Doug LaMalfa

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman greatly for this opportunity, and all who have had a role in this; Chairman Shuster as well. This is a bipartisan effort. It truly is a bipartisan effort. I thank Senator Feinstein for coming forward and being a strong voice on this as well. So it is a bipartisan, bicameral effort. These long- term negotiations didn't happen just overnight. Indeed, since it is water in California, most of this takes many years. These provisions will modernize California's water supply system in the short term and invest in new infrastructure to secure the State's economic future--a very critical one. This agreement improves water supply for all Californians. More supply helps everyone, north and south, and uses the latest science to provide more water without harming wildlife in any way. It does not harm wildlife. From a northern California perspective, this agreement achieves several major goals, including ironclad protections of northern California water rights, improving water supply reliability, and authorizes construction, finally, of Sites Reservoir, a key project that has been talked about for years that will help California's future supply needs. While this bill is a significant step in the right direction, it is not the be-all and end-all. It is not the comprehensive solution. It is a compromise. No one gets everything they want. Any honest observer will recognize that this agreement provides more water and does so without altering the Endangered Species Act or other environmental requires. It deserves your sport. Those that are opposed to it seem to be just on the fringe, far edge of the environmental movement. Let's get this done. I enjoy the fact that we have all come together, by and large, for a strong bipartisan effort.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. I thank Mr. Smith. I really appreciate his efforts in honoring Joe Pitts here tonight and all of the gentleman's efforts over the many years in sticking up for the values that really are important; so I thank the gentleman for that. Madam Speaker, indeed, it is a night to recognize our leader of the Values Action Team, Mr. Joe Pitts, and all of his dedication to these important causes for our values, which are the things that, I like to say, are going to be remembered long past all the other stuff we do-- the fiscal-related things and some other things--that nobody will remember. I like to think they will remember that we stood up for the things that were truly important to families, to the things that endure over time; so being able to join in tonight in recognizing our friend from Pennsylvania is a privilege for me as it was to be able--and it is--to work with Joe. Over the few short years I have been in the House, I have gotten to know what he is about, and I respect him greatly as a man of faith and courage in standing against the tide that is pretty unpopular these days, a lot of times, in this era of political correctness where what is up is down and what is down is up. He stood in there on some very difficult issues--on life, on basic liberties, on moral conscience, and even on religious conscience. He joined in on some issues from crazy California sometimes, where I come from, in helping to fight a battle there that would allow people to have religious freedom and freedom of conscience. Again, I think a cornerstone of the founding of this country has been lost a lot of times here, in recent reinterpretations, as to what I think true, traditional values are. He has given that voice to the unborn. He stood side by side with the Little Sisters of the Poor in their direct fight for religious liberty. He defended the conscience of Americans who should never be forced to finance something that goes against one of the very principles our Nation was founded on--life--with their religious convictions. Joe Pitts, when it comes down to protecting conservative values in our government or outside of it, there was no issue too small, too insignificant, or anything that he would shy away from. Indeed, he inspires us to be bold, to stand up for those who can't always speak for themselves or who have been beaten down by political correctness to even be able to speak for themselves. We need these conservative values. We need visions like Joe Pitts has always exhibited. To have been able to have worked beside him these years I have been here in the House, it has been a privilege, and I appreciate his work and his courage in being fearless against a tide that sometimes I can't understand. At the end of all of this, I think some of the most rewarding words and the ones that we can try and express here tonight--but that will be expressed in a bigger place--is: well done, good and faithful servant. God bless Joe Pitts. Again, we thank him for his service on the Values Action Team and for all he has stood for, and I am proud to be able to stand beside him.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, on the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, to remember, in particular, the recognition of one of the survivors we still have with us, David Edward Callahan, a great northern California veteran who put his life on the line to serve in the United States Navy at a time when the world was on fire. Less than 4 months after he reported to the U.S. naval training station in San Diego at the age of 16--he fibbed a little on his application--Mr. Callahan soon would be standing to colors aboard the USS New Orleans when the drone of the first Japanese aircraft was heard that morning at Pearl Harbor. It would only be the start of his service to us in the U.S. For 6 years, he would fight the Japanese in almost every major battle of the Pacific war as a combat swimmer, which later became known as the Navy SEALs, from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima, where he was awarded a Purple Heart. On behalf of the First District of California, we want to show our gratitude to Mr. Callahan because his service didn't end there. Later on in the Pacific nuclear proving grounds, he used his diving skills there to see how that would work in the nuclear testing that was going on at that time. He has never stopped serving. He has never been less than an inspiration for all of us. He will be taking part in Pearl Harbor ceremonies today. We are glad to have him, and we are proud to have him as an American.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, we are all very pleased to see the passage of the Defense Authorization Act today. This is how the process actually is supposed to work. The House and the Senate came together in conference to have a document that we can send to the White House. We urge the President, after previous veto threats, to pass this measure, to sign this measure so we can put these important priorities in place, such as stopping the decrease of our American troop levels--this has funding to do that; very importantly, finally, a 2.1 percent pay raise for our troops, largest in several years. Other good highlights of this include the stoppage of any funding to close down Guantanamo Bay, which helps keep us safe on American soil. We are not going to do anything to reduce the housing allowance. Instead, we will keep that in place for our soldiers and their families on base. There is much to be happy about with this. One of the things I am most happy about as a Californian is Cal Guard, the National Guard, will not be seeking to take back the bonuses. This has strong measures in it. My colleague, Representative Denham, and I sponsored a bill to do this. This has a lot of those pieces in that, in Mr. Denham's bill, to stop the required repayment of bonuses that were taken in good faith by our Guard members who served. A lot of good things about this. I urge the President to sign this.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act, a bill that offers help to millions of Americans whose needs have been pushed aside for far too long and marks the first step in helping improve our healthcare system, notably in mental health. I commend my Pennsylvania colleague, Congressman Tim Murphy, for his dedication and years of hard work on this issue. Back in my district in northern California, these failures have reached crisis levels of this system. In some areas, there are no psychiatric in-patient beds, leaving patients who are suffering to wait days, even weeks, to be seen. That could mean having to travel hundreds of miles for people who need care immediately. In other areas, there is virtually no access to psychiatric care, due to severe physician shortages. Law enforcement struggle while responding to crisis calls due to lack of training, which has, unfortunately, resulted in tragic outcomes that we see way too many times; as well as the opioid struggles, which is a big challenge for law enforcement and our prosecutors. Heroin really has had a great grip in rural areas like mine in northern California. Indeed, 1,100 overdoses in 8 years. This bill marks a significant historic, bipartisan effort to right what is wrong with our mental health system. It not only offers solutions, but it offers hope. I ask my colleagues in the Senate to please take quick action.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. William ``Bill'' Hald of Grass Valley, California, an artist and a veteran from the North State. Bill served in the United States Navy from 1967 through 1973. After graduating 2nd in his class, he served as a computer fire control missile technician aboard the USS Ramsey, a Brooke-class destroyer escort for the USS Hancock aircraft carrier in the Western Pacific. Mr. Hald was one of the six crewmembers required to use the Ramsey's Tartar Missile System--but during his first tour he was the sole technician able to use the system's analog computer, resulting in long days and nights. Throughout his tour in the Western Pacific, the USS Ramsey earned 5 Battle Stars in addition to a number of citations and campaign ribbons. After his service, Bill returned to the North State and began to sculpt, sometimes using patriotic symbols, such as the bald eagle. Bill's wife Camille placed one of his sculptures, We The People, up for the 2016 National Veterans Administration Creative Arts Competition. This annual competition focuses on the use of the creative arts to assist in rehabilitative treatment for enrolled Veterans recovering from, and coping with physical and emotional disabilities. The competition has 51 categories, including sculptures. We The People quickly gained recognition, placing first in local and regional competitions. On October 16, 2016, at the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival in Jackson, Mississippi, We The People won first place in the sculpture category. We The People portrays a bald eagle perched atop four books: the Holy Bible, on top, followed by three books labelled Legislative, Executive and Judicial to represent the first three Articles of the Constitution of the United States. The right talon of the eagle is placed on the Holy Bible, while it stands ``on the wall,'' over the Constitution in a protective stance. In total, Bill spent over a year crafting the 100 pound pure bronze sculpture in his garage. There are 5,000 accurately handcrafted feathers on the piece. I am deeply grateful to Bill for his service in the United States Navy, but also for the incredible devotion and patriotism that he has shown to his country after his service ended.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, Fidel Castro led a brutal regime of oppression that imprisoned an island nation. While he and his family live like kings, the people of Cuba are repressed, starved, and forbidden any outside information. According to credible sources and The Wall Street Journal, his regime may have killed up to 100,000 people. Thousands of political prisoners and human rights activists were brutally tortured and killed over the years. Castro was eager to see the Soviet Union and the United States engage in a nuclear war, and even Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had to remind Castro that the point of putting the missiles in Cuba was to further Communist interests, not start Armageddon. ``This is insane.'' Khrushchev said. ``Fidel wants to drag us into the grave with him.'' Under Castro, the Cuban Government refused to recognize the legitimacy of Cuban human rights organizations, alternative political parties, independent labor unions, or even a free press. He also denied international monitors, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, to access the island to investigate human rights conditions. With this vicious dictator finally dead, perhaps our close neighbor can finally be free. The people of Cuba can choose for themselves what they would like for their lives, rather than death squads and secret police imposing the will of a madman. I hope we can be supportive of a free Cuba and not further a bad regime.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands is holding a hearing soon on H.R. 5129, the Guide and Outfitter Act--we call it the GO Act--which I have sponsored to make it easier for Americans to access and enjoy their public lands. I began working on this legislation after an annual endurance run in my district, which had been held for years, was canceled after Federal agencies demanded a costly new study of the event's environmental impacts, a study the small, nonprofit group that held the event couldn't afford. That's right, Federal agencies were concerned that people running on existing trails could have negative impacts on the environment. The GO Act cuts this red tape by creating a categorical exclusion to ensure activities which have already been permitted do not need duplicative studies in order to continue. It creates a one-stop joint permitting system so races and other events that might stretch across Forest Service lands, BLM, and National Park land, et cetera, don't need to repeat the permit process over and over and over with every single agency. The bill caps fees to keep them affordable and allows existing permits to be easily extended so that public access and events can continue. I am proud to say this bill will help get more Americans outside, Mr. Speaker, for less money and with less red tape. That is a goal every Member of this body can support.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, this week this House passed two important measures dealing with the problems we have in the Middle East. One measure on extending the Iran sanctions, the ability for the President to authorize those that would have expired at the end of this year, was passed by this House in order to give this administration and the next one tools needed for the bad behavior of Iran that it continues to exhibit. We cannot trust that they will continue to adhere to the bad agreement that was made. Also an important measure was that for Syria to cause sanctions against their proclivity to bring violence upon their citizens. We need both of these measures for this President and this administration currently and, very importantly, going into the next one to be able to enforce against these bad activities that are happening in the Middle East. I urge the Senate to take up these measures. I urge this President to pass these measures, so we have these important tools to prevent this kind of violence in the Middle East using our sanction ability.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn), who not only shares the first 13 letters of our combined names, but a deep reverence and recognition of the importance of the Bible in our Christian faith. So I am glad to be able to join you and our other colleagues here in recognizing the 75th anniversary of National Bible Week. The Bible is indeed the living, unerring Word of God. The Founders recognized that, as the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson) alluded to. Indeed, our form of government is more successful when we follow a standard that is separate from ourselves, a standard that lives in a timeless space, beyond what today's fads are and what today's feelings or thoughts are. The Bible is unerring in that since it is the Word of God. So it is for us to recognize this and put those words into action. Some might say: Well, why are they talking about the Bible on the House floor? Why are they talking about religion and mixing that in with government? Well, the Founders provided not freedom from religion, but freedom to express our religions, no matter what type it is in this country. Still, this one is based largely on Christianity and the Judeo- Christian values we have, but there is the freedom to express other ones as well. In these times, there are those who would try to oppress those with false gods, worship of nature, worship of things, and subdue our abilities to worship as we please. In these times, these oppressions seem to be more and more apparent all the time. Still, we soldier on and we ask God's guidance and pray for the light to be shown to others on what this is. This is not a judgmental thing. We don't judge others. God is the judge. We live by a code that is in the Bible or we try to. One important verse, Romans 3:23, says: ``For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.'' That is why we have to seek Him; we all fall short. It is not judging of one versus the other because they are all in the same lot. So there are many places you can point to in the Bible that has much wisdom. I recommend you read the whole thing. I, at this point, am reading it front to back. I have never really done that before, read it all the way through. I am in Acts right now. In life, when you go to Bible school, Sunday school, or through church, you maybe tend to hop and skip around. But reading the Bible front to back, it really becomes fascinating. Every word in there is in there for a purpose. Even when you are reading through a whole list of names you may have never heard of or hear of again--so-and-so begot so-and-so and lived 120 years and then he died and things like that--it may not be apparent in the beginning, but there is an important reason why those words are in there. They are in there to chronicle time, to chronicle who was important in those early days all the way through to the prophesy you find in Revelation, which is very, very important to understand what our future may hold. So some of the things I like to live by: you can find so much in Proverbs, which indeed much of it could be seen as perhaps a book of best practices, tools to use in life. Much of Proverbs is the document laid down by King Solomon to his son, Rehoboam--the best practices in speaking to his son. A portion that I like especially and is a part of what I like to use as a model for conduct in this difficult role we find ourselves in as elected officials in a town full of temptation, full of possible bad choices that we have seen others who have fallen to these bad choices is in Proverbs 4:18-27. It says: ``The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the work of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart for they are like life to those who find them and health to one's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the left or the right; keep your feet from evil,'' which indeed in this business keeping on that right path, do not be drawn into temptation, do not go to the left or the right where evil might be. Best practices are in Proverbs. Indeed it is one of my favorites, but there is so much to be gleaned from reading all the way through the Bible and going back and understanding what that means. This is why small-group Bible study is important. Our church leaders who are imbued with this knowledge, you can learn from that and apply that to your life and be successful in your life not only here, but in the very important hereafter. Our Founders were inspired by that. When you take the perfect unerring effect of the Bible and apply that to maybe what is the closest as possible to perfect of something created by man: our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, what came from the Declaration of Independence. They were inspired by Biblical truths. That is why, in this unjudgmental way that we try to live, they are almost perfect documents because they are divinely inspired by the Bible. So as we celebrate the special anniversary this week, know that my colleagues here are indeed well-meaning in sharing this. From Genesis to Revelation, you will find the truth in there, which is a very profoundly powerful message. I thank the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) for the time and for having this Special Order tonight on this very important and profound week of recognition for our Bible.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Grass Valley Surgery Center located in Nevada County in northern California for being recognized as the California Ambulatory Surgery Association's ACS of the year. This award, which acknowledges the excellent strides that have been made in the areas of engagement, advocacy, quality, education, and community involvement, serves as a testament to the hard work and dedication displayed by the administration, surgeons, physicians, and staff on hand at the Grass Valley Surgery Center. I visited several times the location and had an opportunity to tour the surgery center and learn more about the high-quality, cost- effective services they provide, including procedures in general surgery, gynecology, orthopedic, pain management, podiatry, and urology. I am very grateful for their presence, as are our constituents in northern California and Grass Valley. This serves as a model of how to make health care more efficient and reach more people in the United States. Congratulations to them on this recognition.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, as the House reconvenes and gets back to business, we are reminded that public safety is a 24-hour business. I rise tonight, sadly, in memoriam of Deputy Jack Hopkins of Modoc County in northeastern California. He was killed in the line of duty while responding to an early morning call. When I heard of this tragic killing, I was stunned for many reasons, part of which, Modoc County is a very quiet, rural place, about as far as you can go in California and still be in California. It just doesn't seem like the place to keep adding to the story of our officers being killed in the line of duty all over this country. Deputy Hopkins began working with the Sheriff's Office in 2015, and previously had worked for the Alturas Police Department in Modoc County. He was born in Livermore, California, named after his grandfather, who was the first mayor of Rolling Hills Estates. He grew up in Montague, which is in neighboring Siskiyou County, with his five siblings: Samuel, Christina, Amanda, Josh, and David Cooksey. Also, he is survived by his parents, Lance and Carol; his grandmother, Twila; his wife, Janet; and three children. He attended Butte College, my alma mater, in their Law Enforcement Academy, along with his brother Sam. Hopkins also earned a black belt in karate and won a world championship title in 2011. He is honored by hundreds of law enforcement and emergency personnel, local residents, and many, many others who recognized his sacrifice in a procession from Alturas to Reading, and then another one from Reading up to his final resting place in the Yreka area in Siskiyou County. What this points out is that our sheriffs and our officers in rural areas often patrol hundreds of miles alone, with the closest backup, at times, maybe even being hours away. Indeed, a lot of times they are working alone. In memory of Deputy Jack Hopkins, we need to do much better as a country in supporting them and stop this rhetoric that is against our officers. God bless him. God bless his fine family.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a constituent of mine who was recently awarded one of the highest honors in his industry. Tom Bertolino, vice president of NorCal Kenworth, a multistore commercial truck dealer in Anderson, California which is located in my Congressional district, was named the 2016 Truck Dealer of the Year by the American Truck Dealers (ATD), Heavy Duty Trucking magazine and Procede Software. Mr. Bertolino received this highest honor out of a select group of commercial truck dealers from around the country during the 53rd annual ATD Convention & Expo in Las Vegas in April. All of the nominees were selected by state, metro and national truck dealer association leaders. A panel of professors from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business analyzed the nominees' dealership performances, industry leadership and civic contributions and made their final selection. Mr. Bertolino entered the dealer industry seventeen years ago when he left Kenworth Truck Company to pursue a dream to own a Kenworth dealership in Northern California. Tom and his business partner Mr. Harry Mamizuka have grown NorCal Kenworth into four locations-- Anderson, San Leandro, Morgan Hill and Sacramento. As the largest Kenworth dealer organization in Northern California, NorCal Kenworth employs nearly 200 people and carries an extensive inventory of new and used trucks that feature the latest engineering and technological advancements. NorCal PacLease includes full-service lease, finance lease, contract maintenance, and short and long term truck rentals. In his capacity as the 2016 Truck Dealer of the Year, Mr. Bertolino will serve as an Honorary Member of the ATD Board of Line Representatives and will serve as a national spokesman on industry issues impacting commercial truck dealers. On behalf of all of my colleagues in the California Congressional delegation, please allow me to congratulate Tom Bertolino from NorCal Kenworth on this distinguished award as the 2016 Truck Dealer of the Year. This award demonstrates that Tom and his team are a proven example of the best in the truck retail industry and are providing exceptional service to my constituents.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an extraordinary milestone of a Sacramento Valley native and Chico resident, Keith Rominger Larrabee, as he celebrates his 50th birthday on September 30, 2016. Keith currently serves on the California Pecan Growers Association board. He runs a thriving agricultural operation, and has served on various agricultural boards over the years, including as President of the Prune Bargaining Association, a member of the California Dried Plum Board, President of the Butte Creek Cajun Company, served on the Board of Levee District Three, been a member of the Butte City Volunteer Fire Department, and as a member of the Rotary Club of Chico. Keith is also owner and partner of Larrabee Farms in Butte City, where he works alongside two of his brothers growing rice, pecans, walnuts and various row crops. Farming has been a part of Keith's entire life, being born in Chico and raised on a family farm his great- grandfather originally started in 1918. When asked why he was a farmer, Keith stated, ``Growing up on a farm brought great joy and pleasure. While I thought about other professions, I always envisioned myself being a farmer.'' Keith has been a leader in the development, research and promotion of the California dried plum and pecan industries. He's provided research opportunities, been a featured speaker at conferences, and promoted the benefits of dried plums and pecans to others. He's also a strong believer in the agricultural economy and started and has been a part of many agricultural based companies. Keith strongly believes in the benefits of small business in America. A fourth generation Californian, Keith and his wife, Kim, are the proud parents of their two children--Olivia and Ryan. When he's not working, Keith enjoys spending time with his family and traveling California and the world. As a proud father and husband, his family is a strong pillar of his life and he's loved very much by his family. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Keith on his special day, September 30, 2016, by wishing him a Happy 50th Birthday. May he continue to live a long and blessed life.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, this week the House took action to provide relief to hundreds of thousands of Americans who lost their insurance due to yet another flawed piece of the President's healthcare law. Despite spending over $2 billion in startup taxpayer money, 17 of ObamaCare's 23 CO-OPs have collapsed, leaving half a million individuals without coverage. This is a double blow for many Americans who were already forced to purchase insurance through these CO-OPs after losing their own plans and now are left with two options: either quickly find adequate coverage and face paying their deductible twice, or pay a steep penalty at the end of the year--all due to the law's own failure. Meanwhile, these CO-OPs, sold as a public option feature in ObamaCare, showed warning signs of insolvency since their inception, plagued with flawed business models and inept management. The bill we passed, H.R. 954, simply shields individuals who lost their insurance as a result of one of these failed CO-OPs from being penalized under the individual mandate through the end of the year. On top of higher premiums, rising costs, and difficulty accessing care, Americans should not be penalized for the outright failure of a program that is preventing compliance.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I am holding here in my hand a wristband that was given to me over this weekend. It says: ``22 every day.'' Unfortunately, shamefully, this is in reference to the number of veterans that commit suicide in this country every day. There are many reasons, but one of the reasons it should not be is that, A, they could not get through on a telephone call to somebody at the VA; or that they had given up hope that they were going to have their needs met after the promise that was made to them wasn't kept because they could not get what they needed for their health care and for other benefits that were promised them as being members of our military. So my hat is off to AMVETS and many other folks, including people out there on social media, that are dedicated to doing 22 push-ups a day to get awareness up amongst their friends for the loss of approximately 22 veterans per day on suicide. We have to get our act together here and pass legislation to make sure they at least will get their phone calls answered, especially at a time of crisis like that, when they are contemplating perhaps a suicide. Mr. Speaker, this needs to be done soon and with the dedication that they have given to us.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, the Obama administration is advancing something under the Council on Environmental Quality known as a ``guidance on the social cost of carbon.'' This would be undertaken while doing environmental impact studies. At the same time the administration claims that it is trying to advance more oil and gas by using those reserves to further help the energy economy in this country, it is also advancing this, but it claims it has not yet been adopted. Yet, some Federal agencies are already using it in order to block the development of this and of other important infrastructure. This will be yet another tool to stop either needed energy policy or other infrastructure projects that need to be done around this country. We cannot afford to have these regulators coming out using a policy that has not been passed by the Congress but, indeed, is something that has been adopted by the administration on its own in order to block projects that are especially needed in rural areas for our energy economy in this country, for nonreliance on foreign energy, and for the jobs that are so desperately needed. This is a wrong-headed approach to adopt policy without the word of Congress--the people's Representatives--on this issue.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise with sadness tonight. In northern California, Beale Air Force Base conducts very important reconnaissance operations. This morning, we lost one of our U-2 aircraft as part of the mission process. Two flight members were part of that aircraft. Both were able to eject. One has passed away, and one is suffering from injuries. I am asking tonight that those who are watching and have heard about this pray for their families, pray for the healing of that one flight member still alive, and pray for their colleagues. Beale conducts very important reconnaissance missions in defense of our country. We are very grateful to all of them. Our hearts go out to the families of those two flight members.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, Iran is the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, but that didn't stop the Obama administration from providing $1.7 billion in cash, we finally found out, to the Iranian Government. This money, along with the $150 billion already in sanctions relief that Iran previously received, will likely be used to finance acts of terrorism directed at our interests and our allies. Many Americans at home are probably wondering why their government provided such a large cash payment to a country that sponsors terrorism, especially in the dark of night on a big pallet. The Obama administration says these payments were connected to an Iranian purchase of American airplane parts back in the 1970s. Of all the disastrous foreign policy blunders this administration has made, this is the hardest one to understand. Paying $1.7 billion in cash to one of our adversaries is outrageous, and the fact that these payments were used as leverage in order to secure American hostages raises serious questions about the administration and the State Department's judgment. Iran refuses to act like a responsible nation that respects international norms and rules. Our government should treat them accordingly. That is why I am proud to sponsor Chairman Ed Royce's bill, H.R. 5931, which will prohibit all cash payments to Iran.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 5587, which reauthorizes the Perkins Career and Technical Education program through the year 2022. Career and technical education programs help provide the vocational training needed to ensure our students have the technical skills to engage the world with the technology of today and tomorrow. This reauthorization does more than provide funding for the next 5 years. It also gives structural changes to decrease the burden on local districts and increase engagement with local businesses and higher education partners. More importantly, H.R. 5587 puts up additional barriers between politicians and students, preventing Sacramento and Washington from interfering with our educators. Mr. Speaker, not every student is bound for college, but every student should leave high school with the knowledge and skills necessary to join today's workforce and have all the options available to them.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, yesterday being the 15th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, I just wanted to commend the people of northern California, of my district, for the efforts they made to remember that and to also say thank you to our firefighters all up and down the district. The city of Chico had much positive participation as well, starting in the morning with the Optimist Club of Oroville and Chico saying, Let's take the firefighters to breakfast. They did so. There was a lot of great participation on that. It was one way to start the day--by saying thank you again to our first responders. The city of Chico, along with their fire department, led by Chief Bill Hack, was able to have a very, very moving and well-done 9/11 commemoration starting at the Elks Club because the fire station was no longer large enough to house all the people that were participating, which is a good thing. They used great solemnity to honor the firefighters that were lost 15 years ago as well as remembering that those first responders need to be respected and properly taken care of. We commend, again, the city of Chico and the fire department for making the community part of this, culminating in the bell-ringing at the 9/11 Memorial they have onsite at Station 5. And there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the brand new building they have with a 9/11 memorial inside as well. God bless our first responders and our firefighters. Good job, city of Chico, for making the 15th anniversary of 9/11 a good public event.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Shasta Livestock Auction, located in Cottonwood, California, which was opened in 1966 by Ellington Peek and his wife, Betty, and family. Ellington is well known in California agriculture. He was named Tehama County's first Cattleman of the Year, California Livestock Man of the Year, and an inductee into the Cowboy Hall of Fame. In May, the Shasta Historical Society presented a program commemorating the auction yard, and while it tells a lot about the business, it also focuses on the person Ellington is that has made him so successful--an honest, hardworking man who represents the epitome of the American story. Around the time Ellington Peek began buying and selling cattle at his yard, the industry started experiencing a lot of ups and downs in the market, forcing many ranchers out of the business. Refusing to give up, he took his business on the road, busing prospective buyers and sellers to different ranches and showing available cattle up on a slide show for purchase. Later, this innovative model that was such a success ultimately led him to the business of video auction, starting the Western Video Market, with one of the first auctions selling over 25,000 head of cattle. This innovation and vision not only gave California and Western cattlemen access to a national marketplace, but entirely changed the market. Today, it is a very viable and strong and thriving enterprise, the Shasta Livestock Auction, with the video market. So I just want to say thank you to the Peeks; and also remembering their son they lost a few years ago, Andy, and what that means to that family operation and what it means, this anniversary of the 50th, to all of us in northern California.

Mr. LaMALFA

Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate a man who, I think, is bigger than life. He is a longtime resident of Red Bluff, California. He is a cattleman. His name is Robert Kerstiens, Sr. He just passed recently here at the age of 92. Mr. Kerstiens was a World War II veteran and was also a ranger with CAL FIRE in California. He was a well-respected and revered figure in the community, known for his selfless service, caring personality, and strong leadership. Straight out of high school, Bob joined the Army and was immediately sent off to training. When recalling his time in serving the country, we learned he was involved in the Battle of the Bulge and in the Battle of Remagen, which earned him a Bronze Star as well as a Presidential Unit Citation for his group. These are places I have read about in history and that movies have been made about. Bob Kerstiens has lived that, and he was an integral part of helping win those battles--very important ones for us in winning the war in Europe. Following his return from the war, Kerstiens continued his path of service in a new role--as a firefighter foreman for CAL FIRE, where he worked his way up the ranks to the department's ranger in charge, after which he was appointed to the State Board of Forestry. His service and contributions to our community and State left a lasting impact that shaped many of the policies that keep our forests safe and healthy. In the community, his involvement never went unnoticed. An eight-time board president on the Tehama District Fair Board, a shareholder in the Red Bluff Round-Up Association, and a beloved judge of the Wild Horse Race Rodeo, his involvement never went unnoticed. He was a true cattleman, a true gentleman, a great man from Tehama County in northern California. He will be missed.