Hal Rogers

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The motion to instruct conferees on the fiscal year 2012 bill will encourage the conferees to consider and support several funding items as they negotiate the final agreement on this three-pack of bills. While I believe that this motion is unnecessary, I am willing to accept the gentleman's motion as it does address some important issues that will be considered by the conferees. As we move forward, I expect the ranking member and myself to work together to negotiate these issues, and therefore, today, I can accept this motion. First, if approved, this motion would express the House's support for funding for the COPS program within the Department of Justice. While local law enforcement is primarily a State and local responsibility, there is strong bipartisan support for a variety of Federal programs that help first responders, including the COPS program for State and local police. The Commerce/Justice/Science bill has historically included a range of programs to strengthen local law enforcement, including Byrne grants, State Criminal Alien Assistance, Juvenile Accountability, programs to combat violence against women, and COPS programs. COPS has not only supported the hiring and rehiring of new officers, but it has also allowed local police departments to modernize their technology and to address the enforcement and cleanup challenges of the meth epidemic. However, we must make these funding decisions very carefully to avoid adverse impacts. State and local budgets are often incapable of sustaining new first responder positions when Federal money runs out, and this risk is especially high given the current economic challenges in our local communities. Second, this motion encourages the conferees to support funding for the Highway Emergency Relief Program, commonly referred to as the ``ER Program.'' This program is authorized, and provides States with funds to repair eligible roads damaged by disasters and catastrophic events. This program was created to rebuild after disasters and get businesses and everyday life back up and running. Unfortunately, in 2011, the total amount of eligible disaster-stricken roads exceeded the level of available ER funds. It's important that we now provide the appropriate level of funding to ensure that States and communities receive the legitimate assistance that they are relying upon. Mr. Speaker, again, while I don't think this motion is necessary, I will accept it, and I look forward to working with both sides on these important issues in order to come up with a satisfactory solution.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Is the gentleman from Washington prepared to close?

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

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I thank the gentleman for those words. He is exactly right. He and I started out this year both new to our jobs on the committee; but determined, we agreed with each other and committed to each other that we would work together to try to restore the regular order that used to prevail on these appropriations bills, where we had heated debate but collegial debate, realizing that we have to finally come to some agreement on these bills that keep the government going. We don't have the luxury of failing. The gentleman has been a great partner in this work all year long, and I look forward to the rest of the work. Now, on this year's bills, the 2012 bills that we're working on now, it is my hope and ambition--I know you share this with me--that we finish these bills before the end of this calendar year.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. That would take some doing. Nevertheless, I agree with you. I'm tickled to death to see the Senate is finally acting. They only passed one bill, up until 2 days ago, of the 12. We've passed six through the House, and have sent them over there without a response until now. I want to finish the 2012 bills right away so that we can begin work in January on the 2013 bills and so that we'll have plenty of time to do them one by one, which is the regular order and what we all want to see happen. I know that's my goal and ambition, and I know the gentleman shares that.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers other than myself at this point; so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 2112) making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendments thereto, disagree to the Senate amendments, and request a conference with the Senate on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Exactly. Nevertheless, it held us up for 5 months and kept us from doing our chores for fiscal '12. Then came along the debt ceiling increase debate, which took weeks and sucked all of the air out of everything else, so we were prevented on the committee from doing our regular chores. As the gentleman says, we want to finish these bills for fiscal '12 so that finally, in fiscal '13, we can have a real clean year, taking each bill one by one.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, does the gentleman have further speakers?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. We were sidelined a good part of this year from our regular business with H.R. 1. We inherited a House that had not passed an appropriations bill for fiscal '11, so we spent the first 5 months or so of the year trying to pass a bill to fund that current year, fiscal '11.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. By the way, in closing, we're going to conference with the Senate on these three bills this afternoon--as a matter of fact, at 5 o'clock. That's the first time that there has been a House-Senate appropriations conference in years. So, between us and the Senate, we are achieving something almost historic here, and that is going to conference with the Senate, which used to be a routine thing, and we hope to restore that idea. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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 and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 2608.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the floor the continuing appropriations resolutions to keep the Federal Government operating until November 18, 2011, and to continue support for disaster relief projects. This version of the bill--which is virtually identical to the one the House voted on last week--funds the government at a rate of $1.043 trillion and provides $2.65 billion in fiscal year 2012 funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other disaster aid programs. However, this bill no longer includes $1 billion in emergency fiscal year 2011 funding for FEMA and the Corps of Engineers nor the offset for those funds. The Senate dropped these provisions after the White House and FEMA suddenly--and, I might add, mysteriously--announced that these funds were no longer necessary. While in the short term FEMA says it can get by without the additional emergency funding, it's clear that the agency will soon need additional money to continue ongoing relief and recovery efforts from recent devastating natural disasters. I'm disappointed, Mr. Speaker, that the agency has apparently been playing games with the numbers, and my committee is closely examining why FEMA's estimates changed at the 11th hour. The committee also remains committed to providing the proper amount of emergency assistance that families and communities across the country rely upon. Mr. Speaker, we have now entered into the new fiscal year, and we need to keep the doors of the government open to the American people who rely on its programs and its services. We simply must not leave our citizens in the lurch, particularly as thousands of American families and communities continue to rebuild following devastating natural disasters across the country. Furthermore, our economy can't handle the instability that comes from the threat of a government shutdown. This bill supports vital government operations but still saves the American taxpayers billions of dollars by maintaining the overall funding level agreed to in the recently enacted Budget Control Act. We are committed to reining in spending at every step, and this reduced funding rate will help our Nation return to more sound fiscal footing. In addition, this legislation gives both the House and the Senate more time to finish our work on the fiscal year 2012 appropriations bills, legislation that will continue the trend of reducing Federal spending to more responsible and sustainable levels. The House has made great progress on this year's appropriations bills, and I intend to wrap up this work as quickly as possible to provide for the economic and fiscal security of our Nation and the needs of the American public. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the unanimous consent agreement of yesterday, I call up the bill (H.R. 2608) to provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes, with a Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amendment thereto, and have a motion at the desk.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield back 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 send to the desk a concurrent resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to honor Sergeant Dakota Meyer of the United States Marine Corps and the recipient of the highest military honor our Nation can bestow, the Congressional Medal of Honor. Born in Columbia, Sgt. Meyer's upbringing in rural southern Kentucky was quintessentially American. In high school, he distinguished himself--as an all-star on the football field and as a tutor volunteering his time to special-needs students in the classroom. Sgt. Meyer aspired to be a college football player until a chance encounter with a USMC recruiter awakened in his heart the challenge to serve his country. His eighteenth birthday found him at boot camp on Parris Island. Sgt. Meyer served nobly in Iraq and at the conclusion of his tour there volunteered for another deployment, this time to Afghanistan. He has described the events of September 8, 2009, in the Kunar Province of northeastern Afghanistan as the ``worst'' day of his life. With that in mind, and the details of his heroism contained in the Medal Citation, I will not recount the terrible events of that day. Because of his actions, thirteen Marines and Army soldiers, as well as twenty-three Afghan soldiers made it out of an ambush to live and serve another day. And the bodies of four fallen American servicemen and a mortally wounded Army soldier--Marines 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, Gunnery Sgt. Edwin Johnson and Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick; Navy Corpsman 3rd Class James Layton; and Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth W. Westbrook--made it home to their loved ones and a grateful country. As he received the Congressional Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony on September 16, with his usual modesty Sgt. Meyer dedicated the award to those brave men: ``The main thing that we need to get from that day is that those guys died heroes, and they are greatly missed.'' Having recently marked the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that drew us into war, as Sgt. Meyer reminds us, our Nation must commit to memory the service men and women who have sacrificed their utmost since in order to ensure the security and sovereignty of our blessed Republic. It is impossible to convey how proud I am to join the American people as we honor Sgt. Dakota Meyer. Like him, I believe that in commemorating the events of that day in the far-off mountains of Afghanistan, we may honor those we lost while finding the strength and courage to ensure that the American dream of freedom and liberty will never dim.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Is Solyndra part of the revolution that the gentleman is talking about?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. I yield 3 minutes, Mr. Speaker, to the chairman of the Interior appropriations subcommittee, the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Simpson).

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the resolution just adopted, I call up the bill (H.R. 2608) to provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and have a motion at the desk.

Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a valued member of our committee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent).