Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I stand in support of H.R. 4154, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief for Families, Farmers, and Small Businesses Act of 2009 because I understand the importance of protecting Iowa's farms and small businesses. This bill helps ensure that these businesses are not downsized as they are passed from one generation to the next.

While I am supportive of the estate tax exemption of $3.5 million per person in the short term, I am frustrated that the bill does not adjust this amount for inflation. Earlier this week, I submitted an amendment to the Rules Committee to adjust the estate tax for inflation, but that amendment was not allowed to the House Floor. While the title of this bill indicates that it is a permanent fix, I worry that we will be right back in the same situation in a few years.

Do not let the estate tax go down the same path as the alternative minimum tax, AMT. The AMT was originally passed in 1969 as a measure to target 155 high-income households that were paying little or no income tax because of loopholes in the tax code at that time. However, because it was not adjusted for inflation, an increasing number of middle-class taxpayers have found themselves subject to this tax. Indexing the estate tax for inflation will help ensure that it does not have the unintended consequence of impacting middle-class families in the future.

As this bill continues through the congressional process, I urge my colleagues to adjust the estate tax for inflation so that it truly is a permanent fix.

Mr. Speaker, I regret missing floor votes on Tuesday, December 1, 2009. If I was present, I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall 911, agreeing to H.R. 3029--To establish a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in combined cycle power generation systems.

``Yea'' on rollcall 912, agreeing to H. Res. 727--Expressing support for greater awareness of ovarian cancer.

``Aye'' on rollcall 913, agreeing to H.R. 3667--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 16555 Springs Street in White Springs, Florida, as the ``Clyde L. Hillhouse Post Office Building.''

Madam Speaker, I regret missing floor votes on Monday, November 16, 2009. If I was present, I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall 889, agreeing to S. 1314, A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 630 Northeast Killingsworth Avenue in Portland, Oregon, as the ``Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Post Office''.

``Yea'' on rollcall 890, agreeing to H.R. 3539--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 427 Harrison Avenue in Harrison, New Jersey, as the ``Patricia D. McGinty-Juhl Post Office Building''.

``Aye'' on rollcall 891, agreeing to H.R. 3767--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 170 North Main Street in Smithfield, Utah, as the ``W. Hazen Hillyard Post Office Building''.

I thank the chairman for his extraordinary leadership on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the third anniversary of my election to Congress to urge my colleagues to speak truth to fear and vote for the Affordable Choices for America Health Care Act.

We were elected, my class, to come and change the direction of this country. That's exactly what this bill does.

We just saw a beautiful young child. I want to tell you about another beautiful young child, Tucker Wright, my nephew's son, who at age 18 months was diagnosed with liver cancer, had two-thirds of his liver removed, and faces a lifetime of expensive medical care. Tucker was lucky because both of his parents work full time. Both of them have health care. And yet he still has tens of thousands of uninsured medical costs that his parents have to pay for.

That is what's wrong with health care delivery in this country. That's why we need to reform health care. And that's why this bill will do for America what we should have done 100 years ago: provide health care for all Americans as a matter of right, not as a matter of privilege. And that's why I support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, during this entire health care debate, we've heard a lot from our friends on the other side of the aisle about something called medical liability reform, but all day as they've been talking about this point, you have not heard one word about patient safety. If you want to talk about real meaningful health care reform, it's important to talk about the most critical aspect of true, meaningful health care reform--standing up for patients. Who will speak for the patients?

Mr. Speaker, we know who will speak for the patients. We have the reports from the highly respected nonpartisan Institute of Medicine on patient safety. The first one is on patient safety, Achieving a New Standard for Care. The second one, Preventing Medication Errors, and To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System.

What did the Institute of Medicine tell us about the state of patient safety? They told us that the most significant way to reduce the costs of medical malpractice is to emphasize patient safety by reducing the number of preventable medical errors. They also told us that's the only way we're going to

bring about meaningful health care reform. They also told us that medical errors kill as many as 98,000 Americans every year; and that, if it were ranked by the Centers for Disease Controls, would be the sixth leading cause of deaths in America.

They also told us that every year there are 15 million incidents of medical harm in this country and that patient safety is indistinguishable from the delivery of medical care. That's why they aren't telling you about what the Institutes of Medicine reported the cost of medical errors is in this country.

They reported in their studies that every year medical errors add $17 billion to $28 billion of cost, most of it in additional medical care that we end up paying for as consumers of health care. When you multiply that over the 10 years of this bill, that means it's costing us $170 billion to $280 billion if we continue to ignore this problem. That's why Democrats and the Institutes of Medicine are standing up for patients, and that's why you should reject this motion to recommit.

You hear our friends talk about what happened in California in 1976 when they put a $250,000 cap on payments for quality-of-life damages. What they don't tell you is that the value of that cap today in 2009 is $64,000, and if you adjust that cap at the same rate of medical inflation, it would be worth $1.9 million. That's what's wrong.

Mr. Speaker, I regret missing floor votes today, Thursday, November 5, 2009. If I was present, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall 856, On Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 885, Providing for consideration of H.R. 2868--Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Act of 2009; ``yea'' on rollcall 857, agreeing to H. Res. 885, Providing for consideration of H.R. 2868--Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Act of 2009; ``yea'' on rollcall 858, agreeing to H. Res. 868, Honoring and recognizing the service and achievements of current and former female members of the Armed Forces; ``yea'' on rollcall 859, to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to H.R. 3547, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act; ``yea'' on rollcall 860, agreeing to H. Con. Res. 139, Congratulating the first graduating class of the United States Air Force Academy on their 50th graduation anniversary and recognizing their contributions to the Nation; ``aye'' on rollcall 861, agreeing to H. Res. 880, Recognizing the efforts of career and technical colleges to educate and train workers for positions in high-demand industries.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rose Frantzen, her husband Charles Morris, the Frantzen family, and the entire Maquoketa, Iowa community on the premier of Ms. Frantzen's Portrait of Maquoketa at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. This work will be on display from November 2009 to July 2010.

Portrait of Maquoketa is a compilation of 180 individual oil portraits of Maquoketa residents painted between July 2005 and July 2006. Ms. Frantzen's exceptional skill is evident in each portrait, but the paintings are more striking when displayed together.

Ms. Frantzen describes Portrait of Maquoketa as ``an unfiltered representation of this small Iowa community at this time in history.'' Unlike many portraits that are commissioned or collected by people with a distinct interest in art, Ms. Frantzen took a democratic approach to her work and opened her store front studio to any Maquoketa who wished to pose for her. She painted children, adults, seniors and adolescents. During the sittings she conducted informal interviews and later made audio recordings of her neighbors' stories, ideas, and beliefs. Many of these recordings are part of the installation at the Portrait Gallery.

The individuals in Portrait of Maquoketa don't look distinctly Iowan. There are no clues in the paintings indicating they have any relationship to each other. Together, though, we recognize these individuals are also a community with a shared identity and future. In each portrait Ms. Frantzen expresses the dignity and beauty in her neighbors, and together her paintings proclaim the dignity and beauty of Maquoketa.

Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to visit the National Portrait Gallery to see Portrait of Maquoketa. It is an inspiring interpretation of American life.

Madam Speaker, I missed votes today, Wednesday, November 4, 2009. If I were present, I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall 841, On Ordering the Previous Question, Providing for consideration of H.R. 3639, Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009; ``aye'' on rollcall 842, On Agreeing to the Resolution, Providing for consideration of H.R. 3639, Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009; ``yea'' on rollcall 843, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H. Res. 858--Congratulating the Inter-American Foundation (IAF) on its 40th anniversary and recognizing its significant accomplishments and contributions; ``yea'' on rollcall 844, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H. Res. 839--Condemning the illegal extraction of Madagascar's natural resources; ``aye'' on rollcall 845, On agreeing to the Hensarling Amendment to H.R. 3639; ``aye'' on rollcall 846, On agreeing to the McCarthy Amendment to H.R. 3639; ``aye'' on rollcall 847, On agreeing to the Maffei Amendment to H.R. 3639; ``aye'' on rollcall 848, On agreeing to the Sutton Amendment Number 4 to H.R. 3639; ``aye'' on rollcall 849, On agreeing to the Sutton Amendment Number 5 to H.R. 3639; ``no'' on rollcall 850, On Motion to Recommit with Instructions to H.R. 3639; ``aye'' on rollcall 851, On Final Passage of H.R. 3639, the Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009; ``yea'' on rollcall 852, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended H. Res. 863, Recognizing the scourge of pneumonia, urging the United States and the world to mobilize cooperation and prioritize resources to fight pneumonia and save children's lives, and recognizing November 2 as World Pneumonia Day; ``yea'' on rollcall 853, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended H. Res. 641, Recognizing the 60th anniversary of the founding of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; ``yea'' on rollcall 954, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended H. Res. 711, Calling on the United States Government and the international community to address the human rights and humanitarian needs of Sri Lanka's Tamil internally displaced persons (IDP's); ``yea'' on rollcall 855, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to H. Res. 856, Recognizing the Commissioning of the USS New York LPD 21.

Mr. Speaker, Clara Peller demands health care reform now. Twenty-five years ago, nobody knew who Clara Peller was, but she soon became famous because she was the one in those Wendy's ads who introduced the famous phrase, ``Where's the beef?'' And for our friends on the Republican side of the aisle, that's the question we would all like to know: ``Where's the bill?''

If you're hearing so much conversation about the Democratic health care bill, there's a very good reason for that. There is no Republican bill, despite promises month after month after month to reveal what that bill would contain. There's no CBO score of the Republican bill.

So how do we know that there's a bill that's going to affect Americans? Well, we know that bill will be mostly about preserving the status quo. And I would like my friends to tell my constituent, Hannah Rodriguez, who has a cleft palate and has been waiting years for her parents to save up the money for her corrective medical procedure because it's considered cosmetic surgery under her current policy, why she should wait longer for health care reform.

Well, I think one of the things that people always overlook is the cost of patient safety on our health care delivery system. The Institutes of Medicine, which is the foremost authority in terms of independent, nonpartisan medical research has looked at this in three studies they did in the last decade there: patient safety treatise on to err is human; their patient safety study; and also their study of medication errors. Their conclusions were interesting because they concluded that the cost of preventable medical errors on our health care system every year is between $17 and $28 billion of preventable medical errors. That's the added cost in additional health care that's imposed on people who are injured due to preventable medical errors.

So if you multiply those numbers over the 10-year life of this bill that's being scored by CBO, you're looking at an opportunity cost loss by not focusing on patient safety of somewhere between $170 and $280 billion. That's why patient safety should be the primary focus of any health care reform, and that's what the Institute of Medicine concluded.

That is why when we were coming up with a solution to the enormous problem of over-utilization in certain parts of the country--it's a well-known problem--it costs, according to medical economists, somewhere between $500 and $700 billion a year, which would be $5 to $7 trillion over the 10-year period that's being scored by CBO. You could pay for everything in this health care bill five to seven times with those types of savings.

Well, they don't because they don't have the opportunity to look at what portion of those would be directly related to Medicare, Medicaid patient and the cost shifting that takes place when we ask other people to carry the burden of fixing those problems.

But I want to focus more on what's in the photograph next to you, because we stand on this floor every day and talk about policy.

To a lot of people policy is vague. It's hard to understand. It's complex. But you, Dr. Kagen, have put a human face

on health care. I want to spend just a few minutes talking about the human drama of health care that nobody seems to really be talking about.

When I was out at my 17 town hall meetings in my district this summer and people were complaining about this health care bill and who was going to benefit from it, I would always bring them back to the human side of health care. I would talk about my nephew's 18-month-old son, Tucker Wright, who lives in Malcom, Iowa.

Tucker was 18 months old when he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He had two-thirds of his liver removed. He faces a very uncertain medical future. The medical costs, as you know better than anyone, Dr. Kagen, were astronomical from that surgery and from the followup and from the constant monitoring that has to be done on a young patient with such a serious medical condition. He is almost certain to get another form of cancer before he reaches the age of 18.

His parents are the classic example of what we want responsible adults to do. They are both employed in full-time employment. They had health insurance coverage. But with a lifetime cap on benefits in most private health insurance policies available now, his parents are locked into jobs that they cannot leave. If they do, under our current health care delivery model, they will be denied future payments for his health care needs, which are enormous, because of something called preexisting condition exclusions.

It's more than that, because I have attended fund-raisers for this adorable little boy, because even with good health insurance, they have tens of thousands of dollars of uninsured and underinsured health care needs. You have seen that human drama play out, and I would like you to talk about the toll that that takes on the families that you cared for in Wisconsin.

I think one of the things we have been talking about is how you put a human face on complex health care policy. When we were out in our districts, we got a lot of feedback about the public health insurance option and people saying don't do anything to disrupt our private health insurance system.

I had a recent meeting with a young woman, 20 years old, Hannah Rodriguez is her name. She is a student at the University of Northern Iowa in my district. She sat down to interview me, and one of the first things I noticed about her is she had a cleft palate, 20 years old in the United States of America. She was so excited because she said she was soon going to have her final surgery to fix her cleft palate.

I said to her, Well, what's taken so long for you to get this surgery? She says, Well, my mom and dad don't make much money and they have been saving up money to have this surgery done. I said, Well, why isn't this covered under your health insurance? Your folks have health insurance, don't they? She said, Yes, but this is considered cosmetic surgery.

Think about that. A young woman, for 20 years, born with a birth defect, just like cystic fibrosis, just like cerebral palsy, all of which are covered under a regular health insurance policy, and this young woman has been struggling with this for 20 years. That's why we have to fix this broken health care system.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ivan ``Ike'' Ackerman on his retirement as Mayor of the city of Waverly. At the end of the year, Ike Ackerman will be retiring after serving 12 years as Mayor.

Over the past 12 years, Mayor Ackerman has been a proven leader in moving the city of Waverly forward and bringing the community together. With Mayor Ackerman's command, the city of Waverly has seen successes from economic development to upgrading the city's wellness opportunities.

Waverly is one of northeast Iowa's fastest growing communities with a highly diversified economic base. Mayor Ackerman has focused on bringing new life to old Waverly through downtown revitalization, economic development and new recreational facilities.

During Mayor Ackerman's tenure the city of Waverly experienced the worst flooding the city had seen in decades. In June of 2008, the Cedar River reached a record high and 25 percent of the community was impacted by the dangerous waters. The city suffered millions of dollars in damages. With Mayor Ackerman's leadership the city is rebuilding, putting in place future mitigation plans, and revitalizing the community one day at a time.

With Mayor Ackerman's retirement we are losing years of institutional knowledge and a champion for the needs of Waverly residents. I am proud to represent Mayor Ackerman and the city of Waverly in Congress. I wish him the best in all his endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Tim Hurley on his retirement as Mayor of the city of Waterloo. At the end of the year, Tim Hurley will be retiring after serving three terms as Mayor.

Over the past 6 years, Mayor Hurley has been a proven leader in moving the city of Waterloo forward and bringing the community together. With Mayor Hurley's command, the city of Waterloo has seen successes from economic development to upgrading the city's recreational opportunities.

Mayor Hurley has been focused on four key initiatives: economic development, improved financial health of city government, improved delivery of government services and an improved city image. These are no small tasks, but Mayor Hurley has managed to turn them into a reality.

During Mayor Hurley's tenure, the city of Waterloo experienced the worst flooding the city had seen in decades. In June of 2008, the Cedar River reached a record high of 25.39 ft, 13.39 ft above flood stage and the city suffered millions of dollars in damages. With Mayor Hurley's leadership the city is rebuilding, putting in place future mitigation plans, and revitalizing the community one day at a time.

With Mayor Hurley's retirement we are losing a chief advocate for the needs of Waterloo residents. I am proud to represent Mayor Hurley and the city of Waterloo in Congress. I wish him the best in all his endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I missed votes on Friday, October 23, 2009. If I were present, I would have voted: ``aye'' on rollcall 812, On Agreeing to the Kratovil of Maryland Amendment to H.R. 3619 and ``yea'' on rollcall 813, On Final Passage of H.R. 3619, the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010.

Mr. Speaker, the time for comprehensive health care reform is now. Yesterday, in the House Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, we had a hearing on the impact on small businesses of our current health care delivery system.

A constituent of mine from Davenport, Iowa, Mick Landauer, came and testified about the challenges his small business faces providing health care to its employees. The challenge is greater when you have an employee like Mick, who suffers from a critical chronic disease like congestive heart failure.

In the last 2 years, he has seen the deductibles for employees go from $2,000 to $4,000 to $8,000 for single individual coverage. That is unacceptable, and that is why Democrats in the House have put forward a comprehensive health care reform bill that is going to provide small businesses with much greater opportunities to find competitively priced products for their employees.

One of the things we have to do is make sure the emphasis on coverage applies to people, no matter where they live, the number of employees they are trying to insure, and to give them more flexibility in a more competitive marketplace. That is why we need to pass this bill and pass it soon.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 756, I was unavoidably detained and missed the vote. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Resurrection Elementary School in Dubuque, Iowa. The students, parents, faculty, and staff at Resurrection Elementary have earned the 2009 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School Award. Resurrection is one of 320 schools in the United States and one of only 50 private schools that have earned the Blue Ribbon award this year.

The Blue Ribbon School Award is given annually to a select number of schools that demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. These schools are exemplary models that other schools can learn from. The students, families, faculty, and staff at Resurrection are a caring community. As part of the Holy Family Catholic School system, Resurrection is shaping students who believe in justice, peace, stewardship, academic and personal excellence, and civic responsibility.

Resurrection Elementary has worked hard to be one of the best schools in the country. I'm proud to represent Resurrection Elementary and the entire Holy Family Catholic Schools community in Congress and look forward to their continued success.