Marcy Kaptur

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I want to thank the secretary of the Republican caucus for granting me the time tonight and to say that I rise as a Member from the loyal opposition, who has great affection, friendship, and admiration for my neighbor in the Rayburn Building. Mr. Speaker, I would say that Congressman Howard Coble represents the values of gentlemanly behavior, affability, cordiality, some might say--those of us from the North would call it--a bit of a courtly manner, which I always associated with the South. He is not just a man of character, but he is a character, and his personality and demeanor represent the type of collegiality that is so important to bring this institution together. I have no doubt he has well represented the constituents of his North Carolina district these many years--the Sixth District--and they probably share my great affection for this wonderful man. Now, I say that knowing that we disagree, issue-wise, on almost everything; but I think Howard Coble is the kind of person who represents what Congress should be--individuals who may disagree on issues but who become friends through their years of service. That is really remarkable because many people who go to work every day in this country go to work with people who think just like they do. They are in the same business or they teach a course in something or they are surrounded by those who agree, but what makes Howard Coble special is he can be friends with people who disagree. Now, those who disagree with him even might come from his own party. One comes to mind in particular, someone he has kindly called the ``lady of the harbor.'' I don't know if former Congresswoman Helen Bentley is listening tonight or not, but she has a few remembrances of Howard as well. Though we might have disagreed, we became great friends, and it makes the service bearable. It makes it bearable. Howard is also my neighbor over in the Rayburn Building, and there isn't a time that we pass in the hall that he always doesn't say, ``Hey, good morning.'' ``Hey, good afternoon. How are you doing?'' His compassionate nature and his Mr. Cordiality, really, are extraordinary qualities in an institution where people come with very, very strongly held views. So I want to pay tribute to Howard Coble's service. I didn't know he was the longest- serving Republican in North Carolina history. He has served honorably, and he has helped this institution to hold together. Thank you, Howard Coble, for teaching all of us how to behave and how to be effective in our service. May God bless you in the days and years ahead. You know you always have family here. We appreciate your service, and we thank the people of North Carolina for sending you here these many years. Godspeed.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to proudly submit the Urban Agriculture Production Act. Across America, too many of our urban neighborhoods are absent stores where community members can purchase fresh, healthy foods. There are more than 23 million individuals residing in these so called ``food desert'' neighborhoods, where there are no stores within one mile in which they can buy healthy food. Without healthy options, people are forced to eat unhealthy, processed, junk food, because that is all that is available and affordable. The Urban Agriculture Production Act is a step to correct this unacceptable trend. I am pleased to recognize and support the growing resurgence of locally grown and produced product. I see it in my own community at the Sustainable Local Foods and Frederick Douglass Center Association Community Garden, of Toledo, Ohio. Individuals, non-profits, and co-ops are stepping up and taking action to address the challenge of access to healthy food, by developing local food sources and community gardens to provide fresh, affordable produce throughout underserved communities. Not only are they growing product to provide to communities though, they are engaging and encouraging community participation all throughout the process. They are teaching community members how to farm. As the ancient proverb says, ``give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.'' And so goes my bill, the Urban Agriculture Production Act. The measure will encourage economic development in underserved communities by furthering the mission of local farming. It provides programmatic funds to educate people on health and wellness, supports marketing and development networks, and will inspire communities to create self sufficient food production systems to stimulate community development and healthy eating options. All throughout our urban communities there are an abundance of unused land and space that are conveniently located to neighborhoods that are ripe for agriculture development. We must support and encourage the means to development these plots so they become local sources of wholesome food options. Communities that lack access to fresh produce are facing growing epidemics of obesity related diseases. We must get serious about the increased incidents of preventable disease in these communities. Prevention is paramount, and encouraging a balanced diet while also providing access to healthier foods is an obvious solution. Farmer's Markets, greenhouses and other community agriculture initiatives can help diversify American food production so we rely less on imports and create American jobs that cannot be outsourced. My bill will spur the development and expansion of community agriculture in nontraditional agricultural production areas across this great nation. Mr. Speaker, urban farming and food production is a viable solution to support healthier dietary options and improve overall health of urban communities. The Urban Agriculture Production Act is the appropriate means to further develop alternative, urban agricultural production and to help meet all communities' food production needs of the future.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I would like to thank Ranking Member Engel so very much for yielding me the time, as well as Chairman Royce for his leadership and willingness to do all that was necessary to bring this bill to the floor today and to join Jim Gerlach, Sander Levin, Bill Pascrell, all very, very valued members of the Ukrainian Caucus. We rise as colleagues in support of H. Res. 726 as we continue to strongly support the right of the people of Ukraine to freely determine their own futures, their sovereignty, without outside interference and, God forbid, further bloodshed or loss of life. The brave people of Ukraine continue to face incredible challenges, not only an assault on their borders by Russia, but reforming their own government and their judiciary to develop a rich civil society with the rule of law. The task that lies ahead for Ukraine is daunting but beckons liberty forward. This is Ukraine's moment in modern history. I expect her to become one of the greatest nations in Europe. While the situation remains unstable, there are clear signs of hope, the ultimate reflection of the intrepid soul of the Ukrainian people who have endured history's raw edge. Just yesterday, Ukraine's President, Petro Poroshenko, signed the landmark and long-awaited European Union Association Agreement, a brave step forward. We recall it was this desire for a closer association with Europe and the West on the part of the Ukrainian people that was ultimately responsible for the start of the crisis which persists today. As a great nation--the name Ukraine means ``borderland''--Ukraine should reach west and east and north and south. It is just that vast a land and its potential unlimited. But in trying to accomplish that effort with Europe, what began as a peaceful protest in Kyiv, the capital, ended in bloodshed, first at the hands of the former corrupt Yanukovych regime, and now at the hands of Russian agitators under the directives and support of Russia's President, Vladimir Putin. Still, we look forward to tomorrow's historic joint meeting of our Congress here in this House in honor of President Petro Poroshenko's first official visit to the United States. We must heed President Poroshenko's words and take into great consideration any request he makes of us, a vital friend and ally. We continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine and her people, and the passage of this bill, H. Res. 726, on the eve of President Poroshenko's visit aims to further illustrate the special friendship and bond our two countries share. Were it not for Ukrainian Americans in our country and other Americans who had endured under the Soviet mantle for some generations, the visit here would not have as deep a meaning. We share Ukraine's struggle. Mr. Speaker, I urge this bill's passage. I thank all of those-- Ranking Member Engel; Chairman Royce; my colleague as cochair of the Ukrainian Caucus, Jim Gerlach; Sander Levin and Bill Pascrell--for making this moment possible.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank our very capable ranking member, Mrs. Lowey of New York, for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I echo the disappointment already expressed that, once again, the end of the fiscal year has come, and rather than this House completing its work on the 12 appropriations bills, we are scrambling to pass now another continuing resolution. This is a classic definition of ``dysfunction''--kicking the can down the road, shirking our responsibility to address the priorities of our Nation through precise 2015 departmental funding levels and with decisiveness. We get the reverse of that--uncertainty, a 3 month kick the can. It hurts job growth. It hurts economic recovery. We must reverse this regression and inertia. Congress must make the difficult choices that allow our Republic to function with certainty and dispatch again. On the Energy and Water Subcommittee, we took great strides to set such a path forward. While I did not agree with some parts of the bill, our subcommittee did its job to fund critical job creation in water resource projects, to support science activities necessary for American competitiveness and economic growth, to fund work on critical national defense priorities, nuclear nonproliferation, and our cleanup efforts. Unfortunately, this continuing resolution stalls that work. Contracts cannot be let, and it keeps us mired in the past. While our bill addresses a limited number of immediate needs, including flexibility for the Department of Energy to continue ongoing cleanup at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, America surely needs a firmer path forward, and I plead with the leadership of this institution to do that. It is my sincere hope that this short-term continuing resolution provides the necessary time to pass full-year appropriations so that Congress measures up to what the American people expect of us, and that is to do our job. 2015 funding levels should match the requirements of reality, not political stunts 6 weeks before an election.

Ms. KAPTUR. To fail to understand their importance or their systematic exclusion from the machinations in Baghdad is to play a war game of chess with half the board empty. Be aware, if certain key decisionmakers in our own government as well as Baghdad's didn't recognize that Mosul could be taken by ISIL, why depend on those same advisers to plot a forward strategy now? Our policy should be to leave no chessmen off the table. Today, very, very, very reluctantly, I will support this resolution, but with great misgivings. I hold the sincere hope the administration will hear my pleas to measure up to the full task at hand. Leave no major Sunni interests absent from the daunting political and military coalition that must be forged to be successful in this venture.

Ms. KAPTUR. I thank the ranking member, Mr. Smith, for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us is a fateful one. If operations planning is not executed properly, it will result in the United States becoming embroiled in a modern version of the Hundred Years' War. Over the past decade, and indeed since the bombing of our Marine barracks in Lebanon three decades ago, our Nation's blood and treasure have been expended in growing numbers to influence Middle East foreign policy. Most recently, the result has shifted Iraq from a Sunni-led dictatorship under Saddam Hussein to be replaced by a corrupt, unrepresentative Shi'a-leaning regime led by Nouri al-Maliki. Both corrupt regimes thwarted democratic advancement, and now a new, untested government has been set in place in Baghdad, but its effectiveness is unknown. Its connectivity to its own people across its provinces is uneven and undemocratic. Meanwhile, we witness the rise of ISIL, a barbaric Sunni force largely composed of foreign fighters from other nations that manifests the discontent of the Sunnis. ISIL's leader had been a leader inside al Qaeda Iraq. Recognize for the most part, Iraq's huge Sunni population has been vastly ignored and purposefully excluded in Iraq's al-Maliki-led government. There is a huge chasm between Baghdad's politically unrepresentative government and the reality of the Sunni tribes not affiliated with ISIL that have dug in for the long haul and exist in key provinces in Iraq. It is to America's peril if we miscalculate and fail to understand their importance. It is to America's peril if we underestimate who the enemy is, what ISIL is fighting for and against, and what it will take to defeat ISIL. America must stand at liberty's side but never place our military between two warring factions whose hatred for one another is legendary and lethal. If America is pulled into a civil war on the lands of Iraq and Syria, perceived as having taken sides with the Shi'a against the Sunnis, we will be on the wrong side of history. Our military has already lost over 6,000 valorous Americans, with 50,000 more brave wounded or incapacitated. Our Nation has spent over a trillion dollars, including training over 800,000 Iraqis to defend their own nation. But legions of Iraq's Army that our government trained, at the first test of their mettle against ISIL, tore off their uniforms and fled. It is not disputed that an important reason for this is that the former Prime Minister of Iraq, Maliki, purposefully weakened his own Iraqi Army by putting his incompetent cronies in charge of units that ultimately were underequipped and could not fight. To win, America cannot and must not make the mistake of ignoring the legitimate concerns of Sunni native tribal leaders in Iraq who have been summarily cut out of the decisions being made by a Baghdad government so unrepresentative and so utterly calculated against Sunni representation. This exclusion will imperil success in any coalition effort to rid the regime of ISIL's barbarism. It has come to my attention that the exclusion of Iraq's four main Sunni-Arab tribal groups from contact with decisionmakers in Baghdad and elsewhere continues. The current government in Baghdad, led by Prime Minister Haider Abadi, does not engender nor seek their confidence. There is no contact between, for example, historic Sunni tribes and the Iraqi Government nor our government. What a gaping omission. The four main tribes are the Al-bu Khalifah, Al-bu Mar'i, the Al-bu Fahd, and the Al Sulayman. It has also come to my attention that if any Iraqi claims to speak for them in Baghdad, he does not, or he does so fraudulently. Before I can vote on any resolution that might potentially embroil our military in taking sides in a major Shi'a-Sunni civil war across that vast region, I would seek assurances that our government has been in direct contact with the native Sunni tribes in Iraq whose mettle was proven in the first awakening.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, might I ask for an additional 30 seconds.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Safe and Secure Drinking Water Act, an important step to sustain America's clean drinking water. On August 2, Microcystin-laced, toxic algae overtook the drinking water intake process for Toledo, Ohio during an explosion of algae growth in western Lake Erie. For three days, half a million Americans were without safe drinking water. In Toledo, the taps are back on, but the crisis remains. The growth of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie will continue to threaten communities, local economies, and the 11 million people who depend on the lake for fresh water. Until the flow of algae-feeding nutrients into the lake is stopped, the risk of further water emergencies will persist. This concern is not isolated to Lake Erie. Millions of Americans across the country rely on drinking water from natural sources that are similarly threatened by increasing levels of nutrient runoff, and the resulting toxic algal growth. Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognizes harmful algal blooms as a major environmental problem in all 50 states, with severe impacts on human health. Despite this realization, the U.S. EPA fails to take a most basic step to protect public safety--setting federal guidelines or standards for unsafe consumption levels, testing practices to determine the presence of Microcystin in water systems, or feasible treatment techniques. Without these basic protections, millions of Americans' health is at risk. This necessary legislation will compel the EPA to take these important first steps within 90 days of its passage, and in the absence of regulatory action, to report on additional steps to promote safer practices in areas affected by harmful algal blooms. Mr. Speaker, our communities across this great nation need this guidance and cannot continue to wait. The Safe and Secure Drinking Water Act must be passed quickly to provide our communities the guidance and answers they need.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a significant milestone in the life of St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Parish of Lorain, Ohio in my District. The parish will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday, September 14, 2014. The parish history recounts that on September 14, 1914, the first Byzantine Catholic bishop, Bishop Soter Ortinsky, dedicated St. Nicholas Church. The pastor at that time was Father Basil Beretz. The people who were members of the parish had actually initiated plans for a church of the Byzantine Rite Catholics a number of years before that time. St. Nicholas' founders emigrated from a region of the Austro- Hungarian Empire which is today the easternmost part of Czechoslovakia and arrived in Lorain, Ohio in the last part of the 19th century and the beginning of the twentieth century. They attended St. Michael Hungarian Byzantine Rite Catholic Church and for a brief time services were held in Kohlmyer's Hall in Lorain. The church history characterizes the years from 1900 to 1914 as the formative years of St. Nicholas Parish: ``In 1905 a committee of Byzantine Rite Catholics of Rusyn origin sought the advice and counsel of the late Bishop Joseph Schrembs, Bishop of Cleveland. In 1907 the faithful of the future St. Nicholas Parish solicited funds for the purchase of lots on Toledo Avenue, Lorain, the former site of the church and rectory. The parish would then relocate in 1982 to 2711 W. 40th Street, the present site of the St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church complex. An historical mural retained in the old church for many years contained the list of the following contributors for the lots: Andrew Kakos, Andrew Ksenich, Andrew Karahuts, George Ksenich, Michael Lascisky, Michael Rusinko, George Demchik, John Danko, George Vajda, Vasil Pavelvach, Peter Yureck, John Kocak, Joseph Kokinda, Peter Kekel, John Taraka, Stephen Lascisky, Elek Ksenich, John Kvasnak, Nicholas Ksenich, Vasil Teleha, Peter Hazlak, Mike Rericky, Peter Hrinda, George Maczik, Mike Kizak, Jacob Andraska, John Jeresko. Stephen Ksenich, Joseph Suster, John Moroznak, George Tomcso, Frank Kablinka, John Szalag, Daniel Demjanovich, Mike Koscs, Mike Koczak, Joseph Szasz, Joseph Gluvna, John Naaymik and John Maylik. The purchase of the aforementioned lots was consummated through the Cleveland Chancery in the name of Bishop Schrembs and held by him in trust for the St. Nicholas Parish. In this manner St. Nicholas Parish was constituted as a Catholic parish under a Catholic bishop.'' The church continued to grow and expand, both physically and in membership. A rectory was added in 1919 and a second story of the original church was dedicated on July 16, 1928, by Bishop Basil Takach, the first bishop of the Byzantine Rite Catholic Exarchate of Pittsburgh. Renovations continued and in 1946 the mortgage was paid off. Under the stewardship of Father Andrew Pataki who later became the bishop of Parma, a parochial school was built. On Sunday, June 12, 1960, a festival was held and Bishop Nicholas T. Elko blessed a newly renovated St. Nicholas Church and the new St. Nicholas School. Sisters under the Order of St. Basil the Great came to Lorain to begin teaching at the school in 1962. A small house was purchased nearby and remodeled by parishioners as a convent. On Dec. 14, 1964, St. Nicholas' celebrated its golden jubilee with bishop Nicholas T. Elko officiating at the pontifical Divine Liturgy assisted by the former pastors Fathers Andrew Pataki and George Simchak. By the late 1970s it was apparent the church had outgrown its original buildings and, in ``a beautiful testimonial to the generosity and the love that our parishioners have for their church'' according to the history, the substantial funds needed to build a new building were raised. A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Sunday, Jan. 25, 1981. During the ceremony, the history notes, ``the sound of axes could be heard ringing from the nearby woods. The St. Nicholas wood-chopping crew had a lot of land to clear and they did not have time to attend the ceremony. Additionally, a ``hearty band of volunteers worked throughout the year of 1981 and painted the entire interior of the complex, laid all the floor tiles (estimated at over 10,000 tiles), sanded and stained all the woodwork and contributed thousands of cost- free hours of labor. As a result of their physical contribution, the interior of the convent was finished as well as many other items that were not in the original contract. By early spring, the new complex was nearing completion and an appeal was made for volunteers to purchase the pews, certain kitchen items and the appointments in the church. The response was overwhelming. The parishioners of St. Nicholas, the Greek Catholic Union Lodge, the Russo-Slav Club and other fraternal organizations associated with the church had come through once again. The church history records that ``the last service to be held at the old St. Nicholas Church was on Palm Sunday, April 4, 1982, and many a tear was shed as the last song was sung. Finally, on Holy Thursday evening, April 8, 1982, Father Felock blessed the new altar and church and the first service was held.'' The life of the parish continued in its new location through the 1980s, 1990s and into the new century. The school was closed in 2007 and the parish embarked on a mission of renewal as the new century dawned. Today, the members of St. Nicholas Church's focus is on its future even as they honor its past. Standing on the shoulders of its founders and the families who established the parish as a cornerstone of its community, the parishioners of today's St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church are proud of its rich history. Yet, as they celebrate a century of parish life, the congregation of St. Nicholas' looks toward the next century with hope and faith. Onward!

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Rahall, for his great leadership and consider it a privilege to speak today. Let me inform this House why it should vote down this death bill-- yes, death bill. This is a jar of algae, toxic to humans and animals. It was just drawn from Lake Erie, one of our great freshwater lakes, a drinking source for some 11 million people. On August 2, this green muck filled with toxic microcystin surrounded the Toledo drinking water intake, leaving over half a million people with no safe drinking water for 3 days. It almost seemed surreal. One of America's biggest cities and regions with no fresh drinking water. Now, the region that our watershed drains is 85 percent agricultural. How fortunate we are. In fact, it is the largest watershed in the entire Great Lakes, but allowing farm field runoff of manures and fertilizers, applied at four times the rate of 20 years ago, with excessive phosphorous and nitrogen that feed the growth of this green muck, is simply no longer acceptable. The number of people who live in our tristate watershed totals 2 million, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and of course, with Canada even more; but the number of animals in the watershed is 10 to 15 times the human population. The manure load of those animals--compared to 20 years ago--spread on the land, even in the wintertime, contributes, with increasing rainfall, to the pollution that then drains to places like Toledo. Utility rates are going up--what are they going to do? How are they going to afford the bills to pay to clean up the pollution from a massive tristate and, indeed, international watershed? Instead of helping clean up our water for future generations, this Republican bill takes America backwards. Do you know what I say? Shame on you. Shame on you. Today, the United States Environmental Protection Agency recognizes that harmful algal blooms are a major environmental problem in all 50 States, with severe impacts on human health. The Toledo water plant and what happened to us is a severe warning for our country, and we better pay attention. Communities are incurring massive costs for water treatment as a result of pollution and toxic algae because our water plants have to somehow clean this mess up and then send fresh drinking water to our citizens. These costs are being paid not by the polluters, but by the ratepayers downstream at the receiving end of the muck--how unfair. I am back here in Washington, fighting for our lake. Our citizens must turn this green muck back into blue water to sustain life itself. One of the ways we start is by defeating this bill. It is an embarrassment to the country at this point in our history. I can tell you, to the people who still don't know what their future holds in places like Toledo and along Lake Erie, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill. Reject the dead water direction in which it leads America because it isn't just this generation, but it is those that follow that we should be voting for here in this House. I urge defeat of this measure. I want to thank Congressman Rahall and those who understand what it takes to build a great nation. Let us do something worthy in our time and generation.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 15, a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill to properly address the humanitarian crisis at our border.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, today in Toledo, Ohio, in the 19-county diocese to which he dedicated his selfless life, the beloved most Reverend Roman Catholic Bishop Robert W. Donnelly was laid to rest. This ``priest of priests,'' gentle soul, humble leader, and compassionate shepherd passed from this life on July 21, 2014. With loving gratitude, our entire community extends its deepest appreciation for his life and deepest sympathy to his family and friends at his passing. Bishop Donnelly's religious life spanned 57 years, and he served as parish priest for seven congregations and taught in two Catholic high schools. Everywhere, he was of the people and revered. What a priest, what a bishop, what a shepherd was he--a gentle and holy man and a powerful religious leader. The thousands upon thousands of homilies and religious messages he shared were not bombastic but wise. He touched thousands upon thousands of people across generations with baptisms, graduations, communions, marriages, funerals, and confirmations. Bishop Donnelly was a man of peace. He was hardworking and always present when it mattered. With his extraordinary brother priest, Father Martin Donnelly, with whom he retired, their service cannot be measured in years but, rather, in devotion to imbuing real meaning to the faith to which they devoted their lives. May God grant him eternal rest as the joy of his spirit is released to eternity. Most Rev. Robert W. ``Bishop Bob'' Donnelly Most Reverend Robert William Donnelly passed on to eternal life on July 21, 2014, surrounded by his family after a short illness. Born in Toledo March 22, 1931, to Agnes (Quinn) and Leonard Donnelly, he was a son of West Toledo's Most Blessed Sacrament Parish, living close by and attending elementary school there--the tallest kid in the 8th grade. As a teen he worked summers as a day camp supervisor at Close Park. During his high school years in the Class of 1949 at Central Catholic he played football and CYO basketball and baseball, and was an avid CCHS tennis player; he captained the tennis team there. Later, at Quinn Family reunions he was the pitcher for the annual softball games. He enthusiastically donned costumes for family reunions and the Blessed Sacrament Halloween Parades. And he had golf in his blood, avidly playing the game. Bishop Bob earned a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy at St. Meinrad College Seminary. Ordained a priest May 25, 1957, he loved his years in pastoral ministry at Sandusky St. Mary, Landeck St. John, Spencerville St. Patrick, Rossford Ss. Cyril & Methodius, Toledo St. Clement, Toledo St. Charles, and Fostoria St. Wendelin; and teaching at Delphos St. John and Oregon Cardinal Stritch high schools. In every assignment, his heart was always with the people. He earned a Master's degree in Theology at Saint John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota and attended graduate school programs at Mount Saint Mary Seminary, Norwood, Ohio; Xavier University, Cincinnati; and the University of Toledo. He was ordained Bishop on May 3, 1984. As Toledo Auxiliary Bishop he was appointed to several diocesan positions, serving as Vicar General for 20 years and diocesan administrator following the death of Bishop James Hoffman; he was chairman of the diocesan Ecumenical Commission, a Pro- Synodal consultant, a director of RENEW, and a member of the diocesan board of consulters. He also served on the National Council of Catholic Bishops' committees for Pastoral Practices, Evangelization, and African America Catholics as well as local boards of St. Vincent's Hospital, United Way, and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (ABLE). He retired in May 2006. Brother priests have known him as ``a priest of priests.'' He is remembered as a truly gentle man, a warm and loyal friend, a wonderful mentor, respectful, humble, a people person. His friends and family say that he was always open and would give his full attention to whatever they had to say, putting them at ease; he could always find something good in everyone. When he presided at Mass, people knew it wasn't ``his'' Mass; it was a prayer of, and for, and by, everyone. He gathered often with life-long friends for cards and camaraderie, loved to vacation with family, and cherished friendships with brother priests. He enjoyed cooking and was good at it, taking special care with holiday dinners of crown roast, apple dumplings, and caesar salad. He later shared and traded secret recipes with his beloved cousin, cook, housekeeper, and friend Dorothy ``Buck'' Taylor. With subtle wit and care, Bishop Bob loved his family and friends and took delight in children. His many cousins, nieces, and nephews affectionately call him ``Uncle Father Bishop Bob.'' He had a seemingly endless line of advice seekers who he couldn't be more excited and willing to tend to. His Irish heritage inspired him to take a group of the younger generation of family members to Ireland to meet their blood kin. When asked a question, his responses were well- thought-out, detailed, and explained. Bishop Bob was predeceased by his parents, brother Quinn Donnelly, sister Mary Hendricks, and cousins Fr. Tom Quinn and Betty Mears. He is survived by his brother, Fr. Marty Donnelly, his brother-in-law Pat Hendricks, nieces and nephews Ann (Tim) Doran, Larry (Sharon) Hendricks, Jim (Julie) Hendricks, Mike (Kaye) Hendricks, Kay (Bill) Byrne, and David (Betsy) Hendricks; 24 great nieces and nephews; and 12 great-great nieces and nephews. Friends may visit Monday, July 28, from 2 to 8 p.m. at Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, 2535 Collingwood Boulevard, Toledo, where a Vigil Service will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Rosary will be prayed Tuesday, July 29, at 10 a.m., with visitation until 11:45 a.m. The Funeral Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at noon Tuesday, followed by burial at Resurrection Cemetery. Arrangements by Blanchard-Strabler Funeral Home (419-269-1111) The family would appreciate that any memorial donations be sent to St. Martin de Porres, 1119 W. Bancroft Street, Toledo, OH 43606. Online condolences: blanchardstrabler.com.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Toledo Zoo, recently voted the best zoo in America, on its dedication of a new 2.1- megawatt solar array. The project is a win for everyone involved. It embraces the future. It will supply 30 percent of the zoo's electricity needs, and it makes use of a vacant brownfield site in the city that would otherwise be a financial and environmental burden. It serves as a wonderful educational tool for the zoo's more than 800,000 annual visitors. Unfortunately, this is success story that will be difficult to replicate in Ohio due to the backward energy policy recently enacted by Ohio's Governor and State legislature. As America strives to regain energy security, we must embrace all energy options, especially innovative, renewable energy sources that will power our future into and beyond the 21st century. Hats off to the Toledo Zoo for serving as a national leader in advancing this goal. Madam Speaker, I will include for the Record a recent article from the Toledo Blade detailing this really incredible success. [From the Blade, July 22, 2014] Rudolph/Libbe Project: Solar Array To Supply Power to Toledo Zoo Brownfield site will again be productive (By Tom Henry) A massive, 2.1-megawatt solar array that has put 22 acres of vacant South Toledo land back into production is to be dedicated today. It's the kind of comeback that supporters believe will become less common across Ohio because of a recent bill Gov. John Kasich signed into law discouraging investments in renewable power. The ceremony for the Rudolph/Libbe project near the Toledo Zoo is expected to draw a contingent of area business and government leaders interested in seeing how land contaminated by past industrial practices, known as brownfield sites, can go back on the tax rolls and generate clean energy while reducing blight. In this case, a group of local investors led by Rudolph/ Libbe Cos.--a limited liability company called Anthony Wayne Solar Number 1--is doing that for one of the region's largest employers and one of its most popular destinations, the Toledo Zoo. The solar array and property, adjacent to the north side of the zoo's main parking lot between Anthony Wayne Trail and Spencer Street, are owned by those investors, who have a long-term contract in place to sell electricity generated at the site exclusively to the zoo. The project, developed by Rudolph/Libbe and a sister company, GEM Energy, will generate about 30 percent of the Toledo Zoo's annual electricity needs, Jason Slattery, director of solar for Rudolph/Libbe Inc., said. ``This project is a great example of the public and private sectors working together to benefit the zoo and the community,'' Mr. Slattery said. ``We took a contaminated brownfield site, a financial burden for the city, and turned it into a win for the city of Toledo and the Toledo Zoo.'' He and other supporters believe such projects will be harder to come by now, though, because of the two-year legislative freeze on renewable-energy mandates that Mr. Kasich has signed into law. That legislation, known as Senate Bill 310, applies only to utilities, not companies such as Rudolph/Libbe. But Ohio became the nation's first state with renewable-energy mandates to enact a two-year timeout. A 2008 law requires utilities doing business in Ohio to steadily invest more in renewable power through 2025, when at least 12.5 percent of the electricity they provide is supposed to come from clean sources such as wind and solar energy. Renewable energy advocates fear that two-year hiatus will put out a message to the business community that Ohio is no longer receptive to such investments. Rudolph/Libbe, one of the region's largest contractors, expects to be doing more work in Michigan and New York, which have strong incentives for solar projects, Mr. Slattery said. The solar industry has had setbacks from the failure of a high-profile manufacturer, California-based Solyndra, as well as the deep financial troubles of local manufacturers such as Xunlight and Willard & Kelsey. But Rudolph/Libbe's an installer, not a manufacturer. Growth in solar nationally has transformed the company's business model. Since 2008, Rudolph/Libbe went from virtually no involvement in solar to having 10 percent of its revenue come from it. It believes solar-installation projects will eventually become the backbone of as much as 30 percent of Rudolph/ Libbe's revenue. Although Rudolph/Libbe will likely have to rely on states other than Ohio for that sort of push, it still expects to line up some Ohio contracts during the two-year freeze and hopes state legislators regain their interest in what the company sees as a budding industry, Mr. Slattery said. ``We think the costs of doing solar is an unstoppable train and it's not getting off the tracks,'' he said. Rudolph-Libbe's costs for solar projects have come down from $9 per watt to $2 per watt since 2008. More affordable prices have resulted in more business, Mr. Slattery has said. For the project near the zoo, investors worked with the Lucas County Land Bank, an agency that strives to repurpose vacant land, he said. The site, formerly in receivership, was once home to a Haugh-ton Elevator Co. factory, but it has not been used since the early '90s. There are 28,500 solar panels on 15 of the site's 22 acres. Additional panels could be put on some the remaining seven acres in the future. Officials first want to assess the viability of adding more, after examining the amount of shade cast off nearby homes along Spencer Street during the four seasons, Mr. Slattery said. The site is believed to be one of the nation's largest solar installations generating power for a zoo. ``This solar array supports the zoo's mission by using cleaner and greener energy, reducing reliance on nonrenewable energy while providing an inspiring example for zoo visitors,'' Jeff Sailer, Toledo Zoo executive director, said. Rudolph/Libbe also developed the zoo's 1,400-panel walkway, called SolarWalk, which was installed in 2010, as well as multiple other projects with the Ohio Air National Guard and ones with the city of Bryan and First Solar LLC of Perrysburg in recent years. The zoo also has a wind turbine generating power for its main parking lot, and geothermal wells to heat and cool the aquarium. Bill Rudolph, chairman of Rudolph/Libbe Cos., said the companies are ``honored to support the Toledo Zoo's mission of environmental stewardship through this project.'' The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has planted trees and shrubs near the fences to create a visual buffer and spruce up the aesthetics for area residents. Plans also call for native grasses to be planted across the site. Union labor from northwest Ohio was used to build the project, which created about 60 temporary construction jobs.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to add my comments. For those of us who were here that tragic day, the perpetrator of that horrendous act was a schizophrenic who was off his medicine, untreated, and drove three-quarters of the way across this country to commit those heinous crimes. Before this House today are two bills, one authored by a Republican from Pennsylvania, Tim Murphy, and another authored by a Democrat from Arizona, Ron Barber. All these years have passed, and we have never yet brought to this floor a measure that would make a difference in this country for those who suffer with mental illness and some of whom, unfortunately, obtain weapons. I believe that we have a moment in this House to do something exceptional, and I hope it can happen in this Congress.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Well, first of all, I want to compliment Congressman John Garamendi for his exceptional leadership in the Make It In America agenda and allowing Members like myself, Congressman Tonko from New York, and others to participate in focusing the spotlight on what counts. I wanted to follow on what the gentleman had said about what we import versus what we export. People say, well, America has a budget deficit. Well, we have a jobs deficit that grows from importing more than we export. You mentioned the energy sector, one that I have particular responsibility for here. Last year, we imported $369 billion more of petroleum than we exported energy products. That translates into lost jobs in our country of over 1.8 million, nearly 2 million jobs just in the energy sector that we could bring back home if we focused on an all-of-the-above energy strategy that would help us recapture that wealth. Those jobs here at home, automotive, a sector that our region of the country, Toledo, Sandusky, Lorain, Cleveland, Parma, and Brook Park, we know the auto industry very well. Last year, we imported into our country $309 billion worth of automotive products from countries that didn't accept our parts for vehicles--take Korea for one--and that lost wealth, that ceded power inside this economy translates, just in the auto sector, to over 1.5 million lost jobs just in 1 year. That is just 1 year. If we look at consumer goods, we see all these children streaming across our border from Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras; and you look at the economies of those countries and the sweatshops that are making apparel, for example--those are some of the consumer goods that come in here--the people are earning a dollar a day, maybe $10 a day. They live in utter poverty. Okay. So those goods are sent here, and Americans spent $533 billion on imported consumer goods last year. That translates--rather than making it here, we imported it--just in the consumer goods area, in 1 year, we lost 2.6 million jobs. So if you add up just the energy jobs, the auto jobs, and the consumer goods jobs, you are talking about nearly 6 million jobs in 1 year. And we have 20 million Americans who remain unemployed or underemployed in our economy right now. Think about what this hemorrhage is costing us. Some of the very companies that have moved these jobs from California, from New York, and from Ohio, they still operate those companies in foreign locales. Congressman Levin of Michigan calls it an inversion. That is kind of a good word, actually. Others have called it outsourcing. Others call it shipping out, shipping out our jobs and shipping out our wealth. People say, well, what has happened to the middle class? Well, it has gone global. Unfortunately, the people in those places are not middle class. They are working under horrendous conditions. And those goods are sent here, whether they are agricultural goods or whether they are industrial goods. I want to compliment you on keeping a focus on Make It In America. I do have a bill I wanted to put on the record, H.R. 194, which is the Congressional Made in America Promise Act, that would amend the Buy America Act to require this branch of our government, the legislative branch, in all of its gift shops and supply shops to emphasize the procurement of goods made in America. Doesn't that make sense? If you go around and you look at what is in there, you will be very surprised to find many products that are made overseas. We are just saying put as much effort into finding goods made in America and sell them in our gift shops. So I would hope that some of our colleagues that are listening would cosponsor H.R. 194. It is a very well-written bill. It is our bill. It makes sure that if something is overpriced and doesn't belong in a gift shop, there are requirements. It is very sensible, and it would have some affirmative effort by the shops here on Capitol Hill to buy American-made goods. So I want to thank the gentleman very much for his leadership. This is what the American people long to hear, a discussion here in the Congress on jobs and economic growth. It seems to be an agenda that the Speaker and the leadership is not willing to put on the floor, so I thank the gentleman from California for your leadership.

Ms. KAPTUR

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the King amendment. What is interesting to me is that the net effect of the King amendment would be to drive wages down, another Republican amendment to not really show any respect for the workers of this country. Are they all going to work for poverty wages? Millions of our citizens still remain out of work, the middle class is shrinking, and here we have a Member that stands up and he wants to have lower wages. The public wants Congress to create middle class jobs and to pay people what they are worth. The interesting thing about this amendment is that, when you look back at all the studies that have been done, for instance, when President Bush suspended Davis-Bacon wages during the Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts, construction costs went up due to the dramatic increase in the employment of unqualified workers. I would like to say to the gentleman--and I know you are a handyman because you have told me you are--that the people who work on these projects are ironworkers. I defy anybody in this place to do that. I think Stephen Lynch did that work. Congressman Lynch is about the only one that survived that. Boilermakers, carpenters, operating engineers, electricians, laborers, sheet metal workers, cement masons, roofers, painters, these people go up on those high bridges and they risk their lives. They need training. And do you know what? They deserve the wage they get under contract--under contract--not by happenstance, not by accident. I find it interesting that the gentleman offers this amendment, because in your district, since 1995, you have received $9 billion in Federal subsidy that goes to your farmers. I don't see the gentleman railing against the subsidies that come to your district. You get insurance. Your farmers get insurance if they lose their crop. What does an ironworker get if he falls off high scaffolding in New York City or Toledo, Ohio, or Cleveland or wherever? What does that worker get? It is interesting--I think the gentleman is kind of disingenuous-- your State ranks second in the Nation for agriculture subsidies. The Federal Government holds you up. Davis-Bacon simply says that, when you go to work, the price of what you are paid, your labor, is by contract; it is not by happenstance; it is not by accident; it is not by exploitation. In fact, we know when better buildings are built, when safe bridges are built, there are no washouts under tunnels and bridges. That is a good thing. That is a good thing for America. So I hold respect for the workers who want to work, who receive the training to work, who know how difficult the work is. I will tell you a story from my own district. We built one of the biggest bridges in Ohio several years back. We lost ironworkers and an operating engineer in that process, though we had signed every kind of safety agreement we could possibly sign. And do you know what happened? The construction company decided, because there were at least two lanes, they would pit sets of workers against one another to see who could finish the job fast enough. What happened was some of the cranes were not secured at the base as they hung above the river. The construction company, which was supposed to be abiding by the law and all the safety standards, found a trick in order to save a couple of pennies, and it cost the lives of some of the finest workers in the country. I devoted months and months and months to making sure that there were good safety standards in place. And they always find a way around it. This is dangerous work. This is work that most people in this Chamber most likely never thought about, never did; don't understand what these workers go through in cold winter months, hanging above oil rigs across this country; handling public projects underground, above ground, above water. It is unbelievable what these people do. They go to other countries. Look at the dangerous scaffolding that exists in places like Ukraine, and you respect the trades of this country, who have managed to build apprenticeship and training programs so we don't lose lives needlessly. Davis-Bacon assures we have a middle class standard; that we have labor valued by contract, not by accident, not by happenstance, not by subsidy, like the gentleman's district gets, but by plain hard work. I couldn't be more in opposition to any amendment offered this afternoon, and I think the gentleman must be misguided in what he is trying to do here. But I think it is important to have definable standards. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, this amendment tells the Department of Energy to deny the latest climate change science. The amendment denies that carbon pollution is harmful and, according to this amendment, the cost of carbon pollution is zero. That is science denial at its worst. You don't have to look too far to discover the damage already caused by climate change. In fact, in the State that I live in, what used to be Tennessee's ecosytem and climate zone is no more. It has been moved up. If you plant any seed in the ground, you look at the back of the packet, it has all been changed. We see very unusual weather patterns developing all across our Nation and the world. We can't put our heads in the sand and deny reality. There is a reality out there. There was a book written called, ``Last Child in the Woods,'' and it talks about how most Americans now don't spend enough time outdoors. In fact, a lot of them are even afraid to be out there. So a lot of people spend their life in air-conditioned situations or well-heated situations and don't really look at what is happening to our ecosytem. In May, our Nation's leading climate scientists released the National Climate Assessment, which confirmed that climate change is real, it is caused by humans, and it is already harming communities across America. The assessment explains that scientific evidence is ``unequivocal.'' This amendment tells the Department to ignore these scientific findings. The latest science shows that climate change is expected to exacerbate heat waves. Has anybody noticed the erratic nature of what is happening in the places you live? Droughts. I heard Senator Feinstein say the other day that California is become a desert State. Interesting statement. Wildfires. Who can deny those? Floods and water- and vector-borne diseases will pose greater risk to human health, to animal life, and any living creatures around us. It is interesting to me that, in my own State, the pork industry is undergoing an incredible implosion because of something that is infecting the hog population and they are being lost, not by the tens or the hundreds or the thousands, but by the millions. There is something wrong. Wheat and corn yields are already experiencing negative impact due to climate change. After 2050, the risk of overall declining crop yields increases substantially. Federal agencies have a responsibility to calculate the cost of climate change and take them into account. Unfortunately, what this amendment would require is that the government assume zero harm and zero cost from carbon pollution and carbon change. The truth is that unchecked climate change would have catastrophic economic impacts here in the United States and across the globe. Those who are less fortunate will bear the heaviest burdens. I urge my colleagues to reject this amendment. Don't be a science denier. Pretending that climate change doesn't exist won't make it go away. Maybe every single Member of this Chamber should have to enroll in some STEM classes so that science and technology and engineering and math are a part of our DNA and it might be easier to really evaluate the world around us with more objectivity. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chair, I would inquire of the time remaining on both sides.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, in closing, let me say that Federal agencies have a responsibility to calculate the costs of climate change and to take them into account. This amendment would tell the Department to ignore those impacts, and that, in my judgment, is irresponsible. The administration is using common sense, and that was the clear message from the Government Accountability Office when it added climate change to its high-risk list. That is exactly what the Obama administration is doing. An interagency task force worked over the last couple of years to estimate the costs of harm from carbon pollution. The cost calculation was first issued in 2010, and a refined and updated calculation was published last year. It incorporated updated scientific and technical information, and it was a very conservative calculation. The full costs of climate change are almost certainly going to be significantly higher, but it is better than the previous estimate, and it is much, much better than assuming that the costs are zero. So I urge my colleagues to reject the Lankford amendment. Again, don't be a science denier. Let's not pretend climate change doesn't exist. That won't make it go away. Let's behave as though we care about future generations and are doing our very best to meet the challenges of the current era. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Ms. KAPTUR. I wonder if the chairman would be willing to engage in a brief colloquy regarding transparency and accountability regarding transmission and capacity market changes imposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.