Tim Walberg

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. I thank the chairman for this opportunity. Mr. Chairman, I come to the floor today, after looking in the eyes of the kids, students, their parents, eyes filled with hope and opportunity and success. I come to the floor today to add my support for H.R. 10, the SOAR Reauthorization Act, because it works. This legislation will ensure the continuation of the successful D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which was established by Congress in 2004, to provide eligible low- income families in the District of Columbia with the opportunity to attend the school of their choice. Innovative programs like the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program are necessary to fix our broken educational system and prepare our children for the 21st century workforce, and I am confounded that any of my colleagues would oppose a program that provides students with an opportunity for a better education, especially one that has been an unqualified success. On average, students in the Opportunity Scholarship Program have a graduation rate of 90 percent, well above the national average, as well as D.C.'s overall graduation rate of 58 percent. These students continue to succeed in their pursuit of higher education, with 88 percent of the graduates going on to attend a 2- or 4-year college or university. While the benefits to D.C. children are clear, the program also plays an important role in empowering parents to make the best choice for their kids and engaging them in their educational and academic progress. A recent survey of parents found that 85 percent of parents are happy with their child's current Opportunity Scholarship Program school. H.R. 10 has garnered the support from a wide array of stakeholders. Just yesterday, in an op-ed entitled ``A Misguided Attack on D.C.'s Needy Students,'' The Washington Post editorial board defended the SOAR Act and wrote in support of reauthorizing the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, noting that over 6,100 children have benefited from the program, while thousands more are on waiting lists. The Washington Post also notes that nearly 75 percent of D.C. residents support the program, which has provided more than $600 million in funding for traditional public schools, charter public schools, and the voucher program. It is important to note, Mr. Chairman, that this bill does not take any funding away from D.C. public schools. In fact, the legislation authorizes equal funding to public schools, charter schools, and scholarships. With an average family income of less than $22,000 for participating families, this program really is a lifeline for low-income D.C. families, offering students up to $1,572 to pay for tuition, fees, and transportation. Why, Mr. Chairman, would any of us want to prohibit these students and families from opportunity and success? This is a hand up to the American Dream. Ensuring our children have access to the best possible education should not be a partisan issue, and receiving a quality education should not be limited to people of means. I urge my colleagues to continue supporting this program and pass H.R. 10. It is the right thing to do. Let's do it for the kids.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of S. 565, the Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act of 2015. This bill is a bipartisan and bicameral effort designed to reduce the costs of maintenance for the Federal vehicle fleet. The Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act encourages agencies to use remanufactured vehicle components when doing so will reduce maintenance costs while also maintain quality. The term ``remanufactured vehicle components'' refers to components that have been returned to same-as-new or better condition and performance by a standardized industrial process that incorporates technical specifications. In 2013, a Government Accountability Office report found that remanufactured vehicle components, such as engines, starters, alternators, steering racks, and clutches, tend to be less expensive than comparable new parts. In fact, a 2012 study by the U.S. International Trade Commission found that remanufacturing parts can result in savings of 85 percent of the energy and material used to manufacture equivalent new parts. Further, this study found that remanufactured parts are, on average, 20 to 50 percent less expensive. Requiring agency heads under this bill to encourage their Federal vehicle maintenance staff to use remanufactured components will reduce maintenance costs, which totaled $975 million in 2011, for 588,000 vehicles. This bill is also supported by the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association, which directly employs over 734,000 people in U.S. manufacturing jobs. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressmen Huizenga and Ashford for their work on the House companion bill. I also want to thank Senators Peters and Lankford for their work on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan cost savings legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 565) to reduce the operation and maintenance costs associated with the Federal fleet by encouraging the use of remanufactured parts, and for other purposes.

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

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, having heard the comments on this, I urge the adoption of this commonsense bill that encourages also us doing an environmental thing as well in using resources that we have. I ask that my colleagues support this commonsense bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga), my good friend and colleague.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I introduced H.R. 3089, the Grants Oversight and New Efficiency, or GONE, Act, to bring much-needed accountability to the Federal grant- making process. This bipartisan bill requires each agency to report to Congress on the amount of expired and empty grant accounts that remain open on the government's books. Under the bill, the agencies must examine the 30 grants that have been expired for the longest period of time and explain why these grants have not been closed. One year after this initial report, these agencies will update Congress, reporting on which accounts previously identified have been closed and which remain open. These reports will help Congress better understand why expired grant accounts remain open at taxpayer expense. Mr. Speaker, in fiscal year 2014, Federal grant expenditures exceeded $529 billion, and that is real money. This enormous amount of money demands strong financial management to protect taxpayer dollars from waste. In 2012, GAO released a report on the timeliness of grant closeouts by Federal agencies. The report found nearly $1 billion remaining in undisbursed funds within expired grant accounts. Within one of the grant management systems GAO examined, there were almost 1,000 accounts that had been expired for 5 years or more and still had not been closed out. GAO found out that this same management system contained 28,000 expired grant accounts with no funds in them. Mr. Speaker, expired grant accounts create multiple levels of waste. First, the undisbursed funds remaining in expired accounts could be better used for their appropriated purpose or returned to the Treasury to help bring down the deficit and mounting debt. Second, agencies pay a monthly fee for each account that remains open within the Federal payment management system. As a result, agencies could be spending roughly $2 million per year to maintain these 28,000 accounts with no funds in them, assuming they have not been closed. Surely we can find a better use for these taxpayer dollars rather than wasting funds maintaining expired accounts. Finally, grants that are not properly closed out slow the grant- making agency from conducting the necessary oversight to ensure that funds were properly spent and that taxpayer money is not being wasted. The GONE Act is a response to these issues. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3089 utilizes the Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate with agencies to provide these reports to Congress. HHS was chosen for this role because of some of its successful closeout efforts implemented in 2011. HHS's commendable work on grant closeout is exactly why we added a provision to this bill requiring HHS to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget in reporting to Congress on legislative changes needed to improve the process of grants administration. H.R. 3089 strengthens oversight by asking the inspectors general of the largest grant-making agencies to conduct a risk assessment of their agency's grant closeout processes. I thank Senators Fischer and Manchin for their work on the Senate companion bill, S. 1115, including their work on the bill before the House today. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to bring some commonsense steps to the Federal grant-making process by supporting this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3089) to close out expired grants, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his support and leadership on the floor. I thank the chairman and ranking member of our committee. Most importantly, I thank my good friend and colleague from Michigan, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, for her support and helpful additions to this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this commonsense bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG

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

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 136) to amend chapter 21 of title 5, United States Code, to provide that fathers of certain permanently disabled or deceased veterans shall be included with mothers of such veterans as preference eligibles for treatment in the civil service.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 136, the Gold Star Fathers Act of 2015. This important piece of legislation supports fathers of permanently disabled or deceased veterans in their search for employment with the Federal Government. Mr. Speaker, under current law, mothers of certain permanently disabled or deceased veterans receive preference in hiring for civil service positions in recognition of their sacrifice. That preference applies when the mother is widowed, divorced, or separated, or if their husband is totally or permanently disabled. The Gold Star Fathers Act of 2015 extends this same benefit to fathers. The bill also grants preference in hiring to parents who never married along with those that are widowed, divorced, or legally separated. I thank Senators Wyden, Brown, and Collins for their work over several Congresses on this important issue, and Congresswoman Esty for sponsoring the House companion bill. Mr. Speaker, we owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans and to the mothers and fathers of our veterans. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this commonsense bill. It is more than common sense. We talk about family values a lot. These are family values. These are highest family values of parents that have raised young people who are willing to step forward for our country without consideration of their own lives or their futures in most cases. So I applaud my colleagues' efforts on this behalf, and I support and ask that this bill be supported fully by this body. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG

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

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 313, the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act of 2015, sponsored by my colleague, Congressman Stephen Lynch. This important piece of legislation supports wounded warriors newly hired in the Federal Government. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act of 2015 supports our disabled veterans transitioning to civilian careers by providing sick leave for medical treatments and appointments that are related to their service- connected disability. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan legislation provides immediate access to sick leave for any new Federal employee who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more for the purposes of undergoing medical treatment for such disability. Because Federal employees begin with a zero sick leave balance and accrue sick leave over time, disabled veterans beginning civilian jobs often have insufficient sick leave to attend medical appointments required for treatment of their service-connected disabilities. This bill provides our newly hired disabled veterans with immediate access of up to 13 days for sick leave so that our disabled veterans do not have to take unpaid leave to care for their service-connected injuries. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 313 is supported by a number of veterans and employee organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Federal Managers Association. I commend Mr. Lynch for his leadership on this issue and for working with Mr. Farenthold, Ranking Member Cummings, Mr. Connolly, and Ms. Norton to bring this bipartisan legislation before the committee. I also want to acknowledge Senators Tester, Moran, and Toomey for their work on the Senate companion bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I truly thank Congressman Lynch for his leadership on this issue. It is an issue not only whose time has come, but probably should have come long before this. It is a great idea that deals with the reality of what we face in dealing with wounded warriors and their ongoing success that this country--a grateful country--ought to be involved with encouraging. I urge the adoption of the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 313) to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide leave to any new Federal employee who is a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more for purposes of undergoing medical treatment for such disability, and for other purposes.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, it has been said that none are so blind as those who will not see, and so I rise today on behalf of the unborn babies who can't stand up for themselves. Many of my colleagues have already described the horrifying videos that shock the conscience and have sparked several congressional investigations. No matter what party you belong to, we should all agree that taxpayer dollars should not be used for harvesting baby parts for profit. The debate today is about more than these barbaric practices. It is about the very character of our Nation. Will we turn a blind eye to this callous disregard for human life? Is this the country we want to be? Two weeks ago today, my newest granddaughter, Naomi Gail, was born after an emergency C-section from a doctor who understood the need for life for both the mother and the child. Holding her in my arms was a vivid reminder that all life is sacred, and every child deserves dignity, respect, and a chance for a full life. America was founded on the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Madam Speaker, it all begins with life.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 175th Anniversary of Bethel United Church of Christ in Freedom Township, Michigan. In 1840, a young German minister, Rev. Friedrich Schmid, gathered 20 German immigrant farm families into a congregation named The Evangelical German Bethel Congregation of Freedom Township. Holding their first services in a log building, the congregation built a wood frame church in 1857. The stone church used today by the congregation was constructed in 1909 with members providing the stones from their fields. Eighteen pastors have shepherded Bethel UCC over the last 175 years, during which they have undertaken numerous mission projects for the benefit of those near and far away. For example, in the 19th century, clothing and blankets were sent to a Detroit hospital and orphan homes in three states. In the 20th century, several heifers were raised by the church and sent to Appalachia and Germany. The farmers in the congregation sent a rail car of wheat to help feed the hungry and quilts were made for veterans and those in hospitals. Today, quilts are still being sewn and the congregation also helps to feed the homeless locally and participates in a variety of projects that reach worldwide, keeping with the church's mission statement to ``reach beyond these stone walls to impact communities both near and far.'' In a stone church on a hilltop in rural Freedom Township, this congregation of more than 300 still gather to worship at Bethel, the ``House of God.'' In January of this year, Bethel United Church of Christ began their year-long celebration and reflection on 175 years of sharing joys and sorrows together. On Sunday, November 8, descendants of those early pioneers will gather for a special worship service to acknowledge God's many blessings. I pray for a memorable celebration and for many more years of faithful witness of God's everlasting love in our community.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for doing the work necessary in a bipartisan way to inform the American people, as well as our body, of the concerns here today. So I rise today in strong and bipartisan opposition to the President's dangerous deal with Iran. This one-sided deal gives Iran virtually everything it wants, ultimately paving the way for them to develop a nuclear weapon and further destabilize the Middle East. It gives the Iranians billions in sanctions relief that will be used to finance terrorism. It gives Iran 24 days to cover its tracks before inspectors are allowed in. It even includes secret side deals that the President, Congress, and the American people have not seen. Meanwhile, four Americans tragically languish in Iranian prisons, including one Michiganian. Mr. Speaker, at moments like this, party politics must take a backseat to the safety of the American people. I urge my colleagues to stand with our ally, Israel. Stand for security. Stand for peace. Stand for America. Don't reward Iran for spreading terrorism, abusing human rights, and holding Americans hostage. Reject this deal, and let's demand the right one.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Howard Keller for his many years of service to the community of Adrian, Michigan. On July 21, Mr. Keller retired after 34 years as a board member of the Lenawee Intermediate School District, most recently as board president. As an advocate for students and teachers alike, Mr. Keller's vision and dedicated servant leadership has been instrumental in moving the school district forward. In addition to his role on the school board, Mr. Keller's tireless leadership has been evident in a number of causes. Earlier this year, Mr. Keller stepped down as a board member of the Lenawee Community Mental Health Authority after 26 years of service. He also continues to serve as the treasurer of the Maurice Spear Campus corporation board, a juvenile detention facility, a position he has held for 25 years. Mr. Keller has left an indelible impact on our community through his dedication to promoting quality education, providing for those with developmental and emotional disabilities, and helping youth in need. He will be sorely missed, but I trust he will enjoy spending his newfound freedom with his family. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives to join me in commending Howard Keller for his many years of dedicated public service and wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Joseph Rossmann, who will be retiring after decades of service to our country as a leader in helping countless Merit Shop construction companies provide high quality health insurance and benefits to their employees. Mr. Rossmann has led the Associated Builders and Contractors Insurance Trust for almost three decades. Throughout that time, he has worked tirelessly to help ensure that ABC member contractors are able to provide best in class benefits to their employees. Through his advanced industry designations, testimony in Congress on health insurance issues and well-recognized thought leadership, he has helped move forward the cause of making healthcare affordable for tens of thousands of construction workers. Mr. Rossmann's distinguished record of service to the Merit Shop construction industry and in his local community are to be commended. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor Mr. Joseph Rossmann on this well- deserved occasion. I ask that my colleagues join me in wishing him a wonderful retirement and many years of happiness.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the upcoming Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Each August, freedom-loving bikers, racers, and motorcycle enthusiasts gather in Sturgis, South Dakota, to celebrate this annual event. From the first Black Hills Motor Classic rally in 1938, Sturgis has expanded from a single race to a weeklong event attended by hundreds of thousands of people from across the U.S. and the globe. This year, organizers are anticipating well over 1 million people will descend upon the small town of 6,600. As co-chair of the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus, I want to offer my best wishes to the attendees of this year's event. We hope for good weather, safety, and another successful week celebrating motorcycles and the freedom to ride.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. I thank the gentleman for the opportunity tonight to talk to this issue. I, too, stand in full support of passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and ask the Senate to reach down deep into their consciences, their hearts, their emotions. So often, we don't talk about that on the floor of this august body, the House of Representatives, but that is where it ought to flow because, indeed, we here, both in the House--the people's House--and the Senate, were sent to represent people, people of a great nation, people of a blessed nation, a nation that has honored the worth, the purpose, and the value of life itself since its inception. We were formed of people with great ideals; great value; great courage; and, indeed, formed with their blood given for the rights and freedoms of all individuals. For us to concern ourselves with protecting the most innocent among us, even those that are among us in the womb, I think of my new granddaughter in the womb right now, in my daughter's body, waiting for, in just a month and a half, the opportunity to breathe air itself and become a functioning human being cared for, growing and ultimately becoming all that God intended for her. I would say the same for any human being, born or unborn, that we must protect. Mr. Speaker, I certainly thank the gentleman from Arizona for his courage to push for this, with unwillingness to bend and bow under those that would say: Oh, get over it; stop defending something that is indefensible. I would say thank God for defending something that is totally defensible. As was mentioned earlier, we were founded on principles, principles that were firm and correct. The Founders and Framers long understood the power of truths versus human wisdom, truths and wisdom that said: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator, by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. John Adams said, ``Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.'' And, indeed, what we have seen in videos in recent days, has evidenced that, when you step out of that moral principle, you go into things unthinkable and grotesque. It has been said that righteousness exalts a Nation, but sin is a reproach to any land. How could we not feel reproached in looking at videos of a licensed doctor who is willing to take and sell body parts and to countenance pain as something that is just part of the process and to be totally unconsidered? Mr. Speaker, I spent a good deal of my early adult life in the pulpit, ministering to people from an authority far greater than this government or even this Constitution, the greatest document on the face of this Earth, manmade. But the psalmists said, ``Behold, children are a gift of the Lord. The fruit of the womb is a reward.'' That is true. Certain commentators will denigrate me for bringing up these truths, and so be it. But they are truths. Jeremiah, the prophet, speaking of God, said, ``Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart.'' The psalmist David, who became King David, said, ``For you formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.'' Does that sound like what that doctor was doing in the womb, weaving, carefully forming? No. She was destroying. We must fight back against that evil. He want on to say, ``I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully wrought in the depths of the Earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance. And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me when, as yet, there was not one of them.'' I thank the gentleman from Arizona. I thank him for his courage and standing for life itself and acknowledging the fact that the Creator has formed something of greatness. And we must not stand in the way, but do everything possible to reject the pain, to reject the defeat, to reject the conquering of the human spirit beginning right in the womb. May God help us in this country to repent, to seek his healing, to do right, and to spare the innocent among us.