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Congressional RecordUN

UMEPLUR

IBUS

United Statesof America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 114th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m.

Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.

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H51

Vol. 161 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2015 No. 2

House of RepresentativesThe House met at 10 a.m. and was

called to order by the Speaker pro tem-pore (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania).

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DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PROTEMPORE

The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be-fore the House the following commu-nication from the Speaker:

WASHINGTON, DC,January 7, 2015.

I hereby appoint the Honorable GLENNTHOMPSON to act as Speaker pro tempore onthis day.

JOHN A. BOEHNER,Speaker of the House of Representatives.

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MORNING-HOUR DEBATE

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu-ant to the order of the House of Janu-ary 6, 2015, the Chair will now recog-nize Members from lists submitted bythe majority and minority leaders formorning-hour debate.

The Chair will alternate recognitionbetween the parties, with each party

limited to 1 hour and each Memberother than the majority and minorityleaders and the minority whip limitedto 5 minutes, but in no event shall de-bate continue beyond 11:50 a.m.

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POLICY CHANGES TOWARD CUBA

The SPEAKER pro tempore. TheChair recognizes the gentlewoman fromFlorida (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN) for 5 min-utes.

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, Irise today to strongly oppose the De-cember 17 announcement by PresidentObama on policy changes toward theCuban Communist regime. The Cubanregime from day one was planning onusing Alan Gross as a pawn to receiveconcessions from the Obama adminis-tration, and their strategy worked.

In April 2013, when asked about a pos-sible swap for Mr. Gross, Secretary

Kerry testified before Congress thatWe have refused to do that becausethere is no equivalency. Alan Gross iswrongly imprisoned, and we are notgoing to trade as if it is a spy for aspy. That turned out to not be true.

President Obama unilaterally par-doned three convicted Cuban spies.These spies were responsible for thedeaths of three American citizens andone U.S. resident, Carlos Costa,

Armando Alejandre, Mario de la Pena,and Pablo Morales, whose Brothers tothe Rescue planes were unjustly shotdown over international air space ondirect orders of the Castro brothers.

To make matters worse, we learnedthat the U.S. Government used re-sources to facilitate the artificial in-semination of one of the wives of theCuban spies. Good grief. So the WhiteHouse ignores the fact that these inno-cent U.S. pilots were not able to havetheir own families, but rewards one ofthe persons responsible for theirdeaths.

Not only did the dictatorship achievethe return of five convicted spies, it

was also able to attain major conces-sions from our President in order tosupport Cubas struggling economy.

Cubas largest supporters, Russia andVenezuela, are struggling due to theirown fiscal crises, so the Castro broth-ers needed a bailout from a new source;and, sadly, they found one with Presi-dent Obama.

By increasing tourism travel on theisland, the Obama administration willbe injecting millions of dollars into thepockets of the Castro brothers. TheCuban police state runs the hotels.

Lets examine the Presidents an-nouncement very closely. First, thePresident claims that these new policychanges will empower the Cuban peo-ple. Well, the pro-democracy advocateson the island have stated that thechanges will help their oppressor, notthe people of Cuba.

Second, the issue is not only impact-ing the people of Cuba, it also poses a

greater threat to U.S. national secu-rity interests. Cuba is a designatedstate sponsor of terrorism and is anavowed enemy of the United States.

With these concessions by the admin-istration, the Castro brothers will usesome of their new economic stream toinvest more funds into their espionageactivities, activities that are aimedagainst our Nation. With the ability to

garner more intelligence against theU.S., the Castro brothers are likely tohit the black market and sell this in-telligence to the highest bidder. This isnot a theory; it is a fact.

One example of this fact is the caseof Ana Belen Montes. She was a con-victed Cuban spy who worked for ourU.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, col-lecting information for Castro so thatit can be sold to our enemies.

Third, the human rights situation onthe island has not changed one bit. ThePresident says that he got Raul Castroto agree to the release of 53 politicalprisoners, prisoners who should neverhave been in jail in the first place, yet

the White House will not release thenames of these 53 political prisoners.Why not? What do they have to hide?Plus what good is it for the Castrobrothers to release these 53 when hedoesnt stop capturing and detainingother prisoners, which he will?

What has been happening in Cubalately in these past few weeks? Well,according to reports, more than 80 Cu-bans have been detained. The Cubancoast guard sank a boat recently ininternational waters that was carryingover 30 people, causing the deaths ofsome of them on board. Hezbollah cele-brated President Obamas announce-ment after a meeting with the Cuban

Ambassador to Lebanon.Mr. Speaker, this misguided policy of

the President will have serious impli-cations for the United States and sendsa signal to our enemies that we willcave and we will surrender at every

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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD HOUSEH52 January 7, 2015

turn. We in the Congress must do ev-erything we can to prevent this disas-trous policy from going into effect.

This is a bad deal for U.S. nationalsecurity and for the Cuban opposition,and it is a sweetheart deal for the re-pressive Cuban regime.

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INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING

The SPEAKER pro tempore. TheChair recognizes the gentleman fromOregon (Mr. BLUMENAUER) for 5 min-utes.

Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker,there is always a great deal of excite-ment surrounding a new Congress anda new year. One area that has beenvery encouraging is the focus on re-building and renewing America. Thatwas where we left off in the last Con-gress, frustrated by an inability toproduce a 6-year reauthorization,largely because of an inability for Con-gress to address meaningfully how itwould be funded. This continues astruggle of almost two decades, as wehave not increased the gas tax or devel-oped a viable, sustainable, adequate al-ternative.

It is widely recognized that Americais falling apart and falling behind. Ourinfrastructure, once the envy of theworld, now has put us at a second-tierstatus, with America at risk of fallingever further behind.

The deplorable state of our infra-structure is actually costing Ameri-cans far more to endure the damage totheir cars and the delays to their livesthrough congestion than simply fund-ing an alternative and fixing it.

It is encouraging that the adminis-tration and people in both parties, inboth Chambers, might be prepared toaddress the issue anew. There are someshort-term stopgap solutions whichwould nowhere near solve the problembut nudge us in the right direction.

In the Senate there is bipartisan in-terest in and openness to a comprehen-sive solution including the gas tax.Senators BOB CORKER and his partnerCHRIS MURPHY have been champions.Senator TOM CARPER continues hisleadership and advocacy for the gas taxsolution. Senator JOHN THUNE, a keyRepublican leader, has signaled hisopenness to the gas tax, which is thesimplest, most logical, and most effec-tive solution.

Even the problematic proposal to usedynamic scoring to evaluate budgetproposals could make a difference forthe prospect of solving this huge prob-lem for America if it would be appliedin the spirit of dynamic scoring.

The Standard & Poors research re-port, U.S. Infrastructure Investment:A Chance to Reap More Than We Sow,pointed out the overwhelming eco-nomic impact in terms of jobs created,economic benefits that actually ex-ceeded the direct amount invested, andlong-term deficit reduction of $200 mil-lion for every $1.2 billion invested. Thisshould be one of the easiest economicdecisions we ever make.

In an era of low interest rates, gaso-line prices falling dramatically, whenthere are still hundreds of thousands ofpeople ready to go to work at familywage jobs rebuilding this country, theeconomic case has never been stronger.

By all means, lets evaluate all of theproposals. Lets expand the discussion.Lets look at the leadership of Statesaround the country that are steppingup to do their part. State, local, andprivate investment all have a role to

play, to be sure, but recognize that the25 percent of infrastructure fundingthat comes from the Federal Govern-ment plays a critical role. Let thisCongress give America a solution thatis sustainable, not one that would putus back in the same fix in a year or twoor even sooner.

Lets have a revenue source that isdedicated so that we can begin onlonger-term projects that demandmultimodal, multistate, multiyear so-lutions and that is large enough to giveus a long overdue 6-year comprehensivereauthorization. Stable, dedicated, bigenough to do the jobthis is a testthat the new Congress and administra-

tion should meet to revitalize our econ-omy and rebuild and renew this greatcountry.

At a time of dramatically falling oiland gas prices, when the public is suf-fering from Congress dithering on ourtransportation and other infrastruc-ture needs, there will never be a bettertime to heed the advice of PresidentRonald Reagan 33 years ago in hisThanksgiving Day radio address to thecountry to raise the gas tax and putAmericans to work fixing the problemthat has only gotten worse. It was goodadvice then. It is good advice today.

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MENTAL HEALTH REFORMS

NEEDED

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN). The Chair recognizes thegentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.MURPHY) for 5 minutes.

Mr. MURPHY of Pennsylvania.Madam Speaker, sadly, each day weread sensationalized headlines thatboggle the mind, but here is the rest ofthe story. In New York, headlines reada 30-year-old man has been chargedwith killing his father who founded ahedge fund because his allowance hadbeen cut.

The rest of the story? He had been ina mental health decline for years. Afriend told the press, clearly their sonhad serious mental illness. There werestories about strange things that hehad been doing in the past few years,really erratic behavior. Another news-paper reports the man was off his medi-cation.

In Florida, headlines read a 22-year-old man cut off his mothers head withan ax last week because of her naggingabout daily chores.

The rest of the story? This man hadbeen diagnosed with schizophrenia andhad been involuntarily held under theStates civil commitment law but re-

leased. Despite his illness and pastcommitments, he was no longer intreatment because Florida, like mostStates, requires a person to be immi-nently homicidal or suicidal for treat-ment.

In Pennsylvania a former marinekilled his ex-wife and five of her familymembers last month because of fam-ily issues.

The rest of the story? The marinehad been evaluated and cleared of hav-

ing suicidal or homicidal tendencies bya Department of Veterans Affairs psy-chiatrist just days before, a decision wenow see was wrong.

Each week there are half a dozen newreports that demand more than a sen-sationalized headline because the restof the story tells the real story. Severemental illness is a brain disease; it isnot an attitude or a lifestyle choice.Psychosis, schizophrenia, and other se-rious mental illnesses involve disrup-tion in typical brain functioning whichtranslates into a very specific set ofdisturbing behaviors. This is not a con-demnation of the mentally ill nor acriticism of those who have severe

brain disorders.Hallucinations, voices, visions, andparanoia lead to actions that arentgrounded in reasoned choices. Forthose who dont have a brain disease itis hard to understand, and it isunnerving to think about, but when weunderstand that behaviors are sympto-matic of what is occurring in the brain,we can address them without judg-ment, just like other medical diseasesand other lifesaving treatments.

The distorted reasoning why an indi-vidual acts out in a violent manner ortakes the lives of innocent victims on amass scale are complex and not as sim-ple as a response to a mothers nag-

ging. Sadly, in all cases I mentionedtoday, the families knew there wassomething wrong with their mentallyill loved one but they were ignored andfrustrated or turned away by a brokensystem of State and Federal laws thatcreate walls and barriers instead of ac-cess to care.

Parents know there is a problem, andeven when they have the resources toget a child help, the family efforts arethwarted by this broken system, andthey are not getting effective, evi-dence-based treatment. And commu-nities rarely have the appropriate pro-grams, resources, and doctors to dealwith the most severe cases.

In the face of this growing crisis, wemust approach serious mental illnessas a medical emergency that engages acommunity and medical response tohelp people and families trapped in thissystem that is misguided, in denial,and disconnected.

We can change this tragic pattern,and that is why I will be reintroducingthe Helping Families in Mental HealthCrisis Act.

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My legislation makes sure the mostseverely mentally ill have access to

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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD HOUSE H53January 7, 2015

treatment. It fixes the shortage of psy-chiatric beds. It clarifies and simplifiesHIPAA privacy laws. It reforms Fed-eral programs to focus on programsthat research shows work, not feel-good fads. It helps patients who arentable to understand their need for treat-ment get meaningful care.

We know that, for example, 50 per-cent of people with schizophrenia sufferfrom something called anosognosiathey are not even aware that they have

problemsand this leads to noncompli-ance with treatment and helps to ex-plain why 40 percent of Americans withserious mental illness dont get anytreatment.

Anosognosia occurs most frequentlywhen schizophrenia or a bipolar dis-order affects portions of the frontallobe, resulting in impaired executivefunction. The patients areneurologically unable to comprehendthat their delusions or hallucinationsare not real.

This is different than denial; this is achange in the wiring of the brain. Weneed to understand and respect that.The Helping Families in Mental Health

Crisis Act also ensures there is ac-countability for how public health dol-lars are being spent.

We owe it to the 10 million Ameri-cans with a serious mental illness andthe 5 million who are not with treat-ment to take meaningful action to fixthe chaotic patchwork of programs andlaws that make it impossible to getmeaningful medical care until it is toolate to do anything beyond mourning.

Each day, I receive countless lettersand telephone calls from parents acrossthe country who must courageouslybattle a broken system when trying tohelp a loved one in mental health cri-sis. I admire their courage, their com-

passion, and their passion. Let theirstruggles be our motivation to take ac-tion of our own now.

As I said, I will soon be reintroducingmy Helping Families in Mental HealthCrisis Act, and I welcome all Membersinterested in joining me in this questto work together as we reintroducethis to make sure we get treatment be-fore tragedy.

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STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO

The SPEAKER pro tempore. TheChair recognizes the gentleman fromPuerto Rico (Mr. PIERLUISI) for 5 min-utes.

Mr. PIERLUISI. Madam Speaker, asthe new Congress begins its work onbehalf of the American people, I rise toaddress my colleagues about an issue ofnational importance, namely PuertoRicos quest to discard its status as aU.S. territory and to become a U.S.State.

Puerto Rico has been a territorysince 1898. If Puerto Rico does not de-sire to remain a territory, it can followone of two paths. The territory can be-come a State or it can become a sov-ereign nation, either fully independentfrom the U.S. or with a compact of free

association with the U.S. that eithernation can terminate. If Puerto Ricobecomes a nation, future generations ofisland residents would not be Americancitizens.

My constituents have made countlesscontributions to the United States intimes of peace and war, serving inevery military conflict since WorldWar I. They fight today in Afghanistanand other dangerous locations in thesame units as young men and women

from States such as Florida, Texas, andNew Mexico. Many of them have madethe ultimate sacrifice in battle. Whenthey do, their casket is flown back tothis country draped in the Americanflag.

It takes a special kind of patriotismto fight for a nation that you love, butone that does not treat you equally.Although Puerto Rico is home to moreAmerican citizens than 21 States, myconstituents cannot vote for President,are not represented in the Senate, andhave one nonvoting delegate in theHouse. Moreover, territory status givesCongress license to treat Puerto Ricoworse than the States, and Congress

often uses that license.Everyone, other than apologists forthe status quo, comprehends that terri-tory status is the root cause of the eco-nomic crisis in Puerto Rico. As a resultof the structural problems this statushas created, residents of Puerto Ricoare relocating to the States in stag-gering numbers.

I know it breaks their hearts to leavebehind the island they love, but mostsee no other option; yet through theclouds, a bright sun is emerging. Thepeople of Puerto Rico have finally said,No more. They have come to theconclusion that they deserve a statusthat is both democratic and dignified.

They will no longer tolerate beingsecond-class citizens. They do not wantspecial treatment; rather, they demandequal treatment, nothing more butnothing less.

The will of the Puerto Rican peoplewas expressed in a 2012 referendumsponsored by the Puerto Rico Govern-ment. There, a majority of my con-stituents expressed their opposition toterritory status.

Statehood received more votes thanterritory status, and statehood re-ceived far more votes than independ-ence or free association, proving thatPuerto Rico has no desire to weakenthe bonds forged with the UnitedStates over nearly 12 decades. In short,statehood is now the predominant forcein Puerto Rico.

At my urging and in response to thislandmark referendum, the Obama ad-ministration proposed and Congress ap-proved an appropriation of $2.5 millionto fund the first federally-sponsoredvote in Puerto Ricos history with thestated goal of resolving the statusissue.

I have proposed that the funding beused to hold a simple, federally spon-sored yes-or-no vote on whether PuertoRico should be admitted as a State,

just as Alaska and Hawaii did. This ap-proach would yield a definitive resultthat nobody could reasonably question,and it has broad congressional support,since a bill I introduced last Congressthat embodies this approach had 131 co-sponsors and led to the filing of anidentical Senate companion bill.

All that remains is for the Governorof Puerto Rico to schedule the vote;yet a year has passed, and we have seenonly inertia and indecision, all talkand no action.

For my part, I will continue to pressfor action both in San Juan and inWashington, D.C., using any strategyand technique that will advance thestatehood cause.

Since none of my colleagues in thisChamber representing States would ac-cept territory status for their constitu-ents, I know they will understand thatI will not accept it for my constituentseither.

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PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF RURALHEALTH PRESENTS THE 2014RURAL HEALTH AWARDS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The

Chair recognizes the gentleman fromPennsylvania (Mr. THOMPSON) for 5minutes.

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania.Madam Speaker, I rise today to recog-nize one individual and one organiza-tion from Pennsylvanias Fifth Con-gressional District that during the pastyear made substantial contributions torural health in support of the commu-nities our hospitals and caregiversserve each and every day.

The Pennsylvania Office of RuralHealth, which is funded by the FederalOffice of Rural Health Policy, thePennsylvania Department of Health,and the Pennsylvania State University,

is a public partnership designed to ex-pand data-driven health care outcomesfor rural communities.

Each year, the Pennsylvania Office ofRural Healths Rural Health Awardsrecognize individuals and organizationsin the Commonwealth that have goneabove and beyond in their respectivefield or program and made significantimprovements towards improvinghealth outcomes.

Mr. Daniel Blough, chief executiveofficer of the Punxsutawney Area Hos-pital in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania,received the 2014 State Rural HealthLeader of the Year Award. Mr. Bloughwas recognized for 28 years of dedicatedservice to the health and well-being ofthe residents in and around Punx-sutawney, which is located in JeffersonCounty, Pennsylvania.

As a founding Pennsylvania memberand president of the PennsylvaniaMountains Healthcare Alliance, a col-laboration of 18 rural hospitals, Mr.Bloughs leadership served to strength-en clinical outcomes for residentsthroughout the region.

Additionally, the Total HEALTHProgram at the Dickinson Center, In-corporated, in St. Marys, Pennsyl-vania, which is also located in the


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Fifth District, received the 2014 RuralHealth Program of the Year Award.

The Total HEALTH Program, a re-gional collaboration of health serviceproviders encompassing Penn High-lands-Elk, Dickinson Center, Incor-porated, and an independent physicianin Elk County, aims to provide primaryand behavioral health care services toindividuals with physical, mental, andbehavioral health needs.

Total HEALTH received the recogni-

tion for innovative programming inElk, Cameron, and McKean Countiesthat resulted in both improved patientcoordination and clinical outcomes.

Madam Speaker, I offer my thanks,my congratulations, and my praise toMr. Daniel Blough of the Punx-sutawney Area Hospital and the profes-sionals and the staff representedthrough the Total HEALTH Programfor their commitment to strengtheningand improving the quality of care inthe communities of our region.

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THE CONCERNS OF THE NINTHCONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OFTEXAS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. TheChair recognizes the gentleman fromTexas (Mr. AL GREEN) for 5 minutes.

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. MadamSpeaker, I am honored to stand heretoday as a Member of the Congress ofthe United States of America, and I amgrateful to my constituents for allow-ing me to serve in this capacity.

My district is a very diverse one. Itcontains the greatest medical center inthe world, the Houston Medical Center,and it contains the first domed sta-dium, the Astrodome. We speak morethan 80 different languages, and theballot in the Ninth Congressional Dis-trict in the State of Texas is printed inEnglish, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chi-nese. We are indeed a very diverse dis-trict.

My constituents are constituents notunlike those across the length andbreadth of this country. There areissues of concern to them. I want to as-sure my constituents that as we moveinto the 114th Congress, I will be push-ing legislation that will be important:the LAW Act, the Living AmericanWage Act. We have filed this bill be-fore, and we will file it again in thisCongress.

The LAW Act indexes the minimumwage to poverty. It is our belief thatanyone who works full time should notlive below the poverty line. Peopleshould be able to work their way out ofpoverty.

The LAW Act indexes the minimumwage to poverty such that when thepoverty level rises, the minimum wagewill also elevate, such that people whoare working for minimum wage willcontinue to live above the poverty line.

As an aside, I spoke to a person whois working at the wage that is paid tothe persons who wait tables, the waitstaff, $2.13 an hour; and one of thethings that was called to my attention

was that these personsgood people,hardworking peopledont alwaysmake a lot with these tips that aresupposed to supplement their income.

I have been told that as little as $8 inone day in tips were being made by oneof my constituents, so I am concernednot only about the $7.25 an hour, theminimum wage, but also about the$2.13 an hour. I also supported H.R.1010, which was filed in the last Con-gress, and it also indexed the minimum

wage, not to poverty, but it did indexthe minimum wage.I will be concerned about comprehen-

sive immigration reform because in mydistrict, I have a good many personswho are the sons and daughters of im-migrants who came here not of theirown volition. Many of them came anddiscovered that they were not Amer-ican citizens after graduating fromhigh school.

I support what the President hasdone with his executive order. I have tosupport what he has done with his ex-ecutive order, given that I am the ben-eficiary of the greatest executive orderever written: the Emancipation Procla-

mation. It did not free the slaves, butit did pave the way for the passage ofthe 13th Amendment.

I am honored to say that I supportwhat the President has done, but westill must have comprehensive immi-gration reform because there is muchmore to be done. With millions of peo-ple living in the shadows, we need toknow who is in the country, and wealso need to make sure those who arein the country pay their fair share oftaxes, that they are a part of the infra-structure that elevates the countrythe economic infrastructureand to dothis, we need comprehensive immigra-tion reform.

I am also concerned very much aboutour veterans. This is why in the lastCongress, we passed the language thatwas in the HAVEN Act in the defenseauthorization bill.

Senator JACK REED, thank you somuch. Senator JACK REED helped to getthat through the Senate, and that lan-guage got through the Senate becauseSenator REED was there. Senator REED,we are eternally grateful, and I think agood many veterans are too.

Twenty million dollars was madeavailable to veterans to help those whoare low-income veterans who are in-jured in some way, such that they can-not use their facilities in their homesas they would without that disability.Counters are lowered, bathrooms aremade accessible, and ramps are in-stalled.

Senator REED, thank you for helpingus to get this $20 million, which will bematched by NGOs who will performthis service and help our veterans.

Finally, we are concerned about lawenforcement. I respect law enforce-ment. I support law enforcement. Whathappened to these peace officers in NewYork was dastardly done. The dastardthat did it is a person that we cannever ever in any way glorify. The peo-

ple who commit crimes ought to bepunished, and I support punishment forpeople who commit crimes.

I also support having a system thatprevents our law enforcement officersfrom being falsely accused. I believethat a camera on an officer can make adifference, and I am honored to saythat my colleague, the HonorableEMANUEL CLEAVER, and I are workingtogether on bills that we have filed tobring them together, so that we can

help our law enforcement avoid spe-cious accusations and make sure thatthey have the evidence of what actu-ally occurred.

God bless my constituents and theUnited States of America.

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SERVING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr.THOMPSON of Pennsylvania). The Chairrecognizes the gentlewoman fromTexas (Ms. JACKSON LEE) for 5 minutes.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, aswe come to begin this new opportunityof service to the American people,

clearly we want to emphasize to themthat we take this responsibility seri-ously and, as well, that we know thatwe represent our constituents. Theseare districts that are between thou-sands of people that are in our congres-sional districts, but we realize that thebroader sense of what we do is to rep-resent our Nation and the values andneeds of the American people.

Over the last 2 days, as we begin thislegislative process, I have been con-cerned about two issues in particularthat I believe do not, if you will, pro-vide for the overall sensitivity to theAmerican people. We were discussing amajor financial services bill that willbe coming up. Many elements are inthis bill, but I want our constituentsand, more importantly, our colleaguesto realize that you have a bill that willdiminish what we call the Volcker rule.

What that is is a protection to makesure if banks want to dibble and dabblein risky ventures or risky investments,that they do so with the money that isprivate and separate from money thatis protected by the FDIC. That is yoursavings accounts. That is the moneyyou socked away. In the instance ofthis legislation, they want to take thatprotection away so that banks can dib-ble and dabble in accounts that areprotected by the FDIC, meaning thatyou pay for mistakes; you pay for col-lapse; you pay for the wrong decisionsthat are made; and you lose. I dontwant the American people to lose.

It is something that has touched myheart because I represent a vastamount of constituents: those who arequite well-endowed, if you will, quitewealthy, such as major corporationsand neighbors and others who are doingquite well; and then, of course, I rep-resent children and widows who are de-pendent on something called SSI, orthose who are disabled who are depend-ent on SSI. And I cannot, for the life of


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me, understand why we would pass leg-islation that would, in essence, indi-cate that we are not going to continuesupporting SSI, in fact, that we maycall for either the elimination or thedecreasing of benefits under SSI.

Do we realize, does this Republicanleadership realize, that those who re-ceive SSI are the most vulnerable, thepoorest, the children who are in greatneed, the sick who are in great need,people who have worked and who have

fallen upon times in which they needthat kind of support? Why would we, inthe thinking of representing the core ofAmerican values, lifting all people, be-lieving in the equality of all, whywould we do this? And so my voice isgoing to be heard loudly and clearly. Icall upon, as my Democratic colleagueshave so aptly noted, that we raise ourvoices and that we get in the way andthat we stop this kind of intrusion onthose who cannot, in some instances,speak for themselves.

I want to rise today as well to ac-knowledge my deepest sympathy to thepeople of France for the heinous andtragic incident which has just oc-

curred. When I left, there were 12 dead,including two police officers in the lineof duty. We pray for their families, andwe stand up against this vile act offranchise terrorism.

As a member of the Homeland Secu-rity Committee, I am grateful to serveon that committee with the rankingmember, Mr. THOMPSON, and ChairmanMCCAUL. I hope that we can work in abipartisan manner to confront thiskind of dangerous terrorism, recog-nizing that we do not label people bytheir faith, but we label them by theiractions.

Might I also say that I express,again, on the floor, a sympathy for the

tragic execution of the NYPD law en-forcement officers. We do not stand forthat. That individual has been deter-mined to be disturbed, crazed, and doesnot represent any value of America. Weoffer our deepest sympathy to thoseshot recently in the line of duty. Hope-fully we will continue working in theJudicial Committee to look at thecriminal justice system that really in-volves a whole number of elements,such as the grand jury system, the spe-cial prosecutor system, the constanttraffic stops in many instances thatare done on a racially profiled sce-nario, and the uplifting of training andcommunity-oriented policing.

Mr. Speaker, we can do all of thesethings if we work together, but I didnot come to this Congress to under-mine the criminal justice system or toundermine people who are in need.

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RECESS

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu-ant to clause 12(a) of rule I, the Chairdeclares the House in recess until noontoday.

Accordingly (at 10 oclock and 34minutes a.m.), the House stood in re-cess.

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AFTER RECESS

The recess having expired, the Housewas called to order by the Speaker atnoon.

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PRAYER

The Chaplain, the Reverend PatrickJ. Conroy, offered the following prayer:

Loving God, we give You thanks for

giving us another day.We thank You for the joy, excite-ment, and ceremony of yesterday whenthe 114th Congress convened. It was acelebration of the ongoing Americanexperiment of participatory democ-racy.

Today begins, if not in full force, thework of the Congress when the difficul-ties facing our Nation, and some com-munities especially, come into focus.We ask again an abundance of Yourwisdom for the Members of the peoplesHouse.

May we be forever grateful for theblessings our Nation enjoys and appro-priately generous with what we have to

help those among us who are in need.May all that is done this day be forYour greater honor and glory.

Amen.

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THE JOURNAL

The SPEAKER. The Chair has exam-ined the Journal of the last days pro-ceedings and announces to the Househis approval thereof.

Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour-nal stands approved.

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PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

The SPEAKER. Will the gentleman

from South Carolina (Mr. WILSON)come forward and lead the House in thePledge of Allegiance.

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina ledthe Pledge of Allegiance as follows:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of theUnited States of America, and to the Repub-lic for which it stands, one nation under God,indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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SWEARING IN OF MEMBERS-ELECT

The SPEAKER. Will the Representa-tives-elect please present themselves inthe well.

Mr. CROWLEY of New York, Mr.ENGEL of New York, Mr. HIGGINS of

New York, Mrs. LOWEY of New York,Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of NewYork, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY ofNew York, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms.MENG of New York, Mr. NADLER of NewYork, Mr. RANGEL of New York, Mr.TONKO of New York, and Ms.VELAZQUEZ of New York appeared atthe bar of the House and took the oathof office, as follows:

Do you solemnly swear that you will sup-port and defend the Constitution of theUnited States against all enemies, foreignand domestic; that you will bear true faithand allegiance to the same; that you take

this obligation freely, without any mentalreservation or purpose of evasion; and thatyou will well and faithfully discharge the du-ties of the office on which you are about toenter, so help you God.

The SPEAKER. Congratulations. Youare now Members of the 114th Congress.

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COMMUNICATION FROM THECLERK OF THE HOUSE

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. POE

of Texas) laid before the House the fol-lowing communication from the Clerkof the House of Representatives:

OFFICE OF THE CLERK,HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,Washington, DC, January 6, 2015.

Hon. JOHN BOEHNER,The Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: Under Clause 2(g) ofRule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Rep-resentatives, I herewith designate Mr. Rob-ert Reeves, Deputy Clerk, and Mr. Kirk D.Boyle, Legal Counsel, to sign any and all pa-pers and do all other acts for me under thename of the Clerk of the House which theywould be authorized to do by virtue of thisdesignation, except such as are provided bystatute, in case of my temporary absence ordisability.

This designation shall remain in effect forthe 114th Congress or until modified by me.

With best wishes, I amSincerely,

KAREN L. HAAS,Clerk of the House.

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HIRE OUR HEROES ACT

(Mr. WILSON of South Carolinaasked and was given permission to ad-dress the House for 1 minute and to re-vise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr.Speaker, the Presidents takeover ofour Nations health care system bur-

dens small businesses and veteransseeking jobs. ObamaCares employermandate hurts small businesses abil-ity to hire employees while veteransalready face a tough job market.

I am grateful the House yesterdaypassed the Hire More Heroes Act, a bi-partisan bill to exempt veterans whoalready receive health care benefitsthrough the VA and TRICARE frombeing counted in the number that mustreceive employer coverage.

This policy change encourages busi-nesses to hire veterans and provides re-lief to employers to create jobs. I ap-preciate South Carolina Attorney Gen-eral Bob Livingston working with Colo-nel Ronnie Taylor on Operation Pal-metto Employment to reduce veteranunemployment from 16 to 3 percent.

Potential for employment should notbe restricted by the failures ofObamaCare, and I am grateful one ofthe first votes of the 114th Congresssupports veterans and creates jobs.

Also, God bless our troops, and thePresident, by his actions, must neverforget September the 11th in the globalwar on terrorism. Our sympathy toAmericas first ally, France, on the ter-rorist attack today in Paris.


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PORT NEGOTIATIONS

(Ms. HAHN asked and was given per-mission to address the House for 1minute.)

Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise todayto express my hopes that the negotia-tions between the Pacific Maritime As-sociation and our dock workers willimprove quickly with the help of a Fed-eral mediator.

Resolving differences between theILWU and the PMA is essential to the

United States economy because ourwest coast ports support 5 million jobsacross the country and handle two-thirds of all Americas trade. This rep-resents 12.5 percent of our GDP.

Port workers have been without acontract for 7 months under tense anduncertain conditions. Reaching a fairagreement is urgent for workers andtheir families, for communities, for ourbusinesses that depends on goods mov-ing through these ports, and indeed forour Nations prosperity.

As cochair of the bipartisan PortCaucus, along with my colleague TEDPOE, I will do all I can to help our portsoperate smoothly and keep Americans

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BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

(Mr. ROUZER asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute and to revise and extend his re-marks.)

Mr. ROUZER. Mr. Speaker, it doesnttake an accountant to figure out thatour path of more spending and moredebt must change. Our national debthas increased by more than $7 trillionover the past 6 years, now totalingmore than $18 trillion.

That is why I am proud to cosponsorH.J. Res. 1 and H.J. Res. 2. Both of

these bills would amend the Constitu-tion to require a balanced budget.Families across North Carolina andAmerica are required to live withintheir means, and they expect Wash-ington to do the same.

I came here with a clear mission:work to get a balanced budget and domy best to reduce the size and scope ofgovernment, so that our small busi-nesses and farm families can grow andcreate jobs.

On behalf of the fine citizens of theSeventh Congressional District ofNorth Carolina, I am proud to be a co-sponsor of both of these resolutions,and I encourage my colleagues in boththe House and the Senate to join me inthis effort.

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NEW CONGRESS REPRESENTS ANEW OPPORTUNITY

(Mr. CICILLINE asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute.)

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, yester-day, the 114th Congress of the UnitedStates convened for the first time. Thisnew Congress represents a new oppor-tunity to get to work on the prioritiesof the American people.

We have a responsibility over thenext 2 years to work together in a bi-partisan way to create jobs, grow theeconomy, expand access to affordableeducation, and keep our communitiessafe.

Last night, Democrats offered a newlegislative package to grow the econ-omy by creating better infrastructureand bigger paychecks for hardworkingAmericans. Unfortunately, House Re-publicans voted to block action on this

important legislation.I am hopeful that this year we cancast aside partisan differences andwork together to expand opportunitiesfor hardworking Americans and theirfamilies.

This month, I will be meeting withRhode Islanders all across my homeState to hear about their priorities asI develop my legislative work plan forthe 114th Congress.

By working together, I believe wecan find common ground to make thisCongress more productive than thelast, accomplish the work that we weresent here to do, and create a brighterfuture for the people we serve.

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BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

(Mr. POLIQUIN asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute and to revise and extend his re-marks.)

Mr. POLIQUIN. Mr. Speaker, for gen-erations, the hardworking families ofMaines Second District have balancedtheir checkbooks at the kitchen table.It is time our Federal Government doesthe same.

A balanced budget amendment to ourConstitution will finally force Wash-ington to live within its means. Thisdiscipline will help end wasteful spend-ing and enable our government to startpaying down our $18 trillion nationaldebt.

That will give job creators the con-fidence to expand their companies andto start new ones. More jobs, morefreedom, less government dependency,that is what we all want for our kids.

Amending our Constitution will notbe easy or quick, but we can start theprocess right now. With every Memberof Congress supporting this crucial jobsbill, an institutional discipline tospend no more than we collect in taxesfrom American families is the com-monsense, right thing to do. It willhelp ensure the financial security forour kids and our grandkids, and it willcreate jobs.

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USA WARRIORS ICE HOCKEYPROGRAM

(Mr. QUIGLEY asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute and to revise and extend his re-marks.)

Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, one ofmy greatest privileges as a Congress-man has been spending time with someof our countrys wounded veteransthrough the USA Warriors Ice Hockey

program. USA Warriors provides edu-cation, training, motivation, and en-couragement for U.S. military mem-bers who have been injured while serv-ing.

The same qualities that made themsuccessful in the militaryteamwork,perseverance, and determinationmake them inspiring competitors onthe ice.

Recently, I played with the Warriorsand the Chicago Blackhawks at a prac-

tice at Nationals Park before the Win-ter Classic. Last week was particularlymoving because the Warriors paid trib-ute to Clint Reif, Chicago Blackhawksassistant equipment manager, whopassed away on December 21st, bywearing CR stickers on their hel-mets.

Clint was responsible for getting theWarriors new equipment when theyskated with the Blackhawks last sea-son at Soldier Field, and many of theWarriors considered Clint an extendedmember of their team. This simple ges-ture was a fitting tribute to Clint andan extraordinary testament to theseveterans who have given us all so

much.My thoughts and prayers are withthe Reif family and the entire ChicagoBlackhawks organization during thesedifficult times.

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LAUREN HILL

(Mr. MESSER asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute.)

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, today, Irise to honor a remarkable youngwoman from Indianas Sixth Congres-sional District, 19-year-old Lauren Hill.

Last year, this Lawrenceburg nativewas diagnosed with DIPG, a terminal

form of brain cancer. Since then,Lauren has become a national symbolof courage and hope for those impactedby this terrible disease.

This selfless young woman inspiredthe Nation last November by fulfillingher dream of playing in an NCAA bas-ketball game, despite having an inoper-able brain tumor. Lauren not onlyplayed, but scored 4 points for theMount St. Josephs Lions.

She then set an ambitious goal: toraise $1 million for DIPG research be-fore the end of 2014. During a telethonon Tuesday, December 30th, she sur-passed that goal.

I commend Lauren for her continued

courage and applaud the steps she hastaken to find a cure for pediatric braincancer.

Lauren, you make your community,your State, and your country proud.

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MARRIAGE EQUALITY

(Mr. HIGGINS asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute.)

Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, yester-day, Florida became the 36th State to


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legalize marriage equality. Now morethan 70 percent of Americans live in aState where sexual orientation doesnot dictate who can be married.

Our Nation was founded on basicprinciples of freedom and equality, andno law should discriminate against in-dividuals on the basis of who they are.We have come a long way since 2004when Massachusetts became a pio-neering State in the fight for marriageequality. But the fight is not over.

I am a proud to be an original co-sponsor of the Respect for MarriageAct, reintroduced in the House yester-day. This legislation will allow same-sex couples to receive equal and fairtreatment under Federal law regardlessof their States marriage laws.

As we begin the 114th Congress, Ilook forward to working with my col-leagues in the House to make sure thatwe have laws in place to end discrimi-nation toward individuals, regardlessof their gender, race, religious back-ground, sexual orientation, or genderidentity.

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FIRST RESPONDER APPRECIATION

WEEK(Mr. BILIRAKIS asked and was given

permission to address the House for 1minute.)

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, thisweek is Floridas First Responder Ap-preciation Week. Every day, law en-forcement, firefighters, and EMTs puttheir lives on the line to keep our com-munities safe.

Sadly, in my district, Tarpon Springspolice officer Charles Charlie KKondek was shot and killed right be-fore Christmas as he patrolled thestreets on the midnight shift while therest of us slept securely in our homes.

There is no such thing as a typical

day for first responders. On average, anofficer dies in the line of duty every 58hours150 deaths per year.

This week, and every day, we shouldbe thankful for the first respondersserving our communities. Let us neverforget the sacrifices of Officer Kondekand others who have fallen in the lineof duty. These brave officers and theirfamilies are in our prayers. They areremembered.

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VOTING RIGHTS OF THE DISTRICTOF COLUMBIA

(Ms. NORTON asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute and to revise and extend her re-marks.)

Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, yester-day, in their first votes of the 114thCongress, the majority used their firstvote to eliminate the vote in the Com-mittee of the Whole of the residents ofyour Nations Capital. That vote onsome, but certainly not all, mattershad been approved by the Federalcourts. The District of Columbia hasused this vote in three Congresses, butnot when Republicans controlled.

With their large majority, Repub-licans showed themselves to be small

in principle when they voted to elimi-nate the vote of D.C. citizens, who paythe highest Federal taxes per capita inthe Nation.

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HONORING DAVID FRANK GEER

(Mr. DENHAM asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute.)

Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I risetoday to acknowledge and honor thelife of a beloved leader in the Modestocommunity. Former Modesto CityCouncil member David Dave FrankGeer died at the age of 72 on Sunday,December 28.

He followed in his fathers footstepsand became a paratrooper in theUnited States Army and served formany years in the Reserves after Ac-tive Duty. For 27 years, Dave workedat Lawrence Livermore National Lab-oratory for the U.S. Department of En-ergy and the Nuclear Security Admin-istration. He was a Federal security po-lice officer with a Q level securityclearance.

In 2009, Dave decided to get more ac-tive in politics and ran for the ModestoCity Council District Two. He wonhandily. He was a strong advocate forhis largely Latino district, which in-cludes some of Modestos poorestneighborhoods, which he lived in formore than a quarter century. He under-stood politics without being political.He did his homework on issues facingthe city. And while he treated peoplewith respect, he did not shy away fromasking very tough questions.

In addition to serving on the citycouncil, he was involved in many as-pects of our community. And he wasvery involved with many of us in ad-dressing all problems, not just from acity perspective, but from a county,from a State, and from a Federal per-spective. Dave Geer was a man who wasvery involved in his community andwanted to strengthen his Nation. Hewill be missed. We will miss his leader-ship.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in hon-oring and recognizing Dave Geer for hisunwavering leadership and many ac-complishments and contributions. Hehad a long history of service to his Na-tion and community, and he had a gen-uine love for the people, community,and Nation he worked so hard for.

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HONORING STEPHANIE RILEY

(Ms. KUSTER asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute.)

Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, today Irise to honor Lieutenant ColonelStephanie Riley of the New HampshireNational Guard, a courageous GraniteStater who recently passed away aftera long battle with cancer. In additionto her work as an occupational nursefor the Army and her dedicated serviceto the National Guard, Steph touchedso many lives with her energy andcompassion.

Steph leaves behind a wonderful hus-band, Shawn, and two terrific kids,Shane and Sammie, as well as count-less friends and admirers all acrossNew Hampshire. She was a tireless ad-vocate for veterans, serving as sec-retary of our States Veterans Advi-sory Council. She was devoted to thenext generation of leaders.

When Steph was diagnosed with can-cer, she refused to be discouraged. Shewas open about her disease, fighting on

behalf of cancer research. I had thehonor of walking with her on her team,Steph Strong, in an event to raise can-cer awareness. As always, she was kindand vivacious, joking with friends andfamily. I consider myself very lucky tohave been her friend. Steph was a won-derful, brave Granite Stater.

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STANDING AGAINST CASTROREGIME

(Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and wasgiven permission to address the Housefor 1 minute and to revise and extendher remarks.)

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker,President Obamas statement that hewill reestablish diplomatic relationswith the communist regime in Cubatakes away leverage that could havebeen used once that island nation oneday begins to move towards democracyand freedom. But the Castro brothershave taken no such steps, nor willthey. Raul Castro already stated thathe will not change anything about hisregime. That was Castros official re-sponse to President Obamas unilateralconcessions.

The U.S. has given away the store,and it has not helped the Cuban opposi-tion at all.

Is there freedom of expression inCuba now? No.

Are there political parties in Cuba?No, just one party, the CommunistParty.

Is there freedom of assembly, free-dom of the press, respect for humanrights? No, no, and no.

Will President Obamas sellout helpbring about such freedoms? No. Quitethe opposite, Mr. Speaker. It will pro-vide an economic lifeline to the de-crepit regime.

The President has stated that he hasasked for an official U.S. Embassy anda U.S. Ambassador to Cuba. This wouldlend legitimacy to a dictatorship thatcontinues to pose a threat to U.S. na-tional security.

Lets work to stop this reckless andunwarranted action. Lets stand withthe Cuban opposition and not with theCastro regime.

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CRAIG BIGGIO VOTED INTOBASEBALL HALL OF FAME

(Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas askedand was given permission to addressthe House for 1 minute and to reviseand extend his remarks.)

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr.Speaker, Houstonians and baseball fans


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all across the country today are cele-brating. The Houston Astros have theirfirst person into the Hall of Fame,Craig Biggio. He is called the greatestAstro because, for his 20-year career,he spent his total time with the Hous-ton Astros. We have a number of otherplayers in the Hall of Fame, but theydidnt spend their entire career withthe Astros.

The Houston Astro franchise startedin 1962, 52 years ago, as the Colt .45s. In

1965, they changed the name to theHouston Astros and played in the As-trodome for many years. Now theyplay at Minute Maid Park. The famedAstrodome is still there, although weneed to refurbish it. But it is historic.

The Astros organization andHoustonians today are celebratingCraig Biggio, who was a great mentorto a lot of baseball players. Mr. Hustle,as he was known in the Houston area,is now a member of the Hall of Frame.

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OPPOSING UNILATERALEXECUTIVE ACTIONS

(Ms. FOXX asked and was given per-mission to address the House for 1minute.)

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, over the lastfew weeks, many people have expressedgenuine concerns about the appropria-tions bill that passed Congress in De-cember. Unfortunately, many Wash-ington-based special interest groupsare confusing the matter with incom-plete and sometimes false messagesaimed more at fundraising for them-selves than uniting behind our sharedgoal of stopping President Obamas ex-ecutive overreach on immigration.

I am vehemently opposed to thePresidents unilateral executive ac-tions granting amnesty to millions ofillegal aliens. It is the responsibility ofCongress to pursue reforms and ensurethat a strong immigration policy is de-vised.

By extending funding for the Depart-ment of Homeland Security onlythrough February 2015, the House andSenate are prepared to confront thePresidents unparalleled power grabwithout the threat of a looming, gov-ernment-wide shutdown, and we will doeverything we can to stop his destruc-tive actions.

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OUR LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

(Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON ofTexas asked and was given permissionto address the House for 1 minute.)

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON ofTexas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support ofa Democratic legislative agenda thatwould improve our Nations infrastruc-ture and focus on job creation and sup-port of the American people.

Instead of taking backward steps andundermining existing law that protectsand helps our fellow Americans, wemust concentrate on fair wages, sci-entific advancement, and allowing in-dividuals to access health security. Wemust begin to work on reauthorizing

the highway trust fund immediately,moving beyond the all-too-familiar re-curring nightmare of short-term, piece-meal highway reauthorizations.

Instead of providing giveaways tospecial interest groups, we muststrengthen protections in publichealth, the environment, food safety,and consumer safety for hardworkingAmericans. We must support access toquality, affordable health insurance formillions of Americans instead of slowly

chipping away provisions of the Afford-able Care Act. And Congress mustthink in the long term by leading ef-forts to curb climate change.

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SHARED ENDEAVOR ON COMMONGROUND

(Mr. CONNOLLY asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute.)

Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I wel-come you and all of our colleaguesback for the start of the 114th Con-gress. I was encouraged by SpeakerBOEHNERs remarks yesterday callingfor all of us to begin this shared en-

deavor on common ground. I couldntagree more. As someone who comesfrom local government, I know first-hand the music that can be made whenelected leaders allow their commit-ments to improve the quality of life forour neighbors to guide their actionsrather than partisan ideology.

My predecessor in this Chamber wasalso a veteran of local government.And although we had our share of par-tisan differences, we both like to saythat we belong to the same party, theparty of getting things done, a monikerto which this new Congress should as-pire.

Without question, there will be rig-

orous battle of ideas, and we should ex-pect nothing less in the arena of elect-ed leadership. But at the end of theday, our constituents expect us to re-solve those differences, to accomplishsomething on their behalf rather thanon behalf of our respective parties.

Mr. Speaker, when a final tally istaken of this Congress, I hope we doprove the pessimists wrong and showwe were a Congress that got thingsdone.

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AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE BEINGMISLED AS TO THE CON-

SEQUENCES OF COMPANY BO-NUSES

(Mr. CONAWAY asked and was givenpermission to address the House for 1minute and to revise and extend his re-marks.)

Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, yester-day, from these microphones, there wasmore than one occasion when my col-leagues would argue that somehow giv-ing a bonus of $1 million to the busi-ness owner or a chief executive officerof a company would somehow gountaxed; that because the company got

a tax deduction that that somehowspread the burden of that across all ofAmerica.

What was left out of the conversationeach and every time was the fact thatthe recipient of that bonusthis indi-vidualactually puts that on their taxreturn and pays it at a much higherrate. In fact, that $1 million wouldprobably be taxed at the 43 percentrateor 39.6, plus the add-ons that arein place.

So, over and over again yesterday theAmerican people were misled as to theconsequences of getting bonuses orpaying chief executive officers. It doesnot go untaxed simply because thecompany gets a tax deduction. Thatemployee has to put that on their taxreturn and pay the appropriate taxeson that.

I just wanted to set the recordstraight on yesterdays misguided com-ments with respect to how individualswho create businesses and grow thosebusinesses are compensated, and themisinformation that that somehow is anegative impact on the rest of us.

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BEGINNING OF A NEW CONGRESS

(Mrs. DAVIS of California asked andwas given permission to address theHouse for 1 minute.)

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speak-er, this week marks the beginning of anew Congress, and with it comes a newchance to move past the bickering thathas characterized the last 2 years.Sadly, the leadership of the Houseseems poised to let that opportunity goto waste.

Since the election, we have heardthat one potential area of agreementwould be tax reform. That would be

great. I would welcome the chance toimprove our deeply flawed Tax Code.And yet, the very first act of this Con-gress will make it much harder for anyreform bill to get bipartisan support.

That is because House leadership hasquite literally changed the rules of thegame, allowing them to pick andchoose which tax bills the congres-sional budget will be giving favorabletreatment.

Mr. Speaker, I am optimistic that wecan move past the dysfunction of thelast few years, but changing the rulesof the game isnt a signal that we areheading in the right direction.

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ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE SPEAKERPRO TEMPORE

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu-ant to clause 8 of rule XX, the Chairwill postpone further proceedingstoday on motions to suspend the ruleson which a recorded vote or the yeasand nays are ordered, or on which thevote incurs objection under clause 6 ofrule XX.

Record votes on postponed questionswill be taken later.


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TERRORISM RISK INSURANCE PRO-GRAM REAUTHORIZATION ACTOF 2015

Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, Imove to suspend the rules and pass thebill (H.R. 26) to extend the terminationdate of the Terrorism Insurance Pro-gram established under the TerrorismRisk Insurance Act of 2002, and forother purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 26Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep-

resentatives of the United States of America in

Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CON-TENTS.

(a) SHORT TITLE.This Act may be cited asthe Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Re-authorization Act of 2015.

(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.The table of con-tents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.

TITLE IEXTENSION OF TERRORISMINSURANCE PROGRAM

Sec. 101. Extension of Terrorism InsuranceProgram.

Sec. 102. Federal share.Sec. 103. Program trigger.

Sec. 104. Recoupment of Federal share ofcompensation under the pro-gram.

Sec. 105. Certification of acts of terrorism;consultation with Secretary ofHomeland Security.

Sec. 106. Technical amendments.Sec. 107. Improving the certification proc-

ess.Sec. 108. GAO study.Sec. 109. Membership of Board of Governors

of the Federal Reserve System.Sec. 110. Advisory Committee on Risk-Shar-

ing Mechanisms.Sec. 111. Reporting of terrorism insurance

data.Sec. 112. Annual study of small insurer mar-

ket competitiveness.

TITLE IINATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF

REGISTERED AGENTS AND BROKERSREFORM

Sec. 201. Short title.Sec. 202. Reestablishment of the National

Association of RegisteredAgents and Brokers.

TITLE IIIBUSINESS RISK MITIGATIONAND PRICE STABILIZATION

Sec. 301. Short title.Sec. 302. Margin requirements.Sec. 303. Implementation.

TITLE IEXTENSION OF TERRORISMINSURANCE PROGRAM

SEC. 101. EXTENSION OF TERRORISM INSURANCEPROGRAM.

Section 108(a) of the Terrorism Risk Insur-ance Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C. 6701 note) isamended by striking December 31, 2014 and

inserting December 31, 2020.SEC. 102. FEDERAL SHARE.

Section 103(e)(1)(A) of the Terrorism RiskInsurance Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C. 6701 note) isamended by inserting and beginning onJanuary 1, 2016, shall decrease by 1 percent-age point per calendar year until equal to 80percent after 85 percent.

SEC. 103. PROGRAM TRIGGER.

Subparagraph (B) of section 103(e)(1) (15U.S.C. 6701 note) is amended in the matterpreceding clause (i)

(1) by striking a certified act and insert-ing certified acts;

(2) by striking such certified act and in-serting such certified acts; and

(3) by striking exceed and all that fol-lows through clause (ii) and inserting the fol-lowing: exceed

(i) $100,000,000, with respect to such in-sured losses occurring in calendar year 2015;

(ii) $120,000,000, with respect to such in-sured losses occurring in calendar year 2016;

(iii) $140,000,000, with respect to such in-sured losses occurring in calendar year 2017;

(iv) $160,000,000, with respect to such in-sured losses occurring in calendar year 2018;

(v) $180,000,000, with respect to such in-sured losses occurring in calendar year 2019;and

(vi) $200,000,000, with respect to such in-sured losses occurring in calendar year 2020and any calendar year thereafter..

SEC. 104. RECOUPMENT OF FEDERAL SHARE OFCOMPENSATION UNDER THE PRO-GRAM.

Section 103(e) of the Terrorism Risk Insur-ance Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C. 6701 note) isamended

(1) by amending paragraph (6) to read asfollows:

(6) INSURANCE MARKETPLACE AGGREGATERETENTION AMOUNT.

(A) IN GENERAL.For purposes of para-graph (7), the insurance marketplace aggre-gate retention amount shall be the lesserof

(i) $27,500,000,000, as such amount is re-vised pursuant to this paragraph; and

(ii) the aggregate amount, for all insur-ers, of insured losses during such calendaryear.

(B) REVISION OF INSURANCE MARKETPLACEAGGREGATE RETENTION AMOUNT.

(i) PHASE-IN.Beginning in the calendaryear of enactment of the Terrorism Risk In-surance Program Reauthorization Act of2015, the amount set forth under subpara-graph (A)(i) shall increase by $2,000,000,000per calendar year until equal to$37,500,000,000.

(ii) FURTHER REVISION.Beginning in thecalendar year that follows the calendar yearin which the amount set forth under sub-paragraph (A)(i) is equal to $37,500,000,000,the amount under subparagraph (A)(i) shallbe revised to be the amount equal to the an-nual average of the sum of insurerdeductibles for all insurers participating in

the Program for the prior 3 calendar years,as such sum is determined by the Secretaryunder subparagraph (C).

(C) RULEMAKING.Not later than 3 yearsafter the date of enactment of the TerrorismRisk Insurance Program ReauthorizationAct of 2015, the Secretary shall

(i) issue final rules for determining theamount of the sum described under subpara-graph (B)(ii); and

(ii) provide a timeline for public notifica-tion of such determination.; and

(2) in paragraph (7)(A) in subparagraph (A)(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), by

striking for each of the periods referred toin subparagraphs (A) through (E) of para-graph (6); and

(ii) in clause (i), by striking for such pe-

riod;(B) by striking subparagraph (B) and in-

serting the following:(B) [Reserved.];(C) in subparagraph (C)(i) by striking occurring during any of the

periods referred to in any of subparagraphs(A) through (E) of paragraph (6), terrorismloss risk-spreading premiums in an amountequal to 133 percent and inserting , ter-rorism loss risk-spreading premiums in anamount equal to 140 percent; and

(ii) by inserting as calculated under sub-paragraph (A) after mandatoryrecoupment amount; and

(D) in subparagraph (E)(i)

(i) in subclause (I)(I) by striking 2010 and inserting 2017;

and(II) by striking 2012 and inserting 2019;(ii) in subclause (II)(I) by striking 2011 and inserting 2018;(II) by striking 2012 and inserting 2019;

and(III) by striking 2017 and inserting

2024; and(iii) in subclause (III)(I) by striking 2012 and inserting 2019;

and(II) by striking 2017 and inserting 2024.

SEC. 105. CERTIFICATION OF ACTS OF TER-RORISM; CONSULTATION WITH SEC-RETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

Paragraph (1)(A) of section 102 (15 U.S.C.6701 note) is amended in the matter pre-ceding clause (i), by striking concurrencewith the Secretary of State and insertingconsultation with the Secretary of Home-land Security.

SEC. 106. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.

The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002(15 U.S.C. 6701 note) is amended

(1) in section 102(A) in paragraph (3)(i) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B),

and (C) as clauses (i), (ii), and (iii), respec-tively;

(ii) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as soredesignated), by striking An entity has

and inserting the following:(A) IN GENERAL.An entity has; and(iii) by adding at the end the following new

subparagraph:(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.An entity,

including any affiliate thereof, does not havecontrol over another entity, if, as of thedate of enactment of the Terrorism Risk In-surance Program Reauthorization Act of2015, the entity is acting as an attorney-in-fact, as defined by the Secretary, for theother entity and such other entity is a recip-rocal insurer, provided that the entity is not,for reasons other than the attorney-in-factrelationship, defined as having controlunder subparagraph (A).;

(B) in paragraph (7)(i) by striking subparagraphs (A) through

(F) and inserting the following:

(A) the value of an insurers direct earnedpremiums during the immediately precedingcalendar year, multiplied by 20 percent;and;

(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (G) assubparagraph (B); and

(iii) in subparagraph (B), as so redesignatedby clause (ii)

(I) by striking notwithstanding subpara-graphs (A) through (F), for the TransitionPeriod or any Program Year and insertingnotwithstanding subparagraph (A), for anycalendar year; and

(II) by striking Period or Program Yearand inserting calendar year;

(C) by striking paragraph (11); and(D) by redesignating paragraphs (12)

through (16) as paragraphs (11) through (15),respectively; and

(2) in section 103(A) in subsection (b)(2)(i) in subparagraph (B), by striking , pur-

chase,; and(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking , pur-

chase,;(B) in subsection (c), by striking Program

Year and inserting calendar year;(C) in subsection (e)(i) in paragraph (1)(A), as previously

amended by section 102(I) by striking the Transition Period and

each Program Year through Program Year 4shall be equal to 90 percent, and during Pro-gram Year 5 and each Program Year there-after and inserting each calendar year;


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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD HOUSEH60 January 7, 2015(II) by striking the comma after 80 per-

cent; and(III) by striking such Transition Period or

such Program Year and inserting such cal-endar year;

(ii) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking theperiod beginning on the first day of theTransition Period and ending on the last dayof Program Year 1, or during any ProgramYear thereafter and inserting a calendaryear; and

(iii) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe-riod beginning on the first day of the Transi-tion Period and ending on the last day of

Program Year 1, or during any other Pro-gram Year and inserting any calendaryear; and

(D) in subsection (g)(2)(i) by striking the Transition Period or a

Program Year each place that term appearsand inserting the calendar year;

(ii) by striking such period and insertingthe calendar year; and

(iii) by striking that period and insert-ing the calendar year.

SEC. 107. IMPROVING THE CERTIFICATION PROC-ESS.

(a) DEFINITIONS.As used in this section(1) the term act of terrorism has the

same meaning as in section 102(1) of the Ter-rorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C.6701 note);

(2) the term certification process means

the process by which the Secretary deter-mines whether to certify an act as an act ofterrorism under section 102(1) of the Ter-rorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C.6701 note); and

(3) the term Secretary means the Sec-retary of the Treasury.

(b) STUDY.Not later than 9 months afterthe date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-retary shall conduct and complete a study onthe certification process.

(c) REQUIRED CONTENT.The study requiredunder subsection (a) shall include an exam-ination and analysis of

(1) the establishment of a reasonabletimeline by which the Secretary must makean accurate determination on whether tocertify an act as an act of terrorism;

(2) the impact that the length of anytimeline proposed to be established underparagraph (1) may have on the insurance in-dustry, policyholders, consumers, and tax-payers as a whole;

(3) the factors the Secretary would evalu-ate and monitor during the certificationprocess, including the ability of the Sec-retary to obtain the required information re-garding the amount of projected and in-curred losses resulting from an act which theSecretary would need in determining wheth-er to certify the act as an act of terrorism;

(4) the appropriateness, efficiency, and ef-fectiveness of the consultation process re-quired under section 102(1)(A) of the Ter-rorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C.6701 note) and any recommendations onchanges to the consultation process; and

(5) the ability of the Secretary to provideguidance and updates to the public regardingany act that may reasonably be certified asan act of terrorism.

(d) REPORT.Upon completion of the studyrequired under subsection (a), the Secretaryshall submit a report on the results of suchstudy to the Committee on Banking, Hous-ing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and theCommittee on Financial Services of theHouse of Representatives.

(e) RULEMAKING.Section 102(1) of the Ter-rorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (15 U.S.C.6701 note) is amended

(1) by redesignating subparagraph (D) assubparagraph (E); and

(2) by inserting after subparagraph (C) thefollowing:

(D) TIMING OF CERTIFICATION.Not laterthan 9 months after the report requiredunder section 107 of the Terrorism Risk In-surance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015is submitted to the appropriate committeesof Congress, the Secretary shall issue finalrules governing the certification process, in-cluding establishing a timeline for which anact is eligible for certification by the Sec-retary on whether an act is an act of ter-rorism under this paragraph..

SEC. 108. GAO STUDY.

(a) STUDY.Not later than 2 years after thedate of enactment of this Act, the Comp-

troller General of the United States shallcomplete a study on the viability and effectsof the Federal Government

(1) assessing and collecting upfront pre-miums on insurers that participate in theTerrorism Insurance Program establishedunder the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of2002 (15 U.S.C. 6701 note) (hereafter in thissection referred to as the Program), whichshall include a comparison of practices ininternational markets to assess and collectpremiums either before or after terrorismlosses are incurred; and

(2) creating a capital reserve fund underthe Program and requiring insurers partici-pating in the Program to dedicate capitalspecifically for terrorism losses before suchlosses are incurred, which shall include acomparison of practices in international

markets to establish reserve funds.(b) REQUIRED CONTENT.The study re-quired under subsection (a) shall examine,but shall not be limited to, the followingissues:

(1) UPFRONT PREMIUMS.With respect toupfront premiums described in subsection(a)(1)

(A) how the Federal Government could de-termine the price of such upfront premiumson insurers that participate in the Program;

(B) how the Federal Government could col-lect and manage such upfront premiums;

(C) how the Federal Government could en-sure that such upfront premiums are notspent for purposes other than claims throughthe Program;

(D) how the assessment and collection ofsuch upfront premiums could affect take-uprates for terrorism risk coverage in different

regions and industries and how it could im-pact small businesses and consumers in bothmetropolitan and non-metropolitan areas;

(E) the effect of collecting such upfrontpremiums on insurers both large and small;

(F) the effect of collecting such upfrontpremiums on the private market for ter-rorism risk reinsurance; and

(G) the size of any Federal Governmentsubsidy insurers may receive through theirparticipation in the Program, taking into ac-count the Programs current post-eventrecoupment structure.

(2) CAPITAL RESERVE FUND.With respectto the capital reserve fund described in sub-section (a)(2)

(A) how the creation of a capital reservefund would affect the Federal Governmentsfiscal exposure under the Terrorism Risk In-

surance Program and the ability of the Pro-gram to meet its statutory purposes;

(B) how a capital reserve fund would im-pact insurers and reinsurers, including li-quidity, insurance pricing, and capacity toprovide terrorism risk coverage;

(C) the feasibility of segregating funds at-tributable to terrorism risk from funds at-tributable to other insurance lines;

(D) how a capital reserve fund would beviewed and treated under current FinancialAccounting Standards Board accountingrules and the tax laws; and

(E) how a capital reserve fund would affectthe States ability to regulate insurers par-ticipating in the Program.

(3) INTERNATIONAL PRACTICES.With re-spect to international markets referred to inparagraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a), howother countries, if any

(A) have established terrorism insurancestructures;

(B) charge premiums or otherwise collectfunds to pay for the costs of terrorism insur-ance structures, including risk and adminis-trative costs; and

(C) have established capital reserve fundsto pay for the costs of terrorism insurancestructures.

(c) REPORT.Upon completion of the studyrequired under subsection (a), the Comp-troller General shall submit a report on theresults of such study to the Committee onBanking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of theSenate and the Committee on FinancialServices of the House of Representatives.

(d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.The study andreport required under this section shall bemade available to the public in electronicform and shall be published on the website ofthe Government Accountability Office.

SEC. 109. MEMBERSHIP OF BOARD OF GOV-ERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVESYSTEM.

(a) IN GENERAL.The first undesignatedparagraph of section 10 of the Federal Re-serve Act (12 U.S.C. 241) is amended by in-serting after the second sentence the fol-

lowing: In selecting members of the Board,the President shall appoint at least 1 mem-ber with demonstrated primary experienceworking in or supervising community bankshaving less than $10,000,000,000 in total as-sets..

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.The amendmentmade by this section shall take effect on thedate of enactment of this Act and apply toappointments made on and after that effec-tive date, excluding any nomination pendingin the Senate on that date.

SEC. 110. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON RISK-SHAR-ING MECHANISMS.

(a) FINDING; RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.(1) FINDING.Congress finds that it is de-

sirable to encourage the growth of non-governmental, private market reinsurance

capacity for protection against losses arisingfrom acts of terrorism.

(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.Nothing in thisAct, any amendment made by this Act, orthe Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (15U.S.C. 6701 note) shall prohibit insurers fromdeveloping risk-sharing mechanisms to vol-untarily reinsure terrorism losses betweenand among themselves.

(b) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON RISK-SHARINGMECHANISMS.

(1) ESTABLISHMENT.The Secretary of theTreasury shall establish and appoint an advi-sory committee to be known as the Advi-sory Committee on Risk-Sharing Mecha-nisms (referred to in this subsection as theAdvisory Committee).

(2) DUTIES.The Advisory Committee shallprovide advice, recommendations, and en-

couragement with respect to the creationand development of the nongovernmentalrisk-sharing mechanisms described undersubsection (a).

(3) MEMBERSHIP.The Advisory Committeeshall be composed of 9 members who are di-rectors, officers, or other employees of insur-ers, reinsurers, or capital market partici-pants that are participating or that desire toparticipate in the nongovernmental risk-sharing mechanisms described under sub-section (a), and who are representative of theaffected sectors of the insurance industry,including commercial property insurance,commercial casualty insurance, reinsurance,and alternative risk transfer industries.

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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD HOUSE H61January 7, 2015SEC. 111. REPORTING OF TERRORISM INSUR-

ANCE DATA.

Section 104 (15 U.S.C. 6701 note) is amendedby adding at the end the following new sub-section:

(h) REPORTING OF TERRORISM INSURANCEDATA.

(1) AUTHORITY.During the calendar yearbeginning on January 1, 2016, and in each cal-endar year thereafter, the Secretary shall re-quire insurers participating in the Programto submit to the Secretary such informationregarding insurance coverage for terrorismlosses of such insurers as the Secretary con-

siders appropriate to analyze the effective-ness of the Program, which shall include in-formation regarding

(A) lines of insurance with exposure tosuch losses;

(B) premiums earned on such coverage;(C) geographical location of exposures;(D) pricing of such coverage;(E) the take-up rate for such coverage;(F) the amount of private reinsurance for

acts of terrorism purchased; and(G) such other matters as the Secretary

considers appropriate.(2) REPORTS.Not later than June 30,

2016, and every other June 30 thereafter, theSecretary shall submit a report to the Com-mittee on Financial Services of the House ofRepresentatives and the Committee onBanking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of theSenate that includes

(A) an analysis of the overall effective-ness of the Program;

(B) an evaluation of any changes ortrends in the data collected under paragraph(1);

(C) an evaluation of whether any aspectsof the Program have the effect of discour-aging or impeding insurers from providingcommercial property casualty insurance cov-erage or coverage for acts of terrorism;

(D) an evaluation of the impact of theProgram on workers compensation insurers;and

(E) in the case of the data reported inparagraph (1)(B), an updated estimate of thetotal amount earned since January 1, 2003.

(3) PROTECTION OF DATA.To the extentpossible, the Secretary shall contract withan insurance statistical aggregator to collect

the information described in paragraph (1),which shall keep any nonpublic informationconfidential and provide it to the Secretaryin an aggregate form or in such other formor manner that does not permit identifica-tion of the insurer submitting such informa-tion.

(4) ADVANCE COORDINATION.Before col-lecting any data or information under para-graph (1) from an insurer, or affiliate of aninsurer, the Secretary shall coordinate withthe appropriate State insurance regulatoryauthorities and any relevant governmentagency or publicly available sources to de-termine if the information to be collected isavailable from, and may be obtained in atimely manner by, individually or collec-tively, such entities. If the Secretary deter-mines that such data or information is avail-

able, and may be obtained in a timely mat-ter, from such entities, the Secretary shallobtain the data or information from such en-tities. If the Secretary determines that suchdata or information is not so available, theSecretary may collect such data or informa-tion from an insurer and affiliates.

(5) CONFIDENTIALITY.(A) RETENTION OF PRIVILEGE.The sub-

mission of any non-publicly available dataand information to the Secretary and thesharing of any non-publicly available datawith or by the Secretary among other Fed-eral agencies, the State insurance regulatoryauthorities, or any other entities under thissubsection shall not constitute a waiver of,

or otherwise affect, any privilege arisingunder Federal or State law (including therules of any Federal or State court) to whichthe data or information is otherwise subject.

(B) CONTINUED APPLICATION OF PRIOR CON-FIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS.Any require-ment under Federal or State law to the ex-tent otherwise applicable, or any require-ment pursuant to a written agreement in ef-fect between the original source of any non-publicly available data or information andthe source of such data or information to theSecretary, regarding the privacy or confiden-tiality of any data or information in the pos-

session of the source to the Secretary, shallcontinue to apply to such data or informa-tion after the data or information has beenprovided pursuant to this subsection.

(C) INFORMATION-SHARING AGREEMENT.Any data or information obtained by theSecretary under this subsection may bemade available to State insurance regu-latory authorities, individually or collec-tively through an information-sharing agree-ment that

(i) shall comply with applicable Federallaw; and

(ii) shall not constitute a waiver of, orotherwise affect, any privilege under Federalor State law (including any privilege re-ferred to in subparagraph (A) and the rules ofany Federal or State court) to which thedata or information is otherwise subject.

(D) AGENCY DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.Section 552 of title 5, United States Code, in-cluding any exceptions thereunder, shallapply to any data or information submittedunder this subsection to the Secretary by aninsurer or affiliate of an insurer..

SEC. 112. ANNUAL STUDY OF SMALL INSURERMARKET COMPETITIVENESS.

Section 108 (15 U.S.C. 6701 note) is amended

by adding at the end the following new sub-

section:

(h) STUDY OF SMALL INSURER MARKET

COMPETITIVENESS.(1) IN GENERAL.Not later than June 30,

2017, and every other June 30 thereafter, theSecretary shall conduct a study of small in-surers (as such term is defined by regulationby the Secretary) participating in the Pro-

gram, and identify any competitive chal-lenges small insurers face in the terrorismrisk insurance marketplace, including

(A) changes to the market share, pre-mium volume, and policyholder surplus ofsmall insurers relative to large insurers;

(B) how the property and casualty insur-ance market for terrorism risk differs be-tween small and large insurers, and whethersuch a difference exists within other perils;

(C) the impact of the Programs manda-tory availability requirement under section103(c) on small insurers;

(D) the effect of increasing the triggeramount for the Program under section103(e)(1)(B) on small insurers;

(E) the availability and cost of private re-insurance for small insurers; and

(F) the impact that State workers com-

pensation laws have on small insurers andworkers compensation carriers in the ter-rorism risk insurance marketplace.

(2) REPORT.The Secretary shall submita report to the Congress setting forth thefindings and conclusions of each study re-quired under paragraph (1)..

TITLE IINATIONAL ASSOCIATION OFREGISTERED AGENTS AND BROKERSREFORM

SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the National

Association of Registered Agents and Bro-

kers Reform Act of 2015.

SEC. 202. REESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONALASSOCIATION OF REGISTEREDAGENTS AND BROKERS.

(a) IN GENERAL.Subtitle C of title III ofthe Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. 6751et seq.) is amended to read as follows:

Subtitle CNational Association ofRegistered Agents and Brokers

SEC. 321. NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REG-ISTERED AGENTS AND BROKERS.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.There is establishedthe National Association of RegisteredAgents and Brokers (referred to in this sub-title as the Association).

(b) STATUS.The Association shall(1) be a nonprofit corporation;(2) not be an agent or instrumentality of

the Federal Government;(3) be an independent organization that

may not be merged with or into any otherprivate or public entity; and

(4) except as otherwise provided in thissubtitle, be subject to, and have all the pow-ers conferred upon, a nonprofit corporationby the District of Columbia Nonprofit Cor-poration Act (D.C. Code, sec. 29301.01 et seq.)or any successor thereto.

SEC. 322. PURPOSE.

The purpose of the Association shall be toprovide a mechanism through which licens-ing

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