Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to those of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to honor Congressman Jim Oberstar. I was privileged to serve with Chairman Oberstar on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure as a freshman member from Colorado. There is no other person in this country, and perhaps in the world, who is more knowledgeable and well known on transportation, transit and aviation issues as Chairman Oberstar. Committee hearings were always settled in a deep appreciation of history. There was no better session in which to serve in Congress than under the Chairmanship of Mr. Oberstar.

I was proud to welcome Chairman Oberstar to Fort Collins, Colorado, for a field hearing on distracted driving. For the Chairman, safety of the travelling public was foremost in his mind and his presence at our hearing brought much needed attention to the issues and dangers of texting and use of cell phones while driving.

It has been an honor to work with Mr. Oberstar and I thank the Chairman for his many years of service and leadership to Congress and the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution raising awareness of blood cancers. I would like to thank the Representative from North Carolina for his work to bring this important resolution to the House.

Nearly 1 million people are currently afflicted with blood cancers in the United States and 150,000 are newly diagnosed each year. With these numbers, we probably all know someone whose life will be affected.

I was inspired to work on this important resolution by my staff and interns, many of whom have personal experiences with leukemia and other blood cancers. It is inspiring to see their commitment to increasing awareness, such as my staff member, Marissa Smith, who dedicated her free time in honor of a friend's mother and ran a half marathon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Raising awareness of blood cancers through the designation of September as Blood Cancer Awareness Month will help ensure that we keep in mind their widespread impact and the importance of ample Federal research for funding, education, and research.

I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in tribute of Edna and Wayne Minnick, two constituents of the Fourth Congressional District who exemplify the fulfillment of the American dream and who chose to give back to their community in ways that will last for generations.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5730) to rescind earmarks for certain surface transportation projects.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 5730, the Surface Transportation Earmark Rescission, Savings, and Accountability Act. The bill will eliminate a total of $713 million in contract authority for 309 old transportation earmarks. In short, this bill will prevent our deficit from rising by another $713 million.

In today's fiscal climate, we must be judicious in our spending. And my legislation follows the commonsense principle of use it or lose it.

Before I came to Congress, I owned several small businesses. One of my businesses was a small coffee and ice cream shop called Huckleberry's. With a shop that sells food, the use it or lose it principle is intrinsic. We would not buy more perishable foods than we would sell; otherwise, we were at a loss.

Every small business owner knows that when you are working on a tight budget, you cannot afford wasteful spending. And that, Mr. Speaker, is exactly what these earmarks are. By targeting these earmarks, my legislation will deliver real savings.

H.R. 5730 is one step towards the ultimate goal of reducing our Nation's deficit. By rescinding unused earmark funds from over 20 years ago, we will be improving the way in which Federal funds are managed while proving our commitment to fiscal discipline.

In today's economy, it is essential that we manage taxpayer dollars well, especially with respect to transportation funding. We will never be able to adequately address the investment gap in transportation infrastructure if we do not curb unnecessary spending.

To promote responsible future funding, my bill also requires the Secretary of Transportation to submit an annual report that identifies each project authorized under TEA-21 in SAFTEA-LU that contains inactive funding or that has completed in the previous year. This provision will give Congress greater oversight, and with the identification of such projects, we may be able to implement more cost- saving measures in the future.

Mr. Speaker, many of these earmarks have been on the books since 1987, and it's high time we tell the States to use it or lose it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5730.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake), cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from the Taxpayers For Common Sense Action that was written to Mr. Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Taxpayers for Common Sense,

July 27, 2010.

Chairman James Oberstar,

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Rayburn

House Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Oberstar: Taxpayers for Common Sense, a non-

partisan budget watchdog, strongly supports a small but

important step to reduce the nation's yawning budget deficit:

the inclusion of a provision in the Federal Aviation

Administration authorization legislation that would rescind

transportation earmarks that remain unobligated ten or more

years after their authorization.

The Senate has already adopted an amendment to its version

of the bill, introduced by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), which

indicates that chamber's support for this idea. A bill

introduced by Rep. Betsy Markey (D-CO) (H.R.5730--Surface

Transportation Earmark Rescission, Savings, and

Accountability Act), builds upon the Senate provision and

saves even more taxpayer dollars. Rep. Markey's proposal

identifies more than $713 million worth of unused earmarks

that can be rescinded, most of which are more than ten years

old. There may be an opportunity to rescind additional

earmarks from previous appropriations bills, which would be

worth pursuing as well.

We urge you will take this opportunity to save taxpayers

hundreds of millions of dollars and wipe these liabilities

off the books. If you would like to discuss this issue

further please contact me or Erich Zimmermann.

Sincerely,

Ryan Alexander,

President.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, as we debate ways to tackle our growing deficit and create jobs, I call today on this Congress to reject proposals that would privatize Social Security or Medicare.

Colorado seniors rely on Social Security and Medicare; and as we struggle to climb out of a deep recession, the security provided by these programs is more critical than ever.

Dismantling Medicare and adding trillions of dollars to the deficit with a risky privatization scheme that gambles seniors' financial security in the stock market is just the wrong way to go. Rolling the dice on the financial security our seniors depend on, in a financial system that recently almost collapsed, is reckless in the extreme and has been roundly rejected by the American people.

We can cut waste, fraud, and abuse from Social Security and Medicare without cutting a penny in benefits, and I will fight to protect the promise that we made to America's seniors.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to introduce the ``Surface Transportation Earmark Rescission, Savings, and Accountability Act.'' This bill will eliminate a total of $713 million in unobligated funding for 309 Member-designated projects contained in previous surface transportation authorizations.

The ``Surface Transportation Earmark Rescission, Savings, and Accountability Act'' will clear the books of projects that will not go forward and save taxpayer money.

This bill will rescind all remaining earmarks from the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act, STURAA, which was signed into law in 1987, and the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, ISTEA, which was signed into law in 1991. This rescission would be effective on December 31, 2010, and would eliminate 156 projects for a total of $264 million in savings.

This bill will also rescind High Priority Project, HPP, designations contained in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, TEA 21, that have 90 percent of the original project amount remaining unobligated 12 years after this bill was signed into law in 1998. This rescission will become effective September 30, 2011, and would eliminate 152 projects totaling $441 million.

In addition to eliminating these earmarks, this bill will rescind $8.2 million in HPP program funds authorized under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, SAFETEA-LU, that were not allocated for any specific projects.

Madam Speaker, many of these unobligated balances are tied to projects that are either no longer viable, have not received the necessary matching funds from State or local entities, or projects that have been completed yet still contain funding balances that are no longer needed for the designated project.

Going forward, this bill requires the Secretary of Transportation to submit to the Congress an annual report identifying each project authorized under TEA 21 and SAFETEA-LU that contains inactive funding or that has been completed in the previous year. This will allow Congress to identify projects that are either already completed and have additional funding left over, or that are unlikely to move forward.

Eliminating excess funds that have remained unused by States for nearly 20 years is a commonsense approach toward improving the management of federal funds.

As we confront rising budget deficits, reduced revenues caused by the recession, and an ongoing investment gap in transportation infrastructure, it is imperative that we take every step we can to more efficiently and effectively manage taxpayer dollars and stretch funding as far as possible.

Madam Speaker, the ``Surface Transportation Earmark Rescission, Savings, and Accountability Act'' accomplishes just that by eliminating funding for earmarks that is not being utilized. I look forward to debating this important effort to pass fiscally responsible legislation.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. on Monday next and further, that when the House adjourns on that day, it adjourn to meet at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, for morning-hour debate.

Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 33 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until Monday, June 21, 2010, at 11 a.m.

Thank you, Chairman Skelton.

I rise today in support of this en bloc amendment, which contains my amendment to create a scholarship program for veterans to work toward advanced degrees in behavioral health.

One in three veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have some form of invisible injury like PTSD or TBI. The VA has diagnosed nearly 250,000 vets as having some mental health injury. Yet it is well known that less than half of those with these injuries are ever diagnosed or treated.

The Department of Veteran Affairs Honor Scholarship Program is a critical investment in the treatment of veterans suffering from invisible injuries like posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.

This amendment will help veterans receive professional behavioral health training so that they can provide peer-to-peer training to other combat veterans. Who better to counsel recently returned veterans than those who have shared similar experiences in combat. The veterans who have served our country deserve the best possible mental health treatment.

I urge my colleagues to stand with American veterans, to honor America's veterans, and to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings had during the recess be printed in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge this Congress to pass meaningful Wall Street reform to protect American taxpayers from ever again being forced to bail out Wall Street banks. It's time to end ``too big to fail'' financial firms whose irresponsible behavior almost crashed our entire economy. And it's time to end predatory lending practices with tougher enforcement.

We must pass a bill that will end bailouts and ensure that banks and taxpayers are never again on the hook for Wall Street's risky gambles. We must act to protect families' retirement funds, college savings, homes, and small businesses, and bring transparency and accountability back to a financial system run amok.

I wasn't in Congress while some Wall Street banks were running our financial system into the ground, but I came here to clean up the mess and get America's economy back on track. So I ask my colleagues, whose side do you stand on? Do you stand with the reckless Wall Street banks or will you stand with American families? I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating American Craft Beer Week, May 17 through May 23, 2010. This is a week to celebrate the many accomplishments of craft brewers and home brewers across the nation.

After Prohibition destroyed local and regional breweries around the United States, it took approximately half a century before the American craft beer industry grew to offer so many distinct beer brands and styles. Until this resurgence, beer lovers had few options to choose from and even fewer options when looking for American-made beer.

Today, American Craft Brewers are brewing smaller batches of quality beers using traditional methods but innovative recipes. Craft

brewers in this country create ales, lagers, and porters rivaling the best from around the world. American craft beers have won many international taste and quality competitions. I even know of one small brewer in my district whose fastest growing export market is Belgium, a nation well known for its own beer.

Colorado's Front Range is home to six of the country's 50 largest brewers, a concentration of quality brewers that has led some to dub the area the Napa Valley of Beer. These small businesses have created brands well known nationwide and highly sought after by beer lovers across the globe.

In addition to creating quality beers, it is important to remember what craft brewers do for our communities. Craft brewers work with partners to promote the safe consumption of their products. Many are involved in philanthropic activities, helping to improve the communities around them. Further, many are pioneers in the use of alternative energy and other sustainable practices in their businesses, practices that are unique for a product otherwise manufactured in large industrial breweries.

In celebration of the many contributions made by these small businesses, American Craft Beer Week is a wonderful time to bring more focus to the craft brewing industry. Across the nation, celebrations of this week are taking place in breweries, brewpubs, alehouses, and homes.

To sum up the importance of America's craft brewers, I think it best to quote a few lines from the Brewers Association's Declaration of Beer Independence:

``I declare that these are historic times for beer, with today's beer lover having inalienable rights, among these life, liberty, and the pursuit of hops and malt fermented from the finest of U.S. small and independent craft brewers with more than 1400 of them brewing today . . .''

``I declare American craft brewers provide flavorful and diverse American-made beers in more than 100 distinct styles that have made the United States the envy of every beer-drinking nation for the quality and variety of beers brewed. I declare that beer made by American craft brewers helps to reduce dependence on imported products and therefore contributes to balanced trade, and . . .''

``. . . the makers of these beers produce libations of substance and soul that are sincere and authentic, and the enjoyment of them is about savoring the gastronomic qualities including flavor, aroma, body, and mouthfeel, while practicing responsible appreciation.''

I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution celebrating May 17 through 23 as American Craft Beer Week and I encourage responsible beer lovers everywhere to enjoy one of the thousands of craft beers brewed across the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today proud of the accomplishment of this House in finally passing health care reform. This legislation was the culmination of decades of work to bring some sanity to our health care system.

Now Americans with preexisting conditions will no longer be pushed aside by insurance companies. No insurance company will be able to tell a parent that their newborn's weight is a preexisting condition.

In my district, in 2008, 1,400 families filed for bankruptcy from health care costs, putting their lives, their homes, and everything at risk because of health care costs. This bill will protect them from skyrocketing expenses.

In addition, nearly 20,000 businesses will receive credits to help them afford insurance.

I have long been a supporter of the 25 community health care centers in my district. These centers will now have the resources to provide primary care at an affordable cost. Our hospitals will also save tens of millions of dollars they now lose to unreimbursed care.

I am proud to have done my part by voting for this health care reform bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a cat who is known worldwide for his red and white hat; in support of a fox who liked to wear socks, and his game-playing friend called Mr. Knox; in support of an elephant, Horton, who hears a Who, and a human, Mr. Brown, who proves he can moo; in support of those who hopped on pop, and the dad who yelled at them to stop; in support of those amusing sidekicks Thing One and Thing Two, and all of those folks with the last name of Who; in support of Marvin K. Mooney, who just wouldn't go, and those multiple colored fish we all know; in support of Cindy Lou Who and that mean, old Grinch, and the Lorax who speaks for the trees in a pinch.

These characters taught our children to read. In the field of children's literacy, Dr. Seuss took the lead.

Through the power of green eggs and ham, our children exclaim, ``I can read, Sam I am.''

Mr. Speaker, I come before the House today not to emulate Dr. Seuss but to honor his legacy with Read Across America Day. Today, March 2, would be Theodor Seuss Geisel's 106th birthday. This resolution honors his birth, and it promotes children's literacy by designating today as Read Across America Day.

I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Ehlers, for his work with me on this resolution.

In schools across America today, millions of children will participate in Seussational reading events.

Reading skills are the keystone for future educational success, and it is critical that our children begin reading at a young age. I remember how my own children's eyes would light up with each book we read. My resolution encourages parents to read to their children for at least 30 minutes a day because, as Dr. Seuss himself said, ``The more that you read, the more things you will know; the more that you learn, the more places you will go.''

I have high hopes for this Nation's children and all the places that they will go. I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on House Resolution 1111 and to celebrate Read Across America Day.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your work on this very important bill.

A few years ago, before I ever even decided to run for Congress, I owned a small coffee shop in Old Town, Fort Collins. As a business owner, I knew that my success or failure depended on my business plan and my ability to

compete. None of the other shopowners needed the government to offer them some sort of special protection in order to survive. Capitalism is the basis of our democracy, and a competitive marketplace is at the heart of capitalism.

Since 1945, just two industries have enjoyed special protection from antitrust laws by the United States Government: Major League Baseball and the health insurance industry. Since Americans don't rely on baseball tickets to vaccinate their children or get cancer screenings, the gentleman from Virginia and I felt it important that we tackle the special protections offered to the health insurance industry today.

I consider myself a pragmatic person. I think companies should be left alone to succeed or fail based on the fitness of their business plan and on the quality of the products they offer to consumers, not because they got a special deal from Washington.

I believe that consumer protection laws keep our markets competitive and are crucial to our democracy and economy, and that the exceptions offered to the insurance industry for over half a century leave the doors wide open to price-fixing that can't be regulated.

If any Member of this body were to come and suggest that the United States Government give one industry immunity from protection and from price-fixing, the outrage from the American public would be swift and heartfelt. It is not fair that small business owners across America-- many of them struggling to survive in today's economy--have to play by a separate set of rules.

The underlying premise of this bill is not a partisan issue. Prominent Members of both parties have advocated removal of McCarran- Ferguson for 2 years. In 2007, Senator Trent Lott cosponsored legislation with Patrick Leahy that would have repealed an even broader swath of antitrust exemptions benefiting the entire insurance industry. At the same time, Senator Lott made the astute point that if the industry were not engaging in price-fixing, it wouldn't have to worry about losing its antitrust exemption.

When Lott testified before the Judiciary Committee in 2007, he said, ``I cannot for the life of me understand why we have allowed this exemption to stay in place so long.'' Perhaps even more telling, the National Association of Attorneys General strongly supports the repeal of McCarran-Ferguson. One assistant attorney general noted, ``The most egregiously anticompetitive claims, such as naked agreements, fixing price, or reducing coverage, are virtually always found immune'' from prosecution under the law.

For years, one industry has enjoyed an unfair advantage over every other business in the United States. I don't think this has anything to do with being a Republican or a Democrat, I think it has to do with being fair.