Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to instruct at the desk.

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

This is a very important provision of the House bill dealing with better combating sexual assault within the military. Now, this is a significant problem that has been documented by many studies and many media reports. I want to particularly congratulate members of my committee, Ms. Loretta Sanchez, Ms. Tsongas, Ms. Speier, and Mrs. Susan Davis, who have taken a leadership role in this to try to implement policies to control sexual assault within the military. The provisions that we've put together in the House help move us forward towards addressing that issue, make sure that it takes on the importance that it deserves, and empower the military to make the decisions they need to better protect against sexual assault within the military.

I particularly applaud Ms. Tsongas. This is her motion to stick to the House provisions in this area. I urge the conference committee to do that going forward.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter).

Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas).

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Dennis Roberts for being the recipient of the DynCorp International Chairman's Purple Star Award. This award recognizes Mr. Roberts' courage and sacrifice while working as a security coordinator in Afghanistan.

The Chairman's Purple Star Award is the highest honor given by DynCorp to its employees. It recognizes individuals who have been killed or wounded while supporting a customer's mission for their exceptional sacrifice.

In February of 2010, Mr. Roberts was supporting our Armed Forces at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan. During a sudden rocket attack that was launched upon the installation, Mr. Roberts was struck and severely injured by the motor that separated from the rocket. It penetrated a nearby vehicle before striking Mr. Roberts, who suffered severe injuries to his chest, hand, and shoulder.

In the time since the attack, Mr. Roberts has overcome great hardship, undergoing numerous surgeries and completing extensive physical rehabilitation to recover from his injuries. He is also working towards his bachelor's degree and upon his expected graduation next year, hopes to use his education and experience to continue working to support America's security.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize Dennis Roberts for receiving this award and I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives please join me in congratulating him.

I thank the leadership of this House, both Democrat and Republican, and all the cosponsors for bringing this resolution before us and for honoring Gabe Zimmerman by naming the room in the Capitol Visitor Center after him.

I can think of nobody who better personified the idea of public service than Gabe Zimmerman. A lot of people get involved in politics for a lot of different reasons, but I think that the base reason that we all should want to be involved in it is to represent people. So when you read the stories about Gabe and about the service that he did even before he worked for Congresswoman Giffords, you can see someone who truly understood what it meant to be a representative.

Gabe made so much of his life about caring for other people, and there can be no higher calling. In naming this room after him, we have a permanent reminder to everybody who comes through this Capitol about what this place is all about. It's about serving other people, and it's about public service. On the base fundamental level, Gabe understood that to do his job right--to represent his district, to represent this country--he needed to make sure that everybody in his district believed that they had a voice in Congress, and that's not an easy thing to do. We represent around 700,000 people, but there was nobody who Gabe wouldn't reach out to and listen to.

I have no doubt that there are thousands of people, if not tens of thousands, who have a better appreciation, who believe more in their government because of the work that Gabe Zimmerman did, and that's something that we need to be permanently reminded of. By naming this room after him, we will offer that opportunity to everybody who comes through this Capitol.

I also think it is reflective on Congresswoman Giffords as well. Gabe worked for Gabby because he believed in her and believed in what she was doing. She, too, personifies that notion that we're here to represent people--all of them--whether we agree with them or not. It's not just a matter of taking the ones we agree with and fighting for them. You have to fight almost extra hard for the ones who maybe you don't agree with, because that's what makes representative democracy work--believing in this country. Congresswoman Giffords and her staff do that as well as any group of people that I've ever encountered.

It's fitting that we honor Gabe and that we offer our condolences to his parents with the encouragement that he has personified what this institution is all about. We will never forget that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the AbilityOne Program, which has helped more than 47,000 blind or significantly disabled Americans develop skills and receive training ultimately leading to successful employment.

The AbilityOne Program harnesses the purchasing power of the federal government to buy products and services from participating community- based non-profit agencies that are dedicated to training and employing individuals with disabilities. This program affords Americans with disabilities the opportunity to acquire job skills and training, receive good wages and benefits, and gain greater independence and a higher quality of life.

I am proud to acknowledge two non-profit agencies, Skookum and Lighthouse for the Blind, both of which are closely associated with AbilityOne in my district. These organizations represent two of many non-profit social enterprises dedicated to the mission of enriching the lives of people with disabilities.

Skookum's mission is to create opportunities for people with disabilities, assisting government customers by delivering critical logistics, facilities maintenance and public works services. Skookum was recently awarded the 2010 National AbilityOne Award for Performance Excellence in Hiring Veterans with Disabilities which demonstrates a proud commitment to recruiting the right person for the right job and bringing Wounded Warriors into our workforce.

Lighthouse for the Blind has been providing employment, support, and training for people who are blind, deaf-blind, and blind with other disabilities in the Puget Sound since 1918. Lighthouse for the Blind expands employment opportunities by providing the technical and communication tools needed for self-sufficiency. The manufacturing operations center makes products for the Federal Government and various aerospace companies.

It is with great pleasure that I extend my support to the AbilityOne Program. The dedication and commitment of Skookum and Lighthouse for the Blind help individuals who are blind or have significant disabilities find employment, live fuller lives, and remain active members of our community. I commend everyone associated with AbilityOne for working to improve so many lives and make our country a better place for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Janice Langbehn, a recipient of the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal, one of our Nation's highest civilian honors.

Each year, the President recognizes American citizens with the Presidential Citizens Medal who have taken exemplary steps outside of their daily lives to serve and improve their communities. Past honorees have addressed some of our nation's most persistent problems, such as hunger, homelessness, high school dropout rates, lack of access to health care, and several other pressing issues affecting the lives of millions of Americans. Citizen Medal honorees face challenging circumstances and act admirably while taking risks to help others. Out of over 6,000 nominees across the country, President Obama chose only thirteen recipients, including Janice Langbehn of Lacey, Washington.

In 2007, while on vacation with their children, Janice's partner of 18 years, Lisa Marie Pond, collapsed with a brain aneurysm. Lisa was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center. When Janice and her children arrived, hospital officials refused to let Janice or her children see Lisa for eight long hours even though they had a power of attorney in hand. Lisa eventually slipped into a coma and passed away while her loved ones continued to fight to be by her side.

Afterwards Janice brought a lawsuit against the hospital, which was dismissed in 2009, and then turned her experience into activism, fighting to make sure no partners or parents have to go through what their family experienced. Her story attracted the attention of President Obama, who revised hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples across the country. The executive order went into effect in January 2011 for any hospital receiving Federal Medicare or Medicaid funds.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives please join me in recognizing Janice Langbehn for her efforts to improve equal treatment for all Americans and congratulate her for being honored with the 2011 Presidential Citizens Medal.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, November 16, 2011, I was detained in a meeting and inadvertently missed a vote in a series of recorded votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 850 (on agreeing to the Cicilline amendment to

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, November 4, 2011, I was unable to be present for part of a series of recorded votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 830 (on Agreeing to the Resolution H. Res. 455, providing for consideration of the bill H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 831 (on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 3321), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 832 (on Agreeing to the Cummings Amendment to H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 833 (on Agreeing to the Thompson Amendment to H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 834 (on Agreeing to the Napolitano Amendment to H.R. 2838), ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 835 (on Agreeing to the Bishop Amendment to H.R. 2838), and ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 836 (on Agreeing to the Slaughter Amendment to H.R. 2838).

I rise in support of a bipartisan effort to create jobs.

Just as Congressman Reichert said, he and I are hosting a job fair next week. At a time when unemployment is over 9 percent in this country, when our economy desperately needs to put people back to work, I think this is the way we need to do it, in a bipartisan manner. At the end of the day, we're not going to have any job creation bills that aren't bipartisan because of the nature of Congress.

I applaud Congressman Reichert for working with me on this idea, and it's really a very good idea in terms of job creation.

Yes, there's huge unemployment, but less well known is there are actually employers out there that have jobs that are trying to find people to fill them. Matching the skills necessary with those jobs is critical. And that's what the HIRE America job fair that we're going to do next week in Kent is all about--bringing in 75 employers that actually have jobs available, with unemployed people looking for work, to match them up, to try to put people to work to get this economy moving again. It's a great idea.

I thank Congressman Reichert for working with me to do this. It's bipartisan. And it's focused on the number one most important issue this country faces, getting Americans back to work and getting our economy moving.

Mr. Chair, today I recorded an erroneous vote on agreeing to Mr. Pierluisi's amendment to H.R. 2838. I intended to vote ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 840, on agreeing to Mr. Pierluisi's amendment to H.R. 2838.

Mr. Speaker, on Friday, November 4, 2011, I was unable to be present for part of a series of recorded votes. Had I been present, I would have voted:

``No'' on rollcall vote No. 830 (on agreeing to H. Res. 455, providing for consideration of the bill H.R. 2838);

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 831 (on the motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3321);

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 832 (on agreeing to the Cummings amendment to H.R. 2838);

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 833 (on agreeing to the Thompson amendment to H.R. 2838);

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 834 (on agreeing to the Napolitano amendment to H.R. 2838);

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 835 (on agreeing to the Bishop amendment to H.R. 2838); and

``Yes'' on rollcall vote No. 836 (on agreeing to the Slaughter amendment to H.R. 2838).

Mr. Speaker, as we honor National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I rise to call upon my colleagues to join me in stressing the importance of getting regular mammograms. Regular mammograms are crucial for early detection of this terrible disease. The earlier breast cancer is detected, the better chance there is of winning the fight against breast cancer.

Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, making this the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women in the United States. While traditionally thought of as an older woman's disease, breast cancer is found in women of all ages. The likelihood of diagnosis increases with age, but breast cancer is today being found more and more frequently among women in their 20s and 30s.

Today, the two and a half million breast cancer survivors living in the United States are a testament to the courage and perseverance of the Americans who have faced this condition. These survivors are also living reminders about the importance of breast cancer awareness, following recommended screening guidelines, ensuring that those affected receive treatment, and continuing to fund groundbreaking and innovative research.

Breast cancer does not discriminate; this deadly disease affects everyone regardless of age, wealth, or status. I stand in support of all of those who have been affected by breast cancer and encourage all available steps be taken to detect early and defeat this disease.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Karen Say, president of Saybr Contractors, Inc. of Tacoma, Washington, for receiving the 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year Award.

Each year, the Small Business Administration awards an 8(a) Business Development Program graduate the Small Business Administration Firm of the Year Award. The 8(a) Development Program is a successful program that is an essential instrument for helping socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs gain access to the economic mainstream of American society. It offers business training, counseling, marketing assistance and high-level executive development.

Karen Say founded Saybr Contractors, Inc., in 1997 by filling a narrow niche for upgrading underground storage tanks. Shortly after, Karen expanded her company to include construction, fuel systems, alternative fuels, sitework, and environmental services. Today, Saybr Contractors is a sizable woman-owned general contracting business.

Prior to graduating from the 8(a) Program, Karen and Saybr secured more than $50 million in 8(a) federal contracts. The 8(a) certification will continue to help Saybr Contractors, Inc., grow its commercial and government business and thrive in a competitive business environment.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives please join me in honoring Karen Say, winner of the Small Business Administration 8(a) Graduate Firm of the Year Award.

Mr. Speaker, today I honor Mr. Glen Kerslake of Tucson, Arizona, for a lifetime of service to country and community. Mr. Kerslake, who I had the pleasure of meeting in Tucson, is known to me for his close work with our colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, to support southern Arizona's military members, veterans, and military and veterans' families.

Glen joined the Tucson community in 1994 and quickly developed a record of deep and devoted service to southern Arizona--serving on the boards of the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus and National Apartment Association, as a member of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, and as President of the Arizona Conservation Land Stewards, among other community contributions.

Glen made one of his greatest civic impacts serving Tucson's military community and the proud men and women who make it up. He has served as a member, president, and board-member of the Davis-Monthan 50, a committed group of Tucson civic and business leaders dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the civilian population of the region. As a DM-50 member and then president of the organization, Glen helped thousands of airmen through the child car safety seat program, which supplies car seats to young military families, and the development of the important Bachelor of Applied Science in Meteorology program at the University of Arizona. He also made critical contributions to Tucson's Military Community Relations Committee, a local organization dedicated to resolution of key issues between Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the community.

Recently, Glen was most passionate about his role as the Honorary Commander of the 612th Air and Space Operations Center. Glen took great pride in the critical nature of the 612th AOC's mission and its heritage springing from the famous Doolittle Raiders of World War II. The Raiders took great risk performing a tactical mission, executed in a joint manner, at a crucial juncture for our nation, ultimately demonstrating the strategic reach of American airpower. The 612th AOC was dedicated the Gen. James H. Doolittle Center in honor of the leader of the Doolittle raid, who was also the first commanding general of 12th Air Force.

I was this heritage and the 612th AOC's unit motto, ``Leading the Fight--Ever Vigilant, Omnis Vigilantia,'' along with an abiding commitment to Davis-Monthan's airmen and women, that inspired Glen's efforts to ensure the unit would remain at Davis-Monthan when its continued existence in Arizona was threatened. Glen sprung into action and worked closely with Congresswoman Giffords' office to lead a diverse group of community and governmental stakeholders to stop the effort to move the 612th AOC's operations.

The Congress and this country owe Glen, his family, and countless community leaders in Glen's mold a debt of gratitude for their selfless and inspired service. Please join Congresswoman Giffords and me today in honoring Mr. Glen Kerslake of Tucson, Arizona.

Madam Speaker, I thank the Ways and Means Committee for their excellent work on the trade agreements and, most importantly, on Trade Adjustment Assistance; and I agree with the comments of my colleague from Wisconsin about why this program is so important.

I mean the bottom line is the TAA and the trade agreements themselves are part of figuring out how to help American workers and the American economy compete in a very, very difficult global economic situation. The amount of skills that our workers need now are vastly beyond what they needed in previous generations, and the need to update them constantly in order to continue to be competitive, to continue to be employable are a significant challenge for American workers.

This program is one way to give them help, to help give them the training and the skills that they need to continue to be employable. It is incredibly important for our workers, and we have heard the statistics about the number of workers in our country who have benefited from these programs.

But I also submit to you that it is critically important to our economy. Our economy needs a skilled workforce in order to compete. Trade Adjustment Assistance is one way to help our workers get those skills that they need. Certainly it helps them, but it also helps our businesses and our overall economy.

I, along with my colleague from Wisconsin, support all three trade agreements. I believe trade is critically important to growing our economy as well, and it's simple math. Ninety-five percent of the people in this world live someplace other than the United States of America, but the United States of America is responsible for 20 percent of the world's consumption.

If we're going to grow, we need access to other markets. Korea, Colombia, and Panama are good steps in that direction to give us access to those other markets so that our businesses can

have the possibility of growing their businesses and taking advantage of the growing economy.

It has been Asia and other parts of the world that are growing the most. We need access to those markets. Trade agreements like this give us that opportunity.

But as I have said for the entire 15 years I have been in Congress, that alone is not sufficient to protect American workers in our economy. Access to overseas markets on its own isn't enough to take care of our workers as they should be taken care of.

They need training. That's the other critical piece of these trade agreements that I want to emphasize.

For the first time--not the first time, actually we did it in Peru-- thanks, actually, to the leadership of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) and Mr. Rangel and others, we have enforceable workers' rights in all three of these agreements.

There have been justifiable criticisms, for instance, in Colombia of the ability of workers that organize and collectively bargain. But this agreement will give us the enforceable ability to make sure that they do. If Colombia or any one of these countries doesn't live up to the ILO standards and requirements, this agreement now gives us the ability to use trade sanctions to make sure that they do.

That is an incredibly important step forward to protect the workers in this country. It needs to work together, access to overseas markets, to trade agreements and adequate protections for our workers so that they can compete in that environment with TSA, with the workers' rights provisions in these trade agreements. I believe that all three trade agreements and this TAA bill do this.

I thank the Ways and Means Committee, both Republican and Democrat, for their work in making this happen.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 446th Airlift Wing for earning the Air Force Meritorious Unit Award. The award reflects the wing's outstanding performance flying combat and peacetime missions between 2008 and 2010.

The 446th Airlift Wing is Washington State's only Air Force Reserve flying unit and performs roughly 44 percent of all C-17 missions leaving McChord Field located on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Having won this accolade in 2007, this honor marks the second time the 446th Airlift Wing has earned the Meritorious Unit Award.

The Meritorious Unit Award was established in 2004 to recognize organizations for exceptional achievement or service in direct support of combat operations. The 2,100 airmen who make up the 446th Airlift Wing are honored for contributing directly to national objectives and continuously demonstrating their combat readiness as they fulfilled global peacetime and wartime operations. Flying more than 9,700 missions in more than 42,000 flying hours averaging 2,000 missions every four months to 11 different Iraqi airfields proves that this unit is nothing short of exemplary.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize the 446th for its performance and its commitment to serving the United States. I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives please join me in congratulating the 446th Airlift Wing for receiving the Air Force Meritorious Unit Award.