Floor Statements

As we work with the Department of Labor on needed reforms, we hope that the committee will continue to work with us and OMB to ensure that this program continues to provide benefits to seriously ill individuals, and that the EEOICPA Ombudsman's Office continues to have the resources it needs to maintain its important oversight responsibilities over this program.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friends wanting to talk about jobs. They have the arguments that they want to pursue, but they don't want to let the facts get in the way of their argument. Let's start with the report we received today from the Federal Reserve.

We know that jobs fell off a cliff last fall and earlier this year as part of the Bush administration's efforts for jobs. Private nonfarm employment fell by 670,000 jobs on average per the month from January to April, but declines slowed to 312,000 in May and 415,000 in June. The May and June declines in construction jobs were the smallest since last fall.

Job declines and temporary employment applications slowed noticeably, and employment in nonbusiness services turned up in May and increased further in June. That's why we have the stock market going up. That's why consumer confidence is going up is because this is working, even if my friends' arguments are not working.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud the city of Lakewood, Colorado on their fortieth birthday.

For forty years, the city of Lakewood has celebrated its birthday in an arts and music celebration appropriately named Lakewood on Parade. Families from all parts of the city and surrounding areas come together with their friends and neighbors to enjoy this celebration. I, myself, along with my family, have attended Lakewood on Parade for many years. I am honored to recognize the Lakewood on Parade birthday celebration for helping Lakewood bring families together to enjoy this beautiful city.

Lakewood is the fourth largest city in Colorado and is located just west of Denver, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is home to many historical sites of the old West making it a city rich in history. Families, friends, and neighbors truly live in a special place in Colorado and it is reflected in the Lakewood on Parade birthday celebration.

I extend my deepest congratulations to the city of Lakewood for achieving their fortieth birthday.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud the services of Colorado State Representative Gwyn Green who will retire this year from Colorado's State Legislature.

Representative Green has been in Colorado's State Legislature since 2004, and in that time has fought hard for the protection of children from sexual predators, as well as, for the prevention of abuse of disabled adults. Her passionate speeches and constant dedication to service have earned her the reputation of ``The Fighting Granny,'' on Colorado's Capital Hill. It was with this commitment and drive that her work ethic and passion for the people of Colorado will be most remembered.

In addition to her service in the Colorado State Legislature, Representative Green has earned such awards as the Colorado Association of Public Health's Distinguished Legislator of the Year, the Colorado Society of Clinical Social Workers Advocate of the Year, and was the Distinguished Legislator for the National Association of Social Workers. These accomplishments display her passion and commitment in serving the people of Colorado.

I extend my deepest thanks once again to Representative Green for her time and service to Colorado. I have no doubt her efforts within the Colorado State Legislature have made impacts on the State of Colorado and on our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival on their 40th Anniversary.

For forty years, the city of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, has celebrated their rich heritage with this three day event. Families from all parts of the city and surrounding areas come together with their friends and neighbors to enjoy this festival. I, myself, along with my family, have taken part in all aspects of this festival including the pancake breakfast, the parade and the amazing fireworks display. I am honored to recognize the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival on achieving this long standing tradition for forty years.

The city of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, is a true gem in the metro area as it is home to several national historical sites including the Richards- Hart Estate and the Old Soddy building. Families, friends, and neighbors truly live in a special place in Colorado and it is reflected in this Festival as it is rich in history and strong in purpose of bringing families in the community together.

I extend my deepest congratulations to the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival on their 40th Anniversary.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 644 and ask for its immediate consideration.

I oppose the gentleman's point of order. I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, once again, this point of order is not about unfunded mandates. It's about TV broadcasting and about a whole variety of other things, but it's about delaying the bill that is under consideration and about, ultimately, stopping it. I hope my colleagues see through this attempt and will vote ``yes'' so we can consider this legislation on its merits and not stop it on a procedural motion. Those who oppose the bill can vote against it on final passage. We must consider this rule today, and we must pass this legislation.

I have the right to close, but in the end, I will urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to consider the rule.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's comments, but they did not speak to the point of order at all. So, Madam Speaker, again, I want to urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this motion to consider so we can debate and pass this important legislation.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, for purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions). All time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

General Leave

I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 644.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 644 provides for the consideration of H.R. 3170, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010. This is the first Financial Services Appropriations bill under a President who believes Wall Street actually needs someone to watch it. This bill provides the much needed resources for the Federal Government to improve our oversight of Wall Street while investing in small businesses on Main Street.

As a member of the House Financial Services Committee, we have worked with Chairman Frank to examine the causes of our recent economic downturn. There were many causes of it, but our findings conclude that a large factor of this downturn was misguided deregulation promoted in the financial markets.

Under the Bush administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission was underfunded. The SEC promoted a ``good old boy'' atmosphere that disregarded investor and taxpayer interests in favor of Wall Street wealth. Under the Bush administration, the SEC repeatedly turned a blind eye regarding fraud as they did with the warnings about Bernie Madoff. Also, the SEC knowingly helped build the house of cards that was the basis for this subprime mortgage bubble.

Under the Bush administration, big business just became too big to fail, and the whole house of cards came tumbling down. AIG, Bernie Madoff, Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, WaMu, Wachovia, and other financial disasters could have been avoided if our Federal agencies had been given the resources to connect the dots, to look at the books and to take preventative measures.

This legislation increases funding for the SEC by 8 percent over last year. It provides funds for the SEC to hire 140 additional analysts to protect investors and taxpayers from nefarious corporate interests and schemes. Those 140 new analysts can monitor publicly traded companies and can restore trust for investors and taxpayers. This provision sends a clear message to Wall Street that your days of wine and roses are over. The bill also increases funding for the FTC to help consumers and to go after illegal credit card practices.

For my constituents back in Colorado, this bill provides a 38 percent increase in funding for the Small Business Administration. During an economic downturn, many individuals who have been laid off open small businesses where they can pursue their entrepreneurial dreams and can be their own bosses. This boost in funding will reinvigorate communities across the Nation at the precise time that we need it.

For the judicial branch, this bill provides the Federal judiciary the funds it needs to hire additional staff and judges. In particular, the past year has seen a 28 percent increase in the number of bankruptcies. This bill will provide for 142 more staff for Federal bankruptcy courts to put these businesses and individuals back on the road to recovery.

Finally, if there is one issue people in our districts will support in this bill, it is the reinstatement of auto dealer franchise agreements which were severed with little notice earlier this year. In my own district, hundreds of workers were put in jeopardy when GM and Chrysler terminated their dealerships--even long-time profitable franchises. At a time when too many Americans are unemployed, adding more workers to the unemployment rolls is the last thing our economy needs.

This bill is another step toward economic recovery, and I urge its adoption.

I now reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I have to say that my friend from Texas and I couldn't disagree more about the causes of the troubles that exist today in our economy. The Republican administration under George Bush, prosecuting two wars, cutting taxes for the wealthiest among us, helped drive this country into the ditch. That, coupled with a penchant, a desire, a real effort to deregulate, unregulate and privatize led to failures all throughout Wall Street and the banking system, starting first with a $60 million Ponzi scheme conducted by Bernie Madoff, followed in part and at the same time by a $700 billion failure of Wall Street and financial institutions that had to be filled. President Obama inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit as a result of the misguided policies of the Republican Party and the Bush administration.

With that, I will yield 3 minutes to my friend from Michigan, Mr. Bart Stupak.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Madam Speaker, before I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia,

I need to respond to my friend from Colorado, as well as the gentleman from Michigan who spoke earlier, and I'm looking at page 143, lines 8 through 12, section 812, which says: ``None of the Federal funds appropriated under this Act shall be expended for any abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered or where the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest.''

Yes, for 15 seconds.

I thank my friend. I think the language is about as clear as it could be when it says ``none of the Federal funds appropriated.''

I will now yield 4 minutes to my friend from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Madam Speaker, I would like to inquire as to the amount of time on each side.

I yield the gentlewoman 1 additional minute.

If I could, I would ask my friend from Texas how many more speakers he has. We don't have any others. And I will close.

Then I would reserve the balance of my time.

Yes. I don't have any other speakers. Somebody may come wandering in, and I may ask for your indulgence. But at this point, we don't have any speakers.

Madam Speaker, I will let the gentleman do a soliloquy. I am not going to enter into a colloquy.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume to close.

First, to my friend from Oregon and his concern about the fairness doctrine, there is nothing in the bill that allows for the fairness doctrine. He was concerned about a smile that I had on my face because I remember when the gentleman brought the amendment last year and I supported his amendment. But there is nothing in the bill that provides for the fairness doctrine. And in effect, what he's trying to do is restrain something that doesn't exist. So that's point number one.

Point number two: to my friend from New Jersey, I respect his passion about abortion and his feelings about abortion. It is a very emotional and difficult discussion. But section 812 of the bill, at page 143, couldn't be more clear: None of the Federal funds appropriated under this Act shall be expended for any abortion except where the life of the mother would be endangered, or where the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest.

So to those two specific points, I wanted to make my comments.

As to my friend from Texas and his closing argument, it simply doesn't hold water. The administration that preceded the Obama administration, the administration of George Bush, drove this country into a fiscal ditch. And it's going to take everything that we have to get out of that ditch. The banking system almost collapsed. Jobs were lost. Plants were closed. Businesses were shuttered. Homes were foreclosed. And it is with great effort, great energy that we are trying to reverse what occurred because of the reckless actions of that administration.

Under this bill, there is more money invested in the Small Business Administration to encourage and build and strengthen our small businesses which have been hurt by this recession. But that is the engine that will ultimately drive this economy. We need to get small businesses back on their feet. That happens, in part, through this bill.

Secondly, we restore reasonable regulation to the marketplace, regulation that was denied and excluded under the prior administration. The Securities and Exchange Commission was, in effect, rendered neutral and neutered under the prior administration, exposing the country to gigantic Ponzi schemes like that conducted by Bernard Madoff.

We need to make sure that our Federal Trade Commission is fully funded so that it can protect consumers and businesses alike against unfair and deceptive trade practices. The Judiciary has to be staffed to handle all the bankruptcies that have occurred. The bill that is pending that we propose will assist the Federal Government in managing these affairs.

Finally, Mr. LaTourette's amendment concerning the auto dealers is an important portion of this bill, to give those who had franchises and were terminated improperly the right to get their franchise back and their dealerships open and going again, thereby saving jobs.

This is an important piece of legislation. This bill helps keep the government running, so providing the funds that exist in the bill is something that we must move forward on.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, on roll call 571 on the passage of H.R. 3170, the Financial Services Appropriation, I was unavoidably detained. I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, today, much of the conversation is about the health care system. It's a very personal matter to me, as it is to every man, woman and child in American. I have a daughter with epilepsy. She is not insurable. We have a system in place today that denies her coverage, that excludes her from coverage. That's wrong, and it's probably unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

There should not be discrimination in health care. There shouldn't be denial of coverage because of a preexisting condition. We need to change the system that exists so that there is coverage for all Americans with chronic illness and the like.

The bill that we have in Congress will change that coverage, ladies and gentlemen, and I urge its passage.

I thank Ms. Pingree for the opportunity to speak on this rule, and I just want to thank my friends Chet Edwards and Zach Wamp for their leadership and hard work in crafting this bill and their unfailing support of American servicemembers and veterans. With wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ongoing and an increasingly

high volume of men and women servicemembers returning home, funding their needs remains a top priority.

As much now as ever, Congress needs to be making critical investments in construction projects which support servicemembers, safety and quality of life at home and on the battlefield. We must also make good our promise to our soldiers returning home from war, by improving their health care facilities and services and by providing them with the best care possible. We also need to aid them in their transition to civilian life by fully funding the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Our veterans deserve a bill which honors their remarkable service in the protection of our country. That's what this bill does that we are going to hear here today. The bill increases funding for the Veterans Health Administration by $4.4 billion over last year. This improves access to medical services for veterans for key programs in treating mental health issues, assistance for homeless veterans, and measures to improve access to health care for many veterans who live in rural areas such as those in Colorado.

The bill also expands funding for essential investments in information technology which speed processing of benefits, claims, and makes needed improvements in the accuracy and efficiency with the expanded use of electronic health records. I especially want to thank the Veterans' Committee, the Appropriations Committee in taking a good look and a hard look at processing claims, which for a long time were lagging and people were not getting their claims heard. There has been a tremendous effort and focus over the last couple of years to make the claims process much quicker, much faster, much more accurate.

I would also like to thank my friends for their assistance in creating what will be a state-of-the-art health care facility in Colorado.

The veterans in Colorado have been promised for years and years and years that they would get a facility that was equal to the service they gave to this country. And with the hard work of the committee, the hard work of the Colorado delegation, assistance from both sides of the aisle, we are going to get that facility built in Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Thank you, Chairman Waxman.

I rise in support of the Clean Energy Act here. And I want to read the first sentence of a letter we received today from the National Association of Realtors. The National Association of Realtors supports H.R. 2998 (2454) the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which addresses a broad and global array of issues.

In closing, the National Association of Realtors ask for the favorable passage of this, as do Duke Energy, American Electric Power, BP Amoco, GE, and the American Institute of Architects.

This bill is designed to help us with national security, the climate, and jobs. My friend, Mr. Poe, from Texas says, Just vote no. Well, that's the party of the status quo. Just vote no, we like the status quo.

It is time for a change, ladies and gentlemen. We can't afford the status quo, and this bill brings us in that change and a new direction.

Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 573 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Thank you, Madam Speaker.

For purposes of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my friend from California (Mr. Dreier). All time yielded is for the purpose of debate only.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

General Leave

I also ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 573.

Madam Speaker, today the House will debate and vote on the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2010.

My friend Chairman David Price and Ranking Member Harold Rogers have crafted a strong bill which invests in robust border security, attentive and agile emergency management capabilities, helpful to State and local partners, and secures our transportation system. This bill reflects Congress' commitment to protect our Nation from the threats it faces with a bottom line $2.6 billion increase in Department of Homeland Security funding over last year.

In the area of border security and immigration enforcement, this bill increases funding for Customs and Border Protection by more than $146 million. This increase will allow the Border Patrol to better address violence and drug smuggling along our southern border, which has become a very serious concern in recent years. For emergency preparedness and response, this bill fully funds the versatile State Homeland Security Grant program, a program for which I have long advocated. This critical program allows for States to address the security threats most pressing to them. After all, the biggest threats to Colorado may not be the same as the biggest threats to New York or California.

This bill also restores funding to the Assistance for Firefighters Grant program to $800 million. I have presented dozens of Federal grant checks to fire departments across my district during my tenure in Congress; and I can say from experience, FIRE and SAFER Grants mean better training for our firefighters, better equipment and more firefighters on our streets, and safety for our citizens.

On another topic, I have said for years now that our computer networks are essential parts of our Nation's infrastructure; and as such, they need more focus for security. So I am pleased to see this bill increases funding for DHS's National Cybersecurity Division by $68 million over last year.

In the field of transportation security, this bill takes a large step forward. We increased funding for aviation security by $511 million over last year, investing a great deal in screening and detection technology for explosives. More important, in my opinion, we more than doubled funding for surface transportation security. This commitment is an essential step to preventing attacks on our rail and mass transit systems which have been the target of attacks in places such as London, Madrid and Mumbai.

Although we increase funding for many activities under DHS, this bill also tightens the belt. The bill terminates 16 programs, many of which have been unsuccessful in meeting their mission. In addition, the bill cuts nearly $800 million from various programs. In short, this bill puts the taxpayer dollars in the components of DHS which provide real results and real security.

Looking beyond the funding levels of this bill, we must also recognize that DHS is a department which relies heavily on a well- trained workforce. This bill provides the resources the Department of Homeland Security personnel, as well as our State and local partners, need to meet their objectives. I urge my colleagues to support this rule.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I would like to inquire of my friend how many speakers he has on his side.

Certainly.

I do not.

Reclaiming my time, I thank my friend from California for commending me.

But what I want to talk about, and I will be brief and then reserve the balance of my time, is I appreciate some of the comments that the gentleman has made about the need for debate and speech and the opportunity for each of us to have a say as to the legislation that proceeds from this Chamber. But on the other hand, this country, the people of this country are demanding that we act, that we not completely just shut down and sit on our hands, twiddle our thumbs and say, woe is me, but it is time to act both on appropriations bills as well as other bills.

And I'd say to my friend, and I know that it was a way to protest what was happening on the floor, but the delay that was exhibited last week simply frustrates the will of the electorate to change the direction of this Nation. And I would also remind my friend that, Madam Speaker, the pressure that is placed on our staff at the rostrum by changing votes time and time again simply really is the problem and really redoubles the effort that they have to put forward.

So I appreciate his comments about the pressure that's placed on the staff by 2-minute voting. I would remind my friend the same kind of pressure, if not a lot more, is placed on the staff by changing votes for, in my opinion, only reasons of delay.

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

Will my friend yield?

To that point by my friend, on page 10, I have read the report since last night; so I thank you for pointing it out to me. And what page 10 says, and really what has led to this moment, I'd say to my friend, is the fact that at the close of the legislative day of Thursday, August 2, the House had been in session for 51 hours that week and 65 hours the week before. There really is no causal relation, I'd say to my friend, to where it talks about 2-minute votes.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve.

I still reserve my time. I would ask my friend how many speakers he has.

I would say my friend from California can speak on his own behalf and take up a few minutes if he likes, but I'm going to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I do want to compliment my friend from California on his debate, his comments, his remarks and his complaints. Some of them are legitimate. But what we are here today to deal with is the security of the United States of America. He is complaining about an 85 percent increase in spending when my friend knows full well that spending came about because of tax cuts, the prosecution of two wars, the collapse of a banking system and an emergency in the United States of America to get us back on track and to change the direction of this Nation.

Now what we are dealing with in this bill, and the reason we need to bring it on the floor and act, not delay, not delay like we saw last week, with Members circling the well, changing their votes time and time again or presenting amendments where they add $1 million, subtract $1 million, just to have an amendment. We are here, Madam Speaker, because this is one of our most important responsibilities, and that is to protect this country from terrorist attacks, foreign and domestic, and to ensure that our borders are secure. That is the purpose of the Homeland Security Appropriations bill.

The bill at $42.6 billion is slightly above last year's level. But it helps with Coast Guard, with border violence, with maritime safety, environmental protection, and assistance for the TSA as people come and go through our airports, as well as cybersecurity.

There are funds in the bill for FEMA, for flood map modernization, and for rebuilding of the gulf coast. This is a sensible investment. This is a sensible rule, and I would ask, Madam Speaker, that because this bill invests in a stronger domestic security both at our borders, throughout our transportation systems and our communities, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, in just over 100 days, the Recovery Act is already at work providing immediate relief for hard-hit communities and families, creating and saving jobs, and jump-starting thousands of shovel-ready projects all across America.

Our economic problems were not created in 100 days and they will not be saved in 100 days. But thanks to the Recovery Act, we are meeting the greatest economic challenges in at least a generation.

There are early signs of progress across the country. For instance, the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit has helped get the housing industry back in shape.

There will be work on 1,129 health centers in all 50 States. We'll begin work on 107 national parks. We're going to start rehabilitation and improvement projects at 98 airports, and over 1,500 transportation projects. There will be 135,000 education jobs, improvements on 90 veterans hospitals and medical centers. Throughout the country, the Recovery Act is working.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 2847.