To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 160 East Washington Street in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, as the "Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush Post Office Building".

Madam Speaker, during the week of February 25-29, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 69-87.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 69, H. Res. 978, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 70, H. Res. 930, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 71, H. Res. 944, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 74, H. Res. 974, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 75, H.R. 3521 the Sires of New Jersey Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 76, H.R. 3521 the Meek of Florida Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 81, H. Res. 1001, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 83, H.R. 5351 on Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 84, H.R. 5351, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 85, S. 2272, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 86, H.R. 4454, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 87, H.R. 4454.

Madam Speaker, during the week of March 3-7, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 88-106.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 88, H.R. 1143, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 89, H.R. 1311, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 90, H.R. 816, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 91, H.R. 4191, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 92, H. Con. Res. 278, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 93, H. Res. 951, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 96, H. Res. 1014, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 97, H.R. 4774, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 98, H. Con. Res. 286, ``nay'' on rolicall vote 100, H.R. 1424 the Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 101, H.R. 1424, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 102, H.R. 5400, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 104, H. Res. 1015, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 105, H.R. 2857 the Flake of Arizona Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 106, H.R. 2857 the Inslee of Washington Amendment.

Madam Speaker, during the week of March 10-14, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 108-145.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 108, H. Res. 537, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 109, H.R. 3196, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 110, H.R. 4166, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 115, H. Res. 924, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 116, Motion, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 117, H.R. 2082, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 118, H. Res. 948, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 119, H. Res. 493, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 122, H. Res. 1031, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 130, H. Res. 1036, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 131, H.R. 5563, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 132, H. Con. Res. 316, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 133, H. Res. 936, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 134, S. 2733, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 137, H. Con. Res. 312 Kilpatrick of Michigan Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 138, H. Con. Res. 312 Lee of California Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 140, H. Con. Res. 312 Ryan of Wisconsin Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 141, H. Con. Res. 312, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 142, H. Res. 991, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 143, H. Res. 1041 On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 144, H. Res. 1041 On Agreeing to the Resolution, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 145, H.R. 3773.

Madam Speaker, during the week of March 31-April 4, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rolicall votes 147-160.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 147, H.R. 3352, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 148, H.R. 2675, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 149, H. Con. Res. 302, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 150, H. Con. Res. 310, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 151, H. Res. 1005, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 152, H. Res. 1021, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 154, H. Res. 1065 On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 155, H. Res. 1065 On Agreeing to the Resolution, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 156, H.R. 5501 Carson of Indiana Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 157, H.R. 5501 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 158, H.R. 5501 On Passage, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 159, H.R. 4847 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 160, H.R. 4847 On Passage.

Madam Speaker, during the week of April 7-11, 2008, I was unavoidably absent from rollcall votes 161-182.

Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote 161, H.J. Res. 70, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 162, H.R. 2464, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 163, S. 793, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 164, H. Res. 1084 On Ordering the Previous Question, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 165, H. Res.

1084 On Agreeing to the Resolution, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 166, H. Res. 1077, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 167, H.R. 2016 the Grijalva of Arizona Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 168, H.R. 2016 the Bishop of Utah Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 169, H.R. 2016 the Bishop of Utah Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 170, H.R. 2016 the Bishop of Utah Amendment, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 171, H.R. 2016 the Altmire of Pennsylvania Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 172, H.R. 2016 the Pearce of New Mexico Amendment, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 173, H.R. 2016 On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 174, H.R. 2016 On Passage, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 175, H.R. 2419, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 176, H.R. 5489, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 177, H.R. 5472, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 179, H. Res. 1083, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 180, H. Res. 1038, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 181, H. Res. 1092, ``nay'' on rollcall vote 182, H.R. 2537 the Flake of Arizona Amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

In its current form I am.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer this motion to recommit on H.R. 1424 with instructions forthwith, to substitute the Kline amendment for the underlying bill.

Last night the Rules Committee issued its 50th closed rule of this Congress and did not allow consideration of the Wilson-Kline-Camp substitute amendment. This motion to recommit gives us the opportunity to pass a mental health parity bill that has both bipartisan and bicameral support, and it does so immediately, allowing the House to approve a real mental health parity bill this very night.

My motion is a viable, commonsense alternative that, contrary to H.R. 1424, achieves real parity in the treatment of employer-sponsored coverage for mental and behavioral illnesses. The motion to recommit substitutes H.R. 1424 with the version similar to the mental health parity legislation S. 558 that passed the U.S. Senate last year under unanimous consent.

During the markup of H.R. 1424 before the Committee on Education and Labor, I offered a version of the compromise Senate bill as an amendment, believing that if Congress intends to move forward with mental health parity legislation, this compromise language is the most sensible alternative and our best chance of enacting legislation on this issue this year.

Unlike H.R. 1424, this motion is a product of over 2 years of bipartisan negotiations between mental health advocates, health care providers, and business groups representing virtually all sides in this debate. The motion accomplishes what it sets out to do. It

provides parity for mental health and substance abuse benefits. It provides parity while preserving the foundation of the ERISA benefit structure, protecting the ability of group health plans to medically manage their claims and providing plans with the flexibility to determine and administer on a voluntary basis the benefits provided to working men and women and their families. By steering clear of the benefit mandates and litigation traps contained in H.R. 1424, this motion makes it possible for employers to continue to provide high- quality affordable benefits, and it does so while responsibly offsetting the cost.

This motion to recommit includes an important provision that will save the American taxpayers billions of dollars by reducing the fraud in the Medicaid system by requiring all States to implement an electronic asset verification program within their Medicaid eligibility systems. Many States have balanced budget requirements and thus have limited dollars to allocate for the Medicaid programs. These new State- level Medicaid asset verification systems would ensure that Medicaid applicants are not intentionally hiding significant amounts of funds in undisclosed bank accounts in order to fraudulently enroll in a State's Medicaid program. This is a responsible way to pay for mental health parity benefits.

Finally, this motion to recommit includes language to clarify that the bill does not require a group health plan to cover abortion as a treatment. For these reasons, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this motion to recommit and vote in favor of this commonsense alternative.

I yield to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson).

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis for moving this legislation expeditiously through the committee and on to the floor today. And I want to thank the other Mr. Davis from Illinois and Mr. Burton for so ably managing it today as well.

Mr. Speaker, Michael Kashkoush grew up in Michigan, and then he moved to Chagrin Falls to start high school. He was the beloved son of Marwan and Mary Jane Kashkoush.

He spent his freshman and sophomore years in Chagrin Falls, and then moved with his family to London for a year and returned to Chagrin for his senior year, graduating in 2001.

Michael was like many young men. His high school years had been about girls, friends, lifting weights, sports, and parties. He started college with great intentions, but didn't find it a good fit for that moment in his life and, after 2 years, he announced to his parents that he wanted to join the Marines. The exceptionally bright and capable young man said that he had led a soft life and wanted to be a marine because ``they're the toughest and most disciplined in the world.'' The Marines were the matching puzzle piece for this gifted former high school wrestler and football player.

Michael's father urged him to finish college and instead attend officers school, but Michael believed he could not lead unless he knew what it was that the grunts had to do. Marwan Kashkoush stood behind his son's choice.

Michael was an exemplary marine and was promoted to sergeant in 2005 in counterintelligence/human intelligence. He had never spoken Arabic, but at the Defense Language Institute in 6 short months he mastered the language. He had a limitless future in the Marines.

In 4 short years, the United States Marine Corps made Michael Kashkoush a man. They gave his self-described ``soft life'' purpose. He was very proud of his military service to our country. On January 23, 2007, just 10 days after being sent to Iraq, he died while conducting combat operations in Anbar province.

Earlier this year, Michael's father and stepmother, Phoebe Brockman Kashkoush, wrote to me and asked me if I would introduce this piece of legislation in honor of Michael. It was a wonderful idea, and it is a perfect one for Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Chagrin Falls is a small, tight-knit community where neighbors are close and there is a genuine sense of community. It is a place where there are almost as many American flags as front porches, and when one of their own died, it deeply touched the community.

Chagrin Falls, a town of about 4,000 people, turned out en masse for the funeral services, and some 600 people crammed into St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, where they sang a joyful, tearful rendition of Don McLean's ``American Pie.'' The Jaycees adorned street posts with hundreds of flags, and more than 300 people walked the half-mile trek from the church down South Franklin Street in blustery snow to Michael's final resting place.

It is fitting, Mr. Speaker, that the Chagrin Falls Post Office be named in honor of Sergeant Michael Kashkoush, and it is a wonderful remembrance for a family who has lost so much.

The father who first resisted his son's plan to enlist credits the Marines with changing his life. He said, ``They built me my best friend.''

Madam Speaker, in order to attend a funeral in my congressional district, I missed 17 votes on March 5 and March 6.

Had I been present I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall 91, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, to redesignate Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park in the State of Ohio as ``Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historical Park'', and for other purposes;

``Yea'' on rollcall 92, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, Supporting Taiwan's fourth direct and democratic presidential elections in March 2008;

``Yea'' on rollcall 93, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, Condemning the ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and for other purposes;

``Yea'' on rollcall 94, Will the House Now Consider the Resolution, Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1014, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 95, On Ordering the Previous Question, Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1014, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act,

``Yea'' on rollcall 96, On Agreeing to the Resolution, Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1014, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 97, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, Cyndi Taylor Krier Post Office Building;

``Yea'' on rollcall 98, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, Expressing the sense of Congress that Earl Lloyd should be recognized and honored for breaking the color barrier and becoming the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association League 58 years ago;

``Yea'' on rollcall 99, On motion to table the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair;

``Nay'' on rollcall 100, Motion to Recommit H.R. 1424, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act,

``Yea'' on rollcall 101, Final Passage of H.R. 1424--Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007;

``Yea'' on rollcall 102, H.R. 5400--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 160 East Washington Street in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, as the Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush Post Office Building;

``Yea'' on rollcall 103, H. Res 1015--Democratic Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on H.R. 2857--Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 104, H. Res 1015--On Agreeing to the Resolution-- Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act;

``Nay'' on rollcall 105, on agreeing to the Flake amendment, H.R. 2857, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 106, on agreeing to the Inslee amendment, H.R. 2857, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act; and

``Yea'' on rollcall 107, Motion to Table the Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, and I ask them to vote ``no'' on this motion to recommit.

The House bill is stronger than the Senate bill. The House bill provides stronger parity protections than the Senate bill for the same cost. The House bill requires parity in out-of-network benefits. The Senate bill does not. Out-of-network care is important where plans cover a limited number of providers and there are long waiting lists to access the care.

The House bill requires coverage for all clinically significant disorders if the insurer chooses to provide coverage for mental illness. The Senate bill lets health plans pick and choose which diseases they will cover, so they could deny care for autism, eating disorders, alcoholism and more.

And also, on this motion to recommit, when it comes to protecting human life, I stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. But this abortion provision in this legislation is a red herring. If this abortion provision was a problem, why would my colleagues, our colleagues, our friends in the Senate like Senator Coburn, Senator Brownback, Senator DeMint vote for it?

I sit on the Energy and Commerce Committee where this bill came from. The abortion issue never was raised.

Under the House bill, health care plans retain the right to make decisions about medical necessity, and nothing in this bill would overturn the ability of health care plans to impose a conscience clause and not cover certain services due to religious or moral objections. This was made part of Federal law in 2005 under the Abortion Nondiscrimination Act authored by Congressman Dave Weldon. That is the law today. Nothing in this bill would affect the Weldon amendment as we know it. Nothing in this bill would affect the ability of a plan to prohibit coverage of abortion either on medically necessary grounds or on a conscience clause.

The bill provides for treating mental health services and physical services with parity. It doesn't address how plans cover physical, i.e., abortion

services. The bill addresses the diagnoses plans must cover, but does not tell plans what specific benefits they have to provide for those diagnoses.