Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, throughout my career, I have been a strong supporter of workers' rights to bargain collectively with their employers. And while I believe every worker should have the right to bargain collectively, I think there are few who have more earned that right than our Nation's first responders.

Historically, Congress has given States and localities wide discretion in determining how to negotiate with their public safety employees. The result of this has been a myriad of different rights for different workers depending on where they serve. Some States have very strong rules to protect collective bargaining. Other States have none at all.

Today, the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act gives us an opportunity to ensure that our first responders have a minimum collective bargaining rights no matter what jurisdiction they serve.

This bill would ensure that police officers and firefighters have the basic rights to bargain over wages, hours, and working conditions. The bill also provides for a mediation or arbitration process to resolve disputes.

This legislation strikes the proper balance by prohibiting strikes and lockouts and does not infringe upon existing collective bargaining agreements.

Our Nation's police officers and fire fighters lay their lives on the line every day. At a moment's notice, they are ready to protect us from crime, fire, natural disasters, and, regrettably, from terrorists. And too often they offer their lives in the process.

Though we can never properly repay them for the things they do, this bill will ensure that their collective voice is heard at the bargaining table.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I was appalled last week by the words of the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asking Senators to vote for a job-killing fuel economy standards bill for cars by asking them to, ``speak for the American people, not for the three car companies that are closing plants and laying off people.''

Well, the last time I looked, the over 1 million people who work directly for the big three are actually American citizens, and millions of others whose jobs are supported by the big three are Americans as well, the last time I looked. Everyone knows that the biggest producer of CO2 emissions is electricity production, and yet I didn't hear the Senate majority leader volunteer to make the blazing neon blazing casinos in his home State of Nevada more energy efficient. How about we regulate their energy consumption?

Let's hope that the Democratic leaders in this House understand that millions of American workers and their jobs are worth protecting and don't follow the Senate's lead in their attempt to destroy them.

Mr. Speaker, for months we have heard the Democrats' promises that they would make this the most transparent and ethical Congress that our Nation has ever seen, and of course, we all want to

see Congress held accountable. We all want the legislative process to be open and be accessible to the American people.

So this week the Democrats get to take a swing at making good on their promises of transparency and accountability, and they're already striking out with their secret slush funds.

By deciding not to include any earmarks in the appropriation bills and instead to slip them in by the dark of night into conference reports, preventing anyone from questioning or challenging their earmarks, they have completely shut off the legislative process to the American people.

Now, let me make it clear that I am not against earmarks. I am more than willing to get up here on the floor and defend each and every earmark that I have ever gotten or tried to get for my district. And I think that all Members should have the opportunity to defend their projects and their requests, but more importantly, tax paying citizens have the right to know exactly how their hard-earned dollars are being spent.

To make this process closed is an insult to taxpayers, and if Democrats have nothing to hide, they should live up to their promise and open the process back up to the American people and hold themselves accountable for their spending.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of H.R. 2358, the Native American $1 Coin Act, and I applaud my colleague and fellow Michiganian (Mr. Kildee) for cosponsoring this legislation, and the other cosponsors as well, and for bringing it to the House floor this morning.

Native Americans have played an important role throughout the history of our Nation, so it is certainly appropriate that we honor them and their accomplishments as well. In fact, were it not for some great Native Americans, America as we know it today might look quite a bit different.

Think about Squanto and Somerset, who helped the Pilgrims survive their very first winter in the New World; or Sakakawea, who guided Lewis and Clark across the unexplored North American continent; or Jim Thorpe, the athlete who thrilled millions, really, across the globe with his exploits in baseball and football and the Olympics, where he won a gold medal; or the Navajo code talkers who broke the Japanese code, which was a key moment in the Allied forces prevailing over Japan during World War II.

These individuals and many others like them have made invaluable contributions to the survival and to the character of these United States.

This legislation will require the Secretary of Treasury to mint and issue coins in commemoration of Native Americans and the important contributions made by Indian tribes and individual Native Americans to the development and the history, the very rich history, of the United States.

These coins will serve as an important reminder to all Americans of the important role that Native Americans have played in our Nation's history, the things they are achieving today, and the goals that they will meet in the future. Native Americans will be involved in the design selection process as well, which will also remind them of their important historical contributions.

So I applaud the sponsors and the cosponsors of this legislation for their efforts. And I urge all of my colleagues to support the Native American $1 Coin Act.

Offered By: Mrs. Miller of Michigan

Amendment No. 116: Page 39, line 26, strike ``80'' and

insert ``95''.

Page 41, line 16, strike ``80'' and insert ``95''.

I appreciate the gentleman yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of H.R. 1773, the Safe American Roads Act. This legislation sets out very, very stringent, quantifiable safety standards which the Department of Transportation must meet before permitting Mexican-based trucks to operate through the United States.

Before coming to Congress, I had the pleasure of serving for 8 years as the Michigan Secretary of State with a principal responsibility of being that State's chief motor vehicle administrator. I was also the chairman of the Traffic Safety Commission of my State, and so I had the responsibility for all licensing, commercial drivers licenses as well as hazardous material endorsements. So I had immediate concerns about how the DOT pilot program might compromise the safety of our roads. Here in the United States, we have reciprocity amongst the States so we can share driving records across State lines.

In Mexico, licensing requirements are very poor, and it's well-known that fraud in their system runs rampant. In fact, the Transportation Committee heard in testimony from the DOT's Inspector General that one in five Mexican driving records contained an error of some type. Mr. Speaker, if we had a 20 percent error rate in the United States we would consider it a crisis, and I actually believe that was a very low estimate.

There are also concerns about the insurance provisions of this program. American truckers must carry very expensive insurance policies in the event that they are in an accident. What if it happens that a Mexican truck has an accident somewhere in the United States? Good luck to the victims of that accident who will try to collect on damages from a Mexican company.

I believe that if we let these Mexican truckers into our country with questionable identification and insurance, it exposes American drivers to more dangerous conditions on our roadways.

First of all, because the Mexican drivers are allowed to work far longer hours than our truckers; and secondly, it is well-known that there's widespread drug use in this profession, as the chairman of our subcommittee has already articulated. Presently, there is no system under which secure testing could take place. In fact, it's been said that there is a not a single testing lab in Mexico to ensure that the drivers coming into our country are drug free.

The numbers I think are the easiest way to tell whether or not this proposal is a fair deal for the United States. As soon as this pilot program was announced, 800 Mexican trucking companies lined up to come into the United States. By contrast, only two American companies desired to deliver into Mexico. I think those numbers are very indicative of whether or not this is a fair agreement for the United States.

Because of all of these problems, groups like the Teamsters, as well as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, also the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety have all come out in opposition to this proposal.

Mr. Speaker, we need to ensure the program can only take place once these trucks and drivers from Mexico can meet the same standards that American trucks and drivers do. Trucks participating in the pilot program will be subject to rigorous safety inspections limited to a total of 1,000. Their drivers must also demonstrate clean driving records and have a proficiency in English.

This legislation as well would require extensive oversight and review of the pilot program from an independent review panel.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlelady yielding, and I certainly rise in strong support of House Resolution 343, which commemorates the marinas of the United States and expresses support for the sixth annual National Marina Day.

The purpose of National Marina Day is to inform the public about the important role that marinas do play in our local communities by providing a very safe, family-friendly venue to encourage the recreational boating industry, which can generate literally millions and billions of dollars in economic activity. The positive spin-off effects of marinas encourage the development of all kinds of businesses and restaurants to supplement the marinas' putting people to work.

Actually, in my home municipality of Harrison Township, Michigan, a huge part of our commercial tax base is marinas and recreational oriented businesses, and my congressional district is a shoreline waterfront district as well and our marinas play a very large role in the very identity of our region.

In the Great Lakes region alone, boating and marinas generate $4.3 billion annually. Actually, I grew up in the marina business. It was our family business as well as our hobby. So I know firsthand that marinas also provide an essential venue for recreational boating, which is an important part in creating a very high quality of life in a community.

While increasing access to our Nation's water resources, marinas also play an important role in keeping our Nation's water clean. Marinas provide an appropriate place to dispose of waste materials so that they are not discharged out into the waterways. Operators of marinas often play an important role in organizing cleanup efforts to collect marine debris to keep our waters clean.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, marinas are playing a very important role as well in the defense of our Nation. I say that because they have been partnering with the United States Coast Guard, and the marina operators and their customers are staying vigilant and keeping their eyes open for suspicious activity. Just as our truck drivers are our eyes and ears on the interstate, marina operators and their customers are really our eyes and ears on the waterway as well. Marina operators fill a critical role in keeping our Nation secure along our liquid borders, such as the one that my home State of Michigan shares with our great neighbors of Canada.

So I would certainly urge my colleagues to join me in support of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in very strong support of H. Res. 386, commending the efforts of the United States Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the National Safe Boating Council for their efforts to promote National Safe Boating Week.

I actually grew up in the boating industry. My family was in the marine business and still today our family hobby is boating. As well, I serve as cochair of the Congressional Boating Caucus, and I know firsthand the benefits and enjoyment to be had from boating, but also the serious risks associated with irresponsible boating practices.

While my home State of Michigan actually has the third most registered boats of any State in the Nation, unfortunately that great enjoyment of our nautical culture goes hand in hand with the many stories each year of boating accidents. We hear about persons lost overboard, or collisions or just reckless boating which results in accidents each year, many of them sadly ending in death that occurred while individuals were enjoying their favorite activity out on the water.

The Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the National Safe Boating Council have taken it upon themselves to promote safe boating practices every day of the year, but especially they emphasize these goals during National Safe Boating Week. House Resolution 386 commends these groups for their service in this field.

Mr. Speaker, some of the principles that are espoused by the National Safe Boating Week include the proper use of personal flotation devices or observing the rules of the road like who has the right-of-way, just understanding port from starboard, attending a boating education course, and avoiding the use of alcohol while operating a boat. All of these things can significantly cut down on the number of on-the-water accidents and help everybody enjoy their time on the lakes, rivers, bays, and oceans we are absolutely so very blessed to have in our great country.

It is my pleasure to support this resolution, as well as all of the groups that it commends. In fact, I want to make note that my congressional district is a shoreline district and I also want to say thanks as well to all of the sheriff's marine divisions that operate not only in my counties but all around the Great Lakes basin and throughout our great Nation as well. They play a critical role in keeping our waterways safe. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I wish to join my colleagues in expressing my sorrow over the passing of Juanita Millender-McDonald, the representative of California's 37th Congressional District. My thoughts and prayers go out to her constituents, her friends, and her family.

Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity to get to know Juanita during the 109th Congress when we both served as members of the Committee on House Administration. While some might view oversight of election law and the day-to-day functions of the House as relatively uninteresting, I know that I do not, and I know that Juanita, who served as ranking member at the time, did not think them trivial either.

Whatever topic was before the committee, Juanita was dedicated to assuring that things were done fairly, properly, and effectively. She was vigorous in guaranteeing the integrity of the Federal elections process and was committed to ensuring that every eligible voter had free and unfettered access to the voting booth. Likewise, in her oversight of managing the House, she wanted to ensure that everyone on Capitol Hill had a safe and secure place to work or visit, while preserving the grandeur of the Capitol and the surrounding buildings.

This tenacity was something she demonstrated throughout her life, not just during the decade she spent in Congress. After raising her five children, she continued her own education, earning a bachelor's degree at the age of 40. She followed that up with a master's degree in educational administration. She was no stranger to hard work, and she was not afraid to take on a challenge.

One of Juanita's most notable accomplishments occurred earlier this year. In January, she became the first African-American woman to chair a committee in the House of Representatives. It was something that made many Members of the House very proud, and it was a tremendous accomplishment for a woman whose life was full of monumental achievements.

I think it speaks volumes of Juanita's dedication that she was here voting in this House, representing her constituents, until less than a month before cancer took her life. In fact, almost none of her colleagues were aware of her illness and how serious it had become until the week before she passed away. And through it all, she held a warm spirit and a kind smile.

Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues in sorrow for Juanita's passing, and I again express my condolences to Juanita's family, friends, and constituents.

Thank you. I certainly appreciate the gentleman yielding time to me.

Madam Speaker, my home State of Michigan shares a very long liquid border with the nation of Canada. We have a very strong and we have a positive relationship with our neighbors to the north; but one issue that has festered in recent years is the fact that Canada has made Michigan a dumping ground for their trash. In fact, all of the municipal waste from the city of Toronto, 100 percent of it all, is carried across the border and dumped in our home State of Michigan. I do not find this to be very neighborly. In fact, if you come to the Blue Water Bridge in St. Clair County, which is in my district, you can literally see, sometimes as far as the eye can see, these trucks lined up to enter into our country just brimming with Canadian trash. They are obviously congesting our roads, they are clogging this very vital border crossing, they are tearing up our highways, and they are threatening the safety of our drivers.

Pine Tree Acres, which is one of the largest landfills in Michigan, is in my district, it's in Lenox Township, and every day you can drive down and see a mountain of trash that is growing higher and higher because of all of the influx of Canadian trash that is being dumped there. And most Michigan communities plan very prudently to meet the solid waste needs of our citizens. We all took a lot of pride in planning for that. But now with the influx of all of this foreign trash, the Canadian trash, landfills across the State are overflowing and they are reaching their capacity years sooner than was ever anticipated by the local municipalities.

Much of this trash presents enormous health and safety hazards to our communities as well, and to our residents. Some of the trucks have even been found to be ferrying illegal drugs into our communities. And just to give one example of the kind of dangerous trash that is being imported, just last year a Canadian truck spilled human waste, which I think Mr. Rogers referred to as well, all the way along a highway in our State, and this is simply unacceptable. In fact, I find it rather ironic that Canada has a reputation of being environmentally conscious because it seems they are employing something of a double standard here. They find it perfectly acceptable to use Michigan as their own personal garbage can for their waste, but God forbid that they would pollute their own environment and endanger their own citizens with this trash.

Madam Speaker, the people of Michigan have had enough, but presently they have no ability to stop the flow of foreign trash, and this legislation does give them that ability. So I would urge all of my colleagues to stand with the people of Michigan and every community in our Nation, to give them the ability to protect our environment and to control the flow of foreign trash into our landfills by supporting this very important legislation.

Again, I appreciate our colleagues' responsible action on this.

Madam Speaker, had I been present on rollcall No. 226 and rollcall No. 227, I would have voted ``yea'' and ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, the Democrats in the campaign last fall said they only wanted to raise taxes on the rich. But I think it is interesting how they define the rich. Take, for instance, the fact that they call for the lowest tax bracket of 10 percent to rise to 15 percent. Madam Speaker, the rich are not a part of the 10 percent bracket.

They are going to resurrect the marriage penalty tax, costing the average married couple $466 a year more in taxes. They are going to cut the child tax credit in half, costing 31 million American families more in taxes. And if the Democrats are only raising taxes on the rich, it does seem that their definition of ``rich'' is anyone who is married or has children. In fact, anyone who gets a paycheck.

They said they only wanted to raise taxes as a last resort. But with the budget we will be voting on today, they have just made reservations for a long stay, with the American taxpayers footing the nearly $400 billion bill, the largest tax increase in American history.

That didn't take long.

Madam Speaker, my home State of Michigan is currently experiencing really hard economic times. We have the highest unemployment in the Nation. We have the lowest personal income growth in the Nation, dropping home values, tightening family budgets.

Government overspending, combined with declining revenue from the soft job market, has forced my State into a fiscal crisis, and our Democrat Governor thinks that the way to solve the problem is by raising taxes and increasing government spending.

Here in Washington, we also have a spending problem and a deficit that is too large. So what do the Democrats offer? The largest tax increase in American history, almost $400 billion, and massive new government spending.

The Democrats are also pushing arbitrary and draconian fuel economy standards that could decimate our domestic auto industry and cost even more Michigan jobs.

Madam Speaker, the people of Michigan just cannot take it anymore. They do not need bigger government. They need bigger paychecks, and I ask the Democrat leaders to take pity on the citizens of Michigan. Please just give Michigan a break.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly appreciate the gentleman yielding; and although I do question as well this very restrictive rule, I rise to speak in very strong support of the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, our Nation is blessed, indeed blessed, that we have produced the incredible men and women who defend our freedom through their service and through their sacrifice in our military, and every one of those who serve do so voluntarily and out of a deep love of America and a commitment to the freedom that our Nation bestows. They deserve every last measure of support to ensure that when they are wounded they receive the best possible care.

And let me say this. The military medical corps has in large measure provided absolutely incredible care to those wounded in battle. The advancements in battlefield medicine and the care of our wounded warriors after they are removed from the battlefield has allowed countless of our soldiers to survive and to recover fully who in past conflicts may not have survived. In fact, the statistics that are coming out of theater are really a remarkable tribute to the doctors and to the nurses who are engaged there, and those who provide care to our soldiers deserve our thanks and our praise and our gratitude.

However, the recent discoveries at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital were disturbing and totally unacceptable. We cannot allow any more Building 18 incidents to occur, and we must do everything that we possibly can to ensure that it does not.

This legislation that we are going to be debating shortly is a huge step in the right direction. It will begin to streamline the bureaucracy of the military medical systems and lighten the caseload of case managers by providing more assistance. It will provide a hotline for those receiving substandard care to report the problems so that those situations can be dealt with quickly and that the patients receive the care that they deserve when they need it. And it will provide for a smooth transition from the Department of Defense health system to the Department of Veterans Affairs, cutting more red tape so that the focus can be on the patient and not on the paperwork.

We cannot allow those who have fought our foreign enemies in the defense of freedom to come home and fight the Federal bureaucracy to get the health care that they need.

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am very proud to support this important piece of legislation that our committee produced in a bipartisan way, and I certainly want to thank Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member Hunter, who are both patriots and veterans who have served the cause of freedom, for their dedication to the care of our troops and for their work in bringing this legislation forward to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support passage of the underlying bill, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act. Our brave men and women wounded in defense of liberty, democracy and freedom deserve no less.

Mr. Speaker, today we will debate the emergency supplemental to fund our efforts in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Will it be an open debate? No. We will be operating under a closed rule with no amendments. Will it be a focused debate? No. Unless you believe that pork barrel spending on spinach farmers and peanut storage are critical to the global war on terror.

A USA Today editorial said this: ``It is hard to say which is worse, leaders offering peanuts for a vote of this magnitude, or Members allowing their votes to be bought for peanuts. These provisions demean a bill that if enacted would affect the lives of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the balance of power in the Middle East and America's long-term security.''

Reports today also say that if pork-barrel spending isn't enough, that Democrat leaders are issuing veiled threats, such as the loss of committee assignments, for those Members who oppose them. The Democrat leaders offered the voters change in November, but all the Nation is getting is politics worse than usual.

The supplemental should be defeated, and the Democrat majority should come back with a bill that honors our troops and does not demean their sacrifice.