Jason Chaffetz

Mr. CHAFFETZ

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

Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, S. 1379 would grant the District of Columbia courts and Public Defender Service greater administrative flexibility in several areas. First, it authorizes the D.C. Superior Court and the Court of Appeals to hold judicial conferences either annually or biennially, eliminating the current mandate that they always hold such conferences each and every year. It requires magistrate judges to attend these judicial conferences. It authorizes the D.C. courts to delay judicial deadlines in certain emergency situations such as a natural disaster. It also allows the D.C. courts to be reimbursed by the D.C. government for certain office expenses, and it gives the D.C. Public Defender Service authority to purchase liability insurance for its attorneys, and changes the term for family court judges from 5 years to 3 years. Nearly identical legislation was approved unanimously by the House in the 111th Congress. There is no expected cost associated with the legislation. I would like to thank Senator Akaka for sponsoring this bill and guiding its passage in the other body. I would also like to thank our colleague, Ms. Norton, for her work in getting this legislation to the floor today. She cares passionately about D.C. and has nothing but its best interests at heart. We listen to that, we hear that, and in part, because of that, we support this legislation and encourage our colleagues to do the same. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, we urge passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1379) to amend title 11, District of Columbia Official Code, to revise certain administrative authorities of the District of Columbia courts, and to authorize the District of Columbia Public Defender Service to provide professional liability insurance for officers and employees of the Service for claims relating to services furnished within the scope of employment with the Service.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

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

Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Government Accountability Office is a great aide to the United States Congress. They help by auditing and examining government programs and reporting its findings to Congress. They serve a valuable position in the work that we do. The GAO is responsible for 102 recurring annual statutory mandates and receives over 700 additional requests each year. It's quite a demand on the resources that we've given them. This bill eliminates or decreases the recurrence of several GAO reports and auditing requirements for eight Federal programs or commissions. In recent years, we've been asking GAO to do more with less, as we should; but GAO will become more efficient by reducing obligations that once served an important purpose but now needlessly consume its limited resources. Eliminating these mandates will also allow GAO to more quickly respond to Congressional requests for assistance. GAO handpicked these reports as overly burdensome with modest benefits, and the related committees of jurisdiction concur. Senator Carper introduced Senate bill S. 3315, the GAO Mandates Revision Act, in June of this year, and the measure passed the United States Senate by unanimous consent in September. We urge all of our colleagues to support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3315) to repeal or modify certain mandates of the Government Accountability Office.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, we urge passage of S. 3315 introduced by Senator Carper. It is a good, commonsense piece of legislation. The committees of jurisdiction concur. It is bipartisan in its approach. We urge its passage. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Yoder), one of the cosponsors of the bill.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate Ms. Norton and Mr. Cleaver for this very bipartisan approach to something that should live in the memories of all Americans, the sacrifices that were given in this country to provide so much for us. As you know, the United States entered World War I in April of 1917 to support Great Britain, France, Belgium, and other allies. It was the first time that American soldiers went abroad in defense of liberty against foreign aggression. More than 4 million men and women served in uniform during the Great War. There were 375,000 American casualties during World War I, including 116,516 fatalities. The upcoming centennial is an opportunity for the United States to honor the sacrifices of these great Americans. H.R. 6364 creates a World War I commission to commemorate the upcoming centennial. The bill would establish a memorial in the District of Columbia to honor those who fought during the Great War. I would also note that there are no Federal funds that are attached to the building of this. H.R. 6364 was favorably reported by unanimous consent in the Committee on Natural Resources last week, and I again want to thank Congressman Poe from the State of Texas for introducing this piece of legislation and the numerous individuals on both sides of the aisle. It is a very bipartisan approach, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this piece of legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6364) to establish a commission to ensure a suitable observance of the centennial of World War I, to designate memorials to the service of members of the United States Armed Forces in World War I, including a National World War I Memorial on the National Mall in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, we're about to come up on a very important date regarding World War I, and this bill, sponsored by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), H.R. 6364, is a very worthy undertaking that the Congress, I believe, should enact. So in the spirit of that, I would like to actually recognize and yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga).

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated Border Patrol Agent and American hero who died tragically while working to keep America's southern border secure. In the early morning hours of October 2, 2012, 30-year-old Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie died near Bisbee, Arizona, while responding to a sensor in a remote border region. He died in the line of duty of injuries sustained from a gunshot wound. We honor his service and sacrifice to the security and safety of the American people. Born in Charleston, South Carolina on October 31, 1981, Agent Ivie later moved to Provo, Utah, where he graduated from Timpview High School. He subsequently spent two years in Mexico serving as a full- time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In Mexico, he not only developed a fluency in Spanish, but a great love of the people of Mexico. He eventually became certified as a firefighter and EMT because he felt it was the right thing to do. At the time of his death, Agent Ivie was living and serving near Naco, Arizona with his brother Joel, who was also a Border Patrol Agent. He died in a beautiful place among rugged terrain which he had frequently patrolled on his beloved horse and companion, Mouse. After joining the Border Patrol's horse patrol, Agent Ivie was assigned a new mustang that had been captured in the wild, according to his brother Joel. The horse's ears were rounded because the tips had frozen off in the cold, so he named it Mouse. Nick loved horses and had a special relationship with Mouse, the horse who rode riderless in Ivie's 5-mile funeral procession ahead of dozens of agents on horseback. Agent Ivie was an outstanding agent and, according to his family, a compassionate man. He once carried a pregnant woman with bare, badly- blistered feet for a mile and a half after she and her group of illegal border crossers became lost in the desert. He took his obligations to his family, friends and to his church, very seriously. He is remembered for his selflessness and his absolute commitment to family, country and faith. He also distinguished himself as a dedicated and accomplished agent who loved his job, his coworkers and his service to his fellow man. We honor the tremendous personal sacrifice of Agent Ivie's family. He leaves behind his wife, Christy Lyn and two daughters, 3-year-old Raigan and 22-month-old Presley. Those around him knew he had a deep love for his wife and called his daughters his pride and joy. We also recognize his mother, Cheryl, father, Doug, four siblings: Chris, Andrea, Rick and Joel, and his stepmother Donetta. Agent Ivie was the youngest of his five siblings. The United States of America is a beacon for freedom and liberty around the world because of the honorable and dedicated service of agents like Nicholas Ivie and his brother, Joel. The Ivie family has endured a terrible tragedy and made an extraordinary sacrifice on behalf of all Americans and we are forever thankful. Today, I ask all Members of Congress to join me as we honor the life and legacy of Border Patrol Agent Nicholas J. Ivie, as well as each man and woman in our Border Patrol, and all of those in harm's way supporting their efforts, who toil daily to secure our borders and maintain our safety. I also ask that we recognize the sacrifice and burdens these families endure in support of this great country. We owe them all our eternal gratitude.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

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

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 6324, the Cutting Federal Unnecessary and Expensive Leasing Act, or Cutting FUEL Act, of 2012 is a bipartisan piece of legislation introduced by Mr. Hanna of New York and Mr. Barrow of Georgia. With a $16 trillion debt, Congress and the Federal Government need to spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently and help reduce costs. Federal agencies currently own or lease roughly 660,000 cars, vans, sport utility vehicles, trucks, buses, and ambulances; and I'm sure there are a host of other items as well. During fiscal year 2011, the Federal Government spent roughly $4.4 billion to maintain and operate these vehicles, including $1.3 billion in fuel costs alone. During the last 5 years, Federal agencies purchased an average of approximately 68,000 new vehicles annually at a cost of roughly $1.5 billion per year. The Bowles-Simpson National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform recommended reducing the number of nonessential vehicles owned or leased by Federal agencies, other than the Department of Defense or the postal service, by 20 percent. According to some estimates, this proposal could save up to $500 million over the next 10 years. The Cutting FUEL Act would reduce the government's spending on civilian vehicle purchases and leases by 20 percent and would maintain that reduced level of spending for 5 years. This reduction would not apply to military or postal vehicles, and there is an exception provided for national security vehicles as well. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a good, commonsense piece of legislation, and we want to encourage Members to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6324) to reduce the number of nonessential vehicles purchased and leased by the Federal Government, and for other purposes.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the chief sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hanna).

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, but I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would hope we would be very bipartisan, at least here in the House of Representatives, in criticizing the United States Senate for not acting on what has passed in this House of Representatives. It is crystal clear from the record that it has been more than 1,200 days since the United States Senate has addressed and passed a budget. We have passed more than 30 bills that are directly related to jobs and the economy out of the House of Representatives, sit directly in the United States Senate and continue to not be addressed. I would hope that my colleague would join me in this bipartisan chorus to say this is ridiculous. We can't do the work of the people if the United States Senate doesn't actually do their job. I think I would agree in concept that, yes, there is work to do. Unfortunately, I don't see much of that happening over in the United States Senate. This bill, H.R. 6324, happens to be a good, bipartisan piece of legislation that reduces spending, something called for in Simpson- Bowles. It is a responsible thing to do. It sets the goal in the framework the agencies would need to comply with. It would save hundreds of millions of dollars, and yet we hear that, well, it's not a time to do this because we need to think about it more. We're paying more than $600 million a day in interest on our national debt. If you spent a million dollars a day every day, it would take you almost 3,000 years to get to 1 trillion. Since this President took office when we had $10 trillion in debt, we're now at $16 trillion in debt, and all they're concerned about is, well, you know, we've got to talk. We don't have time. We've got to act now. We've got to pass bills like this. It's irresponsible not to. We need to continue to call upon the Senate to actually do their job and engage in the people's work. The country will be better off. I encourage my colleagues to join in support of Representative Hanna's bill. It's a good, commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation with broad support. It's H.R. 6324, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yea.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I will be, under the general leave, inserting a couple of letters. One is from Frank Carlucci, former Secretary of Defense under President Reagan, who wrote us a letter saying: Leaving positions vacant indefinitely as appointees wait to be confirmed is not smart management and is frankly a threat to our national security. Also in support of this piece of legislation, a noted conservative Senator, former Senator Fred Thompson, took a position on this and said: I believe that this will result in an increasingly narrow pool of potential public servants who are more likely to be wealthy and already live in the Washington, D.C. area. That is if we don't pass this piece of legislation. He went on to say: In 1960, President Kennedy had 286 positions to fill in the ranks of Secretary, deputy secretary, under secretary, Assistant Secretary, and administrator; and by the end of the Clinton administration, there were 914 positions with these titles. As was noted by the gentleman from Texas, there is an argument to say a lot of these positions shouldn't even be in the Federal Government. But nevertheless, under the Constitution, the Constitution says under article II, section 2, the appointments clause--I'll cut right to the phrase I would like to refer to which is: Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper. Therefore, as I read the Constitution, we have a duty and a responsibility to review this and look at this. So here you have a situation where 79 Senators in a very bipartisan way came together after nine different commissions and looking at things and decided to trim it back a little bit. There will still be over a thousand Senate- confirmed positions. But if we want proper oversight, if we want to go through this process in a swift and timely manner, if we want oversight, let's focus on what's most important. What's most important probably doesn't require Senate confirmation for the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. How about the administrator of St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, or the National Council on Disability, or the Office of Navaho and Hopi Relocation? These are positions that, while are important to our Nation, and some would argue are vital, probably don't necessarily rise to the level that requires Senate confirmation. These should not just be used as political tools. This Nation has business at hand, and we should focus on what's important. Again, there are still more than a thousand appointments that will require Senate confirmation. But let's listen to our colleagues in the Senate. Seventy-nine of them came here and said we think this is good. There have been nine different commissions looking at this. I think it's a valid recommendation. It still allows for the advice and consent within the Senate. It is a duty under the Constitution to do this. I would encourage adoption of this. I think it is common sense. It is what our friends in the Senate are asking us to do with 79 Senators coming together to urge the adoption of this. And with that, I yield back the balance of my time. Frank C. Carlucci, McLean, Virginia, June 1, 2011. Hon. Harry Reid, U.S. Senate, Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC. Hon. Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate, Russell Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC. Hon. Charles Schumer, U.S. Senate, Hart Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC. Hon. Lamar Alexander, U.S. Senate, Dirksen Senate Office Bldg., Washington, DC. Dear Senators Reid, McConnell, Schumer and Alexander: I am writing to commend you for your leadership and bipartisan approach to tackling one of the great challenges facing our government--presidential appointments and nominations reform. There is little dispute that the current nominations process has grown too cumbersome and complicated, and the number of political appointees is too large. S. 679, the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act, and S. Res. 116 are a promising show of progress, and I encourage all Senators to support this bipartisan legislation. As former Secretary of Defense (under President Reagan), I know the importance of having high quality leaders in place within an agency. Leaving positions vacant indefinitely as appointees wait to be confirmed is not smart management, and is frankly a threat to our national security. We need strong leaders installed quickly in agencies to ensure our government is ready to meet the many challenges it faces. S. 679 and S. Res. 116 together present a common-sense solution that preserves the important role of the Senate in confirming key nominees, but unburdens the process by relieving the advice and consent requirement for less critical positions. Congress would be wise to act now, before the politics of the next election cycle get in the way of practical reforms to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our federal government. I urge the Senate to swiftly pass both S. 679 and S. Res. 116 to ensure our government has its senior leaders in place within agencies to carry out critical missions. Sincerely, Frank Carlucci.

Mr. CHAFFETZ

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

Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4365) to amend title 5, United States Code, to make clear that accounts in the Thrift Savings Fund are subject to certain Federal tax levies, as amended.