Kurt Schrader

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of Juan Navarro in Monmouth, Oregon, and to continue to urge Speaker Ryan to put forth a clean Dream Act bill. Juan was brought to the United States, when he was 3 years old, from Guadalajara, Mexico. Juan suffers from cerebral palsy and was unable to walk. Juan was admitted as a research patient in Shriners Hospital, and after multiple surgeries and 12 long years of physical therapy, Juan now is able to walk without any support. While Juan was receiving care, his parents had to work two jobs, something we all used to do. They did this to provide a better life for Juan. Over time, Juan excelled in school, and Oregon became his home. Juan is an active member in the Monmouth and Western Oregon University communities. He serves as a diversity student mentor, works with the faculty at Western Oregon to create a campus website that lists available resources for undocumented students, works for the city of Monmouth as a community liaison, and started a support group for DREAMers at Western Oregon University. Juan is the first person in his family to graduate from college and is currently attending graduate school at Oregon State University's College Student Services Administration program. He currently works as a graduate assistant and hopes to bring more institutional changes for students of color. Without DACA, none of this would have been possible for Juan, and our country would have lost out on a motivated and talented person. Young people across the country are relying on us. We need to pass a clean Dream Act that will recognize Juan and the over 800,000 DREAMers as equal members of our community.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Chairman, this fire season has put the need for real forest management in stark relief for those of us who live out West. The current laissez-faire forest policy, with random desperate measures to fight increasingly horrific fires that threaten and destroy rural and now--as we have seen in California--suburban communities is completely inadequate and increasingly costly to the taxpayer. This bill, contrary to what some have said, rewards communities that have proactive, collaborative programs; stewardship programs; rural advisory committees; and wildfire protection plans to manage their forests without redundant NEPA processes. A few thousand acres out of the millions acres of Federal forest land are now going to be enabled to be managed for wildlife successional forest habitat; removal of dangerous roadside and infrastructure threatening vegetation; insect and disease infestations; reducing hazardous fuel in the forests; and, frankly, doing a little reforesting of salvage projects, which should have been allowed years ago. We also pilot a few arbitration projects to stop the endless frivolous litigation of every single forest project, at least in Oregon, and I think elsewhere. SRS payments continue to rural communities whose way of life has been, basically, taken away from them by the endless frivolous litigation in our Federal forests. Counties, for the first time, get some revenue from the very stewardship contracts that we want to encourage, but not at the expense of rural communities' economic health. Many are still stuck in the recession, and this bill is critical to their revival. Oregon counties in the Oregon and California railroad areas also get the opportunity to be made whole again, like the original statute said. I think it is important to note for a lot of our friends out there that the current regional forest plans still apply and are not undermined. We just give flexibility to the Forest Service folks within the regions to do what they think needs to be done to keep those forests healthy. We empower good management. For those of you who are interested in innovation, this bill actually calls out cross-laminated timber and other thoughtful uses of forests and timber that can bring environmental and timber groups together like it should be in the 21st century. Finally, most important of all for some folks, we actually get wildfire disaster funding included as a reasonable topic of conversation and get out of the current fire-borrowing policy that is preventing the Forest Service and BLM from doing good forest management to prevent those fires in the first place. On balance, frankly, this is a very good bill and it is much-needed at this time.

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I would like to thank my colleagues, Representatives DeFazio and Panetta, for offering this amendment with me today. I think it is one of the important changes we can make that will help improve the Resilient Federal Forests Act. Collaborative forest management activities and categorical exclusions are an important tool in forest management and are designed to help the Forest Service and BLM speed the ability of those agencies to get into areas more quickly to improve forest health. I believe the use of categorical exclusion should be reserved for reducing hazardous fuel loads, addressing disease and insect infestation, protecting water resources or increasing water yield, and maintaining or enhancing critical habitat. That makes sense. All these activities are very appropriate as designated activities for categorical exclusions. Listing timber production as a designated activity, I believe, does not work in this context. Timber is a byproduct of all those activities. Therefore, it is unnecessary to actually include it as a specific designated activity. Our amendment simply strikes timber production from the list of designated activities for categorical exclusion under section 111. It is a pretty clear-cut issue, in my book. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Chair, I would like to thank the chairman and Mr. Westerman for the bill and being congenial and good folks to work with for a bipartisan piece of legislation we desperately need. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, as co-chair of the House Paper and Packaging Caucus, I rise today to recognize the 57th anniversary of National Forest Products Week. As an Oregonian, this week takes on special significance for me and my constituents. Oregon is home to over 174 wood products, paper, and packaging manufacturing facilities that make nearly $11 billion in products annually and contribute over $2 billion to the State and local economies through wages and compensation. I would like to recognize and thank the nearly 38,000 hardworking men and women employed by the forest products industry in my State. Your contributions to our State and your local communities are greatly appreciated. In this country, we are fortunate to have the renewable natural resources and domestic manufacturing to be able to provide Americans with the paper or packaging tissue and wood products that are central to modern life and the modern economy. I want to thank and congratulate the people and employees in the forest products industry for the valuable role they play in the economy not only in my State and district, but to rural communities across this country.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, it has been 8 years. For 8 years, from the day Barack Obama was sworn in until the day he left office, I heard my Republican colleagues telling me that we weren't paying enough attention to the national debt, that we were mortgaging our children's future, and that we needed to do more to get our debt and deficit under control. Heck, to be honest with you, I agreed with what they were saying. But now that they are in power--control the Presidency and both Chambers--what are they doing? Totally ignoring the debt deficit is what they are doing. Worst yet, actually, the budget of theirs that has just come out adds $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years. This is their stated strategy in the budget. This is $1.5 trillion our children and grandchildren need to pay back. I just can't believe it. The hypocrisy is beyond belief. Apparently, my Republican colleagues are only fiscally conservative when the Democrats are in control. Let's reject this unconscionable budget and work across the aisle for tax reform that actually improves our children's future.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to share the story of Aldo Solano of Woodburn, Oregon. Aldo was only 6 years old when his family first immigrated to the United States from Colima, Mexico. Economic distress, corruption, and a lack of opportunities pushed his parents to leave everything behind and head to the Willamette Valley. They wanted a different life for Aldo and his siblings, one where they could go to school and pursue their dreams. Aldo has done just that. At Woodburn High School, he served as vice president of his class. While earning good grades, he participated in sports and volunteer opportunities like 4-H Latino Summer Camp, encouraging young people to enter the STEM field. After graduating, Aldo became a DACA recipient. Through DACA, he has been able to work for the Latino Health Coalition, where he worked to pass Cover All Kids, a State law to ensure access to healthcare for every child in Oregon. This winter, he will begin working towards a public health degree at Portland State University. Without DACA, none of this would have been possible for Aldo. Young people across the country are relying on us. We need to pass a clean Dream Act that will recognize Aldo and over 800,000 DREAMers as equal members of our community.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of Leonardo Reyes of Salem, Oregon, and urge Speaker Ryan to put forth a clean Dream Act bill. Leo is an undocumented Oregonian. His mother brought Leo and his siblings to Oregon when he was 10 years old. His mother was a victim of domestic violence and felt she needed to get as far away from her husband as possible to keep Leo and his siblings safe. His mother left everything she knew in Mexico in order to pursue a better life for her children. Leo has attended Davis Elementary School, Reynolds Middle School, McKay High School, graduated from Chemeketa Community College, and is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies at Western Oregon University. He works full-time helping senior citizens and individuals with disabilities access healthcare and food benefits. Additionally, Leo was a cofounder of the Oregon DACA Coalition, which raises awareness in the community by empowering Oregon youth to engage in our democratic process. Leo considers himself an American, and I do too. He believes that being an American is a set of values and ideals which we all hold dear. We need to pass a clean Dream Act bill that will recognize Leo and over 800,000 DREAMers as equal members in our community.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, as our country reels from the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, another disaster ravages our Pacific Northwest. I rise today to once again bring attention to the problem that is decades in the making: wildfire in our national forests. The mismanagement of these forests over the last 30 years has destroyed the health of our beautiful national forests. Our land management agencies are paralyzed by litigation. Radical groups dictate the policy. As a result, our forests have never been in worse condition. Fuel loads in our forest are now so great, once a fire begins, there is little hope of being able to contain it. With 193 million acres in the National Forest System, nearly 40 percent is vulnerable to wildfire, insects, disease, and in need of treatment; yet harvest levels on Federal lands remain low, with tree growth and mortality rates far exceeding removal. We need to change this, or this will happen. This is the Eagle Creek fire right outside the city of Portland by the Bridge of the Gods. Every year we don't act, the problem gets worse. We need to reform our forest management practices, and we need to do it now. Enough is enough.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, for the past few weeks, the country has tuned in to watch as catastrophic hurricanes pummel Texas and Florida, but out West we have been facing our own natural disaster, one that doesn't get nearly as much attention but one that can be equally devastating and destructive. I am talking, of course, about wildfires raging, burning a total of 7.8 million acres. In my home State of Oregon, we currently have 26 active fires. As a member of this body, I have routinely supported emergency appropriations packages when national disasters strike this country. I have supported funding for Superstorm Sandy. I supported funding last week for Hurricane Harvey, and I will support funding for Hurricane Irma. I have done this because, as an American and as a Member of Congress, it is the right thing to do. I call on my colleagues, now, to also support us in the West. We need to change the way we pay to fight these wildfires. My good friend from Idaho Mike Simpson and I have once again introduced bipartisan legislation, H.R. 2862, the Wildfire Disaster Funding Act, that will begin to treat wildfires like the national disasters they are. The bill will create a fund dedicated to the costs of fighting wildfires so the Forest Service and BLM will no longer have to spend over 50 percent of their budget on fighting fires that should be spent on managing our forests and their sustainable health. This is common sense, my friends. It is time to act, time for this body to recognize the importance of this issue, especially to those of us out West who face these infernos every year.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, as the House co-chair of the bipartisan Paper and Packaging Caucus, I rise today to recognize an individual from my district who has dedicated his entire professional life to an industry that is the lifeblood of a rural community in my State, Toledo, Oregon. I am talking about Brian Berg, who, after 41 years with Georgia-Pacific, will be retiring Friday. For 50 years, GP has been an integral part of Lincoln County and a community partner, providing paper and packaging products that are used around the world. For over 41 years, Brian has been a leader at GP in helping ensure that the mill continues to thrive and be successful and provide for this community now and into the future. I want to thank Brian for his dedication, his service, and his commitment to an industry that has been critical to my district and many of my constituents. I wish you all the best and hope you get to enjoy some time with your lovely wife, Janet, and kids, Savannah, Ashley, and Riley.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the FDA Reauthorization Act, FDARA as it is called. It could not be more evident that the time has come for Congress to reckon with the growing problem of exorbitant drug prices. Every few months sees the headlines about another extreme price hike, as was just mentioned. Some unscrupulous pharmaceutical CEO buys the rights to produce drugs that have been on the market for decades, usually where there are no competitors, then, seemingly overnight, they raise the price astronomically. In the case of Daraprim, a drug that is used by some transplant patients and people living with AIDS, the price went from $13.50 per pill to $750. That is outrageous, a price increase of 5,000 percent. For this drug and many others, the drugs have been off patent for ages and there is no generic competitor on the market. Competition from generic drugs saves patients and the government billions of dollars on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, generic drug manufacturers who want to bring these markets to competition face a long approval process, steep costs, and uncertainty. This FDA act reckons with that. It is time for Congress to act, also, on those unscrupulous providers. Gus Bilirakis and I introduced a bill providing competition to drive down those costs. We provide new incentives for generic drugs to come to market and reform the process. I am in support of the bill.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give special recognition to Andrew Rogers, the last surviving member of the heroic 1941 Willamette University Bearcats football team. The 1941 season was a tremendous success for the team, going 8-2, capturing the Northwest Conference title. But we remember that Bearcats historic season for far more than just athletics. At the end of the season, Willamette University was invited to play the University of Hawaii on December 6, 1941. The following morning, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor began. Rogers, the entire team, and visiting Willamette supporters volunteered to guard the Punahou School for 10 days while others helped with the injured. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Rogers volunteered to join the United States Marine Corps, where he served as an infantry platoon leader for the 3rd Marine Division throughout the Second World War. He served meritoriously during the final phase of the recapture of Guam, as well as during the Battle of Iwo Jima. Rogers reminds all Americans of the impact we can have when we step up in times of need. His military service during a dark, uncertain time in our history is another shining example of the Greatest Generation. I am proud to share his story and offer this small piece of recognition for all that Andrew Rogers has done for this great country.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1873, the bipartisan Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act. I want to thank my colleague from California (Mr. LaMalfa) for working with me on this important legislation that will bring much- needed consistency and accountability throughout the Federal land management agencies. This bill is just common sense. Putting it quite simply, we are just helping our utilities better enhance safety and reliability of the grid and protecting against wildfires and blackouts. Contrary to what some folks have asserted, this is actually a bipartisan bill supported by quite a few Democrats. This bill is especially vital for most of those in the West, where much of our land is federally owned. Many of your utilities' and co-ops' service territory can be more than 50 percent federally managed. We have witnessed extreme variations and approaches not only between the Forest Service and the BLM, but within the management agency districts themselves. Jim Pena, out in Oregon: ``There is little consistency from agency to agency, district to district, or even within the same offices.'' This is the Forest Service talking. We read and listened to the specter of big companies coming in and clear-cutting our Federal lands. I respectfully suggest that that is why we need these vegetative management plans. They are short, concise, deal with only the utility's right-of-way and the land adjacent to it that could cause problems. I wonder sometimes what the heck folks are talking about. We have heard complaints about absolving companies from liability. That is not true. What we are saying is, if the Secretary fails to allow the utility to manage the vegetation on Federal lands or adjacent right-of- way in a way that is consistent with their approved vegetative management plan that they have worked out with them or if the hazard tree or tree is in imminent danger of contacting an electricity line, the utility will not be held liable for wildfire damage or loss. It does not absolve a utility from liability if they are negligent or act in a way that is inconsistent with their vegetative management plan. I give you a great example our colleague from Arizona talked about. In Oregon, a rural co-op requested trimming some dangerous trees along the rights-of-way by the Forest Service. The Forest Service denied the request. A tree fell on the power line, sparked a fire. The utility was held responsible for paying for that fire when they had actually brought the issue to them in the first place. That is ridiculous. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1873.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Command Sergeant Major Shane Lake on his retirement from the Oregon Army National Guard. Born in Farmington, New Mexico Command Sergeant Major Lake enlisted in the United States Army in 1990. Currently, he serves as the State Command Sergeant Major for the Oregon Army National Guard. While serving his country, Command Sergeant Major Lake also worked to earn a Bachelor of Science in Social Science with a minor in Psychology from Portland State University, and works as a Field Sales Engineer in the electronics industry. Among his countless assignments throughout his exemplary military career, Command Sergeant Major Lake spent multiple overseas deployments to the Middle East and completed a number of humanitarian missions throughout the world. A highly decorated veteran, just some of his service awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal to name a few. Command Sergeant Major Lake represents our very best that the great state of Oregon and our country have to offer. The State of Oregon, the Oregon National Guard, and his soldiers will miss the experience and leadership he brought to every mission. I humbly thank Command Sergeant Major Lake for his many years of service to the State of Oregon as well as to our country. May his deserved retirement treat him well.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, after all these late nights and backroom deals, here we are. This version of the bill was just dropped on our lap this morning, so we ought to take a careful look at what is in front of us. First of all, the bill defunds access to preventative health care and wellness. All the programs that we made progress on will be gone. It shortchanges the Medicare trust fund. Seniors might be paying thousands more than they are now to get the care they need. It returns us to a system with skimpy benefits without serious coverage for maternity care and mental health. Most dramatically, the bill dismantles the Medicaid system as we know it, which has been a success across much of the country. In Oregon, children and families finally have access to care that fits their needs. People living with disabilities are leading productive lives now. Hospitalizations and emergency room visits have been cut in half, and costs are down. We are all going to do this--take health care away from 24 million Americans, 14 million just this next year--and not going to save any more money than under the original ACA? Look, I know there are parts of the ACA that need fixing. While millions of people got coverage for the first time, premiums are still too high in the individual market. That is only 5 percent. Vote ``no'' on this bill, and let's make the system better.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, in a bizarre rant yesterday, President- elect Donald Trump said he would be ``the greatest jobs producer that God ever created.'' Mr. Trump might need to rethink that statement, given his top priority is to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, while the Republicans haven't given us any details about an ACA replacement policy at all, we know exactly what will happen if they repeal it: millions of jobs will be lost. Since the ACA was passed in March 2010, the U.S. economy has added more than 15 million private sector jobs and the unemployment rate has been cut in half. In fact, the longest streak in private sector job growth began the month the ACA was passed. Now, folks on the other side of the aisle want to risk all of that going away by repealing the law. A recent study has found that repealing the ACA would kill 2.6 million jobs in just 1 year, including 45,000 in my home State of Oregon. Thirty million Americans will lose access to health care, and $350 billion gets added to our budget deficit. Mr. Speaker, we can't afford the reckless ACA repeal policy. I urge my colleagues to reject attempts to repeal the law and focus on ways we can fix and improve our healthcare system while creating jobs.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call upon this body to protect our national security by ensuring that the billions we spend through the Pentagon are, in fact, well spent. We are currently embarking on enacting a CR that is inadequate for education, health care, and economic and job development. It contains a bloated Defense Department with even more money, despite documentation of $125 billion in waste and inefficiencies that their own investigation showed. This does not relate to our servicemen and -women who do a great job for our country protecting freedom around the world. This is money that we could use to fund all the war spending and drive down the costs of the Pentagon and Department of Defense almost 20 percent without affecting existing programs. I think we need to declassify the Department of Defense study and use that money for the taxpayers to drive down our debt and deficit and make this country great again.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 817 and S. 818 and ask my House colleagues for their support for these bills which are vital to two tribes I have the honor of representing. Over the past three congresses Senators Wyden, Merkley and I introduced these important bills to simplify the fee-to-trust process for the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde respectively. Our legislation will provide considerable help to the Siletz and Grand Ronde in their continued efforts to restore land that was lost during federal policies of allotment and termination of tribal recognition in 1954. The Tribes' efforts to restore land are currently hampered by a lengthy, expensive, and cumbersome Bureau of Indian Affairs process. The ability to reacquire land is critical to self-determination efforts by terminated and restored tribes like the Siletz and Grand Ronde. Under our legislation any property located within the boundaries of the respective Tribe's original reservation will be treated as ``on- reservation'' for the purpose of processing acquisitions of property into trust, and deemed a part of the Tribe's reservation once taken into trust. It should be noted that nothing in these bills prioritizes for any purpose the claims of any federally-recognized Indian tribe over the claims of any other federally recognized Indian tribe. Once enacted, these bills will not only save the Tribes' time and money which could be better utilized serving its membership and the community, but would also streamline the BIA's land-into-trust responsibilities to the Tribes', thus saving taxpayer money. Reforming this process for the Siletz and Grand Ronde tribes reflects the federal policy of tribal self-determination and the priority of restoring lands to once-terminated tribes. I would like to personally thank Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva, Subcommittee Chairman Young and Ranking Member Ruiz, and former Chairman Hastings and former Ranking Member DeFazio for their leadership, assistance, time, and patience over the years moving these bills through the Natural Resources Committee. Finally, I would like to thank the Siletz and Grand Ronde Tribes for their friendship and wish them a much deserved congratulations. Their tireless efforts and perseverance over the last six years has been critical to getting this legislation across the finish line. It's an honor to represent both in Congress and I am proud to play a small part in your continued efforts to restore your historic lands.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 21st Century Cures Act and to thank Chairman Upton and my friends, Mr. Pallone, Ms. DeGette, and Mr. Green, for their leadership and willingness to work across the aisle to produce this quality piece of legislation. For too long, Congress has been shirking its responsibility when it comes to funding the critical research that will lead to cures and treatments at the NIH. Our scientists, physicians, and medical institutions are getting closer every day to medical breakthroughs that will help families and save lives. In my State alone, the NIH is funding research into new therapeutic avenues to combat cancer, heart disease, and illness born by pollution. It is time to streamline the path for critically needed medical devices and pharmaceuticals for vulnerable populations that can't afford to wait. This bill takes a giant step forward to help fix the mental health infrastructure of our country. Currently, as a result of the mental health system's inadequacy, our emergency rooms, our prisons, and our homeless shelters are full of people who are having trouble getting the care they need. The status quo is not okay. This bill moves us in the right direction through innovation and integration of mental health services for the overall healthcare system. The Cures Act enhances the capabilities of our law enforcement and first responders, strengthens our crisis intervention programs, and ensures that our Medicaid program does not deny access to beneficiaries seeking mental health care. It also includes a number of Medicare provisions to make sure seniors aren't left behind by bureaucratic red tape. Getting to this point wasn't easy. Democrats and Republicans didn't always agree on every provision of this bill, but we were able to work together and find common ground and produce a bill that takes great strides toward producing better healthcare outcomes for Americans. I hope the President-elect and Members of this body are taking note of this achievement today as we move forward instead of pushing through divisive harmful policies that will reduce access to quality health care. Let's work together and produce better results for all Americans.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, S. 764, well, we can demonize the work of Congress on a regular basis and, unfortunately, sometimes we are our own worst enemies. I, on the other hand, feel that S. 764 is an example of Congress getting it right. This is a big country, a lot of diverse opinions about what we should and shouldn't be doing. I am a farmer and I am a veterinarian, a man of science. I am concerned, very concerned, much like my good colleague and friend from Washington State on the other side of the aisle, that there is a campaign of misinformation and disinformation about the health and safety of American food. I will stack American farmers and producers up against anyone in the world for producing the healthiest and safest food for American consumers. This is a hard-fought compromise--hard-fought, very hard-fought. I was on the Ag Committee when we started this discussion. A lot of people want to know what is in their food, they say. Well, that is why we have ingredient labeling so, as my good colleague and friend from Oregon talked about, you can read what is on the label that might be important to you in terms of allergies, safety information, things that might actually affect your health and welfare. Genetic engineering has been around for centuries. As a man of science, I will tell you, it is a lot safer to do it in a laboratory than out in the field where you have mutations that you can't control that might actually be detrimental to your health and safety. In the laboratory, you can control a great deal of that. And lost in this discussion is what genetic engineering biotechnology has done for the people of this world. I remember not too many years ago--I am a little older--where we were worried about feeding the world's population. Back in 1965, 1966, there was concern: Do we have enough arable land? Is the food going to be nutritious? A lot of people in other countries without conducive climates can't raise their own food. In this country, we can, and, through science and engineering, we have created more nutritious crops, crops that can grow in bad environments. We can now do no-till because we have agents that will control weeds and pests. If you are concerned about climate change, you ought to be strongly in favor of this bill--strongly in favor of this bill. This is less use of some of the very agents that some of my friends on my side of the aisle are concerned about. Having said that, I am from Oregon. We are a transparency State. We want to know as much as we can about everything--our election processes, our environment, and, apparently, our food. The Senate has come up with a compromise. I liked our House bill, but they have come up with a compromise. We now have labeling for GMO. We actually have a definition in this bill of what GMO is so the consumer is protected. Again, it is not a patchwork of regulations around the country. Now we have a standard that the consumer can take to the bank and understand. The idea that people don't have cell phones is ludicrous. I have had people in pretty tough situations in my district, don't have a whole heck of a lot, but they have got a cell phone. They know how to use it, get the apps and make sure they can understand what is in their food. I think this should be an hour we celebrate. The other side has to, finally, I hope, accept victory. We have a mandatory labeling for GMO. This is a great compromise. Democrats, Republicans, Senate, and House, let's accept and vote for S. 764 for the American consumer and the American farmer.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I regretfully missed the following roll call votes on Thursday, June 23, 2016. Had I been present I would have voted ``NO'' on the following roll call votes: Roll Call 341--H. Res. 797, the rule for the Conference Report for H.R. 2577. Roll Call 342-- H.R. 2577, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2017 and Zika Conference Report.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my deep concern with the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) proposed rules on set-top- boxes. On May 5th, I along with Rep. Cramer (R-ND) and 58 of our House colleagues sent a letter to Chairman Wheeler at the FCC. That letter focused on the burdens these rules would impose on small cable operators. I've heard from several of my rural cable operators, and they are worried the FCC is failing to fully understand the impact these rules will have on small providers. Many of them will spend over a $1 million per system in order to comply with these rules, diverting resources that would otherwise be spent investing in broadband. Furthermore, it is estimated these costs could cause as many as 200 cable operators nationwide to go out of business or simply exit the video market place. We all support and want to encourage increased innovation and competition. In fact, many small operators are heavily investing in upgrading their existing networks to provide faster high-speed broadband. They also support innovative boxes from TiVo and apps that work on Roku boxes. The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy agrees the proposal ``will be disproportionately and significantly burdensome'' for small cable operators. The SBA went on to say the ``FCC has not adequately attempted to quantify or describe the economic impact of its proposed rules'' nor did the FCC make ``any attempt to explain what kinds of costs small operators might incur in order to comply'' with the rule. Mr. Speaker, it is inconceivable to me that the FCC would propose new rules and seek to impose new regulations without fully understanding the economic impacts of their actions--especially when it comes to the many small rural providers in my district. Recognizing the burdens these new rules would have on small providers, consumer groups like Public Knowledge and innovative companies like TiVo support taking a different approach with small operators. I urge the FCC to reconsider imposing these rules on small operators because of the tremendous burden it would impose on them. If these new rules cause operators to go out of business or limit video services the Commission may end up hurting the very people they are seeking to help and that's the consumer.

Mr. SCHRADER

Mr. SCHRADER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Clackamas Community College (CCC) as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Founded in 1966, with 93 part-time students taking classes at Gladstone High School and 600 more added by the end of the first school year, CCC has since grown to serving over 35,000 students across three distinct campuses and two extension sites. Throughout its development, CCC has remained committed to its values, a student-centered focus, and a collective decision-making process that drives its mission. Since 1966, students have become accustomed to a dedicated faculty and a friendly atmosphere focused on their personal growth. CCC provides a unique learning experience whether a student attends to complete a transfer degree to a four-year public university at an affordable cost, wants to take Community Education classes, is seeking an Adult High School Diploma, or is at the school to pursue a degree or certificate in one of the more than 80 career and technical programs offered. These include the expanding fields of renewable energy, medical assistance and digital multimedia communication. For the past 50 years, the college has prided itself on equipping students with the relevant job training and skills to apply toward real world, high- demand careers and family wage jobs. In the last 50 years, thanks to the strong leadership of its current and past presidents and Boards of Education and an open, collaborative spirit behind its decisions, CCC has thrived. In preparation for ringing in 50 years of service, the Board launched the Imagine Clackamas project, a two-year community engagement process designed to identify what the community valued and needed from the college in the present and into the future. The resulting bond measure is enabling CCC to make great strides toward meeting those needs by updating and expanding classrooms and labs and by modernizing equipment. With this energy and momentum at 50 years, I am excited to discover what goals and heights the college will reach in the next half century. I am honored to be the representative of Clackamas Community College and I congratulate the college on its 50th anniversary.