Oct 8, 2004
I am an outside member because my Subcommittee on Research on the Committee on Science overseas the U.S. Fire Administration, and this legislation reauthorizes the Fire Grant program. By the end of this year, we will have 25,000 fire…
Nick Smith
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by number of sources- the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) might also be relating to this, but in the bioterrorism bill that we passed a couple of weeks ago, we did include over $190 million to USDA, additional funding to the Department of Energy, specifically for this purpose. So that bioterrorism bill included a lot of the goals that I hear some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle suggest we need.3 sources2002govinfo.gov
- I am disappointed that there was not an amendment addressing the Kyoto Protocol language in the State Department reauthorization bill. This language that calls for implementary the protocol will potentially have far-reaching ramifications. An issue of such importance should have been debated before the House. Under the Kyoto Protocol, by 2008 to 2012 the U.S. would be required to slash emissions of greenhouse gases to seven percent below the 1990 level--a level last achieved in 1979. Based on projections of the future growth in U.S. energy use, this would require a real cut in emissions of over 30 percent. In the meantime, major greenhouse-gas emitters, such as China, India, Mexico, and Brazil, would be able to continue business as usual. But while the Protocol sets stringent targets and timetables for developed countries, it left the important details of implementation for later negotiations. After three years, these negotiations have gone nowhere, the developing countries have repeatedly refused to even discuss the possibility that targets and timetables might apply to them, as well.2 sources2001govinfo.gov
- as a former member of the Presidential Oil Policy Commission, I have seen how energy policy mistakes can contribute to supply disruptions and high prices. This legislation supports my vision for a broad portfolio of energy options by making traditional sources of energy cleaner, by researching and making alternative and renewable sources of energy more available, and by educating the next generation of scientists. The Committee on Science has contributed to this legislation by authorizing the research and development programs that will help increase supplies of clean, renewable, and affordable energy. Coal is an abundant domestic source of power that plays a truly critical role in electricity generation in States like Michigan. However, we do need to make it cleaner and more efficient, and this legislation's provisions for clean coal technology point us in that direction. Nuclear power, which accounts now for 28 percent of the Nation's electricity, is a critical energy source that produces nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions. However, we are in danger of losing international leadership in nuclear technologies, and that is why I support the nuclear R&D provisions in this bill. Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill that will ensure that we have the energy needed to power the economic growth of the future.2 sources2001govinfo.gov
- I wanted to make some comments today on how everybody in America probably should do a little more in helping their fellow man in contributing some community service, either at the community or national level. I was this past week deciding on the essay topic that I ask seniors to write to apply for what I have called the LeGrand Smith Scholarship. It is named after my dad. I simply take all of the pay increases that I have had since I first ran in the Michigan Senate back in 1983; I have put these pay increases into an irrevocable trust for scholarships for graduating seniors. It is designed to reward and acknowledge those individuals in high school that are not only academically capable but also are willing to contribute to others in community service or in leadership positions in high school. Part of that decision in scoring of the committee that decides who the winners are is grading an essay on an essay topic. The committee was just trying to decide, and we had it narrowed down to two topics, why patriotism is important in America or why helping others and working in some community service or national service is important. We decided on the latter.2 sources2002govinfo.gov
- this week we are taking up the budget. We are going to increase the limit on how deep this government can go into debt. Every year we spend more tax dollars and we add more government services, and my concern is that too many Americans are becoming too dependent on government. By the next election, this fall, a majority of Americans will be dependent on Federal Government for their health, their education, their income, or their retirement benefits. Some suggest that as many as 60 percent of households receive more than $10,000 a year from government in the form of retirement, health care, welfare or other benefits. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, the number of taxpayers paying for these benefits is rapidly shrinking. The question is, how well can any free nation survive when a majority of its citizens heavily dependent on government services no longer have the incentive to restrain the growth of government? As we all know, over the last 50 years, American attitudes have been shifting from cherishing self-sufficiency and personal responsibility to wanting a little more security from the Federal Government to assure them of a certain number of benefits. Government benefits, once concentrated on the needy, now extend into the middle and upper-middle class households, even as more and more Americans see their income tax liabilities decrease. Today, the majority of Americans can vote themselves more generous government benefits at little or no cost to themselves.2 sources2002govinfo.gov
- over the last month, I held many town hall meetings, meetings with constituents across the 7th Congressional District of Michigan. Two priority issues that seem to come from those meetings as a message to me to bring back to Washington was making sure we save Social Security, not only a concern of the seniors but a concern of their kids and their grandkids. Secondly was somehow doing a better job to improve education to make sure every child has the opportunity to learn to their maximum potential. So I challenge myself and I challenge my colleagues to give education a top priority, to get the money out of Washington and into the district. In terms of Social Security, we must have provisions that make sure that that generation that works so hard, that did so much, that sacrificed, that saved string, that saved tinfoil are not deprived of the Social Security that they have been promised by this Congress. Let us make that effort. In the last 7 rac{1}{2} years, this administration has failed to give us the leadership to solve those problems.2 sources2000govinfo.gov
govinfo.gov
Oct 5, 2004
looking forward to 2005, there are few more important issues for government than overspending and overpromising. Unless we get spending under control, government will lose the ability to do much of anything else except manage our…
Oct 5, 2004
the reason we are here is to make clear to the world that we are not going to have military conscription right now for active military duty. I introduced a bill last year, H.R. 3598, because I think we need to seriously discuss the…
Sep 21, 2004
I think it was in The Music Man where the seller of that musical equipment says, ``We have big trouble right here in River City.'' We have big troubles here in Washington, D.C., and in America, for a couple of reasons. The competition from…
Sep 9, 2004
Dear President Bush: On the tragic event of September 11, 2001, I wish to thank you for your efforts to defend our Nation and our freedom. All Americans should join in prayer for you as you certainly have one of the most challenging jobs…
Sep 9, 2004
I chaired the bipartisan Social Security Task Force, and we talked about this so-called totalization, which is pretty much a reciprocal effort between countries to earn and get payments for retirement benefits, for three reasons. One is…
Sep 8, 2004
those that have tuned into the previous presentation I think understand that there are many challenges facing the United States of America. There are many needs, whether it is health or education or welfare or more money for transportation…
Jul 20, 2004
I think it is appropriate to mention the only reason this really came to the forefront and has become an issue is because the Election Assistance Commission Chairman, DeForest Soaries, proposed a possibility of a policy for allowing the…
Jul 13, 2004
I rise to make the point that under the current law, there are no limits for government price support payments to farmers using commodity certificates. If commodity certificates and loan forfeitures would have been included under the…
Jul 13, 2004
I would just like to speak about what some consider boring statistics on government growth. I can add later in this 5-minute short brief, on where we are on not only overspending but over-promising. We are now doing the appropriations…
Jul 13, 2004
after listening to the previous speakers, Mr. Speaker, I think of Ronald Reagan's words, There you go again. Every 4 years we sort of experience the spinning and the demagoguery that takes place in this chamber using these podiums and…
Jul 9, 2004
I oppose H.R. 2828, the California Water Bill because it preauthorizes wasteful projects. It forces federal taxpayers to pick up more than a $1.5 billion tab for a California-only project. It would not prevent taxpayers from getting stuck…
Jul 9, 2004
this bill, H.R. 3598, will ensure that the Federal agencies will coordinate their programs. That is important. It expands the effort to have more students be trained in the manufacturing science. That is important. It ups the authorization…
Jul 8, 2004
Well, Mr. Chairman, let me just say that this is cut from one of the largest expenditures in the United Nations appropriations, that is, to the contributions to international organizations. I think the American taxpayer in general is not…
Jul 8, 2004
If it says that the $20 million is going to be withheld unless and until there is full cooperation by the United Nations and participating countries releasing available information on the Oil-for-Food program?
Jul 7, 2004
It should concern everyone who has followed technological developments, especially in recent years, to see the United States is falling behind. It has been said a couple of times that Japan's Earth Simulator Computer is now faster and more…
Jul 7, 2004
reclaiming my time, although I support the intention of the chairman of the Committee on Small Business, my concern would be where the money comes from. So, in the MEP program, it is already sacrificing, and this also takes funds out of…
Jul 6, 2004
you know, we are certainly in the campaign season of an election year; and I think everybody, Mr. Speaker, needs to be on guard for the talent to spin. And I am reminded of a cartoon that was in our paper recently. And there were four…
Jun 24, 2004
I wore my Adam Smith tie this morning because today we are going to talk about some ways that might help us give discipline to ourselves on how much money we spend and how much overpromising we do. Two areas. One, I am from a farm in…
Jun 24, 2004
I think it would be good for history's sake to look at the last time that we dramatically increased taxes. We did that; when President Clinton came into office, we had the largest tax increase in history, and what was the effect of that on…
Jun 23, 2004
I chair the Subcommittee on Research on the Committee on Science, and I am very concerned that science and technology should not be in the partisan politic arena for this election in November. At a speech in Denver on Monday, John Kerry…
Jun 22, 2004
I appreciate many of the concerns of the previous speaker; but I think everybody should be very aware that for the 8 years under the previous administration, there was not one year that we reduced the debt held by the public as defined by…
Jun 17, 2004
Mr. Speaker, these are the names of the Pistons. I would like to congratulate the Detroit Pistons for bringing the NBA championship back to the east, back to Motown, and back to the State of Michigan. It seemed like no one believed in the…
Jun 16, 2004
I rise before you today in favor of H.R. 4517, the U.S. Refinery Revitalization Act of 2004. Existing U.S. refineries are already operating at or near full capacity because this country hasn't added new refineries in almost three decades…
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