Doc Hastings

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. There's probably some disagreement on the rule. But why not go through the regular process to change the rule? You're doing it without any regular process.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Madam Speaker, to provide open disclosure, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding projects that I support for inclusion in the Department of Defense Appropriations bill and the Homeland Security Appropriations bill for FY 2009, which were included as part of H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009. Amount: $800,000. Account: Operation and Maintenance, Army National Guard. Entity receiving funds: HAMMER Training and Education Center located at 2890 Horn Rapids Road, Richland, WA 99354. Description: Funds will be used to ensure that additional Civil Support Team (CST) and the Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear High-Yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) units receive the training they need to respond to an attack using weapons of mass destruction. Amount: $2.4 million. Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army. Entity receiving funds: Infinia located at 6811 West Okanogan Pl, Kennewick, WA 99336. Description: Funds will be used to provide the Army with power generation on the battlefield (a Sterling Tactical Cogeneration System or STaCS) that is small, efficient, quiet, low maintenance and reliable. This system is aimed at providing critical electricity needed by our troops on the battlefield. Amount: $1.2 million. Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army. Entity receiving funds: Moses Lake General Dynamics located at 9256 Randolph Road NE, Moses Lake, WA 98837. Description: Funds will be used to provide the Army with non-lethal munitions to aid troops in the dispersion of the enemy while on the battlefield. Amount: $3.2 million. Account: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Navy Entity receiving funds: Insitu located at 118 East Columbia River Way, Bingen, WA 98605. Description: Funds will be used to provide the Navy with a Portable Launch and Recovery System that would allow small unmanned aerial vehicles to operate from Navy vessels. Amount: $25 million. Account: Research, Development and Operations--Laboratory Facilities. Entity receiving funds: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory located at P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 22352. Description: Funds will be used to complete federal laboratory space critical to national security. The Lab supports the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Madam Speaker, to provide open disclosure, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding a project that I support for inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2009. I believe funding to clean up the Hanford site in Washington State, and the Department of Energy's other Environmental Management sites across the country, is a fundamental federal obligation, not an earmark as it is labeled in this bill. However, because it has been so labeled in the Committee report, I voluntarily submit to the House an explanation and justification of this funding in an effort to provide as much public disclosure as possible on congressionally directed funding and earmarks. The $10 million programmatic increase provided for in the bill will be used for the Department of Energy's Environmental Management program at the Hanford Site in Fiscal Year 2009. The entity to receive the funding is the U.S. Department of Energy located at 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585. The Federal Government has a legal and moral obligation to clean up the massive wastes and contamination it created at Hanford during the Manhattan Project, World War II and the Cold War. Funding to clean up Hanford is not a luxury sought by myself or my constituents, it is an essential responsibility of the United States government. The over 500- square-mile Hanford site is the world's largest and most complex environmental cleanup project, and the Federal Government must keep its commitment to clean it up. No matching funds are required.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Madam Speaker, I wish to speak today to pay tribute to Dr. Jerilyn McIntyre, the President of Central Washington University (CWU). Dr. McIntyre, who is the first female to serve as President of CWU, will retire at the end of this year after completing eight years of exceptional service to the students, faculty, and community of Central Washington University. Since her appointment, CWU has experienced a period of incomparable growth and development. In fact, enrollment has increased by 27 percent. Dr. McIntyre has inspired academic advancement and diversity through the implementation of several initiatives. Specifically, the Performing Arts and Presidential Speaker Series, started in 2002, brings nationally renowned speakers and artists to CWU's campuses; providing unique opportunities for students to learn about various ideas, art and cultures. Dr. McIntyre has also encouraged excellence and ingenuity through the Spheres of Distinction initiative, which supports innovative and resourceful approaches to academic, student and campus life. To complement the growing student body, Dr. McIntyre worked to transform the University's campuses into the state-of-the-art facilities we see today. In fact, the extensive renovation and restoration of both residential campus and academic facilities under Dr. McIntyre's tenure have been recognized with national architectural awards. CWU's University Centers in Lynnwood, Des Moines, Steilacoom, Wenatchee, Moses Lake, and Yakima have also benefited from renovation projects, providing a modem and exciting atmosphere that stimulates student life and academic discovery. In addition to her role as President of the university, Dr. McIntyre has continued to regularly teach courses at CWU. Sharing her instructional talents and knowledge of communications studies clearly illustrates her enthusiasm and desire to directly contribute to her student's academic success. Dr. McIntyre earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Master of Arts in Journalism at Stanford University, and received her Ph.D. in History and Communication from the University of Washington. She is the author of numerous articles and papers on communication history, journalism ethics, and higher education issues. Dr. McIntyre provided exemplary service to our state and the Central Washington University community throughout her eight years at CWU. I am honored that I had the opportunity to work with Jerilyn, and I commend her for her achievements and dedication to expanding the educational opportunities at the university. Undoubtedly Dr. McIntyre's contributions have made a remarkable and positive impression on the lives and academic opportunities of countless students. I am also pleased to hear that Jerilyn and her husband David will be retiring in Ellensburg. It is great to know that they will remain constituents of mine and a part of the Ellensburg community. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. McIntyre for her service at CWU, and wish her the very best in all of her future endeavors.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I advise my friend from Massachusetts that I am the last speaker on my side.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Utah, a former member of the Rules Committee, and a member of the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield 30 additional seconds to the gentleman.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, this morning, our Democrat colleagues spoke about the need to ``pay as you go'' as that relates to government spending. They insisted that if we are going to extend existing tax relief to protect Americans from big tax increases, that those tax extenders must be paid for. So that is, to put it another way, to have tax relief, they insist on having massive tax increases. This is the reason that the House Democrats are staying away from passing a bipartisan compromise tax relief bill that passed the Senate by a vote of 93-2 and which President Bush said he would sign into law. Now, Mr. Speaker, let me repeat again; these are tax extenders, meaning that tax relief currently exists for the people I'm going to mention here, and without action, taxes will go up; like tuition deduction for students. That means that tuition will go up for students trying to improve themselves. State and local sales tax deductions for States that don't have an income tax. There are seven States; my State of Washington, Florida, Texas, and others, are involved in that. There is a research and development credit to enhance and help businesses innovate to help the economy move. That would go away also. And also, for our teachers that are teaching our school children, they get an expense deduction when they have to go out and buy other materials in order to teach the students that they are teaching. Also just another example, there are many more examples, Mr. Speaker, is more standard deduction for real property taxes, when they are feeling the crunch right now, that should stay. These are current tax reduction principles that are in place. But in order to put them in place, the Democrats would increase taxes in another way. Now that was what they were talking about this morning. It is now 3:45 this afternoon. And the tune of the remarks that they were making as relates to PAYGO has changed, because now they are proposing to increase government spending by billions and billions of dollars. But it, Mr. Speaker, is not paid for. So when it comes to lower taxes and preventing tax increases, Democrats insist on raising taxes. But when it comes to government spending, they just spend and spend and spend with no concern on how it's going to be paid for. I just want to kind of get a handle on this. Where is the impassioned opposition to deficit spending that came from those that opposed the tax extenders from those within the Democrat Party? The Democrat pay-as-you-go promise has been revealed unfortunately just today as nothing more than something that is hollow and meaningless. And it is really nothing, if you look at the examples, but an excuse to raise taxes. Democrat leaders claim that this economic stimulus bill, this is a job creation bill, yet nothing could be better for our economy in creating jobs than ensuring the extension of the tax relief that I was talking about in just those small examples. But it is the House Democrats who are refusing to allow the House to vote on a bipartisan tax bill that passed the Senate by a vote of 93-2. Tax increases would hurt our economy and cost jobs. History is full of examples like that. Yet House Democrats won't even let this House, the people's House, have a vote on a Senate bill that is focused on lowering taxes and not raising them. So House Democrats are the only ones that are standing in the way of tax relief and tax fairness from becoming law. And again, Mr. Speaker, this is existing tax law. Just this morning, I spoke with the junior Democrat Senator from Washington State, my State, Maria Cantwell, who, by the way, is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. And she helped put this tax relief package together in the Senate. She called me because of her deep concern that the House's action or refusing to act might put this bill in jeopardy. I fully agree with her. And I told her that I am committed in a bipartisan way of supporting her work in voting on the Senate bill, and I said that yesterday, if of course the House Democrats would quit blocking the vote. So here we are. Rather than voting on the Senate tax relief bill to help our economy, the House chooses to consider this cobbled-together appropriations bill. Now I have talked about this before. And it's probably well known. But the House Appropriations Committee unfortunately has failed to pass into law even one of the 12 annual appropriation bills to fund this government despite the fact that the fiscal year ends in only 4 days. That committee has failed to do its job of passing these bills unfortunately. I might say, and this is also well known, in the middle of a committee markup last summer, House Democrats just gaveled the meeting to a close, and they got up and walked out. So now the House is considering this appropriation bill that was first unveiled to us around 9:30 this morning. And of course it was revealed without any consultation from House Republicans. So it would have to have been written in total secret if that is the case. And with this rule that we are considering, the House Democrats are now closing down any Member from offering any amendment to improve, to add, or even to subtract if one would desire, or to offer their own ideas on this spending bill. It is a closed rule. And it has set another record in this Congress for having closed rules. I don't believe, Mr. Speaker, that this is a serious effort to stimulate the economy and create jobs because the Senate has defeated even considering a stimulus package in that body. So this bill isn't going to go anywhere. And frankly I think we all know that. Now, Mr. Speaker, let me address another issue that we have had a great deal of discussion on in the past 2 days, and that is the issue of the Secure Rural Schools Act. This program affects hundreds of rural counties and thousands of school districts across the country. And these school districts and counties are running out of money. As a result, they are laying off teachers and closing lunchrooms. And frankly they are in deep pain. But this bill does nothing to help them. We were told this week by House Democrats that Rural Schools was left out of the tax bill because it's not paid for. But now they bring an unpaid-for appropriation bill to the floor and they left out Rural Schools in this bill. House Democrats say Rural Schools isn't a tax bill because it's not a tax issue. I guess I can concede that. Then when we have an appropriations and spending bill, why then would you leave out Rural Schools because clearly it's a spending bill? Mr. Speaker, I think this House needs to stop with the excuses, to stop wasting time, and stop paying lip service to these rural communities and the thousands of kids that attend schools in these communities. In the Senate tax bill there is a provision to extend the Rural Schools Act for 4 years, 4 years, to help them. But the House apparently won't let us even vote on that proposition. So, Mr. Speaker, I would urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to stop standing in the way. Let's get on with this business as this Congress winds down. And with that I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Reclaiming my time, and I wasn't suggesting that. As a matter of fact, I made the argument in the Rules Committee. I am a member of the Rules Committee. I made the argument in the Rules Committee that we could waive the rules, which, of course, would have made it in order. It would have made it in order. Mr. Speaker, how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I will yield.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Utah.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am really excited about what I am going to say because I think we are going to get a chance, finally, to vote up or down on Rural Schools. I say that because I am going to ask my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so I can simply amend the rule to allow the text of the Secure Rural Schools Act to be debated and voted on. Now why am I excited? I am excited because we heard that we couldn't do it because of PAYGO. We heard another speaker, my friend from Oregon, say because of germaneness. Mr. Speaker, this amendment is germane. That is not an argument. And we have 90 Democrat cosponsors of the bill. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have the text of the amendment and extraneous material inserted into the Record prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. I yield myself one additional minute. I suspect my friend from Oregon or others would have had an amendment to put the Secure Rural Schools bill in this bill and offset it with the green initiative that was mentioned that's also on schools. But we haven't had the opportunity to even do that because of this process.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), who probably knows more about the Secure Rural Schools Act than anybody in this country, and it is probably because his district is the second most impacted of any district in the country.

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. Sometimes getting between the dog and a fire hydrant has its problems right now, and let me kind of sort this out. Let me try to sort this out. The question here, the question here is on a suspension bill. Now, there has been several times this year where there have been suspension bills that have not gotten the two-thirds votes, because it takes two- thirds, it's suspension bills, it's not open to amendment. After the bill, therefore, has been defeated, the bill has gone back to the Rules Committee for a rule to be brought to the floor. The point the gentleman from Oregon was simply saying was that could have happened on that bill aforementioned earlier this year, but it has not gone back to the Rules Committee, point number one. Point number two, and this is very, very important on this particular bill: if we had gone through the normal order of open, open amendment process on appropriation bills, which has historically been the case, then I suspect that my friend from Oregon--

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington

Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.