Doug Ose

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a few remarks about the situation along the Klamath River. It is interesting sitting here considering what we are talking about. In the 1960s, the Bureau of Reclamation made an effort to actually poison the suckerfish in the Klamath. They thought it was a pest, and they attempted to remove it. Now 40 years later, we are here arguing about what to do to protect the suckerfish. The sad part of it, the sucker policy, if you will, here, is that there is a study by Oregon State University that shows the preferred action that Fish and Wildlife Service or NMFS is putting forward, that is, raising the lake level, will actually hurt the coho salmon which is also a listed species. The fact is this really is a sucker policy. Thankfully, one of our friends to the north, Senator Smith of Oregon, is no sucker. He has thoughtfully proposed that we follow the facts outlined in a plan from 1993, much of which is still awaiting implementation. This comprehensive plan balances the needs of wildlife while providing sufficient water to our farms and communities. The plan basically says, if the government truly wants to save these suckerfish, why do they not improve the habitat in the current lake? Why have they not created suckerfish hatcheries or worked to restrict the growth of suckerfish predators as set forth in the plan? It is a real dilemma to me that this sucker punch policy on suckerfish is being jammed down our throat. Mr. Chairman, I hope that this body will follow the leadership of Senator Smith and the other Senator from Oregon, Senator Wyden, and my colleagues in the House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger), the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones), and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) when we consider how many people in California and Oregon will be punished because the Federal Government ignored its own 1993 recommendations and is now acting on bad science to change the balanced policy that has existed but not been implemented for the past 8 years. If we do not correct this egregious policy error, then our constituents will know us for the suckers we are. Point of Order

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. This issue of energy in California is perhaps the most critical issue at the moment in California. The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) and some of our friends on the Democratic side have come forward with an idea for price caps. I have read the amendment of the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi). One of the most important things is figuring how do we bring new supply to market, and how do we do it in a manner that is environmentally acceptable. This week Senator Feinstein has been good enough to speak the truth, and that is perhaps we ought to let FERC's plan work a little bit and see if it actually works, rather than jumping in and imposing another layer of regulatory standards. Mr. Chairman, I want to enter into the Record a letter that I received from Calpine, which is a national company reknown for its ability to bring efficient, environmentally friendly power to the market. Calpine, Washington, DC, June 18, 2001. Hon. Doug Ose, House of Representatives, Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Congressman Ose: Thank you for your leadership in helping to resolve the severe electricity crisis in California and the West Coast. Your legislation, H.R. 1974, is a responsible attempt to provide the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with the needed tools that will help it in its effort to stabilize Western states electricity markets. There has been some misguided criticism of your bill as it relates to the price set during certain market conditions. Under your proposal, the price limitations are based on the FERC order of April 26, 2001. These price limitations are set in relation to the least-efficient generation units entering the market at specific times. Some have claimed that this will encourage inefficiency. The reality is just the opposite: by pegging the price to the least-efficient unit entering the market, it rewards those generators who are more efficient. In addition, it allows the power from these less- efficient units to be sent to the grid when it is most needed, thereby preventing additional blackouts. This will be especially important as we enter the summer, which is when peak demand occurs in California and any blackouts could create serious impacts on public health and safety. By using the least-efficient units for the price limitations, your legislation actually encourages newer and cleaner plants to be construed. Eventually this will lead to the decommissioning of the oldest and dirtiest plants in the state. It should be noted that Calpine's resources are very efficient, as we do not own or operate the types of plants that are the last to enter the market during times of potential shortfalls. Calpine looks forward to working with you in resolving this crisis. We want a stable market that provides reliable and affordable electricity to all of the citizens in the West. Whenever you need the perspective of a California-based supplier of clean and reliable electricity, we will be pleased to provide it. Sincerely, Joe Ronan, Vice President--Government and Regulatory Affairs. They clearly state that price caps just are not going to work. They are, in effect, a reward given to the most inefficient, highly polluting plants that can be used. Mr. Chairman, here is the concept. Under the gentlewoman's bill, we would have generators regardless of their cost basis who would earn a return on their cost. So if they produce at $10 a megawatt, they make a percentage on that. Over here we may have some other producer who can do it for $5, and under the gentlewoman's proposal, they would get a percentage of that. The guy who can bring power to market for $5 is bringing power to California consumers at half the cost of the $10 person. If we use the technology that is available to us today, we can bring power to the market, we can do it in a way that allows us to use highly efficient conversion of gas to electricity. We can do it in a way that instead of continuing to pollute our environment in California with these traditional sources that the gentlewoman is attempting to protect, we do it with technology that has significantly lower levels of pollution. That is what we are arguing about here today, whether to protect the dinosaurs using cost-based rates or to move into the 21st century, protect our environment, protect our consumers from price gouging, bring supply to the market and create jobs in California. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to reject the gentlewoman from California's amendment.

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the West Sacramento Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 8762 for establishing an All Wars Veterans' Memorial in West Sacramento, California. After several years of hard work and planning, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 8762 established a Veteran's Plaza on the City of West Sacramento's scenic riverfront as a tribute to the hundreds of thousands of America's military veterans who have served their country during all its wars. I am pleased to report that June 16, 2001 will mark the completion of the first-ever all wars veterans' memorial in the city of West Sacramento. I commend VFW Post No. 8762 for their dedication to serving our veterans, in addition to their constant vigilance in remembering America's Prisoners of War/Missing in Action veterans.

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, as the father of two daughters myself, it is indeed my pleasure to welcome Shauna Lian Kaplan and Sierra Naomi Kaplan to the world. These two, beautiful little girls were born within seconds of each other on Friday, May 11, 2001 at Fairfax Hospital, in Northern Virginia to my Legislative Director, James Kaplan, and his wife, Stacie Kaplan. They were also warmly welcomed to the world and their family by their proud grandparents: Dr. and Mrs. Jerold Kaplan of California, and Mr. and Mrs. Harold Rothman of Maryland. Other ecstatic relatives include Stacie's sister, Ms. Amy Rothman, Jim's brothers, Ens. Scott Kaplan, USN, and Mr. Glenn Kaplan, Stacie's grandmothers, Mrs. Helen Rothman and Mrs. Doris Scherr, and Jim's grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Schwartz. The story of these two little girls began here in the U.S. Capitol. Their parents were introduced by a mutual friend who worked with him in the House of Representatives. Jim proposed to Stacie on a dome tour of the U.S. Capitol in 1997 And it is only fitting that their twin daughters now be recognized by the House. Who knows? One of these little girls may be here to do the same for one of their staff one day.

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 148, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' Stated against:

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, we rise in tribute to the outstanding employees of McClellan Air Base. On April 9 and 10, 2001, McClellan will host two events honoring the men and women who have been part of the McClellan workforce for the past 63 years. McClellan AFB has always been a leader in supporting the defense of the United States of America. In the 5 years since the base closure was announced, numerous awards have been won, and this has been a testament to the abilities and distinction of the men and women of McClellan. Just in the past 3 years, McClellan has won two of former Vice President Al Gore's ``Hammer Awards'' for improving the way government and the Air Force does business. Base environmental programs, medical programs, financial management programs, and many more individuals and organizations have also been identified as exceptional. These awards have been won for good reason. The employees of McClellan have continued to distinguish themselves despite the pressures of a pending base closure. The expected turmoil of large- scale reductions in force, vacating facilities and moving equipment caused the Air Force to budget for McClellan to lose $146.6 million over the last 3 fiscal years. Instead, McClellan's workforce managed to turn a profit of $9.1 million, saving the American taxpayers $155.7 million. The men and women of McClellan should take great pride in the completion of their mission with the utmost of professionalism and honor. As important as these accomplishments have been, it is especially important to note the awards and recognition honoring the people of McClellan for their community involvement. This has included efforts to help feed the poor of Sacramento, supporting the Special Olympics, tutoring disadvantaged students, and raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Even as McClellan approached closure, its people worked to make their community a better place. Their selflessness in the face of a difficult situation is inspiring and deserves praise. Mr. Speaker, as the exceptional people of McClellan Air Force Base are recognized, we are honored to pay tribute to some of our areas most important contributors. McClellan has been an invaluable resource to the Sacramento Area, the State of California, and the United States. We ask all of our colleagues to join with us in thanking the men and women of McClellan Air Force Base for their hard work and dedication over the years.

Mr. OSE

Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the rule for this good government bill to streamline and reduce paperwork burdens on small businesses, that is, H.R. 327, the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act. H.R. 327 includes helpful provisions for small businesses, including a requirement for the Office of Management and Budget to annually publish in the Federal Register and on the Internet an identification of each agency's Federal paperwork requirements for small businesses; a requirement for each agency to establish a single point of contact for small businesses; a requirement for each agency to make further efforts to reduce paperwork for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees; and to establish an interagency task force to study streamlining of paperwork requirements for small businesses. CBO, as the gentleman from Washington has said, has scored this as having a minimal cost for Federal agencies each year. It is time for us to move forward on doing this. I support the open rule.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 327.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 327, the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act was introduced by the gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Burton) on January 31, 2001. This good government bill continues congressional efforts to streamline and reduce paperwork burdens on small businesses. During the 105th and 106th Congresses, the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight reported out bills H.R. 3310 and H.R. 391, respectively, that passed the House by votes of 267 to 140 and 274 to 151, respectively. These earlier bills included all of the substantive provisions in H.R. 327. However, unlike the predecessor bills, H.R. 327 does not include any provisions relating to the waiver of sanctions for first- time violations by small businesses of Federal paperwork requirements. H.R. 327 includes the following helpful provisions for small businesses. First, a requirement for the Office of Management and Budget to annually publish in the Federal Register and on the Internet an identification of each agency's Federal paperwork requirements for small businesses. Second, a requirement for each agency to establish a single point of contact for small businesses. Third, a requirement for each agency to make further efforts to reduce paperwork for small businesses with fewer than 25 employees. Fourth, a requirement to establish an interagency task force to study streamlining of paperwork requirements for small businesses. H.R. 327 asks this task force to consider having each agency consolidate its reporting requirements for small businesses, resulting in reporting to the agency's single point of contact, in a single format or using a single electronic reporting system, and on one date. The definition of small business in this bill is the one used in the Small Business Act, 15 U.S.C., subsection 631 et seq. H.R. 327 amends the Paperwork Reduction Act, the successor to the Federal Reports Act of 1942, which began the requirement for OMB approval before paperwork could be imposed on nine or more members of the public. The 1980 Paperwork Reduction Act which established the office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in OMB began by stating ``information needed by Federal agencies shall be obtained with a minimum burden upon business enterprises, especially small business enterprises, and other persons required to furnish the information and at a minimum cost to the government.'' The 1995 reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act set 10 percent and 5 percent goals for paperwork reduction each year from 1996 to 2001. OMB's most recent estimate of Federal paperwork burden on the public is 7.2 billion hours annually, at a cost of $190 billion a year. Despite the statutory requirements for annual reductions in paperwork burden, there have been annual increases, instead of annual decreases, in paperwork in each of the last 5 years. Those being from 1996 to 2000. OMB's April 2000 report to Congress entitled the Information Collection Budget of the United States Government: Fiscal Year 2000 does not identify any interagency efforts to streamline paperwork requirements on small businesses. Also, although Congress required OMB to provide an analysis of impacts of Federal regulation on small business, OMB's June 2000 ``Report to Congress on the Costs and Benefits of Federal Regulations: 2000'' devotes less than one page to the impact of Federal regulatory and paperwork burdens on small businesses. H.R. 327 has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business, the National Small Business United, the Small Business Coalition for Regulatory Relief, the Small Business Legislative Council, the Small Business Survival Committee, the Academy of General Dentistry, Agriculture Retailers Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, Associated Builders and Contractors, the Associated General Contractors, the Automotive Parts and Service Alliance, the Food Marketing Institute, GrassRoots Impact Inc., the National Association of Convenience Stores, the National Automobile Dealers Association, the National Business Association, the National Pest Management Association, the National Restaurant Association, the National Roofing Contractors Association, the National Tooling and Machining Association, the North American Equipment Dealers Association, and the Society of American Florists. Mr. Chairman, I have introduced an amendment in the nature of a substitute which includes provisions requested by the Government Reform Minority, or the Committee on Small Business. Specifically, calling for, first, a clarification that was added that the annual list of requirements applicable to small businesses shall be organized so that small businesses can easily identify requirements with which they are expected to comply; second, the Department of Treasury was added to the membership of the interagency task force since the IRS accounts for nearly 80 percent of all paperwork burden on the public; third, a clarification was added that the consolidation requirements on small businesses shall not negatively impact the effectiveness of the underlying laws; fourth, the task force's report shall be submitted not only to Congress but also to OMB; and, fifth, a requirement was added to the task force to report in 2 years on recommendations for interactive, electronic recording with on-line editing, electronic dissemination and coordination across agencies so that agency single points of contact can provide small businesses with information from other agencies. In addition, the Small Business Committee stressed that, first, the interagency task force should reach out to actual small businesses for their views and recommendations, and that agencies should create user- friendly Web sites for small businesses, including links to each agency's reporting requirements for small businesses and organized, where possible, by the North American Industrial Classification System formally known as the SIC codes. Small businesses are particularly hurt by regulatory and paperwork burden. The Small Business Administration estimates that it costs large firms $3,400 per employee to comply with Federal regulatory and paperwork requirements. However, the costs to small businesses is 50 percent greater, a staggering $5,100 per employee. Not only are such costs higher for small businesses, but clearly they are also harder to absorb. Small businesses cannot afford to comply with Federal requirements in the same way that large businesses can. The high costs of such requirements often makes it impossible for small businesses to expand. It threatens their ability to stay afloat or it prevents them from opening in the first place. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 327 should result in needed relief for small businesses. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) for his efforts in helping us identify for small businesses across this country what the exact paperwork burden is that exists on them. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), my good friend and chairman of the Committee on Government Reform. (Mr. BURTON of Indiana asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I would like to just make one add-on to the chairman's comments. He had said there were 190 billion hours. It was actually 7.2 billion hours per year in paperwork and 190 billion per year in cost.

Mr. OSE. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), my good friend and chairman of the Committee on Small Business. (Mr. MANZULLO asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

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

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I will be happy to engage in a colloquy with the gentleman from Illinois.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield, I concur with the gentleman from Illinois. I certainly would not understand how a task force that is designed to reduce the paperwork burdens on small businesses could accomplish its goal without obtaining input from the small businesses that are buried by Federal reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter). (Mr. OTTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I agree with the gentleman from Illinois. The bill was intended to make information available in a user-friendly format, which means making it easy for small businesses to find the relevant paperwork requirements on the Internet. That would include providing appropriate links on OMB's website to the single points of contact established by the bill. In addition, I would expect links on OMB's website to other general access points, such as the FirstGov website and the Small Business Administration's website. I look forward to working with the distinguished gentleman from Illinois to ensure that the Federal agencies provide appropriate links to this critical information.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for raising that critical point. I believe that OMB should classify the information using the North American Industrial Classification System. Otherwise, a small business searching for information on its paperwork burdens might not find the information most applicable to its business. By using the North American Industrial Classification System, it would ensure that restaurants find information relevant for restaurants and not information for steel manufacturers. In conclusion, I fully agree with the gentleman from Illinois on this point.

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I find myself thanking the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) often, which is good. I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for bringing up the very valid suggestion that the task force should visit with labor and environmental groups in particular. I think that is an excellent point that needs to be in the Record. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time remains?

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to one of our newest Members, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam).

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Grucci).

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Schrock).

Mr. OSE. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to compliment the gentlewoman from Texas. I look forward to working with her on further relieving the burden on the small businesses that exist in all of our districts. I thought her remarks were right on point. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Ms. Capito).