Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for his exceptional hard work in producing a Republican alternative that does not raise taxes, raise premiums, increase our debt or increase health care costs.

In a recent article, the Democratic leadership stated that getting votes today will be easier because Democrats want to go home.

Mr. Speaker, the Pelosi health care bill will cost Americans more than 5 million jobs. Despite national unemployment at 10.3 percent, and in my home State of Nevada, over 13 percent unemployment, we are moving forward with this bill. For the majority, this is fine, if Members of Congress get to go home.

This legislation raises billions in new taxes on small businesses and increases health care premiums by $15,000 per family on average. But, as I said, as long as the majority gets to go home, this doesn't matter.

This bill cuts $500 billion from Medicare, affecting more than 20,000 seniors in my district and over 100,000 Statewide, and also avoids meaningful medical liability reform. But the majority will support it, because they get to go home.

This bill's individual mandates will result in 9 million Americans paying a new tax or facing criminal penalties. These penalties include $250,000 fines and/or 5 years in jail for failure to pay the tax. However, this doesn't matter, as long as the majority gets to go home today.

Mr. Speaker, this bill lacks enforceable citizenship verification provisions. As many as 8.5 million illegal immigrants will be eligible for taxpayer-subsidized health care under this legislation. But, of course, if the majority gets to go home, it simply doesn't matter.

Yet the height of hypocrisy is that Members are not required to participate in this government-run health care program.

Unfortunately, the strategy to pass this massive bill hinges upon Members of Congress wanting to go home, instead of passing legislation that will help the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my heartfelt support for H.R. 3319 which will designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 440 South Gulling Street in Portola, California, as the ``Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery Post Office Building.''

Jeremiah McCleery was born in Glendora, California, to parents Colette and Joe McCleery on April 5, 1985. Jeremiah grew up in a very close family and was well known for telling jokes and seeing the humor in life. He enjoyed the outdoors and spent a great deal of time fishing, camping, working on his truck, and sport shooting.

Jeremiah wanted to join the Army since he was 4 years old when his father took him to watch the triumphant return of U.S. soldiers from the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The outpouring that greeted American forces during that homecoming made a lasting impression on the young Jeremiah and set him on a path to serve his country. Since that day, he was a Boy Scout and joined the Civil Air Patrol. Later Jeremiah enlisted in the Army on June 2007. Jeremiah was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas, and was deployed to Iraq. Tragically, on May 2, 2009, Jeremiah was shot and killed at a combat outpost in Hammam Alil, Iraq, north of Baghdad. Spc. Jeremiah McCleery gave his life while defending his country in Iraq.

My family and I extended our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to Jeremiah's father who lives in Sparks, Nevada, who has suffered this deep loss. We are committed to providing full support for their needs. I also remain dedicated to fulfilling all of America's promises to those who faithfully serve our nation and to their families. Therefore, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3319, which will honor Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery for his sacrifice.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 748, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea''.

Madam Speaker, Pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3326--Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010:

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3326

Account: Other Procurement--Air Force

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Nevada Air National Guard

Address of Requesting Entity: 2460 Fairview Dr., Carson City, NV 89701

Description of Request: $1,000,000. This funding will allow the Nevada Air National Guard to purchase Scathe View, which is a unique intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system. Scathe View provides real time imagery support to combat operations, search and rescue operations, as well as support to civil authorities during natural disasters. This technology is essential in allowing the Nevada Air National Guard to fulfill both its foreign and domestic responsibilities.

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3326

Account: Operations and Maintenance--Army Reserve

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Nevada National Guard

Address of Requesting Entity: 2460 Fairview Dr., Carson City, NV 89701

Description of Request: $1,000,000. This funding will allow Nevada National Guard the ability to man their Joint Operations Center 24/7 with trained professional staff to meet its emergency readiness responsibilities throughout the state.

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3326

Account: Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation--Army

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Day & Zimmermann Hawthorne Corporation--Hawthorne Army Depot

Address of Requesting Entity: 2 South Maine, Hawthorne, NV 89415

Description of Request: $1,000,000. This funding will be used for the development of a rocket motor contained burn system which demilitarizes rockets safely. The system will be used for Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) motors, and will be adaptable to other larger rocket motors.

Mr. Speaker, August 17th is an important date. Yes, it is my wife's birthday. Thanks for remembering that. But it is also the six-month anniversary of the stimulus. Let's go back six months.

Mr. Speaker, remember when the President promised that unemployment, if this bill passed, would not go above 8 percent? Maybe that was hope.

Remember when the Speaker said jobs, jobs, jobs? Maybe that was hope.

Remember when the majority leader said we would see immediate results if this particular piece of legislation passed? They were all hollow promises, hollow promises for bad legislation.

This August 17th, my wife is going to ask: Where are the jobs? I am going to ask: Where are the jobs? Nevadans are going to ask: Where are the jobs? Americans are going to ask: Where are the jobs?

Happy birthday, sweetheart.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3288--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act:

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: HR 3288

Account: Federal Highway Administration--Surface Transportation Priorities

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County, Nevada

Address of Requesting Entity: 2050 Villanova Dr., Reno, NV 89520.

Description of Request: $500,000. This funding will be used for the Meadowwood Interchange project that will mitigate severe current and future traffic congestion occurring on I-580/US 395 and the adjacent surface arterials in the primary commercial retail district for the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area.

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: HR 3288

Account: Federal Highway Administration--Federal Lands (Public Lands Highways)

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Nevada Department of Transportation

Address of Requesting Entity: 1263 South Stewart Street, Carson City,

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010:

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3293

Account: Department of Health & Human Services--Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)--Health Facilities and Services

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: St. Mary's Regional Medical Center

Address of Requesting Entity: 235 West Sixth Street, Reno, NV 89503

Description of Request: $700,000. This funding will be used for the construction of a new Nephrology Center of Excellence. This center will provide residents of Northern Nevada and Northeastern California the option of accessing kidney transplants at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center.

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3293

Account: Department of Health & Human Services--Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)--Health Facilities and Services

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Renown Health Systems

Address of Requesting Entity: 1000 Ryland, Suite 402, Reno, NV 89502.

Description of Request: $800,000. Two-thirds of all births in the Reno/Sparks area occur at Renown Regional Medical Center. Renown Regional Medical Center is the only Children's Miracle Network hospital in the Northern Nevada Region. In order to serve the Washoe County and Northern Nevada region, Renown Health must expand and renovate its current facilities in the Women's and Children's Center to meet these needs. This funding will be used to expand Renown's current room capacity and renovate existing rooms to provide an overall improvement in the delivery experience for the mother and her family.

Mr. Speaker, in a recent study Nevada's economy is now determined to be the most distressed in the Nation; and if you recall, 4 months ago we passed a stimulus package and we were promised by this administration, and by the majority, if we do this, if we pass this stimulus package, that we'd only have 8 percent unemployment. It would never exceed 8 percent unemployment. Yet we had to do it right now. We had to pass this piece of legislation.

Well, I'm here to tell you today that Nevada's unemployment is at 12 percent, and that this administration says

that the unemployment is even going to go higher.

So the question is, What did the stimulus do for Nevada? Well, in Las Vegas, Las Vegas has received to date $4,833. So the question is, Where's the money? $4,833 to Nevada and to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said, ``I bet more on a football game than what the city's received.''

I ask the Speaker: Where's the money and where are the jobs?

I appreciate the gentleman yielding, and I looked in the dictionary recently for what the definition of ``boondoggle'' was. It was a wasteful, impractical project or activity. It's a perfect, perfect understanding of what Yucca Mountain is.

I will tell you, I support the motion to recommit. I would urge my colleagues to do the same. We've spent billions and billions of dollars on a project over the last 20 years. We're going to spend billions and billions and billions more for projects that will never happen.

Boondoggle--``a wasteful or impractical project or activity''-- Webster's Dictionary.

Government Accountability Office report on Yucca says: Gross mismanagement, faulty science and research, and contract mismanagement.

Major Issues Unresolved: Problems with the quality assurance program, implications that some U.S. Geological Survey employees falsified scientific data, hazardous and flawed design changes, transportation safety issues, likely groundwater contamination, and inadequate earthquake protection.

Congress finally needs to have a serious discussion about studying reasonable alternatives to Yucca, which is an uncertain and dangerous plan.

If you're concerned about the safety of American citizens and the wise stewardship of tax dollars, then join with me to finally end the Yucca Mountain project and support this Motion to Recommit.

Madam Speaker, Pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3183--Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010:

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3183

Account: Corps of Engineers--Construction--Rural Nevada

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Nevada Statewide: Washoe County Dept of Water Resources, The City of Fernley, Nevada

Address of Requesting Entity: 4930 Energy Way, Reno, NV 89502; 595 Silver Lace Blvd., Fernley, NV 89408

Description of Request: $3,000,000. Funds will be used to support Sec. 595 of WRDA 1999 to provide rural localities in Nevada with funding for the design and construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, environmental restoration and surface water protection projects.

Specifically, the Washoe County Department of Water Resources will use some of these funds for a multi-phased project that will provide water service to residents currently using domestic wells. Declining water levels and deteriorating water quality are resulting in domestic well failures. In addition, on-site septic systems are contributing contaminants to the groundwater, resulting in residents consuming water that does not meet federal and state water quality standards. The Washoe Department of Water Resources has been working in phases to construct a community water system which will provide residents with a reliable supply of water that meets all state and federal drinking water standards.

Additionally, the City of Fernley, Nevada will use some of these funds for a project that includes the design, property acquisition, and construction of a surface water intake for the Fernley Water Treatment Plant. The plant currently utilizes groundwater as its only source of water, so this project will increase the flexibility in the management of Fernley's water resources. The City of Fernley currently holds approximately 10,000 acre-feet of surface water rights that cannot be utilized without such a facility. This project allows the City of Fernley to utilize a source of water that increases the flexibility of Fernley's water resources. This project enhances Fernley's drought tolerance and introduces surface water to its potable water customers with a lower concentration of arsenic than Fernley's groundwater.

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3183

Account: Department of Energy--Science

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Desert Research Institute

Address of Requesting Entity: 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV 89512

Description of Request: $750,000. This funding will help the Desert Research Institute create a statewide center to house and use all available data needed to better understand the current and potential future distribution of water resources within Nevada. Water has become, and will continue to be, the most important limiting resource for the semi-arid urbanizing western United States. This project seeks to fully understand current distribution of water, while also being able to predict accurately the impacts of future conditions (e.g., growth and climate change) on the availability of water.

Madam Speaker, Pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding an earmark I received as part of H.R. 3170--Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2010:

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 3170--Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Small Business Administration--Salaries and Expenses

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Western Nevada Development District

Address of Requesting Entity: 704 West Nye Lande, Suite 201, Carson City, NV 89701

Description of Request: $250,000. These funds would contribute to the Western Nevada Development District's small business job creation efforts, which extend over Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, and Storey Counties in Western Nevada. In the current economic climate, small businesses have been especially affected, and the efforts of the Western Nevada Development District in promoting job creation will help spur local economic development.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 526, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 527, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Chair, on rollcall No. 528, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 529, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 516, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

(By unanimous consent, Ms. Giffords was allowed to speak out of order.)

Moment of Silence in Memory of the Honorable James F. McNulty, Former

Member of Congress

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 518, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Part B Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Weiner

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 519, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Part B Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Culberson

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 520, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Part B Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Kirk

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 521, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Part B Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Flake

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 522, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 523, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Motion to Recommit

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 524, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 525, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2997, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010:

Requesting Member: Congressman Dean Heller

Bill Number: H.R. 2997

Account: Natural Resources Conservation Service--Conservation Operations

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Carson City, Nevada

Address of Requesting Entity: 201 N. Carson Street, Suite 2, Carson City, NV 89701

Description of Request: $375,000. Carson City suffered a devastating wildfire in July 2004. Over 8,700 acres reaching across the entire west side of Carson City were burned. This devastation removed all vegetation, and destroyed a large stand of timber. The eastern flank of the Sierras remains burned and barren. These mountains are extremely steep, and severe erosion continues to occur. Carson City therefore faces threats from flooding and potential debris flows, as well as severe damage to surface water supplies. This federal funding will help to continue critical reforestation work, which is necessary to control erosion, prevent flooding, and restore the areas destroyed by the fire.