Bill Huizenga

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. I thank my fellow subcommittee chairman for working with me to protect the State-based insurance regulatory model that has served our Nation so well for 150 years. To my colleague from New York, I am very comfortable with this bill and with the underlying philosophy that has brought us here. Mr. Speaker, I am a former State representative in the Michigan Legislature, and I know firsthand that Michigan does a better job of protecting policyholders within their borders than the Federal Government does or could. Even more so, Michigan certainly knows how to maintain a robust insurance marketplace that works for Michigan customers. Additionally, Michigan serves as an entry point for several foreign companies which then come into the U.S. marketplace. However, there are bureaucrats in Washington who believe that they know best. The Dodd-Frank Act significantly expanded the Federal Government's role in the insurance marketplace by creating the Federal Insurance Office and charging the Director with representing the U.S. during the negotiations of international agreements. At the same time, the Dodd-Frank Act changed domestic insurance regulation, which also led to the changes in U.S. participation at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, or IAIS. The IAIS develops international insurance regulations for its 190 jurisdictions in more than 140 countries to then adopt those. I am concerned that this could influence the U.S. to replace the State-based insurance regulatory model with international standards that were created by unelected European bureaucrats. Mr. Speaker, our States are, as Justice Brandeis so eloquently coined, ``laboratories of democracy;'' and in his words that means that a ``State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.'' I can't think of a better example of a successful experiment than the State-based insurance regulatory system, especially in my home State of Michigan. That is why the protections provided in the Transparent Insurance Standards Act are so vitally important. The straightforward bill simply gives the States and Congress the opportunity to comment on any international insurance standard before it may be adopted. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this very, very important bill and support our system that has existed for 150 years.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my friend, Sheriff Gary Rosema, on his retirement from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office. After graduating from the FBI National Academy, Gary Rosema began his career in law enforcement in 1973 as a patrol officer for the Coopersville Police Department. One year later, he joined the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department as a deputy and achieved the rank of detective in 1981. In 1993, Gary Rosema was elected to serve as Ottawa County's sheriff. Sheriff Rosema has dedicated his career to providing the highest quality law enforcement service to the residents and communities in Ottawa County. His relentless work for the community includes serving as chairman of Michigan's Council on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Initiatives and Chair of the Operations Board of Directors for the West Michigan Enforcement Team, which is a multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement task force. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Second District of Michigan, we thank Sheriff Gary Rosema for his 43 years of service to West Michigan and to our nation.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Grand Valley State University women's cross country team for yet another NCAA Division II national championship. With their victory last month, the Lakers have won their fourth national title in 5 years and their fifth in school history--further cementing their status as a running dynasty. In addition to the national titles, four Lakers claimed All-American honors. Among them, senior Kendra Foley won her second national championship in 3 years and her fourth straight All-American honor. Let us commend these runners, their parents, and their coaches for the years of dedicated training and the countless sacrifices that were necessary to accomplish such a feat. These athletes demonstrated just how competitive west Michigan is on the national stage. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating these talented women, their coaches, and the rest of Grand Valley State University. Anchor up, and go Lakers.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my fellow subcommittee chairman who has written a great piece of legislation here. We all have been talking about Dodd-Frank creating this Financial Stability Oversight Council, or FSOC, which was charged with monitoring systemic risk in the U.S. financial sector and coordinating regulatory responses by its member agencies--a good goal, but an idea gone bad, unfortunately. FSOC designates these banking companies with over $50 billion in assets, they are automatically considered systemically important financial institutions, and the act subjects those institutions to enhanced regulatory standards. Here is the issue, Mr. Speaker: this is not about Wall Street banks. This is really affecting and hitting Main Street banks. The SIFI designation really is arbitrary, and it subjects these companies with those assets. Which, don't get me wrong, $50 billion is a lot of money. However, if you look at the totality of our financial institutions, it is actually quite small. It suddenly says that they are globally now systemically important that, if this particular bank or company went out of business, we could take down the whole economy. It is just ludicrous. The process that FSOC uses to designate these institutions is flawed in its current design and lacks the transparency and accountability that the American taxpayers deserve and, frankly, expect. In fact, the former Financial Services chairman, Barney Frank, under which Dodd-Frank is named, even agreed that the $50 billion SIFI threshold that he wrote into law and that the Senate wrote into law was ``arbitrary.'' Maybe 75 was too big and 25 was too small, so they settled on 50. There is no basis as to why that number was picked. I couldn't agree more with that former chairman. This bill, H.R. 6392, the Systemic Risk Designation Improvement Act, is a bipartisan bill that passed out of our committee 39-16 with eight Democrats joining the majority, and it would require instead that FSOC use an indicator-based measurement that has five different operational indicators.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Those five operational indicators are size, interconnectedness, complexity, cross-jurisdictional activity, and available substitutes. Therefore, what is happening is we are seeing fewer products and services available to bank customers because these banks are having to pour more additional resources that could go towards servicing those customers into a regulation that isn't doing anything to protect our economy. That ultimately needs to be our goal. Our goal here needs to make sure that we restore transparency by allowing regulators to review all of the circumstances surrounding that and not have a Washington, D.C.- driven one-size-fits-all approach. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, with that admonishment, I won't say Ma-Bu-Hi and welcome to our Filipino friends in the gallery; but I will yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heck), the lead sponsor on the Republican side.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge passage of this bill by my colleagues and thank the Filipino people for their support and friendship for the many, many years. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is a special one for me, personally. I rise today in support of S. 1555, the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2015, introduced by Senator Hirono. This bill, which was passed in the Senate on July 13, has companion legislation here in the House, H.R. 2737, introduced by our colleague, Representative Gabbard, which has 312 House cosponsors. The reason why it is a special one to me is I have spent significant time in the Philippines and have many close Filipino friends, and know the dedication of the Philippines collectively, and those families who paid an ultimate sacrifice during World War II. I have actually visited our World War II cemetery in Manila, and have seen the headstones and gravestones of many Filipinos who were there fighting alongside of us as well. That is why it is a special opportunity for me, as chair of the subcommittee that has jurisdiction over this, to be involved. So this bill authorizes the striking and awarding of a single Congressional Gold Medal of appropriate design to the Filipino Veterans of World War II in recognition of their heroic and dedicated service. Following the award, the medal will be given to the Smithsonian Institute, where it will be available for display as appropriate, or available for display elsewhere, particularly at other locations associated with the Filipino Veterans of World War II. The Treasury Secretary is authorized to make and offer for sale bronze replicas of the medal at a price that will help defray the design and production costs of the actual medal. Mr. Speaker, Japanese Imperial forces attacked the Philippines the day after bombing the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor almost exactly 75 years ago on December 7, 1941. At that point, the Philippines still were a United States colony, though the process that led to its independence in 1946 actually began in 1934. Fortunately, the Philippines formed its own armed forces. Four months before the Pearl Harbor attack, President Roosevelt brought the 136,000 members of the force into a full state of readiness to defend the U.S. and its territories and colonies. I will leave it to the House sponsor of the companion bill to describe the heroism of those soldiers and the sacrifices that they made in defense of the United States and their homeland; but suffice it to say that it was a difficult and costly defense that they waged. I will note that our embassy sits right on the bay in Manila today and overlooks Corregidor and so many other places there in the Philippines that were witness to those battles, including my own uncle who, at the time, served in the Navy and helped deliver goods and services throughout the Pacific and into the Philippines as well. Mr. Speaker, Congress has authorized Congressional Gold Medals in recognition of the heroic efforts of Japanese Americans, Native Americans, and Puerto Rican soldiers, among others, in defense of this country during World War II and in other conflicts. This recognition of Filipino veterans of World War II is long overdue, and I urge immediate passage of the bill. I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on House Administration, Washington, DC, November 30, 2016. Hon. Jeb Hensarling, Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to you regarding S. 1555. As you know, the bill was received in the House of Representatives on July 17, 2016 and referred to the Committee on Financial Services and in addition to the Committee on House Administration. The bill seeks to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the Filipino veterans of World War II, in recognition of the dedicated service of the veterans during World War II. S. 1555 passed the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent on July 13, 2016. I realize that discharging the Committee on House Administration from further consideration of S. 1555 will serve in the best interest of the House of Representatives and agree to do so. It is the understanding of the Committee on House Administration that forgoing action on S. 1555 will not prejudice the Committee with respect to appointment of conferees or any future jurisdictional claim. I request that this letter and any response be included in in the Congressional Record. Sincerely, Candice S. Miller, Chairman.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1555) to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the Filipino veterans of World War II, in recognition of the dedicated service of the veterans during World War II.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I appreciated the personal touches and discussions from Representative Latta and Representative Kaptur as they talked about their family members in this very important organization. With that, I urge the bill's passage. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Rothfus).

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Latta), the author of the House bill.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, every wartime President of the United States--and probably every wartime leader in history--has had some clandestine help from men and women who risked life and limb to report on and sometimes to disrupt the actions of the enemy. No leader of such clandestine force was as uniformly successful, as visionary, or ultimately had as much impact on both his country's affairs and those of the entire world as Colonel William J. ``Wild Bill'' Donovan. President Franklin Roosevelt charged Colonel Donovan with the daunting task of unifying and streamlining the previously ad hoc U.S. efforts at intelligence gathering. The unit he founded, the Office of Strategic Services, was the foundation upon which the postwar government built the Central Intelligence Agency. Each branch of the armed services contributed members of the OSS, which trained, equipped, and fought with resistance forces in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. Its various operations were the forerunners of many of today's Special Operations Forces. Four future directors of central intelligence--Allen Dulles, William Casey, William Colby, and Richard Helms--were all OSS operatives, and at least a third of the operatives were women, including the world's first and favorite TV chef, Julia Child, of all people. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 2234, the Office of Strategic Services Congressional Gold Medal Act, introduced by Senator Blunt of Missouri. The bill, which passed the Senate on February 23, has companion legislation to H.R. 3929, introduced by our Republican colleague, Representative Latta, which has 320 House cosponsors. The bill authorizes the striking and awarding of a single gold medal of appropriate design to commemorate the members of the Office of Strategic Services in recognition of their superior service and major contributions during World War II. After awarding the medal, it will be given to the Smithsonian museum where it will be available for display there or elsewhere, as appropriate. The Treasury secretary is authorized to make and offer for sale bronze replicas of the medal at a price that will help defray the design and production costs of the actual medal. Mr. Speaker, long after World War II ended, most of the efforts of the OSS remained classified, and we probably still do not know all of the hair-raising tales that might be told. One thing is not secret--we owe those men and women an enormous debt of gratitude, not only for their work during the war but for the groundwork that they laid towards what is clearly the best intelligence service in the world today. We should recognize those contributions by awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to these heroes. I urge immediate passage of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on House Administration, Washington, DC, November 30, 2016. Hon. Jeb Hensarling, Chairman, Committee on Financial Services, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to you regarding S. 2234. As you know, the bill was received in the House of Representatives on February 23, 2016 and referred to the Committee on Financial Services and in addition to the Committee on the Committee on House Administration. The bill seeks to award the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in recognition of their superior service and major contributions during World War II. S. 2234 passed the Senate without amendment by unanimous consent on February 22, 2016. I realize that discharging the Committee on House Administration from further consideration of S. 2234 will serve in the best interest of the House of Representatives and agree to do so. It is the understanding of the Committee on House Administration that forgoing action on S. 2234 will not prejudice the Committee with respect to appointment of conferees or any future jurisdictional claim. I request that this letter and any response be included in the Congressional Record. Sincerely, Candice S. Miller, Chairman.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 2234) to award the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the members of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in recognition of their superior service and major contributions during World War II.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, merchant mariners act as an auxiliary to the U.S. Navy and are recognized as an integral link between domestic production and forces overseas, delivering combat equipment, food, fuel, raw materials, and commodities to those stationed abroad. Military success in World War II hinged on the merchant marine delivering these resources and provisions of transport to military and civilian personnel, sailing while exposed to enemy combatants by both air and by sea. During World War II, these merchant mariners suffered the highest per capita casualty rate of any other branch in the U.S. Armed Forces. It is estimated that hundreds of mariner ships and thousands of mariners were lost to enemy combatants as a result of their service during World War II. Yet, Mr. Speaker, the merchant marine is rarely mentioned when people list the military branches of service during the war. I rise today to help remedy that oversight by supporting H.R. 2992, the Merchant Marine of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act, introduced by our colleague, Representative Susan Brooks. This bill, which has 312 House cosponsors, would award a single Congressional Gold Medal to the American Merchant Marine of World War II in the recognition of their dedicated and vital service. After the medal is awarded, it will be given to the American Merchant Marine Museum, which is housed within the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. The Treasury Secretary is authorized to make and offer for sale bronze replicas of the medal at a price that will help defray the design and production costs of the actual medal. A companion bill in the Senate, S. 2989, has been introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski. Mr. Speaker, the merchant marine has contributed greatly to every war in which this country has been involved, beginning with the Revolutionary War and continuing right up until today. Its efforts during peacetime helped carry millions of tons of cargo and countless passengers, but the merchant marines' efforts in lightly guarded ships on the dangerous waters of the Atlantic and Pacific during the Second World War were invaluable to the overall war effort. President Franklin Roosevelt summed it up succinctly: they delivered the goods. Now, Mr. Speaker, it is our turn to deliver the goods for those heroes who have so often gone unnoticed. I urge immediate passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I, too, have no further speakers. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks).

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2992) to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the U.S. Merchant Marine of World War II, in recognition of their dedicated and vital service during World War II.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lt. Col. Cecil G. Foster, the 23rd Jet Ace pilot of the Korean War and a veteran of the Vietnam War. Lt. Col. Foster, a Midland, Michigan native, passed away at the age of 90 in July of 2016. Lt. Col Foster was born on August 30, 1925. Upon completing high school he immediately enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. In 1945, he achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant and became the Air Corps' 23rd Ace pilot when he shot down nine enemy aircraft during the Korean War. In May of 2015, Lt. Col. Foster received the Congressional Gold Medal for his service to our nation. He also earned more than 65 military decorations during his 32 years of service with the United States Air Force. Lt. Col. Foster will be buried today at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Second District of Michigan, we remember, honor, and thank Lt. Col. Foster for his service to Michigan and to our nation.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Pittenger), a member of the Committee on Financial Services.

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Well, America, you just heard a ridiculous straw-man choice laid out in front of you. Mr. Speaker, this is not about anything other than selling and financing aircraft sales to Iran. That is what this bill is about. This is what this bill should be about. I will point out to my colleague that there are some pretty major kinetic activities--I believe they are called at this point, which means shooting war--happening in Mosul and other places where our troops are involved. But at the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this motion to recommit. I look forward to working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address concerns that we may have with other foreign governments in the future, and I would request that they vote for the underlying bill, H.R. 5711. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.