Supporting the goals of National Dairy Month.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to cast votes on the following legislative measures. If I were present for rollcall votes, I would have voted in the following manner:

Roll 347, June 10, 2010: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Waters of California Amendment No. 1 to H.R. 5072, FHA Reform Act of 2010, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 348, June 10, 2010: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Garrett of New Jersey Amendment no. 5 to H.R. 5072, FHA Reform Act of 2010, I would have voted, ``no.''

Roll 349, June 10, 2010: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Price of Georgia Amendment no. 7 to H.R. 5072, FHA Reform Act of 2010, I would have voted, ``no.''

Roll 350, June 10, 2010: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Turner of Ohio Amendment no. 9 to H.R. 5072, FHA Reform Act of 2010, I would have voted, ``no.''

Roll 351, June 10, 2010: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Edwards of Texas Amendment no. 12 to H.R. 5072, FHA Reform Act of 2010, I would have voted, ``no.''

Roll 352, June 10, 2010: On Agreeing to the Amendment: Maffei of New York Amendment no. 13 to H.R. 5072, FHA Reform Act of 2010, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 353, June 10, 2010: On Passage: H.R. 5072, FHA Reform Act of 2010, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 354, June 10, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass: S. 3473, To amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to authorize advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 355, June 14, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree: H. Res. 1368, Supporting the goals of National Dairy Month, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 356, June 14, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree: H. Res. 1409, Expressing support for designation of June 20, 2010, as ``American Eagle Day'', and celebrating the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 357, June 14, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass: H.R. 5502, To amend the effective date of the gift card provisions of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 358, June 15, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree: H. Res. 1383, Honoring Dr. Larry Case on his retirement as National FFA Advisor, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 359, June 15, 2010: On Agreeing to the Resolution: H. Res. 1436, Providing for consideration of H.R. 5486, the Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act; and providing for consideration of H.R. 5297, the Small Business Lending Fund Act, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 360, June 15, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended: H.R. 4855, Work-Life Balance Award Act, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 365, June 16, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree: H. Con. Res. 242, Honoring the NAACP on its 101st anniversary, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 366, June 16, 2010: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree: H. Res. 1422, Honoring the Department of Justice on the occasion of its 140th anniversary, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Roll 367, June 16, 2010: On Motion to Suspend and Agree, as Amended: H. Res. 1414, Congratulating Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men-- Englewood Campus, the Nation's first all-male charter high school, for achieving a 100 percent college acceptance rate for all 107 members of its first graduating class of 2010, I would have voted, ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1368, supporting the goals of National Dairy Month, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, for more than 70 years, we have celebrated the month of June as National Dairy Month. Today it is particularly important to recognize the efforts of the hardworking men and women in the dairy industry.

The 19th Congressional District is one of the fastest growing dairy regions in the Nation, but many dairy

producers from west Texas and the big country are concerned about low milk prices and rising production costs that are making it difficult for these operations to survive.

Dairy products, like milk, cheese and ice cream, contain essential nutrients, including calcium, and potassium. These products may help to reduce your risk for high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. National Dairy Month is a great opportunity to get together with friends and family and celebrate an industry that provides nutritional value to our lives and is an important part of many local economies.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the efforts that are underway within the National Milk Producers Federation. They are working to develop policy proposals to address the current crisis that have affected the profitability of nearly every dairy farm in this country. While I may not agree with each of their policy recommendations, I do appreciate the forward thinking and innovative approach that they are taking.

However, despite these efforts, it is likely that whatever we do to ``fix'' the dairy policy will be negatively offset as a result of other policies advocated by this administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress. Whether we are talking about the cap-and-tax bill or the growing list of regulatory proposals being advanced at the EPA and other Federal agencies, there doesn't seem to be any limit on the costs this administration is willing to impose on big businesses or small businesses around this country. We need to empower businesses large and small to create jobs and have long-term profitability instead of burdening them with new regulations and taxes that prevent long-term business planning.

As we celebrate the accomplishments of America's dairy industry this month, I am hopeful that my colleagues will agree that in order to sustain the long-term profitability of this or any other agricultural enterprise steps need to be taken to curb the efforts by this administration and the Democratic leadership that threaten our industry, our economy and our prosperity. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, due to a family medical situation, I was unable to participate in the following votes. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

June 14, 2010

Rollcall vote 355, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 1368, Supporting the goals of National Dairy Month--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 356, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 1409, Expressing support for designation of June 20, 2010, as

``American Eagle Day'', and celebrating the recovery and restoration of the bald eagle, the national symbol of the United States--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 357, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass--H.R. 5502, To amend the effective date of the gift card provisions of the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009--I would have voted ``aye.''

June 15, 2010

Rollcall vote 358, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 1383, Honoring Dr. Larry Case on his retirement as National FFA Advisor--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 359, On Agreeing to the Resolution--H. Res. 1436, Providing for consideration of H.R. 5486, the Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act; and providing for consideration of H.R. 5297, the Small Business Lending Fund Act--I would have voted ``no.''

Rollcall vote 360, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended--H.R. 4855, Work-Life Balance Award Act--I would have voted ``no.''

Rollcall vote 361, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 1389, Recognizing the immeasurable contributions of fathers in the healthy development of children, supporting responsible fatherhood, and encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their children, especially on Father's Day--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 362, On Motion to Recommit with Instructions--H.R. 5486, Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act of 2010--I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 363, On Passage--H.R. 5486, Small Business Jobs Tax Relief Act of 2010--I would have voted ``no.''

Rollcall vote 364, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree--H. Res. 1322, Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program and recognizing the significant contributions of Albert Einstein Fellows--I would have voted ``aye.''

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I missed the following recorded votes on the House floor the legislative week of Monday, June 14, 2010.

For Monday, June 14, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 355 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1368), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 356 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1409), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 357 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 5502).

For Tuesday, June 15, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 358 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1383), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 359 (on agreeing to H. Res. 1436, which provides for consideration of H.R. 5486), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 360 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 4855), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 361 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1389), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 362 (on motion to recommit H.R. 5486). ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 363 (on passage of H.R. 5486), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 364 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1322).

For Wednesday, June 16, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 365 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 242), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 366 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1422), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 367 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1414).

For Thursday, June 17, 2010, had I been present I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 368 (on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 1448), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 369 (on agreeing to H. Res. 1448, which provides for consideration of H.R. 5297), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 370 (on motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1429), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 371 (on agreeing to the Israel amendment to H.R. 5297), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 372 (on agreeing to the Cao amendment to H.R. 5297), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 373 (on agreeing to the Miller (NC) amendment to H.R. 5297), ``aye'' on rollcall vote No. 374 (on motion to recommit H.R. 5297), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 375 (on passage of H.R. 5297).

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1368) supporting the goals of National Dairy Month.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 1368.

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

The resolution we are considering today supports the goals of National Dairy Month, recognizes the importance of our dairy industry and commends dairy farmers for their continued hard work. Our Nation's 57,000 dairy farms provide healthy, nutritious milk and dairy products to families across the country. The products produced by our Nation's dairy farmers provide the nutrients necessary to support a healthy lifestyle and ensure our children and grandchildren grow healthy and strong.

The U.S. dairy industry produces 189 billion pounds of milk annually and contributes tens of billions of dollars to our economy. The House Agriculture Committee has recently held farm bill hearings across the country where Members have had the opportunity to hear from our Nation's dairy producers. Like too many in our Nation, dairy farmers are facing difficult times. Production costs remain high, but retail prices are low, and the credit farmers need to stay in business is difficult to find.

As we begin the process of writing a new farm bill, I am hopeful that we can work with our Nation's dairy farmers to develop new policies that will provide a better safety net that will ensure they can continue to meet our dairy needs and play a vital role in our Nation's economy. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution today to support the goals of National Dairy Month.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.