Lou Barletta

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.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3096) to designate the building occupied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation located at 801 Follin Lane, Vienna, Virginia, as the ``Michael D. Resnick Terrorist Screening Center''.

Mr. BARLETTA

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

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

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

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

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 2251, as amended, would designate the United States courthouse and Federal building located at 118 South Mill Street in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, as the Edward J. Devitt United States Courthouse and Federal Building. Judge Devitt attended the University of North Dakota. Early in his career he served as judge on the Minnesota municipal court and as assistant attorney general for Minnesota. During World War II, he was a lieutenant commander in the United States Naval Reserve. Judge Devitt later became a United States Representative from Minnesota. In 1954, Judge Devitt was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota and served as the chief judge from 1959 to 1981. I think it is appropriate to honor the work of Judge Devitt by naming this courthouse and Federal building after him. I support passage of this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

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.R. 2251, as amended.

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2251) to designate the United States courthouse located at 118 South Mill Street, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, as the ``Edward J. Devitt United States Courthouse'', as amended.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Daniel DeMelfi, the outgoing president of the UNICO Hazleton, Pennsylvania Chapter. Mr. DeMelfi has served as the president of the UNICO Hazleton Chapter since 2010 and has held positions as a core committee member and entertainment co-chair for UNICO's Bell'Italia Festival. UNICO is the largest Italian American organization in the United States. Members seek to improve their communities by providing assistance to area and national charities through fundraisers and donations. Additionally, they strive to honor and educate others about their Italian culture and ethnic heritage. Mr. DeMelfi's commitment to the community does not end with his service to UNICO. He serves as the founder and former president of the Hazleton Area Landlords' Organization, a core committee member for the Sounds of the Season Concert, and lector and piano accompanist for the Most Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, he is a board member for both the Hazleton Silent Santa organization and the Wiltsie Performing Arts Center. Mr. Speaker, for his dedicated service to both his Italian heritage and our community, I commend Daniel DeMelfi, outgoing president of the UNICO Hazleton, Pennsylvania Chapter.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 415 on the Waxman amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 416 on the Tonko amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 417 on the Motion to Recommit, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 418 on final passage of H.R. 2218, the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Personal Explanation

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 399 on the previous question, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 400 on agreeing to the resolution, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 401 on agreeing to the Jones amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 402 on agreeing to the LaMalfa amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 403 on agreeing to the Mulvaney amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 404 on agreeing to the Stockman amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 405 on agreeing to the Walorski amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 406 on agreeing to the Bonamici amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 407 on agreeing to the Kilmer amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 408 on agreeing to the Nadler amendment No. 69, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 409 on agreeing to the Nadler amendment No. 70, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 410 on agreeing to the Schiff amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 411 on agreeing to the Pompeo (for Nugent) amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 412 on agreeing to the Amash amendment, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 413 on the Motion to Recommit with instructions I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 414 on the Final Passage of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act (H.R. 2397) I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Citizens Fire and Rescue No. 2 of the Borough of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania which will celebrate 110 years of service to the community this year. Organized on June 12, 1903, the company was formed in response to two major fires that took place in Mechanicsburg earlier that year. Residents of the western part of the borough who were frustrated by waiting for assistance from fire companies from the neighboring city of Harrisburg decided to form the organization so fires could be dealt with quickly, protecting residents and property. Land for the site of the firehouse was purchased from Dr. W. H. Moyer in 1903, and the building was completed in 1904. To this day, it is still being used to house the fire company. In 1975, the organization merged with Rescue Hook and Ladder Company, also of Mechanicsburg, to form Citizens Fire and Rescue No. 2, the name it carries to this day. The members of this company continue to risk their own lives to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents of Cumberland County. Mr. Speaker, for 110 years Citizens Fire and Rescue Company No. 2 has proudly protected the residents of the borough of Mechanicsburg and the surrounding areas from fire and other disasters. Therefore, I commend all those personnel who have faithfully served at this fire house.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I believe the problem is simple: we need to secure our borders first. You wouldn't replace your carpet at home if you still had a hole in the roof. When you take that position, the question you are usually asked by people who support open borders is: Well, what do you want to do about the 11 million people who are here illegally? I usually answer that question with another question: What do you want to do with the 22 million Americans who couldn't find work this morning when they woke up? What do you want to do about the legal immigrants who came to America for an opportunity, with the opportunity that America promises for those who come here for a better life? What do you want to do about the high school dropout who has to wash dishes and may lose their job? Where do they go? What do you want to do about the single mom who works three jobs just to put food on the table so she could feed her family? What happens to her? Why when we talk about immigration reform is it always about the 11 million illegal immigrants who came here knowingly breaking America's laws? What about the legal Americans? What about the American workers? Where is their voice in this debate? Who's speaking for them? When it comes down to immigration reform, I believe the answer is simple: let's secure America's borders first and protect America's workers.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the wake of the passage of the Senate amnesty bill to shed light on two important elements of illegal immigration that the Senate has grossly overlooked. As we know, the Senate bill pairs border security with amnesty. This makes no sense. You would never replace your carpet at home if you still had a hole in the roof. I am hopeful that the House will put border security first, but I still have concerns. That's why today I'm introducing two pieces of legislation. One will address the problem of visa overstays, and the other will ask for a full accounting of what went wrong with the 1986 amnesty deal that led to our current illegal immigration problem. The first bill, the Visa Overstay Enforcement Act of 2013, will, for the first time, make staying in the country after your visa has expired a felony criminal offense instead of just a civil offense. Upon a first offense, the visa overstay would bring a $10,000 fine and 1 year in jail. The illegal immigrant may not be legally admitted to the United States for 5 years from the date of conviction and may not apply for a visa for 10 years after the date of conviction. A second offense would be subject to a fine of $15,000 and up to 5 years in jail. The illegal immigrant would be banned from entering the United States for life. Most of the talk about this issue has been focused on the southern border, but that won't solve our illegal immigration problem alone. If we fix our broken visa system, we can take care of nearly half of our illegal immigration concerns. The second part of this bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a plan to Congress detailing a biometric exit program involving the taking of fingerprints of those leaving the country at all land, sea, and air ports. As I have often said, since 40 percent of illegal immigrants here today are here on an expired visa, it is obvious that if your State is home to an international airport, then you effectively live in a border State. And we should learn from history. In 1986, we were told that if we just granted amnesty to 1.5 million illegal immigrants, the problem would go away. That didn't happen. Instead, 3 million people came here to take advantage of amnesty. We need to know what effect the 1986 amnesty program had on the American worker and whether the effects still linger today. Were wages depressed? Were jobs taken away from legal workers because so many received amnesty? We should learn our lesson. My second piece of legislation is the 1986 Amnesty Transparency Act. It requires a comprehensive report on the failures of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which are many. Speaking of 1986, let's remember in that year, one of the bombers in the 1993 World Trade Center attack was granted amnesty. He had originally arrived on an agricultural visa. He was really a taxi driver, and all he ever planted was a bomb. The real losers in this debate are the legal immigrants who have followed the rules. Here is a clear example: Under the ObamaCare employer mandate, any company with 50 or more employees must provide health insurance to their employees or pay a fine of $3,000 per employee, but illegal immigrants granted amnesty under the Senate bill are exempt from ObamaCare. So I ask you: What is the incentive to hire a legal American worker who would come with a health care price tag over an illegal worker who would not? None. We have immigration laws for two reasons: to protect our national security and to protect American jobs. The Senate bill violates both of those principles. So tell me, why would we do this? I ask the House to consider my commonsense bills and put border security first. Let's put the safety of the American citizens first.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall vote No. 305 for the Financial Competitive Act of 2013, I was unavoidably detained. I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Nesquehoning Hose Co. #1 of the Borough of Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania. Nesquehoning Hose Co. #1 was organized in 1908 and originally consisted of 50 members, a 1908 Mack truck, and a horse-drawn hose reel. Beginning in 1911, the fire company was housed at the corner of Center and School streets, also known as ``Five Points". By 1930, the organization had grown to include 200 members and several more pieces of firefighting equipment, including a pumper and hose truck and a hook and ladder and chemical truck. In 1997, the company purchased a new building to house their equipment and ambulances. Nesquehoning Hose Co. #1 has been instrumental in protecting the community from many devastating fires. The organization battled the fire at Heffelfinger Bakery in 1922, the blaze at the parochial school of the Sacred Heart Parish in 1929, the fire at the Kaijay Pants Company Factory in 1953, and countless home fires throughout the years. The members of this company willingly risk their own safety to assure that the people of Nesquehoning are protected from destructive fires and other disasters. Mr. Speaker, since 1908 Nesquehoning Hose Co. #1 has worked to protect the citizens of Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania. Therefore, I commend all the personnel who have served at this fire house and congratulate them on their newest piece of a equipment, a 2012 KME 103'' Aerial Cat Ladder Truck, which will surely aid them in their mission to defend the community from future fires and other disasters.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Jack ``Yogi'' Bachtell of Millersburg Fire Company No. 1 in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. Mr. Bachtell has been a dedicated member of the Millersburg Fire Company since 1972. In addition to his role as a firefighter and driver, he held the positions of Assistant Chief and Head Trustee, a post in which he was responsible for all fire company property. Throughout his time with the organization, he has played a crucial role in protecting the community from the devastation of fire and other disastrous events. Mr. Bachtell's service and dedication to the safety of others extends beyond his time working for Millersburg Fire Company No. 1. He served in the Army from 1966 to 1972, deploying for two tours in Vietnam. His first tour was extended by twelve months and his second was extended by six months. Although he was prepared to return to Vietnam to serve our country for a third tour, Mr. Bachtell was discharged in 1972 due to the Army force reduction after the war. His unwavering devotion and bravery to defend our freedom is truly admirable. Mr. Speaker, for his service and commitment to protect both the people of Millersburg and the citizens of the United States, I commend Jack ``Yogi'' Bachtell.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Joseph A. Pierangeli, the former president of the UNICO Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Chapter. Mr. Pierangeli has served as a member of UNICO for 10 years. UNICO is the largest Italian American organization in the United States. Members seek to improve their communities by providing assistance to area and national charities through fundraisers and donations. Additionally, they strive to honor and educate others about their Italian culture and ethnic heritage. Currently, Mr. Pierangeli serves as the Chief Executive Officer of United Rehabilitation Services in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Penn State University, Mr. Pierangeli is a proud husband and father who plays an active role in many civic organizations throughout Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Mr. Speaker, for his dedicated service to both his Italian heritage and our community, I commend Joseph A. Pierangeli, former president of the UNICO Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Chapter.

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. I move to strike the last word.

Mr. BARLETTA. My amendment is simple. The amendment would say that none of the funds from the Office of the Secretary may be used for official reception expenses until the Secretary of Homeland Security fully implements the biometric entry and exit data system. A biometric exit system is already required by law. In 2004, Congress mandated the establishment of this system to track foreigners leaving our country. The 9/11 Commission recommended creating a biometric exit system as well. The creation of an effective exit system would keep our country safe because we would have a more effective way of tracking people who may pose a risk to our national security. Oftentimes, people speak of the illegal immigration issue as involving the northern, southern, and coastal borders; but as Boston showed us plainly, it involves much more than that. Nearly half of the illegal immigrants currently in the United States did not cross a traditional border. Rather, they arrived here on a legitimate visa, saw the visa expire, and never returned home. The truth is, if your State is home to an international airport, you effectively live in a border State. We know that 40 percent of illegal immigrants are visa overstays; but since we do not have an effective way of tracking who leaves our country, that number may be different. This amendment would withhold funds from the Secretary's reception expenses until the biometric exit system is fully implemented. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BARLETTA. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

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

Mr. BARLETTA. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).

Mr. BARLETTA

Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Rogers and Chairman Carter for putting together a bill that supports communities' ability to prepare for natural disasters in this very difficult fiscal environment. As chairman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over FEMA, I want to thank them for including all three of my committee recommendations in the bill: Thank you for continuing the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program, which saves money in future disaster assistance; Thank you for preserving the FEMA administrator's authority for directing Federal disaster response by limiting the role of the principal Federal official; Finally, thank you for funding the Emergency Management Performance Grants, or EMPG. With a 50 percent match requirement, EMPG grants leverage twice as many preparedness dollars as any other Federal program. For 60 years, EMPG has been focused on building local and State emergency management capability. There are plenty of programs that buy equipment and other things, but they won't do much good in a major disaster without qualified local emergency managers. We have all seen the photos of evacuation buses flooded and useless in New Orleans because they didn't have a good hurricane evacuation plan. Emergency managers develop the plans to get people out of harm's way and to bring help from outside to the disaster area. The EMPG program helps buy that capability, and FEMA needs to keep the EMPG grant guidance focused on building local government emergency management capacity. Again, let me thank Chairman Rogers and Chairman Carter for a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.