Lou Barletta

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 172 designates the United States courthouse located at 501 East Court Street in Jackson, Mississippi, as the R. Jess Brown United States Courthouse. Mr. Brown was a civil rights attorney who worked against racial discrimination and was credited in the 1950s with filing the first civil rights lawsuit in Mississippi. A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown attended Illinois State University, Indiana University, and the Texas Southern University law school. In the 1960s, he was one of only four African American lawyers in Mississippi and one of three who took civil rights cases. In 1962, he worked on behalf of James Meredith, whose successful lawsuit allowed him to be the first African American student to enroll in the University of Mississippi. Later, Mr. Brown worked to fight against discrimination in transportation and other public accommodations. Given his dedication to the law and civil rights, it is appropriate to name this courthouse after him. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Brown was a courageous American who stood and fought for what was right. He is deserving to have this courthouse named after him. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 21.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H. Con. Res. 21 authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the annual Greater Washington Soap Box Derby on June 20. I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for introducing this resolution. He has been a longtime supporter of this event and the children involved each year. This event occurs annually on the Capitol Grounds. The soapbox derby encourages children to show off their dedication, work, and creativity as they compete for trophies. The winners of each division are qualified to compete in the national All-American Soap Box Derby held in Ohio. I support passage of this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I just want to, once again, thank the gentleman from Maryland for his commitment to our youth and for, once again, introducing this great piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 21) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 25) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers Memorial Service and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H. Con. Res. 25.

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

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H. Con. Res. 25 authorizes the use of the Capitol Grounds for the annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service and a National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition. I am pleased to be the sponsor of this resolution, along with the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson). These events are held each year as part of Police Week, to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. This year, over 125 Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers will be honored for their ultimate sacrifice: giving their lives in the line of duty. Four of these officers are from Pennsylvania, including one from near my district, Corporal Bryon Dickson II of the Pennsylvania State Police. Corporal Dickson was killed in September of 2014 after he and Trooper Alex Douglass were shot during an ambush targeting police officers outside the Blooming Grove barracks in northeastern Pennsylvania. The suspect, Eric Frein, cowardly hid in the woods while local, State, and Federal law enforcement searched for him. He was finally captured after a 7-week manhunt. Corporal Dickson was a United States Marine Corps veteran and served with the Pennsylvania State Police for 7 years. He left behind a wife and two young sons. Three other Pennsylvania officers will also be honored, including Officer Richard Champion of the Perryopolis Borough Police Department, who was killed during a vehicle pursuit in December; Trooper David Kedra of the Pennsylvania State Police, who was accidentally shot during a training exercise; and Sergeant Sheryl Pierce of the South Londonderry Township Police Department, who died from a deadly illness contracted while carrying out her duties. The sacrifices of these officers and the sacrifices of those like them should not be forgotten. These tragic episodes should serve to remind all citizens of the dangerous jobs our men and women of law enforcement courageously volunteer for. They put their lives on the line to protect us daily, and for that we should always remain grateful. I support passage of this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to help commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the establishment of the First Presbyterian Church in Nicholson, Pennsylvania. The church is a historic landmark within my congressional district, and provides my constituents with a place to come together and worship. Founded in April of 1865 by Reverend Lyman Richardson, the church remains the tallest structure in Nicholson. This house of worship, which rises to a height of 60 feet and is adorned with 10 beautiful stained-glass windows, serves as a magnificent symbol reminding onlookers of the great sense of pride and community the town's residents share. First Presbyterian is comprised of nine board members who oversee a vibrant and active congregation. Thanks to an enthusiastic and committed staff of teachers, the youth of the church are able to enjoy a Sunday school program that runs 12 months of the year. Additionally, in 1879, a women's Missionary Society was organized in order to aid the church in its everyday spiritual and monetary needs. The group survives over 100 years later, and is referred to today as the ``Presbyterian Women.'' Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to honor the First Presbyterian Church of Nicholson, Pennsylvania as it celebrates its 150th anniversary, and I commend its congregation, both past and present, for their tireless efforts to preserve its longstanding legacy.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the Sunbury, Pennsylvania Rotary Club's Sunbury Citizen of the Year, Mark Giesen, or otherwise known by his radio name, ``Mark Lawrence.'' The Sunbury Rotary Club is an organization within my district that reaches out locally and internationally to better the lives of others through an array of service projects. Mr. Giesen has acted both within the club and the medium of broadcast journalism to proudly serve his community. Often referred to as ``The Voice of the Valley,'' Mr. Giesen serves as the Program Director at Newsradio 1070 WKOK, and through his position, helps many constituents throughout my district promote events and fundraisers. His decorated professional experience includes previous roles at WHLM AM/FM in Bloomsburg, and as the News Director at WKOK/WQKX in Sunbury. Mr. Giesen has also worked at Clear Channel in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Mr. Giesen's passion for broadcasting began at a young age. As a child, he used to spin the dials on an old radio at night in an effort to reach as many stations as possible. Later on, Mr. Giesen became a fellow at WKOK/AM/FM in Sunbury, and would ride his bike to the studio in the Fort Augusta Museum to continually immerse himself in the world of broadcast journalism. Mr. Speaker, for his committed service to the Sunbury Rotary Club, to his role as the Program Director at Newsradio 1070 WKOK, and to the constituents of my district, I commend Mr. Giesen and congratulate him on being named the Sunbury Rotary Club's Sunbury Citizen of the year.

Mr. BARLETTA

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

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 1191, the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act. I had hoped by now that we would not have to be on the floor of this body talking about my legislation once again. This is the third time I have brought this bill to the floor of the House. It is intended to protect volunteer firefighters and emergency services personnel from ObamaCare. The first two times I introduced it, it passed the House by a combined vote of 811-0. I know that there are very few pieces of legislation that attract such amazing bipartisan support, and for that, I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Today, I come asking for your support again. Let me tell you why this bill is necessary. In 2013, a firefighter from back home named Bob Timko approached me at a parade in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He told me about a serious problem regarding volunteer firefighters and the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. Because the Internal Revenue Service specifically considered volunteer firefighters employees for Federal tax purposes, there was the fear that they would fall under the employer mandate of the ACA. If volunteer fire companies were subject to the employer mandate, they could be liable for crippling new health care costs, causing many to have to close their doors. Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the threshold for the employer mandate is 50 employees. That raised the question of how volunteer firefighters would be counted. Would they be counted as employees just under the fire company, or would they be counted as municipal employees? If that were the case, many volunteer fire companies could easily achieve 50 employees. If they did, these companies could be forced to pay health insurance costs for their volunteers or pay a fine. This is very important in my home State of Pennsylvania. Ninety-seven percent of our fire companies depend either mostly or entirely on volunteers. Across the country, 87 percent of fire companies depend on volunteers. As a former mayor, I can tell you that volunteer firefighters are part of the essential fabric of our communities. These are people who risk their lives every day to protect their friends, families, and people they don't even know. I can tell you that no one becomes a volunteer firefighter because they want health insurance. While they are on duty, they are, of course, covered by workman's compensation insurance. Our volunteer firefighters have a hard enough time raising money needed for basic equipment. They cannot afford to pay for health insurance--or pay a fine--on top of it. Last year, the IRS finally decided--after months of pressure from Members of the House, from firefighters, and from the media--that they will not consider volunteer firefighters ``employees'' for Federal tax purposes, but I don't think we should leave something as important as public safety in the hands of unelected bureaucrats at the IRS. Our brave volunteer emergency personnel deserve certainty. As I said, this is the third time we have had this bill before this body. The first time, in 2014, it passed the House of Representatives 410-0. When it got to the Senate, they used it to attach unrelated language about emergency unemployment insurance. The bill died. The second time, just earlier this year, it passed the House of Representatives 401-0. This time, the Senate stripped all of my language out of the bill. It got turned into a 1-week funding measure for the Department of Homeland Security. This is a bill that deserves to become law. This legislation has the strong support of the National Volunteer Fire Council, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute. I appreciate their support and the work of all the men and women they represent who protect us every day in our hometowns. We all agree that public safety is too important of an issue to play politics with. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this bill, and I ask all Members to vote ``yes.''

Mr. BARLETTA

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

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the committee for working with me during markup to address my concerns, especially the bill's impact on our Nation's afterschool programs. Supporting kids who attend afterschool programs has been a bipartisan effort. My amendment simply requires school districts that use title I money for afterschool, before school, or summer school activities to report and describe those activities in their local plans. I am confident the data collected from this reporting will further demonstrate the importance of afterschool programs to our Nation's kids. We already know afterschool programs help keep kids safe, improve academic performance, and help working families across America. The benefits of these programs span all aspects of our communities. Students participating in afterschool programs have shown improvement in homework completion. There is also improvement in class participation and in attendance. This all leads to better grades, better behavior, and lower rates of drug use and violence. Where I am from in Pennsylvania, gangs have become a problem in some of our areas. When I was mayor of Hazleton, I saw it on our own streets. Afterschool programs offer a safe environment for kids to further their academic learning, rather than seeking out and joining gangs. For example, I am proud that SHINE, the Schools & Homes In Education afterschool program is expanding from Carbon County into Luzerne County in my district. This nationally recognized program offers afterschool and summer school programs for kids in pre-K through college. It focuses on projects in STEM courses--science, technology, engineering, and math--as well as the arts. SHINE helps produce better-educated young people who later go on to graduate from professional schools, colleges, and universities to become important parts of our Nation's workforce. It is a deterrent for criminal behavior. At the end of the day, afterschool programs like SHINE can change a child's future for the better. I will continue to advocate for their success. I have a special interest in the improvement of our educational system because two of my four daughters are teachers. This amendment and legislation as a whole are very close to my heart. Afterschool programs help ensure America's students succeed not only in academic success, but in student engagement as well. I ask my colleagues to demonstrate their support for afterschool programs by supporting my amendment, and I urge a ``yes'' vote. Mr. Chairman, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

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

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize my constituent, Mr. Grant Greider, in celebration of his 100th birthday. Born in Middle Paxton Township, Pennsylvania, Mr. Greider was the fifth of ten children born to Grant and Elizabeth Greider. Some of Grant's earliest memories include traveling to Broad Street Market in Harrisburg, where he and his mother sold butter, cup cheese, and baked bean sandwiches. After graduating from Halifax High School in 1935, he married Ruth Deibler, and they had six children together. Ruth and Grant were married for 76 years until Ruth's passing in 2011. In 1945, Mr. Greider moved his family to a farm in Jackson Township. To this day, Mr. Greider still helps his son, Randy, operate the farm. Mr. Greider was an employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad for 39 years, where he worked alongside his father and three older brothers. He recalls first earning an hourly wage of 45 cents as a laborer. After many years of hard work, he was proud to see his salary increase to $7.50 an hour, right before his retirement in 1979. To this day, he still collects his hard-earned railroad pension. Additionally, Mr. Greider has held several elected offices in Jackson Township, including Township Supervisor and Judge of Elections. As an avid participant in the democratic process, he has proudly voted in every election since turning 21 in 1936. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize Mr. Greider on this important milestone, and to thank him for his time spent serving our local community. His commitment to family, hard work, Pennsylvania, and our nation is exemplary, and I wish him a happy and healthy 100th birthday celebration in the company of his family and friends.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Blaise Alan Dente, who has been named the 2014 UNICAN of the Year for the Scranton Chapter of UNICO. UNICO is the largest Italian American service and volunteer organization in the United States, and many of my constituents, especially those living in the Wyoming Valley, have come to know Mr. Dente well through the Scranton Chapter. Mr. Dente is a lifelong resident of Pittston, PA, having graduated from Seton Catholic High School before matriculating to East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. There, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management; a degree that he has put to commendable use in his ownership and operation of Dente's Catering and Rental. As a member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), Mr. Dente obtained his certification as a Certified Chef de Cuisine, and in 2011, was inducted as an ``honorary fellow'' in the American Academy of Chefs, a prestigious subset within the ACF. Mr. Dente has earned a slew of other esteemed decorations, including medals, ribbons, and certificates for his work in both hot and cold food competitions. He was subsequently named the ACF Chapter Chef of the Year in 2008. As an active member of the Scranton Chapter of UNICO since 2004, Mr. Dente and his staff host an annual dinner meeting for the chapter's membership. However, his service to the community extends beyond the kitchen. Mr. Dente is a member of both the Wilkes-Barre and Greater Scranton Chambers of Commerce. Additionally, he actively volunteers for the Pittston Tomato Festival Committee and is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus Council 372 & Assembly 948. Such diverse and committed involvement certainly contributed to Mr. Dente being named one of the ``Top 40 under 40'' Business Professionals in 2010. Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Blaise Alan Dente for his proven commitment to bettering the lives of those within the Scranton Chapter of UNICO, as well as the lives of those individuals within my own district. I congratulate him for the distinguished honor in being named the 2014 UNICAN of the Year, and know that he will continue to pursue bright endeavors in the future.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support a number of bills this week that will improve identification of, and services for, children who are victims of sex trafficking, including runaway and homeless kids. Every year, as many as 300,000 young people become the victims of sex trafficking, while others are forced into a life of virtual slavery in hard labor and the drug trade. In particular, homeless young people are at risk of falling into this tragic life. Unfortunately, many of our young that fall prey to the dark characters who run these trades have already been involved in the child welfare system at one government level or another. What this screams to us is that the welfare system has failed these children. It seems clear that the evils of trafficking are not something our child welfare workers are sufficiently prepared to deal with. We must improve the ability of child welfare workers to identify and assess child victims of trafficking--including runaway and homeless youth--and the services they need. We must engage in a coordinated effort at the federal, state, and local levels to collect and share information that will help analyze and identify youth trafficking. We must also identify state efforts that successfully serve youth trafficking victims in order to spread best practices to other states. These are commonsense solutions to better identify and serve victims of youth trafficking. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support these important bills.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of my amendment which I coauthored with my colleagues. Its purpose is simple. We defund President Obama's unlawful executive amnesty program for illegal immigrants. As we know, the President announced it only 2 months ago. But we also know that is not when this executive amnesty truly began. It began in 2011 with the Morton memos. Those memos told officials not to pursue certain broad categories of illegal immigrants. Our amendment defunds the enforcement of those memos, and that goes to the heart of the amnesty program. In short, these memos told immigration officers to view the law the way President Obama wished it had been written rather than how Congress actually wrote it. That is the crux of this. In the United States, we still have a legislative branch of government. Our amendment defends it.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the amendments offered to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill, including the amendment I coauthored with my colleagues, Congressman Aderholt of Alabama and Congressman Mulvaney of South Carolina. Our amendment defunds President Obama's unlawful executive amnesty program for illegal immigrants. Now, when I was mayor of my hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I saw firsthand how illegal immigration can affect a community. I believe that my stance against illegal immigration was why I was elected to Congress in the first place. I am someone who has dealt with this as a smalltown mayor. I know what it looks like on the back end when the Federal Government doesn't do its job. Very simply, we are making sure that, at long last, we enforce the law. First, it prevents the funding of carrying out the President's actions announced on November 20 of last year. But let's be clear about something. The President's amnesty program did not just begin all of a sudden 2 months ago. It goes back much further than that, to the so-called Morton memos of 2011. They instructed immigration officers to ignore broad categories of illegal immigrants and halt deportation proceedings for them. In short, these memos told immigration officers to view the law the way that President Obama wished it had been written rather than how Congress actually wrote it. We defund the implementation of the Morton memos. We also say that no funds can be used to implement any similar amnesty policies. That simply means that this or any other President cannot try to tweak their policies or try more trickery to try another end around past Congress without our approval. Mr. Speaker, this states unmistakable congressional intent. The amendment says that the President's policies have no basis in law and are not grounded in the Constitution. We prevent anyone who receives such executive amnesty from being awarded any Federal benefits. There are other amendments being considered, including stopping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which was born out of the Morton memos. I support that amendment and all of the others as well. Mr. Speaker, our Constitution is clear: the President of the United States does not have unilateral power. In America, we also have a legislature. As such, the President cannot simply make laws on his own. The Aderholt-Mulvaney-Barletta amendment makes that clear. I urge support of the rule and the accompanying amendments to the DHS Appropriations bill.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 33, the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act. This is a good, truly bipartisan bill that protects our first responders, our volunteer firefighters, and emergency services personnel. It protects them by ensuring that they are not considered employees under the employer mandate provision of ObamaCare. If they were, some fire companies would be forced to pay for the volunteers' health insurance or pay a fine, driving many fire departments out of business. As a former mayor, I know how important volunteer fire companies are to the health and safety of a community. Simply put, this is a public safety issue. I first learned about this issue from a volunteer firefighter, Bob Timko, back home, and I began a crusade to clear this up for volunteer firefighters and localities and the residents of Pennsylvania and every other State. As you know, the employer mandate of ObamaCare kicks in for employers with 50 or more employees. Now, some fire companies may hear about this and immediately think, ``Well, we only have 25 volunteers, so we are safe. We don't have 50.'' That may not necessarily be the case. Some fire companies are considered part of their local government. If you take the number of firefighters, paid and unpaid, and add them to the number of other public employees, such as highway workers, police, code enforcement officers, health officers, and clerical workers, you can easily reach 50, even in a small town. This would be a very big deal in my home State of Pennsylvania, where 97 percent of our fire companies are either completely or mostly volunteers. Nationally, almost 92 percent of fire companies use at least some volunteers, and over 86 percent depend on all or mostly volunteers. Those numbers come from the 2012 National Fire Department Census conducted by the United States Fire Administration. If your district is like mine, then volunteer firefighters are ingrained in your community. We won an initial battle on this issue. After I raised it with the IRS and brought pressure to bear through this legislation, they finally relented and changed their rules regarding the Federal tax status of volunteer firefighters. However, this is too important of a public safety issue to be left to the changing positions of unelected Federal bureaucrats at the IRS. Their arbitrary regulatory guidance could easily be changed back. Our people back home deserve better. We owe our emergency service volunteers, who risk their lives every day, rock-solid certainty. This legislation says, once and for all, that volunteer firefighters are just that--volunteers--and should not be subjected to the employer mandate. It takes away the power of the IRS to change the rules. I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their continued support. Last year, this bill passed the Ways and Means Committee by a strong bipartisan vote of 37-0, and it passed the House by a very rare unanimous vote of 410-0. Not one single Member, Republican or Democrat, opposed it. I want to thank Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader McCarthy, Majority Whip Scalise, the Ways and Means Committee, and their staffs. We all recognize that my bill is a simple, bipartisan solution to an unforeseen consequence of the President's health care law. This bill has the strong support of the National Volunteer Fire Council, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Congressional Fire Services Institute. I want to thank my partners, as well as the men and women they represent, for their help. To be clear, forcing volunteer fire companies to comply with ObamaCare will not extend health insurance to the uninsured; rather, it will close firehouses, placing people at risk. I strongly urge the passage of this bill.