Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for this opportunity to speak on an excellent bill, and I want to commend my friend from New York for bringing this bill to the House of Representatives and bringing it through our committee.

So I rise today to express my strong support for the Fair, Accurate, Secure and Timely Redress Act or the FAST Redress Act.

At Denver International Airport, the Nation's fourth busiest airport, tens of thousands of passengers go through security each day. For most, the screening process is straightforward and is as efficient a policy as possible. But for some, like the John Thompsons of Colorado, flying is a painful and difficult experience, not because of the items they bring through security or the way they act, but simply because of their name. And they range from 8-year-olds to 80-year-olds.

There are thousands of Americans whose names are similar to terrorists listed on the No Fly List. And when travelling, the airlines and TSA do not distinguish these law-abiding Americans from criminals on the list who happen to have the same name. As a result, these citizens may be forced to undergo extensive, time-consuming additional screening and questioning. This happens not just once but every single time the person travels.

To avoid it happening on every occasion, they can go through the Department of Homeland Security Travel Redress Inquiry Program to get removed from the list, but that process is slow and ineffective. Furthermore, it doesn't currently address the concern that each airline uses the travel redress program differently.

That is why I am a cosponsor of this important legislation. Our Nation's passengers affected by mistaken identity deserve an office within the Department of Homeland Security to help resolve these identity problems once and for all. Our Nation's passengers deserve a comprehensive cleared list to match the No Fly List which is provided to airport security and the airlines to be used in a uniform manner.

Our Nation's passengers deserve a Federal plan to verify their identity and make sure they are safe to fly. This bill achieves these goals and makes our flying public safer while keeping commerce going.

I want to thank Congresswoman Clarke and Committee Chairman Thompson, as well as Ranking Member Mr. Lungren and Chairwoman Sheila

Jackson-Lee and the other members of the committee for their hard work on this important matter.

I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Good evening. It's good to be here with my friend from Minnesota, and we just were listening to the gentleman from Iowa, and he was talking about what's the Democrat's plan.

Well, what is the Democrat's plan for energy? Well, it's just obvious what the Republican's plan has been with two oil men in the White House. You can see exactly what has happened to the price of oil under the Bush administration. From $25 a barrel to $134.35.

So when he is making comments or generally people are saying what is going on here, we can see with two oil men in the White House what the energy plan has been for this country, and that's higher and higher and higher gas prices.

Now, what we've got to do is we've got to take ourselves off of oil to a greater extent than we are right now. We have to relieve ourselves of this addiction. And in the short run, we're going to feel some pain, but in the long run, the liberation from being addicted to one commodity the way we are, which is oil, which is really having a ripple effect throughout the economy, will be fantastic.

And so what we are doing as Democrats is to provide other ways to save energy. A gallon saved is a gallon earned. A kilowatt saved is a kilowatt earned. And so what we want to do first is make sure that we're efficient in how we use our energy so that there is a lower demand and we aren't so hooked on petroleum and petroleum by-products.

Second, we've got to find other commodities that compete with petroleum, whether it is cellulosic ethanol or better ways to make electricity through renewable energy sources. As Democrats, those are the kinds of things we're doing. It's time for us to get to the future and not continue to be hooked on oil like we have been for the last 30, 40, 50 years.

I certainly will yield to my friend from Minnesota.

Well, if the gentleman will yield.

It clearly is.

This is the time for us to get healthy, and we can get healthy in many, many different ways. And it is going to be across the spectrum, whether it is making our buildings more efficient, our homes more efficient when it comes to energy consumption, our cars more efficient, come up with different fuels, different ways to power this country, we can do those things; and it's just so obvious because it's good for national security, it's good for climate, and it is good for jobs.

But let us go back to this thing about they want to drill in ANWR, they want to drill offshore, they want to drill a million places.

Well, we know that right now, and I'll put up a chart, that right now oil companies are not drilling 30.6 million acres that they have offshore and 30.5 million acres that they have on shore.

I think the question is to try to distract from the real answer which is the plan, the energy plan has been to raise gas prices, and the energy plan has not worked. It's hurt Americans. And we have to come up with other ways so that we aren't dependent upon one commodity like that because we're dealing with eight or so countries in OPEC and five, or about five big oil companies. Very few countries and very few companies. And we need to have other ways to power this Nation, and we can do it.

I mean, we have the ability to come up with better and more efficient cars. We have the ability to come up with more efficient homes and not in expensive ways. We're talking about changing out windows, putting in more insulation. There are opportunities to add solar or wind so that we have renewable energy sources, and these are thousands and thousands and thousands of jobs; and certainly in the construction industry, those jobs are needed today. So it is a win-win situation if we're just going to have to do these things.

But even in the short run, we know that oil companies have plenty of places to drill that they aren't drilling today. So it's a phony argument.

He came up with a vaccine so that they didn't have the disease in the first place.

And, Mr. Ellison, you are right on the mark. This is about changing the direction of this Nation and not doing things the same old way that now is forcing us to see $4-a-gallon-priced gasoline. This is about changing the direction of this Nation, moving us into this century where we have many other ways to power this Nation.

Now we just, all of us as a country, as Americans, we have to step forward and do this and knowing in the short run that we're facing $4- a-gallon gasoline. Now, we're going to take a look, as Members of Congress, why we've seen this dramatic spike to $4, whether--hopefully there's not been manipulation, there's not been speculation that's been improper.

But even so, we need to come up with other ways to power this country, and we can do that whether it is through the research being conducted at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado, whether it is the new designs that we're seeing for cars across the globe. There are many, many ways that we can improve our energy situation, and most of them start with really pretty low-hanging fruit; and that's just being more efficient.

Conservation but efficiency.

We can, through just engineering, basic engineering, architecture, design work, be more efficient in how we power this country and how much energy we use and consume. And we don't want to be putting a lot of carbon, continue to be putting carbon into the atmosphere. We don't want to continue to be so beholden on oil countries and oil companies.

So we are, as the Democratic Congress, moving us to a new energy future. We are changing the direction of this Nation. We're not going to follow the energy plan of two oil men in the White House. That's just not where we're going to go any more.

I think it minimizes it. I think there are plenty of opportunities to drill.

You know, having said we're going to change direction, we're not going to go cold turkey from oil and gas. It will play a role in our energy spectrum for a long time to come. But we certainly can reduce our demand.

There are certainly places to drill now that aren't being drilled by the big oil companies, and there are other ways that we can wean ourselves from the dependence on foreign oil.

We just have to do that. We can't ignore this any longer, and this particular White House and the Republican Congress before us would just want to drill and drill and stay hooked on one commodity. It is never smart in business to only have one supplier.

You have to diversify, yes.

And I'm going to not add to that because that is a very good analogy.

In Colorado, we've had kind of a slow economy for several years now. We've faced a lot of foreclosures in the Denver metro area and throughout the State. We keep feeling like we're going to come out of this slump and then kind of get bumped back in. I believe in Colorado we're going to come out of the slump before much of the Nation just because we went into it before much of the Nation.

But even so, with the oil prices the way they are, with the way the economy has been managed by this administration, the people in Colorado need a safety net which is what unemployment insurance is. These are hardworking people who, for one reason or another, may have lost a job. They're looking for work. They want work. They want to get back in employment, and they need to do that. People in Colorado are workers. They like to be employed. They like to earn an income. They like to provide for themselves, and given the slow economy that we've had in Colorado, which I think and I hope is ready to turn, people do need that extra safety net.

Well, and in a broader context, I want to go back to our prior conversation on the green jobs, the green collar jobs.

One of the things that we see in Colorado, and I think this can be nationwide, is that there are thousands and thousands and thousands upon thousands of jobs in the green industry, in the energy industry with renewables and with energy efficiency in housing. There are thousands of jobs, and they are jobs here in America.

Not overseas, but they're here in America.

Your question answers itself. Of course not. When somebody comes in to change the windows in my house, they're doing it at my house in Golden, Colorado. These are good construction jobs. They're design jobs. There are some manufacturing jobs attached to it.

The new direction for energy also is a place where there are thousands of jobs which will help us stem this unemployment, but for those people who can't find those jobs right now, we need to have a safety net for them.

If you would yield, I think one of the places where, again, going back to your education and a vision for this country that looks beyond just tomorrow but to next year and 10 years down is the GI Bill that we would like to see passed that the President has threatened to veto.

I'm sorry to say that he's considering that, and what I find so hard to believe is that the best investment this country ever made was in the GI Bill after World War II. And now we have had our men and women in Afghanistan and in Iraq for more than 5 years, which is longer than we were in World War II, and to provide them with education and educational opportunities simply will be a fantastic investment for this country.

The wealth that was created, the happiness that was created because people could live full lives and educated lives after World War II, those are the kinds of things that we want for America. And my Dad, when we're talking about this, and you can see him well up with pride about the GI Bill and how so many men came back from World War II and then were successful after seeing the horrors of war, but came back and were able to provide for their families in ways that nobody anticipated. He describes that as the greatest investment this country has ever made, and he kids around by then saying, ``And a distant second was the Louisiana Purchase.''

So this GI Bill that we're proposing now for the 21st century will be a fantastic investment for our men and women who have served us. I believe we owe them a responsibility to provide for education, and we just need to go forward with this. And the White House has objected to this. Senator McCain has objected to this, as I understand it. And it just doesn't make sense.

Mr. Ellison, while we're on the subject of our service men and women, I think one of the things where there really was a change in the direction of this Nation in the past year was the fact that the Democratic House and the Democratic Senate, the Congress, sent to the President and he signed--and I want to applaud him for doing that--the greatest increase in veterans' benefits in the 77-year history of the Veterans Administration. And again, when we send men and women into harm's way, when we ask them to protect us, serve us, we have a moral contract, a moral responsibility to provide them with as normal a life as possible and to provide the benefits that are promised when they go in.

And I feel that we've made great strides in living up to our end of the bargain. Now, it has to have execution, but I know in Colorado, for instance, in terms of veterans' claims, there was this tremendous backlog. Because of what we did last year, we've added 65 people to the benefits section so that claims can be processed in a reasonable and timely fashion so that the benefits are received by our service men and women in a reasonable and timely fashion. So there has been actual progress on the ground.

Well, we've taken steps to stem foreclosures by using the FHA guarantee as a way to slow things. And the way it works is that a bank that has a loan to somebody can write the loan down to whatever the market value is. Then the FHA will guarantee 90 percent of this lower amount for the borrower so long as the borrower can pay that 90 percent back. Now they have to go through a credit check, and they've got to be able to pay the lower amount.

So the Federal Government is coming in to stop a foreclosure which, if it takes place, could result in a vacant home that then ends up decaying, and it starts the decay in a neighborhood. So it assists the neighborhood. It allows the bank to become liquid. And it gives the borrower a chance to make the payments at this lower amount.

Now, if the borrower were to sell in, I believe, within 5 years, the Federal Government would receive a portion of anything above the written down purchase price. But the bottom line is, in a very prudent and fiscally responsible manner, FHA is being used to guarantee lower loans, reduced loans so that we can limit the numbers of foreclosures in our neighborhoods and maintain the strength of our neighborhoods.

Well, I'd like to go back to the gas prices.

You know, I think that the gas prices show the lack of an energy plan by the prior Republican Congress, by this White House, except to the degree that it has caused an increase in oil prices.

You know, we're in Iraq in a substantial way; and a lot of it, in my opinion, has to do with oil. Now, the average price per gallon of fuel paid by U.S. military units in Iraq is at least $3.23. The price per gallon of gasoline for Iraqi residents is $1.36. Why the difference there? Oil revenues for the Iraqi Government is expected to be $70 billion, which should be paid back to this country when we are running a deficit. We're spending $2.5 to $3 billion a week to be in Iraq. And that obviously has had an effect on our economy over the course of these 5 years that we've been in Iraq.

We've got to change the direction of this Nation, Mr. Ellison. We're trying to do that every day. We need to change the direction when it comes to energy. We've got to change the direction when it comes to Iraq. We've been changing the direction when it comes to our veterans and living up to our contracts and responsibilities in terms of their benefits.

We're making a difference. We have a long way to go to really change the direction of this Nation. This country is in need of big change in a lot of ways. And I'm glad that I've been elected to the Congress by the people of the suburbs of Denver to try and institute some of that change.

And so with that, I would yield back to you, sir.

Good night.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Maple Grove Elementary School on their 130th Anniversary.

Maple Grove Elementary School is the neighborhood public elementary school attended by my daughters. I am honored to recognize Maple Grove on achieving 130 years of service to the students, parents and community of Golden, Colorado.

Maple Grove is an outstanding elementary school with a rich history in this area. The students, teachers, administrators and parents involved with Maple Grove Elementary School are second to none.

I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Maple Grove Elementary School on their 130th Anniversary.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Colorado Energy Science Center for being the recipient of the 2008 Golden Rotary Ethics in Business Award.

The Colorado Energy Science Center was ``spun off'' from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to provide an independent institution that could serve the community with objective advice on energy efficiency and renewable energy applications. The Colorado Energy Science Center has fulfilled this ambition through several hundred consumer workshops, dozens of educational classes in public schools and a widely distributed free magazine. Most services to the consumer and community are free of charge.

The Colorado Energy Science Center is broadening services through training programs for home builders to assure energy efficiency of new and remodeled houses.

To provide advice of such importance, frequently involving the potential of substantial investment, requires competent, unbiased, well informed, responsible and reliable information of the highest integrity. These are the principles that guide the activities of the Colorado Energy Science Center and staff.

My deepest congratulations to the Colorado Energy Science Center for your fine work.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize FirstBank for being the recipient of the 2008 Golden Rotary Customer Service Award.

FirstBank is a locally owned banking organization headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado and for over 40 years FirstBank has been dedicated to a high standard of customer service.

FirstBank is a full service bank with local personnel, local decisions and outstanding customer service. The employees of FirstBank are available to customers 24 hours a day with fast and friendly customer service. Due to the high standard of customer care, FirstBank has become the premier leader in the banking industry in Colorado.

My deepest congratulations to FirstBank on your continued success and outstanding commitment to the customers you serve.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Gambro BCT, Inc., and the Gambro employees for being the recipient of the 2008 Golden Rotary Community Service Award.

Gambro BCT is a frontrunner in the blood bank technology industry in Colorado, with advancements designed to improve results for the greater good of the community.

In addition, Gambro and its employees have quietly made an incredible difference for thousands of people through their volunteer blood drives. In 2007, they hosted a total of 12 drives and collected 424 units of blood, helping to save 1,272 lives. In 2008 they are scheduled to host 12 more drives with collections projected at 447 units. These services result in immeasurable benefits and are decidedly worthy of this prestigious award.

Companies such as Gambro BTC are imperative in communities across the United States, and recognition must be given to their dedicated employees as well. Congratulations on your fine work. I offer my strong encouragement to them to continue their dedicated and excellent efforts.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Stephen Krebs for being the recipient of the 2008 Golden Rotary Ethics in Business Award.

Dr. Krebs practices Internal Medicine in Wheat Ridge, Colorado and adheres to the highest ethical standards in his medical practice. Dr. Krebs enriches the lives of all that have the fortune to come in contact with him professionally or during his countless hours of volunteer service. Mentoring students, caring for local seniors and treating patients regardless of their ability to pay, Dr. Krebs' devotion to the community is limitless.

In business, Dr. Krebs' generosity is coupled with a continued commitment to conservation. Dr. Krebs recycles all of his household and office materials. In addition, he has converted his entire office to a paperless office significantly reducing paper consumption.

Dr. Stephen Krebs' conviction to ethical standards and initiatives in social responsibility are a model for outstanding ethics in business and is an example for all businesses to emulate. I extend my deepest congratulations to Dr. Stephen Krebs as the winner of the 2008 Golden Rotary Ethics in Business Award.

Mr. Speaker, last week, we celebrated National Teachers Day. That day represents one small token of our Nation's gratitude for the long hours and hard work our teachers endure to prepare our students for future endeavors. As a product of the Jefferson County, Colorado public schools, I can attest to the wonderful influence educators have had on my life, as well as on the lives of my three daughters.

I believe we as a Nation cannot thank enough our men and women currently serving in our public education system, such as my sister Cassie, for all that they do. I particularly want to take a moment to recognize the teachers in Adams, Arapahoe, and Jefferson County, Colorado, who enrich the education of our children and have a positive impact on our communities.

We must continue to invest in our public schools and colleges and ensure our educators have the tools and resources they need to give our children the high quality education to succeed in this increasingly competitive economy. Our teachers are dedicated, valuable public servants whom we owe a sincere debt of gratitude.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Israel on its 60th anniversary. While Israel is frequently cited as a model of democracy in the Middle East, I would like to focus on Israel's advances in embryonic stem cell research.

The United States is still trying to fully harness the potential of this valuable research. We aim to cure debilitating diseases like Parkinson's, diabetes, epilepsy, spinal injuries, and others. But for years at facilities like Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, the Weizmann Institute, and many others, Israeli scientists have blazed a path for the rest of the world to follow.

For 60 years, Americans and Israelis have built a friendship embracing all that we share, and as the United States works to unlock the promise of embryonic stem cell research, we find yet another reason our friend Israel is so special.

Mr. Speaker, I feel very fortunate today to be able to celebrate both Mother's Day as well as the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

My mother-in-law was born on Molokai, has Filipino Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry and has 14 brothers and sisters spread from Hawaii to the Philippines. And she helped instill in my daughters the heritage and the values of family, hard work, and indomitable spirit. And I feel blessed to have those particular values from the Asian American community instilled in my children.

This is a great country. To have that kind of heritage and that kind of ancestry in my family now is what makes this country so great. So I get to celebrate Mother's Day and I get to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Thank you, Mr. Welch.

To the gentleman from Texas, I don't think there could be anything simpler than deciding during this busy driving season to stop buying oil or placing oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And I quote your Senator from Texas, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, a month ago said, ``I support an immediate halt in deposits of domestic crude into the SPR as we enter the busiest driving season of the year.''

So I agree with Mr. Shimkus. This is just one of many things that has to be done. And we have done a number of those already. We have added mileage so we have better fuel economy. We passed a law against price gouging. We are pushing other sources of energy through biomass and a whole variety of things. This is going to take a lot of work across the board. But this is a very simple and very direct action we are taking. We need to take it today. This is simple. H.R. 6022 should be passed.

And I ask for an ``aye'' vote.

I just want to thank you and the committee for bringing a very focused piece of legislation to the House floor.

Mr. Speaker, to my friends from Texas, who have heard stories that this is a bailout, this is no bailout. This is about Strasbourg, Colorado, where there have been foreclosures around a neighborhood, and one person trying to sell their property can no longer do that because the value of their house is less than their mortgage. They are innocent. They didn't deserve this.

Secondly in Edgewater, Colorado, where the lender, the appraiser and the building owner got into cahoots, and a young couple buys a condominium, and now the properties around them are foreclosed. They are going to lose this property. They need assistance. They are innocent. They deserve some help from this government.

Same thing in Commerce City, Colorado. I heard all of these stories last night on a telephone town hall meeting while we were debating the Neighborhood Stabilization Act. That's what this bill is about. It's about the community as a whole.

Mr. Marshall from Georgia understands what this bill is about. It's about looking after our neighborhoods and protecting our neighborhoods and averting 500,000 foreclosures across this country.

Our neighborhoods, our cities, our towns are going to pay for this if the Federal Government doesn't assist in some fashion. This is a nationwide problem. The Nation has to stand up. We have to deal with this. This bill does it in so many ways, and I just appreciated coming to the floor.

Vote ``yes'' on this bill.

Madam Speaker, 7 years of President Bush's economic policies have put a tremendous strain on middle-class families. Since 2001, health care premiums have gone up almost $6,000, college tuition has increased by $2,500, and gas prices have more than doubled. With these increases and paychecks that have, on the average, fallen, it's no wonder that the majority of Americans say their economic situation has not improved in the last 5 years.

While the Bush administration is eager to give tax breaks to the wealthiest of Americans and assist Wall Street firms like Bear Stearns, it does little to help middle-class families. Madam Speaker, the Democratic House recognizes the immediate need to help middle-class families, and that is why our budget prioritized middle-class tax relief and why we are proposing a second economic stimulus package.

It's time for President Bush to put the middle class ahead of the wealthiest few.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Derek Riemer who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Derek Riemer is a student at Oberon Middle School and received this award because his determination and hard work have allowed him to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Derek Riemer is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Derek Riemer for winning the Arvada

Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt he will exhibit the same dedication and character in all his future accomplishments.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and applaud Kailey Ford who has received the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. Kailey Ford is a student at Drake Middle School and received this award because her determination and hard work have allowed her to overcome adversities.

The dedication demonstrated by Kailey Ford is exemplary of the type of achievement that can be attained with hard work and perseverance. It is essential that students at all levels strive to make the most of their education and develop a work ethic that will guide them for the rest of their lives.

I extend my deepest congratulations once again to Kailey Ford for winning the Arvada Wheat Ridge Service Ambassadors for Youth award. I have no doubt she will exhibit the same dedication and character to all her future accomplishments.