Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, throughout its illustrious history, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has served as the proving ground for many innovations that have become mainstays in automotive production and at raceways around the world. But it is the 500-mile race that is conducted at the end of May that makes the Indianapolis Motor Speedway so special. Every Memorial Day weekend, 300,000 fans from across the world gather at the historic track for ``The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,'' the Indianapolis 500.

This year, I, along with motor sports fans from around the world, am excited to be celebrating the 100th anniversary of this famous race. For 100 years now, legions of fans have traveled to the town of Speedway, Indiana, to witness the premier motor sports event in the world and to see which driver's likeness will be added to one of the most coveted trophies in the world of sports--the Borg-Warner Trophy.

As the largest single-day sporting event in the world, the Indianapolis 500 remains a great source of pride for my constituents in the Seventh Congressional District and for Hoosiers all across the United States.

Mr. Chair, every year, thousands of troops return home from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan prepared to separate from military service and begin their civilian lives. Many of these service members enlisted right out of high school or college and have spent their brief military service in the structured atmosphere of a military base or deployment operation. They have trained and disciplined themselves to become members of the greatest military the world has ever seen and have protected our nation diligently.

Yet, while serving our nation at home and abroad many have missed the opportunity to find reasonably priced housing, manage day-to-day bills associated with living on a civilian income, or have yet to start saving for their futures. These skills are absolutely critical for a smooth transition back to civilian life. For these service members, proper training can mean the difference between financial stability and long-term growth and foreclosure and unmanageable debt.

I believe that every service member, including those whose short careers have kept them from basic financial opportunities, deserves to leave military service with a full understanding of important financial principles. The Carson amendment seeks to add a personal finance component to the Department of Defense's mandatory pre-separation counseling program, which is already helping separating service members and their spouses become familiar with important VA programs and preparing them to seek an education and start a civilian career.

This amendment expands the current program to include training on saving, budgets, credit, taxes, mortgages and other important financial concepts. It also recognizes the important role spouses play in the financial health of families by ensuring that they are able to participate in counseling sessions as well. With this amendment, military families will leave the service with the type of knowledge that they need in order to adjust to civilian life.

The men and women of our armed services have put their lives on the line to protect our great nation. They deserve access to all the information they need to provide for themselves and their families after their transition to civilian life. I encourage all of my colleagues to support En Bloc Amendment No. 3, which contains the Carson amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment seeks to address shortfalls in the current Department of Defense mental health assessment process.

Currently, our servicemembers only receive mental health assessments prior to deployment and after returning home. My amendment simply requires the Department of Defense to provide mental health assessments to our troops during deployment, improving chances that post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, depression, and other mental health issues are detected and treated early.

The amendment also requires that medical records from past unit assignments and the VA be reviewed whenever possible. Currently, these records

are rarely considered. As we all well know, our troops are under a constant threat while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many are injured or see their friends injured or killed. And throughout it all, they perform amazingly and should be commended.

But these are the exact experiences that lead to serious mental health issues. Yet, despite this ongoing exposure, Mr. Chairman, most do not receive a mental health assessment until they return home from combat, often coping with PTSD, TBI, or depression for months without receiving treatment.

By the time they return home, the stigma attached to mental illness keeps many away from pursuing treatment at all. And among those that do, many still fall into drug and alcohol abuse, domestic violence, homelessness, and suicide.

Tragically, the oversights addressed by this amendment have impacted my congressional district. In 2009, Army Specialist Chancellor Keesling committed suicide while deployed in Iraq. His commanders never knew that he had been placed on suicide watch by a previous unit and had been treated for a mental illness by the VA.

Upon reassignment to a new unit and redeployment to Iraq, records from his past tour and from the VA were never reviewed. During deployment, he was never reassessed. Chance's father, Gregg, has recently reviewed my amendment and he believes that it could have saved his son's life had it been in place in 2009.

This is just one example of the tragic implications of mental health issues in the military. There are countless examples from my district and across this great Nation that I could provide as evidence of why this amendment is so critical and necessary. Some of these terrible problems can be avoided, and I believe lives can be saved by comprehensively addressing mental illness in our military at its source during deployment.

Mr. Chairman, I encourage all of my colleagues to support improved mental health for our troops by voting ``yes'' on the Carson amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I believe the case for my amendment is very clear. Many of our men and women in uniform are living through months of deployment with mental health issues like PTSD, TBI, and depression going completely undiagnosed.

My amendment simply calls on the DOD to help our servicemembers catch and treat these issues through early assessments during deployment. This is a very important step that will save lives and help our men and women in uniform build productive lives for themselves on returning to civilian lives.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, due to a previous commitment at the White House on May 12th, I unavoidably missed two votes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on final passage of rollcall 321, and ``nay'' on final passage of rollcall 322.

Mr. Chair, in the last few years, the United States has faced a devastating economic crisis. As a result of the economic downturn, many homeowners have lost their homes or are at imminent risk of foreclosure. The Obama Administration launched the federal Home Affordable Modification Program (``HAMP'') to stem the escalating tide of home foreclosures with its ruinous effects on families and their communities. HAMP's purpose is to provide eligible homeowners with permanent loan modifications on terms they can afford in order to avoid foreclosure of their homes.

Although this program is far from perfect, it has helped more than 600,000 families lower their mortgage payments and stay in their homes. H.R. 839, the HAMP Termination Act of 2011, will end this program. I have yet to see any Republican alternative to our housing crisis! There are 3 million foreclosures forecasted this year nationwide and a housing turnaround is not expected for at least three years.

Missing in the Republicans limited discussion on housing is the impact of the housing crisis on communities of color in the United States. An estimated 17 percent of Latino families and 11 percent of African American families have lost their homes or are at an imminent risk of losing their homes. Meanwhile, Republicans continue to eliminate all government involvement in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. While these institutions need to be reformed, they do serve important functions such as making the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage available to the general public and providing mortgage credit and affordable rental housing for communities of color. If we do not focus seriously on our minority communities, which are disproportionately affected by the economic crisis, the home buying environment for these communities will worsen as the economy recovers. The American dream will cease to exist for many. Fewer mortgages would be available to working-class families in the long run without some government- backed financing.

Eliminating support to distressed homeowners at this point in time would be disastrous for neighborhoods trying to recover from the foreclosure crisis. Instead, we should focus our efforts on ways to make HAMP a useful, wide-reaching program with meaningful goals, such as pushing lenders and loan servicers to reduce the principal on underwater loans and giving struggling homeowners real relief.

The latest foreclosure rates in the 7th congressional district of Indiana are higher than the national average. Terminating HAMP and denying critical assistance to struggling Americans is not the answer. HAMP has allowed thousands of Hoosiers to survive unemployment. The program has lowered monthly mortgage payments, and given families the breathing room they needed to keep their home. There is no easy way to repair the deep damage caused by the housing crisis. It will take time and a sustained, comprehensive effort. I will continue to fight on behalf of Hoosiers to keep them in their homes.

Over the last few years, the United States has faced a devastating economic crisis.

As a result of the economic downturn, many homeowners have lost their homes or are at imminent risk of foreclosure. That is why the Obama administration launched the Federal Home Affordable Modification Program: to stem the escalating tide of home foreclosures and the disastrous impact it has on families and their communities.

HAMP's purpose is to help eligible homeowners avoid foreclosure by providing them with permanent loan modifications to terms they can afford. Although this program is far from perfect, it has helped more than 600,000 families lower their mortgage payments and stay in their homes. H.R. 839, the HAMP Termination Act of 2011, will end this program and is the latest effort by House Republicans to end foreclosure avoidance and mitigation programs.

With forecasts showing that there will be 3 million foreclosures nationwide this year and the housing turnaround not expected for at least 3 years, Republicans have yet to offer any alternative to help solving our housing crisis.

Republicans have also failed to address the impact this crisis is having on minority communities. An estimated 17 percent of Latino families and 11 percent of African American families have lost their homes or are at imminent risk of losing their homes.

Eliminating support for distressed homeowners at this point in time would be disastrous for neighborhoods trying to recover from the foreclosure crisis. Instead, we should focus our efforts on ways to make HAMP a useful, wide-reaching program with meaningful goals, goals such as pushing lenders to reduce the principal on loans that are underwater and give struggling homeowners real relief.

I urge opposition to this misguided bill.

Thank you, Ranking Member Frank.

As our Nation's economy moves forward, we must not forget about our neighborhoods, and we must continue to help those areas that are still struggling to come back. That is why I am appalled at the efforts to terminate the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

In my own district of Indianapolis, the neighborhood of Mapleton Fall Creek has been revitalized with NSP funds. What were once eyesores and magnets for crime, they have been renovated, and they are now for resale. These improvements have encouraged low- and middle-income residents to settle into areas known for abandonment and blight. New businesses have opened, and an area once in decline is actually blossoming again. This was all possible because of NSP funding.

We must continue this program for the neighborhoods in Indianapolis and across this great Nation.

I would like to express my support for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP)

and to oppose the majority's plans to terminate the program.

All three rounds of NSP are critical because they provide emergency assistance to states, local governments, and nonprofits to acquire and redevelop foreclosed, vacant, and abandoned properties. Many of these properties have become blights on the community and are driving down neighboring property values. The first two rounds of the NSP program impacted an estimated 80,000 foreclosed, abandoned, or vacant properties, and it is estimated that NSP3 will impact tens of thousands more. Terminating the program in the middle of the worst foreclosure crisis since the Great Depression would further harm neighborhoods and many struggling American families. This would most certainly slow the recovery of the housing market.

Specifically in the 7th district of Indiana, the district I represent, I would like to highlight the work of Mapleton Fall Creek Development Corporation which has used NSP funds effectively. On March 14, 2011, Mapleton Fall Creek Development Corporation reported they are halfway through their NSP work. They have completed renovations on 50 units of rental housing and 47 of them are rented. Many of these properties sat empty and boarded up for 5 years and 25 of them were foreclosure properties. They have also acquired 32 houses and 28 lots that will be renovated for new homes. The rebuilt homes will vary from low income apartments to market rate homes for purchase. Lastly, they have demolished 12 vacant and blighted structures, leveraged funds from local banks and other not for profits to increase cash flow and stretch their NSP dollars further, and provided work for four construction managers and numerous contractors.

Mr. Chair, in the 7th district of Indiana, nearly $3 million of NSP funds were used to obtain and rehab 32 residences as part of the 2012 Super Bowl Housing Legacy Project on Indianapolis' near eastside. NSP 3 funds will also be used to demolish blighted structures in key neighborhoods that have high foreclosure rates, including the old Winona Hospital and Keystone Towers--two enormous blighted structures that have been plagued with crime and environmental concerns for years.

I strongly urge the majority to permit the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to continue. As our nation's economy moves forward we must not forget about our neighborhoods and middle class families. We must help those families and communities that are still struggling to come back.

Mr. Speaker, on February 17, 2011, Mr. Kline offered an Amendment to H.R. 1 to prevent the use of funds toward implementing the Department of Education's harmful gainful employment rule. Although that amendment passed, I mistakenly voted against it. I apologize to Mr. Kline, my colleagues, and supporters of the amendment for my mistake.

Whereas we cannot support programs that offer little to no substantive education and mislead students down a path to insurmountable debt, I do not support a rule that will eliminate many quality programs and block access to higher education for many non- traditional, low-

income and minority students who want to better themselves by pursuing careers in valuable fields such as nursing, technology, criminal justice and design.

I hope that future courses of action will allow for a more meaningful review of the issues concerning career colleges.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Aida McCammon for her dedicated service to the Latino community in Indiana.

As Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer for the Indiana Latino Institute, Aida McCammon has worked tirelessly on behalf of new immigrants in Indiana to expand their access to higher education and health care services. Her passion for improving the lives of immigrants pays tribute to this great nation's long-held tradition of embracing people from all parts of the world. I applaud Ms. McCammon for her bold leadership over the past twenty five years.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Aida McCammon for her distinguished efforts in the 7th Congressional District of Indiana. Her dedication serves as an example to all Americans.

Mr. Chair, I am deeply troubled by the latest attacks on healthcare organizations such as Planned Parenthood that provide preventive and family planning care for millions of women and men across this country.

These centers play key roles in the lives of many who cannot always acquire preventive services elsewhere.

At a time when Americans continue to struggle to afford basic healthcare, eliminating Title X funding would have a devastating impact on women, men and teens in our communities.

As one of the nation's leading advocates for reproductive health, providing access to contraception to breast and cervical cancer screenings, Planned Parenthood serves a very important purpose. I vow to continue my strong support for these vital healthcare services.

Mr. Chair, as we continue to debate the Continuing Resolution and slowly whittle away funds for important programs, I rise to express my sincere regret over cuts to Community Health Centers.

In my State of Indiana, these health centers serve nearly half a million Hoosiers, and at a time when American families continue to struggle to afford basic healthcare, I believe this is not the time to defund this valuable program.

Not only will patients lose access to care, but jobs will be lost, as well. It will have a devastating impact on communities and patients who need the care most--patients with diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, and children--and leave them with literally nowhere to turn for care.

This is no way to treat our Nation's most vulnerable populations.

Mr. Speaker, the hearts of Indianapolis residents are hurting right now because we have lost one of our true heroes in public safety. Police Officer David Moore passed away on January 26 after being shot on duty protecting the people of Indianapolis. Officer Moore answered his community's call to service when he joined the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in 2004. Now. Officer Moore is moving on to a higher calling, as difficult as it may be for all of us to see him go.

There's no doubt Officer Moore knew the dangers of police work, as both of his parents were part of the IMPD family. But like so many who wear the badge in communities across our nation, David Moore took an oath to serve and protect others. To run to danger--not away from it. Officer Moore did just that, and our community is better and safer because of his service and sacrifice.

In honor of Officer Moore, let us never forget the daily sacrifices our law enforcement officers make in order to protect our families and neighborhoods. I ask my colleagues in Congress to pay respect to Officer Moore by going back to their districts and thanking their local law enforcement officers for the work they do and the daily dangers they place themselves in to protect us all.

I also ask the American people to join the city of Indianapolis in mourning the loss of this hero. Let us continue to keep Officer Moore's family and the entire law enforcement community in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Keana Parquet, teacher at Crooked Creek Elementary School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and recipient of the 2010 Milken Educator Award. Through her creative thinking and tireless efforts, Ms. Parquet has proven herself to be one of the most distinguished teachers in the nation and truly deserves this honor.

Providing young people with a solid education is crucial to shaping the future of our country and the world. Each year, the Milken Family Foundation honors a select number of educators who have already achieved success and who have the potential to accomplish even more. Ms. Parquet has dedicated herself to serving youth in Indianapolis. By implementing effective instructional techniques and inspiring her students, Ms. Parquet has set an example for her fellow educators. As a result, her impact on the quality of education in Indianapolis transcends the walls of her classroom.

I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in praising Ms. Parquet for her hard work and dedication to educating youth in Indianapolis. I have no doubt that she will build on her success and inspire the next generation of Hoosiers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Robert ``Bobby'' Fong for his outstanding contributions to Butler University and Indianapolis. Dr. Fong has served as President of Butler for the past 10 years. During his tenure he has been instrumental to the overall success of the university.

Dr. Fong was born to working-class immigrant parents. Despite facing many hardships, he persevered and overcame adversity by getting a quality education. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1973 before earning his doctorate in English Literature from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1978. Dr. Fong immediately turned around and used his education and experiences to inspire others through teaching.

When he came to Butler as president in 2001, Dr. Fong took an active approach to leadership by implementing and completing successful strategic and budgetary plans. In addition, Dr. Fong oversaw improvements to Butler's infrastructure and student housing, which have had positive impacts on the university and the surrounding communities.

After 10 years of leadership at Butler, Dr. Fong has accepted a new position as president of Ursinus College in Pennsylvania where he will undoubtedly by successful in shaping the lives of even more students in pursuit of higher education. On behalf of the Seventh District of Indiana, I would like to thank Dr. Fong for his contributions and dedication to education. It is with a grateful heart that the Indianapolis community bids Dr. Fong farewell and wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend in Indianapolis, we were tragically reminded of the sacrifices our law enforcement officers make in order to protect our families.

Officer David Moore of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department was shot four times on Sunday morning during a traffic stop, and he's now fighting for his life in a local hospital.

There's no doubt Officer Moore knew the dangers of police work--his father is retired law enforcement, and his mother still serves on the Indianapolis police department.

But like so many who wear the badge in communities across our Nation, David Moore took an oath to serve and protect others. To run to danger--not away from it.

I ask all my colleagues to join me in praying for Officer Moore and his family. And I ask everyone in this esteemed body to go back to their districts and take the time to thank their local law enforcement officers for the work they do--and the sacrifices they make.