Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor State Representative Bill Patmon of Ohio's 10th House District.

Representative Patmon served as a member of the Cleveland City Council for 12 years between 1990 and 2001. During his time as a Councilman, he served as Chairman of the Council Finance Committee and the Employment and Affirmative Action Committee as well as Vice Chairman of the Safety, Community Development, and Utilities Committee. Following his tenure as Councilman, Representative Patmon was then elected to the Ohio State Congress in 2011 where he sits as a member of the Education; State Government and Elections; and Transportation, Public Safety, and Homeland Security Committees.

Representative Patmon has been a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Regional Transit Authority, a Special Consultant to the late Councilwoman, Fannie M. Lewis, and a member of the Harvard University Professional Fellows Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

He is currently the President of East Erie Enterprise LLC which provides professional consulting in regards to community, economic development, and municipal finance. He is also a political analyst for the local Channel 3 News station. Representative Patmon is the proud recipient of such honors as the 1997 National League of Cities Cultural Diversity Award.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Bill Patmon.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor State Representative Mike Dovilla of Ohio's 18th House District.

In addition to being a State Representative, Mr. Dovilla is also a U.S. Navy veteran, small business owner, adjunct professor and nonprofit leader.

Representative Dovilla is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves with over eight years of commissioned service, including a 12-month deployment to Iraq. While in Iraq, he served as Deputy Officer-in- Charge leading a 25-person Baghdad-based intelligence headquarters which acted as a counter-improvised explosive device brigade. His reserve assignments have included a position with the Chief Naval Operations and the Office of Naval Intelligence. He is currently serving with a U.S. Forces, Japan reserve unit in Akron, Ohio. His military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.

Outside of the military, Representative Dovilla has served as a Presidential appointee at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; a senior advisor to former U.S. Senator, George Voinovich; a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.S. Department of State; a manager of The Dovilla Group--his strategic consulting firm; a German Marshall Fund of the United States' American Marshall Memorial Fellow; a volunteer at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital; and a member of the Kiwanis Club of Berea, American Legion Post 91 in Berea, and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3445 of Strongsville. He was elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 2010 where he is currently serving his first term.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Mike Dovilla.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 75th anniversary of the First Cleveland Mosque.

The First Cleveland Mosque was founded in 1937 by Al Hajj Imam Wali Akram, and is among the oldest Islamic organizations in the U.S. Imam Wali Akram's goal in establishing the mosque was to have a place to entertain and educate the Muslim community.

In 1984, Al Hajj Imam Mahmoud A. Akram took over as the Imam of the First Cleveland Masjid and served until 1989. Since 1989, the grandson of Imam Wali Akram, Imam Abbas Ahmad, has been leading a congregation of hundreds of members. The First Cleveland Mosque embraces and propagates the fundamental teachings of Islam through service to the community according to the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad.

In celebration of the First Cleveland Mosque's 75th anniversary, members will gather for a number of events being held on September 14th and 15th, 2012. Events include prayer, several speakers, a silent auction and a banquet.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in the First Cleveland Mosque, as it celebrates 75 years of serving as a place of worship for hundreds of Greater Cleveland residents.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Cleveland Municipal Court which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this Saturday evening, September 15, 2012, with a Centennial Gala.

The Cleveland Municipal Court was established by an act of the Ohio General Assembly in 1911. The Court, originally located on the northwest corner of Public Square, opened its doors at 9:30 a.m. on January 2, 1912. Court was gaveled to order that morning by Chief Bailiff Charles Selzer following opening remarks by Cleveland Municipal Court Chief Justice William H. McGannon and Judges David B. Cull and George P. Baer. The other judges on the original municipal court bench were William B. Beebe, Samuel E. Kramer, Manuel V. Levine, and Fielder Sanders. Peter J. Henry was the original Clerk of the Court who served in that position for 35 years.

The Cleveland Municipal Court is the second oldest municipal court in the nation. Unlike the Justices of the Peace it replaced, the judges were required to be legally trained and were elected by the people rather than appointed by politicians. Also groundbreaking for its time, the Cleveland Municipal Court paid its judges and staff salaries which did not depend on the fines they levied on those they found guilty.

Today, the Cleveland Municipal Court is located in the Justice Center Complex in Downtown Cleveland and consists of 13 elected judges and 14 magistrates, along with bailiffs and other administrative and support staff. The court handles misdemeanor crimes, including traffic, domestic, nuisance and other offenses, as well as civil cases if the total damages are $15,000 or less. Its housing court has jurisdiction over criminal cases involving violations of Cleveland's housing, building, fire, zoning, health, waste collection, sidewalk, agriculture and air pollution codes. The housing court also hears civil cases involving landlord/tenant disputes.

Prominent judges who have served on the Cleveland Municipal Court include the late Carl B. Stokes who drew national attention as the first African-American mayor of one of the ten biggest cities in the United States. Our late colleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones also served as a Cleveland Municipal Court judge prior to her election as Cuyahoga County Prosecutor and later as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. I am proud to have served as Clerk of Court from 1975 to 1977.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in recognizing the important work that the Cleveland Municipal Court does. The Cleveland Municipal Court is one of the great institutions of our democratic system in bringing impartial justice to the people of Cleveland for the last 100 years and well into the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of State Representative Nicholas J. Celebrezze of Ohio's 15th House District.

Representative Celebreeze graduated from the University of Akron in Ohio with a bachelor's degree with Honors from the Bliss Institute of American Politics. He later received his Juris Doctorate from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law. In 2004, he was admitted to practice law in Ohio. He currently owns and operates a local, family-owned law firm.

Before being elected to the Ohio General Assembly, Representative Celebrezze was a Parma City Councilman for six years, chairing the Planning Committee which created a regional approach that led to $3.7 million of improvements towards solving the City's long history of standing sewer problems. While on the Parma City Council, his background as a former Cuyahoga County Adult Probation Officer and Assistant County Prosecutor motivated him to advocate for a strong sense of community safety and to become involved in a successful campaign to build two new local fire stations.

Now as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, Representative Celebrezze sits on the Local Government and Transportation, Public Safety, and Homeland Security Committees. In addition to his legislative duties, Representative Celebrezze is also active in the community participating in Parma Jaycees, the Parma and Ohio Bar Associations, the North East Ohio City Council Association, the Justinian Forum, is the elected Chairman of the Partisan Ohio Sports Club, and was named the official color commentator for the local PACTV televised high school soccer games in 2011.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Nicholas J. Celebrezze.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor State Representative Mike Foley of Ohio's 14th House District.

Representative Foley was appointed to represent the 14th District in May of 2006 and won the formal election in November of that same year; he has now been serving for four terms.

Representative Foley's legislative career has been marked by his passion and advocacy for housing issues, as exemplified by his current role as Chairman of the Housing Urban Revitalization Committee. In the mid-1980s, he became a community organizer for the St. Clair-Superior Coalition where he took responsibility for neighborhood safety and block club organization. He later became a field representative for Cleveland's Community Relations Board followed by roles as a court administrator, personal bailiff, and judicial clerk at the Cleveland Municipal Housing Court.

In 1997, Representative Foley began work at the Cleveland Tenants Organization where he eventually became Executive Director during his 9 year tenure. His work with the organization helped bring in over $160 million in affordable housing projects performed by local union laborers and helped organize the largest rent strike in Ohio history--a protest against a 25 percent rent increase towards senior citizens by out-of-state landlords.

Representative Foley also advocates for issues such as alternative energy, the environment, retiree benefits, consumer rights and tax code reform. He serves as a member of the Alternative Energy; Civil and Commercial Law; and Ways and Means committees.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Mike Foley.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor State Representative Kenneth ``Kenny'' Yuko of Ohio's 7th House District.

Representative Yuko started his career as a clothing buyer for Polsky's Department Store; however, he soon found he was developing a passion for union organizing and advocating for workers' rights. His first job in public service, which spanned 30 years, was with the Laborers' Local #860 Union. Not only did he act as a union organizer for 25 years, but he also earned several awards, including the 2000 Organizing Award.

Now as a State Representative, Mr. Yuko advocates for workers' rights as well as increased health care access and Multiple Sclerosis awareness. In 2004, he worked to pass H.B. 379, designating March as MS Awareness Month in Ohio. His efforts with this bill earned him Ohio Health Advocacy Network's 2006 award for Legislator of the Year. He also serves as a ranking member of the House Commerce, Labor and Technology committee and a member of the Health and Aging and Veterans Affairs Committees.

Outside of his duties as State Representative, Mr. Yuko holds a place on the Bureau of Workers Compensation Oversight Committee, Unemployment Advisory Committee, Ohio Historical Society Board (ex-officio), and is an active member of the Cancer, Fire, Housing and Mental Health caucuses.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Kenny Yuko.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor State Representative Sandra Williams of Ohio's 11th District.

Before taking a position in the State House, Representative Williams began her career in criminal justice. She served as a member of the United States Army Reserve between 1987 and 1995. She later held positions as a corrections officer, probation officer, parole officer and mediator.

Her first job in the State House was as a legislative aide, a position she held for five years while gaining much needed insight and credentials that eventually earned her the trust of the voters she would soon represent. Representative Williams was first elected to be a State Representative in 2006 and is now in her third term. She is a ranking member of the House Public Utilities Committee and a member of the Criminal Justice and Economic and Small Business Committees.

In addition to her legislative career, Representative Williams is a member of the Federated Democratic Women of Ohio, the National Council of Negro Women, the Improved Benevolent and Protective order of Elks, Ohio Democratic Women's Caucus, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Black Women's Political Action Committee. She also donates much of her time to the Cleveland Food Bank as a volunteer and is a former Street Club President and precinct committee person.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Sandra Williams.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of State Representative Armond Budish of Ohio's 8th House District.

In 2006, Budish was elected as a State Representative to the 127th General Assembly. He was named Speaker of the House for the 128th General Assembly and is currently the Democratic Leader of the House for the 129th General Assembly. Leader Budish is a Ranking Minority Member of the Financial Institutions, Real Estate and Securities Committee and a member of the Unified Long-Term Care Budget workgroup.

Leader Budish received his Bachelor's Degree with Honors from Swarthmore College and his Juris Doctorate, Order of the Coif from the New York University Law School. Upon graduation, he clerked in Washington D.C. for a Federal Judge. He later joined the Hahn Loeser and Parks law firm in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1993, he opened the Budish, Solomon, Steiner and Peck law firm in Beachwood, Ohio which specializes in consumer and elder law and continues to act as partner.

In addition to his position as Democratic Leader, Representative Budish hosts ``Golden Opportunities,'' a television show on the local Channel 3 news station aimed at informing seniors and their families. He has also written several books and national publications and has penned a column for The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Columbus Dispatch entitled, ``You and the Law,'' for the past 25 years.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Armond Budish.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of State Representative John E. Barnes, Jr. of Ohio's 12th House District.

Representative Barnes is the son of former Cleveland City Councilman, John E. Barnes, Sr. who instilled in him a sense of value of service to others. Representative Barnes received a master's degree from Case Western Reserve University, professional education from Harvard University, an Honorary Doctorate from Chancellor University, and was a student at the Kathlieke University in Leuven, Belgium.

Representative Baker first served as a State Legislator from 1999 to 2002, during which he participated as a member of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus' official visit to South Africa in 2001. He was also responsible for bringing millions of dollars to his district to support economic development and job creation initiatives. As a State Representative for the second time, he now sits on the Ways and Means; Health and Aging; and Economic and Small Business Committees.

In addition to his place in the Ohio House of Representatives, Representative Barnes has held positions as Chairman of the Ohio Commission on African American Males, a Cabinet-Level Director in the Administration of Former Cleveland Mayor, Jane L. Campbell, Director of Cleveland's Department of Community Relations, and a Senior Tax Auditor and Investigator for the City's Division of Taxation.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative John Barnes, Jr.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of State Representative Nickie J. Antonio of Ohio's 13th House District.

Prior to public service, Representative Antonio was a former special education teacher, an Executive Director at a non-profit for women's drug and alcohol treatment programs, an administrator for a multi- county HIV/AIDS group, an adjunct professor at Cleveland State University in Women's Studies and Public Administration. She served over two decades as a consultant to various non-profits and government agencies in Northeast Ohio.

In 2005, Representative Antonio was elected to the Lakewood City Council where she sat for a total of five years, chairing the Economic Development; Housing; and Human Services committees and also sat as a member of the Public Works and Finance Committees. While a Lakewood council representative, she served on the Lakewood Hospital Board for four years, fought to retain funding for senior programs and services, and was a founder of the Lakewood Relations Advisory Commission which is aimed at promoting citizen human rights and expanding the scope of existing intimidation laws.

As a State Representative, Antonio sits on the Commerce and Labor; Education, Health, and Aging; and Ohio House Committees. She also earned an appointment to the Joint Legislative Committee for Long-Term Care Services and Supports as well as the Commission on Developmental Disabilities. She serves as a policy co-chair for the Ohio Women's Legislative Caucus, is a member of the Ohio House Progressive Caucus, and is a past chair of both the American Cancer Society Relay for Life Event and the Cuyahoga Democratic Women's Caucus where she continues to sit on the steering committee.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Nickie J. Antonio.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of State Representative Nan Baker of Ohio's 16th House District.

Before joining the Ohio General Assembly, Representative Baker was a member of the Westlake Board of Education and served three terms as Westlake City Councilwoman. She has been an active member of the West Shore Chamber of Commerce for 18 years where she served two years as president and currently serves on the Board of Trustees. She has continued to be an avid business owner for over 30 years while remaining active in her community. She is involved with the Community Advisory Board for St. John Medical Center, Westlake Kiwanis, Westlake/ North Olmsted League of Women Voters, Westside Professional Women's Connection and the Westlake/Westshore Arts Council.

Over the years, Representative Baker's hard work and dedication to public service has earned her several honors and awards including the 1999 Honored Woman of the Year awarded by the Westlake/North Olmsted League of Women Voters, a Certificate of Special U.S. Congressional Recognition, the Cleveland State University David C. Sweet Award given to alumni for distinguished elected service, the Hugh Dawson Award given by the West Shore Chamber of Commerce for outstanding service to the business community, and in 2009, the Chuck McDonald Council of Smaller Enterprises advocacy Award for her service and dedication to small business.

Currently as a State Representative in her second term, Representative Baker chairs the Economic and Small Business Development committee and is a member of the Education; Local Government; and Ways and Means Committees.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Nan Baker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of State Representative Marlene Anielski of Ohio's 17th House District.

Representative Anielski holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Akron and a Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University where she also received her certification as an Ohio Certified Public Manager.

Representative Anielski's political career began with her role as Walton Hills' Councilwoman, a position she held for two years before being elected Mayor of Walton Hills. She served as Mayor/Safety Director of the City for ten years between 2000 and 2010. In 2011, she was elected to her first term as Ohio State Representative in the Ohio General Assembly. She is a member of the Economic and Small Business Development; Education; Finance and Appropriations; Public Utilities; and Joint Bingo and Skill Based Gaming Committees. Representative Anielski has also opposed legislation that would allow for drilling for oil and natural gas in state parks and other state owned lands.

In addition to her responsibilities as a member of the State House, Representative Anielski is active in her community. She donates much of her time to various national, state, and local organizations including the Small Communities Council of the National League of Cities, the Mayors' and Municipalities Automotive Coalition, the Chambers of Commerce, and Junior Achievement.

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honoring the achievements of State Representative Marlene Anielski.

This bill ought to be renamed the ``No More Solyndras, But More Money for Nuclear White Elephants Loan Program.''

My friends on the other side of the aisle like to talk about the free enterprise system, but I'm sure that you're aware that Wall Street won't invest in nuclear power. The nukes can't get money from the free enterprise system, so they want government to bail them out.

This bill claims to reduce wasteful spending on energy projects, but it's actually an attack on renewable energy. The real effect is laid bare by the effective date of the bill, which grandfathers the worst of the worst of the worst energy boondoggles.

Specifically, it allows nuclear power loan guarantee projects to proceed, even though some create exposure for the Federal Government of about 15 times the exposure created by Solyndra--and these programs, these nuclear loan programs, are more likely to fail.

One of the biggest loan guarantees for nuclear, not even necessary. This is not my assessment. It's the assessment of Kevin Marsh, the President of South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, which is attempting to build a new nuclear power plant. He said, on a call to analysts and investors:

We're confident in our ability to finance this project without a loan guarantee. It could be in the $8 to $10 billion range.

So the conflict here is, generally, Wall Street isn't investing. But you get a group of investors that think they can, but are they leveraging against the hope of government involvement? I don't know.

Truth is nuclear power plants are simply not viable without massive government subsidies, which eclipse subsidies for renewable energies by orders of magnitude.

The Congressional Budget Office has had this to say about nuclear loan guarantees:

The CBO considers the risk of default on such loan

guarantees to be very high--well above 50 percent.

Dale Klein, former Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, cautioned that nuclear plants will not move off the blackboard and into construction, not as long as natural gas remains as cheap and plentiful as it is today.

An article opposing the bill, by Autumn Hanna and Henry Sokolski in the National Review Online, states:

The total number of projects this bill grandfathers isn't

publicly available. Par for the course with this highly

secretive program. We know it's a lot. Our research points to

nearly 100 projects that claim to have applied.

If this was really about being fiscally responsible with taxpayers' money, we'd be targeting the projects that have the highest probability of failing and carry the highest price tag and preclude them. But the bill does the opposite.

What we should be doing is continuing our efforts to invest in renewables, understanding some of them may not work, but that's the future. It's cleaner. It's safety. It protects the globe. That's where the jobs of tomorrow are.

We have to stop China from eating our lunch on these alternative energy projects. We have to reclaim this for America. Bring the jobs here. Create the jobs here.

The money's there. Don't go giving it to nuclear. Nuclear is dead in the water unless government tries to resurrect it by giving away billions of dollars in taxpayers' money that will never be recovered.

Could I inquire of the Chair how much time remains?

I thank Mr. Hastings for the opportunity to rise in opposition to the rule for the CR.

The continuing resolution contains $99.9 billion in the Overseas Contingency Operation funds to continue the war in Afghanistan and to fund other operations in the so-called ``war on terror.'' This is on top of over $1.3 trillion we've already spent in waging war abroad.

This is a war that costs U.S. taxpayers $2 billion a week. It's a war that, according to the Congressional Research Service, has cost the lives of nearly 2,000 U.S. servicemembers and has resulted in another 17,519 being injured, yet the war seems to have fallen from headlines and our national conscience, and this is wrong.

We cannot afford another $100 billion on a war that will never result in stability in Afghanistan or the region. This war against Afghanistan boomeranged against the Soviet Union; it's boomeranging against our country.

When you look at the amount of money that is being spent--not just for the war, but for the United States Pentagon, we're looking at a fiscal '13 budget of $613 billion, spending more money than every other country in the world almost combined for so-called ``defense.''

Now, we have an obligation to defend our country, but we also have an obligation for housing, for health care, for education, for retirement security. If you're concerned about Congress regaining authority under article I, section 8, then we should be voting to end this war right now by striking the money for it. If you're concerned about the debt, then we should be voting to end this war by taking money away from funding and then you could contribute that to resolving the debt. If you're concerned about emboldening radicals in other countries who are following in on the wake of our invasions, then we should be taking the money out of this for more war. If you're concerned about the budget, that it doesn't have enough for jobs and housing and health care and education and energy and the environment, then end the war now, vote against it. If you're concerned about America taking steps to create peace, then we should get this money out of this budget which creates more war.

This is time for us to reclaim our country, which we're losing not just to war, but to a national security state like yesterday when we voted as a House--I voted against it--to empower security agencies to be able to intercept the phone calls of anybody in the United States who makes calls internationally.

We have got to reclaim our Nation. This CR doesn't do it. This is the same old, same old, same old war, national security state, forget the real needs of the American people. I'm going to vote against this rule and I'm going to vote against the underlying bill.