Luke Messer

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the powerful voice of Janelle Bedel of Rushville, Indiana. Janelle Bedel was diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma on May 1st of 2007. Since her diagnosis, and throughout her treatments, Janelle has been a tireless and strong messenger for mesothelioma and asbestos awareness. Mesothelioma is a cancer most commonly caused by exposure to asbestos fibers. In recognition for Janelle's advocacy efforts in the community, the City of Rushville designated June 6th, 2013 as Janelle Bedel ``Wonder Woman'' Day. The city will also embrace Janelle's message on the urgent need for additional asbestos awareness by recognizing September 26th as Mesothelioma Awareness Day, which will coincide with the National Mesothelioma Awareness Day. In addition, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization is joining in the recognition for Janelle's online and community awareness efforts by awarding her with the organization's Alan Reinstein Award, which is the highest honor ADAO presents. The ADAO works to eliminate asbestos disease through national education and advocacy efforts. I ask the 6th Congressional District and entire State of Indiana to join me in keeping Janelle and her family in our thoughts and prayers and in celebration of her continued efforts to raise awareness among our communities about the impact of this disease.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Madam Speaker, ``Those who give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.'' Ben Franklin uttered those words several hundred years ago, but his warning is still relevant today. Reports that the National Security Agency has been monitoring the phone records and Internet activities of ordinary citizens should concern every American. The President has said that these surveillance programs don't involve listening to people's phone calls or reading their emails. Americans want to believe their President. Yet his tax agency lied about targeting conservative groups and his Justice Department spied on reporters who were just doing their job. As a Nation, we would be wise to heed Ben Franklin's advice and make sure that there is a bright line between acceptable counterterrorism activities and unacceptable violations of our fundamental rights.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. I rise today to honor the accomplishments of the Indiana Pacers, my home-state NBA team. The Indiana Pacers reached Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, their first appearance in the Conference Finals since 2004. This 2013 Pacers team embodied the best of Hoosier basketball with a toughness and energy that was exciting to watch. As a long-time fan of the Indiana Pacers, I am thrilled to see the level of competitiveness and talent in this young team. Led on the court by All-Stars Paul George and Roy Hibbert, the Pacers had one of the best defenses in the League, holding teams to only 90.7 points per game. Joined by hometown-product George Hill, Lance Stephenson, and David West, the Pacers starting-five came together as a team to win the Central Division with a regular season record of 49-32. Credit for this outstanding player development goes to Head Coach Frank Vogel, a great ambassador of the game. Owner Herb Simon, President Jim Morris, and President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh deserve special recognition for their leadership of this franchise and for reconnecting it with Pacers fans from all over the State. We are lucky to have these leaders so highly invested in our community. I join the entire 6th District and Hoosiers across the State in congratulating the Indiana Pacers for a fantastic and thrilling 2012- 2013 season. Pacers fans statewide are looking forward to what this talented team will achieve next season.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the grand opening of the new Milan '54 Hoosiers Museum in Milan, Indiana. On a cold March night in 1954, the Milan High School boy's basketball team captured the state boy's basketball title, defeating an opponent from a school roughly ten times its size. In doing so, this tiny school secured its place in Hoosier sports history. The movie Hoosiers shared their story with the world thirty-four years later and captured the imagination of a nation. The museum in Milan will be an asset for the community and honor the memories of its coaches and players. The Milan Indians proved that heart matters more than size and that hard work, determination, and perseverance can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. They achieved greatness that should serve as an example for us all. I am proud to represent Milan in Congress and share the inspirational story that brings pride to all Hoosiers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. The First Amendment is under attack in Madison, Indiana. One of my constituents, Bill Grote, is a profile in courage as he litigates against the government's attempt to force him to violate his First Amendment rights and comply with ObamaCare's contraceptive mandate. Churches deserve protection from this mandate, but private businesses and business owners deserve protection, too. Mr. Grote is not alone. Some businesses may choose to close their doors instead of complying. Others may be fined out of business. Ask yourself: If the Federal Government can make Mr. Grote purchase products in violation of his religious beliefs, what can it do to you? I applaud Mr. Grote's courage and urge the House to pass the Health Care Conscience Rights Act to stop this attack on religious liberty.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, it's 2013, and the world is full of successful women, women like my mother, who raised her two sons on her own while working at the Delta Faucet factory in Greensburg. Some women, like my wife--a successful full-time lawyer and a successful full-time mother--balance career with family and still find time to celebrate good report cards, birthday parties, and family vacations. Last week, a national debate broke out over reports that 4 out of 10 households now have women as the lead breadwinner. I live in and grew up in two such households. Strong women are central to today's family, and that is a good thing. I look forward to a time when statistics about the success of women are no longer newsworthy.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. I would like to thank Chairman Kline for his hard work on this bill. I'd also like to thank Subcommittee Chairwoman Foxx for her hard work. I rise today in support of H.R. 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act. This debate is about a fundamental question: Who do you trust more-- the promises of Big Government or the private market setting rates in the marketplace? I believe we must return to a market-based policy rather than keeping Congress in the business of fixing interest rates by throwing darts at a dart board. Let me make two simple points to this Chamber. First, markets work. The President has recognized this, Education Secretary Duncan has recognized this. They both have called for a return to market-based rates and policies on our student loan interest. Families deserve the security of knowing that the marketplace will be setting their interest rate, not the results of the next mud wrestling match in Congress. We've heard a lot of rhetoric on the other side of the aisle about how rates will rise if we change this policy. Lost in that rhetoric is the fact that over the course of the last decade there have been times where interest rates would have been much lower had we had a market- based approach to interest rates. In 2002, student groups lobbied Congress to set student loan interest rates at a fixed 6.8 percent, beginning in the 2006 academic year. At that time, rates on student loans were variable and at historically low levels. However, student groups believed that a 6.8 rate would result in a better deal. It turned out they were wrong. Through that period, interest rates--had we stayed at a variable rate--would have been 2.36 percent. I don't think it's fair to those families that accumulated loans during those times that we had the government in the way. The second point I think that needs to be made in this debate is that while we need to have low interest rates for students--and we're all concerned and want to make sure they don't rise--the real threat to young people in this country is not a few dollars on their interest loans.

Mr. MESSER. The real threat is the explosive growth of debt in this country, the fact that we are adding $1 trillion of debt each year, $6,800 of debt per taxpayer each year. It's dragging down our economy and hurting our ability to create jobs. Let's return to commonsense policy on interest rates. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1911.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. I would now like to yield 2 minutes to my good friend from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

Mr. MESSER. I am a former State legislator from Indiana. They used to say on the House floor back there, ``Good bill. Should pass,'' and it's great when you have the opportunity to work together across the aisle on a bill that just makes sense. My colleague from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) made the comment that there is a lot of data out there for families but that there is a difference between data and information. Our goal with this bill is to help bring this data together, to get past the data dump and to try to get families the information they need while at the same time lessening the regulatory burden on our colleges and universities. They're doing the best they can with limited resources as well. So, with that, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1949) to direct the Secretary of Education to convene the Advisory Committee on Improving Postsecondary Education Data to conduct a study on improvements to postsecondary education transparency at the Federal level, as amended.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1949.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 1949, the Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act. I want to thank Chairman Kline and Higher Education Subcommittee Chairwoman Foxx for their work on and support of this measure. I also want to commend Ranking Member Miller, Subcommittee Ranking Member Hinojosa, and our Democratic committee colleagues for their contributions to this bill. Few decisions in life are bigger than whether to attend college and which college to attend, yet many families struggle to wade through the complicated maze of statistics available to find the information they need to make fully informed, cost-conscious decisions. Consequently, they may choose schools or programs that don't meet their needs and leave them with high debt and limited career potential. Despite Federal efforts to improve data collection and transparency in the higher education system, families and students still struggle, and institutions of higher learning are spending more time and money than ever. During the 2012-2013 academic year, institutions spent an estimated 850,000 man-hours and almost $31 million to fill out required Federal surveys. Higher education leaders have highlighted several of these requirements as duplicative to State and local transparency efforts and may partially contribute to the increase in college costs. Through the Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act, we hope to simplify this process and help ensure students can access the information they need to make good decisions while lessening the burden on colleges and universities that have far too many reporting requirements today. The bill would require the Department of Education to evaluate the information colleges and universities are required to provide to determine what helps make students better consumers and what simply buries them in paper--and the schools they attend in paper, as well. The information yielded by this report will play a critical role in assisting the Education and Workforce Committee's efforts to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. We need to ensure students have the information they actually need in a user-friendly manner to help them make the best decisions they can. We also must streamline the current regulatory burden of unnecessary and unhelpful reporting requirements imposed on institutions of higher education. This bill will help guide that process. I urge all of our colleagues to support the Improving Postsecondary Education Data for Students Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his comments and his leadership on this important topic. It's certainly a pleasure to work with you on this bill and on the other bills that you mentioned. I would now like to yield 1 minute to my good friend, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. MESSER. I have two others.

Mr. MESSER. I yield such time as she may consume to my friend and colleague from the great State of Indiana (Mrs. Brooks).

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Foster Care Month. All children deserve a safe, loving, and permanent home. Yet more than 400,000 of this Nation's children in foster care are still looking for such a place, a place where safe, supportive, and stable families can help nurture their dreams to reality. Madam Speaker, our Nation can never forget these amazing young people, and we should all thank the thousands of caregivers already answering the call and working tirelessly to help these children in need. But together, we must pledge to do more. Despite the best efforts of thousands, many foster youth struggle to find a permanent home. We are a Nation good enough and great enough to answer this call.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentlelady. I rise in support today of ObamaCare repeal. I can't begin to highlight all the problems of ObamaCare in 1 minute, so I will instead focus on this simple fact: ObamaCare is the biggest assault on the 40-hour workweek in this country in a generation. Under ObamaCare, government mandates and penalties kick in for every employee that works more than 30 hours a week. Employers can't afford ObamaCare's mandates and penalties, so they're scaling back the hours of their employees to less than 30 hours as a result. And that's bad for workers. It means many working moms will be forced to look for a second job to find the hours they need to pay their bills and feed their family. In my hometown of Shelbyville, for example, it has already meant that some part-time teacher's aides must work less so the local school system doesn't go bankrupt. That's bad for teachers and students. And the problems are just beginning. Mr. Speaker, it's time to repeal ObamaCare and restore the 40-hour workweek. Forty may be the new 30 when it comes to aging, but 30 is the new 40 when it comes to the ObamaCare workweek.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentleman for his remarks. I'll talk to you briefly about broken promise number three. The President promised that ``coupled with comprehensive reform, our bill could save families $2,500 in the coming years.'' The truth? Just the opposite has happened. The average family premium has grown by more than $3,000 since 2008. In Indiana, residents are expected to face some of the highest health care insurance cost increases in the Nation, amounting to more than 60 percent for many and as high as 100 percent for some. I next would like to recognize my good colleague, a man who's shown the patience of Job this evening as he's waited with great stamina, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Holding).

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentleman for his moving remarks. I thank all my colleagues for their remarks today. We're going to vote this week on repealing ObamaCare. That vote is more than symbolism. ObamaCare is wrecking this economy. ObamaCare is terrible for patient outcomes, and it needs to be repealed. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentlelady for her remarks. As many other speakers have said tonight, ObamaCare is Big Government at its worst. Federal agencies have recently reported that it will take them almost 190 million additional man hours per year for employers, families, and health care providers to comply with its onerous implementation regulations. That's nearly 95,000 new, full-time employees just to do ObamaCare paperwork. Now I'd like to recognize our final speaker of the night, one of the hardest working Members I know in this Chamber. I appreciate your stamina and persistence for being here, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr).

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentleman for his remarks. I would like to speak briefly about broken ObamaCare promise number four. The President promised ``Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see their taxes increase.'' The truth? Taxes have gone up for many, and not just the well-off. The Joint Committee on Taxation has issued a report detailing 21 new or higher taxes that will cost taxpayers more than $1 trillion. Indiana, which has a medical device industry that employs 20,000 Hoosiers, with a payroll exceeding $1 billion, would be devastated by ObamaCare's $20 billion tax on medical devices. I would next like to recognize my good friend from Indiana--I appreciate her leadership on this topic--Mrs. Walorski.

Mr. MESSER. I appreciate the gentleman's remarks. I yield to my good friend from Montana (Mr. Daines).

Mr. MESSER. I thank the good gentleman for his comments. Next I yield to my very good friend from the great State of Georgia (Mr. Collins).

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentleman for his comments. I would like to talk right now about ObamaCare broken promise number two. The President promised: I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits, either now or in the future. The truth: ObamaCare will end up adding, according to a GAO report, more than $6.2 trillion to the debt over the long run. I would next like to yield to my good friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bentivolio).