Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 4213) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend certain expiring provisions, and for other purposes.

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

Let's be clear about what we are doing here today, and, that is, absolutely nothing. This bill is going nowhere. It will not be signed into law, and it will be totally rewritten in the Senate. Majority Leader Reid made that perfectly clear on the floor of the Senate last night. So if you want to walk a $54.2 billion deficit-increasing, tax- hiking, job-killing plank, vote ``yes.'' If not, vote ``no.''

Let's also be clear that this bill has nothing to do with jobs. In fact, virtually every business group is opposed to this package: the Chamber of Commerce, Home Builders, Associated General Contractors, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the list goes on and on. Employers across the country say this bill will hurt our economic recovery. With employment stuck at nearly 10 percent, this is the last bill this House should be passing.

And here we are addressing yet another fundamental flaw in the Democrats' health care overhaul. Had the Democrats not hidden the true cost of that law, we would not be here today voting on another so- called ``doc fix,'' a fix that expands the deficit by $22.9 billion, kicks the can 19 months down the road, has doctors facing a 33 percent cut in 2012, and will force us to spend billions more. We could have paid for a much better package--like the ones the Republicans offered on the House floor last fall--by simply standing up to the trial lawyers and passing commonsense lawsuit reform.

Let's also be honest about the real deficit impact because it is much, much more than the $54.2 billion we have before us. Every Member of this House knows we will be back voting again to increase the deficit in order to again extend these programs and to extend COBRA and FMAP subsidies, both of which were deleted from the bill early this morning. Now, whether you eat the cookie in one bite or several little bites, it has the same number of calories. We owe it to ourselves and to the American people to be honest about just how much deficit spending we're being asked to swallow.

Given that this bill adds $54.2 billion to the deficit but is somehow PAYGO compliant, I think we can officially declare dead the myth that PAYGO will instill fiscal discipline.

So just what are we getting for this deficit spending? Not jobs and not tax cuts. There is no net tax relief before us today. In fact, the Democrats are imposing permanent tax increases at the worst possible time to pay for temporary extensions of current law.

There is a $17.7 billion tax on carried interest, including real estate partnerships and venture capital firms, that would discourage the entrepreneurial risk-taking that is crucial to economic growth and job creation.

The proposed tax on small business income is perhaps even more troubling. President Obama himself claims that 70 percent of new jobs come from small businesses, yet the bill would increase taxes on certain small businesses by subjecting to employment taxes the business profits as opposed to wages.

The bill also includes more than a half dozen complex changes to our international tax rules. These new changes collectively raise close to $15 billion but have not been reviewed by the Ways and Means Committee. Given the desperate shape of our economy and the need to remain competitive with other countries, we should not be rushing forward with massive tax increases without knowing their exact impact.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on increasing the deficit by over $50 billion and to vote ``no'' on raising taxes permanently when unemployment is stuck at nearly 10 percent.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence).

(Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).

Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a list of all of the American businesses that oppose this bill because it will cost us American jobs.

Job Creators Oppose Democrats' Deficit Extender Bill

Cite Concerns that Provisions Will Hinder Job Creation, Decrease

Competitiveness of American Businesses

Since Democrats introduced their latest version of H.R.

4213, ``The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act,''

business leaders and organizations that represent millions of

American businesses and their employees have voiced their

opposition to the job-killing, deficit extending bill. These

employers say that the legislation is anti-job growth, will

place American businesses at a worldwide competitive

disadvantage, subject them to higher taxes and will harm the

nation's path to economic recovery.

Given the disconnect between House Democrats' rhetoric on

jobs and their votes for tax increases, it is no wonder

employers are confused, new investments aren't being made and

unemployment continues to hover at close to 10 percent. Below

are just some of the concerns expressed by employers.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: ``However, Congress' decision

with this legislation, to saddle small business, American

worldwide companies, and investment partnerships with

draconian tax increases that will hinder job creation,

decrease the competitiveness of American businesses, and

deter economic

growth, leaves the Chamber no choice but to oppose this

legislation as currently drafted.''

Business Roundtable: ``These tax increases would take us

two steps backwards in terms of the job-creating legislation;

we strongly need to move our economy forward, not backwards,

to stay competitive with the rest of the world.''

National Association of Home Builders: ``NAHB estimates

that the economic impact of taxing carried interest as 100

percent ordinary income would be a loss of 33,000 jobs due to

reduced multifamily rental housing construction and $1.2

billion in reduced annual property tax revenues to state and

local governments.''

National Association of Manufacturers: ``Unfortunately, the

onerous tax increases...could outweigh the benefits of the

pro-growth changes by imposing significant new costs on

American businesses and threatening job creation, U.S.

competitiveness and overall economic growth.''

Associated General Contractors: ``Unfortunately, the bill

reduces the effectiveness of these provisions by reducing

capital available for private construction and limiting

private job creation by increasing taxes on many small

businesses in the construction industry.''

National Foreign Trade Council: ``These new revenue

proposals will make American businesses less able to compete

in foreign markets, will subject them to double taxation, and

as a result may have significant negative consequences on

worldwide American businesses and their U.S. employees.''

Promote America's Competitive Edge: ``The proposed changes

in the international tax rules will make a bad situation

worse, making it even more difficult for American worldwide

companies to compete.''

Technology CEO Council: ``At a time when innovative

companies are looking for more certainty and stability, the

extenders bill as currently drafted fails to provide either .

. . last-minute proposals to raise revenue could outweigh the

bill's positive aspects, possibly costing--not creating--

jobs.''

IBM: ``The pending legislation would impose significant new

tax increases that will completely overwhelm any positive

economic effect of the R&D tax credit, harming the U.S.

economy just as recovery has begun.''

Black Entertainment Television Founder Robert Johnson: ``In

my opinion, this legislation would cause a rapid decline in

minority private equity firms and possibly eliminate minority

participation in this important financial sector of the

American economy . . . If minority funds are reduced or

eliminated it will also impact investments in urban cities

and job creation and economic development in markets where it

is most needed.''

Finance Executives International: ``With more Americans out

of work than any other time in the last 50 years, businesses

in the U.S. have an obligation to get our citizens back to

work. Other countries seem to understand this call to action,

and are working tirelessly to lower tax rates and bring in

businesses from around the globe. By passing H.R. 4213, the

United States would be harming the competitiveness of

American worldwide companies.''

Emergency Committee for American Trade: ``H.R. 4213 will

undermine U.S. commercial engagement overseas and put U.S.

enterprises and their workers at an even greater competitive

disadvantage . . . H.R. 4213 is a major step in the wrong

direction.''

Silicon Valley Leadership Group: ``We are concerned that

the recent revenue off-sets are being used as `pay-fors' at

the expense of U.S. jobs.''

Real Estate Roundtable: ``Capital formation is what leads

to job and tax base creation--this proposal would discourage

it. Now is not the time to raise taxes. The tax hike will

further delay economic recovery and make financing and

refinancing more difficult.''

S Corporation Association of America: ``It represents an

$11 billion tax hike on employers in the middle of a very

difficult economy, and it should be rejected.''

Organization for International Investment: ``[S]everal of

the international proposals in the Amendment may diminish the

ability of foreign multinationals to continue making

significant contributions to the U.S. economy and U.S.

employment.''

Investment Company Institute: ``Congressional action at

this time would be both redundant and counterproductive.''

I yield 3 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heller).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds.

My friends on the other side have essentially claimed Republicans don't care about unemployed Americans. Nothing could be further from the truth. We believe these programs must be extended. But we also believe they must be paid for, as legislation introduced by Mr. Heller of Nevada does, and of which I am a cosponsor.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

I yield 2 minutes, Mr. Speaker, to the gentleman from Texas, Dr. Burgess.

I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. Speaker, I will insert into the Record a letter to the Speaker of the House by 12 physicians' organizations representing 155,000 physicians opposing this legislation.

May 26, 2010

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Pelosi, On behalf of the undersigned national

surgical societies, we would like to thank you for your

leadership and ongoing efforts to pass a permanent

replacement for the flawed Medicare physician payment

formula. It is vital that Congress adopt a policy that

provides long-term stability to ensure that our nation's

seniors, disabled and military families enrolled in the

TRICARE program maintain access to high quality surgical

care. Unfortunately, short term approaches--including the

sustainable growth rate (SGR) policy contained in the

proposed House amendment to H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and

Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010--fall short of this goal,

so we must oppose such legislative proposals.

With regard to H.R. 4213 (as released on May 20), our

specific concerns include:

Rather than permanently repealing the SGR, the bill only

provides temporary relief from the pending payment cuts for

three and a half years; the formula applied in 2012 and 2013

will likely result in a pay freeze for most surgeons; the

bill reverts back to the SGR in 2014 when physicians will

once again be facing cuts in excess of 35 percent; and with

an estimated price tag of nearly $500 billion in 2014, it

will be virtually impossible to permanently fix the problem

at a later date.

These continued payment cuts, rising practice costs and a

lack of certainty going forward, make it difficult, if not

impossible, for already financially challenged surgical

practices to continue to treat Medicare patients. A February

2010 survey conducted by the Surgical Coalition confirms that

surgeons and anesthesiologists will be forced to make

significant changes in their practices if Medicare payments

continue to decline, jeopardizing timely access to surgical

care. The survey found that 37 percent of respondents will

change their Medicare status to ``nonparticipating'' and an

additional 29 percent will opt out of Medicare altogether. In

addition, those remaining in Medicare will also make

significant changes to their practices, with 69 percent

limiting the number of Medicare patient appointments; 47

percent reducing time spent with Medicare patients; and 45

percent no longer providing certain services. Finally, the

survey demonstrates a direct connection between Medicare

payment cuts, jobs and the economy, as 43 percent of

respondents stated they would reduce staff; 44 percent would

defer the purchase of new medical equipment; and 32 percent

would defer purchases of health information technology.

Surgeons are keenly aware of the fiscal challenges

confronting Congress and our nation. We believe, however,

that the most fiscally responsible approach is to permanently

repeal the SGR today, rather than growing the cost by acting

on it tomorrow. We remain steadfast in our commitment to

ensure and improve all Americans' access to quality surgical

care and we stand ready to work with you to find a solution

that will achieve this goal.

Sincerely,

American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive

Surgery;

American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery;

American Association of Neurological Surgeons;

American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons;

American College of Osteopathic Surgeons;

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists;

American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics;

American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery;

American Society of Plastic Surgeons;

American Urological Association;

Congress of Neurological Surgeons;

Society for Vascular Surgery.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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

This legislation before us raises the deficit by $54 billion. It is not the fiscally responsible legislation that some claim it to be.

I insert in the Record the analysis by the Congressional Budget Office that shows the deficit increases by $54.2 billion under this legislation.

Estimate of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects for H.R. 4213, the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 (As reported by the Committee on Rules on May 26, 2010 with a subsequent

draft amendment transmitted to CBO on May 27, 2010)

[Millions of dollars, by fiscal year] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I strongly support this legislation extending Build America bonds and marketable distribution of highway funding. Build America bonds allow taxable bond access for State and local governments, create new types of investors, and attract them to infrastructure from pension funds and tax-exempt organizations.

This bill also provides $521 million in highway funding for highway and transit for more equitable distribution of Federal funding than was adopted under the Senate language in the HIRE Act.

The Senate revisions earmark funding under two major discretionary programs--Projects of National Regional Significance and the National Corridor Program--for a small select group of States. Under our distribution, we revise and make equitable the Senate revisions which skewed the highway formula. Under this provision in this bill, every State receives its fair share, apportionment share, of the funds available under these programs.

Thirty-seven States will receive more highway and transit funding through this modification, which will produce thousands of jobs across all these States, 18,000 jobs. In contrast to the gentleman who just recently was before me and said, oh, the stimulus hasn't produced jobs, every month our committee has held a hearing--I have chaired 19 hearings--every month to hold States accountable for the jobs produced under our stimulus program: 1,300,000 jobs, 34,000 lane miles of highway improved, 1,262 bridges repaired, replaced or rebuilt, 10,000 transit buses acquired by local transit agencies, $409 million in taxes paid by workers on job sites. That is a success. That is putting America back to work.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4213, the ``American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010''.

The American Jobs Act includes two major provisions to increase investment in our nation's infrastructure: (1) an extension of authority for Build America Bonds and (2) provisions to require a more equitable distribution of certain categories of Federal highway funding.

H.R. 4213 extends the Build America Bonds program for 2 years, through 2012. Build America Bonds were first authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to assist State and local governments in accessing credit markets in the wake of the financial crisis. Specifically, Build America Bonds allow State and local governments to access the taxable bond market, thereby reaching new types of investors such as pension funds and tax-exempt organizations.

By giving State and local governments a choice between accessing the tax-exempt municipal bond market and the taxable bond market to meet their financing needs, Build America Bonds allow State and local governments to select the bond market that provides the lowest financing cost, and the biggest bang for the buck.

Build America Bonds have proven to be an important tool for State and local governments to finance much-needed infrastructure improvements. As of April 30, 2010, State and local governments have used Build America Bonds to finance more than $96 billion in infrastructure projects, including improvements to schools, hospitals, water and sewer utilities, highways, transit, and airports. I strongly support the extension of this program.

H.R. 4213 also provides an additional $521 million of highway funding to allow for a more equitable distribution of certain categories of Federal highway funding than the distribution of highway funding provided under the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.

In March, the majority of the House voted to pass the HIRE Act based, in part, on an express commitment by Senate Majority Leader Reid that the Senate would pass subsequent jobs legislation to distribute highway funding more equitably--according to the House formula.

The highway formula provisions in this jobs bill implement Majority Leader Reid's commitment. I thank him, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Hoyer for their tireless work to resolve this issue and provide each State and highway program with a fair share of highway formula funding.

I would also like to thank the 55 Democratic first- and second-term Members, led by the gentleman from New York (Mr. McMahon) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Driehaus), and the Members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, led by the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Schauer), and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri), for their instrumental work in spearheading efforts to marshal support for enactment of the highway formula provisions included in H.R. 4213. In addition, I thank the Members of the Illinois, California, and other affected State delegations for helping us reach the compromise that we bring to the Floor today.

The Senate revisions of the HIRE Act earmarked funding under two major highway discretionary programs--the Project of National and Regional Significance, PNRS, program and the National Corridor Infrastructure Improvement, National Corridor, program--for a small, select group of States. Under this distribution, four States received 58 percent of the funding and 21 States received nothing.

The treatment of these programs in the Senate revisions of the HIRE Act skewed the highway formula, significantly benefitting four States with a permanent windfall due to these earmarks.

The provisions in H.R. 4213 revise the distribution of PNRS and National Corridor program funding so that every State receives a fair share of the funds made available under these programs. Specifically, H.R. 4213 provides each State with a share of the PNRS and National Corridor funds equal to the greater of that which the State received under the HIRE Act or under H.R. 4213, the American Jobs Act.

Thirty-seven States receive more highway dollars based on the modification to the distribution of highway formula funding included in H.R. 4213. This new highway funding will produce thousands of jobs across these States--jobs that are critically important to the construction sector currently suffering from 21.8 percent unemployment.

Under the Recovery Act, we have clearly seen States demonstrate their ability to put highway and transit dollars to work quickly to create and sustain jobs--322,000 direct, on-project jobs in the first year of the Recovery Act and 49,000 direct jobs last month alone. In total, these highway and transit funds have created and sustained more than 1 million jobs over the past year.

In December, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials reported to our Committee that States currently have a backlog of 7,497 ready-to-go highway and bridge projects totaling $47.3 billion.

Given the States' extraordinary performance under the Recovery Act and the overwhelming highway investment needs, we can expect that the highway funding provided under H.R. 4213 will result in hundreds of projects under contract--with shovels in the ground--within 90 days.

Based upon Federal Highway Administration estimates, the $521 million of additional funding provided under H.R. 4213 will create more than 18,000 family-wage jobs.

The HIRE Act also distributed ``additional'' formula funding (provided in lieu of additional Congressionally-directed projects) among only six of 13 current State highway formula programs.

In doing so, it effectively designated seven programs--the Appalachian Development Highway System, Rail-Highway Grade Crossing, Equity Bonus, Recreational Trails, Safe Routes to School, Coordinated Border Infrastructure, and Metropolitan Planning programs--as ``second tier'' programs, providing them less funding in FY 2010 and FY 2011 and weakening their standing during the ongoing authorization process.

The highway provisions in H.R. 4213 appropriately recognize the standing of all of the current highway formula programs: distributing ``additional'' formula funding through all current State highway formula programs, rather than just six. This modification is critically important to the Appalachian Development Highway System, Metropolitan Planning, and Safe Routes to School programs.

Today narks the third time that the House will vote on language to revise the HIRE Act's highway funding distribution, which this chamber has twice passed language to amend. With the rock-solid commitment of the House Democratic Leadership and Senate Majority Leader Reid, I look forward to enacting the highway formula modifications included in H.R. 4213 and providing every State with a fair share of the funds distributed under these programs as they begin to move forward with their summer highway construction seasons.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4213, the ``American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010''.

Attached is a state-by-state highway funding table outlining the additional funding provided by H.R. 4213.

Highway and Bridge Formula Funding by State Under Surface Transportation Extension Acts HIRE Act VS. H.R. 4213, the ``American

Jobs Act Of 2010''--May 27, 2010

37 STATES FARE BETTER UNDER THE AMERICA JOBS ACT THAN UNDER THE HIRE ACT

[No State receives less under the American Jobs Act than under the HIRE Act] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

H.R. 4213, Increase/

State HIRE act \1\ American jobs act (decrease) Under

\2\ H.R. 4213 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alabama................................................ $1,160,135,018 $1,178,768,813 $18,633,795 Alaska................................................. 700,070,601 703,484,406 3,413,805 Arizona................................................ 1,119,833,846 1,137,317,569 17,483,723 Arkansas............................................... 780,938,284 780,938,284 0 California............................................. 5,548,334,984 5,548,334,984 0 Colorado............................................... 808,562,089 808,562,089 0 Connecticut............................................ 771,124,583 774,468,106 3,343,523 Delaware............................................... 254,115,413 258,166,183 4,050,770 Dist. of Col........................................... 241,637,283 241,637,283 0 Florida................................................ 2,901,459,068 2,948,516,503 47,057,435 Georgia................................................ 1,991,725,595 2,023,498,871 31,773,276 Hawaii................................................. 258,011,916 262,133,940 4,122,024 Idaho.................................................. 436,473,412 443,558,991 7,085,579 Illinois............................................... 2,133,468,322 2,133,468,322 0 Indiana................................................ 1,454,478,216 1,473,826,863 19,348,648 Iowa................................................... 721,928,309 731,252,426 9,324,118 Kansas................................................. 582,189,917 591,518,358 9,328,441 Kentucky............................................... 1,012,890,986 1,027,305,950 14,414,964 Louisiana.............................................. 1,045,633,419 1,045,633,419 0 Maine.................................................. 280,240,625 284,757,226 4,516,601 Maryland............................................... 918,077,359 930,393,685 12,316,326 Massachusetts.......................................... 935,232,711 950,187,222 14,954,511 Michigan............................................... 1,628,896,250 1,649,577,451 20,681,201 Minnesota.............................................. 969,838,993 969,838,993 0 Mississippi............................................ 730,280,701 740,066,612 9,785,911 Missouri............................................... 1,422,349,455 1,444,428,478 22,079,023 Montana................................................ 595,326,967 604,421,087 9,094,120 Nebraska............................................... 439,714,255 446,827,117 7,112,863 Nevada................................................. 509,981,437 517,716,094 7,734,658 New Hampshire.......................................... 255,499,273 259,619,857 4,120,584 New Jersey............................................. 1,522,180,325 1,522,180,325 0 New Mexico............................................. 558,845,157 564,388,783 5,543,626 New York............................................... 2,585,021,983 2,601,114,874 16,092,891 North Carolina......................................... 1,600,085,980 1,625,905,549 25,819,569 North Dakota........................................... 376,542,187 382,541,944 5,999,758 Ohio................................................... 2,046,630,272 2,071,931,711 25,301,439 Oklahoma............................................... 958,778,621 958,778,621 0 Oregon................................................. 747,025,067 747,025,067 0 Pennsylvania........................................... 2,533,737,942 2,561,421,751 27,683,809 Rhode Island........................................... 328,209,791 333,303,797 5,094,006 South Carolina......................................... 960,038,143 962,956,224 2,918,081 South Dakota........................................... 423,697,858 430,371,013 6,673,155 Tennessee.............................................. 1,286,665,098 1,286,665,098 0 Texas.................................................. 4,835,326,375 4,912,212,474 76,886,099 Utah................................................... 482,941,887 490,736,905 7,795,018 Vermont................................................ 299,846,556 304,031,221 4,184,665 Virginia............................................... 1,550,364,905 1,550,364,905 O Washington............................................. 1,021,098,782 1,021,098,782 0 West Virginia.......................................... 660,653,936 660,653,936 0 Wisconsin.............................................. 1,135,046,618 1,138,278,090 3,231,471 Wyoming................................................ 389,303,475 395,692,926 6,389,451

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding me the time, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

It seems like every time I come to the House floor, I point out that my Democratic colleagues are using an unprecedented, restrictive, and closed process on the House floor, and here I go again to tell the exact same story. In fact, I am not even sure anyone on the House floor knows what we are debating or getting ready to vote on right now. It's amazing. Bill after bill, day after day. We were provided with a copy of the final bill at 9:06. I guess that beats 3:15 in the morning.

Mr. Speaker, Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic majority promised the American people that they would run the most open, honest, and ethical Congress. To date, this Congress and I think the last one has seen more backroom deals, arm twisting, and more partisan negotiations than ever before. I think the American people are fed up with it. They want transparency, they want accountability, and I think what they are looking for is solutions. Standing up and touting this bill when nobody even knows what's in it and how great it is, I think, a sham.

Mr. Speaker, it's my understanding that the Democrats, and I repeat that, it is my understanding that the Democrats are planning to amend the rule to change the text of the underlying legislation that we are discussing here right now. Are they planning changes to the $100 billion in spending? I don't know. What are they going to do? I don't know. What's in the amendment? More spending? I betcha. More taxes? I'm sure. Are they gutting the State Medicare funding portion? Are they eliminating the COBRA extension? Will doctors see a 21 percent cut in reimbursement next week? I don't know, nor does anybody who is going to vote on this bill.

Unfortunately, the answers to all of those questions, regardless to what's in their amendment, is yes. The Senate has already made it clear to this House and my Democratic colleagues, the press, and the American people that they will be going home--as a matter of fact, they've already done that--before acting on the extenders package that we are doing right now.

So, Mr. Speaker, what is the point? Why is the Speaker having this bill today on the floor? This isn't about jobs. It's not about the unemployed. It's not about those without insurance or it's not even about physicians. It's about a political agenda. It's about taxing and spending and a message on this floor that tries to make it seem like it's the reverse.

I would submit to you that if this Democratic majority were trying to help small business, they'd start with any one of the top five issues that small business has and that they present through the National Association of Manufacturers, and they've done this for years. That list is ignored.

Yesterday in CQ Today, the chairwoman of the Rules Committee was asked whether the Democrats' backroom deals were going to hold up on the House floor, and her response, and I quote, Are you kidding me? We're Democrats.

Mr. Speaker, what's in the deal? Does it provide any real solutions? Are we voting on this to accomplish anything? I would say in the next 2 hours we will be voting on legislation that this body will have no clue what is in the bill. Once again, par for the course.

It's also my understanding that the Democratic priorities of implementing new and permanent taxes, increasing debt spending, deficit spending, and fixing errors and oversight in the Democrats' trillion dollar health care bill is exactly what it will also be in the bill today. But I don't know. Yet the majority continues to patch the Nation's problems together with expensive short-term fixes that create even greater budget shortfalls in the future rather than dealing honestly with them.

Monday night in the Rules Committee, I asked Chairman Levin to quantify, please, how many jobs this bill would create since the majority insists on calling it a jobs bill. The fact is he couldn't. This legislation throws billions of dollars at a bunch of short-term solutions while creating permanent, new taxes on business. I know the Democrats like to call them corporations, but I call them employers.

This legislation will increase the tax treatment of carried interest for real estate, energy, and investment partnerships, in some cases more than doubling the tax rate from 15 to 35 percent. That's it. The Democratic agenda: Tax and spend. Tax and spend employers, and then blame it on them when something bad goes wrong. Maybe better, blame it on George Bush.

Also, this bill increases payroll taxes on S corporation shareholders as well as changes the longstanding U.S. International Tax Code law. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, these changes could saddle small business, American worldwide companies, and investment partnerships with draconian tax increases that will hinder job creation and decrease the competitiveness of American business. And that I quote. Yet my friends on the other side of the aisle are still calling this a jobs bill. I know what it is, and so do you. Taxing and spending--the hallmark of the Democratic majority. Job killing measures once again present on the floor of the House of Representatives today.

Additionally, Mr. Speaker, the extenders bill that is before us today has billions in additional health care spending, spending the Democrats couldn't find to offset for their $1.2 trillion health care bill. So they didn't include it because they wanted to mask the true costs of the bill that we passed on or around March 22.

One key example, this legislation prevents a 21 percent cut to physician reimbursement for Medicare payments, but by preventing this cut for the next year and a half, they leave physicians with a 33 percent cut in 2012 that will cost over $300 billion to fix. That's not open; that's not honest, and I don't believe that's ethical.

Mr. Speaker, today I talked about how Republicans over and over continue to be shut out of the process on the House side, even right now, where I suspect my colleagues would offer an amendment to change the text to something not one of my Republican colleagues have seen and no one on the House floor has read.

This legislation provides us, for a couple of months, an extension for noncontroversial extenders by levying new permanent tax increases on small business--the engine of our economy--and, of course, investment partnerships.

And lastly, this legislation uses budget gimmicks to push our Medicare programs further in debt, putting the care of our Nation's seniors at risk. Yet my friends on the other side of the aisle continue to move forward with this tax-and-spend agenda and then blame their inability to receive the results they want on somebody else.

I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question to bring some fiscal restraint back to this House and ``no'' on the rule.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Pasco, Washington (Mr. Hastings).

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

Mr. Speaker, you know there is no way to get around this. This is a monster tax increase and permanent tax increase on taxpayers and business.

I want to quote from the National Association of Manufacturers, which are all about American manufacturers: American companies who do business overseas will find a monster tax increase on them for doing business, penalizing them.

It says many of the tax-increase proposals, which are mischaracterized as a tax loophole--you know, they are actually tax law--actually represent significant changes to a tax policy that has been supported by Congress and this administration.

Now, they are going to come back and change that. You have got to blame somebody.

It's obvious to me that what we will end up doing is pinning the tail on the donkey, because we know who is about trying to kill jobs. It comes through heavy taxation, and it comes through rules and regulation. I have got letter after letter after letter from businesses across this country who say this will harm American jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from San Dimas, California (Mr. Dreier), the ranking member of the Rules Committee.

(Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to have our colleagues on the Democratic side come and talk about jobs.

It's not going to happen. These are massive tax increases. Business is trying to say, through the letters which I

will more fully get into in a minute, that's how to kill jobs in this country, permanent tax increases. Oh, no, those are corporations, those are evil corporations.

My friends, they are called employers. You are putting permanent tax increases on employers, which means you will have fewer jobs in this country.

Don't blame it on somebody else; blame it on yourself. Pin the tail on the donkey. That's the reason why we don't have jobs. We don't have jobs because 4 years ago, when the Democratic majority took over, all they talked about is taxes and spending, rules, regulation, more on business. And Members come to the floor and say, this is just about jobs.

Read the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Grandfather community, North Carolina, Dr. Foxx.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to respond back that, in fact, we are doing well in Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I'll reserve my time while they figure it out.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina, Dr. Foxx.

Mr. Speaker, in fact, the gentleman is correct. There were jobs that were added. They were government jobs. They were government jobs because of the census, and that is why we saw an uptick.

Let's go back to Texas. I know there has been a lot said about Texas. In Texas, unemployment jumped from 6.8 percent in April 2009 to 8.1 percent in April 2010. That's an additional 188,600 people unemployed.

I appreciate you all in trying to take credit for this great, robust economic boom that's going on in this country. The fact of the matter is it's not working that way.

Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a letter dated May 24, 2010, from IBM. I'm going to read just the last paragraph because it shows, really, the misnomer of my Democrat friend's argument about how great this bill is, the jobs bill.

It reads, ``Despite the 1-year renewal of the R&D tax credit, which we and other technology firms have long supported, the late insertion of large, new, permanent tax increases, together with hundreds of billions in new deficit spending that has not been offset, leads IBM to strongly oppose this legislation.''

Hundreds of billions of dollars in new deficit spending.

This reminds me a lot of the firefighter who goes out and sets a fire and then shows up to put it out, trying to get credit when, in fact, that firefighter is an arsonist. IBM gets it. IBM gets it and they understand: hundreds of billions of dollars of new deficit spending that has not been offset.

I thank the gentleman for asking.

You know, I had seen a report, and we received information up in the Rules Committee that there would be an expectation of 500,000 census jobs across the country.

I appreciate the gentleman.

I think the overwhelming context I had was that the jobs that are being created are in government.

I appreciate the gentleman's yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Today

we began this rule by talking about Republicans' having received a copy of the rule and the bill at 9:06. We talked about how the Senate has left town and that we are doing this bill today to no avail, because it expires when we will all be gone, which is next week.

We've got doctors who will not be properly reimbursed. Oh, I'm sorry. That big cut occurred from this Democrat majority, and now we're trying to show up and show how we've got to help physicians. Once again, it reminds me of that firefighter who sets his own fire. This Democrat majority cut the doctors. Now we're hearing that doctors won't see Medicare patients, and now we show up to save the doctors.

Mr. Speaker, the bottom line to this whole thing is that massive, new tax increases are in this bill, while at the same time, somebody is trying to take credit for all of these millions of new jobs that will be created. Yet, when asked, the chairman of the committee had no evidence to support that. It was just an opinion.

That is exactly the same kind of opinion that we saw from the prior chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, who, when asked about the health care bill--and even though he knew it would diminish jobs because of the guesstimate of CBO of some 5 million jobs--wanted to push this as a jobs bill, wanted to push health care as a jobs bill, and now we are doing it again.

The U.S. Chamber says changes to the tax treatment of real estate, energy, and investment partnerships will result in negative consequences for capital formation, innovation in real estate, energy, investment, and jobs in America.

The bottom line is that this Democrat majority has three big political items, not just taxes and spending, but the three largest political items will net lose 10 million American jobs, as decided by the Congressional Budget Office.

This Democrat majority is insistent on killing jobs in America. They are insistent on taxing and spending. They are for the diminishment of the investor, and they are going to kill the goose that lays the golden egg. I think it is a big mistake to try and show up and say, Those darned Republicans won't go along with us. They won't vote for an extension of unemployment.

I will tell you what the Republican Party stands for: It is jobs, investment and the opportunity to have more jobs in this country.

Mr. Speaker, we end our debate today.

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

I thank the chairman for yielding.

I want to thank Chairman Levin. Chairman Levin has worked, along with his staff, Janice Mays, the staff director and other members of an extraordinary staff, around the clock. And I am sure Mr. Camp would say his Republican staff has worked around the clock, too. We thank all of them for the work that they do. I thank Mr. Levin for his leadership, for his focus, and his tenaciousness in bringing us to this point.

Let me make a couple of observations before I speak pointedly about the bill. First of all, ladies and gentlemen of this House, the public understands that there is no bipartisanship in this House. All Republicans are going to vote against this bill, my presumption is. Maybe I am wrong. I hope I am wrong. But my presumption is they'll vote to a person against this bill.

They have voted almost to a person against every bill that we have passed over the last 16 months to try to bring this economy back from the extraordinarily deep recession, the deepest that we have had in 75 years, resulting from the economic policies that they put in place when they were exclusively in control.

Yet they come to the floor and talk about deficits. Democrats of course, when we controlled the Presidency, created one of the highest surpluses, and indeed the only administration that had a net surplus after 8 years, the Clinton administration. The Republicans will say, yes, but for 6 of those years we controlled the Congress. And my response is, yes, and for 12 of the years you controlled the Congress, and 6 of those under a Republican President, George Bush.

Unfortunately, every year that I have been here serving with a Republican President, every year without exception, we have had large deficits. Every year. However, under Bill Clinton we had the only 4 surplus years that I have been here. We had 4 surplus years as a result of an economic program that was adopted. Again, it was adopted exclusively by Democrats. No Republican voted for that in 1993 either in the House or in the Senate.

So we created surpluses. We got the economy moving. And then my friend on the other side talks about jobs; we should have had hearings about job creation. Frankly, the worst period of job creation in the last 30 years was the 8 years of the Bush administration. Without exception the worst. Stark example: the Clinton administration, 216,000 jobs created per month; the Bush administration, 11,000 jobs per month. That's 205,000 jobs per month, over 2 million per year.

That is why, of course, because of that disastrous economic performance, we fell into this extraordinary ditch that we have tried to pull ourselves out of. And we are coming out of it. That's the good news, Mr. and Mrs. America, my colleagues. We are coming out of it. It's slow, it's not as fast as we would like, but it's successful.

Now, I give you an interesting fact: over the last 4 months of an economic program, the Recovery Act and other jobs bills that we passed, we have created 573,000 jobs in the last 4 months. All positive months. If the next two-thirds of the year replicate that production, we will create more jobs this

year after this deepest recession any of us in this Chamber have experienced ever in our lifetimes, we will create more jobs this year, if we replicate the first third of the year, than the Bush administration created in its 8 years. Hear that statistic and check me if I am wrong. About 1.7 million jobs versus a little over a million jobs over the 96 months were net created during the Bush administration.

So when we talk about jobs and deficits, I think we have some credibility. We have some credibility because we created surpluses; the only 4 years of surplus, again, under the Clinton administration, that we had in my 30 years in Congress. And in terms of jobs, Bill Clinton created 21 million private-sector jobs during the course of his Presidency. George Bush? Approximately a million. A stark difference in the impact of the economic policies pursued by the two parties.

I would hope some of you would say to yourselves that--not because we're trying to place blame, but because we're probably trying to learn, hopefully, from our experience. And you might come to the conclusion at some point in time, You know what? What they have suggested works. What they have pursued works, contrary to what Mr. Armey, who was your former majority leader who, when we adopted that program in 1993, said we would have deep deficits and exploding unemployment. We had exactly the opposite. We had declining deficits and 4 years of surplus and an explosion of job creation; 216,000 a month.

We continue to pursue creation of jobs. That's what this bill is about, creation of jobs. We're also pursuing closing tax loopholes and making sure people don't offshore jobs so we keep jobs here in America, since inheriting the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and an economy shedding almost 800,000 jobs per month. That's not creating jobs; that's losing. During the last 3 months of the Bush administration, we lost about 750,000 jobs per month, 1\1/2\ million in 3 months, as opposed to creating 573,000 in the last 4 months.

President Obama and the 111th Congress have been dedicated to standing up for the middle class, its interests, and its future. The work continues today with the American Jobs Closing Tax Loopholes and Preventing Outsourcing Act, which will support millions of American jobs.

This bill is a significant investment in America's entrepreneurs and its workers. It helps to restore the flow of credit to small businesses, which hire the majority of America's workers. It extends the important R&D tax credit, research and development, which helps businesses innovate, grow, and create jobs. That's what we need to be about, creating jobs for our people.

It invests in the successful Build America Bonds and Recovery Zone Bonds, which create jobs and build much needed projects, like schools, hospitals, roads, and public transit. It puts young people to work with summer jobs programs so that they're not out in the streets, so they start to learn some skills, so that they have something to do with their time. That's good for them to learn job skills, that's good to get projects done that need to be done, and it provides for idle hands having work.

This bill also protects the safety net for Americans who are out of work through no fault of their own. It extends their unemployment insurance and helps them keep their health coverage. That's not only the right thing to do; it is also one of the most effective ways to boost local economies.

In addition, by preventing physician reimbursement rates from falling, it ensures that millions of seniors, military retirees, and people with disabilities can continue seeing their doctors.

Now, let me say something about what the ranking member said, for whom I have a great deal of respect. He said the docs don't like this. I don't like this. Unfortunately, none of your colleagues in the United States Senate voted for a bill that we sent to them. I don't think any of you voted over here for it either, which made a permanent fix to this doctors' roller coaster of pretending that we're going to cut doctors' reimbursement. We're not going to do that. We're not going to do it because we want to make sure that our seniors, that our folks with disabilities and others have access to their doctors. So we're not going to do that.

So we play a game. It is a game of dollars, of course, an important game. But we play a game that we're somehow not going to do it, so we do it in short stretches. You did the same thing when you were in charge. We're doing it again.

We should do this permanently. The Speaker is for permanent fix. I'm for permanent fix. And if we need to pay for it, I will vote to pay for it. And we do need to pay for it. Now, whether we need to pay for it immediately all up front or we pay for it as we do sporadically, but either way, we all know we're going to do this.

So I say to my friend, I understand the doctors are not pleased. I am not pleased. The Speaker's not pleased. Mr. Levin is not pleased. And certainly Mr. Waxman is not pleased. And my colleagues on this side of the aisle are not pleased. I presume your colleagues are not either. But, frankly, this is what you did when you were in charge. And we're doing it for the same reason: We need to get the votes. And I'm hopeful that we can join together in a bipartisan way at some point in time, and because we don't have a bipartisan way, frankly, we've got to carry the load ourselves.

I've been in the minority. It's easy to say ``no.'' It's much easier being in the minority. When I was the minority whip, nobody ever asked me did I lose by 1 or did I lose by 20. They assumed I was going to lose, and it didn't matter how much I lost by. Now, of course, if I lose by 1, they know that and I get a lot of flack, properly so.

So we could do better policy if we would do bipartisan policy, if we could do a broader outlook. So I invite you to engage. I don't think you'll do so today, but I hope you will in the future. That's not the only right thing to do. It's also one of the most effective ways to boost our local economies.

In addition, by preventing physician reimbursement rates from falling, it insures that millions of seniors, military retirees, and people with disabilities can continue seeing their doctors. We hope you don't vote against that. It will be a separate vote. You won't have to vote for the rest of the stuff if you don't like it, but vote for the SGR. Vote at least for the next 19 months to say to doctors, We're going to reimburse you at a proper rate to serve seniors, military retirees, and people with disabilities. At least vote for that one if you think docs ought to be reimbursed. Or if you think docs ought to have a 21-percent cut, vote against it.

Those are some of the many steps this bill takes to create jobs and protect Americans struggling in hard times. But just as importantly, this job creation is funded by efforts to close unfair tax loopholes and enforce corporate accountability. This bill would close the loophole that enables Wall Street fund managers to pay taxes at a rate 20 percent lower than the rate for ordinary working Americans. We differ on that. I understand that. And a lot of people have talked about how we can tweak that, if you will. It's a question, however, of basic fairness of taxing people on money they earn at similar rates. And I want to say something on that, because I think there's been some misinterpretation.

I can't speak for every one of my Democratic colleagues, but I'm a strong believer that if people take money out of their pocket, take capital at risk, that there ought to be a differential tax rate, and there is and there will continue to be. At least with my support, there will continue to be.

Further, this bill closes the tax loophole that lets multinational corporations profit by shipping jobs overseas and putting Americans out of work. I believe most of you on the other side of the aisle, my friends and colleagues, don't believe that's a proper thing for us to do. I hope you will join us on that.

By taking advantage of the foreign tax credit, these corporations are able to avoid American and foreign taxes, giving them incentives to move offshore and take jobs from people here at home. Again, tax fairness and the needs of our middle class both urge us to close this loophole. Another loophole for the privileged that Republicans have defended for years.

Finally, this bill takes the first step to hold the oil industry accountable for

the historic mess it made in the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum will be millions of dollars in debt when this concludes. It increases the amount the oil industry must pay into the Oil Spill Liability Trust.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill. It's a good bill for jobs. It's a good bill for closing tax loopholes. It's a good bill for dissuading people from taking jobs overseas. Take this step for America, and continue to build on the economic progress that we have made over the last 17 months.

I thank the Speaker for yielding.

I have the honor of representing Herb in the Congress of the United States. He was born in Aquasco in April of 1936. In my view, he's a young man. For those of you who are much younger, I want you to know he's still a young man.

Herb, let me say to you, as the Speaker has pointed out, Herb has served with seven Speakers of the House, from Speaker Albert to Speaker Pelosi. For those of you in the Republican Cloakroom, I've had the opportunity to come over to your side, and I love the folks that you have working on your side. Like Herb, they treat us all alike. There are no Republicans or Democrats for them. They're just Members of Congress who serve together and work together on behalf of our country.

Herb, you have been a wonderful friend, and you have made everybody's day brighter every time they come in contact with you. You have been someone who has been so thoughtful, so courteous, so kind that all of us have been advantaged and our lives have been made better by your service. And Herb, as you leave--not our hearts, but this House, at least the Cloakroom--we know that you will hopefully come back from time to time and visit with us, and we will be again enriched with your presence and your demeanor.

We wish you God speed. And we say to you, thank you, good friend.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1403 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only.

General Leave

I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 1403 provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.R. 4213. Mr. Speaker, the legislation is like many of the bills that we do. It's the product of many hours of hard work. It's also an effort to strike a balance between extending important life- saving assistance to laid-off workers and investing in smart spending that will help our economy.

A significant portion of the bill would go directly to helping our citizens. We extend unemployment insurance, we invest in summer jobs, fund loans for small businesses, and make bonds available to States. But I am pleased that the bill also cracks down on corporations, closing tax loopholes that have encouraged companies to ship jobs overseas, a thing I have devoutly desired for a number of years.

Unlike the previous administration, we use PAYGO rules here to make sure that new spending, other than emergency spending, is fully paid for. In fact, it's worthy to remind my colleagues that the deficit facing the country was created by the last administration, which financed two wars, a prescription drug plan, and a huge tax cut, all of which was unpaid for, and consequently is responsible for two-thirds of the deficit.

In the recent frenzied back and forth over this bill, it is easy to lose sight of the important steps that Congress has taken up to this point to help right the economy. We passed small business tax relief, expanded the first-time home buyer tax credit, changed the way students apply for loans, funded a Cash for Clunkers program, injected money into the economy, and helped to protect domestic jobs at a critical juncture.

With this vote, we can help families across the country continue the path we set out on last year to help dig the country out of a terrible recession. For small businesses, the backbone of the Nation's economy, and the place where most American workers are employed, we use this bill to ensure them an easier time getting loans. The bill also continues the very successful research and development tax credit, a powerful incentive to creating well-paying jobs.

The measure extends the ongoing recovery by investing in Build America Bonds and Recovery Zone Bonds, making it less expensive for cash-strapped State and local governments to finance the rebuilding of schools and sewers and hospitals and transit projects.

The legislation helps American families with sales tax relief, property tax relief, disaster area tax relief, and college tuition deductions. The bill wisely invests in important energy provisions such as the biodiesel tax credit, while making good on our obligations to black and Native American farmers. Finally, the measure also strengthens the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund by increasing the amount the oil industry must pay to clean up its disasters.

I also want to pause for a moment to talk about two pieces of legislation that I personally am happy to see in the bill, because I think they'll pay enormous benefits. This bill closes a loophole in the Tax Code that has been used by huge corporations, including publicly regulated utilities. Companies use this loophole to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes when they spin off a subsidiary. These deals cost taxpayers and they hurt consumers, especially when the company using the loophole is a phone company that wants to get rid of the older telephone lines in small towns and rural areas. With this bill we close that loophole, and we will save taxpayers $260 million over the next 10 years.

On another front, the bill also extends funding for the wool trust fund, which helps to keep thousands of textile and apparel workers around the country employed. I was proud to work on this issue because of the relevance it has to Hickey Freeman, a 100-year-

old company and maker of fine men's suits located in Rochester, New York.

The fund provides funds to makers of wool fabric and yarn producers, as well as sheep growers, to help maintain the domestic production of wool fabric. Too many of our industries in the United States have closed up and moved overseas. I frequently say that we can't be a great power if our entire manufacturing sector moves to other countries and we are obligated to buy from other countries for our very livelihood.

Mr. Speaker, Congress can rightly take great pride in some very historic work on behalf of our constituents this year; but we must remind ourselves that many people are still struggling, and we must do everything in our power to fund the necessary programs that protect the unemployed Americans, help small business, enhance job creation efforts, and keep America on the road to economic recovery.

I urge my colleagues to join me today in voting ``yes'' on the rule and ``yes'' on this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I've heard the phrase all my life, as you have, of ``taken out of context.'' Let me assure anybody who wants to know about that, no reporter has ever said to me, Do you think your backroom deals are going to hold up? And if anyone were to ever say that to me--and I hope to keep that record intact--believe you me, I would not laugh and

say, We're Democrats. I do recall saying to somebody yesterday with pride that we are Democrats, and I am proud that we are Democrats. We are the people who are trying to take care of the people without jobs in this country and to make the climate right to create more.

Now, before I yield to my next speaker, I want to let Members know that I will be offering an amendment to the rule at the end of the debate. The amendment makes three changes to the text that has been posted on the Rules Committee Web site since Thursday, May 20. It strikes two sections from the House amendment--section 511, section 516--and it changes the effective date and the carried interest provision making it effective on December 31, 2010, instead of the date of enactment.

The amendment provides for a separate vote on section 523, which is the SGR, the so-called doc fix, and a vote on the remainder of the modified House amendment. This does not add money, Mr. Speaker. It subtracts it.

I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

(Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds to quote from the Dallas Morning News for my colleague, Mr. Sessions:

``Texas employers expanded nonfarm payrolls by 32,500 jobs in April, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday. That's the State's fourth straight month of job gains.

``The State has now gained 91,600 jobs in the first 4 months of the year.''

Houston Business Journal this morning: ``As the U.S. economy expanded for a third consecutive quarter, Texas posted some of the strongest numbers in the country.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself another 10 seconds.

``Unemployment remained at 8.2 percent, giving Texas the lowest rate amongst large States, while existing home sales in the State grew in the first quarter by 16 percent compared to the same time a year ago.''

And I would like to put these into the Record.

[From the Houston Business Journal,

May 28, 2010]

SigmaBleyzer: Texas Leading Economic Recovery

(By Casey Wooten)

As the U.S. economy expanded for a third consecutive

quarter, Texas posted some of the strongest numbers in the

country, according to Houston-based private equity firm

SigmaBleyzer LLC.

The Texas Business Cycle Index, which tracks movements in

employment and GDP, increased for the third straight month.

Texas non-durable manufacturing also grew by 2.1 percent

and 1.7 percent in 2008 and 2009, versus negative 3 percent

and negative 5.6 percent nationwide.

``Strong foreign demand for U.S. goods is also driving

improvements in industrial production,'' the report said.

Moreover, higher oil prices supported a nearly 10 percent

growth in the Texas mining industry in March 2010 compared to

the same month a year before.

Unemployment remained at 8.2 percent, giving Texas the

lowest rate among large states, while existing home sales in

the state grew in the first quarter by 16 percent compared to

the same time a year ago.

U.S. GDP grew at an annualized rate of 3.2 percent for the

quarter while Texas GDP grew at about 2 percent, but didn't

drop as much compared to the rest of the nation during the

lows of the recession.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Ms. Jackson Lee, who is also from Texas and I hope will give us good news.

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), the chair of the Committee on Ways and Means.

(Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield the gentleman 2 additional minutes.

I yield the gentleman from Michigan an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews) to refute the notion that all new hires in the United States are census takers.

I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. Speaker, in a moment I will be offering an amendment to this rule. I want to briefly explain the amendment. It is very simple. It strikes two sections from the House amendment printed in the Rules Committee report.

No. 1: It strikes section 511, the COBRA extension.

No. 2: It strikes section 516, the State Medicaid Assistance, or

Mr. Speaker, I have an amendment to the rule at the desk.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the rule.

I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the amendment and on the resolution.