Fred Upton

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2457) to extend the deadline for commencement of construction of certain hydroelectric projects, as amended.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2457, as amended. This bill was introduced by Mr. Johnson from Louisiana and was reported by unanimous consent from the Energy and Commerce Committee. The bill, H.R. 2457, authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, FERC, to extend the time period during which a licensee is required to commence the construction of Commission project numbers 12756, 12757, and 12758 for up to three consecutive 2-year periods. Mr. Speaker, I would encourage all Members to join me and support passage of this bill, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I echo the words from my good friend from Colorado. Hydro is an important renewable energy source, and it is one that supports all of the above. It is an increasing force across the country so that is why these bills are so important, and it also shows why they are so bipartisan. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 338) to promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing workforce.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am also pleased that we are considering this legislation, H.R. 338, a bill to promote a 21st century energy and manufacturing workforce, introduced by my friend and great colleague, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush), and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson). This bipartisan bill takes steps to help make training for energy manufacturing jobs available to women and minorities as well as veterans. By way of background, the bill was unanimously approved by the House last Congress by a voice vote. It was also included in the energy bill conference negotiations. But, unfortunately, even though the bill received overwhelming support in both the House and the Senate, it didn't make it to the President's desk before time ran out. The U.S. has undergone an energy renaissance, driven by newly discovered resources, technological innovation, and a skilled workforce. Millions and millions of new jobs had been created, and many more are opening up, but we have got to continue to invest in our workers in order to maintain global leadership and maximize the economic potential of our energy abundance. This bill, H.R. 338, takes important steps in the right direction by requiring that the Department of Energy modernize and improve coordination among the numerous workforce development programs and activities that expand the Department's programs, offices, labs, and technology centers. This bipartisan bill places an emphasis on maximizing the Department's existing resources and increasing the diversity of our energy and manufacturing workforce by increasing opportunities for women, minorities, and veterans. It also improves reemployment opportunities for out-of-work and dislocated workers, which, for example, would provide welcome relief to workers discouraged by sharp downturns in the coal industry. Mr. Speaker, this legislation before us today is a good government bill that is going to increase benefits for American workers. I would encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson).

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say I have watched these two gentlemen, Mr. Rush and Mr. Hudson, work together, something that our committee does a lot on lots of different issues, from oversight to energy, to healthcare, to telecommunications. Mr. Rush has had an outstanding career. The gentleman's district is close to mine. He and I have been in each other's districts quite a bit over the last number of years. This bill is a legacy to Mr. Rush. The gentleman has cared with real passion about energy jobs and making sure that we have the expertise and the technical training knowing that we want to compete with the rest of the world. I commend the gentleman again for working with Mr. Hudson--a brilliant star on our side of the aisle--to get this bill done. We look forward to the President's signing it into law, and we are looking forward to having the Senate move similar bipartisan legislation so we can get the job done. That is what it is all about. So I want to thank the gentleman for his tireless commitment to getting this issue done. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill again. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, you know, there is an old Upton family quote that my grandfather would always say: Was you always perfect? No, none of us are. And you know what? This is not a perfect bill. That is for sure. But ObamaCare is broken. One out of three counties has only one provider, and it looks like it is going to get worse as other major insurance companies are on the verge of pulling the plug. Nearly two dozen of the nonprofit CO-OPS have already gone belly up. In my home State, folks saw their premiums increase by nearly 17 percent. Some States have had premium increases of more than 100 percent. Most had double-digit increases, many over 20 percent, and some forecast 40 to 50 percent increases come fall if nothing happens. The calls on both sides of the aisle have often used the R word--on this side, ``replace''; on your side, the Democratic side, ``repair.'' Let's both agree. The status quo is not acceptable. But this, this bill, is the only train leaving the station. Is it going to improve if it gets to the Senate? Of course it will. We should all work for that goal. For me, I worked with Medicaid expansion States like Michigan providing a reasonable transition until 2020 and then grandfathering all those folks until they are off. Some of my colleagues called to end Medicaid expansion even this year. They want total repeal. What would total repeal mean? Total repeal would mean taking away the ability of HHS to provide flexibility to the States to administer this critical program. It would mean taking away insurance for young kids on their parents' policies. It would reinstall a cap on insurance. And, yes, it would allow insurance companies to discriminate against those with preexisting illnesses. This bill still allows all of those important protections to stay in place. A number of us will continue to work with HHS to provide even more flexibility to States like Michigan. This has to be a key component of moving forward. At the end of the day, I would like to think that we could work together on a bipartisan basis. High premiums and a lack of access impact us all. Let's work together. You can't get to second base unless you get to first.

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend Joyce Watts. After 40 years as Allegan County Clerk and Register, this past December Joyce made the tough decision to hang it up and retire. She did so as the longest-serving elected county clerk in the entire state of Michigan and simply put one of the most dedicated public servants our great state has ever seen. Joyce juggled many duties in her career. Before she was clerk- register, she was register of deeds for 12 years. She also served on the board of directors of the National Association of County Recorders and Clerks. Joyce always impressed me with her professionalism, work-ethic, and tireless advocacy on behalf of our corner of the state. Joyce was someone you could trust to get the job done right. And as a clerk handling elections, it's absolutely imperative you have someone of her character and integrity serving in that position. There is no doubting her passion and commitment. But above all, Joyce was a wife, mother, and a friend to me and countless others in our Allegan community. And so, I want to wish Joyce, her husband John, and their son Jason and his wife Lesley best of luck in the coming years and I look forward to remaining close friends.

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a very good friend, certainly a trusted adviser and, by everyone's account, one of the very best staff directors ever on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Gary Andres. I first met Gary when he was a young staffer working in the White House for President Bush 41. Over the years, I became so close with both Gary and his wonderful wife, Sue. Gary came on board day one for my committee chairmanship, and we assembled an all-star staff of the most professional, talented, and kind people on Capitol Hill. In Gary, we got a trusted counselor with a strategic mind second to none. Gary also understands that sometimes you can't change the direction of the winds, but you can adjust your sails so that you are always going to reach that destination. Nowhere was this more important than during our herculean, bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act effort. For more than 3 years, Gary was our five-star general; and thanks to his tireless leadership, we got the job done for patients and families across the country. What drove us more than anything else was that the clock was ticking for folks with terrible diseases, and we couldn't waste a day to get this bipartisan bill to the President for him to sign into law. It ended up being what many say was the most significant legislation enacted in the 114th Congress. But it went beyond the 21st Century Cures Act. There were 562 hearings, 354 measures through the House, 200 signed into law in the last 6 years, substantial legislative wins. Whether it be the doc fix, saving Medicare, pipeline safety, health reforms, opioids, so many more, Gary was with us at the table. Gary understands how important this institution is. He has a reverence for the people's House. But Gary was also quick with a smile, a witty insight, or a laugh. He never lost his perspective, his temper, or eagerness to engage on an issue. I know I speak for all of the Members and staff on both sides of the aisle when we say: Thank you, Gary. We are going to miss you, but we know that we are going to continue to lean on you for advice no matter what the issue is. As Gary moves on to that next venture, I wish him the very best. To his wonderful wife, Sue, who is in the gallery today, it has been an honor to work with this distinguished gentleman.

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 511) to provide for consideration of the extension under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of nonapplication of No-Load Mode energy efficiency standards to certain security or life safety alarms or surveillance systems, and for other purposes.

Mr. UPTON. 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. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 511. I would note that this is our colleague Mr. Welch's bill that moved through the regular process through the Committee on Energy and Commerce last year. It received extensive bipartisan support. I am again glad to move this bill today. External power supplies, EPS, are used with a wide variety of devices, and we have learned from experience that the Federal energy efficiency standards for them are not compatible with some of these applications. In particular, we need an exemption from these rules for security and life safety alarms and surveillance systems. This bill, H.R. 511, the Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act, provides a targeted exemption that allows these critical systems to stay on the market. Devices like home security alarms or fire detection systems need to be on 24/7, but the 2007 energy law requiring energy efficiency standards for external power supplies did not allow for this. Subsequent legislation created an exemption for external power supplies used with these always-on devices. This exemption will end on July 1 of this year. This bill extends that exemption until 2023. The result of the bill would be that these important security systems will continue to be available, preserving the jobs of those who make them and certainly the safety of those who use them. As with H.R. 518, the other external power supply bill that we are addressing today, these provisions enjoyed strong bipartisan and bicameral support when they were added to last year's energy bill. They also passed under suspension last year. I urge my colleagues to once again vote ``yes'' on this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I just again urge my colleagues to support this good bipartisan bill. I appreciate the kind words always by Mr. Welch. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 587) to amend the Federal Power Act to provide that any inaction by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that allows a rate change to go into effect shall be treated as an order by the Commission for purposes of rehearing and court review.

Mr. UPTON. 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. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as I complimented Mr. Welch, I want to thank Mr. Kennedy for his leadership on this bill. I would note that we passed this bill through regular order again in the last Congress, passed with bipartisan support. It is appropriate that we bring it up early this year. Again, this is another bipartisan bill. We must allow the public to have administrative process relief in those cases where FERC does not actually issue an order, and this legislation will do just that. I urge passage of the bill. The Federal Power Act sets forth processes to set rates for electricity, including opportunities for the public to protest a rate change filed with FERC. New rates take effect if FERC approves them or if FERC fails to issue an order approving or denying the filed rate within 60 days. The failure to approve or deny a rate may result from agency delay or, in some limited cases, from a vote that results in a deadlocked Commission, for example, a 2-2 vote. In such cases, the rates become effective by operation of law, even when these rates were not approved by a majority of Commissioners. The Federal Power Act, of course, provides administrative redress for members of the public to protest Commission rate decisions. However, if these rates become effective by operation of law, for example, that 2-2 deadlock, the administrative processes are not available to the public because FERC did not actually issue an order for the public to protest. The public literally gets shut out. I don't want to speak for the gentleman from Massachusetts, but I think some of his constituents recently experienced this firsthand. As a result of that and of the hard work by Mr. Kennedy and of his staff and certainly of the committee staff on both sides of the aisle, the legislation was drafted. We considered it in committee during the 114th Congress, where it passed on a voice vote. We have it on the floor today. I urge all Members to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. UPTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter), a new member of the committee but an old hand in Congress.

Mr. UPTON

Mr. UPTON. 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.