Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and those who risked their lives in the fight on terrorism. I also rise today to discuss the slow pace, or rather the lack of pace, in the reforms called for by the 9/11 Commission.

The 9/11 Commission was chartered by Congress to examine and report on the facts and causes relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. What of those recommendations have we enacted? Every time the polls go down for the Bush administration a new threat is discovered.

Since September 11, in fact, I have been lobbying the Bush administration for additional security funding for our Nation's ports and other areas of our Nation's infrastructure, such as freight and passenger rail, our subway system, busses, tunnels and bridges. There are other areas of vulnerability that are outside of aviation security.

The Bush administration has been telling the American people that they are checking only 3 to 4 percent of all cargo that comes into our ports, but in reality all they are checking is the manifest that lists the inventories of the ship.

Now, I think the American people are smart enough to know that if reading a piece of paper provided by the shipper is what passes for port security, then we are all in trouble.

We spent $4.4 billion alone on aviation security, while only $36 million is being spent on all surface transportation security programs. And with respect to our Nation's ports, which serve as the main economic engine for many of the areas in which they are found, an attack would not only be extremely dangerous to the local citizens, but economically disastrous as well.

The Bush administration and the Republicans talk a great talk about security, but they do not, and I repeat, do not walk the walk.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Ms. Johnson's bill, House Resolution 928. This bill, which expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that our Nation adopt a week each year to honor our Nation's Historically Black Colleges and Universities, is a measure that would serve as an outstanding tribute to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

There are four HBCUs in the State of Florida: Florida Memorial in Miami; Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, of which I am a graduate; Edward College, which is in the heart of my district; and Bethune Cookman College, a great institution in Daytona Beach, a school I work very closely with.

The importance and the outstanding work HBCUs do around the country is most noteworthy. In addition to educating African American students nationwide, they provide resources for our communities, such as mentoring and tutoring programs for our youth.

Nationwide, HBCUs enroll 14 percent of all African American students in higher education, even though they make up just 3 percent of our Nation's 4,000 institutions of higher education. HBCUs have awarded master's degrees and first professional degrees to about one in every six African American men and women, and awarded 24 percent of all baccalaureate degrees earned by African Americans nationwide.

I commend Ms. Johnson in her efforts on behalf of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and I strongly support House passage of this bill.

I also want to commend you, Mr. Ranking Member and Mr. Education, for all the work that you have done to help black colleges throughout the years. I do know that we have representatives on the Hill today, and they have been so important working with black colleges. I want to welcome them to their Capitol.

Madam Speaker, I yield to Mr. Nadler from New York such time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this bill, the Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act.

As you may know, I am from Florida. I do not hide that fact and am very proud of it. Occasionally, we get hurricanes in Florida and it is dangerous for us to stay in our homes.

When I go to a shelter, I do not want to have to worry that the person next to me has a gun. The shelter is a safe haven, and if that man over there has a gun, I am not safe.

The police are there for a reason. If a person has a gun, that is a threat to the public safety.

Looting is bad. I do not deny that. However, possessions can be replaced. Things are just that: things.

Your life cannot be replaced.

Vote no on this bill today.

Let us debate this bill in Committee and hold hearings to hear all sides of the issue before we decide whether we are putting our first responders into greater danger.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the legislation introduced by my good friend from Illinois, Lane Evans.

I have worked for years with the distinguished Ranking Member on the Veterans Committee and am sorry to see him leave this fine institution. I have been blessed to have known him and this Congress will be diminished without him.

However, I am here to speak on legislation to improve driver awareness when driving around visually impaired persons.

There are 1.5 million visually impaired Americans.

The bill requests that every State in the country include information in the driver education material and driver license application manuals. Such information would instruct drivers of motor vehicles to approach persons with white canes or guide dogs with recognition that such individuals are blind and that extra caution should be exercised.

It is common sense legislation that will help save a life.

This legislation was passed by the House of Representatives in the 108th Congress, but could not come to an agreement with the Senate before the end of the session. I hope we can agree to this legislation and pass it before the end of this Congress.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my chairman for his strong leadership on the committee. I am proud that our Railroad Subcommittee has been dedicated to protecting and improving the retirement benefit the hard- working employees who are part of the railroad retirement system. Too often we look at an industry and we forget about the devoted men and women who are working very hard every day to serve their customers.

This legislation teaches us a very valuable lesson, particularly as we begin to debate legislation sunsetting Federal agencies. We learn that sometimes government can do better and cheaper than the private sector can. I want to repeat that. Sometimes government can do better and cheaper than the private sector can.

In 2001, the Railroad Retirement and Survivors Improvement Act made several changes to the railroad benefit system, including requiring the Railroad Retirement Board to contract with a private firm for distributing Tier II benefits. However, the Railroad Retirement Board quickly learned that an outside company would cost $3 million more than using the U.S. Treasury Department.

Since the 2001 legislation was enacted, the Appropriations Committee has provided a waiver for this requirement, but this bill would permanently make the U.S. Treasury Department the distribution agent for Tier II railroad retirement benefits and end the need for this yearly benefit.

This plan was proposed by the Railroad Retirement Board and the Railroad Retirement Investment Trustees and is supported by both railroad management and labor. I urge my colleagues to support speedy passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I whipped up my snake oil this morning. Snake oil, that is what every 2 years the Republicans whip out. Snake oil this week in Congress. That is, passing legislation that they know will never come into law.

But Democrats are united in taking America in a new direction.

This week marks the second anniversary of the release of the 9/11 Commission recommendations. House Republicans have refused to institute their recommendations, receiving Ds and Fs from the 9/11 Commission on protecting the homeland.

House Democrats want to make the recommendations into law as soon as possible. We want to secure the 25 million passengers who ride Amtrak each year, our neighborhoods, our ports, and our borders. Democrats want to ensure all Americans have access to good-paying jobs by raising the minimum wage and ending outsourcing. We want to make college more affordable.

This time the American people will not be fooled. No more snake oil.

We want to make college more affordable for middle class families by making some college tuition costs tax deductible, expanding Pell Grants and cutting interest costs on student loans in half.

For too long, House Republicans have ignored the needs of hardworking middle class families. Their attempts to distract and divide won't work. The American people are ready for a change.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of a clean voting rights bill. Let me say that those people that question whether we need a voting rights bill or not, I have to remind you of Florida 2000, where in my district 27,000 votes in my precinct were thrown out. 27,000. And you know they say the President won by 535.

But we have a long list of voting rights violations, and it goes on and on. But there is one that stands out in my mind. Florida Governor Jeb Bush spent $4 million of taxpayer money to purge a list of 40,000 suspect felons from the rolls across the State, with zero consideration of accuracy. Later we found out that these people were eligible to vote; but when they went to vote, they were turned away.

Another reason, as my colleague said, I was one of the first African Americans elected to Congress in 129 years. Let us pass the Voting Rights Act and not have another Supreme Court coup d'etat in America.

Mr. Chairman, let me just say that one of the issues that many of my constituents call and they are very concerned about is time. They are concerned whether or not they are going to lose their right to vote. No, they are not. But I want to read a brief statement from the administration, the Bush administration:

``The administration is strongly committed to renewing the Voting Rights Act and therefore supports House bill H.R. 9. The Voting Rights Act is one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in the Nation's history, and the President has directed

the full power and resources of the Justice Department to protect each citizen's right to vote and to preserve the integrity of the Nation's voting process. The administration is pleased the House is taking action to renew this important legislation. The administration supports the legislative intent of H.R. 9 to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court 2003 decision in Georgia v. Ashcroft.''

That says it all. Bipartisan support. Democrats, Republicans, and the administration. This is an American bill

Mr. Speaker, let me just say, Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, if there is any question as to whether or not we still need the Voting Rights Act, remember the Florida 2000 election and the coup d'etat where 27,000 ballots were disregarded, simply thrown out right in my congressional district, precincts 7, 8, 9 and 10, that vote 98 percent Democratic. Yes, it is still clear that the Voting Rights Act today is needed just as much as it was 40 years ago.

Another reason: When I was elected to Congress in 1992, it had been 129 years since an African American was elected in Florida to the United States Congress. Let me repeat, 129 years. If it was not for the Voting Rights Act, the State of Florida would still likely be without an African American Representative.

We still have a ways to go, and Congress must pass the Voting Rights Act, and not some watered-down version of it, to guarantee that millions of minorities' votes around the Nation and 3 million minorities in the State of Florida will have their voices heard and have their votes counted.

Remember the coup d'etat 2000 election.

First of all, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Bennie Thompson for his hard work on the Homeland Security Committee and for working with the Transportation Committee in developing very important and long overdue rail and transit security legislation.

Yesterday, in India, bomb blasts ripped through their commuter rail network, killing 142 people and injuring over 350. This is a terrible tragedy and again raises the serious question as to whether we are prepared in this country for a similar attack. Sadly, the answer is no. No.

When it comes to rail and transit security in this country, this administration, the Bush administration, and this Congress deserve an F for failing to develop a plan to protect our daily transit and rail commuters from harm.

It has been over 2 years since the train bombing in Madrid, 3/11/04, and just last week the 1-year anniversary of the transit bombing in London. Yet the Bush administration has done nothing to protect this Nation's freight and transit rail system and its millions of passengers.

We spend over $1 billion a week in Iraq. Let me repeat that. We are spending over $1 billion a week in Iraq. We are spending over $1 billion a week in Iraq, and yet the Bush administration can only come up with a measly $136 million to protect this Nation's rail and transit system for an entire year. That is pathetic. But that is the kind of fuzzy math that this administration is famous for, and it needs to stop before American citizens pay the price for this stupidity.

We can't keep treating our rail infrastructure as second class citizens. We have dedicated billions of dollars to the airline industry and created a grants program for the ports. But we have done little to invest in the security upgrade of our rail infrastructure needs.

Fortunately for the traveling public, the legislation introduced by Congressman Thompson and myself and other Democratic Members require comprehensive security plans. And let me just say, security should not be a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It should be an American issue. Clear up the red tape. Improve training and exercise programs, improve communications and intelligence, share authority and $400 million in security improvement grants per year and add $26 million for additional rail inspectors.

Most important, it will help make sure our community, our first responders and our rail workers are safe. These are the concerns I hear over and over again as ranking member of the Railroad Subcommittee. And I believe that this legislation takes the necessary steps to create a rail security program that protects passengers and keeps the trains running on time. The millions of Americans who use trains and transit for travel each year deserve no less.

Mr. Chairman, during the State of the Union message, I thought I was having a flashback. I thought I was watching ``Dallas'' and J. R. Ewing was talking to us.

But, no, I was actually listening to the President of the United States, George W. Bush; and he was saying that we were hooked on oil. Funny. We are hooked on oil. Yet that was the same day that oil companies announced the largest profit in the history of the United States, $39 billion.

Yes, folks, we have got a problem, an energy problem. But let us not compound it by destroying Florida's coasts. In the past, the Florida delegation has always worked together, unified, to protect the coast of Florida. As former Governor and Senator Bob Graham used to say, if you live long enough, you will be a Floridian.

Eighty percent of the Floridians do not support drilling off the coast of Florida. Vote ``no'' on this horrible bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the roundtable discussion held today that brought together representatives of Veterans' Widows International Network, Gold Star Wives, National Association of Uniformed Services, Military Officers Association of America, Vietnam Veterans of America and other veteran survivor organizations.

I made this statement to them today:

I want to thank Edmee Hills, Ron Armstead and the entire VWIN for organizing this 2nd Annual Conference on widow, survivors and family members.

I believe that June 28 should be made into a National Day of Recognition. for all Veterans Survivors.

As you say in your proposed proclamation--since the days more than 200 years ago, servicemen's spouses have followed their husbands from place to place within the United States as well as overseas. These women, who during their husbands' active duty career, unselfishly made great sacrifices to insure the support and welfare of our armed forces on the local and national levels.

These women, and today, the men who are here on the homefront, are the mental lifeline today's soldiers need to stay grounded in an insane situation: WAR.

Gone are the days, or they should be, when a soldier's usefulness ended when his service ended. The families are great resources and should be treated as such.

I am a cosponsor of two bills regarding the Survivors Benefit Plan.

H.R. 808, the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act, which repeals provisions to require the offset of amounts paid in dependency and indemnity compensation from Survivor Benefit Plan annuities for the surviving spouses of former military personnel who are entitled to military pay or retired pay.

H.R. 968, to change the effective date for paid-up coverage under the military Survivor Benefit Plan from October 1, 2008. It should be covered now. Survivors should not have to deal with the bureaucracy and their grief.

In addition, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1573, a bill to provide that the increase of $250 per month in the rate of monthly dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) payable to a surviving spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who dies on active duty or as a result of a service-connected disability shall be paid for so long as there are minor children, rather than only for two years.

I am glad you are all here to discuss the many issues of concern to survivors and I am willing to listen to your suggestions.

In addition, I would like to acknowledge the participants in this year's roundtable discussion:

Ron Armstead, Anthony Hawkins, Edmee Hills, Sharon Hayes, Kathleen Moakley, Deerdre Parke Hollowman, Joyce Karas, Eva Golleher, Dorothy Eng, Rose Lee, Marianne Nugent, Patricia Sharp, Regina Matson, Etta McAfee, Eunice Luke, Patricia Kreigel, Cynthia Dawkins, Leslie Tjarks, Elsie Ryan and Suzanne Melin.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution will make changes to the Coast Guard conference report that reflects the compromise agreement that was worked out concerning the Cape Wind project.

It will allow the Commandant of the Coast Guard to set the terms and conditions on any leasing of Federal waters in Nantucket Sound that may be necessary to protect navigational safety. For example, over 3 million passengers ride ferries that transit through Nantucket Sound, and it is vitally important to protect the navigational safety of those vessels.

Recent emergencies have reminded us once again why a well-funded and fully operational Coast Guard is paramount for protecting the citizens of this Nation.

The 2006 Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act conference report has been delayed for far too long. We are all glad to see that a fair agreement based on navigational safety has been worked out and that this bill will now move to the President's desk for signature.

I encourage all my colleagues to support this fair resolution and support full funding for the Coast Guard.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairmen Young and LoBiondo and Ranking Members Oberstar and Filner for their hard work in bringing this conference report to the floor. It has been a long time coming, and I am glad to see the finish line ahead.

Every time this country faces an emergency, the Coast Guard is the first agency on the scene. The Coast Guard was the first agency to react to the terrorist attacks on September 11 and within minutes was guarding our ports and bridges and directing maritime traffic out of New York. They were also the only agency in the Bush administration to actually do their job during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. That is worth repeating: they were the only agency in the Bush administration to actually do their job during the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. And they are still in the gulf region supporting the recovery effort.

They respond to these emergencies all while completing their core missions of search and rescue, drug interdiction, and enforcing maritime and fisheries laws.

Fortunately, the Transportation Committee realizes how important the Coast Guard is and has once again stepped up to the plate and provided the Coast Guard the true amount of funding they need to do their job. I encourage all my colleagues to support this bill and support full funding for the U.S. Coast Guard. It is simply the right thing to do for America.

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

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I just want to once again thank Chairman Young and Mr. LoBiondo and Ranking Members Oberstar and Filner for their hard work on this bill.

The Coast Guard, once again, is the first agency on the scene that is doing their job; and I am very pleased that we finally have a bill that we are going to send to the President's desk.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this bill to increase the veterans compensation, or COLA. It is important to pass this legislation to support those who have put their lives on the line to protect the freedom this country holds so dear.

This money is very important to veterans living on fixed incomes and very little outside support. The COLA increase is tied to the Social Security COLA, which could change depending on the Consumer Price Index.

While many of the beneficiaries of the increase are veterans of past wars, the disabled from the current war, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, will benefit also.

Those injured in the current war are surviving once fatal injuries at greater numbers than anytime in the past. The rates of disability compensation and dependency and indemnity compensation affected by the COLA will help those recovering to have a better quality of life and help them to become contributing members of society.