Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today, I am pleased to introduce the ``James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2009,'' along with my good friends Mr. Nadler, Mr. King of New York, Mr. McMahon and others who have worked so tirelessly in this effort. This legislation would provide medical care and compensation for those who are sick with World Trade Center (WTC) illnesses, including first responders who came to New York from every state and nearly all Congressional districts in the nation.

Specifically, the bill would establish a federal health and compensation program for WTC responders and community members. Building on the existing programs at WTC Centers of Excellence, the program would provide ongoing medical care for WTC-related health conditions to approximately 15,000 additional WTC responders and 15,000 additional WTC community members, for a total of 55,000 responders and 17,500 community members.

The bill would also reopen the Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) to provide compensation for those sickened by 9/11 exposure and to address the over 10,000 pending lawsuits brought by sick 9/11 responders. Additionally it would limit the liability in litigation for New York City and the WTC contractors to the amounts available under the Captive Insurance Fund and their existing liability limits and insurance.

Finally, the legislation would require a matching contribution from the City of New York for the health program.

More than seven years after the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, we must not forget the heroes who served the nation in our time of need. I encourage my colleagues to join me in support of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 748, the ``Campus Safety Act of 2009,'' H. Res. 82, which establishes January 2009 as National Stalking Awareness Month, and H. Res. 103, which supports the goals and ideals of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. These bills will help to combat violence, disseminate safety information, and raise awareness about these critical issues.

All Americans should feel safe in their communities, their workplaces, their schools, and their homes. Everyone, but particularly children and teens, should have access to the necessary resources to recognize a violent or abusive relationship and to get out safely. I believe that it is particularly important in this day of instant communication that we educate young people about the unintended consequences of sharing too much information on the Internet or via a cell phone. While these are valuable tools to communicate in the 21st century, they can also pose new and sometimes unexpected dangers.

We all must be aware of the warning signs of violent relationships whether they are affecting our friends, our neighbors, or our children. The bills before us today show that we will not tolerate the violence, abuse, and sexual assault that pervade our society. I urge my colleagues to support these important bills.

Madam Speaker, today I am re-introducing ``The Mortgage and Rental Assistance Restoration Act'' for the 111th Congress. I have introduced this in previous Congresses and I will keep working to pass this important piece of disaster relief policy that will protect all Americans.

My bill would reauthorize the Mortgage and Rental Assistance Act, MRA, which was discontinued by the Disaster Mitigation Act effective May 2002. The MRA provides mortgage or rental payments to people who suffer a loss of income due to a federally declared disaster such as a hurricane or terrorist attack. Without a job, most people would be unable to keep their homes due to the financial burdens of mortgages or rents. The MRA provides cover for both home owners and renters.

After the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, individuals who required temporary housing assistance relied upon the MRA, included in the Stafford Act, for aid. Under the MRA program many were eligible for grants to repair homes to a habitable condition, or to obtain mortgage or rental payment assistance to prevent foreclosures or evictions.

The MRA program was a crucial component to help victims of the Sept. 11th attack in my home state of New York. However, in 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the MRA was not available for mortgage or rental assistance. As a result many people who would have been eligible for mortgage or rental assistance were unable to receive it. This was unfair and detrimental to the recovery process.

The United States government has a responsibility to help communities recover from unpredictable disasters and help citizens keep from losing their homes. The MRA program helps provide stability during unstable times and that is why it must be reauthorized.

Madam Speaker, Nearly 16 years ago, President Clinton signed into law the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA, PL 103-3), legislation that allows employees to take time off from work to care for a new baby or sick family member. Because of this landmark legislation, tens of millions of Americans have been able to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave without the risk of losing their jobs.

Building on the successes of the FMLA, today I will introduce legislation that would allow more workers to take leave to care for their family members and allow parents to take leave for parent-teacher conferences and family members' doctor's appointments.

The Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act would broaden protections under the FMLA to allow employees in companies with more than 25 employees to take family or medical leave. Current law applies only to companies with 50 or more employees. The legislation would also provide up to 24 hours per year of unpaid Parental Involvement and Family Wellness leave, which will allow parents and grandparents to attend parent-teacher conferences or to take their children, grandchildren or other family members to the doctor for regular medical or dental appointments. In these trying economic times, it is more important than ever that family members be able to take time off of work to care for each other, without the risk of losing their jobs.

Then-presidential candidate Obama endorsed this concept in a June, 2008 speech in Albuquerque, NM, saying, ``With more and more households headed by two working parents--or a single working parent--it's also time to dramatically expand the Family and Medical Leave Act. Since more Americans are working for small businesses, I'll expand FMLA to cover businesses with as few as 25 employees--this will reach millions of American workers who aren't covered today. . . . We'll allow parents to take 24 hours of annual leave to join school activities with their kids.''

On behalf of America's families, I urge my fellow colleagues to join me in support of the Family and Medical Leave Enhancement Act.

Madam Speaker, today, along with Representatives Raul Grijalva, Henry Waxman, Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey, Fortney Pete Stark, and Elijah Cummings, I am reintroducing the ``Hate Crimes Statistics Improvement Act'' which will ensure that hate crimes motivated by gender are accounted for by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies. With accurate data, local communities can identify gender-based hate crimes in their area, ensure that the prosecution of such crimes is a priority, and chart their progress toward eliminating them.

In states with gender-based hate crimes laws, prosecutors typically must present concrete evidence that the criminal act was committed due to gender bias. Because not all crimes against women are gender-based crimes, prosecutors should have discretion in identifying what constitutes a gender-based hate crime. By collecting data on gender- based hate crimes, we send the message that we will not tolerate the violence targeted toward women throughout our country.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on this tremendously important bill, and I place in the Record my statement in strong support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Mr. Chair, the current economic crisis requires bold solutions that address the enormity of our economic woes, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will do just that.

The $825 billion recovery package that we are voting on will create or save an estimated 4 million jobs and will make key investments in our future.

But first and foremost, the economic recovery package focuses on blunting the effects of the recession and helping families in need.

In addition to increasing food stamp benefits and expanding unemployment benefits, our plan protects health care coverage for roughly 20 million Americans during this recession by increasing the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) so that no state has to cut eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP, the children's health insurance program, because of budget shortfalls.

For my home state of New York it more than doubles the FMAP match resulting in roughly $10.42 billion over 9 quarters. This is critical funding for our state which is seeing an increase in caseloads as a result of the recession.

The recovery plan also invests in important needs that have been neglected over the past eight years. America's school, roads, bridges, and water systems are in disrepair and this is creating a drag on economic growth.

Our plan will spread job creation out over the next two years, which will soften the downturn and foster a solid economic recovery.

We have an historic opportunity to make the investments necessary to modernize our public infrastructure, transition to a clean energy economy, and make us more competitive in the 21st century.

It's time to get our economy back on track. I urge my colleagues to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to read into the Congressional Record remarks made by Dorchen Leidholdt, Director of Center for Battered Women's Legal Services at Sanctuary for Families, regarding my selection as the Congressional Anti-Slavery Champion of 2008:

On behalf of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, an

international NGO fighting human trafficking since 1988, and

Sanctuary for Families, a New York City-based provider of

services to victims of domestic violence, I am delighted to

join other leaders of the New York State Anti-Trafficking

Coalition in saluting Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, the

Congressional Anti-Slavery Champion of 2008. Congresswoman

Maloney's enduring and dedicated advocacy on behalf of

victims of human trafficking is unparalleled in the halls of

Congress. Over and over she has demonstrated her profound

understanding of the harm of human trafficking, gleaned

primarily from her compassionate, respectful attention to the

testimony of survivors, and her acute awareness of what it

takes to stop this horrific crime and severe human rights

violation.

Thanks to Congresswoman Maloney's visionary leadership, it

is widely recognized that stopping trafficking requires both

strong measures to curtail the demand for prostitution and

well-crafted criminal provisions that enable prosecutors to

put traffickers out of business--permanently.

Ken Franzblau has focused on the critically important role

Congresswoman Maloney has played in the drafting and passage

of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection

Reauthorization Act of 2008, which enhances protections to

victims while strengthening the ability of prosecutors to

hold traffickers accountable. Thanks to Congresswoman

Maloney's inspiring leadership, the 2008 Reauthorization

continues the important advances made by the previous two

Reauthorizations.

While we celebrate the achievements of the 2008

Reauthorization, our task of strengthening our federal anti-

trafficking law is not over; critically important work

remains to be done in two important areas. Through her

exemplary work in the House of Representatives, in the draft

that she shepherded there to close to unanimous approval,

Congresswoman Maloney, has pointed the way to two critically

important goals that lie ahead. First, the obstacles of

proving force, fraud, or coercion, while eased under specific

circumstances by the 2008 Reauthorization, continue to stymie

the effective prosecution of many sex traffickers. Going

forward we must ensure that sex traffickers are never

provided a loophole, because their trafficking was not

provably `severe.'

Second, sex tour operators fuel the demand for sex

trafficking worldwide by sending planeloads of affluent

American men to the poorest countries in the world to buy the

bodies of women and girls in prostitution. While

Congresswoman Maloney succeeded in including such a provision

in New York State's landmark anti-trafficking law (the

strongest state anti-trafficking law in the nation), and saw

to it that the House draft reauthorization contained it, the

compromise that resulted in the 2008 Reauthorization does not

include a provision criminalizing sex tour operators.

We must ensure that the next TVPA Reauthorization

criminalizes sex trafficking per se and makes it a federal

crime to operate a sex tour business. With Congresswoman

Maloney leading the campaign, I am confident that we will

accomplish these two remaining goals.

Congresswoman Maloney, on behalf of the Coalition Against

Trafficking in Women and Sanctuary for Families, our

congratulations on receiving this well-deserved recognition

and our heartfelt thanks for your invaluable leadership in

the battle to end human trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I congratulate the Democratic leadership on moving this bill forward, George, Rosa, Lynn, so many who worked so hard on it.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act stands for equal pay for equal work. This bill overrules the outrageous Supreme Court decision which rejected Ms. Ledbetter's pay discrimination

case because she had not sued quickly enough to end an injustice. An injustice is an injustice, and it should not have a time limit on correcting it.

Forty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and title VI, statistics show that women continue to be paid less than their male colleagues. When I entered the workforce, women were paid 59 cents to every dollar a man earned. Today it's up to 78 cents. A disparity which costs women anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million in lost wages over a lifetime. This is terribly unfair.

In the midst of the dire economic reports of these last weeks and months, today this Congress can take a step towards helping women and families who are struggling by passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. There are too many Lilly Ledbetters in our country, and when you discriminate against a woman, you discriminate against her family, her husband, her children. Passing the Fair Pay Act sends a strong message of fairness and equity to women and families everywhere.

This may be the first bill that gets to President Obama's desk. It shows a change and a shift of priorities between a Democratic Congress and the one we replaced. I congratulate all my colleagues and the Democratic leadership for moving it forward.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong and enthusiastic support for this resolution which was led by my Queens colleague, Congressman Crowley.

On January 15, we all stood in awe as we watched as events transpired on the Hudson River. Today, we honor the crew of US Air Flight 1549. Their presence of mind and the extraordinary circumstances on that day led to a miraculous outcome. The more we learn about the details of the flight, the more we can admire what New Yorkers are now calling the miracle on the Hudson River.

We must praise the captains and crew of each of the New York Waterway ferryboats which were on the scene next to the plane within minutes of it hitting the water. It reminded us of the rapid response of 9/11, selflessly giving of your time, your effort, and your possessions to help those in need.

Captain Sullenberger, First Officer Skiles, and flight attendants Dail, Dent, and Welsh all reacted with their brains and heart, using their training and vast experience. They average over 54 years of flight experience, and they swiftly and safely prepared the passengers for impact and evacuated them safely into waiting vessels, saving 150 lives.

The outcome here could not be better, and that is a testimony to the crew and the rescuers. We learned again this month, as we learned on 9/ 11, that ordinary people doing their jobs are the true American heroes and heroines.

Mr. Speaker, the current economic crisis requires bold solutions that address the magnitude of our economic woes, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will do just that. The $825 billion recovery package that we will vote on this week will create or save an estimated 4 million jobs and will make key investments in our future.

First and foremost, the economic recovery package focuses on blunting the effects of the recession and helping families in need by increasing food stamps for some 30 million Americans, expanding unemployment benefits, and preserving health care benefits.

Our plan protects health care coverage for nearly 20 million Americans during this recession by increasing the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage, FMAP, so that no State has to cut eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, because of budget shortfalls.

I am encouraged that in my home State of New York, where we have an unemployment rate of 7 percent, the State would qualify for an additional 6 percent FMAP on top of the 4.9 percent base FMAP increase, for a total of 10.9 percent, resulting in roughly $10.4 billion over nine quarters. This is critical funding for our State which is seeing an increase in caseloads as a result of the recession.

We will also provide health care coverage for nearly 8.5 million Americans through a tax credit that would allow newly uninsured and unemployed Americans to keep their health insurance through COBRA, as well as a new option in Medicaid for low income people who lack access to COBRA.

The recovery plan also invests in important needs that have been neglected over the past 8 years. America's schools, roads, bridges, and water systems are in disrepair, and this is creating a drag on economic growth. We will embark on the most ambitious public investment agenda since the 1950s, when we created the Interstate Highway System, which provided an important engine of economic growth.

We have an historic opportunity to make the investments necessary to modernize our public infrastructure, transition to a clean energy economy, and make us more competitive in the future.

Our plan will modernize our transportation infrastructure, and repair thousands of miles of roadways; enhance security at 90 major ports; renovate 10,000 public schools, and improve the learning environment for about 5 million children; launch thousands of clean drinking water and wastewater initiatives; computerize every American's health record in 5 years, reducing medical errors and saving billions of dollars in health care costs; undertake the largest weatherization program in history, modernizing 75 percent of Federal buildings and 2 million homes; and, double our renewable energy generating capacity over the next 3 years, creating enough energy to power 6 million American homes.

Our plan also supports working families by providing a $1,000 Making Work Pay tax cut for 95 percent of workers and their families. In addition, we will expand the child care tax credit, providing a new tax cut for parents of more than 6 million children, and increasing the benefit of the existing credit for more than 10 million young people.

By including major fast-spending provisions like tax cuts for middle- class families, measures to avoid State health care cuts, and temporary expansions of unemployment insurance, food stamps, and health care for unemployed Americans, the package will spend out at least 75 percent of its total commitment within the first 18 months after passage. The plan will spread job creation out over the next couple of years, which will soften the downturn and foster a solid economic recovery. This is a balanced stimulus plan that benefits all Americans by creating jobs across a variety of sectors.

As President Obama recently said, ``This is not just a short-term program to boost employment. It's one that will invest in our most important priorities, like energy and education, health care, and a new infrastructure, that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century.''

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke voiced optimism for the recovery plan, stating that, if enacted, it would ``provide a significant boost to economic activity.'' It is time to get our economy back on track. I urge my colleagues to support this important measure.

Madam Speaker, I am introducing today the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009. This legislation is the same bill that passed the House on a vote of 312 to 112 in the 110th Congress as H.R. 5244, except that we have made it effective 3 months from enactment.

This legislation would amend the Truth in Lending Act to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open end consumer credit plan. The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights prohibits certain unfair and deceptive credit card practices and provides consumers with tools to manage their credit card debt responsibly. The bill prohibits retroactive rate increases on existing balances except under limited circumstances, including where the consumer is over 30 days late in making payment, and requires creditors to provide consumers with a reasonable time to pay off the balance. It requires creditors to provide a written notice of any rate increase at least 45 days before the increase takes effect, and to send periodic statements to consumers no less than 25 days before the due date. The bill prohibits double cycle billing and requires creditors to allocate payments among balances so as to allow consumers to take full advantage of promotional rates and to make payments towards balances with higher rates. The bill limits overlimit fees and bans fees on interest-only balances. It prohibits creditors from knowingly issuing a credit card to a minor who is not emancipated. For credit cards on which fees in the first year exceed 25 percent of the credit limit, the bill prohibits such fees from being paid from the credit available under the card account agreement (except late or overlimit fees). The bill also provides for additional data collection to enable better oversight and regulation.

Madam Speaker, today, I proudly join in a bipartisan effort with Representatives Frank Wolf, Steny Hoyer, Danny Davis, Ed Towns, George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, Chris Van Hollen and many others to reintroduce the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. I am also pleased that Senator Webb will be introducing the companion bill in the Senate as well. This bill will provide four weeks of paid leave to federal employees when they have a new child.

The House passed this important legislation in the 110th Congress with a strong bipartisan majority and I am hopeful that we will be able to promptly pass the bill in both houses and send it to President Obama for his signature.

More than ever, families need access to paid parental leave. In the face of rising unemployment and falling home and equities values, families cannot afford to risk losing a job or going without pay after the birth of a new child. Families are already squeezed like never before and the cost of raising a child is only growing. USDA estimates that a family will spend an additional $11,000 in the first year of having a new child.

Few families can afford to forgo a month's pay which is why this bill is so critical. If we truly believe in the value of family, then we need to value the work that families do. This means that we need to stop asking parents to choose between a paycheck and caring for a new child. Unlike a generation or two ago, today both parents work outside the home and both need time off from work when they have a new child. Yet, most do not have access to paid family leave.

By providing paid parental leave to Federal employees, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act establishes the Federal Government as a model employer. This landmark bill is the first to provide paid family leave for new parents. It is good for the Federal agencies, is good for Federal employees, and is cost effective. Finally, this bill signals our commitment to valuing our employees and their families.

Madam Speaker, I am hopeful that together we can work to value families and the work they do and demonstrate our commitment by passing this important bill.

Madam Speaker, today I introduce ``The International Women's Freedom Act of 2009'' along with my friend and colleague, Representative Chakah Fattah. I am also pleased that Senator Boxer has introduced the companion measure in the Senate.

This legislation establishes an ``Office of International Women's Rights'' within the State Department headed by the appointed Ambassador at Large, and additionally, would create a United States Commission on International Women's Rights.

The International Women's Freedom Act condemns violations of women's rights and gender equality while advocating for the improvement of the status of women of the world and the achievement of their equality with men. It also seeks to channel U.S. security and development assistance to governments other than those found to be engaged in gross violations of the rights of women.

I modeled this bill after another piece of legislation that created the United States International Commission on Religious Freedom in 1998. The Commission on International Religious Freedom has made substantial progress towards expanding religious freedom in Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan, among others. In addition to religious freedom, we require the State Department to issue reports on battling international bribery, sex trafficking, and narcotics control and these reports make a difference in people's lives. It is my hope that this bill will make a similarly profound difference in women's lives. I strongly believe that we owe it to the women of the world to shine a spotlight on the status of their rights in an effort to improve them.

Madam Speaker, taxpayers want to know where the first $350 billion of the bailout TARP money has gone; so does Congress. The independent General Accounting Office concluded that Treasury has not set up any policies and procedures to ensure that TARP funds are being used as intended. I am therefore putting in legislation to require Treasury to collect, analyze and report to the TARP oversight entities data on what recipients of the TARP money are receiving, and to let them analyze exactly where this money is going. I am proposing this in the form of an amendment to H.R. 384, which may be on the floor this week.

This amendment subjects TARP recipients to additional, but appropriate, scrutiny of their activities. It provides the entities charged with overseeing the TARP, including Congress, the tools they need to analyze exactly where our taxpayer money is going. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill.

Madam Speaker, if history is any guide, the current recession will lead to a substantial increase in the demand for children's health care coverage under SCHIP and Medicaid.

Rising unemployment and staggering job losses have left many families without health insurance. The high cost of private coverage means more and more Americans are turning to state programs for assistance.

But state budgets are already strained by the recession, and many have already enacted budget cuts that would reduce funding for these programs.

My home state of New York has been forced to propose such cuts.

Unprecedented need combined with a shortage of funding is creating a perfect storm--a storm that can only be avoided if Congress votes to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Over the next 4\1/2\ years, our bill, H.R. 2, would preserve coverage for the more than 7 million children currently covered by SCHIP, and extend coverage to nearly 4 million children who are currently uninsured.

Passing SCHIP reauthorization would guarantee sufficient funding levels for the Children's Health Insurance Program to serve future enrollment needs. It would bring much needed stability to the program, giving states fiscal security to plan for expansions and make improvements in advance of broader health care reform.

This legislation will make covering children the top priority for SCHIP, while also giving states the option to enroll mothers during pregnancy. And under the bill all children enrolled in SCHIP will have dental coverage and access to mental health services.

We are in an economic crisis as serious as any this nation has ever faced. As families struggle to make ends meet, and states are forced to make difficult budget cuts, we cannot afford to leave millions of children without the health insurance they so critically need.

We have the opportunity now to make good on our commitment to helping America's families in these tough economic times.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 2.