Phil Roe

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1638, supporting the goals and ideals of National GEAR UP Day. While access to postsecondary education is a barrier for many low- income students, far too many students who enter college fail to complete programs and attain credentials. The goal of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, GEAR UP, program is to address both access and success changes to ensure more low-income students succeed in the workforce. GEAR UP provides 6-year grants to States and partnerships to provide services at high-poverty middle schools and high schools. GEAR UP grantees serve an entire cohort of students beginning no later than the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school or their first year of college. GEAR UP funds are also used to provide college scholarships to low-income students. Nearly 77 million Americans will retire over the next several decades, and the United States will face a worker gap, a skills gap, and a wage gap. Filling these gaps will require developing better trained and more skilled workers for productive jobs with upward mobility. Ensuring that the Nation's youth enter adulthood well educated, prepared for work, and able to integrate into society will help to ensure we are able to fill these gaps. Currently, the GEAR UP program is providing important college preparatory services to approximately 670,000 students in over 5,000 schools throughout the country. Today, we support the goals and ideals of National GEAR UP Day, recognize the contribution of teachers, counselors, and program staff that encourage and prepare students for success in college and beyond. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman 3 additional minutes.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Chi Chi Rodriguez was born into a poor family in Puerto Rico, and by the time he was 9 years old he was proficient at golf. And in 1947, at the age of 12, he scored a remarkable 67, which I do many times, but I haven't completed 18 holes of golf at that time. Rodriguez turned professional in 1960. In 1963, at age 28, he won the Denver Open, which he considers as his favorite win. In total, he won eight titles on the PGA Tour between 1963 and 1979. And Rodriguez became eligible to play on the Senior Tour, now known as the Champions Tour, in 1985, and did so for many years with great success, accumulating 22 tournament victories between 1986 and 1993. He was the first player on the Senior PGA Tour to win the same event in three consecutive years, and he set a Tour record with eight consecutive birdies en route to a win in the 1987 Silver Classic. In 1989, he was voted the Bobby Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. In 1991, he lost an 18-hole playoff to the legendary Jack Nicklaus in the U.S. Senior Open. In 1992, Chi Chi Rodriguez was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, the first Puerto Rican so honored. Rodriguez considers a brief encounter with Mother Teresa as the greatest moment in his life. This event inspired him to help others. Together with former golf pro Bill Hayes and Bobby Jones, Rodriguez established the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation, which funds the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy, whose mission is to assist at-risk youth by improving their self-esteem, character, work ethic, social adjustment, and academic performance, using the golf course as a living classroom. Rodriguez has helped raise more than $4 million for his foundation, which annually brings 600 children from Latino and non-Latino families or broken homes to learn life skills by working various jobs in golf. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz).

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of House Resolution 1644, a bill expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the designation of a National Veterans History Week. On October 27, 2000, Public Law 106-380 was signed by President William Jefferson Clinton to establish the Veterans History Project. The legislation before us supports the designation of a National Veterans History Project Week, recognizes National Veterans Awareness Week, and calls on the people of the United States to interview at least one veteran in their families or communities according to guidelines provided by the Veterans History Project, and encourages local, State and national organizations along with Federal, State, city and county governmental institutions to participate in support of the effort to document, preserve, and honor the service of United States wartime veterans. The Veterans History Project is maintained by the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress. It collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. The collection features firsthand accounts of U.S. veterans who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War from 1990-1995, or Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, 2001 to present. It also contains the accounts of U.S. citizen civilians who actively supported war efforts such as war industry workers, USO workers, flight instructors, medical volunteers, defense contractors, and so on. Citizens can participate by obtaining a field kit from the Library of Congress which contains the tools necessary to conduct interviews or help veterans with the interview process. Several Members of Congress have already participated in interviews relating to their military service. I am one of them. Other Members are Cliff Stearns, the deputy ranking member of the committee, who reported his experience as an Air Force captain during the Vietnam War; and Ranking Republican Steve Buyer , who recorded his experiences during the Persian Gulf War in Iraq. Again, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 1644, and just to thank the gentleman. We had the Traveling Vietnam Wall in my hometown of Johnson City, Tennessee, a little over a year, a year and a half ago. We had thousands of people come by. I was able to participate myself as a veteran. We got hundreds of stories from during the Vietnam War. In a small church in Sevierville, Tennessee, a small Baptist church, 15 young men went off to World War II and three did not return. I asked them to record this history for their church and for their community. My history professor in college, Dr. Preston Hubbard, wrote a book ``Apocalypse Undone,'' recounting his capture in the Philippines, the Death March, and time as a slave laborer in Japan for 4 years, an incredible account. I spoke recently to a 96-year-old veteran at the Mountain Home VA Medical Center in Johnson City about his experience before there was World War II when the U-boats wolf pack were sinking our ships taking supplies to England. He flew missions to bomb those before there was a war. I looked at his record and that part was inked out. That is a history that would have been lost without this. My own father-in-law flew combat missions in Burma supporting Merrill's Marauders during World War II. I was in a Hardees one morning campaigning, shaking hands. I sat down to talk to two gentlemen, and who did I talk to but two veterans who had survived the Battle of the Bulge, and they shared their stories with me. One veteran in the same county the very same day had won a Silver Star after having a severe head injury. And I asked him how he was doing. He said he was cutting back on his farming a little bit; he was 87 years old. That is the generation that built this Nation. To lose those histories, and I agree with you completely, how many times have we heard, I wish I had taken a note of it, I talked to someone who served and gotten their story. It is not all, most of us veterans won't share everything we did. I want to make that clear, too, for the House tonight. There are some things that probably just need to be left unsaid. But those stories have meant a lot to me and my family, and I would encourage now that we have an opportunity for all veterans who can and are able to and are willing to, to share these stories and document them. They are very important, because as was stated, we are losing 1,500 to 1,700 World War II veterans per day. I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote for this resolution. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, again, this bill, 5953, did not come in from the full Veterans' Affairs Committee like other bills that I've seen. Again, I'm new, as you are. I have been here 2 years. But what I've seen is these bills come up. We have a markup, and a markup means just a vote on the bill, and then the chairman will ask, Are there any amendments at the table? We will discuss those amendments and vote them up or down. We didn't have a chance to vet that with this process. And I think it's a laudable thing, as I have said, to do. I certainly see many things in here, and I've got the Bill of Rights right here that the VA has posted on the wall, and I certainly would have liked to have had the opportunity to go over this Bill of Rights. This particular bill was introduced July 29, 2010. I was at all the Veterans' markups. I certainly didn't miss this one, and it didn't come through the regular order. That's my complaint, not the content so much.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. H.R. 5953, as amended, would direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to display in each VA facility a Women Veterans' Bill of Rights. Included as part of the manager's amendment is H.R. 5428, a bill to direct VA to create, educate, and inform staff and veterans about an Injured and Amputee Veterans' Bill of Rights. The intent of the bill is laudable. The sacrifices of women, injured and amputee veterans should be recognized and respected. And, unquestionably, they have unique needs that require specialized care and services. But H.R. 5953 is a flawed bill that has been brought to the floor under a flawed process. In Congress, certain procedures are put in place to ensure that policy is done correctly. Under regular order, once a bill has been introduced, it's referred to a committee of jurisdiction. Once in committee, it may be referred to a particular subcommittee or held in full committee, where hearings and markups--and that for the public would be votes--are held and Members and interested stakeholders are given the opportunity to examine legislation for sound policy and unintended consequences. If Members desire, they may offer amendments to improve a bill before it's voted out of committee and brought to the House floor for further debate before being voted on by the full House. This is a time-tested democratic process, and I have seen numerous bills made better when we follow regular order. Instead, this bill is being brought to the floor in a closed process. It bypasses regular order in spite of numerous and serious objections, including those of our ranking member, Congressman Buyer. We were supposed to have debated and voted on H.R. 5953 yesterday, but it was pulled from consideration at the very last minute after grave concerns were raised by the Pro-Life Caucus, the National Right to Life Committee, the Concerned Women for America, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, among others, over language that could have created a legal basis to require government-funded abortions at VA medical centers. I am pleased that a new section was added to the bill we will consider today that is intended to address these particular concerns. However, H.R. 5953, as amended, still continues to raise significant policy questions, including whether rights are consistent with current veterans' health care eligibility under title 38 of the United States Code. Among these rights in question are the right to equal consideration in hiring and employment. This right seems to create an unfounded expectation regarding employment in both public and private sectors but leaves the meaning of equal consideration unknown. Equal to whom or what? Do existing employment laws and regulations meet this new undefined standard or will additional regulations be required? The right for female veterans to have female personnel assist them in their disability claims process. It is unclear whether this provision refers to VA employees, to veterans service organizations, to others who may assist a veteran in filing or appealing a claim, or to all of the above groups. But VA has no control over the gender of third parties who represent claimants before VA. Similarly, the right for female compensation and pension examiners to be made available to women veterans is problematic. There are several locations where a female examiner may not be present, which could place the female veteran at a disadvantage for a timely exam. Correcting issues like these are why we have a hearing process. Good government is worth taking our time. The Committee on Veterans' Affairs has never held a hearing on H.R. 5953. Consequently, Members have not been provided the opportunity to examine or amend the legislation to rectify any unintended consequences the bill could have or to improve it. Even the VA has not been provided the opportunity to present their official views, and none of the veterans service organizations or other interested stakeholders have been provided the opportunity to comment on the bill, which could directly impact so many of their daily lives. Additionally, we are going to vote on the bill without knowing what it will cost because the Congressional Budget Office was not given the opportunity to prepare a cost estimate. Yesterday, a last-minute fix was needed to ensure this bill would not provide a basis for federally funded abortions. What else is in the bill that may require a fix? We don't know because we weren't able to properly vet it before it was brought to the floor. How would this Bill of Rights be enforced? What would happen if VA personnel didn't comply? We don't know. What we do know is the VA already has a comprehensive list of patients' rights displayed in each facility. The existing Bill of Rights applies to each and every veteran and includes the right to be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect, and the right to information about VA benefits to which you may be entitled and other important rights for veteran patients cared for in a VA medical facility, including women veterans and veterans with amputations. I and my Republican colleagues are strongly committed to meaningful oversight for the benefits and services we provide for our veterans. I would have appreciated the opportunity to have a voice in the process of bringing H.R. 5953 to the floor today. That is why the voters of Tennessee sent me to Congress, and I fully intend as a member of the VA Committee to ask for hearings on these issues in the 112th Congress. I just want to say, the chairman and I have worked on many things together during this past year, many good things. And I, as a veteran, I am a veteran, and I am an Ob/Gyn physician who has treated veteran patients for over 30 years in my community, which has a veterans hospital, so I am very well aware of these issues. I certainly agree with a Bill of Rights. The problem is we had no way and no process in which to look through this. I understand what the chairman--as I said, it's laudable what he wants to do. I agree with many of the issues here. I have no problem with that. I am here discussing basically the process of how we got here to the floor. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1622, a bill honoring the historic contributions of veterans throughout all conflicts involving the United States. All of our veterans have provided a great service to our country through their personal sacrifices. As a Nation, we owe them our gratitude for their service. Section 6103 of title 5 of the United States Code provides that Veterans Day, November 11, is a legal public holiday. House Resolution 1622 reaffirms the Nation's obligation to support our veterans and their families. H.R. 1622 would resolve that the House of Representatives recognizes the honor, the courage, sacrifice, of all veterans, and their historic contributions to the United States. It encourages the people of the United States to demonstrate their support for Veterans Day each year by treating that day as a special day of reflection. It encourages schools and teachers to educate students on the historic contributions veterans have made to the country and its history, both while serving as members of the United States Armed Forces, and after completing their service, and requests that the President issue a proclamation each year in connection with the observance of Veterans Day, calling on the people of the United States to recognize the historic contribution of all veterans by observing that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. However, I am saddened that the House of Representatives was unable to pass this worthy resolution before Veterans Day, November 11. Again I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1622, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I do want to again say that in our district and in many districts around the country it's not just Veterans Day, it's Veterans Week. We spend an entire week celebrating the service and sacrifice made by our veterans. During this past 2 weeks ago we had Veterans Day during the entire week because many of us as Congressmen like to attend as many of these as we can. To show you the support, in one small community of Morristown, Tennessee, there were almost 6,000 people at an event for veterans. Our keynote speaker was General Livingston, who is a Medal of Honor winner, a Marine. I attended church the following Sunday with Arnold ``Bud'' Pate, who lost his arm in Vietnam, who is a Baptist pastor there. And on and on we see stories of these heroes who served our Nation. So I would encourage all of us to support this resolution.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my distinguished colleague from Virginia (Mr. Wolf).

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 323, to support the goal of ensuring that all Holocaust survivors in the United States are able to live with dignity, comfort, and security in their remaining years. Sixty-seven years ago, a brave group of Jewish resistance fighters rose up against their German occupiers in the Warsaw Ghetto when the Nazis attempted to transport the remaining population to Treblinka extermination camp. Launched on January 18, 1943, the bulk of the uprising took place from April the 19 through May 16. It was the largest single revolt by the Jewish people during the Holocaust. The United States officially commemorates the Holocaust during the Days of Remembrance, which is held each April, marking the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. For the Holocaust survivors admitted or emigrated to the United States in the wake of the horrific atrocities during World War II, these events are a stark reminder of the darkness and hate they endured on a daily basis for more than 12 years. Today, there are more than 36 million people in the United States who are over the age of 65, making it the fastest growing age group in the country. Of this total, more than 127,000 are Holocaust survivors remaining in the United States. All Holocaust survivors are at least 65 years old, and approximately three-quarters of them are older than 75 years of age, and a majority in their eighties and nineties. As more of these survivors age every year, our Federal, State, and local governments must provide them with the needed services they need to maintain their health and independence in their homes and communities. The U.S. Administration on Aging, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and responsible for administering the Older Americans Act, plays an important role in organizing and delivering social services for elderly Americans. The Older Americans Act is the first stop for seniors and their families to identify home- and community-based long-term care options, as well as transportation, nutrition, and referral to home care, health, and other social services. When Congress, led by the Education and Labor Committee, last reauthorized the law in 2006, we strengthened the act to promote consumer choice, as well as home- and community-based supports to help older individuals avoid institutional care, improve health and nutrition programs, and educational and volunteer services, increase Federal, State, and local coordination, and reform employment-based training for older Americans. These important changes will ensure the quality and effectiveness of Federal programs aimed at assisting the elderly, including the Holocaust survivors still living and residing in the U.S. Mr. Speaker, today we honor 127,000 survivors of the Holocaust currently living in the United States, and we pay tribute to those brave souls who have passed away over the last six decades. We applaud the work of nonprofit organizations and agencies that have worked and continued to work tirelessly to honor and to assist Holocaust survivors in their local communities. And we must commit to providing those survivors with needed social services so they are able to live with dignity, comfort, and security in their remaining years. I urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 323. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution condemning North Korea's act of aggression toward South Korea. Thirty-seven years ago, I was stationed in Korea, within an artillery shell of the DMZ. I have seen firsthand and up close what freedom can do. When I arrived there, it was a military dictatorship. Today, you have a market economy with a freely elected democracy that's being attacked relentlessly, as other speakers have said, by the rogue nation in the North. I can't emphasize strong enough how important it is for us to act decisively against this act of aggression against a free nation. And I want to associate my remarks also with all of the speakers that have been here today. I also want to call on China to exert every bit of pressure they can on the rogue nation of North Korea. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, today I recognize the 100th birthday of Mr. Earl Nidiffer. This significant milestone is certainly an incredible accomplishment. A graduate from East Tennessee State University in 1934, Earl went on to become a star baseball and basketball player for the Bucs in the early 1930's. His first job out of college was as the Sports Editor for the Johnson City Press. Earl later went on to work for the U.S. Postal Office in Johnson City. In addition, Earl is the oldest active member of Central Baptist Church in Johnson City. Madam Speaker, EArl Niddiffer's tenacity and service to East Tennessee is a beacon of hope to us all. I want to thank him for all he has done, and I wish Earl nothing but the very best. May the experience and wisdom Earl has attained and shared over the years encourage and teach those around him, lasting for generations to come.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, today I recognize the 90th birthday of Mr. George Lee Hatcher. This significant milestone is certainly an incredible accomplishment. Over the years, George has dedicated his life to serving his country and his family. Madam Speaker, as a fellow veteran, I want to thank Mr. George Lee Hatcher for his service to this country. I want to thank him for all he has done, and I wish him nothing but the very best. May the experience and wisdom George has attained and shared over the years encourage and teach those around him, lasting for generations to come.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, today I recognize the birthplace of Mrs. Eliza McCardle Johnson, born October 4, 1810 in Washington County in Tennessee. October 4, 2010 will mark her 200th birthday. Eliza's birthplace is the present day site of McCarty Cemetery, Telford, TN on Highway 11-E, just four miles west of Jonesborough, Tennessee. In May of 1827, Eliza McCardle married Andrew Johnson, who went on to become the Governor of Tennessee, the Vice-President of the United States, and eventually, the 17th President of the United States. Ms. Eliza became the First Lady of Tennessee and the First Lady of the United States. She stood by her husband and served as his faithful advisor until her death. Even today, the Andrew Johnson Historical Museum is located in Greeneville, TN, where the Johnsons established their home. Madam Speaker, I recognize and honor the First Lady of Tennessee, Mrs. Eliza McCardle Johnson, born in Washington County. I am proud to reside in east Tennessee, the same dwelling place as her and her husband.

Mr. ROE of Tennessee

Mr. ROE of Tennessee. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Two years ago, I arrived here from the real world, and that's the world of business and the economy, and got to the Washington world. My experience before here was as a small business owner and a mayor. And we had to balance our budget. And what we did was we found out that our budget was awry, and much of it because of the size of government. We had let it grow too much. So what we did in our local government was we shrunk the size of government. And guess what happened to our revenue without raising taxes? It went up. And that's why I am rising in support of this YouCut proposal. It makes absolute sense. And I have heard this from both Democrats, Republicans, and independents. And I ask my colleagues across the aisle to support this. It makes sense not to add 188,000 more people to the government workforce when the economy is not doing well. Example: if a business out there that I ran had decreasing revenues, we didn't hire more personnel at that point. We hunkered down, we made do with what we had; and I think this is a very reasonable thing to do. It exempts three important Departments that secure and protect us: that's the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs, and gives the administration the ability to place those employees where they think they're important. Why are businesses not hiring? It's very simple. I spoke to several business leaders yesterday on the telephone. They are hunkered down and not hiring because expenses and taxes are going up. They are overregulated, access to capital has decreased, and they can't lend money. I talked to bankers yesterday that cannot get the money out the door for qualified borrowers because of overregulation of the FDIC. I would ask my colleagues to support this commonsense $35 billion reduction in Federal spending. In the time of a recession, it makes sense. I urge you to vote for this.