John Mica

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. I apologize for my voice, which I am unfortunately losing. But before I lose my voice, I think it is important that someone respond to the rhetoric we have heard from the other side of the aisle. Once again, the other side of the aisle offers the American people their solution for the economy. That is unlimited unemployment benefits. I think Republicans are compassionate people, and we are taking care of those who have lost their jobs. The other side of the aisle, their solution has been increased taxation, increased regulation, increased litigation. Unfortunately, from the other side of the aisle, my friends and colleagues, they do not have a clue, a clue as to how we create jobs in business. I have $20 here. If I send this $20 to Washington, I do not have $20 to spend, I do not have $20 to invest. It takes capital. I do not think they have a clue as to basic free enterprise or business investment tenets. People have to have money in their pockets. They want to put more money in Washington. They want them to rely on the government for unemployment benefits. If you want to stimulate business, well, first of all, most of them should go out and try to start a business. When you have increased taxation and you send more money to Washington, you have fewer people to invest in that business. A basic tenet. When you send more money to Washington, you have less money to spend, and it hurts the poor the most because they have the least amount of money, and you cannot start a business. When you have increased regulation, which they have spent 30 and 40 years piling regulations on the business man and woman, it is impossible to start a business. Would you start a business? I cannot tell you how happy I am to be out of a business because of government regulation, taxation, and then finally litigation, the protectors of litigation. So we become the most lawsuit-happy land in the world. And we drive businesses overseas because of taxation, because of regulation, and because of litigation. Would you want to get into business in the United States of America today with the opportunity to be sued at every corner? Small business people, the largest employer in this country, by far the largest employer, they are backing off of providing health insurance benefits. We have more people without health insurance benefits. Why? Because the other side blocks litigation reform and they have gone crazy with lawsuits. And a few people are benefiting and the rest of us are paying. People who can least afford it are not having health care coverage; small business operators are unable to provide health care coverage. So that is their plan, increased taxation, increased litigation, increased government regulation. And then finally, here they offer their grand plan, unlimited unemployment extension. No one has come up to me and said, I want unlimited unemployment benefits from the Federal Government. I want a job. I want an opportunity to share in the American Dream. I want health care coverage. I do not want more suits, more money to go to Washington, less control of my life, less control of my money. I have heard it, and I think we have all heard it. The song and dance from the other side just does not work, will not work. Even the former Soviet Union tried a full government plan. It did not work. So now we have a choice. We will have a tax and economic package before us that puts more money in the hands of the American people. It gives them an opportunity. It gives people an opportunity for a job, not just for an extension of unemployment benefits. The Republicans are compassionate. They have provided for both an extension of unemployment benefits but also for hope and opportunity and for an America we all want for the future.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, today I have introduced a bill which seeks to close a loophole in immigration law by prohibiting the outsourcing of L-1 intracompany transferee visa holders, similar to a provision contained in the H-1B visa program. The L-1 visa allows companies with subsidiaries abroad the ability to transfer employees from foreign countries to the United States as long as the intracompany transferees have been employed with the company for at least six months. Once in the country, those employees can then be outsourced to American firms at a significantly lower wage. As a result, many Americans have found themselves in the unemployment line. Simply put, this is a back door to cheap labor. In 1998, as the economy was soaring and demand for IT workers was rising faster than supply, Congress passed S. 2045, the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act. This legislation temporarily increased the cap on H-1B visa holders allowed into the country. In doing so, we also protected American jobs by adding restrictions to the program. However, the L-1 visa remains unchecked, unrestricted and unfortunately, abused. Unfortunately, thousands of Americans are unfairly losing their jobs through the abuse of the L-1 temporary work visa program. There are currently over 325,000 L-1 visa holders in the United States. In my 7th Congressional District of Florida, there are hundreds of cases of the displacement of American workers. In many of these instances, American workers are forced to train their own L-1 replacements or suffer the loss of their severance pay. Examples of similar replacements of American workers by lower paid foreign workers arrive in my office daily. This situation is deplorable. Mr. Speaker, during this time of economic downturn we need to be creating jobs for Americans, not putting more of them at risk by allowing firms to replace American workers with foreign nationals who are not subject to the same wage restrictions as holders of the H-1B visa. Finally, I want to point out that American companies will still be permitted to employ L-1 visa holders. However, those employees will have to transfer from their own subsidiaries, not from a third party outsource. Mr. Speaker, I urge prompt consideration of this legislation.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for his remarks, also for his very sincere commitment to this issue. As a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and with the committee's jurisdiction on this legislation, I look forward to working with the gentleman from Colorado on this issue.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to join the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the ranking member of the subcommittee. I want to thank both of them and also the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the ranking member of the full committee, for their leadership. The gentleman from Alaska has done an incredible job in bringing together the diversity of more than 70 members on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to not only bring forth this reauthorization bill, but to soon vote for the successor to AIR-21 and TEA-21, our important transportation measures and policy for the Federal Government. Mr. Chairman, this bill that is before us today is very similar to the legislation that was considered under suspension of the rules and agreed to by voice vote of the House on June 4 of last year, and that was H.R. 4466, for my colleagues' reference. This legislation reauthorizes the National Transportation Safety Board for a period of 4 years. It provides funding during those years for the amounts as follows: $73.3 million, $78.7 million for next year, $83 million, and $87.5 million during that 4-year period of authorization. The National Transportation Safety Board is the agency which is responsible for investigating transportation accidents and also for promoting transportation safety. The board investigates, conducts safety studies, and coordinates all Federal assistance for families of victims of catastrophic transportation accidents. It also has the responsibility to review appeals of certificate and civil penalty actions against airmen and certificate actions against seamen. Most importantly, the NTSB makes safety recommendations based on its investigations of Federal, State, and local government agencies; and the transportation agencies take actions that hopefully will prevent similar accidents in the future. The aviation safety record is remarkably good, and the safety board deserves a lot of credit for that success. This is a small, well-run, lean, and effective Federal agency. This legislation makes some changes, however, to the agency's governing statute that should help make the board even more effective. The bill again reauthorizes the agency for 4 years and provides modest increases in expenditures which are authorized, funding levels that I have mentioned. H.R. 1527 also authorizes a much-needed increase in the NTSB emergency fund. This is the fund that pays the necessary expenses for accident investigations not otherwise provided specifically for; and unfortunately, we have had instances where sometimes the cost of some of these investigations is substantial. The bill also authorizes funding for the National Transportation Safety Board Academy. The bill directs the NTSB to notify aircraft owners and operators of their right to appeal accident determinations, except those where there is a loss of life. The bill requires the board to establish procedures for those appeals. This legislation, again, H.R. 1527, requires the Department of Transportation to report to Congress and the board on the regulatory status of each significant safety recommendation made by the board. The Department must continue, and this is a change and something I am pleased to have helped craft with bipartisan support, the Department must continue to report on the regulatory status of each recommendation each and every year until the final regulatory action is taken. One of the things we found in our hearing with the very capable former Chair of the NTSB, Marion Blakley who is now heading up FAA, was the recommendation to us that we did not have a follow through; that there would be investigation of these accidents and there would be recommendations and not much was done. This will require repetitive alerting of both the Congress and the Department for implementation of those recommendations until something is, in fact, taken as far as positive action. Finally, the legislation provides a procedure whereby the safety board would turn an investigation over to the FBI when a criminal act may be involved. Mr. Chairman, the NTSB has been without authorization for a year. I would urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I make a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, just a point of clarification here. The Clerk read the amendment, but we want to make certain it is ``page 5, line 2, before the period insert the following.''

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman wishes to engage in a colloquy, and I want to say that I agree with the gentleman that grade crossings are a serious problem in this country. There has been good progress over the past several years, but in the first month of 2003, 30 people were killed in grade crossing accidents. I was going to ask that the gentleman withdraw the amendment, but I think we have an agreement to accept the amendment now. The STB has jurisdiction over some of this matter, particularly relating to grade crossing safety improvements. The appropriate place to address this measure will, in fact, be in the reauthorization legislation and also with the Federal Railroad Administration. I think that the gentleman is correct in his pursuing this matter through that particular legislation and those appropriate agencies. Our proposed Ride-21 bill will provide $60 billion in new infrastructure funding, including the elimination of all grade crossings on new highway speed passenger lines. Perhaps we would also welcome the gentleman as a cosponsor on this important legislation, and I am pleased that the gentleman has modified this particular proposal so that it is acceptable.

Mr. MICA. Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I believe I have a copy of the Cardin amendment that is being proposed at this point, and I make a point of order against the amendment on the grounds that it violates clause 7 of rule XVI of the rules of the House because it is not germane to the bill. Clause 7 of rule XVI provides that no motion or proposition on a subject different from that under consideration shall be considered under color of amendment. The gentleman from Maryland's amendment deals with an entirely different subject. The amendment that I have here deals with title II provisions relating to unemployment compensation, again having absolutely nothing to do with the subject under consideration. The subject of the amendment is not addressed in the underlying text of the bill under consideration. The subject matter of the bill is confined to the National Transportation Safety Board or matters relating to the National Transportation Safety Board. And the amendment falls outside the confines of the bill. The amendment, therefore, Mr. Chairman, I believe is not germane. Mr. Chairman, I insist on the point of order.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, we appreciate very much the issues that have been raised by the gentlewoman from Texas. I think she makes some very valid points. They are issues that need to be considered, but we do not think they should be in the context of this particular legislative item before us. We are willing to work with her and also consider them in other appropriate legislation. So we thank the gentlewoman, and we hope that she would consider withdrawing her amendment.

Mr. MICA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1527, the bill just passed.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise here today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 138. This bill authorizes the printing of the ``Biographical Directory of the United States Congress,'' again, something rather mundane but something necessary and the responsibility of the Committee on House Administration to make this publication available for both the historical, for research and for access of information purposes. This is the first Federal Government printing of this publication since the 1989 bicentennial edition published pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution 85 passed in the 99th Congress. This particular edition of the ``Biographical Directory'' will include over 12,000 entries providing valuable information about the individuals who have served in the Continental Congresses, as well as each man and woman who served the 1st through the 108th Congress. Since the first bicentennial edition, there have been an additional 1,198 Members who have become Representatives, and it will also include rosters of State congressional delegations and elected officers. Under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing, the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate will be responsible for the composition of new entries, as well as review all existing entries for accuracy and completeness. The Joint Committee on Printing has been responsible for the compilation and issuance of the ``Biographical Directory'' since 1928. This edition of it would be the 16th in a series of such reference works published over the past 140 years, beginning with the 1859 publication of the ``Dictionary of Congress,'' which was a collection of biographers of former and sitting Members of Congress gathered by Charles Lanman, former secretary to Daniel Webster. This particular publication will complement the online biographical directory, bioguide.congress.gov, which was first posted in the late 1990s and has been maintained by the Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate. Madam Speaker, I urge the passage and support of this particular measure. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 138) authorizing the printing of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-2005.

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I do not have any additional speakers at this time. I am urged to stall a bit because we are waiting the arrival of another Member on another issue, but I would be glad to let the gentleman have this time and then have a few remarks on closing.

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to take just a minute since we do have some extra time, if I may, I want to thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) and the minority staff, the other half of the Committee on House Administration. I have served on the committee in some rough times, and I am glad to say that I have served on the committee in some good times, good, bipartisan times; and no one has done a better job in service to any committee as ranking member than the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson). I have seen the manner in which he has conducted the important business of the Committee on House Administration. It basically runs the House of Representatives and takes it on in a serious, bipartisan manner; and I want to compliment him and the staff for working together. We have got a number of important projects, not just these mundane passage of publications that we are doing here, the construction of the visitors center, the oversight and again the operations of this institution, which belongs to the American people; but I do respect so much his work and his effort. The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) is not with us at this time, and I have the privilege of handling these measures for him; and it is indeed an honor to work with such distinguished colleagues, both the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), on this important legislation and responsibility of the Committee on House Administration. Also, I must say that I am so glad that we will be publishing a ``Biographical Directory of the United States Congress,'' if for no other reason to get the Mica brothers straightened out. As my colleagues may know, and I was told by the former historian of the House, that the Mica brothers are the only two brothers since 1889 to serve in Congress from the same family but different political parties. We have the Kennedys all of one ilk, and we have the Hutchinsons all of another party; but my brother and I got separated somewhere slightly after birth. He served with distinction as a member of the Democrat Party in the majority from 1978 to 1988, and I came in 1992. So, unfortunately, the Congress has been burdened with the Micas for 2 decades; but since I am not in this most recent publication, at least people will understand that there are two of these folks from different political parties and hopefully actually educate some of the Members who have introduced me as Dan Mica on numerous occasions, both from the Democrat side and the Republican side of the aisle.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 139) authorizing printing of the brochures entitled ``How Our Laws Are Made'' and ``Our American Government'', the publication entitled ``Our Flag'', the document- sized, annotated version of the United States Constitution, and the pocket version of the United States Constitution.

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise here today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 139. Now, this is not a major piece of legislation that is going to have mind-boggling results for the Nation, but what it is is something very important that is in the purview of the Committee on House Administration, and that is legislation that authorizes the printing of the publication entitled ``How Our Laws Are Made'' and ``Our American Government'', also the publication entitled ``Our Flag'', the document-sized annotated version of the United States Constitution and the pocket version of the United States Constitution. I think that is an important responsibility of our committee. It is the intention of the Committee on House Administration to make certain that these useful and important educational publications are made available to people. I want to say too that at every school group I try to personally deliver to each student, young American, some young, some older students, and many adults a copy of these treasured documents that contain the very foundation and basis for our government and for our freedoms. These publications are not only a resourceful means of information for Members' offices but also a great learning tool for constituents of all ages. Making these publications available to constituents not only helps them better understand how our government operates, but it also illustrates what their rights are and their responsibilities are in this as citizens of this great country. Our Nation's parents, schools, and communities do a terrific job in teaching the rich history and structure of our government, and I hope these publications will provide additional tools and resources that can continue that tradition and I know that they will. Each publication will have 550,000 copies printed, of which 430,000 copies shall be for the use of the House of Representatives, 100,000 copies shall be for the use of the other body, and 10,000 copies shall be for the use of the Joint Committee on Printing. Each Member and Senator shall receive 1,000 copies of these publications and they will be delivered to each Member of the House and the other body's offices. The cost of these publications will be incurred from the Congressional Printing and Binding Fund, and for additional copies, Members have the opportunity to purchase them from the Superintendent of Documents. It is important that every student in a democracy be absolutely familiar with the very basic principles and values for which our country stands and on which it is based. These documents provide a very articulate description and really an enumeration of those principles and even illustrates how we debate and resolve differences of opinion and how this body, the people's body, operates this institution that has survived for some two centuries of democratic representative government. So we hope to extend, again, the understanding to students of all ages, young people and adults. We hope to have a better understanding, again, of the basic foundations of the process of government, and these publications will help in that important responsibility. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MICA

Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of H. Con. Res. 139, the legislation just passed.