Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman from California for yielding.

I rise today in strong opposition to the so-called SKILLS Act, H.R. 803, a bill that would fail to live up to our responsibility to job seekers, businesses, and working men and women across our country. I served as mayor of the city of Providence for 8 years and saw closely what excellent workforce boards do in my home State.

Right now, we should be doing everything we can to put our Nation back to work and offer assistance to folks who are struggling to find employment; but, unfortunately, this highly partisan bill does just the opposite. It would block-grant and effectively eliminate 35 programs, including programs that help dislocated workers, veterans, disabled workers, and other disadvantaged populations, putting these individuals at high risk of losing access to services. And even though funding for the Workforce Investment Act has been cut in half since 2001, this radical proposal would freeze investments in job training and other workforce investment services for 7 years.

Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Miller, and Mr. Tierney have offered a commonsense alternative that will create strategic partnerships with employers, community colleges, labor unions, and nonprofits to find new jobs and careers for working families. The Democratic alternative would expand the central role of community colleges in job training by authorizing $8 billion for President Obama's Community College to Career Fund to help community colleges recognize credentials so that students will graduate with job training that meets the needs of employers. It would also better serve high-poverty areas with effective services by creating innovation funds to expand the use of promising strategies for adults and young people.

Ladies and gentlemen, our country is facing serious economic challenges, and we need a serious solution like that offered in the Workforce Investment Act. I urge my colleagues to oppose H.R. 803 and support the Democratic alternative to enact real workforce reform that will put Americans back to work.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday I visited Core Composites, a company located in Bristol in my home State of Rhode Island. Because of sequestration, this small business has been notified that funding for a government contract will be reduced by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

I also recently met with Alexion, a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Rhode Island, whose FDA approval of a lifesaving drug will likely be delayed because of sequestration. Countless other small businesses across our country are facing these same challenges today because Washington failed to take action to avoid sequestration.

Sequestration isn't a solution to our Federal deficit; it's a penalty that goes into effect because Republicans and Democrats failed to work together to responsibly reduce the deficit. And it's a penalty that will place a heavy toll on hardworking men and women across our country.

We spend a lot of time fighting in Washington. Now it's time for us to work together to reach a commonsense solution on this issue. Congressman Chris Van Hollen has offered a very detailed alternative to sequestration that I'm proud to cosponsor that would cut spending responsibly, repeal subsidies to Big Oil, adopt the Buffett rule, and preserve the Medicare guarantee for seniors. Rather than pointing fingers, we should be looking at this and other reasonable alternatives that would provide critical relief for working families right now.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, 2 weeks ago, the Senate overwhelmingly passed a strong, bipartisan reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act to extend much-needed protections to all women of domestic violence, including immigrants, Native Americans, and members of the LGBT community.

Domestic violence victims and their families have waited far too long for the House to act to reauthorize VAWA and to provide victims of domestic violence with important resources to help end this violence. It's critical that we ensure that every single victim of domestic violence, no matter what they look like or where they come from or who they love, has access to these critical tools and resources.

According to the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, one in four women will be victims of domestic violence in their lifetime. Each year, 15 million American children are exposed to domestic violence and all the dangers of this violence.

Have we really come to the point that we can't persuade every single Member of Congress that violence against all women is indefensible and that we have a moral responsibility to do everything in our power to stop it? Do we really want to say some women, some group of women, are not worthy of protection against such violence? I hope not.

I urge my colleagues to pass the strengthened Senate version reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act and to protect all American women from violence.

American

Psychological Association,

February 4, 2013.

Hon. Patrick Leahy, Chairman,

U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Washington, DC.

Hon. Mike Crapo,

U.S. Senator,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Leahy and Senator Crapo: On behalf of the

137,000 members and affiliates of the American Psychological

Association (APA), I am writing to thank you for your

invaluable leadership in introducing the Violence Against

Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S. 47). As the legislative

process advances, APA offers its full support of your efforts

to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive reauthorization of

the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

As you know, nearly one in four women in the United States

reports experiencing domestic violence at some point in her

life, and 15 million children live in families in which

intimate partner violence has occurred within the past year.

Domestic violence can result in significant mental and

behavioral health consequences including depression, anxiety,

post-traumatic stress disorder, relationship problems,

diminished self-esteem, social isolation, substance use

disorders, and suicidal behavior. VAWA programs can help to

mitigate these negative outcomes by providing a vital link to

services and supports for survivors and their families.

APA applauds your commitment to protect survivors of

intimate partner violence with a comprehensive VAWA

reauthorization. In particular, we appreciate the inclusion

of essential public health provisions to reauthorize and

strengthen the health care system's identification,

assessment, and response to violence, as well as provisions

to protect vulnerable populations, including Native women,

immigrants, and LGBT individuals.

We welcome the opportunity to work with you to address

these important issues. For further information, please

contact Nida Corry, Ph.D., in our Public Interest Government

Relations Office at (202) 336-5931 or [email protected].

Sincerely,

Gwendolyn Puryear Keita, Ph.D.,

Executive Director,

Public Interest Directorate.

Mr. Speaker, there's no doubt that we need to reduce the

size of our deficit, but we have to do it in a responsible way and a way that protects American families. We need to do it in a balanced, forward-thinking way that protects our fragile recovery, continues growing jobs for middle class families, and invests in our long-term economic future.

Sequestration isn't a solution. It's a penalty that will put our recovery in jeopardy and hurt working men and women in my home State of Rhode Island and all across this country.

In the last few weeks, we've seen Members of this Chamber wringing their hands and pointing fingers in order to avoid blame for sequestration. It's time to focus on solutions.

Our colleague, Mr. Van Hollen, has offered a proposal that will replace the meat-ax of sequestration with precise, carefully considered changes by enacting responsible cuts in spending, repealing subsidies to big oil companies, implementing the Buffett rule so middle class families don't pay a higher tax rate than millionaires and billionaires, and preserving the Medicare guarantee for our seniors.

After so much conflict and division, let's work together to find an alternative that works for middle class families.

Madam Speaker, last night President Obama outlined a bold vision for his second term in office and spoke about the number one issue facing our country: jobs. The President understands that if we want to get our country back on the right track, we have to invest in those areas that are essential to growing our economy and strengthening the middle class.

With families all across America, and particularly in my home State of Rhode Island facing tremendous challenges, it's critical that our friends on the other side of the aisle put aside partisan gamesmanship and start working together on the commonsense goals that President Obama outlined: reinvigorating manufacturing; investing in our infrastructure; making education a priority; and developing new sources of clean energy, as well as a long-term strategy to deal with our debt.

It's true that Republicans and Democrats have a choice. We can either work to find common ground and move our country forward as a whole, or we can continue the partisan fighting that has created gridlock in Washington.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground and real solutions so we can put our country back to work and address the serious challenges facing our Nation.

I thank the gentlelady from California for yielding, and also for organizing this conversation about the dangers of gun violence and our responsibility to reduce gun violence in communities all across this country.

I want to also acknowledge the leadership of the gentlelady from New York, Carolyn McCarthy, who long before I arrived here was an inspiration to me and so many others across the country who have been fighting for responsible gun safety legislation.

Just to give a context to the problem we are confronting, the U.S. gun murder rate is about 20 times the average of other developed nations. What that means is someone in this country is about 20 times as likely to be killed by a gun as someone in another developed country. As some have already said, since the horrible, horrible killings, the murders of Newtown, 1,772 people have been killed by guns since that tragedy.

According to the CDC, there are 11,078 firearm homicides that accounted for 68 percent of all homicides in 2010. These are just some numbers that I think give us an understanding of the seriousness of the problem that we face with gun violence in this country. It's an epidemic.

I salute Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Mayor Menino and Mayor Bloomberg, who began that. I was a founding member. I salute the Brady Campaign for their work, but there are a couple of facts that are undeniable:

Number one, the Second Amendment gives individuals the right to possess firearms, and the vast majority of gun owners are responsible and they possess firearms for their self-defense and their own protection. That's a fact.

Two, there are certain categories of individuals that we all agree ought not have access to firearms--dangerous criminals, the seriously mentally ill, and children.

So if we agree on those two facts--guns are permitted by the Constitution to be possessed by individuals, three categories of individuals at least ought not have access to those firearms--then we have a responsibility to design a system and pass laws that ensure that those three categories of individuals, in fact, don't have access to firearms; and we have the ability to do that by closing the gaping loopholes from private sales and from the fire sale that the gentlelady from California just referenced where, when your license to sell guns, your Federal license is revoked, that you're rewarded by having your entire inventory turned into a personal collection, and then you can sell it free from the constraints of background checks.

We can fix the background check system, be sure that States are putting accurate information into the system. We can ban assault weapons, which are weapons of war which don't belong in the neighborhoods of our cities and towns, and high-capacity ammunition whose only purpose is to kill a great number of people in a very short period of time. We have these very reasonable, commonsense solutions which are available.

Last night at the President's State of the Union, we had 30 victims who suffered the grievous impact of gun violence, who put a face on the devastation, the scourge of gun violence in this country. We owe it to them, we owe it to families all across this country to move on this legislation, to hold a vote up or down so we can take what most Americans support, responsible gun safety legislation to reduce gun violence in our country.

When the gentlelady was just going through the examples of what the NRA has been successful in doing, let's not forget, the NRA doesn't have a vote in this Chamber, so every single one of those actions happened because individuals in Congress voted for them, and they should be accountable for that. And we can fix it by taking votes today to enhance public safety, to impose reasonable gun safety measures that will protect children and families all across this country and continue to honor the right of individuals to possess a firearm as guaranteed in the Second Amendment.

I thank the gentlelady for her leadership and for yielding. This is an important issue.

I'll end with The New York Times headline that said, ``Do we have the courage to stop this?'' talking about the carnage in Newtown and the courage that family members have displayed who have been victims of gun violence. If we can match that courage, Members of this House can match just 10 percent of the courage that they've demonstrated in sharing their stories, then we'll do the right thing and pass responsible gun safety legislation.

Mr. Speaker, on the Legislative Day of February 5, 2013, upon request of a leave of absence, a series of votes were held. Had I been present for these rollcall votes, I would have cast the following votes: On Ordering the Previous Question for H. Res. 48, Providing for consideration of H.R. 444, to require that, if the President's fiscal year 2014 budget does not achieve balance in a fiscal year covered by such budget, the President shall submit a supplemental unified budget by April 1, 2013, which identifies a fiscal year in which balance is achieved, and for other purposes (rollcall No. 33)--I vote ``nay.'' On Agreeing to the Resolution H. Res. 48, Providing for consideration of H.R. 444, to require that, if the President's fiscal year 2014 budget does not achieve balance in a fiscal year covered by such budget, the President shall submit a supplemental unified budget by April 1, 2013, which identifies a fiscal year in which balance is achieved, and for other purposes (rollcall No. 34)--I vote ``no.''

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The reauthorization of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education program is critically important and something we must do. But I rise today to express some frustration with the bill as presented.

Specifically, while our Nation faces an acute need for additional health professionals trained in psychiatry, this reauthorization continues a glaring mental health parity failure within the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education program: the failure to include children's psychiatric teaching hospitals in the program. Because Medicare classifies these hospitals as psychiatric hospitals rather than as children's hospitals, child psychiatric hospitals are ineligible to participate in CHGME.

This presents a particular burden to a spectacular pediatric hospital in my district, Bradley Hospital. And that is why, last Congress, I introduced the Children's Hospitals Education Equity Act, which was designed to fix this oversight by simply expanding the definition of a children's hospital to cover child psychiatric hospitals.

I'm disappointed, therefore, that the CHGME reauthorization is being considered under suspension of the rules today, as it prevents consideration of amendments to improve the program and to correct this omission in the bill.

Our Nation must fulfill its commitment to mental health parity, and Congress must do its part to enhance access to child and adolescent mental health care. Despite this shortcoming, I intend to support the bill, and I look forward to working with my colleagues in both parties and in both Chambers to correct this serious inequity. I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that formally recognized a woman's right to make decisions regarding her own reproductive health care.

On January 22, 1973, this monumental decision came as a result of decades of relentless activism and litigation on the part of great women advocates; but today, there are still those who would prefer to roll back these fundamental rights and turn the clock back on women's health care. We've seen them use the same tactics over and over again during the last 40 years. In fact, according to the Guttmacher Institute, more than 40 laws were passed to restrict access to abortion in 19 States just this past year.

That's why, as we commemorate the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, it is more important than ever to commit ourselves to protecting these basic rights and to ensure that women across our country have full control over their personal well-being and health and that they retain access to any health care services they require.

Madam Chair, I rise in strong opposition to this Amendment.

Regional Ocean Partnerships are supported through a NOAA competitive grants program first established by President Bush in 2004.

As the representative from the Ocean State, I know how important this funding is in helping coastal states deal with a range of priorities-- including, coastal hazards resiliency to the impacts of major storms like Sandy.

Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the coastline of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and the Northeast.

The allocation for Regional Ocean Partnerships Grants will provide much needed funding to states affected by Hurricane Sandy--helping our coastal communities recover, be better prepared for future extreme weather events, and mitigate future risks.

These measures will help our coastal communities in Rhode Island and throughout the impacted region to rebuild, save lives, and prevent future economic and property losses.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, all of us know that the 112th Congress was one of the least productive legislative sessions in our history.

Even as our country faced significant challenges, partisan posturing and political brinksmanship dominated the debate in Washington and created an unprecedented level of gridlock that kept real work from getting done.

As we begin the work of the 113th Congress, it is critical that both Democrats and Republicans commit to working with their colleagues across the aisle and putting the long-term interests of our country ahead of their own short-term political goals.

That's why I have decided to join a group of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans in an organization called No Labels as a problem-solver which will meet regularly to build trust and cooperation between members of both parties and get Washington back to a place where Democrats and Republicans working together is the rule rather than the exception.

We need leaders in Congress who are serious about finding solutions to the challenges we face both at home and abroad.

I am convinced that there is no challenge so great that we cannot solve by working together, and No Labels is offering a venue for Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to do exactly that. I urge my colleagues to join us in this effort.

Madam Speaker, the 112th Congress has been defined as the least productive Congress in recent memory. And now we run the risk of being the Congress whose action will cause real harm to our country's economic future. The American people have consistently said they want Republicans and Democrats to act like adults and work together on the challenges we face. And yet here we are again, facing a critical financial deadline with no agreement in place to avert the so- called fiscal cliff and to protect seniors, middle class families, and business owners while we reduce our debt. There's just too much at stake right now for this Congress to keep playing the games of brinksmanship and partisan politics.

Over the last 10 years, as I've met with Rhode Islanders from Woonsocket to Newport and everywhere in between, I've heard one clear message: now is the time for those of us who serve in this Chamber to get this hard work done on behalf of the men and women who sent us here. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to spend less time assigning blame to each other and instead pass a comprehensive plan that averts the fiscal cliff, cuts our debt, and protects middle class families, seniors, and small business owners.

Madam Speaker, yesterday my office hosted the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and I met with families whose lives have been devastated by gun violence, families who lost loved ones in Columbine, at Virginia Tech, at Aurora, and in other incidents. No words of mine could ever match the pain that these families felt as a result of these losses.

The recent tragedy in Newtown, unfortunately, is the most recent in a long series of mass killings involving guns. But this incident is especially horrific because it involved the slaughter of 20 innocent children and their teachers. This must mark a turning point in the debate over commonsense gun safety laws. It's critical for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to commit themselves to do everything we can to end this violence because commonsense gun laws aren't Democratic values or Republican values; they're American values. And if our values as Americans mean anything at all, then surely all Americans are entitled to enjoy their lives and live in neighborhoods that are safe and free from gun violence.

There is lots of talk about a national conversation, beginning a dialogue. The time for talking is over. Now we must act: banning assault weapons and high-capacity assault clips, fixing our criminal background check system, and closing loopholes that allow 40 percent of gun sales to go forward without background checks.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for the courtesy of this time, and I thank my Republican colleagues, Congressman Chabot and Congresswoman Ellmers, for reaching across the aisle and working with us to introduce H.R. 6504, the Small Business Investment Company Modernization Act.

Small businesses, our Nation's most effective job creators, have faced the brunt of the recession, and Congress needs to work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure our small firms are able to access private capital.

One important tool that we have in our toolbox is the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program, and today's bill will help keep the SBIC program a healthy and robust public-private partnership, providing vitally important capital to small businesses in my home State of Rhode Island and across this country.

The SBIC program leverages private investment to provide greater capital to small businesses. Since its creation in 1958, the SBIC program has promoted more than $62.6 billion in financial assistance and made more than 164,000 investments in small businesses.

In the past 2 years, SBICs supported more than 130,000 jobs. In the past 6 years, SBICs have invested more than $68 million in Rhode Island small businesses, including over $40 million in fiscal year 2011 alone.

H.R. 6504 is a commonsense, bipartisan measure that raises the amount of leverage that a group of commonly-held, sound and successful small business investment companies, referred to as a family of funds, can access.

The Small Business Investor Alliance estimates that increasing the leverage limit from $225 million to $350 million, which is achieved through this legislation, would facilitate approximately $500 million a year in new small business investment.

This is legislation that does not require an additional appropriation of funding and was outlined as part of President Obama's Startup America Initiative, and the bill is supported by the Chamber of Commerce.

I'm proud to join with my colleagues across the aisle to support this bill, which will strengthen the SBIC program, enhancing this public- private partnership and the flow of investment to promising small businesses.

I thank the gentleman from Connecticut. And on behalf of all the residents of my home State of Rhode Island, I extend our profound sympathies to our neighbors in Newtown, Connecticut.

As we stand here this evening, mourning the innocent victims of this horrific massacre, our hearts ache for the parents and families who have endured an indescribable loss. We stand united as members of one community who share in the vital and solemn responsibility to protect our children, our families, and our neighborhoods.

As the men, women, and children of Newtown join together to comfort one another, to overcome the anguish and sorrow that has broken their hearts, they should know that an entire country is by their side, extending our prayers and love and are committed to action. The senseless cruelty and unspeakable violence that was inflicted upon the people of Newtown and took the lives of these precious angels have changed our Nation forever.

We honor the acts of bravery, we celebrate the lives, even those cruelly short, of those we lost; and we now must embrace our solemn duty and moral responsibility to take action in honor of the memory of the lost angels. They deserve nothing less.