Randy Kuhl

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of National Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Automated External Defibrillator Awareness Week, quite a handle. It commenced just 2 days ago on Sunday and lasts until Saturday. Last year, I introduced legislation to support designating this first week of June as National CPR and AED Awareness Week, and I am pleased that Congress passed my proposal to help bring an important issue to light. Heart disease continues to be--and I repeat that--heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States. So I believe that we must do all we can to bolster our efforts to combat heart disease and sudden cardiac arrest. Approximately 325,000 coronary heart disease deaths occur outside of the hospital emergency room every year, and roughly 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before even reaching the hospital. These statistics serve as a clear reminder that we must take action to save lives at the local and the community levels, and an annual National CPR and AED Awareness Week will help us do just that. CPR more than doubles a victim's chances of surviving sudden cardiac arrest by maintaining the vital flow of blood to the heart and to the brain. Over 75 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur within the home, so CPR can make a difference between life and death. Additionally, automated external defibrillators are easy for even bystanders to operate and are highly effective in restoring a normal heart rhythm if used within minutes after the sudden onset of cardiac arrest. Communities with comprehensive AED programs have achieved survival rates of over 40 percent, as opposed to 5 percent, which is the traditional rate of survival. And I am proud to have sponsored the New York State law that required public high schools to have at least one such device on the school grounds. As a state senator, I worked with my colleague, Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, Long Island, who advanced this initiative after a young man named Louis Acompora from Northport, Long Island, died from a blunt impact to the chest while playing lacrosse. He was a goalie and was doing exactly what he was trained to do. Had an AED been available at the time, his life very well might have been saved. Thankfully, our efforts in New York have helped to save over 35 lives in New York State in the 5 years since the law's enactment. The American Heart Association, the American Red Cross, and the National Safety Council are holding public awareness and training campaigns around the country. And the National Safety Council is also offering a free online course of CPR and AED training all week long. This week, as a result of their efforts, it is our hope to train over 100,000 Americans in CPR and AED treatment opportunities. And Americans will have the opportunity to learn to combat heart disease at the community level and hopefully save lives all across the country. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this week, Mr. Speaker, it's a very important initiative.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I submit the following: Requesting Member: Representative John R. ``Randy'' Kuhl, Jr. Bill Number: H.R. 5658. Account: Army Aircraft Procurement, Utility Helicopter Mods. Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Elmira/Corning Regional Airport. Address of Requesting Entity: 1250 Schweizer Road, Horseheads, NY 14845. Description of Request: Provides a total of $5,000,000 to upgrade UH- 60A Black Hawk helicopters to the UH-60L configuration. Most of the funding will be used to procure and install the upgrades required to increase performance of this aircraft, and a small portion will be used for salaries in support of this effort. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is an essential capability of the Army National Guard. It provides units in every state with a multi-mission aircraft for search and rescue, utility lift, disaster relief and medical evacuation. Funding the UH-60A to L upgrade will significantly improve the Black Hawk fleet and ensure that National Guard units are ready for deployment to protect our national interests at home and abroad.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Pioneer Middle School located in Yorkshire, New York. Last month, Pioneer Middle School was recognized as one of two Essential Elementary Schools to Watch in New York State. Pioneer is the first middle school in western New York to achieve this prestigious honor. Presently, only 10 middle schools in all of New York State have achieved this recognition over the past 4 years. This award exemplifies the talent and dedication that these educators and parents demonstrate every day. The school has shown tremendous progress since being named a School in Need of Improvement by the Department of Education in 2004. As these teachers, students, and parents gather to celebrate this wonderful accomplishment, I want to offer my sincere congratulations. Let the Pioneer Middle School serve as a beacon for schools around the Nation to see that excellence and success comes from devoted teachers and parents.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of overriding the President's veto of the farm bill. When I was elected to Congress, I joined the Agriculture Committee because of my district's rich and deep tradition in farming. And as a member of this committee, I am committed to serving not only the needs of my district, but also to preserving our Nation's agricultural vitality. As such, I am extremely disappointed by the President's veto. I am very pleased, however, by what our committee has been able to do in writing this farm bill. This farm bill fairly and accurately represents the interests of all our farmers and various agricultural industries across the country and was fashioned in a bipartisan manner. Particularly the dairy and specialty crops and conservation programs will be extremely beneficial to New York farmers. But, more importantly, this legislation contains reform. For the first time in history there will be a hard cap on the adjusted gross income standard to prevent the wealthiest from receiving payments. As such, this farm bill has broad support from a variety of agricultural, nutrition, conservation, and consumer entities. This farm bill is an opportunity to make American farm policy truly comprehensive, competitive and cohesive, and I urge my colleagues in Congress to override this veto.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, when I look out from the steps of the United States Capitol building, I'm always in awe of the sight before me. The memorials beneath the Capitol steps honor the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who wore the uniform and put their country before themselves. They came from farms and cities, from mountains and villages, and from lives of privilege and lives of poverty. They each answered the call when their Nation needed them most. These men and women represented the best America had to offer, and they served their country with pride, with honor, and with courage. Next Monday is Memorial Day. It is a day to remember and honor those men and women who have given their lives for their country. It's a day to cherish and pray for those currently serving their country at home and abroad. Support for our troops must always be an American issue and never a partisan one as our Nation's heroes are defending each one of our rights as American citizens. We must do what is best for veterans and active soldiers, not what's best for a sound bite, political propaganda, or election year politics. These are our Nation's heroes, and we must never let our fellow Americans forget their bravery and their sacrifices.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and astounding contributions of Major General Charles D. Barrett, a resident of the 29th Congressional District of New York, who recently died. Major General Barrett began his military career early in life, enrolling in the ROTC program while a student at Cornell University. He entered active duty in 1956 and served as a shop officer and company commander for 17 months with the Eighth Army in Korea. During his four-plus decades of service to this country, he accumulated many honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal. These medals exemplify the service, sacrifice, and the courage of this hero and represent Major General Barrett as a man who put his country before himself, a man who answered the call when the Nation needed him most, and a man who represented the best that America had to offer. Major General Barrett served his country with pride, with honor, and with bravery, and there is nothing more noble than a person who is willing to commit themselves to a cause as important as defending our country. Today I honor Major General Charles Barrett and all the brave men and women who volunteer to fight for what is good and right about our country.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I would like to join my colleagues in congratulating Chairman Peterson and Ranking Minority Member Goodlatte in bringing this bill to the floor in very difficult times. I rise in support of the farm bill conference agreement. Agriculture is one of the most important industries in New York State, believe it or not. In the 29th District alone, there are over 6,000 farms covering more than 1.2 million acres and employing thousands of workers. Annually, the farm economy generates over $360 million in my district alone. During the writing of the farm bill, I hoped to address some of the most pressing issues facing New York farmers without destroying important provisions for other States, districts or industries. The committee held a field hearing in my district, where we heard about issues such as extending the MILC program, increasing funding for specialty crops such as apples and grapes, enhancing conservation programs such as FRPP and EQIP, augmenting nutrition and food assistance policy, and utilizing our crops to assist in developing a strong renewable energy portfolio. This bill makes historic investments in priorities to strengthen the fruit and the vegetable industry and expands a variety of things like the snack program. I hope my colleagues will support it.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, for the past 30 year, Norm ``Jack'' Snow has been a familiar face in the town of Milo, Yates County, New York, serving as councilman for 12 years before moving into the supervisor position for the last 18 years. Jack has offered his strength, his courage, his convictions to the town of Milo. He announced his retirement at the beginning of this year, much to the dismay of the people he represents. A native of upstate New York, Jack grew up on a dairy farm walking one mile to a one-room schoolhouse, in which he jokes was ``uphill both ways.'' Jack didn't grow up dreaming of politics but decided he could make a difference in the community that he loved. Besides his 30 years of public service, Jack is an active member in the community serving as the President of the Shrine Club, which enables 700 school children from around the State to attend the Shrine Circus each year. Jack cites that the reason he stayed in politics for 30 years was because of the terrific people he worked with every day. But it was us who were blessed to work with Jack, and more importantly, blessed to know him. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, it seems that every day we read about gas and diesel prices hitting a new record high as the pain at the pump continues to ravish hard-working Americans of their hard- earned money. The once nightmare scenario of $4 a gallon gasoline may soon become an even harsher reality. While we have sat patiently and waited for Speaker Pelosi's commonsense solution, the cost of gas has soared $1.05 since the Democrats took the gavel. This increase represents more than a 43 percent jump in old prices. Enough is enough. I'm sure that I'm not the only Member of Congress listening to their constituents worry about the consequences of the majority's inaction on energy legislation. And while our constituents cannot afford to drive to work or take their children to school, Democrats have voted four times to raise energy taxes in the 110th Congress. Higher energy taxes mean higher gas prices, something that our constituents do not want or need. It is time for Speaker Pelosi to fulfill her promise to the American people. Instead of voting to increase taxes again, Congress should immediately adopt legislation which will give America lower energy prices without raising taxes.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the FISA Amendments Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation to modernize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. It is imperative that we provide our intelligence community with the tools it needs to conduct surveillance on foreign terrorists without getting tied up in the courts, and this bill would do just that. The Senate passed this bipartisan legislation almost a month ago, but the House leadership has irresponsibly refused to bring up this bill, which is critical to our Nation's security. I have chosen to cosponsor the measure because I believe that in today's world, we cannot shortchange our ability to confront emerging and ongoing threats. Therefore, I urge the majority to bring this crucial legislation to a vote.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5563 and to thank Chairman Miller and Chairwoman McCarthy for their efforts, including a motion to recommit that I offered to H.R. 2857, the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act. Last week on March 6, I offered the motion to recommit to strengthen H.R. 2857 and the national service laws. Recently, the corporation for national community service completed a rule-making process to institute background checks for any individual seeking Federal-funded national service positions within the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparents program and within AmeriCorps programs in which individuals have recurring access to children, the elderly or, individuals with disabilities. That rule-making process also prohibited individuals from serving in those positions if they were and are registered sex offenders. While the motion to recommit will codify the corporation's regulations, it will also expand on the corporation's effort by requiring criminal history checks for any individual seeking a federally funded national service position and not just those within the foster grandparents and senior companion programs or just those AmeriCorps programs dealing with specific populations. Further, in addition to prohibiting registered sex offenders from serving in federally funded national service positions, the motion to recommit includes those individuals convicted of murder as well. Again, I applaud Chairman Miller and appreciate his courtesies last week on the floor and Chairwoman McCarthy for including the motion to recommit which expresses a loud and clear message, that this House of Representatives believes that those in need who are served by programs supported with assistance under these laws should be assured that they will not be placed in harm's way when approaching these programs for help. Although I am pleased that the motion to recommit was included in the bill, I'm disappointed that the House majority has chosen not to take up the FISA amendments. The FISA amendments, which we've been hearing about all day, act to provide our intelligence community with the critical tools it needs to conduct surveillance on foreign terrorists without getting tied up in court. The Senate, as we all know, passed this bipartisan legislation almost a month ago. So I urge the majority to bring this crucial bill up for a vote; and, again, I urge my colleagues to support this bill today before this House.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I noticed that the gentleman from Iowa was a little quizzical and hesitant in congratulating a fellow Big 12 team from Kansas. But in any case, Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 948 congratulating the University of Kansas football team, affectionately known as KU, for winning the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl and having the most successful year in program history. On January 3, 2008, the University of Kansas football team won the 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl defeating Virginia Tech by a score of 24-20 for its first major bowl victory in university history. The KU football team won a school record 12 games this past season and ended the season ranked seventh in the final top 25 polls released on January 8, 2008. This is the second highest final ranking in school history. This past year's KU team set the school record with points per game, with an average of 42 points per game, and total yards per game, with an average of 479 yards. KU is the only school in the country to rank in the top five nationally in both scoring offense, which was second, and scoring defense, in which they were fifth. Following the remarkable year, head coach Mark Mangino was awarded multiple national Coach of the Year awards. And, in fact, Coach Mangino has produced a minimum of six wins in three straight seasons, for the first time in 46 years for the KU football program. The KU football team also produced two first team All Americans, cornerback Aquib Talib and offensive tackle Anthony Collins. Equally important, the team produced two academic All American recipients, Russell Brorsen and John Larson. In addition to successful athletic programs, KU also provides faculty, academic and research programs of international distinction, and outstanding libraries, teaching museums, and teaching technology. These resources enrich the undergraduate experience and are essential for graduate-level education and for research. From early existence, the University of Kansas has been fueled by high aspirations and has enjoyed a national reputation for innovation and academic excellence. I extend my congratulations to head coach Mark Mangino, all of the hardworking players, the fans, and to the University of Kansas. I am happy to join my friend and colleague in honoring this exceptional team for all of its accomplishments and wish all involved continued success. I ask my colleagues to support this resolution. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 924, congratulating Iowa State University of Science and Technology for 150 years of leadership and service to the United States and the world as Iowa's land-grant university. Iowa Agriculture College and Model Farm, now Iowa State University, was officially established on March 22, 1858. As a land-grant institution, Iowa agriculture college focused on ideals that higher education should be accessible to all and that the university should teach liberal and practical subjects. These ideas are integral to the land-grant university policy. Even before Abraham Lincoln signed a law that gave birth to the land- grant universities, Iowa State was actively bringing knowledge to the people of Iowa through farmers' short courses and farm demonstrations. The first official class, consisting of 24 men and two women, entered at Ames in 1869 and graduated in 1872. Iowa State then was a leader and is now a leader in agriculture, engineering, extension, home economics, and created the Nation's first State veterinary medicine school in 1879. In 1959, the college was officially renamed Iowa State University of Science and Technology. The focus on technology has led to many research patents and inventions, including the first binary computer, the round hay baler, and many, many more. Today Iowa State University has approximately 27,000 students, some change from over 100 years ago. With world-class programs in agriculture, technology, science and art, the ``U.S. News & World Report'' ranks Iowa State among the top 50 public national universities. Half of Iowa State University freshmen get an early boost in academic success by participating in Iowa State's highly touted Learning Communities Program. Additionally, Iowa State University is ranked 18th in the Nation for its study or work abroad programs. Iowa State University is a very special place that is full of history; but what truly makes it unique is a rare combination of campus beauty, the opportunity to be part of the land-grant experiment, and to create a progressive and inventive spirit that they call the Cyclone Experience. I extend my congratulations along with all my colleagues to the university president, Gregory Geoffroy, all of Iowa State University's faculty, its staff, certainly, its students and alumni, and wish them continued success. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 493 as well. But there is a person in the Chamber who is a little closer than the gentleman from Iowa or myself from New York, and so I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis). (Mr. LEWIS of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I join with my colleagues from Iowa and California in support of this resolution. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 493-- Congratulating the women's water polo team of the University of California, Los Angeles, for winning the 2007 NCAA Division I Women's Water Polo National Championship, and congratulating UCLA on its 100th NCAA sports national title, making it the most accomplished athletic program in NCAA history. On May 13, 2007, the UCLA women's water polo team defeated Stanford 5-4 in the championship game of the NCAA Division I Women's Water Polo National Championship tournament. The victory gave head coach Adam Krikorian and the Bruins women's water polo team their third consecutive NCAA championship and was the team's fifth overall national title. Kelly Rulon, a driver for the Bruins, was selected as the tournament's most valuable player; and Emily Feher, Courtney Mathewson, Jillian Kraus, and Kacy Kunkel were named to the NCAA All-Tournament First Team. The UCLA women's water polo team finished the 2007 season with a record of 28 wins and 2 losses and now has a record of 90 wins and 6 losses over the past 3 seasons. This national title makes UCLA the first school ever to win 100 NCAA sports national titles--only 58 years after the UCLA men's tennis team won the school's first NCAA title in 1950. Along the way, 16 different men's and women's sports programs contributed to the Bruins' 100 NCAA national championships. UCLA teams have won 14 NCAA national championships during the tenure of Daniel G. Guerrero, the current director of athletics. Under the leadership of Chancellor Gene Block, UCLA continues to establish itself as one of the top research universities as well as top athletic programs in the Nation. I extend my congratulations to Chancellor Block, Athletics Director Guerrero, Head Coach Adam Krikorian and his staff, all of the hard- working players, the fans, and to UCLA. I am happy to join my good friend and colleague Representative Lewis in honoring this exceptional team and all of its accomplishments and wish all involved continued success.

Mr. KUHL of New York. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KUHL of New York

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

Mr. KUHL of New York. In its current form, I am.

Mr. KUHL of New York. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the appropriations for these particular programs don't expire for another several months.

Mr. KUHL of New York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise to offer this motion to recommit to strengthen the bill before us, H.R. 2857, and the national service laws to ensure that we are all doing what we can to protect those individuals being served by these programs and by the Federal investment in national service. Sparked by a 2005 Inspector General report that found rampant, and I recognize and emphasize that word ``rampant,'' noncompliance with individual grant provisions requiring background checks, the Corporation for National Community Service recently completed a rulemaking process to institute background checks for any individuals seeking a federally funded national service position within the Senior Companion and the Foster Grandparent program and from the AmeriCorps positions in which individuals have access to a vulnerable population. The regs also prohibited individuals from serving in these positions if they were registered sex offenders. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the administration for taking these steps to protect vulnerable populations being served by the national service programs. But I believe that we should go further and provide more protection. First, this motion to recommit would codify the corporation's regulations, ensuring that these protections are not subject to the whims of future administrations. Despite current efforts, program audits conducted by the Office of the Inspector General have detected a disturbing pattern of noncompliance with criminal background check provision requirements. In some cases, programs have failed to conduct checks. Just as disturbing, however, other programs have failed to retain the documentation providing this background check information that was conducted for members working with youth and other vulnerable persons. Second, this motion to recommit would expand on the corporation's efforts by including, and I emphasize that, including all federally funded national service provision positions, not just those within the foster grandparents and senior competitive programs or just those AmeriCorps programs dealing with specific populations. Finally, Mr. Speaker, in addition to prohibiting registered sex offenders from serving in these positions, this motion to recommit would include those individuals convicted of murder as well. Mr. Speaker, our message is clear with this motion to recommit: if you are a program receiving assistance under these national service laws and are accepting participants to serve in federally funded programs and positions within your program, we expect you to screen those potential participants to ensure that they are not, and I emphasize again, not registered sex offenders or convicted murderers. And if you wish to serve in federally funded national service positions, some of which include as their reward an education award that exceeds that which is received by low-income students through the form of a Pell Grant, you are not welcome if you have committed these crimes. Mr. Speaker, some people would ask, Why do we include these crimes? We believe that these crimes are so egregious that they demand Federal action. But also we hope that by requiring criminal history background checks, programs will have increased information with which they can exercise good judgment. It only seems to make sense. To repeat myself, we also hope that by requiring criminal background checks, programs will have the increased information from which they can exercise good judgment in deciding who deserves the rewards that come with federally funded national service positions. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this motion to recommit, which would provide the Education and Labor Committee further time to deliberate on this important topic. This motion expresses a loud and clear message that the House of Representatives believes that those in need who are served by programs supported with assistance under these laws should be assured that they will not be placed in harm's way when approaching these programs for help. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KUHL of New York. If the gentleman will yield, that is one aspect of the motion. It goes farther than that.