J. Hill

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of a man who has had an indelible impact on conservation and preservation throughout Arkansas, Mr. Tom Foti. Tom is retiring at the end of this month, after serving as the Arkansas National Heritage Commission's senior ecologist for over 2 decades. Tom dedicated his life to answering the call to serve the outdoors. From publishing ``The Natural Divisions of Arkansas'' to giving numerous educational programs for schools and the general public, he lived his life to serve our Natural State. In 1976, he became the director of Arkansas Ecology Center, the organization he had volunteered for as a youth. Tom's service to the State of Arkansas and to the environmental conservation area will never be forgotten, and I join all Arkansans in congratulating my friend Tom on a remarkable career and a well-deserved retirement. Mount Vernon-Enola High School Cybersecurity Team

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana for the opportunity to speak tonight in the House Chamber on what the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has had across our country and, particularly, in the Second Congressional District of Arkansas. Like for most Americans, Arkansans are actively benefiting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, signed by President Trump at the end of last year, through lower withholding rates--all Americans should check your check and look at the difference in withholding this year versus last year--a streamlined tax filing process, a doubled child tax credit, a doubled standard deduction, Mr. Speaker, that now says 9 out of 10 Arkansans living in the Second District can file a simple tax reform and not have to go through the paperwork of itemizing, and flexibility in tax advantaged savings for their kid's education has expanded to K through elementary and high school. This helps our families, Mr. Speaker. I hear numerous examples from Arkansans and business people across the district of how they are seeing that benefit manifested besides the changes in their paycheck. My friend, Mr. Crawford, referenced Entergy Arkansas. All C corps that are utilities in this country are required to share the benefits of our tax cut directly with the households in their electricity bills and their gas bills. Those rates are falling directly proportionate with the reduction in tax cut rates to the point that Arkansans will save about $20 a month on a typical electrical bill. I had a woman write me just a few months ago, right after the law passed, saying that she checked her check in February on withholding, and she found that the change in withholding now paid for the health insurance premium that she is covering for her daughter. These are not crumbs, as alleged by certain leaders in Washington. These are dollars our families get to spend in a way that benefits them. A local banker in my district announced $500 bonuses for each of their 800 employees, Mr. Speaker. That is real money, in addition to the tax savings. That executive at the bank said: The tax reform has created the opportunity for us to reward our employees who are working hard each day to both serve our customers and enrich relationships in our communities. Those are not crumbs, Mr. Speaker. And to make a statement like calling you keeping more of your money crumbs, that just shows you how out of touch some political leaders are up here in the beltway. Real families in Arkansas and across our country want to have more income for our families. Our businesses want more money to invest because if we invest money, we grow our companies faster. We add employees, and we boost the GDP. We are part of that American Dream that we are witnessing with the lowest unemployment rates in decades, the highest optimism in decades. Arkansans and Americans should know that House Republicans are working hard on policies to complement the tax reform package to help them keep more of what they earn. I commend my colleagues for the work that we have done to bring American families and businesses tax relief. For years to come, there will be benefits from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It was a long wait for 30 years to get this change, but it is reminiscent, back in 1963, of President John Kennedy when he argued for tax cuts, stating the goal is to achieve the most prosperous, expanding economy. Exactly right, President Kennedy. House Republicans share that vision, and we have set a foundation for communities across the country to reap the benefits of their hard work and their contributions to our Nation. These reforms are not only good for our families, they are necessary for faster economic growth.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great citizen of Arkansas and one of the pillars of Scouting in our State, John Carman. John is retiring after 21 years of service as the Scout executive of Quapaw Area Council. He is the longest serving Scout executive in the history of the council. During his tenure, John played an instrumental role in more than doubling the council's territory, currently encompassing over half the geography and half the population of the State of Arkansas. Also, under John's leadership, the Quapaw Area Council, for the first time ever, was recognized as a Gold Level Council by the Boy Scouts of America's Journey to Excellence program, the highest award a council can earn. After a 35-year career as a professional Scouter, John and Mary plan to move to Louisville, Kentucky, and spend more time with their beautiful family. My congratulations to John on an incredible career and best wishes for his future endeavors.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the hardships that many foster youth have had to endure and highlight the persistence and determination that they embody as they develop and transition to adulthood. In Arkansas, we have over 5,000 children currently in the State's foster care system. As a member of the Foster Care Caucus here in the House, I am proud to cosponsor our resolution and have had the pleasure for the last 3 years to sponsor a former foster youth for Shadow Day here on the Hill. This year I am honored to host Stefan Specht, a former foster youth from my district. Stefan is currently enrolled with Job Corps to obtain a certification in office administration and plans on working towards a degree in business. Stefan is also a part of Immerse Arkansas, a vital program dedicated to helping foster youth with the difficult transition to adulthood. This program was a critical part of the changing point in Stefan's life and giving him a place to belong. Many foster youth are not provided with programs like Immerse or a community to help support them in finding a career and home after they exit the foster care system. I am proud to be in this caucus and so proud to support our Shadow Day here on Capitol Hill.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the full committee for having us on the floor today to talk about S. 2155. I have heard all of this cold water from the opposition today, but this is the definition of bipartisanship. Sixty-seven votes in the Senate, in this environment, in this town, is bipartisan. So many of our bills emanated here in the House with strong bipartisan support. As a former local chamber of commerce chairman and a local community banker, I have seen firsthand, Mr. Speaker, the negative effects of the Dodd-Frank Act since it was passed in 2010. I know we have had 140 hearings on how to make sense of improving Dodd-Frank, to rightsize the regulatory system for small financial institutions, allowing our community banks and credit unions to actually serve our small businesses and our consumers. Rather than spending too much time on compliance, these institutions can redirect resources toward what they do best: approving loans, mortgages, and providing credit to small business. This bill has widespread support. You would never know it, listening to the opposition, but it has widespread support on a bicameral, bipartisan basis in this building. One particular provision, led by my friend Mr. Barr from Kentucky, I know will help hundreds of Arkansans, hardworking families who need access to credit for manufactured housing in the rural parts of our State. This bill will help people get housing, thanks to the work of the Senate and the House. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of S. 2155.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New York for yielding and compliment him for his leadership on this topic. Just like rebuilding our transatlantic relationship on NATO and our partners for military work and just like our work in exporting energy now, natural gas and oil, to Europe to offset the Russian dominance, this work, this political work, is essential. I thank my friend from New York, and I was proud to be an original cosponsor on this legislation. I want to tell you, on a recent visit in the last few months I had to Krakow, Poland, I was with the Kosciuszko Institute there in Krakow, which has studied Russian cyber attacks throughout Central Europe extensively. They were telling all of us that they are the front line of propaganda, cyber attack, testing and training for what we have seen in the United States and around the world. The institute cited Estonia in 2007, Georgia in 2008, the Ukraine in 2011, and the 2013 Energetic Bear attack as well-known public examples of how Russia is using Central Europe to perfect their strategies before deploying to other Western countries, including what we witnessed here in the United States. By the Congress addressing and passing Mr. Suozzi's bill, we can help Europeans on the front lines of the fight against the Russian corruption, propaganda, and cyber intrusion machine. I thank my friend for the time he so generously gave to me.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the lifelong service of two constituents of mine, Esther Crawford and Emma Wilbert, both of whom were recently inducted into the North Little Rock, Arkansas, Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. Esther serves as a board member for the North Little Rock Education Foundation and the William F. Laman Public Library. She has earned the designation of Most Vital Pal at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute for all of her help to their multiple myeloma patients. Emma serves as activity director at the Campus Towers' senior public housing facility in North Little Rock, after she retired from a 28-year career with the U.S. Postal Service. She was elected as vice queen for the Hays Senior Citizens Center's Red Hat Society chapter for 7 years and serves in both the sanctuary choir and nursing home ministry of Greater Second Baptist Church in Little Rock. Senior Hall of Fame selections are bestowed every 2 years on individuals for their significant contributions to North Little Rock, Arkansas' senior citizens. I congratulate them.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the 2018 winners of my office's Educational Award Program. Each year, my office recognizes students who have shown their continued dedication to excelling academically, leading in their schools, and improving in their communities. Since 2015, we have recognized 91 juniors and seniors from 29 high schools across Arkansas' Second Congressional District. These students have continuously demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, leadership, teamwork, and high academic achievement. It is my sincere hope that the receipt of this award serves not only as an honorarium for these exceptional students, but also as motivation for other central Arkansas students to strive for the highest levels of excellence both in and out of the classroom. I wish them all the best as they continue their studies. Recognizing the Achievements of Edward Poletti

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of Edward Poletti, chief of learning resources at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System. The Library of Congress' Federal Library and Information Network has awarded Mr. Poletti with its Federal Librarian of the Year Award. Along with this honor, his name will be added to a perpetual plaque listing each year's recipients. Mr. Poletti is being awarded for his skill in survey designs, statistics, and for providing his statistical talents to many other librarians needing assistance with data interpretation and survey design. He is also receiving the Lois Ann Colaianni Award for Excellence and Achievement in Hospital Librarianship from the Medical Library Association. I honor Mr. Poletti's 36 years of service as a Federal librarian, assisting so many throughout Arkansas and the Nation. Recognizing Susan Cookus, National Female Volunteer of the Year

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Susan Cookus of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System for being named National Female Volunteer of the Year. The National Advisory Committee of the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service named Ms. Cookus the National Female Volunteer of the Year after reviewing nomination letters from the Central Arkansas VA and from our veterans in central Arkansas. Susan's dedication and service to veterans and their needs have earned her a great deal of appreciation, recognition, and respect over the years. Ms. Cookus is also a member of the Soldiers' Angels, a Texas-based nonprofit that provides aid and comfort to the men and women of the U.S. armed services, their families, and an expanding veteran population. Ms. Cookus volunteered more than 570 hours and helped distribute more than $720,000 in donations in the past year brought in by Soldiers' Angels. There is no one more deserving of this award, and I am proud to have such a dedicated member of my district volunteering and helping our veterans. Recognizing the Lifelong Service of Esther Crawford and Emma Wilbert

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing S.J. Res. 57 to the floor today, a joint resolution to disapprove the 2013 Bureau guidance on auto finance. It has been well discussed today, why that is. This is a very tailored, commonsense approach. It does not open up a precedent towards guidance being used for a CRA. It is a very narrow joint resolution. It is designed particularly with the GAO's ruling from last December, so I don't think that hyperbole is necessary. We are here today to make sure that all of our constituents have access to affordable auto credit. Black, White, female, male, they need affordable auto credit. How do we get a job if we don't have an affordable car with which to go to work? So that is why we are here. Secondly, we are here because our constituents demand that we demand accountability in our oversight function, we demand transparency. When you have a process that was not transparent and did not follow the Administrative Procedures Act and did not follow the statute, we don't have accountability and we don't have transparency. Our constituents argue for that. Many argue laws should be based on sound data; our rules should be carefully debated in public. That was not done in this instance. So we have this surreptitious, specious display of sophistry known as the indirect auto guidance from the Bureau. So we are correcting that today, and the beneficiaries will be our constituents. The beneficiaries will be Article I power in this House as we oversee the executive. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for bringing this bill to the floor, and I thank Mr. Zeldin for his leadership.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's new men's basketball coach, Darrell Walker. A former Razorback, Mr. Walker was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1983 and played professional basketball for 10 years before assuming an assistant coaching role for the Toronto Raptors. Over the past two decades, Mr. Walker has demonstrated a high level of competency and competitiveness at coaching, having been a part of four different NBA coaching staffs and serving as the head coach for the Toronto Raptors from 1996 to 1998. More recently, he was head coach for two seasons at Clark Atlanta University, amassing a 45-18 overall record. His passion for excellence, leadership, and hard work are evidenced by the accolades and career accomplishments. I look forward to following his success at home at UA Little Rock during his time as head coach of such a dynamic basketball community. This will be a great partnership. Welcome home, Coach Walker.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the Marine Corps Junior ROTC program at Little Rock Catholic High School for raising $20,500 toward the construction of a Gold Star families monument on the State capital grounds in Little Rock. The Catholic High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC unit is celebrating its golden anniversary this year. The cadets were diligent in their fundraising: accepting donations at football games, selling food items, engaging the alumni association, and going door to door. I would also like to recognize Sergeant Major R.S. Jernigan and Colonel Charles Johnson, who have stewarded these young men in their dedication to service in their community, State, and country. As a proud alumnus of Catholic High School in Little Rock and a former company commander of this outstanding JROTC unit, I am proud of the hard work of these young men and how they have exhibited leadership in the pursuit of their goal. They exemplify what we mean when we say: Hard work pays off. Congratulations on this outstanding salute to our beloved Gold Star families and their future monument, and congratulations for 50 years of leadership and character development at Catholic High. Semper fi. Recognizing the Children's Advocacy Alliance

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Children's Advocacy Alliance in Conway, Arkansas, and the local first responders for their dedication to serving and protecting the children of central Arkansas. Children's Advocacy Alliance was founded in 2000 as court- appointed special advocates for the 20th Judicial District of Arkansas. Currently it serves Faulkner, Conway, and Van Buren Counties in my district. Earlier this month, local law enforcement and other first responders came out to support the annual Heroes for Hope race held by Children's Advocacy Alliance in Conway. In its seventh year, the race incorporates a central theme of being a superhero for each child in need. Every child needs a hero, but the abused child needs a superhero. This year, 160 participants ran in support of the race. Thank you to all the dedicated workers at the Children's Advocacy Alliance and to the dedicated law enforcement people for being those superheroes for kids in need. Welcoming Head Coach Darrell Walker to UA Little Rock

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Schiff, for his remarks on genocide and turning our back on the facts that we find around the world. I really appreciate his thoughts. I want to rise today and talk to my colleagues and the American people about the atrocities in Syria and call on my colleagues in the Senate to expeditiously vote on a bill authored here in the House by the ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, H.R. 1677, the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2017. This legislation imposes new sanctions on human rights abusers in the sad state of affairs in Syria and those who facilitate the Assad regime's atrocities, and it encourages negotiations to bring about a lasting political solution there. It also authorizes the State Department to support entities that are collecting and preserving the chain of evidence for the eventual prosecution of those who have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria since March of 2011. The world has witnessed many generational examples of butchery and genocide by menaces, including Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and many others. But in the last 7 years, the world has allowed us to recognize a new name for evil and cruelty in this millennium: Bashar al-Assad and his henchmen. For the last 7 years, the world has expressed outrage, yet twiddled their thumbs while this modern-day Hitler annihilates the civilian population of Syria. Systematically, leader Assad has savagely directed the bombing, bludgeoning, gassing, electrocution, and torture of his people. Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons in the 1980s against Iran appears tame in comparison to the calculated bombing of weaponized chlorine and sarin dropped into children's hospitals, medical facilities, and villages across Syria. I am grateful that, after a little thumb twiddling from the prior administration, the Trump administration has galvanized our allies against this genocide and has taken action to stop the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people. I call on the Senate to act with expedition and pass the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, and finally help obtain the kind of documentation that we need, Mr. Speaker, to end this step back into darkness and convict Assad and his co-conspirators and his enablers of war crimes. Vilonia Students Returning Lost Items After Tornado

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a group of students in Vilonia, Arkansas, who are collecting personal items lost after the devastating tornado that hit their town 4 years ago. Erin Rappold, the teacher who created this project, was inspired after finding a baby picture in the debris. Over the last 4 years, the students have collected 90,000 items, and only have about 2,000 left to be claimed. They launched their own website to help people reunite with their photos, their birth certificates, and their education diplomas. A memorial dedication planned by those students will be held Friday, at 10 a.m., to remember the victims of the 2011 and 2014 tornadoes. In the face of tragedy, these students have furnished us with an inspirational model for solidarity and hope. I applaud Ms. Rappold and these courageous students for their efforts and dedication to the Vilonia community.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, and I appreciate the chairman's leadership in bringing this bill to the floor today. I think the American people should be very pleased that this bill is coming to the floor in the form that it is, because we are doing two things here, Mr. Speaker, that I hear about from constituents all the time in terms of the way Congress should work. First, the Dodd-Frank Act was passed 8 years ago this July and has been scrutinized by Congresses since that time on how it can be improved. What are the implications of it? What are the unintended consequences of it? No section of this bill was talked about more than section 619, the Volcker rule. So we are evaluating it, and we are bringing today a bipartisan solution to something that regulators say is a problem, bankers say is a problem, and our consumers and businesses have had the unintended consequences of being hurt by, because it has not allowed our capital markets to function efficiently. So, first, Dodd-Frank is subject to review after it was passed. That is something our constituents want. We know no law is perfect when it is passed. It is not a piece of the true cross discovered by St. Helena in Jerusalem. It is not part of the Rosetta Stone. It is subject to the scrutiny of the people--our people--the American people. Secondly, people tell me all the time: Why can't you be more bipartisan? So, Mr. Speaker, this is people's exhibit A of bipartisanship. The Financial CHOICE Act that this House passed last year repealed the Volcker rule. We believe it harms the capital market system of this country. We believe it was an overreaction to the financial crisis. We had members of the Obama administration who said that proprietary trading didn't even contribute to the financial crisis. But set that issue aside. We proposed repeal. Over in the United States Senate, they passed the bill with two-thirds of the Senate, Mr. Speaker, to say that the Volcker rule is not perfect. Section 619 is not right, and they exempt community banks under $10 billion that don't have trading activity. They exempt them completely in the U.S. Senate bill passed with two-thirds of the Senate. I think all Americans know that two-thirds of the Senate agreeing on something is shocking. They can't even agree that there are 24 hours in a day. So this bill represents an improvement. This bill represents bipartisanship. With my friend, Dr. Foster, we have worked from the yin of full repeal to the Senate-exempt community banks. We have identical language to exempt community banks in this bill, Mr. Speaker. That is why we got a 50-0 vote in our committee. It is common sense. But we add one feature that we think improves that Senate language, and that is the heart of what is changed in this bill and the heart of what Dr. Foster worked on, which is, how do we harmonize the interpretation of this 1,000-page complex rule that our Federal Reserve bank presidents don't understand and our current chairman said that trading desks had to have a Ouija board to figure out how to do a trade? So we want a standard, harmonized interpretation of this rule, and that is what Dr. Foster and I propose today. They have tried other ways. We have an Interagency Working Group. They sit around, drink coffee, and figure out ways to harmonize stuff. But they have failed. There were hundreds of questions submitted: How do we interpret this rule? They could come up with 21 answers, Mr. Speaker, out of hundreds submitted. So for that reason, Dr. Foster and I suggest that the Federal Reserve system be first among equals in interpreting this complex rule. Why? Because they oversee all of the bank holding companies in the country, the most complex institutions in the country. In my view, that is what we need to do. We are bipartisan. We have compromised. We have brought both sides together. We have improved the bill. Like our chairman, I wish it were repealed, but that is not possible right now. So we take a step forward to make it a better rule that provides more certainty for market makers. If market makers have more certainty, Mr. Speaker, broker-dealers under $10 billion or over $10 billion will have a more clear compliance regime. Our towns and municipalities that require in their municipal bonds having market makers and trading will get better prices, which means our water and sewer systems are going to cost less when it comes to the net interest cost. That is what we are trying to do, is improve our capital markets and let our companies have more market makers. So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I thank Dr. Foster for his support, and I thank the chairman for bringing it to the floor.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Holocaust Days of Remembrance to recognize a constituent from my district and a Holocaust survivor, Mr. Fred Hilsenrath, of Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. I was introduced to Fred by the outstanding mayor of Fairfield Bay, Paul Wellenberger. My staff and I had the opportunity to host Fred and his wife, Eleanor, for dinner and listen to their incredible story. Fred was only 4 years old when Adolph Hitler took over as chancellor of Germany and the Nazi regime initiated his systematic extermination of the Jewish people of Central Europe. In 1940, after Poland had been raided, the Hilsenrath family found themselves stuck between Nazi Germany and Russia. Soon they were assembled in the town square, along with other Jewish families, to be shipped to concentration camps in Romania. After spending years in the camps throughout Romania, facing death and witnessing some of the most heinous and grotesque atrocities the world has seen, the Hilsenrath family was finally rescued by a Jewish Russian soldier. Fred and his family then walked from Romania to France to reunite with their long-separated father. While in France, Mr. Hilsenrath finished high school. In April of 1949, Fred moved to the United States. He had $40 to his name and knew no English. He studied electrical engineering at the City College of New York and obtained long careers with well-known companies such as Lockheed Martin, IBM, and Ampex. After meeting his wife, Fred moved from San Francisco to Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. Here he retired to enjoy the slower pace of life in the Ozarks in The Natural State. As a man currently in his late eighties, Mr. Hilsenrath has turned his horribly painful childhood memories of the trials he faced and that so many other Jews faced and experienced during the Holocaust into an educational moment. In a letter he wrote to me, Fred mentioned a lesson that he wants to give to our Arkansas students. He says: Not only can we use education as a way to rationally think of our Nation's involvement in the future of our country as well as the world, but also to recognize the seed in their own heart; each of the students has a dream, they must find it now, not later, so that they can focus their lives on their future. Mr. Hilsenrath understands the deep need for education and how it plays a part in our moments of history. It is an honor for me and my staff not only to have met such an inspirational person, but to also represent him in the people's House. Congratulating DuShun Scarbrough on Martin Luther King Remembrance Day

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my friend DuShun Scarbrough, director of the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission, for being awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major Innovation Service Award. The MLK, Jr. Drum Major Innovation Service award, given to only 20 individuals nationwide, is awarded to volunteers who perform extraordinary everyday acts of service. DuShun's leadership at the commission has proved to be invaluable toward its mission to promote understanding and acceptance of nonviolence, human equality, and community building among all Arkansans. Last week, my office was honored to welcome members of the commission, including Arkansas treasure and civil rights icon, Annie Abrams, along with former Wrightsville, Arkansas, Mayor Pat Ward while we commemorated and mourned the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. However, we continue to honor Dr. King's vision for our great Nation. DuShun and the commission continue to remind us of how far we have come and how we need to continue to uphold the legacy of the civil rights movement and embrace Dr. King's teaching of compassion, nonviolence, and democracy. I would like to extend my congratulations to Mr. Scarbrough and the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission for representing Arkansas on the national stage and for his receiving this important recognition. He, along with Reverend Jesse Turner, a site coordinator for the National Alliance of Faith and Justice in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, who also received this award, have represented our State with honor and dignity. I encourage our citizens in Arkansas and across the country to remember the inspiring words of Dr. King and spend time in service to their neighbors and all of our communities.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Speaker and I thank the chairman of the Judiciary Committee for bringing this measure to the floor today. I stand in support of H.J. Res. 2, a straightforward, long overdue effort to have a new tool to balance the budget, something my constituents in Arkansas have long talked about. When Arkansans sent me to Washington, they demanded leadership and accountability and for me to be part of the solution to Washington's top-down one-size-fits-all approach to spending. With just over $8 trillion, Mr. Speaker, added in debt over the past 8 years, my constituents continue to argue that same point they did when I was elected 3 years ago, that the government is too big, it tries to do too much, and there has been no serious effort, bipartisan or otherwise, to rein that spending in. Today's vote is something that--like my friend from Maine--is a measure I cosponsored upon arriving at the House. It is a significant step to getting our fiscal House in order and delivering the kind of accountability and transparency that my constituents demand of their Federal Government. Why? Why now? Why today? And I approach this, Mr. Speaker, without the cynicism of the other side or the condemnation of this effort, because when our debt was only $5 trillion in 1995, the Senate and the House had a balanced budget amendment before them, and it failed to pass by a single vote in the Senate. So it was a bipartisan effort to get spending under control using a balanced budget amendment, and that maybe led, Mr. Speaker, to the constructive comments that some have argued today about reining in spending on a bipartisan basis, as was the case in the 1990s, combined with economic growth. Now, with our tax cuts, we have economic growth--economic growth we haven't seen since 2005, according to the CBO, but the national debt is now, because of that $8 trillion increase, at $21 trillion, 76 percent of GDP. I am convinced this amendment is now the tool necessary, because we have tried budget caps, sequester, rescissions, Gramm-Rudman caps, and we are now left with a tactic, a strategy that all of our States, all but one of our States used, which is some form of a balanced budget amendment, which is why I come here, Mr. Speaker, to support this effort. It starts that conversation that was as constructive as I hope in the 1990s, that we have a national discussion about spending priorities in this government and how we can return our budget to long-term fiscal health, how we can prioritize the only 30 percent of the budget that we debate on this House floor, discretionary spending, and have long-term strategies for two-thirds of our spending, our mandatory spending. We want a bright future for our children and grandchildren, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Arkansas native Rudy Johnson. Former Private Rudy Johnson will be laid to rest at the Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery in North Little Rock this Friday, 73 years after he was killed in action during World War II. Private Johnson was drafted into the Army in 1943 and was assigned to the 93nd Division, nicknamed the Buffalo Soldiers and the only African- American division to see combat in Europe during World War II. Rudy was stationed in northern Italy, fighting against German forces when his unit reported that he was killed in action in 1945 at the age of 20. Private Johnson's remains were finally identified after DNA analysis in 2016, and he was flown home this week to rest where his journey began. Rudy's sacrifice for Arkansas and America will never be forgotten, and I join his family and all Arkansans in welcoming him back home for his final rest.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I, too, want to add my congratulations to Mr. MacArthur for continuing to find ways to improve Mr. Obama's and this committee's excellent work on the JOBS Act from some 8 years ago. We have learned a lot. We have seen the benefits of the JOBS Act, and today we have a chance to make it even better by improving Reg. A+. I appreciate Mr. MacArthur's personal story about his entrepreneurship and how this is an opportunity for more investors in our country and more capital for our entrepreneurs. Mr. Speaker, this week I attended a meeting where people asked: Why do we need more public companies? Gosh, that is an easy rhetorical question. Because we have half the number of public companies we had during the Reagan administration, and we need them for our young people to invest in. We need them for our union workers to have an earning asset in their pension fund. So we need more public companies in this Nation to share the growth and prosperity of this Nation. That is what this legislation is all about. I thank Mr. MacArthur for his very straightforward, bipartisan, commonsense increase in the authority from $50 million to $75 million for young, growing companies to raise money under Reg. A+. Former SEC Commissioner Dan Gallagher advocated the increase in the offering threshold to even $100 million before the SEC adopted their final rule. Mr. Gallagher expressed his disappointment that this offering threshold was not raised in the final rule from that original statutory cap of $50 million. We have support through the commission and through the staff for raising this amount, Mr. Speaker, to help our entrepreneurs. Expanding Reg. A+ to include offerings up to $75 million will allow private companies to consider a mini-IPO under Reg. A+. This will give us more competition for capital, driving down cost of capital, driving up the number of opportunities for people to take advantage of going public, growing a prosperous company, and sharing that equity with investors through their exchange-traded fund, through their pension plan, through their 401(k) plan. We want more opportunities to share our Nation's prosperity. I thank my friend, Mr. MacArthur, for his thoughtful work, and I thank our chairman for his leadership on the committee.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of a man who had an indelible impact on central Arkansas, Mr. Jerry Henson, who passed away last month after a long battle with health issues that culminated in a sudden diagnosis of stage 4 liver cancer. Jerry Henson dedicated his life to answering the call to serve others. From serving as an alderman for the city of Bryant, to volunteering his time at the Boys & Girls Club, Jerry lived his life to serve others. In 2016, Jerry was honored with the Boys & Girls Club Hometown Hero Award and, in December, he received the Charles Broadway Community Excellence Award. Jerry's example is one all Americans and Arkansans can admire. I extend my deepest condolences to Jerry's wife, Star; his children, Stephanie and Gerald; and I pray for the well-being of his family and loved ones during this very difficult time.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to remember Michael Blakely of Little Rock, who passed away at the age of 67 just before the new year. Mike served as the director of the Little Rock Zoo for 17 years prior to his death. Next to his family, Mike's greatest love was for animals, from the smallest of snakes to the largest of elephants. As a teenager, Mike began working as a zoologist in Portland, Oregon, and Oklahoma City before finally joining our community in Little Rock. In Little Rock, he became the director of the Little Rock Zoo and held that position from 1999 until 2016. His work at our zoo enriched the lives of the thousands who visited each year, as well as the staff that he mentored so well. He was dearly loved by his wife, Nancy, with whom he shared 34 years of marriage, and his two kids, Thomas and Elizabeth. Martha and I thank him and his family for their dedication to animals and to the natural state of Arkansas. Recognizing Bryant City Councilman Jerry Henson

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, this week, the USS Carl Vinson arrives in Da Nang, Vietnam. This is the first visit of a U.S. aircraft carrier to Vietnam in four decades, and obviously for a very different purpose. Together, Vietnam and America are demonstrating the importance of open sea lanes for commerce, security, and regional development. Arriving aboard the USS Carl Vinson is a young officer named Tower Cook. Tower is from Dallas, Texas, and the grandson of former U.S. Senator John G. Tower of Texas. Senator Tower was elected to the Senate in a 1961 special election and served the people of Texas for 24 years. He led the implementation of President Reagan's strategy of a larger, competitive, modern Navy, and it was an honor for me to work for him the final 2 years of his term in office. President Reagan and Senator Tower's vision of the importance of the Navy is illustrated by this week's visit of the Carl Vinson to Vietnam. Senator Tower, also a master chief petty officer, is looking down from his heavenly perch with great pride in seeing his grandson, Tower Cook, and the success of the United States Navy.