Bill Shuster

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 3236.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3236 is a 3-month clean extension to the surface transportation legislation. It is the right thing to do. It gives the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Ways and Means the time to work out a long-term solution to the surface transportation bill, which we need to pass for the health of this country. Importantly, it gives the House of Representatives the ability to do its constitutional duty to be heard on important legislation that is important to all 50 States and all 435 congressional districts. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask all 435 Members of the House to support H.R. 3236 with a ``yes'' vote. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to shed light on an issue plaguing our nation's veterans, and to thank two of my constituents from Fayette County, Mr. Lanny Golden, a Vietnam Veteran, and Mr. Ron Metros, a member of Rolling Thunder's Pennsylvania Chapter 5, for working with me on legislation to return dignity and respect to our country's heroes. There are an estimated 47,000 unclaimed veteran remains that have been left to collect dust on funeral home shelves because the next of kin has not or could not be identified. Existing legislation directs the Veteran Affairs Administration, veteran service organizations, and funeral directors to work together in identifying veteran status for the deceased and making every effort to locate the next of kin. Unfortunately, there are a host of barriers that prevent effective collaboration among these stakeholders. For example, in my state of Pennsylvania, the Missing in America Project found nearly 100 unclaimed veterans within a couple years' time. Some of those veterans were sitting on shelves for more than 20 years awaiting burial. We can speculate regarding the reason for this disgrace but we cannot know for sure without giving this issue the attention it deserves. That is why I have introduced H.R. 1338 ``Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2015.'' My bill requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to conduct a study on matters relating to the claiming and interring of unclaimed veteran remains. The intent of the study is to confirm the scope of this problem, uncover any barriers associated with claiming and interring veteran remains, and solicit recommendations from the Department of Veterans Affairs on potential program improvements. This is the first step in returning honor to our country's heroes. Again, I would like to thank Mr. Metros and Mr. Golden for their dedicated work in service to our country's veterans. When asked why he is so passionate about this issue, Mr. Golden, who served with the First Air Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War, simply replied that these are his Brothers in Arms and they deserve to be buried beside those that have walked the same path. I fully agree with Mr. Golden and would like to say thank you to all who have served this great nation. I will make every effort to ensure your final resting place be of dignity and honor. We will not forget you.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Collin Horan, a Greencastle-Antrim Middle School student, for his dedicated service to the North Point Veterans Program. Mr. Horan chose to work with the North Point Veteran's Home, a housing, employment, independent living, and recovery-oriented service provider for displaced veterans, out of a sense of gratitude for our former service members, and given his family's ties to the military. After speaking with the home's 23 current residents, Mr. Horan set out with the help and support of his parents, Don and Lauren Horan, to provide the veterans with an impressive donation, which included home living essentials like towels and toiletry items, as well as significant funds for the home to purchase a refrigerator and laptop computer. Garnering support from the members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Funkstown and a number of local businesses, Mr. Horan worked tirelessly and even overcame a health setback to complete the service project in conjunction with his church confirmation. It is my honor to recognize Mr. Horan, a selfless young man, and congratulate him for his committed service to the North Point Veteran's Home, our country's service members, and his local community.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the city of Gotemba, Japan on the occasion of its 55th year as Chambersburg, Pennsylvania's Sister City. In 1958 the Gotemba City Assembly took the first step in creating an exciting international bond when it voted to establish a Sister City relationship with Chambersburg, PA. With a vibrant population of nearly 89,000 people and a picturesque location near the base of Mt. Fuji, Gotemba has been an extraordinary partner and gracious host. Originally presented as an opportunity for building friendships and exchanging ideas and cultural interests, this arrangement has created long-lasting connections and spurred experiences that any international city would be lucky to have. Long after the first personal contact by citizens of Chambersburg visiting Gotemba occurred in April, 1960, our friendship remains strong. It is my honor to help welcome the Gotemba citizens and highlight their 2015 visit to Chambersburg, as it is not only the first of its kind in a decade but also marks the 55th year of our unique relationship. Additionally, I would like to recognize those who have built and maintained the Sister City status, for they have made this milestone and all of its positive impacts on both of our communities possible. Today I am proud to celebrate the 55 years Chambersburg and Gotemba have shared as Sister Cities and wish this international union endless success in the future.

Mr. SHUSTER

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

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, my colleague from Oregon makes a good point. We are not spending the kind of dollars--at least, we are not spending wisely the kind of dollars, I would also add to that--to fix our infrastructure problem. But we do face more difficult times today than we did when we set up the fund in the 1950s or even in the 1980s, as the economy grew. In the 1990s, the economy grew. Today we have an $18 trillion debt. Republicans want to make sure this is fiscally responsible. We want to make sure we are just not layering something else on top of the American people. More importantly, I hope my colleagues join with me to continue to reduce the regulatory burden that we have put out there to people who build the roads, who operate on the roads, the States that have to come up with a plan to building them. So again, there is a lot of work to be done. I feel confident that Chairman Ryan and his committee will be able to come up with a funding level that we can continue to work to get a 6-year bill, which I think is essential to this Nation to give the certainty we need to help boost the economy. A vote against this bill is a vote in favor of shutting down these vital programs, putting transportation projects and jobs across the country at risk, and furloughing Federal employees. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation.

Mr. SHUSTER. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica), the former chairman of the committee.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on the bill, H.R. 3038.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3038, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, Part II. This bill extends the Federal surface transportation programs through December 18, 2015. H.R. 3038 is a clean extension and funds the programs at authorized levels for fiscal year 2014. The bill also ensures the solvency of the highway trust fund. We have an immediate, critical need to address the solvency of the trust fund and extend the current surface transportation law. If Congress fails to act, the States will not be able to be reimbursed for past expenses, transportation projects, and jobs across the country will be at risk; and over 4,000 U.S. Department of Transportation employees will be furloughed. I appreciate Chairman Ryan's attention to this pressing issue, as well as his commitment to addressing the solvency of the trust fund. A long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill remains a top priority for this committee, and it should be for this Congress. I am committed to continuing to work with Chairman Ryan, Ranking Member DeFazio, and others on achieving a long-term reauthorization bill. I believe this extension gives us our best shot. I strongly urge all Members to support H.R. 3038, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 362, I call up the bill (H.R. 3038) to provide an extension of Federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit, and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I again would like to remind my colleagues that the Senate was controlled up until January by their party. The White House has been controlled for 6\1/2\ years by their party. I know the ranking member at the time when the stimulus came out--as I recall, I believe he voted against the stimulus because they were going to squander $800 billion. If they would have listened to the ranking member at the time, they would have put much more or a lot more money into the investment of infrastructure. Instead of that $800 billion bill, about $68 billion went to transportation. So everybody can point fingers at everybody, but the reality is here we are. We need to extend this so that the Ways and Means Committee and the Finance Committee in the Senate can figure out the dollars in a responsible way, not to continue to raise the debt and the deficit, but find a responsible funding level to get us to a 6-year bill, which I am committed to and I know Chairman Ryan has said many, many times in public he is committed to, and our leadership in the House is committed to a long-term bill. Instead of pointing fingers at each other, let's figure out a way to move forward together, and I believe we will. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves).

Mr. SHUSTER. May I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize David L. Diedrich, a resident of Altoona, for his heroic efforts and selfless service to his country and community over the past 40 years. Mr. Diedrich served in the United States Army for 20 years after attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in the top ten percent of the class of 1976. For his subsequent exemplary military service in Hawaii, Detroit, and Germany, Mr. Diedrich was awarded the Army Meritorious Service Medal three times and the Army Commendation Medal twice. After attaining a Master's degree in Civil Engineering and returning to West Point as a career counselor and instructor, Mr. Diedrich became the City Engineer and the Director of Public Works for the City of Altoona, where he oversaw the public works of the entire city. In addition to this role, Mr. Diedrich has served the local community as a member of the Improved Dwellings of Altoona Board of Directors, through his church, and as a mentor to area students interested in the United States Military Academy. It is my honor to recognize Mr. Diedrich, one of our nation's many heroes, and congratulate him for his decades of dedicated service to our country and his local community.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Waynesboro Area YMCA on the occasion of its 100th year of service to the Waynesboro community. The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was first established in 1844, and has grown into a worldwide organization that represents the pursuit of a healthy body, mind, and spirit. The Waynesboro community has been fortunate to have the Waynesboro Area YMCA since 1915, and today I congratulate the organization for 100 years of positive impact on the community. From the momentous laying of the original building's cornerstone to today, the Waynesboro Area YMCA's Board of Directors, staff, and community members have put an impressive amount of work into continually growing and improving the Y's impact on the community. Countless renovations, fundraising efforts, and hours of work have enabled the Waynesboro Area Y to reach a community presence of which its 1915 founders would be proud. Today the Waynesboro Y has a membership of nearly 3,600 people and offers more than 100 different programs. With a true communal spirit, it financially assists over 300 youth and 150 adults for membership and programs, providing over $90,000 in scholarships annually. Though much has changed about the Waynesboro Y, it has remained committed to the principles by which it was founded--the pursuit of a healthy body, mind, and spirit with a Christian basis. I am privileged to congratulate the Waynesboro Area YMCA for a century of history and service to the Waynesboro community, and to thank all who have helped this YMCA continue its success.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Commander David Overcash, a naval intelligence officer with Commander Submarine Group (COMSUBGRU) 7, for receiving the Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton Leadership Award. A Chambersburg, Pennsylvania native, Commander Overcash currently serves our country as deputy chief of staff for Intelligence at Commander Submarine Group 7, which controls submarine activity from the Western Pacific to the Indian Ocean. I congratulate Commander Overcash on his receiving this award, which recognizes mid to senior active or reserve component intelligence officers, chief warrant officers, and enlisted personnel for outstanding leadership and mentorship in naval intelligence performance. On behalf of the Ninth District of Pennsylvania, I want to thank Commander Overcash for his service, and moreover highlight the sense of purpose with which he serves. He has exemplified the selfless drive that is a hallmark of the brave men and women who defend our country, and this award is a well-deserved acknowledgment of that spirit of sacrifice. It is my honor to recognize Commander Overcash and congratulate him for receiving the Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton Leadership Award.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Delbert Stevens, a native of Altoona, for his heroic efforts and selfless service to his country in World War II. Mr. Stevens, who grew up in Huntingdon County, will be deservingly honored at the upcoming Altoona Memorial Day Parade. He joined the Marines in 1943 when he was 23. He fought for our nation at Iwo Jima, where American forces undertook a historically difficult mission to advance our position in the war. Though nearly 7,000 Americans perished and 20,000 more were wounded in the siege, Mr. Stevens survived the long battle. Among the soldiers called upon to secure the island, Mr. Stevens, serving as a corporal in the 28th Marine Regiment, overcame some of the grisliest experiences of combat. In unwavering service to his country and fellow Marines, he contributed to a decisive victory that ultimately helped enable American victory in the Pacific in World War II. It is my honor to recognize him, one of our nation's many heroes, for his courageous service to our country. I would also like to thank all the other men and women like him who unselfishly promote and defend the American cause so that the world may be a better place.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.