Martha Roby

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his leadership in the Pro-Life Caucus and for organizing today's discussion. Of course, next week will mark 41 years since the landmark Supreme Court decision in ROE v. WADE, and since then, approximately 56 million unborn children have been aborted in the United States--56 million unborn children aborted. Recently, important legislative actions have been taken to defend the unborn and protect women from the brutality of late-term abortions. These include measures to tighten restrictions and raise health and safety standards for abortion providers. As we fight to increase protection for life under the law, I believe it is equally as important to promote the respect for life, emphasizing adoption as a loving alternative to abortion. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to highlight a very special organization in my State called AGAPE. AGAPE provides adoption services, counseling and outreach programs to mothers-to-be across central Alabama. Talk to anyone who has gone through either side of the adoption process, and they will tell you how challenging it is, and that is where AGAPE comes in. AGAPE is there to find permanent nurturing families for children and to make sure all involved in the adoption process have the support they need. It is groups like AGAPE that help a woman with an unplanned pregnancy know about the loving, nonjudgmental way adoption works. It is groups like AGAPE that give children the hope and opportunity to grow up healthy and happy. It is groups like AGAPE that make it possible for families who don't think they can ever have children to experience the unique blessing of adoption and be made whole. Mr. Speaker, adoption is humanity's recognition of the miracle of life, an affirmation that every life matters and that each person has value in this world. As we here amongst my colleagues today reaffirm our commitment to protect life under the law, let us also take this opportunity to promote life by supporting birth mothers, adoptive parents, and organizations like AGAPE that connect them. I, again, thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his leadership.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate an exemplary public servant, Donald ``Donny'' Bynum, recipient of the distinguished 2014 Alabama Superintendent of the Year award. A prime example of servant leadership, Superintendent Bynum has served for over 29 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator. He holds an AA Degree in School Administration plus a Master of Science in School Administration, both from Troy University in Dothan, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Troy University. Prior to his tenure as the Superintendent of Dale County Schools, Mr. Bynum served as an Education Specialist with the Alabama Department of Education and in various capacities within the Dale County School System. Such positions included the Transportation Supervisor; Principal at G.W. Long Elementary School; and as the Assistant Principal at G.W. Long School. Almost one year ago, the nation watched a terrifying situation emerge in Dale County, Alabama. The murder of a school bus driver, abduction of a five-year old student, and the prolonged hostage situation that ensued presented a unique challenge for all levels of state and local government. That was especially true for Dale County Schools, which was faced with the murder of an employee and the abduction of a student, all while the need to ensure the safety and stability of the schools was paramount. Superintendent Bynum handled this challenge with strength and grace, helping lead the students, parents, faculty and community through the tragedy. By all accounts, Dale County emerged stronger and more united than ever, thanks in large part to Superintendent Donny Bynum's leadership in this trying time. Also active in the Dale County community, Superintendent Bynum is involved with the Dale County Children's Policy Council, Dale County United Way Board of Directors, School Superintendents of Alabama Board of Directors District III President, and he and his wife Paula, a retired educator, are members of the Ozark Baptist Church. He and Paula have two children, Mason and Elizabeth. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Donny Bynum as the 2014 Alabama Superintendent of the Year. His exceptional moral character, experience, and dedication to the Alabama school system render him a qualified recipient of this honor. I am grateful for Bynum's service and proudly recognize his contributions to the betterment of the great State of Alabama.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Thank you so much to my colleague from South Carolina. I just want to tell you that, as I travel throughout Alabama's Second District, the question I get over and over and over again is: What can we do about this executive overreach? So I rise, Mr. Speaker, today on behalf of the people of Alabama's Second Congressional District to lend my support to Mr. Rice's S.T.O.P. Resolution in order to stop this overreaching Presidency. I appreciate so much the diligent and thorough work of my colleague's on this resolution, and I am proud to sign on as a cosponsor. In advancing this resolution, we are seeking to finally stop constitutional overreaches by the executive branch and restore the separation of powers by bringing legal action against the Obama administration to compel the judiciary to rein it in. This resolution directs a civil action on behalf of the House of Representatives in Federal court in the District of Columbia, challenging four unilateral Obama administration actions, as have already been explained, that blatantly flout constitutional restraints on the executive branch. I am going to mention them again: Specifically, these include the lifting of the Affordable Care Act's mandated requirements on the type of insurance providers can offer; the 1-year delay of the health care law's employer mandate; the adoption of a policy against deporting certain illegal immigrants, which is counter to U.S. immigration and naturalization laws; and the decision to waive the ``welfare to work'' laws. Mr. Speaker, the Obama administration is certainly not the first administration to overstep its constitutional authority as, I would say, most Presidents in recent history have pushed the limits of executive power, but the actions taken in the last few years have been especially blatant and egregious. President Obama and his administration have recklessly stretched the scope of the executive branch, aggressively imposing by administrative rule or regulation what they can't achieve legislatively. When I am at home and am talking with my constituents about this, we talk particularly about the promulgation of rules. It is just a backdoor attempt to get done what the President can't get done here in the Congress. Amazingly, in some cases, the administration has moved to delay, tweak or to otherwise alter the very health care law he pushed to enact, all while dismissing legislative proposals that would have had the same effect but would have had the benefit of being legal because they would have gone through the Halls of Congress. If allowed to stand unchecked, such actions present a dangerous threat to our constitutional separation of powers. Mr. Speaker, I wish this weren't necessary. I wish President Obama and his administration had the self-restraint to act within their constitutional bounds, but this administration's pattern of aggressively overstepping its authorities to implement policy and win political battles leaves us no choice to act. Our constitutional restraints on government are not always convenient for political or policy goals, but they are necessary for preserving the checks and balances that ensure this government still derives its authority from the people and not the other way around. We know that working through the courts can take time, but the judicial branch has shown a greater willingness as of late to rein in these overreaches from the Obama administration. Two recent decisions that are worth noting have already struck down the Obama administration's attempts to flout the law and act outside of the constitutionally prescribed role of the executive branch. One was the lower court's ruling overturning the President's attempt to appoint NLRB members without Senate approval, and the other was a rare mandamus order from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals that rejected the administration's attempt to simply not enforce laws related to Yucca Mountain and nuclear waste. Mr. Speaker, this S.T.O.P. Resolution allows the House of Representatives to seek the intervention of the judicial branch to rein in these executive abuses and reconstitute the separation of power. I hope it also sends a message to the Obama administration that this body, as one half of a coequal branch of the United States Government, is not going to stand by and watch the erosion of this country's constitutional framework. Again, a sincere thank you to my colleague from South Carolina for taking the lead on this, for showing leadership. I am proud to be able to state to the people of Alabama's Second District, when asked ``What are you doing about this?,'' that this S.T.O.P. Resolution is a step in the right direction. So thank you very much.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for this National Defense Authorization Act. I want to express my gratitude to Chairman McKeon and the entire Armed Services staff for their hard work and commitment to our men and women in uniform. While I will no longer be serving on the Armed Services Committee, I know that Chairman McKeon and his team will continue their good work. Mr. Speaker, providing for the common defense is one of the fundamental duties of the Congress spelled out in our Constitution, and I am proud to represent two distinguished military installations in Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery and Fort Rucker-Wiregrass. These installations and others like them around the world will be better able to prepare our men and women thanks to this year's NDAA. One important part of this bill I want to highlight is its focus on helping our military assets respond to global threats while remaining within our Nation's fiscal constraints. During my time as chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, we focused on the rights of Afghan women and ensuring that our military is better postured to respond to any future attack, like the one on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last September. I am pleased that the NDAA provides provisions offering the appropriate guidance on both of these issues. The bill also addresses the important issue of sexual assault in the military in a responsible and reasonable way, and I know my friend Representative Walorski is going to address that in a moment, and I appreciate her and other's leadership on that issue. I encourage my colleagues in the House to pass this critical measure to ensure that our military men and women receive the resources and policy that they need to do their job. Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for your work.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I have the distinct privilege of recognizing a valued member of my staff, Frances Spurlin, who will retire on December 31, 2013, after 27 years of faithful and exemplary service to the United States House of Representatives and Alabama's Second Congressional District. For almost three decades, Frances has worked as a constituent services representative in Southeast Alabama. She began her Congressional career in 1985 when Representative Bill Dickinson opened a district office in Opp, Alabama. Frances continued her service when Representative Terry Everett assumed office in 1993--and I was honored to have her join my staff when I was sworn into office in 2011. From veterans to small business owners and from farmers to local and state elected officials, residents of the Second District have benefited from Frances' effective work and compassionate manner. With many cases being time sensitive, Frances never hesitated to go above and beyond to help our constituents cut through bureaucracy and work toward an equitable solution. No matter how big or small, Frances treated each case with diligence, thoughtfulness, and care. Frances has also served as a mentor to other Congressional staff through the years, instilling her commitment to casework in those she has trained. She has set the example of how to represent a Congressional office with grace, character and ability. I can confidently say that the constituents of Alabama's Second District have been well served by the work of Frances Spurlin. As she enters retirement, I join my staff and so many others in Southeast Alabama in thanking Frances for her 27 years of public service. To Frances, her husband Gordon, and their family, I wish them health and happiness in the years ahead.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share some of the stories of Alabamians who are being negatively affected by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Over the last several weeks, thousands of health insurance policy holders in Alabama have received notice that their plans have been canceled or altered, and their costs have risen, some quite dramatically. This, despite President Obama's often-repeated and unmistakable promise to the contrary. He promised of the Affordable Care Act: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period. No one will take it away, no matter what. Mr. Speaker, we now know this wasn't true. To make matters worse, the disastrous rollout of the ObamaCare Web site has made it nearly impossible for those affected to search for alternatives. The President didn't tell the truth, and the Americans who took him at his word are paying the price. I recently reached out to Alabamians, asking those who have experienced health care plan cancelations or rate increases because of ObamaCare to tell me their stories. The response has been overwhelming; and, Mr. Speaker, I would like to share just a few of those stories here in the House this morning. Allyson Strickland, a wife and a homeschooling mother of four from Dothan writes: We are a family of six with one income, and our premiums doubled from $420 to $940 a month. We are already under great financial strain, and this is not helping relieve any of the tension. At this point we are unsure about what we are going to do. With four growing children, we know insurance is vital, but at what cost to the daily needs of our family? We are very disappointed in the Obama administration. Shaun Cunningham of Montgomery writes: I am a married father of two beautiful little girls. My jaw dropped when I found out my family's premium was going from $400 a month to $722. I called BlueCross first thing Monday morning, but I was told I needed to contact healthcare.gov for assistance. After 6 hours on the phone with them trying to apply for a subsidy, I did manage to find out that there was a cheaper premium. I could choose the Blue Saver Bronze at a rate of $545 per month, which was still an increase over the plan I liked. The other problem? My individual deductible would be $6,350 and my family deductible would be $12,700. I fail to see anything ``affordable'' about this. Chris Vuccovich of Montgomery: Was notified that my policy was not ACA compliant. Paying $390 for family coverage, just found out comparable plan, ``Silver,'' would be $704, my out-of-pocket went up, so did deductibles and copays. We make too much money and will not qualify for, nor do I want, a subsidy. Leigh Hayes Wiatt of Montgomery: Our premium went up to $1,374 a month. Angela Zacchini of Greenville: Our family of four is paying $417 a month, and it is going to $765 a month. Jim Harrell of Prattville: My doctor retired and told me that he was not going to deal with the changes in the Affordable Care Act. So I could not keep my doctor. Both of my adult daughters got letters indicating their policies were canceled due to not meeting all the requirements of the new law. New policies being issued will be about 33 percent more expensive. One has a specialist doctor who is now going to charge patients a costly fee up front each year, and then pay for services rendered. All of these effects are negative to my family. Mr. Speaker, these individuals and families are not statistics. They are real people from Alabama's Second Congressional District whose lives are being made more difficult because of ObamaCare. I don't know why the President repeatedly misled the country about the true implications of this health care law. This is the kind of Washington doublespeak, political doublespeak, people are so fed up with; and this time it is hurting people in a very real way. We have an opportunity here in the House this week to make it right by acting to protect Americans from these rate hikes and plan cancelations. So that is why I am a cosponsor of Keep Your Health Plan Act, which will allow health care plans currently being offered to continue next year, just like the President promised. This bill also ensures that Americans choosing to maintain their health care plans will not face a tax penalty under ObamaCare. I appreciate the leadership of Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan in bringing forth this legislation. The Keep Your Health Plan Act won't fix every problem with ObamaCare, but it will offer real changes and peace of mind to Americans affected by these changes. Mr. Speaker, this isn't a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the basic unfairness that has occurred here. So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the Keep Your Health Plan Act.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to express my frustration and the frustration of my constituents over the stalemate here in Washington. It didn't have to come to this. The House has put forth four proposals to the Senate, each one offering a compromise to the other side. Time after time Senator Reid stonewalled our efforts to forge a compromise and prevent a shutdown. When House Republicans passed legislation that simply asked Senate Democrats to just simply come to the table to negotiate, Senator Reid said no. Everyone knows that Republicans and Democrats don't see eye to eye on every spending issue. However, there is a lot that we do agree on, like funding critical care for cancer research, the national parks, veterans services, National Guardsmen and Reservists. And when we have drafted stand-alone bills funding these efforts, we saw support from some Senate Democrats. But again, Mr. Reid said no. So first we couldn't get Mr. Reid to negotiate over what we disagree on, and today we can't get him to even consider what we do agree on. Mr. Speaker, I don't know how many more olive branches we have left on the tree, but today we are going to offer more. We have already worked to ensure that young boys and girls who need cancer treatments from the National Institutes of Health receive the lifesaving medicine they deserve. Today, we will work to protect our Nation's military men and women who have served so honorably in combat, only to have their hard-earned benefits denied to them by partisan bickering. Finally, and most importantly, we will work to end this shutdown, not just for some Americans, but for all Americans, because, Mr. Speaker, this has always been an issue of fairness. So our message to President Obama is, you are willing to sit down with Big Business and insurance companies to negotiate delays and exemptions and exceptions from the health care law. Why will you now refuse to negotiate with us and give the same reprieve to regular Americans? Our message to the Majority Leader Reid is, you worked swiftly to pass a stand-alone funding bill for Active Duty soldiers. Why now not work with us to pass similar bills for veterans, our National Guardsmen and Reservists, cancer research, or national parks? The people deserve better, Mr. Speaker, than President Obama and Majority Leader Reid's refusal to work toward bipartisan compromise. Enough is enough. Pass these noncontroversial spending bills. Come to the negotiating table. Let's talk. Let's demonstrate fairness to the American people. Let's work together, and let's end this shutdown.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, September 25, 2013 and on Thursday, September 26, 2013, I was necessarily absent from the House chamber. If I had been present, I would have voted, the following on September 25, 2013: Rollcall 484 on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, H.R. 1961, To amend title 46, United States Code, to extend the exemption from the fire-retardant materials construction requirement for vessels operating within the Boundary Line, I would have voted, ``aye.'' Rollcall 485 on the motion to suspend the rules and p ass, H.Res. 354, Providing for the concurrence by the House in the Senate amendment to H.R. 527, with an amendment, I would have voted, ``aye.'' If I had been present, I would have voted, the following on September 26, 2013: Rollcall 486 on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, H.R. 3095, To ensure any new or revised requirement providing for the screening, testing, or treatment of individuals operating commercial motor vehicles for sleep disorders is adopted pursuant to a rulemaking proceeding, and for other purposes, I would have voted, ``aye.'' Rollcall 487 on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, H.R. 2600, To amend the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act to clarify how the Act applies to condominiums, I would have voted, ``aye.'' Rollcall 488, on approving the journal, I would have voted, ``aye.'' Rollcall 489, on agreeing to the amendment of H.R. 687, Grijalva of Arizona Part A Amendment No. 1, I would have vote ``nay.'' Rollcall 490, on agreeing to the amendment of H.R. 687, Napolitano of California Part A Amendment No. 3, I would have vote ``nay.''

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant Colonel James Michael Sprayberry of the United States Army. Raised in Sylacauga, Alabama, he joined the Army in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1967. Lieutenant Sprayberry was just 21 years old and serving with the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam when, on April 25, 1968, he engaged in extraordinary acts of heroism for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor. On that day, his company commander and many of his fellow soldiers were wounded and separated from the unit. When a daytime rescue attempt was deterred by entrenched enemy machine-gun fire, Lieutenant Colonel Sprayberry organized and led a nighttime patrol to eliminate the enemy fire and rescue his fellow surrounded soldiers. When the patrol came under intense enemy machine-gun fire, he single- handedly conducted multiple attacks against multiple enemy machine-gun bunkers and eliminated them one by one with hand grenades. After destroying bunkers, he was able to direct the isolated men to safety. The operation was a resounding success and resulted in the safe return of many fellow soldiers. It is for his conspicuous gallantry and indomitable spirit that I am proud to honor the actions of Lieutenant Colonel James Michael Sprayberry.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to have the opportunity tonight to be here in this Chamber with so many of our colleagues, either to discuss solutions--solutions for our country, solutions for our economy--and I am just going to invite my colleagues to participation in the conversation as they see fit. Mr. Speaker, I want to just point out to you that we have reached out to our constituents about this leadership hour tonight on Twitter using #4jobs; and, Mr. Speaker, we are hopeful that tonight during this hour, we will continue that conversation with our constituents at #4jobs. I have a lot of comments from my constituents back home that I'm eager to share as we go through this hour. I want to point out what many of you may have already read, and that is that the President has stated that he plans to pivot, once again, back to jobs and the economy. I thought, well, that's great news. That's what we have been pushing here. Many of you have seen us carrying around our laminated cards that talk about all of the jobs bills that we've passed in this Congress and, last, trying to promote economic growth in this country, to help get hardworking, taxpaying Americans back to work. But I lost my enthusiasm when buried in that article was the President's statement: White House officials said three speeches will not offer new proposals or approaches. So we're going to pivot back to jobs and the economy, but we have no new approaches and we have no new ideas. That to me is a pivoting of message and not a pivoting of policy. We are watching, and all of us have stories of going back home to our constituents and meeting with American families that continue to struggle. The rhetoric that we all feel is not helping the reality of the situation of the people that we were sent here to represent. We are not losing faith; the American people are not losing faith because the President's message isn't working. They are losing faith because his policies aren't working. I'm the first to say that we've got to quit doing a lot of this pointing fingers, so I'm hopeful that tonight we can have this conversation, and I have some solutions that I'd like to put out there. You can't criticize without coming behind it and offering a solution. We've continuously done that in this House and will continue to do so, Mr. Speaker. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.

Mrs. ROBY. Like I mentioned at the beginning, buried in that article is when the President gives these speeches over the course of the next few days, there will be no new approaches or ideas. I also said that we can't stand here and criticize without offering our own recommendations about how we can do this better and how we feel like we have done it better and offered real solutions for hardworking Americans. I wanted to compare some of the things that we've done with what I am hearing directly from my constituents. Tonight, Mr. Speaker, specifically we wanted to communicate with our constituents using #4jobs. These are some of the comments that we've gotten. Chris Ray from Prattville, Alabama says: No business is going to risk hiring full-time employees like they did in the past because they will have to provide health care due to ObamaCare. Change that and address the widening skill gap, and I think businesses will begin to hire en masse. So it's a regulation problem and an education problem, in my opinion. That's from Chris Ray from Prattville. Well, let's look at our approach and how that matches up with the concerns of our constituents. Instead of pivoting back to no new ideas, because we remain focused on jobs and the economy, let's pivot away from ObamaCare to patient-centered health care that actually improves health care, brings down the cost, takes a market approach to help struggling families, and makes it harder for small businesses to hire; a health care system that ensures when you are sick, you and your doctor are in the driver's seat and making the decisions. And then to address the concerns of Mr. Ray from Prattville, Alabama, about overburdensome regulations, we want to pivot again back to all these bills that we have offered that ease burdensome regulations so that businesses are free to expand and invest and hire so more people have good jobs. Okay, so what regulations? I can look at any one of you and you could say, Keystone pipeline, the hindrance of allowing that to move forward; replacement to the health care law. I had a bill, the Working Families Flexibility Act, that amended part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, a 70-year-old restriction that doesn't allow compensatory time in lieu of cash payments for overtime in the private sector which would help these very Americans that we're talking about, about providing flexibility in the workforce and all of the uncertainty that we see. We have stood on this floor many times talking about testimonials that we have heard directly from business owners. And it just never ceases to amaze me that we're having these discussions here. But we're all about to go home in August, and I would love to hear from even our colleagues on the other side of the aisle about what they're hearing from their businesses. Do they feel certainty? Do they feel like they can ramp things up and hire more people in this uncertain environment with all of this overburdensome regulation that we're trying so hard to ease so more Americans can have jobs?

Mrs. ROBY. I want to share something that I pasted on Facebook last week, and it was an article. Many of you may have seen it, but it was in The Washington Post last Wednesday, and this is what I wrote: If you've ever wondered just how ridiculous Federal regulations can be, just ask Marty the Magician. This front-page Washington Post article tells the story about how USDA regulators required a children's magician to license his trick rabbit and even compile an animal disaster plan to comply with the Federal mandates. It's a lighthearted tale, but the rabbit trail of regulations Marty was forced to navigate illustrates a lesson in one of Washington's bad old habits: the tendency to pile new rules on top of old ones, with officials using good intentions and vague laws to expand the outrage of the total bureaucracy. If you haven't seen that, I strongly encourage you to get online and find a copy of it. It is a funny story, but it's really sad at the same time because it shows and highlights exactly what you're talking about for a guy that just wants to pull a rabbit out of a hat for some kids at a birthday party.

Mrs. ROBY. Well, I just was thinking, while we were talking about this, part of the President's criticism in this article that came out is about Republicans' approach to just slashing spending. If any of us cannot recognize that we are spending well beyond our means--we have $17 trillion in debt and our 4th year with over $1 trillion deficit. My kids, Margaret and George, are the reason that I'm here. Why I'm fighting is for that generation that's going to carry this burden after we're all gone. And for us to not first admit that we have a problem as we move toward finding solutions and admitting that we are spending well beyond our means, that we do have to rein in spending, that we have to change the approach, that's when we see our economy improve. That's when we see hardworking American taxpaying families begin to be able to pick up and make that investment that you mentioned into the business so that they can be the job creators. So this is great if the President wants to talk about this again because I see, for my kids' future, that this is how we're going to get this country back on track.

Mrs. ROBY. But we got ourselves in that trouble, as far as the government goes. We can't point fingers at somebody that is smart and figures out how to do it. What we do is fix the problem, which is the underlying code, by making it fairer and flatter. I'll just say, we were saying earlier, Mr. Speaker, that we've been communicating tonight with our constituents at #4Jobs. Just some of the things that I'm hearing go directly to this point. Josh from Troy says: Throw out the Tax Code. I just want to highlight that the people that we're hearing from, Mr. Speaker, are saying exactly what our frustrations are on this floor, as the President tells us to pivot back to jobs and the economy. James from Dothan, Alabama, says: Taking out ObamaCare will help free employers to hire full- time employees, which our economy really needs. Sara from Dothan: Health care is the biggest problem. Employers are afraid to hire until they know the whole deal. We've talked about that in your three R's, the repeal and the replace being the first, about this uncertainty not just in the regulatory environment that businesses have to deal with, or, with the Tax Code, which is the point you were all just making, but also in how these laws are going to be implemented. We've passed these gargantuan bills. We don't know what's in them. And they get passed. And now the uncertainty associated with it. How many people have you talked to have had to hire a new person just to come into compliance with what they think the health care law might be, instead of hiring another individual that can then produce what that company produces to provide a product for this country? Instead, they're having to compete with all of the Federal employees that are put in place to implement these laws. Employers are going to go out to hire somebody just to come into compliance with the laws. Now I hear from our bankers back in our State--and you've probably heard this one--that not only is the regulator showing up, but the regulator is now showing up with a lawyer as well. So the bank has to go get their lawyer there because they're not going to find themselves in a position to not be duly represented at a time when there's a Federal regulator in their office. This is just costing businesses more and more dollars.

Mrs. ROBY. It's passed off to me, the consumer.

Mrs. ROBY. Then she goes to the grocery store and she sees that the cost of milk is higher because the cost of gasoline is higher. I'm that mom that puts gas in her car and goes to the grocery store. And you can see the net effect that this has on the individual. So you're absolutely right. It's not just the businesses. The businesses then have to turn around and pass that cost on to the consumer. We have solutions for these problems--real commonsensical solutions that we have put forth and put forth and put forth, reducing the regulatory environment, a health care solution that works, that allows for individuals to make those decisions between themselves and their doctor, an all-of-the-above energy plan that is actually put into practice here in the House of Representatives instead of being that campaign rhetoric. We really have demonstrated our belief in our approach to an all-of-the-above energy plan. Speaking of energy, thanks for joining us.

Mrs. ROBY. I wanted to share a few numbers with you. Since the President took office in January 2009, the U-6 unemployment rate has remained stuck at 14 percent. That's workers that are stuck in part-time jobs, or they just have dropped out of the workforce altogether. During that same time we've watched, as I mentioned earlier, the national debt go from $9.8 trillion to $16.9 trillion; and according to Gallup, 17.3 percent of Americans consider themselves underemployed, which goes to your point. The President also promised 1 million new manufacturing jobs by the end of 2016, but factory employment has continued to fall in 2013, where 4.3 million Americans have been out of work for 6 weeks or more. The point is that we started this hour talking about The Washington Post article where the President came out and said that he is going to pivot back to jobs and the economy; and to the gentleman from Colorado's point, he should have never left the issue of jobs and the economy. Here in the House, our majority has been working tirelessly, as the gentleman from Illinois said, to bring the other side and say look, we have these commonsense solutions. This is about my kids and yours. This is about the future of this country. And we have an opportunity as leaders here in Washington representing all of the people that we do back home--and a responsibility at that--to do all that we can to get the Federal Government out of the way so that people like your constituent back home in Colorado with the bagel stores can open another bagel store instead of having to worry about closing.

Mrs. ROBY. Well, I just want to thank all of my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, for joining us to talk about these important issues. As we will hear from the President in his next three speeches about pivoting back to jobs and the economy, we here in the House remain focused on jobs and the economy for all Americans families. But we are also remaining focused on an all-of-the-above energy approach; repealing ObamaCare so that I can make those decisions with my doctor about what's best for me; a fairer, simpler Tax Code that we know will help all Americans. We've got to ease burdens and regulations so that businesses can create more jobs instead of having to worry about the ones that they're going to lose. This is about making life work for Americans. This is about easing the pain that so many Americans are feeling because of this bloated government that refuses to, first and foremost, admit that we have a spending problem. This is about refocusing our efforts here in the House and making sure that we are remembering the people that sent us here, the families that we've talked about tonight that we want to ensure that government is not hurting, but government is getting out of the way so that they can thrive in these United States of America. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of Leader Cantor's amendment to H.R. 5. It's an amendment that would allow title I dollars to actually follow the student to the school of their choice. I thank the leader for recognizing me. We all agree that every child deserves equal access to quality education--one that challenges them, builds critical-thinking skills, and enhances their opportunity for success. But all too often, the system fails those who need it most. For too long, we have perpetuated failure by not demanding accountability for results. This amendment would allow title I dollars to follow the child to the school that their parent deems best. As a mother of a child in public school, I understand firsthand how important it is for parents to be able to choose the school that best fits their child's needs. School choice can help drive innovation, healthy competition and, most importantly, accountability. If a low-income parent makes the brave and noble decision to seek a better opportunity for their child, the last thing we should do here is make it more difficult by withholding funding meant to help educate that child. Mr. Chairman, we can't afford to do the same old thing expecting different results. I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment and pass the Student Success Act. Let's get Washington out of the way to ensure a brighter future for our children.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 5, the Student Success Act. I thank my chairman for yielding. It is a privilege to serve on this committee and be a part of this debate on the floor today. We need excellent teachers in every classroom and inspired administrators in every school, but even the most gifted educators can be hamstrung by overreaching mandates, regulations, and red tape. Over the last several years, Federal mandates in education have grown at an alarming rate. Politicians and bureaucrats keep trying to fix our schools with a ``Washington knows best'' approach, but ask any teacher or principal or parent, and he'll let you know that one size does not fit all when it comes to education. That's why I am pleased that the Student Success Act reduces the Federal footprint in education, returning the decisionmaking authority to States and local districts where it belongs, and this bill expressly prohibits the Department of Education from making funding grants and regulation waivers contingent on whether a State adopts certain curriculum or assessment standards. I believe we should have the highest standards for our schools. As a mother of a child in public school, I am glad my State of Alabama has made recent efforts to increase its standards, but the problem is that the Obama administration has improperly inserted itself into the process. We need to empower all States to set their own education policies free from Federal intrusion. Collaboration between States in setting and revising standards can be a good thing. However, the unwelcome intrusion of the Federal Government into the process invariably comes with the political agenda of the White House. The executive branch has exceeded its appropriate reach where State education policy is concerned, and it is absolutely time that we rein it in. I am proud to support H.R. 5, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this legislation that finally puts State and local leaders back in control of their classrooms.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Madam Speaker, I rise to discuss today's fairness. Earlier this month, the Obama administration announced it would be delaying the business mandate in the President's health care law. Setting aside for a moment the dubious legal authority the executive branch is using to pick and choose which parts of the law will be enforced and which won't, this action represents unfair treatment in the implementation of ObamaCare. In delaying the business mandate for a year but not the individual mandate, the President is choosing to protect Big Business from ObamaCare, but not hardworking individuals and families. In explaining this delay, White House officials repeatedly said the President was ``listening'' to business. Madam Speaker, why isn't the President ``listening'' to the American people? Why is Big Business getting a break while individual Americans get the short end of the stick? Maybe this is what happens when Big Business has access to the White House and individual Americans can't even take a tour. Today, we will take action to protect all Americans by delaying both the employer mandate and the individual mandate. Our work to dismantle ObamaCare is part of our ongoing fight to spur economic growth, create jobs, and provide a more secure future for all Americans.

Mrs. ROBY

Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, it's a privilege to be here on the floor tonight with my colleagues to discuss a very important issue, and that's affordable energy. Mr. Speaker, like we did a few weeks ago, I just want to invite all of our constituents that might be paying attention right now, that they can contact us at #affordable energy. We are trying something new, Mr. Speaker, as a way to continue communication with those that we represent back home in an effort to answer very important questions about some of the things that we've read in the news recently today. Today, this subject couldn't be any more important. That's because today President Obama launched his latest assault in the war on coal. Those aren't my words. That's what President Obama's own climate adviser told The New York Times just hours before his speech today. And let me quote him: The one thing the President really needs to do now is to begin the process of shutting down the conventional coal plants. Politically, the White House is hesitant to say they are having a war on coal. On the other hand, a war on coal is exactly what is needed. A war on coal? A war on coal ultimately amounts to a war on American energy and a war on American families. And the regulations that President Obama announced today are unprecedented executive actions aimed at punishing industries critical to domestic energy production, particularly the coal industry. These regulations would not pass the United States Congress, not the Republican House and not even the Democratic Senate. President Obama is trying to accomplish through executive regulations that which he cannot accomplish legislatively or electorally. He also again passed the buck on approving the Keystone pipeline. This is a project that would create up to 20,000 jobs and increase domestic energy production, but a project that has been delayed because of regulatory approval for almost 4 years. Mr. Speaker, what strikes me the most about President Obama's aggressive unilateral actions is how out of touch he and his administration are with the American people. That's why we're here tonight. I remind my constituents all the time that I'm Riley's wife and a mom to my two kids, Margaret and George. I'm putting gas in the car. I'm picking up carpool. I'm going to the grocery store. I see directly in my everyday life how these inflammatory statements and just in-your- face remarks to the American people that are going to be directly affected by this President's policies--I see it as milk prices increase, as gas prices go up, as domestic energy prices continue to skyrocket, and this is just unacceptable. I'm joined by my colleagues tonight. The gentleman from Colorado I know serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and can certainly weigh in on these matters. But again, Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind our constituents that it's #AffordableEnergy. And as we move through this leadership hour, we want to hear from you, our constituents back home, about the issues that are important to you when it comes to energy production in the United States of America.

Mrs. ROBY. I reached out specifically earlier today, Mr. Speaker, to my constituents on Facebook, and I've got a few examples of that. As you say, everybody has their own energy story. Howard from Dale County, Alabama, pointed out that he's already struggling to make ends meet as is, especially with ObamaCare and an increase in payroll taxes. Now the President wants to raise his electric bill. Suzanne from Montgomery, Alabama, said that the President just doesn't get it. She watched the President's speech today, and she doesn't understand why he won't focus on improving the economy instead of hurting it. She said the President doesn't have a clue how his policies actually affect the middle class. Spike, a young man from south Alabama, correctly pointed out that regulations have a trickle-down effect that are felt by hardworking Americans. These new regulations on energy sources will be felt by young Americans just like him. Kevin from Dothan, Alabama, works for the military and has recently been furloughed due to the President's sequester, and he worries about how rising energy costs would affect him, especially since he's already having to deal with less take-home pay. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my constituent's thoughts, and that's why we're here tonight.

Mrs. ROBY. I have with me kind of a checklist here about this administration and President Obama's energy record: obviously, delaying the job-creating Keystone pipeline you've already mentioned; stopping job-creating natural gas exports; regulating oil and gas production on Federal lands; investing in green energy failures. Mr. Speaker, you can learn more about this at gop.gov/energy. So we continue to focus on this here tonight with all of my colleagues who have joined us. A recent report from CBO came out which sought to find out just how higher energy costs would affect the economy, and the report said raising the cost of using fossil fuels would tend to increase the cost of producing goods and services, especially those requiring electricity and transportation. We have already mentioned that tonight. I talked about being a mom and driving carpool and buying milk at the grocery store--it is very evident what is going on based on these policies. Higher production costs lead to higher prices for our goods and services. Areas in the country where electricity is produced from coal, places like Alabama and other States represented here, would tend to experience larger increases in electricity prices than other areas of the country would. Specific to Alabama, 36 percent of electricity is produced from coal, the largest of any fuel source. And as for jobs in Alabama, it is the sixth nationally for total electricity generation. All of us have stories here tonight that are just right along these lines. We have an opportunity here as Members of the House of Representatives to, whether it is through oversight on Energy and Commerce and other committees of jurisdiction, to rein in this. That's our responsibility to our constituents. That's what this conversation here tonight is about. And, Mr. Speaker, I just want to tell you again that #AffordableEnergy, if you want to know more or make a comment, Mr. Speaker, about what we are doing tonight, #AffordableEnergy. And any of my colleagues who want to chime in, please do.

Mrs. ROBY. I just want to chime in for a second. I think that it cannot be said enough in this Chamber tonight that his war on coal is a war on American energy and American jobs; and that what you will see if this unilateral decision happens, you're going to see an outsourcing of manufacturing to places like China that are unregulated, when all any of us in this room hear every time we travel our districts is: How come we can't bring the manufacturing jobs back to the United States of America? And it's these type of threats coming from this administration that are chasing jobs offshore left and right, and this is not what our economy can withstand right now.