William Enyart

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 110th anniversary of the Boilermakers Local 363 of East St. Louis, Illinois. By the late 19th century many of the skilled craftsmen who powered the Industrial Revolution were seeking to improve pay and working conditions through the formation of unions. Workers in the boilermaker and iron ship building trades had formed a union in Chicago as had boilermakers in Atlanta. These two organizations would merge in 1893 to form the International Brotherhood of Boiler Makers and Iron Ship Builders and, on March 22, 1903, Local 363 in East St. Louis, Illinois received its charter. Over the years the Boilermakers Union would continue to grow and diversify as other related trade unions merged with it. A Helpers Division was added in 1902 and Blacksmiths and Drop Forgers merged in 1954. In 1984, the United Cement, Lime, Gypsum and Allied Workers merged, to be followed, in 1994, by the Stove, Furnace and Allied Appliance Workers. The Metal Polishers, Buffers and Platers would merge in 1996. As a result of these many mergers, the name of the union is now the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers. Membership in the union grew in the 20th century as the needs for the skilled labor grew. At the dawn of the century, membership was about 8,500 but had grown to over 350,000 by the end of World War II in the mid-1940s. There are currently 534 members in Local 363. Local 363 has always realized that its responsibility to its members also extends to those members' community. The list of organizations that have been assisted by the local's support include: the United Way, Special Olympics, the Illinois Cancer Society and the Boy Scouts. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the leadership and members of Boilermakers Local 363 as they celebrate their 110th anniversary and to wish them continued success in the future.

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 50th Anniversary of the St. Clair County Bar Association, in St. Clair County, Illinois. Prior to 1963, there were two bar associations in St. Clair County, the East St. Louis Bar Association and the Belleville Bar Association. East St. Louis was, at that time, the most populous city in St. Clair County and Belleville, just to the east, was the county seat. A review of the Illinois Court System that led to the current judicial structure also prompted the East St. Louis and Belleville Bar Associations to combine and form the St. Clair County Bar Association. The stated purpose of the St. Clair County Bar Association is ``cultivating the science of jurisprudence, promoting reform in the law, facilitating the administration of justice, elevating the standards of integrity, honor and courtesy in the legal profession, encouraging a thorough and liberal legal education and cultivating and cherishing a spirit of camaraderie among the members thereof.'' They accomplish this through a number of programs and initiatives that extend the benefits of the organization beyond its members to include their entire community. The Bar Association fosters and promotes continuing legal education and its mentoring program takes advantage of the wealth of experience within its membership to assist newer members. The St. Clair County Bar Association Foundation is the charitable arm of the Bar Association and channels a number of assistance and charitable initiatives back to the community, including extensive pro bono legal assistance. The Bar Association's Law Day Run, now in its 12th year raises money for the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation, which assists low-income residents with obtaining legal services. Their participation in the Lawyers Feeding Illinois initiative has brought in tremendous support to help provide nutritional assistance for the hungry within their community. The St. Clair County Bar Association has grown to approximately 700 members and is currently headed by the Honorable Michael N. Cook, President, Thomas B. Cannady, First Vice President, Joe Rosenstengel, Second Vice President, Laura K. Beasley, Secretary and Garrett P. Hoerner, Treasurer. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the St. Clair County Bar Association on their 50th Anniversary and to wish them the very best in the future.

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. ENYART. I am opposed to the bill in its current form.

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I haven't been in Washington very long. Like so many in southern Illinois and across our Nation, I answered the call to serve. I grew up in a household where I was taught the importance of fairness, duty, and honor. Whether it was walking the beans on my grandparents' farm or working with my father on the line at Caterpillar, I understood the importance of hard work, fair pay, and taking responsibility for myself and our family. When I was 19, I enlisted and arrived for duty at Scott Air Force Base, a vital component of our national security and major employer in the district I now represent. For 35 years, I served in the military. For the past 5 years, I served as the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, where I led our response to natural disasters and oversaw the largest deployment of Guard troops since World War II. Serving alongside those 13,000 soldiers and airmen and hundreds of civilian employees proved to me that the resiliency of Illinoisans, whether recovering from floods, ice storms, or earthquakes, or coming together as a community to support our service men and women overseas, is unparalleled. Today, I offer the final amendment to the bill. It will not delay nor kill the bill nor send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will proceed immediately to final passage, as amended. From my experience as an enlisted man to that of commander of the Illinois National Guard, I'm concerned about how this bill interferes with States' rights and might unfairly affect unemployed veterans and their families, victims of domestic violence, and victims of natural disasters, as well as grandparents caring for children whose parents are deployed. In January, families in Sparta, a town I represent in southern Illinois, had the joy and blessing to welcome home over 150 soldiers with the Guard's 661st Engineer Company and 662nd Engineer Fire Fighting Detachment from Afghanistan. I was the commander who signed their deployment orders and sent them into harm's way. I was honored to see their safe return. For many of these men and women, their return means making a young family whole again. They could not have borne their responsibilities in Afghanistan without support from grandparents, spouses, and a community like Sparta. That's why I'm so alarmed by this bill in its current form. Why would Congress seek to make it more difficult for a single parent or grandparent to care for children while their mother or father is deployed overseas? Is that the message we want to send our troops, that their service is a burden to those back home? For our veterans in Sparta and across the Nation facing new, sometimes heartbreaking challenges in their transition to civilian life, know that the promises we made to them are on the line. For us in southern Illinois, I'll be blunt. We need jobs. Southern Illinois hasn't seen an economic recovery yet. Out of 102 counties in Illinois, six in my district in southern Illinois are among those struggling most, with more than 20 percent of families trying to make ends meet on incomes less than $23,000 a year. The fact is that our heroes, our veterans returning home, don't necessarily have jobs waiting for them. That's why this bill in its current form is so out of touch with the realities that our veterans face. Instead, Congress is telling our veterans and our military families: your service isn't good enough. You haven't done enough for our Nation. Once again, Congress has gotten it wrong. Another example, in Illinois we don't qualify assistance for victims of domestic violence. That's why I have to ask, given the critical need for us to responsibly reduce the deficit and actually work on improving our economy, why would Congress focus on questioning the expertise and recommendations made by my State or any other? Where I come from and where I'm proud to represent, we all share the southern Illinois values of hard work, integrity, and fairness. Veterans and military families, victims of domestic abuse, communities overcoming natural disaster, like Harrisburg, Illinois, these are the good people who shouldn't be pawns of politics in Congress, and we owe them the assurance that this bill will not reduce critical assistance. I urge my colleagues to stand by our veterans and military families. I urge them to consider honoring our home State's authority. I ask they pass this commonsense amendment to invest in the resiliency of our communities. I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because southern Illinois folks are worried about sequestration undermining the economy and costing us jobs. I want to share with you today a letter about those concerns. This letter is from the supervisor of a young National Guard family. Sarah and Mike, a young couple, one small child and another on the way, both deployed to Afghanistan with us in 2008. If nothing changes, Sarah will get hit with the furloughs, and Mike will probably lose his full-time National Guard job entirely. This is just devastating. Obviously, don't blame you. You weren't even in Congress when the Budget Control Act passed. But real people are going to get hurt--bad--veterans and soldiers. This is just incredible. I cannot believe Congress is going to let this train wreck happen. I know you know this, but it matters a great deal to us in DOD and the Guard, both to the civilian employees who will be the immediate victims, and to the rest of us who have to deal with the fallout.

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I often hear from folks who work hard but are struggling to make ends meet. Families across southern Illinois are frustrated with the complacency in Washington. Unless we act, nearly $1.2 trillion will be cut from defense and domestic programs. Scott Air Force Base, a major economic hub, the largest employer in my district and a vital component of our national security, would be hard hit, as would important programs that keep our children and our Nation safe. If sequestration goes into effect, 1 million jobs could be in jeopardy. It is irresponsible to let a failed plan with an artificial deadline and politically manufactured crisis cost our workers, our veterans, our men and women in uniform, our seniors, our small businesses their livelihood and risk our fragile economy. It's time for Congress to set aside partisanship and to work together to produce a comprehensive solution that responsibly addresses the deficit but doesn't cost jobs.

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the dedicated community service of Du Quoin, Illinois Mayor John Rednour as he retires after 24 years as mayor. John Rednour grew up in Cutler, Illinois and began working as an ironworker. He worked on projects throughout the State, from Southern Illinois, to the St. Louis area and Chicago. It was during this phase of his career that John founded Rednour Steel Erectors, a company with which he maintains a partnership to this day. John moved with his family to Du Quoin in the early 1970s and, in the 1980s he began a successful banking career when he led a group of investors that assumed control of the Du Quoin State Bank. John continues to serve as chairman of the bank. While John was raising a family and embarking on successful careers, he also showed an early interest in public service. He served six years as a Perry County Commissioner, from 1967 to 1973, and was elected to the Trico School District Board of Education while in his 20s. John was elected mayor of the City of Du Quoin in 1989 and will officiate at his last City Council meeting next Monday, February 11. In his 24 years as Mayor, John Rednour has left an indelible mark on Southern Illinois. He has been able to lead as well as compromise and he is justifiably proud of the infrastructure improvements that have occurred during his tenure as mayor, most notably the Highway 51, Poplar Street overpass, an industrial park and water and sewer improvement projects. All of these infrastructure improvements were completed while maintaining balanced municipal budgets. In evaluating potential projects, John's simple criterion was always, ``Is it good for Du Quoin?'' John Rednour's community contributions were not limited to his successful business ventures and service as mayor. John also serves as Chairman of the Illinois State Police Merit Board and is a commissioner of the Perry County Housing Authority. He has been active in politics his entire adult life, having served as a member of the Democratic National Committee for nearly 40 years. John and his wife, Wanda, have been married for over 60 years and are proud parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in an expression of appreciation to Mayor John Rednour in recognition of his years of service as a community leader and to wish him and his family the very best in the future.

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Article I, section 1: ``All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.''

Mr. ENYART

Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the southern Illinois coal industry, which had a record year last year--the best in decades. Southern Illinois is blessed with abundant natural resources like coal that provide good jobs and support our middle class. I'm proud to say that Illinois is a leader in coal production and outpaced every other State in 2012. Bucking national trends, Illinois mines produced more than 40 million tons of coal in 2012, the most since 1995. This is in large part due to southern Illinois mines and a talented and dedicated workforce. Folks in my district are worried about jobs. They want to have faith in the southern Illinois way of life. Our coal industry in southern Illinois presents enormous economic potential; and judging by the record-setting production last year, we are well on our way to power good jobs and address domestic energy needs. I look forward to working with my colleagues to focus on good jobs and support southern Illinois workers and coal.