Mary Fallin

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor for H.R. 3251.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3288, the FY 2010 THUD Appropriations bill: I, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, requested and received $1,000,000 for Bus Facility Renovation to The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority located at 300 SW 7th Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73109. This funding will be used for to repair and replace water cooling tower and correct drainage problems at historic Union Station. Improve the lighting and exhaust systems at the maintenance garage and upgrade the oil and lube room facilities.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3170--Financial Services Appropriations Act and Amendments I submitted and received the following funding. I, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, requested and received $1,000,000 for The Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation located at 620 N. Harvey Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73102. This is the installment of a congressional authorization of which $3 million was appropriated in Pub. L. 108-447 enacted 12/8/04 (H.R. 4818) for FY 2005. The authorization for the present request was passed by Congress in H.R. 2673 and signed into law January 23, 2004, which amended Pub. L. 105-58 to match non-federal funds raised/received by the Foundation for a permanent endowment. The purpose of the endowment is to ensure the financial stability of the Foundation for future operation and maintenance of the Memorial and Museum and to execute outreach and educational programs.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3133, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. I requested $2,300,000.00 and received $250,000.00 for the Statewide Comprehensive Water Plan at the Oklahoma Water Resources Board located at 3800 North Classen Boulevard, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118, which is a multi-year study to provide technical assistance to the state of Oklahoma in updating the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan. The OWRB envisions that, combined with federal cost-shared funds, the OWRB could work with local water suppliers in evaluating their system conditions, long-term needs, and develop a strategy to meet their needs over a 50-year time horizon. The plan would also address the long-term needs of other water use sectors.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3293, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. I requested and received $200,000.00 for Operation Servicemen Success at the Oklahoma City Community College located at 7777 South May Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73150. This program will provide additional personnel to support Veterans and service members attending OCCC, through a full time Coordinator of Veterans Services, a special population licensed counselor, career advisors, clerical support and tutoring services. Expansion of services for service members enrolled in classes at OCCC should be promoted to these students by the Veterans Services Office functioning as a centralized source of information and referral. To succeed in college, it is critical that veterans have a successful transition from the military into campus life. The aim of this program is to provide intensive transitional and support services for military veterans as many veterans have a difficult time readjusting to civilian life and translating their military service into applicable college and career goals. This service provides enhanced and specialized support services to military veteran students from the time they commit to attending the OCCC through the end of their education and beyond. I requested and received $350,000.00 for the Proton Cancer Therapy Research and Education Center at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078. Oklahoma State University and ProCure Treatment Centers Inc. have formed a public-private partnership for training, education and research in proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. In many situations cancer treatment by means of precisely directed beams of energetic protons is the most effective therapeutic alternative to more traditional surgical and radiation cancer treatment procedures. ProCure is currently completing construction of a multi- million dollar, proton treatment facility in Oklahoma City, dedicated to the treatment of cancer. It will allow access to world-leading technology for patients in the central region of the United States and is the first of several such centers planned by ProCure throughout the country in the coming years. We propose to place Oklahoma at the forefront of proton cancer treatment by establishing a world-class, research and education center at OSU, in partnership with ProCure, in order to train accredited personnel in this next-generation cancer treatment modality. Scientists at the world-renowned Radiation Physics Laboratory at OSU have been conducting research in the characterization and monitoring of proton beams used in cancer therapy for over fifteen years. The OSU group has recently teamed with ProCure to establish a research and training program at OSU. The requested federal funding will build from the existing private funding to establish a leading national center of excellence. Establishing a proton therapy center in the middle of Oklahoma will be of tremendous benefit to the citizens of this state and surrounding states. There are estimated to be over 250,000 cancer patients nationwide, and over 3,000 each year in a 250 mile radius of Oklahoma City, many of whom can benefit from proton radiation therapy. I requested and received $300,000.00 for Oklahoma State Health Mobile Clinic and Medical Response at Oklahoma State University, Center for Health Systems at 1111 West 17th Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74107. This project seeks to do two things: (1) expand and enhance the OSU Center for Health Science's health information technology system, including its telemedicine and distance learning as well as electronic medical records network, and (2) bring diagnostic and medical services to geographic regions in Oklahoma where even telemedicine is not yet feasible or reasonably located by use of a mobile clinic. The mobile clinics will be available to provide medical services in response to natural or manmade disasters.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3326, ``The Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 2010.'' Title of Project: Advanced Autonomous Robotic Inspections for Aging Aircraft Amount of Project: $2,000,000 Account: Air Force, Operations & Maintenance Project Recipient: Veracity Technology Solutions, LLC, 2701 Liberty Parkway, Suite 311, Midwest City, OK 73001 At my request, $2,000,000 was included in H.R. 3326, for Veracity Solutions in Midwest City, OK, to implement a fully automated autonomous robotic vehicle that has the capability to inspect for corrosion, as well as crack detection around fasteners for the KC-135 aircraft. Current inspection methods are both antiquated and time consuming, which has increased maintenance downtime and unnecessary refurbishment. A state-of-the-art nondestructive inspection system and training, which decreases maintenance costs and improves safety, will have the ability to detect corrosion and cracking on the KC-135 wing skins (and other aging aircraft). This system will allow for condition assessment of aircraft structures, as well as continuous assessment through the historical comparison of previous and present inspection results. Specifically, the funding will be used for the technical personnel, facilities, and equipment required to develop an integrated system that includes a medical grade ultrasonic inspection system, an advanced impedance plane analysis eddy current unit, and an autonomous inspection vehicle that will allow engineers and depot crews to accurately and instantly identify defects and that are currently undetectable with traditional nondestructive inspection methods. The end product will provide a permanent record of the structural member which can be stored on the network for future comparison. Title of Project: Joint Fires and Effects Trainer System Enhancements Amount of Project: $2,500,000 Account: Army, Research, Development, Test & Evaluation Project Recipient: Creative Technologies, 6255 West Sunset Boulevard, Suite 716, Los Angeles, CA At my request, $2,500,000 was included in H.R. 3326 to provide upgrades to the Joint Fires and Effects Trainer System (JFETS) located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The current immersive simulation training capability suffers from one significant drawback--the one-to-one instructor/student requirement. The funding provided for this project would increase the ability for this program to upgrade the voice recognition technology of JFETS and allow a single instructor to manage nine concurrent calls for fire training sessions in the Open Terrain module simultaneously and improve efficiency by 800 percent. Additionally, the project will develop an interactive application to drill soldiers in the five essential elements of accurate predictive fires to prepare them before they train in the immersive environment and reinforce the training before they deploy. Title of Project: Weapons of Mass Destruction Multi-Sensor Response and Infrastructure Project System Amount of Project: $2,000,000 Account: Project Recipient: Triarii Scientific, LLC, 7118 South Colombia Place, Tulsa, OK 74136 At my request, $2,000,000 was included in H.R. 3326 for Triarii Scientific of Tulsa, Oklahoma to provide funding to enhance and improve the Oklahoma National Guard's (OKNG) 63rd Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Civil Support Team's (CST) ability to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks. The OKNG-CST requires next generation capability that improves their ability to respond to WMD-related threats while systematically identifying truly critical vulnerabilities; thus, render state and national infrastructures less exposed. This funding will be used to upgrade existing CST equipment to a fully integrated and mobile system that combines communications, sensors, vulnerability and engineering assessments of critical infrastructure facilities via the Homeland Defense Operational Planning System (HOPS), and a command and control suite. The upgraded mobile system will provide complete command and control abilities, interoperable wireless communications, a suite of Acoustic, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (ACBRN-E) and Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Cyber for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C5ISR) sensors. All system integration, test, certification, infrastructure and vulnerability assessments will be executed in conjunction with the Oklahoma State University Multispectral Laboratories (OSU-UML) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) with operational testing overseen by the Joint Interoperability Test Command (ETC).

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Mr. Speaker, this debate on health care reform is probably one of the most important debates this U.S. Congress has had, because this debate on health care could move us towards socializing our health care system and turning over our personal health to the Federal Government to make decisions about our health, and also turning over a large portion of our national economy to the Federal Government. This debate on health care reform should only be about doing what is right for America. And limiting choices on the kind of health care plan a citizen of this Nation can have is not right for America. Putting a Federal bureaucrat between the patient and the doctor is not right for America. Moving 114 million Americans off private insurance on to a government socialized plan is not right for America. Exploding our deficit with huge, massive new tax increases for a government-run health care plan is not right for America. We should not be taking away the freedom to control something as important as our own personal health care and our outcomes of our health care, to the Federal Government. We should not be taking that away. Health care reform is about doing the right thing, and it is going to be right for Democrats and Republicans to come together to reform health care.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3288--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. I, Congresswoman Mary Fallin, requested and received $1,000,000 for the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority located at 300 SW 7th Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73109. This funding will be used to repair and replace a water cooling tower and correct drainage problems at historic Union Station. It will also be used to improve the lighting and exhaust systems at the maintenance garage and upgrade the oil and lube room facilities.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. I requested and received on behalf of Oklahoma State University-- Center for Health Systems located at 1111 West 17th Street, Tulsa, OK 74107 the amount of $300,000. This project seeks to do two things: (1) expand and enhance the OSU Center for Health Science's health information technology system, including its telemedicine and distance learning as well as electronic medical records network, and (2) bring diagnostic and medical services to geographic regions in Oklahoma where even telemedicine is not yet feasible or reasonably located by use of a mobile clinic. The mobile clinics will be available to provide medical services in response to natural or manmade disasters. I requested and received on behalf of Oklahoma State University located at Oklahoma State University--Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078 the amount of $350,000. Oklahoma State University and ProCure Treatment Centers Inc. have formed a public-private partnership for training, education and research in proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. In many situations cancer treatment by means of precisely directed beams of energetic protons is the most effective therapeutic alternative to more traditional surgical and radiation cancer treatment procedures. ProCure is currently completing construction of a multi-million dollar, proton treatment facility in Oklahoma City, dedicated to the treatment of cancer. It will allow access to world-leading technology for patients in the central region of the United States and is the first of several such centers planned by ProCure throughout the country in the coming years. We propose to place Oklahoma at the forefront of proton cancer treatment by establishing a world-class, research and education center at OSU, in partnership with ProCure, in order to train accredited personnel in this next-generation cancer treatment modality. Scientists at the world-renowned Radiation Physics Laboratory at OSU have been conducting research in the characterization and monitoring of proton beams used in cancer therapy for over fifteen years. The OSU group has recently teamed with ProCure to establish a research and training program at OSU. The requested federal funding will build from the existing private funding to establish a leading national center of excellence. Establishing a proton therapy center in the middle of Oklahoma will be of tremendous benefit to the citizens of this state and surrounding states. There are estimated to be over 250,000 cancer patients nationwide, and over 3,000 each year in a 250 mile radius of Oklahoma City, many of whom can benefit from proton radiation therapy. I requested and received on behalf of Oklahoma City Community College located at 7777 South May Ave., OKC, OK 73150 the amount of $200,000. In anticipation of the need to provide enhanced services for the predicted increase in service members attending OCCC, a full time Coordinator of Veterans Services position was established this year. Additional personnel to support this special population includes licensed professional counselor, career advisors, clerical support, and tutoring services. Expansion of services for service members enrolled in classes at OCCC should be promoted to these students by the Veterans Services Office functioning as a centralized source of information and referral. Information, services, and referral should include but is not limited to: readjustment counseling; academic assessment and remediation (if needed); academic advising and development of an individualized education plan; review of veteran benefits; career counseling; workshops; networking; and an opportunity to have the same level of camaraderie that is experienced in the military. To succeed in college, it is critical that veterans have a successful transition from the military into campus life. The aim of this program is to provide intensive transitional and support services for military veterans as many veterans have a difficult time readjusting to civilian life and translating their military service into applicable college and career goals. We would provide enhanced and specialized support services to military veteran students from the time they commit to attending the OCCC through the end of their education with us and beyond.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. American families have taken a hit time and time again, and they are hurting. The stock market has tanked, gas prices spiked, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, and unemployment has soared. It is no secret that we need to reform our Nation's health care system and provide relief to American families throughout this country by helping them with access to affordable health care and quality coverage for healthy living. But we can't do this unless we rein in the excessive costs and prevent an explosive deficit in spending. In just 7 months, this House passed an energy bill that will cost American families $846 billion in new taxes and a $1 trillion economic stimulus bill that is yet to create the jobs it was predicted to do. Our national debt now stands at $11.5 trillion. House leaders now have been on a spending spree and are about to raise taxes even higher for this health care reform bill. This approach is wrong, and the American people know it. Mr. Speaker, with all this spending in this bill, I cannot find a sincere attempt to rein in the cost and increase access to quality care. I only see more regulation, less choice, and major tax increases on families and businesses. There are market-based solutions to provide affordable health care and to make it more portable and to have quality access to quality care. Unless we are able to reform this health care system, it is going to be another spending spree here in Congress.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Mr. Speaker, the American people are concerned about keeping their jobs and the huge deficit that we have incurred here and in the Senate, and passing that debt on down to future generations of our children. With over a thousand pages, the Democrat health care bill costs too much, spends too much, and will destroy jobs in America. Health care reform should be about lowering costs, providing quality, affordable care for all Americans. And this health care debate must consider that every individual has different health care needs and that Americans are struggling to pay their bills. The Democrat leadership has failed to address these needs by supporting the same old, tired proposals of massive Federal new spending and increased Federal regulation, which will cost the United States more jobs. This time, cutting a bigger Federal check won't do it. Their plan amounts to $818 billion in new taxes on individuals, on businesses, and a Federal takeover of our health care system. These taxes will crush our small business owners and destroy thousands of jobs. This plan will put bureaucrats in charge of our health care--and the American people don't want that.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding the earmark I received as part of ``H.R. 3082--Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2010.'' Title of Project: T-9 Noise Suppressor Support Amount of Project: $5,100,000 Account: Air Force, Military Construction Project Recipient: Tinker Air Force Base 3001 Staff Drive, Tinker AFB, OK 73145 At my request, $5,100,000 was included in H.R. 3082, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2010, to fund the construction of foundations and supporting facilities for two T-9 noise suppression systems at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. This project would consist of the construction of reinforced concrete footings and slabs capable of supporting T-9 style engine testing facilities, a 20,000 gallon jet engine fuel storage and delivery system, utilities, access driveways, and a small office/restroom/break facility. Current engine test facilities are aging and unable to support the current test mission. With the completion of the new Tinker Aerospace Complex (TAC) and the transfer of engine maintenance to this facility, construction of these test cells near the TAC will allow contiguous support of military jet engine repair, decrease maintenance downtime, and associated cost. This will allow the 76th Maintenance Wing and the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group the capabilities to meet its mission of delivering engines on time and on cost and position Tinker AFB for increased mission capabilities in the future.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2487 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 the appropriations. I, Rep. Mary Fallin, requested and received $2,000,000 under The Department of Commerce, NOAA--Operations, Research, and Facilities Account for The University of Oklahoma--National Radar Testbed--Phased Array Radar. The entity to receive funding for this project is the University of Oklahoma, 100 E. Boyd Street, Norman, OK 73109. It is my understanding that the funding would be used to support research and development for forecasting advanced warning detection of tornadoes and other forms of severe weather at the National Severe Storms Labs (NSSL) in Norman, OK. I, Rep. Mary Fallin, requested and received $350,000 under The Department of Justice, Cops Law Enforcement Account for the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety--Statewide Public Safety Communication System. The entity to receive funding for this project is the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, 3600 Martin Luther King, Oklahoma City, OK 73136. It is my understanding that the funding would be used to enhance the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Law Enforcement Technology Division's mobile data program. I, Rep. Mary Fallin, requested and received $150,000 under The Department of Commerce, COPS Law Enforcement Technology Account for University of Central Oklahoma Forensic Laboratory Program Enhanced DNA Analysis Training for Law Enforcement. The entity to receive funding for this project is University of Central Oklahoma, 100 N. University Drive, Edmond, OK 73034. It is my understanding that the funding would be used to utilize new laboratory infrastructure and equipment to significantly expand the services available to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Forensic Institution's training programs and to state and local law enforcement officers.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2647, ``The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.'' Title of Project: Advanced Autonomous Robotic Inspections for Aging Aircraft Amount of Project: $2,000,000 Account: Air Force, Operations & Maintenance Project Recipient: Veracity Technology Solutions, LLC 2701 Liberty Parkway, Suite 311, Midwest City, OK 73001 At my request, $2,000,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, for Veracity Solutions in Midwest City, OK, to implement a fully automated autonomous robotic vehicle that has the capability to inspect for corrosion, as well as crack detection around fasteners for the KC- 135 aircraft. Current inspection methods are both antiquated and time consuming, which has increased maintenance downtime and unnecessary refurbishment. A state-of-the-art nondestructive inspection system and training, which decreases maintenance costs and improves safety, will have the ability to detect corrosion and cracking on the KC-135 wing skins (and other aging aircraft). This system will allow for condition assessment of aircraft structures, as well as continuous assessment through the historical comparison of pervious and present inspection results. Specifically, the funding will be used for the technical personnel, facilities, and equipment required to develop an integrated system that includes a medical grade ultrasonic inspection system, an advanced impedance plane analysis eddy current unit, and an autonomous inspection vehicle that will allow engineers and depot crews to accurately and instantly identify defects and that are currently undetectable with traditional nondestructive inspection methods. The end product will provide a permanent record of the structural member which can be stored on the network for future comparison. Title of Project: E-6B Strategic Communications Upgrade Block 1A (VLF-TX & HPTS) Amount of Project: $4,000,000 Account: Navy, Research, Development, Test & Evaluation Project Recipient: Rockwell Collins, 400 Collins Road, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52498 At my request, $4,000,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, to provide modifications to the Navy's E-6B Mercury TACAMO. The E-6B Mercury TACAMO is a manned airborne communications relay platform designed to provide a survivable, reliable, endurable airborne Command and Control communications link between the President, Secretary of Defense, and U.S. strategic and non-strategic forces, especially in the time of crisis or national emergency. In performing the TACAMO mission, the platform's primary purpose is the relay of messages via survivable Very Low Frequency transmission (VLF-TX). This funding will provide for the modification of the VLF-TX, in addition to the High Power Transmit Set (HPTS) subsystem. The current VLF-TX is becoming unsupportable for the mission at hand. The money requested would provide for an encryption function which extends the development cycle for deployment of new equipment. In addition, it would be used to upgrade improvement in the HPTS system and improve the wire control system and operational availability. These upgrades are critical to the E-6B execution of the TACAMO mission located at Tinker AFB and provide communications to the nation's strategic ballistic missile submarine force as a part of the Minimum Essential Emergency Communication Network (MEECN). Title of Project: FIDO EXPLOSIVE DETECTOR Amount of Project: $7,000,000 Account: Army, Other Procurement Line Number: 135 Project Recipient: ICx Nomadics, 1024 S. Innovation Way, Stillwater, OK 74074 At my request, $7,000,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, for the FIDO Explosive Detector, which will provide soldiers in combat theater the ability to identify and disable explosive devices and those who manufacture these devices by detecting explosive vapors and residues. Over 1,500 FIDO systems have been fielded in support of current military operations. The small, lightweight, handheld devices provide the soldier the ability to screen persons, packages, cargo, equipment, vehicles, and buildings and report vapor detections in real time with audio and visual feedback to the operator. The small detection devices can be mounted onto a unit's organic Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) to provide additional force protection, while protecting the safety of the unit. Current FIDO systems have been successful in the field, and advances have been made to increase the ability of the sensor to detect additional substances in use today and into the future. This funding will accelerate the fielding of FIDO's in combat theater and providing explosive detection and protection to men and women in uniform. Title of Project: Joint Fires and Effects Trainer System Enhancements Amount of Project: $2,500,000 Account: Army, Research, Development, Test & Evaluation Project Recipient: Creative Technologies, 6255 West Sunset Boulevards, Suite 716, Los Angeles, CA At my request, $2,500,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, to provide upgrades to the Joint Fires and Effects Trainer System (JFETS) located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The current immersive simulation training capability suffers from one significant drawback-- the one-to-one instructor/student requirement. The funding provided for this project would increase the ability for this program to upgrade the voice recognition technology of JFETS and allow a single instructor to manage nine concurrent call for fire training sessions in the Open Terrain module simultaneously and improve efficiency by 800%. Additionally, the project will develop an interactive application to drill soldiers in the five essential elements of accurate predictive fires to prepare them before they train in the immersive environment and reinforce the training before the deploy. Title of Project: T-9 Noise Suppressor Support Amount of Project: $5,100,000 Account: Air Force, Military Construction Project Recipient: Tinker Air Force Base, 3001 Staff Drive, Tinker AFB, OK 73145 At my request, $5,100,000 was included in the FY10 NDAA, H.R. 2647, to fund the construction of foundations and supporting facilities for two T-9 noise suppression systems at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. This project would consist of the construction of reinforced concrete footings and slabs capable of supporting T-9 style engine testing facilities, a 20,000 gallon jet engine fuel storage and delivery system, utilities, access driveways, and a small office/restroom/break facility. Current engine test facilities are aging and unable to support the current test mission. With the completion of the new Tinker Aerospace Complex (TAC) and the transfer of engine maintenance to this facility, construction of these test cells near the TAC will allow contiguous support of military jet engine repair, decrease maintenance downtime, and associated cost. This will allow the 76th Maintenance Wing and the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group the capabilities to meet its mission of delivering engines on time and on cost and position Tinker AFB for increased mission capabilities in the future.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, I have to say that I am outraged. Here we are getting ready to vote on a piece of legislation, and we haven't even seen 300 pieces of this legislation. No one can even find the bill or even knows where it is at. And here we are talking about major policy that could change the face of America, that will certainly be a large tax increase to our taxpayers. And here we don't even know where the bill is. I'm just shocked at the way we are running this House today before we leave to go on our Independence Day holiday. And I will say that the government's first priority right now should be addressing our economy and jobs. And economists can tell you that one of the surest ways to prolong a recession and to damage an economy is to raise taxes. My friends on the other side of the aisle apparently didn't get that memo. This plan for carbon emissions taxes amounts to a $646 billion tax increase on the American public. It will have a negative effect upon every American family, upon business and upon family farms. Family energy costs will increase. In fact, it is said that utility costs can go up anywhere from 30 to 50 percent, not to even mention what cost increases will be upon manufacturing. So Madam Speaker, I will just tell you that I hope we get a copy of the bill so we can at least look at it before we enact this policy.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am proud today to support House Resolution 259, which recognizes the valor and the military achievements of the members of the Armed Forces who participated in the invasion of France on June 6, 1944, 65 years ago. I want to commend Representative John Boozman from Arkansas and the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Ike Skelton, for sponsoring this legislation. The facts of Operation Overlord, the start of what General Eisenhower called the ``crusade in Europe,'' are clearly set forth in the text of this resolution. This was the largest amphibious operation in history, and in breaching German defenses, the Allied forces suffered more than 10,000 casualties on the first day of the invasion. Beyond the facts of the invasion, however, is the heroism and the unselfish sacrifice of the men who carried out this most magnificent operation. One such man was Sergeant Melvin ``Hawkeye'' Myers, a Comanche warrior from the Boone-Apache area of my home State of Oklahoma. As a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, Sergeant Myers parachuted into Normandy in the pre-dawn hours of D-day. He fought the vicious battles to defend the beachhead, and he rescued a fellow soldier before being killed on June 14. Another Oklahoman who fulfilled his duty that day in June was Harry Furr from Oklahoma City. As the pilot of a glider, his job was to get his canvas and plywood aircraft safely to the ground. He said, ``They were clumsy, difficult to land and came down pretty fast,'' and many of them crashed. He had one chance to land with a jeep, a trailer of medical supplies and 15 men aboard. Furr's glider brushed the tops of the trees before landing in a field, smashing in the whole front of the aircraft. ``No one was hurt,'' Furr recalled. ``We got down safe,'' but the Germans were firing on the glider in the field, and they threw in mortars. So Furr noted, ``It was very intense until we got out of that field.'' On the beach, Thomas Valence, a member of the 116th Infantry in the first assault wave, left his landing craft and floundered in knee-deep water. He was almost shot twice through his left hand. In an article he wrote, he said, ``I made my way forward as best I could. My rifle jammed, so I picked up a carbine and got off a couple of rounds. I was hit again--once in the left thigh, which broke my hip, and a couple of times in my pack, and then the chin strap of my helmet was severed by a bullet.'' He said, ``I worked my way up onto the beach and staggered up against a wall and collapsed there. The bodies of the other guys washed ashore, and I was the one live body amongst many of my friends who were dead.'' Because of the heroism and perseverance of such men as Myers, Furr and Valence, the door to Hitler's fortress in Europe was cracked open. So it is entirely fitting that today, 65 years after that historic day, we take time to honor and to commemorate the events of June 6, 1944. On that day, which is going to be later this week, I want to urge all of my colleagues to reflect upon the extraordinary service that was rendered by the veterans of World War II. Moreover, I would like to also urge my colleagues, as they see both previous and current members of the Armed Forces whom they encounter, to take time individually to thank them for their service to our great Nation. I heartily recommend that all of my colleagues vote ``yes'' on this resolution. Madam Speaker, I would like to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, I have another speaker. I would like to yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman).

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, I am here today to lend my support to House Resolution 471 expressing my sympathy to the victims, the families, and the friends of the victims of the tragic act of violence at the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty in Iraq on May 11, 2009. And, Madam Speaker, it is with deep sadness that we come to the floor of the House of Representatives today to recognize five of our brave members of our Armed Forces who answered the call of duty and ultimately gave their lives to preserve our freedom and our way of life. We may never understand what led to the tragic events at Camp Liberty, but what we do know is that five honorable men lost their lives; men who were husbands, who were fathers, sons, and brothers: Navy Commander Charles K. Springle of Wilmington, North Carolina; Army Major Matthew P. Houseal of Amarillo, Texas; Army Sergeant Christian E. Bueno-Galdos of Paterson, New Jersey; Army Specialist Jacob D. Barton of Springfield, Missouri; and Army Specialist Michael E. Yates of Federalsburg, Maryland. Madam Speaker, there is no question that serving in combat is a profoundly life-altering experience. Men and women who face the challenges of combat are forever changed, and our Nation is eternally indebted to the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who fight to preserve our freedoms. But we also owe them more than just our gratitude. We owe them our commitment to protect them and to provide support and services to help them deal with the emotional and physical effects of combat. And with that, I would like to extend my personal deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the servicemembers who lost their lives at Camp Liberty in Iraq on May 11, 2009, and would like to urge all Members of Congress to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FALLIN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Mr. Chairman, I too would like to offer my support for H.R. 2352, the Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act, and to thank Chairwoman Velazquez and Ranking Member Graves for their work in crafting a bipartisan piece of legislation that incorporates several important pieces of small business legislation and work. Especially at a time when our national economy is struggling, and the American people have asked us here in Congress to focus on economic recovery, this bill will provide important job creation opportunities for our Nation's entrepreneurs. And I'd especially like to thank our chairwoman and our ranking member for allowing a piece of my legislation, H.R. 1838, the SBA Women's Business Centers Improvement Act, to be included in the Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act. This section of legislation adds accountability and transparency to the distribution of funding to Women's Business Centers to offer temporary assistance rather than permanent dependency on the Federal Government. The Women's Business Centers are an important part of the grant programs that are funded by the Small Business Administration. Today, Women's Business Centers all across the country are providing women entrepreneurs with much-needed technical assistance in starting and operating their own small businesses. In the mid-1990s, the Federal Government began awarding grants to Women's Business Centers that were operating as nonprofit organizations in conjunction with institutions of higher learning. Originally these grants were intended to be awarded to business centers in their first 5 years, with the understanding that after this 5-year period had ended, the center would be financially self-sustaining. Although many of the Women's Business Centers did meet this goal, some did not, and for a variety of reasons. And, as a result, a greater percentage of the funding for this program has been consumed by the operating costs of the potentially unviable centers, rather than the intended purpose of establishing new women's business centers. The result has been a drag upon the system, and viable business centers that are not truly serving an unmet need in their community were allowed to continue on. And this has jeopardized the effectiveness and the viability of this entire program. The SBA Women's Business Programs Act restores its original priorities held by the Federal Government when this program was originally enacted. By offering a three-tiered system of funding and lowered caps on spending for older business centers, we can assure a balanced percentage of the funding issues to support both new and existing business centers. Modernizing the SBA entrepreneurial development programs will ensure small businesses have the opportunity to help lead our Nation out of this recession and into economic prosperity. The Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act is a huge step in the right direction and provides much-needed help to lend a helping hand to our Nation's small businesses. And once again, in closing, I just would like to commend the chairwoman and the ranking member for working together in a bipartisan way to craft a piece of legislation that encompasses so many areas that will help our small businesses and our Nation, especially during the National Small Business Recognition Week.

Ms. FALLIN

Ms. FALLIN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Latta for leading this special hour tonight on a very important topic to our Nation. When I go back to my home State of Oklahoma almost every weekend, I hear a couple of things from my constituents back home. First of all, they are very concerned about our economy. They want to know that they will be able to keep their jobs, be able to have a salary, make their house payment, pay their bills, take care of their families; and they want to know their taxes are going to be kept low. They want us here in Washington, D.C., to be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem. The second thing I hear back home in Oklahoma is that people talk a lot about expenses and about the cost of living going up and how concerned they are with all the spending that is going on here in Washington, D.C., about the costs to their families and the costs to their businesses. Many of them say to me, Please don't let our gas prices go up like they did last summer to $4 a gallon. We can't afford that anymore for either our families or even our businesses. They say, Please don't let my utility costs go up. We're hearing with cap-and-trade, cap-and-tax, that our utility costs could go up by 30 percent and I'm on a fixed number or I'm a lower income person, and I can't take a 30 percent increase in my utility costs. They say things like, please don't let my businesses have more operating costs. Or please don't raise my gasoline prices because I won't be able to take my kids to school as freely as I had been able to. And so as we begin and have this debate about cap-and-trade, controlling carbon emissions and about what we call the ``cap-and- tax,'' I feel that the Democrat national energy tax would harm all these things that people are concerned about. Experts estimate that cap-and-trade, cap-and-tax, as I said, would raise utilities costs and would raise costs on families to an estimated cost increase of around $3,100 per family. A recent report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers says the new energy tax would also cost the United States 3.2 million jobs at a time when we already have a high unemployment rate throughout our Nation. And this means that the future of manufacturing, the future of jobs in our Nation, would be at stake, and especially at a time when we cannot afford, as a Nation, to make the wrong policy decision that could further hurt our national economy. A strong manufacturing base is very vital to our economy and our security as a Nation depends on our having a strong manufacturing base and a strong economy. Many of us believe that we have are losing ground to other foreign countries when it comes to competing for products, production and also for market share. I saw a recent report by the Industrial Energy Consumers of America, and they said that from 2000 to 2008, imports were up 29 percent, and manufacturing employment fell 22 percent, a loss of 3.8 million high- paying jobs. And they said of great concern is that manufacturing investment in the United States, as a percent of gross domestic product, has been on the decline since the late 1990s. Two-thirds of our world's pollution comes from other countries who won't be under a cap-and-trade type piece of legislation, two-thirds of the pollution in our world. But yet here in the United States we are talking about a plan that would affect our business sector because of the climate control legislation. Now we all want to do all that we can to keep our air clean, our land clean and our water clean. That is a very important goal for all of us. But not at the cost of risking our national security or even our national economy. We know that the Democrat solution is an energy tax. And we know it won't work. The United States might cap and tax its carbon emissions, but countries like China and India would never agree to restrictions that are so economically destructive. And the result would be, for the United States, more outsourcing of good jobs to other countries at the worst possible time when, as I said, unemployment is at 9 percent. Cap-and-trade is nothing more than a national energy tax. And its effects would be far reaching to businesses, consumers and even more so to rural America. Rural areas will be hit hardest by energy taxes. Americans in rural areas must travel further for routine errands, in fact, about 25 percent more miles than urban households, according to a recent Federal highway data study. Higher gasoline prices may not be the end of the world if you are taking a subway in a major metropolitan city like here in Washington, D.C., but higher gasoline prices are a big deal in small towns like I grew up in, like Tecumseh, Oklahoma, especially when you have to commute long distances to work. The numbers back that up. Rural households spend 58 percent more of fuel than urban residents as a percentage of their income. And then you look at another important industry in rural America, and that is agriculture. And agriculture is a bull's eye industry for energy tax because it is energy intensive. Whether it is the fuel for a tractor or fertilizer for the crops or delivery of food to a local grocery store, agriculture uses a great deal of energy production. Small businesses and American jobs are also a target of the cap-and- trade, cap-and-tax system. A recent report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups states that President Obama's budget proposal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would result in a net loss of jobs in our economy of 3.2 million and would shrink our household purchasing power by $2,100. And while protecting our environment is a worthwhile effort, and we are all for that, I cannot support legislation that does nothing but levy taxes on small business, on rural America, on families and on those who are on limited resources and raises just higher energy taxes. If you want a real solution to climate change, then we should focus on incentives. We should focus on innovation, research and letting the free-market system work. And yes, Republicans do have a plan that would support energy production and also support clean energy, an all-of-the- above energy plan. We support production of clean natural gas, wind power, solar power, nuclear power as well as the traditional fossil fuels. We, as Republicans, have our eye on the future, and we know that the United States doesn't have an unlimited reserve of fossil fuels, and we understand we need to pursue other energy sources, energy diversity. But Republicans also understand that we can't get this overnight by pursuing a series of damaging tax increases. And Congressman Latta, I will yield back my time for further discussion on this issue.

Ms. FALLIN. Thank you.

Ms. FALLIN. I appreciate your comments. We're already seeing some of the effects in our oil and gas energy sector in the State of Oklahoma of job losses already just by talking about the cap-and-trade piece of legislation. And you were mentioning a few moments ago about the pollution of other countries and how if we have cap and trade here and we try to control our emissions--which we should, we should have reasonable policy on that--how China and India and some of those other growing economies will still keep polluting. In fact, a statistic that I saw said two-thirds of the world's population comes from countries other than the United States. So while we may put some heavy restrictions that could cost jobs and investment in the United States, these other countries will take those market shares from us and continue polluting. I was interested in your comments by Secretary Geithner who said we have an overproduction of our oil, which that is an unusual comment when our Nation is so dependent upon foreign energy. I think many of us in this body believe that our country is at risk in our national security and economic security by buying almost 70 percent--65, 70 percent of our energy supplies from other foreign countries while spending around $700 billion buying that foreign energy. Just think what that $700 billion--if we produced our own energy--what that would do in our Nation as it relates to jobs and investment in our marketplace here in the United States. But yet we continue to send that money to foreign countries buying their energy versus encouraging innovation, free enterprise here in United States of all kinds of energy sources. And I just truly believe we have the knowledge, we have the capacity and the intellect in the United States to develop these alternative means of fuel and to reduce our carbon emissions. Look at natural gas. There is a proposal here in Congress to encourage more investment in C&G cars, more infrastructure investment in natural gas. And I hope that we continue to push those kinds of policies rather than massive tax increases and standards that will actually hurt our national economy and hurt our jobs.

Ms. FALLIN. I thank the Congressman. I have one thing I just wanted to add. President Obama has talked about how the United States can achieve a new long-term subsidization of green jobs like similar to what Spain has done, and I have a report from the Institute For Energy Research, which talks about other countries. And what has happened is they have spent billions of dollars of taxpayer resources to subsidize renewable energy programs and to add more greening within their societies. And as they passed some carbon tax-type legislation, it was showing that, according to their results, compared to what the United States could expect, that the U.S. can expect 2.2 jobs destroyed for every one renewable job that is financed by government-based bond, what has happened in Spain. Only one of 10 jobs actually creating a green investment would be permanent. They'd be temporary jobs.