Floor Statements

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Lynch).

I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

I yield myself, Mr. Speaker, such time as I may consume.

I think, Mr. Speaker, this is about the 52nd time that the Republican majority has attempted to either repeal or derail the Affordable Care Act. I don't know why they do it so often since constitutionally it is abundantly clear that they don't have the votes to pass it in the Senate, and clearly, if it ever reached the President's desk, it would be vetoed, and there are not enough votes to override the veto. So, clearly, this madness continues even after more than enough people have enrolled, far beyond those that were expected by some of the Republicans. And this struggle, this madness, goes on as though Democrats are the only people that are going to become sick and need health care.

So I don't know where we go from here. I assume that comes the next election, once again, the voters will speak out. And for those people that have had kids on their insurance policy, we will hear from them; for those who have had preconditions and couldn't get health insurance, we will hear from them; for those that thought that getting preventive health care was a luxury, we should hear from them; but, more importantly, the people who just could not afford insurance. I cannot conceive how these people are all Democrats, in that the Republicans have no people that are vulnerable to illnesses and the severe expenses that are involved.

But, clearly, it has been my opinion that if this bill doesn't work, if it fails, and if some of these tactics had been successful, that the Democrats would be embarrassed by its failure. But I also thought--and it makes a lot of sense to me--that if, indeed, the American people started to understand the complexities of the bill and thought they were in need of health insurance, as close to 10 million people feel, then the Republicans would have to defend their negative position as to why they fight so hard to deny people health insurance.

So I understand from Mr. Lynch that the bill is named after workers. So that brings me to include a letter for the Record from the AFL/CIO. Clearly, this is not a management outfit but really supports the workers, and they, of course, are opposed to this bill that is drafted to go nowhere.

In addition to that, I include for the Record, Mr. Speaker, a letter from the AFSCME into the Record, which represents county and municipal employees, and they strongly oppose the legislation that the Republican majority has brought to the floor.

Lastly, I include for the Record a letter from the National Education Association that opposes this legislation.

Before I reserve the balance of my time, I would like to join in with the majority that has complimented the work of Chairman David Camp. His announcement surprised most of us, but I don't think in his challenge that he has really proven his chairmanship to be all that we expected from him and then some. I regret the Republicans have passed over his opportunity to reform the tax law, but, then again, the chairman's tax reform law made too much sense for anybody to think that it would be picked up by the Republican majority. But it was a bill that would be great for discussion; it was hard hitting; it provided a lot of savings; and it reduced the rates.

So I don't know why before he leaves that we couldn't have this taken up, but it is my understanding that the gift that was given to him by his majority was just to allow him to present his draft. I think that is unfortunate because, if ever there was a time we need to reform the tax laws, it would be now. So I congratulate Chairman Camp for his attempt to introduce this to the House, and I regret that the Republican majority has, out of hand, rejected it.

I reserve the balance of my time.

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial

Organizations,

Washington, DC, January 28, 2014.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the AFL-CIO, I am writing

to express our strong opposition to the Save American Workers

Act (H.R. 2575) sponsored by Congressman Todd Young and the

Forty Hours is Full Time Act (H.R. 2988) introduced by

Representative Dan Lipinski.

Both of these bills would weaken the employer

responsibility requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

by increasing to 40 hours per week the threshold at which

employers are required to either offer coverage or pay a

penalty. Contrary to the intent of this legislation, economic

data show that raising the threshold would cause more

employers to reduce the hours of their workers, and it would

result in millions of working families losing employment-

based insurance coverage.

As the Ways and Means Committee examines these issues in a

hearing this week, and as discussions continue, the House

should instead seek to strengthen the employer responsibility

requirements of the ACA by lowering the hours threshold,

requiring employers to provide coverage for workers who work

20 hours a week or more, and by applying a pro rata shared

responsibility penalty if workers with fewer than 20 hours

are not offered coverage. This is the only way to protect

groups of workers--such as low-wage employees, school staff,

and adjunct professors--that will lose wages under the

existing incentive to reduce hours.

Unfortunately, the ACA's employer responsibility

requirements do not adequately sanction employers that drop

coverage or decline to offer affordable, comprehensive

coverage. The $2,000 penalty for not offering coverage to a

full-time employee pales in comparison to the average annual

cost of single coverage, which was $5,884 in 2013. The ACA's

extension of Medicaid eligibility to the uninsured will tempt

low road employers to move lower-income employees into the

program, since the law has no penalty to discourage employers

from shifting the responsibility for covering these workers.

In the construction industry, where the vast majority of

firms have fewer than 50 employees, there is no penalty for

companies that fail to provide coverage, creating a

competitive disadvantage for employers that do provide

coverage. A true ``employer mandate'' would address these

issues and other weaknesses in the employer requirements.

The bills introduced by Representatives Young and Lipinski

would take the ACA in the opposite direction, compounding the

problem they seek to solve. A December 2013 analysis by the

UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education found

that the approach employed by this legislation--moving the

threshold for coverage from 30 hours to 40 hours--would

result in reduced work hours for three times as many workers

(6.5 million) compared to the number vulnerable to a

reduction of hours at the current threshold (2.3 million).

The researchers also found that the approach would

``effectively eliminate'' the employer shared responsibility

requirement, because employers could cut workers to 39 hours

or less with relatively little cost. Pointing to the

Congressional Budget Office estimate that one million workers

will lose job-based coverage as a result of the

Administration's one-year delay in implementing the current

employer responsibility rules, the researchers warned that

making the ``employer requirement effectively non-binding on

a permanent basis'' would cause many more workers to lose

employment-based coverage. The responsibility for covering

this group would shift from employers to the federal

government, incurring substantial new costs. Instead, the

authors recommend that the incentive to reduce hours created

by the 30-hour cliff could be addressed by applying the

employer requirement to part-time workers and by pro rating

the penalty for these workers.

The AFL-CIO endorses this kind of approach. We seek a full

penalty for employers that fail to provide affordable,

comprehensive coverage to workers averaging 20 hours a week

or more. A pro-rated penalty should apply if adequate

coverage is not provided to employees working less than 20

hours. This policy would eliminate the cliff imposed by the

current 30-hour threshold, rather than simply shifting it

higher and creating a new incentive for employers to reduce

hours.

We look forward to working with you to strengthen the

employer responsibility rules of the ACA, by extending

coverage requirements to part-time workers and bolstering

requirements related to the affordability and

comprehensiveness of coverage. Achieving the coverage goals

of the Affordable Care Act will depend upon maintaining

employer responsibility for providing coverage to working

families.

Sincerely,

William Samuel,

Director,

Government Affairs Department.

I just don't know what part of the Constitution the gentleman doesn't understand, but the truth of the matter is that this law passed the House of Representatives, passed the Senate, was signed into law, and verified by the United States Supreme Court, and still we hear people yelling at the darkness that we should repeal it.

Now, there are ways to do these things, but one thing is abundantly clear: the way we have been going about this, the 52 parliamentary opportunities that the House has had, this doesn't work. And so if you tried something 51 times, it would seem to me, unless somebody is putting something in the water on the other side of the aisle, that we will try something else like try to repair it, try to fix it, try in a bipartisan way to see where we agree that changes could be made to make it easier for employers and employees. But this barking at the Moon, to me, is just a waste of taxpayers' money and time.

How many speakers do we have, and how much time do we have remaining, Mr. Speaker?

How many speakers does the gentleman have? I only have two speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

At this time, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), the former chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee that played such an important role in bringing this historic legislation to the floor and to the law.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), our distinguished minority whip. Maybe after he expresses what makes common sense, our Republican friends may change their minds, and so I yield for the hard work he has done in this area, and good luck.

(Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Thank you, Chairman Levin.

Mr. Speaker, this bill has nothing to do with paying the doctors who work every day in giving medical care to Medicare patients. It has to do with destroying the Affordable Care Act for the 51st time.

I am certain that those who are listening to the debate and who know what is going on believe it is ridiculous to try to defeat a bill that has been signed into law, because they know that the Senate is not going to pass it, and they know--the Republicans, that is--that the President would veto it.

So why do they do it?

They do it because there is a small group of people in the Republican Party that doesn't mind politically dying. I don't mind their taking down the party if that is their intent, but they are taking down the Democrats and the reputations of the House of Representatives as well. Somewhere along the line, the Speaker has to do again what he has done before, and that is to say, ``Enough of this. We are not going to allow the wings of the Congress to be broken on one side just because some people want their way.''

So I assume that nobody in these districts has insurance problems. I assume that everyone is insured and is working in these districts in which they are trying to destroy the Affordable Care Act and that they don't have any preconditions that restrict them from getting health care. They all are working and they all are happy. I just hope that, one day before this year ends, the Republicans will come to their senses and will try to gain the respectability and the credibility that they once enjoyed.

I am a die-hard Democrat, but I don't want this country just to have one party. We do need two responsible parties in order to guide this Nation through its democratic process.

Madam Speaker, my colleagues, there is a cancer growing in the Republican Party in the House of Representatives, and as much of a Democrat as I am, I hate to see this happen because our government is based on a two-party system. Now this cancer, this small group of people in the Republican Party in the House, have already torn down the credibility of the entire House of Representatives because they are doing the same insane thing 50 times without getting any results, and they are not doing anything else. It is bad enough that all of us have to go down in political favoritism, or our reputations go down, but this small group of people have gone far enough now that the national Republican Party has no credibility.

I will not embarrass anybody by asking them just who do you think nationally should serve our country from, pardon the expression, the Republican Party. You have none. Somewhere along the line, this insanity has to stop because you are not beating up on Democrats, you are beating up on people who have no health insurance.

If you don't like the President, if you don't like this bill, let's talk about the millions of people who have no health insurance instead of just for the 50th time saying you don't like the bill. It is the law. The House and the Senate have signed it. The Supreme Court has verified it. The President can veto anything you do if something did happen.

Why don't we talk about immigration reform? Rebuild the integrity of your great party from past years. Why don't we talk about the minimum wage, where all candidates will say if you work hard in America and do the right thing, then you can achieve anything you want. If you are middle class, you can achieve poverty. If you are in poverty, you can't even get a decent wage for working. There are so many things we can do.

Don't you remember the days before the Affordable Care Act when you had constituents coming in saying: I can't get insurance? How about the days when people would say: My husband was in the hospital and they cut off insurance. Or even worse: I tried to get insurance and they told me I was so sick, so I can't get any more insurance. Or the guy who is working and he is on his parents' insurance, and he is 26 years old. Don't you have any of these people in your congressional districts? Are all of your people well and can do without health insurance?

How do you go home and explain that we do have a bill and instead of perfecting it, supporting it, educating your people how they can get health insurance, that you have tried not once, you have tried 10 times, 20 times, 30 times, 40 times, now 50 times to derail and destroy it.

I don't know how you get away with it. I don't know what you put in the water that you feed your constituents, but it certainly doesn't make sense that you can try to destroy and at the same time not to substitute.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Estiven Rodriguez, a high school student from my congressional district, to the nation's Capitol as he was one of the additional guests who was seated in the box with the First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden and Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, at the State of the Union Address on Tuesday, January 28, 2013.

It made me extremely proud to welcome Estiven who has been invited by the White House to represent the best and the brightest students in my congressional district. Students like Estiven inspire us all with hope and optimism for a better America, where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Estiven Rodriguez is the son of a Dominican immigrant, he arrived in the United States when he was nine years old and didn't speak any English. When he entered Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School (WHEELS) in the sixth grade, he still spoke and understood very limited English. Now a high school senior, Estiven is one of the top students in his class and will attend Dickinson College in the fall on a Posse Foundation Scholarship, making him a first-generation college student. ``At only 16, 17 years old, he, in many ways, embodies the spirit of a life-long learner. He is a model student,'' said Erick Espin, Estiven's 11th grade United States history teacher. Outside of his academic studies, Estiven is also a member of the school's math club, and soccer and track teams. Earlier this month, Estiven attended an event at the White House on expanding college opportunity. His story underscores the importance of the President's goal to give all kids a chance to get ahead, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.

Estiven has been chosen as one of the guests who have been invited to sit with the First Lady to represent the stories of millions of Americans across the country, who are working hard to better their communities, improve their own economic outcomes and help restore opportunity for all.''

Let me thank my friend and my colleague from New York for bringing this important issue to the attention of our Congress and the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, it is a strange thing about those Americans who have been raised in poor communities. That is, as they grow older, it seems that God has blessed them to remember just the good things that they have enjoyed, and the misery and the pain somehow fades away; but I think that the most important thing that comes out of this is the hope for the future. Very few Americans have not witnessed in their families devastating economic impacts, but that was more than compensated for because they knew, if they had to be in any country in the world in which some of these problems could be resolved through opportunity, they would be in the United States of America.

The tragic thing that we have today is that this dream appears to be fading for the poor as well as for the middle class. When that happens, I think what makes America different from so many other countries is that it is possible to have classes that are locked in frigid concrete, as used to be the case in Europe--that is dramatically changing to be more fluid as it relates to upward mobility--while it appears to us that today, if you were born in poverty, you are almost destined to remain in poverty. What a sinful, historic condition that would make. What a tragic example it would set for the rest of the world that has used us as an example as to what human beings can do.

What is it that the economists don't see? Poverty is not only painful; it destroys the very fiber of our economic productivity. Sick people, poor people are not productive people. There are inclinations for them to cost more in terms of dollars and cents than if we provided them with the tools for them to acquire decent jobs with decent living wages. People are talking about equality in wages, but I am not comfortable with that expression because I don't want some of my friends on the other side of the aisle thinking that I think everyone should have the same income in terms of equality; but when it comes to the equality of opportunity--when it comes to making certain that you can tell your kids that you are doing pretty good but that you know that they can do better--and then when it comes to those dreams being hurt because of examples that we find in this country, then it hurts the whole idea of manufacturers wanting to have their workers be in a position to buy the things that they are manufacturing or the services they are providing.

So I am glad that we have this time tonight to go beyond the pain of poverty and to talk about the hopes and the dreams that people have in coming to this country. They come here not to remain poor. They don't come here to get rich. They come here because of the opportunity we have--and poverty is a poison that can get into any economy and make it impossible for poor folks to get out of it.

Thank you so much for constantly reminding this great country that we can't afford to lose that greatness, because a lot of it was in God we trust. I do hope, as a result of our voices, that we hear from some of the people who hear directly from God--our ministers and our rabbis--to be able to understand that Jesus may have said that the meek shall inherit the Earth, but he sure didn't mean that the meek should suffer while the rich just get richer. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Mr. Speaker, if someone were to read the history of the United States, they would think that all the Democrats in this country were poor and all the Republicans were rich.

In the last few years of this Presidency, it amazes me how the Republicans have done a pretty good job making certain that we don't close the tax loopholes for the very wealthy and that we don't raise any type of revenue through taxes. They have fought against things such as money for jobs, the Affordable Health Care Act, and affordable housing. There are just so many things.

But then it gets to basic moral things that don't concern what party label or how you vote. It is just what happens to a person when the only thing that they are relying on is unemployment compensation. What happens when 1.3 million of these people no longer get that check?

Well, I can tell you because, unfortunately, I don't come from a wealthy district. Sometimes they can't pay their rent. Sometimes they get evicted. Sometimes they can't get to their job. Sometimes their car notes aren't paid. And then we find people drifting into poverty. And that's where we really pay--not only in the misery and the pain of hardworking Americans, but we pay in terms of welfare.

Please, Republicans, pass this to give some assistance for the 1.3 million Americans.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor legendary American Jazz drummer and composer Chico Hamilton who passed away on November 25, 2013 at the age of 92 in New York. Chico Hamilton was a dear friend and an inspiration to countless of musicians and jazz enthusiasts worldwide. The California-born musician was famous for his unique cool melodic sound that forever revolutionized how jazz drums were played and incorporated into music. Although I speak with grief of such an overwhelming loss, I ascend to rejoice a life well lived and proudly remember the accomplishments of such a remarkable musician and artist.

Mr. Hamilton was born Foreststorn Hamilton in Los Angeles on September 21, 1921. A passionate drummer, he played in high school jazz bands alongside, his good friend and famous saxophonist Dexter Gordon. As a teenager, Mr. Hamilton quickly made a name for himself and earned a place touring with Lionel Hampton's famed big band. Not only was Mr. Hamilton a talented musician, but he also proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Upon his return, his love of music led him to greatness, as he played alongside artists like Count Basie, Jimmy Mundy, and Charlie Barnet. Mr. Hamilton would soon find overwhelming success after starting his own quintet in 1955.

The Chico Hamilton Quintet was celebrated for its distinctive laid- back swing style and fusion of creative sound; it soon became a staple at many major jazz festivals, clubs and college campuses for decades. Even as recently as this past October, Mr. Hamilton performed for passionate music fans regularly at Manhattan's Drom. Throughout his illustrious career, Mr. Hamilton recorded over 60 albums as a leader on several prominent recording labels, including: Columbia, Soul Note, Impulse and Pacific Jazz. His work has been eternalized in many classical films and musicals, including ``Sweet Smell of Success'' and ``You'll Never Get Rich,'' with Fred Astaire.

Most notably, Mr. Hamilton was a dedicated great-grandfather, grandfather, father and husband who is survived by his daughter Denise Hamilton; his brother Don; one granddaughter and two great- granddaughters. He will be forever remembered for his work as a pioneering jazz drummer and his dedication to his family.

Mr. Speaker, rather than mourn his passing, I hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating the life of my friend Chico Hamilton by remembering that he exemplified greatness in every way.

Let me first thank the gentlelady from California for carrying this torch during a time that there seems to be such a lack of sensitivity to the poor. As with Lyndon Johnson, there was a concentration of those people who vote--that is, the middle class--and somehow even now, 50 years later, we have a lot of concerns, and rightly so, about the middle class, but somehow the poor have just been written off. And the gentlelady from California and our minority leader together have reminded us that we have a basic obligation here that if you want to take care of the country and our spiritual needs, the poor cannot be excluded.

So in listening more recently to the words that President Johnson spoke in the joint session in 1964, it was really an act of courage to talk about something that too many people seemed to be embarrassed about, and the fact is that we had a national obligation to take care of the lesser of our brothers and sisters.

Today we can take for granted Medicaid, Medicare, expansion of Social Security, incentives for our children, and earned income tax credits. All of it was done not as Blacks and Whites or northerners and southerners or Democrats and Republicans, but with a spirit that that was a part of the reason that we were sent to Congress, to make this a stronger Nation.

And it is interesting how moved so many people in the world were to hear the breath of fresh air coming from Rome and from the Pope, not a message to Catholics but a message to the world in pointing out that we have a responsibility to God, to thank Him or Her for what has been given to us; but, more importantly, to follow those Biblical guidelines that say that we have an obligation to think in terms of the lesser of our brothers and sisters. And so whether we are seeking warmer clothes or assistance during times of ill health, it seems to me that we have this political and we have this spiritual need.

Finally, I would like to say to the gentlelady and those listening, I think from a patriot's point of view and from an economist's point of view and from a nationalist's point of view and from a national security point of view, this Nation cannot survive with expansion of the poor, the poverty of the middle class, and the wealthy just accumulating wealth by standing by doing nothing.

What made this country great are not the rich and the poor, but those people who can hope to achieve for their children through education and hard work, to achieve anything that is possible for humankind to do, and this is what built that Nation. And today, it is frightening as we see the disparity between the very poor and the very wealthy, to see that even talks about it would have Presidents and Members of Congress to be called socialists and, indeed, even the Pope. But the fact remains that unless we have people who have the ability to purchase, unless we have small businesses that are responsible for most all of the jobs in this country, unless we have people manufacturing and providing goods and services, then we don't have an economy.

And so no matter which way you look at it, from a political or economic point of view, if our Nation is not going to succeed in terms of economic security, it can no longer be concerned with its national security and the leadership position that we hold in the world.

So let me thank the gentlelady for constantly reminding us that this isn't a one-day job that we have to do. This isn't a Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Democrat, Republican issue. This is something that the world is watching what we do with our own, and hoping that once we get our act together, perhaps we can do more for the world.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the passing of East Harlem's beloved Sister Mary Nerney who passed away on November 27, 2013 at the age of 75. Sister Mary Nerney was a dear friend of mine and a pillar to our community as she advocated for women with histories of abuse and trauma. Although I speak with grief of such an overwhelming loss, I ascend to rejoice a life well lived and proudly remember the accomplishments of a remarkable woman.

Sister Mary Nemey was admired for her leading role in the Catholic social justice movement in New York City. As unemployment, violence, and drug use began affecting women disproportionately in Harlem during the late 1970s, Sister Nerney undertook the challenge of constructing a pathway for female prisoners to reenter society. Through her diligent work, Sister Mary was able to found numerous alternatives to incarceration programs designed for female offenders.

In 1975, Sister Mary Nerney formed Project Green Hope: Services for Women Inc. in Harlem to offer a treatment program for formerly incarcerated women. As envisioned by Sister Nemey, her organization developed formal relationships with the criminal justice system and expanded its work to include services for women on parole. Through Sister Nerney's leadership, the program has helped over 4,000 women reclaim their lives by reestablishing contact with their families and children, enrolling in educational programs and securing housing at their Green Hope Houses.

Sister Mary Nerney also founded STEPS To End Family Violence in 1986 after she saw a great need for services for the victims of gender-based violence and trauma in New York jails and prisons. And though STEPS began with a staff of two, Sister Nerney developed it into an extensive network of comprehensive services and innovative programs for abused women. Thanks to Sister Nerney's constant work, STEPS now offers essential teen programs, children's therapy, counseling, and legal services to help prevent further gender-related violence and trauma.

Sister Nemey was loved in our community because of her constant work with staple organizations and her unwavering Women's Rights activism. She was a proud member of the Pax Christi Catholic Peace Movement, the

New York State Coalition Against Violence, the New York Coalition for Women Prisoners and the Legal Aid Society Board. Her outstanding commitment to Women's Rights Advocacy has won her awards from the Network Women of Justice in 1997 and the Human Services Consortium of East Harlem for 30 years of outstanding work in the community. Sister Mary also founded the Incarcerated Mothers Program and was a founding member of the Coalition for Women Prisoners. Only days before her death, our dear Sister Nerney continued to counsel inmates and visit prisons with the message of hope for a better life.

Mr. Speaker, rather than mourn her passing, I hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating the life of my friend Sister Mary Nerney by remembering that she exemplified greatness in every way.

Mr. Speaker, let me thank Congressman Engel for the compassion which he has demonstrated for the families of those that survived, those that are injured, and those that have been lost.

While all of us are anxious to see the results of the investigation, we all have to ask ourselves, could this be avoided and did these people die in vain, and what are we going to do about it?

It would appear to me that the first thing everyone thinks of is the infrastructure: Could this have happened in Japan, in China, or in some other industrialized country? It just stresses how important infrastructure is.

It is not just the question of looking modern and developing commerce. It is human lives we are talking about. Let's not let the people who died die in vain. Let us all collectively look at our bridges, our roads, our tunnels, and our airports all over our great Nation so that we can avoid these types of tragedies.

Mr. Speaker, the month of November has been set aside to focus the nation's attention on one of the most chronic and debilitating diseases in the nation--Diabetes. It is estimated that the national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $245 billion. Diabetes is a challenging disease that affects the entire family in many ways, which is why the theme for 2013 National Diabetes Month is Diabetes is a Family Affair.

The theme reinforces the work of National Diabetes Education Program and its work with individuals, families and communities to take action and encourage simple, but important lifestyle changes to improve their health--particularly if they have diabetes or are at risk for the disease. Raising awareness and understanding of diabetes, its consequences, management and prevention of Type II Diabetes are important elements in this month's effort.

Diabetes is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin. If left undiagnosed or untreated, diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and even death. With early diagnosis and treatment and lifestyle changes, people with diabetes may prevent the development of these health problems.

Nearly 26 million children and adults in our country suffer from diabetes. Another 79 million people have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing Type II Diabetes. Unfortunately, the occurrence of diabetes is at least two to four times higher among minority women compared to white women.

An estimated 1.3 million adult New Yorkers (almost one in eight) now have diabetes. A record number of New Yorkers, approximately 5,695 people, died from diabetes and related causes in 2011--about one death every 90 minutes, 16 deaths every day. These numbers are so staggering that diabetes has been declared an epidemic by the NYC Health Department. For too many Americans, diabetes is thought of as a minor hindrance, rather than a life-changing disease.

Diabetes is 24/7, 365 days a year and it takes extraordinary efforts to live an ordinary day with diabetes.

I am committed to educating the public about how to stop diabetes and support those living with the disease. I applaud the efforts of the New York Chapter of the American Diabetes Association and other diabetes support and education programs, including St. Lukes/Roosevelt Endocrine Clinic, Mt. Sinai Endocrinology, Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, Montefiore Conical Diabetes Center and North Bronx Health Care Network for their continued service to the residents of the 13th Congressional District.

As a proud cosponsor of the Eliminating Disparities in Diabetes Prevention, Access and Care Act, aimed to promote diabetes research, treatment and prevention in minority populations, I will continue supporting the issues surrounding diabetes and the many people who are impacted by the disease.''

Let me thank Congressman Waxman for giving me this opportunity.

The majority has said that Presidents are remembered by certain things, and this outstanding President will be remembered because he said, if you have a plan--and he didn't say ``no matter how bad it is''--you can keep it. I think he will be remembered historically as being the first President in the United States of America that has told people that, for the first time, every American will have access to affordable health care.

On the other side, history is going to record them, too. They never said that they had any concern at all and never had a plan for the 30 million people that every day are waiting for this plan to go into effect, and that they would publicly acknowledge that they don't want to improve upon mistakes that may have been made but they want to derail, to destroy, and to eliminate and to repeal universal health care for Americans.

I say this. The President apologized yesterday, and I apologize for the United States Congress to those people without insurance today.

If you believe that the administration has done something wrong, for God's sake, let's work together to correct it. But to just ignore the fact that 70 percent of Americans already have good insurance and it is going to be improved, to ignore the fact that 30 million people and their legacy is in jeopardy because they can't afford to have serious illnesses, and to believe that those that belong to the 5 percent that really get caught in what we are supposed to be fixing today, I tell you that there is no evidence at all that the Republican Party wanted to fix anything for the uninsured of America.

Mr. Speaker, on this day I rise to recognize the 100th Anniversary of the Nation's oldest Spanish-language newspaper, El Diario La Prensa. This important periodical is the result of a historic merger between competing press companies, El Diario de Nueva York and La Prensa in 1963. La Prensa was founded in Brooklyn on October 12, 1913, and has since grown to serve approximately 300,000 daily readers across the country, many of them in my beloved District that includes the Washington Heights, El Barrio and The Bronx. The Spanish press is important, especially today when our U.S. Latino population has grown to nearly 53 million individuals. I congratulate El Diario for its dedication to providing indispensable information to the Latino community, as well as coverage on important issues that affect my dear constituents, such as immigration and health reform.

During its 100 years, El Diario La Prensa has served the several waves of Spanish-speaking immigrants who boldly ventured to the United States in search of a better life. New York City has traditionally served as the ``Gateway to Freedom'' for many Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and South Americans and this extraordinary company has provided an outlet for these distinct communities. Although this new era of digital communication and the recent economic crisis have brought unprecedented challenges for our local newspapers, el El Diario La Prensa will continue to play a dominant role in news media. Its popularity and reputation for providing quality news coverage has allowed the publication to withstand these blows and strengthen its circulation during the past few years.

El Diario La Prensa also serves to help assimilate Latinos into the greater realm of American culture. Important American milestones and tragedies were covered and printed in Spanish by El Diario, such as the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the moon landing, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Moreover, it has documented Hispanic American breakthroughs, including the election of Herman Badillo as the first Puerto Rican to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor as the first Latina Supreme Court justice. El Diario has also displayed great initiative in preserving Hispanic heritage by installing photo exhibitions at Hostos College and the King Juan Carlos Center at New York University, as well as creating guides for New York City educators who wish to teach their students about Hispanic American culture.

Today, El Diario continues its vigilant watch by focusing on stories related to immigration politics and other issues that greatly influence the lives of Latino and non-Latino citizens. Despite having a limited number of staff and resources, El Diario La Prensa manages to distribute more than 42,000 copies daily in New York City; this allows many undocumented immigrants who rely on El Diario to stay abreast of developments that affect their struggle towards citizenship.

As we celebrate El Dario's 100th year Anniversary, we are emboldened by its mission to serve as a voice for America's underrepresented Latino community. We can further advance this goal by passing legislation on comprehensive immigration reform in the House of Representatives. The Spanish press serves a particularly important role in dispelling the rumors and misunderstandings often attached to progressive immigration reform legislation. That it is why I invite all members of our wonderful Congress to form strong partnerships with Spanish-language media in their respective communities.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise, and hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating El Diario La Prensa's century of outstanding service to our nation's Latino Community. In the meantime, I will continue to fight for all my constituents who strive to build a better life and fulfill of the American Dream. America's immigrants, for generations, have bolstered our economy, enriched our culture, and patriotically defended the United States. We are, by large, a nation of immigrants, and now is the time to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that helps grow our economy, prevents families from being separated, and creates a pathway to citizenship.

Mr. Speaker, on this day I rise to recognize the 100th Anniversary of the Nation's oldest Spanish-language newspaper, El Diario La Prensa. This important periodical is the result of a historic merger between competing press companies, El Diario de Nueva York and La Prensa in 1963. La Prensa was founded in Brooklyn on October 12, 1913, and has since grown to serve approximately 300,000 daily readers across the country, many of them in my beloved District that includes the Washington Heights, El Barrio and The Bronx. The Spanish press is important, especially today when our U.S. Latino population has grown to nearly 53 million individuals. I congratulate El Diario for its dedication to providing indispensable information to the Latino community, as well as coverage on important issues that affect my dear constituents, such as immigration and health reform.

During its 100 years, El Diario La Prensa has served the several waves of Spanish-speaking immigrants who boldly ventured to the United States in search of a better life. New York City has traditionally served as the ``Gateway to Freedom'' for many Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and South Americans and this extraordinary company has provided an outlet for these distinct communities. Although this new era of digital communication and the recent economic crisis have brought unprecedented challenges for our local newspapers, el El Diario La Prensa will continue to play a dominant role in news media. Its popularity and reputation for providing quality news coverage has allowed the publication to withstand these blows and strengthen its circulation during the past few years.

El Diario La Prensa also serves to help assimilate Latinos into the greater realm of American culture. Important American milestones and tragedies were covered and printed in Spanish by El Diario, such as the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the moon landing, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Moreover, it has documented Hispanic American breakthroughs, including the election of Herman Badillo as the first Puerto Rican to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor as the first Latina Supreme Court justice. El Diario has also displayed great initiative in preserving Hispanic heritage by installing photo exhibitions at Hostos College and the King Juan Carlos Center at New York University, as well as creating guides for New York City educators who wish to teach their students about Hispanic American culture.

Today, El Diario continues its vigilant watch by focusing on stories related to immigration politics and other issues that greatly influence the lives of Latino and non-Latino citizens. Despite having a limited number of staff and resources, El Diario La Prensa manages to distribute more than 42,000 copies daily in New York City; this allows many undocumented immigrants who rely on El Diario to stay abreast of developments that affect their struggle towards citizenship.

As we celebrate El Dario 's 100th year Anniversary, we are emboldened by its mission to serve as a voice for America's underrepresented Latino community. We can further advance this goal by passing legislation on comprehensive immigration reform in the House of Representatives. The Spanish press serves a particularly important role in dispelling the rumors and misunderstandings often attached to progressive immigration reform legislation. That it is why I invite all members of our wonderful Congress to form strong partnerships with Spanish-language media in their respective communities.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise, and hope that my colleagues will join me in celebrating El Diario La Prensa's century of outstanding service to our nation's Latino Community. In the meantime, I will continue to fight for all my constituents who strive to build a better life and fulfill of the American Dream. America's immigrants, for generations, have bolstered our economy, enriched our culture, and patriotically defended the United States. We are, by large, a nation of immigrants, and now is the time to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation that helps grow our economy, prevents families from being separated, and creates a pathway to citizenship.

Mr. Speaker, October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, during which we take actions to address domestic abuse and encourage people to speak up and seek help. It is when everyone can join in the efforts led by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence to end the violence and keep our communities safe.

Domestic violence is a major issue that affects our society as a whole. Many families live day to day with some form of abuse as their reality. Millions of domestic violence incidents are reported each year, and many more go undocumented. While domestic violence is not gender specific, women are the most common group affected by domestic abuse. One in four women experience domestic violence in their life and in New York State alone, 85 percent of the victims of domestic violence in 2010 were women.

In New York City, the NYPD responded to more than 263,000 domestic violence calls last year. To put that into perspective that would be about 700 reports of domestic violence a day or one every two minutes. I am dedicated to making the community safer for my constituents; recently I co-sponsored the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, which was signed into law by President Obama on March 7, 2013. The law addresses the major issue of domestic violence and makes huge strides to help put an end to it. Through the renewal of the 1994 legislation, victims of abuse will have access to resources they need to find help, and law enforcement will be better prepared to respond faster than ever. It is important that we foster an environment where people do not fear to leave an abusive situation.

I commend the outstanding work of our community organizations in addressing this problem: The Harlem Community Justice Center, New York City Family Justice Centers, STEPS to End Family Violence, Sanctuary for Families, The New York Latinas Against Domestic Violence, The New York City Human Resources Administration/ Department of Social Services (24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-621-HOPE), The Center against Domestic Violence of New York (24-Hour Hotline: 1-718-439-1000), The Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (New York State Hotline: 1-800-942- 6906, and Safe Horizon (800)-621-HOPE (4673), have all done incredible work in providing invaluable assistance to the victims of domestic violence and in raising awareness.

If you are a victim of domestic violence please raise your voice and get help. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any of the resources listed above. We as a community support you and we will fight domestic violence together.