Luke Messer

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my constituents, Steven and Denise Butz of Greensburg, Indiana. Steve and Denise were married and actively involved in their church and community. As members of St. Mary's Catholic Church, they served on the St. Mary's Festival and Christ Renews His Parish Committees. Steve was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a coach with youth wrestlers; Denise participated in the local Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. On a personal note, I have fond memories playing alongside Steve on the Greensburg High School football team. Steve and Denise will forever be remembered as devoted parents to their two sons and life-long friends of their community. I ask the entire 6th Congressional District to keep their sons Blake and Brandon, along with the entire extended Butz family, in your thoughts and prayers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my constituents, Donald and Barbara Horan of Greensburg, Indiana. Don and Barb were married and actively involved in their church and community. After working with several local businesses, Don acquired Collection Associates Incorporated and developed it into a thriving business. Don served on the Decatur County Fair Board, Greensburg Redevelopment Board, and the Decatur County Community Foundation. Barb volunteered with Tri Kappa and the Decatur county YMCA Board, among others. They were both actively involved in St. Mary's Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Don and Barb will forever be remembered as devoted parents to their daughters and life-long friends of their community. I ask the entire 6th Congressional District to keep their four daughters Rebecca, Olivia, Regan, and Adrienne, along with the entire extended Horan family, in your thoughts and prayers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of one of my constituents, Ken Berry of Richmond, Indiana. Ken was a loving husband to Debbie Berry, a vital member of my congressional staff who previously served in the office of former Representative Mike Pence. Ken brought joy, love, and laughter to those around him and was a wonderful partner in life for his entire family. A longtime member of Oak Park Church in Richmond, Ken enjoyed singing and gospel music. He was a small business owner and known around the region as an impressive auctioneer with a matching personality--warm, friendly, and instantly approachable. Ken and his family's dedication to the people of Indiana will be forever appreciated. I ask the entire 6th Congressional District to keep Debbie, son Matt, and the entire Berry family in your thoughts and prayers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary accomplishments of one of my constituents, Ray J. Hillenbrand, chairman of the board of Hillenbrand, Inc. headquartered in Batesville, Indiana. Mr. Hillenbrand has been chairperson of the board of Hillenbrand, Inc. since 2008 and previously served as director of Hillenbrand Industries, the company's former parent corporation, from 1970 to 2008 and as chairman of the board from 2001 to 2006. Mr. Hillenbrand was employed by and active for 19 years in the management of Hillenbrand Industries prior to his resignation as senior vice president and member of the office of the president in 1977. On February 27, 2013, Ray will retire from his duties leading the strategic vision of the company as chairman. For more than a century, the Hillenbrand companies have served as a staple in the Indiana and American corporate landscape, premiering innovative products in the funeral services, medical, and engineering industries. Ray's leadership has been a vital part of that success. Ray Hillenbrand will forever be a friend and inspiration to people across the Hoosier state. I ask the entire 6th Congressional District to join me in thanking Ray for his excellent service to his business and community and in congratulations for his successful tenure as chairman of the board of Hillenbrand, Inc.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments of one of my constituents, F. Joseph Loughrey, the incoming chairman of the board of Hillenbrand, Inc. headquartered in Batesville, Indiana. This month, Mr. Loughrey will assume the chairmanship of the board of directors of Hillenbrand, Inc. He has served as a director of the company since early 2009. That same year, he retired from Cummins Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, after serving 35 years in a variety of roles, most recently as vice chairman of the board of directors and as the company's president and chief operating officer. Mr. Loughrey served on the Cummins board from 2005 until 2009 and previously served as a director of Tower Automotive, Inc. and Sauer-Danfoss, Inc. Mr. Loughrey currently serves on a number of boards, including as chairman for Conexus Indiana and as a member of the boards of AB SKF, Vanguard Group, Lumina Foundation for Education, the V Foundation for Cancer Research, and Oxfam America. He is also chairman of the advisory council to the College of Arts & Letters at the University of Notre Dame, where he additionally serves on the advisory board to the Kellogg Institute for International Studies. I ask the entire 6th Congressional District to join me in congratulating Mr. Loughrey for his upcoming tenure as chairman of the board of Hillenbrand, Inc. For more than a century, the Hillenbrand companies have served as a staple in the Indiana and American corporate landscape, premiering innovative products in the funeral services, medical, and engineering industries. Joseph's leadership will continue to be a vital part of that success.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, Uncle Sam's free-spending ways have cost each American $27,000 over the last 4 years. As a Nation, we are adding $50,000 in debt each second. But listening to this President talk about sequestration, you would think that we can't spend one penny less, even though discretionary spending has risen over his tenure, even though we spend millions on such necessities as robotic squirrels, Martian menus, hot-air balloons, and other so-called priorities. The House has voted twice to replace the President's sequester with commonsense spending reforms. It is time to get serious about replacing these indiscriminate cuts with other more targeted spending reductions, but not by raising taxes again. Mr. Speaker, I am willing to work with this President to replace his sequester with responsible spending controls. I am not willing to ask our constituents to give Washington more of their hard-earned money so it can be squandered and added to the hefty tab Uncle Sam is piling up on their behalf.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. MESSER. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of the Require a PLAN Act because the American people deserve to know when or whether the budget proposed by the President would achieve balance and what policies are being pursued to require the Federal Government to live within its means. My amendment today is based on a very simple principle--that each hardworking American taxpayer deserves to know how much the deficit costs them every year. To achieve this goal, the amendment very simply will require the supplemental unified budget called for in the underlying bill to include the cost per taxpayer of the annual deficit for each year that budget is projected in deficit. This requirement would be a powerful reminder to the President and Congress that our decisions have real world consequences for hardworking taxpayers. We've all heard the question asked, how much is a trillion dollars? It's very difficult to quantify. It's very difficult to bring it into a real world context. What this bill will do is allow us to do that for taxpayers. Our constituents might be surprised by what they learn. According to the Internal Revenue Service, there were about 145 million tax-paying Americans last year. With a trillion-dollar budget deficit that we've had in recent years, that would calculate out to about $6,896 per year per taxpayer to cover our existing deficit. The total tab for the past 4 years of $1 trillion each year would be about $27,500 a year. Back in the Sixth District of Indiana where I come from, that is a lot of money. I think we owe it to the taxpayers to let them know what we're doing here in Washington. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER. I yield 1 minute to my good friend and classmate, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

Mr. MESSER. I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland for his statement in support of the bill. It's a commonsense provision, and I appreciate your support. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 444, the Require a PLAN Act, and commend my colleague from Georgia, Dr. Price, for his hard work on this issue. I've been surprised by some of the testimony on the other side of the aisle today. This bill says one very simple thing, that the President, when he submits a budget, must say when or whether it balances. The American people deserve to know when the budget proposed by the President will budget. That's all this bill requires. It doesn't say the President has to balance the budget, though he should. It doesn't say he needs to stop sending money we don't have, though we must. It just asks him to tell the American people, when, if at all, the budget proposal will not be in deficit. This should not be a partisan issue. Past Presidents should have submitted balanced budgets. Our current President should submit a balanced budget. Future Presidents should do the same. The Require a PLAN Act is a straightforward, commonsense step in the right direction. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, the victims of the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, and the victims of the other recent shootings deserve our solemn prayers for their loss and our deepest sympathy for their pain. As a Nation, we should focus our collective grief and attention on finding actual solutions to prevent such tragedies in the future. But gun bans are not the answer. History shows that gun bans only keep guns away from law-abiding citizens, not criminals. Blaming a gun for violence is like blaming a pen for a misspelled word. Mr. Speaker, this week President Obama hosted his latest in an unfortunate series of anti-gun pep rallies. This Nation does not need more political posturing. Instead, we need a serious discussion about how we address mental health as a Nation, and we need to take action to better protect our children in their schools. I stand ready to protect the Second Amendment rights of our citizens and work with anyone who will support policies that could actually stop future violence.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of one of my constituents and a dear friend, Ted Ogle. Ted was a loving husband and father, a loyal friend, and a highly effective public leader with a great passion for his country, his State, and his community. Over the last decade, Ted's work touched the careers of Hoosier elected leaders all across our State. On a personal note, I will be forever indebted to Ted Ogle. Ted was one of the first and most vocal supporters in my campaign for State representative 10 years ago and, as Sixth District chairman, played a central role in last year's campaign for U.S. Congress. Ted loved his family, loved his country and State, loved his friends, and loved the Indiana Republican Party. His passing came way too soon. Ted Ogle will never be forgotten, and he will be forever missed. I ask the entire Sixth District to keep Anne, their children Eric and Nadia, and the entire Ogle family in your thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks and months.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National School Choice Week, which has grown from 200 organizations and 150 events in 2011 to 500 organizations and more than 3,500 events this year. National School Choice Week highlights the benefits of school choice and the need to provide meaningful school options to students and families across this country. The school choice movement is based on one essential truth: that when parents have a choice, kids have an opportunity. School choice programs empower parents so they can send their kids to schools that best meet their needs. As the former president of School Choice Indiana, I am proud of the more than 10,000 Hoosier children who have better opportunities today because of Indiana's school choice programs. Those programs work, and I will work for their continued expansion as a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Mr. Speaker, school choice is an idea that transcends ideology and party affiliation, providing opportunities that every child deserves.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reflect on 40 years since the ruling of the United States Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade. Our President, in his inaugural address yesterday, recognized the fact that this Nation has long understood that we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. Chief among them is the right to life and the recognition that it's rooted in, that every life is precious and deserving of dignity. Today, I took the first of what will be many steps in my congressional service to protect life by cosponsoring H.R. 217, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, to ensure that family planning grants are used for their intended purposes and not by organizations like Planned Parenthood to provide abortions. Mr. Speaker, as a Nation, we must do better. Our children deserve better. My hope is that with hard work, persuasion, and prayer we will once again become a Nation that recognizes the dignity of every human being and recognizes again our God-given unalienable right to life.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. I say with great pride to my honorable colleague that we do it better in Indiana. I worked with then-State Representative Walorski and Governor Daniels as a member of Indiana's General Assembly to help pass Indiana's balanced budget. We turned a $600 million deficit into a $300 million surplus in 1 year without a tax increase. There was no silver bullet. Our State's leader simply followed a principle most families already understand, that one shouldn't spend money they don't have. It wasn't always easy, but 8 years later, we have fewer State government employees than any time since the early 1970s, yet our State is providing better services in leaner ways throughout government. As Governor Daniels has often famously said: Most will be surprised by how much government they don't miss. I now yield to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina for your comments today.

Mr. MESSER. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Utah. I appreciate his remarks. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. MESSER. I next would like to recognize the distinguished gentleman and my good friend from Texas (Mr. Williams).

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials on the topic in this Special Order.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, it's an honor and privilege to stand here today in what I hope to have as the first of many Special Orders that the Republican freshman class does together. Today, we want to highlight the importance of the upcoming debt ceiling debate and the need to get serious about addressing the out-of- control spending and borrowing that is jeopardizing the American Dream for our children and grandchildren. I'm honored to represent Indiana's Sixth Congressional District, a 19-county area of east central and southeastern Indiana that was formerly represented by now-Governor Mike Pence. My constituents work hard, play by the rules and deserve what they've earned. They should be able to keep a little more of their paychecks for things like college tuition, family vacations or to retire just a little earlier. But Washington is standing in their way. The fundamental question that this Congress needs to answer is whether Washington should take more than it already does from these hardworking, taxpaying Americans. The answer, of course, is no. Washington doesn't tax too little; it spends too much. One would hope that since the last Congress raised taxes to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff, everyone's attention now would turn to our biggest fiscal problem, the out-of-control spending--now 24 percent of our gross domestic product--and the explosive growth of entitlements and interest on the debt that are adding to our more-than-$16-trillion national debt and pushing us up against the debt ceiling. But, remarkably, President Obama is now calling for even more taxes, more spending and more borrowing in return for any future spending controls. He said yesterday that we can't finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone. Simply put, the President got his tax increases in the last Congress, and it's time for this Congress to tackle Washington's spending binge. I'd like to recognize the gentlelady from Indiana.

Mr. MESSER. My thanks to the distinguished gentlelady from Carmel. I now recognize the distinguished gentlelady from South Bend. My condolences on the national championship game, but we welcome you here today.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to next recognize the distinguished gentleman from Utah (Mr. Stewart).

Mr. MESSER. I thank the honorable gentleman. I thank you for your comments. I would like to recognize next my good friend, the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. MESSER. I thank the distinguished gentleman. Mr. Speaker, I would next like to recognize my good friend, the distinguished gentleman from Michigan.

Mr. MESSER. I thank the distinguished gentleman from Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for your time and help tonight as another distinguished Member of the freshman class. I hope we will have opportunities on other nights for you to be able to participate in these Special Orders. As several have alluded to, our idea is just to be a part of the public debate. Everyone in this room tonight, everybody watching, has grown up in an America where you've known one very simple fact: that no matter what your current station in life, no matter where you came from, if you worked hard and stayed focused in this great country, you would have an opportunity to build a life for yourself; you would have an opportunity to live the American Dream. And for the first time in my life, as I traveled through the Sixth District of Indiana and talked to people all across this country, people are doubting whether that will be true for the next generation, whether the next generation of young people and Americans will have the same kinds of opportunities that we all had growing up. I think it is not an exaggeration to say that the upcoming debate in the next 2 months is really about the question of what are we willing to do to save our country, and this underlying question: Does Washington have enough? How much more must they take from the hardworking, taxpaying Americans who are trying to put their life together every day? I and my colleagues who spoke earlier today believe Washington has enough. We don't need to give her more. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.