Daniel Webster

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chair, due to the impending landfall of Hurricane Irma in Florida, I departed Washington, D.C. to be in my district during this natural disaster. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 457. ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 458. ``Nay'' on rollcall No. 459. ``Nay'' on rollcall No. 460. ``Nay'' on rollcall No. 461. Amendment No. 76 Offered by Mr. Correa

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chair, due to the impending landfall of Hurricane Irma in Florida, I departed Washington, D.C. to be in my district during this natural disaster. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Nay'' on rollcall No. 462. ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 463. ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 464. ``Nay'' on rollcall No. 465. ``Nay'' on rollcall No. 466. Amendments En Bloc No. 4 Offered by Mr. Rogers of Kentucky

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I had to miss today's votes on July 28, 2017, because I had a pre-scheduled meeting and briefing at the United States Air Force Academy. Also, I cast the same votes when each of these bills was considered under suspension on 7/24/17. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 437, and YEA on Roll Call No. 438.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize Spring Hill, Florida as the community celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Spring Hill was founded in 1967 by the Mackle Brothers' Deltona Development Corporation as a sister city to Deltona. The Spring Hill waterfall, located at Spring Hill Drive and US 19, marks the original entrance to the community. The Mackle Brothers developed a fly and buy program where they would fly potential buyers down to play golf and see the community. The Mackle Brothers marketing strategy brought huge crowds to the community and within three years the majority of the 28,500 platted lots were sold. Today, Spring Hill's award-winning golf courses and gated communities attract newcomers to the area. Situated near Weeki Wachee Springs and the Gulf of Mexico, Spring Hill has developed itself into the largest community in Hernando County. I congratulate the people that live and work in Spring Hill. It is truly an honor to serve the residents of Spring Hill, and I thank them for their tremendous contributions to Florida's Adventure Coast.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, my flight from Florida was delayed due to weather, then due to pilot flight hour regulations, then again due to weather, and finally delayed again due to a second pilot's flight hour regulations. Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on Roll Call No. 379, YEA on Roll Call No. 380, and YEA on Roll Call No. 381.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

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

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Today marks the Committee on Natural Resources' Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans' first step in advancing an infrastructure agenda that aims to improve our Nation's infrastructure and expedite the development of new infrastructure. As vice chairman of the subcommittee, chaired by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn), I have already seen a number of bills advance through the committee that, like the bill in front of us today, employ simple, pragmatic solutions to improve our Nation's infrastructure and advance an all-of-the-above energy and water strategy. The Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act, a bipartisan bill offered by my colleagues, Mr. LaMalfa and Mr. Schrader, is about avoiding electricity blackouts, preventing forest fires, and promoting healthy habitat for wildlife on Federal lands. This bill represents a simple, pragmatic solution to an issue that is born out of a lack of communication and consistency within a Federal agency. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Conaway for agreeing to help expedite consideration of this bill today. I commend my colleagues, Mr. LaMalfa from California and Mr. Schrader from Oregon, for bringing up this bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation. I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture, Washington, DC, May 19, 2017. Hon. Rob Bishop, Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H.R. 1873, the Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act. It is my understanding that, on April 27, 2017, the Committee on Natural Resources ordered the bill reported with amendments. This legislation contains provisions within the Committee on Agriculture's Rule X jurisdiction. As a result of your having consulted with the Committee and in order to expedite this bill for floor consideration, the Committee on Agriculture will forego action on the bill. This is being done on the basis of our mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Agriculture with respect to the appointment of conferees, or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation. I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming this understanding, and would request that you include a copy of this letter and your response in the Committee Report and in the Congressional Record during the floor consideration of this bill. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, K. Michael Conaway, Chairman.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Denham).

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Westerman).

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I have no more speakers and I am prepared to close, so I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chair, again, I commend the bill's sponsors for bringing up this bipartisan, commonsense piece of legislation. I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chair, the goal of H.R. 1873 is to provide certainty to utilities, their line workers, and their consumers, not forcing unnecessary, one-size-fits-all regulations. Each plan can be tailored by an individual utility based on the service territory, region, and other characteristics. Some utilities may not choose to submit plans because they are satisfied with their local Forest Service office. Others, especially those who have rights- of-ways that predate the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, may not want to trigger Federal paperwork costs that are ultimately passed on to their consumers. This amendment, if adopted, would significantly burden Federal Land Management agencies by inundating them with all kinds of submittals. Additionally, if you want to increase the cost of this bill, then this amendment will do just that. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment, and I would inject additional bureaucracy into the bill that is unintended to do exactly the opposite of what this bill intended to do. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, the amendment prohibits any loss of funds for wildfire suppression activities. The bill also provides electric utilities with the certainty that they need to ensure that downed trees do not fall on power lines, which would prevent many of these wildfires from starting in the first place. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to this amendment, but I am not opposed to it.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to be present on the House floor because my flight was cancelled due to inclement weather. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on Roll Call No. 286, and yea on Roll Call No. 287.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, City of Belleview Police Chief Terry Holland, and the law enforcement officers who keep Marion County safe every single day. This week marks the annual observance of Police Week. Though we set aside one week a year to honor law enforcement, I encourage all Americans to join me not only this week, but every day, in recognizing the honor, courage, and commitment of America's law enforcement. Our law enforcement are heroes in the community. They keep us safe, and are willing to put their lives on the line every day in the course of their duties. It is impossible to fully express our gratitude or adequately recognize the professionalism of the men and women who voluntarily put their lives on the line for our safety and security. It is with deep respect that we pause today to honor the memory of the heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion and made the ultimate sacrifice. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods, City of Belleview Police Chief Terry Holland, and the law enforcement officers who bravely and selflessly serve Marion County. It is an honor to recognize them and all men and women in law enforcement.

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida

Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, City of Brooksville Police Chief George Turner, and the law enforcement officers who keep Hernando County safe every single day. This week marks the annual observance of Police Week. Though we set aside one week a year to honor law enforcement, I encourage all Americans to join me not only this week, but every day, in recognizing the honor, courage, and commitment of America's law enforcement. Our law enforcement officers are heroes in the community. They keep us safe, and are willing to put their lives on the line every day in the course of their duties. It is impossible to fully express our gratitude or adequately recognize the professionalism of the men and women who voluntarily put their lives on the line for our safety and security. It is with deep respect that we pause today to honor the memory of the heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion and made the ultimate sacrifice. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, City of Brooksville Police Chief George Turner, and the law enforcement officers who bravely and selflessly serve Hernando County. It is an honor to recognize them and all men and women in law enforcement.