Lee Terry

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Brownell-Talbot School, an educational institution in my district that is celebrating a truly remarkable milestone in their rich history. Today marks the Brownell-Talbot School Sesquicentennial. This school played a visionary role in Omaha during our city's formative years and has now enjoyed 150 years of rich history. Rt. Reverend Joseph Cruickshank Talbot, D.D. originally founded the school in 1863 as a girls' boarding school named Brownell Hall. It was established to bring cultural and educational opportunities to the daughters of the pioneers. The school held the first commencement exercise for high school graduates in the State of Nebraska in 1868. It eventually became coeducational in 1952 under the name Brownell Hall-Talbot School for Boys. The school was ultimately renamed Brownell-Talbot School in 1963, and today is the only independent, preschool through grade 12, college preparatory school in Nebraska. Brownell-Talbot School continues to graduate some of the city's best and brightest students. The school has very high academic standards and has earned the highest published average composite ACT score in Nebraska. This 150th Anniversary honors all of Brownell-Talbot School's founders, board members, supporters, past and present students and their teachers, administrators, and staff. All of these members of the Brownell-Talbot School community have had a hand in the exemplary education of Brownell-Talbot students, a tradition that will undoubtedly continue long into the future.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2052) to direct the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, to conduct an interagency review of and report to Congress on ways to increase the global competitiveness of the United States in attracting foreign direct investment, as amended.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.

Mr. TERRY. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2052, the Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013. Now, we recently saw the latest job numbers. While somewhat positive, the reality is that we have more people out of the workforce than since 1978. People are giving up looking for work, and it doesn't have to be and shouldn't be that way. There are many foreign companies who want to ``in-source'' their jobs to America, but there have been many barriers standing in their way. There are many foreign companies who should and want to come here. These are good, high-paying jobs that many Americans are looking for. In 2010 alone, U.S. affiliates of foreign firms employed an estimated 5.6 million Americans. These Americans also made, on average, $77,000 per year. These U.S. subsidiaries invested $41.3 billion in research and development and made $149 billion in capital expenditures in the United States that same year. In the manufacturing sector alone, FDI inflows were nearly $84 billion in 2012, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. Unfortunately, according to the testimony of the Organization for International Investment at our legislative hearing last spring, the United States' share of foreign direct investment dropped from 41 percent at its high in 1999 to just 17 percent in 2011. Today, we're here to reverse that trend. My bill, H.R. 2052, and also, with the gentlelady, Ms. Schakowsky, and Mr. Barrow on the other side of the aisle, this is a bipartisan piece of legislation that instructs the Department of Commerce to conduct an interagency review geared to identifying those barriers to foreign investment to the United States. It also instructs the Department of Commerce to make recommendations on ways to lower or eliminate those same barriers. The United States should be the leader in attracting foreign investment. We have a stable government, safe working conditions, and the most skilled workforce in the world. I believe that our long-term global competitiveness and economic success as a nation is directly tied to our ability to attract foreign investment. By creating an environment where foreign companies want to move their manufacturing operations or distribution centers to the United States, we are fostering an environment or atmosphere of organic, government stimulus-free economic growth. We must be aware of the potential impact on the U.S.' ability to attract foreign direct investment when considering new laws and regulations. We want these companies to come here and help us grow our economy. But there are a number of areas within the purview of the Federal Government where we can improve the domestic climate for foreign direct investment. It's my hope that the report at the heart of this legislation will highlight those areas, both for the administration, where it can act on its own authority, and for Congress, where the administration lacks the authority. I would also like to thank some individuals who helped get this legislation off the ground and to the House floor today. First off, I'd like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), who has championed this issue for several years. I would also like to thank the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), the ranking member of this subcommittee, as well as our friend, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow), for his leadership. I believe we can all agree that we shouldn't stop our efforts to put America back to work until every American who wants a job can find one. This legislation is a step in the right direction, Mr. Speaker, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I'll continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. TERRY. Yes, I can assure you. I agree with the gentlelady that it should include both benefits and costs, as we have suggested. And I do want to state that I appreciate working with you. And you have shown great collegiality as well in our negotiations, and I want to thank you for that.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, having the right to close, I am going to reserve the balance of my time and allow them to finish their time, if they have any.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. I want to close by saying that this truly has been a bipartisan effort. Both sides of the aisle want the U.S. to be in a better position to attract the foreign direct investment which does create jobs in the United States. That has been on the decline. We need to reverse that. And this is one of those times when you go home and you hear, at your townhall meeting, Why don't you work together? The people need to see how we worked together on this bill and resolved the differences between each other on this. Today we're here to have what I think will be an overwhelmingly positive vote. With that, I will submit a couple of letters for the Record. One is about 150 entities that signed on to a letter for the Organization for International Investment, and then also another letter from Sanofi dated September 9, 2013. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Organization for International Investment OFII is the only business association in Washington D.C. that exclusively represents U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies and advocates for their non-discriminatory treatment under state and federal law. Members ABB Inc.; ACE INA Holdings, Inc.; Ahold USA, Inc.; Airbus North America Holdings; Air Liquide USA; Akzo Nobel Inc.; Alcatel-Lucent; Allianz of North America; ALSTOM; Anheuser- Busch; APG; APL Limited; AREVA, Inc.; Arup; Astellas Pharma US, Inc.; AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals; BAE Systems; Balfour Beatty; Barclays Capital; Barrick Gold Corp. of North America. BASF Corporation; Bayer Corp.; BG Group; BHP Billiton; BIC Corp.; Bimbo Foods, Inc.; bioMerieux, Inc.; BMW of North America; BNP Paribas; Boehringer Ingelheim Corp.; Bombardier Inc.; BOSCH; BP; Bridgestone Americas Holding; Brother International Corp.; BT; Bunge Ltd.; Bunzl USA, Inc.; Case New Holland; Cobham. Covidien; Credit Suisse Securities (USA); Cristal USA Inc.; Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.; Daimler; Dassault Falcon Jet Corp.; Deutsche Telekom; Diageo, Inc.; EADS, Inc.; Electrolux North America; EMD Serono Inc.; E.ON North America; Ericsson; Evonik Degussa Corporation; Experian; Flextronics International; Food Lion, LLC; France Telecom North America; FUJIFILM Holdings America; Garmin International, Inc. GDF SUEZ Energy North America, Inc.; Generali USA; GKN America Corp.; GlaxoSmithKline; Hanson North America; Henkel Corporation; Holcim (US) Inc.; Honda North America; HSBC North America Holdings; Huhtamaki; Hyundai Motor America; Iberdrola Renewables; ING America Insurance Holdings; InterContinental Hotels Group; JBS USA; John Hancock Life Insurance Co.; Kering; Kia Motor Corporation; Lafarge North America; Logitech Inc. L'Oreal USA, Inc.; Louisiana Energy Service (LES); Louis Dreyfus Commodities; Louisville Corporate Services, Inc.; LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton; Macquarie Aircraft Leasing Services; Maersk Inc.; Magna International; Mallinckrodt; Marvell Semiconductor; McCain Foods USA; Michelin North America, Inc.; National Grid; Nestle USA, Inc.; Nissan; Nomura Holding America, Inc.; Novartis Corporation; Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals; Oldcastle, Inc.; Panasonic Corp.; of North America. Pearson Inc.; Pernod Ricard USA; Philips Electronics North America; QBE the Americas; Randstad North America; Reed Elsevier Inc.; Research in Motion; Rexam Inc.; Rinnai; Rio Tinto America; Roche Holdings, Inc.; Rolls-Royce North America Inc.; Royal Bank of Canada; SABIC Innovative Plastics; Samsung; Sanofi US; SAP America; Sasol; Schlumberger. Schneider Electric USA; Schott North America; Shell Oil Company; Siemens Corporation; Smith & Nephew, Inc.; Societe Generale; Solvay America; Sony Corporation of America; Sprint; Sumitomo Corp.; of America; Swiss Re America Holding Corp.; Syngenta Corporation; Takeda North America; Tate & Lyle North America, Inc.; TD Bank; TE Connectivity; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA; Thales USA, Inc.; The Tata Group; Thomson Reuters. ThyssenKrupp North America, Inc.; Tim Hortons; Toa Reinsurance Company of America; Tomkins Industries, Inc.; TOTAL Holdings USA, Inc.; Toyota Motor North America; Transamerica; Tyco; UBS; UCB; Umicore USA; Unilever; Vivendi; Vodafone; Voith Holding Inc.; Volkswagen of America, Inc.; Volvo Cars North America; Volvo Group North America, Inc.; Westfield LLC; White Mountains, Inc.; Wipro Inc.; Wolters Kluwer U.S. Corporation; Wolseley; WPP Group USA, Inc.; XL Global Services; Zurich Insurance Group. Organization for International Investment, Washington, DC, September 9, 2013. Re OFII Support of H.R. 2052, the ``Global Investment in American Jobs Act of 2013''. Hon. Fred Upton, Chairman, Energy and Commerce Committee, Washington, DC. Hon. Lee Terry, Chairman, Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, Washington, DC. Hon. Henry Waxman, Ranking Member, Energy and Commerce Committee, Washington,

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

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments of Susan Feistner. Susie recently retired from my congressional staff after 13 years of dedicated and excellent service to the constituents of the Second Congressional District of Nebraska. I wish Susie all the happiness in the world she embarks on the next stage of her life. Susie served as my Senior Constituent Liaison in my Omaha Congressional Office. Susie handles immigration issues, and this was no small task. Over the years, she muddled through mounds of paperwork to find solutions for people and in many cases reunited families, helped with adoptions of foreign-born children and obtained last-minute visas and passports. She also referred people to attorneys for help in becoming legal citizens and helped many constituents navigate through the tangle of U.S. Immigration laws. Her tireless service made a difference in thousands of lives. Over the years, Susie has also been active in Republican Party politics and has worked for candidates up and down and the ballot. Her involvement in our political process to spread the Republican message of lower taxes and a strong national defense has been greatly appreciated. She has also been a steadying hand in my District Office and the constituents of Nebraska's Second Congressional District have benefitted greatly. I offer you a heartfelt thank you to Susie for her dedication. I am extremely proud of her contributions over the past 13 years and I am blessed to have had such a professional and hard working individual on my team. It is a privilege and an honor to have Susie as a part of Team Terry.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dean Mathisen for 10 years of service to Nebraska's Second District. Dean is a tireless and devoted public servant to the Second Congressional District of Nebraska and specifically to the veterans in the metro area. Dean Mathisen serves as a Senior Constituent Liaison in my Omaha Congressional Office and handles military and veteran's affairs. As a former US Army officer and combat veteran of the Cold and First Gulf Wars, his personal experiences aid him in understanding and helping those now serving and returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dean is equally committed to assisting the other ``Band of Brothers'' from our Nation's other wars. Over these past 10 years, his efforts found solutions and answers to complex requests for help with ``government bureaucracy'' by service members, veterans and family members. His counsel has been instrumental in helping me identify the need for and communicate with the Department of Veterans Affairs about bringing a National Veterans Cemetery to the Second Congressional District of Nebraska. Thanks to Dean's efforts, this project is now a reality and will soon break ground providing a final resting place for the 112,000 underserved veterans in the Omaha area that is worthy of the sacrifices they made. Dean and I first met as members of the Omaha Young Republicans. He also served on the Douglas County Republican Central Committee as a tireless advocate for the Republican Party's message of lower taxes and a strong national defense. In his free time, he has stayed engaged within the veterans' community by being an active member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He also assists the metro area Boy Scouts with review of rank advancements and other scouting activities. I offer Dean my sincere appreciation for his dedication and years of service to both our country and to Nebraska's Second Congressional District. I am extremely proud of his accomplishments and am thankful for his years of counsel. Omaha's veterans are better off because of Dean's service.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dream It. Do It., Nebraska's new partnership with my alma mater, Omaha Northwest High School. The Dream It. Do It. Initiative partners manufacturers with local schools and community organizations to promote manufacturing and educate students on careers in an industry that supports one in six jobs in the United States. According to the National Association of Manufacturers, the manufacturing industry employs nearly 10 percent of the workforce in Nebraska with annual average salaries of $53,831. That's $14,000 higher than other non-farm payrolls in my State. In addition to educating students on benefits of careers in manufacturing, Dream It. Do It. Nebraska helps students and their families understand the education paths necessary to obtain these jobs. As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have heard repeatedly from over 40 witnesses in our Nation of Builders hearings that there are a lot of manufacturing jobs available. I've heard this from some manufacturers in Omaha. The problem is that employers are finding there isn't a pool of potential employees with the necessary skills for these positions. Dream It. Do It. Nebraska makes sure that tomorrow's workers in my district have the education and skills required to fill these great, middle-class jobs. I am pleased that Dream It. Do It. Nebraska is working in my district to help prepare young people for these jobs. With twenty-five programs nationwide, Dream It. Do It. is truly a grassroots program. Its grassroots nature allows local leaders to design programs to address the specific needs in their communities. Dream It. Do It. Nebraska is able to prepare Nebraska students for Nebraska jobs. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating Dream It. Do It. Nebraska and Omaha Northwest High School on their new partnership. I know that my Northwest Huskies and Dream It. Do It. Nebraska's partnership will benefit Nebraskans for years to come.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chair, I rise today tell my colleagues this amendment is very simple. It prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from spending any appropriated funds in fiscal year 2014 to enforce section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140) states in its entirety: No Federal agency shall enter into a contract for procurement of an alternative or synthetic fuel, including a fuel produced from nonconventional petroleum sources, for any mobility-related use, other than for research or testing, unless the contract specifies that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production and combustion of the fuel supplied under the contract must, on an ongoing basis, be less than or equal to such emissions from the equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources. This provision, which prevents the federal government from purchasing alternative and potentially cheaper fuels such as liquid coal, could preclude the U.S. military from using crude oil derived from Canadian oil sands. This section doesn't make sense when over 650,000 civilians are facing furloughs--including the 4,400 employees, who serve Offutt Air Force Base, in just outside of my district. They shouldn't be used as political footballs when we're spending our limited resources on programs in Section 526. Section 526 restricts fuel choices. It is vague, ambiguous, and doesn't improve reliability of energy supplies, nor does it help our national security goals. Not to mention, expensive. At a time when our nation is worried about its fiscal health, we should be advancing more initiatives giving our military real flexibility in fuel choice, rather than having the Department of Defense to commit millions of taxpayers' dollars on more costly, less efficient options. Section 526 goes against the intent of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which declared that oil sands and other unconventional fuels are strategically important resources and directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop a strategy to use these fuels to reduce the reliance of oil from unstable regions of the world. The Department of Defense is the government's largest consumer of fuel. If we do not limit the use of Section 526, it could increase fuel costs for our military and severely restrict the Pentagon's ability to get energy that originates from our strongest ally and number one trading partner, Canada. Programs like Section 526 mandate that the Armed Services spend entirely too much money on fuels. If we didn't spend so much money on these fuels, we would be able to reduce the effects of the politically motivated furloughs and give DOD the resources it needs to responsibly implement sequestration. It is imperative to ensure that our nation, in particular the military, is not inhibited from using cheaper and more abundant fuels produced with oil from our friendly neighbor to the north, Canada, which will reduce our reliance on imports from hostile areas of the world. True national security rests when we can make sure our DOD civilian employees are on the job by using a secure, diverse fuel supply for our armed forces.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Madam Chair, I withdraw my request for a recorded vote on amendment No. 24.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I am proud to represent Omaha and its surrounding areas. It has a magnificent base with extremely important missions. What that means is that I represent not only uniformed members who serve there, but civilian workers who work on that base also. Mr. Chairman, I can't go out in public without somebody coming up to me and saying, I'm one of the furloughed workers. I can't afford to lose those days. What are you going to do? Well, I think that's a legitimate ask of that person. Frankly, I can't go to a sporting event. Even in my own neighborhood there are people asking me what we're going to do to help them. Now, the answer here in this body has been, mostly, if the DOD really wanted to make their pay whole and not give them furlough dates, they could do that. This is a political move by the President. Well, Mr. Chairman, I'm not willing to play that level of politics with my constituents' pay. So what this amendment does is moves $2.6 billion out of the Afghan Security Forces account. It reduces that account from $7.7 billion to $5.1 billion, moving it to an account that can be used to supplement those wages and eliminate the furloughs of 55,000 civilian workers working on our bases across the country. Does this cure every furlough? No. But it does the vast majority, and it gives flexibility to the DOD to perhaps reduce the furloughs to the point where it is a negligible impact on 100 percent. Let's talk about this fund, because there seems to be some confusion about the fund. The Afghan Security Forces account is the fund of which the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, has uncovered $2 billion, Mr. Chairman, of waste, fraud, and abuse. This is that fund that has been in the paper a lot lately for building bases that nobody wanted and nobody is using. This is the fund that bought Russian helicopters for the Afghan military that no one knows how to fly and they're sitting there rusting. This is basically a type of slush fund to be used for special projects that accusations have been made are simply lining the pockets of some Afghan officials. So all we're doing is reducing the amount of proven fraud within this fund. The reality here is we reduce the fund and we save our own civilian employees that go to work every day but now have been told to stay home for a certain amount of days. We can protect those workers. Let's focus on U.S. workers, those working on our bases. Let's make them the priority. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi).

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, the issue before us is will you vote ``yes'' for our civilian employees working on the base or will you vote ``no,'' which says I support the waste, fraud, and abuse in this fund. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. TERRY

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

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I rise because of 650,000 people in my district; 4,400 employees who serve at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska are being used as political footballs. Programs like the section 526 that we just heard the gentleman from Louisiana discuss mandate that the armed services spend entirely too much money on fuels. Section 526 also bans our military from using other traditional energy sources like oil sands from Alberta, or even coal-to-liquids. So, Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer my support, though, for the amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Flores), who has done this amendment in the past. To me, it's not about who gets the credit or who reaps the rewards, just that it gets done. I'm tired of the Pentagon using civilian workers on base as a political football and then spends the money that they do on fuels. So by working together to cut waste from this bill, like section 526, we can find ways to protect our constituents who have devoted their lives to serving the men and women who wear the uniform. With that, Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my amendment. Amendment No. 39 Offered by Mr. Wittman

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the American-Italian Heritage Society on the occasion of breaking ground on their new headquarters. The American-Italian Heritage Society was founded in Omaha in 1980 by seven individuals in order to preserve their Italian heritage in the community. Since its founding, the organization has been dedicated to encouraging awareness of Italian traditions, including history, culture, and language, among many other aspects. This new building serving as their headquarters will provide a permanent meeting center for members of the American-Italian Heritage Society to gather. Here they will be able to host their traditional Italian courses and many other activities for both children and adults. The society also hosts many events for members and guests, such as, the annual La Festa Italiana, which has been held for nearly thirty years. Additionally, many fundraisers have been held such as the American- Italian Heritage Society pasta dinners, which allow members of the Omaha area to embrace Italian culture. The American-Italian Heritage Society has grown significantly since it's founding with now over 1,000 members. It hopes to continue to grow by adding a cultural museum and library to preserve Italian culture in Omaha. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating The American-Italian Heritage Society on their new building. The Omaha community and I recognize all of the advances the American-Italian Heritage Society has made to not only celebrate Italian culture and tradition but to educate the future generations as well.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Omaha Star on the occasion of their 75th Anniversary. The Omaha Star was founded by the late Mildred D. Brown on July 9th, 1938. Brown was believed to be the first female, certainly the first African-American woman, to have founded a newspaper. Later the paper was placed in the hands of Brown's niece, Dr. Marguerita Washington, who now heads the newspaper. Since 1938, the policy The Omaha Star has been to print only positive news and to be a vigilant champion for African-American progress. The circulation of The Omaha Star is 30,000 and its archives are a miniature history of Omaha's black community. Its work for equal rights for all Americans are legendary. Two significant accomplishments of The Omaha Star are leading the charge to open public accommodations to African-Americans and working with the public school system of Omaha to ensure that black teachers have equal participation. Over the years, The Omaha Star has received many awards and was inducted into the Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame on July gth, 1996. Currently, The Omaha Star concentrates of news coverage that is relevant to the particular market that they have continued to serve proudly for decades. It has been Nebraska's largest African-American newspaper and the Omaha's most effective publican highlighting ways to improve the lives of African-Americans. The Omaha Star has stood the test of time and continues to provide relevant information, education and positive motivation to Omaha's citizens. Mr. Speaker, please join me in congratulating The Omaha Star on their 75th Anniversary. I know that Omahans join me in hoping The Omaha Star continues providing positive information to the African-American community for many years to come.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Well, I thank you, my friend from Arkansas. It's too bad that the E in EPA now means ``espionage'' because the EPA rents airplanes and videotapes from the air farmers and ranchers and feedlots in their daily activities without any reason to think that they're violating any rule or regulation. So not only are they spying, but what is most concerning to those that have been videotaped by the EPA is that the EPA released the documents. We don't know how the environmental and animal rights groups found out that they were doing this because the farmers didn't know it was going on. But through a FOIA request, the EPA turned over all of the documents about the farmers, ranchers and food lot owners, with their personal identifiable information, their names and their addresses. And this has to stop. The people that have been victims of this videotaping and giving this information are really concerned; and so I thank the gentleman for his good amendment here, and allowing me to join, because this protects their privacy rights in the future. It doesn't stop them from spying yet. That will be done in a different bill. But this at least protects their privacy, and I really appreciate it.