Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise to present H.R. 3672, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, which is the third bill in our final appropriations package for fiscal year 2012. This bill provides a total of $8.1 billion in funding for critical aid and recovery assistance for disaster emergencies. Of this total, $6.4 billion will go to FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund. This includes funding for fire assistance, emergency declarations, major disasters, surge operations, and disaster readiness support. In addition, these funds will help cover costs from large-scale previous disasters such as the summer 2011 tornadoes and Hurricane Irene. We've had a historic chain of disasters in this country over the last year or so. The legislation also provides $1.7 billion in funding for disaster recovery assistance through the Army Corps of Engineers. This funding will help repair damage to critical infrastructure caused by recent storms and floods and will help prepare for future disaster events. This total adheres to the total disaster funding level agreed to under the Budget Control Act this past summer. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, to provide our communities and families with the support they need as they recover from these devastating natural disasters. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. I rise to present H. Con. Res. 94. This bill contains a legislative provision to offset the $8.1 billion in disaster funding provided by H.R. 3672, which we will consider shortly. This offset is funded by a 1.83 percent across-the-board cut to all of fiscal 2012 base discretionary spending, except the Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. Such an offset ensures that we are living within our means while still providing for the hundreds of thousands of Americans affected by recent natural disasters with the help that they need. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution, which, in effect, pays for the disaster funding which will come later. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished chair of the State-Foreign Ops Subcommittee, the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Granger).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a very hardworking member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee on Appropriations, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crenshaw).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for those comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Interior Subcommittee, the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Aderholt). (Mr. ADERHOLT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the very distinguished chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Appropriations, the gentlelady from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise their remarks and include extraneous material on the conference report on H.R. 2055, H. Con. Res. 94, and H.R. 3672, and that I may include tabular material on the same.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. We're here because this bill is the product of our committee, but most importantly, it's a product of our subcommittees, Republicans and Democrats. They're the ones who put this bill together. Collectively all of those nine subcommittees are represented in this package here. It's been vetted by Republicans and Democrats, House and Senate, all the way through, there are no earmarks here, there are no air-dropped provisions in this bill, it is a good bill. It's not perfect. I don't like omnibus bills. But in cleaning up the mess left us, this bill is a good-faith effort to get '012 out of the way so that in '013, this January, we will be able to go to work on getting the 2013 bills done in the regular way. I want to thank the staff for all the hard work they have done all year long, and I thank our colleagues.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I've heard a rumor around here that today is sort of a special day for the gentleman. Is it true that a few years ago you were born on this date?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the chairman for yielding. And I want to thank the members of the Rules Committee. Chairman Dreier and all of the members of that committee are required to work at all hours of the day and night. In fact, we were testifying before the committee last night at 12:30 seeking the rule on this bill; but that's par for the course for the Rules Committee, who work long, laborious hours with very little thanks. But I want to thank them. And I want to say to Chairman Dreier and the gentlelady, the ranking member, there has got to be a special place reserved in heaven for those who labor in this vineyard. So thank you for the hard work that you do. I want to say thanks to my colleague, my ranking member on the full committee, Mr. Dicks, who is with us in the Chamber. He and I have worked hand in hand in this process all year long. It's a very productive relationship. I value his advice and his help and he has been free to give that advice and help all year long. And this is the product of our work, a bipartisan, comprehensive effort to fund the government. And we want to get us back to regular order. For the last several years, before we took over this body, appropriations was a mess. We didn't do any appropriations. We lurched from one continuing resolution to another, leaving the public bewildered. And so Mr. Dicks and I have determined, along with Senator Inouye and our colleagues in the Senate, to restore regular order, bringing one bill at a time to this floor and letting it be amended and debated at length, and then into a conference with our colleagues across the way. That's what we want to get back to. Now, this bill that's before us today is a huge bill. I do not like omnibus bills; neither one of us does. We're not going to have them. But in order to clean up the mess that was left us, we had no choice.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Happy birthday.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a joint resolution (H.J. Res. 94) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes, and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a joint resolution (H.J. Res. 95) making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes, and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for yielding. This continuing resolution ensures that government operations will continue to be funded through December 23. The resolution is a simple date extension that gives Congress time to prepare the consolidated appropriations bill for presentation to the President. This is a noncontroversial measure that has signoff from both sides of the aisle, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan) be authorized to insert extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This motion to instruct is well-intentioned but unnecessary. The motion would urge adoption of the Senate-passed level for VA medical research, which is $50 million above the House-passed level. We all support our veterans and honor their service and sacrifice. We, of course, support the important research work the VA is doing for our veterans in fields such as traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder. We provided a robust level of funding for this research in the House-passed version of the bill at a time when our overall funding targets were constrained. In fact, the House bill provided a total of $531 million for VA medical research, an increase of $22 million above what the White House and the VA requested. In addition, the VA still has $71 million in unobligated research funding left over from previous years that could be put to use. So even without the increase, the program level would still be well above the 2011 level. We all agree that medical research at the VA is undeniably important and we want to do the best that we can for our veterans, particularly those in need of medical assistance. On that, there's no difference between the ranking minority member and myself and between the members of the subcommittee. I can reassure the Members that we will work with our House and Senate colleagues to determine the appropriate level for VA research to continue to support and honor the service of our veterans. While this motion is not necessary, I understand and agree with its intent; and I will work with the ranking member. And with reservations, I will accept the motion at this time. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 2011 Hazard High School Football Team, who captured the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Class 1-A State Championship Title for the first time in history. This group of student-athletes should be proud of this remarkable achievement and I am honored to recognize them as champions. The State Championship title has been a highly coveted achievement for the Hazard Bulldogs. After their third appearance in a Class 1-A title game in four years, the Bulldogs tenaciously took the field with experience, heart and determination, earning every yard to lead them to a well- deserved victory and their first-ever State Championship. The Hazard Bulldogs defeated a tough team from Mayfield, winning 24- 6. More than five thousand fans filled the Houchens Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Kentucky to witness these focused young men put their athletic ability and knowledge of the game to the highest test. Redeeming themselves from last year's 47-6 loss to Mayfield, the Bulldogs dominated the majority of the game and put an end to Mayfield's state-best 29-game winning streak. Holding the Cardinals to just 237 yards offensively, the Hazard Bulldogs forced five Mayfield turnovers and sealed their victory with an interception returned for a touchdown in the last two minutes of the game. This season, Coach Mark Dixon led the Bulldogs to a near perfect 12-2 season. Despite defeat in last year's title game, the Bulldogs persevered and came back this season with unwavering determination to bring the state title home to the mountains of eastern Kentucky. These experiences and life lessons learned on the field will be carried on after the game and continue to shape these football players into men of promise and outstanding character. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Coach Dixon and the Hazard High School 2011 Football Team as the KHSAA Class 1-A State Champions. This team has successfully carried on a sports tradition of pride in the mountains and I wish them all the best in the years to come.