Patrick McHenry

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the opioid crisis that is devastating families and communities all across our country, including my fair State of North Carolina and my district in western North Carolina. Like the rest of the country, North Carolina has not escaped the opioid epidemic. My State has seen a terrifying rise in the number of opioid-related deaths. From 1999 to 2016, the number of deaths tied to opioids grew more than 800 percent. In 2016 alone, there were are almost 2,000 opioid deaths in North Carolina. In just one of the counties I represent, Gaston County, the number of dispensed opioid pills rose to more than 20.5 million pills. That is in a county of just over 200,000 people. That same county experienced a thirteenfold jump in heroin deaths, as well. While I can list facts all day, it is only by talking to the loved ones who have lost family members due to opioid addiction or those who have come through addiction and are on the other side that you can truly understand the devastating effects of this crisis. Take, for example, one of my constituents, Jennifer Kline. Jennifer lost her brother, Jake, to opioid addiction. Before Jake became an addict, Jennifer and her brother shared a very, very close relationship. But opioid addiction turned him into a person she barely knew. Even though Jake went to rehab and had a family who supported him through this whole process throughout his addiction, he still lost the battle against opioids. I had the honor of meeting with Jennifer. She helped me and my staff host a workshop for local law enforcement in my district, where she shared the heartbreaking story of Jake's addiction. Jake's and her story is a powerful reminder that we must do more to address this epidemic. We are not doing enough. The human toll of this crisis is very, very real, indeed. Like Jennifer, I have been working hard to help raise awareness in my district, the 10th District of North Carolina, against the dangers of opioid addiction. I have been working with local businesses, law enforcement officials, and other community leaders to combat this crisis: I have hosted roundtables and helped facilitate discussions between community leaders on different ways we can work together to combat this crisis and this epidemic; I have been there as local municipalities have received funds for tools that enable safe disposal of unused prescriptions, as well. Over the past 2 years, there have been dozens of bills passed in the House that will help people like Jake and provide support for family members like Jennifer. These bills address this issue from all sides. Some of these bills help with the prevention of addiction; others ensure everyone has access to treatment and help facilitate their recovery; still, others provide important support to communities affected so that they can have the tools and resources they need to combat this epidemic. Last Friday, these bills were passed in the House of Representatives together in a bill, H.R. 6, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. It is now headed to the United States Senate and, hopefully, to the President's desk for signature. This is an important, holistic step that this Chamber has taken on a bipartisan basis to help combat the opioid epidemic and help prevent the tragedy experienced by the Kline family from happening to other families in this country. We all have stories. We all have loved ones who have been affected by this crisis. Congress must do more. We will continue this fight until we eradicate this epidemic once and for all.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the ongoing plight of Pastor Andrew Brunson, a Christian missionary from my district in western North Carolina who has been held as a prisoner of the Turkish Government for the last 20 months. Prior to being arrested by the Turkish Government in October of 2016, Pastor Brunson had lived peacefully in Turkey for decades. He had opened a church, raised his family, and made a life in the country. That all changed in 2016, when the Turkish Government arrested Pastor Brunson on a series of bogus charges. He has been detained ever since. Last month, I sent a letter to the Turkish President, signed by a bipartisan group of 154 lawmakers, calling on their government to release Pastor Brunson. It is a long time in coming, but I hope and I pray that Pastor Brunson will be released so that he can be reunited with his family here in the United States.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for making this day possible. Without the architecture of the work that the House Financial Services Committee did, the Senate wouldn't be able to come to terms with this major change to Dodd-Frank. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my Democratic colleagues for participating in these bipartisan negotiations that made this day possible. The long, dark shadow of the financial crisis is over, and policymakers are now shifting to the much-needed reforms we need in our banking system. We know that we have fewer community banks now than we did before the financial crisis, we have fewer community banks now than we did 5 years ago, and our communities are more starved for capital now than ever before, especially with the economy changing and economic growth now coming back to communities across this country. Now, today, Congress is coming to terms with a bipartisan bill, a bipartisan approach to make our banking system more inclusive and more accessible for everyday Americans. I am proud my provision that I authored, the Supporting America's Innovators Act, is included, which helps small businesses get the investments they need to grow and prosper. Those communities have not been traditionally focused upon by investors. I am also proud that this bill allows community banks to get into the business of lending to their community, getting back into the business of mortgage lending in their communities. And I am proud that this bill will allow consumers to freeze their credit reports in the event that there is a data breach or identity theft. These are bipartisan pieces of this very important package. It is high time Congress gets on with it and passes this bill. I look forward to the outcome of today's vote, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the bill's sponsor, the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Jenkins), for her leadership in putting this package together. What a week to do it. Now, I firmly believe that God has a sense of humor, and God even has a sense of humor in the collection of our taxes. Because of an electronic filing system glitch at the IRS, because of a technology failure, the American people got a reprieve for 24 hours on filing their taxes. And miracle of miracles, we did not expect this, but a bipartisan bill comes to the floor to address the technology needs of the IRS. God, indeed, has a sense of humor or a deep understanding of public policy. But I think God is in all things, so he certainly is in this. Now, that glitch of the IRS is just the public acknowledgment of the desperate need that we know this agency has to be modernized. We modernized the Tax Code, now we need to modernize the collection of our taxes as American people. The 21st Century IRS Act is the first comprehensive, bipartisan step to address this problem. Significant reforms are contained in this bill. Now, take, for instance, my provision in the bill, for example. It is a bicameral, bipartisan piece of legislation that Congressman Blumenauer and I introduced here in the House and Senators Booker and Crapo introduced in the Senate. That section of the bill, section 301, simply says the IRS has to stop using a manual process involving fax machines to verify income. Now, the fax machine was a fantastic business product that became a consumer product in the 1980s. It is great technology, but it is not modern technology and not the best technology. And so while it may seem laughable that IRS employees are still sitting around using fax machines to process things that in the private sector would be done in an instant, in a second, in less than a second to verify using computer technology, the not-so-funny part is the impact it has had on the hardworking American people who are delayed in getting lending needs or getting their family needs met for financial decisions. Mortgages, small business loans, student debt refinancing, and consumer debt, generally, those loans have to get a verification from the IRS on how much income they made last year. Now, all we are saying is modernize it, make it the standard of the private sector, and deliver better for the taxpayers. It is bipartisan. I am grateful that we have initiatives like that in this broader package that we will see across the House floor and hopefully see into law. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I thank the leadership on both sides of the aisle for making this day possible.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 129.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my chairman for yielding time today on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Alleviating Stress Test Burdens to Help Investors Act. It rolls off the tongue to some, maybe Bruce Poliquin's, the bill's sponsor, but it is an important thing for us to discuss here today. Now, hindsight bias is a very dangerous thing. It allows us to overstate our ability to predict an outcome, and it is something that lures us into creating a new system that while excellent at solving the last financial crisis or the last crisis, the last event, it fails to see the next event coming. Now, it is not something that just fortune tellers use. It is not something that just those with an NCAA pool would use to say that all along they knew UMBC would beat Virginia. It is not just used there. Here in Washington, it is done by bureaucrats that are susceptible to these same fallacies. So in the wake of the financial crisis, policymakers here in Washington raced to give regulators new tools to help predict future risks so that such a crisis would never happen again. One of those tools was stress testing. The idea was to provide a method to test financial firms to differentiate between solid institutions that can weather a financial storm and those that would need help. But this crystal ball has flaws. One of the biggest flaws is treating all large financial firms the same, a one-size-fits-all approach, and this includes lumping in nonbank financial firms that don't use leverage with financial firms--bank firms--that do use leverage. Despite this widely understood concept that capital adequacy standards do not fit neatly into assessing the risks of the asset management industry, for instance, regulators have instead stuck to their rigid methodology to try to square the circle, or circle the square, whatever that phrase is. Thankfully, Representative Bruce Poliquin has crafted a very solid bill to address this truth and bring it into reality legislatively. The stress tests built after the financial crisis do not work for nonbank financial firms. This is a security show rather than security in fact. Thus, in a world that constantly throws big and unexpected events our way, understanding the limitations of predicting risk is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid future harm, and that is what this bill does. I encourage my House colleagues to vote in support of and in favor of it.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a great American, a messenger for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and arguably the finest man North Carolina has ever produced: the Reverend Billy Graham. William Franklin Graham, Jr., was born in 1919 in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he grew up the son of a farmer. In 1939, he was ordained as a minister; thus, beginning what would be his life's calling. It was in 1949 that Reverend Graham gained the international prominence he is known for today. It was that year that he hosted his Los Angeles Crusade. Originally scheduled to last only 3 weeks, it ended up continuing for over 2 months. Throughout that time, huge crowds came to hear Reverend Graham spread the gospel of Christ. In the years following the Los Angeles Crusade, Reverend Graham's stature only grew. He traveled across the United States and around the world to spread the good word and encourage his fellow men and women to find salvation with Christ and in Christ. He would fill everything from small churches to massive football stadiums. According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Reverend Graham preached to over 215 million people in over 185 countries and territories around the world during his life. But his influence did not stop there. Throughout his ministry, Reverend Graham became known as America's Pastor, serving as a moral compass for our Nation. He served as a spiritual adviser to countless American and international political leaders and civic leaders, including every American President since Harry Truman. In the 1950s and 1960s, he joined with Martin Luther King, Jr., for integrated crusades, a powerful statement from a White southerner at that time. He delivered invocations at the inaugurations of four American Presidents. In 1983, he was awarded our Nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by President Ronald Reagan. Following the horrific attacks on our Nation on September 11, 2001, it was Reverend Graham who comforted our Nation from the pulpit of Washington's National Cathedral. While best known for his work as America's Pastor, there is much more to Reverend Graham. Foremost among those was his marriage to his beloved wife, Ruth. Reverend Graham and Ruth met at Illinois' Wheaton College, but it was Ruth's hometown of Montreat, a small town in western North Carolina's Swannanoa Valley, which I am honored to represent in North Carolina, that they chose to call home. It is a small town, a humble town. It was at the Gaither Chapel on the campus of Montreat College where Reverend Graham and Ruth were married in 1943. From there, the Grahams built a home on Montreat's Little Piney Ridge. It was at that home that the Graham's raised their five children: Virginia, Anne, Ruth, Franklin, and Nelson. Certainly, Reverend Graham's public works were extraordinary, but what he and Ruth built as a family is enduring, indeed. While an international icon for his work spreading the gospel of Christ, Reverend Graham and his family were simply great neighbors to the American people of Montreat and the nearby town of Black Mountain. According to a story in the Black Mountain News, Reverend Graham was known to occasionally attend services at Swannanoa's First Baptist Church, play golf at the Black Mountain Golf Course, and grab lunch at the Coach House restaurant in town. One of the finest moments of my career was having the opportunity to serve as Reverend Graham's Representative in Washington when his home in Montreat was placed in the 10th District. It was then that I had the honor of traveling up Little Piney Ridge to visit Reverend Graham in his home. The personal kindness and hospitality he showed in inviting me into his home is something that I will never forget. I extend my deepest condolences to each of Reverend Graham's five children, to all their grandchildren and great-grandchildren who have lost a mentor and a friend. As a nation, we are forever indebted to Reverend Graham for his years of service to our State, our Nation, and to this world. It is only befitting that tomorrow Reverend Graham will return here to Washington one final time to lie in honor in the rotunda of this great building. Mr. Speaker, I conclude by noting that Reverend Graham has passed on from this world, but he has moved into the kingdom he preached about for so many years. He has rejoined his beloved wife, Ruth, and has finally been called home to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ following a life well lived.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his kindness in working with me and my team on bringing this bill to the floor today, and I want to thank his staff as well. What we have today is the Protecting Consumers' Access to Credit Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that we have both Republicans and the Democrats in the Senate in support of as well as Democrats and Republicans here in the House of Representatives supportive of. The issue we are dealing with is one of the biggest challenges facing our country, which is the decline of lending to consumers and small businesses in small towns and rural communities like the ones I represent in western North Carolina. It is the same issue facing so many in urban settings as well. This touches all of America. But the story in rural America is bleak. Community banks are closing at a rapid pace, and small businesses are struggling to find loans. Many Americans don't have the savings to cover a common $1,000 emergency like a car repair. That is not just a rural issue; that touches all American communities. The good news is, after the financial crisis, innovative companies and banks partnered together to find new ways to help hardworking Americans and small-business owners. They call it fintech. These innovative companies partner with banks to help small businesses get a loan. They help young people get out of student debt. They help everyday Americans find the financing they need to lead better lives. Now, this should be something heralded by both parties. It shouldn't be a partisan issue. It shouldn't be left or right, conservative or liberal. It is a good thing that is happening with innovation and different modes of lending and borrowing in this country. And while this era of financial innovation is brand-new, the actual structure supporting fintech is based on one of the oldest bedrock principles in American law. The fundamental concept is called valid when made. Valid when made, or what the Supreme Court referred to in 1833 as ``the cardinal rule'' of American interest rate laws, provides the legal foundation for how fintech companies partner with banks. I don't have to share with the ranking member or other Members of our Chamber that banks are heavily regulated; and if they even partner with another firm, that, too, is a regulated thing. Yet all that changed when the Supreme Court declined to hear the case of Madden v. Midland Funding. In Madden, activist judges on a Federal appeals court broke with a longstanding legal precedent of valid when made and, instead, held that the 1864 National Bank Act did not have a preemptive effect on loans created under this fintech bank partnership. Now the legal framework has been around almost for 200 years, and the particular law that we are dealing with has been around for 150 years, roughly speaking. This decision, though, has created uncertainty for fintech companies, financial institutions, and credit markets generally. According to a study from Columbia University and Stanford University, Madden significantly reduced credit availability in that affected region, and this matters for all Americans because of the effect it is having. What we saw is loan volumes declined and the average FICO score for borrowers to get a loan increased. That means that, if you are on the margins of society, it got harder and more expensive for you to get lending. So it is a bad case. Simply put, this should not be happening, and if we are serious about financial inclusion for all Americans, we need this bill today. A bipartisan bill, we need it. And if we are serious about modernizing our financial system, we need this bill passed into law. And if we are serious about helping everyday Americans, not just the fortunate few with unblemished credit, we need to pass this bill. I am pleased this legislation enjoys support from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I want to thank Representative Meeks, Democrat, of New York; Senator Mark Warner, Democrat, of Virginia; and Senator Pat Toomey, Republican, of Pennsylvania, who worked hard on this bipartisan, bicameral legislation. It is important. It is needed. It will have a positive impact on people's lives. All arguments that have been made against this bill on the floor don't actually focus on what is important and necessary about this legislation. They are straw men that don't have anything to do with the contents of this very simple, bipartisan piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to vote for this.

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, is the gentleman asserting there is no law or Federal regulation against federally chartered banks giving loans to people? Mr. Speaker, that is not simply the case.

Mr. McHENRY. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it is a special pleasure to come and speak to the career of a great public servant, Matt Bravo. Matt has worked here in the House for 11 years in various roles. He started off as body guy for Leader Cantor when Leader Cantor served as chief deputy whip. In addition to that, he has held various roles in the whip operation, in the leader's office on the Republican side of the aisle, as well as important work on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Matt Bravo has a great sense of humor, a great love for the game of golf. He is much better at the game of golf than he is at his jokes. We love Matt Bravo. We love teasing him. We love giving him a hard time, but we know his true character. We know how he works intensely to see things through, to grind out the votes to get 218 to pass our agenda. Mr. Speaker, we know Matt will be successful in this next phase of his career. We thank him for his friendship. We thank him for his service to this House. On both sides of the aisle, the respect that he has gained is immense, and we congratulate him on this next phase. Mr. Speaker, we thank Matt for his service in the people's House, to his government, to the United States of America's people. We will miss him.

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee for his hard work and effort, his staff's effort, and his committee members' effort to put this great bill on the floor today. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a vitally important bill. This will help all Americans' lives for the better. The name fits for this bill as well. It truly is a tax cut for American working families, and it creates good-paying jobs. The bill is the result of over 3 years of hard work here in the House of Representatives. It has been clear for years that our Tax Code is broken. We all agree on that. Simply put, it does not work for the vast majority of the American people. What we do is simplify the Tax Code. More Americans will be able to take a standard deduction, file on a postcard their tax return, simplifying the process. Importantly, it makes us more competitive internationally so we don't lose jobs to overseas companies. That makes us stronger as a nation. At the same time, it helps small businesses compete with those large businesses, with those global businesses, and makes sure that our Main Streets are strong in America. This is a very good bill. It is a very good bill, well contemplated, and will have a great impact on working families. The bill helps families in my district in particular. The Tax Foundation says that average middle class families in my district in western North Carolina are going to see a $2,400 increase in their take-home pay. That is real money for working Americans. It is real money for North Carolinians as well. The bill also helps small businesses by reducing their tax rates and allowing them to create more good-paying jobs. We need that. Small businesses are the lifeblood of western North Carolina's communities. We need them strengthened. The same Tax Foundation study estimates that this bill will create nearly a million new jobs nationwide, including more than 30,000 in North Carolina alone. Now, there is a great debate in this body about the approach we took on this bill. There is a fundamental disagreement between the two parties here. My colleagues on the left want more power, more expenditures from government, and want to take more from the American people in order to pay for that. We believe, on the Republican side of the aisle, that American families should be able to keep more of what they earn, make more decisions for themselves, empower communities, empower small businesses, make us more competitive and make us stronger. I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill, to send a strong message that we in the House of Representatives have a strong tax package for the American people. I look forward to getting this bill signed into law before Christmas.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, this morning I rise to celebrate a truly great American and one of the finest men North Carolina has ever produced, the Reverend Billy Graham, who, yesterday, celebrated his 99th birthday. Born November 7, 1918, in Charlotte, North Carolina, Reverend Graham has devoted his life to spreading the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. While Reverend Graham was ordained as a minister in 1939, it was not until 1949 that he gained the international recognition he is known for today. It was that year that he hosted the Los Angeles Crusade. The Crusade was originally scheduled to last only 3 weeks, but it ended up going on for over 2 months as huge crowds came to hear Reverend Graham spread the Gospel. In the years since the Los Angeles Crusade, Reverend Graham has traveled across the United States and around the world to spread the Gospel. According to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, in his life, Reverend Graham has preached to nearly 215 million people in over 185 countries and territories around the world. Reverend Graham has served as a spiritual adviser to political and faith leaders here in the United States and throughout the world. In the 1950s and 1960s, he joined Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., for integrated crusades. In later years, he delivered invocations at the inaugurations of four American Presidents. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan awarded Reverend Graham the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is our Nation's highest civilian honor. Reverend Graham now resides where he has resided most of his life, in Montreat, North Carolina, where I have the honor of serving as his Representative here in Congress. While, physically, he has slowed in recent years, the power of his work over eight decades is still felt by us all. Through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, his life's mission continues around the world. In fact, his family's mission has continued around the world. Perhaps the greatest testament to Reverend Graham's dedication to the Gospel is how he has chosen to spend his centennial year. Rather than celebrate his work, Reverend Graham is devoting this year to celebrating the work God has done through him. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of everyone in western North Carolina, all Americans, and so many people around the world, I would like to wish Reverend Graham a happy first day to his 100th year. I thank Reverend Graham for serving as a role model and spiritual guide for generations of Americans. I thank Reverend Graham for all he has done to help those in times of need, and, most importantly, I thank him personally for what he has done for me.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, here in Washington, we are in the midst of a major debate on tax reform, tax simplification, and tax cuts. The plan unveiled by House Republicans today is a tax cut plan for middle-income, middle class families in America. If you are a family of four making $59,000, which is the median family income in America, you will receive a $1,200 tax cut as a result of the plan that we unveiled today. That is real money for middle class families in North Carolina. Maybe it is not real money in Washington, D.C., but it is real money in western North Carolina. We need tax cuts. We need tax simplification. We need economic growth, more American jobs, and a more competitive environment in America so that we can keep jobs here in the United States and not offshore those jobs. We need middle class families to win. Our plan does that. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support our efforts.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, the Tenth District of North Carolina is home to many excellent schools that develop and inspire our young people to become leaders in their communities. This year marked the 50th anniversary of one of these institutions, Gaston Day School. The school was founded by families and community leaders in Gaston County who were seeking to offer an educational alternative to the area's parents and children. In an article from The Gastonia Gazette published in 1967 the first Head of School, J.B. Davis, lays out Gaston Day's mission when he says, ``We are not interested in teaching only the excellent student. We are interested in teaching the youngster who can achieve.'' Gaston Day has realized this mission since its very first class. In fact, Gaston Day's current Head Master, Richard Rankin, was a student in Gaston Day's very first class. Although the school may have moved on from its humble beginnings in the former First Presbyterian Church building and is now established in the Gaston County community, it has not forgotten its roots. Over the past fifty years Gaston Day School has graduated students who have not only become leaders in the Gaston County community but in many other parts of the world as well. Today, the school continues to expand and evolve so it can continue to teach its students to succeed in our constantly changing world. Congratulations to Gaston Day School on fifty years of teaching students and developing leaders.

Mr. McHENRY

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

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, small businesses and families are the backbone of small rural communities like the ones I represent in western North Carolina. The fact is that Dodd-Frank has had a crushing impact both on the ability of families and small businesses to access loans and the financial products that they need and deserve. Half of what community banks did prior to Dodd-Frank was lending to small businesses. Now it is down to 20 percent of what they do. That is as a result of massive regulations that have come about as a result of Dodd-Frank. For families, the availability of services that they used to commonly think is acceptable, like free checking and mortgage lending, are significantly diminished or altogether gone for them. Since Dodd-Frank became law, nearly three-quarters of community banks have either left or greatly reduced their mortgage businesses. This is problematic for families. The impact of these changes has hit rural communities like the ones I represent in western North Carolina the hardest. But it doesn't end there. The law's mandates have driven up the cost of borrowing, making it harder and more expensive for families to access credit or save for important life events like saving for your child's college education. Mr. Speaker, the Financial CHOICE Act changes much of this. It begins to undo the damage caused by Dodd-Frank by removing onerous Washington mandates, very expensive regulations, by cutting off access to financial products that the American people need and desire. Additionally, the Financial CHOICE Act actually addresses the plight of small businesses by cleaning up these messy regulations that are unclear, that have made the marketplace less safe and secure for lending and small businesses, and encouraging the use of innovative new forms of capital formation that help businesses grow and prosper. That means jobs. This bill is directed at growing the American economy, getting us back on our feet, and helping expand prosperity not just to urban or rural areas, but to both, to all Americans. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this important bill and get on with the business of legislating.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning in recognition of National Police Week and in honor of National Peace Officers Memorial Day, which was this past Monday. National Police Week was established by President Kennedy in 1962, as a day for Americans to remember police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty over the previous year. This year's Peace Officers Memorial Day was especially somber in my district in western North Carolina as it was the first time since Shelby police officer Tim Brackeen was killed. Officer Brackeen was a dedicated law enforcement officer who began his career with the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office and later joined the Shelby Police Department where, in 2012, he was honored as the officer of the year. Last September, Officer Brackeen was working with his canine partner Ciko when he was killed in the line of duty, leaving behind his young wife and his 4-year-old daughter. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember Officer Brackeen and all of the officers throughout our country who serve us so diligently every day who lost their lives serving our communities. It is really important for us as Americans to thank those who put themselves in harm's way so we may live peaceful lives for our own benefit and for the benefit of our communities. Our men and women in blue put their lives on the line each and every day to keep us safe. When shots are fired, they run toward the sound of the gun while others are running away. I thank them for their dedicated service, and I pray each day for their continued safety.

Mr. McHENRY

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

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here today, the day after the fifth anniversary of the JOBS Act. Five years ago, yesterday, in a bipartisan way, this divided House, this divided government that got next to nothing done, in a bipartisan way, was able to achieve a huge bipartisan victory to help small businesses raise capital. In light of that and in that history, in that spirit, we have reached across the aisle, and Representative Velazquez and Ranking Member Waters worked with me to craft a very good bill here today. This bill is targeted at small businesses across the rest of the country. We know that 78 percent of venture capital goes to just three States. If you are in Austin, Boston, or the Silicon Valley, you have capital flowing to you; you have funds for your idea. The rest of the country, whether you are in an urban area or rural area, is starved for capital. In light of that problem, we are trying to work for a solution for those small businesses, those innovators with good ideas that maybe don't have the best access to capital. We raised the cap on angel investing, thereby allowing more people to participate at a lower threshold dollar amount while still including important investor protection. Today is a great victory for small-business folks that need access, that need capital to take their idea to market. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend, constituent, and tremendous public servant in North Carolina, Cleveland County Commissioner Ronnie Hawkins. Ronnie passed away right before Christmas, after a lengthy illness, but it wasn't one that slowed him. Throughout his illness, Ronnie displayed the same passion for helping others he showed throughout his career of public service. A native of Cleveland County, Ronnie was an Army veteran and devoted husband to his wife, Libby. He was a respected and compassionate funeral director, comforting families in their time of need and grief. He took the same type of caring and compassionate approach to his service as one of Cleveland County's longest-serving elected officials, serving 16 years on the Cleveland County Commission, as well as 12 years on the Kings Mountain School Board. He never forgot who was actually his boss at home: his constituents. Ronnie was a dear friend, and I extend my thoughts and prayers to his wife, Libby, his family, and his friends.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his kind words and for his leadership on important issues in the capital markets. Today I rise to support the Creating Financial Prosperity for Businesses and Investors Act. Mr. Speaker, the title doesn't do the act justice. This is about helping families, communities, small businesses, entrepreneurs, those that are risk-takers in our society trying to make our society better, more prosperous, and helping families and communities like the one I represent in western North Carolina be better off. We need a growing economy to help families, to help small businesses, to help make us more prosperous as Americans. So this act deals with a couple of those areas in particular for families, small businesses, and entrepreneurs so they can gain greater access to lending, to loans, to capital that they need to help businesses grow and create jobs. Two of those bills, to that end, I authored earlier this year, which we passed with over 400 votes, as individual stand-alone items through the House of Representatives. Those two bills, Supporting America's Innovators Act, and the Fix Crowdfunding Act, in particular, amend existing securities laws to make it easier for small businesses and entrepreneurs to use innovative forms of capital formation. Investment crowdfunding and angel investing are two of those areas, in particular, to support those ideas that enable us to create jobs. Those two bills were a part of the larger package, that are a part of the innovation initiative that Leader McCarthy and I launched at the beginning of this year. A number of bills have moved through the House with wide bipartisan support that update outdated laws. So, today, this package is an important step in the right direction; but our work is not done. We have to continue to work with our Federal regulators and Members on both sides of the aisle to ensure that we update and ensure investment crowdfunding, angel investing, and other areas of innovation can actually be better deployed across our society and to more people. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and ensure this bipartisan bill has wide approval here in the House today.

Mr. McHENRY

Mr. McHENRY. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would like to close with this: To my colleagues, I would like to thank my Democratic colleagues for being supportive of this bipartisan piece of legislation that originated in the Senate. I would like to commend Senators Burr and Tillis for their work in getting this important legislation through the United States Senate. The fact of the matter is we had State-based programs that victimized our population, and that State-based victimization should be righted for those who are living. That was important work of the State legislators in North Carolina that originated this victims' compensation fund in North Carolina. It is important that we do our part for the Federal Government to ensure that those victims are not further victimized by losing their important social safety net programs that are lifesaving for them. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and urge its adoption. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1698) to exclude payments from State eugenics compensation programs from consideration in determining eligibility for, or the amount of, Federal public benefits.