Kevin McCarthy

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. On Friday, no votes are expected. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a few suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business today. In addition, the House will consider a package of bills to ensure transparency and accountability within the Endangered Species Act. Included in this package are H.R. 4315, the 21st Century Endangered Species Transparency Act, authored by Chairman Doc Hastings; H.R. 4316, the Endangered Species Recovery Transparency Act, authored by Representative Cynthia Lummis; H.R. 4317, the State, Tribal, and Local Species Transparency Act, authored by Representative Randy Neugebauer; and H.R. 4318, the Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act, authored by Representative Bill Huizenga. The House will also consider House Resolution 676, which provides for authority to initiate litigation for actions by the President or other executive branch officials inconsistent with their duties under the Constitution of the United States. Finally, Mr. Speaker, Members are advised that the House may also consider legislation to deal with the ongoing crisis on the border.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As the gentleman knows, this colloquy is always based upon the schedule for next week, and I would very proudly like to lay out the schedule for next week. As the gentleman raised the question, he very well knows we did agree on that bill just as we agreed on quite a few bills. As of today, there are 333 bills that have passed this House that have gotten stuck in the Senate. Of those 333 bills, 40 of them are jobs bills. We know we linger in a very tough economy, and the gentleman voted for a few of those 40 bills. So let me repeat: the 40 jobs bills are still stuck in the Senate. We want to encourage economic growth and innovation. We can ensure a robust American manufacturing sector and put Americans back to work. As the gentleman knows, as we sat down to lunch, we want to work together on that, but as of right now, it is not scheduled for next week. It was on this week. Unfortunately, it did not pass, but I look forward to continuing working with the gentleman, and, hopefully, we could work together to make the Senate move on those 40 jobs bills and those 333 bills that the American public would like to see move forward.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I appreciate the gentleman's concern on the crisis. It is not just my word. It is the American word. If it were not a crisis, we would not have three Presidents from Central American countries here today to talk about the crisis. We would not have three Presidents who are asking to reunite their children with their families in their countries. If it were not a crisis, you would not have a task force that was introduced by this Speaker on this side to address it. If it were not a crisis, you wouldn't even have Members on your side of the aisle partnering with their Senators from another party, sitting in the Senate, to address the crisis. Now, many Members of this House have gone there to see the crisis. Some in the administration have not. This House is committed to addressing it as soon as it is available. We take great pride in changing this House. As the majority leader knows, he cares about the institution; but when the majority changed over here, one of the number one things we said we would do is a 3-day process, as you would know in importance, so people can read the bill, because too many times I have been to this floor when thousands of pages have come out at 2 a.m. and have been voted on that day. We made a commitment to the American people, and we have kept our commitment just as we will keep our commitment that we will end this crisis no matter what it takes. This House will act.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As my friend, the gentleman knows, this is in regard to the schedule for next week. And it is not scheduled for next week. If there will be any consideration, we will notify you.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I know we originated this for the schedule for next week. As the gentleman knows, the House has passed seven of the 12 appropriations bills in an open process. To the fact that even one of your Members, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, has had 50 percent more amendments offered on this floor than the entire Republican Conference in the Senate for the last year, we are very proud of the open process we have brought back to the floor. While the House is not scheduled to consider a regular appropriations bill next week, as the gentleman knows and as I stated already, the House may consider a supplemental appropriation request next week.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the gentleman for his passion on the crisis, just as we have on this side. Since we have taken the majority, we made a pledge to America that we post bills with a 3-day process. So, as I mentioned in the schedule announcement for next week, Members should be prepared for possible consideration of legislation to address the ongoing border crisis. Once the timing is finalized, the Rules Committee will announce a hearing on the measure to determine the process by which the bill will be brought before the House.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Again, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Yes, we have had those conversations, and I appreciate the continual conversations. As the gentleman knows, the Science Committee has several manufacturing and jobs bills before it, and I am confident they are reviewing and giving all due consideration. The bill that you speak of that passed out of the last Congress was changed within this Congress, and I know the process in which it is going. I do not anticipate any coming up next week, but we will certainly notify the Member of any consideration in the House in the future.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Again, I thank the gentleman for yielding. As the gentleman knows, there has been ongoing consideration of this. As the gentleman knows, from this side of the aisle, many of our Members, including on your side of the aisle, have been to the border to see this crisis, and it is the intent that we solve this problem and solve it for the long term. So, as I did mention in the schedule announcement for next week, Members should still be prepared for the possible consideration of the legislation to address the ongoing border crisis, and we will keep you posted.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman. I did say ``may'' come up. We would always like to work together on any capabilities that we can on legislation that we move forward, and once the timing is finalized, the Rules Committee will announce a hearing on the measure to determine the process by which the bill will be brought before the floor.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Again, I thank the gentleman for yielding. As I mentioned, in the schedule announcement for next week, Members should be prepared for the possible consideration of legislation to address the ongoing border crisis. Once again, once the timing is finalized, the Rules Committee will announce a hearing on the measure to determine the process by which the bill will be brought before the floor.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, no votes are expected in the House. On Tuesday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a few suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business tomorrow and which, I am proud to say, will include additional bills to combat human trafficking. In addition, the House will consider two bills to support innovation and enhance financial counseling in higher education: H.R. 3136, the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act, authored by Representative Matt Salmon; and H.R. 4984, the Empowering Students through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act, authored by Representative Brett Guthrie. The House will consider H.R. 3393, the Student and Family Tax Simplification Act. It is a bipartisan bill, authored by Representatives Diane Black and Danny Davis, to ensure a simple and fair Tax Code so that students and families can afford a college education. The House will consider H.R. 4935, the Child Tax Credit Improvement Act of 2014, authored by Representative Lynn Jenkins, to help low- and middle-income families save for child expenses. Finally, the House will also consider legislation to address the growing crisis on the border and the reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. As the gentleman noted, as of last night, the House has now acted on six appropriations bills, which is halfway through, and, as I mentioned in the schedule announcement for next week, the House will begin consideration of the seventh bill with the Financial Services Appropriations Act starting on Monday evening. That is as much as I see for the next week, but as we move forward through the July calendar, I will keep you notified as we continue through.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. As I noticed earlier in next week's schedule, I do not anticipate that coming up next week, but as we look toward the remainder of the July schedule, we will certainly notify the Members if that will be considered in the House.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I appreciate the gentleman's bringing up the crisis at the border. Many of the Members in this House, on both sides, have been down to the border personally to see the crisis, and I think that is very important for all elected officials to go see. We have a task force working on this right now. I know the President has put forth a supplemental--and the Appropriations Committee is currently reviewing the President's request for a supplemental, but I do not anticipate that coming up next week. As we look toward the remainder of July, we will keep you posted--and others--and I look forward to working with the gentleman further on other issues.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank you for yielding and for bringing up this issue. As I mentioned the schedule announcement for next week, Members should be prepared for possible consideration of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Once the timing is finalized, the Rules Committee will announce a hearing on the measure to determine the process by which the bill will be brought before the floor.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I look forward to a very strong working relationship with you. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning-hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning-hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. On Friday, no votes are expected. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a few suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business today. In addition, the House will consider H.R. 5016, the fiscal year 2015 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, sponsored by Chairman Ander Crenshaw. Members are advised that debate on the bill and amendments will begin Monday night after the 6:30 p.m. vote series. Members are further advised that it is possible that we will have an additional vote series Monday night on amendments to the Financial Services Appropriations bill. For the remainder of the week, the House will consider a package of five tax bills from Ways and Means that will help foster charitable giving. These five bills that will be included are H.R. 2807, the Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2014, authored by Representative Jim Gerlach; H.R. 4619, making the rule allowing certain tax-free distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts for charitable purposes permanent, authored by Representative Aaron Schock; H.R. 4719, which will permanently extend and expand the charitable deduction for contributions of food inventory, authored by Representative Tom Reed; H.R. 3134, the Charitable Giving Extension Act, authored by Representative Mike Kelly; and H.R. 4691, modifying the tax rate for excise tax on income investment for private foundations, authored by Representative Erik Paulsen. The House will also likely consider the highway extension bill to ensure that the vital transportation projects continue during the busy summer construction season. Finally, Members are advised that the House may also consider an extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding, I thank him for his input. As I said earlier, in next week's schedule I do not anticipate that coming up, but as we look towards the rest of July, I will keep all Members posted.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I do want to thank the gentleman on the other side of the aisle. As you did note, it did pass out of Ways and Means on a voice vote unanimously. We are committed. We want to bring the bill to the floor and fill the hole, but we are committed to looking long term, as with many of the ideas that we have brought forth in the past, and we look forward to working with you on the highway bill.

Mr. McCARTHY of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I do not anticipate that bill coming up next week, but as we look towards the remainder of the July schedule, we will certainly notify the Members for the consideration of the House.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, July 14, 2014, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 337 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of Elaine Janson, a true leader in our community who has served China Lake for over thirty years and the past ten years of her life to the students of the Sierra Sands Unified School District in California. Receiving her Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and a Masters in Public Administration from California State University, Bakersfield, Elaine began work as a clerk for the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake, located in Ridgecrest, California. In 1974, she became an administrative officer in the School of Education and the Department of Physics at the University of Southern California, but returned to NAWS China Lake in 1978 to head the Corporate Budget Division in the Office of the Comptroller where she was responsible for formulating and executing the base's budget of $1 billion. Through the Office of General Counsel, Elaine founded the Commercial Applications and Transfer Office, which was responsible for negotiating patent license agreements, as well as cooperative research and development agreements. She was awarded the Commander's Award in 1993 for these efforts. She negotiated landmark agreements in both the intellectual property and educational partnership areas as well for NAWS. Elaine is also a founding member of the NAWS Business Development Office, which works to expand the base's work and bring additional jobs and business to our community. During this period, she was a founding member of the China Lake Chapter of the American Society of Military Comptroller, serving as its Vice President, and has been members of multiple other organizations, including the Federal Laboratory Consortium, the Technology Transfer Society and the Association of University Technology Managers. Not only did Elaine dedicate time serving NAWS, she also plays a leadership role in the Ridgecrest community, serving on the Ridgecrest United Way of California board and the Indian Wells Valley Concert Association. She retired after 33 years in Federal service with the United States Navy, but Elaine's passion for service did not end there. Elaine has spent the last ten years with Sierra Sands Unified School District where she began in 2003 as the Chief Financial Officer. Later, she moved on to serve as the school district's Assistant Superintendent for Business and Assistant Superintendent for Construction. Over the period of her tenure, she not only oversaw the district budget, but also supervised maintenance and operations, transportation, food service, and warehouse departments. Her work with Superintendent Joanna Rummer also helped secure significant Federal funds to replace Murray Middle School and modernize Burroughs High School to ensure our students are able to obtain a world-class education in modern buildings. Additionally, during a period in which the entire nation experienced one of the worst economic climates, Sierra Sands Unified School District remained fiscally solvent and maintained the integrity of its outstanding academic programs. If anything personifies Elaine's service, it is her passionate advocacy for her students in the school district. I have enjoyed working with Elaine to promote Sierra Sands Unified School District, its students, and our Ridgecrest community. I will miss our frequent visits and the See's Candies that Elaine always brings with her, but I know she is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, James, and their 14 children and grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of a grateful community, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Elaine for her outstanding service and wishing her a happy retirement as she begins this next chapter of her life.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of my good friend Joanna (Jody) Rummer, who has served the Sierra Sands Unified School District for 26 years. Joining the school district as a science teacher in 1988, Jody went on to serve as assistant principal at Murray Middle School and Burroughs High School before eventually becoming Burroughs' co- Principal. In 2001, she joined the district administrative staff as the coordinator of special projects before becoming the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. In 2004, Jody became the school district's superintendent and embarked on a journey that would ultimately transform the Sierra Sands Unified School District. When Jody took the wheel, her vision was to enhance and grow Sierra Sands. Today, Jody's vision is rooted in the foundation of all eleven district schools, which have been recognized statewide as institutions of academic excellence, earned the California Distinguished School award, and designated as a California Blue Ribbon school. Within the halls of those schools, you'll find students excelling in California's finest programs for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, mastering the art of music, visual arts, and drama, and setting athletic milestones as state champions in multiple sports. Additionally, in the face of the most challenging of fiscal environments since the Great Depression, Sierra Sands Unified School District has maintained fiscal solvency throughout the entirety of her superintendency. A relentless advocate for her students, I was honored to work recently with her to secure almost $60 million in Federal defense funds to replace Murray Middle School and modernize Burroughs High School. Many of the parents of Sierra Sands students work at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories while their children attend class in 1940s and 1950s era buildings. Jody was instrumental in securing these funds and worked tirelessly with the Department of Defense through a competitive process to ensure her students can learn in modern buildings in today's digital society. Jody also was key to Sierra Sands securing $7 million to build a state- of-the-art new Career Technical Education Building. I have known Jody for years, and always sought her advice when I served in the California Assembly and now in the U.S. House of Representatives. Whether it is working to provide resources under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so schools can better serve their disabled students, to critical reforms to the Impact Aid program to help ensure military-serving districts, like Sierra Sands, can continue to provide a world-class education to its students by cutting through bureaucratic red tape, to working on commonsense reforms to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act that focus on students, Jody has tirelessly represented her students, school district, and our Ridgecrest community's interest while providing sound, objective, and to-the-point advice. When I visit Jody in Ridgecrest and speak to students, she is always quick to laud her staff, teachers and students' achievements and hard work that have made Sierra Sands one of the best school districts in Kern County and the State of California. Those are some of the reasons why she has been twice recognized by the Association of California School Administrators as Administrator of the Year and named this year as California's Superintendent of the Year. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of our community, I would like to wish a happy retirement to Jody Rummer, who has devoted so much of her life to the success of the students and community she holds so close to her heart. I will miss working with Jody, but I know she will still be involved in education and our Ridgecrest community and I look forward to still be able to call on her for advice to strengthen the educational needs not only of Ridgecrest, our county, or our state, but of our country.

Mr. McCARTHY of California

Mr. McCARTHY of California. Mr. Chair, education remains one of the greatest keys to success in our society, yet there are children across the nation without access to a good school. There is no single cure. No child or community is the same. And often the educational solutions in one community won't fit those in another. But there are local solutions already working across the nation. Recently, I spoke with my friend, Barbara Grimm-Marshall, a successful businesswoman with their family company Grimmway Farms. For years her family funded college scholarships for the children of her employees, but every year applications for that scholarship were low. She found that when kids in Arvin, CA were old enough to go to college, most were not ready. Committed to the belief that every child should have a bright future, she took action. That is why, in 2011, Barbara took it upon herself to offer children in the community the opportunity to achieve a successful. She opened a charter school. She had never run a school herself, so she did what we are trying to promote today; she replicated a successful school, Rocketship Charter School in San Jose. After only 3 years, Grimmway Academy was a California Distinguished School whose students had the highest test scores in the district. Grimmway Academy is proof that new ideas and innovation works to help our children. Sadly, the lack of educational opportunity exists in too many towns. We have an obligation to expand educational opportunities and school choice so that every child has the chance to attend a successful school. I applaud my colleagues John Kline and George Miller for coming together and sponsoring this legislation. Education transcends political boundaries, and this House will continue to work toward solutions to ensure the next generation, no matter their circumstance, is afforded every opportunity for a better life.