Chuck Fleischmann

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding individual whose commitment and dedication has done so much to provide exceptional government services to the residents of Hamilton County, Tennessee. Those of us who live and work in Hamilton County can be thankful for the tireless efforts of Mr. Bill Knowles in his 36 years of service as Hamilton County Clerk. First elected in 1974, County Clerk Bill Knowles has made it his priority to not just provide excellent services to his constituents, but to also manage an office that provides innovative ideas and consistently exceeds expectations. Shortly after being elected to his position, Bill Knowles solved the problem of long waits for vehicle registration tags by making it possible to renew tags by mail. Mr. Knowles's initiative was soon followed by the Tennessee legislature, which passed a law requiring tags to be mailed in throughout the state. The exceptional work ethic and innovative ideas that are the hallmark of Bill Knowles have resulted in many firsts for Hamilton County. Hamilton County was the first county in Tennessee to allow for tag renewal by Internet. It was the first to have on-the-spot vehicle title printing. The county led the way with electronic record keeping and continued this development by computerizing marriage records in 2009. In recognition of a litany of impressive accomplishments over a 36 year career, I hereby salute Clerk Bill Knowles and thank him for his service to the people of Hamilton County. I, for one, am grateful for his service, and I know that the fine residents of Hamilton County join me in honoring him.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an outstanding husband, wife, and son team who run a vibrant small business right in my hometown of Chattanooga, TN. From a humble beginning in 1958 Harold, Lil, and their son Corky Coker have developed Coker Tire into a model small business and another great success story in the revival of the city of Chattanooga. Coker Tire was founded in 1958 in Chattanooga by Harold and Lil Coker. From the beginning, Coker Tire was no ordinary tire store. Harold's interest in classic cars led him to create a shop that could supply tires for vintage and antique cars as well as normal tires for everyday vehicles. No one, least of all Harold and Lil, had any idea how the market for vintage car tires would play out over time. In 1974, Harold and Lil's son Corky was given control of the antique division of the business. At the time, the antique division occupied just 500 square feet of space and was only a small part of the business. Corky worked hard to aggressively expand his business, traveling the world to find molds for antique tires, and using old blueprints to create tire molds that he couldn't find. He then built these tires to modern standards and partnered with some of the world's largest tire manufacturers to license and distribute his products. As Coker Tire developed over the years, they have gone from a small showroom with one employee, to a 200,000 square foot warehouse, numerous buildings in Chattanooga, and over 80 employees. Corky's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed. In 1995 he was named Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Tennessee, and in 1998 the Specialty Equipment Market Association inducted him into their Hall of Fame. I hope you will all join me in honoring a remarkable American small-business success story and congratulating the Coker family on the 53rd Anniversary of their fine business.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor two members of the Chattanooga Police Department who were shot over the weekend, one of them fatally, while responding to a robbery in progress. Sergeant Tim Chapin was a 26-year veteran of the Department. He lost his life in the line of duty on Saturday during a gun battle with an escaped convict who had robbed a local store. Throughout my law career, I had the chance to interact with Sergeant Chapin on many occasions. I found him to be an outstanding officer and an even better human being. Officer Lorin Johnston, who a few years ago donated a kidney to a fellow officer, was wounded during the gun battle as well. I ask everyone to join me in saying many prayers for Sergeant Chapin's family and his wife, Kelle, as she now has to raise two boys as a single mother. Today we remember officers Chapin and Johnston and those who serve alongside of them keeping our community safe. They are our heroes.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take this moment to bring your attention to some exciting developments from my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. For those of you who haven't heard, Chattanooga has undergone incredible transformation over the past several years; and, now, the story of our progress is making news across the globe. A few decades ago, Chattanooga's economy was dwindling. Legacy companies were closing. Local manufacturers were folding in the face of global competition. We were even said to have the dirtiest air in America. Today, Chattanooga is a place that has attracted more than $4 billion in new investment during the recent recession. It is a place that has the fastest residential Internet service in the United States, and Chattanooga is a place that one national publication called the region with ``the greatest economic growth potential'' in America. In August, the buzz about Chattanooga brought an economic and social development think tank to our city for a firsthand look. The group-- called the Intelligent Community Forum--studies 21st-century growth within the global community. It looks at cities that are leveraging 21st-century infrastructure to create jobs and foster innovation. After spending a few days in Chattanooga, the Intelligent Community Forum confirmed something we have known for a long while: big things are happening in our community. What the Intelligent Community Forum saw during its trip to Chattanooga, and has learned about us since, recently led them to name our community as one of the seven smartest cities in the world. We are now running for the number one spot. The awards for top designation go to cities that are using information and communications technology to move every sector of their community ahead. These cities are leaders, and to be counted among them means you are growing in ways the rest of the world is not. The Intelligent Community Forum is saying Chattanooga is a place to watch. What they see in our community is what I want to talk to you about today. The same Chattanooga that once lagged behind the rest of the Nation is moving ahead. We're receiving praise from all sides for generating growth in an adverse economy and for maintaining an outstanding quality of life in the process. Chattanooga now offers the fastest residential Internet service in the United States and is one of only a handful of cities in the world that runs at 1,000 megabits per second. And the Electric Power Board, our city's local electric utility, has installed a fiber-optic network that uses smart meters to process real-time information and adjust transmissions according to the needs of individual homes. All 170,000 homes in EPB's service area benefit from this technology. But Chattanooga's strides in broadband and digital inclusion are just part of the picture. Chattanooga was one of the first cities to come out of the recession, thanks in part to a strong business community. Coordinated efforts between nonprofit organizations are driving small- company formation. The Chattanooga-area chamber of commerce runs one of America's largest business incubators, with 60 companies employing more than 500 people under one roof. These are just a few examples of the way Chattanooga is setting itself apart from the rest of the world. Every leap we make ahead underscores the forces that are fueling our progress: vision and collaboration. These are exactly the qualities the Intelligent Community Forum looks at in a number one city. I would like to congratulate Chattanooga for the recognition it is earning, and I hope you will join me in supporting our quest to become the Most Intelligent Community for 2011. Great things are happening in Chattanooga right now; and, Mr. Speaker, a lot more are expected to come.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. I thank the gentleman from Missouri. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on behalf of small business men and women all across America in their fight to survive and grow. Winston Churchill once said: If you have 10,000 regulations, you destroy respect for the rule of law. And that is exactly what our government is doing. We are destroying respect for law and losing the respect and trust of those who sent us here to do our job, not dictate through regulations how they do their jobs. Government regulations are putting a stranglehold on businesses in America, and it must be reined in. I just returned from spending 12 days across the Third District of Tennessee, and I heard the same thing over and over again: Chuck, please get the Federal Government out of our lives. It's destroying our businesses and preventing us from growing. As a member of the Small Business Committee, I was proud to cosponsor the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act that does away with the onerous 1099 reporting regulation found within ObamaCare. It is long overdue for the government to get out of the way and allow the American entrepreneurs to do what they do best: create jobs and produce capital.

Mr. FLEISCHMANN

Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Madam Speaker, tonight I rise in support of the repeal of ObamaCare. This is my first speech on the floor as a Member of Congress, and I thought it only appropriate that it be on this topic--a topic I campaigned hard on and a topic I believe strongly in. We must repeal this health care legislation. As a small business owner for the past 24 years, I know firsthand the kind of damage this legislation would do to American small business if it is allowed to be put in place. The National Federation of Independent Research Foundation conducted a study that showed the employer mandate found in ObamaCare could lead to a loss of 1.6 million jobs throughout the country, and 66 percent of those lost jobs would come from the small business workforce. That same study showed ``small businesses would lose, roughly, $113 billion in real output and account for 56 percent of all real output lost.'' As a member of the Small Business Committee, I promise to use my personal experience to fight every day for small business owners everywhere. Starting tonight, we must repeal ObamaCare.