Blake Farenthold

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I am an avid supporter of the Internet; I have been one since the late 1970s. However, there is a dark side to the Internet. There are back pages out there and Web sites that have a business model to make money off of exploiting child sex slaves, advertising child sex slaves. This bill gives law enforcement the tools they need to investigate and prosecute those who advertise the victims of sex trafficking. This bill advances a compelling government and humanitarian interest to protect our children from those who seek to buy and sell them like products. This bill makes it illegal to knowingly profit from the distribution of advertising that offers a commercial sex act in violation of section 1591 of the Federal criminal code, which deals with the sex trafficking offense. The SAVE Act doesn't seek to restrict the free, legitimate exchange of information and ideas. I heard some of my colleagues on the other side--the gentleman from Georgia and others--express concern about innocent employees of Web sites or sites like Google that may accidentally index one of these sites or somebody who has an online forum on their Web site and somebody makes an off-topic post. That is why we added the word ``knowingly.'' I want the legislative history of this bill to show that ``knowingly'' is important. They have got to know that they are advertising for victims of human trafficking. It was carefully crafted so that legitimate Internet companies and legitimate Web sites are protected, but it is absolutely critical that we go after those who are trafficking in persons and advertising and profiting off of it. They absolutely need to be held accountable. Protection of America's First Amendment right to freedom of speech is fundamental, especially on the Internet, and that was one of the guiding principles of creating this. Less regulation of the Internet, low regulation of the Internet is important, but there are some things you have got to draw the line on. Profiting off of advertising or profiting at all from child sex trafficking is unacceptable, and this law fixes that to the best of our ability while still protecting folks' First Amendment rights. I am proud to work with my colleague from Missouri, Representative Wagner, in working to combat this terrible crime of human trafficking.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, it is important we get this rule done and move on to consideration of H.R. 351. I am from Corpus Christi, Texas. One of the first things that happened when I came to Congress is, I was visited by some folks from a company that was looking to put a LNG liquefaction plant in the district that I represent. In fact, we have got two pending in the district that I represent. But the first one, Cheniere Energy, a billion-plus dollar plant to liquefy natural gas and export it, has been waiting since I was elected to Congress, longer than I have been in Congress, over 4 years now, to get this plant approved and online to start selling energy. I want to address some of the questions that the gentleman from the other side has raised with respect to this. First and foremost, the technology is there. There is no point for Ukraine or any other country to build the facilities to receive this natural gas until there is a sure and steady supply of this natural gas. And it is a lot easier to get these facilities built in other countries where they don't have to go through the exhausting and sometimes, I would go so far to say, insane permitting process that we have to go through here in the United States. In fact, there is a company looking at putting in another LNG facility in Port Lavaca that is going to build the facility to liquefy the natural gas on a barge, pull it up, hook up to the pipeline, and liquefy it. This same barge technology can be used for re-gasification. You could literally pull a barge into a seaport in the Ukraine, hook up the ship, hook it up to a pipeline, and they could be receiving LNG in a very short order. So it is there for any country. And listen, there is this talk about how it could possibly run up energy prices and natural gas prices here in the United States. The liquefaction process consumes some of the natural gas. The numbers I hear vary from around 20 percent or so, and so it will always be cheaper to deliver the gas by pipeline here in the United States, so we will always have a competitive advantage with the natural gas that we produce. But we have got to have a market for that natural gas. Right now, pretty much the only natural gas we are seeing produced out of the Eagle Ford shale in Texas is produced with oil. You drill a well, you get both oil and gas. We have seen a huge dropoff in drilling for natural gas because the demand is so low and the supply is so high, to the point where we are drilling wells and we have discovered gas, and we shut that well then and don't produce it. We have got to strike while the iron is hot. We can help improve our balance of trade with the world. We can put people back to work, and it can all be done at no government expense. We have just got to get the regulators in Washington, D.C., out of our hair and let our country do this so we can improve the economy for everybody in America. We can have a much more secure economy. We can have people back to work. We can have a plentiful supply of energy for the foreseeable future. You have got Marcellus shale, you have got the Eagle Ford shale, you have got the Barnett shale, you have got Pennsylvania, you have got Texas, you have got North Dakota. There is plentiful natural gas. We need a market for it. By approving this rule and the underlying legislation, that will happen. Americans will go back to work, and America, as a whole, will prosper.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. FARENTHOLD. I do want to point out that the President even understands that there is an ability there for the Ukraine. Speaking in Ukraine recently, he said: ``We welcome the prospect of U.S. LNG efforts in the future since additional global supplies will benefit Europe and other strategic partners.'' That is a quote somebody sent me from President Obama.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Thank you very much, Chairman Goodlatte. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015. There is no question that the Federal Government and Federal regulations take a heavy toll on businesses of all sizes. That toll isn't just financial; it is also stress, it is also time, it is also emotional. Dealing with the government is difficult. Just the dollars- and-cents cost of Federal regulation has been estimated at $1.86 trillion--or so the expert tells me. That adds up to roughly $15,000 per household. It is simply not right for unelected bureaucrats to put that much weight on the shoulders of the American people without making all efforts to minimize the costs and give the people of south Texas and everywhere in this country the opportunity and a chance to weigh in. In Texas in particular, we have seen how onerous EPA and Department of the Interior and other regulations have slowed job growth and the American energy boom, costing our domestic energy companies millions of dollars. This bill would put public discussion back on the table when it comes to regulations and would ensure that the economic costs are fully considered and minimized. We have a lot of work to do to peel back some of the needless, overburdensome regulations that are strangling our businesses, but this bill will help us plug the hole in the boat while we get rid of--start pumping out--some of the water. The other side likes to say that it is going to make it more difficult to regulate. It is supposed to be difficult to enact laws and regulations. We have to pass something out of the House, and we have got to pass something out of the Senate and get it signed by the President to enact a law; but a bureaucrat can do it, basically, with the stroke of a pen and a publication in the Federal Register. This act is going to do something to curb that. We need less government, fewer laws, fewer regulations--and not more.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 185.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Section 4: ``Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.''

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Thank you, Chairman Barton. It is great to be here to talk a moment or two about my good friend Ralph Hall. When I was first elected to Congress a few years back, Ralph was one of the first people that I met, being a Texan, and I tell you, he has the kindest heart and always has a smile on his face and a good joke ready at hand. You know, people ask me: What do you see as your career as a Congressman? Who do you look up to? Where do you see your career in Congress going? I might want to grow up to be Ralph Hall. Then some of his adversaries said he was getting too old to be in Congress, and Ralph jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. I had to rethink, ``I want to grow up to be Ralph Hall,'' after he jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. But I tell you, it is a reflection of the courage and dedication that a man like Ralph Hall has. Ralph was committed to serving Texas and the folks that he represented, and he would go to any length, including jumping out of a perfectly good airplane, to continue to serve. It was an honor and a privilege to have spent 4 years of my life as a colleague of Ralph's, and it has been the greatest 4 years of my life. It is an honor and privilege to have served with him, and he truly will be missed. I appreciate the opportunity, Chairman Barton, to be on the floor today to acknowledge my friend and, quite frankly, one of my strongest mentors here in Congress, Ralph Hall. God bless you, Ralph. We are going to miss you.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, as the Republic of China, which is commonly called Taiwan, celebrates its National Day, Double Ten Day, or the tenth day of October, we in the Congress look back upon the many years of close cooperation with its leaders. Cemented by the Taiwan Relations Act, the relationship we have enjoyed over decades has given meaning to what friendship between two peoples is all about. To complement this relationship in actively engaging with Mainland China is the constructive initiative taken by Taiwan's present leader, President Ma Ying-jeou. By doing this, President Ma is lessening tensions among those parties concerned and contributing to the peace and stability of the region. We are currently faced with many unsettling events of terrorism and conflict out of the Middle East and Europe. Taiwan is a living example of how leadership can contribute to peaceful resolution if the intent is well-meaning and balanced. On this auspicious day of Double Ten, we congratulate President Ma for continuing to redouble his efforts in tamping down the flames of conflict in Asia. I don't think the world can handle another conflict among nations right now. Thank you so much President Ma and Taiwan for creating a peaceful environment when there is so much strife in many other parts of the globe.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to support H.R. 5081, the Strengthening Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act of 2014. It has been estimated that more than 293,000 children in the United States are at risk of sexual exploitation, many of whom are imported into this country along the routes used by the drug traders across the Rio Grande and moved through Texas. This form of modern-day slavery is absolutely unacceptable. No one, especially children, should have to endure this kind of cruelty. We cannot ignore that child trafficking is a serious problem taking place right here in our own backyard in the United States of America. Unfortunately, many State child welfare systems do not identify and assist these exploited children appropriately. This bill strengthens the response to child trafficking by conditioning grants to States on their creating plans to protect children from these abuses and atrocities. We had a hearing of the Homeland Security Committee in Houston and learned that often the trafficked children are not considered victims. They are considered the perpetrators. We have got to educate the police departments. We have got to educate the officers on the street. We have got to educate all of America that these children are victims. They need help. They don't need to end up in the juvenile justice system being treated like criminals. This legislation would help identify children who were forced into sex trafficking and require States receiving grants to train their child protective services workers to appropriately respond to these activities. Ideally, the child sex trafficking industry would not even exist. Unfortunately, the monetary motivations and God knows what else keep it going. It is happening right here, and we have got to stop it. This bill and the other bills on the floor of the House tonight take very important steps to combat this scourge. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it and thank Representatives Bass and Kline for moving us forward in this important endeavor.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I am here to speak in strong support of Internet tax freedom. I am a believer in the power of the Internet. It means a lot for America. It means a lot for the world. Because of our commitment to keeping Internet access largely unencumbered by taxes and government control, we have created something really cool--a dynamic market for goods and services and, most importantly, a marketplace for ideas. Our rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association have grown as the Web opens new outlets for expression in advocacy. Whether it is a group of citizens organizing to petition the government for a redress of their grievances or somebody looking for the love of their life on an Internet dating site, the Internet is there, but we cannot get comfortable. We cannot forget that the power to tax--and might I add the power to overregulate--is the power to destroy. That is why I am up here supporting the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, and I thank Chairman Goodlatte and our numerous cosponsors on both sides of the aisle. This is good for America and good for the world. Please join me in voting ``yea.''

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chairman, today I rise to offer an amendment that would prohibit funding to any Federal employee who has been found in contempt of Congress. As a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I have had serious concerns about the nonresponsiveness of certain Federal officials to legitimate congressional oversight activities. In some of these situations, the actions have been taken by this House to hold these officials in contempt of Congress. Specifically, my amendment prevents funds from being made available for the Office of Management and Budget to process or approve an apportionment request from an executive agency that does not include the following language: Apportioned amounts are not available for any position that is held by an employee with respect to whom the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House of Representatives have certified a statement of facts to a United States attorney under section 104 of the Revised Statutes (2 U.S.C. 194). What the experts and lawyers tell me this means is we won't pay folks who have been held in contempt of Congress. The taxpayers don't need to be funding somebody who is not cooperating with their elected representative, and it has gotten so bad that this entire body has held them in contempt. If somebody has failed to do his or her job in the private sector or in any other environment, they wouldn't get paid, and I think the Federal Government needs to follow this. Let me give you a little bit of background on the process so you understand how this is going to work. Funds apportioned to executive agencies are apportioned or handed out by the OMB. Executive agencies must submit a request to the OMB 40 days before the start of the fiscal year or within 15 days of the enactment of the appropriations act. The OMB then determines how the executive agency's fund will be apportioned. This amendment would require an executive agency to include the quoted language in their apportionment request to the OMB, which would prevent the OMB from allocating funds to an agency for the salaries of Federal employees who have been found in contempt of Congress. To me, this is just common sense. We don't pay employees who don't cooperate with their boss. We are the elected representatives of the people. We are the boss, and we need to enact this legislation to ensure those in contempt of Congress do not continue to receive taxpayer funds. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to direct $6 million to the FAA for additional radar technology and equipment to the Standard Terminal Arrival Route, called STARs, in area navigation. This additional radar technology would be placed on U.S. Navy property where flight training operations are conducted. It is designed to mitigate the cumulative effects of electromagnetic radar interference from constructed or proposed wind turbines. What we have got is a problem that is developing throughout the country where wind farms are interfering with the ability of our radar to track planes. This is a safety consideration. It is important to making sure that we have adequately trained pilots in the Navy. As we move towards more clean energy like wind energy, it is important that we look at some of the unintended consequences of these. This radar interference with FAA radar and radar used by the Navy in training purposes, and in some instances other branches of the service, is a real safety hazard. This money will be used to develop the technology so these radars can either be networked or additional weather band parts of the radar can be adapted to mitigate the interference of these wind turbines. There is a real chance that these wind farms, as more and more of them come online, would severely impact radar operations throughout the country. It is crucial that we invest in mitigation technologies and strategies to make renewable energy products even more compatible with our Naval training and FAA operations, and the time to act is now. I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, I would like to engage in a colloquy with the chairman. As the gentleman from Virginia is aware, I have serious concerns about the nonresponsiveness of certain Federal officials to legitimate congressional oversight activities. In some of these situations, there have been actions taken by the House to hold these officials in contempt of Congress. As the gentleman is aware, I was considering offering an amendment to this bill that would simply prohibit funding for any Federal employee who has been found in contempt of Congress. It is my firm belief that the American people should not be footing the bill for Federal employees who stonewall Congress or rewarding government officials' bad behavior. If the average American failed to do his or her job, she would hardly be rewarded. However, based on conversations I have had with the chairman and other Members, I do not plan to offer such an amendment to the bill, with the understanding that the chairman and the committee will continue to work with me to assure that this matter is considered in an appropriate bill. I would like to ask the gentleman if he would commit to working with me to find a satisfactory vehicle for addressing the issue of compensation for public officials found in contempt of Congress.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sergeant First Class Jose Rodela, Medal of Honor recipient and a true American hero. Sergeant First Class Rodela was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on June 15, 1937. He entered the U.S. Army in September 1955, at the age of 17. Sergeant First Class Rodela was recognized for his valorous actions and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service on September 1, 1969, while serving as the company commander in Phuoc Long Province, Vietnam. He commanded his company throughout 18 hours of continuous combat when his battalion was attacked and taking heavy casualties. Throughout the battle, in spite of his wounds, Rodela repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to attend to the fallen and eliminate an enemy rocket position. On March 18, 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Sergeant First Class Rodela the Medal of Honor For ``Conspicuous Gallantry and Intrepidity at the Risk of His Life Above and Beyond the Call of Duty.'' His Medal of Honor citation reads: ``Sergeant First Class Jose Rodela distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as the company commander, Detachment B-36, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces during combat operations against an armed enemy in Phuoc Long Province, Republic of Vietnam on September 1, 1969. That afternoon, Sergeant First Class Rodela's battalion came under an intense barrage of mortar, rocket, and machine gun fire. Ignoring the withering enemy fire, Sergeant First Class Rodela immediately began placing his men into defensive positions to prevent the enemy from overrunning the entire battalion. Repeatedly exposing himself to enemy fire, Sergeant First Class Rodela moved from position to position, providing suppressing fire and assisting wounded, and was himself wounded in the back and head by a B-40 rocket while recovering a wounded comrade. Alone, Sergeant First Class Rodela assaulted and knocked out the B-40 rocket position before successfully returning to the battalion's perimeter. Sergeant First Class Rodela's extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.'' Sergeant First Class Jose Rodela served our country valiantly, and should be honored as such. As a nation, there is no better symbol of our gratitude than the Medal of Honor. Because of his commitment, America remains a land of hope, opportunity and, as Ronald Reagan so eloquently put it, ``a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.''

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I am outraged over reports involving the care of our veterans and the blatant mismanagement at the VA. We have made promises to our Nation's veterans, and, yet, wounded veterans are waiting months and even years, with some even dying due to backlogs at the VA. I found out yesterday a veteran in my district died from excessive delays because he was unable to get necessary heart surgery. Delays at the VA hospital in Phoenix may have led to additional deaths. Reportedly, VA officials have ordered hospital workers to shield this information in order to hide incredibly long waits. Workers at a VA clinic in Fort Collins, Colorado, were supposedly told to falsify appointment records to escape retribution for not meeting agency- imposed goals. If they didn't do that, they were going to end up on a bad boys list. Mr. Speaker, if true, these reports demonstrate a serious problem within the VA. The brave Americans who served our country did not wait months or years to answer the call to protect our freedom. They deserve the best care that we can give them in a timely manner. Unfortunately, under current leadership at the VA, that seems impossible. If Secretary Shinseki can't get this done, President Obama needs to find somebody who can.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I am here today because I do believe Lois Lerner waived her Fifth Amendment right to testify, and by so doing and not answering our questions, she was in contempt of Congress. The other side makes a big deal about this being political and preserving constitutional rights, but the way the system is supposed to work: we will find Ms. Lerner in contempt; the Justice Department will then go to court; there will be a full hearing in the court. And this may very well make it to the United States Supreme Court. Her rights will be protected, but we have also got to protect the rights of the people. We are the people's House. It is our job to get to the bottom of the scandals that are troubling the American people so that we can regain the trust of the American people. You know, it is healthy to be skeptical of your government, but when you don't believe a word that comes out of the mouth of the administration, there is a real problem. We have got to reclaim our power here. We are struggling. I don't think the Justice Department is going to pursue this. I think the same thing will happen to Ms. Lerner that happened with Mr. Holder--the Justice Department is going to decline to move forward with it--but we have got to do our job. I also want to point out that we have got to deal with these people who are in contempt of Congress. For that reason, I have H.R. 4447 that is pending before this House that would withhold the pay of anyone in contempt of Congress. We have got to use the power of the purse and everything we have got to reclaim the power of the purse and the power that the Constitution gave this body to get to the truth and be the representatives of the people.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. This amendment actually implements what I have proposed in H.R. 4447, which is that any employee of the Federal Government--in this case, we are limiting it to the subject of this appropriations bill--not be paid if they have been held in contempt of Congress. We have seen, unfortunately, that even though we have held Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, the Justice Department has failed to pursue that, and we are delayed on the civil contempt in the court system. What I am trying to do here is put a little teeth into contempt of Congress, using the power of the purse. The Constitution gives this body the power to decide how the Federal Government spends their money. And if somebody is in contempt of this body, they should not be paid. If you are in contempt of your employer in the private sector, most likely you are going to be unemployed and not get your paycheck. I intend to offer this amendment for all the appropriations bills as a way to possibly get it through the Senate, where nothing is happening. It is critically important that we do this in the Veterans Affairs appropriations bill because as we begin to investigate the horrifying allegations of secret waiting lists and folks dying because they are not getting timely treatment in the VA, it is certain there is going to be a congressional investigation. We need all the tools we have in our tool chest to get to the bottom of this and make sure people cooperate and make sure people testify. We have seen time and time again where various investigations, be it Lois Lerner, whatever, that we are not getting cooperation from this administration. The contempt power and putting some teeth into it is one way we can do that. So I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense amendment that doesn't pay people who don't cooperate with Congress. We have the power of the purse. We need to use it. We very possibly may need to use it for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a result of some of the things that they appear to be up to. I yield back the balance of my time. Point of Order

Mr. FARENTHOLD. I would like to address the point of order.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Chair, it is my belief that this puts no other duty on anyone. Someone being found in contempt of Congress is something that is widely publicized. And as all people are charged with knowing what the law is, it seems common sense that the Department of Veterans Affairs, if it had a member subject to contempt, would know that that person is in contempt. We are not asking anybody to do anything else, other than not pay somebody who is in contempt of Congress.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1228) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 300 Packerland Drive in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building'', as amended.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may be given 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.