[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 173 (Wednesday, January 2, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FINAL REFLECTION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CLIFF STEARNS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 2, 2013

  Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, today I close my 24 years of service in the 
U.S. House of Representatives--it has been a rare honor to serve the 
people of north east Florida and I'm humbled by this responsibility. In 
reflecting on my tenure, I'm very proud of my record of 
accomplishments.
  As a veteran of the United States Air Force, I deeply appreciate the 
opportunity to serve on the Veterans Affairs Committee and to work on 
behalf my fellow veterans. Through these efforts, we established new VA 
outpatient clinics in the district, including a state of the art 
facility in South Marion County. In addition, we succeeded in building 
support for the new patient bed center at the Gainesville VA Medical 
Center. And, after over a decade of work, we saw my language to create 
a new veterans cemetery in north east Florida signed into law.
  Furthermore, two measures I offered in the VA became law: the 
Veterans Millennium Health Care & Benefits Act improving veterans' 
access to long-term care; and the VA Health Care Personnel Act to 
increase pay for VA health care professionals.
  Working with members on both sides of the aisle, one of my first 
achievements was gaining enactment of S. 2740 / H.R. 4237 to amend the 
Water Resources Development Act of 1986. This measure deauthorized the 
Cross-Florida Barge Canal, and allowed the State of Florida to preserve 
this canal corridor as a greenway spanning the state.
  Then there is the Telecomunications Act of 1996. Computers, the 
Internet, and other innovations transformed the national economy, 
making our laws and regulations outdated and burdensome. As a House 
conferee on this legislation, I worked with my colleagues in developing 
a response providing greater competition, less regulation, better 
service, and lower prices. And once again, Congress should work to 
remove the current obstacles to greater innovation that will bring more 
products, services, and jobs.
  Most recently, my selection to lead the House Energy and Commerce 
Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations provided the 
chance to make our government more transparent and responsive. Through 
our oversight, we discouraged the implementation of overly rigorous 
rules and regulations that hamper economic growth and job creation.
  We also discovered the waste and abuse in the Department of Energy's 
loan guarantee program. This risky scheme to create so-called green 
jobs cost taxpayers billions of dollars while yielding a few jobs. This 
is best exemplified by Solyndra, which received $535 million from the 
taxpayers only to declare bankruptcy and becoming the target of a 
criminal investigation by the FBI.
  In recognition of our $16 trillion debt, I take great satisfaction in 
my record on fiscal responsibility. It is a distinct honor to be one of 
only 53 House and Senate members to receive an ``A'' rating from the 
National Taxpayers Union. In addition, my record on jobs and the 
economy earned recognition by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Citizens 
Against Government Waste, and Americans for Tax Reform.
  I also owe many thanks--to so many of my colleagues, and especially 
to the people of Florida's Sixth District. I also thank my staff for 
their help in serving my constituents, my Chief of Staff Jack Seum and 
Paul Flusche here in Washington, and Shawna Williams, Sherrie Porter, 
and Jean Clough (Cluff) in the District.
  Again, it has been an honor and an experience of a lifetime to serve 
in Congress.

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