Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mr. Edward Zajac, who is being posthumously inducted into the West Tech High School Hall of Fame by the West Tech Alumni Association.

Edward was born in Cleveland, Ohio in January 1926 to his parents, who were Polish immigrants. He graduated Valedictorian from West Tech High School in 1944 and was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve during World War II. He was a radioman in a tank division in Europe and was stationed with the U.S. Army Intelligence in southern Germany until being discharged. He married Brooky Mary Calhoun in 1954. They were married for 54 years. Following his stint with the U.S. Army, Edward graduated from Cornell University as Valedictorian with a degree in engineering, a Masters degree from Princeton University and a doctoral degree from Stanford University.

For 30 years Edward worked at AT&T's Bell Telephone Laboratories in the mathematics research unit and later as head of economics research. In 1963, as an engineer, he created the world's first computer animation. His animated films became internationally known and garnered him awards from the U.S. and abroad.

Following his career with AT&T, in 1983, Edward moved from New Jersey to Arizona and became chairman of the University of Arizona's Eller School of Managers' economics department. As a professor and later, professor emeritus, Edward published numerous articles and two texts for graduate level courses. His former colleagues have since established a prize for doctoral students at Arizona University in his honor.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the memory of Mr. Edward Zajac as he is named to the West Tech High School Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Mrs. Ann Frangos, who is being inducted into the West Tech High School Hall of Fame by the West Tech Alumni Association.

Ann is the daughter of Greek immigrants Spiros and Helen Drapos. While attending West Tech High School, she was a busy and active student. She was captain of the Warriorettes, editor of the yearbook, member of the Gym Leaders, All City Chorus, A-Chorus, and French Club. Ann graduated from West Tech in 1968 as the class valedictorian. She attended Baldwin Wallace College and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. She went on to earn a Master of Science degree in mathematics while teaching high school mathematics in Parma Heights.

After finishing her graduate program at Cleveland State University in 1977, she began working at AT&T as an operations research analyst. Throughout her long career Ann has held a number of positions with AT&T in the finance, accounting operations, budgeting, long-range planning, and human resources departments. In 2007, Ann was named Executive Director. She is responsible for accounts receivable management for Global Business Services division, which consists of AT&T's largest international and domestic business customers.

In addition to her career, Ann is also an active member of the Greater Cleveland community. She serves on the Board of Directors of In Counsel with Women and is a board member and assistant treasurer of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society of Rocky River. Ann and her husband, Louis, currently live in Westlake.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in congratulating Mrs. Ann Frangos for being honored by West Tech Alumni Association and being named to the West Tech High School Hall of Fame.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Cleveland, a group of business, professional and community leaders who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build good will and peace in the world.

Rotary International was founded in 1905 and today there are more than 34,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide with 1.2 million members in over 200 countries. Each chapter is dedicated to supporting education and job training, providing clean water, combating hunger, improving health and sanitation, and eradicating polio and other childhood diseases.

The Rotary Club of Cleveland was founded in 1910 and was the 18th chartered Rotary Club in the United States. The motto for Cleveland's Rotary Club is ``Service Above Self.'' The Rotary Club of Cleveland has a number of ongoing programs and projects that aid communities in the Greater Cleveland area and abroad.

Internationally, the Rotary Club of Cleveland has been involved in humanitarian projects in Laos, Mexico, Pakistan, Uganda, Lithuania, Indonesia, India and Kenya. Additionally, every charter of Rotary International is involved in the PolioPlus program. PolioPlus focuses on global immunization in hopes of eradicating the world of polio.

The Rotary Club of Cleveland is dedicated to serving the Greater Cleveland area and has a number of programs designed to improve, support and recognize excellence within the community. Cleveland's Rotary Club has maintained the West 25th Street Rapid Station, which services Cleveland's West Market, for more than 35 years. For more than 40 years the Club has been awarding area police, fire and EMS heroes with the Medal of Valor. The Cleveland Rotary Club's largest impact programs are those dedicated to Greater Cleveland's youth. Their program, College Now!, has provided scholarship support for hundreds of students throughout the area. Other successful projects include Achievement Centers for Children, Thesmacher High School Recognition Day, Project YESS, and support of the Old Stone Education Center.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of the Rotary Club of Cleveland as they celebrate 100 years of service to the Cleveland community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 30th anniversary of Slavic Village Development, SVD, an organization committed to ``revitalizing the Broadway neighborhood through rehabilitation of existing housing, storefronts and buildings; construction of new homes; retention of existing buildings and recruitment of new ones; and provision of housing services and community organizing programs to improve the quality of life.''

SVD is a non-profit community development organization dedicated to the North and South Broadway neighborhoods of Cleveland, OH. Throughout the past 30 years, SVD has invested more the $160 million into Slavic Village, one of Cleveland's oldest ethnic communities.

This year's 30th anniversary celebration, ``Digging in the Past, Growing the Future,'' focuses on the past accomplishments that SVD has achieved as well as the goals of the organization's future. Throughout the past 30 years, SVD has developed more than 300,000 square feet of new office and retail space, built or rehabilitated 1000 homes, renovated 100 storefronts, hosted 33 Harvest Festivals, led 14 neighborhood summits, installed eight public art projects and reconstructed Broadway and Bessemer Avenues, among other projects. Some of the projects SVD looks forward to in the future include building more new homes at the Trailside development site and, in Hyacinth, reconstructing Fleet Avenue and re-imagining Broadway Slavic Village.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the 30th anniversary of SVD. SVD will continue to work on behalf of the residents of Cleveland's Slavic Village, dedicated to their mission; ``To preserve, empower, and advance Slavic Village as a thriving diverse neighborhood. Essential to our neighborhood is its unique identity with quality housing anchored by excellent recreational, educational, cultural, religious, and institutional anchors supported by a vibrant retail, commercial, and industrial base.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the opening and dedication of the Ukrainian Village Park and Annual Ukrainian Village Parade taking place on September 24, 2011.

With a growing population of more than 50,000, the Ukrainian community has been a staple in the Greater Cleveland area for decades. In October, 2008, the City of Parma City Council became the first local government in Northeast Ohio to sponsor an ethnic neighborhood; Ukrainian Village. Ukrainian Village covers two miles along State Road and is home to Ukrainian butcher shops, credit unions, two Ukrainian Orthodox churches and now Ukrainian Village Park. The mission of Ukrainian Village is, ``To preserve, empower, and advance Ukrainian Village as a thriving neighborhood by celebrating the culture and heritage of Ukrainian Americans and to collaborate with the City of Parma in creating business and economic development within its boundaries.''

The Ukrainian Village Parade and Ukrainian Village Park dedication will be hosted by the City of Parma, Ukrainian Village Committee and the United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio. The United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio has represented more than 50 Ohio organizations since 1928. This year's Ukrainian Village celebration will commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, include an annual parade and festival and feature the opening and dedication of the Ukrainian Village Park.

This year's parade will include, for the first time, all five of Parma's high school's bands; Parma Senior High School, Normandy High School, Valley Forge High School, Padua Franciscan High School and Holy Name High School. Additionally, the parade will feature church groups, civic organizations, representatives from the Polish, Hungarian, German, Irish and Slovak communities, Ukrainian Village businesses, numerous Ukrainian-American organizations, singers, dancers, school children, and His Eminence Archbishop Antony.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me as Greater Cleveland celebrates the opening and dedication of the Ukrainian Village Park and Annual Ukrainian Village Parade.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 160th anniversary of St. Michael Catholic Church in Independence, Ohio.

St. Michael Catholic Church was founded in 1851 when Bishop Amadeus Rappe commissioned Father Nicholas Roupp to begin celebrating Mass in Independence, Ohio. There had recently been an influx in the area of Catholic Swiss and German immigrants. After operating for several decades as a mission church, in 1888, the Cleveland Catholic Diocese raised the community to parochial status and Father Peter Scerer became St. Michael's first pastor. After two pastors in just a couple of years, St. Michael Parish reverted back to a mission and was served by the Jesuit Fathers of St. Mary Parish.

Throughout the 20th Century, St. Michael Parish experienced many renovations and expansions. In 1900, the congregation welcomed its third pastor, Father Albert Aust. Under the leadership of Father Aust, St. Michael Parish thrived and added a new rectory, school, and in 1908, teachers from the Notre Dame Sisters. The parish later added a sister's residence in 1934, built a new school in 1950, erected a new church in 1955 and new rectory in 1968. In 1990, a new social hall and gymnasium were constructed and named Rappe Hall, in honor of Bishop Amadeus Rappe. Most recently, in 2001, St. Michael completed an interior renovation of the current church on Chestnut Road.

The St. Michael congregation will celebrate its 160th anniversary in conjunction with the annual Feast of St. Michael. This year's celebration will include an Oktoberfest dinner, arcade games, and donations will be collected for both the St. Michael School Student Council's ``Jeans for January'' drive and St. Vincent DePaul Society's Food Pantry.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the 160 years of service that St. Michael Catholic Church has provided to the parishioners of Independence, Ohio.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Sister Maureen Doyle, who is being recognized for 25 years of service as the director of the Urban Community School.

Sister Maureen Doyle was born and raised in the Cleveland area. She is an Ursuline Sister of Cleveland. Sister Maureen earned her undergraduate degree in elementary education from St. John College of Cleveland and a Masters of Education from Boston College. She began her career as an educator in 1973 and has worked for St. Charles School, St. Ann School, St. Clare School and is currently serving in her 26th year as the director of Urban Community School, UCS.

Under Sister Maureen's leadership, UCS has thrived at providing an individualized, Catholic/Christian, quality education to the children of Cleveland's Near West Side neighborhoods; primarily to those who, otherwise, might not have access to such an education. In 1987, during her first year as director, UCS was the first school in Cleveland to receive the Excellence in Education Award from the U.S. Department of Education. In 2005, Sister Maureen led UCS' transition to a new, larger

facility that accommodates 50 additional students. As a result of the expansion, UCS also added an art program, art room, science lab and full-time counseling program. Because of her dedication to the students of UCS, Sister Maureen has been awarded with the Diocese of Cleveland Catholic School Excellence Award, the YWCA Greater Cleveland Women of Achievement Award, an Honorary Degree from John Carroll University and the Irish Good Fellowship Award.

In addition to her work with UCS, Sister Maureen is an active member of the Greater Cleveland community. She has been involved with the Boys & Girls Club, City Club of Cleveland, Laurel School and St. Ignatius High School. Currently, Sister Maureen is a member of the Education Committee for the Cleveland Museum of Art and Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring Sister Maureen Doyle as she is recognized for her contributions to the Cleveland's Near West Side community as director of the Urban Community School.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the grand opening of the new Blind Rehabilitation Center at the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs Medical Center, VAMC, on September 26, 2011.

The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center is dedicated to the quality care of all veterans. It is the fifth largest VA in the country and serves close to 95,000 veterans annually. The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center was the first VA to receive disease specific accreditation for Inpatient Diabetes Care in 2007 and has also received a special commendation by the American College of Surgeons as a Certified Comprehensive Cancer Program.

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 157,000 Veterans who are legally blind and more than one million more suffer from low vision. On September 26, 2011, the Cleveland VAMC will celebrate the grand opening of their new Blind Rehabilitation Center, BRC. The 28,000 square-foot, 15-inpatient-bed BRC will care for blind and low-vision Veterans from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia and Kentucky. In addition to working with Veterans to regain their independence and quality of life, the BRC will offer support to the Veterans' families, helping them better understand visual impairment and providing support that will reduce caregiver burden.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the grand opening of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veteran Affairs Medical Center's new Blind Rehabilitation Center.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that, according to Environment Ohio, the Cleveland Lorain Elyria area has the 14th smoggiest air among all large metropolitan areas in the U.S. Only a few weeks ago, the President announced he would prevent an update of the rule designed to reduce smog. The American people deserve clean air.

The Bush Administration failed to update National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) under the Clean Air Act for ozone pollution until 2006, when a standard was issued which was much less protective of public health than his scientific advisory board recommended; 75 parts per billion (ppb) of ozone, an air pollutant that is hazardous to fragile lung tissue. The scientific advisors' recommendation was between 60 and 70 ppb, which would have avoided up to 8,000 premature deaths; 3,800 nonfatal heart attacks; and 40,000 asthma attacks every year. The science is clear.

By invoking the industry fake argument that pulling back the update will help the economy, the Obama Administration has chosen to act in contravention of the Clean Air Act, which clearly prohibits consideration of costs in setting the standards designed to protect public health.

Everyone has a right to clean air. This abdication of responsibility affects millions of Americans every day, with every breath. It disproportionately affects the most vulnerable among us, like children, the elderly, and the ill. The story of the ozone rule is aptly told by Verna Riffe Biemel, a constituent of mine. She said:

``On Aug. 4, 2010, my mother succumbed to lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis. I vividly remember the difficulty she had breathing on bad air days. In fact, during her last year, she couldn't go outside at all on those days and felt the difference inside. No one likes to see a loved one struggle to breathe. No one should have to fight for clean air. Congress owes the American public the opportunity to breathe clean air.''

She is right. If the President won't do it, Congress should.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the Czech Catholics of Greater Cleveland's 88th Annual Feast of St. Wenceslaus on September 24, 2011 at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. This year's celebration will also honor the 100th anniversary of the founding of Cleveland's former Holy Family Parish.

St. Wenceslaus is the patron saint of the Czech Republic. Every year, his feast day, September 28th, is celebrated by Czech communities around the world. St. Wenceslaus was the leader of Old Bohemia during the early part of the 10th Century. During his tenure as king, St. Wenceslaus took a vow of chastity and was devoted to his Christian faith. Killed by his brother, St. Wenceslaus was later canonized as a martyr of the Christian faith.

In addition to celebrating the Feast of St. Wenceslaus, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the former Holy Family Parish will be recognized at this year's celebration. Holy Family was founded on November 6, 1911 after Father Rudolph Habrda noticed Bohemian families moving into Cleveland's Woodland Hills neighborhood. Over the years, as parishioners began to move to the suburbs, the parish school merged with St. Cecilia, Epiphany and St. Mary of Czestochowa to form Mr. Pleasant Elementary School. In 1988, the Holy Family Parish was closed.

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish is one of only two Czech congregations left in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, along with St. John Nepomucene in Slavic Village. The Czech Catholics of Greater Cleveland will gather together on September 24th for mass and a celebration featuring the Hronek Czech Band.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of the 88th Annual Feast of St. Wenceslaus. I offer my best wishes to the Czech Catholics of Greater Cleveland and all those who attend this joyous celebration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize September 23, 2011, as the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association's (CMBA) 3rd Annual ``David Webster Greener Way to Work Day,'' and to remember David Webster, legal scholar, litigator, entrepreneur, and environmentalist, who died at age 46 from cancer on March 13, 2009, but whose achievements were many in his short life.

David Webster overcame alcoholism at a young age and went on to sponsor others in recovery. He accomplished much and saw life as an adventure. At Case Western Reserve School of Law, he graduated magna cum laude and was an editor of Law Review, where he met his wife Beth.

Upon graduation from law school, David became a commercial lawyer with broad experience in matters involving banking, commodity trading, securities, technology, real estate, intellectual property, and his passion, environmental law. Merging his knowledge of commodity trading and environmental law, he founded INHALE, which later became the Clean Air Conservancy, an organization which worked within the manufacturing economy and the commodities market to reduce air pollution by acquiring and retiring pollution allowances. Outside Magazine dubbed the Clean Air Conservancy one of the 10 best small environmental non-profits.

David Webster was an aggressive litigator who took on music giant Sony and won a judgment of more than $5 million for the late Cleveland music producer Steve Popovich over credit for Meatloaf's hottest album, ``Bat out of Hell.'' He was a founding partner of the law firm Webster & Dubyak and was also actively involved in the Cuyahoga County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, and the American Bar Association. He was a driving force behind the merger of the Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland Bar Associations and was the President-elect of the merged CMBA at the time of his passing.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, today, we observe the 3rd Annual David Webster Greener Way to Work Day. The CMBA encourages us to find a greener way to travel to and from work, whether through public transportation, biking, walking or carpooling. The CMBA will honor David's memory with a noon luncheon at the CMBA offices with a special tribute presentation. Please join me in honoring the memory of David Webster by joining with the CMBA in taking action to protect our environment.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 2401, The TRAIN Act. This bill would continue the subordination of public health and common sense to the narrow, temporary and misguided pursuit of profits for the few. It endeavors to kill essential environmental and public health protections by imposing the exact kind of redtape my colleagues so emphatically claim to oppose.

The TRAIN Act slams the brakes on essential public health initiatives, first by burdening

the initiatives with unnecessary and redundant study. These regulations include efforts to reduce airborne ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, toxic metals like mercury, arsenic and chromium, and any effort to stem greenhouse gases, the single biggest threat to our way of life and our very existence in recorded history. The TRAIN Act also tries to overtly stop two essential rules. It indefinitely blocks EPA's Mercury and Air Toxics standards and Cross-State Air Pollution Rule by eliminating any legal deadline for EPA action. It prevents EPA from adopting the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule for a minimum of 19 months, and the Mercury and Air Toxics standards for at least 15 months.

Each year the Cross-State Air Pollution rule is delayed brings about up to 34,000 premature deaths, 19,000 emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and about 400,000 cases of aggravated asthma. The pollution reductions under the rule are estimated to create health benefits of $59 billion to $140 billion per year; 5 to 13 times its costs.

Each year the Mercury and Air Toxics rule is delayed brings about 17,000 additional premature deaths, 12,200 emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and about 120,000 cases of aggravated asthma. Enacting the rule would bring about health benefits of $120 to $280 billion per year; 150 to 350 times its costs.

If I told you Washington, DC were to incur an act of terrorism that would cost over 50,000 lives over the next year, I guarantee you this Congress would launch a multibillion dollar effort to save those lives. If an explosion at a nuclear power plant killed a baseball stadium's worth of people, you can bet we would spend billions of dollars figuring out what went wrong, conducting cleanup, performing oversight, and so much more. If a massive flood caused an outbreak of an enigmatic infectious disease that killed 34,000 people over 12 months, you can be certain we would mobilize all levels of government and the private sector to stop it. There would be clearly identifiable victims. There would be heroes. Not so in the field of public health where the victims are harder to identify and the cause of their death, less grandiose.

We have an opportunity here to prevent the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Americans for far less money than it would cost to relaunch a war on terror, to clean up after a nuclear catastrophe, or to stop the spread of a flood-borne emerging infectious disease. There are many environmental issues demanding our attention which will require remedies that are simply not cost-effective, in the narrowly defined economic sense of the term. The regulations at issue today do not fall into that category. This bill is a true test of fiscal rectitude. I urge my colleagues to reject it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps, an organization of volunteers who are dedicated to helping individuals build better lives for themselves by living and working in developing countries.

Following President John F. Kennedy's challenge to 5,000 students at the University of Michigan to dedicate two years of their lives to help people in developing countries, the Peace Corps was officially established on March 1, 1961. Young people throughout the country were inspired, and by June 22, 1961, Peace Corps Director Sargent Shriver had received 11,000 applications. On August 30, 1961, the first group of Peace Corps volunteers arrived to serve as teachers in Ghana. By December of 1961, more than 500 volunteers were working in nine countries around the world.

Today, 50 years after the Peace Corps began; there are more than 8,600 active volunteers and trainees working in 76 different countries. The mission of the Peace Corps that was adopted in 1961 still remains the organization's mission today. ``Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.''

Throughout its history, the Peace Corps has continued to adapt to the needs of developing countries. Volunteers work in areas such as education, business development, environmental preservation, youth development, agriculture and HIV/AIDS relief. Returned Peace Corps volunteers return to the U.S. with incomparable experience and have gone on to become directors of the Peace Corps, Members of Congress, presidents of universities and CEOs in the business world.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor of the more than 200,000 volunteers who have dedicated themselves to promoting world peace and friendship throughout 139 countries over the past 50 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the dedication of The University of Akron Lakewood Higher Education Center. The University of Akron Lakewood will give students throughout Cuyahoga County an opportunity to benefit from the quality education that The University of Akron (UA) has been providing its students for more than one hundred years.

Founded in 1870 by John R. Buchtel, the University of Akron was originally Buchtel College. When Butchel College first opened its doors in 1872, 46 collegiate students were taught by seven faculty members. Over the past 140 years, UA has expanded and in 2010 welcomed 4,796 freshman students, the largest incoming class in the school's history. Today, the University of Akron offers 300 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 29,000 students. The Princeton Review listed UA among the ``Best in the Midwest'' in its 2011 edition of Best Colleges: Region-by-Region.

The University of Akron Lakewood Higher Education Center will be housed in downtown Lakewood's Bailey Building on the corner of Warren Road and Detroit Avenue. The Lakewood location will offer variety of classes for students enrolled in the College of Nursing, College of Education and College of Business. Additionally, general education courses will be offered to high school students who wish to pursue dual-enrollment.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognition of the new University of Akron Lakewood Higher Education Center.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of International Day of Peace. This year represents the 30th anniversary of this global celebration and focus on international peace.

In 1981, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly first established the International Day of Peace. It mandated that it be observed annually on the third Tuesday of September, coinciding with the opening of the General Assembly. The resolution was introduced jointly by the United Kingdom and Costa Rica. The first International Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day, was observed in 1982. In 2001, a new resolution passed the UN General Assembly, specifying September 21st as the annual day of non-violence and cease-fire.

Today, September 21, 2011, marks the 30th anniversary of International Peace Day. This year's theme is ``Peace and Democracy: Make Your Voice Heard.'' The UN welcomes nations throughout the world ``to honor a cessation of hostilities during the Day, and to otherwise commemorate the Day through education and public awareness on issues related to peace.'' UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon will also ring the Peace Bell today at the UN Headquarters. The Peace Bell was donated by Japan in 1549 and is inscribed with the phrase, ``Long live absolute world peace.''

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me as the global community comes together to celebrate the UN's International Day of Peace.