Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer) for yielding the time, and I also thank my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for speaking in support of this as well. I rise today in support of H.R. 4245, a bill that will end the practice of export inspections for sea urchin, sea cucumbers, squid, and cuttlefish that are being shipped overseas as part of our Nation's fisheries and fish processing industry. At the outset, I want to thank Chairman Bishop, subcommittee Chairman Fleming, Ranking Member Grijalva, and my good friend from California, Ranking Member Huffman, for their support and help in getting this bill through the committee and to the House floor today. I want to recognize my friend and colleague from Maine (Mr. Poliquin) who has been an original cosponsor of this bill and a tireless supporter of this effort. To better understand this bill, I would like to tell you a little bit about the sea urchin industry in Maine, which is a critical part of our marine economy. Second only to California, the sea urchin industry in Maine brings over $5.4 million to our State every year and supports 600 jobs, which includes harvesters up and down our beautiful coast. Companies in Maine also process urchins that are harvested here, as well as those from Canada and Chile, before being exported overseas. In Japan and other parts of Asia, urchins are a valuable delicacy, known in sushi restaurants as uni.…”