Ander Crenshaw

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I want the gentlewoman to know that this is a very good amendment. I support it, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. CRENSHAW. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I just want him to know that I rise in strong support of this amendment. We have talked about the fact that the IRS has betrayed the trust of the American people, and if they are just going to circle the wagons, that is just going to raise more suspicion, so I urge adoption of this amendment.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, congressional oversight makes agencies both more responsive and more responsible. The Dodd-Frank Act authorizes the CFPB to fund itself by drawing money from the Federal Reserve to the extent that the Bureau Director deems necessary--necessary--that is all he has to say. Now, the Fed doesn't oversee the Bureau. They don't exercise any authority over it, but they must transfer whatever funds the Bureau requests, up to $600 million. And since 2011, the Bureau has diverted over $1.5 billion-- $1.5 billion--from the Fed, and those are funds that would otherwise be applied for deficit reduction, without any congressional input or approval of its activities. And listen to this: of that money that the Bureau has received, they are now planning to spend more on renovating and redecorating a building than the building is actually worth. The inspector general of the Federal Reserve, which has oversight of the Bureau, also found that the Bureau needs to improve its recordkeeping and controls around the government travel cards, purchase cards, conferences, information, security, and procurement. So section 501 neither abolishes the Bureau nor limits the Bureau's funding. Instead, it simply allows Congress and all Americans to understand what they do, how they do it, and how much it costs. Mr. Chairman, I urge a ``no'' vote. I would now like to yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano), my ranking member.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, accountability and transparency are good things. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Yes, Mr. Chairman, there is an objection.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law, and it constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and, therefore, violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' The amendment confers new authority. I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, this committee is not starving the SEC for funds. The SEC received an 11 percent increase in fiscal year 2012. They received an 8 percent increase over the sequester level in 2014, and this year, the SEC is asking for $350 million more than they received in 2014. That is a 26 percent increase over fiscal year 2014. Now, for fiscal year 2015, the committee recommends $1.4 billion. That is $50 million above the fiscal year 2014, and it is specifically for critical SEC information technology initiatives. Listen to this: since 2001, Congress has increased the SEC's funding level by more than 200 percent. Not many Federal agencies can say they have received that kind of increase the way the SEC has. Then you ask yourself: What did the Commission get for that increased funding? Well, the Commission missed the Madoff Ponzi scheme. They signed a no-bid lease for almost a million square feet of office space they didn't need, they produced inaccurate financial statements, they failed to conduct a serious and thorough review of the agency's bureaucratic and siloed structure in order to become more efficient and more effective, and they wasted over a million dollars on unnecessary equipment. I might add they have had some of their rules thrown out in court due to the lack of economic analysis. That is just to name a few of the embarrassing moments that the SEC enforcement and management has endured. This is not about a lack of funding. Throwing more money at the SEC is not the answer. We believe the Commission needs to get back on track to show real progress before we give them hundreds of millions of dollars of new money. The bill has targeted extra funding in areas of need within the Commission. That is information technology and economic analysis. Over the past 3 years, this committee has consistently supported the SEC's information technology funding. If we could upgrade the information technology systems they will be better able to leverage their resources, catch the bad actors, and provide the quality review that securities filings demand. The fact that this agency is fee-funded in no way diminishes the need for congressional oversight over the Commission's funding. The SEC, in summary, is not starved for resources. We can't buy a better regulator. Those are just nice talking points, but they are not really based on facts. I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I just want to remind everyone, as I pointed out, in a little over 10 years, the funding for the SEC has increased over 200 percent--200 percent. I think there is adequate money to do the job they were given to do. They just need to do it effectively and efficiently, like other areas of government are asked to perform. With that, I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CRENSHAW. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I am pleased to support his amendment.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment because it proposes to change existing law and constitutes legislation in an appropriation bill and, therefore, violates clause 2 of rule XXI. The rule states, in pertinent part: ``An amendment to a general appropriation bill shall not be in order if changing existing law.'' This amendment directly amends existing law. I ask for a ruling from the Chair.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the remainder of the bill through page 152, line 9, be considered as read, printed in the Record, and open to amendment at any point.

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, for yielding the time, and thank you for the work that you have done, along with Mr. Visclosky, to present what I consider to be a very strong bill. Mr. Chairman, when you look at the world today, it certainly hasn't gotten any smaller, and it certainly hasn't gotten any safer, but I think this bill balances the priorities that we need to balance and focuses on being able to meet the many, many challenges that we face in terms of our national security. I consider it an honor to serve on this subcommittee because, when I read the Constitution, it teaches me that the number one responsibility of the Federal Government is to protect American lives. The best way to keep America safe is to keep America strong, and I think this bill does that. We make sure that we are not making any short-term, budget-driven decisions that would be easy to make in these difficult economic times. The Navy decided that it would like to deactivate 11 ships. That is one half of our cruiser fleet. We don't need fewer ships--we need more ships--and I am proud that the subcommittee has worked out a compromise by which these ships will be modernized and their lives will be extended, and they will continue to do the work that they need to do around the globe. The people I represent back in Jacksonville, Florida, care greatly about national security. They care about the men and women in uniform, and they care about the men and women who work so hard to make sure the ships are repaired and the planes are flying in the sky. The other thing that I wanted to point out in terms of shortsighted, budget-driven decisions is that there was an effort to say there is not enough money to refuel the USS George Washington. That is one of our nuclear carriers. It has 25 years left of useful life if we spend the money to refuel that, and we are going to do that. That will also help us comply with the law that I helped write 8 years ago that says you have to have 11 aircraft carriers unless Congress says otherwise. Finally, when I look at the airplanes--the new E-2D Advanced Hawkeye--these planes are relatively new, but they are incredibly important to our national security. Again, the P-8 Poseidon surveillance planes are relatively new but are critical to our national defense. I thank the chairman and the ranking member for putting together such a strong bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I think most of the Members all know that, for the past 13 years, a competition takes place between the House Republicans and the House Democrats in a golf match known as the Congressional Cup. This year, the competition took place about 2 weeks ago, and I just wanted to announce to the Members of the House that the Republican team, by a score of 14-6, defeated the Democratic team, and the Congressional Cup will now stay in the possession of the Republicans for the third straight year. I also want to say, Mr. Speaker, that this event is used to raise money for an organization called The First Tee, which uses the game of golf to teach kids--a lot of kids from the inner city--about self- esteem, about building character, about honesty, integrity, hard work, and dedication. This event, over the years, has raised over $2 million for The First Tee. The organization is operating in all 50 States. They have reached 9 million kids over the last 10 years, and they have 17,000 volunteers that are involved. I just wanted to thank The First Tee, thank the sponsors, and thank the participants, and in particular, I want to thank my fellow teammates for their hard work and dedication for this stunning victory. Now, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth), the captain of the Democratic team.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the fine men and women who lead and operate the Commissary at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) has honored the Mayport Commissary with the Bill Nichols Award for the Best Large Commissary in the United States for the year 2013. The DeCA awards are named in honor of American statesmen who protected the commissary benefit and championed quality-of-life issues for the military community. DeCA Director and Chief Executive Officer Joseph H. Jeu stated, ``Achieving this honor has never been easy . . . To win, a store has to exceed our normal criteria for customer service, accountability, safety, operations, and sales . . . These awards highlight the best of what our stores do every day for our service members and their families.'' Additionally, this award demonstrates the importance of the commissary as a benefit to our service members who protect our freedom around the globe. It is a pleasure and honor to represent the great men and women who serve at the Mayport Commissary and to see them recognized for their service and dedication. The hard work of the men and women who serve in and around Jacksonville illustrate the importance of the First Coast to national defense, and reiterate that our community's efforts to be an anchor of national security.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, several years ago I had the privilege of employing a brilliant and dedicated young staffer named Francis B. Gibbs. Francis was one of my first campaign staffers and I was privileged for him to come with me to Washington as I began my congressional career in 2001. He was a trusted aide and a true friend who always gave me the straight answer. He left my office to become Legislative Director, then Chief of Staff for U.S. Representative Connie Mack and later served as Chief of Staff for the Florida Department of Transportation. Rooted in principle, Francis was an honest, committed public servant, friend to many, and devoted husband to LeAnne and father to children Couper and Riley. He faced a world of possibility and wasn't afraid to tackle challenges head on. So it was devastating when he received a cancer diagnosis that turned his world--and that of his family--upside down. It was a challenge that, despite every effort, he ultimately was unable to overcome. Francis passed away on May 17, 2013, at the age of 40, leaving behind grieving family and friends who could only ask themselves the age-old question: ``Why?'' Struggling with the ``why'' and feeling overcome by the pain that comes with losing someone you love so much can be debilitating. Our human nature tells us to withdraw from the world, to isolate and self- protect. And as hard as it is to pick ourselves up and carry on, it is the only way that beauty can be born from ashes. LeAnne Holdman Gibbs did just that. In the midst of her own pain, this extraordinary young widow and mother of two young children decided that she needed to honor Francis' wish for her and reconnect with the world after a year of cancer-caregiving. So she took a group of girlfriends on a trip to Florence, Italy, using the trip to renew and refresh, to rediscover passions, and to dream about her future. But it didn't end there. Before his death, Francis and LeAnne talked about how she might use her own experience to inspire other young women who were in a similar situation. As she began her own widowhood journey, she was surprised and frustrated to find that there were so few resources dedicated to serving young cancer widows who had been their spouses' primary caregivers. She was determined to do something about that, and has since dedicated herself to supporting such women. The concept for a not-for-profit corporation was born. With tremendous courage, hard work, and help from a core group of friends, LeAnne founded Fresh New Start, an organization ``that seeks to refresh and renew the young woman who has lost her husband to cancer and to offer encouragement and support as she both starts and endures her journey through widowhood.'' Fresh New Start will sponsor trips/ retreats for selected candidates and up to three adult friends to give other young cancer widows the opportunity to ``renew, refresh, and restart.'' The corporation will also serve these women by providing connections to other young cancer widows and additional resources for them and their caregivers. Fresh New Start officially launched on the first day of spring-- March 20, 2014. I am proud of LeAnne for honoring Francis' memory by launching Fresh New Start and offer my congratulations on the creation of an organization that will benefit many young widows for years to come and honor the legacy of a friend I miss dearly, Francis B. Gibbs.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the fine Sailors who have served on the USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG 49). On March 28, 2014, this magnificent warship will be decommissioned in Mayport, Florida. The ship and her outstanding crew have served tirelessly to ensure that America remains the preeminent naval power on the globe. The USS Bradley has served our Nation for nearly 30 years and has continually lived up to the ship's motto of ``Power to Prevail.'' True to its namesake, Lieutenant Robert G. Bradley--who was awarded the Navy Cross after dying in a heroic effort to save his ship, the USS Princeton--the USS Bradley and her crew have embodied selfless service, a trait so common in our outstanding men and women in uniform. While the ship may be decommissioned, the friendships and camaraderie this ship established on its decks will last for ages. It is a pleasure and honor to represent the great men and women who serve in the 4th District of Florida and to see them successfully complete the mission of the USS Bradley. Their hard work reiterates our community's importance as an anchor of national security. The Sailors of the USS Bradley can stand tall in the knowledge that their hard work and dedication has contributed to the most important missions of our Nation's defense and we are grateful for their tireless efforts and sacrifice

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute the fine Sailors who have served on the USS De Wert (FFG 45). On April 4, 2014, this superb warship will be decommissioned in Mayport, Florida. The ship and her crew have served tirelessly to ensure that America retains its status as the strongest naval power in the world. The Ship is named for Richard De Wert, a Hospitalman who was killed in action while aiding an injured comrade during his service in the marines. Hospitalman De Wert was awarded the Medal of Honor for this amazingly selfless act. Following in the footsteps of this great man, the USS De Wert has served our Nation fearlessly for over 30 years. I am so honored to be able to represent these great men and women who serve in 4th District of Florida and it is a privilege to commend them upon their completion of the mission of the USS De Wert. Their hard work illustrates the importance of the First Coast to national defense. While the ship may be decommissioned, I know that the ship's motto of ``Daring, Dauntless, Defiant'' will remain a guiding force for these Sailors wherever their lives may lead. The Sailors of the USS De Wert can stand tall in the knowledge that their hard work and dedication has contributed to the most important missions of our nation's defense and we are grateful for their tireless efforts and sacrifice.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Rose Conry, the Chief Executive Officer of StaffTime on receiving the 2014 overall JAX Chamber's Small Business Leader of Year Award. StaffTime is a minority-owned staffing solutions company located in the 4th Congressional District of Florida. In addition to the Small Business Leader of the Year Award, StaffTime has also been named one of the 50 fastest growing companies of North Florida by the Jacksonville Business Journal. As historical high numbers of Americans are finding themselves unemployed for longer periods of time, I commend StaffTime for leading the temporary staffing industry and providing a full- service approach, specializing in administrative, accounting, legal and customer service positions. Established only four short years ago, StaffTime has grown to a $2 million company employing four full-time employees with 20 consultants. Before becoming a small business owner, Conry worked in human resources for Jacksonville Surgery Center and CSX. She earned a bachelor's degree from Jacksonville University and is currently pursuing her master's degree in human resources at Webster University. She continues to be heavily involved in the community with memberships in the Society for Human Resource Management, Leadership Jacksonville, Women Business Owners of North Florida, and JAX Chamber. Small businesses are crucial to our nation's well being and the leaders who are paving the way during these difficult economic times need to be recognized. Conry's mission is helping connect individuals with meaningful employment; she is the American dream and she is helping others to live it as well. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and Members of the House to join me in this very special congressional salute to this Small Business leader, Rose Conry.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 75th anniversary of the Greater Beaches Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3270. Created in 1939, Post 3270 is Jacksonville's oldest continuous veterans organization. The First Coast is honored to have such a commendable organization that is committed to serving veterans, military families, and their communities. The Veterans of Foreign War can trace its roots back to 1898, when the veterans of the Spanish American War and the veterans of the Philippine Insurrection joined forces and founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their members who returned wounded and sick after serving their country. At a time when there was no medical care or pensions, our country's heroes were often left to fend for themselves. As such, these individuals were compelled to do something about it. Taking matters into their own hands, they banded together to form what is now known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. Starting out with only three chapters, the Veterans of Foreign War continued to grow over the years with more than 2,000,000 members today. They have been instrumental in establishing the Veteran's Administration, creating the GI Bill for the 20th century, and developing a National Cemetery system. I am honored to have such brave men and women in the 4th Congressional District of Florida. Not only have they served their country abroad, but they continue to serve their communities at home. Such service deserves praise and I wish them many more years of success. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and Members of the House to join me in this very special congressional salute honoring the Greater Beaches Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3270.

Mr. CRENSHAW

Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Jeffrey Levenson for his good will and compassion for his work with Surgical Eye Expeditions. As a practicing ophthalmologist for over 30 years, Dr. Levenson has dedicated his career to giving the gift of sight. At the age of 51, Dr. Levenson underwent cataract surgery to restore his own vision loss. Realizing firsthand the devastation of vision loss, Dr. Levenson reached out to California-based Surgical Eye Expeditions, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that recruits volunteer ophthalmologists to perform free, sight-restoring surgery throughout the world. In 2009 Dr. Levenson traveled to Peru for his inaugural trip performing multiple cataract surgery. Since then, he and his wife, Dr. Ilene Levenson, have traveled to Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexcio performing multiple surgeries for those less fortunate. In a typical week long trip the ophthalmologists are able to perform 20 cataract surgeries. While we are fortune here in the U.S. to have the latest specialized technology and equipment for cataract surgery, Dr. Levenson had to rely on a low-tech approach that he learned by watching other ophthalmologists online. And while this may have been more difficult to perform, Dr. Levenson has given the gift of sight to many patients that thought they would never see again. And with their appreciation his patients have thanked him in different ways, one from Peru giving him a goat and in El Salvador, two live chickens. Dr. Levenson has served our local community with pride, working with the Riverside Park Surgery Center, Baptist Health and St. Vincent's HealthCare in Jacksonville. In addition Dr. Levenson has worked with the Vision is Priceless Council, a volunteer nonprofit in Jacksonville that provides free vision and glaucoma screenings, eye-care education, and injury prevention. The Council's Cared Vision Program, ``Gift of Sight,'' provides cataract surgery for 20 people a year who are completely blind and unable to afford the surgery. Dr. Levenson serves as the Council's Medical Advisor and donates more than 100 services to the Cared Vision Program all while regularly volunteering at vision clinics throughout the community. Jacksonville is honored to have such an amazing humanitarian as a part of our community. The gift of sight is priceless and I commend Dr. Levenson on his compassion and his work to help those in need both at home and abroad. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and Members of the House to join me in this very special congressional salute honoring Dr. Jeffrey Levenson.