Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss an issue that is very important to the hardworking men and women in my home State of Rhode Island. Rhode Islanders learned yesterday that our workforce has grown smaller and our unemployment rate sits at 10.9 percent, the third highest in the Nation.

While some may struggle to see these problems from the steps of the Capitol, I hear frequently from constituents who can't understand why the House still has not considered a comprehensive jobs plan. That's why I and many of my colleagues have been working hard on legislation to put Americans back to work, including our Make it In America agenda to help reinvigorate American manufacturing.

We also need to start developing new ways to repair America's infrastructure and new ways to finance it, like a national infrastructure bank, a modern-day version of the WPA, and provide much needed help to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Yet the House leadership has stood in the path of progress on these issues.

Rhode Islanders know that Congress can do better. We need to work together and get these things done and get the American people back to work.

Mr. Speaker, 47 years ago this month, nearly 8,000 men and women from every walk of life took to the streets in Selma, Alabama in three successive marches to demand full and equal rights for every American.

These ordinary heroes were brutally beaten by Alabama State Troopers as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on Sunday, March 7, 1965. The horrifying images of Bloody Sunday, as it would become known, were captured on film and broadcast around the world--ultimately helping to galvanize national support for civil rights.

Undeterred, the marchers returned twice more, walking the streets and highways of Alabama in an unflinching show of support for equality. Among them were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and our colleague Congressman John Lewis. I had the great honor last year of marking this important civil rights moment by traveling to Selma with Congressman Lewis and participating in a reenactment of this march. It was, without question, one of the most extraordinary moments of my life.

I would also like to take a moment to recognize the extraordinary achievement of my colleague, Congresswoman Terri Sewell, a member of this year's freshman class, who grew up in and now represents Selma, Alabama. Congresswoman Sewell was born in Alabama the same year as the Selma marches, and as the first African-American woman elected to Congress from Alabama and a Rhodes Scholar, I believe that her success is a testament to the lasting legacy of the brave men and women who risked their lives for equality almost a half century ago.

I join my colleagues in saluting the heroes of Selma, Alabama today.

Mr. Speaker, as Rhode Islanders and men and women across America are hard at work trying to put our country back on the right track, the threat of rising gas prices raises a specter of another difficult driving season ahead.

While our government subsidizes Big Oil to the tune of $3 billion each year, they continue to run up record profits as hardworking families pay higher and higher prices for gas. In my home State of Rhode Island where families are struggling with an 11 percent unemployment rate and the average price of a gallon of regular gas is now $3.79, rising fuel costs put far too many hardworking families at risk.

The Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act, which my colleague Mr. Bishop has introduced, would help guarantee that should we face an energy emergency, middle class families are not at the mercy of Wall Street speculators every time they fill up their car. While we have to work together permanently to end our addiction to foreign sources of oil, in the short term we must act on legislation like the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act that will help prevent Wall Street speculators from taking unfair advantage of consumers at the pump during energy emergencies.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Reach Out and Read Rhode Island, a program that works with doctors to encourage young patients and their families to read.

In honor of the upcoming Read Across America Day, I wish to recognize the contributions this program makes in my home State, where it reaches 35,000 infant-to-preschool-aged children each year in 44 locations. Reach Out and Read Rhode Island provides free books through pediatricians' offices for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old, creating a small library for children and emphasizing the importance of reading.

Reach Out and Read Rhode Island helps to distribute 60,000 books each year to young children and their families, working to build a foundation for when a child enters school. Reach Out and Read Rhode Island should take great pride in the contributions it makes to our young children. I congratulate Reach Out and Read Rhode Island on its success.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Congressman Ed Royce be removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1912.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the contributions made by the hardworking men and women at the Raytheon Company.

Every day, the innovators at Raytheon strive to develop new technologies to defend our country and ensure the safety of our men and women in uniform. Raytheon, a defense research firm, employs 75,000 employees throughout our country and 1,300 in the town of Portsmouth in my home district in Rhode Island.

Raytheon's accomplishments were honored during Aviation Week's Annual Program Excellence Awards ceremony for its work to develop combat system software and mission system equipment for the next generation of surface combat ships--the DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer. Aviation Week awarded Raytheon top honors in the category of system level production.

Raytheon's employees should take pride in the contributions they are making to our local economy and to ensuring the continued strength of the United States Navy.

I congratulate Raytheon on their impressive achievements.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, a little over a year ago when the Republican conference was meeting to discuss changes to the rules of the House for the 112th Congress, I offered a commonsense proposal. In a letter I sent to the chairman of the Rules Committee in January of 2011, I shared my belief that our priority in this Congress must be to enact legislation that will lead to job growth. I further stated that, given our priority of job creation, the new rules of the 112th Congress should require disclosure of the impact on job creation of any legislation being considered by the full House. That was 1 year ago, yet here we are today rehashing a seemingly age-old debate over trickle-down economics.

While we debate back and forth about whether H.R. 3582, the Pro- Growth Budgeting Act, is just another attempt to strengthen the case for passing large tax cuts while minimizing the actual costs, back home in my State, the State of Rhode Island, more than 60,000 men and women are without jobs. While we debate a bill with dim prospects of ever passing the Senate, more than 13 million Americans remain unemployed.

Just as many of you have seen in your own districts what I've seen firsthand in my district, the toll that this recession has taken on our families, our businesses, and our communities. My State was one of the first States in the Northeast to be hit by the recession, and like many other States, our recovery is slow; and with 10.8 percent unemployment, the toll continues. That's why, 1 year later, I'm still here expressing the same urgent need for Congress to understand, as we consider legislation, whether our legislative actions will result in job creation or job loss, and this is precisely what my amendment would do.

My amendment would strike the underlying language in H.R. 3582 and replace it with the text of the Job Score Act, which I introduced earlier in this session. This proposal would amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require that, in addition to cost estimates, the Congressional Budget Office also prepare an estimate of the number of jobs which would be created, sustained, or lost by enactment of the legislation reported by the committee, including regional and State- level estimates.

A companion to the Job Score Act has been introduced into the Senate with bipartisan support, Republicans and Democrats. A commonsense approach, there's no voodoo economics in this amendment. There's no controversial provisions requiring budget estimates that assume the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. My amendment would not require the inclusion of subjective and uncertain macroeconomic feedback in revenue estimates. This amendment goes beyond reviewing only major legislation and requires a jobs impact assessment for every bill that requires a formal CBO score.

My amendment is simple, straightforward, and should be a proposal that any Member who's serious about focusing on jobs can support.

Given these challenging economic times and their profound impact on the lives of men, women, and families throughout America, we need to ensure that the policies deliberated in Congress include an evaluation of the impact on job creation. This amendment puts politics, partisanship, and controversial economic policy aside.

Americans deserve to know whether the actions taken in Washington are likely to result in job creation or job loss. My legislation will help provide Congress with this vitally important assessment. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

How much time remains, Mr. Chairman?

The amendment that I've offered does substitute the existing bill, and that's because, in fact, it is a terrible bill. And that's why I proposed this amendment--to substitute it--to avoid what the bill that is on the floor does.

It avoids the partisanship, the controversial economic policy for which there is so much disagreement and which we've heard about for the last hour. There is no hidden agenda as to high tax cuts while trying to use as a baseline the Bush tax cuts. It puts aside all of the disagreements about which we've just heard for 1 hour, and it uses common sense.

I certainly suggest to my friend, the gentleman from Georgia, that, in fact, the single most important analysis we should be doing on every single bill that the CBO does an analysis of is jobs. Will this bill create jobs if we pass it? Will it cause the loss of jobs? That is the most urgent responsibility we have in Congress right now. This bill simply says that the analysis that should be done on every bill that the CBO does is to ask: Will it create jobs? Will it cause the loss of jobs? We would do that statewide and regionally.

Why is that information valuable?

Because we should be singularly focused on job creation. We should avoid the kind of partisanship in disputes about trickle-down economics, voodoo economics; about the tax policy and about using the Bush tax cuts as the baseline. We need a commonsense approach that simply says that Members of Congress should have the information and should know does this create jobs or does it not before making a decision.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Newport Art Museum and Art Association.

Founded in 1912 for the purpose of promoting and exhibiting fine arts and fostering art education within the community, the Newport Art Museum continues to enhance community life as a shared place for the arts and culture.

One hundred years after its founding, the Newport Art Museum is, without question, one of our great museums. The museum has received full accreditation from the American Association of Museums, the highest national recognition of a museum's commitment to accountability, public service, professional museum standards, and excellence in education and stewardship.

This valuable community resource inspires passion for the arts in diverse

audiences in Rhode Island and other localities through exhibitions and collections, arts education, historic preservation, and arts and cultural programming.

It's a true honor to recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Newport Art Museum.

Mr. Speaker, my constituents in Rhode Island have been hit hard by this recession. Last night, President Obama offered Congress a

plan to rebuild our economy with proposals focused on manufacturing, innovation, investments in infrastructure and workforce training, proposals that I and many of my colleagues have been working hard to advance.

I urge my friends on the other side of the aisle to move forward on the Offshore Prevention Act that would end tax breaks for companies that ship American jobs overseas. We should work together to strengthen American manufacturing by passing legislation such as my Make it in America Block Grant and the rest of the Make it in America agenda. I look forward to fighting hard for commonsense proposals like these that will benefit hardworking families in my State.

Rhode Islanders want Congress to move beyond ideological differences to get things done for our country. After so much unproductive partisanship this past year, let's send the President bills like these that will advance not just the interests of Democrats or Republicans, but of every American family.

Mr. Speaker, Congress should not be waiting until the 11th hour to act on behalf of the American people. And yet here we are with the Federal emergency unemployment compensation program and the payroll tax cut scheduled to end in just a couple of weeks, which will cause tremendous harm to the American people.

This holiday, thousands of Rhode Islanders are wondering whether they will be able to afford to stay in their homes, afford to go grocery shopping, and whether they will be able to afford their heating and electricity bills. Americans are being left with real uncertainty because of the failure of this body to act responsibly.

It's a shame that extending emergency unemployment compensation and the payroll tax cut have become the latest victims of partisan politics. But it's not too late to act to provide families with a measure of assurance that they will be able to meet their basic necessities in the weeks to come.

I've heard from many of my constituents about the devastating impact that

ending unemployment benefits or a tax increase will have. Let's get it done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor our brave men and women returning home from Iraq, especially Rhode Island's Company D, 126 TAC.

Thank you for your tremendous dedication, selfless efforts, and courageous service to our country.

Tragically, thousands of our servicemembers have made the ultimate sacrifice, and I join all Americans in honoring their service and sacrifice and those of their families.

It is because of you that we are able to enjoy the great freedoms, privileges, and rights we have here at home.

With the homecoming of our troops from Iraq, we must keep our promise to our veterans. On the battlefield, the military pledge is to leave no soldier behind. As a Nation, let it be our pledge that, when they return home, we leave no veteran behind. We must do everything we can to honor them by guaranteeing they have the help they need in finding employment, in securing housing, and in accessing quality health care.

The men and women who have served our country demonstrate the ideals of bravery and patriotism. Now let us work together to create a future worthy of their service.

Mr. Speaker, millions of hardworking Americans have lost their jobs in this economic crisis through no fault of their own. But rather than standing up and helping struggling Americans, yesterday this Chamber advanced a bill doomed to fail because of all of the unrelated and controversial riders that were attached.

According to the Rhode Island State director of labor, for every two part- or full-time positions in Rhode Island there are seven applicants. There's an urgent need for Congress to extend Federal emergency unemployment compensation in my State with a total of 58,000 unemployed Rhode Islanders.

This social safety net provides a lifeline to struggling individuals, helping them to pay their mortgage and utilities as well as put food on the table for their families. Families like Betsy Hamel's in Jamestown, Rhode Island. Betsy supports her disabled husband and her severely disabled son but doesn't know how she'll make ends meet while continuing to look for work if unemployment assistance is not extended.

It's time to stop playing partisan games and stand up for the millions of Americans like Betsy and extend unemployment benefits now.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, we simply cannot leave Washington before extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment assistance. With our economy still struggling and unemployment remaining unacceptably high at 10.4 percent in my home State of Rhode Island, now is not the time to take more money out of the pockets of hardworking families.

Allowing the payroll tax cuts to expire at the end of this month will mean less money in the pockets of 600,000 hardworking Rhode Islanders. It is absolutely critical that we extend the payroll tax cut which is saving working families an average of $1,000 per year and would add $400 million to Rhode Island's economy next year. We have to do everything we can to strengthen our middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet and provide assistance to those families who need it most.

If Congress does not extend emergency unemployment assistance, thousands of Rhode Islanders, as well as millions of Americans who rely on this critical safety net, will lose their assistance. This will have a devastating impact on these families and on our economy.

Rather than providing subsidies to Big Oil companies and arguing for more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, it's time for Congress to stand up for American families and to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment compensation.

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall vote No. 894 on H.R. 2055, I mistakenly recorded my vote as ``no'' when I should have voted ``yes.''

Appointment of Conferees

THE SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Westmoreland). Without objection, the Chair appoints the following conferees:

Messrs. Rogers of Kentucky, Young of Florida, Lewis of California, Frelinghuysen, Aderholt, Mrs. Emerson, Ms. Granger, Messrs. Simpson, Culberson, Crenshaw, Rehberg, Carter, Dicks, Visclosky, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Serrano, Ms. DeLauro, Messrs. Moran, Price of North Carolina, and Bishop of Georgia.