Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 612, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 613, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Personal Explanation

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 611, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 609, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 610, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 608, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to honor a great friend, an honorable man and a tireless champion for all veterans, Lt. Bobby Price. Bobby passed away on November 2, 2012 after many years battling cancer.

Throughout his 24 years of active duty service in the U.S. Navy, Bobby demonstrated tremendous zeal for getting the job done. As an advocate for veterans he brought the same zeal towards fighting on behalf of veterans and he never let up. He never gave up. His heart was in it all the way.

Mr. Speaker, I often credit Bobby with informing me of everything I needed to know to fight on behalf of veterans. He spent many, many hours going over everything that needed to be done legislatively, educating me on what veterans have to confront as individuals and how much we owe to them. His ambitious goals really personify what it means to be a champion for veterans. I hope through my work I was able justify his confidence in me.

Bobby has received scores of awards recognizing his tremendous service throughout his life--including 2007 San Diego County Veteran of the Year. He was President of the nonprofit Chula Vista Veterans Home Support Foundation at the time of his death, having served on the charity's board for six years.

He was active in the VFW and other veteran's organizations locally, statewide, and nationally. Many of my successes on behalf of veterans came about because of Bobby Price's suggestions. He would say: ``We got to do this. We got to do that. We can't have this offset. We have to do this!'' I listened to every word, most of which we tried to enact. Bobby, I will miss you and I appreciate everything you did every single day.

Bobby is survived by his wife, Julia; his sons, Paul Hoch, Russ Price, Marcus Bush and Adam Price; and daughter Adriana Bush. Another daughter, Jennifer Crane, preceded him in death. He has five grandchildren, with another due soon.

Bobby will be truly missed by all who were touched by his love for life and his passion for his fellow veterans.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 605, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 606, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 607, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to an important piece of legislation that I and more than a dozen co-sponsors support--the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act of 2012, H.R. 6275. I urge my colleagues to co-sponsor this bill to help create our Nation's clean energy economy.

The Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act would create a new U.S. Treasury savings bond that would support the development of our domestic renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. The bond would support programs with a proven, successful track record in areas such as wind, solar, geothermal technology, fuel cell development, closed loop biomass and other renewable technologies. The bond would also support home efficiency measures, hybrid electric vehicles and charging stations.

The Clean Energy Victory Bond would be available for as little as $25, allowing most Americans access to this investment opportunity that can play a key role in generating the energy we need as a world leader. Just as the WW II Victory Bond helped our Nation make the profound economic shift that the war effort required, the Clean Energy Victory Bond can help shift today's economy to the renewable energy foundation that our times now require.

Once enacted, the Clean Energy Victory Bond will leverage $50 billion in investment to provide up to $150 billion in both public and private financing for clean energy technologies. This investment would create at least 1.7 million good jobs across the country. It is crucial that the United States increase investment in renewable energy if we are to compete globally as other nations surge forward with their own clean energy infrastructure and technology.

Now more than ever, we must take bold steps to address our energy security needs for the long term, and by allowing Americans to invest safely in renewable energy we can make significant progress toward that goal. Mr. Speaker, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in cosponsoring the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act of 2012, H.R. 6275, to build America's clean energy future. The well-being of our grandchildren and of our Nation as a whole depends on our ability to meet our energy needs through cleaner, renewable sources.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 604, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 592, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 593, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 594, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Markey

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 595, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Stated against:

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 596, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Stated against:

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 597, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

personal explanation

Mr. Chair, on rollcll 598, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Stated against:

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 599, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Stated against:

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 600, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 13 Offered by Mr. Gosar

Mr. Chair, on rollcall 601, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 602, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 603, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Personal Explanation

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 587, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 588, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 590, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''