Geoff Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding an earmark I secured as part of H.R. 3326 (Conference Report). Requesting Member: Congressman Geoff Davis Bill Number: H.R. 3326 Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force Legal Name of Requesting Entity: American Freedom Fuels and Chemicals, LLC Address of Requesting Entity: 2704 Old Rosebud Drive, Suite 160; Lexington, KY 40509 Description of Request: Appropriate $3,920,000 for development of a single clean fuel for the Department of Defense (DOD). Seventy-four percent of DOD's energy consumption is for mobility. From sixty to seventy-six percent of total DOD petroleum product purchases are for jet fuel. JP-8, primarily used for air operations, makes up about fifty percent of the total fuel product purchased by DOD. A $10 per barrel increase in the price of oil adds $600 million/year to the cost of Air Force operations. The benefit to DOD and the taxpayer is reduced fuel costs, particularly for aviation. Additionally, development of a viable synthetic fuel has the potential to eliminate DOD's historic reliance on costly petroleum from foreign sources.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. In this time of record debt, high unemployment, and uncertain economic conditions, a focus on fiscal responsibility is critical--real fiscal responsibility, not words like ``commonsense'' but applying it in a real policy. For months, President Obama and the majority have talked about the importance of this responsibility, responsibility by tripling Federal spending and then saying we're going to have a freeze. The President has suggested a spending freeze, and we've heard a lot about bending the cost curve with health care reform. But, Madam Speaker, I think we all know that actions speak louder than words. The fine print in this so-called PAYGO bill is a $2 trillion increase in the national debt. Just read the bill and you see the truth. It's very different from the rhetoric that we hear. Instead of being true to their word, the majority has increased spending by an unprecedented 66 percent over the last year and pushed the deficit to $1.4 trillion in 2009, an 800 percent increase over the last administration. Instead of listening to the American people's pleas that Congress focus on the economy and jobs, they spent the last year pushing an unpopular, ineffective, and wildly expensive government takeover of health care. Instead of taking action on steps that would halt unsustainable spending in Washington, majority leaders are about to vote to increase our debt limit by $1.9 trillion, the largest one-time increase of the debt in the history of the United States of America. Madam Speaker, the American people are tired of tightening their budget and counting pennies while the Federal Government continues along a path of irresponsible spending, risky borrowing, and staggering debt. Washington has a spending problem. It's time to end it. And these days, it seems more like an addiction. Instead of more broken promises to cut spending and reduce the deficit, it's past time for President Obama and Democratic leaders to respond to the American people to end this tyranny of runaway spending in Washington.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the students, faculty, and staff at Ruth Moyer Elementary School in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Last fall, Ruth Moyer was named a 2009 Blue Ribbon School. The Blue Ribbon Schools program honors schools that are academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement at all levels. These schools are models for others throughout the Nation. I had the opportunity to meet students and faculty at Ruth Moyer and speak with them about their efforts to improve their school. The students and staff were unable to be here today in Washington to receive our congratulations because they are working hard in the classroom to uphold their high standards. However, the students in Mrs. Greene's class sent a distinguished ambassador to represent them in Washington. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming Flat Stanley from Fort Thomas, Kentucky, to the House of Representatives and extending our congratulations to the community at Ruth Moyer Elementary for their outstanding achievement.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Technical Sergeant Anthony C. Campbell, an Air Force Reservist and Cincinnati police officer from Florence, Kentucky. Sergeant Campbell made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation on December 15, 2009, in Afghanistan while serving with the 932nd Civil Engineer Squadron. Tony Campbell was a model citizen and patriot. His dream was to serve in the military and in law enforcement. After graduating from Boone County High School in 1992, he joined the U.S. Air Force. After active duty, he spent 10 years working as a pipefitter and Air Force Reservist before fulfilling his dream to become a Cincinnati police officer. Tony was recalled to active duty and deployed to Afghanistan in October of 2009. Today, as we honor the service of this exceptional Kentuckian, my heartfelt prayers are with Tony's wife, Emily, their children, Jordan, Ryker and Devin, and his loving parents. We are all indebted to Tony for his bravery, dedication, and willingness to answer the Nation's call to defend freedom.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Army SPC Bryan C. Florence of Louisville, Kentucky, who nearly lost his life on September 2, 2007 during an IED explosion in Baghdad. Specialist Florence is a true American hero and an exceptional Kentuckian who inspires us all with his strength and sacrifice. I ask that a poem penned by Albert Caswell in honor of Specialist Florence and his family be placed in the Congressional Record as follows: Bryan's Song Bryan's Song . . . Bryan's heart, beating loud! Beating long! Beating strong! A hero's heart, which to him now so belongs! Army Tough! Army Strong! To him, that heart of a hero which so beats on . . . Belongs, to such a fine young man . . . Kentucky Strong . . . Bryan's Life . . . Bryan's Song . . . A Thoroughbred . . . Finishing first, across that finish line of life . . . let it now be said! An Army man, who so proudly wears the uniform . . . who so can! All for God and Country, and Family, he went off to war . . . Into that the darkest face of death, but were his great burdens bore . . . Leaving all that he so loved . . . Ready to die if necessary, is that but not true love . . . and Heaven is for? All for us, while into the face of death he left! When, on battlefields of honor seen . . . Dashing there so in uniform, such a heroic figure convened . . . As the hand of death would so intervene . . . Reaching down, beckoning him . . . With one leg gone, somehow he held on . . . All for his fine wife, and future child to be born . . . As he now must move on, as we so see his courage full . . . courage strong . . . Within his heart beating so loud, beating strong . . . Listen and learn, from this sonnet . . . his Bryan's Song . . . A song of full hope and courage . . . who would not be discouraged . . . The words, of a hero . . . all of our souls words has nourished . . . As day by day, while all of that pain and heartache comes his way . . . As we so glean, what it so takes . . . to be a fine human being . . . As against all odds, in life and death's . . . in all his heartbreak left . . . In death and war . . . he writes his score . . . To rebuild . . . to so instill . . . trusting In God's Will! As his fine heart will not dismay . . . As he so shows us all the way still . . . A Florence of Arabia . . . Who went off to the Mideast . . . All on his most valiant crusade, to fight for peace . . . What, words in our lives have we so written? Heard all here in our living! And, if I ever have a son . . . I but hope and pray! What songs have we so sung as to this our world so given? He could but be like this one, this day . . . As Bryan's sung!

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Chair, on rollcall No. 957 I inadvertently voted ``aye'' when I intended to vote ``no.'' Amendment No. 8 Offered by Mr. Stupak

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, December 1, 2009, I was unable to vote due to my attendance at the President's speech on Afghanistan at West Point. Had I been present, I would have voted: On rollcall No. 911--``nay''--H.R. 3029, to establish a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in combined cycle power generation systems. On rollcall No. 912--``yea''--H. Res. 727, expressing support for greater awareness of ovarian cancer. On rollcall No. 913--``aye''--H.R. 3667, to designate the ``Clyde L. Hillhouse Post Office Building'' in White Springs, Florida.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the students, faculty, and staff at St. Agnes School in Fort Wright, Kentucky. St. Agnes was recently named a 2009 Blue Ribbon School. The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors schools that are either academically superior or that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement to high levels. These schools serve as models for others throughout the Nation. I recently had the opportunity to meet the students and faculty at St. Agnes and speak with them about their efforts to improve their school. Students and staff are unable to be here today in Washington with us because they're back in Kentucky working hard in the classroom to uphold their high standards. However, the students in Ms. Patti Conway's first-grade class sent a distinguished visitor to represent them in Washington, D.C. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming Teddy to the House of Representatives and extend our congratulations to all of the students of the St. Agnes community for their outstanding achievement.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition because of the tyranny that is being exercised by the majority to step in between the American people and their freedom to make their own health decisions.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, we all agree we need to improve health care quality and increase access, but this bill fails to do so. Republicans know health care reform can be accomplished without raising taxes for families and small businesses, without increasing the size of government, without cutting Medicare benefits. This week, tens of thousands of Americans traveled to Washington, D.C., to demand a health bill that would increase access, reduce cost, save jobs and keep the government out of our health decisions. Instead of listening, Democrats squelched over 45 health care bills in favor of a tyrannical bill that cuts senior benefits, creates 118 new agencies, boards and programs, kills jobs and raises taxes by $730 billion. Unemployment has reached a staggering 26-year high and Speaker Pelosi's health care bill will cost another 5.5 million jobs. Americans don't want reform that comes with higher cost and unemployment. This is a misguided effort by the majority, making it more complicated and expensive to create jobs. The Northern Kentucky Medical Society and thousands of doctors nationwide are opposed to this bill, H.R. 3962. They know that government takeover of health care will put bureaucrats between doctors and patients. We can craft responsible health care legislation, and that's exactly what my Republican colleagues have done in H.R. 4038, the Common Sense Health Care Reform and Affordability Act. Our substitute reduces premium costs for every American to make health insurance more affordable and accessible, without raising taxes and without cutting Medicare benefits on our seniors. Under our bill, insurance premiums are $5,000 cheaper per family than the cheapest Democratic bill. This bill takes waste and costs out of the system instead of adding to it. The Republican bill heeds the pleas of the people without spending $1.3 trillion, without killing jobs and without hurting seniors. Madam Speaker, H.R. 3962 is not reform; it is tyranny. Give the people health reform, health freedom, and kill this bill.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, today, Thursday, November 5, 2009, I was unavoidably detained from a vote series. Had I been present I would have voted: On rollcall No. 858--``yes''-- H. Res. 868, Honoring and recognizing the service and achievements of current and former female members of the Armed Forces; on rollcall No. 859--``yes''--Senate Amendments to H.R. 3548, Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009; on rollcall No. 860--``yes''--H. Con. Res. 139, Congratulating the first graduating class of the United States Air Force Academy on their 50th graduation anniversary and recognizing their contributions to the Nation; on rollcall No. 861--``yes''--H. Res. 880, Recognizing the efforts of career and technical colleges to educate and train workers for positions in high-demand industries.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, when we come to real health reform, we need to take cost out, not add it, as this monstrosity of a bill does. There is consensus in the House for real reform that would reengineer the Center for Medicare Services to bring it into this century, provide real private market reform, and end junk lawsuits once and for all against our doctors. But Speaker Pelosi permits none of this, squelching over 45 real health care reform bills that have been introduced. Instead, the Pelosi bill is based on a job-killing $800 billion tax on small businesses that the Obama administration says will cost 5 million jobs, cuts senior benefits by half a trillion dollars doing so-called reform on the backs of seniors, and creates 111 new government agencies. That is not reform. Let's stop this bill, go back to square one, and give the American people what they are demanding, which is the protection of their health freedom and real reform today.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I secured as part of H.R. 3183, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Geoff Davis Bill Number: H.R. 3183 Account: Corps of Engineers--Investigations Legal Name of Requesting Entity: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-- Huntington District Address of Requesting Entity: 502 Eighth Street, Huntington, WV 25701 Description of Request: Appropriate $1,793,000 for the Ohio River Basin Comprehensive Study, WV, KY, OH, PA, IL, VA, AL, TN, NY, MD, NC, MS & GA. Funds will help to complete the Reconnaissance Report and initiate the Feasibility Report. This project is an important use of taxpayer dollars because it is the first step in the development of a comprehensive analysis and strategy for the administration and management of the Ohio River Basin system. The project will eventually identify and document stakeholders and their needs for water resources products and services that are now or could be generated by the current system and will determine the current condition of the system infrastructure.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Paul Wiley of Taylor Mill, Kentucky. Mr. Wiley is a former U.S. Army aviator who now dedicates his time to organizing programs and events to benefit active-duty service members, veterans, and their families. In 2007, Mr. Wiley joined forces with the Moose Riders Club of Moose Lodge #1469 in Covington to raise funds for the A/101 Aviation Association Memorial Scholarship Fund. With support from local military units and the Sikorsky Helicopter company, their first fundraiser raised more than $16,000 for the scholarship fund. Mr. Wiley and the Moose Riders also sponsor the members of the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, a unit that deployed to Afghanistan in 2008. Over the summer, Mr. Wiley and his friends worked with residents and local businesses throughout Northern Kentucky and the Cincinnati area to help the soldiers have a little extra fun with their families while home on their 2-week furlough from Afghanistan. Through fundraisers and generous donations, Mr. Wiley's initiative ensured six soldiers and their families enjoyed a ``mini-vacation'' complete with donated hotel rooms, dinners, and tickets to amusement parks and museums. Currently, Mr. Wiley is busy spearheading plans for a January welcome home celebration to mark the return of the unit from Afghanistan. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding Mr. Paul Wiley, the members of Moose Riders Club, and all the people in the Northern Kentucky region who have contributed to this local effort to support service members, veterans, and their families.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Senior Special Agent and retired Lieutenant Colonel Kraig E. Hankins, a resident of Ashland, Kentucky. After more than thirty years of Federal service, Senior Special Agent Hankins is retiring from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to accept the position of Operations Officer and Training Manager with the Tri-State Airport Authority in Huntington, West Virginia. Senior Special Agent Hankins began his federal investigative career in Columbia, South Carolina, and has since held a number of positions both domestically and abroad. He has served as a senior instructor and Chief of the Academy Operations Branch at the ATF National Academy in Glynco, Georgia. Senior Special Agent Hankins has also held positions in ATF Field Offices in New Hampshire, Guam, and most recently, in Ashland, Kentucky, where he worked with bomb squads and investigators throughout the Commonwealth as a Certified Explosives Specialist. In 2008, Senior Special Agent Hankins retired from the USAF Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel after thirty-four years of service. He served in Operation Enduring Freedom as the Senior Designated Military Officer, Office for the Administrative Review of Detention of Enemy Combatants at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding Senior Special Agent Hankins for his distinguished career and offer our thanks for his service and sacrifice. I wish him and his family all the best as they enter this new chapter of their lives.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. This legislation provides up to 3 months' additional Federal extended unemployment benefits to long-term unemployed individuals in States where the unemployment rate is 8.5 percent or higher. That's on top of the 18 months of State and Federal unemployment benefits already available in places with unemployment at those levels. With the passage of this bill, folks who are unemployed could potentially receive up to 21 months of combined unemployment benefits. Right now, more than half of the States will benefit from this bill. An incredible 29 States are struggling with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or higher. In my home State of Kentucky, the unemployment rate is 11.1 percent, leaving more than one out of every 10 Kentuckians out of work. That's a staggering number. The fact that we're here today discussing a measure that will provide Americans with nearly 2 years' worth of unemployment benefits is yet another sign of the failure of this administration's stimulus plan to create jobs. Nothing establishes that more clearly than the economic trends in States like the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Since February, 2009, when the stimulus law was signed, almost 38,000 Kentuckians have been added to the unemployment rolls, and the unemployment rate has surged from 9.3 percent in February, to 11.1 percent today. Over the past year, nearly 123,000 Kentuckians have claimed emergency unemployment benefits after their traditional benefit allowances expired. Every week, between 800 and 1,200 Kentucky residents are running out of unemployment benefits. Earlier this month, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear sent a letter to the Kentucky delegation stating that the loss of unemployment benefits would be devastating to many families. It will only sink Kentucky further behind in the race toward economic recovery. State and Federal unemployment accounts are already drained, and we are headed for more than $100 billion deficits in these supposed ``trust funds'' by the end of 2010, with $200 billion deficits by the end of 2012. All of that spending will come at a huge price, which could require a doubling or more of State payroll taxes and possibly Federal tax hikes as well. Payroll tax hikes mean a tax on jobs--and ultimately on job creation--which brings us back to the real point: jobs. In February, the administration promised its stimulus plan would create 3.5 million jobs. We're still waiting. While the administration claims to have ``created or saved'' 1 million jobs, in the real world, Americans have witnessed the continued destruction of 3 million jobs since the beginning of this year. The administration promised with its stimulus bill that national unemployment would not exceed 8 percent. It's now 9.7 percent nationally, and the President has said he now expects it to exceed 10 percent by the end of the year. Earlier this month, Larry Summers, Chair of the President's National Economic Council, said that the level of unemployment is unacceptably high and will remain so for a number of years. It's time to provide much needed help and assistance to millions of Americans who are struggling in States with outrageous unemployment rates. They should not be made to suffer for the failure of this administration's policies that have failed to create the promised jobs. I support these extended benefits in H.R. 3548 to help long-term unemployed workers in Kentucky and other States where jobs are hardest to find. But we need to move beyond this secondary debate to the primary task of creating jobs, instead of undermining job creation. Until we do that, we're missing the point. What Americans want are jobs, not handouts from the government. But that's sure not what they're getting right now. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I will insert in the Record a recent article about an innovative and bipartisan Georgia program designed to help unemployed workers get back on the job quickly. The program is called Georgia Works. It allows unemployed workers to go to work for selected businesses for up to 24 hours a week for 8 weeks. Unemployment benefits serve as the workers' salaries and the State pays an additional stipend of up to $300 a month to cover child care, transportation, and related work costs. Employers win because they get to test out qualified workers they might hire. Workers get a solid foot in the door to a new job and maintain and build work skills. And taxpayers get lower taxes in the form of shorter unemployment benefits and a quicker return to work. This is a win-win program that other States would do well to replicate to help workers get back to work more quickly. Ga. Work Program Grows, Attracts Followers (By Christine Vestal) As states struggle to help legions of jobless workers find employment, some are seeking advice from Georgia, where a growing number of people are landing jobs as a result of free tryouts sponsored by the state unemployment system. The program, dubbed Georgia Works, is so simple that experts say other states should have no problem replicating it. ``It's a brilliant little program. There's no cost to the employer and the only cost to the state is a small stipend for transportation,'' said Don Peitersen, workforce director for the American Institute for Full Employment, which advises states on employment issues. ``I go out and actively recruit states to recreate the Georgia model,'' he said. Officials from at least 15 states have told Georgia's labor department they are considering the option. Started in 2003, Georgia Works allows people collecting unemployment benefits to work for selected businesses up to 24 hours a week for eight weeks at no cost to the employers. When not working, unemployment recipients are expected to search for other jobs. Unemployment benefit checks serve as the workers' salaries and the state pays for workers' compensation insurance when needed. The state also gives job seekers as much as $240 to cover child-care, transportation or clothing costs--a stipend slated to increase to $300 this month. All employers have to do is certify that they intend to immediately hire for the position and follow up with a performance evaluation, whether they hire the worker or not. Georgia considers the program valuable on-the-job training, but unlike other training programs, it is not federally funded under the Workforce Investment Act. As a result, Georgia Works is open to all job seekers, not just low- income, disabled or dislocated workers who qualify under federal rules. In addition, there is no need for participating companies to fill out reams of paper to be certified. In Georgia, no legislation was required to launch the unique program. Critics argue that the unemployment insurance system that funds Georgia Works was not intended to help businesses create jobs, but federal officials say they approve. ``It's an innovative program and it's a good one. We think it's a plus all the way around,'' said the U.S. Department of Labor's southeastern director Pete Fleming. Under the program, job seekers get a chance to show employers their skills and businesses can test prospective workers before hiring them. So far, more than 3,000 Georgians have landed permanent jobs through the program. With the recession creating a much larger pool of unemployed workers, Labor Commissioner Michael L. Thurmond aims to quadruple that number over the next year. ``Stimulus job creation is not sustainable. Georgia's economy will not rebound unless we jump-start private-sector hiring,'' Thurmond told Stateline.org. He said plans are under way to make Georgia Works the state's lead re-employment strategy by aggressively recruiting businesses to get on board and offering job tryout options to every job seeker. In its six years of operation, Georgia's program has grown primarily through word of mouth, with some job applicants proposing it to prospective employers as a way to get their foot in the door. Successful job seekers have also recommended Georgia Works to unemployed friends, and workforce agencies have proposed it to a small number of businesses and unemployment recipients. Under the expansion, Thurmond says the state will post signs saying ``Ask me about Georgia Works'' at all workforce centers, frontline staff will offer the option in initial interviews with job seekers, and a marketing campaign will target some 6,000 small- and medium-sized businesses across a broad spectrum of industries, including retail, hospitality, construction, manufacturing, transportation and public utilities. In the process, Thurmond says, the program will help struggling companies get back on their feet and start hiring. As in the rest of the nation, layoffs have subsided in Georgia, but thousands of jobs remain unfilled, in part because employers are uncertain about their economic future. Even as the number of jobless workers soared to nearly 15 million nationwide last month, some 2.6 million jobs remained open, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. By taking some of the risk and expense out of hiring, Thurmond says Georgia can leverage unemployment trust fund dollars to stimulate job growth. Instead of simply serving as income support, benefit checks become a job seeker's investment in new employment and an opportunity for companies to lower the cost of hiring and training. ``That's two for the price of one,'' Thurmond said. But advocates for workers say the unemployment trust fund was not designed to subsidize jobs. Instead, the insurance is intended to support people while they search for the best possible work. ``I don't buy the idea that pushing unemployed workers to fill just any opening is better than searching for a suitable job,'' said Andrew Stettner, deputy director of the National Employment Law Center, which advocates for workers. Still, some workers say they would rather get back to work quickly than live with the uncertainty and frustration of a drawn-out job search. Randall Crenshaw was one of those people. At 41, he lost his job of 22 years last January at hair-products company Goody Products, in Columbus, Ga. After two months of job searching, he said, ``I was in shock because I was used to getting up and going to work every morning.'' So, when his adviser at the employment center suggested he enter the Georgia Works program, Crenshaw jumped at the opportunity. ``There were about 50 of us in the room when he invited us to stay after class if we were interested in hearing more about the program. Only two or three people took him up on it. So many people got up and walked out. I was just amazed by that,'' Crenshaw said. Acknowledging the program is not for everyone, Thurmond says the soon-to-be announced expansion will set a goal of enrolling 10 percent of the state's approximately 200,000 jobless workers. With the program's historic success rate of placing more than 60 percent of participants in permanent positions, the program should result in new jobs for some 12,000 unemployed workers. Crenshaw got the job he tried out for at a home health-care company in Columbus, and his salary of $35,000 is only $2,500 less than he was making in his last job. He said he'd recommend Georgia Works to anyone. According to data from the state's department of labor, Georgia Works has helped lower the average amount of time it takes jobless workers to find new employment, reducing the draw on the trust fund by $6 million. After program expenses, including worker's compensation insurance and stipends, the net savings as of March 2009 was $3.7 million. The U.S. Department of Labor maintains state-by-state data on the average length of time unemployed workers remain on benefits, but allows states to set their own rules limiting the number of weeks each worker can receive a check. While experts consider average duration of benefits a measure of state performance in helping people find work, the availability of jobs is a bigger factor. Georgia currently requires participants in the Georgia Works program to have at least 14 weeks of state unemployment benefits left. That way, if they land a job during the eight- week trial, it will save the state money on benefits. But Thurmond says he plans to broaden the program to include people closer to the end of their state benefits and those already on federally funded extensions. In addition, the trial period may be shortened to six weeks, since most companies hire applicants they like in the fourth to sixth week, so they won't take a job somewhere else. Although stanching the drain on the unemployment trust fund is still a goal, Thurmond said he is more concerned about spurring private-sector hiring and reviving the state's economy. Georgia has been cited by two organizations--UWC Strategic Services on Unemployment & Workers' Compensation and the American Institute for Full Employment--for its innovative approach to helping people on unemployment benefits find work. ``We're in an unprecedented job market so it's a unique opportunity to see if we can make this work,'' Thurmond said. ``Oftentimes in government you have to step back and recalibrate. It's not so much a new idea, but an improvement on a good one. We're flying this airplane while we build it.'' The biggest objection Thurmond said he hears from other states and potential business partners is that the program sounds ``too good to be true.'' It involves scant paper work and a minimal investment. But simple, low-cost ideas are often the best. ``One of the great strengths of the unemployment insurance system is that states provide 50 separate incubators of innovation and change,'' Fleming of the labor department said. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, as I said in my opening statement, I truly urge support for H.R. 3548, to extend benefits to help long-term unemployed workers in States with the highest unemployment rates, which include my home State of Kentucky. We also need to redouble our efforts to focus on the task of creating jobs, especially like those that would be coming from allowing Americans to take an all-of-the-above energy policy to create jobs across the board. As our Democratic majority leader in the State House says, If we were to do that, we could have a third industrial revolution across the heartland. What Americans really want are jobs, not handouts. Even as we help those in places where jobs are the hardest to find, promoting job growth should be our broader goal and our number one priority as we move forward in this Congress. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 81, a resolution that recognizes the importance and sustainability of the United States hardwood industry and urges that the United States hardwoods and the products derived from U.S. hardwoods be given full consideration in any program that's directed at constructing environmentally preferable commercial, public, or private buildings. As the title of the resolution indicates, we feel it's important that Congress recognizes the importance and sustainability of U.S. hardwoods and the industry as a whole. This is especially imperative as Congress considers changes to existing or new programs and standards that include green building requirements or guidelines. Green buildings are designed to cut down on energy costs and encourage the use of sustainable or renewable resources to protect our environment. What better renewable resource than American-grown hardwood? Hardwoods meet both of these criteria and must be included in any congressional initiative that encourages or requires the construction of environmentally friendly buildings. In addition to playing a key role in green building, the hardwood industry is one that has created thousands of jobs in nearly every State and in hundreds of congressional districts. In Kentucky we have over 1,200 hardwood businesses alone, as well as over 100 in Kentucky's Fourth District. Two that I would point out would be GreenTree Forest Products in Fleming County, Kentucky, which employs hundreds of local people in the Buffalo Trace counties of central Kentucky and also harvests plants, sustains and renews its fiber hardwood products in that area; and Northland Corporation, a finishing operation that produces very high-quality hardwoods from the State and the region that are exported to the entire world as part of the global economy. At a time when unemployment has increased to a staggering 11 percent in Kentucky and 9.6 percent nationwide, it's crucial that we support the many small hardwood industry businesses that keep our communities going, create local jobs, and keep people employed. I would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Ellsworth) for working with me on this bipartisan resolution. I would also like to thank our 51 cosponsors for helping us to get this resolution to the floor, including my fellow Kentuckians, Congressmen Rogers, Whitfield, Chandler, and Guthrie. H. Res. 81 is an important statement acknowledging the environmental attributes of hardwoods, as well as the importance of this industry for jobs in our communities. I urge support for the resolution.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, we need to reform health care in this country, but the Democratic plan doesn't do that. The Democratic health bill doesn't reduce costs or inefficiency. In fact, it increases taxes by over $1 trillion, and it cuts provider payments substantially. Indeed, it forces tens of millions of people off of the private plans that they're satisfied with into a government-run plan. In fact, it creates 53 new Federal agencies or boards, tripling the size of the current government health care system. That is not a move in the right direction. Is this plan good enough for Democratic leadership? Apparently not. In the Ways and Means Committee, we offered amendments to mandate that all Members of Congress would have to be under the government-run plan. The response from Democratic leadership was that that wouldn't be fair to the families of Congressmen. Well, I've got something to say to this, Mr. Speaker. If it's not fair to the families of Congressmen, it's not fair to Americans who work hard and who actually pay their taxes to be forced into something like this. What we need is a real plan with real reforms that the American people will accept and that will address their needs.

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky

Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I secured as part of H.R. 3326, the Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Geoff Davis Bill Number: H.R. 3326 Account: Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Army Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Ashland Inc. Address of Requesting Entity: 50 E. River Center Blvd, Covington, KY 41012 Description of Request: Appropriate $500,000 to continue development of advanced coolant and lubricant systems utilizing nano-particle systems to enhance the capabilities of military ground vehicles and simplify supply logistics. Military vehicles must meet arduous cooling performance requirements. An Army goal is to increase the performance and durability of engines, power trains and their component parts in support of mobility, durability, reliability and survivability as well as reduce logistics costs. This project will help the Army meet these goals. This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the reduced maintenance and longer engine life in military vehicles, which it enables, has the potential to reduce maintenance costs and enhance combat readiness. Requesting Member: Congressman Geoff Davis Bill Number: H.R. 3326 Account: Other Procurement, Army Legal Name of Requesting Entity: DRS Sustainment Systems Address of Requesting Entity: 7375 Industrial Road, Florence, KY 41042 Description of Request: Appropriate $3,500,000 to procure the next generation of mobile Army refrigeration systems/the Multi-Temperature Refrigerated Container System (MTRCS). This is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because MTRCS provides the Army with more efficient space utilization and reduced transportation requirements for food and refrigerated medical products. As a result, fewer vehicles will be required to transport these items on the battlefield, reducing the number of soldiers exposed to danger from IEDs, etc. Requesting Member: Congressman Geoff Davis Bill Number: H.R. 3326 Account: Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Army Legal Name of Requesting Entity: MAG Industrial Automation Systems Address of Requesting Entity: 3940 Olympic Blvd., Erlanger, KY 41018 Description of Request: Appropriate $2,000,000 to develop a machine to produce lighter weight parts for military vehicles. The project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because it supports development of technology that delivers light weight materials to produce lighter parts that reduce the weight of military vehicles. The results will be improved fuel efficiency, cost savings and enhanced combat readiness.