Jody Hice

Mr. HICE of Georgia

Mr. HICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, the gentleman from Pennsylvania, for his leadership on this. I am honored to be a part of this group dealing with a problem that we all know is a reality and yet so few seem to be willing to do anything about. We have thousands of new aliens entering our country every day, and this surge of illegal immigrants flooding across our porous borders puts our Nation at risk in more ways than one. In 2017 alone, more than 900 Americans died every week from the opioid-related crisis and overdoses. Every American, everyone in this chamber knows personally someone who has been affected by this, be it a family member, a friend, a coworker, a neighbor, where the opioid crisis has penetrated into these lives. And its advancement continues to march down the streets of our Nation. The story of the opioid epidemic certainly begins many times with prescription pain medications, pharmaceutical companies, pill mills, overprescribing, many of these kinds of ways, but today we see the opioid crisis being driven by the widespread availability of cheap, powerful drugs like heroin, often laced with synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Make no mistake about it: this is a human tragedy. It is a family tragedy. It is a national tragedy. It is a national crisis that we are facing right now, largely because of loopholes that we have in our immigration laws, but also unquestionably because of the physical barriers that don't exist. As a result, we have illegals continuing to storm into our country and bring with them all sorts of illegal activity. Earlier today, I stood alongside my colleagues and met many angel families who have been so personally impacted, have lost loved ones because of our deeply flawed immigration policies and so forth. One in particular I met today Susan Stevens. Susan had a daughter, Victoria, who 1 year ago next week lost her life. She was a cheerleader, she was an artist. She was a vibrant young lady whose life was taken from this world largely because of our inability to deal with and stop the smuggling of illegal drugs coming into our country and to secure our border. We have all heard the statistics. Nearly 90 percent of heroin coming into our country comes into our country from the southern border, 90 percent. Sadly, stories like Victoria Stevens' are becoming all too common; we are hearing these stories on a daily basis. I am stunned when my colleagues on the other side look at the President's cry at this national crisis at our border as some sort of political stunt. This is no political stunt. This is reality. Two weeks ago we all watched as Speaker Pelosi jokingly made the claim that she would be willing to give a single dollar to secure our border. I would remind the Speaker, this is no joking matter and this is no laughing matter. These are real lives. This is a Nation that is being impacted by her refusal to deal with the issue at hand. This country ought to be a safe haven for law-abiding citizens, but instead we are watching communities that have become vulnerable and susceptible to crime. How many more families need to lose loved ones before we take action? How many more families will no longer hear the laugh of their child because we are not taking action right here, before we secure our borders? What is it going to take? The Mexican cartels are a cunning enemy, and yet Democrats refuse to acknowledge the situation. They call it a manufactured crisis. I guarantee you, had they been there today with these angel families, they would not have left saying this is a manufactured crisis. They would have been pricked to the heart of the reality of what we are facing in this country. And yet they refuse to come to the table. They refuse to come with real solutions. They refuse to compromise at all. Instead, as has already been mentioned, this past weekend they go to Puerto Rico on a virtual vacation while hundreds of thousands of American workers are losing their paychecks, being held by Democrats off on a vacation at an island getaway. The Democrat playbook is nothing but obstruct at all costs. And, again, this was played out today while the President invites them to the White House, and they refuse to show up yet again, showing what they are really made of. And they refuse to deal with our borders. More than 49,000 Americans died last year from heroin and opioid- related overdoses, and yet the Democrats, with their open border policies, refuse to deal with this situation. I am convinced that they are becoming accomplices in the countless deaths yet to come by their refusal to deal with the dangerous drugs, illegal activities, and our broken borders. This is precisely why we must deal with the President's request for a border wall and to do so immediately. The consequences are too dire. We cannot continue to wait. We are here today committed to ensure the integrity of our borders and the safety of the American people through the building of the wall on our southern border. We are here today fighting for the families of the victims who want a reasonable immigration system to protect our children and our grandchildren. Tackling this immigration problem and protecting American families from criminal aliens is a fundamental responsibility and duty that we all have, and I am honored to stand with my colleagues to press this issue and to call the Democrats to come to the table and deal with the issue. Madam Speaker, again, I thank my friend; I appreciate so much the time.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for his great leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill and urge my colleagues to come together in support of securing our Nation's southern border. We finally now have an opportunity before us that enables us to take a step in resolving the immigration and border crisis, frankly, one that is growing daily in its scope and complexity, largely because of the inaction of this body. But we have the opportunity now to change that. The $5 billion requested by the President is a relatively small amount when we consider the Federal Government's discretionary spending this year is at a whopping $1.3 trillion. That comes to about $2.5 million a minute. If you do the math, this $5 billion comes to less than 1\1/2\ days' worth of Federal spending, about 33 hours. To give people some degree of comparison, in late 2016, the Department of Transportation awarded a little over $1 billion in a grant to the city of San Diego to expand its trolley service 11 miles. That is roughly $100 million per mile for something that the DOT estimated only 25,000 people would use. If we can spend $1 billion on a trolley for 11 miles that very few people will even use, then, certainly, we can spend $5 billion to do something that is going to benefit and protect our Nation, our border. Wherever walls have been built on our border, whether we are dealing with San Diego or El Paso or Tucson or wherever, the walls have been effective tremendously. The border wall in itself is no magic bullet. There are some other things we need to do: closing the asylum loopholes, for example; making E-Verify mandatory; ending chain migration; and shifting toward a merit-based immigration system. But this is our opportunity to secure the border, and I urge support for the bill. But these other solutions cannot be effective unless we can ensure that our border is secure. These solutions are mutually supportive. It is now or never, Mr. Speaker. We made a promise to the American people and they sent us here to fulfill that promise. This bill also provides some much needed disaster relief for States like Georgia. I urge my colleagues to support the funding bill, to support the President, and--most importantly--to support the American people.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from North Carolina for recognizing me tonight. Mr. Speaker, we all know that immigration continues to be one of the most pressing issues that we are facing in our country today. The question of illegal immigration is not going away. In fact, it is growing. It is getting worse. It is getting more complex with each passing day, and Congress has repeatedly failed to take any action whatsoever. We have the opportunity now in this spending bill to finally deliver results for the American people--again, something that we have not done over and over and over again. The Department of Homeland Security has reported that, roughly, on average, 2,000 illegal aliens are crossing our southern border every day. Now we learn from Border Patrol that, in recent months, there has been an increase of 90 percent attempted illegal individuals crossing our borders compared to this time last year. The border crisis is for real, and it is time for us to act. The President has requested $5 billion. That is really not a whole lot of money compared to the $1.3 trillion that we spend in discretionary spending every year. Look, the wall is not the whole answer, but it is the first step, because walls work. Wherever there have been walls put in place, there have been great results that have been produced: for example, a 92 percent drop in illegal traffic in San Diego since a wall was there; 95 percent decrease in El Paso; 90 percent decrease in Tucson. Walls work. Now, look, there are other things we need to do, some practical steps, from closing the asylum loopholes, stopping chain migration, making E-Verify mandatory. There are other things, but I hear, right now, the voices of millions of Americans from my district and across the country, as we have all heard the chant: Build the wall. Build the wall. Build the wall. We are standing here tonight as a voice for millions of Americans who feel like they have lost their voice in Washington, and we are saying it is time right now. Build the wall. Let's do it.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the opportunity to speak on behalf of my bill, H.R. 6108, the Preserving America's Battlefields Act. Mr. Speaker, the American Battlefield Protection Program was first authorized in 1996 by Congress in order to promote and protect significant American battlefield sites, as well as to provide an educational platform for current and future generations of Americans. Since the inception of this program, Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants have been used extensively to preserve portions of dozens of battlefield sites that have played a significant role in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the American Civil War. These dollar-for-dollar matching land grants have saved more than 30,000 acres of battlefields across 20 States. Just this past year, in my own district, this program assisted in securing 180 acres of battlegrounds surrounding the site of Kettle Creek Battlefield, which is the site of the only significant patriot victory in Georgia during the Revolutionary War. This bill would reauthorize the successful bipartisan Federal grant programs, and would dedicate a portion of that authorization for educational purposes and for the restoration and interpretation of high-priority battlefield sites. This will help make these battlegrounds beautiful, historic, and educational tourist destinations. This program has been one of the most successful and efficient land grant programs in our Nation's history, continually receiving bipartisan support. Both former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama supported the program's authorization and subsequent reauthorizations, respectively. I am very proud to say that this bill has continued in that rich tradition of bipartisan support here in the 115th Congress. With the 250th anniversary of our Nation's founding fast approaching, there is no better time to protect our battlefields and prepare them for the influx of visitors expected during that time. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Bishop, the minority, our hardworking Natural Resources Committee staff, and the American Battlefield Trust for helping us get this bill across the finish line.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6893) to amend the Overtime Pay for Protective Services Act of 2016 to extend the Secret Service overtime pay exception through 2019, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Secret Service is the premier protective agency in the world. Secret Service agents and officers play a vital role in defending the President, high-ranking government officials, and events of national significance. Protection is a round-the-clock job, and Secret Service personnel often work extensive overtime to fulfill their zero-fail mission. Under current law, Federal employees across the government may not be paid above an annual premium pay cap. The cap consists of base pay, including locality pay, and premium pay, such as overtime. The cap is in place to ensure a hierarchy of pay so that frontline employees do not earn more than their supervisors who are ineligible for overtime pay. It also helps to control agency spending on compensation. The cap, however, has led to issues at the Secret Service. Due to a staffing shortage and increased protective responsibilities, Secret Service personnel are expected to work increasing amounts of overtime, causing them to hit the premium pay cap well in advance of the end of the year. Secret Service personnel are expected to continue working once they hit the cap, but they receive no extra compensation for this work. This phenomenon is known as maxing out at the agency, and it can cause morale and attrition problems. Committee staff recently traveled to observe Secret Service operations in Europe. During that trip, the topic of maxing out came up as an issue consistently on the minds of personnel in the field. The maxing out issue is expected to get worse in 2020, when the burdens of the Presidential campaign cycle cause a large increase in hours worked by the Secret Service. In the previous Presidential election cycle, Congress raised the premium pay cap for Secret Service personnel to the Executive Schedule Level II, ensuring Secret Service personnel receive additional compensation commensurate with the amount of time they must work. This waiver of the governmentwide premium pay cap was extended to the end of 2018 by the Secret Service Recruitment and Retention Act. Without a further extension, Secret Service personnel will once again be subject to the lower pay cap. H.R. 6893 extends the premium pay cap waiver to the end of 2020. Between 700 and 900 personnel will be eligible for extra pay in 2019, while approximately 1,150 will be eligible in 2020. The bill also continues a series of reports due to Congress on the premium pay cap, to ensure its appropriate use. Extending the premium pay cap waiver also gives time for the Government Accountability Office to complete ongoing review of the Secret Service's staffing issues. Finally, it ensures the agency doesn't backtrack on staffing progress made to date. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee continues to maintain that the premium pay cap waiver cannot be a permanent change and that the Secret Service must fix its own staffing issues and problems. For now, however, I do urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I will take just a moment to give a huge thank you to the sponsor of this bill, Mr. Steve Russell from Oklahoma. Unfortunately, his flight was delayed. I know he would have loved to have been here to speak on this bill. I give a shout-out to him, thanking him for his leadership here. And also, as the gentleman from Massachusetts mentioned, other cosponsors, Mr. Cummings, Mrs. Watson Coleman, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), and others, thanks to each of them. Mr. Speaker, may the gentleman from Massachusetts be aware that I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I also urge adoption of this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be here to stand in belief and on behalf of the greatest book of the history of the world, the Bible. There is absolutely no book ever that has had a greater impact on my life and continues to have the greatest impact on my life. Every day here in Congress, I begin with time in God's Word, every day before coming to this Chamber and other meetings and responsibilities. As a pastor for 25-plus years, it has been the greatest honor of my life to teach God's Word week in and week out, to proclaim the principles of spiritual liberty and freedom that comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the fact that he died for us and rose again. The good news, as it is referred to in the Scripture, is the greatest news the world has ever had. The Bible has also had an amazing impact in our country. Right here in this Chamber, as has been referenced already this evening from some of my other colleagues, Robert Aitken came here from Scotland. He migrated here to Philadelphia and started a newspaper. He later became the publishing company that recorded the Journals of both the House and the Senate. Then he requested that this Chamber publish the Bible in English, which this Chamber voted to do in September of 1782. This Chamber encouraged the citizens of this country to read the Bible. It became the Bible of the American Revolution. I believe today that this Chamber, this country, would be well served, better served, if we would take the teachings of Scripture. Things like not to view ourselves and esteem ourselves more highly as we ought, but to esteem others as more important than ourselves; Scriptures like the Golden Rule, to treat others the way we want to be treated; to not be overcome with evil but to overcome evil with good, all these are found in the Word of God. These issues that we face today cannot be answered from the wisdom of these Halls, but they can be found only as we submit ourselves, once again, to the truths of God's Word. Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for giving this opportunity and leading this Special Order.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Dylan Ceraso, Jeanna Presley, Alejandro Tovar-Villagomez, and Morgan Watkins for being selected as 2018 REACH Scholars for Barrow County, Georgia. Standing for ``Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen,'' this needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program provides opportunity for academically-promising students from their eighth grade year through high school. In addition to remaining in high academic standing, students are required to meet with a mentor and maintain good attendance. Upon graduation from high school and successful completion of the program, the student is awarded a $10,000 scholarship toward the cost of any HOPE-eligible institution in Georgia. These REACH Georgia scholars are our future. Georgia has made a commitment to awarding those in need who demonstrate a high level of merit--an investment that will increase our workforce and grow our economy. I'm proud that we take these steps to ensure a brighter future for our children, our state, and our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I expect great things from each of these special young scholars, and on behalf of Georgia's 10th Congressional District, I offer them my congratulations and wish them continued success.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Talexia Brooks, Luna Espinoza, Isabella Harp, Isaac Harris, and McKinsey Pennamon for being selected as 2018 REACH Scholars for Baldwin County, Georgia. Standing for ``Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen,'' this needs-based mentorship and college scholarship program provides opportunity for academically-promising students from their eighth grade year through high school. In addition to remaining in high academic standing, students are required to meet with a mentor and maintain good attendance. Upon graduation from high school and successful completion of the program, the student is awarded a $10,000 scholarship toward the cost of any HOPE-eligible institution in Georgia. These REACH Georgia scholars are our future. Georgia has made a commitment to awarding those in need who demonstrate a high level of merit--an investment that will increase our workforce and grow our economy. I am proud that we take these steps to ensure a brighter future for our children, our state, and our Nation. Mr. Speaker, I expect great things from each of these special young scholars, and on behalf of Georgia's 10th Congressional District, I offer them my congratulations and wish them continued success.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to honor the achievements of Steven A. Hildreth, Specialist in Missile Defense, Congressional Research Service, on the occasion of his retirement from the Service on August 31, 2018. Steve Hildreth served Congress with distinction for more than 32 years at the Library of Congress as a Specialist in U.S. and Foreign National Security Programs for the Congressional Research Service. He earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, a master's degree in international relations from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. graduate work at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. and master's degree in national security strategy from the National War College in Washington, D.C. Steve is recognized throughout Congress, the military Services, the defense community, and the arms control community as an expert in U.S. nuclear weapons and ballistic missile defense, arms control, military space, and nonproliferation issues. He wrote extensively on missile defense programs--from the Strategic Defense Initiative in the 1980s through the current Ground-based Midcourse Defense and Aegis programs. He also assisted the House Armed Services Committee, after the first Gulf War, with assessments of the effectiveness of the Patriot system in taking down Iraqi scud missiles. In that capacity, he assisted Congress in eight hours of testimony, leading a group of Congressional Research Service researchers, in providing open source analysis of the international aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks before the 9/11 Commission. Halfway through, the staff director for the Commission told Steve, ``I never believed in open source analysis until today.'' Steve also exercised true leadership at the Congressional Research Service. For nine years he headed up the Central Research Unit in the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division of the Congressional Research Service, where he created and managed an extensive internship program and oversaw many of the research experts of the Service. Steve published many influential Congressional Research Service reports on such subjects as challenges to the United States in space; Iran's ballistic missile and space launch programs, long range ballistic missile defense in Europe, ballistic missile defense in the Asia-Pacific region, ballistic missile defense and offensive arms reductions, cyberwarfare, and the Strategic Defense Initiative. Additionally, he provided objective, expert analysis on a number of issues, ranging from Israeli missile defense capabilities to the proposed U.S. Space Corps, to Congress, to the House Armed Services Committee, and to me personally--analysis for which I am very grateful. After retirement, Steve will head to Vashon Island, Washington, with his family, to enjoy an idyllic and relaxing life.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, the Office of Environmental Justice, also known as the OEJ, was established within the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, in 1992, in order to assess environmental concerns with the potential of affecting disadvantaged communities. To bring about this goal, the OEJ set in motion the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program in 1994. While this grants program initially sought to overcome environmental issues that could hurt underprivileged communities, it has, unfortunately, devolved into a platform for political activism, in addition to offering services typically powered by State and local governments. Furthermore, in recent years, the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program has been used for purposes entirely unrelated to the office's stated mission. Examples would be: funding educational programs on urban gardening, creating healthy environments for nail salons, or the so-called negative consequences of automobile dependency. While some of these projects may be commendable, the bulk are not within the scope of the constitutional responsibilities delegated to the Federal Government. Our country currently shoulders $21 trillion in debt and we should not be subsidizing what would otherwise be State initiatives and local projects. It is for these reasons that I have introduced my amendment to discontinue funding for the OEJ Small Grants Program. This will allow the EPA to refocus millions of taxpayer funds toward the Agency's core mission over the next decade, and I would ask my colleagues to support this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I would, again, just reiterate the fact that this grant program is not doing the job that it was designed to do. It is not even doing things that are related to the stated mission. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars, and for that, it is not something that we should continue funding. It has lost its purpose. It has lost its mission, and it just simply is not necessary to continue funding. When we talk about the issues happening in Puerto Rico or other parts of the world, we have FEMA and we have other avenues to deal with serious problems like what happened in Puerto Rico and other places in our country, and those means are working effectively. But to simply waste funds on a grant program that directly is involved in activities unrelated to their own mission statement, is not something that we should be involved in. As a result, this amendment has been endorsed by a number of organizations, such as: the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Heritage Action, Citizens Against Government Waste, Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, Free Market America, and a host of organizations who are concerned about the direction our country is going financially and are supportive of stopping the waste here. So I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate these comments. What we are dealing with would simply do away with funding of the small grants part of this program where those funds are not being used according to the mission. Mr. Chair, I continue to ask for support from my colleagues, keeping in mind the multiple organizations that are supportive of this amendment. I ask my colleagues to support this, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Reverend Josh Smith as our guest chaplain here at the U.S. House of Representatives, and I greatly appreciate his leading us in prayer this morning. He has been serving in ministry for nearly 20 years. Josh has faithfully dedicated his life to the Gospel and currently serves as senior pastor of my home church, Prince Avenue Baptist Church in the Athens, Georgia, area. In addition to earning a bachelor's degree in cross-cultural studies, a master of divinity, and a doctorate of ministry in expository preaching, he has worked to spread God's Word on both a national and international level. As a pastor myself, it gives me absolute pleasure to recognize Josh for his spiritual leadership and guidance. I also welcome, today, his wife, Andrea, to the people's House; and we send our best wishes to their five children, Lily, Gracie, Josie, Annalee, and Josiah, back home in Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would ask everyone to join me in thanking Pastor Smith for leading us today and opening this session in prayer. It is my deep privilege to not only be a member of his church, but also be a co- laborer with him for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for his outstanding spiritual leadership to the Athens community and the world abroad.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I deeply appreciate my good friend from North Carolina for affording me the opportunity to speak. Mr. Speaker, I find it interesting that when those from the other side have an empty argument, their answer is to yell loud and to rail on issues that are unrelated to that which we are currently discussing. Mr. Speaker, our Founders made it very clear when they drafted the Constitution that we have a system of government that keeps each branch accountable to the Constitution and the rule of law. For nearly 18 months now, the Department of Justice has attempted to shield itself from the legislative branch's duty to conduct oversight. That is, and ought to be, both alarming and absolutely unacceptable. Mr. Speaker, we know clearly from the IG report here recently, text after text, email after email, that there were a number of FBI agents who were extremely biased against the Trump administration, the Trump candidacy, and in favor of Hillary Clinton. We know that bias existed. We also know that many of them were willing to use their position, their status, to try to influence the election. These are things that we know. And we, as a legislative body, have not only the responsibility to do oversight, but we have got to have the information in order to do that oversight. That is what this resolution is all about. I think it is important for all of us to come back to the understanding, the realization, that oversight is necessary to prevent corruption. That is what this is all about. The American people, not just Members of Congress, have the right to get answers to the questions that are before us. This is all for the purpose of preventing corruption that may exist and to prevent it from going further. This resolution is a clear message to the Department of Justice that the U.S. House of Representatives is determined to get the documents that have been requested. Even a single page from these missing documents could be critical to the overall congressional investigation that is underway. It is all necessary. There are irrefutable facts, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Justice is accountable to Congress. Another fact: They are hiding documents. They are refusing to cooperate. We have, even beyond that now, the chilling reports that the Deputy Attorney General personally threatened staff members on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This is unacceptable. So under this resolution, the full force of the House is being brought to light, Mr. Speaker. We have got to get to the bottom of this.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Ernie Simons, a longtime Georgia resident, a brave hero of the Vietnam war, and a dedicated public servant who has worked tirelessly on behalf of the men and women who have served in our Armed Forces. Having first served as a marine in Vietnam, Mr. Simons continued to serve as an employee of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. During his 30 years there, he worked in a number of capacities, including as the director of the Georgia Veterans Memorial Cemetery and director of the Health and Memorials division of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. In April, the community renamed Veterans Drive, a road adjacent to the veterans home where Mr. Simons dedicated so many years, as Ernie Simons Veterans Way. There is perhaps no better tribute for a man who has given countless hours and his undivided attention to our local heroes than to have this road named in his honor. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please stand with me to honor the life and legacy of this Georgia hero, greatly deserving the respect of all Americans.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 4467, the Strengthening Aviation Security Act. Mr. Speaker, last year, I learned that, while the Federal Air Marshal Service considers its travel budget and the number of personnel when determining which flights will be covered by air marshals, they do not consider risk. This current system might maximize the number of flights covered by air marshals, but it does not ensure that the highest risk flights-- those likely to be hijacked by a potential terrorist--would be covered by air marshals. The Strengthening Aviation Security Act would fix this flawed policy by requiring the Federal Air Marshal Service to incorporate risk in its deployment strategy in three ways: First, this legislation requires the Federal Air Marshal Service to utilize a risk-based strategy when allocating resources between international and domestic flight coverage. Currently, the Federal Air Marshal Service does not account for risk when it sets its annual target numbers of average international and domestic flights to cover. Second, this legislation requires the Federal Air Marshal Service to utilize a risk-based strategy to support domestic allocation decisions. Currently, these decisions are made based on the professional judgment of subject matter experts. Without documented risk assessments, the Federal Air Marshal Service cannot justify to the TSA, the Department of Homeland Security, or Congress why it chooses to deploy air marshals on certain flights and not on others. Third, this legislation requires the Federal Air Marshal Service to utilize a risk-based strategy to support international allocation decisions. Shockingly, the Federal Air Marshal Service does not currently document the rationales for their international allocation decisions. Without this documentation, there is no verifiable method to determine whether the decisions are intelligence-driven, risk-based, or even in compliance with the TSA or DHS directives. Unless the Federal Air Marshal Service accounts for risk at every level of its deployment strategy, it cannot ensure that it is devoting its resources to cover the highest-risk flights. It is incumbent upon us in Congress to address any vulnerabilities to our national security and to enable our Federal agencies to effectively deter, detect, and disrupt any attacks planned by our enemies, and this legislation does just that. I would like to thank Chairman McCaul and Chairman Katko for their strong support of this legislation, and I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, what an honor it is to likewise stand. I remember the first live crusade I ever went to where Billy Graham was there in Atlanta in the early 1970s. As a young pastor and as a pastor for almost 20 years, I likewise had the opportunity to meet him. As a young pastor, he signed a Bible for me, which today still remains a treasure. But what we don't need to forget is the message that he gave us. It is the message of Scripture. It is the message of God. It is a message that talks about all of us and our condition, that we are sinful, that we are separated from God, that we have committed things that separate us eternally unless they are dealt with. That gospel message from the Scripture that Billy Graham so eloquently shared was that God loves us, and He gave His son to die in our stead. I noticed the other day we are told that archeologists may have found the signature of the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. When I thought of that, I actually thought of Billy Graham and how he would have taken that Isaiah passage in chapter 53 and made a gospel message from the Old Testament prophet, where he said in chapter 53 that all of us, like sheep, have gone astray, that every one has gone his own way. Yet God has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Here we are, and here is our sin. Here comes Christ without sin, and God laid on Him the iniquity of us all. As much as we remember Billy Graham these days, let us never forget the importance of his message and never forget the message. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues and I urge America to hear the gospel message and to respond in faith to the love and the grace of God through Jesus Christ that Billy Graham so powerfully presented to all of us.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Officer Chase Maddox, a brave Locust Grove Police Department officer who was killed on February 9, 2018, while assisting two Henry County Sheriff deputies who were dispatched to answer a minor, routine call that turned violent. Mr. Speaker, Chase Maddox, a graduate of Ola High School in McDonough, Georgia, was only 26 years old when his life was taken. Known as a smart and charismatic young man, Officer Maddox dedicated himself to his family and service to our community. He leaves behind his wife, Alex, and two young sons, one of whom was delivered just four days after Chase passed away. I'm praying for his widow, that precious new life, their family, and future, and I know that I am joined by many, many more whose hearts also go out to this grieving, young family. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, hundreds of mourners filled pews, hallways, and overflow rooms at Glen Haven Baptist Church, standing in salute to this fallen officer. The outreach from family, friends, and strangers in the area has been overwhelming, and I'm proud of the fortitude and encouragement displayed by our neighborhood. Mr. Speaker, our law enforcement officers deserve the respect of all Americans for putting their lives on the line on a daily basis in order to keep us safe. I ask my colleagues to join me in a moment of silence and prayer to honor the life of Officer Chase Maddox, who will be sorely issed by so many in the 10th District of Georgia.

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia

Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Margaret Faye Schmittou, one of the first female Marines to serve our Nation and who recently joined our Heavenly Father at the age of 96. Mr. Speaker, known by most as Faye, Mrs. Schmittou was a WWII veteran who proudly answered the call of duty when the Marine Corps first opened to women in 1944 and devoted more than 27 years of service to the Navy Exchange. Mr. Speaker, in addition to her outstanding service to our military, she also set an example of service to her children and grandchildren and was described as a person who ``would give you the shirt off her back.'' She is survived by two granddaughters and a great granddaughter and will be remembered as a guiding force in the community through her work with the Athens Detachment in Georgia's 10th District and Helping Hands in Colbert, GA. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing her remarkable legacy of service and unyielding commitment to our great Nation