Jason Smith

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 354 and 355, I missed these votes because my first flight was canceled, and my second flight was delayed. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on both.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on President Obama to delay his health care mandate for all Americans. ObamaCare is simply too overreaching, too intrusive, too unworkable, and too destructive for families across our Nation and in my home State of Missouri. In the years since ObamaCare was forced through Congress, the American people's opposition to the mandate has only grown, and rightly so. Americans are seeing skyrocketing premiums, they are losing the health insurance they have, and employers are cutting jobs, hours and wages. Last week, President Obama admitted that his health care mandate was flawed when he announced he would delay the employer mandate portion of the law for 1 year. Mr. Speaker, we don't need to only delay one section of the law; we need to delay the entire law permanently. Since the beginning, the only aspect of President Obama's health care law that has been bipartisan is the bipartisan opposition to the mandate. Since 2009, the House of Representatives has voted over 30 times to repeal, defund or dismantle provisions of the law. As the newest Member of Congress, I will stand with my colleagues in pushing to defund and repeal the President's health care mandate.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. I appreciate it. I want to thank my good friend from Georgia. It's a great honor being in this Chamber for 42 days. I definitely have some issues that are quite important to me. Madam Speaker, one issue that I would like to highlight tonight is an issue that threatens my district. It's the National Blueways System. It was conceived on May 24, 2012, by Interior Department Secretary Salazar. The National Blueways System is described as ``a headwaters to mouth approach to rivers management'' and ``a mechanism to encourage stakeholders to integrate their land and water stewardship efforts by adopting a watershed approach.'' Importantly, a river is supposed to be nominated for a Blueways designation by local stakeholders. Though no local stakeholders from my district were included in the nomination process, the White River Watershed, of which 14 counties are in my district, was named as the Nation's second National Blueways in January of this year. Who nominated the White River to become a Blueways? The National Wildlife Refuge Association, an organization based in Washington, D.C. A quick trip to their Web site reveals that in addition to being based in Washington, D.C., around a thousand miles away from the White River Watershed, not a single member of their board of directors is from Arkansas or Missouri. Where's the local knowledge? How is this organization a stakeholder? Local stakeholders eventually found out about the designation and they were furious, as you can imagine. And when I use the term local stakeholders, I mean groups and individuals living in the watershed, including public officials elected to represent those individuals. Why were they furious? Typically, Federal designations bring along with them rules and regulations that affect the landowners. These rules and regulations might restrict access to the rivers in my district that are used for recreational purposes and fuel our tourist economy. These rules and regulations might also restrict farmers and ranchers from being able to access the water they need for their crops and livestock. I'm pleased to note that the White River National Blueways nomination was recently withdrawn, due in large part to significant outcry from Missourians let out of the process. We were also informed today that the entire National Blueways System has been paused and put under review. But I want to make something very clear here tonight: simply pausing the program until the folks back home forget about it and then trying to restart these designations is deplorable. I urge the Interior Department to quickly complete its review and define that the entire Blueways System needs to be scrapped. Madam Speaker, we also discussed the National Blueways System further today in two hearings. In the first, Secretary Jewell, Secretary Salazar's newly appointed successor, noted that ``she did not know very much about the Blueways System.'' When I asked her today who the relevant authority on the Blueways System was, she said that it was ``Rebecca Wodder.'' Unfortunately, for those of us who would have liked to ask the Interior Department questions about the Blueways today, Rebecca Wodder refused to come to our subcommittee hearing. As we noted in our hearings today, the process for designating these ``National Blueways'' has not always been voluntary, open, or public. It is disturbing that Ms. Wodder continues to refuse to testify about this program before our committee. Though the program is often trumpeted as voluntary, open, and public, Ms. Wodder has never been interested in making her comments voluntary, open, or public about the designations. Madam Speaker, let me provide you with a little more background about the district that I proudly represent, Missouri's Eighth Congressional District. It contains 30 counties in southeastern and southern Missouri. We range from 40 miles south of the city of St. Louis, down the mighty Mississippi River, the entire Bootheel region, all the way west to about 40 miles east of Springfield, and in the northwest corner, the Phelps County, Rolla area. My district is agriculturally diverse. We grow everything from citrus to sugar. Fourteen of the 30 counties in my district contain land that would have been within the ``White River National Blueways'' designation. In addition, my district includes the Ozark National Scenic Riverway, a National Park Service entity that spans through five counties on the western side, including my home county near my home of Salem. The parts of our local economy that are not driven by agriculture rely heavily on tourism and natural resources. Folks come from all over the State and all around the country to be guided on float trips on the rivers and streams contained in my district. We have a thriving timber industry that produces lumber, charcoal, and finished wood products, and some of the district's largest employers mine lead and smelt aluminum. What is the common thread that ties together the components of agriculture, tourism, and natural resources in my district? It is property rights, and our ability to use the land and its bounty to make a living. All too often, the Federal Government tugs at this thread, threatening to unwind the fabric of our economy. Whether it is new regulations restricting farm labor, new EPA carbon emission rules that would shutter our largest employers, or shutting down access and restricting the use of our rivers and streams in my district, my district is under attack. My constituents and I are tired of unelected Washington, D.C., bureaucrats creating new programs out of thin air and having the ability to end our way of life and the way that we make a living. While the White River National Blueways has been withdrawn, it is only the latest symptom of a disease that has embedded itself into the very core of this administration. They think that they know better than locals, and they think that they can act on their own without congressional approval or oversight. Where does it stop? Madam Speaker, today, I challenge the Members of this body to make it our goal not only to stop the National Blueways System all over this country but also to fight the disease that spawned it. Local groups and individuals are best situated to manage their lands and resources. We don't need bureaucratic mandates sent from on high in Washington, D.C., that may have drastic repercussions for our local economies.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Clearly, the few square miles that hover around the District of Columbia, it seems like they know how to better manage our forest or our rivers or our lives or our kids working on the farms, you name it. They believe that that's the process that you should manage from up above and push down.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. It is extremely disappointing that any Federal employee that is asked by Congress to come and testify and to give information in a broader sense and they refuse to testify or refuse to be present, that's unacceptable. They shouldn't be a Federal employee if they are not willing to stand up and justify what they do in their position. Constantly you see the buck just continue to be passed on, and never does it stop with a lot of folks in the bureaucracy in the Federal Government. I think that's our responsibility, that's our responsibility as Members of Congress, is to go after these bureaucrats who try to never allow the truth to always be seen immediately.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Connor Shupe, a member of Boy Scout Troop 99 in Houston, Missouri, who received his Eagle Scout Award on July 7, 2013. It is the highest award in scouting and the importance of this achievement cannot be overstated. In order for Connor to become an Eagle Scout, he earned twenty-two different merit badges in a wide variety of subjects as well as serving in various leadership positions in his troop. For his Eagle project, Connor set up a food drive and cleaned and painted the Texas County Food Pantry. He organized multiple volunteers in different shifts and roles to get this major accomplishment completed. Connor recently graduated from Plato High School and plans on attending Brigham Young University Idaho after he serves a mission for his church. Not every Boy Scout achieves the rank of Eagle Scout. The merit that comes with it deserves to be recognized and celebrated, especially in the hopes of inspiring other young men to become hard-working, American citizens and volunteers in their communities.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of Dr. F. Joe Crosswhite, a lifelong teacher and mentor from Springfield, Missouri. As a boy, Joe grew up during the Great Depression taking any job he could find to help his family pay the bills. After marrying his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Berry, he enrolled at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and earned his B.S. in Education with dual majors in Mathematics and English Literature. He taught high school mathematics in Salem, Missouri where he was chosen as the faculty sponsor for the Class of 1957. As a testament to his character, he not only mentored that class for the next four years of high school, but maintained a 60 year relationship with his students, attending class reunions and other events. Dr. Crosswhite earned his M.Ed. in Secondary Education and Ph.D. in Mathematics education before retiring from The Ohio State University with the title of Professor Emeritus and accepting a full time position as President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Dr. Crosswhite was the President of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) from 1984-1986 when the national mathematics standards were first being developed. This was the first attempt by an organization to develop national standards and guidelines for the teaching and learning of any subject. He finished his career at Northern Arizona University as a professor of Mathematics. Joe has shown his incredible ability to transform lives and encourage students to strive toward their dreams. There are two separate scholarships given in his name to students who demonstrate excellence in mathematics. Joe's many accolades do not outshine his love of teaching or his unparalleled devotion to his students, for which he will always be remembered. He is well respected and loved by all who know him.

Mr. SMITH of Missouri

Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Thank you very much. First, I would like to thank Congressman Clay and also Congressman Graves for their kind remarks and also the Missouri delegation. Thanks for being here, and it's great to have that support right behind you. Less than 18 hours ago, I was standing before friends and family in my small town of Salem, Missouri, and had just gotten elected. We hit the ground running and wanted to make sure that we didn't waste any time to get up here. All I can say is that I truly look forward to working with every Member of this body. There are 435 of us. My goal is to get to know each and every one of you and help move the country forward one step at a time. I know that we're not going to agree on everything, but do you know what? We need to find those places that we do agree on the issues and then come together and work for the better. I think that we can do that, and I look forward to working with the entire Chamber. It is truly an honor and a pleasure to represent the fine folks from southeast and south central Missouri, following in the good footsteps of my friend Jo Ann Emerson and also the late Bill Emerson. Thank you all very much, and I look forward to working with you.