Bill Flores

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 43, to formally disapprove of the recent measure passed by the District of Columbia that clearly violates religious liberty. I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from Tennessee, for her work on this important issue. I urge all of my colleagues to join her in reaffirming Congress' commitment to protecting our First Amendment rights. Despite its name, the Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act does, in fact, discriminate against those who exercise their right to live according to their religious beliefs. The D.C. measure tells values-based organizations that they may no longer live and work according to the very principles that they advocate. A Christian school would be required to pay for health insurance policies that include provisions that violate the beliefs that they teach their students. In addition, a pro-life organization would be forced to hire individuals regardless of their commitment to pro-life values. Simply put, the D.C. Council measure compels Americans to act in clear violation of their conscience. In doing so, they ignore the opinion of most Americans, Supreme Court precedent, and the First Amendment to our Constitution. More than 80 percent of Americans agree that individuals should be free to run their businesses and their organizations according to their beliefs, without the government telling them what to do. In 2013, the Supreme Court upheld that opinion, ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby that employers have the right to operate their businesses according to their religious beliefs and principles. Most importantly, however, the freedom of belief is enshrined in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights of our Constitution. Freedom of belief is the cornerstone of America's founding principles. It was the promise of religious freedom that spurred the first generation of immigrants to come here, and it is the practice of religious freedom that has brought people from all over the world, from all races and creeds, to our shores ever since. Religious freedom may be one of our oldest tenets and oldest principles, but it is one we must constantly strive and work to defend. This is not about one city or even one piece of legislation. Other cities or States may be considering similar measures, and doing nothing will only embolden those who would violate religious liberty. We need to make clear, Madam Speaker, where the House stands on this important issue. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to join the gentlewoman from Tennessee and me in supporting today's resolution.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor former Brazos County Judge Randy Sims, who passed away on April 2 of this year. Judge Sims served the Brazos Valley community for decades. He served as the Brazos County commissioner of precinct 3 from 1972 to 1976 and again from 1989 to 2001. He also served on the Bryan City Council from 1987 to 1988. Lastly, he served as the Brazos County judge from 2003 to 2010. Arthur Randolph Sims was born in Houston on July 31, 1939. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School. During his high school days, he was quite an athlete, playing both baseball and football. He passed up a chance to play professional baseball to get a college education. Legendary coach Bear Bryant recruited Randy to play football for Texas A&M University. Not only was Randy a top running back for Texas A&M, but he also held a longstanding record in the Southwest Conference for kicking a 52-yard field goal. Following graduation from A&M, Randy remained in Brazos Valley. In May of 1960, he married Brenda Bryan. They were married for nearly 55 years. Randy and Brenda have one son and one daughter, and they are blessed with nine grandchildren. In the mid-1960s, Randy opened a restaurant called Randy Sims Barbecue, which operated for 27 years. Randy was a great cook, and his restaurant carried recipes from Brenda's dad and from Brenda's brother, Red Bryan and Sonny Bryan. Randy was a loving father, and he cherished his family time. He quickly learned how to balance his career in order to spend quality time with his family. Last year, the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce named Randy and Brenda as its Citizens of the Year. This award was bestowed on them for their long and dedicated service to our community. As an active community leader, Randy Sims served tirelessly on various boards and organizations, including on the State of Texas Regional Review Committee, the Presidential Library Committee, the Bryan-College Station Economic Development Corporation, the Bear Bryant Scholarship Foundation, the Brazos Valley Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Solid Waste Advisory Board, the Brazos Beautiful Initiative, the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural History, the Grace Bible Church Deacon Board, and the Brazos County 911 Board. His service to the Brazos Valley also included serving as a Bryan ISD host volunteer, as vice president of the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce, as chair of the Brazos County Health Board District, and as the chair of the Brazos County Juvenile Board. Mr. Speaker, Randy Sims was a great leader, a dedicated public servant, and an outstanding family man. His selfless devotion to our community will be greatly missed. He will long be remembered as a great public servant to our community and as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend to his family and friends. My wife, Gina, and I offer our deepest sympathy and our heartfelt condolences to Brenda Sims and to her family. We also lift up Randy Sims' family and friends in our prayers. As I close, Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Americans continue to pray for our country during these difficult times, for the men and women in uniform, who protect it from external threats, and for our first responders, who protect us from threats here at home.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. I came to Congress because Washington was in the midst of a culture of excess--excessive spending, excessive regulation and excessive government. Today, we have the opportunity to repeal and replace Medicare's SGR, an outdated reimbursement system that for over a decade Congress has passed patch after patch to fix the flawed formula while hiding the true state of Medicare. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will take crucial steps to change spending and improve health care for America. Today, we are voting to enact policy and reforms that generate savings and finally incentivize quality of care over quantity. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to support the Republican Study Committee budget for fiscal year 2016. I also want to thank my friend, the gentleman from Indiana, for the great work that he has done in crafting the blueprint for a balanced budget, a robust and responsible plan to tackle $18 trillion of national debt, along with the over $100 trillion of unfunded obligations, which are crippling the futures of millions of hard- working Americans, their children, and their grandchildren. I also want to thank Chairman Price and the Budget Committee for their great work on the Conference budget. But today, I am proud to support the budget proposal put forth by the Republican Study Committee. The RSC budget will balance the Federal budget in just 6 years, providing a better future for our children and our grandchildren. It also reduces rampant government overspending by $7.1 trillion compared to current policy, and it gets rid of redundant and unconstitutional government programs that waste billions of precious taxpayer dollars. Hard-working American families know the importance of prioritizing to live within their means, and it is time the Federal Government learned that lesson as well. This budget upholds the Congress' sacred constitutional duty to first provide for our national defense. Maintaining a strong military must be Congress' number one priority, especially in this increasingly dangerous world. Our budget follows Ronald Reagan's successful strategy of ``peace through strength'' for our national security. Defense spending should be determined first and foremost by our security needs, capabilities, and the threats facing our Nation. Acknowledging that, this plan allocates $570 billion in base defense spending for fiscal year 2016 and provides for a total of $6.4 trillion in defense spending over the next decade. We also believe that we must work to grow America's economy, not Washington's bureaucracy. The best way that we can spur growth and encourage job creation is by getting the government out of the way of America's innovators and entrepreneurs. This means repealing ObamaCare through reconciliation and establishing patient-centered reforms for better American health care. The RSC budget also calls for replacing the current Tax Code with a new pro-growth Tax Code that will benefit all taxpayers and families. We need a simpler, fairer, more competitive Tax Code that will help, not hinder, America's opportunity economy. We also sunset the IRS and we end the death tax. Finally, this budget addresses the dire state of America's social safety net programs and puts them back on a path toward solvency and toward doing the right thing for America's families. Unless Congress acts, Medicare will be bankrupt by 2013, Social Security retirement will be bankrupt by 2033, and Social Security Disability Insurance will be bankrupt next year, in 2016. This budget introduces new reforms that strengthen America's social safety net so that it will be here for future generations. And we structure them in such a way to keep families together and to provide ladders of opportunity out of poverty. We don't keep people trapped in poverty. We in Congress have an obligation to the American people to live within our means and to be trustworthy stewards of taxpayer dollars. Unfortunately, Washington has fallen short. Voting ``yes'' on the RSC budget is an opportunity for this Congress to restore the trust of the American people and to show that we are carrying out the important job that they sent us here to do. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the RSC budget and ``yes'' again on the House Budget Committee budget.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of America's finest, Lt. Colonel Greg Gadson who is in command of Ft. Belvoir in Virginia, a graduate of West Point in 1989. Greg was also a star linebacker on the United States Army football team. Greg, a twenty-year veteran, has received three bronze stars and a purple heart. While serving in Operation Iraq Freedom, he was almost killed as the commander of a surge unit by an IED explosion, losing both of his legs. He has since done nothing but climbed mountain after mountain. He is also well-known as an inspirational public speaker, and many give him credit for helping inspire the New York Giants to their Super Bowl XLVI season. He has also appeared in the movie ``Battleship'' and truly is an American hero and a man for all seasons. I submit this poem, penned in his honor by Albert Carey Caswell. Hold That Line Hold That Line All in our lifetimes Past what new goal lines will we so drive? When, it all so seems our backs are up against the wall to find All in these the moments of our lives Coming off that line All in hearts now carried deep What promises to ourselves will we so keep? To find the faith and courage to compete To strive Will we get up and fight? When it all so lies on the line And hold That Line Or will we give in, In these our darkest of all nights as they begin? Or will we go deep? All in our hearts of honor so to seek Whether, on football fields of green Or out upon most heroic battlefields of honor seen You Lt. Colonel Gadson, Have always gleamed Will our hearts choose to stand and fight, To compete? All in the seeds we've sown so deep All in our hearts to reap Emanating from somewhere inside, So down so very deep Is the place Lt. Colonel, Where all of your promises you would so keep All in your strength in honor which speaks To be the best as you would seek All in your actions, And deeds Firing out across that line to death to beat Tackling all of those obstacles in your way to compete As so gallantly you sow heroism seeds As why in the game of life you shine so brilliantly As it's your faith Greg you were so to keep Running from end to end, As up ahead you would lead To take control and command To hold That Line As there you'd stand When this battle before you so lie As across that goal line of life for victory you'd strive All because of men like you Colonel who so courageously compete We all may live in peace Because, in the game of life It's all about digging in, And digging in deep Through thick and thin, How far we are all willing to go for victory to reach To Hold That Line To walk through that valley of death, With clenched fists to one day Heaven reach For these are the things in life which speak And who have we saved? And who have we blessed? And what have we taught to pass that test? By all our actions, whom have we reached By our examples to beseech Will we stand up and go deep? As have you Colonel, As to such new heights you'd so reach In this new battle you began, And you so chose to fight and stand While, all in the midst of hell As your most courageous heart began to swell And you had to start all over again Without your once strong legs upon which you so ran As you looked down as the red blood ran As in that moment your new battle so began Being from The Point, Your heart gave you a command To hold That Line As once again it was first and goal With your back to the wall As you had to plug up all those holes, And somehow find the strength to stand To tackle all that misery at hand And somehow hold That Line As you had done before, Time and time again As somehow you got up and stood, And started your whole life over as you would Listening to your heart, As you brought tears to all our eyes Thanking your Father and your brothers for being alive As a winner in that game of life you crossed that recovery goal line As Greg you crushed it As death you sacked it Firing out to victory to find And Colonel, If I ever have a son I pray to God, He could lead a life like yours as won Who when it was all on the line, Did not thing think twice To win that day, that fight As a winner before us now stands here this night Because it's on our legs we stand But it's with our hearts we run to daylight And we Hold That Line For Greg you are Army strong And why such men as you and MacArthur to The Point so belong Whose hearts of honor in history will live on Hoo ah Mr. Speaker, before I close, I ask everyone to continue to pray for our country and for our military men and women that protect it. God bless the United States of America.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my amendment.

Mr. FLORES. I appreciate the gentleman from Virginia's response. Mr. Chairman, our amendment is not intended to cause any establishment of any religion or to encourage the proselytization of any religious beliefs in school. Our amendment is just basically to protect the rights of students and of teachers and of school administrators to practice their individual beliefs and not have to check their religious freedoms at the door. It does nothing to establish any religion. We need to recognize that there are too often too many times that somebody wears a religious necklace to school and a school administrator violates his right of religious freedom by telling him he has to remove that or, if one wears a T-shirt that has a Biblical phrase or a Biblical verse, that he has to remove that shirt or be banned from wearing that shirt in the future from school because of an administrator who doesn't understand the protections offered by the First Amendment. This amendment, this sense of Congress, is purely to protect the rights that we have as students and as administrators and teachers under the First Amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my amendment, which reaffirms the First Amendment rights of students, teachers, and school administrators to exercise their religious beliefs. The Founders of our Nation recognized the singular importance of religious freedom. One only needs to look back at the very first clause of the First Amendment to know that James Madison, the father of the Bill of Rights, saw religious freedom as central to our liberty and to our freedom of expression as human beings. Since the ratification of the Bill of Rights over 225 years ago, Americans have been protected from religious oppression. As a result, in present day, for many, religious freedom may seem like a given--a right that has always existed and that will always exist--but we know we can't be so cavalier. Just look around the world to see that the religious protections enjoyed by Americans are not universally embraced. Even here at home, we have cause to remain vigilant. Every Christmas, we hear stories of elementary schoolchildren being forbidden from passing out candy canes that are affixed with notes including traditional Christmas messages or even being forbidden from saying the word ``Christmas'' in school. Today, I rise to offer a sense of Congress to ensure that our right to religious freedom is preserved in our schools. No one should tell students and teachers that they have to check their fundamental freedoms at the schoolhouse door. This is not what our Founding Fathers envisioned or intended. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this commonsense reminder that, as Members of Congress and as Representatives of the people, we are the first line of defense against coercive government behavior. We bear the responsibility of protecting and upholding our traditional religious freedom as espoused in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the comments from the gentleman from Colorado. I think he goes right to the core of the reason that my amendment is perfectly appropriate, that it is there to protect religious freedom and to protect our rights under the First Amendment. I think he makes the case to support my amendment, actually, when you work through what he said, so I continue to encourage the other side to work with us to protect religious freedom and to adopt my amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from Virginia and also of the gentleman from Colorado. There is nothing in my amendment that says that coercion is okay, that religious proselytization is okay. What we are doing is just protecting the religious freedoms of the First Amendment. Mr. Chairman, I would urge all of my colleagues to vote for a commonsense, simple amendment that protects our religious freedoms under the First Amendment. It is very simple. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Amendment XII: ``The electors shall meet in their respective States and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, . . .''

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Royce Hickman, an outstanding individual who has been serving as President/CEO of the Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce since 1998. Royce has held a number of high profile positions throughout his business career. He is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Texas Association of Business. In addition, he served on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives. Just recently, Royce was presented with the 2014 Distinguished Service Award by the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives. He was awarded this recognition for his leadership as chairman of the state organization. During his time as Chairman he led the organization towards its current thriving position. Royce is a past Chairman of the Texas A&M Association of Former Students, a past president of the friends of the Sterling C. Evans library and in 2007 was presented with the International Excellence Award in the Community by Texas A&M University. He currently serves on the George Bush School of Government and Public Services Development Council, the Texas A&M Career Center Advisory Council and the Bush School Public Service Organization Advisory Board. He also serves on the local March of Dimes Board and on several committees at his Church. Royce is a great asset to the Brazos Valley. His service to our community has helped it grow and prosper. He has shown tremendous dedication and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty. Most importantly, he has been a committed husband to his wife, Mary, and a nurturing leader for his children and grandchildren. Today we are thrilled to recognize and honor Royce Hickman's devotion, dedication and loyalty to our nation, our state, our community, and his family. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I ask everyone to continue to pray for our country and for our military men and women that protect it. God bless the United States of America.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 3008) to extend temporarily the extended period of protection for members of uniformed services relating to mortgages, mortgage foreclosure, and eviction, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today on a motion offered pursuant to this order, it adjourn to meet at noon on Tuesday, December 16, 2014, unless it sooner has received a message from the Senate transmitting its concurrence in H. Con. Res. 125, in which case the House shall stand adjourned pursuant to that concurrent resolution.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of today, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 2338) to reauthorize the United States Anti-Doping Agency, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Clara Mae Miller on her 100th birthday. Ms. Miller has led a remarkable life that is grand in accomplishments through her hard work and dedication. I join her family, friends, and the community of Calvert, Texas in celebrating this event. I wish her more years of happiness, fulfillment, and health. Congratulations to Ms. Miller on her centennial birthday milestone.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Vera Babers on her 100th birthday which took place on June 16, 2014. Ms. Babers has led a remarkable life that is grand in accomplishments through her hard work and dedication. I join her family, friends, and the community of Calvert, Texas in celebrating this event. I wish her more years of happiness, fulfillment, and health. Congratulations to Ms. Babers on her centennial birthday milestone.

Mr. FLORES

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to instruct and yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the motion to instruct would instruct the House conferees to recede from disagreement with the Senate with respect to section 203 of the Senate amendment to H.R. 3230, which would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to use unobligated balances to hire additional health providers. It would also instruct the House conferees to recede to the Senate position on all other matters. This is the fifth such motion that has been introduced in the last 10 days. None of them have brought us any closer to reaching the compromise our veterans deserve in the fiscally responsible manner that respects the rights of our taxpayers. In addition, none of them have brought us any closer to correcting the systemic bureaucratic deficiencies that have led to thousands of veterans waiting for weeks, months, or even years to get the care that they need. Today, our attention is best spent devoted on working in tandem with our Senate counterparts to find a true compromise. Instead, here we are, yet again, debating an unnecessary, unhelpful, and unbinding motion to instruct. Mr. Speaker, just yesterday afternoon, Chairman Miller offered a formal proposal to the conference committee that would do the following: First, it would accept title I through title VII of the original Senate bill, along with additional amended language to include the Oklahoma lease authorization that was included in the House-passed bill, H.R. 3521, but that was left out of the Senate language. Second, it would provide the VA with $102 million for fiscal year 2014 to address the Department's internal funding shortfalls. Third, it would provide $10 billion of no-year, mandatory emergency funding to cover the cost of the Senate's choice provision, with the remaining Senate provisions subject to appropriations on an annual basis. I am supportive of Chairman Miller's proposal, and I, like him, continue to remain optimistic that the House and Senate conferees will be able to successfully accomplish our mission and come to an agreement in advance of the August district work period which is scheduled to begin next week. There are many important aspects of the bill where the House and the Senate do agree. Recently, however, Senator Sanders, who is the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and the cochair of the conference committee, has indicated his desire to expand the scope of the conference to include the VA's recent request for as much as an additional $17.6 billion. The VA health care system has not yet proven itself able to make effective use of the resources that it has been provided. Increasing those resources significantly at this time would be irresponsible, particularly in light of the insufficient details that the VA has provided about how it arrived at this request and how, specifically, this money would be used to increase access for our Nation's veterans and increase accountability for VA bureaucrats. This summer, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee has received hours of testimony from VA leaders and key, outside stakeholders in an effort to thoroughly understand and evaluate the access and accountability failures of the VA and, by extension, our Nation's veterans, the problems that they have been experiencing. Those hearings have confirmed that the problems the VA is facing today require long-term and large-scale reform that more money, more people, and more buildings will not bring, by themselves. Mr. Speaker, we are continually trying to work out a deal with the Senate, and I would argue that these motions to instruct have become not just tiresome but, in fact, they have become very counterproductive. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the motion to instruct, and to allow the conference committee the time and the latitude to work and reach the best possible compromise for the benefit of America's veterans. Our veterans deserve nothing less. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to know that politics have not been part of this discussion in the conference committee, and any assertions to that standpoint are not true. In terms of the manana comment, I will say this. We have worked diligently on the conference committee, on both sides of the aisle, to try to get to a solution with the Senate. We will continue to do that. Mr. Speaker, with that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLORES. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FLORES. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman made a profound comment, and that is that money alone is not a guarantee of quality care for veterans, and that is one of the issues at stake here in the negotiations. The Senate has decided to use this crisis to grab more money for the VA, when we are not sure the VA can handle the money it has appropriated today, which is substantial. We want to make sure that we fix the VA right and do it right the first time. That is the crux of the issue. That is the objective that really gives our veterans the quality care that they deserve, and that is what the conference committee is committed to do. I reserve the balance of my time.