Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today I am introducing legislation, with my colleagues, Mr. Dent, Mr. Towns, and Mr. Pascrell, and with a companion bill being introduced in the Senate by Senators Carper and Coburn, that would ensure that the Census Bureau has the independence and transparency it needs to carry out its essential, constitutionally- mandated function. This bill would ensure the Bureau is focused on the ten-year process of preparing for the Census despite the four-year cycles of Presidential administrations.

This bill would mandate the Director at Census report directly to the Secretary so there is clear responsibility for supervision of the Census and to submit his or her own opinion in testimony to Congress even if it differs from the administration. It would make the Director of the Census Bureau a Presidential term appointment of five years, with the ten-year decennial cycle split into two, five-year phases-- planning and operational, creating continuity across administrations. And it would require that the Director, when submitting the Bureau's budget request to the Secretary, also share that request with Congress increasing transparency and oversight.

The time to start worrying about the 2020 Census is now. Currently, the 2010 Census seems to be on a path to success, but if we are going to stop the repeated operational crises that have plagued each of the last four censuses, we need to change how we administer the census. I am confident the bill we are introducing today will move us toward that goal. And I want to thank my colleagues for joining me in starting the process for 2020 now.

Madam Speaker, as chair of the Joint Economic Committee, I ask the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to come before my committee and report on the latest employment situation.

In February 2009, the BLS Commissioner reported grim employment statistics.

At that hearing we learned that in January of 2009, total nonfarm payroll employment fell by 779,000 jobs. That was a staggering number.

A number like that made it abundantly clear that the task of turning the economy around was going to be enormous.

The bursting of the housing bubble and the stock market decline vaporized trillions of dollars in household wealth, leaving consumers reeling and unwilling or unable to spend.

It was a situation that called for unprecedented interventions, swift action, and--let me acknowledge it--a thick skin.

It was a situation where we needed to act on many fronts all at once to get the economy on track and restore the stability of the financial system.

The Fed prevented another Great Depression and the stimulus bill proved central to our recovery.

The stimulus bill included the fastest and one of the largest tax cuts in our history. Tax cuts went out almost immediately for 95 percent of working Americans.

We passed 24 tax cuts to date including some for small businesses, first time homebuyers and families with kids in college.

We helped struggling State and local budgets with badly needed funding to keep teachers in the schools, and police on the streets.

We extended unemployment benefits to help those who had lost a job through no fault of their own.

We passed tax cuts for 1st time homebuyers.

We passed Cash for Clunkers.

We passed the HIRE Act to provide tax incentives for private sector businesses that hire out-of-work Americans.

The House is now set to pass the Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act, which will, among other things, extend the ``Build America Bonds'' program from the Recovery Act.

This program has been extremely successful at reducing the cost of financing for State and local governments which use the money for rebuilding of schools, sewers, and hospitals, rebuilding America and putting people back to work. I urge every one of my colleagues to vote for this bill.

And the actions we have taken have begun to have effect. Not as fast as any of us would like--but turning a supertanker of an economy like ours around--just can't happen on a dime.

First, the jobs losses began to moderate--decreasing month after month.

Then our Gross Domestic Product turned around from minus 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2009 to a plus 5.9 percent last quarter.

At the last two jobs hearings before the JEC, the BLS Commissioner reported that the number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged. The punishing job losses had been stopped.

In November 2009, the economy actually created jobs, on net. I expect that soon the economy will start creating jobs every month and Americans will start going back to work.

It was also important for our long-term economic health that we took the historic step of reforming health care. Left unchanged, the soaring costs of health care insurance were a problem that would be certain to act as a drag on our economy.

And, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, health care reform will produce a net reduction in federal deficits of $143 billion over the next ten years. And it is estimated, by $1.3 trillion over the next 20.

It sometimes seems that in all the noise, ill will, and the invective, what has really been accomplished by this country has been lost or overlooked.

18 months ago, we stood on the brink of an economic abyss so deep and dark it was fearful to even contemplate. The voices of doom were many, the predictions grim. The outlook was uncertain.

Though much remains to be done, so much has already been achieved.

It has been a tough year--it is tough for millions still. But we are making progress. We are not there yet--but without question we are moving forward.

As I look out on America and contemplate our future--I am filled with hope and optimism. The steps we have taken--have put us on the path to recovery and renewal.

And as we prepare for spring recess, let's be mindful of the season and the ``green shoots'' that are beginning to push upwards.

Madam Speaker, this chart was produced by the Joint Economic Committee, and it shows the constant process of the creation and loss of jobs that occurs in our economy. The solid black line shows the number of private sector jobs created. The dotted line shows the number of private sector jobs lost. When the economy is expanding, as it did under Clinton, the job creation line just kept going up.

At point A, the beginning of the Bush administration, you can see that the number of jobs created is much lower than during the Clinton administration; and in 2008, you can see that it literally fell off the cliff.

As Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has suggested, job creation during the Bush expansion was artificially inflated by the housing

bubble and the false wealth that it created. As a result, we faced a rapid decline in job creation when the housing bubble burst.

Point B represents the beginning of a new administration with new policies and different results. The lines change direction rather sharply.

Madam Speaker, this is the picture of progress.

Madam Speaker, I rise to reaffirm the strong bonds between Israel and the United States. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. We share the same values, the same commitment to education, the same commitment to development, the same commitment to helping others.

Israel is situated in a dangerous neighborhood, with many of its neighbors overtly calling for its destruction. I was pleased to hear both President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton reaffirm America's close ties to Israel and our commitment to Israel's security in recent days. And I hope that this signals a desire to reduce the appearance of a rift.

During Vice President Biden's recent trip to the Middle East, Palestinian leaders participated in naming a public square for Dalal Mughrabi, the terrorist who led the most devastating attack in Israel's history. In 1978, Mughrabi and her cohorts hijacked a bus and murdered 37 innocent civilians, including 13 children and an American citizen.

Further, during Vice President Biden's visit, senior Fatah leaders, including Mahmud Dahlan, called on Muslims to protect the Temple Mount from the Jews, during the dedication of the reconstructed historic Hurva Synagogue located in the Jewish quarter 500 yards from the Western Wall and not on Temple Mount. President Obama has condemned the rioting that resulted, as was appropriate. I hope America will also take a strong stance against Palestinian leaders who foment violence.

As long as Israelis fear a third intifada and worry about the safety of their families, they will be far less likely to participate in peace talks in which they know they will be asked to take risks for peace. Israelis have already taken risks for peace--they withdrew from Lebanon, they withdrew from the Gaza Strip, they signed peace treaties with Jordon and Egypt, they abandoned the city Yamit in the Sinai desert, and they have released hundreds of terrorists, many of whom have had blood on their hands and many of whom have returned to their terrorist activities.

I believe very strongly that both the Palestinians and the Israelis would benefit from a real, lasting peace agreement and I hope talks will soon resume. But they will not resume if the Palestinians believe they will gain more by not talking. And they cannot resume if Israel feels that its existence or its people are being threatened. In previous administrations, there were direct talks. Today, the best we can hope for are proximity talks. I urge the administration to take every possible action to quell the tensions between the U.S. and our great friend, Israel, and to create an atmosphere in which both the Palestinians and the Israelis feel comfortable about resolving their differences.

Madam Speaker, I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in recognizing the importance of maintaining a warm relationship with Israel, our strong ally and good friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor one of my constituents, Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, for graduation today from the U.S. Army's Officer Basic Leader Course. Captain Rattan was recruited and commissioned by the U.S. Army in 2006 as part of the health professionals scholarship program. After completing his final year of dental work, he joined the U.S. Army Officer Basic Leader Course.

Before joining the Officer Basic Leader Course, Captain Rattan contacted me to indicate his strong desire to continue serving the Nation he loves as a U.S. Army dentist while abiding by his Sikh articles of faith. These articles of faith include wearing a Sikh turban and maintaining uncut hair, including a beard. At the time of his recruitment, he was assured by Army recruiters that his articles of faith would be accommodated, only to later be informed that he must abandon his Sikh articles of faith in order to continue his duties as a United States Army officer.

After learning of his case, I led a number of my House and Senate colleagues in sending letters to Secretary Gates, requesting that the accommodations be made for Captain Rattan and all other Sikh Americans who wish to serve. Thanks in part to our efforts,

Captain Rattan's accommodation request was granted. I am grateful to Secretary Gates and then-Secretary of the Army Pete Geren for reviewing and ultimately granting the accommodation. They have both shown tremendous foresight in recognizing that our Nation's 21st-century fighting force should incorporate all aspects of American society.

Sikhs fought bravely in defense of our Nation in both World Wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. At present, Sikhs serve in the militaries of Great Britain, Canada and India, among others, and as United States peacekeepers, often working closely with American troops in troubled regions.

Throughout our Nation's history, the military has succeeded in training individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities to achieve one unifying goal, to protect and defend the United States. By denying Sikh officers the ability to appropriately practice their religion while serving, the Army denies itself access to the important talents and abilities of these individuals who are willing to fight and die for our Nation.

No American should have to choose between his religion and service to our country. At a time when this country is fighting two wars overseas, we can ill afford to turn away skilled, accomplished and patriotic young Americans like Captain Rattan who wish to serve. Captain Rattan's achievement today underscores the importance of preserving diversity in our Armed Forces. It is a testament to one of the most fundamental values, freedom of religion upon which our Nation was founded and which makes the United States a beacon of hope and liberty throughout the world. I wholeheartedly congratulate him on this very important occasion.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership.

I rise in support of the health care bill.

Mr. Speaker, this is an historic vote. With passage of these health care reforms, 32 million people without insurance will get it-- including almost 2.5 million uninsured in New York State.

It will end discrimination for preexisting conditions, make progress on cutting high medical costs, and reduce the deficit by over $1 trillion over the next two decades.

This package of reforms that will make a real difference in the lives of Americans, over their entire lives:

If you're 21 and just graduating college, you'll now be included on your parents' coverage until your 26th birthday.

If you're self-employed in your thirties or forties, you'll be able to shop for more affordable coverage on exchanges set up by states or the Federal Government.

If you're 56 and have taken early retirement, you can continue to be covered under your employer's plan until you sign up for Medicare.

And if you're a senior with Medicare Part D Drug Coverage, the so- called ``donut hole'' has been closed.

The Senate version penalized states like New York which were already doing more than most to provide care to the needy. And that's one of the things this House is fixing.

The impact on the New York State Medicaid budget went from a projected increased cost of over $700 million to increased aid of $1.3 billion in just the first year. That's a ``swing'' of over $2 billion.

Finally, these reforms will do more for women's health despite the restrictive language on reproductive health services contained within the Senate bill--than any other legislation in my career.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this momentous reform and urge my colleagues to remember that today we will make a lasting difference in people's lives. Today we change the overall health of our Nation.

Madam Speaker, for years, the mission in Afghanistan was poorly defined and managed by the Bush Administration--despite the 9/11 attacks having been perpetrated

by those trained and based in Afghanistan. Still, President Bush diverted attention and resources to Iraq, misleading the American people and Congress as to the true source of the threat to our nation and the world.

After considerable and careful review of military options in Afghanistan, President Obama submitted to the American people a sober assessment of the realties on the ground and a plan to end U.S. involvement. I believe that the President is committed to ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I support his efforts, but I believe we must expedite his timetable.

Undoubtedly, our brave men and women in uniform have fought well and deserve our full support and commitment to return them home safely to their families and loved ones.

Our troops have fought with honor and professionalism in the face of great challenges, and at great cost--I am truly humbled by their service and sacrifice.

While I support the President and our military leadership in bringing this war to a responsible end, I believe the time has come to send a message that the United States cannot sustain an open-ended commitment in Afghanistan. I believe the resolution before us sends that message.

That is why I vote in favor of the resolution today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 267, which recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz.

As an original cosponsor of H. Res. 267, I am pleased that we are using this occasion to reflect on the many contributions Iranian Americans have made to our society. I am proud of the ethnically diverse district that I represent and greatly appreciate all that Iranian Americans have added to the rich and varied culture of New York City.

Nowruz marks the traditional Iranian New Year and dates back more than 3,000 years. Nowruz, literally meaning ``new day,'' celebrates the arrival of spring and occurs on the vernal equinox which this year will happen on Saturday, March 20th.

Through the ages Nowruz has provided the occasion for renewal and rejuvenation, displaying new resolve in settling old issues, and making new beginnings. Nowruz celebrates the core of our common humanity and our relation to Mother Nature. Although colored with vestiges of Iran's Mazdian and Zoroastrian past, Nowruz celebration is neither religious nor national in nature, nor is it an ethnic celebration. Muslim, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Baha'i, and Christian Iranians as well as many other peoples celebrate Nowruz with the same enthusiasm and sense of belonging.

Recognizing the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz and in its observance, I want to wish Iranian Americans and all those who observe this holiday a happy and prosperous new year.

I would like to thank Representative Honda for introducing this important resolution, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, every year roughly 36,500 women are violently assaulted in the workplace and yet their only remedy is workers compensation. In an effort to protect the rights of victims of workplace violence, I am reintroducing a bill to protect the civil rights of victims of gender-motivated violence. This legislation is intended to prevent employers from invoking workers compensation when employer negligence results in sexual assault and rape of an employee. This important bill will allow employees to sue their

employers in the case of a gender-motivated crime of violence rather than be subject to the exclusive remedy of workers compensation.

Workers compensation systems were designed to encourage employers to create accident-free workplaces and provide a means for employees injured during the course of employment to receive payment for medical expenses and lost wages. They were not created to shield employers from suit when their own negligence led to violence against employees. When rape occurs on the job, employers should not be able to hide behind a system designed to compensate for job-related accidents. Rape is not an accident and should not be treated as an everyday occurrence on the job. Under my bill victims of gender-motivated violence at work can hold employers liable for negligence through a federal civil rights cause of action that is not subject to state workers compensation law.

This bill will encourage employers to create a job environment free of violent sexual assault and rape, because it is tragic when rape is considered all in a day's work.

Mr. Speaker, as we contemplate a historic vote to reform health care, I would like to emphasize how critically important this bill is to the women of this country. According to a report prepared by the Joint Economic Committee, which I chair, an estimated 64 million women in this country lack adequate health care; over one- quarter of our daughters between the ages of 19 and 24 lack health care, and women between the ages of 55 and 64 are particularly vulnerable. That's because so many women depend on their spouse's employer-based health care, and, all too often, they discover they are not age eligible for Medicare when their older husbands retire. A staggering 39 percent of all low-income women lack health care.

Ultimately, this is a vote about who we will be as a country. For our sisters, our daughters, and our mothers, yes, vote ``yes'' for them.

Mr. Speaker, as we face what may be one of the most important decisions Congress has made in our lifetime, I would like to highlight what a huge, positive impact the passage of health care reform will have on the lives of American women, on the health and the economic well-being of our mothers, daughters, your wives, and your sisters.

First and foremost, passing reform will expand dramatically the number of women and children who have access to quality health care throughout their lifetime.

The Joint Economic Committee, which I chair, has issued a report entitled ``Comprehensive Health Insurance Reform: An Essential Prescription for Women,'' which documents that, in America today, 64 million women lack adequate health insurance. Over one quarter of our daughters between the ages of 19 and 24 do not have any coverage; 39 percent of all low-income women lack health insurance coverage. Passing health care reform will expand the availability of care, improve the affordability of care, and will expand the minimums of care.

Today, due to costs, 1 in 5 women over age 50 has not had a mammogram in the past 2 years due to costs. The health care reform bill will require coverage of annual mammograms for women, including coverage for those under 50.

Passing health care reform will bring badly needed changes to a system that places a particularly unfair burden on women who seek to buy insurance in the individual market.

In a report by the National Women's Law Center titled, ``How the Individual Insurance Market Fails Women,'' investigators found there are huge and arbitrary variations in each State and across the country in the differences in premiums charged between women and men.

The report found that insurers who practice gender rating might charge a 40-year-old woman anywhere from 4 percent to 48 percent more than a 40-year-old man. Passing health care reform will put an end to that. Insurance companies will no longer be allowed to charge women higher premiums simply because they are women.

Health care reform will also put an end to discrimination based solely on the prospects of motherhood. In most States today, individual market insurers are allowed to deny health insurance coverage to an applicant simply because she is pregnant. A previous C-section can also be the basis for denying coverage.

Passing health care reform will put an end to discrimination based on preexisting conditions. And they call pregnancy a preexisting condition.

Reform is also urgently needed because, under the status quo, even if you are not pregnant now but at some point in the future you may become pregnant and so you may wish to buy maternity coverage now, coverage simply may not be available.

In the capital cities of four States, Hawaii, New Mexico, North Dakota, and South Dakota, the NOW Women's Law Center investigators were unable to find an offer of maternity coverage in the individual market at any price. It simply was not available.

Under the status quo, only 14 States require maternity coverage in policies that are sold on the individual markets. No wonder then that 79 percent of women with individual market policies don't have any maternity coverage at all. And if you don't have maternity coverage, heaven help you if you have a problem pregnancy because your insurance company will not be there to help.

Passing the health care reform will put an end to all of this and require that maternity care is a part of an essential benefits package.

And then there is the problem of rescission. Evidence presented to the House Energy and Commerce Committee told a story of a Texas woman who had a policy with WellPoint. After she received treatment relating to a diagnosis of a lump in her breast, the insurance company investigated her medical history. They concluded that she failed to disclose that she had been diagnosed previously with osteoporosis and bone density loss, and so they rescinded her policy.

Well, Mr. Speaker, I believe practically every woman alive has some form of bone density loss. They refused to pay for medical care for the lump in her breast.

According to the Committee's investigation, this case was not unusual. Under current practices, the majority of States do not require a showing of fraud or intent before insurance companies may rescind coverage.

A simple mistake, an oversight, a typo can result in a life altering denial.

Health care reform will put an end to such cruel and heartless practices.

While I strongly support the passage of health care reform, I must state my opposition to any restrictions on women's access to reproductive health services. At a time when we are making historic changes in the delivery of health care, we must not deprive women of the very health care they both need and deserve. We must work against any serious constraints on abortion coverage that could cause women to lose ground in health reform.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot and we must not turn our backs on the urgent need, on the call of history, on the millions of uninsured, on the tens of millions who cast their votes in the last election and on the promise the we made loud and clear: We will pass health care reform-- and we will pass it now.

Office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi--Fact Sheet, March 18, 2010

My colleagues, a great injustice is that they have considered a pregnancy as a preexisting condition. Now, you hear that children are our future, and they are our future; yet in health care plans, to cover the cost of having a pregnancy--really, in some States, they didn't even offer the coverage. So there are many fine parts about this bill. But I think one of the strongest is that it has very strong maternal health care coverage and treats health care as health care and does not treat, really, the necessities of life, of having a child as a preexisting condition.

Mr. Speaker, this chart is a quick way to assess the direction things have been going in our efforts to recover from the Great Recession. While it is not success, it is definitely progress. It shows the monthly change in nonfarm payrolls over the past 2 years.

Point A on this chart is when the Great Recession and the job losses began in December of 2007. Back then, we were assured the fundamentals of the economy were sound. For over a year, the economy went straight downhill and shed jobs at an increasing rate, with no change in direction.

The last month that the former President was in office, President Bush, we lost over 700,000 jobs. Point C represents the jobs report from the last 2 months, clearly a dramatic improvement from 1 year ago--in fact, a 96 percent improvement, from over 750,000 jobs lost to 35,000 jobs; again, progress in the right direction.

In addition to this general trend, I would like to point out that the temporary help sector continues to improve. More than 40,000 workers have been added to the temporary help sector, a clear indication of improvement in the job market.

We still have a distance to go before we get every American back to work, but as this chart clearly shows, we are slowly and steadily moving in the right direction. Again, this is progress.

Thank you, my dear friend, for your leadership and for yielding to me.

Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H.R. 1107 and as co-chair and cofounder of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, I rise today to celebrate the entrance of Greece into the Visa Waiver Program and to celebrate the 189th anniversary of Greece's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Against incredibly difficult odds, the Greeks defeated one of the most powerful empires in history to win their independence. Following 400 years of Ottoman rule, in March 1821, Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the traditional Greek flag at the monastery of Agia Lavra, inciting his countrymen to rise against the Ottoman army.

The bishop timed this act of revolution to coincide with the Greek Orthodox holiday celebrating the archangel Gabriel's announcement that the Virgin Mary was pregnant with the divine child. Bishop Germanos' message was clear: A new spirit was about to be born in Greece.

The following year, the Treaty of Constantinople established full independence for Greece.

New York City is home to the largest Hellenic population outside of Greece

and Cyprus. Western Queens, which I have the honor of representing, is often called ``Little Athens'' because of the large Hellenic population in that neighborhood. New Yorkers celebrate Greek Independence Day with a parade on Fifth Avenue, along with many cultural events and private gatherings. These events, hosted by the Federation of Hellenic Societies and other Hellenic and Philhellenic organizations and friends, remind us of the Hellenic American community's many contributions to our Nation's history and culture.

I am also pleased that President Obama is continuing the tradition of holding a White House celebration in honor of Greek Independence Day.

Relations between the United States and Greece remain strong with a shared commitment to ensuring stability in southeastern Europe.

I hope permanent solutions can be found for ending the division of Cyprus and for finding a mutually agreeable name for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Additionally, I have reintroduced legislation which urges Turkey to respect the rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It is time for this suppression of religious freedom to come to an end and for Turkey to move in the direction of freedom and democracy.

I, along with my colleagues, have worked to ensure that the process for Greece's entry into the Visa Waiver Program has continued to move forward. I have had legislation before this body for well over 6 years.

In September of 2007, Greece was formally nominated for the Visa Waiver Program by the U.S. State Department and was the only member of the original 15 European Union nations not to belong to the Visa Waiver Program. In light of this, I was very, very pleased to learn that, just today, Secretary Napolitano announced the inclusion of Greece into the program. This is a most welcomed and long overdue development for Greece, the birthplace of democracy and one of our Nation's closest allies.

I ask the Nation to join me in celebrating the Greeks' independence. I also join my colleagues in welcoming Prime Minister Papandreou, who is visiting this country for 4 days. It is also my sincere pleasure to pay tribute to New York's Hellenic American community and to its many contributions to our city and Nation.

Zeto E Eleftheria. Long live freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership in moving this bill to the floor. I also would like to thank Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa, along with Congressmen Clay and Lynch, for their support and cooperation.

The 2010 census is here. Later this week, on March 12, 2010, forms will be hitting the mailboxes. That is why we must act quickly to ensure a fair and accurate count without disruption or confusion.

Many may not realize this, but the constitutionally mandated census is used to determine the distribution of billions of dollars in Federal funding into our States and our communities, in addition to determining the number of congressional seats per State. Participation in the census is essential to ensuring a brighter tomorrow for our communities and a representative government for our country.

It is because of this we must do everything possible to protect the integrity of the United States census and ensure that it is both accurate and cost-effective, and it's why the Congress has appropriated hundreds of millions of dollars to the Census Bureau to encourage participation.

Unfortunately, while the U.S. Government is working to encourage participation, there are some organizations that are causing confusion by sending mailers that resemble official census documents. These deceptive mailings include the words ``census department,'' ``census document,'' and ``official document,'' but are instead letters seeking support for other purposes.

If we allow organizations to send mock census documents or mock look- alikes of the census forms, we stand to confuse people and risk a lower response rate, which ultimately would increase the cost of the entire count. In fact, every percentage decrease in the mail response rate costs approximately $25 million for the additional expense of sending enumerators to the homes of those who do not respond to the mailing. After all, when people simply fill out the form and mail it back, it costs the least to our government.

Former Census Director Dr. Barbara Bryant, who served under President George H.W. Bush, has noted that there are documents that are intentionally made to look like the census in an effort to deceive. That is why I introduced H.R. 4621, the Prevent Deceptive Census Look Alike Mailings Act, and why I am grateful that we will pass this bill today with bipartisan support.

H.R. 4621 would require any mailing with an envelope marked ``census'' to clearly indicate the sender and return address. It would also trigger an existing requirement in Federal law to include a disclaimer that the mailing is not from or affiliated with the Federal Government.

The bill would not prohibit the use of the word ``census'' on a mailing if an organization wants to do a census and call it that. That is fine. However, the mailer must be absolutely clear that it is not the United States Government's census.

This bill will serve as an important tool in protecting the integrity of census mailings and save the taxpayer money in fulfilling the constitutionally mandated census by limiting any confusion that a deceptive census look-alike mailer could cause.

Finally, I would like to note that Senator Carper intends to move this bill to the Senate floor once we pass it in the House. I thank my colleagues for moving swiftly on this issue, and urge my colleagues to vote yes.