Brett Guthrie

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlelady from Oklahoma (Ms. Fallin).

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of House Resolution 60, a resolution recognizing the academic and athletic achievements of Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner. Samuel Jacob Bradford, the University of Oklahoma's quarterback, beat out the University of Florida's Tim Tebow and the University of Texas' Colt McCoy to win the Heisman Trophy last year. Bradford was the second sophomore and the fifth Oklahoma football player to ever win the Heisman Trophy. He is only the second person of Cherokee descent to ever start as quarterback for a Division I institution. During the quest for the Heisman, Bradford led the Sooners to the national championship game against Florida while maintaining an exemplary grade point average of 3.95 as a finance major at Oklahoma. I am pleased to stand in support of this resolution honoring the fine academic and athletic achievements of Sam Bradford, but I would be remiss if I did not speak up on his behalf and on behalf of all the young people in America today to express my reservations about the massive increase in our national debt and in our budget deficit that would come from the stimulus spending package currently making its way through Congress. We need economic stimulus and we need it now, but if we do not provide the right mix of tax relief and benefits to working families and to small businesses, I am afraid that we may well make this recession far more worse than it already is. I hope we can work together to develop a conference agreement on the stimulus package that excludes nonemergency government spending but works to truly stimulate job growth and a more stable economy. I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. I have no further speakers, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution, House Resolution 60, and urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 912, the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act, and I yield myself such time as I consume. Mr. Speaker, we just heard this bill is needed to address a very narrow, very specific concern. At issue is the fact that some airline personnel are subject to a unique scheduling process in which they are paid for being on-call but, in some cases, are not credited with those hours in the calculation used for Family Medical Leave Act eligibility. The practical impact of this technicality is that some flight crew personnel may work a full-time schedule but fail to qualify for family and medical leave. This is a real concern for those grappling with health conditions or family obligations. Many Members have been uneasy about efforts to open the Family Medical Leave Act for small changes when it is clear that broader reforms are necessary. The FMLA has worked well for 16 years, offering workers the flexibility to tend to their own health or to care for a loved one in their time of need without fear of losing their job. But despite the law's many successes, it has also become clear that changes are needed. The realities of today's workplaces are different than those of a decade and a half ago. Courts have offered evolving interpretations, and as is often the case with such a sweeping change to employment law, there have been unintended consequences for both employers and employees. I know the majority has worked with Members on our side of the aisle to craft this legislation carefully and to avoid some of the pitfalls that could come with piecemeal reform of the FMLA. I want to thank them for ensuring this bill does exactly what it intends, no more and no less. Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today is an important opportunity to extend the protections of the FMLA to flight crew who might otherwise be denied benefits under the law. I hope we can follow the example set with this legislation and work together to find sensible solutions to the challenges facing all of America's working families. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. No, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of House Resolution 114, supporting the goals and the ideals of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Sports play an important role in the lives of American children. Millions of children participate in sports every day, and many look to professional athletes as role models. In the past few decades, female athletes have made innumerable accomplishments and contributions to the athletic world. Women have set world records for speed, have won hundreds of Olympic medals and have excelled as highly watched professional athletes. They have become the first college basketball coach to win 1,000 games, have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and have been named among the top 10 most influential people in sports history. Female athletes also have the opportunity to compete and win championships throughout their educational careers, like my daughter Caroline. Caroline plays for the Greenwood High School Fastpitch Softball team, which won back-to-back Kentucky State championships in 2007 and 2008. I am very proud of my daughter, of her teammates and of all the other women and girls who compete in sports. Clearly, the accomplishments and importance of girls and women in sports are worthy of commemoration. With that, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GUTHRIE. We have no further speakers, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. GUTHRIE

Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Bishop John J. McRaith for his faithful service to the Catholic Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky. He has served the church and his community with distinction for over 26 years. Bishop McRaith, the third bishop of Owensboro, resigned from his position on January 5, 2009. Bishop McRaith graduated from St. John's Prep School in Collegeville, Minnesota, and Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. Then, he graduated from the School of Theology, St. Bernard Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, in 1960 and was subsequently ordained a priest of the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota, on February 21, 1960. Bishop McRaith began serving the Diocese of Owensboro on December 15, 1982. The diocese encompasses 32 counties and covers approximately 12,500 square miles. It includes 79 parishes, three high schools, two middle schools, and 13 elementary schools. In a testament to Bishop McRaith's dedication, he would typically log more than 25,000 miles a year traveling across the diocese. Known for his humble spirit, Bishop McRaith is quick to credit others with the successes over the last 27 years, including one of the highest church attendance rates in the Nation. Last week he said, ``The good things that have happened while I was here, many, many people made them happen.'' Beyond his service to the Catholic Church of Western Kentucky, Bishop McRaith serves the community as a board member for Brescia University, the Daniel Pitino Center, the McAuley Free Clinic in Owensboro, and Lourdes Hospital Foundation in Paducah. Bishop McRaith's devotion is an example for all Kentuckians to follow. I thank Bishop McRaith for his many years of service and commitment to western Kentucky.