Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, President Bush has once again used his veto pen to stifle scientific research. Yesterday, the President vetoed bipartisan legislation passed by this Congress that would have expanded potentially lifesaving stem cell research.

The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act would have authorized Federal funds to be used for research on embryonic stem cell lines derived from embryos at in vitro fertilization clinics that would otherwise have been discarded.

An overwhelming number of Americans, including doctors, scientists, health organizations, and communities of faith have been vocal in their support for this critical research because of cures it might offer to those stricken with diabetes, Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis, cancer, spinal cord injuries and countless other ailments.

President Bush's decision to once again veto an expansion of this research that could bring hope to millions with life-threatening and debilitating diseases is dangerous to those who are suffering. This Democratic House will continue to push for Federal funding of this ethical and critically necessary research.

Madam Speaker, I rise this evening as a proud resident of Waterloo, Iowa. Recently, Forbes named the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area as the ``13th best place for business and careers'' among small metro areas in the United States.

There is nothing unlucky about this number 13. I have lived in Waterloo for almost 25 years, and I can tell you from experience that the people of the Cedar Valley have made all of the difference there. The last decade has brought a renewed commitment to civic improvement, and these investments have paid off.

Investments in things like good schools, an expanding workforce and an

improved infrastructure have clearly played a big part of this recognition. Businesses are attracted to the skilled, smart and hardworking workforce of the Cedar Valley, ranked number 49 because of educational attainment.

It is clear to me that more and more people are catching on to what the Cedar Valley has to offer. I congratulate my neighbors in Waterloo and Cedar Falls.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the week after Memorial Day to salute the brave men and women of the Iowa National Guard's 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry. Their devotion to serving their country is worth recognizing, because these men and women put their lives on the line, day in and day out, in Iraq.

On Memorial Day weekend, CBS's ``60 Minutes'' devoted an entire hour to telling the story of the 1-133rd, one of the first times since 2004 that they devoted an entire hour to one subject. Many Iowans watched intently that Sunday night as they saw the story of their friends, neighbors and loved ones. We saw a group of Iowans mature over 2 years from their deployment to their pending return back home.

We speak a great deal in this body about our troops and the war in Iraq, and for good reason. But if I have learned anything from my interactions with the 1-133rd over the past several months, it is that the sacrifices we ask our troops to make when they are deployed in a hostile situation thousands of miles from home really are incalculable.

The story of the 1-133rd should be required watching for all the Members of this body, who must weigh the decision to send our troops overseas.

Again, I commend these brave men and women from Iowa.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa.

It's my honor to be here to honor the life and memory of Wiley Mayne. I did not have the good fortune of meeting Wiley, but I did know his son John very well. And if children are a reflection of their parents, then he certainly was a wonderful person.

And actually, I'm here for many reasons. One of them is, Wiley and I had many things in common. Wiley was an elder in a Presbyterian church in Sioux City, and I was an elder in a Presbyterian church in Waterloo.

He was a past president of the Iowa State Bar Association from 1963 to 1964, had a distinguished service in the U.S. Naval Reserves serving on destroyer escort duty in World War II.

But I think one of the things that Congressman King mentioned that Congressman Latham and I and all of the other Members of the Iowa delegation feel so strongly about is that Wiley was the type of person who really exemplified what we feel are Iowa values. He was somebody who believed that representing his constituents did not require him to tear down someone else or their constituents.

He was an incredibly handsome man, if any of you have seen pictures of him. His dedication to his family was evident from the way that he lived his life.

When I had the opportunity to work with his son, John, on some cases up in the Sioux City area, we spent a lot of time talking about his father and the work he did in the House of Representatives and how proud he was to serve the constituents of northwest Iowa. And I know that his constituents remember him and remember that he also exemplified what it means to take tough votes based upon your conscience and your convictions and sometimes having to pay the price for that.

So I was very, very honored to be asked to come tonight and to speak on behalf of Representative Mayne. He will be missed by his family, his friends and his many constituents that he served in the northwest Iowa Sixth

District with distinction during the 1960s and 1970s, and I'm very, very grateful to Congressman King for inviting me here to share those thoughts.

It is a big neighborhood, and Iowa is a large State geographically but small in many ways, and that's why it's so nice when these things come around full circle.

And I know that his family will miss him. I know they were very, very proud of his many accomplishments, and I just want them to know that my thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.

And we certainly are proud to be here tonight to honor this great Iowan.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 428, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Jewish American Heritage Month to honor the life and memory of Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn, who was the first Jewish chaplain ever appointed by the Marine Corps.

Most Americans don't recognize the name of Rabbi Gittelsohn, but they should. Rabbi Gittelsohn delivered a stirring eulogy to the war dead on Iwo Jima that is second only to the Gettysburg Address of President Lincoln as a stirring ode to the principles of democracy that are the bedrock of this country and the young men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

During World War II, Rabbi Gittelsohn was assigned as a Jewish divisional chaplain of the 5th Marine Division. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Rabbi Gittelsohn was right in the heart in the action, ministering to the needs of Marines of all faith, with the knowledge that his life was in grave danger.

After the fighting was over, Rabbi Gittelsohn was asked to give a sermon at an ecumenical memorial service dedicating the 5th Marine Division cemetery on Iwo Jima, but due to prejudice he only gave remarks at a small Jewish service. Here are his words.

``Here before us lie the bodies of comrades and friends, men who until yesterday or last week laughed with us, joked with us, trained with us, men who fought with us and feared with us. Somewhere in this plot of ground there may lie the man who could have discovered the cure for cancer. Under one of these Christian crosses or beneath a Jewish Star of David, there may now rest a man who was destined to be a great prophet, to find the way perhaps for all to live in plenty, with poverty and hardship for none. Now they lie here silently in this sacred soil, and we gather to consecrate the earth in their memory.

``It is not easy to do so. Some of us have buried our closest friends here. To speak in memory of such men as these is not easy. No, our poor power of speech can add nothing to what these men have already done. All that we can even hope to do is to follow their example, to show the same selfless courage in peace that they did in war; to swear that by the grace of God and the stubborn strength and power of the human will, their sons and ours will never suffer these pains again. These men have done their job well. They have paid the ghastly price of freedom.

``We dedicate ourselves, first, to live together in peace the way they fought and are buried in this war. Here lie officers and men, Negroes and whites, rich men and poor, together. Here, no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here, there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. Among these men there is no discrimination, no prejudices, no hatred. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy.

``Any man among the living who fails to understand that will thereby betray those who lie here dead. Whoever of us lifts up his hand in hate against a brother or thinks himself superior to those who happen to be in the minority makes of this ceremony and the bloody sacrifice it commemorates an empty, hollow mockery. To this, then, as our solemn, sacred duty, do we the living now dedicate ourselves to the rights of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, of white men and Negroes alike, to enjoy the democracy for which all of them have paid the price.

``When the last shot has been fired, there will be those whose eyes are turned backward, not forward, who will be satisfied with wide extremes of poverty and wealth in which the seeds of another war can breed. We promise you, our departed comrades, this too we will not permit. This war has been fought by the common man. Its fruits of peace must be enjoyed by the common man. We promise, by all that is sacred and holy, that your sons, the sons of miners and millers, the sons of farmers and workers, the right to a living that is decent and secure.

``When the final cross has been placed in the last cemetery, once again there will be those to whom profit will be more important than peace. To those who sleep here silent, we give our promise: We will not listen. We will not forget that some of you paid the ultimate price for men who profit at your expense. We will remember you as you looked when we placed you reverently, lovingly, in the ground.

Thus do we memorialize those who, having ceased living with us, now live within us again. Thus do we consecrate ourselves to the living to carry on the struggle they began. Too much blood has gone into this soil for us to let it lie barren. Too much pain and heartache have fertilized the earth on which we stand. We here solemnly swear, this shall not be in vain. Out of this, and from the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn this, will come, we promise, the birth of a new freedom for the sons of men everywhere.''

My father served in the 5th Marine Division on Iwo Jima, and it is to his memory and the memory of Rabbi Gittelsohn that I offer these poignant words.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Connecticut. I am just a simple country lawyer from Iowa, which is the center of the renewable fuels explosion. I don't think I have ever used a six syllable word, so I feel a little inadequate.

Here is a three syllable world I will throw out right now: Paradox. Right now it is planting season in Iowa, and farmers are going out and growing renewable energy, so that we can become energy independent, we can reduce our dependence on Mideast oil, we can promote national security, we can promote economic security, we can provide jobs, good paying jobs, to the people of this country.

Yet, at the same time, while those Iowa farmers are out there driving around in their pickup trucks, getting deliveries from their co-ops for their crop inputs, the cost of producing renewable fuels is directly impacted by what you see on that chart. Whether it is gasoline in the pickup truck, whether it is diesel fuel that is affected by periodic price influxes, one thing we know is that the cost of getting energy independence goes up. And is it any wonder when we look at who we are shifting our dependence from, people who create energy from fossil fuels, and look at who is going to benefit from these record oil company profits, that many of us campaigned on and made the case to the American people, give us a chance to have an impact.

That is why I was very proud to be a cosponsor of Representative Stupak's bill. This whole Congress has been about increased accountability, increased oversight, because that is what the American people demanded when they sent us to Congress.

Yet every day in these oversight hearings we are talking about important problems that the people demand solutions to. We take important votes on progressive bills that are going to change the direction of this country. And every day we get the same message from the White House: If you pass this bill that is good for the American people, I won't sign it.

A good example of that. The first bill I had to be voted on on the floor of the House of Representatives, the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act. It sounds pretty good. It sounds consistent with the President's statement on the importance of creating fair contracting opportunities for small businesses in 2002. Overwhelming bipartisan support in committee. Everybody voted for it. Overwhelming bipartisan support here on the floor. 409 people voted for it. Yet the President said it was a bad bill.

That is a symptom of the greater problem we are talking about. It is an interrelated problem, whether you are talking about energy, whether you are talking about ethics. That is why we are here tonight, to start shedding some light on the important point of where the buck stops on the problems we are talking about.

I yield back on that to my distinguished friend from the great State of Florida, which, unfortunately, entered the Union right before the State of Iowa, Mr. Kline.

If the gentleman will yield for a question, the argument we hear over and over in this body is just let the market play out. Let it take its course. What is wrong with that argument?

All of us have our own natural disasters we deal with on an annual basis. This point was driven home with me in February when a huge ice storm hit my State. We had 350,000 people without power. The 133rd of the Iowa National Guard has been stationed in Iraq for over a year and had their deployment extended by another 120 days. They were struggling with people available to respond to this very significant demand for assistance. So that is when you understand in a very real way how foreign policy affects domestic policy in your district.

But as my friend from Vermont knows, when he was talking about the need to preserve the heritage of agriculture in this country and its importance to our economy, my great-great-grandfather, George Washington Braley, walked from Vermont in Mr. Welch's district to Iowa in 1855 looking for better farmland, Mr. Perlmutter, better rain.

My parents both grew up on farms in Iowa during the Depression, and the whole sense of stewardship and preserving the land for the next generation is something that is almost a spiritual quality about farming. I know there are very many people looking for ways to diversify their agricultural economy.

Mr. Klein, you raised a very good point about the multiplier effect of renewable energy. Right now Iowa ranks third in the production of wind power, which surprises people. They go to Palm Springs and see those huge wind farms, and they know there is also a lot generated in Texas, but Iowa ranks third. Part of the reason for that is windmills have been a way of life in my State for over 150 years.

But there is a very acute shortage of wind turbines in this country. People who want to convert to wind energy and want to have the ability to produce electricity from wind are facing significant shortages of turbines, specifically those manufactured in the United States. A lot of people, municipalities that are looking to convert to wind have to go to the European market because they are on long waiting lists from U.S. wind turbine manufacturers.

Recently there has been an incentive to factories that are creating new wind turbines. There is a new factory in Iowa that opened up recently. So when we are talking about how this has a ripple effect throughout our economy, it creates jobs and incentive for people to try new and innovative energy technologies, and we all benefit from that. That needs to be part of the overall discussion we are having about how we create incentives to move people to clean energy sources.

I have to say I'm really the rookie of this group because all of my colleagues who are still here tonight had the great privilege of serving in their State legislatures. They've had to struggle with these issues, especially these important issues on ethics.

One of the things that I talk to people a lot about coming from Iowa is how it just amazes me how other people really struggle with the sense of open and fair government because the State that I come from has probably the most fair reapportionment system of any State that I know of. In fact, there's been national news articles written about it.

Because there's a bipartisan commission every 10 years that is balanced by geography and that's required to come up with a plan that is fair and equitable, and the State legislature can only vote the plan up or down on the first two tries, and not until the third try can they tinker with the boundaries. And in all the years that plan has been in place, not once has the legislature ever gotten to the point of redrawing districts, and people accept it because it's done in a way that creates a sense of fairness, a sense of openness and a sense of accountability.

And I think that really gets to the heart of what we're trying to talk about in the need to make sure that people have confidence that this body that we are proud and privileged to serve in is that same type of open, honest and accountable place to do business.

So I'm very, very excited to be with my freshmen colleagues talking about why we ran on a platform of restoring ethics and accountability in Congress, and I'm very pleased that we are bringing together collective experiences from all over the country, the experience that you bring from your backgrounds of working in your own State legislatures, and knowing that people have a right to expect this type of accountability when they walk into the voting booth and put your name on their ballot.

I want to just follow up on your comment that I think is very prudent that we hear about that people don't talk about a lot, and that is the disappearing American middle class. And I'm here surrounded by distinguished colleagues, and I'm going to make you the economic physicians and make a diagnosis.

If you look at the symptoms of what we talked about, all of us, out on the campaign trail leading up to last November's election, you look at the fact that you've got 47 million Americans without health insurance, 37 million Americans living below the poverty line. That sets a floor of where your middle class starts, and when those numbers keep growing, we know, at least I think we should know, that we've got a problem, that we need to do more to drive those numbers into what we've traditionally associated with the middle class, which says that if you work hard, you play by the rules, and you get minimum opportunities to assist you to get up a rung on the economic ladder, you're going to do better, your family's going to do better, your children are going to do better and you're going to create a stable environment that contributes not just to this society but to the way that we think of ourselves as Americans.

My math is not good, but that sounded like about 30 years of a Colorado State budget to me.

I think one of the things that the American public doesn't really fully appreciate is how difficult it is to operate under pay-as-you-go budget rules, where you have to find someplace to cut in order to introduce a new program. Everybody has needs, everybody has wants, everybody comes here with their wish list.

But the harsh reality is we have to make difficult decisions every day about how we are going to allocate resources. That's one of the things that makes this job so important and so difficult.

I would just like to encourage all of my colleagues to watch a very special edition of ``60 Minutes'' this week. It's going to be focusing on the Ironman Battalion, the 133rd, based out of my hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. It is the whole 60 Minutes program. They are currently stationed in Iraq.

A member of the Iowa Legislature, Representative Ray Zirkelbach, has been serving and has missed two sessions of the Iowa Legislature because of the extension of their deployment.

I am very, very proud of the Ironman Battalion. I am in frequent contact with their commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ben Correll, who is also from my district, Strawberry Point. I think it's significant that as we head into this Memorial Day weekend, people like me, my father served in the Marine Corps on Iwo Jima, that affected his entire life, my brother works at a VA hospital in Knoxville, Iowa; it's important that we pause and reflect on these sacrifices that we talk about every day in this Chamber, but also that we honor the brave men and women serving this country.

I think this program is going to do an excellent job of exposing everyday, middle-class Americans who picked up out of their very busy lives to serve this country in its time of need, and I think it will be a very informative and rewarding experience for everyone.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to H.R. 1585, the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. My amendment represents a crucial first step in enhancing and expanding critical family support and mental health services for our National Guard and Reserve troops and their families.

I commend Chairman Skelton and the Armed Services Committee for their work on this bill. I'm glad the committee has recognized the great contributions of our National Guard and Reserve soldiers, and has recognized that readjusting to civilian life can be especially challenging for members of the reserve component. I believe that the establishment of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program in the bill is a good first step in enhancing family support services for these soldiers, but I believe that more needs to be done for the families of National Guard and Reserve troops, who have too often and for too long been forgotten and left behind.

Members of the National Guard and Reserve are serving our country more than ever in the world's most dangerous places, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and many of them are facing multiple and extended deployments, causing considerable hardships for them and for their families. To cite just one example, in January 2007, members of the Iowa National Guard's 1-133rd Infantry Battalion learned that their tour of duty in Iraq would be extended from April of this year until August.

My amendment, which requires the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study into establishing a pilot program for family-to-family support for members of the National Guard and Reserve, and conduct a study on improving support services for the children of members of the National Guard and Reserve who are undergoing deployment, will help ensure that our reserve component troops and their families receive all of the family support and mental health services they need as they continue to serve our country.

My amendment is consistent with the goals of the Armed Services Committee to enhance support services for our National Guard and Reserve troops and their families, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, last Thursday, the leadership of the House announced a new trade policy for America. And as this body considers future trade agreements, it would be well to look at the House Ways and Means Committee Web site where a one-page policy on a new trade policy for America is stated. That policy states that our new trade policy will ensure trade agreements raise the standard of living, including requiring companies to adopt, maintain and enforce international labor standards and their domestic laws and practices, thus promoting basic worker rights and acceptable working conditions.

We need to make sure that the maintenance and enforcement of those international labor standards are part of any trade agreement on the domestic side of those trade countries that we are negotiating with.

The Constitution of the Soviet Union had great statements about protecting the rights of workers and protecting the rights of individuals, and on paper that's what they said, but in reality they meant little. These trade agreements need to have enforcement on the other side to be effective.

Mr. Speaker, and thanks to Congressman Loebsack for introducing this bill and working hard to designate the James A. Leach Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa. I would also like to thank Chairman Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica for reporting this bill out of Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Congressman Leach is a good man who served his constituents with distinction and grace, and it is fitting that we honor him with a hometown reminder of his commitment and service to Iowa. While his career in Congress was distinguished and honorable, I want to touch on another passion of his--wrestling.

Jim Leach began wrestling in his birthplace of Davenport as a seventh-grader. As a student at Davenport High School, he won the 1960 state wrestling championship at the 138-pound weight class. Competing for Princeton University, he lost just one dual meet match. Later, as a research student at the London School of Economics, he went on to compete in freestyle matches. In 1995, he was awarded the Outstanding American Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

His wrestler's spirit was evident in his public service, as he took a disciplined and hard working approach to his duties. For thirty years, Congressman Leach served his constituents, and he never lost touch of his Davenport roots. As an original cosponsor of HR 1505, I am proud to support the James A. Leach Courthouse.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and the memory of PFC Katie Soenksen, who graduated from Davenport North High School in 2005 and died in an explosion on May 2 in West Baghdad, Iraq, while conducting a security mission in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Katie was a 19-year-old woman from Davenport, Iowa, who was a member of the 410th Military Police Company from Fort Hood, Texas. She left behind a loving family, including her parents, Ron and Mary Ann Soenksen, a brother, Matthew, from Davenport, and a sister, Sarah, from Blue Springs, Missouri.

Katie's friends and family remember her as a fun-loving, energetic young woman who loved bowling, playing softball and spending time with her friends.

Mr. Speaker, as we come to the floor every day and decide important public policy issues that affect the lives of people like Katie Soenksen, I hope we all remember that this is something we are all in together, and the lives of future generations of Americans are affected by the policies that we set on this floor.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.

Last month, I introduced H.R. 1873, the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act. Today, I rise as a voice for small business owners everywhere who want a fighting chance to compete for Federal contracts.

I would like to take a moment to thank Chairwoman Nydia Velazquez and Ranking Member Steve Chabot. I am pleased H.R. 1873 has such strong bipartisan support and is co-sponsored by nearly the entire Small Business Committee.

Additionally, I would like to thank Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman and Ranking Member Tom Davis for their prompt consideration of this bill.

Finally, I would like to thank Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter and Ranking Member David Dreier for acting on this bill. It is clear to me that members of all these committees understand the important role small businesses play in our communities.

Over the past 5 years, government agencies have greatly increased the practice known as contract bundling, oftentimes combining work that small businesses could perform into giant packages that exceed small firms' ability to compete for this work. During this same time, total government contracting has increased by 60 percent, while the number of small business contracts has decreased by 55 percent.

This is unacceptable; and that is why it is so important that today we are considering the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act, sending a message to small businesses that this Congress is serious about leveling the playing field for them by improving their opportunities to compete for Federal contracts.

H.R. 1873 also increases competition in the contracting process, which can lead to lower prices for the government.

As we know, small businesses are the number one job creators in this country, and we must ensure that this engine remains not only healthy but also has the support it needs to grow. It is essential to remove the barriers blocking small businesses from entering the nearly $400 billion per year Federal marketplace.

Public support for this bill is broad and bipartisan. The Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act was co-sponsored by 29 Representatives, 17 Democrats and 12 Republicans. H.R. 1873 has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Associated General Contractors, the National Small Business Association, Women in Public Policy, the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

My State of Iowa ranks near the bottom in terms of government contracting dollars awarded to small businesses. Even though 477 small businesses in my district are registered with the Small Business Administration, the dollar value of contracts awarded to those businesses is a tiny fraction of the Federal contract pie. Everyone in this House understands the important role that small businesses play in each of our districts. Allowing them a fair opportunity to bid on Federal contracts will bring economic vitality to our towns and cities.

I thank all of my colleagues who join me today in standing up for the interests of small businesses in this country.

Mr. Speaker, even after losing 3,200 American lives and spending billions of taxpayer dollars since declaring ``Mission Accomplished'' 4 years ago, the Bush administration continues to demand an open-ended commitment of American troops in Iraq. Yesterday President Bush refused to change the course when he vetoed a bill that was supported by Congress, retired military generals and the American people.

This Democratic Congress put forth a plan for a responsible end to the war consistent with our national security needs.

Even Secretary of Defense Gates himself reiterated last month that congressional debate was helpful. He delivered the message to the Iraqi Government that the clock is ticking on U.S. operations there. President Bush's veto yesterday lets the Iraqi Government off the hook and shows the President plans to keep our troops there indefinitely.

Mr. Speaker, the days of rubber-stamping the President's war proposals are long over. The President is going to have to learn to work with the Democratic leadership on this Congress so that we can find a way out of Iraq soon, and so we can provide our troops with the resources they need.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time, and for her extraordinary leadership on this important measure.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today as the voice for 350,000 Iowans who lost power during an ice storm in February, to express my strong support for H.R. 1361, the RECOVER Act. This bill will develop a disaster plan so that the Small Business Administration can adequately assist small businesses in emergencies.

Just this February, Iowa was hit with a massive ice storm, one of the worst in its history, which caused millions of dollars worth of damage throughout the State and left hundreds of thousands of people without power.

Weather in Iowa, like in many parts of the country, can be unpredictable and dangerous, and this was no exception. I was personally affected by this ice storm when a 40-foot ice-coated branch struck my home in Waterloo. With the help of my neighbors and our chain saws, I was able to cope with some minor property damage and personal inconvenience; but my situation paled in comparison to the constituents I met while visiting emergency storm shelters in Iowa's First Congressional District. These Iowans were there seeking refuge after they had been displaced from their homes and businesses as a result of the ice storm.

On March 15, the Small Business Committee held a markup of the RECOVER Act. I introduced an amendment that day to expand the scope of Federal disaster assistance available to small businesses. Currently, the SBA has to wait for the President to make a formal disaster declaration before giving disaster loans to small businesses.

There are exceptions, however. These include severe situations such as ``floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, explosions, volcanoes, windstorms, landslides or mudslides, tidal waves'' and other civil disorders.

The amendment I proposed adds ``ice storms and blizzards'' to this list of exceptions. The language will benefit small business owners who are trying to get back on their feet following severe winter weather.

I was pleased that the amendment received overwhelming bipartisan support and was passed by the committee unanimously. I urge my colleagues to recognize the importance of assisting small businesses in reopening following a disaster and ask them to support the RECOVER Act.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 202, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''