Michael Grimm

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for all of his work on this as well. It is a great opportunity to speak on this bill, H.R. 2606, the New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act, which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to allow the construction and operation of a natural gas pipeline facility in the New York portion of the Gateway National Recreation Area. I appreciate Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey's support for the bill when it was first considered here in the House, and now as it is considered with the Senate modifications. Further, I wish to extend my sincerest appreciation to a good friend and my colleague from New York, Mr. Gregory Meeks. From start to finish, this bill has been a bipartisan effort and is an example of what exactly we can accomplish when we work together toward a common goal. This project will be the first bulk natural gas transmission project in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens in more than 40 years. The 5.2 million people living in these three boroughs are demanding more and more natural gas. Natural gas, as we all know, is reliable. It's clean, it's domestic, and it's economical. On September 15 of last year, New York City Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway testified before the National Parks Subcommittee in support of the Grimm-Meeks bill. I appreciate all of the courtesies shown to him on that day. In this testimony, the deputy mayor stated ``energy demand in New York City is increasing and will continue to grow.'' Therefore, getting the Gateway project done is a major effort that includes the private sector, the city, State, and Federal governments. The Gateway pipeline project will generate approximately $265 million in construction activity, create almost 300 local jobs, and bring in about $8 million in annual local revenue for the city of New York, providing much-needed short- and long-term boosts to our economy. Following House passage, my colleague Congressman Crowley praised the bill for reducing the use of two so-called dirtier fuels: No. 4 and No. 6 oil. The Senate modification of H.R. 2606 resolves concerns raised by the National Park Service about the House bill and now has full National Park support, as well as that of the Partnership for New York City, the Regional Plan Association, organized labor, and Mayor Bloomberg. When I came to Congress, I promised my constituents in Staten Island and in Brooklyn that I would find fiscally conservative ways to create jobs and get our country moving again. Mr. Speaker, this bill does just that. Not only will it create a unique public-private partnership to revitalize Floyd Bennett Field, but it also creates well-paying jobs and it increases the supply of inexpensive natural gas, and does it all at absolutely no cost to the taxpayer, even bringing revenue to the Treasury. So, Mr. Speaker, I thank you again for the opportunity to speak in support of this bill. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of my bill, H.R. 2606, the New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act which would authorize the Secretary of Interior to allow the construction and operation of natural gas pipeline facilities in the New York portion of the Gateway National Recreation Area. I appreciate Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey's support for the bill by when it was first considered by the House and now as we consider the Senate modification. Further, I wish to extend my sincerest appreciation to my friend and colleague from New York, Mr. Meeks. From start to finish this bill has been a bipartisan effort and an example of what we can accomplish when we work together towards a common goal. This project will be the first bulk natural gas transmission project in Brooklyn, Staten Island and Queens in more than 40 years. The 5.2 million people living in these three boroughs are demanding more and more natural gas. Natural gas, as we all know, is reliable, clean, domestic and economical. On September 15 of last year, New York City Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway testified before the National Parks Subcommittee in support of the Grimm-Meeks bill and I appreciate all the courtesy shown him on that day. In his testimony Deputy Mayor Holloway stated the ``energy demand in New York City is increasing and will continue to grow'' and getting the Gateway project done ``is a major effort that includes the private sector, and the City, State, and Federal governments.'' The Gateway pipeline project will generate approximately $265 million in construction activity, almost 300 local construction jobs, about $8 million in annual local property taxes for New York City, providing a much-needed short-term and long-term boost to our economy. Following House passage, my colleague Congressman Crowley praised the bill for reducing the use of ``two dirtier fuels: number four and number six oil.'' The Senate modification of H.R. 2606 resolves concerns raised by NPS about the House bill and has full NPS support as well as that of the Partnership for New York City, the Regional Plan Association, organized labor, and Mayor Bloomberg. When I came to Congress I promised my constituents on Staten Island and Brooklyn that I would find fiscally conservative ways to create jobs and get our country moving again. Mr. Speaker, this bill does just that. Not only will it create a unique public-private partnership to revitalize Floyd Bennett Field, but it also creates good paying jobs, increases our supply of inexpensive natural gas, and does it all at no cost to the taxpayer and even brings revenue into the Treasury. Mr. Speaker, thank you again for the opportunity to speak in support of the New York City Natural Gas Supply Enhancement Act. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and ask that my written statement be included in the Record.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. Thank you for yielding me time. Today, I rise in strong support of this legislation, H.R. 6118, the Taking Essential Steps for Testing Act. I would like to thank Chairman Upton for his leadership, Ranking Member Waxman, as well as the Health Subcommittee and their entire staff for their support and dedication to this important bill. The TEST Act is a bipartisan and bicameral solution to an issue that threatens Americans' access to health care. Under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments, CLIA, any lab that conducts human specimen testing must have a CLIA certificate and comply with the law's proficient testing, or PT, requirements. CLIA requires labs to treat PT samples as it would a patient sample. However, the law explicitly prohibits a lab from referring a PT sample to another laboratory, although this may be normal for patient procedures. The purpose of this prohibition is to ensure labs submit their own results for PT samples. I believe that this does clearly promote continued patient safety, accurate results, and that a lab is not getting reimbursed for tests it does not or cannot perform. The concern is that labs which have accidentally referred a PT sample to another lab and self-reported this mistake are being told by CMS that CLIA does not provide any flexibility and therefore their certificates must be revoked. As a result, labs that make a mistake and proactively try to correct it are treated identically to labs that knowingly and in bad faith violate the law. Without a CLIA certificate, as we have heard, labs are unable to conduct any human specimen testing. For hospitals, this could mean choosing between shutting down essentially all services such as the ER and the operating room or paying millions of dollars to bring in an outside lab for 2 years. Both of these options result in reduced access to health care and other related services for patients. The TEST Act gives CMS discretion to not revoke a CLIA certificate for a PT referral if it is determined that the lab was acting in good faith. And for labs which are bad actors, the TEST Act does nothing to alter CMS's ability to punish those labs and revoke their certificate. H.R. 6118 also gives CMS the discretion to not apply the revocation to an entire hospital network or other owner-operators based on the facts of a particular case. In determining whether or not to revoke a CLIA certificate, I urge CMS to consider factors such as the nature of the violation, the lab's history of compliance and past PT experience, whether or not the lab voluntarily reported the referral, any remedial actions taken by the lab, and any recommendations made by the State or applicable accrediting organization. I would like to end by saying thank you to all of my colleagues that helped support this legislation and urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 6118. It's commonsense legislation that ultimately puts patients first.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Arkansas. Just to clarify the record, this bill, which I stand in strong support of--but actually before that, let me just say that I want to thank my colleague and friend, Greg Meeks, for all of his work on this. It was a true bipartisan effort. But this bill, all it does is clarify what is already allowed by law. So to say that it is overly broad, it's almost ridiculous because again, all this does is clarify what is already allowed by law. States and cities already have. There were challenges in court that have failed, and the purpose of this legislation is to make sure that those frivolous challenges do not continue to go forward. The Residential and Commuter Toll Fairness Act, I feel it is vital to toll discount programs, specifically for my constituents, but for all of New York and throughout this country. I would like to also thank Chairman Mica, who traveled to my district, to Staten Island, for moving this bill forward and for seeing firsthand in Staten Island the devastating effects and the impacts that tolls can have. Again, this bill, all it does is continue to clarify and allow the States and municipal governments to offer the discounted toll rates to residents for trips taken on roads, bridges, rail, bus, ferry, and other transportation systems. I introduced the legislation for one purpose: it was in response to a 2009 case in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit questioned the constitutionality of discounts for residents of towns bordering the New York Thruway. In New York, we simply can't afford to lose our discounts. The majority of my district in New York City is an island; it's Staten Island. And the only way to drive on or off the island is to cross a bridge and pay a toll, something many of my constituents do often as part of their daily commute. Without a discount, it costs $13 to cross the Verrazano Bridge. Yes, I said $13 without the Staten Island residential EZ-Pass discount. On the other side of Staten Island, going to New Jersey, the cash tolls on three bridges have just gone up to $12, and that amount is slated to go up in 2015 to $15. That's without the residential discount. On Staten Island, we have fought long and hard to reach an agreement on residential toll discounts, which is why this legislation is crucial to making sure we protect those new rates. The Residential Commuter Toll Fairness Act provides clarification only of the existing authority of local governments to issue or grant transportation toll, user fee or fare discount programs based on residential status. It also provides congressional authorization for discount programs. Passage of H.R. 897 is nothing more than clarification of what can already be done, and I ask for the strong support of my colleagues.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, Mike Silverstein was a legendary figure in the shoe industry and co-founded NINA Footwear in 1953. Operating from a loft on Prince Street in New York City, the brothers, Stanley and Mike built Nina Footwear into one of the most widely respected independent companies in the shoe industry. Mike combined a flair for showmanship with true business acumen and was instrumental in developing the shoe industry's presence in New York City. Mr. Silverstein was also renowned in other circles. To so many who knew Mike Silverstein, as well as to the disabled children that Aleh Foundation helps, Moshe `` Mike'' Silverstein is unforgettable, and has left his family and friends with warm and happy memories. His charismatic personality was joyously remembered by the Chairpersons, Honorees and the Raine & Stanley Silverstein Family Foundation during the Aleh 28th annual Awards Dinner to ``Fulfill a Child's Dream.'' Friends in the industry in which he played a central role for decades will remember him fondly as he left behind a beautiful family; to include his children, Scott, Baron, Nanci, and Neil. At the Dinner in the ballroom of the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park NYC, Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, an Aleh Foundation Rabbinical Board member and a strong supporter of the great work done by the Aleh Foundation, recited an emotional and special prayer dedicated to the deceased. Afterwards Rabbi Abadie then presented a Congressional certificate to Mr. Silverstein's niece, Nina Miner and her daughter Leslie and husband Michael--the sponsors of the 2012 Aleh dinner. These wonderful individuals were also the sponsors of a residential wing to house children in the Aleh village, which is known as the ``Aleh Negev'' in loving memory of Stanley Silverstein's great granddaughter, the late Chana Emunah Kule ob'm. Truly, the City and people of New York will miss the kindness and compassion of Mike Silverstein. His good deeds and charitable spirit will live forever within our hearts.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, when I was elected to Congress, I made a promise to the people of Staten Island and to Brooklyn to repeal ObamaCare. Tomorrow, I will vote again to uphold that promise. We must repeal this overwhelmingly burdensome and costly law, which is hurting our economy and impeding job growth for small businesses. It will reduce the American workforce by as much as 800,000 and impose $813 billion in 21 new taxes. Twelve of those taxes impact families making less than $250,000 a year. One of the most devastating provisions in ObamaCare cuts over a half a trillion dollars from Medicare, primarily from Medicare Advantage. I have 107,000 seniors in my district, 38,000 of whom are enrolled in Medicare Advantage. This is simply reprehensible, and we must repeal this law to protect our seniors and our economy.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. I am ready to close whenever the gentleman is ready to close, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I appreciate my colleague's passion, and I understand this is a very serious and important matter. Leaving aside the goals of the underlying section of the Senate version of the bill, I think it's extremely important to say that this effort is a distraction from the job at hand, which is to pass a transportation bill. I say again: the job at hand is to pass a transportation bill that is going to keep this country's vital transportation system resilient, robust, and a future contributor to economic growth. I think it's unfortunate, but it is too often that in Congress efforts are made to slip in extraneous sections into bills that have nothing to do with the issue at hand, regardless of their merits. In this case, the section in question is a tax bill. I say again: it's a tax bill, and it's written into a section of existing law under the sole jurisdiction of the Financial Services Committee, which in turn is being considered in, of all things, a highway bill. This is why the American people think that there is insanity going on. This is merely an attempt to paper over spending without actually finding the money to pay for it. This is not how our constituents expect us to do business, Mr. Speaker. This proposal could--and it should come--before both the Ways and Means and Financial Services Committees, where it would get the very serious consideration that it deserves. The business of this Congress can and must be that of tackling our country's enormous fiscal challenges and getting American workers back into productive jobs. The best way we as Congress can do that is by focusing on the tasks at hand instead of distracting ourselves, and we distract ourselves constantly with issues unrelated to our Nation's pressing infrastructure needs. When it's time to consider tax law and specifically tax evasion, I'm confident that the Congress will do the right thing. However, this transportation bill is not the right venue for this discussion. It's important to note that this is a nonbinding procedural vote. A vote for or against this motion does not impact the outcome of the conference negotiations. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this motion to instruct. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIMM. I would like to inquire if the gentleman from Texas has anymore speakers.

Mr. GRIMM. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIMM. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIMM. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIMM. We have no more speakers. I'm prepared to close.

Mr. GRIMM. I would like to emphasize my friend from New Jersey mentioned how money laundering is a very serious matter. Everyone here had a lot of passion. There's no question tax evasion and the things we spoke about here today are of the utmost importance and are extremely serious. I agree. And that's why I stand today in opposition, because the committees of jurisdiction should be given the opportunity and the respect to hear these arguments and to look and make sure that everything is done procedurally correct. This is such a serious matter that I believe it warrants being in order. Again, I want to emphasize that I'm not here to debate the merits. I'm simply here to say that we have two committees of jurisdiction, two very good committees, one of which I sit on: The Financial Services Committee and Ways and Means. They should have the opportunity to do their jobs. And I think that's what the American people and our constituents demand of us. I believe that in this case, because it is so serious and because it involves very serious amounts of money, money laundering and tax evasion and so on, that regular order should be demanded. With that, again, I would like to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this motion to instruct and stick with the process of regular order and give the committees of jurisdiction the proper respect they deserve so this can have the full hearings necessary and all take place in debate. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. If I can reclaim my time, I just want to thank a friend and colleague, Mr. Connolly, for all of his work in joining me in this effort. I just wanted to say thank you very much. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GRIMM. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment that would fund the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System at $35.18 million, which is level with the Senate bill; but it still reflects a reduction of, roughly, $6 million from fiscal year 2012. The National Urban Search and Rescue Response System provides a significant national resource for search and rescue assistance in the wake of major disasters and structural collapses. A typical US&R task force will conduct physical search and rescue operations, provide emergency medical care to trapped victims, assess and control hazards such as ruptured gas and electric lines, and evaluate and stabilize damaged structures. Due to the critical life-saving nature of their missions, US&R task forces must be prepared to deploy within 6 hours of notification and must be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours. These teams have been deployed in response to the Joplin, Missouri, tornado, the Japanese tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Turkey earthquakes, the grain elevator explosion in Wichita, Kansas, and many other foreign and domestic disasters. In 2006, FEMA estimated the annual and recurring cost for each task force to be approximately $1.7 million. Today, in many jurisdictions, the cost exceeds $2 million. In addition to program management costs, this estimate includes expenses for training, for exercises, the medical monitoring of personnel, and equipment maintenance and storage. Current Federal funding for the Nation's US&R teams only provides a fraction of the funds necessary to maintain each task force, leaving local government sponsors to pick up the remainder of the cost and diverting much-needed funding away from local first responders' budgets. The recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri, and the subsequent response underscored the importance of the national search and rescue capability. Providing proper funding for the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System will help ensure that these highly skilled teams are available to respond to major emergencies without jeopardizing the budget priorities for local first responders. Therefore, I urge you to vote ``yes'' on my amendment and to properly fund this critical program.

Mr. GRIMM. I yield to the gentleman from Alabama.

Mr. GRIMM

Mr. GRIMM. Will the gentleman yield for a question on CRS?

Mr. GRIMM. Did CRS actually speak to these agencies?

Mr. GRIMM. Does the gentleman know if they spoke to the agencies? Did the gentleman speak to these agencies to see how they would interpret it?

Mr. GRIMM. Exactly. And the amendment that you have in is going to be interpreted to preclude them from using PLAs.

Mr. GRIMM. That's exactly what I'm saying.