Steve Chabot

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in closing, clarifying an ambiguous provision in law in a way that promotes small-business participation without creating any new burdens on contractors is a win-win. This provision helps contracting officers and large businesses better understand the law, aids small businesses looking to be subcontractors, and improves the quality of the data we use to make policy decisions. This bill deserves the support of the House. I urge my colleagues to vote to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4284. I thank the ranking member of the Small Business Committee, Ms. Velazquez, for working in a bipartisan manner on this bill, as we always try to do in the committee. I think we almost always achieve that goal. So I want to thank her for that. I want to thank Mr. Curbelo again for his leadership. I thank Ms. Clarke as well for working in bipartisan manner on this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, in closing, allowing the SBA to develop rational size standards for small farmers, rather than perpetuating a one-size-fits-all approach, simply makes sense. It will allow these farmers to access the appropriate SBA programs and helps ensure that regulations are properly crafted. The provision doesn't have any cost since SBA is already doing this for all other industries. This bill deserves the support of the House, and I would urge my colleagues to vote to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3714. Again, I want to thank the ranking member and the other Members that have been mentioned here today for their work on this important measure. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo), who is chairman of the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade.

Mr. CHABOT

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

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, allowing service-disabled veterans access to small business advocates in Federal agencies is simply common sense. Allowing those advocates the tools necessary to detect fraud is good government. This bill deserves the support of the House. I want to thank Mr. Hardy of Nevada for his leadership, Mr. Coffman of Colorado, Ms. Adams of North Carolina, and, as always, the ranking member, Ms. Velazquez, for her leadership in this matter and all the other bills we had today. I urge passage of H.R. 4326. I also want to thank the Speaker pro tempore for his time this afternoon. I particularly enjoyed his pronunciation of the great State of Ohio. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share in the grief of the Belgian people after yesterday's horrific acts of terror that claimed the lives of over 30 innocent people and injured more than 200, some of whom were Americans, and to lend my voice to a call for action. We, the Representatives of the American people, condemn the latest barbarity by the scum called ISIS. It should be clear to all that these terrorists are at war with the West. But are we at war with them? The actions by this administration at least thus far say no. These terrorist thugs will continue to rape, pillage, and murder until they are destroyed. The United States and our allies are long overdue in doing just that.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise in favor of this very important, I think, legislation sponsored by my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Johnson). I want to thank him for his leadership on this bill because it is a very pro-growth jobs bill. I think it is very important that we pass this. I happen to be the chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, and our Nation's brick industry is primarily made up of small, family- owned businesses that employ thousands of workers. In Ohio alone, brick companies directly employ more than 700 workers and ensure the livelihoods of thousands of other workers. Brick is used to construct, as we all know, residential homes and has been used to build some of our country's most iconic landmarks, such as Independence Hall, the birthplace of this great Nation. With the severe downturn in construction during the Great Recession, the brick industry suffered significantly and still has not fully recovered. The industry is operating at about 50 percent of its capacity and suffered a 45 percent job loss from 2005 to 2012. Now, small brick manufacturers are facing a costly new EPA regulation that may make it impossible for them to keep their doors open. That means those jobs would go away. Compliance will require many companies to remove and replace costly air pollution control equipment with new devices that may not be able to meet the new, stringent emissions standards. It is estimated to cost $4.4 million to retrofit two kilns--the average number of kilns in a facility--with the new pollution control equipment. While the regulation is being challenged in Federal court, it just makes common sense to delay the compliance deadlines until that matter is resolved. As chairman of the Small Business Committee, I urge my colleagues to stand up for small brick manufacturers and support this bill. This is a jobs bill. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson) for his leadership in moving this bill forward.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that my name be removed as a cosponsor of H. Res. 571.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman very much for his remarks. There are so many Members that have had an opportunity to speak here this evening. We only had an hour, unfortunately, and we would like to go on a lot longer, but our hour is nearly up. So let me just conclude by saying to Mike's family--his wife, Pat; his son, Elvis; and to his grandson, Max, whom he loved so much; and to all his family, including Jim Conzelman, his chief of staff, who was actually, let's face it, family, and to all the other family members--I think you all know by the testimony, the reflections, and the personal stories that you heard here this evening that Mike really was a beloved figure in this House, the people's House. He will be missed. He will be long remembered. We know that you all love him very dearly, and we loved him too. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman. We greatly appreciate the gentleman's comments here this evening. I now yield to another gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers).

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentlewoman very much for her very nice remarks this evening. I yield to another Buckeye, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), chairman of the Freedom Caucus and a dear colleague of ours.

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman. This is a bipartisan evening, so I would now like to recognize our colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott).

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman from Ohio for his very nice remarks. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida, Dr. Ileana Ros- Lehtinen.

Mr. CHABOT. I thank Mr. Scott for his tribute to our colleague and friend, Mike Oxley. I learned something here this evening. I did not know that I had Mr. Scott's brother-in-law's picture up on my wall. He was here in Washington 15 years ago or so, and I was like a kid meeting one of his heroes. I got a picture with him, and it is hanging on my wall. I yield to my colleague also from Ohio, Mr. Latta.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas).

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for his tremendous remarks here this evening. And we really do appreciate his recollection of his time shared up here with Mike. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan).

Mr. CHABOT. I thank the gentleman for his very poignant remarks this evening. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Barton). And one of the things that Joe Barton is known for--he is known for many, many things around here--but one of the things he is known for was when Mike Oxley was no longer the coach of the baseball team, he turned over the reins to Joe Barton.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I would 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 topic of this Special Order.

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mike Oxley, who served in this body for 25 years and who, sadly, passed away from lung cancer on January 1 of this year. Today would have been Mike's 72nd birthday, and he will be missed by those of us who had the pleasure and the honor of knowing him. I served with Mike in this House for 12 years, from 1995 to 2007, and I will always remember that time very fondly. Mike Oxley was a lot of things: an attorney, an investigator, a leader, a competitor, an avid golfer, and so many more things. He was dedicated to serving his community and serving the people of the State of Ohio and the people of our entire country. Mike graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1966. Speaker Ryan, my son, and many other distinguished people are graduates of Miami University in Oxford. Mike graduated with a degree in political science and obtained his law degree from Ohio State University. Following law school, Mike was a special agent with the FBI, working primarily in Washington, Boston, and New York. In that position, he learned a number of investigative skills that he would later use here in Congress. After his time with the FBI, Mike returned to Ohio and began a private law practice, but he was called to service once again when he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1972. He served in the Ohio House until 1981, when he was elected to Congress in a special election to fill a vacancy upon the death of Congressman Tennyson Guyer. Mike would represent the people of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District for the next 25 years. Upon his retirement from Congress in 2007, Mike continued to find ways to serve our Nation when he was in the private sector. He was a member of the board of trustees for the University of Findlay. He remained active at his alma mater, Miami University. Most recently, he was a senior adviser on the board of directors of NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. After being diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, a type of lung cancer usually affecting nonsmokers like Mike, he joined the board of directors of the Lung Cancer Alliance. He would dedicate much of his remaining time in fighting lung cancer, including serving as chairman of the Lung Cancer Alliance board, beginning in 2014. Mike was a very good man. He really was. He was a family man. In fact, his wife, Pat; his son, Elvis; his grandson, Max; and other families members; as well as his chief of staff, Jim Conzelman, are with us in the gallery this evening. As they know, he loved life. He had a very infectious laugh. He was a golf enthusiast. He loved sports of all sorts and regularly played pickup basketball with other Members. For many who served with him, we will never forget his dedication to the congressional baseball team and the baseball game. He viewed the game as a chance for Members from both sides of the aisle to put aside their differences and engage in a friendly contest of America's pastime, all while raising money for charitable causes. But that didn't mean he didn't want to win. He did. In fact, he was so dedicated to the game that he was always trying to recruit new players to improve the Republican's prospects on the diamond. Not surprisingly, in the eight games that Ox managed the Republican team, we beat the Democrats seven times. We have gone downhill from there. At times, though, Mike's competitive streak may have gotten the best of him. In the 1994 game, Ox was playing first base when then- Representative, now-Senator Sherrod Brown was racing to beat out a ground ball. As Ox reached for an errant throw, the two men collided and Mike broke his arm. You would think that might discourage him from playing in the future, but the very next year there was Ox taking the field again and leading the Republican team. That is who Mike Oxley was: a true competitor who never backed down from a challenge. Yet he approached challenges, whether it was the congressional baseball team or a divisive fight here on the House floor, with a positive, optimistic demeanor, a smile on his face, and usually a kind word for those in the opposition. Put another way, he would disagree without being disagreeable, which is an admirable trait and an invaluable skill in all areas of life. Here is what I will remember most about Mike Oxley: he was a friend, a colleague, and, more importantly, he was a decent, genuine family man who was gracious and well-liked by everyone who had the pleasure of serving with him. He will be missed. To Mike's wife, Pat, his son Elvis, his grandson Max, and the entire Oxley family, please know that those of us who knew Mike are saddened by your loss, but we appreciate the time you allowed us to spend with him here in the United States Congress. You are in our thoughts and our prayers. God bless all of you. There are many other Members who will be sharing some of their remembrances here during this Special Order. I would like at this point to turn to one of our colleagues also from Ohio who was a very, very good friend of Mike Oxley and just a great American himself, the gentleman from the great State of Ohio (Mr. Tiberi).

Mr. CHABOT. I include in the Record two eulogies that many of us actually heard personally given in Findlay, Ohio, when we attended a very wonderful service for our colleague, Mike Oxley, recently. These two specific eulogies are from his son, Elvis, and from Jim Conzelman, who is his long-time devoted chief of staff. [Jan. 5, 2016] Eulogy of Mike Oxley o-h-i-o My name is Michael Chadd Elvis Oxley, son of Patricia and Mike, husband to Jennifer, and father to Maximus Garver Oxley. I stand before you this afternoon to mourn the loss of and celebrate the life of my father. As the joke goes, ``How do you know if someone is vegan or does Cross Fit?'' They'll tell you. Bob Hope Beachboy Al Jardine Orville & Wilbur Wright General William Tecumseh Sherman Archie Griffin Wendy's Cooper Tire Marathon Petroleum Kroger Victoria's Secret You may have heard of these, they're from Ohio. And so was one Michael Garver Oxley. Everyone in this church knows, on average, between 300-500 direct or indirect accounts of where my father's golf ball landed, what club was implemented at the time, and the associated weather conditions, so I won't focus on that today. Looking back now, I see how supremely fortunate I am to have had Mike Oxley as my father. I can go to YouTube, LexisNexis or the Hancock County Historical Museum Oxley Government Center, click a button and see my father in action again. 99% do not have that beautiful blessing, and for that privilege I am thankful and humbled. However, if I may make one request of you when you have a chance: I want your personal stories. Not for attribution, not for publication. I want the insider view into my father from your perspective. I want meat. For instance, a member of the Real Miami staff reached out to me and said how charmed she was that rather than sitting at the big donor table, Dad sat with the staff to ask them about their Miami experience, and it touched her heart. A former Member shared with me yesterday that Dad politely brokered a meeting between him and a Committee Chair so that a public flare up would soon be quelled and that closure could be reached on an important issue. I know all too well where Dad's ball landed, or how the press statements were presented. I selfishly want this living history to be the very marrow on which I can chew when I miss him the most. I want more in a time when I have less. When my father was, so we thought, in his final days in October, Dad pulled me close and reminded me that I tended to get things wrong the first time, but the second time I got them right. He told me he loved me and was proud of me, which is all I could have ever asked for. My father and I had grown closer in my 30's once I had found the love of my life, earned my MBA, and started my own business--all things I did right the second time--our relationship elevated to a much higher level. The next day Dad awoke and decided it was time to have cataract surgery. By that afternoon, with renewed ability to clearly see his Grandson and Buckeye football, Dad had a new zeal for life and a new inspiration to get better. Thank you, Dr. Harry, for extending my father's quality and quantity of life. Quote: ``When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift-- that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies-- that's something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter-- that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body--it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed--that's the finest I know.'' ``So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I've got an awful lot to live for.'' Most of you may not know that quote because it is the third stanza after a much more memorable, pithy truth: ``Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.''--Lou Gehrig July 4, 1939. To me, there could be no more fitting parallel to Dad on so many levels. Dad's Bucket List was largely accomplished: Retired the Roll Call Trophy Visited most continents multiple times Propelled significant legislation in telecom reform, brownfield cleanup, spectrum auction, fractions to decimals, terrorism risk insurance, and anti-fraud. Mentored hundreds of aspiring politicos on both sides of the aisle. Raised countless funds for charities and fellow candidates. Rode an ostrich in Ohio, a camel in Egypt, and Air Force One with Reagan. Fostered the love of golf in his grandson. And shared all of these experiences with his life partner of 44 years. He did everything he could to enjoy one last reunion, one last round of golf, and one last embrace of his family. It was that fighting spirit for which he was known in life as he will be in death. I am so thankful for this outpouring of love and affection and on behalf of the Oxley family we sincerely appreciate you celebrating Dad's life today. This will not be easy for any of us for a while, but I know we will regularly convene over martinis (see thrus) in order to help one another through this. That would be Dad's will. On the night before he passed, my father texted me ``Are you awake?'' which indicated he wanted me to check in on him. This was a simple request to fulfill and I did. Retrospectively, I look at that one layer deeper. ``Awake'' in the ancient Greek is ``Gregorio'' and it takes on a more metaphysical definition--conscious, active, focused, vigilant. Thanks to you, Dad, I am awake. I am very awake.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of this bill and commend my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Collins) for his leadership on this very important issue. We all know that small businesses are the foundation of our economy, creating 7 out of every 10 new jobs in the American economy. That is how many jobs are created by small businesses Mr. Chairman, we also hear from small businesses from all over America, from our own congressional districts, that new and old regulatory burdens continue to make it more difficult for them to expand, grow, and create more jobs. The Constitution gives us the duty in the House of Representatives to provide for the general welfare. If we allow this scheme of sue and settle litigation to continue suppressing economic and job growth, we are not doing our duty. What is this sue and settle that we are talking about? Well, very quickly, it refers to when a Federal agency agrees to a settlement agreement in a lawsuit from special interest groups, oftentimes groups on the left, to create priorities and rules outside of the normal rulemaking process. The agency intentionally relinquishes statutory discretion by committing to timelines and priorities that often realign agency duties. Now, when agencies enter into consent decrees or settlement agreements and agree to issue new regulations, the rulemaking process is shortchanged. As chairman of the Committee on Small Business, I am particularly concerned that agencies are not adequately analyzing the impacts of new rules on small businesses, as is required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act. That is existing law. This results in unnecessary and costly regulatory burdens and disproportionately impacts small businesses, the job generators of this country. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for his leadership. Chris Smith has been in a leadership position on this issue since before Henry Hyde. He took up the mantle for Henry. So thank you for doing that, Chris. We appreciate that greatly. I have got a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks. It happens to be on January 22, which is the day that that horrific decision--the Roe v. Wade decision--was issued by the United States Supreme Court. On my birthday now, I can't help but think about all those who are not among us because their mother made a different decision than my mom made almost 63 years ago. Because of that decision, those little innocent unborn children aren't with us. My district is Cincinnati. We have had some of the original founding leaders of the pro-life movement there, especially Dr. Jack and Barb Willke, who passed away within the last couple of years. But they were the leaders. The torch has been taken up by people like Paula Westwood, who now heads up Cincinnati's Right to Life. As Mr. Smith mentioned, we have made some progress. I was honored to have been able to play a role in passing the ban on partial birth abortion, which is now the law of the land, as well as the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. When we consider the reprehensible practices of organizations like Planned Parenthood and what goes on there in their facilities all across America, it shows that we have a long way to go. As discouraging as it can get sometimes, we must never give up, never give up in our fight to protect the most innocent among us, the unborn.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chairman, I rise this evening in support of H.R. 1155, the SCRUB Act, and would like to thank my colleague from Missouri (Mr. Smith) for his leadership in this matter. Mr. Chairman, this legislation is aimed at decreasing the regulatory burden facing our Nation's small businesses. Small businesses account for 7 out of every 10 new jobs created in America today--7 out of 10. Unfortunately, overly burdensome regulations particularly impact small businesses. Oppressive Federal regulations are holding our small businesses back from growing and creating more jobs, and we all know we need more jobs created in this country. As chairman of the Committee on Small Business in the House, I hear from small-business folks every week from all over the country who are struggling under the weight of excessive regulations. In the West End of Cincinnati, for example, the Wegman Company is finding it next to impossible to comply with ObamaCare and SBA loan requirements. They say that reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens would allow them to focus their energy and time and resources on growing and expanding their business and creating the jobs that are sorely needed in Cincinnati. The SCRUB Act will create a bipartisan, blue-ribbon commission to closely examine the mountain of costly existing Federal regulations and target those that ought to be repealed. In particular, the commission will prioritize reviews of major rules, some that are more than 15 years old and that impose disproportionately high costs on America's small businesses. H.R. 1155 will provide a commonsense way to identify and repeal outdated regulations that unnecessarily and disproportionately burden small businesses. I urge my colleagues to support the SCRUB Act.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, this evening I rise to recognize the Walnut Hills High School Marching Band. They traveled to Paris last week to participate in La Grande Parade, which runs along the Champs-Elysees. La Grande Parade is the showcase event in Paris on New Year's Day and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators from all over the world. So it was a great opportunity to show the world just how talented our students in Cincinnati are. Only four bands from the United States--two high schools and two colleges--were selected to participate in this prestigious event. It is fitting that Walnut Hills was one of those four bands, as the Marching Blue and Gold have been rated superior for 13 straight years by the Ohio Music Education Association. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the students, parents, teachers, and supporters of Walnut Hills High School, one of the best high schools in Cincinnati, on this well-deserved honor. I know the students in the band put in a lot of hard work for this once-in-a lifetime opportunity. They have truly made our community proud. Go Eagles.

Mr. CHABOT

Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Major Michael Poche of the United States Army for his extraordinary dedication to duty and service to our Nation. Major Poche and his wife Stephanie will be moving on from his present assignment as an Army Congressional Liaison for the Office of the Secretary of Defense to serve as an officer in the Louisiana National Guard. Army Congressional Liaison officers provide an invaluable service to both the military and Congress. They assist Members and staff in understanding the Army's policies, actions, operations, and requirements. Their first-hand knowledge of military needs, culture, and tradition is a tremendous benefit to Congressional offices. Prior to serving as a Congressional Liaison, Mike served as a Military Congressional Fellow. During that year he also earned a Masters in Legislative Affairs from the George Washington University. A native of Monroe, Louisiana, Mike first joined the Louisiana National Guard in 1996 and subsequently earned his commission through the University of Louisiana at Monroe ROTC in 2004. During his 19-year Army career, Mike has served in numerous tactical leadership and staff assignments as an Armor and Cavalry Officer. As a platoon leader and troop commander, Mike commanded troops in Iraq over three separate combat tours totaling 35 months. His great work has not gone unnoticed. During Major Poche's distinguished service to this nation, he has earned awards and decorations including: three Bronze Star Medals, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, and four Army Achievement Medals. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize the selfless service of Major Poche, his wife Stephanie, and their three children: Kaley, Mari Katherine, and Evan. I wish them the best as they continue to serve our great nation and proceed to the next chapter in their remarkable careers.