Lee Terry

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize twelve women who are making a difference in the Second Congressional District and--in fact--all of Nebraska. Small businesses are the life blood of our economy. They provide about 55 percent of all jobs in the private sector, and create about two of every three net new jobs in the United States. In 2007, women owned 7.8 million businesses. On Friday, I will be honoring the achievements of some of the women business owners throughout the Second Congressional District. Through their hard work and dedication, they have created opportunities and made a difference in our community. As we work to strengthen our economy, women business owners will continue to play an important role in that recovery. I also ask all of my colleagues to join me in celebrating the important contributions women continue to make in support of our economy. BC Clark BC Clark was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for January 2012. She is the co-founder and President of the Metro Omaha Women's Business Center (MOWBC) which was founded in 2007. MOWBC hosts monthly business forums on the third Friday of each month. The mission of the organization is to empower women to become economically self-sufficient by providing target education in business, professional and personal growth. As President, Clark has recently instituted the MOWBC ``Start-up Award Grant'' awarded annually to women entrepreneurs for their initial start-up costs. In addition to being the President of MOWBC, Clark is a Counselor at SCORE, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce, Midlands Latino Community Development Corporation and the Nebraska Business Development Center Advisory Board. Diane Bruce Diane Bruce was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for February 2012. She is the cofounder of Charv's Contracting, Inc. which was founded in 2009. Charv's Contracting is a woman-owned and managed small business certified by the SBA and is also approved by the City of Omaha as a Tier H Emerging Small Business. Charv's Contracting focuses on small to medium sized new construction and remodeling services for commercial and residential properties. Bruce has played a vital role in improving the overall company with her 20 year background in sales, marketing and office management. Various residential as well as government customers have worked with Charv's Contracting, like, City of Lincoln, State of Nebraska, Omaha Housing Authority and the Buland Group. Nancy Sempek Nancy Sempek was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for March 2012. She is the current owner of Christensen Drywall Construction, Inc. which was founded in 1949. Christensen Drywall is a woman-owned and managed small business certified by the SBA as well as certified as a Tier II Emerging Small Business with the City of Omaha. The company specializes in residential, both new and remodel, and commercial finishes. They provide a wide variety of construction and drywall services for all construction or remodeling needs ranging from acoustical ceilings to water damage. Some of the projects that Christensen Drywall has worked on are the Hummel Park Nature Camp Center, commercial tenant finishes and low income housing. Shayne Fili Shayne Fili was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for April 2012. She is the President and Owner of Auction Solutions, Inc. which was founded in 1999. Auction Solutions is an SBA certified Woman-Owned Small Business and a Tier II Emerging Small Business with the City of Omaha. The Auction Solution team primarily focuses on Real Estate and Personal Property Auctions, but also focuses on Estates, Collections, Collector Vehicles and more. As the owner, Fili has played a vital role in improving the overall company by becoming a CAGA Appraiser and CAI certified, obtaining her Real Estate Salesperson License, as well as becoming a Real Estate Broker and BAS certified. Julie Kaup Julie Kaup was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for May 2012. She is the current President and Owner of Boss Electric LLC, which was founded in 2010 and is quickly being recognized as an up-and-coming electrical contracting company in Eastern Nebraska. Boss Electric is an SBA certified Woman Owned Small Business, a Tier II Emerging Small Business with the City of Omaha and a Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor with the U.S. Department of Labor. The team at Boss Electric handles multiple areas of expertise which range from new construction to remodeling, build outs and commercial projects. As the owner, Kaup has brought a unique aspect to the company with her background as a pharmaceutical representative. This sales and marketing background has allowed Boss Electric to market and sell their brand of electrical contracting in a fresh way to commercial, residential and government customers. The Army and Air National Guard, VA Hospital, and GSA contracts are just a few of the government contracts that Boss Electric has been awarded. Lisa Wolford Lisa Wolford was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for June 2012. She is the founder and current CEO of CSSS.NET which was founded in 1997. CSSS.NET is certified with the SBA as an 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business, 8(m) Woman Owned Small Business and a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Business. The company specializes in providing high quality IT services and solutions to federal, state, and commercial customers. As CEO, Wolford has played a vital role in improving the overall company by steering the company firmly and fully into the federal marketplace, contracting with U.S. Strategic Command, (USSTRATCOM), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. CSSS.NET was named 2011 SBA Nebraska Veteran Services Champion of the Year, 2010 Vetrepreneur of the Year (NaVOBA) for exceptional Government service, won the Nunn-Perry Award in 2009 in recognition of CSSS.NET's work in GIS. Danielle Zoz Danielle Zoz was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for July, 2012. She took the position of CEO of the GovDirect organization, and she is part owner of both GovDirect and Bizco Technologies. GovDirect is a Woman Owned Business, is HUBZone Certified, and located in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. GovDirect's focus is to provide superior consulting, services and product procurement to the federal, state and local government markets as well as education customers. Zoz and her team pride themselves on assisting customers with building the right technology solutions and delivering them on time and within budget. Lee Pankowski Lee Pankowski was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for August 2012. She started LP Custodial & Supply LLC in July 2005, with only two employees. She began to build a client list by knocking on doors, chasing down leads, and contacting people she knew. Her company is certified as an SBA 8(a) Business and SBA Small Disadvantaged Business. Some of her past and current contracts have been with the US Customs Office at Eppley, LAX Air Traffic Control Tower, the 10 Omaha Public Libraries, Union Pacific in Nebraska and Kansas, and the Omaha Fire and Police Training Center. LP Custodial & Supply takes pride in what they do; helping businesses grow by impressing clients with a sanitary environment and keeping employees work space clean and healthy. Their goal is to maintain an environment where a business can focus on their growth. Tracie Malesa Tracie Malesa was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for September 2012. Du-Rite Electric was founded in 1958 by Tracie's maternal grandparents, Roger and Marlene Charbonneau. The company has been in its Elkhorn, Nebraska location since 1977. After helping the company out on an occasional basis over the years, Tracie formally joined Du- Rite in December of 2005 as an owner and Vice-President. Trade's partners in Du-Rite include her mother, Valerie Malesa, and her father, Edward Malesa. Du-Rite is registered as a Tier 2 company with the City of Omaha, and has obtained a Woman Owned Small Business certification. Du-Rite Electric is licensed in Nebraska and Iowa and has proudly served local metropolitan homeowners, builders and contractors for their residential and commercial electrical needs. Du-Rite prides itself on providing quality products and services for fair and competitive prices. Connie Martin Connie Martin was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for October 2012. She started SpecPro, Inc. with two employees and an idea of providing exemplary maintenance, repair and replacement services to owners of commercial skylights and windows. With their expertise and experience, SpecPro, Inc. currently offers services across the country with the majority of services offered in 12 Midwestern states. SpecPro, Inc. is now the largest maintenance and repair company specializing in composite commercial translucent skylights in the United States. SpecPro, Inc. is certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business. Tina Diaz-Ciechomski Tina Diaz-Ciechomski was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for November 2012. Since a young girl, she has always wanted to own her own business; due to circumstances, she had to give up that dream to raise her two young boys as a single mom. She eventually started Future Construction Specialties in June of 2000, with only one employee. Now Tina has thirteen employees including subcontractors. Future Construction Specialties is a City of Omaha Tier H Small Emerging and Hispanic Woman Owned Business. The company offers complete home improvement and remodeling to Omaha and surrounding areas. They are a full-service contractor specializing in concrete work, masonry, siding and roofing. They also offer flooring and tile installation, drywall and painting, framing, finishing and much more. Diaz- Ciechomski believes that giving customers the best skilled craftsmanship shows the type of pride they take into their work. Jennifer Maassen Jennifer Maassen was recognized as the Women in Business Spotlight for the month of December 2012. She is the current CEO of McCallie Associates Incorporated which was founded in 1982. McCallie is a woman-owned and managed small business certified by the National Women Business Owners Corporation. The McCallie team delivers high quality contract mission and systems support for the Department of Defense and Public Health customers. As CEO, Maassen has played a vital role in improving the overall company. Since then, McCallie has been recognized as one of the Top 500 Woman Owned Businesses in the United States, and in 2011, Maassen was honored as the Bellevue Business Woman of the Year by the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce for her ``unwavering commitment, leadership and dedication to the Bellevue-Offutt Community.'' McCallie was also the State of Nebraska nominee for the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, and in 2012, McCallie received the Bronze Award of Merit for Business Integrity from the Better Business Bureau.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize--Outlook Nebraska, Incorporated--an organization that I've had the pleasure of visiting and seeing firsthand the positive impact they have in the lives of so many. This organization is part of the AbilityOne Program, which enables more than 50,000 Americans and 3,300 wounded warriors nationwide, who are blinded or severely disabled, to work and provide products and services to federal and commercial customers. Today in America, seventy percent of blind and visually impaired working-aged adults are not employed. Opportunities provided by Outlook Nebraska and the AbilityOne Program have played an important role in bringing people with disabilities into the workforce. As one of Outlook's employees said to me, ``They looked at me for my abilities-- not my disability.'' The AbilityOne Program affords Americans who are blind or disabled the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, receive good wages and benefits, and gain greater independence and a better quality of life. I applaud Outlook Nebraska and the work it does each day to open doors of opportunity for Americans who are blind or disabled.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize--Outlook Nebraska, Incorporated--an organization that I've had the pleasure of visiting and seeing firsthand the positive impact they have in the lives of so many. This organization is part of the AbilityOne Program, which enables more than 50,000 Americans and 3,300 wounded warriors nationwide, who are blinded or severely disabled, to work and provide products and services to federal and commercial customers. Today in America, seventy percent of blind and visually impaired working-aged adults are not employed. Opportunities provided by Outlook Nebraska and the AbilityOne Program have played an important role in bringing people with disabilities into the workforce. As one of Outlook's employees said to me, ``They looked at me for my abilities-- not my disability.'' The AbilityOne Program affords Americans who are blind or disabled the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, receive good wages and benefits, and gain greater independence and a better quality of life. I applaud Outlook Nebraska and the work it does each day to open doors of opportunity for Americans who are blind or disabled.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor veterans of the Korean Constabulary for their outstanding sacrifice and service during the hard years leading up to the establishment of the Republic of Korea. The Korean Constabulary was originally established in 1946 in order to provide support to Korean National Police during the unification and independence of South Korea. They would eventually serve as the Republic of Korea Army in 1948. During the years of 1946 and 1948, the Korean Constabulary undertook internal security tasks on behalf of the United States Military Government in Korea and the people of South Korea, defending their fledging country against internal unrest. The Korean Constabulary believe they have been treated unfairly due to their exclusion from benefits offered under the Republic of Korea's Military Pension Act. They have not been granted pension, financial aid for healthcare or military awards for their years of distinguished service because their years of service before 1950 are unaccounted for because the Constabulary was under the jurisdiction of the Department of National Defense during the years of 1946 and 1948. The Korean Constabulary would like to be honored by the Republic of Korea for their heroic service during such an unstable time in the country's history. Today, I honor all of the Veterans of the Korean Constabulary and commend them for their bravery and support to the United States Military Government in Korea.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the city of Ralston, Nebraska, for its 100-year anniversary. Ralston is a city with a population of roughly 6,000 people, all of which are extremely hard working and are some of the friendliest people you will meet. It provides its residents with a small town atmosphere inside of Nebraska's largest city. Ralston was founded in June 1912 with a population of about 200 people. The population continued to grow until March 23, 1913, when a devastating tornado destroyed much of the town. The residents banned together and decided to rebuild a better, more beautiful city. The city of Ralston is recognized across the State as being a great place to raise a family. The city plays host to family friendly functions throughout the year and works to promote a safe place for families to reside. Ralston has been ranked as one of the top cities to relocate to in America and one of the most secure places to live in America by national Web sites. Living an active lifestyle is highly valued by the people of Ralston. There are many citywide events scheduled each month to provide citizens with opportunities to get involved in the community. Ralston has many beautiful parks, campgrounds, and a water and ride park. The city of Ralston also makes a significant contribution to Nebraska's economy. Members of the Ralston Area Chamber of Commerce work to enhance the city's economy by creating jobs and encouraging the location of new businesses into the community. Ralston has made meaningful contributions to the State of Nebraska and has been an excellent place for its residents to call home for the last 100 years. I would like to extend my congratulations to the city for a successful century and wish the community many more years of continued success.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Eastern Nebraska Veterans' Home on its fifth anniversary. The facility and its dedicated staff have successfully provided care to 117 members during this time in the areas of assisted living, intermediate care, skilled care and Alzheimer's care. The facility is specifically designed to meet the different mobility needs of each of its members. The ENVH stands as a testament to Nebraska's commitment to our veterans by providing them with a state of the art facility and the services that they deserve. I also want to point out that this facility is a result of the public and private sectors working together to meet the needs of our Nation's heroes. Multiple agencies at all levels of government worked together on this project to better the lives of these individuals. The Eastern Nebraska Veterans' Home has provided quality care for our veterans and their dependents for five years and I wish them many more years as they continue to serve our veterans and their families.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, the Affordable Care Act is just the opposite--unaffordable. It's chock-full of new taxes, increased government spending, and provisions that are going to make health care more expensive. CBO found that this new law's insurance mandates will raise premiums on the individual market by an additional $2,100 per person. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that individual premiums have already, because of this, gone up 8 percent for families and 9 percent for individuals. And this law isn't even fully implemented yet. To add insult to injury, there's 159 new boards, offices, and panels--like IPAB--that give unelected bureaucrats the authority to ration health care. It raises taxes by $670 billion on middle class families and employers. At a time when we have Federal deficits and prolonged unemployment, it increases total Federal Government health spending by about $478 billion from 2014 to 2021. I have voted to repeal this 30 times, and I will keep doing it until we get it right.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support Chairman Tim Walberg as an original co-sponsor of H.R. 5969 and H.R. 5970. These two pieces of legislation reaffirm the importance of maintaining access to quality, affordable, in-home companionship care. Last year when the Department of Labor first proposed a rule to change the in home companionship care exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act, I introduced a preemptive piece of legislation, H.R. 3066, that sought to clarify some issues the Secretary of Labor is seeking to change through regulation. The Secretary, not surprisingly, did not listen. Her department continues to run roughshod over the will of Members of Congress and what is best for patients that rely on this important service. When testifying before a Senate panel earlier this Congress, the Secretary admitted that her agency had not consulted with State Medicaid officials on how the proposed regulation would impact them. Independent economic analysis has proven that this regulation will end up driving more people into having to use Medicaid to utilize nursing home care and further exacerbate that budgetary crisis many states are in. H.R. 5969 preserves the companionship services exemption by clarifying what these services entail and who specifically the third party employers in this space are. H.R. 5970 reaffirms that the Secretary of Labor shall not finalize her proposed rule, titled ``Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service.'' I hope she chooses to listen and reevaluate.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My amendment is a rather simple one and I hope all of my colleagues can support it. Many of us remember the devastation brought on by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But even more folks outside of the gulf region remember the meteoric rise in gas prices and the threat of having no gas at all. When supplies are interrupted, it's critical to restore fuel for consumers as soon as possible. We continue to operate in an environment in which the fuel required in one market may not satisfy the requirement set by the EPA in another market, i.e., the fuel in Chicago may be different from the fuel in St. Louis, especially in the summertime. If supplies of fuel are disrupted, whether from a national emergency or from a simple equipment failure, the consumers can be affected in a very significant and adverse way. When gas stations run out of gas, our constituents suffer. When suppliers run short of fuel and the market drives up prices, the constituents suffer. Not every supply disruption is covered in the existing statute. But every supply disruption can hurt our consumers. That is what this amendment is doing: Ensuring that the Administrator has the authority to serve the best interests of our constituents--our consumers--when fuel prices are affected. Further, asking these consumers to wait a prolonged period of time before issuing a ruling that could restore supplies to their market is unacceptable. Time is of the essence when we are trying to avert these fuel shortages and price spikes. It's important that the decisions regarding the economic welfare of our constituents are made in a timely manner. The underlying bill that we have here before us is about doing what we can to keep the prices as low as we can. This amendment would broaden the times where EPA can grant a waiver to an area to use whatever fuel they have on hand when there is a disruption. Right now, the authority only exists for natural disasters and other larger emergencies. Not all disruptions are covered. This amendment expands upon the waiver to include any disruption. Because we have refineries closing in the Northeast and we have a limited ability to move product due to Jones Act requirements, we need to ensure that any region is never in a position of doing without fuel. The second part of my amendment calls for the EPA and DOE to conduct the Fuel Harmonization Study that EPACT 05 directed them to complete by June, 2008. And here we are in 2012 and we don't have the study. It simply tells them to get on it. We want the Harmonization Study completed. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. TERRY. I appreciate the gentleman's remarks, but it's really not as draconian a measure as it may appear from his comments. When a waiver is requested, it's usually by a government entity for a region, usually with Governors, and there still has to be a disruption. If there's a disruption to the point where a government entity has to request a waiver from the oxygen requirements for the summer fuel for that particular region, that disruption is going to be well known and well documented. It won't take them more than 3 days to do it, unless they're intentionally dragging their feet. Three days is sufficient. And if they refuse to act on that within that certain period of time, I think it's completely appropriate that they're able to keep the blend with the supply that they would have. So this is really a simple request, a simple amendment to make sure that price spikes don't occur, that time is of the necessity. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY. I would just state that I think the rhetoric far exceeds the facts here. This is a simple amendment just to say when there's a disruption, instead of waiting around, when we know there's a problem, let's take care of the problem, allow the available fuel to be used so there aren't price spikes that hurt people. And so I ask that my colleagues support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me the opportunity to express my concerns with proposals that would allow the Department of Homeland Security to impose cybersecurity private infrastructure that it deems ``critical.'' The administration wants to expand DHS's role in designating private networks as critical infrastructure for the purpose of subjecting them to regulation, but it has yet to take care of its own networks. I commend Chairman Aderholt for including language in this bill that requires executive branch agencies to get their act together and formulate expenditure plans to protect their own networks. If they can't even secure Federal networks, why in the world would we want to give them authority to regulate private sector networks? I understand that DHS currently works with the private sector on a voluntary basis, but that should be the extent of their involvement with critical infrastructure. As a member of the Speaker's Task Force on Cybersecurity, as well as the co-chairman of the Energy and Commerce Working Group on Cybersecurity, I have the very firm opinion that DHS simply should not be allowed to regulate cyber-critical infrastructure in the private sector. I have great respect for the chairman. I will not be offering my amendment. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on this issue, and again thank the chairman for his courtesy.

Mr. TERRY

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

Mr. TERRY. Madam Chair, this is to request a dollar in and a dollar out to be used in that process for the inspector general to look into the VA Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction, which is a subdivision of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management of the VA. This is the organization that builds and remodels new clinics and hospitals. What I have discovered, because of experiences in Omaha, Nebraska, regarding a proposed new facility to replace a very obsolete and decayed facility, is that the Office of Acquisition, Logistics, and Construction of the Office of Construction and Facilities Management hires the engineering firms to do what turns out to be a skeleton request for proposal or bids. They go out and then they start adding a bunch of stuff on there, because I don't know if it's because they're afraid to put all of the stuff they want in a bid because then it will look really big and too expensive. So what happens then, because they do that, there are literally two pages of projects that are needed for veterans. But because of their practices and procedures, I don't know if it's purposeful or just competency issues, but the reality then is because of the cost overruns of these additions and the way that they're doing, it is perhaps increasing the price of the project by 25 percent, 50 percent, even accusations at the Orlando facility of doubling to almost a billion dollar hospital. What that does is it takes money away from future projects to complete the ones that they have miscalculated, again, either purposefully or unintentionally, but it's occurring. What happens is they start canceling future projects or pushing them out even further. And by doing that what it means is that facilities that are decaying, need replacement, are continuing to be used, and really place the veterans' health in jeopardy. I will guarantee you that if some of these facilities are not replaced in the near future, there will be veterans who die because of the structural and infrastructure problems within these buildings. So something has to change and an inspection and IG review has to be done to get the VA on the right course to do these in an affordable way without having to raid future funds from other projects. So with that, Madam Chairman, I have one question, if I can ask the chairman, my friend from Texas. I understand you're willing to accept this amendment?

Mr. TERRY. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. TERRY. I appreciate that very much. With that assurance, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I rise in strong support of the gentleman from Georgia's motion to instruct conferees to support the Keystone pipeline in the transportation bill. Let's start with a quick tutorial here. Right here above the United States border in Canada, a couple hundred miles north of our border, lies the second or third largest current reserve of oil. Now, there's already an existing pipeline coming down through the Bakken fields in North Dakota. This blue dotted line is the new pipeline, the one that is of controversy now, mostly because the environmental left, the NRDC and some other organizations that have come out and opposed that because they don't want fossil fuel use, especially a heavier crude. Now, that's the focus of the debate. They have stated that their whole goal here is to kill this pipeline. Now, what does this pipeline do for the United States of America? First of all, we have the second or third largest reserve here. This pipeline will bring 800,000 barrels per day. We've already heard from two different gentlemen that our country imports about 10 million barrels per day. So if we can bring 800,000 to a million barrels per day, that's that much less that has to be imported from a country like Venezuela. And, by the way, we import about 800,000 to 900,000 barrels per day from Venezuela. Maybe we can stop sending our dollars to Venezuela so they can buy military equipment from Europe--I'm sorry-- from Russia to destabilize South and Central America, which is what these dollars are doing. So it provides us a level of energy security; offsets imports into our country from countries we don't like. The bonus here is jobs--10,000 to 20,000 jobs will be created directly. And we hear statements that it won't create jobs, but I can take you to the laborers' facility that has a project labor agreement in hand. I can take you to the IBEW that has a project labor agreement in hand. I can take you to several other of our unions that have agreements ready to go if they would start building this pipeline. Now, I wanted to mention and clear up some of the misinformation that's out there regarding this pipeline in my home State of Nebraska. First of all, in the efforts that we took to get this pipeline out of the politics of the White House and into reasonable hands to get this approved, we exempted the State of Nebraska, giving them enough time to find a new route. The President ignored that provision of the bill and still used the State of Nebraska as his excuse to kill the pipeline. We're here today because the President denied their permit, said no to the Keystone pipeline. Well, as we stand here today, this pipeline has already been rerouted, a different route chosen off of the Sand Hills of Nebraska. The environmental assessment is occurring as we speak here today, and it'll be done in a few months. There is no longer an excuse for the President to use to kill this new permit just recently filed by TransCanada for this pipeline. So in review, we offset the oil we import from other countries we don't like.

Mr. TERRY. We create 20,000 jobs building this pipeline, and we have a relationship with China where we access the second or third largest reserve. And the gentleman is right. There's a pipeline that they're building to go off west so the Chinese can have access to part of this. We need this oil. Let's complement our friends and let's pass this pipeline.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chair, I thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith for accepting my amendment as part of this en bloc package. In the last months of the Bush Administration, a change was made authorizing veterans and active-duty military not in uniform to render the military-style hand salute during the playing of the national anthem. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake said at the time, ``The military salute is a unique gesture of respect that marks those who have served in our nation's armed forces. This provision allows the application of that honor in all events involving our nation's flag.'' This change, authorizing hand-salutes during the national anthem by veterans and out-of-uniform military personnel, was included in the Defense Authorization Act of 2009 and improved upon a little known change that was contained in the previous National Defense Authorization Act which authorized veterans to render the military- style hand salute during the raising, lowering or passing of the flag, but it did not address salutes during the national anthem. These were important changes; however, they should have been broadened even further to authorize veterans and active-duty military not in uniform to render the military-style hand salute during the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Current Flag Code states that the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, ``I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,'' should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform, men should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute. (Sec. 4. Pledge of Allegiance to the flag; manner of delivery) My amendment is an idea brought to us by our local VFW that simply seeks to create parity for veterans in and out of uniform who are reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Veterans of this great nation take deep pride in being able to express honor in the way only veterans can, each time they reaffirm their pledge of allegiance to our great nation and its colors. I thank Chairman McKeon for his support of this amendment allowing vets to render a hand salute.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. I thank the gentleman. Madam Chairman, I rise in support of this bill. It's a sensible bill that builds a necessary pillar in the cybersecurity strategy of our Nation. I've immersed myself in cybersecurity over the last couple of years. I've been on two task forces. I'm on the Energy and Commerce Committee. I've met with industry leaders in all of the critical infrastructure areas. And as I've gathered information and input, there's two principles at stake here. The common thread from all of them have said: we have to be flexible, and we have to be able to communicate. Those are the two principles on which this bill is based. Number one, flexibility. What it means is you can't lock this into a government agency because when government agencies start taking control of setting standards or working with an industry group to set standards on cybersecurity, the hackers take 5 seconds to get around that, and it will take years then for the industry to move around that. You are setting them up as ducks waiting to be shot if we do that. So we can't. We've got to give them the flexibility. The least government interference is what gives them the flexibility. The next part is communication. What I learned from the critical infrastructure industries is that what they want to know is, is there a threat out there, and what's the specifics of the threat? They know they're under attack every day. Maybe our defense agencies have specific information they can share, but they can't because it's top secret. So this bill allows there to be communication of specific threats to perhaps communicate from government to private sector some better practices that they can enact. That's what this breaks down, that barrier, not some of these civil liberty conspiracy theories. This is simple communication between government and private sector or private sector to private sector. This isn't reporting on whether you're downloading an illegal movie or whatever. This is about securing our infrastructure.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Certainly, the President of the United States knows how to say ``no.'' He says ``no'' to the Keystone pipeline, turning down its application just 3 months ago. This gives the United States access to probably the largest known oil reserve sitting there in a pool in North America, but the President won't allow us to have access to it. Yet during this administration, gas prices at the pump have gone up 120 percent. People in my district keep asking me, What's the energy policy? I have to tell them I don't know. He kills the pipeline giving us access to oil which would increase supply in the United States, yet sends billions of dollars to Solyndra and solar panel companies to further flood the market with more solar panels. So I don't know what the plan is to lower gas prices because he's not giving us access. Now, let's look at this $7 billion privately funded--that's right, maybe that's the problem: it's privately funded--infrastructure project to bring us more gasoline. It's denied. A $7 billion project to bring 20,000 new jobs. The President says he'll do anything to create new jobs, but kills the pipeline that would get union workers off the benches and into the fields working.

Mr. TERRY. He kills those 20,000 direct jobs. There's millions of jobs, if we just used our own resources. Do you know that we can be completely energy secure using our own resources? But this administration lacks the will to be able to do that.

Mr. TERRY

Mr. TERRY. The only ones that are least disadvantaged by that are the biggest entities that have a houseful of lawyers that could go over it and read it. Rural Nebraska doesn't have the opportunity to do that and reply. So giving them sufficient time to review that just makes common sense.