[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       SMALL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOU BARLETTA

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2011

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, our economy is stalled. Our unemployment 
rate is still way too high. Two-thirds of all small business owners say 
it's a bad time to expand.
  That's why it was important for me to spend part of last week meeting 
with local business and economic leaders in a Small Business 
Roundtable. We discussed how federal overregulation hampers business 
growth and expansion. We talked about legislative reform and the 
different needs of businesses and industries of various sizes.
  I spoke to the leaders of CAN DO, Greater Hazleton's economic 
development agency, which celebrated its 55th anniversary this year, 
and with the Columbia-Montour Chamber of Commerce. Everywhere I went, I 
spoke with business leaders who are in the trenches every single day. 
They understand how government impacts their companies. They see how 
high taxes and burdensome overregulation keep them from growing.
  One of the commitments I made to the people of northeastern 
Pennsylvania was that I would take their voices here to Washington with 
me. Mr. Speaker, the business leaders back home are crying out for 
relief. They're asking for us to get off their backs. They want to be 
able to grow, to expand, to buy more equipment, and to hire more 
workers.
  Roundtable talks are a way for me to stay in touch with groups of 
constituents who are experts in their fields, and to get their opinions 
about current and future regulations and legislation. The discussions 
we've had so far have been extremely helpful, and the free flow of 
ideas and comments between panel members is fantastic.
  Also last week, I convened an education roundtable to talk about 
fixing our broken system. Local educators and I discussed ways we can 
improve the synergy between educational programs, and how we can remove 
classroom hurdles and let teachers teach the workforce of the future.
  When I toured the manufacturing and research-and-development Schott 
North America's Advanced Optics and glass manufacturing facility in 
Duryea, Pennsylvania, I heard about their need for skilled workers. 
These are the kind of jobs we need in northeastern Pennsylvania and in 
the United States. We must make sure that educators are able to prepare 
young people for those jobs.
  One place that is working to prepare the workforce of tomorrow is the 
Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County in Scranton, a consortium 
of nine school districts in northeastern Pennsylvania that provides 
instruction in 26 career areas. I saw firsthand the instruction that is 
going on in the technology center, and I'm proud of the work they do 
for our young people.
  Of course, nowadays, our children face many hurdles on the road to 
their future. A serious and growing hurdle is the increasing amount of 
gang activity. I know northeastern Pennsylvania is about the last place 
anyone would think about when it comes to gangs, but national gangs are 
drawn to our quiet towns and our quality of life. Last week, I proudly 
co- hosted a gang awareness seminar with Pennsylvania Senator John 
Yudichak. We were privileged to welcome D. Darell Dones, supervisory 
special agent of the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI, to the area. 
Agent Dones presented startling information about gangs and led a panel 
of experts who provided a frank assessment of local gang problems and 
potential gang solutions. Agent Dones noted that this cooperative 
effort--co-hosted by a Democratic state senator and a Republican 
congressman--was unlike any he'd seen in the country.
  But the most special moment for me was when I helped present a 
veteran with medals he earned more than 65 years ago. Hazleton resident 
George Puhak helped liberate the Philippines during World War II, but 
for some reason, this Army veteran never received all of the medals he 
was entitled to. Representatives from the Embassy of the Philippines 
made the trip from Washington to Hazleton to present Mr. Puhak with the 
medals he earned all those decades ago. It was an honor for me to 
participate in the presentation, which took place in front of some of 
Mr. Puhak's children and grandchildren. Mr. Puhak's courage--and the 
commitment and dedication shown by his fellow members of The Greatest 
Generation--should stand as a shining example for today's youth, for 
whom we are working so hard here in Washington.

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