John Shimkus

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 2 minutes to one of our new colleagues from Colorado (Mr. Gardner).

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my colleague from Ohio who is from the largest manufacturing district in the country, Mr. Latta.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I'm glad my colleague talked about the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act was passed in the 1990s, and it identified six criteria pollutants. And we know a lot of what those are--nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter. Carbon dioxide was never identified in the law. In fact, Chairman Emeritus Dingell said numerous times the Clean Air Act was never designed to regulate carbon. Even as the EPA now moves in the direction of climate, they've changed the rules. They are not complying with the Clean Air Act because of their tailoring rule, thus picking winners over losers. If we go down the road to regulate carbon, we raise the cost of creating jobs. Jobs move overseas. That's what the Waxman-Markey debate was last year. That's why the majority last year could not pass a bill to regulate carbon, because of the impact on jobs. So why are we here? We're not trying to end regulation. We're trying to make sure that there's an economic analysis on what occurs on jobs. What's the job impact? Administrator Jackson, throughout the entire process, could not tell us. In fact, they only do it in silos and never the cumulative effect of what are the jobs lost based upon regulation. What is the compliance cost? We ought to know that because the more there is a requirement to comply with the rules and regulations when we're competing against China, who has no rules and regulations, we are less competitive, we lose jobs. Is it so harmful to ask where's the benefit, a cost-benefit analysis of all these regulations? So we'll get a chance. I know I was asked by the other side earlier in the debate, where is the legislation to affect rules and regulations that will create jobs? Well, it's coming next week, and it's the greenhouse gas rules and regulations, which does not affect the Clean Air Act, which does not change, after all their portrayals on dirty air, it does not affect a single criteria pollutant in the Clean Air Act. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, Chairman Stearns. (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. We don't care which administration created all these burdensome regulations. If they do not protect public health and harm job creation, we want to review them. I don't see what's the big damage of that, and every time you hear the word ``incentives'' you know what that means? Tax dollars. That means borrowing money from China to incentivize who knows what. We want capital formation through the private sector to create jobs. The government can no longer do that. I now yield 2 minutes to my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy), who is the vice chairman of my subcommittee.

Mr. SHIMKUS. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. SHIMKUS. I now yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the chairman of the Health Subcommittee, Joe Pitts.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the pending resolution, particularly with respect to the effect on jobs and the economy. My colleagues on the other side are going to oppose this effort, claiming we are seeking to strip basic public health and safety protections. No one is in favor of hurting those in those areas, but that is not the purpose of us being here today. We have had numerous hearings over the last couple of days on rules and regulations and how they hurt job creation. This gives power back to the committees to then do that, fine-tooth comb through rules and regulations and address what the President talked about in his State of the Union; where there are rules and regulations that don't make sense, we need to eliminate them, because we need to focus on job creation. We can't regulate existing businesses into the ground on the hope that better ones will come later. We must protect the jobs currently we have and open the doors for new businesses as well. As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, I am particularly interested in the activities of the EPA. I am going to talk about three examples, one we heard yesterday in testimony. United States Steel came before us and said imagine a regulation where we have to decrease the heat in the preparation of steel to comply with NOX, but as we move to EPA rules and regulations on greenhouse gasses we actually have to use the same process and heat that process up. So U.S. Steel will be caught in a catch-22. Under one reg, they have to keep the heat low to comply with nitrous oxide regulations; on the other hand, in the same process, they have to heat it up to meet the greenhouse gas rules. Now, what is a steel company going to do? They are going to move to China. You can't develop rules and regulations that cannot be complied with by existing known technologies, and that was just a perfect example. Another one that I find, and a lot of these things not only hurt jobs, but they are going to hurt the environment. The example is the redefinition of used oil as a solid waste. Now, this sounds like, what are they talking about? Many of us, and there are times when many of us, when we were young, we changed our own oil. We would get underneath the car, pull the plug and drain the oil. Fortunately, in today's world, you can take it to an auto repair shop, you can take it to maybe a parts store, and you can then recycle that used oil. Not if the EPA has its say, because what they do in the redefinition of this is the only way you can dispose of this off-brand, off-used oil is to burn it. Oh, that is real great for the environment, burning the used oil. And what will the home do-it-yourselfer do? They are probably going to pour it on the ground. So EPA regs not only hurt job creation, but they have a great effect in hurting and harming the economy. The next one, one of the issues we will address next week in the committee is coal ash byproducts. This is another one that is curious in which the EPA is trying to meddle in. Despite EPA's own testing and admittance that these coal byproducts do not qualify as hazardous waste based on their toxicity, EPA wants to label them as toxic material. What does that mean? Any byproducts used will then be required to be disposed of in special landfills or dumps and not recycled. Coal ash can't go into concrete. Gypsum can't go into wallboard. Wallboard that has to be disposed of or you are going to remodel your home, what happens to that wallboard? The cost of doing business increases, and these all are things that hurt job creation. We applaud President Obama in his State of the Union when he says there's too many regulations and we need to ease the regulatory burden. That's the importance of what we're doing here--one of the few things we agree on with the administration. And this will allow us committee by committee to go through the process and identify those hindrances and start to move legislation to address those. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHIMKUS. It is business that creates jobs. Easing the regulatory burden helps create jobs. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Congresswoman Bono Mack, who is the chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I want to share with my colleagues, we'll have a chance next week to vote on greenhouse gas regulations, which will kill jobs. Those bills are coming. I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, my friends on the Democrat side are supporting this bill based on 10 pages of the legislation: immediate access to insurance for the uninsured, an extension of dependent coverage, no lifetime or annual caps. Ten pages. This health care law was 2,990 pages. This is only volume 1. What do you find when you go through the entire bill? This is what they are defending their bill on? This is only volume 1 of 4. And what's in here?--a $500 billion cut to Medicare, a $500 billion cut to Medicare for our seniors. What else is in here? Five hundred billion dollars of tax increases. What else is in here? Six years of benefits for 10 years of cost. What else is in here? A new entitlement program. Our Nation is broke. It is broke because of our entitlement program, and this law added a new entitlement.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I come down tonight to put into the Record the names of some freedom fighters who have been jailed, not only politicians, but also members of the news media, after the stolen elections in Minsk, Belarus, of two nights ago. The opponents of Dictator Lukashenko were as follows. Their locations are unknown. Some have been jailed: Andrey Sannikaw, Yaraslaw Ramanchuk, Ryhor Kastusyow, Uladzimir Nyaklyayew, Ales Mikhalevich, Vital Rymashewski, Viktar Tsyareshchanka, Mikalay Statkevich and Dzmitry Uss. Tens of thousands of Belarusians converged on Independence Square in the capital, heeding opposition leaders who called Sunday's election a farce and accused Lukashenko of keeping the post-Soviet country locked in a dictatorship. They gathered on the evening on the 19th and the morning of the 20th. Also arrested were prominent journalists and civil society activists, folks who are friends of individuals I know: Anatol Lyabedska, leader of the United Civic Party; Mr. Sannikaw's wife, Iryna Khalip; Dzmitry Bandarenka, coordinator of an opposition group called Khartyya97; and Natallya Radzina, the editor of www.charter97.org. The Organization For Security and Cooperation in Europe called the election ``flawed,'' and the United States of America and the European Union condemned the crackdown. With me I have some photos of the evening of December 19 showing protestors. Of course, we see members of the Belarusian security forces, and in this photo here you actually see them wielding their clubs and beating one of the opposition members of the party. This is what we have in Europe. The last dictatorship in Europe is in a country called Belarus. The United States has already--and I would lend to the demand of the release of all political prisoners, presidential candidates, and their official representatives who are being held in KGB detention centers in Minsk. Yes, in Belarus, they still call the secret police the KGB. The United States and this Member stand in solidarity with all opposition activists with those currently being held and those who are still in hospitals and those already who are in jail. The new media ability of democratic movements in this country are great at especially being able to use the Twitter accounts, using Facebook, using photos. A lot of these were conducted through new media. It underscores the brutality of the Belarusian leadership and the dictator, Lukashenko. I would hope that the international community, especially the European Union and the United States, would place the Belarusian Government on record that they should not hope to be able to join in the opportunities afforded to free and democratic countries when they treat their citizens who are only asking for the right to have their voice heard and the right to choose the representatives of the people.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of a talented group of student-athletes from Breese, Illinois. The Breese Mater Dei Knights volleyball team recently captured the Illinois High School Athletic Association Class 3A State Title and finished the season with an outstanding 41-1 record. The Knights lost the first set of the championship match to Joliet Catholic 25-15, but fought back and captured the last two sets 25-18 and 26-24 to secure the state championship. I would like to congratulate Head Coach Fred Rakers and Assistant Coach Chad Rakers for all of their hard work with the team. But most of all, I want to congratulate the 2010 state champion volleyball team from Breese Mater Dei: Samantha Bedard, Kaley Boeckmann, Chelsea Crocker, Kayla Eversgerd, Alyssa Hitpas, Bailey Kampwerth, Emily Koelling, Alison Lampen, Abby Luebbers, Mallory Mensing, Alison Mueller, Ashley Rakers, Brooke Schulte, Nicole Strieker, Abbey Winter. These young ladies have represented themselves, their school and their community in an exemplary fashion and I want to join with all the members of this House in wishing them continued success in their athletic and academic endeavors.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time. Our great friends from both sides of the aisle, our great friends from New York, it has been an interesting battle, one that is very tough to be engaged in. They are right. You know, the folks who responded need care. They need to be supported, and that's what we think we have been doing. When we started marking up this bill, there was $130 million in the fund. That was still there, cash on hand. The President, in his budget, said, We can do better than that. We need $150 million. So that started the process of us deciding what did we need to do and how did we need to do it, especially from the funding perspective. Now the entitlement debate is an interesting one to get involved in. I am a military veteran. I served actively for 5\1/2\ years. I served another 23 in the Reserves. The first line responders are heroes. But our men and women in uniform in Afghanistan, our men and women in Iraq, and our men and women around the world, they are heroes too. They don't have an entitlement program. They go through the regular authorization process. They go through the appropriation process. And you know what? When we go into the political battle, which we are coming upon, people attack folks about whether they are authorizing enough money or whether they are spending enough money. This is what happens here. We can spin it any way we want, but that's part of our debate. Do you use the same process to authorize funding to fight for the money and spend the money? And we would say, We should use the same categories we do with our military veterans, that we should use the same process we use for our active military forces. Again, the President wanted $150 million. That's what we agreed upon. That's the amendment that we authorized in the marked-up bill. And some would argue and say, Gosh, there must be nothing being done. Nothing is being done. Well, we know that's not true. CDC has been before the committee twice, saying they have a list. They do have a registry. They are following up. In fact, as of September 30, the World Trade Center Program has enrolled 55,331 responders. There are 55,331 responders in the program now. It's not like we're not doing anything. There are other issues with the bill. One of the concerns is, when the new health care law cuts money to hospitals under part A, about $150 billion in payments, the CMS actuary says, Guess what? Ten percent of all hospitals are going to close. That is under the new health care bill. And it is rural hospitals that are the targets under the new health care law. Well, this provides more money under Medicare to New York City hospitals, at 140 percent of Medicare payments. We only pay 70 percent of Medicare payments in this country as a whole. But under this law, we are going to provide New York hospitals 140 percent of Medicare costs. So there are real issues of concern here, and it is unfortunate because it didn't have to be this way. All we asked for was the number that President Obama thought was good. He said $150 million. We said, fine, 20 million more than what the money was still in the fund at the time. And we are also saying they are all heroes. The 9/11 responders are heroes. Let's treat them like our veterans. Let's treat them like our active military. Why should we have a double standard? Can't we fight for their authorizations on an annual basis like we do for our active military and for our veterans? Of course we can. So, with that, Mr. Speaker, it is, again, unfortunate that we are in this position. We could have had a strong bipartisan bill. We don't have that. People will cast their votes, and they will be held accountable. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, may I ask for how much time is remaining and how many speakers my colleague from New Jersey has.

Mr. SHIMKUS. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHIMKUS. I don't think we do. I mean, I'm not trying to game you here on this process. I just don't think there are any more, and I would like to close.

Mr. SHIMKUS. I continue to reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague and friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).

Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHIMKUS. I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the Teutopolis Wooden Shoes baseball team on the state championship. Teutopolis recently upset the undefeated Harrisburg in the state championship by a score of 5-1 to claim their first state title in school history. The Wooden Shoes finished the season with an impressive 31-4 record. My congratulations go out to Head Coach Justin Fleener, Assistant Coach Rob Bothwell and Assistant Coach Troy Bierman for their work with this outstanding group of student-athletes. But most of all, I want to congratulate the members of the 2010 Teutopolis Wooden Shoes state champion baseball team: Ryan Pruemer, Clint Lustig, Luke Bushur, Andy Hardick, Lance Niebrugge, Kyle Zerrusen, Jeff Bloemer, Derek Repking, Derek Thompson, Jordan Roepke, Damon Hoene, Bo Blievernicht, Dillon Hardick, Brock Swingler, Cole Borries, Josh Koester, Garrett Overbeck, Brett Deters and Mark Niebrugge. They have represented themselves, their school and the community in an exemplary fashion, and I would like to join with the other members of this House in wishing them the best of luck in their future endeavors, both on and off the field.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 100th Anniversary of the Collinsville, Illinois, Order of the Eastern Star, Chapter 666. A celebration of this occasion will be held on September 26, 2010, at the Masonic Temple in Collinsville. The organization was chartered on October 6, 1910, by Worthy Matron Lucy M. Holding and Worthy Patron R. Guy Kneedler. The organization still meets today in the Masonic Temple in Collinsville. The current Worthy Matron is Betty Ruhmann and the Worthy Patron is Jack Kime. I congratulate the Collinsville Order of the Eastern Star on this special occasion and extend my best wishes for an enjoyable celebration.

Mr. SHIMKUS

Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, Illinois, on the 50th Anniversary of this educational institution. Discussion and planning for a college began in 1959. At that time, the State of Illinois rejected the plans, but a review was granted. The Harrisburg High School Board of Trustees created an advisory committee to help found the college. On June 21, 1960, a public vote was taken and over 93 percent of the more than 2,500 voters were in favor of the college. In September 1960 the name Southeastern Illinois College was officially adopted. Instruction at the college began on September 11, 1961 with 314 students enrolled. The classes were conducted in a wing of Harrisburg Township High School. In 1965 the Illinois Junior College Act passed, and Southeastern officially became a Class II Junior College. In 1967 a referendum to become a Class I college carried, and the district was expanded to included five counties. In 1968 the first Board of Trustees was elected and assumed governance of the college. The first President, Mr. Joe Deaton, was appointed. In 1976 the college was granted full accreditation by North Center Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Also that year, the permanent facilities, still in use today, were completed and occupied. Today, Southeastern Illinois College provides educational opportunities to a number of high school graduates and those returning to school in an ever expanding campus. I am please to congratulate this fine institution on 50 years of success. I look forward to the bright future in store for Southeastern Illinois College.