Dave Camp

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, Robert John ``Bob'' Mesler, Jr., 87, longtime Midland resident, World War II veteran and retired Manager of Emergency Response for The Dow Chemical Company, passed away Wednesday, June 20, 2012, after a lengthy illness. Bob was born on January 4, 1925, in Cass City, Michigan, to Robert John Mesler, Sr. and Ethelyn Louise (Smith) Mesler. The Meslers moved to Midland from Saginaw in 1941. Bob was a January, 1943 graduate of Midland High School, where he played football and ran track. He began his career at The Dow Chemical Company immediately after graduation. Less than six months later, Bob was drafted into the U.S. Army, and after basic training, was assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program at Hendrix College, Arkansas. Bob married his high school sweetheart Margery Keicher on August 16, 1944, a month before shipping out to England, then to Belgium where he served in the U.S. infantry. During the Battle of the Bulge in January 1945, Sargeant Mesler was taken prisoner, escaping his captors at the end of April 1945, a few weeks before V-E Day. He was initially reported missing, and it wasn't until he had escaped that his family learned he'd actually been a POW. ``At the present, we live for the future, but we will long remember the past,'' he wrote home in an April 8, 1945 letter to his bride that vividly described his capture and treatment at the hands of his German captors, long marches and strafing by friendly fire. He was serious about remembering the past. Whatever it cost him in painful memory, he talked about those wartime experiences with generations of inquiring middle and high school students, as well as with those now-grown children of his fellow World War II veterans who perhaps hadn't shared their stories as candidly. Though he rarely claimed the distinction, Bob was proud to have served as a member of ``The Greatest Generation.'' With Marge by his side, he revisited the Ardennes battlefield in 1989, where he was impressed by a local memorial to his fallen comrades. ``It kind of finished off some unfinished business I had,'' he said upon returning home. Fifteen years later, Bob and fellow Midland veterans Max Bottomley and Bill Kennett--father of Midland Daily News reporter John Kennett--joined their fellow honorees in Washington, D.C. at the dedication of the National World War II Memorial. With his war service completed, Bob attended Central Michigan University, graduating in 1949, with a B.S. in Biology. He resumed his career at The Dow Chemical Company, capping his 40-year career there by retiring as Manager of Emergency Response. Always active in his church and community, Bob's civic efforts included two terms on Midland's Parks and Recreation Commission, the presidency of the Jaycees, and being district manager for then-Congressman William Schuette. A talented craftsman, Bob also worked on the crew that restored the Midland County Courthouse. Until recently, Bob was the Buildings and Grounds committee chair for St. John's Episcopal Church in Midland, where he had previously served terms on the church vestry as both the senior and junior warden, as well as being a Sunday School teacher and youth leader. An avid sports booster, Bob coached and refereed Little League baseball as well as coaching Pee Wee Football. Bob and Marge raised two sons; Jeff (Sheila) Mesler and Greg Mesler, both of whom survive him, as does Jeff and Sheila's son Kyle Robert Mesler. Bob's brother Garry (Jean) Mesler also survives him, along with nieces and nephews Kim, Liz, Kevin, Patti, Jim, Ethelyn, Mike, Lyn, John, Janette, Sherry, Mary and Bill. Bob was ``stand-in grandfather'' to Anna, Maria, Cate and Matt. His extended family, the ``Gang,'' includes Niki (Don) Beckwith, Max and Martha Bottomley, Gloria and Pete Lehman, Bill and Bonnie Kennett, Grace and Mike Merrell, Janet (Larry) Lang, Helen (Bob) Ward and Caroline (Al) Gunkler. Bob was preceded in death by his parents; and two brothers, James Russell Mesler and James Richard Mesler. Memorial Services will take place at 11 a.m., Monday, June 25, 2012, from St. John's Episcopal Church, The Rev. Rob Skirving and The Rev. Mike Wilson will officiate, with inurnment to take place in the church mausoleum. Bob's family will receive friends at the Ware-Smith-Woolever Funeral Home, 1200 West Wheeler Street on Sunday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider the Toni and Trish House or Shelterhouse. Full military honors will be presented by the Midland Area Veterans and the Department of the U.S. Army. The family would like to give special thanks to Bob's Midland doctors, to Dr. Washer of the University of Michigan, and especially Dr. Hafez of the University of Michigan, for all the special care they gave Bob. Thanks also to the staff of MidMichigan Home Care (Hospice) and Bob's special nurse Raime.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Highway Conference Report. This bill helps to provide the funding that cities and towns depend on to develop and maintain the infrastructure they need to attract businesses to locate in their communities and create jobs. However, given the current fiscal challenges facing our country, we must ensure that meeting those obligations does not further hamper an already weak economic recovery. This legislation reflects that effort and serves as a reminder that Washington must learn to live within its means. To that end, House Republicans ensured that the provisions in this conference report promote job creation and do not add to the national debt. First and foremost, the Conference Report rejects nearly $7 billion in tax hikes included in the Senate bill. From higher taxes on private investment in infrastructure to redundant and ineffective tax enforcement measures, House Republicans were able to prevent $7 billion in costly tax hikes on the nation's families and businesses during a time when our economy is still struggling to get back on its feet. In addition to preventing these job-killing tax hikes, the Conference Report also adopts necessary reforms to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation--or PBGC--resulting in greater accountability to taxpayers, the pension plans who participate in PBGC's insurance program, and workers who depend on PBGC to insure their retirement needs. Importantly, these reforms will also protect taxpayers from being on the hook for potential bailouts in the future. Along with these critical reforms, this legislation provides companies who sponsor pension plans with some important funding relief made necessary by the stagnant economy, while also requiring greater accountability and transparency so that resources are correctly accounted for and used in a way that puts workers first. Specifically, to address the failed policies of the Obama Administration that are squeezing employers and pension plans, there has long been bipartisan support for some form of pension funding relief. Liabilities in pension plans are often calculated by using an average of interest rates on corporate bonds over the prior two years. In response to an extremely weak Obama economy, the Federal Reserve has driven interest rates to historic lows and kept them there. Combined with plan investment policies, this has substantially increased the value of plan liabilities, resulting in ``a rising tide'' of required pension contributions (to quote a report by the Society of Actuaries). The pension funding relief provided in this conference report will allow companies to spread these skyrocketing required contributions over a long period of time, rather than forcing employers to divert resources in the near term from other business activities such as hiring, expansion or pay increases. Pension funding relief is necessary, but so too are reforms that provide greater protection, accountability and transparency to the workers who depend on the PBGC, and taxpayers who should not be called upon to bailout PBGC. That is why this Conference Report includes several necessary PBGC reforms that were not included in the Senate bill to protect against a taxpayer-funded bailout. Those reforms include: Disclosure requirements so participants in pension plans know of any shortfalls; Adjustments to PBGC fees, including for multiemployer plans, which currently pose the greatest risk to PBGC; Reforms to PBGC's governance structure; The establishment of a new PBGC Risk Management Officer; A required annual peer review of PBGC's insurance modeling systems; and The termination of PBGC's unsecured $100 million line of credit from the U.S. Treasury. Madam Speaker, we have passed nine extensions of the highway bill. Today we have an opportunity to put an end to the ``stop and start'' and take more significant steps toward a longer-term set of solutions. I urge my colleagues to join me in passing this Conference Report.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam).

Mr. CAMP. At this time I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Reichert).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Health Subcommittee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach), a distinguished member of Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. CAMP. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 679, I call up the bill (H.R. 436) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on medical devices, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CAMP. I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Jenkins).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Louisiana, Dr. Boustany.

Mr. CAMP. At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton).

Mr. CAMP. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. CAMP. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Paulsen of Minnesota.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I come to the floor today in support of H.R. 436, the Health Care Cost Reduction Act of 2012. This bill would repeal two of the harmful tax hikes contained in the Democrats' health care law: the medical device tax and restrictions on using health-related savings accounts for over-the-counter medication. The legislation also includes a provision that will increase flexibility for health care consumers who use flexible spending arrangements. All are fully paid for by recouping overpayments of taxpayer-funded subsidies used to purchase health care in the government-run exchanges. Notably, every one of these provisions has bipartisan support. As a result of ObamaCare, beginning in 2013, a 2.3 percent tax will be imposed on the sale of medical devices by manufacturers or importers. This tax will increase the effective tax rate for many medical technology companies, threatening higher costs, job loss, and reduced investment here at home. One study predicts that as many as 43,000 American jobs are at risk if this goes into place. A recent Washington Post piece by George Will reinforced the threat to job creation and investment, noting that Zimmer--based in Indiana-- is laying off 450 workers and taking a $50 million charge against earnings; Medtronic expects an annual charge against earnings of $175 million; and ZOLL Medical Corporation's CEO, Rich Packer, says the tax will impact the company's investment in research and development, stating that means fewer jobs for engineers. Plain and simple, this tax hike is a job killer, and it must be repealed. I commend committee member Erik Paulsen for introducing this legislation. Another ObamaCare tax increase, the medicine-cabinet tax, imposes new restrictions on the purchase of over-the-counter medications through tax-advantaged accounts used to pay for health care-related needs. Because of the Democrats' health care law, patients must now get a prescription from a physician if they want to use these accounts to pay for over-the-counter medications. The ban affects everyday lives. It prevents a mom from using her FSA in the middle of the night to buy cough medicine for her sick child without a prescription. It also leaves doctors saddled with unnecessary appointments to get a prescription so that a parent can use their FSA to buy Claritin for their son's allergies. One study estimates that even eliminating half of these unnecessary appointments could save patients time and the health care system more than 20 million visits each year, reaping a savings of more than $5 billion. These new restrictions must be repealed, and I'm happy that the provision introduced by committee member Lynn Jenkins is being considered today. The last provision is a new approach that allows consumers the freedom and flexibility to keep more of their money. Under current law, employees' FSA balances must be spent by the end of the year or they will forfeit any unused balance back to their employers under the use- it-or-lose-it rule. Such a rule encourages wasteful and needless spending at the end of the year. This legislation would allow participants to cash out up to $500 in FSA balances, and those funds would be treated as regular taxable wages. Allowing Americans to keep more of their hard-earned dollars in these difficult times is a commonsense goal that should be widely supported. This provision, championed by Dr. Boustany, is a commonsense one; and I urge its passage. Finally, I would like to take just a moment to talk about the offset for this legislation, asking those who receive higher tax payer-funded premium subsidies than they are eligible to receive to repay all of the overpayment. Let me be clear: this is a bipartisan offset. Increasing the amount of overpayments to be repaid was a proposal first put forward by congressional Democrats in the 2010 Medicare doc-fix legislation which passed the Democrat-controlled House 409 2. Such an offset was used again when the House passed and the President signed the 1099 repeal last year and more than 70 Democrats supported that bill. In fact, Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius said: Paying back subsidy overpayments makes it fairer for all taxpayers. This legislation, and the provisions included here, are supported by job creators big and small, patient advocates, senior organizations, and physician groups. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting these groups by voting for the Health Care Cost Reduction Act. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 436.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers).

Mr. CAMP. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Dold).

Mr. CAMP. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schilling).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Hurt).