Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 120, which recognizes the African American spiritual as a national treasure. The slave Africans who came to the European colonies were forbidden to speak their native languages, use African musical instruments, or practice their spiritual beliefs. To keep their African traditions alive through songs and stories, the slaves created a new kind of music. Today these are known as spirituals.

Mr. Calvin Earl, my constituent from Jersey City, has devoted his entire life to educating people about the history and the importance of African American spirituals. He started a program called The Gifts from My Ancestors. Through songs, dances, and storytelling, this program has helped people experience the story of enslaved African Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Earl for his work, and I believe it is time to recognize the importance of these spirituals and preserve them for future generations by voting in favor of H. Res. 120.

Madam Speaker, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt is about to begin a 100-day public relations effort to build support for the President's health care proposal. Democrats here in Washington in Congress want to work towards reducing the number of uninsured. Unfortunately, the tax deduction proposal will do very little to assist the 47 million Americans who are now living without health insurance.

The President touts his plan as a way to give low-income uninsured Americans more money in their pockets to help them buy their own health insurance. It sounds good, but the President ignores two facts.

First, the President's plan does not provide enough of a benefit for low-income Americans. A tax deduction is of little value to low-income workers, who in many cases will receive little more than $1,200 a year back from the Federal Government. That might sound like a lot, but health insurance costs the average family almost $11,000 a year. This small deduction will continue to make health care out of reach.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, the President's proposal is not the right approach.

Madam Speaker, the skyrocketing price of health care continues to be a major concern for millions of Americans. Skyrocketing costs are causing the number of uninsured Americans to increase by 1 million people every year since the President took office.

Last year, during his State of the Union Address, the President promised his administration would ``confront the rising cost of health care, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and help people afford the insurance coverage they need.'' The President did not live up to his promise.

Madam Speaker, the President can no longer afford to provide lip service on health care. The proposal that the President will unveil tonight will do nothing to lower health care costs, nor will it provide health insurance to more Americans. He should reject this proposal and instead work with this Democratic Congress to help come up with real health care solutions.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 476.

At the start of the 110th Congress, this chamber passed rules governing how we conduct the people's business. We made sure that the interest of our constituents would be placed ahead of the special interests. Today, we must take the next step to restore the public trust in Congress by stripping Congressional pensions from Members who commit federal crimes while in office.

This legislation is a crucial next step. It adds bribery of public officials and witnesses, wrongfully acting as agents of foreign principals, and conspiracy to commit one of these offenses to the list of federal felonies that will call for the forfeiture of a Congressional pension. In keeping with the spirit of the new rules governing this chamber, a Congressional pension can be stripped when a Member violates the new postemployment restriction statutes. Furthermore, any member who commits perjury or subornation of perjury in denying their involvement in any of these offenses can also lose their pension under this legislation.

We must make sure that those who violate the public trust and their office are not allowed to profit at the tax-payers expense. I proudly rise in support of this measure and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, for too long the American people have been paying for the cost of corruption here in Washington, whether it be skyrocketing prices at the pump last summer, or spiraling prescription drug costs. Democrats vowed to wrestle power of this institution away from special interest lobbyists who have been running it for the last 6 years.

Democrats began to restore faith in Congress when we reformed our rules to prevent the kind of lobbying scandals that have become commonplace during much of the past 6 years.

We then began to fix some of the laws that were written and passed in the dark of night. During the first 100 hours in power, we gave the Federal Government the ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for American seniors, something that should have been done when the law was first passed.

Yesterday, we repealed $14 billion in subsidies to big oil companies that simply don't need it right now. We have taken the savings and invested them in renewable fuels so that we can begin to end our dependence on foreign oil.

Mr. Speaker, our first 100 hours are over, but we are only beginning to work on behalf of the American people.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6. Over the last 24 years, America's dependence on foreign oil has more than tripled. We currently import about 65 percent of our oil, a new record high. At the same time, the Federal Government has been providing tax incentives that have only exacerbated our oil dependence problem.

It's time that we pass this bill and repeal the subsidies created in the 2005 Energy Bill. These government giveaways could be much better used by investing in research and development of clean, renewable energy sources.

Madam Speaker, in my home State of New Jersey, we consume 11.1 million gallons of gasoline per day! That ranks 11th in the Nation. With such high consumption in New Jersey and across our country, we need to start thinking about the future and turn to alternative energy sources. Americans need more choices at the pump.

This legislation will not solve our energy dependence problems overnight, but we have to start somewhere. This legislation gives us a good starting point. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 6.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5, the College Student Relief Act, which cuts interest rates in half over the next five years for undergraduate students with subsidized loans. As a former teacher, I understand how important education is to every child. It ensures that everyone has the opportunity to succeed and to make the most of their dreams.

Yet college is soaring out of reach for American students. Today the average student graduates with $17,500 in loan debt; almost 45 percent more than just 11 years ago. H.R. 5 makes a great first step in reducing the burden on students with these loans. In my home state of New Jersey, the typical student loan borrower will save approximately $4,600 over the life of their loan because of this legislation.

Not only does this bill make college more affordable, it does so without further increasing the nation's debt. Specifically, this bill is paid for by six modest reductions in various subsidies to lenders and guaranty agencies.

I urge everyone to support making college more affordable by voting in favor of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I want to first thank senior Congressman Pallone for allowing me to be part of this bill.

Madam Speaker, this bill gives the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation an extension to raise private matching funds. This would allow the corporation to receive Federal funding from the minting of the Thomas Alva Edison Commemorative Coin.

The corporation is a group of local residents from Edison, New Jersey, who oversee and manage the Edison Memorial Tower. The tower, built as a memorial to Thomas Edison in 1937, has suffered damage over the years and is in need of about 3 to $4 million worth of repairs.

A misunderstanding between the mint and the corporation left the corporation short of matching funds. This bill simply extends the amount of time the corporation has to raise nongovernmental funds from December 31, 2006, to July 1, 2007. It rectifies a misunderstanding between the mint and a group of concerned citizens in my home State of New Jersey.

I urge all my colleagues to support H.R. 188 and thank you very much for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4, the Medicare Prescription Drug Negotiation Act of 2007. A bidding process exists for contracts and other goods and services at every level of government. As a former Mayor, my experience tells me that bidding and negotiations almost always leads to lower prices, which in turn saves the government and, ultimately, the taxpayers money.

Today we have the opportunity to allow the government to negotiate and follow a purchasing process that is similar to the ones used by local and state governments as well as the Federal Government. Having already allowed Veterans Affairs this type of negotiation authority, there is no reason why Medicare should not have the same authorization.

I do not believe this authority is going to limit the choices for Medicare beneficiaries as some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have suggested. This legislation will not force the Secretary of Health and Human Services to restrict formularies and will not alter any of the current prescription drug plans. Rather H.R. 4 will help seniors get lower prices on prescription medications under Medicare and that is why I will vote for this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 4.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3 and Federal stem cell research funding.

The Federal Government is behind the times. Many States, including my home State of New Jersey, have already authorized State funding for stem cell research. In fact, just last month I stood next to Governor Corzine as he signed a bill authorizing $270 million for new laboratories and stem cell research facilities throughout New Jersey. The time has come for this Congress and the President to do the same.

On the merits, embryonic stem cell research offers great promise to everyone suffering from a disease or illness. We all know someone or have ourselves been affected by diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, cancer, or another disease that could be cured or treated with therapies formed from stem cells. Cures and treatments will not be found overnight, but we will never know what could be accomplished if we don't make a real commitment to this research. That is why it is so important that we pass H.R. 3 today.

There are an estimated 100 million Americans waiting for us to take action. They don't believe this is a partisan or political issue. They just want hope for a cure. Let's give them that hope. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Members, I rise in support of H.R. 2. I am proud to be a Member of Congress at a time when I can help the nearly 13 million American workers that will benefit from an increase in the minimum wage, including the almost 2.8 million Hispanic workers whose quality of life will be greatly improved by this legislation.

For the past 9 years, America's working families have not received a pay raise. Today, minimum wage employees working 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, earn $5,000 below the poverty level for a family of three. How can we allow so many hardworking families to live in poverty?

Increasing the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour will give our working families an additional $4,400 a year. This will help them meet critical needs such as rent, health care, child care, and food. I urge all Members to please support this legislation.

In this 110th Congress, we must reaffirm the American Dream that rewards hard work with good pay and the opportunity to support strong and healthy families. An increase in the minimum wage will help us achieve this goal. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1. My district in Northern New Jersey was greatly impacted by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It has been over 5 years since that terrible day and we are still mourning for those who were lost. I can think of no better way to honor the memories of those who were lost and to honor those who were injured than to pass H.R. 1 today.

Two and half years ago the bipartisan 9/11 Commission released their report and submitted 41 recommendations to Congress. As of today, many of those recommendations have not been implemented and therefore we have not done everything we can to help secure our nation.

One of the most important recommendations is to change the distribution of homeland security funding for high risk States and regions. My district has been named one of the areas in the country that is most susceptible to terrorist attacks. The risk that we live with every day should warrant more federal funding in order to help ensure security. The cities and towns in my district need to know that they can count on funding for overtime, equipment, and all of the other demands that are put on our communities due to these threats.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is long overdue. I strongly support H.R. 1 and I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6.

Throughout history, there has been an ongoing struggle to put the people's interest ahead of special interests. With this legislation, we put an end to this age-old struggle. The 110th Congress has been given a mandate by the people and make sure their's are the voices that are heard.

To do this, we must ban gifts and meals from lobbyists and the organizations that they represent. We must ban lobbyists from planning, organizing, financing and participating in travel for Members or staff. We must protect the American taxpayer by requiring full disclosure of earmarks so that they know how their money is being spent. We must ensure that the business of the people is completed in a fair and open way.

As we start the 110th Congress, we must govern our own chamber in a manner that represents the interests of our constituents. This is why I proudly rise in support of this measure and urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to address the House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank you and to thank Mr. Pallone for those kind words. I would like to express my deep gratitude to my wife, Adrienne, my stepdaughter, Tara, my friends and especially my neighbors in the 13th Congressional District of New Jersey, who have honored me by allowing me to represent them in Washington.

Mr. Speaker, when I left Cuba with my family 45 years ago, I could never have envisioned that I would be standing on the floor of the House of Representatives to give this speech. This day for me truly embodies the promise of this Nation, the promise of its founders, the promise of its many immigrant communities, the promise which means that anyone, no matter the circumstances of birth or class, can rise to become a Member of the greatest democratic body in history.

Mr. Speaker, it was the community of West New York that welcomed me and my family so many years ago. I have tried, tried every day to give back to my neighbors for their generosity, first as a teacher and a coach, then as a mayor and as a State assemblyman. The people of the 13th District have provided me with the greatest privilege of all, to represent them in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I am aware of the honor and the privilege of serving in the House of Representatives and the faith that my constituents have placed in me by sending me here on their behalf. It is the trust of the people of New Jersey that has enabled me to be here today, and I intend to honor that trust every day that I serve as their representative.

Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.