John Mica

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, this will be my final official submission as I complete my service in the U.S. House of Representatives. It has truly been an honor to represent the people of Florida's 7th Congressional District and to serve the nation in six Congressional leadership positions, including being the first Florida Congressman to Chair the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As you and our colleagues can attest, serving in Congress requires the assistance and work of many. Today, as I reflect upon my years of service, the challenges we have faced and overcome as a nation and our work to make the federal government more responsive and efficient, I believe it is important to recognize the staff who have worked with me and dedicated outstanding service to our 7th Congressional District and our nation. They are: Tim Anderson, Agustina Andisco Pardal, Keith Appel, James Bailey, Zane Beard, Aaron Bivens, Collier Black, John Booker, Sue Bower, Patrick Bowl, Casey Brinck, Beth Ann Bryant, Elizabeth Buckles Deck, Gary Burns, Alan Byrd, Jean Carrero, John Ciccone, Jessie Cleveland, Mike Cosio, Barry Cotton, Marshall Critchfield, Stephanie D'Angelo, Greg Davis, John Day, Wiley Deck, Brian Dempsey, Laurel Edmondson, Ted Edwards, Jan Farnsworth, Andrew Florell, Joe Freeman, Josh Gaboton, Ashley Galloway, Allison Galovic, Andrew Giacini, Alan Gilbert, Stephen Goldie, Andrew Green, Matt Grimison, Dick Harkey, Susan Hast, Lou Hayden, Cheyne Hicks, Julie Hogan, Jared Houghton, Kellie Huckeba, John Hudiberg, Krystal Hudson, Dan Hughes, V, Thane Hutcheson, Eric Jontz, Ashley Jordan, Randall Judt, Patrick Kelly, Cheryl Kimball, Mary Klappa, Barbara Koch, Thomas Larsen, Alexandra Lovelace, Sally Lum, Lawrence Lyman, Gerry Lynam, Laura Mathews, Michael Matousek, Tara McBride, Sean McMaster, Katie McMichael, Alicia Melvin, Janet Mines, Dan Moll, Kiernan Moylan, Chelsey Neuhaus, Brian North, Sharon Pinkerton, Marshall Polston, Kristen Pugh, Gail Reese, Paul Reynolds, Joel Rivera, Rusty Roberts, James Rockas, Debby Roeder, Jason Scism, Talia Shabat, Kathleen Smoak, Caragh Stichter, Kevan Stone, Charlene Swartz, Tanice Tait, Chrissy Tellalian, Evonne Torres, Joseph Trovato, Patrick Tuohey, Toni Tury, Brian Waldrip, Lisa Wandler, Robert Wehagen, Nicholas West, Gregory Williams, Michael Willis, Leslie Windram O'Shaughnessy, Jillian Wist and Sally Zarnowiec. I thank them for their public service and for the opportunity and privilege to work with each of them. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing these committed Congressional staff members who have helped me, the House of Representatives and our nation. I am deeply appreciative of their work and hope that God continues to bless each of them and the United States of America.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise today to recognize and honor Ms. Noranne Downs, P.E. as she marks 25 years of service with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). After eleven years of public works experience with the City of Daytona Beach and in the private sector, Ms. Downs was hired by FDOT in September of 1991 as a project manager. Her talent and ability were recognized, and in October of 2006, Ms. Downs was named District Five Secretary. Soon after her joining FDOT 25 years ago, I was honored to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Florida's Seventh Congressional District and assigned, at my request, to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. While we worked together prior to this, our shared focus of maintaining Central Florida's infrastructure and preparing our region for the future cemented our bond and our friendship. For over two decades, Noranne and I worked on the many transportation projects important to our community. Together we helped bring our region into the 21st Century and laid a solid foundation for Central Florida's infrastructure to thrive in the future. In addition to working to meet the Transportation requirements of one of America's fastest growing regions, I am extremely proud of our work together on projects such as SunRail which brought fixed commuter rail service to the region, the I-4 Ultimate and Beyond the Ultimate projects which will increase capacity and reimagine the main interstate roadway serving our area and updating our roadways and traffic management systems with the latest technologies to most effectively and efficiently manage traffic flows. Noranne played an integral role in these projects and so many more. It is with much appreciation and admiration that I recognize my friend and a great public servant, Noranne Downs at this milestone in her career. It is also with regret that Noranne will be retiring from her position at FDOT in January 2017. Her pivotal work has truly left an indelible mark on Central Florida and our State. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Noranne Downs for her 25 years of service to our community and at FDOT, and in wishing her the best as she turns the page of her remarkable career.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, today I am asking my colleagues for support of this noncontroversial amendment. This amendment would facilitate simply a land transfer from the Army Corps of Engineers to the Department of the Interior to hold in trust for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The language is supported by the Corps, the State of Oklahoma, and by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. It was included in the Senate-passed WRDA bill, which passed overwhelmingly in bipartisan fashion. It received a zero budget impact from CBO. The Muskogee (Creek) Nation will be paying fair market value to the Corps for land. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk that I offer as the designee of the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin).

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I think it will save money and actually benefit projects that start with non-Federal dollars and can be a great advantage to some of those ports and other waterways that are at a disadvantage because of the distance of the project. So I ask support for this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This is a simple amendment. It does make an adjustment to the benefit-cost ratio for any navigation project carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers with non-Federal funds. This gives the Secretary, after the completion of any portion of the authorized projects, the ability to adjust the authorized project's benefit-cost ratio. Unfortunately, we have some projects with elongated channel configurations, where the terminals are located at the end of the line, and they are significantly disadvantaged when competing for Federal funding because the cost of these projects has escalated, lowering the benefit-cost ratio to below the threshold required by OMB for budgetary purposes. This amendment would provide discretionary authority to the Secretary to revise the benefit-cost ratio after completion of portions of the projects with non-Federal funds. Remaining portions of the project could be eligible to compete for Federal funding based on a revised benefit-cost ratio. This amendment does not guarantee any Federal funding to any project, but is simply a path forward to enable projects to be in a position to fairly compete for Federal funding. The authority could be applicable to any authorized navigation project which is placed at a competitive disadvantage due to the configurations, again, of the shipping channel. The amendment builds upon the reforms that we were able to put in the WRRDA bill of 2014, which streamlines some of the Corps' processes. It also provides flexibility to adapt to local initiatives and maximizes the ability of non-Federal interests to more fully participate in project development and ultimately reduce Federal costs. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay recognition to a great community leader who has helped the Seminole County business community through her volunteer service and her role at the Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce: Mrs. Debbie Cotton. Debbie is leaving the Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce as the Vice President and Chief Operating Officer after more than two decades as an employee and volunteer at the chamber. Her work over the years has helped Seminole County become one of Florida's best places for business with multiple major companies relocating to the county and thousands of businesses prospering in Seminole County. Debbie Cotton started as a volunteer with the Chamber in 1995 and then joined the Chamber in 1998 as the receptionist. Over the years, she served in a wide variety of roles, serving as the communications and events director, business development director, interim president, chief operating officer and vice president. In addition, she served as a board member on the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools, participated in Leadership Seminole Class 2002 and was named Ambassador of the Year by the Chamber in 1996. She was named the COO of the Year by the Orlando Business Journal in 2014. Over the years, Debbie Cotton has worked with thousands of businesses. She has helped them grow and prosper and thrive in Seminole County. Our business community is better because of Debbie Cotton. Debbie Cotton will be leaving Seminole County on October 7 to become the President of the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce. I know that I am joined by my colleagues from Central Florida in thanking her for her service and wishing her well in the future. Mr. Speaker, once again I congratulate Debbie Cotton on her many accomplishments in Seminole County and all of Central Florida.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. I yield to the gentleman from California.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding and appreciate his tireless leadership in leading this appropriation subcommittee's work and ensuring our Nation's lands and parks are funded and protected. I rise today, Mr. Chairman, under concern for a true national treasure that is in St. Augustine, Florida. It is the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. In fact, actually 14 years ago, work began on a project to create a visitors center at the Castillo, which doesn't really have any facilities for more than 1.4 million visitors each year to that location. In fact, in Florida, it is the second highest visited National Park location, second only to the Everglades National Park. They have been struggling over the years to keep pace and make the visit meaningful and educational for those who visit. We also know that at Fort Sumter and also at Fort McHenry, which actually fewer numbers of visitors, we have new visitors centers; but we don't have one in this location. Since the passage of this law some 12 years ago, the Department of the Interior and National Park Service have completed extensive and necessary studies. I think we have probably spent $1 million. I brought one of the drafts and some of the other reports. I am hopeful, through the Centennial Challenge Project or other National Park Service programs, that our many years of hard work to renovate the Castillo and also provide a visitors center can come to fruition through the project lead the gentleman has taken with the centennial fund. So that is the reason I rise. I ask your support as we move forward on this project.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I believe it is time and I think it is time for the Congress and the House of Representatives to not look at diversionary issues, but to look at how the Federal Government has failed us. The Federal Government failed us in Orlando, it failed us in San Bernardino, it failed us in Boston. The United States is under attack by extremist organizations, radicals. They have used a pressure cooker in Boston. They used pipe bombs and mechanisms they bought from plumbing stores in San Bernardino. They used weaponry that they acquired when the Federal Government failed in Orlando. It is time that we get our watch list corrected so that we don't put people on, take them off, don't know who is on the list, who is off the list. It is time that the Federal agencies for law enforcement and protecting us connect the dots and not miss the opportunities to stop the Orlandos, the San Bernardinos and the Bostons.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. T. Wayne Bailey of Stetson University who will be retiring this year. After more than half-a-century of faculty tenure and teaching thousands of students who pursued careers in public service, he announced his retirement at the end of this semester. Few individuals in Florida history have had a more significant impact on political policy or in advancing the careers of those dedicated to public service. In 1963, he founded Stetson University's Department of Political Science and was a cofounder of the Stetson University Model Student Senate, which has hosted thousands of students for both memorable and valuable learning experiences. Generations of Stetson students studied civics, political science and public policy under his tutelage. His positive influence has advanced the careers of federal leaders, including Members of Congress, many federal and state office holders and public servants in Florida and throughout our Nation. Dr. Bailey has also been an active leader in the local, State and National Democratic Party. He has been the State of Florida Democratic Party Chair, National Committeeman and a delegate to numerous Democratic National Conventions. He has been a leader and active in the American Lung Association, Tiger Bay, Florida Hospital DeLand Foundation and numerous other local, community and state organizations. The Discovery Channel presented Dr. Bailey with their Discovery Health Channel Medical Honors award. It was my pleasure to first meet with Dr. Bailey and Dr. Bud Fleuchaus as they led the Volusia County Charter Review Commission. His knowledge and insight helped develop and enact that County's first Charter and local government Constitution. Mr. Speaker, today I ask you and our colleagues to join me in recognizing a great Floridian and a dedicated American, my friend, Dr. T. Wayne Bailey. His life and work significantly impacted thousands. I congratulate him on the occasion of his retirement and for his years of dedication and service to Stetson University of DeLand, Florida.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate an organization from Florida's 7th Congressional District, located in Altamonte Springs. This July, The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) celebrates its 75th anniversary. As many of my colleagues know, internal auditors play a vital role in maintaining public trust in our institutions. Whether it is protecting shareholder value at large publicly traded companies or ensuring appropriate use of taxpayer dollars in federal, state or local government, the internal auditor is ever-vigilant in ensuring that our institutions operate effectively. For 75 years, The IIA has helped inspire and educate generations of internal auditors who play a crucial role in our nation's success. The IIA was founded in 1941 in New York City by a core group of 24 internal auditors with the intention of bringing the practice of internal auditing to the forefront of American business. These initial members of The IIA created many of the core principles and best practices we see in internal audit functions across the United States and world today. While the organization began with only two dozen members, it now includes more than 185,000 worldwide, with 63,000 in the United States. In effective risk management and control, there are three lines of defense for shareholders and taxpayers who want to see our institutions play by the rules. The first line of defense is management. The second line of defense is compliance and oversight functions established by management. The final line of defense is independent assurance of compliance and control through an internal audit. The IIA is the internal audit profession's global voice, recognized authority, acknowledged leader, chief advocate and principle educator. The IIA is a trusted resource, providing key standards, guidance and certifications for the internal audit profession. Further, The IIA's certification programs ensure that internal auditors are recognized as employing the highest standards to protect shareholder value and to ensure proper compliance and risk management procedures are followed. The IIA and its members are truly the leaders of the internal audit profession and are consistently recognized internationally as an organization setting industry standards. I have personally had the opportunity to meet with and discuss today's challenges with The IIA over the years. I am proud of the work its members do and how their organization is run. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding The IIA and its more than 63,000 members in the United States for their hard work over the past 75 years, all they have accomplished, and all they will accomplish in the future.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a wonderful friend and an accomplished leader in American Theater, Mr. Miles Wilkin. Mr. Wilkin was recently recognized with a National Special Tony Award for his innovation in bringing Broadway to communities across America. A six-time Tony Winner, Miles Wilkin is the COO and Executive Vice President of Key Brand Entertainment and responsible for the vision and development of ``Broadway Across America's'' significant touring network, which has expanded significantly over the years. Based on the simple principle that everyone cannot get to New York's Broadway, those productions have been taken to cities across the United States, providing millions with great Broadway theater in their communities. Wilkin was one of the founders of North America Touring Theater, which initially brought these shows to people in every corner of our country. He was a past executive with Clear Channel Entertainment, PACE Entertainment and PACE Theatrical. Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League said, ``Miles paved the road for the modem theater touring system.'' At the June 12th American Theatre Wing's 70th Annual Tony Awards in New York City, Miles Wilkin received a Special Tony Award for distinguished achievement and for his substantial work in promoting American Theatre and Broadway productions. It has been my great honor to know Miles Wilkin for nearly fifty years. He was a fellow student, friend and leader of Tau Kappa Epsilon at the University of Florida campus, where he launched his theater production career. Later on in Orlando, Florida, Miles successfully managed theater productions at the Bob Carr Auditorium in the community where we both resided. It has been wonderful to watch Miles advance his career over the years and bring America's finest Broadway production to all of our doorsteps. It is fitting that my friend and promoter of the arts is the recipient of such a special and prestigious award and recognition. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Miles Wilkin on his accomplishments and contributions to American culture and theatre.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, due to a weather-related flight delay, I was unavoidably detained and unable to be present to cast my vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes 334, 335 and 336.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. People look at you like you are dumb. Would you consider giving your property--any of the Members--to the Federal Government to manage? No way, Jose; they would not do it. So this bill has people who really know how to deal and manage real estate look at the properties. We don't even have an inventory of these properties, as some of this gets beyond the pale. But we will get an inventory, we will get a recommendation, and then hopefully do something, make agencies do something. Bureaucrats will do nothing with those properties. They don't think. Their brains are not wired to think. They do nothing smart. They are getting their paycheck. They don't think. So this is the beginning of getting out of the dumb ages into the smart ages, taking those hard-earned public assets, the poor person out there who is dogging it, trying to put food on the table, gas in the car, kids in school, and the government is sitting on huge Federal assets doing nothing. Thank you for coming forward with this bill. Let's get it done. Let's get it passed.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I have to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta), for taking this measure this far. I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson) also. I have to also thank Mr. Denham and others for bringing this legislation forward. My involvement as a member and former chair of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure was that we had the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, which the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) chairs and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Carson) is the ranking member. They have taken this proposal that we thought about for sometime, and we heard Mr. Duncan's work for years and brought it forward to a great piece of legislation that can save billions of dollars for the taxpayers. The Federal Government and the American people are, by far, the largest landowners of anyone anywhere. The American people own more Federal property than anyone. There are some problems, though, and we identified those. When we were in the minority several years back, we had more time to do studies and reports. Mr. Speaker, we produced a report that was called ``Sitting on Our Assets: The Federal Government's Misuse of Taxpayer-Owned Assets.'' What we did is we went through some of the public buildings and properties that are sitting idle. One highlighted in the report--you can look the report up--is the old post office two blocks from the White House sitting there idle, 400,000 square feet. Half of it is empty. Behind it there is a newer annex. The old building was built in the 1890s. It was half empty, costing the taxpayers $6 million to $8 million a year in losses, to underwrite the losses. It took us two hearings. The first hearing we held was in the empty annex, empty for 15 years. We brought the committee down there. The staff said: Should we do it in the heated part half empty or should we do it in the cold part? It was 32 degrees outside, 38 degrees inside. We did the hearing in the cold part. We made the bureaucrats shiver. For a year they still didn't do anything. We got it put up for tender. Guess who won against the competition of the best hotels. Ritz Carlton, Marriott, and all of the other majors, Hilton, they all competed openly. Mr. Trump and his organization won. He is turning that asset that has been sitting idle, costing taxpayers from $6 million to $8 million a year in losses, into about a quarter of a million dollars revenue, plus a percentage of some of the profits. Now, that is what you do in turning government properties around. That is one example. You could go throughout the District. Behind the Ritz Carlton in Georgetown there is a property, a power station. We did a hearing in the empty building there. We got it up for sale. Actually, the ``for sale'' sign went up the day before the hearing. It sold for $19 million. It was costing us $1 million a year to maintain empty. One of the greatest victories is going to occur on June 3. Since 2008, the Federal courthouse, which is a beautiful, historic building in downtown Miami, empty, costing more than $1.5 million to keep empty, deteriorating. We held a hearing there in the empty courthouse several years back. Nothing happened. Then I heard from the president of Miami Dade Community College, my alma mater, across the street. He said: I have written GSA, and we can't get them to do anything. Well, on June 3, we will transfer that vacant property sitting idle since 2008 to Miami Dade Community College, stemming losses. These are just a few examples. Up in Mr. Hoyer's district, we have got thousands of acres between the two major thoroughfares vacant at the Department of Agriculture. At Cape Kennedy, we have been private there for 5 years. We took the committee down, and we did a hearing there, 177,000 acres, five times the size of Manhattan. There are another 16,000 acres adjacent with the Air Force, sitting there with 400 buildings, half of them empty. All I need is 400 acres from the Air Force to do a cargo container port, and you could employ 5,000 people. That is what the port director testified. So we have assets across this Nation sitting idle because no bureaucrat has the beanie up here to make that into a producing asset. We haven't even gotten into VA. This doesn't include the Postal Service or DOD. We have thousands of properties, buildings sitting idle. This bill starts the process. If you owned property, would you give it to the Federal Government to manage? I always ask groups that. People look at me like I have been smoking marijuana.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. I appreciate that. Mr. Chair, I think if there are differences in language, we have tried to work with the parliamentarian and the committee, and I know you all are busy in trying to get a very important piece of legislation out, but this small amendment can make a big difference. Again, this is in Rust Belt States, even in growing States like Florida, and there is no more cost to the Federal taxpayer in the operation. In fact, we will save money in the operation because the States take these over. And if the States take them over, it is one less burden on the VA. We have seen how difficult it is sometimes to get services from the VA, to have these facilities come on line. To the nursing home folks, listen to this. This is to nursing homes: we have a tremendously expanding, aging veterans' population, and we can't keep up with it all, and the Federal Government sometimes does it the least efficiently. This allows us to take those empty or half empty or partially used facilities and get them to the States, to sometimes consolidate the operations and save money on administration, operation, and expedite and get that service to our veterans as soon as possible. I urge the Members' support of this small amendment. I will be glad to work with the chairman, with the ranking member, and with others and craft this in any way that they feel comfortable, but the objective is very important at this stage. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chair, this is a simple amendment. I get to chair a subcommittee called Transportation and Public Assets. We get to oversee, in the public assets portion, all of the various properties around the United States that are public assets that are sitting idle. For example, in some States we have many VA properties that are medical--some hospitals, some nursing homes--that are sitting idle. Some of them are vacant, and some of them are closed. In order to put them into productive use for our veterans, I have tried to craft an amendment that, of course, doesn't apply to all of the facilities. I would like to do that, but this is fairly limited. It says that we have a nursing home that has been vacated or a nursing home that is not being used, and some of them, for several years, have sat vacant. This allows the Secretary discretion, and it also sets aside a small number of funds to help bring that property into a condition so that it can be transferred to the State. You have these in Pennsylvania, Mr. Chair. You have these across the Rust Belt. We have them even in Florida. What we don't have is the authority for the VA to move forward with these properties in their transferring and get the properties into condition and make the little bits of changes in the properties to transfer them to the States. This will apply to 49 States. There are 49 States that have State VAs. Many of them run nursing homes. In my State, for example, we run seven nursing homes now. We do it more cost-effectively. We can do it faster. We can take those idle assets and put them into use. In some places in the Rust Belt, you need to consolidate some of the facilities, and this will allow us to do that, too, and to run them cheaper and give better services to our veterans, not spread out the limited number of even staffers whom we have and administrators. Think of what you can save just on that. This is an amendment to try to move that process forward. We are not trying to get ahead of anybody who is in line for any kind of a VA facility. What we are trying to do is, again, tell the VA Secretary that he can move forward and put a little bit of money aside that will make a big, big difference with these facilities that are sitting vacant or half empty across the country, and it does apply to 49 States. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and celebrate the life of Air Force Master Sergeant Tara R. Brown. A graduate of Deltona High School in Volusia County, Florida, Master Sergeant Brown gave her life defending our freedom on April 27, 2011. MSgt. Brown was the wife of Army Sgt. Ernest Brown and the daughter of Mr. Jim Jacobs of Deltona, Florida. On Monday, April 18, 2016, in Central Florida, the street that serves as the entry to her alma mater, Daytona High School, will be named in her honor. This special recognition serves to honor and pay tribute to her service and devotion to the nation. Her family, friends and community will gather as we dedicate the corridor where she attended school in her memory. Shortly after graduating from Deltona High School, MSgt. Brown enlisted in the Air Force and reported to Basic Military Training School at Lackland Air Force Base. She continued her training at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi where she attended technical school and was subsequently assigned to Kadena Air Base, Japan where she began working in information management. Brown continued her service to our country during several overseas assignments. In November 2006, she was assigned to Headquarters, Air Force Office of Special Investigations and her service later took her to Eskan Village, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with and Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan. In January 2011, she deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan as a communications squadron advisor for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Air Training Command-Afghanistan. Mr. Speaker, Master Sgt. Brown selflessly answered her nation's call to serve, and performed with distinction for over fifteen years. Her impeccable service record further reflects her outstanding character and dedication to her fellow men and women in uniform and to our country. As a testament to her decorated career, MSgt. Brown was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Combat Action Medal, and the NATO Article Five Medal. In her local community, the citizens of Deltona, Florida have renamed the southern portion of the road formerly known as Forrest Edge Drive to MSgt. Tara Jacobs Brown Ave. In addition to her father and husband, Brown is survived by her mother, Gladys Vereen of New York; brothers Jim Jacobs of Kissimmee, Dominic Jacobs of New York, and Michael Jacobs of Deltona; and sister, Laguanda Jacobs of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in remembering and celebrating the decorated service of Master Sergeant Tara R. Brown, and ask that God bless her soul and the souls of all our fallen heroes that have given their lives so we may enjoy the freedoms we all hold dear.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Dr. E. Ann McGee of Seminole State College in the 7th Congressional District. Dr. McGee is the second president and first woman to head the college in its half-century history. This year marks her 20th anniversary of leading Seminole State College in Central Florida. The tenure of this education leader has been highlighted by the impressive expansion and positive development at this outstanding educational institution. Not only has she led the college, her work in the community and contributions to higher education in our region and state have set a standard for all to follow. Dr. McGee's two decades at the helm of Seminole State College have seen the college go from one to six locations, begin offering four year bachelor's degrees and grow to become the eighth largest college in the 28-college Florida College System. Currently, over 30,000 students attend Seminole State College each year. Her initiative and vision for the future have helped pioneer the DirectConnect to UCF program that has become a national model for making four year degrees more affordable and accessible. She has also partnered with Seminole County Public Schools to reduce the number of incoming freshman in need of remedial math classes from 78 percent to just 15 percent. Dr. McGee grew up in Largo, Florida and is a graduate of St. Petersburg College. She has earned a Bachelor's in Speech and a Master's in Communication from Florida State University, as well as a Doctorate in Education Administration from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. McGee is a respected professional in the education field, having been recognized widely for her work as President of Seminole State College as well as former Chair of the Florida College System Foundation and a trustee of the Phi Theta Kappa Foundation. She is also a board member of the Higher Education Research & Development Council, the American Association of Community Colleges and the Metro-Orlando Economic Development Commission. She has been recognized far and wide for her many successes, having received the Atlantic Institute Central Florida Global Vision and Education Award, the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission's James B. Greene Economic Development Award, the Women's Executive Council of Orlando's Women of Achievement in Education Award, Phi Theta Kappa International's President's Council Gold Medallion, the Orlando Business Journal's Publisher's Award, St. Petersburg College ``Most Outstanding Graduate'' Award, the Association of Community College Trustees Marie Y. Martin ``Top CEO'' Award, Phi Theta Kappa's Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction and the Seminole County Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. McGee's contributions to our community and to the lives of thousands of students and young professionals across Central Florida cannot be understated. I ask my colleagues from Florida and Members to join in congratulating Dr. E. Ann McGee as we pay tribute to her two decades of outstanding service and dedication to Seminole State College.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank Chairman Miller and also thank Ranking Member Brown for their strong support in helping to expedite this legislation. This is a simple measure. It does transfer a vacant 120-bed VA nursing care building in Orlando's VA veteran Baldwin Park facility to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, as the chairman described. As the ranking member mentioned, we actually have opened a 120-bed new facility to the south of Orlando and a 60-bed domiciliary unit also open now for nearly 2 years. Adjacent to that is a new hospital at Lake Nona. I think Ms. Brown was with me back in 1999 when this 120-bed nursing care facility was dedicated. The facility is not that old. It was closed 2 years ago when we opened the new facility, and the VA used that building and some of the rooms for transition for training for employment. Now the new hospital is open. The new 120-bed facility is open to the south and domiciliary unit. We have agreement from the State of Florida to take that facility. You might be interested to know why central Florida would want another veterans facility. In some areas, there is a declining population. The chief financial officer of the State just announced that we had 1,000 new people come to Florida every day last year. We have now exceeded 20 million. Many of those are veterans, and they are settling in central Florida. We do have an agreement with the State of Florida to assume this facility. They can open it quicker. They can do it in a cost-effective manner for VA. They can take some of the burden off of the Federal VA, which we know has a full set of challenges right now. I want to thank VA Secretary McDonald. I also want to thank my colleagues in 2014, the ranking member, Ms. Brown; Mr. Webster; Mr. Grayson; and myself. We all wrote to Secretary Shinseki, the Secretary at that time, and asked that this be done. It has taken a little bit of time, but we are getting there. Again, I ask concurrence in passing H.R. 4056. It will expedite and make available the needed nursing homes with our aging veterans population and many thousands of veterans moving to the State of Florida and, particularly, central Florida. I thank you again for expediting this, and I ask for the House to concur in passing H.R. 4056.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize both the life and humanitarian efforts of William C. Caldwell, III. He is the son of Bill and Marion Caldwell, scion of Wica Manufacturing. Mr. William Caldwell is a generous Christian of known faith and good deed and I take this opportunity to commend him for both. William C. Caldwell, Ill, a lay expert on amateur and professional basketball, baseball, and football teams, and Duke University's number one sports fan, grew up in Cocoa Beach, FL prior to graduating from Rollins College and, later, attending Duke Business School. A private investor, philanthropist, and internationally-respected numismatist, Bill Caldwell recently bequeathed a record gift to be divided equally between Rollins College in Winter Park, FL and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in Durham, NC. Along with his gift he stated, ``I want to shine a spotlight on these beloved, but demanding, institutions that I have been so proud to be a part of. I decided to align this joyous announcement with the July 1, 2015 start date for incoming Rollins president, Grant Cornwell, who brings his international prominence as a liberal arts champion and scholar to the Winter Park, FL campus which also includes the highly- ranked Crummer Graduate School of Business.'' Mr. Caldwell's bequests are fixed portions of his estate and each beneficiary will eventually expect to receive a generous donation amounting to seven figures. Fellow Rollins graduate, William M. Graves, Jr., who is an executor of Mr. Caldwell's estate as well as his personal representative and spokesperson, explains why he was moved to assist his friend in giving back to institutions that played very significant roles in his life: The reason I volunteered to help my best friend, Bill Caldwell, with all of this is that I've found him to be the most loving, caring, loyal, and generous individual imaginable. Now, Winter Park and Durham are finding out what I've known for more than 40 years. Bill Caldwell is an extremely humble, unsung hero who deserves to be widely- applauded for his selfless compassion and kind-hearted philanthropy. In addition to his bequests to Rollins College and Duke University, he is also championing with his philanthropy: The American Diabetes Association, The American Lung Association, The American Numismatic Association, and The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Andrew Carnegie gave away most of his wealth. Warren Buffett has given away most of his wealth. You can add Bill Caldwell to the list. God Bless You, Bill Caldwell.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Peter Gold--an exceptional young man and Good Samaritan who recently made a remarkably selfless and heroic decision to help another in need, putting his own safety at great risk. While driving through New Orleans' Lower Garden District following his shift at a local hospital, Peter, a fourth year medical student at Tulane University, without regard for his own safety, rushed to the aid of a woman being attacked. Successfully foiling the crime, Peter was shot once in the abdomen before the perpetrator attempted to shoot him in the head twice with his gun jamming. A surveillance camera recorded the harrowing event. Its release, which millions have viewed, has been an inspiration, giving us hope as we face the realities of Edmund Burke's famous words, ``The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.'' Coming from a family with a rich history of service in the health care field, Peter chose to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Like those who have come before him and those who will succeed him, Peter exemplifies the commitment to service that drives so many toward the health care profession and that was on display in the early morning hours of November 20, 2015 as Peter intervened to stop an armed robbery and attempted kidnapping. I am honored to share this story with you today because the Gold Family resides in our Seventh Congressional District. Peter grew up in Longwood, Florida and is a graduate of Central Florida's own Lake Brantley High School. He is an outstanding testament to our community's and our nation's youth. Our former President John Quincy Adams said, ``If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.'' Truly, Peter Gold has inspired others through his heroic actions. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and thanking Peter for his courageous act for the benefit for another human being.