Bill Shuster

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time both sides have remaining.

Mr. SHUSTER. I am prepared to close. Could the gentleman from West Virginia let me know how many speakers you have.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, 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 the conference report to accompany H.R. 3080.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. I thank the gentleman from California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4005, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2014. The United States Coast Guard enforces all U.S. laws on U.S. waterways and, when necessary, on the high seas. This service saves the life and property of those who sail in our waters for recreation and commerce. They protect our marine natural resources and secure our borders against illegal drugs and against human trafficking. They have a huge job, and they deserve our thanks. H.R. 4005 provides the service with our support. This bipartisan legislation authorizes the Coast Guard to carry out all its vital missions, improves its mission effectiveness, and helps replace and modernize aging Coast Guard assets in a cost-effective manner; it enhances oversight and reduces inefficiency to save taxpayer dollars. Additionally, the bill strengthens U.S. maritime transportation, reduces regulatory burdens to create jobs and encourage economic growth, and improves the Nation's competitiveness. Specifically, it authorizes funding for Coast Guard activities in 2015 and 2016 at fiscally responsible levels that will allow the Coast Guard to continue updating its fleet of aging cutters and continue operations, supports Coast Guard servicemen and women, and encourages the Coast Guard to work with the private sector; it enhances Congressional oversight, improves Coast Guard acquisition activities, requires development of a national maritime strategy, creates opportunities for our veterans, and it reforms the Federal Maritime Commission. I would also like to make note, as Chairman Hunter noted, this is our colleague Howard Coble's last term as a member of the Coast Guard Subcommittee. The gentleman from North Carolina has served on the subcommittee and its predecessor, the Merchant Marine Committee, since he came to Congress in 1985. He is the only former coastie now serving in Congress. I know the Coast Guard appreciates his strong support for the service, particularly during his term as subcommittee chairman on this committee. I know all the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members join me in wishing Howard a well-deserved and happy retirement. I want to thank and commend Subcommittee Chairman Hunter for introducing this bill and working with Ranking Member Rahall and also Ranking Member Garamendi for their work on this bill. I also will take notice that our good friend from the Virgin Islands is in the Chamber working on a couple provisions that I know are going to be very beneficial to the U.S. territories and to the U.S. Virgin Islands. I thank her for her hard work on this legislation. I look forward to working with the Senate to get the final version of this bill enacted this year.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, Azerbaijan is a key strategic partner of the United States, and I am honored to be Co-Chairman of the House Azerbaijan Caucus. Azerbaijan has been a key ally in a post 9/11 era, emerging as one of the first countries to offer strong support and assistance to the United States. I would like to take a moment to recognize the anniversary of the tragedy that took place in Khojaly, Azerbaijan, a town and townspeople that were destroyed on February 26, 1992. We just marked the 22nd anniversary of that devastating and heartbreaking day. Sadly, today there is little attention or interest paid to the plight of Khojaly outside of Azerbaijan. However, one of our greatest strengths as elected officials is the opportunity to bring to light truths that are little known and command recognition. As a friend of Azerbaijan, I am proud to remind my colleagues that we must never forget the tragedy that took place at Khojaly. At the time, the Khojaly tragedy was widely documented by the international media, including the Boston Globe, Washington Post, New York Times, Financial Times, and many other European and Russian news agencies. Khojaly, a town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, now under the control of Armenian forces, was the site of the largest killing of ethnic Azerbaijani civilians. With a population of approximately 7,000, Khojaly was one of the largest urban settlements of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. According to Human Rights Watch and other international observers the massacre was committed by the ethnic Armenian armed forces, reportedly with the help of the Russian 366th Motor Rifle Regiment. Human Rights Watch described the Khojaly Massacre as ``the largest massacre to date in the conflict'' over Nagorna-Karabakh. In a 1993 report, the watchdog group stated ``there are no exact figures for the number of Azeri civilians killed because Karabakh Armenian forces gained control of the area after the massacre'' and ``while it is widely accepted that 200 Azeris were murdered, as many as 500-1,000 may have died.'' Azerbaijan has been a strong strategic partner and friend of the United States. The tragedy of Khojaly was a crime against humanity and I urge my colleagues to join me in standing with Azerbaijanis as they commemorate this tragedy.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. First, I want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota for his kind remarks. I appreciate it greatly and look forward to continue working together with you on many other legislative endeavors. With that, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito).

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. 4076.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I was proud to introduce H.R. 4076, the Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation Act of 2014. This bipartisan legislation will provide relief for millions of Americans suffering from the current propane and home heating fuel emergency. An exceptionally cold winter has increased demand for propane, which is used for heating approximately 12 million homes in the United States, and for other home-heating fuels. In my district, more than 9,000 households rely on propane for home heating; and across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there are more than 200,000 households that do the same. So according to the National Propane Gas Association, supplies are expected to remain tight through the end of the winter because the infrastructure to deliver propane to high-demand areas is insufficient. On February 5, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a temporary emergency declaration to allow tank truck operators delivering propane and other home heating fuels to drive longer hours in order to speed up deliveries to the affected States. However, these emergency declarations can only last 30 days at a time, creating great uncertainty and limited relief. Extreme weather conditions are not expected to subside any time soon, threatening the lives and livelihoods of those with homes, farms, and businesses that depend on heat from propane and other home heating fuels. Just yesterday, we saw another severe winter storm. H.R. 4076 provides a guaranteed extension of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's emergency declaration until May 31, 2014. This certainty is required to address the transportation distribution issues to give much needed relief to the affected States. Should the crisis subside prior to May 31, 2014, the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Governors of the affected States, can determine that the guaranteed extension is no longer needed. I would like to thank the National Propane Gas Association and the New England Fuel Institute for supporting this legislation. I will be entering their letters of support into the Record. This bill has strong bipartisan support, and I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 4076. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4076) to address shortages and interruptions in the availability of propane and other home heating fuels in the United States, and for other purposes.

Mr. SHUSTER. I now yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly).

Mr. SHUSTER. I thank the gentleman from Ohio and encourage all Members to support H.R. 4076, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. I now yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), an important new member of the committee and someone who really knows about infrastructure firsthand because he actually builds it out there in Oklahoma.

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I again thank the gentleman from Minnesota for his work on this. I also thank the original cosponsor on this bill, Mr. Ryan from Ohio, who may be stuck in the snow out there, or maybe it has slowed down his progress to get to Washington; but the gentleman hails from eastern Ohio, right on the Pennsylvania border. I know that this is going to impact his district, and I was glad that he and I were able to work together on this commonsense piece of legislation that is going to help hundreds of thousands of people--if not millions of people--all up and down these corridors who have had a very, very difficult winter. I know that, looking at The Weather Channel or one of the weather stations out in Minnesota, they may need propane until the end of May because of the kind of winter they have had up there. There have been very, very, very cold, extreme weather conditions. Again, H.R. 4076 provides the ability of the Transportation Department to extend this and help with this crisis and, as we have all said here today, strong bipartisan support; so I would urge all my colleagues today to vote on H.R. 4076. I now yield 2 minutes to another gentleman from northwestern Ohio (Mr. Latta).

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, for more than 5 years, the Obama administration has played politics with the Keystone XL pipeline, a project that is essential to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and creating jobs. Progress has been blocked at every turn by the President more concerned with his popularity with environmental extremists than supplying our Nation with OPEC-free energy. House Republicans have joined with members of the labor movement to move this project forward. Just last year, I worked through my committee to advance H.R. 3 to approve the Keystone pipeline with Congressman Lee Terry. The House passed the bill back in May of 2003, but once again we were ignored by the Senate and the President. The State Department just released its final Environmental Impact Statement, which estimates that Keystone XL will produce 42,000 jobs and will be safe. President Obama often talks about wanting to create jobs, improving our economy, and strengthening our energy independence. He claims to support an all-of-the-above energy strategy. But with his stopping the Keystone pipeline and his war on coal, we are losing jobs, we are not strengthening the economy, and we are decreasing our ability to become energy independent. Mr. President, stop dragging your feet and approve the Keystone pipeline.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. I don't believe we did this year, but I think in the past we did.

Mr. SHUSTER. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen's Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act. The bill protects the Second Amendment rights of visitors to Army Corps recreation lands. The Army Corps of Engineers has more outdoor recreation visitors than the National Park Service or the Forest Service lands. My district is home to many of these recreational lands, such as Lake Raystown or the Youghiogheny River. While we currently have protections for American's Second Amendment rights in National Park lands and forest lands, the same rights are not protected on Corps properties. This bill corrects that. It removes unnecessary firearm restrictions while maintaining the safety and security of Corps buildings and property. I urge all Members to support the Second Amendment and vote in favor of H.R. 3590, the Sportsmen's Heritage And Recreational Enhancement Act.

Mr. SHUSTER. It protects people's rights, just like in the State forests and other properties of the Federal Government, to carry firearms; law-abiding citizens. I think it is something reasonable, and something I support. I thank the gentleman for the inquiry.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, the President, on the heels of the State of the Union, is traveling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, today. Well, I have invited the President to travel 50 miles south to Greene County, Pennsylvania, in my district, a rural county, a struggling county, a county that produces coal. The President's wrong policies, his out-of-control EPA regulations, have shut down the Hatfield's Ferry coal-fired electric plan in Greene County, Pennsylvania. Over 100 good-paying jobs are gone. But to make matters worse, the small community in East Dunkard and East Dunkard Valley, their water authority, the rate payers are going to have to pay more because the largest user of that system was the Hatfield's Ferry electric plant. So these 2,000 folks are going to have to pay more money for their water and their sewer because of the President's wrong energy policy. The President's energy policy is wrong, and it is hurting hardworking Americans.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, I gave a speech on the floor drawing attention to the important pro-life rally that is occurring in Washington next week. At one point, I misspoke, but today I want to make it crystal clear that life begins at conception. I am proud of my record fighting and voting to protect the right of the unborn. Yesterday, we also passed an important appropriations bill to move our Nation in a financially sound way. Four years in a row, we have reduced spending. It is the first time since the Korean war. But equally important, in that bill, it keeps in place laws that protect the life of the unborn. For that, I am very proud of that vote we took yesterday.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, our Founders understood that all human beings are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. The most important of these rights is the right to life. Next week is the March for Life, the largest pro-life demonstration in the world. It has been over 40 years since the tragedy of ROE v. WADE, and the March for Life has brought together pro-life advocates every year since. The March for Life is an important demonstration of our ongoing commitment to being advocates for those who cannot advocate for themselves. Congress has made critical gains in the fight to protect life, but there is still work that must be done. We have a duty to stand and fight for the protection of the unborn, and I believe that life begins at conception and should be protected at all stages. Every day, more and more Americans join us in this battle to protect life, and the movement to protect the unborn grows stronger each year. We must continue to build on the gains that have been made and work towards building a future where the sanctity of life is upheld across the Nation.

Mr. SHUSTER

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 3628 eliminates, consolidates, and modifies 27 congressionally mandated reporting requirements of the executive branch agencies that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. This bill does not reduce the congressional oversight of the affected agencies. Instead, it rids the agencies of outdated reporting requirements that are no longer utilized or have been replaced by different methods of information collected, thus enabling the agencies to concentrate on more pressing aspects of their mission. This legislation also consolidates and modifies certain existing reporting requirements, bringing consistency across law and regulation, eliminating duplicative and wasteful efforts, making technical corrections, and improving the ability of Congress to conduct effective oversight. This legislation makes several reporting requirements digital, resulting in reduced production and delivery cost, expedited delivery, and more useful and interactive formats. Additionally, the reports will now be made publicly available, enhancing transparency. According to the CBO this legislation could reduce the administrative costs of these agencies. This legislation is a basic, good-government, fiscally sound bill that just makes sense. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, again, I appreciate my colleague's support on this, and, as mentioned, this was reported out of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure unanimously. But I also want to point out a couple of these reports just to drive home the point of how unnecessary some of these reports are, and were, and that's why we were eliminating them. For instance, in the Department of Transportation, the Air Traffic Services Committee Report. The Air Traffic Services Committee has not met for more than 2 years. As such, no report has been submitted to Congress in that time. Additionally, since its creation in 2003, many other committees and boards have created the report and it is no longer needed. That, for instance, is one. The Pipeline Safety Information Grants to Communities Annual Report, sounds important, is important, but we recommended the elimination by OMB. This information is online, so it is more timely for Americans to be able to get online and review this type of report. The Pilot Program for Innovative Financing of Air Traffic Control Equipment Annual Report, the report was required to supplement innovative air traffic control systems being tested 9 years ago. The tests have long since been completed, and, therefore, there is no report that is required. Again, the list goes on and on. The Standards for Aircraft--aircraft engines to reduce noise levels--Annual Report requires an annual report in the implementation of new technologies to decrease aircraft noise levels. Since then, the FAA has updated noise requirements to meet stage 4 standards; therefore, again, this report is no longer required. Again, we go through, and there are 27 in total that we have eliminated. We haven't been quantified as to how much savings, but there certainly is going to be hundreds of thousands--if not millions-- of dollars saved by eliminating these reports. As I said, many of these reports you can get online now and see them quickly and efficiently and the most up-to-date reporting. And with that, I reserve the balance of my time.

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 H.R. 3628.

Mr. SHUSTER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from Connecticut for her kind words and for all of her hard work on the committee. We have been working very hard in a bipartisan manner. There aren't many things in this Congress that really bring people together; but when it comes to transportation and infrastructure, that is certainly one of them. We will continue to work together. Again, this bill is a good-government bill. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3628, which again eliminates and consolidates 27 congressionally mandated reports. It is good government, saves money, and increases transparency. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.