Tim Walberg

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 246, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today, the House of Representatives continues its commitment to bolstering enforcement efforts against human traffickers in the United States and ensuring that we properly identify and serve victims. I want to thank Congresswoman Joyce Beatty for her leadership on this issue and for introducing H.R. 246, which will improve the ability of law enforcement officials and others to respond to and assist these victims. The House voted 409-0 to pass this legislation last summer, and as previous House efforts have done, the bills being considered today attempt to change for the better how we view victims. For too long, these victims have been seen as willing participants and treated as actors in the criminal scheme; however, we now know that, oftentimes, individuals are trapped as victims by human trafficking organizations and, sadly, many of these victims are children. Congresswoman Beatty's legislation will ensure that we view victims of sex trafficking not as participants, but as victims, and ensure that child sex trafficking crimes are reported. Under current law, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children operates the CyberTipline to provide online users and electronic service providers a means of reporting Internet-related child sexual exploitation in many areas, including child prostitution. H.R. 246 would replace the term ``child prostitution'' with ``child sex trafficking'' in the CyberTipline reporting categories to reinforce that children who are sex-trafficked or sexually exploited are victims whose situation should be taken seriously when reported. It would also ensure the public recognizes that child prostitution is included in how NCMEC uses the term ``child sex trafficking'' and thus should still be reported to the CyberTipline. Again, I want to thank Congresswoman Beatty, along with the Education and the Workforce Committee and House leadership for recognizing the need to steadfastly address this dreadful practice. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 246, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for putting this Special Order together on the 42nd anniversary of an infamous decision, Roe v. Wade, Mr. Speaker, where I believe the Supreme Court stepped out of their role and unconstitutionally set up the course that has gone on to this day, the murder of innocents and, ultimately, murder of innocence of our country as well that in its inception was established on a principle that was well known, well understood, and put into our Declaration of Independence that said: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, among them the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It all begins with life. I will never forget 8 years ago as I stood in a maternity ward at Northwestern University Hospital and waited for word from the room where my daughter-in-law was giving birth to our first two grandchildren, twins John Timothy and Micah Todd. Micah Todd is now 8 years old, happy, healthy, moving forward. John Timothy we look forward to seeing him again some day in heaven. For 8 days he lived on this Earth. He fought after being born with his twin brother at 26 weeks. I watched them as they fought for life. I watched them at less than 12 inches long, one pound, 12 ounces, fighting for life, understanding in their own way that this is what they were supposed to do. They were capable of pain. They were capable of doing what nature's God had enabled them to do. That changed my life more than ever before, though back in 1982 I ran for the State house on the issue of life itself. That is what brought me out of the pulpit as a pastor and brought me into the arena to try to promote life and go away from that terrible decision that the Supreme Court put upon us. Now I think 42 years later we have seen gains in this country, as we will see millennials come out of Metro tubes tomorrow, as we will see young people standing in front of us speaking for life, declaring their desire to see abortion ended, and I am hopeful that in our day we will see that take place not because of religion, not even because of politics, but because of people understanding the sanctity of life, understood by the prophet Jeremiah when he said after the words of God himself: Before I was formed in my mother's womb, you knew me and declared the days of my life. Mr. Speaker, my colleague from New Jersey, all of my colleagues who will stand in defense of life, I say thank you. Let's not give up, because we are on the right side.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge President Obama to work with Republicans in this new Congress. After being sworn in last week, we immediately got to work voting on legislation to boost job creation, provide relief from ObamaCare, increase America's energy security, and create more job opportunities for veterans. All these bills passed with strong bipartisan support. Yet for some reason the President has already said he will veto at least two of them. Mr. Speaker, building the Keystone pipeline will put Americans back to work and help secure our energy future. Restoring ObamaCare's definition of full-time employment from 30 hours to 40 hours will increase take-home pay for hourly workers. Mr. Speaker, we are here to solve problems and deliver positive results for the American people. For the good of America, I hope the President will put down his veto pen and join us in that effort.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Section 3: ``New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the consent of the legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress.''

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege to stand here in support of the Save American Workers Act, legislation that helps my constituents in Michigan who are struggling under the President's health care law, regardless of the sophistry from the other side. While Michigan has been hard-hit over the past few years for many reasons, the negative effects of the President's health care law have only amplified our struggles by eroding full-time work opportunities for hourly workers. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, I am deeply committed to safeguarding workers and businesses from ObamaCare's damaging consequences. Restoring the traditional 40-hour workweek is an important reform that will protect employees and provide certainty for employers. We need effective solutions that focus on getting people back to work rather than forcing people from their jobs, like Janet from Jackson, Michigan, who called my office in tears last September. This 56-year-old single mother of three had just been told that morning by her employer that her home health care job was being moved from 36 hours to 28 hours because of the new requirements under ObamaCare. She asked: How am I going to pay my mortgage and insurance with only 28 hours?

Mr. WALBERG. Let's give Janet the opportunity to save her 36 hours, have it back, by passing the Save American Workers Act. Like Janet, everyone should have the chance to work, to succeed and prosper and be in control of their own health care issues.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a man who has dedicated over 40 years of his life to mentoring and educating thousands of young men and women in Saline, Michigan. Coach Jack Crabtree has long been admired for his fighting spirit, dedication, loyalty, and integrity. Throughout the last four decades at Saline High School, Coach Crabtree has left lasting impressions on his students, his players, and his staff. In the classroom, he taught students the importance of civic engagement through his American government, history, and economics classes. In fact, my staff has been blessed by the impact of one of his former students. As head of the physical education department, Coach Crabtree emphasized the value of working hard until the whistle blows, but he certainly is most well-known in the community for dedicating a large part of his life to football and, under his leadership, created the storied football tradition which exists today at Saline High School. In 1988, Coach Crabtree's success on the field was affirmed when he was inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame; however, Jack Crabtree has been more than just ``the football coach'' to the community of Saline, Michigan. He always knew the most important play on the football field was the next one, and he passed along his focus and persevering spirit to young people in Saline throughout his four decades as a teacher, coach, and mentor. His dedication to hard work, discipline, and integrity has shaped and motivated thousands of his students and players to achieve great things in their personal and professional careers. Jack Crabtree embodied his personal credo that, in the long run, a man's dedication is the only true measure of his greatness. I am grateful to Coach Crabtree for his continued commitment to the community of Saline, and I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing his many years of service.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for allowing me the opportunity to make a few closing comments on this issue that I wouldn't have introduced if I didn't feel it was important. Senior executives have the opportunity to lead, to set policy, and to expand capabilities at their agency. This is a tremendous opportunity and privilege, a privilege of service we must not take lightly. Now, I hasten to quickly state that a majority of Federal workers, including senior executives, are hardworking public servants doing the job that they have been asked to do, and I want to recognize and thank those hardworking men and women. Unfortunately, the recent scandals that we have talked about, like those at the VA and the IRS, have shined a light on those who have abused their position. Lois Lerner certainly abused her position, and American taxpayers will never understand how Lois Lerner was placed on administrative leave on May 23, 2013, and then retired 4 months later on September 23, 2013, successfully avoiding termination after she acknowledged the IRS wrongfully scrutinized conservative groups for years. Ms. Lerner continued to receive a full salary during this time, roughly $60,000, for which the average American would have to work 15 months to earn. Then members of our Oversight and Government Reform Committee know the full story, the story of the so-called secret agent man who was allowed for years to not show up to his department work under the ruse of being a CIA agent. There was an unbelievable breakdown in the senior executive oversight, I might state. Now, the American people need to have confidence that these executives are acting honestly and responsibly, Mr. Speaker. The Senior Executive Accountability Act is an attempt, an important attempt, an important step towards holding bad actors accountable for their actions in restoring the public trust. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues for their support of H.R. 5169.

Mr. WALBERG. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding to me and also thank him for his comments on this legislation. He laid it out extremely well. Mr. Speaker, Congress expects the Senior Executive Service to provide leadership so the Federal Government may successfully fulfill their obligations to the American people. That is what it is all about. We serve at their will and for their purpose and so does the Senior Executive Service. We also look to senior leaders to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars so citizens can have confidence that their hard-earned tax dollars are being utilized sensibly. Unfortunately and especially in light of the numerous scandals at the IRS and Veterans Administration perpetuated by senior executive branch officials who let things happen and get out of control, we need to take legislative action to restore public confidence and increase accountability and performance within the Senior Executive Service. The bill I have introduced, the Senior Executive Service Accountability Act, gives agencies commonsense tools to hold senior leaders more accountable for their taxpayer-funded work. Let me make this clear: the bill will make it easier to remove officials who have been found to have engaged in misconduct. Specifically, it eliminates the current loophole that allows an executive who has been removed for poor performance and placed in a new Federal job from retaining their executive salary. It promotes fairness to make SES employees subject to the same employment standards as the employees they supervise. It provides greater transparency on the number of senior leaders at each agency and their exact job requirements. It limits the amount of time an agency has to finalize its decision on whether to terminate an employee who has engaged in misconduct, thereby preventing bad actors from receiving their paychecks for months after they were found to have committed acts of misconduct. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, I ask for the support of my colleagues on H.R. 5169.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, although criminal forfeiture laws have been an important tool and a useful tool for law enforcement, civil asset forfeiture has been used too many times to seize, forfeit, and indeed profit off the property of Americans without even charging them with crimes--innocent until proven guilty. The activity can be a boon for police budgets, as the Federal asset forfeiture fund exceeded $2 billion in 2013 and equitable sharing agreements between the Department of Justice and local police departments accounted for over $600 million. While policing certainly is a vital element of an effective society, let's also be mindful of the fact that our Constitution emphasizes individual rights above all. For this reason, I introduced H.R. 5212, the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act, to limit the scope, the power, and the reach of the government to abuse their forfeiture powers in violation of individual rights guaranteed to us by our Constitution. I urge all my colleagues to support this needed reform effort and to again assure our citizens of their civil liberties and the opportunity to defend innocence or prove guilt.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3896) to amend the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act to provide a definition of recreational vessel for purposes of such Act, as amended.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my time. I couldn't have said it better than my colleague from Florida. Having a district that borders the Great Lakes, having marinas and harbors in my district, having the opportunity to use the resources and to make sure that the intent of Congress is followed and that we have employees and employers who are treated fairly under workers' comp laws, that they are cared for completely at the lowest cost that we intended, with the original intent of Congress, this bill does that. So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3896 and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3896, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act of 2014, and yield myself as much time as I may consume. The bill before us today provides an opportunity to correct a bureaucratic mistake by the Obama administration that is creating a great deal of confusion and anxiety among certain maritime employers, including a lot of small business owners. For more than 85 years, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act has provided relief to maritime workers who sustain an injury or illness through work-related activity. Under current law, individuals who repair or dismantle recreational vessels, as well as those who build recreational vessels less than 65 feet long, are covered by an available State workers' compensation program, not the Federal Longshore Act. It is a bit confusing, especially for maritime employers. In 2009, Congress tried to simplify the law by stipulating any maritime worker providing maintenance of recreational vessels is covered by a State workers' compensation program, regardless of the size of the vessel. Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. The Obama administration issued regulations that further muddied the waters. Now, employers are forced to engage in a complicated analysis to determine which employees are covered by which workers' comp program, Federal or State coverage. It is a mess that is forcing employers to spend even more time and money managing their workers' comp programs. As the National Marine Manufacturers Association warns in a letter to Congress, the administration's regulatory approach has led to higher rates that could ``cause businesses to lay off employees or to decide to buy no insurance coverage for their employees at all.'' Members of Congress have raised concerns with the administration's implementation of the 2009 law and to no avail. So we are here once again, Mr. Speaker, clarifying what was already made clear in the hopes the Department of Labor will finally get it right. H.R. 3896 amends the Longshore Act to define what a ``recreational vessel'' is in order to convey the true intent of the 2009 law. The bill cleans up any regulatory ambiguity and helps ensure maritime employers have access to affordable workers' compensation coverage for their employees. With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3896, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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 H.R. 3896.

Mr. WALBERG

Mr. WALBERG. Madam Speaker, they say where there is smoke, there is fire, and as far as the IRS is concerned, with their credibility, they are engulfed in flames. Just this week, IRS staff testified to the Oversight Committee that they may still have some of Lois Lerner's missing emails, despite earlier claims they were lost forever. On Tuesday, the Ways and Means Committee discovered Lerner's hard drive was only ``scratched,'' information that conflicts with their earlier statements that the data was unrecoverable. It is clear the IRS refuses to be fully forthcoming, and their behavior continues to raise serious questions about potential criminal wrongdoing and the targeting of conservative groups. Here in the House, we are committed to oversight, transparency, and ensuring we get the answers we need in the pursuit of understanding what really happened.

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 H.R. 5111.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remainder of my time. The passage of this legislation, Mr. Speaker, shows the House's commitment to not only bolstering enforcement efforts against human traffickers, but also ensuring that we properly identify victims. I urge all Members to lead efforts in their districts, to continue the conversation, as I have done in mine, about human trafficking, to learn what more we can do in our communities to curtail this hideous crime. During the human trafficking roundtables I have held in my district, law enforcement officials have consistently raised the need to make community members aware of the real and present threat of human trafficking. We must work to not only educate children, but also families and the general public about the safety risks. H.R. 5111 is another step to educating our communities about human trafficking victims, and it continues our work to ensure that we are doing what we can to help reduce this horrible crime. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 5111, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and rise in support of H.R. 5111. Today, Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives continues its commitment to providing the necessary tools and policies to help reduce child sex trafficking and better serve these victims in the United States. I want to thank Congresswoman Joyce Beatty for her leadership on this issue and for introducing H.R. 5111, which will improve the ability of law enforcement officials and others to respond to and assist these victims. For too long these victims have been viewed as willing participants and have been treated as actors in the criminal scheme. However, we now know that oftentimes individuals are trapped as victims by human trafficking organizations, and sadly, many of these victims are children. As previous House efforts have done, the bills today attempt to change for the better how we view these victims. Congresswoman Beatty's legislation will ensure that we view victims of sex trafficking not as participants but as victims, and ensure that child sex trafficking crimes are reported. Under current law, the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children, NCMEC, operates a CyberTipline to provide online users and electronic service providers a means of reporting Internet-related child sexual exploitation in many areas, including child prostitution. However, children who are sex-trafficked or sexually exploited should be treated as victims, not criminals. In fact, approximately one out of seven runaway youth are likely victims of sex trafficking, and roughly one out of three youths are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of running away from home. For this reason, H.R. 5111 would replace the term ``child prostitution'' with ``child sex trafficking'' in the CyberTipline reporting categories to reinforce that children who are sex-trafficked or sexually exploited are victims whose situation should be taken seriously when reported. It would also ensure the public recognizes that child prostitution is included in how NCMEC uses the term ``child sex trafficking,'' and thus should still be reported to the tip line. Again, I want to thank Congresswoman Beatty, along with the Education and Workforce Committee and House leadership, for recognizing the need to steadfastly address this dreadful practice. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5111. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5111) to improve the response to victims of child sex trafficking, as amended.

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WALBERG

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

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Chairman, with the dramatic rise in the cost of obtaining a college degree which we have witnessed over the last decade, it has become even more important to focus on ways to remove Federal roadblocks which prevent efforts to make higher education less costly. H.R. 3136, the Advancing Competency-Based Education Demonstration Project Act, represents one of the innovative steps promoted by the House Education and the Workforce Committee to ensure we actually measure what students are learning, not just the time they have spent sitting in a class. My amendment builds on this approach and will allow participating entities in the demonstration projects to expand an approved project to a maximum of 5,000 students. To ensure accountability and program quality, any entity wishing to expand a project must provide the Secretary a new proposed maximum number of students, a description of how the project will successfully carry out the expanded enrollment, and a description of any other amendments to the initial application related to the new enrollment number. The small-scale expansion allowed by my amendment will help institutions develop techniques for increasing their competency-based education projects so more students can realize the benefits of a self- paced, lower-cost degree. This approach will also help inform policymakers and the public of what projects are doing the best job at advancing this innovative education delivery model. I want to thank Representative Salmon and Chairman Kline for their leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and the underlying bill. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.