Ryan Costello

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Devereux, a national nonprofit behavioral health care organization, on the opening of their new Autism Assessment Center in Downingtown. The center is designed to help families get access to an autism spectrum disorder assessment and diagnostic services. It will help families facing the uncertainties of an autism diagnosis and will also help individuals from birth live with the challenges that autism can bring. With more children than ever now being diagnosed, experts agree that early diagnosis and intervention for autism is critically important. Currently, receiving access to diagnostic testing can involve waiting lists up to 18 months. That is why facilities, such as Devereux, can provide an important service to Chester County and the greater Delaware Valley region. I am excited to soon be taking a tour of the facilities and want to thank President Robert Kreider, Vice President Carol Oliver, the board of directors, administration, staff, and volunteers at Devereux, all of whom provide compassion and excellence in care and advocacy for so many who may be disabled but, indeed, are very able--able to live meaningful, productive lives filled with laughter, learning, and productivity thanks in part to the good work done, day in, day out, at Devereux.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, at the heart of my congressional district lies Chester County, a community that relies on groundbreaking, thoughtful, probative reporting for its residents, a responsibility that the Daily Local News has filled for generations. For 20 years, Jim Callahan has served the Daily Local News and Chester County as a newsman. He calls himself an ``adjustable wrench'' in the news business, which means he has served a multitude of functions to make sure that our Republic, as locally constituted in Chester County, is well informed. Indeed, the hallmark of an engaged, robust democracy requires a well- informed citizenry; and to my constituents, as a journalist, Jim Callahan has served this function in exemplary fashion. One of his colleagues calls Jim an ``old school journalist, who enjoys teaching and working with young reporters,'' a breaking news junkie, and political nut. I would add that Jim possesses a great sense of humor, and he is as pugnacious a journalist as he is witty an observer. At his core, Mr. Speaker, Jim Callahan greatly values the importance of local journalism, and for that, Chester County is better off for it. Here in the United States House of Representatives--the people's House--and across Chester County, we want to thank you, Jim. Stay strong, my friend.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Conestoga High School Music Department and their great success in this year's music festivals. In 2015, Conestoga High School sent an impressive 32 students to the district chorus, band, and orchestra festivals; 19 students to the region chorus, band, and orchestra festivals; six students to the all- State chorus, band, and orchestra festivals; one student to All-Eastern Orchestra; and one student to All-National Orchestra. In addition, sophomore Jason Bassiliou's music composition has been selected as the winner at the high school level in the 2015 Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Composition Program. Under the dedicated leadership of department head Sue Dickinger, Conestoga High School Music Department represents among the best of Pennsylvania's Sixth District in the musical arts. Music is, in fact, an integral part of a student's curriculum, and I commend the students, their teachers, and Conestoga High School on an exceptional year in music.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this bipartisan solution to enhance passenger rail networks and strengthen this country's transportation infrastructure. Amtrak's Northeast and Keystone rail lines are a critical thread in the transportation fabric of my district in southeastern Pennsylvania. For me, Amtrak equals SEPTA, in many respects, as 90 percent of the 2,000 daily train rides along the Northeast corridor are regional commuter lines like SEPTA. This important legislation does something very significant, Mr. Chairman. It keeps revenues generated on the Northeast corridor for reinvestment along the Northeast corridor. It compels Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, and States to work together to develop and implement a 5-year Northeast corridor capital investment plan. For my district, it offers more promise for the Schuylkill Metro project, for the concept of utilizing existing rail beds known as the Green Line along route 29 in Montgomery and Chester Counties. And of course, it makes available more Federal funding for new train stations to replace aging train stations such as Paoli and Downingtown. I want to thank Chairman Shuster and Chairman Denham for their smart, reasoned approach and for their leadership in strengthening the passenger rail network. This is a great bill. It is great for southeastern Pennsylvania, and it is great for this country.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 111, meeting with constituents in office on matters involving Ukraine. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, bringing more accountability and transparency to our Veterans Affairs system is something Members of both parties can and should support. As a member of the Committee on Veterans Affairs, I believe this is an area where we can make immediate and substantive reforms that are supported by both parties. After months of being in the spotlight for scandal after scandal, after widespread and systemic lack of accountability, we all agree that we need real change in an effort to assist our Nation's veterans. H.R. 280 is one such piece of legislation that will help bring accountability to a Department where it is severely lacking. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of this legislation that will authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup bonuses and awards paid to employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA paid more than $380,000 in cash bonuses to top executives at 38 hospitals that are under investigation for falsifying wait times for medical care. At every twist and turn, these executives received a bonus, while so many of our veterans have been faced with long wait periods or failed care at VA hospitals around the country. It is disgraceful that employees would be benefiting while so many veterans are struggling. It is only right that we would authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to recoup many of these bonuses and awards in an effort to instill more accountability at the Department. In fact, it is common sense. If you receive a bonus under false pretenses, you should have to pay it back. I, along with so many other Americans, am asking the question, Where is the accountability? H.R. 280 will not only ensure our veterans receive the care they deserve and have earned, but it also promotes transparency and accountability where it is greatly needed. I want to thank Chairman Miller for his leadership and his work on this important issue.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition, but I do not intend to oppose the amendment.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, public education is overly burdened by standardized tests. Frustrated teachers and parents, not to mention students, are all saying the same thing: We need to do something about excessive testing in our public schools. Make no mistake, regular assessments in English and math are essential objective tools to measure achievement, but their impact has been worn down through an unnecessary maze of blue books and Scantron sheets that waste classroom time and prevent our teachers from doing their jobs. Let me illustrate the point at my alma mater, Owen J. Roberts High School. Prior to 1992, high school students would have a midterm and final test for some of their courses, and teachers would spend a day or two reviewing for these tests and a class period giving the tests. This would be approximately 5 hours per subject of instructional time for reviewing for and administering these exams. Currently, a member of the class of 2017 who is proficient already on Pennsylvania assessment tests will spend approximately 43 hours preparing for and taking three Keystone exams and the other high school assessment to prepare for college. A member of the class of 2017 who is not proficient on these tests during the first attempt could spend, minimally, 163 hours preparing for and taking three Keystone exams twice, completing three online PBA assessments, attending three classes of remediation, and completing the other high school assessments to prepare for college. The bottom line: it is too much. It is stifling. It is not conducive to fostering the intellectual growth we want to see in our students. This bipartisan amendment is a solution to many of the redundant, low-quality, and unnecessary testing that takes place. It will empower teachers and parents by giving existing Federal funding to State and local education agencies to develop curriculum plans to make the use of tests for the student. It also means quicker delivery of assessment data to educators and parents and a more qualitative analysis of how to shape curriculum for that student from the local district and parents, not the Federal Government. We need to stop teaching to the test and get back to empowering our children to think and succeed at the local level. I thank Chairman Kline for the opportunity to address this important issue, and I appreciate the efforts of Congresswoman Bonamici and her unwavering dedication to this issue of improving public education. She has been a delight to work with. I encourage my colleagues to join in favor of this amendment to be included in H.R. 5, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Rokita).

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo), a true champion of public education.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding southeastern Pennsylvania municipality celebrating its 250th anniversary. West Whiteland Township, Chester County, is a nearly 13 square-mile municipality that was incorporated in 1765 when the former Whiteland Township was divided into East and West Whiteland. Historians have noted that West Whiteland enjoyed an advantageous location in the Chester Valley, or Great Valley, and that the natural features were conducive to early settlement, agriculture, industry and developments in transportation. In 1855, it was described ``with its smiling farms and restful homes as looking like one vast and magnificent garden.'' Located near major transportation routes, such as the intersection of Routes 30 and 222 and the Downingtown Bypass, West Whiteland continues to attract new residents and businesses. The Township's population has more than doubled since 1973 to well over 18,000. Still, the Massey House--or Sleepy Hollow Hall--and the Zook House in Exton continue to stand as reminders of the Township's rural and agriculture heritage, as well as a tribute to the character of the Township's earliest residents. Township officials and members of the community will commemorate the 250th anniversary at the Chester County Library in Exton on Thursday, February 26, 2015. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in congratulating West Whiteland Township on its momentous anniversary and offering best wishes for continued prosperity, harmony and exceptional quality of life.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to shed light on an issue that many constituents brought to my attention. Tax Day is right around the corner, and as many folks prepare to file their taxes, they are having issues locating the proper forms. The IRS has notified local libraries--and even congressional offices like mine--that it does not have the money to distribute enough tax forms and instruction booklets so that taxpayers can file their returns accurately and on time. As a result, Mr. Speaker, seniors and those without access to the Internet are scrambling to find 1040 instruction booklets and tax schedules they need to accurately file their taxes. My office distributed nearly 40 tax instruction books and tax forms during a recent community office hours event in Lebanon County, and the demand continues to grow daily. Mr. Speaker, the IRS' claim that they can no longer afford to send tax forms to local libraries due to budget cuts is disingenuous. And while needing more than 40 pages of instructions to complete the least complicated tax return is proof enough for simplifying the Tax Code, it is no excuse for the IRS to make paying your Federal taxes an even bigger headache by making it more difficult for my constituents to get the documents they need. Let's get our tax forms where they are needed.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, one thing that is particularly of pride for organizations and individuals in southeastern Pennsylvania is the success of the Chester County Food Bank and many other food banks. Fighting food insecurity is something that you wouldn't think is a real problem in the more wealthier enclaves of this country, yet there are those who wake up every morning not knowing where their meal is going to come from. Food banks provide a very valuable service. The Fighting Hunger Incentive Act aims to assist our food banks and assist organizations and individuals to help fight hunger. That is what this bill is about. We should pass it, and we should move on in a bipartisan fashion.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of 2 bills that will bring tax certainty to small businesses and families in my District. It is legislation that will make a number of tax provisions permanent. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation. We have to fix the tax code for everybody--including hardworking small businesses and families. I have traveled my District and have heard from many small businesses and families who are looking for tax relief. H.R. 644--The Fighting Hunger Incentive Act will promote charitable giving which will benefit all communities. It encourages contributions to local food banks such as the Chester County Food Bank in Exton, by making permanent a food-inventory donation in our tax code. H.R. 636--America's Small Business Tax Relief Act will give small businesses certainty to grow and plan for the future. We can all agree on the fact that our tax code needs reformed and simplified. If we move to put these reforms in place we can continue to work towards comprehensive tax reform that is simpler, flatter, fairer, with lower rates for everyone.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because this House has an important job to finish, one that involves providing some certainty for our family farmers and property owners at all income levels. It is the conservation easement legislation, which will make the incentive permanent. It was sponsored in past sessions by over 300 Members of this House and by many Members in the Senate. The conservation easement incentive has enabled property owners across the country to voluntarily preserve their land. In some cases, the availability of the tax credit means the difference between keeping a family farm or selling it. In my time as township supervisor and as county commissioner in Chester County, one of my top priorities was preserving farmland and natural resources, but it required the collaboration and the financial wherewithal of the landowner. The conservation easement legislation that we seek to make permanent will enable more of that to happen. Organizations in my district, like the Berks County Conservancy, the Natural Lands Trust, the Brandywine Conservancy, and the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, have all been very, very helpful in making Berks, Chester, Lebanon, and Montgomery Counties great places to live and raise a family. Families cannot make long-term decisions with short-term extensions about what is probably their most important, valuable assets. So let's finish our job, Mr. Speaker, and commit to making this the year we make permanent the Federal conservation easement tax incentive.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, last week, my fellow Chester County Congressman, Patrick Meehan, introduced the Servicemember Assistance for Lawful Understanding, Treatment, and Education Act, otherwise known as the SALUTE Act. I want to praise Congressman Meehan for his leadership on this issue and speak a little bit about it in support of the SALUTE Act. It is going to help veterans overcome addictions and PTSD by providing yearly Federal funding for Veterans Treatment Courts. This is an opportunity for all of us to help troubled veterans break free of the cycle and get the help that they need. It is estimated that one in five veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq will experience a stress-related mental illness. Veterans Treatment Courts assist soldiers who are charged with nonviolent crimes and who are struggling with certain addictions or mental illnesses. Veterans Treatment Courts provide an opportunity for them to get their lives back on the right track and to not spiral down a track of addiction. Pennsylvania, as you may know, is a hub of veterans courts, as 18 counties have them. In fact, three counties that I represent--Chester, Montgomery, and Berks--have Veterans Treatment Courts, and I have seen firsthand as the Chester County commissioner how impactful and effective they can be. I have witnessed firsthand how important it is to the lives of returning veterans. So I share with you a quote that I received from Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan: These brave men and women have sacrificed so much to serve our country and protect our freedom. We owe it to them to help them when they return home. Veterans court provides the structure and support to address the unique needs of combat veterans who find themselves in the criminal justice system. It is our duty to thank our veterans by offering help as they readjust to civilian life. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the SALUTE Act, and I want to thank, again, Congressman Meehan for introducing it. When the time comes, I encourage my colleagues to full-heartedly support the SALUTE Act. It is commonsense legislation that will help our Nation's heroes.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, this week, we will take up legislation that helps combat one of the fastest growing, most despicable criminal enterprises in the world: human trafficking. In my home State of Pennsylvania, we had a reported 82 incidents of human trafficking cases last year and a reported 426 calls of human trafficking violations. I am pleased that late last year, Pennsylvania added itself as a State that enacted stricter human trafficking laws, as have most other States nationwide. Pennsylvania was also named as one of the five most improved States. Our work on this issue, though, is far from over. Legislation this week takes important steps in the right direction, by streamlining law enforcement resources. It enhances victim services, and it criminalizes those who knowingly advertise the commercial exploitation of children. It also allows Federal grants to support shelters for victims. I applaud the efforts of my colleagues in the House for raising awareness of this heinous crime, and I encourage bipartisan support of all of the human trafficking legislation that we are considering this week.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it was an honor to attend the State of the Union Address last night for the first time, representing the Sixth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. After listening to the President's speech, I hope that he will find common ground and work with Congress on a number of complex issues facing our Nation, including enacting job-creating policies for hardworking families, fixing our broken health care system, and reining in our out-of-control debt, and that is just to name a few. But unfortunately, there were a number of veto threats and proposals which amount to more government overreach into the lives of hardworking taxpayers. Americans are looking for Congress and the President to work together, not for the President to take a go-it-alone approach and repeatedly threaten use of veto power. We are not looking to grow our Federal government any further. That said, I agree specifically with the President's desire for improving cybersecurity legislation and creating more economic opportunity for our Nation's veterans. I disagree with his approach on other matters discussed, specifically, certain tax reform measures that will ultimately amount to a trickle-down tax increase on middle class Americans. I am confident we can find some common ground and adequately fund our Nation's transportation and infrastructure needs, and I look forward to doing that.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles as it celebrates 50 years of educating countless visitors about the important role Berks County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania played in the development of America's automobile industry. Before Detroit became the automobile capital of the world, Berks County was at the forefront of America's transportation revolution. Horse-drawn carriages yielded to electric and gasoline-powered vehicles test driven on the steep slopes and hairpin curves leading to the summit of Mt. Penn in Reading and other roads in the region. Thanks to the outstanding dedication and hard work of its staff and volunteers, as well as the generosity of its members and supporters, the Museum chronicles the ground-breaking contributions of automobile manufacturing pioneers such as Charles Duryea, who along with his brother, Frank, is credited with designing and producing the country's first hill-climbing, gasoline-powered vehicle and the first commercially-produced automobile in 1900. Founded by Paul R. Hafer and his wife, Ermine, in 1965, the Museum is home to fascinating exhibits and dozens of automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles that were manufactured in Pennsylvania. The community will help the Museum kick off a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary on Saturday, January 17th during a Golden Gala. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles as it celebrates this memorable milestone and continues telling the uniquely American story of how hard work, ingenuity and craftsmanship helped Berks County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania revolutionize how all of us travel.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, we were sent to Washington by our constituents to work together to encourage accountability, transparency, and limited government. Bigger government does not necessarily mean more responsive government, but it has come to mean more costly government. When our small businesses and entrepreneurs, the backbone of our economy, are forced to divert resources to costly new mandates, it means less capital for growing their business, less capital to hire more employees, less money to raise employee wages. Two statistics, to me, jump out. First, 64 percent of the new jobs created in this country in the past 15 years have been through small businesses. Last year alone, new regulations cost our economy $67 billion. We are going to be dealing with several regulatory reform measures this week, bipartisan pieces of legislation that will modernize the Federal rulemaking process and put more power back in the hands of job creators. We need to help those who are too often squeezed by regulation the most: small businesses. We need to give them a larger voice in the process. We need to be a country that continues to welcome new ideas and innovation, not a nation that overregulates from Washington and inhibits our full economic potential. I look forward to forthcoming regulatory reform measures to help streamline our government, get Washington out of the way, bring stability and certainty to small businesses, and help grow our economy.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Florida for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today to express my support of Congressman Tim Walz's Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. It is a privilege to serve on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and in this Congress, to work to improve the quality of life for our Nation's veterans, their families, and their caregivers. In the coming months, I look forward to working in a bipartisan, commonsense manner with dedicated Members and veterans like my colleague from Minnesota (Mr. Walz) to find solutions to help our Nation's veterans transition to civilian life. One of the most critical areas that we as a committee and Congress must work to establish is comprehensive, timely, responsive, and effective mental health care services for our post- 9/11 veterans, many of whom have served our country for multiple deployments in conditions not witnessed or experienced by any other generation of soldier. This bill first prioritizes bringing accountability to the VA. By bringing in a third party to conduct an annual evaluation within the Department of Veterans Affairs, we can better provide agency accountability by doing just this. Second, we must provide better access to mental health services for our veterans and their families. This bill does just that. Finally, it helps facilitate and increase awareness for peer and community support providers for our veterans and their families. This commonsense legislation works towards those priorities of providing an accountable and supportive VA for our veterans, in furtherance of helping veterans get the best treatment possible. So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense legislation to promote mental health support for our Nation's heroes and thank Congressman Walz for his leadership on this important legislation.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. ``Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behaviour, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.''

Mr. COSTELLO

Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the dedicated men and women who serve and protect our communities every day as members of police departments large and small. In recent months, we have seen chilling examples of how a lack of appreciation and respect for these men and women can rip apart communities and result in senseless and lethal violence. All of us would be well-served to remember that the men and women who pin on a badge every day are not just police officers. They are also husbands and wives; mothers and fathers; brothers and sisters; aunts and uncles. We should all recognize that police officers do more than just patrol our streets. They are part of our community. In light of recent events, it is important to express our gratitude and offer a simple ``thank you'' to the countless law enforcement officers who serve with valor and distinction. I had the honor of doing just this last weekend in West Chester, and again will have the honor of doing so this weekend in Berks County. Let us all be solemnly reminded that the Thin Blue Line is willing to risk their own safety so that our loved ones, our homes and our businesses are protected. So ahead of this upcoming weekend, I want to personally thank the efforts of retired Reading Police Lieutenant Michael Kurtz, Tricia Wertz--a widow of fallen Reading Police Officer Scott Wertz--and many, many others as the Berks County community will unite to show respect and in the spirit of building stronger, safer communities where all lives matter.

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania

Mr. COSTELLO of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it is an exciting honor to address the people's House for the first time.