Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2015

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, if I may, I would like to begin my
remarks by expressing my deep gratitude to a hard-working public
servant and loyal friend, Mike Hybl. Mike and I have known each other
for more than 10 years. I was so grateful that after I was elected to
the Senate his wife Chris gave her blessing so he could come to
Washington to serve as my chief of staff.

Mike has had a long career of public service working for his fellow
Nebraskans, including two decades in the Nebraska legislature, where he
provided policy and legal advice to a number of our State's top
leaders. In this role and in the private sector, Mike has brought a
wealth of experience on a range of issues. Before coming to the Senate,
he also served as executive director of the Nebraska Public Service
Commission for nearly 6 years. When I chaired the Nebraska
Legislature's Transportation and Telecommunications Committee, I had
the chance to work closely with Mike to improve infrastructure across
our State. When the time came for me to choose a chief of staff, I had
exactly one name in mind, and that was Mike Hybl. His integrity, his
level head, and his tireless work have served him well in Washington.

Anyone who has ever opened a Senate office from the ground up
appreciates the unique challenges that come with being a chief of staff
and being a chief of staff for a freshman Senator. A wide range of
skills are required to hire staff, establish operations, and even to
pick out paint samples. Through it all Mike was patient, he was
persistent, and he worked closely with me to always ensure that the
interests of Nebraskans were and remain the top priority.

He never lost his sense of purpose. He always kept us laughing with
those deadpan one-liners.

After 2 years on the job, Mike will be returning home to God's
country, the State of Nebraska, which we both love so much.

I have no doubt that in whatever path Mike chooses next, he will
continue to work for the people of Nebraska. I thank his family, his
wife Chris, his son Patrick, his daughter Emma, for letting me have him
and letting the State have him here for 2 more years. I know they are
looking forward to spending more time with Mike as he moves back home
in the coming weeks.

On behalf of all Nebraskans, I do thank Mike Hybl for his many years
of service to our State and for his leadership as my chief of staff for
the last 2 years. I thank him for his counsel, his candor, and his
leadership.

Mike, you are going to be missed, but know you have made a
difference.

Welcoming New Colleagues

Mr. President, I would also like to welcome our new colleagues to a
new year and a new Congress and to the Presiding Officer as well.

Great Challenges For Our Nation

Our Nation is facing many great challenges from threats to our
national security to a languishing economy that is starting to show
signs of revival. We have been granted a sacred trust by the people we
represent to decrease barriers to opportunity and growth, and we have
been entrusted by voters to alleviate the burdens that misguided
policies have placed on the backs of hardworking American families. I
have been honored to serve as the voice for Nebraska in the Senate for
the past 2 years, and I am excited to take on the important issues we
face in this new Congress.

As we begin this new year, I wish to share some of the priorities I
am going to be focusing on. Congress's first duty is to defend this
Nation. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I am
committed to working to neutralize the growing threats to our homeland,
to our allies, and to destroy our enemies. We must maintain our
presence as a powerful force for good. Peace through strength is a
proven strategy. However, it also requires us to meet the changing
demands and needs of our military, including the need for a more robust strategy to counter increased cyber warfare.

At the same time, providing for a strong defense abroad also requires
a robust economy here at home. In my home State of Nebraska people have
faced an onslaught of Washington redtape--from middle-class families
struggling with Obamacare's broken promises to community banks that are
forced to meet impossible new standards. Moreover each new day seems to
bring about costly new Federal regulations from agencies such as EPA.

Washington's invasive reach is unending. Now we have bureaucracies at
the EPA attempting to regulate everything from farm ditches to backyard
ponds. This overregulation is killing jobs, driving up consumer costs,
and disproportionately hurting families who still feel too much
economic pain. Far too often we focus on complex terms and big picture
policies without looking at people and families and how they are
impacted. From a mother working multiple jobs to put her children
through school to a young woman who is a college graduate hoping to
start a career, millions of people are being impacted by policies that
are hampering our growth and our potential.

Similar to most Nebraskans, I believe we need to do more to promote
innovation and economic growth so there are more opportunities and
greater options. That means a simpler, fairer Tax Code, more regulatory
certainty for job creators and modern rules for new technology. We must
help and not hold back innovators and small businesses so they can
grow, expand, and invest in the people who make them great. Tackling
any of these problems must begin by shining the light on the waste,
fraud, and abuse occurring in our Federal Government.

The American people have sent a clear message to Washington this past
November. They have had enough. They have had enough of a do-nothing
Senate. They have had enough of the White House side-stepping Congress
and running roughshod with Executive orders.

The American people are demanding accountability and now with this
Congress that is going to happen. There is much to be done and it
starts with keeping the priorities of our middle class at the
forefront. I for one am excited to face these challenges each and every
day in 2015, and I thank Nebraskans for the privilege of serving as
their voice in the Senate.

Thank you. I yield the floor.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source