Brett Guthrie

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. I yield the gentlewoman from California an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Blum).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, let me state what this bill is not. It is not doing away with the calorie count or the ability for people to understand what calorie content, or caloric content, is available in each product. I am one who looks at that. I don't know of anything that has a calorie count on anything that I have eaten recently that I haven't looked at. I have checked out the serving sizes so that I know how many chicken wings I want to order. If I can get the calories per chicken wing, I can make that determination. We looked at the menu board that was offered earlier, and it looked simple, but this is the issue: Even if you put ranges, how do you get the information in people's hands? I was just at a restaurant, when I was traveling in my district the other day, that had calories for different orders. One was from 400 to 800 on one. So what we want to do is to make it available in a way that is efficient, as most people now get their information not necessarily on a board where you have to have big ranges, but specific. For instance, at one pizza restaurant alone, we had the pizza slice plus a few toppings; but what if you have five styles of crust, six different cheeses, five sauces, four sizes, and 20 different toppings? If you put all of that together, it comes to about 34 million different combinations, and deviations from the standard that the FDA has put forward could lead to fines and to criminal penalties. What we are looking at, as my friend from California said, are these rules that are incredibly complex, burdensome, and inflexible. What this bill does not do is create exemptions or diminish the amount of information that must be provided by restaurants or retailers. All it does is allow for some flexibility, and it clarifies the unworkable and overly complex regulations the FDA finalized in November 2014. A lot of things that happen here are overly cumbersome and unworkable. We go to delay, to delay, and we delayed an omnibus, as they said. These are going to be unworkable 6 months from now and a year from now. So let's fix it so that our businesses know what to provide without their having the threat of penalty, because they will know what to provide, and so that consumers can make choices. I am one, as I said, who wants that information because I want to be able to make that choice for myself and for my family. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 2017, including an exchange of letters between the Committees on Energy and Commerce and the Judiciary.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville on its 25th anniversary since its founding. The McConnell Center was established by Senator McConnell and the University of Louisville, his alma mater, in 1991 with the mission to help nurture the next generation of great leaders in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The McConnell Center has helped educate, inspire, and motivate more than 200 McConnell Scholars and has given more than $3.5 million in scholarships to more than 230 Kentucky students. I am proud to say that three McConnell Scholars, Andrew Stewart, Natalie Smith, and Sean Southard, have interned in my office. The McConnell Center has also provided thousands of hours of professional development to Kentucky's teachers. The McConnell Center's successful program has demonstrated the profound and lasting impact it is making within our Commonwealth, the nation, and the world. It has been named one of the ``Oases of Excellence in Higher Education'' by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, touching the lives and careers of thousands of students, teachers, researchers, and citizens. This year, the McConnell Center will celebrate its 25th anniversary with the theme ``Citizens and Statesmen,'' continuing its great work in shaping our nation's leaders, politics, and communities. Today, I would like to thank and recognize the McConnell Center for their exemplary work and mission in educational and civic engagement, building our future leaders on a foundation based upon ``Leadership, Scholarship, and Service.''

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two constituents from my district, Thomas Sullivan and Daniel Disselkamp, who spent three weeks in northern Haiti building and upgrading powerlines to help communities receive affordable, safe, and reliable electricity. The power linemen from Nolin Electric Cooperative were the second group to volunteer their services on this project. The project is one to commercialize power from the Caracol Industrial Park generation station that is currently serving 8,000 consumers in Caracol and surrounding communities with electricity 24 hours a day. When the project is complete, a total of 10,000 consumers will have access to electricity. One of the major factors contributing to ending poverty and improving the quality of life for people around the world is access to affordable and reliable electricity. Only about 13 percent of Haitians currently have access to electricity, so the services provided by these linemen will have a positive impact on thousands of lives. Obtaining electricity access is an important step toward achieving improvements in healthcare, education, and economic opportunity. That is why today I would like to thank and recognize Thomas Sullivan and Daniel Disselkamp for their service.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Every Student Succeeds Act. As a father of three children who have attended public schools, I know the importance of allowing those who know our students best to be the decisionmakers. I want to thank everybody who is involved in educating our children. My wife and I certainly appreciate those who have sacrificed so much time to take care of our children. Since coming to Congress, I have heard from parents, teachers, school board members, and school leaders that No Child Left Behind is not producing the results our children need. States and local school districts need flexibility to deliver a quality education to our students. This agreement does just that. It gets the Federal Government out of our classrooms and puts the decisionmaking back in the hands of our State and local leaders. This agreement prevents the Secretary from legislating through executive fiat. It prohibits the Secretary from adding new requirements through regulations and from adding new requirements as a condition of approval of a State plan. As a Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a conferee on this agreement, I am pleased with the determination of my colleagues in this Congress to move beyond the failed policies of No Child Left Behind. Our children deserve a quality education, and this bill is a step in the right direction. Mr. Speaker, I do want to thank the chairman and the ranking member and those in the Senate for all their hard work. I know the staff from both sides, people that we get to work with every day who work hard for the people of this country and who have worked hard for our children. I appreciate the hard work they have done in bringing this agreement to where we are today. I urge my colleagues to support this conference agreement.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here. I rise in support of H.R. 1624, the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees Act. This bill, which I introduced along with my friend from California (Mr. Cardenas), Congressman Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona will protect smaller employers from increased healthcare costs and will prevent their employees from being forced out of their current healthcare plans. The small group market is currently defined as 1 to 50 employees, but a provision in the healthcare law will expand the group's size from 1 to 100 on January 1. With this expansion comes more onerous regulations and the expectation of dramatic rate hikes. One estimate by Oliver Wyman predicts that those in the 51 to 100 group will see an average of an 18 percent premium increase in 2016 based on the new rating rules alone. H.R. 1624 stops the mandated expansion of the small group market that will occur on January 1 and allows States to define their own market. Mr. Speaker, I have heard from many Kentuckians who would be impacted by this change, and their concerns are real. Small businesses are afraid to expand, and mid-sized businesses have no idea what the costs would be or how they can plan for this new change. This issue has widespread support, with over half the House as cosponsors and nearly a third of the Senate as cosponsors. Members on both sides of the aisle agree that we must act now to stop this new mandate. It has been a great pleasure working with the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardenas). It is an issue that we see is happening in Washington, that is happening out in our districts, out across to the businesses. Both sides of the aisle have come together to say: Let's change the law. Let's make sure that the small businesses and medium-sized businesses are not affected, and let's move forward. It wasn't just that we signed our names as cosponsors. There was a lot of hard work that I know the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardenas) did to bring more and more cosponsors to this bill. This is a significant change. It is significant for the people who live in our districts. I encourage support. I appreciate Mr. Cardenas, Ms. Sinema, and Mr. Mullin.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3134. This bill would defund Planned Parenthood and its clinics for 1 full year. This summer, a series of disturbing videos shined a light on the gruesome practice being done in clinics across the country. No one has ever disputed that the employees of Planned Parenthood said what they said in the video. These videos have shocked and appalled countless Americans. Federal dollars should not be going to an agency that is involved in such a horrific and disturbing practice. I have voted in the past to defund Planned Parenthood, and I will do so again today. Madam Speaker, life is a precious gift, and I firmly believe we should do all we can to advance and support it. Today, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to stop Planned Parenthood from continuing these practices.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Kentucky State Trooper Cameron Ponder of Rineyville, Kentucky. I believe many people watched or saw with horror the news that spread across this country that another one of our public service officers was killed this week. Only 31 years old, Cameron was shot and killed during an on-duty traffic stop earlier this week. Known by his peers and in the community as an athlete, Cameron was an all-State performer in track and was the kicker on the football team in high school. After graduating from North Hardin High School near Fort Knox, Cameron joined the U.S. Navy, turning down a track scholarship. More personally, Cameron was a son, an uncle, and a fiance. Cameron graduated from the Kentucky State Police Academy in January and had been a trooper for less than 9 months. Among the many condolences that have been shared are those of his former Navy colleagues, who talked about his devotion to our country. While Cameron was taken far too soon, his commitment to service and community has not gone unnoticed. I join with all of Kentucky's Second District in sending prayers to Cameron's family, friends, and his Kentucky State Police brethren. We will miss him and are thankful for his service.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my disapproval of President Obama's deal with Iran. I ask myself this question: Has Iran earned the right to be trusted? We must ask this because we know there are secret deals that my colleagues and I were not privileged to. Therefore, a vote to support this deal is a vote to trust Iran. The behavior of Iran's leaders over the last 30 years offers no indication that the next decade will be any different; and now, with these secret details, we cannot know if the deal is verifiable, enforceable, and accountable. The people who know Iran best trust them the least. Iran's neighbors have already requested additional arms from the United States to protect themselves from this very deal. Any deal should include these three powerful principles: safety, security, stability. This deal falls short, and I cannot support it.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Jenkins).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, during the hearing in the Committee on Energy and Commerce, one of the physicians testifying, a neonatologist, turned out to practice with my first cousin, so I got to do research further into what is moving forward in this bill. I learned even more from personal stories about how important it is and how critical this is and how sad it is for children to be born addicted and how the opportunity is for us to help. I certainly appreciate my friend from Massachusetts, Ms. Clark, and my friend from Ohio, Mr. Stivers. I would encourage all my colleagues to vote for H.R. 1462, Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Stivers), my friend.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 1462, the Protecting Our Infants Act of 2015, introduced by my colleagues, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts and Mr. Stivers. Over the past several years, opioid addiction has risen dramatically in the United States, reaching epidemic proportions. The death rate for heroin overdose doubled in just 2 years, from 2010 to 2012. One of the issues that has arisen as a result of this epidemic is neonatal abstinence syndrome, known as NAS. These are infants born addicted to opioids and suffer medical issues associated with drug withdrawal. Symptoms can last for weeks, keeping otherwise healthy infants confined to the hospital at the start of their lives. NAS can result from the use of prescription drugs or from the use of illegal opioids. Sadly, over the past 15 years, a prevalence of NAS has tripled in the United States. This is a rapidly growing problem that needs to be addressed for the safety of our mothers and children. H.R. 1462 would address the increasing problem of prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome. Preventing opioid abuse among pregnant women and women of childbearing age is crucial in addressing NAS. The Government Accountability Office has identified that more research is needed in this area to help treat babies born with NAS and mothers addicted to opioids. This legislation would help fill this research gap by studying issues and developing recommendations for preventing and treating prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close with a quick story. There is a good friend of mine. His name is Philip Schardein, and I am great friends with his family. He went off to play golf in college-- great athlete. All of a sudden, he came down with leukemia, and I remember that there were some issues at first about his sister being able to donate bone marrow. So my town, Bowling Green, Kentucky, organized a bone marrow drive to see if anybody could match Philip Schardein. I have probably never been more proud to call myself a resident of the hometown of Bowling Green than that day. I remember going three times, and it was so overwhelmed with volunteers trying to have their bone marrow, the blood type, to see if they matched, that it just overwhelmed the system. I remember finally getting through late in the afternoon, and people waited all day to see if they could match and help Philip Schardein. And God bless, for whatever reason his sister couldn't donate, it turned out that she could donate, and he is a healthy person now with family and children, and everything is going well. But just about a year after that, I was in Holiday World with my family. I was having a day with them. My cell phone rang, and it turned out I had matched, because of going to get my bone marrow tested, or my blood tested, that I matched someone. The lady got on the phone, and she told me what it takes to be a donor and, Will you be willing to move forward? I said, Of course. I remember the reason I said I was at Holiday World was because I remember standing there going, here I am with my family having fun, laughing and having a great afternoon, and there is some family somewhere that is anonymous, not having the same experience, probably trying to figure out if their loved one is going to live or survive or what is going to be the prognosis. So I went through the process, and I remember going through, having my blood taken and several of the steps. Just getting close to the actual time to do the bone marrow transplant, for whatever reason, we got notified that it wasn't going forward. It could do that for many reasons. One, hopefully, is the anonymous person was cured or the prognosis was better, or maybe a sibling or something matched like it did for Philip Schardein. But I've often wondered about the life on the other end, because they don't tell you for reason of anonymity, and it is just something that has always weighed on my mind. Even sitting here and getting ready to close, I was thinking about who was on the other end, and I hope that they have a good story, as well as Philip Schardein. But what I want to stress is how important it is that families in need and worry and wondering what is going to happen with their loved ones, and the loved ones themselves, and this is something we can do. It was a little thing that I was able to do, that we all were able to do in my community, and people across this country can do to try to help people live long and fruitful lives. Our prayers were answered with Philip Schardein, and this is an opportunity for us to come together, in a bipartisan way, as all the bills were. I want to close with this. We have been through four bills in the last hour, and they are dealing with touching families, and every one of them has been bipartisan. We have been able to come together and find where we agree and work together, that we can work for infants, for families suffering with leukemia and other blood disorders, for infants with opioid addiction, for parents who have children with early hearing detection, and that is where we have been able to come together and work together. I appreciate the effort of Ranking Member Green in bringing us all together, and our subcommittee chairman, Mr. Pitts. I look forward to voting for this bill, and I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2820. I appreciate my friend, Mr. Smith, for bringing it forward. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. I yield the gentleman another 30 seconds.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), my good friend.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2820, the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2015, introduced by my colleagues Chris Smith and Doris Matsui. Bone marrow transplantation has been used for more than 50 years to treat blood-related diseases, such as leukemia, different anemias, and lymphoma. It is a rich source of blood stem cells. In more recent years, breakthroughs have been made using blood stem cells from umbilical cord blood in the treatment of those various blood-related diseases and conditions. It can be very difficult to find a bone marrow transplant match, and in some cases, cord blood can be used instead. Bone marrow and cord blood donation are critical to ensure those in need of transplant can find a match. The need for this lifesaving transplantation has risen 25 percent since 2005. H.R. 2820 reauthorizes the National Marrow Donor Program and creates a national network of public cord blood banks. The legislation also provides healthcare professionals the ability to search for bone marrow and umbilical cord blood units for transplantation. H.R. 2820 also bolsters patient and advocacy services; provides for public and professional education; and collects, analyzes, and reports data on transplant outcomes. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials into the Record on the bill.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2820) to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, and for other purposes.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate Mr. Whitfield, Dr. Bucshon, certainly Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Pallone for bringing this forward. It is important. It is important to my State, and it is important to our neighboring States and citizens throughout this country. I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 1725. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Whitfield), who has worked tirelessly on these issues in the Energy and Commerce Committee and back home to try to address the prescription drug problem in our State.