Steve Chabot

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I yield to the gentleman from Dayton, Ohio (Mr. Turner.)

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Burgess. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gibson).

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I say to Congressman Gibson, as usual, Steve LaTourette was right, although I think it is a fine jacket. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess).

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I know that we are rapidly approaching that time in which our time has lapsed for this Special Order here, and I think it is fitting that we had Members from both sides of the aisle who came to give a testament to how much Congressman Steve LaTourette meant to this institution--to the House of Representatives--that he loved so much. I know personally that Speaker John Boehner depended on Steve LaTourette. They were friends, but I know that Speaker Boehner relied upon Steve LaTourette in a lot of the tough decisions that one has to make as Speaker of the House of Representatives. That is something that wasn't necessarily known to the public, but I think it is important that his family know that--Jennifer, his wife; Emma, Henry, and all his children, his whole family. I know they know this, but it is important that they realize how important Congressman LaTourette was to this institution and how much he meant to us. It was also mentioned by some of our colleagues the rapier wit that he had. I had heard the term ``knuckleheads'' before--I probably called people that before and maybe was called that myself--but I had never heard the term ``chuckleheads'' before. That was something that Steve called some Members of this institution with whom he disagreed. I always thought that that was kind of humorous and something that will live in the annals of this institution. I would also be remiss if I didn't mention there were a number of Members on both sides of the aisle that wanted to be with us this evening but who had other things that they just couldn't get done with. We are back in session. We just, obviously, had a national election and this is the first time that Congress has been back in session since that election, so there are a lot of things happening all over the Hill this evening. I know that, for example, Congressman Jim Renacci and Congressman Steve Stivers, among others, have put written speeches in the Record which will appear along with the speeches that we have heard here this evening. Let me just conclude by letting the family know, Jennifer and the kids, that Steve LaTourette will be long remembered in this institution. He will really be missed. He is one who really made a difference, and he is somebody that I am honored to say that I was able to serve in the United States House of Representatives with, our friend, our colleague, Congressman Steve LaTourette. God bless him. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House Small Business Committee, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for his leadership on this issue. I am a cosponsor, and I strongly support passage of this legislation. The Department of Labor's overtime rule is yet another one-size-fits- all mandate out of Washington that will have severe negative impacts on small businesses and their employees. Countless small employers, including small businesses, nonprofits, and counties, simply do not have the profit margins or budget flexibility to increase the salaries of workers who are currently exempt to the new salary level. Not only is the 100 percent salary level increase too high, but the compliance timeline is far too short. With the December 1 deadline looming, small businesses are scrambling to figure out how the rule will impact them and what they need to do to comply to stay out of trouble with this Federal Government. According to a survey by Paychex, 49 percent of businessowners aren't even aware of the final overtime rule, which is rapidly breathing down their necks. Over the past year, the Committee on Small Business has heard from countless small businesses that share their concerns about the overtime rule. Many small businesses currently give their employees flexible schedules, pay increases when they can afford it, and offer career advancement opportunities because employees are the key to their successes. They want to treat their employees well. They don't need the Federal Government telling them to do that. The new labor rule would limit the ability of small businesses to provide these benefits, which would have a devastating impact on employee morale. Our committee members, and other officials, including the Chief Counsel for Advocacy at the Small Business Administration, joined small businesses in urging the Department of Labor to change course. In fact, the Chief Counsel for Advocacy sent the Department of Labor a letter that described numerous problems with the rule and recommended that small businesses be given at least a year or 18 months to comply. Instead, the Department of Labor finalized the rule without addressing small business concerns and made the compliance deadline December 1, providing barely 6 months to comply, when they said that they ought to have at least a year or 18 months. H.R. 6094, this bill, is critical because it will provide small businesses with 6 more months to figure out how the rule affects them, how to deal with it, and what changes they need to make to stay out of trouble with the Labor Department. I urge my colleagues to stand up for small businesses and support this bill. I would, again, thank Congressman Walberg for his leadership on this.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Knight), a member of the Small Business Committee.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Mr. Speaker, I would, first of all, like to thank my colleague, Ranking Member Velazquez, for, once again, working in a bipartisan and cooperative effort. That is one thing on the Small Business Committee we always try to do, and we have a very good working relationship. I want to thank the gentlewoman for continuing that on this bill and bills in the past and, hopefully, bills in the future as well. Relative to cybersecurity attacks, we have seen the United States under a legion of attacks in recent years. They happen virtually every day. The Federal Government itself has been hit a number of times. The Office of Personnel Management had 20-plus-million personal individuals who had their files hacked in the government. We have seen the Postal Service, we have seen the State Department, and we have even seen the White House hacked. So it is a big problem. Now, this happens to large corporations. We have had some of the largest corporations who have really taken it on the chin, and literally it cost them millions of dollars. Corporations like Target and you name it, they have really been hit. They generally have the resources that they can recover from this. As detrimental as it is to their business, they survive. When this happens to small businesses, it may virtually be the death knell for them. You may have families who no longer have their source of support because the business just can't take a hit like this. In my opening statement, I mentioned the person who knew the restaurant down the street that it happened to them. The businessowner wanted to pay his employees, and he couldn't pay them because his balance was zero. So this is a serious threat. The small business community needs help. This is a step in the right direction. Representative Hanna, whom we have all praised, really does deserve the praise because he took this and worked very hard to get this bill to the point where we are here tonight. Hopefully we are going to pass the bill. So I think this is a great piece of legislation. H.R. 5064 would offer much-needed cybersecurity support to America's small businesses. It would also better coordinate the Federal Government's overall strategy in helping small businesses to thwart cyber attacks. I would urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5064) to amend the Small Business Act to allow small business development centers to assist and advise small business concerns on relevant cyber security matters, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe), who is the chairman of Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies, which handles cybersecurity and a number of other very important issues.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is an honor to serve as chairman of the House Small Business Committee. It affords me the special opportunity of hearing directly from the very men and women who help drive our economy--America's small-business owners. At a hearing several months ago, a small business owner shared his personal experience with a serious cyber attack. He said: I logged into our bank accounts, and to my utter horror, I found that my balance was zero. This was a payday, and I was terrified that the paychecks that were issued that day would not clear. We were supporting a number of families, many of which live paycheck to paycheck and could not have made it without the paycheck we issued that day. I was also very worried about our business' reputation since a restaurant nearby had just bounced their paychecks, and the company never recovered from the bad publicity they received from not making their payroll. Stories like this show the real-world consequences of cyber attacks. Small businesses are at serious risk from a growing number of cyber threats. There is no doubt that the information technology revolution has provided small businesses with new tools and opportunities to compete in the global economy. However, technology changes mean hackers are coming up with more and more sophisticated methods to go after intellectual property, bank accounts, Social Security numbers, and anything else that can be used for financial gain or for a competitive edge. In 2015, the average amount stolen from small business bank accounts after a cyber attack was over $32,000; and according to a recent report by Verizon Enterprise Solutions, a shocking 71 percent of cyber attacks occurred in businesses with fewer than 100 employees. It is absolutely critical to both the economic and national security of this country that our small businesses have all of the necessary cyber tools to protect themselves from cyber attacks. Small businesses lack the resources to combat cyber attacks. The Federal Government needs to step up its game when it comes to protecting the cybersecurity of small businesses and individuals. That is why I support H.R. 5064, the Improving Small Business Cyber Security Act of 2016. This legislation will help small businesses that face cyber threats by providing access to additional tools, resources, and expertise through existing Federal cyber resources by allowing the Department of Homeland Security and other Federal agencies to provide assistance to small businesses through the Small Business Administration's non- Federal partners, the Small Business Development Centers, or SBDCs. This increased coordination will lead to greater cyber support for small businesses. I commend Mr. Hanna for his hard work on this legislation. He has done a great job as chairman of his subcommittee. Unfortunately, he announced his retirement, and he will be leaving us after this term. He has really done a tremendous amount of work for small businesses all over the country because he, himself, has been a successful small- business person; so he knows what the challenges are, and he has tried to put them to work in his years here in the House in helping small businesses all across the country. After all, 70 percent of the new jobs that are created in the American economy are created by small businesses, so they are absolutely critical. Again, I commend Mr. Hanna for his hard work on behalf of these folks. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5064. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hanna).

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2357, the Accelerating Access to Capital Act of 2015. I especially want to voice my strong support for the Micro Offering Safe Harbor Act, which is now an integral part of this bill and which I was happy to cosponsor when it was first introduced. I want to thank Chairman Hensarling and all of the folks on the Financial Services Committee for working on behalf of small businesses all across the country. I happen to chair the House Small Business Committee, as was mentioned. Small businesses are hurting across America. There is no question about that. Access to capital is a critical issue for America's 28 million small businesses. At the Small Business Committee, we like to acknowledge that every small business started with an idea. Those ideas can become jobs. In fact, those ideas create about 7 out of every 10 new jobs created in this country every year, but access to capital is the key ingredient. A lot of our existing laws and far too many Federal regulations make access to capital harder for small business. It is harder for them than it is for larger companies, larger corporations, and hedge funds. H.R. 2357 takes an important step in addressing this problem. By clarifying the law in a way that allows small businesses to raise capital through limited, smaller scale, nonpublic offerings, we are cutting through the red tape that has kept far too many new investors just out of reach from a lot of our small businesses. This legislation also addresses the unfair share of the Federal regulatory burden that our small businesses carry. At the Committee on Small Business, we hear countless examples of businesses that have to decide between meeting regulatory costs and meeting their payroll, and that affects many, many families, American families all across the country that depend on these small businesses. That is what happens when regulators don't consider the impact of what they are imposing on businesses of every size. A regulation that might be workable for a large company can prove devastating for a small business. The Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, which the House passed last year, addresses this problem. Today's legislation also fully recognizes that the Federal Government's regulatory approach cannot be a one-size-fits-all, especially where small businesses are concerned, and that is why I am here to support it. I again want to thank Mr. Hensarling and all the folks on the Committee on Financial Services for their hard work in this area. We have to do something about helping small businesses all across the country. The regulatory burdens that come out of this city, out of Washington, D.C., are killing companies all across America. They are killing jobs. Thank you very much for working hard on this legislation.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, the House Committee on Small Business, which I chair, has oversight responsibility of the HUBZone program. Our committee has not yet had the opportunity to hold hearings on the program to uncover ways it can properly be improved. It wouldn't be prudent to extend or expand the program until the committee has had the opportunity to perform its due diligence. I am committed to working in a bipartisan manner with our ranking member, Ms. Velazquez, and others to hold hearings and develop legislation to update and reform and improve the HUBZone program. I would therefore urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment, but I invite them all to share their ideas as we work through regular order in the committee process. That way we can be sure to take the action that best serves American small businesses and this country.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to Congressman Latta.

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

Mr. CHABOT. 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 the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening in honor of Delbert Latta, who served in this body for 30 years and who sadly passed away in Bowling Green, Ohio, on May 12. Del lived a full and productive 96 years, and he used that time very wisely. While I never had the privilege of serving with him here in this House, I think we all have felt the impact of the time that he spent here in Congress. Del Latta was a lot of things. He was an attorney, teacher, a leader, a competitive boxer in his youth, and a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Perhaps most of all, though, he was dedicated to serving the people of the Fifth District of Ohio, and he kept in touch with them on a very regular basis. He drove home every week. He was with his family. He was very much a family man. Congressman Latta, also known as Del, attended Findlay College before graduating from Ohio Northern University in 1943. While in school, he served in the Ohio National Guard, the United States Army, and in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves. Del was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1944, and began practicing law as well as teaching at his alma mater, Ohio Northern University. After several years in private practice, Congressman Latta was called to service again when he was elected to the Ohio senate in 1952. He would serve in the senate until 1958, when he was elected to the United States Congress. He did many things here. Probably the most significant thing was when he was ranking member of the Budget Committee, he accomplished, really, his crowning achievement at that time, which was the enactment of President Ronald Reagan's economic recovery plan. As those around in the late 1970s and early 1980s will recall, the Nation was mired in an economic morass when Ronald Reagan was elected. Stagflation, a combination of high employment and high inflation, had crippled our economy. President Reagan knew that the only way to escape this situation was to stimulate, through the private sector, economic growth. To achieve this, he proposed a combination of tax cuts and spending reductions, which would come to be known as supply-side economics. At first, many in Congress were skeptical of the plan, but Congressman Del Latta saw the promise that the idea held. So he began working with his colleagues from both sides of the aisle to draft legislation to build support for the plan. In addition to Del Latta, the other central player in the effort was Congressman Phil Gramm, then a Democratic Representative from Texas. Together, they would introduce two pieces of legislation to enact Ronald Reagan's economic plan: the 1981 Gramm-Latta budget and the Gramm-Latta Omnibus Reconciliation Act. A great deal of credit for that bipartisan support is due to the efforts of Congressman Del Latta. Del had great respect for his colleagues in the House and got along with people of every political persuasion. As a result, he was liked and respected by his colleagues on both sides of the aisle, making Latta the ideal person to build a consensus for President Reagan's economic package, which turned this economy around and this country around for the better. Latta and Gramm worked hard to build that consensus, and President Reagan's economic plan may not have been enacted if not for their efforts. They sometimes say ``the apple doesn't fall far from the tree,'' and I think that is the case with the next speaker here this evening, and that is his son, Congressman Bob Latta, who also goes home every week, works his district extremely hard, stays very much in touch, and I think also very important, he is respected by the people in this institution, again, on both sides of the aisle. He truly is one that people take him at his word. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, I rise reluctantly in opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Duffy). The House Small Business Committee that I happen to chair has jurisdiction over the SBA's HUBZone program. Our committee has not yet had the opportunity to have oversight hearings on the program during this session, and I don't believe it would be prudent to adopt this amendment until the committee has had the opportunity to perform its due diligence. In discussions with interested parties during the development of this legislation, I suggested language that would require the GAO to issue a report on Small Business Administration programs in Puerto Rico, including contract activities relating to HUBZone small businesses concerns. That language is contained in the underlying text. That report, coupled with committee oversight work, I believe, will ensure that what Congress ultimately does will, in fact, help Puerto Rico's small businesses. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chair, I claim time in opposition.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I want to thank her for her kind words to our now-colleague, Warren Davidson. As the two longest serving Members from Ohio, she and I have worked together for many years, particularly on matters important to our great State of Ohio. I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future. Mr. Speaker, Warren Davidson is an American success story. Born and raised in the great State of Ohio, Warren enlisted in the Army right after high school. While serving in Germany, he witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall. He impressed his superior officers with his dedication and leadership qualities and thus earned an appointment to West Point where he continued to excel, in fact, finishing in the top 10 percent of his graduating class. Upon his return to Active Duty, Warren's reputation as an outstanding officer earned him positions in some of the Army's most distinguished units: The Old Guard, the 75th Ranger Regiment, and the 101st Airborne Division. For many people, that would be a successful career. But Warren had more to accomplish. In 2000, he returned to Ohio to help out with the family manufacturing business. To prepare himself to run the business, he earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, where, not surprisingly, he graduated with honors. Warren brought the same work ethic and leadership abilities that he employed as an Army officer to grow and expand the family business. Since taking over the business, he has transformed it from a small shop with 20 employees to an enterprise now employing more than 200 people. Now Warren brings the lessons that he learned and the wisdom that he gained, both in the military and as a small-business owner, to the people's House, to Congress. Personally, I think that the House will benefit tremendously from his experiences, and I look forward--and I know you also will look forward--to working with him. With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome Warren Davidson, his lovely wife, Lisa, and their children, Zach and Rachel, to the United States House of Representatives.