S6526 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 20, 2012 

Meyers began as a pastor in 1969 in Nebraska and Illinois. In 1980, his career took a 

dramatic shift when he began working as a 

recreational therapist at the Battle Creek 

Sanitarium. In 1986, he transitioned to Hanford Hospital, where he worked as a registered nurse. 

Four years later, Meyers accepted a position as vice president of nursing at San Joaquin Community Hospital. 

From there, he became chief operating officer and vice president of nursing at Manchester Memorial, and then president and 

chief executive officer. 

Several community outreach initiatives 

began under Meyers’s direction, including 

Mission in Motion, public health screenings, 

Live It Up!, and mission-outreach programs 

that enrich the community. 

Meyers holds a bachelor of arts in religion, 

a bachelor of science in nursing, and a master’s of divinity from Andrews University. 

He is married to Susan Meyers, who works 

for the hospital, and all three of his children 

hold nursing degrees. 

Meyers plans to continue helping the community outreach and church programs. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO TESS LIPPS 

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 

rise today to pay tribute to an honored 

Kentuckian who has worked to better 

the Commonwealth. Mr. Tess Lipps of 

Clay County, KY, was named to the 

Clay County Days Wall of Fame in August 2012 for the extraordinary work he 

has accomplished in his community 

during his lifetime. 

Tess Lipps was born July 8, 1947, in a 

section of Clay County known as Martin’s Creek. Growing up with eight 

brothers and sisters, Tess and siblings 

learned what some would call the essentials in life: integrity to others and 

faith in God. Upon graduating from 

Clay County High School in 1964, Tess 

applied these essentials to his life. 

In 1971, Tess married Barbara Hicks. 

From this critical point in life, Tess 

and Barb spent the next greater portion of their lives living to serve God 

and their community. They became 

youth leaders at the Manchester Pentecostal Church and taught a teenage 

boys’ Sunday school class. In 1972, the 

couple opened the first Christian bookstore in the area in which they lived, 

the Gospel Variety Shoppe. 

Tess continued to accomplish and 

succeed in a plethora of activities. He 

became an agent with the Commonwealth Insurance Company in 1984. 

Progressing through the ranks, he was 

promoted to sales manager and also 

branch manager. He retired from this 

position in 2003, but his work to the 

community did not cease. 

In addition to serving as a board 

member of Agape and emcee of the 

Halleluiah Day Festivals, Tess answered his calling in life and became 

pastor of the Manchester Gospel Mission Church in 2006. Tess also formed 

the Clay County Cancer Coalition and 

the UPWARD Soccer Program in Clay 

County, despite some doubts from others. He was told that the community 

and church were too small to support 

such large programs. But Tess’s faith 

allowed him to dream the impossible, 

and then accomplish that dream. 

This year, 250 kids played soccer on a 

brandnew field in the community. Tess 

and Barb have been blessed beyond 

measure. The wish of Tess for the community is that all people can work together making greater opportunities 

for future generations. Mr. Tess Lipps 

has served his community well. 

At this time, I would like to ask my 

colleagues in the Senate to join me in 

honoring Mr. Tess Lipps, an individual 

whose hard work and dedication to the 

community, combined with faith and 

persistence, has forever changed the 

Commonwealth of Kentucky. 

A news story highlighting the 

achievements of Tess Lipps was recently published in the Manchester Enterprise. I ask unanimous consent that 

said story be printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

[From the Manchester Enterprise, Aug. 30, 

2012] 

LIPPS KNOWN FOR COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY

CLAY COUNTY DAYS HALL OF FAME SPONSORED

BY THE MANCHESTER ENTERPRISE

Tess Lipps, recognized this year as a Clay 

County Days Hall of Fame inductee, is 

known as a community volunteer who helped 

form the Clay County Cancer Coalition and 

UPWARD Soccer. 

Lipps was born July 8, 1947, in the Martin’s 

Creek Section of Clay County, along with 

eight brothers and sisters. His parents, 

Henry and Georgia Lipps, instilled honesty, 

faith, and a hard working ethic. 

He attended a two-room school at Martin’s 

Creek for seven years, and was part of the 

first graduating class of the new Goose Rock 

Elementary in 1960. He graduated from Clay 

County High School in 1964. 

He and his wife, the former Barbara Hicks, 

were youth leaders at the Manchester Pentecostal Church for over 13 years, and taught a 

teenage boys’ Sunday school class for the 

next 12 years. 

In 1972, they opened the first Christian 

book store in the area, and operated it until 

they sold it in 1983. 

He became an agent with Commonwealth 

Insurance in 1984, and served in that capacity until he was promoted to sales manager 

in 1997. He was promoted to branch manager 

in 2001, and was there until his retirement in 

2003. 

A dream of his was realized in January 2006 

when he became pastor of the Manchester 

Gospel Mission Church. 

In May of that year, he was part of a group 

of concerned citizens that formed the Clay 

County Cancer Coalition. He was president of 

the coalition for five years, stepping down in 

June of this year. 

In 2009, he and the congregation of the 

church, with the leadership of Joe and Tracy 

Farmer, started the UPWARD Soccer Program. This year, 250 youth are playing on a 

new field, with a vision for greater things in 

the future. 

Lipps and his wife have a son, a daughter, 

and two goddaughters, along with grandchildren. 

f 

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE USTR 

Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, William 

Shakespeare once said, ‘‘Nimble 

thought can jump both sea and land.’’ 

Today I wish to pay tribute to a U.S. 

Government agency whose thinking is 

nimble and its actions as well. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is 

celebrating its 50th anniversary this 

year. 

For 50 years, USTR’s small but elite 

staff has been crossing the globe, over 

sea and land, to break down barriers to 

American exports, and they have 

helped develop a world linked by trade, 

a world governed by rules, to ensure a 

level playing field for our exporters 

and their workers. 

USTR has been remarkably effective 

at that task. Since the creation of the 

Special Trade Representative in 1962, 

annual U.S. trade has grown from $52.1 

billion to $4.8 trillion, contributing to 

economic growth of nearly 350 percent. 

USTR led the way through 20 FTA negotiations, multiple GATT and WTO 

Rounds, and countless bilateral trade 

negotiations in its quest to create opportunities abroad for U.S. businesses, 

workers, farmers and ranchers, in order 

to reach the 95 percent of global consumers who live outside the United 

States. 

USTR spearheaded the effort to create the fundamental rules and structures that underpin the global trading 

system. It successfully concluded the 

Uruguay Round negotiations that created the World Trade Organization. 

The WTO contributed to an explosion 

of trade and extended the rules-based 

trading system to nearly every trading 

nation of the world. 

Throughout it all, the dedicated officials at USTR have maintained their 

commitment to expanding economic 

growth through trade, for the benefit 

of all Americans. Through Democratic 

and Republican administrations, USTR 

officials have put the interests of all 

Americans first. And they have accomplished so much with so little. Never 

larger than its current strength of 

about 250 professionals, USTR has 

turned its small size into a virtue. 

USTR acts and reacts quickly, cutting 

through bureaucratic obstacles in the 

government to develop and execute 

market-opening strategies to break 

down barriers facing American exporters abroad. 

As part of the Executive Office of the 

President, USTR is perfectly positioned to leverage the resources of the 

entire U.S. government and to integrate the full range of stakeholder interests on trade issues. And it is perfectly positioned, and has served well, 

as an effective and indispensable interlocutor with the U.S. Congress. USTR 

understands and respects Congress’s 

constitutionally established role in the 

regulation of international trade. 

Through its close consultations with 

Capitol Hill, USTR presents to the 

world a trade policy that enjoys broad 

support. 

USTR would not be as effective and 

it could not perform its role if housed 

elsewhere in the government or were it 

to become much larger and more bureaucratic. As others have observed 

over the years, if USTR did not exist in 

its current form, it would have to be 

reinvented. 


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September 20, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6527 

USTR is now hard at work on a number of initiatives that continue its legacy of expanding trade for the benefit 

of all Americans, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and World 

Trade Organization agreements on topics from services liberalization to customs reform. And USTR remains hard 

at work enforcing our existing trade 

agreements at the WTO and elsewhere, 

to ensure the United States receives 

the full benefit of those agreements. 

So I would like to extend my congratulations to Ambassador Kirk, his 

predecessors, and the entire USTR 

team past and present for reaching the 

50-year milestone. I look forward to another half century of stellar accomplishments, and I can assure you that I 

will do everything I can to help make 

that possible. 

f 

SECOND BIG SKY HONOR FLIGHT 

VISIT TO D.C. 

Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise to 

recognize a very important event that 

will be occurring this Sunday and Monday. Eighty-nine World War II veterans 

from Montana will take part in the Big 

Sky Honor Flight and come to Washington, DC, to visit their monument— 

the WWII Memorial. 

Their trip is hosted by the Big Sky 

Honor Flight Program. The mission is 

to recognize American veterans for 

their sacrifices and achievements by 

flying them to Washington, DC, to see 

their memorials at no cost. 

These veterans come from all parts of 

our great State. This is a special weekend for this group of heroes. It is also 

a time to give thanks for the courage 

and sacrifice of all our veterans and 

servicemembers. It is a time to reflect 

on the sacrifices made by those who 

fought on the front in Europe, on the 

battlefields of Korea, in the jungles of 

Vietnam, the deserts of Iraq, and those 

who are currently fighting in the 

mountains of Afghanistan. We must 

not forget their sacrifices. 

I am so pleased I will be able to meet 

with these courageous Montanans. I 

ask the Senate to join me in welcoming 

these heroes to our Nation’s Capital 

this weekend, and I ask unanimous 

consent that their names be printed in 

the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

Lee Alderdice; Milton Lyman Amsden; 

Harry A. Arvidson; Peter N. Bertram; Leonard E. Bestrom; Warren Charles Bodecker; 

Ralph Floyd Brewington; James C. Brook; 

William B. Brown; Jackson L. Burger; 

Filmore B. Canon; John M. Clark; Harold 

Lee Conrad; Hollis E. Coon; Gool Counts; 

Carley Rhein Cromwell; Leo Eckhardt; 

James E. Elander; James Ellison; Charles T. 

Eskro. 

Frank D. Evans; Alvin Oscar Fisher; Samuel W. Frank; Durl J. Gibbs; Raymond P. 

Gregori; Robert Glover Hall; Charles E. 

Halstead; Thomas A. Hanel; Russell LeRoy 

Hartse; James Hasterlik; Milam V. Hearron; 

McDonald W. Held; Lewis W. Holzheimer; 

Bernard E. Ilertson; Earl T. Jackson; Elwin 

M. Johnson; George L. Kimmet; Vincent Leo 

Koefelda; Vernon Lee Koelzer; Frank J. 

Koncilya. 

Andre Rioul Kukay; Willard E. LaCounte; 

Albert R. Lasater; Harold J. Lasater; Gorvan 

J. LeDuc; Oscar L. Lee; Norman D. Leonard; 

Joseph Biggs Litle; Max E. Long; Robert W. 

Lubbers; Leonard John Mager; James J. 

Marshall; William R. Matthew; Paul Messer; 

Elizabeth S. Meyer; Geraldine E. Mihalic; 

Gerald K. Nelson; John H. O’Bannon; Clarence A. Olson; Eddie C. Olson. 

Ray A. Olson; Thomas F. Patterson; Roy 

Louis Peters; John W. Porter; Carl Redding; 

Michael G. Rhodes; Robert V. Ryan; Charles 

F. Sandford; Dave Schledewitz; Laurence N. 

Shipp; William James Sivelle; Anthony W. 

Skorupa; Charles E. Smith; Donald E. Smith; 

Kenneth C. Smith; Robert M. Standefer; 

John R. Stevenson; Frank Phillip Thatcher; 

Clifford V. Thomsen; Robert E. Torgrimson; 

Ronald W. Torstenson; James Arthur Vick; 

Albert Wade; James Forest Walker; Bernard 

Edgar Wanderaas; Joseph A. Weber; Allen L. 

Whittington; Bryce Wood Williams; Andrew 

R. Winter. 

f 

MODIFICATIONS TO S. 1956 

Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, would 

the Senator from South Dakota enter 

into a colloquy to discuss concerns I 

have with his bill S. 1956 and a suggested amendment I have filed for consideration, which is currently running 

through the hotline process? 

First of all I want to thank my colleagues for their willingness to work 

with me to address some of the concerns I have with this bill as it was reported out of the Commerce Committee. 

While I have some ongoing reservations about the precedent and potential 

impacts this bill could have on our relations with our closest European allies, I am willing to allow legislation 

to move forward if I may get consent 

to have my amendment agreed to. 

I would like to discuss my amendment and the process which the legislation prescribes the Secretary of Transportation to follow in determining 

whether to prohibit U.S. airlines from 

participating in the European Union’s 

carbon emissions trading scheme. 

The second paragraph of subsection 

(a), section 3 of the legislation contains 

a provision that is designed to ‘‘hold 

harmless’’ U.S. airlines from the fees, 

taxes or fines that they incur from the 

EU under the emissions trading 

scheme. 

While the Secretary of Transportation has discretion as to how he will 

act to ‘‘hold harmless’’ our air carriers, 

it is understood that these actions 

could possibly require some form of 

payment by the Federal Government. 

One of my greatest concerns with the 

bill, which I believe the sponsors of the 

bill share with me, and I appreciate 

their interest in working with me to 

address this issue, is that any payments that may result from this provision not come at the expense of the 

American taxpayer. 

I would like to ask the Senator this 

question: is it correct that it is not his 

intent that any costs or remunerations 

triggered by this legislation come at 

the expense of U.S. taxpayer dollars? 

Mr. THUNE. That is correct, it has 

always been my intent, and it is shared 

by the Congressional Budget Office, 

and the Secretary of Transportation, 

who will have the primary responsibility of implementing this legislation. 

According to the CBO, ‘‘enacting S. 

1956 would have no significant impact 

on the federal budget.’’ 

I ask unanimous consent at this time 

to have their entire report printed in 

the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

AUGUST 1, 2012. 

Hon. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, 

Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional 

Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost 

estimate for S. 1956, the European Union 

Emissions Trading Scheme Prohibition Act 

of 2011. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. 

The CBO staff contact is Megan Carroll. 

Sincerely, 

DOUGLAS W. ELMENDORF. 

Enclosure. 

S. 1956—European Union Emissions Trading 

Scheme Prohibition Act of 2011 

The European Union (EU) has established 

the European Union Emissions Trading 

Scheme (ETS), a regulatory framework related to greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the ETS covers emissions from air 

carriers that operate flights within, to, and 

from EU member states. Negotiations between the U.S. government and the EU about 

the applicability of the ETS to U.S. air carriers are ongoing, and the potential outcome 

of those negotiations is unclear. 

S. 1956 would direct the Secretary of 

Transportation to prohibit U.S. air carriers 

from participating in the ETS if the Secretary believes such a prohibition to be in 

the public interest. The bill would direct federal agencies to continue negotiations in 

pursuit of a worldwide approach to addressing aviation-related emissions and would authorize the Secretary to use existing authorities to ensure that U.S. air carriers are 

held harmless for any costs they incur if 

they participate in the ETS. 

CBO estimates that enacting S. 1956 would 

have no significant impact on the federal 

budget. We expect that the bill would not 

alter the scope of diplomatic efforts currently underway or federal agencies’ costs to 

participate in those efforts, which are subject to appropriation. The bill would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, 

pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply. 

S. 1956 contains no intergovernmental 

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments. 

S. 1956 would impose a private-sector mandate, as defined in UMRA, if U.S. air carriers 

would be prohibited from participating in 

the ETS. The cost of the mandate would depend on how the prohibition is administered 

by the Department of Transportation. Because information about how the prohibition 

would be implemented is not available, CBO 

has no basis for estimating the cost, if any, 

to U.S. air carriers. Consequently, CBO cannot determine whether the cost of the mandate would exceed the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($146 million in 2012, adjusted annually 

for inflation). 


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