Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 175) condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I would like to thank my good friend, the gentleman from Illinois, Congressman Mark Kirk, for his leadership in introducing this important resolution.

H. Res. 175 condemns the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and of its continued violation of the international covenants on human rights.

Mr. Speaker, resolutions in support of the much persecuted Baha'i communities in the Middle East have a long and proud tradition in the House of Representatives and in the other body. While past resolutions have chronicled the abuse and harassment Baha'is have experienced in several Middle Eastern countries, nowhere is the situation as dire or does it require more urgent action than in Iran, where Baha'is are routinely arrested and face the death penalty.

Iran's Baha'i community forms that country's largest religious minority. It is difficult to know the exact number because Iran has banned communal Baha'i institutions since 1983, but it is estimated that they number over 300,000.

Since 1979, some 200 Baha'is have been executed, and thousands have been imprisoned. They have been systematically denied jobs, pensions, access to higher education, and the right to inherit property. All Baha'i cemeteries, holy places and other community properties were seized soon after the 1979 revolution. Many sites of the greatest historical significance to the Baha'is have been destroyed, and the graves of Baha'is have been desecrated throughout the country.

In the spring of 2008, seven individuals who had been serving as leaders of the Baha'i community on an ad hoc basis were arrested and were put in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. Their trial date has been repeatedly postponed, and it is still unclear if and when they will face trial.

Official Iranian news agencies have reported that they are charged with espionage for Israel, insulting Islam and with propaganda against the Islamic republic. Family members have been informed of a fourth charge, that of spreading corruption on Earth. Some of these charges could carry the death penalty. The circumstances of this possible trial are particularly worrying because the Government of Iran has arrested and executed the Baha'i leadership on three previous occasions.

In addition to the seven Baha'i leaders, some 25 other Baha'is also remain in prison, including three young people in Shiraz who were arrested in 2006 for indirectly teaching the Baha'i faith and for engaging in antigovernment propaganda while merely carrying out a literacy program for underprivileged youth. These young people are currently serving 4-year sentences under very harsh conditions.

As the United States and the international community seek to engage Iran on the crucial issues of nonproliferation, we must not forget about the basic human rights of the Iranian people. International attention to the persecution of the Baha'is in Iran has been critical to preventing an even worse deterioration of their situation.

As large sections of the Iranian population are now being increasingly repressed and denied the opportunity to have a voice in their own country, it is crucial that others in the international community speak out on their behalf and support them. I urge all of my colleagues to support this important resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 823) expressing deep condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of those killed and injured in the attack on the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) office in Islamabad, Pakistan, on October 5, 2009, and support for the WFP's mission to bring emergency food aid to the most vulnerable people of Pakistan and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, on October 5, 2009, five dedicated humanitarians were killed and four others injured by a suicide bombing inside the World Food Program's office in Islamabad, Pakistan. The victims of this senseless attack were impartial civilian aid workers devoted to feeding the hungry and providing a lifeline to millions of the most vulnerable people in Pakistan.

The United Nations World Food Program has been on the front lines of fighting hunger worldwide since its inception in 1962.

I want to recognize, and I want to thank the sponsor of this resolution, my distinguished colleague and good friend from Connecticut, Ms. Rosa DeLauro, for taking the lead in introducing this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlelady from Connecticut, Representative Rosa DeLauro.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 2 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts, James McGovern.

I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio, Mr. Dennis Kucinich.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, Hollywood has lost another star with the passing of Paul Burke at the age of 83. Paul Burke was best known for the role he played of Colonel Joe Gallagher in the TV series ``Twelve O'Clock High.'' He was also known for winning two Emmy nominations for his role as Detective Adam Flint on the critically acclaimed New York cop drama ``The Naked City.''

Paul was born on July 21st, 1926, in New Orleans, son of prizefighter Martin Burke, who became a promoter and nightclub owner. While growing up, Burke's family owned the popular French Quarter nightclub and restaurant Marty Burke's.

After moving to Hollywood as a young man in the late 1940s, Burke studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse for 2 years. Movie director Lloyd Bacon, a friend of Burke's father, got him his first role, an unaccredited bit part in the 1951 Betty Grable musical ``Call Me Mister.''

In addition to his wife of 30 years, Burke is survived by his three children from his first marriage, Paula Burke-Lopez, Paul Brian Burke, and Dina Burke-Shawkat; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

The Hollywood community, his family, friends and colleagues will miss him and his contributions to the entertainment industry.

I thank you very much, Congressman Ellison, for yielding to me. You are doing a marvelous job. I watch you every evening as you take the mic on the floor of the House to explain to the general public what a benefit health care reform is to all Americans.

And I want to say that we speak to all Americans and we say to them, we are presenting to you a reform of health care as you have known it in the past. Because in my own State of California, if you have insurance, your fees are going to go up somewhere around $1,800 for a family of four annually. People are going without coverage because they cannot afford it.

We had an assembly outside of Blessed Sacrament in Hollywood several weeks ago, and there was a man who came up with a heavy Spanish accent. And he said, I am an American, I work four jobs. My 2-year-old daughter got sick. I could not even afford health insurance and she eventually died.

I do hope that our House bill, H.R. 3200, will be recognized as a way to help reform health care because what we want to do is bring to you in your own community accessible health care. We want it to be affordable; we want it to cover preexisting conditions; and we want to say to you, if you get sick and you can't work--and that's happening very frequently with H1N1, people are getting sick, they have no sick leave, and it could really bankrupt most families. And so we say to you, even if you don't have a job, you will be covered.

We are now just dickering around the edges of a reform. We are going to get one now because it's the right thing to do, Mr. Ellison. And I am so glad that you are bringing information to the people every evening.

I want to say that I know in my own district there are a lot of people who cannot afford health care, but this one family could. And if we don't reform health care, a lot of people will have to endure weeks of illness and eventually death.

I'd like to bring to your attention the death of Marybell Bakewell, who was born on April 10, 1925 and died October 7, 2009 in Los Angeles. Her son is Danny Bakewell, who is now Chair of the Black Publishers Association. Mr. Bakewell, who lives in the southern California area, could pay for health care, but he could not save his own mother, Mrs. Bakewell; and she suffered a massive stroke from which she never recovered.

Marbee, as she was affectionately known by her entire family, was always the life of the family. She preached ``family first,'' and anyone who knew her immediately fell in love with her glowing personality. She was full of life, love and laughter, and was also an activist.

Marybell Bakewell was a native of New Orleans and lived there 79 years of her 84 years of life. She finally left her beloved city after it was completely devastated by Hurricane Katrina. While living in New Orleans, she was a life member of St. Peter Claver Catholic Church as well as a member of the Sisters of the Holy Family.

Mrs. Bakewell belonged to one of four generations of women and family who attended St. Mary's Catholic School. Her grandmother, Mary Winier; her mother, Camille Brazile; Marybell Bakewell and her daughter, Pamela Bakewell, all were graduates of this esteemed institution of higher learning dating back to the turn of the century.

Mrs. Bakewell was a diehard New Orleans Saints fan. She loved to play cards and board games, especially with her main road warrior, Brenda Marsh-Mitchell.

Marybell Bakewell is survived by her two children, Danny J. Bakewell, Sr. and Pamela Bakewell, both prominent in Los Angeles civic affairs; her daughter-in-law, Aline Bakewell; eight grandchildren--Danny J. Bakewell, Jr., Brandi Bakewell, Sabrina Bakewell, deceased, Donny Brooks, Jamie Brooks, Brandon Brooks, Fatima Elswify, Amira Elswify; six great grandchildren--Taelor Bakewell, Danny J. Bakewell, III, Devyn Bakewell, Bryce Bakewell, Donny Brooks, Jr., Adrian ``AJ'' Brooks; sister-in-law, Delores Brazile; her nephew, Eric Brazile; as well as a host of cousins, family and friends.

This courageous matriarch will be missed by the Los Angeles community, her family and friends, and especially by me, Mr. Speaker. I had a grandmother who was born in New Orleans, grew up in a convent for 13 years, obviously left, but her sister became Sister Philomena. And so I have a great affection for the city and for her.

My point in bringing her obituary here is that, yes, this family could afford health care; but I'm telling you there are thousands of others, not only in my district in the State of California but across this country, something like 38 million, who need the government to help them survive when they have a condition or when they are declared terminal.

So I am hoping that in this Congress we will do the right thing and we will see that before the year ends, we have Medicare reform as a program for all Americans.

I want to thank you, Mr. Ellison, for your insight, your intelligence, your knowledge. And I want you on this floor every evening. You are bringing to the American people the important facts about what our reform will do.

So thank you very much, Madam Speaker. Thank you very much for the time. Continue to educate Americans.

Would you yield just a few seconds?

About 3 weeks ago, I was up in the Hollywood Hills at a reception, and there was a young man who was taking pictures of all of us. When I finished making a presentation about our health care reform, he came up to me and he said, thank you. He said, I am on a medication--now get this--that costs $74,000 a month. I said repeat that figure. He said $74,000 a month. He told me that he had a very unique condition, that when he was born, his muscular system, his skeletal system as well as his vital organs started to deteriorate. Each one of the medications he takes monthly costs over $6,000. He does a copayment of about $696 a month. He said, I could not afford that without the insurance that I have, and I pay a high price for that insurance. I told you what the copayment was.

So here is a person who makes a good income and pays a great amount of his income on a monthly basis just to stay alive. Why can't we have a program that will keep others alive regardless of their income?

And thank you, Congresswoman, for coming forth with your factual statements. I listen to you also very intently. And as an attorney, you bring the truth and you speak it to power. And I thank you very much.

I yield back.

Mr. Speaker, there have been many myths about our health reform, and I want to give just a few facts.

Decisions about your health will be made by you, your doctor, and your family and not by anyone else.

They're saying that health care reform will lead to rationed care. Mr. Speaker, the fact is nothing will stand between you and your doctor or prevent you from making the best health care decisions yourself.

And, Mr. Speaker, there's a myth saying we can't afford to fix health care during an economic crisis. Well, rising health care costs are hurting our families and businesses now and driving up the budget deficit. If we do nothing, the cost of health care premiums will eat us up more and more. It will eat up your monthly paycheck, and the prescription drug doughnut hole won't get fixed.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 733) expressing condolences to the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the aftermath of the devastating typhoon that struck the central and southern regions of the island on August 8, 2009, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This resolution expresses condolences to the victims of the devastating typhoon that struck Taiwan on August 8, 2009. I would like to thank my good friend, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for sponsoring this important resolution that allows the House to voice its support for Taiwan and its people.

Typhoon Morakot hit Taiwan on August 8 and deluged the island with over 8 feet of rain. The loss of life and destruction of property in the wake of the typhoon has been devastating and is the worst that Taiwan has seen in 50 years. The central and southeastern parts of Taiwan were hardest hit by the storm, with floods and mudslides damaging almost 200,000 homes. The official death toll is over 600, and there are still 81 people missing.

The United States assisted recovery efforts in Taiwan by providing humanitarian relief supplies and heavy-lift helicopters to the disaster areas.

I want to extend my deepest condolences to all of the families that lost loved ones caused by the typhoon and to those who have lost their homes. The people of the United States stand in solidarity with the Taiwanese people as they undertake the painstaking process of recovery, and we stand ready to advocate further assistance for the recovery process if needed.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) for sponsoring this resolution, and I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Las Vegas, Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3593) to amend the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 to extend by one year the operation of Radio Free Asia, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, Radio Free Asia provides timely, accurate and useful news and information to countries whose leadership prohibits access to truly free media. Listeners in China, Tibet, Vietnam, Laos, North Korea and Burma can learn about what is happening in their own countries and in their own languages and dialects through professional and objective reporting and discussion programs on RFA.

RFA's performance is impressive in parts of the world where governments make independent broadcasting difficult or even impossible. It is one of our most dynamic surrogate broadcasters.

RFA uses well-established means of information dissemination, such as shortwave transmissions and hand-cranked radios, that are spirited to listeners who are otherwise entirely cut off from the world. It also makes use of modern media technologies such as live streaming over the Internet in regions where access to computers is relatively common but where governments place controls on news reporting. The listener feedback to these programs by e-mail and during call-in talk shows is very impressive. It provides a credible window on the pervasiveness of corruption and autocracy.

I think most of us agree that it is useful to continue operating RFA, as it serves to help maintain freedom of information overseas as well as promoting better understanding of United States values such as democracy.

The legislation before us, offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) would reauthorize RFA to continue its operations for the next fiscal year. I strongly urge all of our colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 178) expressing the sense of the Congress that

we honor, commemorate and celebrate the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands by recognizing the Quadricentennial celebration of the discovery of the Hudson River and the settlement and enduring values of New Netherland which permeate American society up until today, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the concurrent resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) for introducing this resolution marking the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that now bears his name. Hudson and his crew of 20 Dutch and English sailors got as far as present day Albany before concluding that the river was unlikely to take him to India.

Though his voyage may not have led to the discovery of the Northwest Passage, Henry Hudson and the Dutch East India Company planted the seeds for the establishment of the New Netherland settlement and four centuries of American-Dutch relations. The legacy of New Netherland is plainly evident in the values such as tolerance, entrepreneurship and freedom of speech and religion which we hold so dear. This was echoed by Benjamin Franklin when he wrote, ``In love of liberty and in the defense of it, Holland has been our example.''

From our partnership in NATO to our immense trade and investment links, the bonds of friendship between our two countries today remain just as strong as when the Netherlands became the first European country to grant diplomatic recognition to the United States.

So I urge my colleagues to join me on this important anniversary by supporting this resolution and recognizing the historic ties of the United States and the Netherlands.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2131) to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of

1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

This legislation would extend by 1 year the mandate of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a bipartisan panel created by Congress and appointed by the President that reports on the public diplomacy work of the State Department, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and other United States Government agencies. The commission reports its findings and recommendations to the President, Congress and the Secretary of State. Its products provide a window into what works and what does not work in our public diplomacy efforts.

For example, the commission's 2008 report on the human resource dimension of public diplomacy has been used as a guide by both Congress and the new administration on ways that the recruitment and training of public diplomacy staff at the State Department can and should be improved.

Mr. Speaker, the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy serves a very useful purpose. We should reauthorize it for another year of operation, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I certainly thank the young lady.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 74) supporting the goals and ideals of a decade of action for road safety with a global target to reduce by 50 percent the predicted increase in global road deaths between 2010 and 2020, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Road crashes are a worldwide epidemic that annually take the lives of 1.2 million people and that injure 50 million others.

While the Congress has admirably focused on the fight against infectious disease, such as HIV and AIDS and malaria, while it has improved access to clean drinking water and while it has focused on other critical global health issues, not enough attention has been paid to those whose lives have been lost in road accidents.

A road accident is the leading cause of death among young people around the world, 85 percent of which occur in low- and middle-income countries. Yet all too often, these road accidents could have been prevented by better driver and pedestrian education and by improved engineering. In many countries, safety precautions that we take for granted, such as sidewalks, guardrails and crosswalks, simply don't exist. Pedestrians cross streets at their peril, and drivers use roads without lane markings or traffic lights. With more drivers taking to the roads in developing countries, global road deaths are likely to increase in the decade to come.

The U.S. and the international community can prevent many of these accidents by promoting improved data collection techniques, by supporting collaborative efforts to reduce the risks of road crash deaths and by fostering partnerships and cooperation between governments, the private and public sectors and within civil society.

We have no excuse for not taking a more aggressive approach to preventing millions of deaths and injuries along the world's roads and highways. I urge my colleagues to join me in raising awareness of the importance of reducing global road deaths and injuries by supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Wexler).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2004) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4282 Beach Street in Akron, Michigan, as the ``Akron Veterans Memorial Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

I now yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to present H.R. 2004 for consideration. This legislation will designate the United States postal facility located as 4282 Beach Street in Akron, Michigan, as the Akron Veterans Memorial Post Office.

Introduced by my colleague, Representative Dale Kildee of Michigan, on April 21, 2009, and favorably reported out of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee by unanimous consent on June 18, 2009, H.R. 2004 enjoys the support of the entire House Michigan delegation.

Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us pays tribute to the brave men and women from Akron Village, the State of Michigan, and across the United States who have served our Nation in the United States military, both at home and abroad. Over 23 million American military veterans are currently living in the United States, including approximately 742,000 living in the State of Michigan alone. They, as well as those that are no longer with us, have devoted their lives to the defense and security of our Nation, and always at a great personal risk and sacrifice. We are eternally in their debt and forever grateful for their noble and selfless dedication to our Nation and the preservation of its founding principles.

Mr. Speaker, let us pay tribute to the distinguished service of our veterans from the village of Akron, the State of Michigan, and across the country by designating the Akron post office in their honor.

I urge my colleagues to me in supporting H.R. 2004.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I again urge my colleagues to join me in honoring America's military veterans through the passage of

I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1345) to amend title 5, United States Code, to eliminate the discriminatory treatment of the District of Columbia under the provisions of law commonly referred to as the ``Hatch Act''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

I now yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise for the consideration of H.R. 1345, which is designed to ensure that employees of the District of Columbia are subject to the same rules of political activity under the Hatch Act that apply to all other State and local government employees, thereby ending the discriminatory treatment they have received since 1993.

In October of 1993, Congress passed the Hatch Act Reform Amendments, allowing Federal employees to take part in political campaigns on their off-duty, personal time. The legislation of 1993 did continue to prohibit Federal employees from seeking public office in partisan elections. However, it also retained a measure which subjected D.C. employees to Federal Hatch Act provisions. This ignored the District's authority to self-govern and enact its own local laws; not to mention that employees in all other State and local jurisdictions are subjected to laws written by their own State and local governments and are not subject to the Federal Hatch Act like D.C. government employees. H.R. 1345 ends this disparate treatment by placing D.C. employees under the same Federal Hatch Act restrictions that apply to all other States and localities.

This bill was offered by the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) on March 5, 2009. Having been considered by the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, chaired

by Representative Stephen Lynch, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under Chairman Towns ordered the bill reported to the full House by voice vote on June 4, 2009.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1345 is a commonsense measure, treating employees of the District of Columbia the same way that other State and local government employees are treated. The difference in treatment under the Hatch Act has persisted for far too long. I urge my colleagues to help end the disparate treatment by supporting this measure.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to have the distinguished Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton from the great District of Columbia recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to urge my colleagues to support this much-needed measure.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2760) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1615 North Wilcox Avenue in Los Angeles, California, as the ``Johnny Grant Hollywood Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2760, a bill which I introduced to designate a post office in my district as the ``Johnny Grant Hollywood Post Office Building''.

Johnny Grant and Hollywood are synonymous. As Tinseltown's honorary mayor, he was one of the community's most enthusiastic supporters for more than 50 years. He served as chairman of the Walk of Fame Selection Committee and the Hollywood Historic Trust. He not only created what was to become part of Hollywood's history but had been a longtime supporter for preserving Cinema City's past.

Johnny Grant was also a big supporter of public diplomacy. Over the Memorial Day recess period, I took 30 films donated by Johnny Grant before he passed away to South Africa and donated them to the Rosa Parks Library and Information Center at the U.S. Embassy. The films will be accessible to the public and will be used to promote the United States' moral values, principles, and culture.

Grant was a retired major general in the California State Military Reserve. He was sought out to advise the Guard in his areas of expertise: morale, public affairs, recruiting, and special events. Though retired, he continued to be recalled by California's Adjutant General for special duties.

In 1982, the State of California showed their appreciation for Johnny Grant's 30 years of service by awarding him the Order of California, the State's highest honor. Governor George Deukmejian, in an unprecedented act, awarded Johnny Grant a second Order of California at the State Capitol in 1990. General Grant was also the recipient of the National Guard's Medal of Merit.

In June of 1999, retired Major General Johnny Grant was recalled to temporary active duty to promote and produce events saluting the California National Guard on its 150th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the time, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill to honor Johnny Grant for a lifetime of public service.

And I just want you to know, before his sudden death, he had completed 60 trips to entertain our troops, more than any other celebrity who has gone overseas and around the country, so we honor him also for that.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Darrell Issa, my colleague, for his words about Johnny Grant. And I want you to know, Johnny knew he would live forever, and now that we're going to have a building named after him in the new remodeled and revitalized Hollywood, he, indeed, his image, will live forever. So I thank my colleague.

And in closing, I again urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Johnny Grant through the passage of H.R. 2760.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I'm so excited because now is the time for America's health insurance reform, and we got a report on Friday from the CBO that affirmed that the insurance reforms in our bill are deficit-neutral over the next 10 years and will even create a $6 billion surplus. More than 80 major groups have already expressed support for America's Affordable Health Choice Act, including the American Medical Association, AARP, Main Street Alliance--and it's a small business group--and numerous medical specialty groups.

I just spoke to 3,000 members of the National Medical Association. I went through the outline of our bill and there was no question that I could not answer for them and they are 100 percent supportive of it.

We need a uniquely American solution.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to be here to join my colleagues with the Black Caucus. We spent a day in a seminar so that we would understand every single provision in the bill that will be in front of us at the end of the week. It is so important that we come together because we have a golden opportunity to plant the sapling of health care reform. And I want to remind all my colleagues that America's Affordable Health Choices Act is just the beginning of a better national health care structure. Together we can work to make it grow. We must plant this sapling now before it is killed by the wayside as it has so many times been done before.

Our efforts to tackle health care began under the leadership of President Harry S Truman, who attempted to include universal health insurance under the Fair Deal reforms. Hillary Clinton in 1993 spearheaded this effort. Now, thankfully, President Barack Obama has made it one of his top priorities.

We have known our options for years. Just because our Republican colleagues began to listen only recently does not mean that we have not carefully considered what is at stake. We are not rushing through deciding the fate of millions of Americans. Rather, we have taken too long to deliver what is necessary.

The naysayers have rallied around the cost of this health care reform. Please recall that we have spent tens of billions of dollars in Iraq, $15 billion a month factually. And if we would take that money, we could have the most thorough and the most beneficial health care system in the world.

My city, the City of Los Angeles, alone has spent $9 billion and the Nation has spent $890 billion since the start of this unauthorized war. I agree that the $1 trillion price tag of health care is hefty, but it is a better use of our taxpayers' money than a war in Iraq. I would rather reform the system now and reduce the costs that my constituents must bear directly.

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have more than doubled in the last decade. This is four times faster than the average wage increase. Middle class Americans have seen the average annual family contribution for employer-sponsored coverage rise to $3,354 in 2008 from $1,619 in the year 2000. For a family earning $50,000, health premium costs now consume 7 percent of their pretax income. Incomes are not rising to keep up with these costs especially in an economy where so many people are losing their jobs.

If this reform fails, we will have little hope of reining in the skyrocketing costs of health care for the middle class. To reduce the cost of health care for the average middle class working family, we have to reform the system and introduce a public option.

Mr. Speaker, the public option is a necessary and pivotal part of health care reform. With it in place, Congress introduces competition into the health care system. With fair price competition, we introduce efficiency and quality, not bureaucracy. Your government is not going to stand in between you and your doctor. Your government is providing an opportunity for you to choose your insurance.

I want to make this crystal clear: We have close to 390 million people in the United States. We are focusing now on the 48 million without health insurance. The rest of Americans who have their insurance and like it are not affected. They can keep whatever they have. We are focusing on those who don't have it, so that we will see to the health care of all Americans.

With the basic benefits guaranteed in the exchange, I hope that insurance companies and the government will be left outside of the examining room. It is a fallacy to believe that we are going to get in between a doctor and a patient.

With the public plan, we offer Americans personal patient choice. Let me repeat that: We offer personal patient choice, and the freedom to stay healthy. I want to say that once more. This reform is about the freedom of choice. Our plan offers Americans the choice to keep their health insurance, if they choose to keep it.

In the public plan, we are only offering the public in the exchange the option to choose the plan that is created by the government-- created by the government. The public plan may not be perfect, but it establishes a strong framework that we can build upon.

Bringing health care to the floor means that Congress is ready to ensure that Americans have health insurance. We are making small businesses more attractive by providing them with a means with which to offer their employees health insurance. We are reducing the crushing cost on our large employers, and we are providing the people with more choices.

I truly hope that with the understanding of what is being presented and with the multitude of hours put in by many committees, many Members and staff, this will be the historic first step on the road to making health care for all Americans possible.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to voting with my colleagues on this issue, and I would like to see it done at the end of the week so there is not a meltdown and the naysayers take the day. So let's do the right thing for the American people, and let's ensure that this country remains a strong, healthy country in perpetuity.