Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a former member of the House of Representatives, Congressman William H. Royer, who served in the House from 1979 to 1981 after winning a special election to succeed the late Leo J. Ryan who was slain in Jonestown, Guyana.

Bill Royer was born in Jerome, Idaho, on April 11, 1920, and died on April 8, 2013, at the age of 92. At the time of his death he was the 15th oldest former member of the House. He was brought to Redwood City, California by his family as a young boy, and lived there his entire life. He was a graduate of Sequoia High School and Santa Clara University which he attended on a baseball scholarship, and he did graduate work at Oklahoma State University. He served his country in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1945 and enjoyed a successful career in real estate.

Bill Royer served on the Redwood City City Council from 1950 to 1966, and twice served as mayor. He was a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors from 1973 to 1979.

Bill Royer was predeceased by his beloved wife of 69 years, Shirley Royer, and leaves his sons Dennis and Peter, their wives and children, and many grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House to join me in honoring our former colleague who served his community and his country with great devotion and distinction, and in expressing our most sincere sympathy to his sons and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of an extraordinary woman. Ollie Mayer died at the age of 94, in Woodside, California, after a lifetime of firsts, mosts, and bests. She was a force of nature, a force for nature, and a force for all things good and just. She was ahead of her time in everything she did, and the list of challenges she dared to face is long and daunting. Our beloved San Francisco Peninsula has been the beneficiary of so much of her brilliance and activism, and our world is a better place because she graced it.

Olive Hendricks was born on the East Coast and studied engineering at Swarthmore College. She and her husband, Dr. Henry Mayer, met while hiking the Rocky Mountains. They moved to Woodside, California, where Ollie started a machine shop, then a science education company, and then began devoting all her energies to environmental causes in the early 1970s. She was an activist for free speech during the McCarthy era and provided support for victims of blacklisting. She was an organizer of cultural exchanges between U.S. and Soviet women in the early 1960s. She was an early opponent of the Vietnam war and an early civil rights activist. She fearlessly took on unpopular causes, often alone. What an extraordinary example she set for generations to come.

Ollie's husband, Dr. Mayer, preceded her in death. She was the loving mother of Judy and Robert, and the devoted grandmother of four. She leaves behind countless friends, and I feel privileged to count myself among that group. I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our condolences to her family and her friends who mourn the passing of this great and good woman who did so much to strengthen our democracy and protect our environment, and lived a life that stands as an eloquent statement for the ages.

Mr. Speaker, today is Equal Pay Day--the day that symbolizes when, more than three months into the year, the average woman's yearly income finally catches up to what a man was paid in a previous year. Getting paid fairly for the work you do is tough for almost everyone, but, for women, it's particularly difficult.

Women earn an average of 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, costing women and their families up to $2 million over a woman's working lifetime. With a record number of women in the workforce, wage discrimination is hurting the majority of American families, both in terms of their economic security today and their retirement security tomorrow. Families have fewer resources to pay the mortgage, send kids to college, or have a decent retirement.

If the United States had an adopted policy of equal pay, it would put $200 billion more into the economy every year. This comes out to about $137 for every white woman per pay check, and approximately $300 for every woman of color, who are doubly discriminated against.

Today, there are an unprecedented number of women who are the breadwinners of their families. This makes pay equity even more critical, not simply to family economic security, but also to our nation's economy.

As we look for ways to create more jobs and grow the economy, it's astounding to me that Congress has not yet passed legislation ensuring equal pay for equal work. It's a powerful policy which would produce enormously positive economic outcomes.

The Paycheck Fairness Act ensures that employers who try to justify paying a man more than a woman for the same job must demonstrate that the disparity is not sex-based, but job-related and necessary. It prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who discuss or disclose their own salary information with their co-workers, and it strengthens the remedies available to wronged employees.

Pay inequity due to gender discrimination is real, it should not be tolerated, and we need to take action against it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Peter Scott Carter, an extraordinary man who died of a tragic accident at his home on March 7, 2013, at the age of 70. He was a proud Los Gatan, a loving husband, a devoted father and grandfather, a bon vivant, a lover of cooking, wine, music, and politics, but most of all he loved people. He was witty, worldly, a successful advertising executive, an accomplished photographer and a mentor to many.

Peter was born in San Diego on February 20, 1943. His family moved to Santa Clara in 1957, and he graduated from Bellarmine College Preparatory School and Georgetown University. He was an active member of the Los Gatos Music and Arts Committee and a member of the San Jose Rotary Club. Known as a pillar of the community, he was the founder and mainstay of the Los Gatos Social Club, a group that meets on Wednesdays for cocktails and dinner.

I was honored last year to be the beneficiary of Peter's invitation to his home to meet the Los Gatos Social Club, where I met a cross section of the community. Scott Carter wrote fondly about that meeting . . . one I shall cherish all the days of my life.

The words written by Peter's son Scott and published online in the Los Gatos Patch paint a vivid picture of this vibrant, dynamic man:

My Father enjoyed politics, and while he wasn't shy about

blasting the Democratic Party for this or that, it never

stopped him from supporting the candidate that he thought was

going to do the most good for the community.

When Los Gatos was redistricted from Mike Honda to Anna

Eshoo, he was able to get both Members to spend the evening

with the Los Gatos Social Club for a Passing of the Torch

party. He told me that he and Representative Eshoo closed

Chicago Steak and Fish that night, talking long past everyone

else's departure.

He cared deeply about his family. His grandchildren were

the apple of his eye. Grandpa's house was filled with candy,

all of it bowls that can be reached by any child old enough

to walk. While he was always a happy person, the joy on his

face as he was spoiling the girls was unmatched. As much as

he loved throwing a party, I know that he loved taking them

to Powell's and giving them presents even more.

His love for Dennise was obvious to us all. A woman who

shares his passion for giving to others and caring for the

community, she has dedicated most of her life to starting and

growing nonprofits. She is probably the only person on the

planet willing and capable of being the hostess as often as

he wanted to be the host. She brought tremendous joy to my

father's life, and words will never express the feelings of

gratitude and love that I feel for her.

Peter Carter leaves his wife Dennise McNulty Carter, his sons Scott and Shawn, and four grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life lived well by Peter Carter, and for his great contributions to his community and our country. He will be remembered and missed by all who had the good fortune to know him, and I count myself among that privileged group. Today, the entire House of Representatives extends our most sincere condolences to Dennise Carter, to Peter's sons, his grandchildren and his entire family.

Mr. Chair, I was not present during the rollcall votes Nos. 76-86, on March 18-20, 2013. I would like the record to reflect how I would have voted: On rollcall vote No. 76 I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote No. 77 I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote No. 78 I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote No. 79 I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall vote No. 80 I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall vote No. 81 I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote No. 82 I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote No. 83 I would have voted ``yes.'' On rollcall vote No. 84 I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall vote No. 85 I would have voted ``no.'' On rollcall vote No. 86 I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 5 in the Nature of a Substitute Offered by Mr. Van Hollen

I thank our ranking member, Mr. Pallone, for his leadership on the committee and for yielding time to me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act. This is legislation that I wrote, together with Congressman Mike Rogers, going back to when we first introduced it in 2006, in order to better help our country prepare for a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack--all of the things that are really unthinkable; but in a post-9/11 era, we had to be prepared, and we developed this legislation. So it pleases me enormously that we are now reauthorizing it.

Right now, the American people are left wondering what the heck the Congress is doing--why we can't come together, why we can't work in a bipartisan way and develop consensus. Do you know what? On this bill, we are, and I am very proud of that. Developing and stockpiling appropriate countermeasures is essential for the safety of the American people, and these programs encourage American companies to invest in areas of critical need.

The bill before us today includes new provisions, which I think really enhance what we did originally, provisions that highlight the important needs of our Nation's children. Children are not just little adults. They need special care and medical attention. They are especially vulnerable to biological or chemical agents because of their size, their limited capacity to flush out toxins, their underdeveloped motor skills, and their total reliance on their parents or other caregivers.

I know firsthand the importance of stockpiling vaccines critical to our public health. I recently visited a company in my district, Bavarian Nordic. It is a company which clearly demonstrates that technical expertise and investment in this area must be backed by the government's commitment to preparedness. Because medical countermeasures don't always have a natural commercial market, it is our responsibility--right here in the Congress--to encourage and incent private companies to develop them. When I was meeting with them, they told me that, when we were considering the original legislation and then passed it, they were immediately invested in it by the sum of some $80 million because there was confidence in that particular market.

This legislation is supported by many, but I think it's a real honor roll in terms of the groups and organizations: the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, the Trust for America's Health, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

This legislation, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act, did pass the House last month; and with minor changes, it passed the Senate last week, as my colleagues have said on both sides of the aisle. Today, I, once again, urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the Senate-amended bill so that it may swiftly be sent to the President for his signature. I think, together, we will have something to celebrate because this is not only important, but it can and will make a difference for the American people.

I thank the ranking member for recognizing me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Academic Competition Resolution of 2013, which is really the first step toward establishing a mobile apps contest for students across America, which I find very, very exciting.

Building on the success of the Congressional Arts Competition, which for more than 30 years has recognized and encouraged artistic talent among our Nation's youth, an apps competition will foster interest in STEM education--science, technology, engineering, and math--which is just what our country needs to prepare for our future.

According to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, in the next decade there will be approximately 8.5 million STEM job opportunities; but during the same time, it is projected we'll face a shortage of 1 million STEM graduates. We need to address this mismatch by encouraging our children's innate curiosity and creativity. And what better way to do so than through a mobile apps competition? From mobile medical apps that can revolutionize the way we seek and receive health care to apps that enable video conferencing and the streaming of online video, our lives have been changed forever by the mobility and the economic impact that these apps have provided.

Studies show the app economy has already created approximately 150,000 jobs in my State of California alone, and over half a million jobs nationwide, so there is a huge economic benefit already, but we need to leverage this.

So I thank Chairwoman Miller; I thank the ranking member of the committee, and I want to acknowledge my wonderful colleague, Chairman Goodlatte, who heads up the House Congressional Internet Caucus, and I'm proud to be a cochair with him. We

look forward to working with the committee to ensure that the success of this competition and the continued growth of the app marketplace takes place.

Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to welcome Archbishop John Quinn to the House of Representatives and to thank him for offering the opening prayer today.

Archbishop Quinn is one of the preeminent spiritual leaders and theologians of our Nation. His church service spans over four decades, beginning with his ordination in Rome in 1953. He has served as a pastor, as an educator, as Provost of the University of San Diego College for Men, as Auxiliary Bishop of San Diego, as Bishop of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, as the first Archbishop of Oklahoma City; and in 1977, he was named the sixth Archbishop of San Francisco.

His fellow bishops elected him President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1977, where he led with great distinction for a 3-year term. In December 1995, after 18 years of ``tending his flock'' of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, he resigned and was given a visiting fellowship at Campion Hall, Oxford.

My colleagues, our country has been blessed by the great patriotism, wisdom, scholarship, deep spirituality, and inspirational leadership of this humble and holy man.

Thank you, Archbishop Quinn, for gracing the House of Representatives with your prayer and your presence and for strengthening our country with a faith that calls each of us to be instruments of peace and justice.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present during the rollcall vote No. 5, on January 3, 2013. I would like the record to reflect that I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education program was first created in 1999, because there were not nearly enough pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists to serve the children of our country. The program has been overwhelmingly successful, increasing the number of pediatricians by 35 percent. Today, CHGME provides funding to train more than 40 percent of pediatricians in the U.S. However, at current funding levels, we still don't have enough providers to treat the unique needs of children in our country.

I cannot emphasize enough how critical this funding is to stand-alone children's hospitals, such as Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in my Congressional District. We have a responsibility to help train the next generation of pediatricians who will care for our children through the earliest, and often the most critical time of their lives. Under the Affordable Care Act, all Americans will have access to healthcare, but we have to ensure we have an adequate medical workforce to care for them.

I look forward to the passage of CHGME reauthorization in the House, and I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to see that we move forward with a bill that can swiftly pass both bodies and be sent to the President for his signature.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Evelyn Filice Stanton who died peacefully while on a family vacation on December 29, 2012.

Evelyn was born on December 17, 1926, in Hollister, California, at the apricot and prune ranch of her parents. She lived there until World War II when her father moved the family to San Francisco, where she entered Lowell High School, graduating with the Class of 1944. She earned her A.B. degree from U.C. Berkeley where she met her future husband, returning war veteran Emmett Stanton, whom she married in 1949.

Evelyn earned a teaching credential from San Francisco State University, and taught at El Cerrito High School while Emmett practiced dentistry. The couple moved to San Mateo County in 1952, where they raised their four sons.

Evelyn Stanton served as the President or as a board member of the United Way of the Bay Area; Mills Peninsula Hospital; Belmont Hills Psychiatric Center; AAUW Education Foundation; San Mateo County League of Women Voters; Family Services Association; American Heart Association; Poplar Center for the Developmentally Disabled; the Hillsborough Concours D'Elegance, which she co-chaired with her husband, and for which they were honored as Hillsborough's Citizens of the Year in 1979; San Mateo High School and Crocker Middle School PARENT Groups; Admiralty Home Owners Association; and the Citizen Task Force to study county government operations in 1975-1977.

In 1979, Evelyn began working for the Mental Health Association of San Mateo, her first foray into the paid workforce since her years as a teacher. She became Executive Director in 1979 and served in that post until 2003. Evelyn Stanton distinguished herself in every community organization she was part of but her extraordinary leadership in the mental health community of San Mateo County was legendary. She was ``Mrs. Mental Health'', shaping and making the system the best in California.

Together we were founding members of the San Mateo County General Hospital Foundation. She was a member of the AIDS Community Board, and Chair of the Mental Health Contract Agencies. Evelyn earned and was awarded many honors--the Soroptomist Woman of the Year; the Evelyn F. Stanton Endowed Fellowship established by AAUW; the Seaton Manning Outstanding Agency Professional Award; and she was inducted into the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame in 1987.

Evelyn will be deeply missed by her four devoted sons, Gary of San Mateo, Greg of San Diego, Dave of San Francisco, Emmett of San Francisco and her nine beloved grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a great and good woman who served the people of San Mateo County with honor and generosity, earning the respect of the entire community, as well as her colleagues in public service. I ask my colleagues to extend to her family our most sincere sympathy for their loss. Evelyn Stanton will be missed by everyone who had the good fortune to know her, and I count myself among those so blessed. Our community has been strengthened by her life and her service, and our country has been immensely bettered by her extraordinary contributions and a life lived exceedingly well.

Mr. Speaker, consider the following: if the United States had an adopted policy of equal pay, it would put $200 billion more into the economy every year. That comes out to about $137 for every white woman per paycheck and to approximately $300 for every woman of color, who is doubly discriminated against. These women are not going to put their money into a Cayman Islands bank account. Instead, they'll spend it; and this will boost our economy, create jobs and help families.

With a record number of women in the workforce, wage discrimination hurts the majority of American families both in terms of their economic security today and their retirement security tomorrow. The Institute for Women's Policy Research found that wage disparity will cost women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million over a lifetime of lost wages. That means fewer resources to pay the mortgage, to send kids to college, or to have a decent retirement. Also, due to rising employment rates, an unprecedented number of women are now the family breadwinners, making pay equity even more critical, not simply to family economic security but also to the Nation's economic recovery.

As we look for ways to create more jobs and grow the economy, it is astounding to me that Congress has not yet passed legislation ensuring equal pay for equal work. It is a powerful policy with what would be powerful and positive economic outcomes. That is why I support the Paycheck Fairness Act. It ensures that employers who try to justify paying a man more than a woman for the same job must show that the disparity is not sex-based, but job-related and necessary. It prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who discuss or disclose their own salary information with their coworkers, and it strengthens the remedies available to wronged employees.

Pay inequity due to gender discrimination is real, and it should not be tolerated. The House of Representatives should address this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Pallone, for his leadership and legislative courtesies along the way. I'm very proud that as we begin a new year and a new Congress that this bill is on the floor. I think it's fitting that we begin a new Congress with this bill, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization. It is very important legislation, as you have already heard from those that have spoken.

I first introduced this legislation with Congressman Mike Rogers, my friend, my colleague, at the committee, and we've done other bills together very successfully, as well. We began that particular effort in 2006 to better help our country prepare for a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack--all words that none of us really wish to utter. But we need to be prepared.

Developing and stockpiling appropriate countermeasures is essential for public safety. And these programs encourage American companies to invest in areas of critical need because we need the partnership of the private sector in this as well.

The bill before us today includes new provisions that highlight the important needs of our Nation's children. Children are not just little adults. They need special care and medical attention. They're especially vulnerable to biological or chemical agents because of their size, their limited capacity to flush toxins out of their bodies, their underdeveloped motor skills, and their total reliance on their parents or other caregivers. And certainly the role of the Congress in this is to make sure that we have laws that really speak specifically to them.

While the hope is that we will never need to use these countermeasures to combat an attack on our country, I'm proud that we've strengthened these programs for everyone in our country, especially children.

This legislation is supported by the American Public Health Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and Trust for America's Health, as well as, very importantly, the American Academy of Pediatrics.

I'm very pleased that we're, once again, voting to pass the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act, just as we did a month before the end of the last Congress, and I strongly urge my colleagues in the Senate to do the same. This is a bipartisan effort, and it's critical to our national preparedness and security strategies. We very often come to the floor about strategies relative to our military and strategies relative to our national intelligence community. This is about the public health element of that national security for our country.

We need to move forward with this and bring the legislation to the President's desk for his signature.

I thank Chairman Upton, the ranking member of the full Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Waxman, and certainly the distinguished chairman of the Health Subcommittee and, again, my wonderful partner, Congressman Mike Rogers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National Defense Authorization Act which contains a very special provision, the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act.

I first introduced this bill in the 110th Congress in honor of my dear friend, Ambassador Richard Sklar, who was a victim of pancreatic cancer, a devastating disease. Pancreatic cancer is essentially a death sentence, with very few surviving. It is only because of the families, friends, neighbors, doctors, and co-workers who have advocated for better research and treatments, that we've made it to the ``finish line'' legislatively after a five-year effort.

Sadly, the outcomes for those with pancreatic cancer have remained relatively unchanged since the passage of the National Cancer Act more than 40 years ago. Only 6 percent of people diagnosed with the disease live longer than 5 years, and 75 percent die within a year of diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal types of cancers, even as survival rates for other cancers have increased.

The Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act, which I introduced with my colleague, Representative Leonard Lance, directs the National Cancer Institute to develop a long-term strategic plan for addressing recalcitrant cancers beginning with pancreatic and lung cancers. The plan will bring together the finest minds in our country with the best expertise in this area. The plans will be used by the Agency as a roadmap for navigating the best way forward in research for early detection, new diagnostic tools, treatment therapies, and even cures.

While pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating of all ``recalcitrant cancers,'' or those with a high mortality rate and few treatments, it is certainly not the only one that needs increased attention. I have worked closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to expand our legislation to include all recalcitrant cancers so that we can make progress in other areas, too.

I am exceedingly proud that this legislation enjoyed the bipartisan cosponsorship of 294 Members of the House and more than half the U.S. Senate with 58 bipartisan cosponsors. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse championed the legislation with his steadfast leadership, and without him, this effort would not have ultimately been successful.

I thank Chairman Upton and Ranking Member Waxman of the Energy and Commerce Committee for their work in moving the bill forward. I'm very proud of the efforts of the pancreatic cancer advocates who had the courage to share their stories with their representatives, educating them about the importance of this legislation.

I look forward to seeing the Recalcitrant Cancer Research Act signed into law as part of the National Defense Authorization Act so we can finally bring a renewed effort to finding cures for all recalcitrant cancers.

Mr. Speaker. I was not present during the rollcall vote No. 623, on December 12, 2012. I would have voted ``no.''