Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4247, the Keeping All Students Safe Act. I would like to thank Chairman Miller as well as the members and staff of the Education and Labor Committee for their leadership on this crucial piece of legislation.

Last year, Chairman Miller requested that the GAO investigate allegations of abuse in schools. The GAO report revealed many cases of abuse and harmful restraint, and most of those cases involved children with disabilities. Additionally, the GAO report found that no Federal agency or other entity collects comprehensive information on these practices that occur in our schools. Without consistent data collection, it is impossible to calculate an accurate number of children, families, and schools that have been affected by these harmful practices.

Just one instance of harmful restraint of our children is one too many. Unfortunately, there have been hundreds of allegations, and some children have even died. Unlike federally funded institutions such as hospitals, schools have no Federal laws that address minimum safety standards in schools. Instead, State laws and regulations vary tremendously, which leave our children vulnerable. Indeed, New Jersey is one of the 19 States with no laws or regulations related to seclusion or restraint in schools. It is imperative that we protect our children and provide them with a safe place to grow and develop.

As a former teacher, I know that teachers and other school employees have the best interests of the children at heart. This legislation can address the problems of harmful restraints and ensure the safety of both children and school professionals. This bill will provide grants for professional development training and also give States and local districts the flexibility to determine training needs. Our children deserve to learn in a secure, protected environment, and a Federal solution to this problem is long overdue.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to share my deep sadness over the loss of a Cuban prisoner of conscience, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, held by the Cuban regime.

Orlando Zapata Tamayo was first arrested in March 2003 for participating in a hunger strike to demand the release of Dr. Oscar Biscet and other prisoners of conscience. Since his initial arrest and unwarranted imprisonment, the regime consistently increased Zapata's prison term up to 47 years.

While in prison, Zapata endured frequent beatings and unimaginable living conditions. On December 3, 2009, Mr. Zapata began a hunger strike to protest the human rights violations and the repeated beatings by the Cuban authorities. After an 83-day hunger strike, Orlando Zapata Tamayo passed away on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.

In mourning the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, I urge my colleagues to listen to his message of freedom and respect for human life. As the atrocities he fought against remain the reality of Cuba today, we must continue to fight for human rights and the release of all political prisoners.

In light of this tragic death, it is important to recognize the hundreds of activists and prisoners of conscience that continue to risk their freedoms and their lives in Cuba. One such man, Normando Hernandez Gonzalez, was also arrested in the massive crackdown on suspected dissidents in March of 2003. Mr. Hernandez was sentenced to 25 years in prison. While serving this term, his health has deteriorated significantly and he continues to suffer from several life-threatening aliments. I am very concerned for his well-being, and along with the international human rights community, I plead for his immediate release and the release of every wrongly imprisoned Cuban.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my deep sadness over the loss of a human prisoner of conscience, Orlando Zapata Tamayo, held by the Cuban regime.

Orlando Zapata Tamayo was first arrested in March of 2003 for participating in a hunger strike to demand the release of Dr. Oscar Biscet and other prisoners of conscience. Since his initial arrest and unwarranted imprisonment, the regime consistently increased Zapata's prison term to 47 years.

While in prison, Zapata endured frequent beatings and unimaginable living conditions. On December 3, Mr. Zapata began a hunger strike to protest the human rights violations and the repeated beatings by the Cuban authorities. After an 83-day hunger strike, Orlando Zapata Tamayo passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2010, with his mother at his side.

In mourning the death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, I urge my colleagues to listen to his message of freedom and respect for human life. As the atrocities he fought against remain the reality of Cuba today, we must continue to fight for human rights and the release of all political prisoners.

Mr. Speaker, since the beginning of this Congress, this House has taken significant steps to grow our economy and create jobs at home.

Almost 1 year ago, we passed the Recovery Act to jump-start our economy by creating and saving millions of jobs while beginning to rebuild our Nation's infrastructure.

To build off this progress, in December we passed the Jobs for Main Street Act to create and save even more jobs at home, with targeted investment for highways, transit, and school renovations; the hiring of teachers, police, and firefighters; increased lending to small business; job training initiatives; and affordable housing.

Furthermore, to spur growth within small business, we passed the Small Business Financing and Investment Act to make it easier and more affordable for small businesses to get loans and access to capital, which in turn could save and create millions of jobs in this sector alone.

Mr. Speaker, while I am proud of the steps that this Chamber has taken to lift our economy, I know that our work is not done. We will continue to fight to create jobs until we find a solution to repair the damage left by the economic downturn of the last 8 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to share my concern and outrage over human rights abuses in Egypt.

I rise to ask that the Egyptian Government uphold the rights of all religious communities by ending discrimination and harassment of groups such as the Coptic Christians, and prosecuting those that do such groups harm.

An attack that happened just weeks ago starkly illustrates the need for change in Egypt. On January 6th, 2010, a drive-by shooting killed six Coptic Christians in Nag Hammadi. This deadly attack, carried out the night before the Coptic Christmas, is the most recent in a long history of repression and abuse of Coptic Christians in Egypt.

On January 14th, 2009, the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Michael Posner, spoke out against this attack. He stressed the need for prosecution and justice in the country. Last October, the Department of State released its 2009 International Religious Freedom Report detailing the widespread and ongoing persecution of this community. The report also highlights increasing violence and the need for improved investigations.

While the United States and the human rights community have been vocal in condemning this attack and other human rights abuses, the Egyptian government has yet to recognize the full significance of the violent act or the overarching issue of intolerance in the country. Violence in the name of the religion is unacceptable, but when governments do not sufficiently address such behavior, the violence is far more troubling.

Religion is a fundamental freedom that must be upheld and respected around the world, in every nation and in every community. I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in calling for religious freedom and basic rights for all people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my concerns and outrage over human rights abuses in Egypt.

The Egyptian Government must uphold the rights of all religious communities by ending discrimination and harassment of these groups and prosecuting those that do harm to these groups.

An attack that happened 2 weeks ago starkly illustrates the need for change in Egypt. On January 6, the night before Coptic Christmas, a drive-by shooting killed six Coptic Christians. While the United States and the human rights community have been vocal in condemning this attack and other human rights abuses, the Egyptian Government has yet to recognize the full significance of the violent act or the overreaching issue of intolerance in the country.

Violence in the name of religion is unacceptable, but when governments do not sufficiently address such behavior, the violence is far more troubling. Religion is a fundamental freedom that must be upheld and respected in every nation and in every community. I urge my colleagues and the House to join me in calling for religious freedom and basic rights for all people.

Madam Speaker, while this House has made great strides to improve our economy, our journey towards economic recovery will not be complete until after a robust jobs package is passed. The nearly half a million unemployed New Jerseyans and over 15 million unemployed Americans simply cannot wait. They need jobs now, and they're relying on us to deliver it.

In order to put Americans back to work and lay the groundwork for future growth, we must build on the investments in job creation we have already made; specifically, investments in infrastructure and clean energy: jobs to repair existing roads and bridges, jobs to improve public transportation and water infrastructure, and jobs in alternative energy initiatives, including solar and wind.

In addition to job creation, we must also ensure that the unemployed can make ends meet while searching for jobs by continuing the extension of unemployment benefits and helping them maintain health care coverage by extending COBRA subsidies that are set to expire.

Madam Speaker, our work is not done. We need to pass a bill that will generate jobs, jobs, and even more jobs--not in a month, not two, but now.

Madam Speaker, I would like to state for the record my position on the following vote I missed on Thursday, December 10, 2009. If present, I would have voted yes during rollcall No. 947 on H. Res. 961, on Ordering the Previous Question providing consideration of the conference report to accompany the bill making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, today Congress is faced with one of the greatest economic challenges of our time: high unemployment rates. It is a challenge that we must be determined to meet. While current unemployment numbers are still too high, the continued decline of job losses is a promising sign of economic recovery that we must build on.

We have already taken bold steps to lift our Nation out of recession. Since January, we have stabilized the financial system, revived lending to small businesses, prevented home foreclosures, cut taxes for the middle class, extended unemployment insurance, and created and saved more than 1 million jobs.

We must now build on this progress for continued job growth. Yesterday, the President outlined a frame of action to produce the greatest number of jobs while generating the greatest value for our economy. His top priorities include helping small businesses grow and hire new staff, additional investments in our roads, bridges, and infrastructure to create shovel-ready jobs, and increased investments in clean energy to spawn more green jobs.

In order to face our unemployment crisis head-on, Congress must follow the President's lead by passing a comprehensive jobs recovery package.

Mr. Speaker, a year ago, as a result of 8 years of mismanagement of Wall Street, our financial system was on the brink of collapse. Over the past year, this Congress and President Obama have made the tough choices and taken the necessary steps to bring back our economy from the verge of disaster. In order to continue to protect consumers, create jobs, and grow our economy, our next step must be to enact comprehensive financial regulatory reform; for history has shown, we cannot rely on Wall Street to regulate itself.

In the coming weeks, we must work to pass our commonsense rules to guarantee that taxpayers are never again on the hook for Wall Street's risky decisions, the financial savings of our families and businesses are protected from unnecessary risks by lenders and speculators, consumers must be protected from predatory lending practices, and transparency and accountability are injected into our financial system.

I look forward to ensuring that our hardworking families and small businesses will no longer be hurt nor our economy jeopardized due to an unregulated financial system.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard how reforming our health care system will benefit both those with and without coverage. But what does reform mean for millions of our seniors?

It will mean a stronger and more improved Medicare program. More services will be covered under the program, including free preventive services. The safety and quality of care will also be improved through payment and delivery system reforms to encourage better care.

In addition, reform will bring tighter oversight by creating new tools to fight waste, fraud and abuse within Medicare, as well as save costs by eliminating gross overpayments. Medicare itself will be protected by extending the solvency of the Medicare trust fund by 5 years.

Most importantly, our bill will mean lower drug costs for seniors by allowing the government to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries and by closing the doughnut hole that thousands of seniors just in my district alone hit each year.

Mr. Speaker, security and stability is what reform means for seniors and why most recently 63 percent of AARP members support the House version of health care reform.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3539 which would designate the U.S. Postal Service building located at 427 Harrison Avenue in Harrison, New Jersey as the ``Patricia D. McGinty-Juhl Post Office.''

Born and raised in Harrison, New Jersey, Mrs. McGinty-Juhl had a long and distinguished career with the Postal Service that spanned over 33 years. Her professional accomplishments serving New Jersey included clerking at the New York International Bulk Mail Center in Jersey City, a variety of Personnel and Benefits positions within Human Resources, and the District Women's Program Coordinator working on affirmative action activities on behalf of all employees. Later she became the National Women's Program Manager at USPS National Headquarters as National Women's Program Manager.

In recognition of her enormous talent and ability to work with people, Mrs. McGinty-Juhl was offered a position in Government Relations serving as the Government Relations Liaison to Congressional offices. She later moved over to the Human Resource Department at Postal Service Headquarters as the Program Manager, Research and Communications, where she worked with national leaders on postal issues.

She ended her career as Western Area Manager of Human Resources where she served until her death on October 16, 2006. Speaking on behalf of postal employees everywhere, Postmaster General Jack Potter gave the following tribute to Mrs. McGinty-Juhl: ``Patti will be greatly missed, both as a manager and as a warm and giving person. She made a difference for the Postal Service and for our employees.''

I am pleased to celebrate this dedicated civil servant through this legislation. I cannot think of a better way to honor Mrs. McGinty- Juhl's legacy than by designating a U.S. Postal Office in her name--a place in which she devoted her life's work.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today as a proud supporter of H.R. 2868, the Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009. I would like to thank Chairman Thompson, Chairman Oberstar, and

Chairman Waxman for their leadership in this crucial piece of legislation.

I know firsthand the challenges and risks that large urban areas face. The district I represent is densely populated and home to critical transportation infrastructure, as well as chemical plants. In fact, the district is considered to have the most dangerous 2-mile stretch in the Nation.

On the morning of September 11, I witnessed the destructive capabilities of terrorism. I believe we must do everything in our power to address the known threats so we can reduce our risk and prevent future catastrophes. I know H.R. 2868 will bring us several steps closer to securing the facilities across the country that we rely on each day. The safety of our communities depends on the security measures taken at these facilities.

Mr. Chairman, increased security measures should not be viewed as a burden, but as an opportunity to reduce threats by promoting best practices. This legislation is skillfully designed to increase our security without jeopardizing facility services, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 2868.

I also would like to add, we heard concerns today about the potential impact of this bill on the economy and jobs. I want to take this opportunity to share with you the views of those who have the most at stake in this argument, the workers themselves.

The United Steelworkers, the International Chemical Workers Union Council, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Service Employees International Union, the Communication Workers of America, and the United Auto Workers Union Legislative Alliance sent a letter to Congress on October 30 expressing their strong support for this bill. The workers are on the front lines in defending chemical facilities in this country.

Madam Speaker, 23 percent. That is the percentage of those living without health insurance in my district, the highest rate in New Jersey. My constituents are looking to me and this Chamber to accomplish health care reform this year. We must finish our work, not only for those without insurance, but for the other 77 percent that have insurance but are finding coverage more expensive.

For those without insurance, we want to offer you affordable health care coverage. A new exchange will be created as a one-stop comparison shopping marketplace, including a public option to create competition for better prices and better coverage. To ensure coverage is within your means, affordability credits will be offered to help you buy insurance.

Our plan will end discrimination for preexisting conditions and require coverage for preventive care without copays. To ensure no one goes broke because they get sick, a yearly limit will be placed on how much you can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses. And if you lose or change jobs, you will be able to get your own affordable insurance.

This Nation deserves a more affordable, secure health care system. We cannot wait any longer for these reforms.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to denounce the deplorable and dangerous actions of the Cuban regime.

On Monday, The Miami Herald reported that in the 6 months after the attacks of September 11, dozens of Cuban spies walked into our embassies all over the world and sent our officials on wild goose chases disguised as terrorist threats. These intelligence agents fabricated threats to deliberately pull our officials away from their work of identifying and preventing more attacks.

I cannot stress the underhanded and malicious nature of the regime in Cuba. These actions directly undermined our national security. These agents repeatedly, before and after 9/11, visited embassies. They posed as defectors to get our intelligence to waste time and resources. These visits to embassies increased dramatically after 9/11, and Cuban agents specifically used our sensitivity to terrorist threats to mislead our officials.

The Cuban regime deceived us when we were most vulnerable, in the months after the deadliest attacks on American soil.

Mr. Speaker, I am outraged by this news, and I hope my colleagues are, also.