Blaine Luetkemeyer

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. S. 1687, as amended, takes important steps to prepare small businesses to combat cybersecurity threats. This bipartisan bill to expand services at Small Business Development Centers will ensure small businesses have the resources necessary to create a cybersecurity plan and detect cyber risks. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1617, the Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act. Whether it is a hurricane, tornado, fire, or flood, we are all too familiar with a natural disaster's devastating impact on our communities and constituents. Following a disaster, the SBA provides valuable services and loans to businesses and homes affected. Due to the rural areas being sparsely populated, they are often outliers when it comes to disaster assistance. This important legislation corrects this unintended consequence by creating a rural category for SBA-declared disasters. Additionally, the legislation requires the Government Accountability Office, GAO, to report on how rural areas are specifically impacted by disasters, and the legislation requires the SBA to annually report on all rural disaster declarations. Small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy in rural communities, and we must ensure that they have the ability to receive SBA assistance when a disaster strikes. I thank my Senate colleagues for their support for rural communities and their work on this legislation. Mr. Speaker, S. 1617 will provide rural areas with enhanced eligibility for SBA-disaster-declared loans. This bipartisan bill takes an important step to aid rural communities and small businesses when a disaster strikes. Mr. Speaker, S. 1617 passed the Senate in September, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 533, the Guidance Clarity Act, which is identical to my bill, H.R. 1508, which passed the House by voice vote on October 20, 2021, almost 13 months ago. American small businesses have enough to worry about, especially in this economy. Inflation, supply chain issues, and labor shortages have made it exceedingly difficult to be a small business owner right now. These are people who don't have time to worry about keeping track of the latest government red tape, which is made more difficult by the conflation of agency guidance with regulations or laws. The purpose of guidance is to assist Americans in understanding rules and regulations and give them suggestions on how to adhere to them. However, it is important to note that guidance is not law, nor is it enforceable as law--it is simply a suggestion. Guidance is not approved by Congress, nor does it go through the Federal rulemaking process which allows for public input and legal scrutiny of agency actions. Therefore, citizens are free to take the suggestion or completely ignore it. Unfortunately, over the years, regulators have threatened punitive action against businesses for not following guidance. I am not talking about people breaking the law or ignoring Federal regulations who should certainly face consequences. I am talking about small businesses who are following Federal regulations but simply are not doing it in the manner certain regulators would prefer--the way their guidance suggested regulations be implemented. That is unacceptable, and it is illegal. Regulators have no legal authority to enforce guidance, and any attempt to do so is an egregious abuse of power. To make matters worse, thousands and thousands of guidance documents are constantly being produced. So instead of achieving their intended goal of providing clarity, they are making the waters even murkier. With some regulators enforcing guidance while others do not, small businesses and entrepreneurs are falling deeper into the regulatory maze of the Federal Government. The Guidance Clarity Act is a simple, straightforward solution. It ensures the first page of guidance documents includes a plain language statement declaring that guidance is not law, nor can it be legally enforced as law. This might seem like a small fix, but this critical statement clarifies for individuals, businesses, and regulators alike that guidance is meant to be helpful. It is a suggestion that can be put in place or disregarded. It will help regulators do their jobs more efficiently and small businesses, who lack the resources to employ teams of expensive lawyers, to continue to strengthen our workforce and economy. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairwoman Maloney and Ranking Member Comer for bringing the Guidance Clarity Act to the floor. I also thank Senator Lankford for getting the bill across the finish line in the Senate. This is a commonsense solution that will help American small business owners, who are the drivers of our economy and embodiment of the American Dream, do what they do best. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of the Guidance Clarity Act.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Fatima Lady Comets on their victory in the Class 3 Softball State Championship. These young women had a stellar season, ranked number 1 with a 33-3 record. In their championship game they overcame a 10-run deficit to claim their title. The Lady Comets should be commended for all their hard work throughout the past year and for bringing home the state championship to their school and community. Please join me in recognizing the Lady Comets for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Trigg Lindahl on his victory in the Class 2 Boys Golf Championship. Trigg made history, becoming the first individual Class 2 Golf State Champion to come out of Hermann High. Trigg should be commended for all his hard work throughout the past year and for bringing home the state championship to his school and community. Please join me in recognizing Trigg Lindahl for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Blair Oaks Lady Falcons on their victory in the Class 3 Girls Volleyball State Championship. The Lady Falcons had a stellar season, with a 33-3-1 record. The Lady Falcons should be commended for all their hard work throughout the past year and for bringing home the state championship to their school and community. Please join me in recognizing The Lady Falcons for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Ft. Zumwalt South Bulldogs on their victory in the Class 3 Girls Soccer State Championship. The Bulldogs took home their second consecutive Class 3 title. The Bulldogs should be commended for all their hard work throughout the past year and for bringing home the state championship to their school and community. Please join me in recognizing the Bulldogs for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Jefferson Girls Volleyball team on their victory in the Class 2 Girls Volleyball State Championship. Jefferson Girls Volleyball made history by claiming the schools first state title in any sport. Jefferson Girls Volleyball should be commended for all their hard work throughout the past year and for bringing home the state championship to their school and community. Please join me in recognizing Jefferson Girls Volleyball for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the School of Osage Lady Indians on their victory in the Class 2 Girls Golf Championship. The Lady Indians made history, taking home the first state title in the history of School of the Osage. The Lady Indians should be commended for all their hard work throughout the past year and for bringing home the state championship to their school and community. Please join me in recognizing The Lady Indians for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the St. Dominic Crusaders on their victory in the Class 4 Girls Soccer State Championship. The Crusaders took home their second consecutive Class 4 title. The Crusaders should be commended for all their hard work throughout the past year and for bringing home the state championship to their school and community. Please join me in recognizing the Crusaders for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Fatima Lady Comets on their victory in the Class 3 Softball State Championship. These young women had a stellar season, ranked number 1 with a 33-3 record. In their championship game they overcame a 10-run deficit to claim their title. The Lady Comets should be commended for all their hard work throughout the past year and for brining home the state championship to their school and community. Please join me in recognizing the Lady Comets for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Greater St. Louis Honor Flight on their 100th flight and thank them for honoring our veterans in such a meaningful way. Organizations like the Honor Flight Network let Missouri veterans know how truly grateful we are for service and sacrifice in the name of freedom. The Honor Flight Network has been flying veterans from the Greater St. Louis Area to Washington DC since 2008, allowing those who protected our great country to see the grand memorials erected in their honor. On November 1st the Greater St. Louis Honor Flight completed its 100th flight. It is now one of only two chapters in the country to reach that milestone. Missouri's 3rd District is the proud home of thousands of veterans. While we can never thank our heroes enough for what they've done for each and every one of us, programs like the Honor Flight do a great job of reminding them how much we value their service and of our dedication to honoring them now and far into the future. Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Greater St. Louis Honor Flight on their 100th flight.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support in of S. 4900, the SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022. The Small Business Innovation Research and Small Businesses Technology Transfer, or SBIR and STTR programs, are vital to the success of many small entities and have helped create thousands of new jobs by fostering innovation and stimulating the economy through cutting-edge research. SBIR and STTR's mission is to support scientific excellence and technological innovation for small businesses. For the last 40 years, these programs have helped firms develop new technologies that have directly assisted Federal agencies meet their R&D needs. The American warfighter is no doubt stronger due to these programs. However, a recent Department of Defense report revealed foreign adversaries have been exploiting the SBIR through shell companies, planted government researchers, and state-sponsored talent programs. The report found that the People's Republic of China has become a large beneficiary of SBIR and STTR. This is unacceptable, and the status quo must not continue, Mr. Speaker. The programs must have heightened awareness and protections in place to prevent nefarious abuse. This legislation, crafted over months of negotiations, provides significant reforms to combat malign foreign influence and protect our small businesses from Chinese acquisition of innovation technologies. Specifically, this bill mandates that agencies establish strong due- diligence safeguards to assess security risks and prevent influence from bad actors. It requires companies to disclose any business ties, investments, and contracts with China, and it gives agencies authority to deny any application if certain relationships are deemed a risk to national security. In addition to safeguarding small businesses from China, this bill curbs abuse by multiple award winners, or SBIR mills. Mills are firms that consume a disproportionate number of awards but have low commercialization rates. These mills will have to meet enhanced performance standards in order to apply for new awards. These benchmarks will hold mills accountable and ensure that the programs are focusing on commercializing projects and attracting more private capital investments. Finally, S. 4900 strengthens congressional oversight, increases public transparency, and safeguards taxpayer dollars during a time where government overreach has run rampant, and transparency has been limited. These reforms are a win for small businesses and will protect U.S. R&D and innovative technologies. I thank Chairwoman Velazquez, Ranking Member Lucas, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, as well as Senators Cardin, Paul, and Ernst for working in a bipartisan manner to ensure these programs are reauthorized before the end of the month. I encourage all my colleagues to support S. 4900, which unanimously passed the Senate last week. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas), the Republican leader of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), a valuable member on the Small Business Committee and a strong advocate for entrepreneurs.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Flood), one of our newest Members who has joined our committee and is doing a fantastic job representing small businesses and is another strong advocate for the entrepreneurs of our country.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Fitzgerald), a very valuable, experienced member of our Committee on Small Business and another strong advocate for the entrepreneurs of our economy.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing. The SBIR and STTR Extension Act of 2022 will reauthorize the programs for 3 years and address congressional concerns by establishing research security measures, increasing transparency and oversight, and focusing on commercialization. I think, as you have heard the speakers this afternoon, in my mind, we have two big problems that we are solving here. Besides the extension of these programs, which I think are important to the national defense of our country, for one thing, I think it also helps spur entrepreneurial and investment technology that I think is vital to our country, and we stop the use of some of these programs as ATMs for different companies. I think we also put a stop to the Chinese abuse of these programs, as well. I think those are the two highlights that are really important in these programs. They have done a good job of putting protections in place. I think that we are strengthening these protections, as well as protecting R&D and protecting our taxpayer dollars to make sure they are being spent effectively and efficiently. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support S. 4900, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program on their 75th Anniversary of bringing Christmas joy and a message of hope to America's disadvantaged children. Established in 1947, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves has protected the hopes, dreams, and positive future of our nation's most valuable resource--our children--with the Toys for Tots Program, an official mission of the Marine Corps Reserve. Over the past 75 years the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program has delivered the magic of Christmas to over 281 million less fortunate children and distributed over 627 million toys nationwide with the support of the U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Corps Reserve and community coordinators who conduct toy collection campaigns. In Missouri, the Toys for Tots program has 20 chapters. Two of those, reside in my district: Jefferson City, MO serves Cole, Maries, Miller and Morgan Counties and Troy, MO serves Lincoln County. These two chapters have done a tremendous job of bringing their volunteers together to bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to central Missouri's less fortunate children. Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating the U.S. Marine Corps, the Marine Corps Reserve, and the Toys for Tots program for their outstanding efforts on behalf of our needy children, both here in Missouri and across the Nation for the past 75 years.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great man who served his country valiantly during World War II. Mr. James Shipley sadly passed away on July 21st at the age of 99. At only 19 years of age, Mr. Shipley made the decision to go to his local recruiting station and serve his country during a time of war. Little did Mr. Shipley know this decision would have him in one of the most respected military organizations from World War II which would pave the way for African Americans service in the armed forces. Prior to his enlistment Mr. Shipley had worked as a mechanic. With that experience he was selected to serve as a mechanic for military aircraft. He completed his basic training at the Tuskegee Institute, the exact site selected to train the primarily black squadrons that would later be known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Once his preparatory training had completed, he and the rest of his squadron boarded ships bound for overseas service. In January of 1944, Mr. Shipley was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group based in Italy. For 21 months, he and his fellow mechanics kept many aircrafts such as the P-39s, P-40s, P-47s, and P-51s in top condition. During this time the Tuskegee Pilots flew nearly twice as many missions as their fellow pilots due to the shortage of pilots in the 332nd Fighter Group. The group escorted over 200 bombing missions and during that time they logged over 15,500 sorties which destroyed over 400 enemy aircraft and ammunition sites. After the Surrender of Germany, Mr. Shipley would soon return home to Tipton, Missouri where he spent time at various jobs until he became a mechanic for a local electric cooperative until he retired in 1985. In 2007, he, alongside other Tuskegee Airmen received their replicas of the Congressional Gold Medal for their valiant efforts in defeating the Axis powers in World War II. Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring an American hero, Mr. James Shipley, for the life he lived and the thousands of lives he changed.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor a man who has dedicated his life to public service and thank him for his service. After 22 years on the Miller County Health Center Board of Trustees, Dr. Scott Griswold is retiring. For more than two decades Dr. Griswold has been instrumental in the operations of the board. Dr. Griswold had multiple roles on the board of Trustees. He provided medical oversight and standing orders for the agency, while giving continuous quality improvements for the agency and community. Most notably, in 2000, Dr. Griswold worked with the citizens of Miller County to establish sustainable funding for the Board, and he developed the agency's annual Health & Wellness Grant, where non-profits can apply for funding to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, and other initiatives to improve health and wellness in the county. My fellow Miller County residents and I have been truly blessed to have such a gifted and dedicated physician on the County's Health- Center Board. We are endlessly grateful for Dr. Griswold's service. Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing Dr. Griswold for his 22 years of service and congratulating him on a well-deserved retirement.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the St. Elizabeth Hornets baseball team for winning the Class I State title. As the father of three St. Elizabeth graduates and a graduate myself, I couldn't be prouder of this program. This is the baseball team's second state title in three seasons. These great players and coaches should be commended for their hard work throughout this past year and for bringing home the state title to their school and community. Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing the St. Elizabeth Hornets baseball team for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Russellville Indians baseball team for winning the Class II State Title. This is Russellville High School's first state title in the history of their baseball program. These players and coaches should be commended for their hard work throughout this past year and for bringing home the state title to their school and community. Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in recognizing the Russellville Indians baseball team for a job well done.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7352, the PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022. Inflation and price increases continue to hinder all Americans and especially small businesses and their workers. Prices at the pump and prices on the shelves rattle the mettle of the Nation's job creators. Month after month, small businesses face price increases that not only prevent expansion and growth but also hamper recovery. These economic conditions must improve, and we must get a firm grip on reckless spending coming out of Washington. Similarly, we must take on a stronger oversight role when it comes to investigating fraudulent COVID-19 behavior. When America's small businesses faced State and local COVID shutdown orders, Congress moved quickly and stood up the Paycheck Protection Program. To ensure small businesses and their workers received PPP relief in an efficient and speedy manner, Congress required private- sector lenders to be the drivers of the program. The result speaks volumes with nearly $800 billion disbursed to small businesses. As the Republican leader on the Committee on Small Business, I often hear about how important the program was for small businesses across our great Nation. It was the lifeline that many of them needed to be able to survive. While most lenders' fraud defenses were strong due to Federal financial rules such as Know Your Customer, fraudulent behavior did take place. Investigations are underway, but more time will be needed and required to bring justice to those who defrauded the program. Depending on the type of lender that participated in the program, the current statute of limitations ranges from 5 years for wire fraud that categorizes many fintech lenders, who have been associated with problematic loans, to 10 years for banks and credit unions that fall under bank fraud. H.R. 7352, the PPP and Bank Fraud Enforcement Harmonization Act of 2022, takes important steps to create an across-the-board 10-year statute of limitations on all loans handed out through the PPP program. This change will ensure all law enforcement and inspectors general have the time to track down all wrongdoing no matter the type of lender. H.R. 7352 was created via voice vote in committee. I thank the chair for treating this issue with the priority it deserves and for working with me on the bills before us today. This bill is a step in the right direction, and I urge my colleagues to support it. In closing, Madam Speaker, when Congress raced to save American small businesses, criminal actors lurked in the shadows. Although one of the most popular COVID-19 relief measures, the PPP program, has firmly moved into the loan forgiveness period, the investigations surrounding illicit behavior have just begun. H.R. 7352 will wisely ensure all loans handed out through the program, no matter the type of lender, have a statute of limitations window of 10 years. According to some of the most recent SBA inspector general reports, nearly $4.6 billion of the $800 billion could be potentially fraudulent. While these numbers will surely change, it is paramount that we provide law enforcement the runway to track down all fraudulent behavior. These are American taxpayer dollars on the line, and they must be protected. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LUETKEMEYER

Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7334, the COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022. Similar to the previous bill, the Paycheck Protection Program, the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, known as EIDL, was also activated as the Nation's small businesses were being shut down due to COVID-19. However, unlike PPP, EIDL was a direct loan and grant program through the SBA. Unfortunately, the SBA acting as a direct lender and grantor has been problematic and has resulted in billions of potentially fraudulent dollars flowing to criminals. In fact, the SBA's inspector general has reported that as much as $84.4 billion within the $400 billion program could be fraudulent. Moreover, over 1 million applications have been flagged for identity theft concerns. This is unacceptable and must be addressed. H.R. 7334, the COVID-19 EIDL Fraud Statute of Limitations Act of 2022 takes the first step and establishes a 10-year statute of limitations window to ensure law enforcement and the SBA's inspector general have the time to investigate all wrongdoing. This change is even more important as the SBA continues to defer all EIDL payments, thus clouding the true extent of fraud within the program. Madam Speaker, I thank the chair for working with me on this measure which passed out of committee unanimously earlier in May. If we are to take COVID relief fraud seriously, then we need to ensure law enforcement has what it needs to catch and prosecute all criminals. H.R. 7334 provides them the time to act. Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly believe this bill is instrumental when it comes to fraud recoupment. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.