Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay honor to the organizers of the Judge Charles J. Vallone Scholarship Dinner, to the dinner's honorees and to the students who receive scholarships as a result of the generosity of dinner attendees. The scholarship, named for the late Charles J. Vallone, has awarded over half a million dollars to graduating high school seniors from Astoria, making it possible for these bright students to enroll in the colleges of their choice.

Judge Charles Vallone, father of former City Council Speaker Peter Vallone and grandfather of City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr., founded the Astoria Civic Association with a group of concerned neighbors in 1928. The association was incorporated by the state of New York in 1933 and Judge Vallone served as its first executive chairman. After Judge Vallone died in 1967, his widow, Leah Vallone, founded the scholarship fund in his memory. The Vallone Scholarship fund has grown to be one of the largest private scholarship funds in New York state.

This month, the Astoria Civic Association holds its annual Judge Charles J. Vallone Scholarship Dinner Dance at the Riccardo's by the Bridge in Astoria, Queens. George Alexiou and Gloria DeMarco Aloise, two extraordinary people who are truly pillars of the community, will be this year's honorees. They each have demonstrated remarkable leadership and have been instrumental in supporting the Astoria Civic Association's vital mission.

George Alexiou embodies the American immigrant success story. He was born and raised in Greece. Following his service in the Greek Army, he went to the Hotel Manager School in Heidelberg, Germany, where he studied for two years. He then worked for two years at the Hilton Hotel in Dusseldorf, Germany, and also worked in the hotel business in Paris and London. In 1972, Mr. Alexiou moved to Astoria, New York. For ten years, Mr. Alexiou worked in top restaurants and hotels before leaving the hospitality industry to start his own business. He established Century 21 Alexiou Realty, which helps Queens residents find housing and enables many to begin the American dream of home ownership. Mr. Alexiou is honorary President of the Greek American Homeowners Association, and is a member of Queens Community Board 1 and the Astoria/Long Island City Kiwanis Club. He resides in Astoria with his lovely wife, Elpida.

Gloria DeMarco Aloise grew up in a political family and has spent a lifetime involved in Queens politics, particularly through the Taminent Democratic Club. Ms. Aloise is a Democratic District Leader for 36th Assembly District, and has provided organizational skills and guidance to every local elected official in Western Queens. Ms. Aloise has also been an inspiration to countless community leaders through her tireless efforts to improve the quality of life of all the residents of Astoria, New York. Ms. Aloise is active in many community organizations, including the Martin De Porres School, where she has served as a teacher and a caseworker. She is supported by her devoted husband Edward, and by her children and grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to all those who have made the Judge Charles J. Vallone Scholarship Dinner possible and in recognizing the accomplishments of its sponsor, the Astoria Civic Association, and its distinguished 2009 honorees.

Madam Speaker, yesterday evening marked the beginning of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, the day set aside to remember the six-million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. In Israel, it is a national memorial day.

The atrocities of the Holocaust are horrific and unforgivable. Those who perished live on in the memories of those who survived. Today, I would like to recognize one such individual, Fanya Gottesfeld Heller, a survivor and a remarkable woman, who lives in my district and who I am privileged to represent.

Fanya's presence here represents the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, and of goodness over evil. She is a member of the last generation of Holocaust survivors. With the survivor population growing older, with most in their 70s, 80s and beyond, there is an urgent need to record the events of this most tragic period in human history.

Fanya grew up in a tiny village on the Polish-Ukrainian border called Skala. Prior to the war, the Jews, Poles and Ukrainians lived in different worlds with very little interaction. The Nazis were able to take advantage of this lack of communication and centuries' old hatred to turn average citizens--shopkeepers, doctors, lawyers and teachers-- into willing participants in the war against the Jews. They brainwashed the public with a media campaign of lies, at a time when there were no jobs, no money and no food. People wanted someone to blame and Hitler took advantage of this anger and frustration and convinced an entire nation to wage a genocidal war against the Jews.

A Polish peasant farmer named Sidor, one of the poorest in the village of Skala, risked his life and that of his wife and young daughter to save Fanya's family. He dug a cave for them under his chicken coop, where Fanya, along with her parents and little brother, hid and remained in a crouching position for nearly two and a half years. They had little air and no light and subsisted on whatever meager rations Sidor was able to share with them. Lice and rats were their constant companions.

Jan, a Ukrainian shoemaker who became a militiaman during the war, was the only other person to help them. Jan had taken a particular romantic interest in Fanya and, because of his love for her, throughout this entire period, he risked his life--hiding them at times in the attic of his family's barn--to save their lives. He brought them food and bits of news from the warfront whenever possible.

Because of the help he gave Fanya's family in hiding, Jan was teased and called a ``Jewish Uncle.'' His own mother turned him in to the Nazis, who in turn beat him mercilessly in order to try to find the Gottesfelds.

Fanya's contributions to the community are multifold. She has raised a wonderful family, three children, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. In 1998, the New York State Board of Regents awarded her the Louis E. Yavner Citizen Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to teaching about the Holocaust and other assaults on humanity. Fanya holds a B.A. and an M.A. in psychology from the New School for Social Research and honorary degrees from Yeshiva University and Bar-Ilan University. She serves on the boards of numerous institutions and charitable organizations, many of which focus on Jewish education and the empowerment of women.

She is the author of Love in a World of Sorrow, a candid memoir of her experiences during the Holocaust and a public record of one woman's witness to the Holocaust. After publication, Fanya also began to teach. Speaking to young people, mostly not Jewish, Fanya puts a face to the suffering they had read about in their textbooks, providing a message of hope and an emotional connection that can only come from hearing a first person account. There is also a study guide published alongside Fanya's book to help educators present the issue of genocide.

Fanya is committed to helping others understand the power of goodness in a world of evil, the power of just one person, of each individual-- that individuals can and must make the right choices instead of remaining bystanders in the face of evil. Fanya wants to insure that these and future generations better understand the tragedy of the past and work to make sure that, in each lifetime, fairness, justice and love will win out over indifference, evil and hatred.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, his leadership, and my colleagues for correcting this number.

Madam Speaker, as we consider the budget proposal for the coming year, we are facing one of the most important votes in recent history. We can choose to honor the pledge we made to the American people in the last election and begin the process of health care reform, make investments that will lead to energy independence, and invest the needed funds to reinvigorate our educational system, or we can follow the same failed policies of the past that brought us to the crisis we find ourselves in today.

Our budget builds on the integrated approach to lifting us out of the recession, and returns us to fiscal discipline by cutting the deficit by two-thirds by 2013.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this rule and on the leadership's budget blueprint, H. Con. Res. 85.

Madam Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Chairman, as Chair of the Joint Economic Committee, I am pleased to speak in the time reserved by the Budget Act for a discussion of economic goals and policies.

I rise today to put our fiscal problems into a broader economic context. Our budget is an important blueprint for getting our economy back on track by making critical investments in health care, clean energy, and education that will create jobs and enhance our global competitiveness. We will also restore fiscal responsibility by cutting the deficit by nearly two-thirds by 2013.

Throughout this budget debate, it has been generally acknowledged that President Obama inherited a fiscal mess. The previous administration had taken office facing a robust economy and a fiscally sound government. President Bush inherited a projected surplus of $5.6 trillion. We stood poised to deal with the budget challenges posed by the retirement of the baby boom generation, and prepared to invest in improving the future standard of living of our children and grandchildren.

Under President Bush's management, our economy set record after record, but they were all the wrong kinds of records. His administration's policies produced historically poor levels of job growth, the greatest gap between the haves and the have-nots since the 1920s. Record number of uninsured Americans, 47 million in 2006. A record $10.6 trillion Federal debt when he left office, and the largest single-year deficit in U.S. history, $459 billion in 2008. And he left over $1 trillion in deficits in 2009. Record oil prices, record current account deficits, the broadest measure of our trade deficit, the largest in history, record declines in housing prices and home equity that have left families owing more than their homes are worth.

As you can see on this chart, through a series of disastrous choices and flawed policies, the Bush administration squandered surpluses and left us with record deficits. Here are the projected surpluses, but this is the reality of the actual budget deficits left us by the Bush administration. President Bush presided over a tragic and unprecedented reversal of fortune for our Nation and for our American families.

As this next chart shows, the 8-year tenure of President Bush was a period of the lowest and slowest job growth of any administration in 75 years. His administration left us with a mere 2 million more jobs than when he came into office. Compare that to the 8 years under President Clinton, where nearly 23 million jobs, more than 10 times as many, were created. You can see this small red bar. That's the jobs that Bush II created. Compare that to all the prior administrations that produced many, far many more jobs than this failed administration.

Despite his frequent assurances that his policies were working to make the economy stronger, President Bush earned the dubious distinction of presiding over not one but two recessions. After a jobless recovery from the recession in the first term, the economy fell back into recession in December of 2007, and has been shedding jobs at an alarming rate ever since.

By nearly every measure, the 2001 and 2007 recovery period was among the weakest in the post-World War II period. There were warning signs that all was not well. During the recovery, two important economic variables, growth, and the growth in fixed nonresidential investment, grew more slowly than during the other expansions. Both grew more slowly than they did during the expansion of the 1990s, when taxes were raised, not cut.

Consumption, net worth, wages, and salaries, and employment also grew at remarkably slower rates during the Bush recovery than during other expansionary periods.

The one bright spot for some in the recovery was the large growth in profits that went to corporations driven, in large part, by the ever- increasing productivity of the American worker. However, the increases did not translate into bigger paychecks for hardworking middle-class families.

Unlike the expansion of the 1990s, under President Clinton, where workers' productivity and compensation grew in tandem, during the 2000 recovery under President Bush, workers' compensation lagged far behind their robust productivity growth. The increased wealth just went to a very few

at the top of our economy, exacerbating the divide between the haves and the have-nots.

As this chart shows, the typical household income, after accounting for inflation, was actually $324 lower at the end of 2007, leaving them struggling to stay afloat, even before the current recession hit.

It is now all too clear that even the relatively weak economic growth during the Bush administration was not broadly shared and was built on an unstable foundation. The soaring housing prices that helped fuel our economic recovery now appear to have been a classic asset bubble. The disastrous effects of the collapse of that bubble have now spread throughout our entire financial system and around the globe.

When President Obama took the oath of office on the steps of this building just 2 months ago, he immediately inherited a deficit of over $1 trillion for Fiscal Year 2009, and trillions more in deficits over the next 10 years. He became heir to an economy in the worst crisis since the Great Depression. Almost 4\1/2\ million jobs have been lost in the last 15 months.

As this chart shows, in the waning days of the Bush administration, the economy shrank at an astonishing annual rate of 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the fastest rate of contraction in over 25 years. In 2008, the final year of the Bush administration, $11.2 trillion of wealth simply vanished into thin air as housing prices fell almost 20 percent.

Our gross Federal debt stands at more than $10.6 trillion, nearly $35,000 per person in America. That is how much every person in America owes to the Federal debt. And as a share of our economy, that's the highest level since 1955, when we were still paying off debts from World War II.

This is the fiscal mess President Obama inherited, and we have our work cut out for us to clean it up. One year ago I stood here in this same spot, as part of this same process, and pointed out that when our opponents were asked how to address our financial problems, their answer was, to cut benefits for middle-class families and cut taxes for the wealthiest few. And our opponents still offer the same solutions.

We propose a different course. Restoring growth is key to getting our economy back on track, and spurring growth takes investment. Congress has worked closely with President Obama in his first 70 days to develop an integrated and multipronged attack to revive the economy.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we have provided relief to middle-class, middle-income taxpayers, invested in infrastructure, renewable energy, and education to create and save millions of jobs and extend unemployment benefits for millions of jobless Americans.

Congress has also acted, with President Obama, to reauthorize and expand the Children's Health Insurance Program, so that it now covers 11 million low-income children.

The economic recovery packages we passed were aimed at boosting demand in the short term because consumers are reluctant to spend, but we were careful not to enact provisions that will exacerbate our long- term deficits and debt. This budget builds on those policies by making important additional investments that will strengthen our economy, invest in the future and put us back on the path of fiscal responsibility.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, ``rising costs for health care [are] the single greatest challenge to balancing the Federal budget.'' Clearly, containing health care costs is critical to addressing the country's long-term fiscal challenges, and we must act now. That is why a key priority of our budget is health care reform, which will expand coverage, improve the quality of care and address those skyrocketing costs of care that are weighing down our economy and are putting pressure on family budgets.

During the last administration, the growing cost of care pushed the number of uninsured Americans to record levels. At the end of the recovery in 2007, there were 46 million uninsured Americans, 7.2 million more than when President Bush took office.

I would like to thank Chairman Spratt and the Budget Committee for including a deficit-neutral reserve fund in the budget resolution for the 9/11 health programs, consistent with last year's budget conference agreement. This will provide some legislative flexibility for the Energy and Commerce and Judiciary Committees to pass H.R. 847, the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, and to ensure it is fully paid for under PAYGO rules. H.R. 847 would provide medical monitoring and treatment to World Trade Center responders and to community members whose health has been impacted by Ground Zero toxins in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. We have a moral obligation to care for the heroes and heroines of 9/11, and this reserve fund is an important step toward fulfilling that obligation.

Our budget makes investments in education a priority so that every child has the opportunity to receive a quality education. According to a report by the Education Trust, the United States is now the only industrialized country where young people are less likely than their parents to earn a high school diploma.

Improving education and training will prepare our children to compete and win in the global economy. This budget builds on investments with further support for early childhood education, setting high standards and providing the tools to achieve them for elementary and secondary school students. This budget reaffirms our commitment to making college affordable for every American by raising the maximum Pell Grant award to help more students obtain a college education.

Our budget also embraces the President's goal of increasing America's energy independence and energy security. Record gas prices last summer left Americans at the mercy of the gas pump. We build on the funding and tax incentives in the Recovery Act by expanding our investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency that will reduce America's dependence on foreign energy, and we provide new training opportunities to prepare workers for green jobs in a clean, green economy. Our budget is the blueprint for strengthening our economy and for putting people back to work. After 8 years of misguided policies, we must be mindful of the future as we take steps to rebuild our economy.

President Obama has called on us to address the systemic challenges facing our economy by making investments in accessible, affordable health care, energy independence and quality education. The investments we make now will pay off later as we emerge from this current crisis stronger and better prepared for challenges of the 21st century.

Thank you, and I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady) for 10 minutes.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Chair, as we consider the budget proposal for the coming year, we are facing, really and truly, one of the most important votes in recent memory. We can choose now to honor the pledge we made to the American people in the last election and begin the process of health care reform, make investments that will lead to energy independence and invest the needed funds to reinvigorate our educational system or we can follow the same failed policies that brought us to the crisis we find ourselves in now. Our budget builds on our integrated approach to lifting us out of the recession, and it returns us to fiscal discipline by cutting the deficit by nearly two-thirds by 2013.

Now, the gentleman mentioned our tax plan. Well, I am very proud of the Democratic plan. Our plan makes permanent the $800 Making Work Pay tax cut while preserving all dedicated payroll taxes that go to Social Security and Medicare. This is a new tax cut President Obama promised in his campaign.

The Democratic plan expands the child tax credit helping millions of families with children. It makes the $2,500 opportunity tax credit permanent to make college more affordable. This is a new tax cut President Obama promised in his campaign.

It permanently protects millions of middle-class families from being hit by

the alternative minimum tax. It expands the earned-income tax credit by providing tax relief to families with three or more children and increasing marriage penalty relief. It provides for automatic enrollment in IRAs and 401(k)s and expands the current tax credit for saving for retirement. It eliminates capital gains on small businesses, cuts taxes for 95 percent of American workers, cuts spending--non- defense discretionary--over 10 years to its lowest level as a percent of the economy in nearly half a century. It cuts the deficit in half over 4 years, grows nothing but jobs and ends an era of irresponsibility and gimmicks.

I would like to inquire, Madam Chairman, as to how much time remains on both sides.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I would like to address the deficit that the gentleman mentioned and point out that President Obama inherited deficits over $1 trillion. The Obama administration inherited an economy deep in recession and a projected annual deficit of well over $1 trillion. This deficit didn't arise out of the blue.

President Bush inherited a $5.6 trillion projected 10-year budget surplus, which he dissipated on misguided fiscal policies and choices. That surplus represented an opportunity to address some of the major issues confronting our country, including preparing for the needs of the retiring Baby Boom generation.

The Democratic plan cuts the deficit by more than half. The President sets a firm goal of cutting the deficit in half over 4 years, and this budget does just that. It takes the record deficit that President Obama and the 111th Congress inherited in 2009, and cuts the deficit from $1.7 trillion in 2009 to $586 billion in 2013.

And it also makes more realistic deficit estimates. To provide for a more realistic accounting of the government's financial position, our budget--like the President's plan--includes likely foreseeable costs that have been omitted from past budgets. These include costs of our overseas deployment, Medicare reimbursements to physicians, and emergencies such as natural

disasters that can't be predicted with precision but that occur every year. These were all off-budget during the Bush years. We have put them on with more transparency.

And I would like to say that very importantly, the Democratic plan begins to address health care. It begins to address rising costs. It sets us on a path to increased coverage for the 46 million who do not have medical coverage. It aims to improve the quality of care. And Republicans have no real plan for addressing rising health care plans and health costs. And the Republican plan for health care, including Medicare, is to give everyone a voucher and deregulate the insurance market.

So I say the Democratic plan is better in terms of reducing the deficit, and it also invests in health care, energy independence, and education and to long-term goals and needs of our young people and of our citizens who need to compete and succeed in the global market.

I would like to inquire as to how much time remains on my side and the other side.

I reserve my time.

Madam Chairman, my good friend on the other side of the aisle mentioned energy policy, talked about taxing energy. Well, the Democratic plan makes critical investments in energy, with $1 billion more in appropriated funding for 2010 than the 2009 level of regular appropriations.

It also includes a deficit neutral reserve fund for legislation to promote energy independence, spur the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and help businesses, industries, States, communities, and households adjust to an economy with reduced emissions levels.

It provides job opportunities in the new energy economy and relief for Americans. It creates green collar jobs to help address rising unemployment and keeps jobs in America, provides tax incentives for renewable energy, funds weatherization to help low-income

families save $350 per year, on average, on their energy bills.

But very importantly, going forward, we need to improve fiscal discipline through statutory PAYGO, pay-as-you-go, rules, and the Democratic budget improves fiscal discipline by requiring House passage of statutory pay-as-you-go rules as a condition for making current policy adjustments to the baseline for tax cuts and the Medicare physician payment system. Statutory PAYGO was critical to turning the budgets around in the 1990s, but the Republican Congress and the Bush administration allowed it to expire in 2002, contributing to the deep deficits they accumulated.

As one of its first acts, the 110th Democratic Congress instituted a tough new House PAYGO rule. The resolution would reaffirm and strengthen the commitment to pay-as-you-go by providing for action on statutory PAYGO to enforce a realistic baseline.

It also is very important about oversight and accountability and enforcement. Our budget generates valuable savings by expanding oversight activities and large benefit programs, more aggressively pursuing fraud, and increasing tax compliance and enforcement activities to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. It is a wise plan, with wise investments.

I reserve the balance of my time.

May I inquire on the time, please, on both sides of the aisle.

Madam Chair, this budget, the Democratic budget, invests heavily in education. This budget embraces the President's goal of furthering investments in education for Americans from early childhood through post-secondary education and training. Our budget provides a fiscally responsible plan to improve American education and train a workforce that is prepared to compete and succeed in the global economy.

A highly educated and skilled workforce is critical to the overall success of our economy. The benefits to investing in education include higher earnings, higher graduation and employment rates, less crime, decreased need for special education and welfare services, and better health.

In 2008, the unemployment rate for workers with a bachelor's degree was 2.8 percent, while the unemployment rate for workers with a high school diploma was double at 5.7 percent. For workers with less than a high school diploma, the unemployment rate was 9 percent. So if we want to attack unemployment, prepare our young people for the future, we should invest in education. That's what this budget does.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Over the last 8 years, through fiscally reckless policies, President Bush squandered the Clinton-era surplus and left behind a legacy of debt and deficits. He made a number of records, but they were the wrong kinds of records. Record deficit, record trade deficit, record debt.

Over the 7 years from 2002 to 2008, those surpluses from the Clinton years would accumulate to $3.2 trillion. Instead, under President Bush, the government ran 7 straight years of budget deficits totaling $2.1 trillion. When President Obama was inaugurated in January, he inherited from President Bush an estimated deficit of $1.5 trillion--the worst budget deficit in history. And trillions more in deficits over the next 10 years.

Now the Democratic budget resolution begins the process of turning around the Republican budget legacy of deep deficits, mounting debt, an economic decline due to the Bush administration's reckless fiscal policy. It takes steps to put the budget back on a fiscally sustainable path by restoring fiscal responsibility and substantially reducing the deficit.

The President set a firm goal of cutting the budget deficit in half over 4 years, and this budget does just that. It takes a record $1.5 trillion deficit that President Obama and the Congress inherited in 2009, and cuts the deficit from $1.7 trillion in 2009 to $586 trillion in 2013.

Our budget makes strategic investments in health care, education, energy independence, areas critical to a strong economic future. For these and other key priorities, it includes deficit neutral reserve funds that will accommodate legislation in these areas consistent with the pay-as-you-go principle.

Our budget generates valuable savings by expanding oversight activities and large benefit programs, more aggressively pursuing fraud and increasing tax compliance and enforcement activities to ensure taxpayers dollars are spent wisely.

It is a balanced and fair budget that makes investments in critical areas.

I would inquire as to how much time is remaining on both sides.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time for a closing statement.

Madam Chair, the policies advocated by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have been tried and we are all living through the disastrous results. Our budget is an important blueprint forgetting our economy back on path that restores confidence, produces growth, and puts people back to work.

We make critical investments in health care, clean energy, and education that will create jobs and enhance our global competitiveness. We will also restore fiscal responsibility by cutting the deficit by nearly two-thirds by 2013.

A budget is fundamentally about priorities--and our priority is to strengthen the economy and help struggling families regain their footing. Americans are optimistic by nature, and I am optimistic that the investments we make now will pay off later and that together we will emerge from this current crisis stronger and better prepared for the 21st century challenges that we face.

Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 146, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The rivers, mountains, parks and forests of the United States are a fundamental part of our national heritage, and it is crucial that these resources are protected for future generations to enjoy.

The majority of the bills in this monumental legislation had been considered and enjoyed strong bipartisan support in previous Congresses, and the passage of these provisions for public land management, forest preservation, and other crucial conservation measures is long overdue. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the work of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the bill's sponsor Senator Jeff Bingaman, and Representative Nick Rahall in keeping this legislation moving forward.

I would also like to congratulate my friend Congresswoman Louise Slaughter for the inclusion of her provision on the Women's Rights National Historic Park in this important legislation. It is fitting that, as we work to protect the landmarks that help to make this country great, we commemorate the central role women have played in our Nation's history.

On July 19, 1848, a group of women activists including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Mary Ann M'Clintock organized the first Women's Rights Convention at Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York. The document produced at the Convention, entitled the Declaration of Sentiments, articulated the then radical idea that certain rights accrued to women, such as the freedom to own property and the right to an education. That meeting spearheaded a 72-year struggle for women's suffrage, ending with the ratification of the 19th amendment on August 18, 1920.

This provision in the Omnibus Public Lands Act would pay tribute to a milestone event in the women's rights movement by allowing for the construction of a trail in the Women's Rights Historical Park in Seneca Falls, New York, and permitting the establishment of a network of historical sites relevant to women's history.

The park would serve as a physical reminder of women's historical contributions to equality of rights and opportunity, values which are central to the legacy of the United States. I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating these accomplishments by ensuring that the landmarks of the women's rights movement are remembered and preserved.

Madam Speaker, I rise today along with Congressman Michael M. Honda (D-CA) to re-introduce the Overseas Voting Practical Amendments Act which would protect the voting rights of the millions of American citizens currently living overseas. The Overseas Citizens Voting Act of 1975 guaranteed the right to vote for military personnel and U.S. citizens living overseas. However, a quarter of our men and women in the armed forces stationed overseas didn't even receive a ballot for November's election. More than half of overseas Americans that tried but could not vote, were unable to because their ballots were late or did not arrive.

Right now, far too many overseas Americans are being disenfranchised by a tangle of bureaucratic red tape. The problems are many, including delivery issues, general lack of awareness of available voter assistance programs, and archaic state voting laws. Our bill proposes simple, inexpensive fixes that will help ensure the votes of every overseas American are counted.

Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H. Res. 273 and a co-chair and co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, I rise today to celebrate the 188th 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 Lavras, 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's message to his people 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 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 in Manhattan, 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.

My fellow co-chair Representative Bilirakis and I sent a letter last month urging the President to recognize this truly important 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 finding a mutually agreeable name for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Additionally, I strongly support the inclusion of Greece in the Visa Waiver Program. Greece is the only member of the original fifteen European Union nations not to belong to the Visa Waiver Program.

I, along with my colleagues, will continue to work to ensure that the process for Greece's entry into the Visa Waiver Program continues to move forward.

Additionally, I have recently 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 ask the nation to join me in celebrating Greece's independence.

Additionally, it is my sincere pleasure to pay tribute to New York's Hellenic-American community for its many contributions to our city and nation.

``Zeto E Eleftheria!'' (Long Live Freedom!)

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to George Napolitano, who passed away last week after a courageous battle with cancer. George was a great friend, a dedicated community leader and a devoted family man. He was one of the best men I have ever known. People loved George. He was kind, good-hearted, compassionate and hard- working. He will be sorely missed. To know George, was to love him. He was one of the world's really good people.

George made a lifelong commitment to community service. No matter how many other obligations he had, he could always be counted on to pitch in and take an active role. He was a member of the Tri-State Italian American Congress, a charter member of the Sons of Italy in Manhattan which he proudly served as President and a charter member of the Knights of Columbus where he was instrumental in coordinating the Youth Program. He was very active in the Powhatan Democratic Club, most recently serving as District Leader for the club. While his daughter attended high school, he was Chairman of the Parents' Association of St. Vincent Ferrer High School. For his work as a Lector and Eucharist Minister and his commitment to the Holy Name Society he was honored by the Brooklyn Diocesan Union.

He was particularly active in the Holy Name Society of the Immaculate Conception Parish. During his tenure as President, the organization experienced unprecedented growth. He also co-chaired numerous Holy Name Society dinner dances which raised funds for grants for graduating students. His hard work and selfless dedication made a real difference in the lives of many young people and community members. For his many contributions, in 2002 he was named Man of the Year and presented with an award at their annual dinner dance.

George was eventually offered an opportunity to make his community activism a career. For ten years, George worked as a legislative aide to former Assemblyman Denis J. Butler. Most recently, he joined my staff and, at the time of his death, he was managing my Queens office. He was a truly dedicated community leader who really understood what was going on in the neighborhood he served. My constituents knew that George would always offer them good advice and assistance. After he became ill, George remained deeply involved in community affairs. He attended every community meeting he could and remained active right up to the end.

George was born and raised in the Little Italy section of New York City. He attended St. Patrick's Old Cathedral School and All Hallows High School before matriculating at St. John's University where he completed his BA. Following his study at St. John's, Mr. Napolitano began working in the financial sector. In 1960, he left business to serve his country in the military. Stationed in Ft. Rucker, Alabama he was placed in charge of the Officers Payroll Department. Typically, he used his time to become involved in the community life on the base. He coached the base's Little League team to a State Championship. George was granted an honorable discharge as Sergeant and completed an additional four years reserve training. After his service, Mr. Napolitano returned to his career in the private sector working again in the financial district before beginning a career in real estate and insurance. Along with his many other commitments, Mr. Napolitano also operates his own real estate and insurance business in Queens, New York. George leaves behind his beloved wife, Carol, his four children, Deana, Denise, Catherine, and Robert, and several grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in recognizing the life and career of a truly good man, George Napolitano.

Madam Speaker, today, along with Representative Honda (D-CA), I am reintroducing the ``Fixing the Federal Voting Assistance Program Act'' which would do two things: (1) make the Director of the Federal Voting Assistance Office a presidential appointee confirmable by the Senate, and (2) create an advisory board to strengthen oversight of the office to ensure better access to the ballot by overseas military and civilian voters.

The Federal Voter Assistance Program (FVAP) is the government's primary office for helping ensure access to the ballot for thousands of overseas voters, both civilian and military, in recent elections. This legislation is designed to bring greater attention to the voting office in the Department of Defense and enhanced oversight to ensure that it does its job of providing greater access to voting for our soldiers, sailors and airmen, their families, as well as civilians living overseas.

The ``Fixing the Federal Voting Assistance Program Act'' is a necessary step in ensuring that overseas voters are counted in elections. I believe that Americans serving in the military abroad or civilians residing overseas still do not have adequate help from the government in facilitating their right of access to the ballot. Representative Honda and I believe we need to start working on improving access to the next election now while the problems are still fresh in our minds so that we are not facing them again in 2010.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Nowruz, which 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 happened on Friday, 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.

As an original cosponsor of H. Res. 267, which recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Nowruz, 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.

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.

Madam Speaker, I rise to offer the National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act Amendments of 2009. This legislation makes a technical correction to the National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act of 1978.

The National Consumer Cooperative Bank Act of 1978 created the National Consumer Cooperative Bank, NCB, which is dedicated to strengthening communities nationwide through the delivery of banking and financial services, complemented by a special focus on cooperative expansion and economic development. The same Act established a non- profit corporation to reach further into low income communities and to serve disadvantaged populations. NCB Capital Impact is that non-profit, mission-driven subsidiary of NCB that works to provide housing, education, health care, cultural centers, small businesses and social services in economically distressed communities.

NCB Capital Impact has an impressive track record providing assistance to low- and moderate-income communities. Over time, NCB has invested $250 million for education facilities; helped finance 137,396 school seats; 33,132 units of multifamily homeownership or

other affordable housing and 8,900 affordable assisted living units for seniors and persons with disabilities; 2.9 million square feet of community health center space serving 350,300 patients annually, and helped created 25,000 jobs for low-income individuals.

Back in my district--the 14th district of New York--NCB Capital Impact has played a significant role in providing financing for much needed housing and community development projects. NCB has facilitated more than 600 loans in my district alone. Most of these loans are for housing, including affordable housing, as well as loans for community facilities and loans to non-profit organizations like the Council of New York Cooperatives and Condominiums. Together, these groups are able to provide assisted living, affordable housing and services to the frail and elderly.

Despite their good work in serving low-income communities and disadvantaged populations, NCB Capital Impact is not eligible for assistance authorized under the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994, which is administered by the CDFI Fund. NCB Capital Impact meets all of the eligibility criteria on its own and without exception; however the Fund has ruled it cannot certify NCB Capital Impact as a CDFI because of the corporate structure of its parent NCB. In short, NCB Capital Impact is shut off from critical sources of financial awards that are needed to maintain their housing and community development efforts.

The interest of NCB Capital Impact in gaining CDFI certification is two-fold. First, it has a track record that is comparable to other organizations that received CDFI status; its mission is dedicated to working with low income populations and communities. Second, increasingly in the community development finance field, CDFI certification is viewed as a `good housekeeping seal' of approval in working with other federal agencies and other private and public institutions.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this technical amendment to the NCB statute so that the non-profit, mission-driven NCB Capital Impact may continue to provide services to distressed and underserved communities throughout New York and the country at-large.

I thank the gentlelady from the great State of Maine for yielding, and for her important leadership on the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, it has become somewhat rare for the Members of this body to find themselves in virtually universal agreement, but outrage over the retention bonuses for the very members of the AIG Financial Products Division, who brought a corporate giant to its knees and the economy of our Nation to a standstill, has produced such an agreement.

It would be both morally reprehensible and fiscally irresponsible for us to quietly hand over millions to those who have cost this country billions. And it is a rare cause that compels so many Members, all acting independently, to craft bills aimed at righting the same wrong.

The bill we consider now to tax bonus payments, such as the ones in question at AIG, at the effective rate of 90 percent sends a message that cannot be mistaken. The game is finished, the casino is closed.

I applaud Speaker Pelosi, Mr. Miller, and Chairman Rangel of the Ways and Means Committee for coming together so swiftly to react and incorporating ideas from many bills--from my colleague, Steve Israel, from Gary Peters, from myself, from Elijah Cummings, from many, many others--and coming forward swiftly with this bill that would tax at 90 percent. The remaining 10 percent would probably be taxed by States and cities.

If a company receives over $5 billion of taxpayers' money, and anyone earning over $250,000, they would be subject to this tax. So it moves the money back to the American taxpayer.

Thank you, Chairman Rangel. New York is so proud of you. Thank you for your leadership. I stand in strong support of the Democratic leadership during this financial crisis.

On Sunday night, the bonuses were sent. On Thursday we are on the floor correcting this and returning the money to the American taxpayer. Rarely have I seen so many Members of Congress come forward with proposals to correct it.

Chairman Rangel has molded all of the ideas together in this fine proposal before us today. If anyone wants to criticize someone, President Obama has said, ``I'm in charge. Criticize me. But then let's get back to work, get our eye on the ball of moving this economy forward, putting Americans back to work, putting more credit out into the communities, stabilizing housing.''

President Obama said, ``When you're going in the wrong direction, you've got to change course.'' And under 55 days of his leadership, we have passed the economic recovery bill, we have passed a housing stabilization bill, we have passed measures to stabilize our financial institutions. We are investing in education and health care.

Vote positive. Vote for this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Sokka Gakkai International, whose founding commemorative gathering is being celebrated at its Manhattan Cultural Center this month. Sokka Gakkai International, or SGI, is a worldwide Buddhist organization with 12 million members. SGI is dedicated to the universal principles of peace, culture, and education and thus encourages its members to assert responsibility for their lives to contribute to the building of a world in which people of different faiths and backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony.

Sokka Gakkai International, whose name can be translated as the ``Value Creation Society,'' has expanded its reach around the world since its founding 34 years ago on the island of Guam. Under the influence of its founding and current President, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the Buddhist philosopher, educator, writer and poet, SGI has grown to span 192 countries across the globe, and counts 12 million adherents worldwide. More than 10,000 members live in New York City.

On January 26, 2009, more than 500 representatives gathered at SGI's New York Cultural Center, which is located in New York State's 14th Congressional District that I am privileged to represent. They convened in order to celebrate world peace, culture, and the value of education. Through its dedication to tolerance for all citizens of the world, respect for human rights, and the pursuit of peace through strict adherence to the principle of non-violence, Sokka Gakkai International has provided worshipers of the Buddhist faith with an organizational vehicle with transformative potential and a creed of harmony and understanding.

Madam Speaker, I am deeply honored to represent the Sokka Gakkai International's New York Cultural Center. I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in recognizing the tremendous contributions to our educational and civic life made by the Sokka Gakkai International, its visionary President Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, and its dedicated members.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment of the New York National Guard who are being honored on St.

Patrick's Day in New York City. I know that my distinguished colleagues will join me in extending our appreciation and gratitude to all of the brave members of the armed forces serving in the National Guard and the Reserve, who are so courageously and selflessly dedicated to their fellow Americans.

The National Guard is an integral part of a great American military tradition that began during the American Revolution. At that time, our Founding Fathers placed the country's security in the hands of citizen- soldiers who trained and organized into militias in their home colonies. To this day, members of the National Guard must be ready to serve their state and their country, often at a moment's notice.

Headquartered in the historic Armory on Lexington Avenue--one of a dwindling number of armories remaining in our nation's greatest city-- the members of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry continue to uphold a distinguished tradition in both battle and disaster response. As part of the famous Irish Brigade during the Civil War, the members of the 69th Infantry were renowned for their tenacity on the battlefield, leading Confederate General Robert E. Lee to bestow upon them the nickname of ``The Fighting 69th.'' In acknowledgment of its proud heritage, the Fighting 69th participates each year in New York's world- renowned St. Patrick's Day Parade.

The Fighting 69th are infantry soldiers--the ``boots on the ground''--whose mission is to engage and destroy enemy forces in close combat. In addition to the Civil War, its members have also fought in the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II, when its soldiers served valiantly in the battles of Makin, Saipan and Okinawa. Its members completed a tour of duty in Iraq, returning to the U.S. after serving with distinction. The battalion mobilized more than 300 soldiers to support Task Force Phoenix VII during its deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009, when four of its members paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country and were killed in action.

During the current conflict in Iraq, 19 members of the Fighting 69th were killed in action, including a member who was one of the New York firefighters who first raised the American flag above Ground Zero, Christian Engledrum. Six members of the 69th Regiment were awarded Purple Hearts in April, 2006 after being wounded by roadside bombs in Iraq. The unit patrolled the infamous road to the Baghdad airport and was stationed primarily in the Sunni Triangle, where many insurgent attacks have taken place.

The members of the Regiment also have mobilized during times of emergency in their home state of New York. The Fighting 69th was the first National Guard unit to arrive on the scene following the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. In the hours after the attacks, the Battalion assisted medical teams treating the wounded and provided significant assistance to rescue and recovery operations, continuing in this mission for nearly a year. For several months following the attacks, the members of the Fighting 69th guarded the bridges and tunnels that ring New York City.

Madam Speaker, in recognition of its tremendous contributions to civic and public life, I request that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to the Fighting 69th Regiment of the New York State National Guard, whose members are great New Yorkers and great Americans. All patriots should be grateful for the dedication demonstrated every day by the men and women of the Fighting 69th as well as all of the brave individuals serving in National Guard and Reserve units throughout our great country. The Fighting 69th Regiment's service to our country inspires us all.