Floor Statements

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

Mr. Chair, I yield myself 2 minutes.

I would like to first thank Mr. Lujan of New Mexico for allowing me to work with him on this important and commonsense amendment to the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act.

The underlying bill is a positive step towards ensuring the security of America's chemical facilities, but overlooks key differences between commercial facilities and university and educational laboratories. This amendment directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to take a graduated approach to security in school labs and to create a separate and appropriate set of protocols for university affiliated laboratories with relatively small quantities of chemicals.

One-size-fits-all safety regulations only create more paperwork, more bureaucracy and more confusion without necessarily making us safer. This is especially true in educational settings where large numbers of students move in and out of smaller chemical labs constantly, making it difficult and expensive to impose on them the same security protocols as large commercial facilities.

However, this amendment does not let our schools off the hook for maintaining a safe and secure environment. The Secretary of Homeland Security will still require that universities create and report a security plan of precaution and prevention as part of normal campus safety procedures. At a time when university budgets are already tight, this amendment will avoid placing potentially large financial hardships on our educational institutions.

This amendment is supported by a number of higher educational associations, including the American Council on Education, the Association of American Universities, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. I was very happy to be able to work on this commonsense solution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I happily yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from New Mexico (Mr. Lujan).

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 621) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the establishment of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, in 1912, just 18 girls from Georgia came together in what would become the first meeting of the Girl Scouts. Since then, the program has grown to 3.7 million girls to become the organization that we know today. To date, the Girl Scouts have shown 5 million girls how to lead, how to work together, and how to serve our communities.

The Girl Scouts of the United States have had such prestigious members as

the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court Justice; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; and former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

The Fox Valley Girl Scouts Council, which serves portions of my congressional district, has 6,000 registered members sponsored by over 1,600 adult volunteers. I appreciate the work of these Girl Scouts, who have devoted so much time and effort to community service projects in our community.

I am pleased to be a cosponsor of H.R. 621, and I thank Mr. Kingston for introducing it. H.R. 621 directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and to issue up to 350,000 one dollar coins in commemoration of the centennial of the founding of the Girl Scouts.

The Girl Scouts of the USA has helped shape millions of young girls' lives, and in turn strengthened our communities. I congratulate the Girl Scouts on their 97 years of service and look forward to the passage of this piece of legislation so that we can join with them in celebrating their centennial in 2012.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following correspondence.

October 13, 2009.

Hon. Barney Frank,

Chairman, Financial Services Committee, 2129 Rayburn House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Frank: I am writing regarding H.R. 621, the

``Girl Scouts USA Centennial Commemorative Coin Act of

2009.''

As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains jurisdiction over bills that raise revenue. H.R. 621 contains a provision that establishes a surcharge for the sale of commemorative coins that are minted under the bill, and thus falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means.

However, as part of our ongoing understanding regarding commemorative coin bills and in order to expedite this bill for Floor consideration, the Committee will forgo action. This is being done with the understanding that it does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of Conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this bill or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 621, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the record.

Sincerely,

Charles B. Rangel,

Chairman.

Will the gentleman yield?

I very much share your opinion. I have to address the Speaker. I'm sure the Speaker and everyone in this room agrees that Thin Mints are the cookie of choice.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

I yield the gentlelady another minute.

I yield the gentlelady an additional minute.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Today I rise in support of my sister, Susan Adlai Foster, a survivor of breast cancer; and in remembrance of my grandmother, Nanette Raymond, who was not. Today I also rise in strong support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to recognize the strength of the women who have endured this terrible disease. This year alone, it is estimated that 192,000 women will be newly diagnosed with breast cancer, and it will claim the lives of over 40,000 women. However, it is a great disservice to these strong, courageous women to reduce them to statistics. They are our mothers, sisters, grandmothers, and our friends.

I lost my grandmother to breast cancer. Thankfully, my sister has survived her battle with this disease. I firmly believe that we must take all steps necessary to promote awareness and research to find a cure so my daughter and her generation do not suffer through this same experience.

It has become obvious that part of breast cancer is environmental, part of it is genetic, and a large part can be mitigated through early detection. We must press ahead on all fronts to mitigate and eventually eliminate this scourge.

I would also like to take this opportunity to applaud the efforts of the Susan G. Komen Foundation that has done so much to advance this cause and to spread the message that early testing saves lives.

I encourage all of my colleagues to cosponsor and vote for H. Res. 708, congratulating Nancy Goodman Brinker, who founded the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and record my strong and enthusiastic support for Jeff Olsen, a constituent of mine who is being recognized by the American Legion for his patriotism.

Olsen, a resident of South Elgin and local sanitation worker, collected discarded American flags along his route to properly dispose of them. He would fold and carefully package each flag before giving them to the local American Legion to destroy them in the traditional ceremony.

To date, Olsen has saved and donated over 250 American flags to the American Legion. Many of his colleagues at the Elgin Waste Management office also work to ensure that American flags which are improperly disposed of are treated with the utmost respect; however, the number of flags discovered by Olsen is nothing short of remarkable.

Olsen was honored by both the local American Legion and Elks Lodge with an Americanism Award in recognition of his actions on June 14, 2009, Flag Day. His actions should be recognized as not only a caring act of patriotism, but also as an effort to raise awareness to the general public on how to properly dispose of an American flag. As a lasting symbol of freedom and democracy, the American flag should be treated with nothing less than great care and respect.

I would like to congratulate Mr. Olsen on his award, and extend my deepest gratitude for his efforts. I can only hope that his story will inspire others to take similar action.

Madam Speaker, I am submitting this statement to express congratulations to Caterpillar, Inc. for their receiving EPA's Clean Air Excellence Award.

Caterpillar was honored for developing its D7E, a revolutionary new bulldozer that consumes up to 30 percent less fuel and performs necessary construction operations 25 percent more efficiently. These impressive increases in efficiency will allow construction workers, miners and other earthmoving workers to do their jobs while emitting significantly fewer carbon dioxide emissions.

After more than two years of research, the D7E represents exactly the kinds of new technology we need to move our country and our economy into the 21st Century. Its electric drive is a platform from which Caterpillar can begin exploring the possible use of alternative fuels to power American construction.

Production of these innovative tractors is set to begin later this year in my home state of Illinois. As a former small businessman myself, and one who worked to keep manufacturing jobs in the Midwest, I would like to further congratulate Caterpillar for its commitment to reinvest in the communities that have supported them for nearly 100 years.

It is my honor to represent the employees of Caterpillar's Aurora, Montgomery and Dixon manufacturing facilities, and I thank them for all their hard work.

Madam Speaker, today I rise today to acknowledge the 100th birthday of Mrs. Marie Wilkinson.

A true living legend, Marie Wilkinson has spent a lifetime giving to others and her community.

Today I thank Marie Wilkinson for all her service to the city of Aurora and wish her a very happy birthday. It is an honor to celebrate such a momentous day and a remarkable life.

For more than six decades Marie Wilkinson has fought injustice and given voice to those most in need. Her activism has reached well beyond the local level to benefit countless across the state. In the late 1940s Mrs. Wilkinson won a case before the Illinois State Appellate Court that resulted in the integration of area restaurants. Through the Human Relations Commission she founded in 1964, Mrs. Wilkinson is credited with enacting the first Fair Housing Ordinance in Illinois.

Unyielding determination and a deep love of people have kept Marie Wilkinson going. Her work has led to the founding of more than 60 charitable organizations including Hesed House Homeless Shelter, Feed the Hungry Program, Breaking Free Drug Program, Catholic Social Action Conference, Sci-Tech Youth Science Museum, and the Quad County Urban League.

I ask my colleagues to please join me in recognizing Marie Wilkinson's 100th birthday, and celebrating her commitment to the betterment of community and humanity.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Elgin Community College on the occasion of its 60th anniversary and to join in recognizing May 22, 2009 as Elgin Community College Day.

Elgin Community College opened its doors in the fall of 1949 with only 97 students, 1 administrator, 1 full-time faculty member and 17 part-time staff members. For its first 10 years, the school worked out of a wing of the old High School on Elgin's East Side.

Throughout the 1950s, ECC was run by Public School District U-46. After 16 years of existence, Elgin became an independent community college in 1965.

Throughout the 1970s, Elgin Community College expanded curricula, faculty, staff, and services that included on-campus child care, financial aid, job placement, student activities, and tutoring. In 1974, the current boundaries of the Community College District were established. This district encompasses 360 square miles and serves students from 5 counties.

During the 1980s, Elgin Community College's enrollment increased significantly, so the college adapted by opening new facilities off- site and exploring alternate ways to reach its students. ECC first offered telecourses in 1980, and eventually opened a community education center in Carpentersville.

From the 1990s up to today, the college has continued to grow and now serves a diverse student population. Currently one out of every twelve adults in the Elgin Community College District takes at least one class a year at the school, and three out of every ten high school seniors choose ECC to continue their education.

I congratulate the class of 2009 and the entire Elgin Community College Family. I thank them for their service to the community, and I look forward to watching the College grow in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.

This historic legislation renews and improves SCHIP. It extends coverage to 4 million uninsured children who are currently eligible for but who are not enrolled in SCHIP and in Medicaid.

As a fiscal conservative, I am also proud that even in today's financial storm and even under scoring rules that do not fully reflect the long-term fiscal benefits of providing adequate health care to children that the bill is fully paid for. With a modest increase in tobacco sales tax providing a bulk of the funding, we are able to provide coverage to millions of children and not add to the deficit.

This bill honors our moral commitment to help our youngest children in their health while ensuring that this legislation does not hinder their future by saddling them with huge debts.

The bill could not come at a better time. Our economy continues to worsen, and more and more people are at risk of losing their health care. This program will help give millions of parents the peace of mind that their children at least will have access to health care.

I rise in reluctant support of the TARP program as executed to date, in optimistic support of the TARP program as it will executed by the Obama administration, and in full-throated support of H.R. 384, the TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009.

While the actions we took last fall have done much to stabilize our system, our credit markets are still not functioning properly. Significant programs to reduce preventable foreclosures have not started, and more needs to be done.

More than anything else, our economy runs on confidence. Confidence is an ephemeral thing that's easily squandered and extremely difficult to get back. Our financial system has been shaken to the core in ways that we have not seen since the Great Depression, and while I am certain that the actions that we took last fall helped us avert the abyss, we have to do more before we recover.

And the most important elements for restoring that confidence are a clear and workable plan for the future, the resources necessary to execute that plan, and an assurance that we are all in this together, that the blood, sweat and tears, as well as the economic gain, will be equitably shared as we work out of this crisis. That is what this bill is about. And this second infusion of TARP money, well-spent, is absolutely vital to helping us restore that confidence.

I would also like to associate myself with the colloquy regarding municipal bond markets. The loss of infrastructure spending due to the lock-up of the $2.3 trillion muni bond market is one of the most frustrating and tragic consequences of this financial crisis. Despite near-zero historical default rate, muni bonds are not trading at all, at rational levels or at all. Proposals to revive the muni bond markets, for example, with federally backed muni bond insurance, represent low-hanging fruit that should be captured with a modest investment of TARP funds, probably the biggest bang for the buck of any stimulus investment that I am aware of.

As a member of the Financial Services Committee, I look forward to working with the chairman and the new administration on this important issue. I know Members are properly skeptical of the TARP effort.

Given how badly the Bush administration mangled this first infusion of TARP money, Members are extremely wary of granting additional funds. But thanks to the diligent work of the chairman and former and current members of the Financial Services

Committee, this bill contains substantial improvements over the original bill enacted last fall, and I believe it is worthy of this Chamber's support.

Madam Speaker, I am submitting this statement to express congratulations and gratitude to Officer Wayne Biles on the occasion of his retirement from the Aurora Police Department.

On September 12, Officer Biles retired after nearly 33 years with the Aurora Police Department, 20 years of which he spent as president of the Association of Professional Police Officers.

During his years with the force, Officer Biles saw the department and the community grow significantly. As union president, he has worked with seven different chiefs to reach workable agreements that suit the police force and the community they serve.

Even in retirement, Officer Biles plans to remain active in his community. He exemplifies the devoted public service to which we all should strive.

I offer my best wishes to Officer Biles and his family, and I thank him for more than three decades of service.

Madam Speaker, I am submitting this statement to record my strong and enthusiastic support for achieving independence from foreign oil, continuing our work in moving forward on comprehensive energy policy reform, and finding new alternatives to develop cheap, clean, and renewable energy. Recently, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan, comprehensive energy bill, which I had the honor of supporting. But when it comes to providing more solutions to overcome our energy crisis, there is still much more to be done.

Earlier this month, on Labor Day, I met with constituents from Illinois' 14th District at the DeKalb Oasis on Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway to hear what they had to say about how gas prices and our current energy policy affected them.

While passing the Passing the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act was an excellent first step, I firmly believe that we need more relief from high gas prices, and we need a comprehensive energy policy overhaul that provides solutions for the short, medium, and long term. As statements from my constituents show, I am not alone in this concern.

Much of what I heard was familiar. They told me gas prices are too much and are spiraling out of control. They told me they are forced to make new, tough choices as consumers on groceries, transportation, and the other costs of daily life. They told me while they try to cut their spending, there is almost nothing left to cut. They told me that because of gas prices they have to work more at a second job, or the business that employs them can no longer do so because business costs are increasing as well.

I am entering some of what I heard on Labor Day into the Congressional Record not because the testimony I heard is a surprise, but because it is a wake-up call. We need more bipartisan solutions, and need them now. We cannot afford to wait. I have repeatedly shown my support for solutions that increase supply, and decrease demand while also pursuing research and development of clean, affordable, alternative energy sources that would make our Nation energy independent. These are solutions I supported when I voted for the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, and these are solutions I firmly believe we should continue to pursue.

Here are some things I heard from constituent about how gas and energy prices are affecting them.

``How are gas prices affecting my family? Well, first of all I am an educator who could not afford to have a family, not even years ago . . . I have a full-time job, and I now have three part-time jobs so I can pay all my bills. I cut back on travel expenses, which is one expense I could control. I am working more hours at one of my part-time jobs. I never forgot lesson taught by President Carter--I keep my house in the 60s during the winter and 80 degrees in the summer. I do everything I can to keep the house insulated in the summer and winter. I cut back on eating out and on food expenses in general, but not to the point of knowingly putting my health at risk by eating cheaper, but fatty foods.''--Kay, DeKalb, IL

``I actually have a car at home, well kind of I paid for half of the vehicle. My sister was driving it while I was here at school, and now that my sister has gone away to college my parents are just taking us off the insurance. They're just keeping the car in the garage,'' Amanda, of DeKalb, IL, explained to me.

I asked her why she left her car unused. She said it was an expense she could not afford.

``My parents don't think I'd be able to maintain working and paying for the high prices of gas, but you know everything with having to maintain repairs, whatever need be but that gets really expensive so we just thought it would be better off not doing anything.''

Amanda was not alone in finding that gas prices and college-related costs very limiting. Gas prices restricted her roommate's options in commuting as well as compounding other expenses like the cost of school and raising a family.

``It's just shopping and whatever, I would like to go home. NIU is nicknamed the suitcase school because so many kids just come for the week and then they go home, but I don't have the ability to do that, I can't go back and work all the time because everything is expensive,'' Hillary, DeKalb, IL, said.

Hillary pointed out another common sentiment is not just the cost increase of gas prices, but also the speed at which they increased.

``It's kind of a gradual thing of course; our economy being in the status that it is right now and with gas prices rising. It's like everything is happening at once,'' Hillary continued. ``My tuition has gone up and Northern was actually the only school I could afford, even though I'm

a veteran. This is the only school that I could afford, and then on top of that, it's like tuition is rising. My mom is a single mom with a bunch of kids, with gas prices and everything--it's hard.''

I am proud to submit the concerns of my constituents into the Congressional Record for all to see, hear, and recognize.

Thank you, Chairman Frank. I rise this morning in support of this legislation.

As a scientist and a businessman, I accept the need for speed and overpowering force in this situation. With the credit system locked, small and large businesses are being told to prepare contingency plans for what to do if their operating lines of credit are not extended. Banks are refusing to lend to each other at normal rates or not at all. Banks are failing every day. If nothing is done and the situation persists for even a few weeks, both experts and common sense say that we are facing the real prospect of entering a depression.

This morning's Wall Street Journal describes how the credit crisis is now extending on to franchises, the McDonald's, the Paneras, the Dunkin' Donuts, and threatening the jobs of thousands of their employees. So my vote in favor of this legislation will in fact be a vote to protect the interests of hardworking Americans, and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

I am going to support this bill because it is not a three-page blank check to dispense 700 billion taxpayer dollars. It contains many important protections for taxpayers. It limits CEO compensation, no golden parachutes, and restructures that compensation to discourage the risk-taking behavior that got us into this mess in the first place.

It provides three useful paths out of this crisis: an auction mechanism favored by the administration to buy up troubled assets at market prices; an insurance program with support on both sides of the aisle that could well be the most useful method for reestablishing markets in the least risky of the bad securities out there; and my favorite, the possibility of an AIG-style rescue, where we can go back to the taxpayers and say, yeah, we saved their butts, but guess what? We own 80 percent of the profits when they recover, as was the case for AIG. This is exactly why Warren Buffett supports this plan.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6707, the Taking Responsible Action for Community Safety Act.

I would like to thank Chairman Oberstar, who has displayed exemplary leadership on an issue of great importance to so many American communities.

The need for this legislation came to my attention as a result of a specific situation spanning several districts in Illinois and in Indiana, but the issue it addresses is national. Let me explain.

For several months, families and businesses in my district and in nearby districts have overwhelmingly declared their opposition to Canadian National's potential acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway, which is currently pending before the Surface Transportation Board. I have heard from many of my constituents in public forums, on the phone and in private meetings. They've held rallies and have petitioned the STB in writing, but their voices have gone unheard. At this point, the only criterion the STB must consider in evaluating this deal is whether the proposed transaction would have an adverse effect on competition among the rail carriers in the affected region.

Sadly, the public interest has been largely left out of this process even though the public stands to lose the most in this transaction. There will be no improvement in the quality of life in the region and no economic upside. The recently released draft of the STB's environmental impact statement estimates the acquisition will lead to a loss of 300 jobs in the region. It will also unreasonably saddle local taxpayers with the cost of the mitigation of this project. The study provided, at best, a vague and incomplete study of the 133 grade crossings in the area and, from this, recommended that Canadian National pay only 5 to 10 percent of the mitigation cost. Grade separations cost approximately $50 million each, and the STB apparently expects local communities to shoulder most of this burden.

Let's see: Private profits, socialized bailout costs. Does that sound familiar to anyone around here?

The deal also raises serious public safety concerns, many of which are simply glossed over in the draft study. Increased traffic on the EJ&E will raise the probability of train accidents by 28 percent. Further, the ability of local police, fire and EMS services to respond to emergencies in the affected communities will be hampered by blocked intersections. Once again, Canadian National is not directed to help fund projects that will mitigate this potentially life-threatening problem.

Now, how does H.R. 6707 address this type of situation? Simply speaking, H.R. 6707 would compel the STB to consider the public interest as well as purely commercial considerations in its judgment of a proposed railway merger. The legislation would require the STB to determine a transaction's effect on public safety, on grade crossing safety, on hazardous materials transportation, and on emergency response time. Such a proposal would be approved when it is consistent with the overall public interest and rejected when it is not.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6707 is a much needed enhancement of current statute. While this legislation is an immediate response to one proposed acquisition, it will ultimately protect communities across the country.

To be clear, I do not mean to oppose all railway transactions. Railways are an extremely efficient means of transportation, and their use can and should increase in response to rising fuel prices. However, transactions like the EJ&E acquisition should only proceed when there is an overall commercial and economic benefit. This is not the case here. There is something seriously wrong with a process that leaves out the public and that deflects the cost of these acquisitions and traffic increases on to local communities. H.R. 6707 will help change this.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a resolution and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the chairman and ranking minority member of each standing committee and each subcommittee be permitted to extend their remarks in the Congressional Record, up to and including the Record's last publication, and to include a summary of the work of that committee or subcommittee.