[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 165 (Thursday, November 5, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1600]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HIRE MORE HEROES ACT OF 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 3, 2015

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 22) to amend 
     the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt employees with 
     health coverage under TRICARE or the Veterans Administration 
     from being taken into account for purposes of determining the 
     employers to which the employer mandate applies under the 
     Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Chair, I submit the following exchange of letters 
between myself and Chairman Lamar Smith.

         House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and 
           Infrastructure,
                                 Washington, DC, October 30, 2015.
     Hon. Lamar Smith,
     Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Smith: Thank you for your letter regarding 
     H.R. 3763, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and 
     Reform Act of 2015. I appreciate your willingness to support 
     expediting the consideration of this legislation on the House 
     floor.
       I acknowledge that by waiving consideration of this bill, 
     the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology does not 
     waive any future jurisdictional claim to provisions in this 
     or similar legislation. In addition, should a conference on 
     the bill be necessary, I would support your effort to seek 
     appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any 
     House-Senate conference involving provisions within this 
     legislation on which the Committee on Science, Space, and 
     Technology has a valid jurisdictional claim.
       I will include our letters on H.R. 3763 in the 
     Congressional Record during House floor consideration of the 
     bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this 
     legislation, and I look forward to working with the Committee 
     on Science, Space, and Technology as the bill moves through 
     the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                     Bill Shuster,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

         House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space, 
           and Technology,
                                 Washington, DC, October 30, 2015.
     Hon. Bill Shuster,
     Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
         House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: I write to confirm our mutual 
     understanding regarding H.R. 3763, the ``Surface 
     Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015,'' 
     which your Committee ordered reported on October 23, 2015. 
     H.R. 3763 contains provisions within the Committee on 
     Science, Space. and Technology's Rule X jurisdiction. 
     However, in order to expedite floor consideration of this 
     important legislation, the committee waives consideration of 
     the bill.
       The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology takes this 
     action only with the understanding that the Committee's 
     jurisdictional interests over this and similar legislation 
     are in no way diminished or altered, and with the 
     understanding that an amendment which includes provisions of 
     H.R. 3585, the Surface Transportation Research and 
     Development Act of 2015, will be supported by you when it is 
     submitted to the Rules Committee and offered on the Floor.
       The Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment 
     to any House-Senate conference on this legislation, with the 
     understanding that you will support such a request.
       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 Congressional Record 
     during the floor consideration of this bill. Thank you in 
     advance for your cooperation.
           Sincerely,
                                                      Lamar Smith,
     Chairman.

                          ____________________