. We have had legislation, really, for a year and a half to try to improve and speed those discoveries. It is held up over in the Senate right now. I am still optimistic we can get it back over here to the House and get it done this year, get it done before this term ends. I would like to do that for Steve. What a great friend. We miss you. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Chabot.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Taiwan's National Day, celebrated on October 10th, and to offer my best wishes to the people of Taiwan. Also known as Double Ten Day, since it takes place on the 10th day of the 10th month, this holiday marks a special time for the Taiwanese as they celebrate their rich culture and take part in festivities across the country of Taiwan as well as here in the United States where Taiwanese-Americans have enhanced and diversified the culture of many cities and towns. The state of Texas has a strong bond with the Taiwanese, bolstered by the trade of agricultural goods and products. I am also proud to have joined several of my colleagues from Texas to cosponsor legislation geared towards fostering Taiwanese prosperity as well as supporting their admission to the United Nations. The 26th Congressional District of Texas has experienced great diversification and enrichment thanks to the people of Taiwan. I am glad to call them friends of Texas and friends of the 26th district. I wish the people of Taiwan all the best as they celebrate Double Ten Day.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 893 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave