[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 40 (Monday, March 7, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H1322-H1326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ISSUES OF THE DAY
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I am delighted to be able to speak on the
House floor today and talk about what we are witnessing, all Americans,
as we turn on our televisions and see the horrors in Europe.
For the first time in eight decades, we are witnessing a mass,
unprovoked ground and air invasion in continental Europe. Not since
World War II have we seen this sort of aggressive, evil action by one
European nation against another, let alone such action by a global
power and member of the United Nations Security Council.
[[Page H1323]]
The tragedy unfolding today has no precedent in recent history, not
even the terrible civil war and ethnic cleansing in the former
Yugoslavia.
{time} 2015
Let's be clear, Madam Speaker, Putin feels emboldened and believes
that he can wield his power anywhere in the world, including in his own
backyard in a pitiful but ruthless attempt to restore his idea of some
18th century Russian kingdom with himself as czar.
Putin is emboldened by the fact that he has personally, and Russia as
a nation, not paid any significant economic or diplomatic price for his
previous violations of international law, the U.N. Charter, or common
decency and norms.
One only has to recall the poisoning in a London park of an
opposition voice in 2006, forging a partnership in 2015 with the
butcher Assad in mass destruction, murder, and mayhem in Syria,
waltzing into Crimea without firing a shot in 2014, and his border
incursions into Georgia in 2008.
Putin has simply marched on, trampling international law and
sovereign borders, all the while thumbing his nose, Madam Speaker, at
international norms and the negligible reaction of his neighbors.
In fact, his neighbors, dependent on the European drug of choice--
Russian natural gas--for so long they just stared glassy-eyed at their
enabler, unable to stand up for themselves and fight back. Now, these
neighbors have rejected the dominance of Putin's pushing and are
fighting back.
That is why America once more steps into the breach as the essential,
indispensable nation. Our resolve encourages a stronger European Union
and a stronger NATO.
During the 20th century, our freedom-loving people consistently
stepped up to push back against the disposition and destruction of
individual rights, international norms, and sovereign nations.
Europe doesn't want to go back to their ancient, feudal fights, and
Ukrainians don't want to return to vassal state status under the boot
of Russia.
Ukrainians want to go forward. They don't want to go backward. They
don't want to go back to the Berlin Airlift, Checkpoint Charlie, the
Fulda Gap, and Churchill's Iron Curtain.
At the height of the Cold War, Madam Speaker, I traveled through
Checkpoint Charlie to the other side of the Iron Curtain. I have
witnessed what life is like in communism, socialism. I have laid a
wreath at Auschwitz. I have laid a wreath on Decoration Day at the
American Cemetery in Normandy. And, Madam Speaker, Americans don't want
to go back to those days either.
Our boys sacrificed their lives in the forests of Germany, the
beaches of France, the hills of Italy, and the sands of North Africa to
prevent this very thing from happening again.
That is why American leadership is critical. Partnering with our
transatlantic allies, we must muster the military, economic, and
diplomatic clout and might to hit this bully in the nose. Bullies only
respect clout and might.
While Europe and the United States were timid in the Obama-Merkel
days, our collective leadership must fill the void now and push back
once and for all against the assault on sovereignty and freedom we are
witnessing in Europe.
If not now, when? If not in Ukraine, on the borders of Ukraine,
where, Madam Speaker?
If we fail here, despots will race to trample borders around the
world, and democracy and freedom everywhere will be in peril.
Russia's Special Drawing Rights
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to how the
International Monetary Fund fuels Russia's war on Ukraine by providing
them a blank check in the form of special drawing rights, or SDRs.
Last week, I with 40 of my Republican colleagues in the House and the
Senate, we wrote Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urging that all IMF
member countries not bail out Russia by facilitating the exchange of
Russian SDRs with their own hard currency.
Russia was handed a blank check of nearly $17 billion equivalent in
SDRs by the IMF just last year and has an estimated total of $24
billion in SDR reserves. This should have never happened, Madam
Speaker, and that is why I have been so adamant for years about
limiting the issue of IMF special drawing rights.
Earlier last week, the United States and other countries expanded
economic sanctions against the Russian Central Bank, and while this is
a late but welcome development, we must do more.
For decades, Russia has been accumulating a war chest that includes
gold, international reserves, and importantly, special drawing rights.
And with the ruble tanking in open markets, the Kremlin's access to
foreign currency reserves being cut off, these SDRs are one of the only
remaining ways that Russia can access financial resources for its
warmongering in the Ukraine.
That is why now is the time for the U.S. to lead at the IMF for
calling on all member countries, including China, Madam Speaker, to
formally agree not to facilitate any exchange of their currencies with
Russia's SDRs.
We are already seeing China and Russia deepening their ties, forming
the latest and newest axis of evil. We cannot allow Moscow to turn to
Beijing for an SDR bailout. As the largest shareholder of the IMF, the
United States has a responsibility to ensure that these resources are
not hijacked to fuel Russian bombs and tanks.
Small LENDER Act
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the
latest Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the CFBP, proposed small
business data collection regulation. It is called section 1071.
Access to capital for small businesses is the lifeblood of each of
our local economies, and for many, the community bank lender is often
leading the way in supporting our entrepreneurs in small businesses
across our districts.
And yet, the CFPB's new regulation, if finalized, would actually hurt
small business by making the cost of credit more expensive and imposing
significant compliance costs that would fall the hardest on the
smallest lenders across our Nation.
That is why I, along with Congressmen Williams of Texas and
Luetkemeyer of Missouri have introduced the Small LENDER Act, a new
bill that would provide regulatory relief to small business lenders by
exempting them from this proposed CFPB 1071 rule and providing an
additional year to comply, plus a 2-year safe harbor.
Specifically, my bill would expand the definition of a small lender
as one that originates at least 500 small business loans per year,
instead of the 25-loan limit proposed by the CFPB.
It would also codify a ``small business'' as one with gross revenues
of $1 million or less instead of the $5 million threshold that the rule
proposed.
Finally, the bill extends the effective compliance date with the
final rule to be 3 years plus that 2-year grace period instead of only
18 months as proposed by the CFPB.
In the absence of Congress repealing section 1071 of the Dodd-Frank
Act, this bill would prevent some of the most harmful aspects of the
rule from going into effect. I urge my colleagues to support the Small
LENDER Act.
Economic Crisis of Inflation
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the
economic crisis that has been fueled by the Biden administration's out-
of-control spending and the very accommodative monetary policies of our
Federal Reserve.
2021 was the worst year, Madam Speaker for consumer inflation since
1981.
Last year, inflation cost the average worker roughly two paychecks
and the average family $3,500.
And inflation doesn't just impact major corporations, but also our
small businesses, 61 percent of which have had to raise prices in the
last month in order just to try to keep up with inflation.
Of course, getting people back to work will greatly aid supply
chains, thus we need to encourage work. But President Biden's policies
of vaccine mandates, higher regulations on employers and policies to
cut the supply of energy hurt the cause of getting our citizens back to
work.
The President has called this inflation ``transitory'' and caused
only by ``supply chain'' disruptions and greedy corporations. Madam
Speaker, in my view, this is just pure political theater.
[[Page H1324]]
Yet, instead of addressing these concerns, working to get spending
under control and our Nation's economy fully back on track, President
Biden spent the bulk of his State of the Union speech doubling down on
those policies that got us into this inflationary situation in the
first place.
Central Arkansans' pockets are hurting.
The President should stop proposing to spend trillions more. The
President should cut regulatory burdens hindering hiring employers like
truck drivers, general contractors, and health service employees.
The President should unleash American energy to help bring down
prices for U.S. consumers and help our struggling allies in Europe.
I urge the Biden administration and my colleagues on the other side
of the aisle to reach across the aisle to help bring relief to the
American people and get back to our prepandemic spending priorities and
alleviate the burdens that many face across our country, particularly
the burden of inflation.
Crisis at the Southern Border
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring attention to the
crisis at our southwest border.
In January, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported over 153,941
migrant encounters at our southwest border, which represented a 320
percent increase over January of 2020.
Of the over 150,000 migrants who were encountered, the Biden
administration opened the door and said come in, releasing about 60,000
migrants into the United States.
Deportations are down 70 percent when compared to 2020, averaging
about 100 a day, and that was in the face of 7,000 migrants appearing
at our border each day.
Officials at our southern border have estimated that nearly 400,000
illegal immigrants have successfully crossed the border without being
caught. So not being interdicted, not being processed, not being turned
back.
Those numbers, like the inflation that we are experiencing, are out
of control.
These numbers are unacceptable, and we need to get back on track. I
have encouraged the Biden administration for over a year now, return to
those Trump-era policies that were controlling the flow across the
border, resume construction on the wall, resume support of our
personnel on the border, resume the efforts to control and secure our
southwest border.
America's Energy Independence
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to bring awareness to an issue
that concerns all Americans, and that is America's energy independence.
Every day the U.S. is importing nearly 600,000 barrels of oil from
Russia. As we continue to increase sanctions against Russia, we must
also keep the American people in mind, who are already feeling the
effects of inflation each day when they visit the pump.
We need to boost domestic production now. That should be our
priority, boosting American production. Prior to the pandemic we were
producing 13 million barrels a day. Today, we are producing about 11
million barrels per day. That would more than make up for this Russian
oil that for some reason we are still importing.
This week, I received a call from a constituent. This constituent is
on a fixed income, and she shared with me her concerns about filling up
at the gas station. She shared with me her concerns about Ukraine and
asked if she should expect her gas bill to increase even more as
tensions rise. And the answer to that question, Madam Speaker is I
believe that is right, that is what is going to happen.
And that is why we can benefit Europe and benefit American consumers
by unleashing American energy production and get back to those 13
million barrels a day. That way we can offset what we have been
importing from Russia and benefit our American consumers.
{time} 2030
Great American Outdoors Act
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise to highlight the important work being
accomplished through the success of the Great American Outdoors Act,
the bipartisan conservation legislation signed into law by President
Trump.
In Arkansas, I recently had the opportunity to visit one of those
sites and visit with leaders at the National Forest System spearheading
this effort at Blanchard Springs Caverns in the Ozark National Forest.
These incredible caverns not only attract thousands each year to
Arkansas, but they have a robust economic impact on the surrounding
areas as they are enjoyed by all Americans each year.
Thanks to funding by the Great American Outdoors Act, the cabins are
able to undergo much-needed renovations to improve the existing trail
system and lighting system throughout the caverns and invest in
preventative measures to enhance the safety and resiliency of the
underground system. This allows the caverns to be enjoyed by American
families for years to come.
Madam Speaker, these improvements that are underway as a result of
this bipartisan achievement are the first major capital expenditures
spent on this beautiful cavern since it was opened during the Nixon
administration. So, I look forward to these funds continuing to support
various projects in the Natural State and look forward to their
enhancement in the years to come.
Opioid Crisis
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to the opioid
crisis in Arkansas and across our Nation.
Each day, over 250 individuals lose their lives to an opioid-related
overdose. According to the CDC, we lost a record number of 99,106
people between March 2020 and March 2021. What a milestone. What a grim
milestone.
My home State of Arkansas has one of the highest opioid-prescribing
rates in our Nation. In Arkansas alone, we lost at least 225 of our
neighbors in this crisis.
Opioid misuse and addiction begin at home, coming from a familiar
medicine cabinet. More Americans lose their lives to addiction than
from car accidents, guns, or HIV.
This is a crisis, a growing crisis, and one that is reaching new
highs. These deaths are preventable, and it is up to each of us to do
our part to save lives and combat the disease that is addiction.
That is why, last September, I introduced the bipartisan Preventing
Overdoses and Saving Lives Act with my colleague from Michigan,
Representative Debbie Dingell. My bipartisan bill will create a grant
program allowing States and localities to conduct research on the
opioid crisis, create a strategic plan on how to respond to the crisis,
and implement co-prescribing under certain circumstances. Increasing
access to naloxone reduces opioid fatalities. If this bill passes, it
will save lives.
Madam Speaker, we have seen that in Arkansas, one of 14 States that
offers co-prescriptions for opioid prescription recipients. I would
like to see that broader across our Nation. Lives will be saved.
In this bill, I urge all of my colleagues to join Congresswoman
Dingell and I in this fight.
Be Pro Be Proud
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about Be Pro Be Proud,
an initiative launched in 2016 as a response to the workforce shortage
experienced in my home State of Arkansas.
Be Pro Be Proud is a technical program that introduces students and
young adults to skilled trade jobs and the well-paid opportunities that
these jobs unlock.
In the past 5 years, Be Pro Be Proud's mobile workshop has completed
over 500 stops in the State of Arkansas and recruited over 20,000
individuals who have joined the movement to learn more about key
trades, new opportunities, and finding that career that is right for
them.
After seeing the tremendous success in Arkansas, the initiative has
expanded to surrounding States. We have traveled around the country
exposing young adults to this kind of opportunity--in middle school and
high school--a career that starts immediately after high school
graduation.
In January, I had the pleasure of joining Governor Asa Hutchinson and
State and local leaders to announce that Be Pro Be Proud was awarded
$1.45 million in a grant to support the launch of a second mobile
workshop to bring this story to schools all over Arkansas.
[[Page H1325]]
This expansion will see additional communities visited by Be Pro Be
Proud sooner and better, and that means faster opportunities to be
witnessed by our young people when they graduate from high school.
Recognizing the Life and Legacy of Sam Chaffin
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and
legacy of a dear friend and a great Rotary International colleague, my
friend Sam Chaffin. I was sad to share the news with my friends that
Sam passed away in November.
Born in 1936, in Magnolia, Arkansas, he was a proud graduate of the
University of Arkansas, where he earned a master's degree in industrial
engineering. Shortly after graduation, Sam opened his own business,
Eagle Material Handling of Arkansas, which specialized in material and
manufacturing management.
In 1975, Sam joined the Rotary Club of Little Rock, Club 99. During
his time in Rotary, Sam served in many leadership positions, including
foundation chair, president of our club, and district governor. Through
our work together in Rotary, we had the opportunity to go to Lacombe,
Louisiana, following Katrina and help many, many families rebuild their
homes.
Madam Speaker, we couldn't have done that at our club, the Rotary
Club of Little Rock, without Sam's instrumental leadership. He was a
friend to all who were blessed to know him. My thoughts are with his
wife, Charlie; children, Cole and Marty; and his grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Sam, thank you for your impact on our community, our Rotary Club,
Rotary International, and our State.
Recognizing Scipio Africanus Jones
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an exemplary
Arkansan, Scipio Africanus Jones.
Scipio Jones was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1863. Throughout
his life, he attended Black schools near his hometown, eventually
earning his bachelor's degree from Arkansas' own Shorter College.
Although there were no schools for African Americans to study law in
Arkansas, Scipio took on the challenge himself and began studying
independently and, in 1889, passed the Arkansas Bar. He began his
career in Pulaski County and, in 1900, was admitted to the Arkansas
Supreme Court.
In 1919, 12 Black sharecroppers had been sentenced to death for their
alleged role in the Elaine Massacre, while 87 other defendants also
awaited trial. Scipio Jones' primary goal was to secure a fair trial
for the 87 defendants. After his partner's unexpected passing, he
became the lead attorney in the appeals process for the 12 defendants
who had been sentenced to death.
Of the 12 original sharecroppers who had been sentenced to death,
charges were dismissed against six, while the other six had their
sentences commuted. The remaining 87 defendants received pardons from
the Governor of Arkansas.
Following these immense legal victories, Scipio Jones remained an
advocate for the Black community across Arkansas. In recognition of his
advocacy, the United States Post Office in downtown Little Rock was
named in his honor in 2007.
In 2020, President Trump signed into law my bill, which facilitated a
large, full-sized portrait of Scipio Jones to be displayed in that post
office. Last week, I had the honor, with all of our citizens, to gather
and unveil this beautiful portrait of Scipio Jones at the post office
named for him.
Special thanks are owed to John Gill, Garbo Hearne, artist Wade
Hampton, and the Central Arkansas Library System for all of their
collaboration in making this wonderful portrait a reality. It will
serve as a reminder of the legal skill, persistence, bravery, and
diplomacy of Scipio Jones, permanently honoring him as the amazing
legal leader and citizen that he was.
Honoring Daisy Bates
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Daisy Bates and her
brave actions that shaped American history and Arkansas history.
When Daisy Bates moved to Little Rock in the early 1940s, she
immediately joined the NAACP and became a leader in our African-
American community. As a civil rights activist in Little Rock, Daisy
Bates played a leading role in the integration of Little Rock's schools
and served as a mentor to the Little Rock Nine.
Her bravery and leadership led her to achieve the unimaginable--
sparking change across our whole Nation. Just last month, I had the
opportunity to visit with students and speak about her impact and her
legacy at the Daisy Bates Elementary School in Little Rock.
Daisy's accomplishments deserve to be recognized, and I am proud that
Daisy Bates and her legacy will be memorialized here in the United
States Capitol. Soon, her statue will become part of the collection in
the National Statuary Hall, commemorating her bravery, strength, and
leadership.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to honoring that memory and continuing
her fight for equality every time I pass that statue in our Capitol.
Recognizing Army Colonel Mike Ross
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Retired Army
Colonel Mike Ross and his selfless leadership with Veterans Villages of
America.
Colonel Ross is a combat veteran with 37 years of military service.
He has received numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, the
Bronze Star, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Currently, Colonel Ross serves on the board of directors for Veterans
Villages of America, where he operates a food pantry for veterans,
military personnel, and their immediate family members. They also
network in our communities to meet the needs of our veterans--and I
mean all the needs of our veterans. Colonel Ross is indeed tireless.
Although he is retired, he continues to give back to others, serve
others, and work tirelessly for American military families and our
veterans to ensure they are well cared for.
Madam Speaker, I thank Colonel Ross for his outstanding service and
dedication to our community and central Arkansas veterans.
Recognizing Montine McNulty
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the career of
Montine McNulty.
After serving 25 years as the head of the Arkansas Hospitality
Association, Montine has announced her well-deserved retirement. Early
in 2020, Montine thought about retirement, but when COVID-19 hit, she
made a decision to stay and guide her organization through the pandemic
in the midst of such great uncertainty.
Montine, I commend your embodying of the motto, ``Service Above
Self,'' and I hope you enjoy every moment of your retirement.
Madam Speaker, it is also important that we take a moment and
recognize Katie Beck, the new head of the Arkansas Hospitality
Association. Katie has had a distinguished career in serving Governor
Hutchinson's communication department, and I know she will bring that
drive, that spirit, as the new head of the AHA.
The Arkansas Hospitality Association is very valuable for our State,
and I look forward to seeing where Katie takes the organization while
continuing Montine's legacy.
Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 31 minutes remaining.
Shift Back to Society
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, the United States currently has one of the
highest prison populations in the world. Every year, we spend about
$34,000 per inmate in our State. In Arkansas, the current rate of
reentry after re-offending is about 57 percent, one of the highest in
the Nation.
We can do better, which is why I introduced the bipartisan Shift Back
to Society Act. This bill would enact policies that avert individuals
from re-offending, keeping people out of prison. This is accomplished
by providing funding for our historically Black colleges and
universities for educational programming that they design for offenders
who have or who have almost completed serving their time, so engaging
to better prepare people we know that are going to be released.
By developing this pathway to education, we directly decrease the
rate of recidivism. The more education an individual has, the less
likely they are to re-offend. This legislation will save millions in
current spending while creating an opportunity that will keep
individuals out of prison and transition
[[Page H1326]]
them back into being productive members of society.
As we currently face an uptick in crime, both in Arkansas and across
our Nation, I am proud to bring forward a bill that will save taxpayer
dollars as well as improve paths for successful reentry shifting back
to society.
Congratulating Mike Poore on His Retirement
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my good friend,
our superintendent of Little Rock Public Schools, Mike Poore.
Mike has decided to retire, and I wish him a happy and healthy
retirement. In 2016, Mike made the move from northwest Arkansas to
Little Rock with the goal of transforming the district, which at the
time was under the control of the State.
{time} 2045
In March 2020, when the world turned upside down because of the
COVID-19 pandemic, Mike did not skip a beat. He worked to make sure
every teacher and every student had the technology needed to continue
learning with as little disruption as possible.
He worked mightily with the district teachers and staff to make sure
students were back in the classroom. Madam Speaker, that was a great
accomplishments of our State to have over 80 percent of our kids in the
classroom during the midst of the pandemic. Mike led that way.
His other accomplishment included raising money for students in the
community, increasing teachers' salaries, and being named Arkansas'
Superintendent of the Year.
Madam Speaker, I thank Mike for his service and dedication to the
Little Rock School District, his long-lasting impact in our community
is appreciated.
Congratulations and our best wishes for his retirement.
Recognizing Eagle Scout Marcal Young
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize fellow Eagle Scout
Marcal Young of Little Rock. I am congratulating him on his career with
the Boy Scouts of America having been active with that organization for
over 40 years.
Since its founding, the Boy Scouts of America have remained committed
to the idea that educating our youth in citizenship, service, and
leadership is best for their development, and an amazing opportunity of
service for our Nation.
Marcal has embraced these principles, and in 2018 was named Scout
Executive of the Qupaw Area Council. Throughout his career, he has had
a positive impact on thousands of young people and their families, and
as a result, their communities.
With their character development and value-based leadership programs,
over 2.5 million young men have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.
In 1972, I earned the rank of Eagle Scout at Troop 27 at Holy Souls
Catholic Church in Little Rock. To this day, it is one of my proudest
accomplishments.
I am grateful for Marcal and his commitment to Scouting and making
those achievements possible for youth across the communities of our
State. His leadership and influence will be remembered, and I wish him
the very best in his well-earned retirement.
Recognizing the Retirement of Margaret Ellibee
Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the retirement of
Margaret Ellibee and commemorate her service of 11 years as chancellor
at the University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College.
UA Pulaski Tech, a 2-year community college in the heart of my
district, has moved mountains for its students and faculty under her
leadership.
Margaret Ellibee's critical decision to raise admission standards not
only led to increased graduation rates but also reduced student loan
default rates, positively impacting the school's performance and
trustworthiness.
Madam Speaker, I thank Margaret for making these achievements
possible for our students and faculty, and I am grateful for her bold
and robust leadership. Her legacy will be remembered for years, and I
wish her the very best of a well-earned retirement.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________