Kenny Hulshof: “I appreciate first of all the tone in which the gentleman offers this amendment. In the health care field, the…”

“I appreciate first of all the tone in which the gentleman offers this amendment. In the health care field, the Hippocratic Oath says first do no harm. A colloquialism from the outstate Missouri region that I think is appropriate here is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I can assure my friend from Colorado that the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center in Rolla, Missouri, is a bargain for America's taxpayers and then some. The 160 employees at USGS Rolla are extremely proficient and possess a specialized technical skill. In fact, I heard the word ``obsolete.'' These specialized individuals worked around the clock to produce digital data sets of graphics in the aftermath of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. USGS Rolla continually provides the most current imagery and other geospatial data to the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense. They form useful partnerships with Fort Leonard Wood as well as University of Missouri Rolla. The latter especially focuses on earthquake preparedness, as the gentlewoman from southeast Missouri knows is so important in response to the New Madrid fault. USGS is not obsolete. It does play a critical role in Rolla in disaster response, and is the best and most affordable choice for this functionality.”