Andy Barr

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. I agree with you 100 percent. I would just mention, too, it is not just about the coal mining jobs and the coal miners who will lose their jobs. My district is mainly not a mining district. My district mainly is known for thoroughbred horses and bourbon distilleries and cattle, in addition to the University of Kentucky and the City of Lexington, but we do border the coal industry. What I do know about those senior citizens on fixed incomes or low- income folks who live in those noncoal-producing counties in my district is that their electricity bills are going to double or triple if this Clean Power Plan goes into effect. I have talked to the utilities. Over 90 percent of the electricity in Kentucky comes from coal. Coal keeps the lights on. Coal provides affordable energy. The estimates from the utilities is that, in a single year, folks who live below the poverty line are going to see their electricity bills increase by two times, maybe three times, and that is simply something that they can't afford. So this is an assault on low-income Americans, not just coal-mining families, but, also, fixed-income seniors and other low-income Americans.

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I would also make this point that this is the United States of America. In the United States of America, we solve problems through entrepreneurship, free enterprise, and innovation. We put a man on the Moon because we are Americans. We believe in freedom, and we believe in innovation. If there is a problem with carbon emissions and climate change, then we should solve the problem the American way, through fossil energy research. What we should not do is supply a Soviet-style, command-and- control solution from Washington, which will not solve the problem. What we need to be doing is exporting American technology to China and India and other countries that have inferior electricity-generating capabilities.

Mr. BARR. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding individual, Dr. Gayle Alexander, of Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Alexander, a part of the greatest generation, served our nation in the United States Army. Alexander grew up with a love for airplanes. He got his pilot's license at the age of fifteen, after just a few lessons. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Alexander volunteered and was accepted immediately into the Army Air Corps as a pilot. He was assigned to be a flight instructor, training other pilots for combat flying. After two years, Dr. Alexander finally got his wish to be a part of combat and was sent to England to fly B-24 and B-17 bombers that hit targets in Nazi-held Europe on a daily basis. He named his plane the ``Kentucky Kloudhopper''. Alexander spent much of the time flying a ``Mickey ship'' equipped with special radar and led other bombers to their targets. On one mission, he and his crew barely made it back to England with 308 holes in their plane, two engines out, and part of the tail missing. On his nineteenth mission, Dr. Alexander led one of the biggest raids of the war, with 1,200 bombers attacking a German oil plant. His plane was blown to bits just moments after dropping its bombs. Alexander struggled to deploy his parachute, reached the ground, and was immediately captured. He spent seven long months in German POW camps, where he received virtually no medical care and endured bedbugs, starvation, bitter cold, and long distance marches. He and his fellow POWs were finally liberated on April 29, 1945 by General George Patton and his troops. Dr. Alexander returned home on a hospital ship, weighing barely 113 pounds. Dr. Alexander eventually recovered. He became a veterinarian and had a long and successful career in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Alexander has shared a video of his war memories, his uniform, and other memorabilia with the American Air Museum in Duxford, England. The bravery of Dr. Alexander and his fellow men and women of the United States Army is heroic. Because of his courage and the courage of individuals from all across Kentucky and our great nation, our freedoms have been preserved for our generation and for future generations. He is truly an outstanding American, a patriot, and a hero to us all.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding individual, Mr. Algin Roberts, of Frankfort, Kentucky. Mr. Roberts celebrates his ninetieth birthday on July 26th, and I want to honor that special occasion by acknowledging his distinguished military service during World War II. Mr. Roberts, a part of the greatest generation, served our nation in the United States Army. Mr. Roberts joined the Army when he was just fifteen and he turned sixteen while crossing the Atlantic to fight. He was a member of the Army's 1st Infantry Division. They took part in the invasion of North Africa and Sicily. They were later sent to England for R&R and were a part of the D-Day invasion in 1944. Mr. Roberts' unit was among the first to land on Omaha Beach where the fighting was fierce. Mr. Roberts later came down with malaria and spent a long recovery time in England. After the war, Mr. Roberts returned home and became a Kentucky State Police officer where he had a long and distinguished career. The bravery of Mr. Roberts and his fellow men and women of the United States Army is heroic. Because of the courage of individuals from Franklin County and from all across our great nation, our freedoms have been saved for our generation and for future generations. He is truly an outstanding American, a patriot, and a hero to us all. On the special occasion of his ninetieth birthday, he and his family can reflect proudly on his contributions to the world through his brave military service.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding educator, Michael Godbey. Mr. Godbey leads Frankfort High School as its principal. Mr. Godbey's career as an educator spans twenty years. In this time he has served as an instructional assistant, bus driver, mathematics teacher, assistant principal, director of curriculum and instruction, and principal. Under Godbey's leadership, Frankfort High School has earned the classification of a Proficient and Progressing High School based on Kentucky's Next Generation Learner Accountability system. Frankfort High School was also ranked the Twelfth Best High School in the Commonwealth of Kentucky by U.S. News and World Report in 2014. Mr. Godbey was recently selected as the 2015 Principal of the Year for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This Award was presented by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). Godbey earned this award by his accomplishments in the education field over the years. His dedication to the education of his students is evident. Godbey earned his B.A. in Secondary Education from the University of Kentucky and his M.A. in Education from Eastern Kentucky University. Prior to his tenure at Frankfort High School, Godbey worked in the Danville, Kentucky Independent School district. He and his wife Claudia reside in Nicholasville, Kentucky with their sons Jared and Hayden. Education of our nations' young men and women is critically important. Mr. Godbey has exemplified strong leadership and innovation and is very deserving of the recent Principal of the Year award. Mr. Speaker, I applaud his creative talents and dedication in the education field.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and to note the recent passing of Kentucky State Trooper Eric K. Chrisman of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. On June 23, Trooper Chrisman was killed in the line of duty during a vehicle collision while responding to a distress call. Trooper Chrisman was 23 years old and had served on the force for only 6 months. The fact that in this year alone 64 law enforcement officers have already been killed while serving in the line of duty gives great testament to the dangers and challenges officers face every single day. Inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial are the words, ``Carved on these walls is the story of America, of a continuing quest to preserve both democracy and decency, and to protect a national treasure that we call the American Dream.'' Trooper Chrisman gave his life while striving to preserve democracy and decency, and I thank him for his service and his devotion to his community.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Church of the Living God in Winchester, Kentucky. This church is celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary in ministry on July 26th. Led by Pastors Thomas and Lela Hall and Mike and Angela Smith, this church is an important part of the Clark County community. Their ministry touches the lives of their members, others in the community, and people all throughout the world by the service and mission work that they carry out. I congratulate the Church of the Living God on their twenty five years serving God and impacting the region through the Lord Jesus Christ and I wish them a long and productive future in ministry.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding individual, Mr. Coleman Hatton, of Clark County, Kentucky, for his distinguished military service during World War II. Mr. Hatton, a part of the greatest generation, served our nation in the United States Army. Mr. Hatton left the comforts of home and family on December 26th, 1942 when he was twenty years old. He served as a Tech-4 in Company D, 23rd Battalion for twenty nine months. His service was in Central Europe, primarily in France, England, and Germany. Mr. Hatton served as a light tank crewman and was a driver. The light tank crew's job was to find the enemy and then draw fire for the big tanks. Mr. Hatton drove the lead tank directly behind the unit commander. He and his fellow crewmen took turns sleeping in the tanks while on guard duty. They went without hot meals for days at a time, ate C-rations, and sometimes visited nearby farms for eggs when they felt safe from enemy fire. Like many of his fellow soldiers, Hatton witnessed the horrors of war. He saw tanks get hit resulting in fires that killed all inside. He recovered bodies of dead American soldiers and some of these bodies had been desecrated by wild animals. He saw a Colonel's head get blown off. Hatton served our country admirably and bravely. Mr. Hatton survived his service and returned home February 14, 1946. He and his late wife were married for sixty six years. He has six children, fourteen grandchildren, twenty great grandchildren, and three great great grandchildren. The bravery of Mr. Hatton and his fellow men and women of the United States Army is heroic. Because of the courage of individuals from Clark County and from all across our great nation, our freedoms have been saved for our generation and for future generations. He is truly an outstanding American, a patriot, and a hero to us all.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the opportunity to speak in favor of this important legislation for jobs, our economy, transparency, and accountability. Free trade is critical for my constituents in central and eastern Kentucky. More than half a million Kentucky jobs are related to international trade, and expanding trade agreements will provide even more opportunities for job growth. Our State has a diverse economy that is synonymous with certain products, including coal, bourbon, and thoroughbred racehorses. We are a powerhouse of manufacturing, producing vehicles such as the Toyota Camry and even aerospace technology, which is the State's leading export category. To continue the growth in these signature industries, we need to establish fair and strong rules that hold other nations accountable for their unfair trade practices. We need to tear down barriers that block Kentucky goods from foreign markets. What does free trade mean for Kentucky? In 2013, 2 years after our last free trade agreement was completed, the car of the year in South Korea was the Toyota Camry, manufactured in my district in Kentucky. Let's be clear: The President already has the authority under the Constitution to negotiate trade agreements, but by passing TPA, we will ensure that Congress has the input into the final product and that America will shape the rules of global trade, not China.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Chair, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for her leadership on this issue and partnership in supporting this important and critical mission of our military to make sure that the United States warfighter in combat has the most advanced, lightweight body armor available to protect that soldier in the field against the enemy, and we must act now to make sure that the U.S. Army does what is the intent of the Congress. As the gentlewoman pointed out, despite the fact that Congress has been clear on this matter, despite the fact that report language for both the FY15 and FY16 Defense Appropriations measures recognize the importance of lightweight body armor protecting soldiers in combat, we encouraged the Secretary of the Army to ensure that the body armor industrial base was able to continue the development and manufacture of more advanced body armor by implementing the body armor modernization through a replenishment program. Despite all of that, despite the articulation of the clear will of this body, the Army has not used and deployed the funds appropriated properly, and the Department of Defense was at odds because the Army did not deploy the resources appropriated until, or expressed the intent of not deploying those resources until the end of the fiscal year. What this amendment will do is make sure that congressional intent is honored, make sure that the armor industrial base is properly maintained, and most importantly and most critically, when our men and women are called into combat to defend liberty and freedom, that we give them the tools that they need to keep them safe and carry out their mission with victory and honor.

Mr. BARR. If we do not act now to ensure that the body armor industrial base is able to continue the development and manufacturing of more advanced lightweight body armor, there will not be a capable body armor industrial base left in the future to fund.

Mr. BARR. I thank the chairman for yielding. I rise today to echo the concerns expressed by my colleague across the aisle from Minnesota in concern for our Nation's warfighters and our military base. As you know, the FY15 NDAA authorized and the FY15 Defense Appropriations bill provided $80 million for a body armor industrial base initiative in the Army's operations and maintenance program. However, the U.S. Army is not properly utilizing the appropriated funds in the manner Congress intended. Congress has been clear on this matter. Report language for both the FY15 and FY16 Defense Appropriations measure demonstrates that the importance of body armor is critical to protecting our soldiers in combat. Because of the Army's repurposing of these funds at odds with congressional intent and the safety of our troops, the Army and the U.S. body armor industry will lose the unique capability critical for meeting high-tech U.S. lightweight body armor standards. After the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must rehabilitate and replace used body armor to ensure the readiness and the safety of our troops in the field if they are called to serve in another conflict.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. To my good friend from Maryland, Dr. Harris, just a quick response. We are talking about State-licensed programs where the law enforcement officials in Kentucky can identify permitted land where this hemp is grown. If it is on an unpermitted place, whether it is otherwise legal industrial hemp or marijuana, it would be illegal if it is not on a permitted piece of property. So there is no conflict with law enforcement. But the fact of the matter is that last year the DEA delayed the seeds and delayed the planting of this legitimate, lawful, federally authorized industrial hemp project. This is about jobs. This is not about marijuana. In fact, as my voting record just demonstrated in the last series of votes, I voted against every single amendment that would have decriminalized or facilitated marijuana. This is not about marijuana. This is about low- THC industrial hemp, and it is about jobs.

Mr. BARR. In 2013, the Kentucky General Assembly passed Senate Bill 50, which exempted industrial hemp from the State's Controlled Substances Act but also mandated that Kentucky follow all Federal rules and regulations with respect to industrial hemp. So, last year, I was proud to support an amendment to the 2014 farm bill, sponsored by my fellow Kentuckian, Congressman Thomas Massie, which authorized State departments of agriculture in States where industrial hemp is legal to administer industrial hemp pilot programs for the purposes of research and development. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Pilot Research Program, in collaboration with my constituent, the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, has since facilitated through permitted farmers the cultivation of nearly 2,000 acres of hemp this year alone in Kentucky. Hemp is an important crop that holds tremendous commercial promise in Kentucky. In fact, former Speaker of the House Henry Clay was a large producer of industrial hemp. It can be used for food, horse bedding, animal feed, textiles, oils, lotions, cosmetics, rope, pharmaceuticals, et cetera. Just last week, I met with a very sophisticated partnership of entrepreneurs, tobacco farmers, botanists, and even former law enforcement officials who have put up their own capital to invest in permanent industrial hemp projects, which they believe can spark a very profitable business. This is about jobs.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding individual, Mr. Earl J. Morris, of Owingsville, Kentucky, for his distinguished military service during World War II. Mr. Morris, a part of the greatest generation, served our nation in the United States Army. Mr. Morris left the comforts of home and family on November 6, 1944 for Camp Shanks, New York. He then boarded a ship and left for the European Theater of Operations. He served in Belgium, France, Holland, and Germany. His unit first engaged the Germans on Christmas Eve of 1944 in Biren, Belgium. During the fighting in Europe, he and his fellow soldiers endured below zero temperatures, terrible snowstorms, hunger, fatigue, and heavy enemy fire. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium. In the Alsace Lorraine Sector of France, his unit fired across the Rhine into Germany and kicked the last Germans out of France. His 898th Division was awarded the French Coat of Arms for the Battle of the Colmar, one of the highest awards bestowed by France. After fighting in Holland, the 898th Division entered Germany, crossed the Rhine, and continued heavy fighting until the end of the war. His unit then began policing duty in Germany as the war ended in Europe. The bravery of Mr. Morris and his fellow men and women of the United States Army is heroic. Because of the courage of individuals from Owingsville and from all across our great nation, our freedoms have been saved for our generation and for future generations. He is truly an outstanding American, a patriot, and a hero to us all.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a true American hero, a part of the greatest generation, Mr. Clarence Ewell Maze, of Owingsville, Kentucky. He is to be commended for his distinguished military service during World War II. Mr. Maze served our nation in the United States Army. Mr. Maze, like many other brave young Americans, left the comforts of home and family and answered the call for duty with the United States military. His service took him to the European Theater of Operations. He fought the German Army in Belgium, France, and Germany. He and his fellow soldiers endured harsh weather conditions, fatigue, hunger, and dangerous enemy fire as they ultimately defeated the Germans. He spent time at the end of the war in Munich, Germany. Following his service in World War II, Mr. Maze returned home to Bath County. He started his own business, a garage and body shop. For Mr. Maze, this was a fulfillment of the American dream. He has been married to Bernice since 1946. He has a daughter Regina and a late son Ricky. Mr. Maze has been a faithful attendee at Polksville First Church of God ever since returning from the war. Mr. Maze is a true patriot, a good family man, and a servant of the Lord. Because of his courage and the courage of other brave young people from Owingsville and from all across our great nation, our freedoms have been saved for our generation and for future generations. He is truly an outstanding American, a brave patriot, and a hero to us all.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding individual, Reverend Guy S. McKenzie of Owingsville, Kentucky, for his distinguished military service during World War II. Reverend McKenzie served our nation in uniform from 1943 to 1946. Reverend McKenzie spent his early years in farming. At the age of 19, he enlisted in the United States Navy. Shortly after enlisting, he began a three year tour in the South Pacific. Not long after his deployment, Reverend McKenzie was assigned to the USS Houston. While the ship was traveling from Pearl Harbor to Formosa, now known as Taiwan, the ship came under heavy fire from the Japanese. It was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, cutting an immense gash in the side of her hull. As the ship was sinking, Reverend McKenzie thought about his life and wondered if these were his final moments on earth. He jumped in the water, began to pray, and promised the Lord that he would serve him for the rest of his life if he would be spared. After floating for some time in the ocean, the USS Loftberg came along and rescued McKenzie and the remaining survivors. Reverend McKenzie spent the rest of his tour of duty aboard the USS Loftberg. He was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1946 with the rank of First Seaman and returned home to his family. Two years after his return, he kept his promise and gave his life to the Lord. Ten years later, he began preaching. Reverend McKenzie retired after 26 years of pastoring. Because of his love, compassion, and caring service, he impacted many lives. Reverend McKenzie has been married to Joyce for 70 years. They have six children, eleven grandchildren, ten great grandchildren, and two great, great grandchildren. Reverend McKenzie is to be commended for his brave service to his country, his strong passion for the Lord, and his loyal life as a family man. Reverend McKenzie's bravery and that of his fellow men and women in uniform secured our freedoms for future generations. He is truly an outstanding American, a protector of freedom, and an inspiration to us all.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the University of Kentucky's Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, which was established in 1979 and is one of the original 10 National Institutes of Health-funded Alzheimer's disease research centers. The University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Center, ably led by Director Dr. Linda Van Eldik and her outstanding team of scientists and investigators, supports and facilitates research with a long-term goal of enabling more effective translation of complex scientific discoveries to intervention strategies that improve the lives of patients. The Sanders-Brown scientists are focused on understanding the mechanisms involved in development and progression of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and stroke, and are seeking new knowledge breakthroughs to combat these diseases of the elderly. This center also promotes education and outreach, provides clinical and neuropathological diagnoses and care of patients with cognitive impairment, and runs an active clinical trials program to test potential new therapies. These activities are critical because, with the aging of the population worldwide and in this country, age-related cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, are reaching epidemic proportions, requiring a desperate need to identify strategies for effective therapeutic intervention. According to a recent report, an estimated 5.3 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease, and that is in 2015 alone. This includes an estimated 5.1 million people age 65 and older and approximately 200,000 individuals under the age of 65 who have younger-onset Alzheimer's disease. Barring the development of medical breakthroughs, the number will rise to 13.8 million by the year 2050. Almost half a million people age 65 or older will develop Alzheimer's in the United States this year alone. To put that into perspective, every 67 seconds, someone in the United States develops Alzheimer's. By midcentury, an American will develop the disease every 33 seconds. Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and fifth leading cause of death for those age 65 or older. There is an enormous cost and financial impact of this disease. Alzheimer's is, in fact, the costliest disease to society. Total 2015 payments for caring for those with Alzheimer's and other dementias are estimated at $226 billion. Total payments for health care, long-term care, and hospice for people with Alzheimer's and other dementias are projected to increase to more than $1 trillion in 2050. So when we talk about reforming Medicare, when we talk about doing the things we need to do to save Medicare and keep our promises to our seniors, we have to recognize the critical importance and the return on investment that that investment in the National Institutes of Health can have. I say, in the debates about Medicare reform--and these are important debates--let's pay attention to investment in the National Institutes of Health and particularly the underinvestment in the research that goes on in places like the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. This can have an enormous impact on our ability to keep Medicare solvent and also improve the lives of so many Americans. So I call on all of my colleagues here to join me in thanking everyone at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging for their contributions to continue the fight against Alzheimer's and other diseases of the elderly.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on Earth Day, to recognize the great accomplishments of the largest company headquartered in my District, Lexmark International, in the field of sustainability. Lexmark, one of the world's leaders in creating innovative document management solutions for the public and private sectors, has committed itself from its inception over 20 years ago to being an unsurpassed steward of the environment. Conserving scarce resources has been the hallmark of Lexmark's approach to business. They have been leaders in driving more corporations toward better sustainability practices. They help organizations find solutions to conserve more and increase efficiency. These efforts include developing document management solutions that create less demand for paper and award-winning programs for the remanufacturing and recycling of used toner cartridges. For these bold business plans, Lexmark has received a wide range of environmental awards. These honors are an excellent reflection of the deep-seated commitment to environmental stewardship that permeates Lexmark, from the CEO to the salesman on the front lines. Corporate Responsibility Magazine, for example, has ranked Lexmark 35th in its listing of top U.S. corporate performers on a range of indicators including environmental protection and corporate governance. Kentucky is rightly proud of its environmental heritage. We come by the nickname the ``Bluegrass State'' quite honestly. It is a land of diverse environments and lush, abundant natural resources. To partner with companies like Lexmark, which do so much to conserve our environment while being a source of employment to thousands of Kentuckians, is a source of great pride. Mr. Speaker, it is a special privilege for me to be able to recognize the outstanding civic and environmental record compiled by my friends at Lexmark. I offer my congratulations for your tremendous successes and offer my encouragement to continue to lead in this area.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of the Aviation Museum of Kentucky. In 1978, a group of dedicated aviation enthusiasts founded the Kentucky Aviation Roundtable in Lexington, Kentucky, with the mission of preserving the legacy of the aviation and aerospace industries in the Commonwealth. Through dedication, persistence, and the support of several generous benefactors, the Roundtable achieved its goal with the opening of the Aviation Museum of Kentucky, on the grounds of Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, on April 15, 1995. Today, the Museum is an educational resource for central Kentucky: hosting exhibits, lectures, and events related to aviation and aerospace history, design, and engineering. The Museum's grand opening ceremony doubled as a reunion for survivors of the Doolittle Raid, honoring the airmen's sacrifices on April 18, 1942 as the first mission to strike the Japanese homeland following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Since that inaugural event, the Museum has continued to recognize men and women in the Commonwealth for their outstanding achievements in the fields of aviation and aerospace, establishing the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame in 1996. The Museum looks not only to the past, but also to the future, inculcating a love of flying and engineering in Kentucky's youth by hosting Aviation Summer Camps throughout the Bluegrass. These programs have benefitted 5,360 young Kentuckians, encouraging them to pursue careers in aerospace industries. Today, Kentucky's top export category is aerospace and the Commonwealth's universities are becoming leaders in the fields of manned and unmanned flight systems. The Aviation Museum of Kentucky helped foster this flourishing industry in our state and will continue to inspire future generations of aerospace workers in the Bluegrass. As the Representative for the Sixth District of the Kentucky, I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Aviation Museum of Kentucky. Furthermore, I encourage my fellow Kentuckians to visit and take pride in this institution and its preservation of the aviation and aerospace heritage of the Commonwealth.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month and to highlight the important work of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky. This organization is on the front lines to make sure that Kentucky's children are raised in a safe, loving home and are not abused, mistreated, or neglected. Their staff of eight train thousands of people annually. Their parent education groups, offered in every region of our Commonwealth, serve more than 10,000 people every year. Thousands of pinwheels will blanket the Commonwealth of Kentucky this month, all with the hopes of drawing awareness of child abuse and neglect in our communities, and there is much work to do. According to the most recent national statistics on child abuse, an estimated 1,520 children died from abuse and neglect in the United States, and that was in 2013 alone. An estimated 679,000 children were victims of abuse and neglect, and those are unique instances. Children in the first year of their lives had the highest rate of victimization, that of 23.1 per 1,000 children in the national population of the same age. Just under 80 percent of reported child fatalities as a result of abuse and neglect were caused by one or more of the child victim's parents. This is a personal cause for me. As the father of two girls and as the former president of the board of directors for Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, I am incredibly proud of the great work that this group is doing for Kentucky children all year long. I hope all of my colleagues will join me in thanking Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky and similar organizations around the country as we recognize the critical work of these important groups and as we recognize the importance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to thank the gentleman from Tennessee for his leadership on this very important issue, Mr. Fincher, for being a champion for affordability of housing and manufactured housing in particular. I want to thank all of my colleagues who are supporting this important legislation that I had cosponsored, the Preserving Access to Manufactured Housing Act, and it is a bipartisan bill, and that is important. Affordable manufactured housing is a key source of housing for many of our constituents, particularly those living in rural areas, including my district in central and eastern Kentucky, many of those individuals who could not otherwise afford to buy or even rent a home. Unfortunately, due to the regulatory requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act, many lenders have stopped offering loans for manufactured houses. The loans in question are generally fixed-rate, fixed-termed, fully amortized, small-dollar loans that have nothing in common with the bad mortgage loans that brought down the housing market in 2008; yet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has treated retailers of manufactured homes as ``mortgage originators,'' despite the fact that they do not originate loans. Furthermore, the small-dollar amounts of manufactured housing triggers high-cost regulatory controls since points and fees represent a proportionally larger share of a small-dollar loan than a larger 30- year mortgage on real property. These definitions increase the regulatory and liability burdens on retailers and lenders, driving them from the market and resulting in higher costs and reduced choice for prospective home buyers. In fact, due to the increased lender liability associated with this mortgage designation, some manufactured housing lenders have stopped making manufactured home loans entirely, and others have stopped originating manufactured home loans under $20,000, which is a typical price point. The legislation before us today does nothing to roll back existing protections against predatory lending, as has been said previously by my friend on the other side of the aisle, Congresswoman Sewell. H.R. 650 merely clarifies the definitions for mortgage originators in high-cost loans to correct an unfortunate consequence of these regulations that the Federal Government will be protecting homeowners right out of their homes. This legislation will reduce the bureaucratic red tape, increase access to affordable manufactured housing for American families, and let me just conclude by saying this in response to some of the arguments made by the ranking member. She made the point that manufactured home sales are increasing. Well, that is not an argument against this legislation. On the contrary, it underscores the extent to which Americans are relying on manufactured housing in the Obama economy and the need to preserve access to lower-priced, more affordable homes, homes such as manufactured homes, which commonly are available at lower monthly payments than what it cost even to rent. It also reinforces the need for this legislation because we need to preserve access to affordable housing. This argument, this canard that this is somehow rolling back consumer protections for lower-income homeowners, this is not true at all. This legislation does nothing to roll back consumer protections. I simply do not define consumer protection as a law that tries to protect people in a way that makes access to housing completely unreachable. That is not consumer protection. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan piece of legislation that preserves access to affordable housing and preserves commonsense consumer protections.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit for yielding and for his support of this legislation. I also want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have joined together to support this bipartisan legislation that makes a small but sensible legislative correction to a regulatory policy that we have all heard from our constituents does not work as intended. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to have worked with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) to reintroduce H.R. 1259, the Helping Expand Lending Practices in Rural Communities Act, or HELP Rural Communities Act, in this Congress. This legislation has now cleared the Committee on Financial Services in two consecutive Congresses with overwhelming bipartisan support. Furthermore, this Chamber approved identical legislation just 11 months ago by voice vote under suspension of the rules. Our Federalist system of limited government enshrines in the law the idea that State and local entities know their communities better than any centralized bureaucracy in Washington. The HELP Rural Communities Act reaffirms this commitment by addressing a bizarre situation resulting from the imposition of a one-size-fits-all government regulation that fails to consider the diversity of the cities, towns, and rural areas across America. The genesis of this legislation was a conversation that I had with a constituent, a third generation banker in rural Bath County, Kentucky. This constituent, Thomas Richards, was bewildered to learn that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau had designated Bath County, population 11,591--yes, that is the entire county--as nonrural. His family's bank had survived the Great Depression, the stagflation of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the Great Recession of 2008; and yet his testimony, Thomas Richards' testimony, this third generation Kentucky community banker, was that his small community bank in rural Kentucky was being imperiled by an avalanche of red tape coming out of Washington bureaucracy. There are similar stories from rural communities across this country. This nonrural designation matters because the Dodd-Frank Act acknowledges that rural areas may be underserved credit markets and so should be treated differently under financial regulations, thus an improper nonrural designation by the Bureau, such as Bath County, puts constraints on financial products, specifically responsibly underwritten balloon loans that a bank or credit union can offer in its community, reducing access to credit in rural America. Balloon loans are common throughout rural America because they offer flexibility to consumers whose incomes are often cyclical and dependent on commodities, while helping small community banks and credit unions mitigate interest rate risk. H.R. 1259 fixes the problem by ensuring that rural areas are treated under the law as intended, by allowing entities that feel that they have been improperly designated to appeal that decision. Here is what the bill does: H.R. 1259 creates a petition process in which individuals within a State could petition the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to have that area redesignated and to have the Bureau reconsider its improper designation of ``nonrural'' for the area that is plainly rural. The legislation specifies a number of commonsense factors that the Bureau must consider when evaluating an application. Upon receiving an application, the Bureau is to provide for a 90-day public comment period, and then grant or deny such an application within an additional 90 days. Whatever the outcome, the Bureau shall publish in the Federal Register an explanation of the factors it relied on in making its determination. The bill allows appellants to identify the area that is improperly designated. We don't want to lock people into using counties or ill-fitting census tracts that don't accurately represent the boundaries of their communities. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for his important contribution to this feature of the legislation. This element is important because county sizes and census definitions of statistical areas can vary significantly throughout the country, particularly in Western States. Recognizing the issue with its designation process, on January 29, the Bureau proposed a rule to expand its formula to include census tracts in addition to county lines in its rural designation process. Unfortunately, this administrative correction that was prompted by this legislation is still inadequate because census tracts are only updated once every 10 years and were designed for demographic data collection, not regulatory purposes. The result is that the Bureau's formula may now consider most of a rural county primarily farmland or wilderness to be rural, but the small town that would be home to the actual community bank or credit union may remain nonrural. I have already heard from Kentucky bankers in rural counties who would not be covered by this expanded designation. There are plenty of similar examples throughout the country of the Bureau oddly designating manifestly rural areas as ``nonrural.'' Furthermore, the Bureau still has not implemented an appeals process for improperly designated communities. Mr. Speaker, in summary, this legislation is about inviting individuals--the American people--to participate in their government and provide input on matters of local knowledge. It is about making the Federal Government more accessible, more accountable, and more responsive to the people who know their local communities best. I am pleased that this legislation enjoys bipartisan support and, again, want to thank Representative Hinojosa for joining me as a cosponsor of this legislation. I want to thank Chairman Neugebauer for his cosponsorship and stewardship of the legislation in committee, as well as my friend Congressman French Hill for joining as a cosponsor. This legislation is endorsed by a broad coalition, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, the National Association of Realtors, the American Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the Credit Union National Association, and the National Association of Federal Credit Unions. This is a commonsense and narrowly focused bill to address a real problem imposed by Washington on rural America. I appreciate the opportunity to present it here today, and I urge my colleagues to support this simple, bipartisan reform.

Mr. BARR

Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Kentucky YMCA by recognizing March 1st as Kentucky YMCA Day in Lexington, Kentucky. On March 1, 1890, the Kentucky YMCA was incorporated by an Act of the Kentucky General Assembly. For 125 years, the YMCA has supported families and communities across our Commonwealth through programs that promote youth development, healthy living, social responsibility, and that build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. Nineteen YMCA Associations throughout Kentucky proudly serve more than 367,100 individuals, including 160,000 children and youth as well as 32,700 seniors. They also provide nearly $7 million in financial assistance for families to participate in YMCA programs and membership. YMCAs mobilize almost 8,300 Kentuckians each year to volunteer and serve their local communities, including over 100 students in the Y- Corps service learning program who collectively perform over 1,500 hours of service. The Kentucky YMCA is home to the largest YMCA Youth and Government program in the country, providing thousands of middle school, high school, and college-aged students the opportunity to become better leaders and engaged citizens through the Kentucky Youth Assembly (KYA) and Kentucky United Nations Assembly (KUNA). The sixth district of Kentucky is proud to be home to 50 Student YMCAs and KYA/KUNA Delegations with over 1,000 student members, including my alma mater, Henry Clay High School. The mission of the Kentucky YMCA is to develop engaged citizens and servant leaders, inspired to stet change in their school, community, Commonwealth, nation, and world. The YMCA has and will continue to shape the future of the Sixth District and Kentucky. Therefore, I encourage all Kentuckians and my colleagues to observe March 1, 2015 as ``Kentucky YMCA Day.''