J. Hill

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues to honor the life of Congressman Ray Thornton, who was a pillar in Arkansas politics and a stalwart advocate and voice for the improvement of education in our great State of Arkansas. Serving six terms in Congress, for over 23 years, Congressman Thornton served in two different congressional districts, the fourth and the second. Ray was committed to the people of Arkansas and supporting Arkansas ideals on the political stage. His distinguished career included service in the United States Navy during the Korean war, leadership as president of both Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas, an 8-year term on the Arkansas Supreme Court, and appointment as the first chairman of the Arkansas Lottery. In 2013, Congressman Thornton donated his personal and professional papers to the University of Arkansas. Though he will be greatly missed by many throughout our State, his countless contributions and legacy will live on and serve as an example of statesmanship and public service for all Arkansans.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. After four decades, in 2004, Sergeant Bennett was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning. In 2006, his family was presented with his Combat Infantryman's Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, and the Purple Heart. In 2010, Sergeant Bennett's family was presented with his Silver Star. Today, we honor Sergeant Bennett's heroism, bravery, and service by installing a permanent marker of his lasting contribution to his native State and to our Nation, both that he loved and served so ably. Duty, honor, and country--his example is one all Americans and Arkansans can admire, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Love stands with Main Street. Main-Street-based community banks are why we are on the floor today, because they are at the heart of helping our families start new restaurants, get consumer financing, finance our farmers. I come from a very rural state, Arkansas, and 70 percent of the agricultural production loans in this country are made by our locally owned community banks. Making it easier for them to raise capital makes it easier for our consumers and businesses to get the credit they need. For every dollar raised in capital at our banks, $10 can be put into lending into our communities. And small bank holding companies have less access to equity financing than their larger counterparts. It has always been that way. So this effort makes complete common sense, to allow small bank and thrift holding companies to expand their capital base in an easier and more directed manner. Dodd-Frank made it harder to raise capital because of the changes in the law about trust preferred securities and other ways that many, many small banks raised capital. So this policy statement change that Mrs. Love proposes is well-timed. There is bipartisan support for raising this threshold to $5 billion, notwithstanding the comments heard in today's floor conversation. Senator Brown, Democrat in the Senate, with Mr. Vitter in the Senate last Congress, proposed $5 billion as the appropriate level for this effort. Additionally, Mr. Speaker, concerning the ranking member's comments about raising the threshold on carte blanche relief under the policy statement that might lead to unsafe conditions, that is, in my view, not correct, Mr. Speaker, as there are numerous other restrictions and criteria that continue to apply, and the Federal Reserve retains the right to impose capital standards if it determines it necessary to protect the safety and soundness of the institutions.

Mr. HILL. This bill is about Main Street and economic growth, and it surprises me as just a Member of Congress that our President, President Obama, would issue a veto message on this bill. This bill is about economic growth, and I applaud my good friend from Utah's efforts at championing this bill. I urge my colleagues to support its commonsense design and measure.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the amendment offered by my good friend from California. The Office of Financial Research, the OFR, is an important entity, but its work so far has been very, very disappointing. It is so disappointing that a landmark study by OFR on asset management has been publicly criticized by a member of FSOC, the SEC, who took the unusual step of opening its own comment period on the report. We must make sure that OFR's research is done in the right way with a strategic plan and that OFR consults with experts and gives proper public notice and involvement. We don't want the Financial Stability Oversight Council, the FSOC, one of the most critical and sensitive creations in Dodd-Frank, relying on offhand work criticized publicly by institutions across this city and country. Further, their data collection requirements and responsibilities bring concern to all of our citizens. As we have seen with the IRS, the OPM, the CFPB, and now the OFR, rising concern over the importance of cybersecurity and data protection are noted in this act and are an important part of Mr. Royce's amendment. Many of our Federal agencies are the root cause of cyber breach and loss of privacy, and we don't want to see that extended here. I support the amendment and the bill, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of an Arkansas legend, Mr. Dwight Witcher. Dwight has been named the 2016 Faulkner County Veteran of the Year. Dwight was a marine in Vietnam and continued serving in the Mediterranean and out of Subic Bay in the Philippines. Dwight's dedication to this country did not end after he left the military. He has been a strong and steady voice for veterans in Arkansas for decades. He served two years as the Marine Corps League Department of Arkansas Commandant and serves as president of the Arkansas Veterans Coalition. He also currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Military Hall of Fame. I would like to extend my congratulations to Dwight and his family for this very deserving award.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the life of Ann Pride, a beloved daughter of Arkansas and a good friend. Ann served as the director of Federal Government Relations at Entergy, where she had been employed since 1991. She worked closely with the entire Arkansas delegation to support energy programs for low- income Arkansans. Ann dedicated her life to serving the people of Arkansas and previously served as staff to Representative Bill Alexander and Senator David Pryor, first during his term as Governor of Arkansas and later in the United States Senate. Ann had a friendly demeanor and was well respected among the Arkansas delegation and on both sides of the aisle. She was a consummate professional. Her knowledge and experience were indispensable to her fellow colleagues, and I know that she will be greatly missed by those who had the privilege to know her.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the University of Arkansas at Little Rock men's basketball team on their successful 2015- 2016 season. On Saturday, February 28, the Trojans won their first outright Sun Belt Conference title after 25 seasons in the league. In the first year under Chris Beard's leadership as head coach, the team embarked on one of the greatest turnarounds in the program's history, improving on a 13-18 record 1 year ago to a current record of 26 wins and 3 losses. They are now moving on to victories, and I look forward to their continued success. As we see on the eve of March Madness, I look forward to seeing their big win against Purdue.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to join my colleagues in support of fundamental American values, among which are commitments to religious freedom, human rights, and religious expression. As a Catholic, my faith plays a significant role in every aspect of my life and fosters a respect for the religious rights and freedoms of others. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear from our religious non-profit organizations, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, which have challenged the HHS mandate and its impact on their religious rights and freedoms. I believe in the importance of patient-centered health care for women, and I also want to ensure that conscience rights and religious liberties are protected. At its core, this case is about the state forcing religious organizations to provide for services that violate their beliefs.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 104, H.R. 3735, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 200 Town Run Lane in Winston Salem, North Carolina, as the ``Maya Angelou Memorial Post Office,'' had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, on roll call no. 102, H.R. 4238, to amend the Department of Energy Organization Act and the Local Public Works Capital Development and Investment Act of 1976 to modernize terms relating to minorities, had I been present, I would have voted yes.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 103, H.R. 136, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1103 USPS Building 1103 in Camp Pendleton, California as the ``Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office,'' had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Murphy for this time and for bringing this issue to the floor of the House. I thank my friend, Mr. McDermott, from Washington, for his views. Congressman Murphy's bill opens a bipartisan conversation on how best to address the challenges that have been facing mental health services and our citizens in this country for decades. President John Kennedy implemented a groundbreaking, community-based treatment model for individuals with mental health illnesses. However, in the decades following his service, the Federal Government has missed opportunity after opportunity to effectively address the needs of Americans with mental illness. Over the years, we have seen our prisons, our hospitals, and our homeless shelters bear the brunt of providing services for our Nation's mentally ill. One-third of the homeless are mentally ill, some 200,000. Sixteen percent of incarcerated Americans, some 300,000, have mental illness. And mental disorders are some of the most costly health conditions we face in our country. As noted, many of our incidents of mass violence have mental illness as a factor. Now most States still rely on the standard of imminent danger for commitment of mentally ill individuals. This is, in part, a result of past Supreme Court decisions, most importantly, in 1975, O'Connor v. Donaldson, which has been used consciously many times to oppose involuntary commitment and argue that committing individuals who are not imminently dangerous to themselves or others is unconstitutional. Congressman Murphy's bill, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, holds our Federal agencies accountable and requires that our States follow evidence-based practices that have proven to reduce hospitalization, homelessness, and violence. This bill also provides alternatives to institutionalization for Americans with severe mental illness; and for those that need to be institutionalized, it requires States to include need-for-treatment commitment standards in their civil commitment laws in order to remain eligible for certain Federal block grant programs. This will help clarify commitment standards for our States and will ensure that we no longer wait until it is too late to potentially commit dangerous individuals and those who need help. It is important that we seize this opportunity for future generations of Americans, and I commend my colleague for his leadership on this important issue.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, for recently freed African Americans, education denied to them under slavery was a critical component of understanding freedom. In the wake of the Civil War, with the widespread awareness that education was essential to the advancement of a free people in this society, African Americans flocked to schools established by the Freedmen's Bureau. The recognition of this relationship between schools, community, and the broader ideal of the American Dream led African American parents and teachers to be among the first Southerners to advocate for universal public education. However, the dual education system that arose, determined by race and based on the fiction of separate but equal, brought about a hand-me- down approach to Black education in the South. This flawed duality resulted in the perpetuation and exacerbation of institutional inequity. In the face of such obstacles, leaders like Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, embraced and expanded on the early belief in education as the great hope of a truly democratic society. Washington's vision inspired many, including philanthropist and president of Sears, Roebuck, Julius Rosenwald. The philanthropic and educational partnership between these two men led to the construction of 5,000 Rosenwald schools across 15 Southern States. In Arkansas, 389 school buildings were constructed in 45 of our 75 counties, with communities pooling their often meager resources to fulfill Rosenwald's pledge to match their contribution. For many, these buildings were not simply schools but monuments to Black achievement and symbols for an ardent hope in a better future. Rosenwald schools contributed to the education of thousands of African American students across the American South, including notable figures like Arkansas poet Maya Angelou and our own esteemed colleague and friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis). In 1954, with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, to which Julius Rosenwald contributed one-third of the litigation costs, his carefully crafted schools became obsolete. In Arkansas, the tensions behind this great achievement played out in the tumultuous 1957 Little Rock Central High crisis. The courageous determination of the Little Rock Nine hearkens back to that fundamental belief in education equals freedom. This is the continuing legacy of Washington, of Rosenwald, and the countless parents and teachers who were determined to give future generations the means of mobility, economic advancement, opportunity. In 2002, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed Rosenwald schools as one of America's most 11 endangered places. Today in Arkansas, only 18 of those original school buildings remain. One of those remaining buildings is in the Second Congressional District. The only Rosenwald school to be built in Perry County, the Bigelow Rosenwald School, was constructed in 1926. After 38 years of service toward education, the Bigelow Rosenwald School was transformed into a community center. With a revival of interest in and knowledge about the schools, efforts are being formed around the country to restore these embodiments of our history. Aviva Kempner's documentary ``Rosenwald'' pays tribute to the man, his work, and the rippling impact on the evolution of African American education in our country. As we celebrate Black History Month, I rise to recognize how far we have come, how far we still must traverse, and pay a special salute to Julius Rosenwald and his contributions to the advancement of education.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sadness to honor the life and bravery of one of Arkansas' finest citizens, Ronald Jason Adams. On Friday, January 22, Mr. Adams, a lieutenant at the Sherwood Fire Department with 5 years of experience, was shot and killed while responding to an emergency medical call in North Little Rock, Arkansas. He was just 29 years old. I was honored to attend a flashlight vigil for Jason on January 25 and was moved by the turnout from our entire community to honor his life. Every time we lose one of our first responders, our community experiences a little fray or tear in our beautifully crafted quilt of our towns. Our first responders in Arkansas and throughout the country deserve our gratitude and our respect. Lieutenant Adams' death is a tragic reminder of the dangers these brave men and women face every day. I extend my warmest regards and prayers to his loved ones. He will be greatly missed.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Just last week, Mr. Chairman, not 2 years ago, a firearms dealer in my hometown of Little Rock was dumped by his payment processor and is now having to pay more in interest, having less control of his cash. These are small, legitimate businesses that do business with our banks, and they are being penalized by the prejudiced, politicized agenda of this administration. This is not the only example. It is reminiscent of the IRS targeting of conservative groups. So, with great pleasure, I support my friend from Missouri's bill. It is a reasonable, targeted approach. I urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. HILL. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to address H.R. 766. Before I talk about what my constituents have asked me to talk about, Mr. Chairman, which is the problems with Operation Choke Point, for I do take my instruction from my constituents at home, I do want to call my distinguished ranking member's concern to this report about this bill, which says, ``or a Federally insured financial institution against an unaffiliated third person.'' So I have to say, Mr. Chairman, I don't understand where the gentlewoman from California is coming from in terms of gutting FIRREA. It was certainly my privilege to serve at Treasury when FIRREA was negotiated with the Congress and enacted into law. I rise today, though, to support H.R. 766, the Financial Institution Customer Protection Act, which helps to target and stop the egregious abuse of executive power in what has been known as Operation Choke Point. Bank examiners want our commercial banks across the country to be conscious of reputation risk, something every institution, large and small, takes very, very seriously. Our boards of directors of our banks understand that, just like credit risk, reputation risk is important. We don't need to be lectured on the dangers of doing business with some high- risk customers. But, in Operation Choke Point, we find subtle and not-so-subtle pressure from regulators to terminate business relationships rather than to expose that reputation risk. I have heard from pawnbrokers in Arkansas, legally licensed State and Federally regulated businesses, that they are victims of Operation Choke Point by having their bank servicing limited or cut off.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 56, I was unavoidably detained with constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Chairman, today I rise in support of H.R. 1675 and particularly want to speak about title II, which is called the Fair Access to Investment Research Act, which I sponsored along with my friend and colleague, Mr. Carney from Delaware. Since starting my most recent investment firm that I had back in the 1990s before I came to Congress a year ago, I have seen the investment category exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, grow from about 100 funds with $100 billion in assets to over 1,400 funds with almost $2 trillion in assets--a significant increase over that time. Despite their growing popularity and use by retail investors and small institutional investors, most broker-dealers in this country do not publish research on ETFs. Primarily, the lack of that publication is due to anomalies in the securities laws and regulations, and that is at the heart of what we are talking about here. It is an important investment category. It deserves research, and it deserves more information, not less. Title II's mission is simple. It directs the SEC to provide a safe harbor for research reports that cover ETFs so that those reports are not considered offers under section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933. Therefore, ETF research is just treated like all other stock corporate research. This is a commonsense proposal, and it mirrors other research safe harbors implemented by the SEC which clarify the law and allow broker- dealers to publish ETF research allowing investors more information about this rapidly growing and important market. Further, this bill holds the SEC accountable--a large challenge before the Congress--to follow our direction. This bill requires the SEC to finalize the rules within 120 days, and if the deadline is not met, an interim safe harbor will take effect until the SEC's rules are finalized. I might add to my friends at the Commission, this is not a topic unfamiliar to you as it has been raised at the Commission many times, including by the Commission staff over the past 17 years--and yet no action has happened. So we are no longer out ahead of the curve on this topic, we are behind it, as there are some 6 million U.S. households currently using ETFs in their investment portfolios, and they need access to this research. Having worked in the banking and investment industry for three decades, I appreciate Chairman Hensarling and Congress' efforts to promote capital formation, reduce unnecessary barriers, provide sunshine, provide information to our investors, and, by definition, grow jobs and our economy. I want to finally thank Mr. Carney of Delaware for working with me on this project and for being so patient along its way in the last weeks.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of one of Arkansas' most treasured business leaders, Donald ``Buddy'' Wray. Mr. Wray, the former president of Tyson Foods, in Springdale, died late last month at the age of 78. Buddy spent more than 40 years with Tyson Foods, growing and supporting good jobs in Arkansas. Buddy was an avid hunter, an outdoorsman, and a proud fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks. He spent much of his time helping our local communities. In particular, he was an avid member of the Kiwanis Club in Springdale. Buddy's work and legacy has been recognized by numerous organizations, and he was inducted into both the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame and the Business Hall of Fame. He has left a lasting impact on our State and will be greatly missed by all of us. I extend my respect, affection, and prayers to his many friends, family, and loved ones.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman, and Mr. Carney, my colleague on the distinguished minority, for this bill. I also want to thank Mr. Schweikert for his work on developing H.R. 2187, Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act, which makes reg D offerings and private placements more effective by broadening the definition of an accredited investor to account for educational or professional expertise. Because of significant costs and barriers to raising capital in the U.S. public markets, many of our small companies raise start-up funds or expansion funds in the private market, and many of those private market transactions are through accredited investors. The current definition focuses only on financial status of the investor, and as a result, only wealthy individuals typically can participate in reg D offerings. H.R. 2187 expands the accredited investor definition, recognizing that the ability to participate is not based on an asset test, but on their sophistication and knowledge. I have been in this business before I was in Congress on and off for three decades, and I know that many of our Nation's accountants, stock brokers, venture capitalists, and engineers have money management experience or have a series 7 FINRA license, they work in money management, they work in specific kinds of industries, but they are not able to invest in private placements due to the fact that they don't meet this income or asset test. Mr. Schweikert's bill revises these rules so that investment and finance professionals who have this kind of level of professional sophistication are now treated as accredited investors, irrespective of whether they meet an arbitrary test. It is a matter, Mr. Speaker, of basic fairness. The government should not limit investing options to only investors they deem worthy. Expanding the accredited investor definition will not only increase investment opportunities for more Americans, but will help us grow thousands of small and emerging markets that struggle to raise capital. I thank the gentleman from Arizona for all of his work on this commonsense legislation. I enjoyed working with him on it. I am proud to support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do so.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Washington (Mr. Newhouse) for yielding. In my capacity as a member of the House Committee on Financial Services' Task Force to Investigate Terrorism Financing and as a businessperson with over three decades of experience in both international affairs and banking, I have carefully considered the testimony of leading foreign policy experts cautioning against America blindly putting its faith in a country that has never done anything to make them worthy of that trust. The nuclear agreement has only emboldened the Iranian regime. And why wouldn't it? When one sees the recent results of President Clinton's agreement with North Korea and this administration's lack of resolve and realism, why not? I remind this body, Secretary Kerry, and the President of the warning issued to the House of Commons by Winston Churchill: ``An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile hoping it will eat him last.'' The Iranians have kidnapped another American, taken deliveries of missile technology from Russia, conducted missile tests in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, and ramped up the actions and rhetoric against our Arab allies. All of this is disturbing. This is all before Iran has even received a dime of up to $100 billion in expected sanctions relief. When he announced the nuclear agreement, the President said: ``American sanctions on Iran for its support of terrorism, its human rights abuses, its ballistic missile program, will continue to be fully enforced.'' The bill discussed in this rule, H.R. 3662, guarantees that. This bill removes the politicization of the listed entities in the nuclear agreement and forces this President to live up to his own rhetoric. I am proud to support this critical piece of legislation. I call on all Members to support the rule and final passage of the bill and help guarantee the safety of the American people and our allies around the world from one of our most credible threats to our national security.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, today our Arkansas delegation rises to pay tribute to a dedicated public servant, an exceptional orator, and a distinguished son of Arkansas. Former Arkansas Governor and four-term United States Senator Dale Leon Bumpers passed away on Friday, January 1, at the age of 90. Hailing from the small town of Charleston, Arkansas, Senator Bumpers graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in political science and followed that with service in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. After earning his law degree from Northwestern University, Bumpers and his wife, Betty, returned to their hometown of Charleston, where he practiced law. In the wake of the 1954 Supreme Court decision on Brown v. Board of Education, Bumpers advised the Charleston School Board to immediately desegregate its school system. Listed as his proudest achievement, the Charleston School District was the first school district in the former Confederacy to desegregate. Nicknamed by The New York Times as the ``giant killer,'' Senator Bumpers emerged as a dark horse candidate to defeat long-time Governor Orval Faubus in 1970. In his two terms as Governor, he continued and expanded Governor Rockefeller's era of expansive governmental reform. In 1974, he defeated five-term U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright in the Democratic primary with 65 percent of the vote to win the Senate seat and serve for 24 years. When I was a young Senate staffer, it was a pleasure to work with Senator Bumpers and my Second District predecessor, Congressman Ed Bethune, on the completion of the landmark Arkansas Wilderness Act of 1984. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, January 10, Dale Bumpers will be laid to rest. Those of us in the delegation, as we prepare to make our final good- byes, would ask for a moment of silence to honor this Arkansas leader, public servant, and elder statesman.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of one of Arkansas' great educators, Chancellor Eugene McKay of Arkansas State University at Beebe. He will be retiring in January after 50 years of service to our State's educational system, particularly in helping assure a ready, skilled workforce. Chancellor McKay has displayed an unrelenting commitment to education in Arkansas that has been a beacon for quality higher education at Arkansas State University. First as a professor and then as the chancellor, Dr. McKay was responsible for the university's recognition of having the highest student success rate in Arkansas among both 2- and 4-year institutions. He has been honored for this work as an educator by the Beebe Chamber of Commerce, that also presented him their lifetime achievement award. Chancellor McKay made an indelible impact on the lives of Arkansans, faculty, alumni, students, and all of our communities. We will miss him. I extend him my warmest regards and best wishes for his retirement.

Mr. HILL

Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of one of Arkansas' great leaders, my friend, Parker Westbrook, who passed away last month at the age of 89. Parker and his vast love for historic preservation will be missed in Arkansas and throughout our country. Throughout his life, he was at the forefront of preserving Arkansas' history, earning the nickname, ``Arkansas's father of State preservation.'' Parker received numerous awards for his work, including the Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and was acknowledged as a national treasure. For over 20 years, Parker and I worked together on the Historic Arkansas Museum, passionately expanding its exceptional museum and collections of Arkansas-made art, furniture, and mechanical arts. I will miss his encyclopedic knowledge of all things Arkansas. I extend my warmest regards to and prayers for Parker's many friends and loved ones. Parker Westbrook's name will forever be preserved in our State and national history.