Randy Hultgren

Mr. HULTGREN

Mr. HULTGREN. I thank the gentleman. Today, I rise in support of H.R. 4. This bill will repeal one of the most egregious and anti-jobs, anti-growth provisions contained in last year's health care law. This 1099 provision threatens our small business owners with an avalanche of paperwork and bureaucracy when Congress should instead be doing everything in our power to help employers create jobs. My constituents have told me loud and clear what this means to them. One small business owner in my district told me that just last year alone she had more than 500 transactions that she would have had to report under this provision, the expense and enormous regulatory burden on her and her employees. She called it ridiculous, and I think she is understating things. I hope Congress will overwhelmingly pass this bill. Let's liberate our small business owners from the mountain of paperwork and instead let them get back to work, creating jobs and moving our economy forward.

Mr. HULTGREN

Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, when I returned to Illinois last week, I talked to my constituents, and the refrain I heard over and over was their frustration and concern about the pain they're feeling at the gas pump. And it's not just hurting them. It is threatening to damage our economy. It's already a weak economy, and it is damaging it even worse. At this moment, the average cost of a gallon of gas in my home State of Illinois is over $3.50--more than 10 cents higher than the national average. These prices are unseasonably high, hitting Illinoisans and Americans hard in their already-thinned pocketbooks and threatening our economy's tenuous recovery. It's clear that Congress must act to protect our constituents from even higher gas prices by expanding our Nation's domestic energy production. More energy production here at home would not only reduce the cost of gas, putting money back in the wallets of every American; it would also create the kind of good-paying jobs that so many people need and will help get our economy running again. Creating jobs, saving our constituents money, and helping the economy should be bipartisan goals, and we can achieve them by expanding American energy production. I hope we come together to accomplish these goals in the weeks and months ahead.

Mr. HULTGREN

Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Speaker, three years ago this week, the community of Northern Illinois University was scarred by an act of senseless violence. The NIU family--including the students, faculty, administration, and alumni--has been a model of perseverance and compassion in the wake of this tragedy and I join the people of DeKalb and my whole district in honoring their resilience and courage. The five victims of the February 14, 2008 shooting demonstrate how terrible it is when lives and the promise of bright futures are cut short. Ryanne Mace was an excellent student who liked to knit blankets and baby clothing. Her family said ``She was ten thousand times better than the best parts of each of us.'' Gayle Dubowski sang in her high school choir, acted in musicals and loved to draw. ``She went out of her way. She was a really sweet and genuine person,'' said a friend. ``She was so happy, open and serving,'' said another friend, ``I know that she shone so brightly for God on that campus.'' Catalina Garcia was the youngest daughter of immigrants. They believed education was the path to the American dream and Cati, as she was called, hoped to become a teacher. Dan Parmenter was a gentle giant. He joined the staff of the Northern Star newspaper and worked hard, received recognition, and was experiencing the satisfaction that comes from doing what you love and doing it well. Julianna Gehant was an Army Reservist and an aspiring teacher. She loved serving her country and had been deployed to Bosnia before coming to NIU. She wanted to continue to serve in the classroom where she could help young people and be closer to her family. Every death is a loss, but the deaths of these young people are especially tragic; their lives would have touched and impressed so many others. This week, I join the community of North Illinois University in honoring their memory and I will continue, along with the people of the 14th district, to pray for the families and friends of those who died and support the NIU community as they continue to move forward.

Mr. HULTGREN

Mr. HULTGREN. I rise in support of the resolution and look forward to reviewing a number of regulations and orders from Federal Government agencies. One regulation I would like to address today is the USDA's departure from a science-based regulatory system for biotech crops. Two weeks ago, I spoke to a number of farm and agriculture groups from my district, and they indicated a real concern that the current politicization of the regulatory process could set dangerous precedents for open pollinated and biotech crops in the future. The USDA has departed from the longstanding science-based ``coordinated framework'' between the USDA, EPA, and FDA that has been accepted throughout the world. By altering the process through using a rules approach, rather than science, this could have a significant negative impact on trade. In addition, I think it is important to make sure that all government agencies are allowing for a proper comment time for proposed rules and regulations. As a government, we need a full understanding of how our actions will affect those governed by the rules.

Mr. HULTGREN

Mr. HULTGREN. Thank you, Congressman. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to be with you today to honor one of my heroes. And I bring greetings to the United States Capitol from Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan's birthplace, and Dixon, Illinois, Ronald Reagan's boyhood home. I am privileged to represent those areas back in Illinois. I was there over this weekend and was able to be in Ronald Reagan's birthplace and also his boyhood home. And I heard from them again all the memories that they have and the incredible roots that were developed there in Illinois into one of our greatest Presidents ever, Ronald Reagan. As I look back about 30 years ago to 1981, I see that times are similar today as they were when Ronald Reagan took office. It was desperate economic times. There was very discouraging unemployment news. It also was a very dangerous world that we faced. And yet Ronald Reagan came in and had an impact in turning our world around, bringing hope once again. I see in Ronald Reagan several things: First of all, he clearly was a man of faith. It was almost exactly 30 years ago next month when, tragically, Ronald Reagan was shot. We are so grateful that he survived and did well through that. And through that lesson and through that horrible experience, Ronald Reagan said he dedicated his life and his Presidency to God. He was a man of faith. He was also a man of optimism. He saw that the opportunity in America's future was not in government but in the American people. He was also a man of vision. I appreciate his statement that ``it's morning in America again,'' and I see that same opportunity today, where our days are brighter ahead than they were in the past because of the great American people and their spirit. Ronald Reagan had three big goals when he entered the Presidency, and he had incredible focus on these three goals. When you talked to people who were here at that time, it was amazing that oftentimes he was the only one talking about these things or had the idea that we could be successful. One of those was restoring our economy, getting things turned around again, getting people working again. He also wanted to restore American exceptionalism, and he fought diligently to do that, to recognize that we are a great Nation because of our great people. He also was committed to defeating communism. And his strong voice and strong presence against the USSR showed and was successful ultimately because of his diligence and his focus and his vision. And we are so thankful. It is a different world today because of Ronald Reagan. I look back at so much that he accomplished. Let's go back to the roots that he developed, the Midwestern roots in Illinois that went so deep. I see it still in the people there--a commitment to America, a commitment to service, a commitment to a brighter future. All of those things were born and bred into Ronald Reagan in Tampico and Dixon, Illinois, and continued on through his life out in California and right here in Washington, DC. It is my honor to recognize one of my heroes just a couple days after his 100th birthday and say, Thank you, President Reagan. Thank you for all that you've done. Thank you for the hope and the future that we all enjoy because of what you have done.

Mr. HULTGREN

Mr. HULTGREN. I thank the chairman from Michigan for yielding. Madam Speaker, the so-called Affordable Care Act has clearly failed to make health care more affordable. Since the passage of this law, I have heard from local families throughout my community concerned about what this will mean to their pocketbooks and from small business owners who are concerned about how they will keep their doors open. Making health care affordable requires that we address out-of-control costs, such as lawsuit abuse reform. This issue was completely and inexplicably ignored in this act. The act has also created paralyzing uncertainty and new layers of bureaucracy, putting new demands on businesses in the form of mandates and new taxes, forcing them to comply with yet-to-be-written regulations that prevent them from hiring and stalls the economic recovery that we need so dearly. After this vote, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to find ways of lowering the cost of health care, maintaining a patient-focused system, making health care more accessible to all Americans, and working with families and businesses to find quality insurance. This act failed to accomplish such commonsense goals. In fact, it made matters worse. Therefore, I will vote for its repeal, and I encourage all of my colleagues to join with me on both sides of the aisle and vote ``yes.''

Mr. HULTGREN

Mr. HULTGREN. Amendment 26, passed by Congress March 23, 1971; ratified July 1, 1971. Section 1: ``The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.'' Section 2: ``The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.''