Dennis Ross

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Thank you, chairman, for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2011, also known as the DATA Act. The DATA Act finally does what America wants: opens up the books of government and lets the taxpayers see what is being spent. The bill also cuts agency travel spending by hundreds of millions of dollars per year, a great and necessary first step. By requiring Federal agencies to report how their funds are spent and capping travel expenses, this commonsense bipartisan bill will bring much-needed accountability and transparency to Federal spending. The DATA Act should also send a clear message to bureaucrats here in Washington, D.C. The American taxpayer is watching, and they're sick and tired of the blank-check mentality. Let's make sure that taxpayer dollars are no longer spent on lavish conferences. But with this bill we can also begin to crowdsource all Federal spending. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) for introducing this bill and for his leadership on transparency and accountability in government. Let's make sure that common sense becomes something common in government. Please join me in supporting the DATA Act.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the STOCK Act today and in support of extending its reach to the executive branch. All of us who have been honored by our fellow citizens with the enormous responsibility of protecting the liberties of this Republic have a duty to hold ourselves to the highest of standards. You know, it's ironic that in 2012 we are here debating a bill that would prevent public officials from enriching themselves through our positions. It's ironic because one of the great causes that impelled the separation from Great Britain was the common practice of public officials using their office to increase their personal wealth. Madam Speaker, 236 years ago, those patriots said ``enough.'' That spirit is in America's DNA, and we would do a disservice to all who came before us if we failed to act. I know that a vast majority of my friends on the other side of the aisle share this belief as well. A calling to service knows no party label. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the bill.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the University of South Florida (USF). USF has become an academic powerhouse not only in the State of Florida, but nationally as well. Boasting an enrollment of approximately thirty-seven thousand graduate and undergraduate students, USF has attracted top quality students from all over the world, making it a true model of diversity. And more students will be coming. USF states that it offers more than two hundred programs for its students to choose from and has a library system with two and a half million volumes and six facilities. In 2010, according to the Intellectual Property Owners Association, USF ranked ninth world-wide among fourteen universities ranked among three-hundred organizations that earned the most patents in 2010. In addition to its top flight academic programs, USF has emerged as an athletic powerhouse. Its student-athletes compete at the highest levels of collegiate athletics, with some continuing their playing careers professionally. In fact, USF alum Jason Pierre-Paul, a Pro Bowl defensive end with the New York Giants, will be playing for a Super Bowl championship this Sunday. Aside from the accomplishments I have just stated, the National Academy of Inventors notes that it was founded at USF in 2010. According to the Academy, it encourages intellectual property innovation and development, which contributes greatly to societal advancement. History has shown us that creative minds, such as the ones at USF, are often responsible for breakthroughs that change how we live. From Thomas Edison's light bulb to the Wright brothers' airplane, we need to continue cultivating today's young minds to be as bold as their predecessors. I am proud to say that USF's National Academy of Inventors is leading this charge. The National Academy of Inventors will soon be holding a conference in Tampa in the USF Research Park from February 16-17th. I salute the achievements of the Academy to date, and look forward to what the future holds for these innovators. As a whole, USF continues to produce tremendous results. It can no longer be said that USF is emerging, rather it has arrived and it will continue to make Floridians proud. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing USF's exceptional achievements.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz).

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3835) to extend the pay limitation for Members of Congress and Federal employees.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I ask unanimous consent that the Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3835, to extend the pay limitation for Members of Congress and Federal employees. Our Federal employees provide an essential work function for the Federal Government. They're good people. They do good work. And they do good work so long as it's essential government functions. We appreciate their service, and believe Federal employees should be compensated fairly. Yet, current Federal salaries and benefits are not in line with the marketplace when compared to the private workforce. Federal civilian workers receive generous benefits, pay, and job security. In fact, there is a four times greater chance of losing your job in the private sector than there is with the Federal workforce. Our Federal workforce performs essential functions. We appreciate their service, and believe Federal employees should be compensated fully. On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office released a study which found that total compensation for Federal employees was 16 percent greater than for private sector workers. When they looked at the benefits of hardworking taxpayers, they take home 72 percent less in benefits than their government counterparts. To top it off, these hardworking private sector taxpayers, with a high school diploma or some college, make 32 to 36 percent less than Federal employees with the same education level. Those who work the hardest to pay taxes are the ones bearing the burden of a bloated Federal government. The contrast between the Federal Government and private sector is troubling. With 13 million Americans unemployed, why would we allow automatic raises to occur for a group of workers whose average compensation exceeds $100,000, and for the Members of Congress, whose compensation is $174,000? The reality is that the Federal Government has no incentive or no obligation to reduce salaries in order to be competitive to stay in business. We simply raise taxes, or we go into more debt. And our government continues to borrow. Just yesterday, for example, the CBO released a report that our Federal budget deficit will top another $1 trillion for a fourth straight year in a row. This is unprecedented. It is unsustainable. The President's fiscal commission, a bipartisan commission, the Simpson-Bowles Commission, a commission which not only the President but this Congress should consider, has recommended a 3-year freeze on civilian payroll and Member pay. In its report, the Commissioners reminded us that ``in time of budget shortfalls, all levels of government must trim back.'' Following this advice, the President, to his credit, did recommend, and this Congress did freeze Federal employee pay through 2012. This measure alone saved the Federal Government $60 billion. As Americans continue to sacrifice, we must lead by example. H.R. 3835 continues the temporary freeze on across-the-board annual salary adjustments for Federal civilian workers. Federal employees will continue to receive salary increases under the step program. Now, this has been going on, even despite the Federal pay freeze, a step increase, 3 percent every year. 99.9 percent of all Federal employees eligible for a step increase received it. Where else can a pay freeze equal a 3 percent increase a year but in Washington, DC? Office of Personnel Management Director Berry said that there should be no place in the Federal Government for non-performers to hide. This chart proves that we continue to fund government at a rate well in excess of that given to the private sector. If we want to look for ways to cut, maybe we should look in some of the Federal office buildings, because 6 out of every 1,000 employees do not receive a 3 percent increase, despite a pay freeze. These step increases which continue under this bill, if passed, will result in a $1,303 average annual salary increase per Federal employee. The bill before us today builds on the President's fiscal commission. It follows the President's request to freeze Federal pay for Federal employees. It is consistent with the House resolution, and mirrors the provisions of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2011 passed by this House last December. Opponents of this bill will argue that Federal employees have already done more with less for the last 2 years. They will claim that supporters of this bill view Federal employees as a cost to cut, and that we want to cut the budget on the backs of Federal employees. I disagree with that. We have been fortunate, very fortunate throughout the years to have a very good Federal workforce, to have talented and hardworking individuals who have chosen public service. However, our appreciation for their service does not bring a mandate to pay them above market rates, with little regard to their individual performance. In its March 2011 report to the President, the Pay Agent--and let's go over who the Pay Agent is. The Pay Agent makes up the Secretary of Labor and the Directors of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management, all appointed by the President, all approved by a Democratic-controlled Senate. This is what they say. They express serious concern about a process that requires a single percentage adjustment in the pay of all white collar civilian Federal employees in each locality area. Adding to their comments: We believe the underlying model and methodology for estimating pay gaps should be reexamined to ensure that the private sector and Federal sector pay comparisons are as accurate as possible. There is a reason why the Federal pay law has never been implemented as originally enacted. It is based on an outdated, one-size-fits-all model. In testimony before the Federal Workforce Subcommittee, Director Berry agreed that the Federal pay system could use a reexamination, and it ``does not reflect the complexity of the world we live in.'' Study after study has shown that, when compared to the private sector, the Federal Government, on average, pays more than required to recruit and retain a skilled workforce. Paying across-the-board wages that are higher than market rate with no measure of individual performance means less money available to meet the salary required of highly skilled workers such as scientists and professionals, as this graph accurately demonstrates. We need to bring these high-level professionals in the Federal Government in parity with the others, and this bill will allow us to do that. It shows where we are out of whack from the private sector. Madam Speaker, I ask Members and Federal employees to share in the sacrifice necessary to help millions of Americans suffering under the Obama economy, and urge support of H.R. 3835. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from the great State of North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Mr. ROSS of Florida. I yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of this bill, my distinguished colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Duffy).

Mr. ROSS of Florida. I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz).

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, at this time I have no further speakers, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I'm new here. I'm one of those freshmen. I'm one of those freshmen who's been told you don't know how Washington works. I'm one of those freshmen who's been told you need to get in line, that's been told you need to get in line. Well, if successive 4 years of trillion-dollar deficits is the way Washington works, then I don't want it working that way. You see, I wasn't sent here to learn how Washington works; I was sent here to change the way Washington works. And when we have a President proposing a military budget that cuts our military back to pre-World War II levels, and yet we continue to increase our Federal payroll while private sector payroll employment goes down, there's something wrong with the way Washington works. Washington is broken, and I submit to you that we need to lead by example. We have done so already by reducing our MRAs, our Members' accounts, by 11 percent. We've done so already by reducing our committee budgets. But we need to go further if we're going to lead by example, because you see, leadership is not a title. Leadership is an act. And I submit to you, Madam Speaker, that today we lead by example, and I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 3835, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 3261.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. I thank my colleague for yielding. Madam Speaker, today I rise against the debt ceiling, and I rise in favor of reality. Madam Speaker, my freshman colleagues and I arrived in Washington, D.C. from various backgrounds. Many, like me, owned their own businesses. Others include auto dealers, funeral home directors, a dentist, doctors, soldiers, a pilot, law enforcement officers, a football player, a roofing contractor and others. The point is, Madam Speaker, people who lived and worked in the real world came in as freshman as my colleagues. Many of that same group have been told, ``We just don't understand how Washington works.'' The fact is, Washington doesn't work. Only in Washington is slowing the rate of growth in spending called a cut. Only in Washington are job creators called a myth, but bailouts are called a stimulus. Madam Speaker, the sad reality is that Washington doesn't work. But what is more saddening is that it can. Our founders, in their enduring wisdom, crafted a system of government with checks and balances. Just because we have a President that is willing to spend our way into further debt does not mean that this branch of government has to go along with it. We have the ability, right here, right now, to stop repeating the fiscal insanity that has led us to trillions in debts and deficits. The fact that we're even talking about raising the debt limit without any realistic credible plan to pay off our debts shows just how ingrained in our thinking this irresponsible spending has become. The fact that this President wants to spend 23 to 25 percent of GDP, when over the last 80 years this government has never come close to matching that in revenues, regardless of tax rates, is a travesty to the American people, our children and our grandchildren. The fact that our friends across the Capitol can't pass a budget for more than 1,000 days is unacceptable. The fact that we are printing money to buy our own debt makes sense only if you got your economics degree by passing go and collecting $200. Madam Speaker, the entire government has a choice. We can make a government work for the betterment of the American people.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. We can make Washington work for the betterment of the American people. Will we live in the real world, prioritize spending and yes, go without, or will we continue to play in Congressional Candyland, the place where some say the sky is blue while others say the sky is red, and at the last minute, a deal is declared saying it's purple, and it's called progress. Madam Speaker, the sky is blue, and at this time, I ask Congress and the President to join the rest of America in the real world.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the recognition and also for bringing forth this most necessary legislation. I rise in support of H.R. 3094. Quite simply put, the National Labor Relations Board has lost all credibility. From its anti-American attack on Boeing to its inability to allow Delta employees to choose their own labor future, the NLRB has become nothing more than a taxpayer-funded Big Labor advocate. The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act is just what it says it is, legislation that, if passed, will enshrine in law the rights of the American worker to both information and choice, two things my friends on the other side of the aisle believe in as well. What is truly sad, Mr. Chairman, is that taxpayers, already living under the burden of exploding debt and record unemployment, are paying the salaries of NLRB attorneys and administrators to stifle employment and to ship jobs overseas. The proposed NLRB rule remedied by this legislation requiring elections be held in as little as 10 days gives workers virtually no opportunity to inform themselves about their rights. To show just how radical this NLRB has become, we must ask ourselves, when in the history of this great Republic has shortening the time for an election been considered more fair? We hear Members from the other side of the aisle say that even requiring some to show identification to vote is unfair and restrictive. But drastically cutting short the time for an election is more fair? As if that was not radical enough, the NLRB's decision on micro- unions overturns 30 years of successful precedent. For example, at retail stores, multiple labor unions could target unorganized different groups of workers. Sales persons, merchandise managers, department managers, stock clerks, and security guards could each form separate unions. This will put worker against worker, and employers will spend more time negotiating with unions than they do on focusing on their jobs and on their business. The question we must ask is, what are they so afraid of? The answer is they're afraid of an American worker free to work hard and earn the fruits of that labor. They're afraid of the American worker given the right to choose their own future. I don't know about anyone else, but I trust the American worker to make the right decision. I don't trust the government.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and the underlying bill. Now more than ever, regulatory and tax reform are needed. The 3 percent contractor withholding requirement is yet another onerous regulatory tax policy that will hinder small business' ability to survive and hire new employees. The 10.6 percent unemployment in my home State of Florida cannot handle another government job-killing regulation. Repealing this legislation will ensure America's small businesses are not assessed another regulatory cost that will either be passed on to consumers in cost or will force another small business to shut its doors. The 3 percent withholding requirement was originally intended to make sure contractors paid taxes. In reality, it is simply a one-size-fits- all government approach to a problem filled with unintended consequences. One of the most tragic consequences could be the cost to our seniors. Ninety-five percent of Medicare physicians will be affected by this withholding tax. Our seniors should not suffer because our Tax Code is too confusing, too burdensome, and too big. Mr. Speaker, this regulation shows why we need a Tax Code that is flatter and smaller and why we need Medicare reform with fewer scare tactics and more choices.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation on behalf of the American public that has had enough; on behalf of those tens of millions of people who pay their taxes, live within their means, and give their hand to a neighbor in need, for they have had enough; on behalf of those like Boeing, whose innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology ensures that more moms and dads will not have to witness a flag-draped coffin bringing their son or daughter home from a land far away, for they, too, have had enough. I rise on behalf of those like my dad, who fought and bled against tyranny to make sure that the future that he gave to his children would be a future of freedom, for those, too, have had enough. Mr. Speaker, there is no defending the overzealous oligarchs at the National Labor Relations Board. Their actions are a symptom of a regulatory board gone amuck. In fact, the irony of this is that if Boeing wants to escape their reach, their jurisdiction, the only way to do so is to move overseas, which is contrary to what any of us want when we want jobs here in America. Nowhere in America should your government be able to tell you what you can or cannot do just because they believe what your intentions are. Mr. Speaker, this administration needs to stop reading minds and start reading the Constitution. The Boeing decision is a vivid reminder that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And we could dismiss it if it were only an isolated case, but it is not. Americans have endured an administration that fines American citizens for not buying a product, raids--with guns drawn--an American guitar manufacturer for not shipping jobs overseas, conducts aerial searches and seizures of American businesses without their knowledge, and orders Federal employees not to speak to Members of Congress. Mr. Speaker, free enterprise is not the problem; it is the solution. And, Mr. Speaker, contrary to what the other side may say, labor is not the enemy. Labor is the backbone of the American economy. But both should be aware of a government that can tell you what to do just because of what you think, and both should be aware of a government that can tell you what to buy just because they think that's what you need. I pray that this legislation is the cornerstone of a renewed free market citadel called America. The reign of the regulator is over. The American people want their country back, and there are still patriots in this House.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, for the last 30 years, I have spent my life as a husband, a small business owner, and a State legislator. And one thing I have learned from this is that common sense is not so common here in Washington, D.C. As a husband, I know it would be irresponsible to buy a shiny new car or a new boat when my family couldn't afford to make their mortgage payment or their food payment. As a business owner, I know that when I didn't have enough to meet my expenses, I didn't raise revenues on my customers. I cut back my expenses. And as a legislator, I knew that with a balanced budget amendment, we could operate a State successfully. In the State of Florida, we did that. You do not see Floridians running down the street hungry and rioting. No, you see Florida living within its means because of a balanced budget amendment. Mr. Speaker, those opposed to this plan are frightened. They are frightened because they know that any cuts agreed to in ``deals'' aren't binding on a future Congress and a balanced budget amendment is. They know that Cut, Cap, and Balance brings real spending reductions today and will force government in the future to get an agreement of the whole family, the supermajority, to go into debt or raise taxes. A balanced budget amendment is common sense. The American people are watching, and their patience is wearing thin.

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 289, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. ROSS of Florida

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 793) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Inverness, California, as the ``Specialist Jake Robert Velloza Post Office''.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. ROSS of Florida. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 793, introduced by the gentlelady from California (Ms. Woolsey), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in Inverness, California, as the ``Specialist Jake Robert Velloza Post Office.'' The bill is cosponsored by the entire California State delegation and was, favorably, without amendment, reported out of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last Thursday, March 10. It is altogether fitting and proper that we name this post office in Inverness for Army Specialist Velloza to honor a true American hero and his service to our country. Jake Robert Velloza was born on June 21, 1986, in Santa Rosa, California; and he grew up in Inverness. From a young age, he knew that he wanted to serve his country in the military. His high school football coach recalled after his death: ``He was set on his goals. He was one of those young men who knew what he wanted to do and did it. Service to his country is what appealed to him.'' Specialist Velloza enlisted in the Army in 2006 and was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division based out of Fort Hood, Texas. Tragically, on May 2, 2009, Specialist Velloza was shot and killed by enemy forces while on his second tour of duty in Mosul, Iraq. He was 22 years old, and left behind his fiancee, Danielle Erwin, whom he had proposed to just 6 months prior to his tragic death. For his bravery and service to his country, Specialist Velloza was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, both of which were presented to his parents, Robert and Susan Velloza. Mr. Speaker, having a father who fought and served in World War II, along with three brothers who are all combat veterans of the Vietnam war, it is a privilege for me to stand here today before this body and honor the memory of a true American hero. As the Representative of Florida's 12th Congressional District, I have the honor of representing many of our brave retired servicemembers who were based out of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, just a few miles west of my district. The men and women who were once based out of MacDill and those who currently work there have much in common with Specialist Velloza, a courageous young man who made the ultimate sacrifice promoting freedom and protecting our great Nation. I am grateful for the service of Specialist Velloza and for all of those who serve and protect us each and every day. I urge all Members to join me in strong support of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.