Supporting the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 181, which supports the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month, September of 2005.

I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kanjorski), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, and a member of the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus, for introducing this resolution with me for a second year, and for his support on this issue.

I also want to thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) for expeditiously moving this resolution through the Committee on Government Reform. In addition, I would like to thank Senator Chambliss for working with us on this side of the Capitol to craft identical resolutions with both bipartisan and bicameral support.

Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 181 calls on the Nation to observe the month of September as Life Insurance Awareness Month. A number of associations, including the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the American Council of Life Insurers, and a coalition representing hundreds of leading life insurance companies and organizations have designated September 2005 as Life Insurance Awareness Month.

Our collective goal for the month is to make consumers more aware of their life insurance needs, seek professional advice, and take the actions necessary to achieve financial security for their families.

Life insurance is too often thought of only when it is too late. Over half of adult Americans do not have a life insurance policy, and among those who do have life insurance, the amount is often too small to safeguard the financial futures of their loved ones. Life insurance can provide financial security for every American family that incurs the untimely death of a loved one.

This September, during Life Insurance Awareness Month, I will join my colleagues and many life insurance organizations and advocates to encourage Americans to seek out information about the benefits of life insurance so that if the premature death of a loved one does occur, they will be spared the economic hardships that often accompany tragedy.

I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month, September 2005.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to explain why I was not present during votes on July 25 and July 26, 2005 during the first session of the 109th Congress. Due to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commissioner Anthony Principi's visit to the Reno Air Guard and Hawthorne Army Depot, I was unable to return to Washington, DC for votes.

I first would like to explain how I would have voted on July 25, 2005 during rollcall votes Nos. 417, 418, and 419. The first vote was on H.J. Res. 59, the second was H. Con. Res. 181 and the third was H. Res. 376. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``yea'' on these rollcall votes.

If present on July 26, 2005, I would have also voted during rollcall votes Nos. 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, and 431.

The first series of rollcall votes Nos. 420, 421, 422, and 423 were on H.R. 3200, H.R. 3283, a Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 2361, and H.R. 2977. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``yea'' on these rollcall votes.

The second series of rollcall votes Nos. 424, 425, 426, and 427 were on the Kind of Wisconsin Substitute Amendment on H.R. 525, a Motion to Recommit with Instructions on H.R. 525, Final Passage of H.R. 525, and finally on H.R. 2894. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall votes Nos. 424 and 425, but would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes Nos. 426 and 427.

The third series of rollcall votes, Nos. 428, 429, 430, and 431 were on the Pence of Indiana Amendment to H.R. 22, the Flake of Arizona Amendment to H.R. 22, a vote on the Final Passage of H.R. 22 and finally a vote on H.R. 3339. I respectfully request that it be entered into the Congressional Record that if present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall votes Nos. 428 and 429, but would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall votes Nos. 430 and 431.

Thank you for your time and careful consideration of this important matter.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 181, which expresses the sense of Congress regarding the importance of life insurance.

Life insurance provides financial security for families in the event of a premature death by helping surviving family members to meet immediate and long-term financial obligations and objectives.

Fifty million Americans say they lack the life insurance coverage needed to ensure a secure financial future for their loved ones. Yet the need for life insurance is well documented.

Recent studies have found that when a premature death occurs, insufficient life insurance coverage on the part of the deceased often results in the surviving family members being placed under an insurmountable burden, forcing family members to take on extra jobs, work longer hours, borrow money, and spend less time with their families. This takes place at a time when spending time with loved ones is important to healing and recovering from the tragedy of losing a family member.

By designating a month each year as Life Insurance Awareness Month, we are establishing just how important it is to families to learn and educate themselves about life insurance. As a society, we must take steps to make sure that our children are provided for and are safe.

By supporting Life Insurance Awareness Month, we are signaling to the American people that this is an important issue that they should consider in their financial planning.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my thoughts about House Concurrent Resolution 181, which I helped to introduce with my colleague, the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert). House Concurrent Resolution 181 would designate September as National Life Insurance Awareness Month.

Life insurance is a financial planning tool that all families should explore. It can provide security in the event of an untimely death. In families where a premature death occurs, surviving family members are often required to work additional jobs or longer hours, borrow money, withdraw money from savings and investment accounts, and, in too many cases, move to smaller, less expensive housing.

By designating September as National Life Insurance Awareness Month, we will hopefully highlight the importance of this financial instrument for the nearly 50 million Americans who presently lack the life insurance coverage needed to meet the long-term financial needs of their families.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution to promote financial literacy.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, July 25, 2005, I was unable to cast my floor votes on rollcall numbers 417, 418 and 419.

The votes I missed included a motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended H.J. Res. 59, expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the establishment of an appropriate day for the commemoration of the women suffragists who fought for and won the right of women to vote in the United States; a motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended H. Con. Res. 181, Supporting the goals and ideals of National Life Insurance Awareness Month, and for other purposes; and a motion to suspend the rules and pass,

as amended H. Res. 376, Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Trade Commission should investigate the publication of the video game ``Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' to determine if the publisher intentionally deceived the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to avoid an ``Adults-Only'' rating.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall votes 417, 418 and 419.