Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 591, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, on rollcall 585, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, on rollcall 586, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

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

I certainly thank the members of the committee and Mr. Bilirakis for working in such a bipartisan manner to protect servicemembers and protect veterans. I think Mr. Bilirakis gave a very comprehensive overview of the bill. Let me just make a couple of points here.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill, which a Democratic Congress passed a couple of years ago, was really a milestone for our current crop of veterans. Almost 800,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have now made use of the benefits that this bill provides. We ought to be, as a Congress, very proud of that kind of legislation.

With so many thousands of veterans using their Post-9/11 GI Bill, it's important, obviously, that they understand their benefits and eligibility and have all the information available to them. That's what H.R. 4057 does, which Mr. Bilirakis outlined quite nicely. Veterans are going to be able to get the kind of information that they need to get the best educational benefits that are suited to them.

Let me just say one thing about section 4 of the bill, which authorizes the Department of VA to establish a burn pit registry for eligible veterans.

Mr. Speaker, every time that we send men and women into combat, we have to make sure we understand the risks associated with exposures to toxic substances and take responsibility when we expose our own troops to these effects. We haven't done that in the past. We ought to learn more from history. Whether it was atomic testing in World War II, whether it was agent orange in the Vietnam War, whether it was depleted uranium, we've done the same thing over and over again. We've either denied or underestimated the risks. It took years, even decades, to admit the risks. When we finally did that, we still make our veterans undergo lots of bureaucratic hoops to get the benefits that come from exposure to the very substances that we put them at risk for.

Let's not repeat that pattern. This open pit registry will be part of that effort. We want to understand the risks. We want people to know where they have been exposed.

I requested the General Accountability Office to help us in our efforts to better understand health risks associated with the burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. We all know that the preliminary reports have shown that the fumes from these pits produce a considerable amount of contaminants that may cause short-term and long-term harm to our servicemembers.

Finally we're having a proactive measure and one which I hope will benefit veterans in an extremely positive way. I thank Mr. Bilirakis and his colleagues for working with our colleagues for the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to our ranking member of the Health Subcommittee, the gentleman from Maine, a fighter for Veterans' Affairs, Representative Michaud.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota, the sergeant major of the United States Congress, Mr. Walz.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to proclaim that there are several unsung community leaders in our nation that deserves our utmost admiration and recognition.

One such leader hails from my 51st Congressional District, Dr. Murtaza Baxamusa, the Director of Planning and Development for the Family Housing Corporation of the San Diego County Building and Trades Council, as well as an Adjunct Faculty with the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Sothern California. He is a certified planner by the American Planning Association. He has over 10 years experience in economic development and sustainable urban planning and works with several non-profits to expand affordable housing in the San Diego area.

Dr. Baxamusa is a founding board member of the Middle Class Taxpayers Association and serves on the Board of Directors of the San Diego City- County Reinvestment Taskforce, Utility Consumer Action Network, and Cleveland National Forest Foundation. He writes the blog, Middle Class Thinker for VoiceofSanDiego.org and serves on the real estate panel for the San Diego Union Tribune.

Dr. Baxamusa received his doctoral (PhD) in Planning from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2008. His study on community benefits agreements received the award for the best doctoral dissertation in planning use at USC and was published in the academic journal of record in American planning education. He received a Master's degree in Planning at USC, and a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from the Indian Institute of Technology.

In his last position as the Deputy Director at the Center on Policy Initiatives, Dr. Baxamusa authored numerous policy briefs and studies on issues concerning working families and is frequently cited by the media and legislators as an expert on these issues. His public policy accomplishments include: expanding the living wage to outsourcing, economic prosperity in the General Plan, and responsible contracting. His report on city finances, ``Bottom Line,'' is one of the most referenced municipal budgets in the city of San Diego. The City of San Diego proclaimed June 17, 2008 to be ``Dr. Baxamusa Day'' in recognition of his work in the city.

Prior to moving to San Diego, Dr. Baxamusa was a researcher at the USC Center for Economic Development. He worked on sustainable development strategies for several cities in Southern California. The Center was recognized as the National Center for Eco-Industrial Development by three federal agencies.

Congratulations are indeed in order today as we honor and recognize Dr. Murtaza Baxamusa as the John S. Lyons Foundation's Fellowship Honoree of 2012!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to proclaim that organized labor and its leaders are often the sole-source fighting for the rights of working men and women all across this great nation for many decades.

One such leader from my 51st Congressional District, who has been at the forefront of this unified labor movement in Southern California, is the very dynamic Business Manager of the San Diego County Building & Construction Trades Council AFL-CIO, Tom Lemmon. In Tom's capacity, he oversees twenty-two affiliates with separate jurisdictions, in addition to directing fourteen independently operated joint labor- apprenticeships.

In addition to his other accomplishments, Tom is Chairman of the Board for the San Diego Buildings Trades Housing Corporation that owns and operates a four hundred and fifty-unit affordable housing complex in National City that he lived in during his early teens.

Tom served as member of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee for the San Diego Schools Prop MM Construction Bond, he was the Chair of the San Diego Community College District's Construction Sub- Committee, and further served as Chair to the Advisory Committee for the Tech Academy which is located at Kearney High School.

Tom is currently a very active member of the United Way and still finds time to serve as a trustee for the Western States Health and Welfare Benefits Trust Fund; he is the President of the Imperial County Building Trades Council. Tom is also a long time member of the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club having served their Board for several years in the capacity of their 2nd Vice President.

Tom attended San Diego Mesa College before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps, earning an honorable discharge. He then earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labor Studies from the National Labor College.

Tom started his career in the building and construction trades as an entry-level construction worker and took full advantage of educational opportunities offered by the Insulators & Asbestos Workers Local Union #5 Apprenticeship Training Trust. After gaining experience in the field and classroom, Tom rapidly advanced to managing a variety of major construction projects throughout the Southwest and Hawaii. He is a life-long resident of San Diego where he still resides with his wonderful wife and daughter.

We need to congratulate Tom Lemmon for his many years of dedicated service to the organized labor movement in San Diego and to working men and women all across this great nation!

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 557, 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 558, 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 559, 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 have introduced the Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act. (H.R. 6275) The purpose of this legislation is to invest in a clean energy future.

This legislation will allow all Americans to invest in new clean energy technologies that will create over 1.7 million competitive American

jobs, increase energy security, and secure our nation's competitiveness in the rapidly growing field of clean energy technologies.

With Clean Energy Victory Bonds, today's Americans can invest in our nation's future, and ensure that the American economy remains competitive for generations to come. Funds raised from Clean Energy Victory Bonds would:

Create billions of dollars in incentives to accelerate the development of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies;

Create over 1.7 million new American jobs;

Ensure that the U.S. is a world leader in this increasingly crucial and competitive sector;

Reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy;

Allow Americans a safe opportunity to invest in the future of their country.

The Clean Energy Victory Bonds Act draws on the powerful history of Americans investing together to ensure our nation's victories. During World War II, millions of Americans purchased Victory Bonds, raising over $185 billion for the war effort, the equivalent of over $2 trillion in today's dollars.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 537, 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 538, 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 539, 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 499, 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 500, I was away from the Capitol due to prior commitments to my constituents. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''