Bill Shuster

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin).

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on this motion.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 696, I call up the bill (H.R. 5021) 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, with a Senate amendment thereto.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I will conclude and yield myself the balance of my time. In closing, I would like to reiterate my strong support of this motion. It strips the Senate amendments to H.R. 5021 and sends our original bill back to the Senate, which we passed 367-55. Our bill is the responsible solution that ensures that we don't play politics with these programs and enables us to continue making improvement to our surface transportation system. This course of action in no way precludes Congress from continuing to work on addressing a long-term funding solution and a long-term reauthorization bill, which remains a top priority for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I strongly urge all Members to support this motion. Let me be perfectly clear: a vote against this motion is a vote to shut down surface transportation projects and programs. The American people deserve better than that, and we can do better than that. I urge all my colleagues to join me in support of this motion, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I am now pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon).

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate on our shared goal of enacting a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill. However, this approach is the responsible solution at this time. It ensures that we don't play politics with these programs and enables us to continue making improvements to our surface transportation system. I strongly urge all Members to support this motion. A vote against this motion is a vote to shut down these projects and programs and would put more than 6,000 projects and more than 700,000 jobs at risk. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 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, thousands of transportation projects and hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country will be at risk. Two weeks ago, the House acted and passed H.R. 5021, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014. This important legislation extends Federal surface transportation programs and ensures the solvency of the highway trust fund through May of 2015. It provides certainty. The House overwhelmingly passed H.R. 5021 with a bipartisan vote of 367-55. Then we waited for the Senate to act. We continue to wait and wait. Then on Tuesday, the Senate finally acted. The Senate amended our bill to reduce funding for the highway trust fund and only extend surface transportation programs through December 19, 2014. The Senate approach is deeply flawed. First, the Senate proposal is not fully offset. It underfunds the highway trust fund by more than $2 billion. Second, the Senate's shorter extension would guarantee a manufactured crisis in a lameduck session, when some might be inclined to play politics with these issues or use them as vehicles for unrelated policies that should be subject to the full and open debate they deserve. Today, the House is considering a motion to disagree with the Senate amendment to H.R. 5021 and send our original bill back to the Senate. I strongly support this motion. This course of action in no way precludes Congress from continuing to work on addressing a long-term funding solution and a long-term reauthorization bill, which remains a top priority for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the rich heritage of Monessen, Pennsylvania, and to remember two important events which took place 150 years ago and ultimately helped shape the town's history. This year marks the sesquicentennial of the birth of one of the key figures in Monessen's founding, William Henry Donner. Donner was instrumental in the development of the town, using a cash bonus of $10,000 to turn twenty acres of land on the banks of the Monongahela River into Monessen's first factory, the National Tin Plate Company. In doing so he created the town's initial industry, one that went on to grow and thrive. He was a member of Monessen's first school board and spearheaded efforts to build the Monessen Water Company, as well as Monessen's first school building. His work was crucial to the emergence of Monongahela as a vibrant community, and he played a major part in spurring its growth. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognize another great figure in the history of Southwestern Pennsylvania who also was a founder of Monessen, James M. Schoonmaker. Schoonmaker was born in Peebles Township in 1842, and was a student at Western University of Pennsylvania when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted in the army and was assigned to the 1st Maryland Calvary, where he quickly established himself as a competent leader. In 1862, Schoonmaker was given the authority by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to raise the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, of which he was made colonel. His actions in leading soldiers during the Third Battle of Winchester in 1864 were crucial in helping the Union achieve victory, and for his heroic efforts he was awarded the Medal of Honor. This September marks the 150th anniversary of that famous cavalry charge. On August 16th, The Greater Monessen Historical Society in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania will celebrate the City of Monessen's annual Founders Day at Monessen City Park, commemorating these two events. I wish to thank the Society and its President Dan Zyglowicz for keeping alive the memory of these important leaders, and preserving our region's history for the next generation. We must never forget the lessons of the past, and their work is a crucial way to make sure these Pennsylvania leaders continue to be a part of our heritage for decades to come.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my constituent John ``Sherm'' Sherman Lehman, a lifelong resident of Buffalo Mills, Pennsylvania. He is currently 100 years old. Sherm Lehman was born on September 6, 1913, one of 14 brothers and sisters. He attended Hyndman High School until the age of 15, when he began working at the Celanese Corporation in Cumberland, Maryland to help support his family. He worked there for the next 45 years, seven months, and 17 days. Sherm Lehman has always been deeply involved with his family, his church, and his local community. He married Geraldine Miller on January 25, 1936, and they have been together for 62 years, with three sons and two daughters who continue to reside in the Bedford, Pennsylvania region. His faith was particularly important to him, and he continues to worship at Christ Lutheran Church. Sherm even celebrated his 100th birthday in 2013 there, joined by many friends and family members. In addition, Sherm served on the Hyndman-Londonderry School Board in the 1950s, served as church treasurer, and remains an active member in the local Lions Club. Sherm was drafted into the U.S. Navy in February 1945, and was honorably discharged when World War II ended six months later. As he describes it, ``When the Germans found out Lehman was coming they decided to surrender right then and there.'' Sherm continued to express joy and success in athletics, winning over 100 medals in track and field events in the Bedford County Senior Olympics. He also went on to compete in the 100 meter dash in the National Senior Olympics held in St. Louis, Missouri in 1987, when he was 74 years old. John Sherman Lehman stands as an outstanding example of American honor and citizenship, and to this day he takes the time to vote in every election. He worked hard throughout his life, providing for his family and ensuring that future generations understand the ideals of genuine humility and love-for-country that you find so frequently in Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to honor Mr. John Sherman Lehman on the floor of the House of Representatives today. I congratulate him on a life well-lived.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. I appreciate the gentleman pointing that out. I am a graduate of Dickinson College, which used to be in the MAC, Middle Atlantic Conference, which F&M was in, so I share that heritage of the MAC conference with Mr. Gray. The other thing I wanted to point out, his family moved to Philadelphia in 1949. His father took over the church of his grandfather, and then Bill Gray led that church, and so he was a third- generation pastor at the Bright Hope Baptist Church in Philadelphia. After pointing that out, some folks around here know my heritage. I spoke to my father this weekend and asked him what he remembered about Bill Gray. My father said he was smart, he was hardworking and tough, and he was a true gentleman. So he sent his best down here for this debate also. Finally, I just want to thank Amtrak for working with us to be able to move this forward. The president of Amtrak, Joe Boardman, and his staff worked very hard to ensure this became a reality. Being able to name the station for a Pennsylvanian, someone with a tremendous background and experience, it has been an honor for me to take part in this. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. SHUSTER. I appreciate the gentlelady yielding back the balance of her time so I get the final word. Sometimes I don't always get the final word with the gentlelady from Florida. I didn't know if you knew he was a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. So he was educated at a great school in central Pennsylvania, so we would like to take some credit.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, our side has no more speakers, so I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 4838.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4838) to redesignate the railroad station located at 2955 Market Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, commonly known as ``30th Street Station'', as the ``William H. Gray III 30th Street Station''.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4838, and I am honored to rise in support of H.R. 4838, which renames Amtrak's 30th Street Station for William H. Gray III. I am proud to be a Pennsylvanian and proud to have known Mr. Gray. Mr. Gray led a life of service in his church and to the Second District of Pennsylvania, to the education community, and to America. Representative Gray served the Second District for six terms and was the first African American House Budget Committee chairman and first African American House majority whip. He also helped provide Federal resources for the renovation of Amtrak's 30th Street Station, so it is only appropriate today that we have a bill on the floor that would rename the 30th Street Station for him. As I understand it, this will have no cost to the taxpayers, but, again, I probably have used the 30th Street Station more than any other station, whether traveling from Union Station to Philadelphia or traveling from the Harrisburg terminal to Philadelphia. Again, it is a beautiful building, and, again, with the renaming of it, I think it is very appropriate that we name it for William Gray. With that, I urge the support of H.R. 4838, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for working with me, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oregon for enlightening us to some of those facts that I was not aware of. Complaints going up 300 percent in the new law is quite shocking, but I do agree with the gentleman completely on his argument that there needs to be transparency. It is not fair and it is not right that the government can hide those fees when there are other industries and other modes of transportation that have to put them out there in full, plain view of the traveling public. The gentleman is correct that the traveling public and the consumers understand. They can look, they can read, and they can add and subtract. So, again, I think this is a fair and prudent piece of legislation that is going to make sure it is transparent for the traveling public. Once again, I want to thank the gentleman from Oregon for being a big supporter on this, as well as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation, Mr. Larsen; as well as the full committee ranking member, Mr. Rahall; and, of course, Mr. LoBiondo, the chairman of the subcommittee. Again, a special thanks to Tom Graves, who has been so effective in working this issue and working with us to put forth this bill that is bipartisan today. Does the gentleman have any other speakers?

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4156, the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014, is a commonsense, fair, bipartisan bill that provides airfare transparency to the flying public. In January of 2012, a Department of Transportation rule went into effect that requires the airlines and travel agents to bury government- imposed taxes and fees in the advertised price of a ticket. This rule effectively masks and, I would argue, hides the current government- imposed taxes and fees on consumers. H.R. 4156 clarifies that it is not an unfair or deceptive practice to display, in an advertisement or solicitation, the base fare for the air transportation as long as the taxes, fees, and total costs are clearly and separately disclosed--again, let me repeat that: clearly and separately disclosed--in the advertisement or solicitation. This bill will allow the airlines and travel agents to display the actual cost of air travel in a clear and transparent way, enabling travelers to see the base airfare and government-imposed taxes and fees. For instance, right now, the DOT requires airlines and travel agents to advertise a $237 plane ticket as costing $300, hiding the $63 of government taxes and fees from consumers. It is only fair that consumers know what they are paying for. So I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, with 50 cosponsors. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 4156. Let me begin by thanking my colleagues on the Democratic side of the aisle for their helpful support on this bill: Congressmen DeFazio, Rahall, and Rick Larsen of Washington. And on the Republican side, I would like to thank Congressmen Frank LoBiondo and Tom Graves of Georgia for their help and bipartisanship in crafting this bill. A special thanks to Congressman Tom Graves who, in the 112th Congress, introduced similar legislation. He reached out to us early in the process and has been a true leader, helping us craft and move this legislation forward to provide absolute transparency to the flying public through H.R. 4156. Before I explain the bill, I will enter into the Record letters of support for H.R. 4156, which represent a broad spectrum of support from business and labor.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials for the Record on H.R. 4156.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4156) to amend title 49, United States Code, to allow advertisements and solicitations for passenger air transportation to state the base airfare of the transportation, and for other purposes.