U.S. State Attorneys General

I have long been critical of refund anticipation loans, RAL loans. These short-term high-cost bank loans secured by the taxpayers' expected tax refund are often predatory and expensive.

I commend the Army for expanding its use of renewable energy, including the upcoming biofuel-capable generation plant at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.

I offered an amendment that was added to the pending energy bill to boost the involvement of veterans in a new energy workforce training pilot program.

There have been some real creative ideas from the workers themselves that have been incorporated into the shipyard.

Are there any programs to bring some of the more experienced people back into the workforce or keep them in longer to fill that gap--experienced staff?

What must the Air Force do to regain our competitive advantages? What specific areas require additional attention?

I think that we definitely need people trained, especially in the STEM areas.

Everything is contingent on the money. We start, first and foremost, by lifting the threat of sequester, going forward.

I certainly support the chairwoman's initiatives in this regard.

The national security of our country is greatly dependent on the implementation of energy security efforts.

I was happy to see, in your written testimony, that you remain committed to improving the conditions of our Navy shipyards.

I would say that that should be a top priority for our committees and our subcommittees.

I think that, as you focus on issues such as the productivity at our shipyards... that recognition should be reflected in what you consider productivity numbers.

What do you think about flexibility grants or block grants or making finite--instead of an open-ending fee for service kind of structure--what about taking a finite amount of money and saying look, this is what you have to spend, State X…

The EPA is overstepping its congressional authority and seizing rights specifically reserved to the States.

Thank you, and I thank the Chairwoman's leadership in the wildfire issue.

Do you have enough money in your Fiscal Year '17 budget proposal to do the kinds of things that you are doing because it is not just happening in Hawaii.

Ohia is significant because this tree makes up 80 percent of our native forests and is ecologically and culturally the most important native plant in Hawaii.

There is nothing like actually visiting a place to gain a fuller, I think, appreciation of what is going on.

I did want to take a moment to thank you for your commitment to protecting Hawaii's precious landscapes in the President's 2017 budget.

Thank you very much, Chief, for making the clear connection between climate change and the continuing challenges of fighting forest fires.

Let me just say on the Record that I greatly appreciate the leadership of our newer members of the Budget Committee, especially the member from Arkansas. I think the people of Arkansas were right to send him to Congress. Not only does he…

We have to get this right, and this is a very specialized area of the law.

I have continuing concerns about the changes that we are contemplating to patent law.