Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Towns for moving my bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 21 Massachusetts Avenue, NE in Washington, D.C., as the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office'' through committee, and Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer for bringing it to the House floor.

Dr. Dorothy I. Height, the longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women who died this year, was never a public official, but she spent her life in service of African Americans, especially African American women, and in service of the people of the United States of America. So strong was the power of her example that she was a role model to generations of women beyond her reach. Dorothy Height was a visionary and a civil rights leader known as the ``Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.'' She championed countless efforts for basic justice in our country, particularly equal rights for women and people of color, from equal pay to the integration of the nation's governmental institutions and its societal norms.

Dr. Height was recognized with virtually every significant national honor, from the NAACP Spingarn Medal to the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Dorothy Height was also a proponent of strong family life, and organized the annual Black Family Reunion, which is held yearly. The Black Family Reunion for this region was held on Saturday, September 11, 2010, on the National Mall and is an African-American celebration held throughout the nation during the summer.

Please join me in honoring Dr. Height's immensely productive and impactful life by designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE, in Washington, D.C., as the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office.''

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization Act of 2010. This reauthorization, which extends the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB' s) oversight functions, is particularly important in the wake of the 2009 Metro Red Line train collision near the Fort Totten station here in the nation's capital, for which the NTSB just issued its final report. A provision in this bill, based on one of my bills, the National Transportation Safety Board Interim Safety Recommendations Act, clarifies that the NTSB may, and should, offer both interim and urgent safety recommendations to federal, state and local transportation authorities. This provision will save lives and does not impede investigations or affect final recommendations.

On June 22, 2009, two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trains collided near the Fort Totten station here in

the nation's capital. This collision was devastating for this region and for the nation's transit systems, as nine regional residents died, including seven from the nation's capital. Members of congress and their staff and many other federal employees of every rank form the majority of Metro's weekday riders. Millions of tourists, people who work in every sector and school children are regular riders. The collision has had nation-wide consequences. On September 22, 2010, even before its Metro study was complete, the NTSB issued nine nation-wide safety recommendations to address concerns about the safety of train control systems that use audio frequency track circuits, like those that contributed to the June 22nd train collision here, showing that low-cost recommendations are in order and might save lives.

The NTSB has been particularly vigilant in quickly reporting defects and operational problems to encourage remediation even before its final reports. In 1996, long before the June 22nd collision, the NTSB recommended that WMATA replace or retrofit its 1000-series train cars after a train overran a station platform, striking a standing, unoccupied train, and killing the driver of the striking train. The NTSB renewed this recommendation to replace or refurbish the older cars following the rollback accident in the Woodley Park Metro station in 2004, as it should have. The NTSB is not prohibited by statute from making interim recommendations for corrective actions, but low-cost recommendations were not made after any of the Metro accidents. This amendment clarifies that the NTSB does have such authority.

Even before the reasons for the June 22nd crash had been determined, it was evident that the striking car, which was a 1000-series train car, was significantly more damaged than the struck car, which was a newer 6000-series car. In fact, all of the fatalities were from the 1000-series car. Following the collision, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 suggested that WMATA put the 1000-series cars between the newer, more crashworthy 6000-series cars. Unfortunately, without clarification of the regulatory authority provided by my provision, there have been no tests of crashworthiness either of the newer 6000- series cars or of the older 1000-series. However, the evidence from the crash suggests that 40-year-old cars may be more dangerous as lead and rear cars. The NTSB did not disagree with this interim step at a congressional hearing in July 2010, but it never recommended this or any other interim action, except action that is so costly that it cannot occur in a timely manner.

It is a well-known and frustrating fact that, for years, Metro has tried to convince Congress and its local jurisdictions to fund replacements for the old 1000-series cars and only in fiscal year 2010, after the tragic collision, did Congress appropriate the first $150 million of the $1.5 billion authorized in 2007. The 1000-series cars represent only 300 of Metro's 1,100-car fleet, but replacing those cars will cost $600 million and take at least five years. Congress and members of our regional delegation had been working long before the collision to get from Congress the $1.5 billion that has now been authorized for WMATA's urgent capital and preventive maintenance needs, including new cars. While we have finally been successful in getting the first $150 million, it will take years to fund these replacements, not to mention other capital needs. Recommendations short of multi- million dollar upgrades and replacements can save lives. My provision requires the NTSB to specifically consider recommending interim and urgent recommendations where appropriate, especially when a transit agency has not secured funds to comply with the costly permanent recommendations.

I ask that my colleagues support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in congratulating Frager's Hardware, located in Washington, D.C., for 90 years in business.

Throughout its 90 years in business in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, Frager's, as it is commonly known, has remained an indispensable fixture of the community and serves as a prototype of quality customer service.

The community embraces the ownership of Frager's Hardware and appreciates commemorating the anniversary with a week-long Customer Appreciation Event.

The expansion of Frager's Hardware to include a garden center, rental store, and a paint shop demonstrates its commitment to serving the changing needs of the community and the residents of the District of Columbia.

Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating the 90th anniversary of Frager's Hardware.

Madam Speaker, on September 16, 2010, I was not able to be present for votes on amendments to H.R. 4785, the Rural Energy Savings Program Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on Rollcall No. 529.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Nick Rahall, and sucommittee chair Raul Grijalva for their delightful work in moving this important bill to the House floor. H.R. 5494 will transfer ownership of certain properties in the District from the National Park Service (NPS) to the District of Columbia. NPS supports the transfer of these small, scattered properties. These isolated parcels are of no use to NPS, but can be useful for overall livability in the city.

The District of Columbia is land-poor because the federal government owns much of the land here, and certainly the best located land. In fact, these transfers achieve a balance between the city and NPS, by addressing the city's growing need for land in a manner consistent with NPS's mission to protect parkland. These small parcels are scattered throughout the city and include a portion of the Marie H. Reed Community Learning Center, the old Meyer Elementary School site, the Shaw Junior High School recreational fields, the Southwest Library site, and a small traffic island at the intersection of North Capitol Street and Florida Avenue. The transfer of these small parcels will allow the District to develop recreational fields, encourage economic development and improve livability in the District of Columbia.

As we begin to emerge from the Great Recession, the District needs all available tools and resources to help promote economic recovery. For years, the District has managed and maintained these properties, which have no national, regional or historical significance, and are of no interest to the federal government. My bill simply allows the District to better utilize the limited land here for the benefit of the city and its residents.

I ask my colleagues to pass this non-partisan, non-controversial land transfer bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Hatch Act National Capital Region Parity Act. This bill would remedy an omission in federal law that treats District of Columbia residents who work for the federal government differently from their federal colleagues in the Washington metropolitan area. This omission is another remnant of the days before the District of Columbia was a self-governing jurisdiction. This bill would give the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) authority to designate the District of Columbia similar to other local jurisdictions so that federal employees who reside there may take an active part in political management and political campaigns for local partisan elections. Under the Hatch Act, OPM only has authority to designate Maryland and Virginia localities in the immediate vicinity of the District, or towns in which the majority of voters are federal employees, as exempt from the Hatch Act's prohibition on federal employee participation in local partisan elections. Currently, federal employees residing in 47 Maryland localities, 15 Virginia localities and 12 other localities across the United States are permitted to participate in local partisan elections.

OPM's authority to exempt certain localities recognizes that, if large numbers of residents in a jurisdiction are federal employees, much of a locality's population would be denied the opportunity to participate in local affairs. When the Hatch Act was passed in 1940, the old Civil Service Commission (CSC) was given authority to exempt federal employees living in Maryland and Virginia localities near D.C. because large numbers of residents of those localities were, and continue to be, federal employees. However, CSC was not given the same authority for the District of Columbia, even though a large number of residents were, and continue to be, federal employees, probably because D.C. did not have local elections until the Home Rule Act of 1973.

This bill is part of our ongoing mission to wipe away all the disparate treatment of District residents left in federal law. Our related pending bill, the Hatch Act Reform Act (H.R. 1345), which the House passed last year and is now on its way to the Senate floor, would permit the District of Columbia, the only local jurisdiction where local government employees are under the federal Hatch Act, to enact and operate under its own local Hatch Act, like other jurisdictions in the United States.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the District of Columbia as a self-governing jurisdiction by supporting this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a bill that would designate the facility of the United Slates Postal Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE in Washington, DC, as the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office Building.''

Dr. Dorothy I. Height, the longtime president of the National Council of Negro Women who died this year, was never a public official, but she spent her life in service of African Americans, especially African American women, and in service of the people of the United States of America. So strong was the power of her example that she was a role model to generations of women beyond her reach. Dorothy Height was a visionary and a civil rights leader known as the ``Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement.'' She championed countless efforts for basic justice in our country, particularly equal rights for women and people of color, from equal pay to the integration of the nation's governmental institutions and its societal norms.

Dr. Height was recognized with virtually every significant national honor, from the NAACP Spingarn Medal to the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Dorothy Height was also a proponent of strong family life, and organized the annual Black Family Reunion, which is held each year. The Black Family Reunion for this region was held on Saturday, September 11, 2010, on the National Mall and is an African-American celebration held throughout the nation during the summer.

Please join me in honoring Dr. Height's immensely productive and impactful life by designating the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2 Massachusetts Avenue NE in Washington, DC, as the ``Dorothy I. Height Post Office Building.''

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating National Dance Day on July 31.

National Dance Day, in the Nation's Capital and throughout the United States, will celebrate dance as an artistic form and will promote the health benefits of dance. Here in the Nation's Capital, I will be joined by ``So You Think You Can Dance'' co-creator, executive producer, and judge Nigel Lythgoe, by Dominique Dawes, the well-known U.S. Olympic gymnast and a member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, and by the Dizzy Feet Foundation to promote dance as an avenue for physical fitness. Our partners, in addition to the President's Council, and Dizzy Feet, include the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Dance Association, and the National Council of Negro Women.

In addition to being an art form, dance can be an aerobic activity that helps to improve heart health, strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, and burn calories. Our country has a national adult and childhood overweight and obesity epidemic. Keeping with the spirit of the First Lady's ``Let's Move!'' initiative to combat childhood obesity and the work of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, we will promote physical activity among children and adults, and have fun dancing, the exercise that many of us most enjoy!

On July 31, we will gather on the National Mall from 3 to 7 p.m. to watch, learn and dance, and to recognize dance expression, with ``Flash Dance'' instructors, Fluria Flamenco, Step Afrika, Beat Ya Feet Kings, Capitol Movement Project, DCypher, Banneker Ball Room Dancing Club, and many more. We will encourage physically active lifestyles by promoting all forms of dance for physical fitness.

Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in celebrating National Dance Day on July 31.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the District of Columbia Full Self-Government Act. The bill would grant the District of Columbia almost complete home rule. It would mark the most significant advancement in the District's local autonomy since Congress first created the District government's structure and operating rules in the Home Rule Act of 1973. The bill would eliminate almost all of the requirements and limitations imposed on the District by Congress in the Home Rule Act, so that the District could structure its operations and provide services in any manner that it chooses. Aside from a statehood or voting rights bill, no bill would do more to grant the federal taxpaying citizens of the District of Columbia their equal citizenship rights.

Under the bill, the District's government would be able to operate similarly to how most state and local governments operate. For example, the District, like every state, would be able to set its own fiscal year. Under the Home Rule Act, the District's general government fiscal year must begin in October, while its fiscal year for schools must begin in July. In contrast, almost every state and local government's fiscal year for all operations begins in July, enabling these jurisdictions to better plan and coordinate their operations and services.

In addition, the District would no longer have to come to Congress before it could make changes to its operations. For example, the District's major change in school governance structure that eliminated the school board and placed responsibility for schools in the mayor was held up for weeks because it had to be enacted by Congress, which caused serious problems for the opening of schools. Recently, I had to introduce a bill to reduce the waiting period for holding special elections to fill vacancies on the D.C. City Council from 114 days to 70 days. Previously, Ward 4 and Ward 7 were left without representation because the council could not reduce the period to fill vacancies.

The bill would accomplish what I have been fighting for since I entered Congress: legislative and budget autonomy for the District. The bill, like my stand-alone budget and legislative autonomy bills, would eliminate the requirement that the city's laws layover in Congress for 30 or 60 days before they take effect, and would eliminate the requirement that the city's local budget be affirmatively approved by Congress before it takes effect.

The bill would not only remove Congress from the District's legislative process, it would free the District to operate and provide services as it sees fit. The bill would eliminate all of the budget, financial management, audit and borrowing requirements imposed on the city by the Home Rule Act, and would permit the city to set the powers, organization, and procedures of the Office of the Mayor and the city council. It is important to note that the bill would have no effect on existing contractual or other financial obligations incurred by the District, on any elected or appointed District official or other District employee, or on any pending legal actions or proceedings.

Even with this bill, however, there would be two important limitations on the District's autonomy. First, Congress would retain its ultimate legislative authority over the District under the U.S. Constitution. The only way to completely eliminate congressional authority would be to amend the Constitution or to make the District a state. Second, like the Home Rule Act, the bill specifically precludes the city council from legislating over certain matters, such as height limitations on buildings.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 226) supporting the observance of ``Spirit of '45 Day''.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I present House Concurrent Resolution 226 for consideration, supporting the observance of Spirit of '45 Day to commemorate the anniversary of the end of World War II on August 14, 1945.

H. Con. Res. 226 was introduced by our colleague, Representative Filner of California, in January 2010. It was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it reported favorably by unanimous consent in July. H. Con. Res. 226 enjoys the strong bipartisan support of over 70 cosponsors.

Madam Speaker, communities across the country will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II on August 14 by establishing an annual day of remembrance in honor of the legacy of the men and women of America's so-called ``Greatest Generation.''

August 14, 1945, is a day that changed history. It marked the end of World War II and ushered in a new era of peace, prosperity and unity made possible by the heroic efforts of men and women who risked their freedom to give us ours.

The goal of this resolution is to inspire a renewed sense of community and national unity in our country by establishing a day when America will stop to reflect on the achievements of the men and women who endured the Great Depression, preserved freedom and democracy in the most devastating war in history, and then went on to rebuild their shattered world. Their example of courage, self-sacrifice and commitment to community can inspire a renewed sense of national unity at a time when our country must again come together to meet common challenges.

Spirit of '45 Day will engage young and old in a shared, intergenerational project that will preserve forever an important part of the Nation's history and heritage, while reinvigorating an awareness of the importance of coming together as a community, honoring service to others, and creating a sense of national unity at a time when our Nation is facing major challenges once again.

Madam Speaker, this year marks the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II. And it may be one of the last times Americans can say thank you to our ``Greatest Generation'' for their legacy of service. Let us now honor them and encourage others to follow their example through the passage of H. Con. Res. 226.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner), the author of the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the observance of the Spirit of '45 Day.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to

the resolution (H. Res. 1525) honoring the 50th anniversary of the publication of ``To Kill a Mockingbird'', a classic American novel authored by Nelle Harper Lee of Monroeville, Alabama.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to present H. Res. 1525 for consideration. This measure honors the 50th anniversary of the publication of ``To Kill a Mockingbird.''

H. Res. 1525 was introduced by our colleague, Representative Jo Bonner of Alabama, on July 15, 2010. It was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which waived consideration of the measure in order to expedite its consideration on the floor today. It enjoys the bipartisan support of over 80 cosponsors.

Madam Speaker, ``To Kill a Mockingbird'' is one of the greatest works of 20th century American literature. The novel has sold over 30 million copies in its 50-year history and remains a staple in classrooms all over the country. For years, students have studied this coming-of-age tale, giving teachers the opportunity to facilitate frank discussions of its dark and challenging scenes.

The story deals with difficult issues of injustice and racial prejudice, but also provides an uplifting portrayal of courage, morality, and human decency. In particular, Atticus Finch continues to serve as a moral hero for many readers, as well as a model of integrity for the legal profession. Notably, in 1997, the Alabama State Bar erected a monument to the character in Harper Lee's hometown of Monroeville outside their historic Old Courthouse.

The novel is set in the 1930s, but it is closely associated with the civil rights movement, and some scholars believe some of the events and characters of the novel are based on events and figures from that very movement. The novel is a product of that period in our Nation's history in which we began to make serious progress addressing racial inequality and injustice. The hope, courage, and morality that the novel inspired during the civil rights movement helped motivate leaders to support it, bringing national attention to these difficult issues through the eyes of the narrator, a young child.

Harper Lee has won many awards for ``To Kill a Mockingbird,'' including the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, after 41 weeks on the bestseller list. Lee was named to the National Council on the Arts by President Johnson in 1966, inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2001, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame in 2006, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bush in 2007.

Her novel's impact on the world will be felt for generations to come as people around the country and around the world continue to read, study, and learn from the work.

Madam Speaker, let us now take the time to honor Harper Lee and her classic American novel through the passage of H. Res. 1525.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1525, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, one further word on this resolution.

I commend the gentleman from Alabama for coming forward with this resolution honoring Harper Lee, who is perhaps one of the most-esteemed constituents he or any before him have had in his home State. Harper Lee's novel teaches us something about the American novel and indeed about fiction throughout human time: that fiction often tells us what history books cannot convey. This is what Harper Lee managed to do at a time when writing about her subject was anything but popular literature until she had put it on paper, in which case, it rose out of her skill to be embraced by the American people and many across the world.

This book is very interesting because it is a product of a very distinct era in American history and life, and yet the novel continues to reverberate and inspire our very different era, an era revising itself from that era. Unadulterated racial prejudice of a kind described in this novel has abated. It certainly is no longer openly celebrated as it once was.

Yet, what Harper Lee writes about has left a mark so deep in American history that it will never be entirely erased. That's why the novel continues to speak to us. It's not that we believe anything like what she writes about is what we find in American courtrooms, even in the old South today. It is that it reminds us of the distance we have come and for many the distance we have to go.

Harper Lee, it is said over and over again, wrote this one great novel. My response is if you write this novel, you never need to write another single novel. You have said it perhaps all for yourself, and in many ways she said it all for that era in our country.

Madam Speaker, I would again like to urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Harper Lee and her novel through the passage of H. Res. 1525.

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

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1320) to amend the Federal Advisory Committee Act to increase the transparency and accountability of Federal advisory committees, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

H.R. 1320, the Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments, was introduced by Representative Clay, chairman of the Oversight Committee's Information Policy Subcommittee, on March 5, 2009.

Representative Clay introduced a similar bill last Congress that passed the House by voice vote. This legislation amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act, known as FACA, which is a cornerstone of open government. It was enacted in 1972 in response to concerns that Federal advisory committees were not objective and had little oversight or accountability.

FACA requires that committees be balanced, transparent, and independent from the influence of special interests.

Agencies have not consistently implemented FACA, and the courts have created loopholes that undermine the purposes of the act. H.R. 1320 closes those loopholes and strengthens FACA, H.R. 1320 promotes independent advisory committees by requiring committee members to be appointed without regard to political affiliation. It will also provide that the committee members who are appointed as experts must comply with conflict of interest and other ethics requirements.

H.R. 1320 improves the transparency of advisory committees by requiring agencies to disclose more information about committees. For example, agencies are required to provide information about the process used to identify and appoint committee members, the process of selecting members for balance, and a justification of need for any members that represent stakeholder interests.

Agencies must disclose when a committee member is issued a conflict of interest waiver and provide a copy of the waiver, a summary of the need for the waiver, and a reason for granting it.

Agencies also must disclose when meetings are taking place, and following a committee meeting, the agency must provide a transcript or recording of the meeting. Currently, advisory committees can avoid having public meetings and other requirements of FACA by conducting business through subcommittees.

The bill closes that loophole and makes it clear that FACA applies to subcommittees. The bill also clarifies that committees set up by contractors are subject to FACA. This bill is the epitome of good government. I urge my colleagues to support it.

House of Representatives,

Committee on Ways and Means,

Washington, DC, July 21, 2010.

Hon. Edolphus Towns,

Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,

Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing regarding H.R. 1320, the

``Federal Advisory Committee Act Amendments of 2009.'' As you

know, the Committee on Ways and Means had concerns regarding

this bill because the Federal Trade Advisory Committees are

established under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.

In 2008, our two Committees exchanged letters regarding

similar legislation introduced in the 110th Congress, H.R.

5687. Recently, an understanding was reached on modifications

to the current bill, H.R. 1320, that would address my

Committee's concerns. I appreciate your willingness, and the

willingness of your staff, to work with me and my staff on

this important legislation.

To expedite this legislation for Floor consideration, the

Committee will forgo action on this bill. This is being done

with the understanding that it does not in any way prejudice

the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or

the full exercise of its jurisdictional prerogatives on this

bill or similar legislation in the future.

I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming

this understanding with respect to H.R. 1320, and would ask

that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be

included in the Committee report on the bill and in the

Congressional Record during House Floor consideration of this

bill.

Once again, thank you for your work and cooperation on this

legislation.

Sincerely,

Sander M. Levin,

Acting Chairman.

Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay), the chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives, the author of the bill before us.

Madam 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 H.R. 1320, as amended.

I have no further speakers, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in history, the other body has to wait for a new Member to be sworn in today to take up unemployment insurance and break a filibuster. Even in the mildest of turndowns, there has always been bipartisan support for unemployment benefits. Ask the average American: Give us your definition of emergency spending: unemployment benefits paid for in part from employee paychecks or more tax cuts for the wealthy?

The question answers itself, for all except my Republican friends in this House. They've gone further and insulted the unemployed by offering as an excuse that benefits keep people from looking for and taking jobs. The Bush recession left one job for every five job- seekers. It's cruel to blame the unemployed for not finding work in the midst of the great recession. It is worst to deny them food to put on the table.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5266) to extend the final report deadline and otherwise reauthorize the National Commission on Children and Disasters.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5266.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 5266 and ask for the support of the House. It is a bill to reauthorize the National Commission on Children and Disasters, sponsored by my colleague from Florida, Representative Corrine Brown.

The National Commission on Children and Disasters was created as a result of the indelible lessons of Hurricane Katrina and as a result of the effects that disaster had on children. The commission was authorized by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the Kids in Disasters Well Being Act of 2007, which was also sponsored by Chairwoman Brown.

The commission's work has been well received, and many of its recommendations have been implemented, especially those related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. I was pleased to chair a hearing of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management that received testimony from Mark Shriver, the chair of the commission, on its interim report when it was issued last October.

The commission just issued a progress report on May 11, and I recently had a talk with Chairman Shriver about that report. While FEMA has made good progress on many of the recommendations, other agencies have not; and, therefore, the commission's work remains incomplete. The subcommittee will continue to work with the commission on the implementation of its recommendations.

H.R. 5266, the National Commission on Children and Disasters Act of 2010, reauthorizes the commission by extending the deadline for its final report until December 31, 2012, and requires annual interim reports from the commission. The commission will sunset 180 days after the date of its final report.

H.R. 5266 authorizes appropriations of $1.5 million in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 and $1 million in fiscal year 2013, the final year of the commission. The bill also rectifies a problem the commission experienced at the outset when it took nearly 5 months for all of the members of the commission to be appointed. The bill requires vacancies to be filled in 90 days, which should help minimize any delays in the commission's work in the event of a vacancy.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5266, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the sponsor of the bill, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown).

Madam Speaker, I want to join the chairwoman, Ms. Corrine Brown, not only in asking the House to pass this bill, but to commend her.

The chairwoman discovered this issue and acted on it. She discovered it in Florida, when there were refugees, as it were, from Katrina. She was moved by it. She decided to do, in fact, work on the ground in Florida for these children and others who were caught in Katrina, and she followed up with legislation, and never let up until this very day. And I know she won't let up until the other body sees fit also to pass the bill.

So I want to commend her for her discovery of a vital issue that my own committee, which has jurisdiction over FEMA, had not noted with nearly as much attention as the gentlelady from Florida.

I want also to note the work of Mark Schreiber, whose work on the commission went far beyond his chairmanship. He took this cause unto his own, pressed it with all that he had, and deserves great credit for making sure that we got to the day when we would pass the bill.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5545) to deauthorize a portion of the project for navigation, Potomac River, Washington Channel, District of Columbia, under the jurisdiction of the Corps of Engineers.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5545.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise to support H.R. 5545.

This noncontroversial bill will allow development of the Southwest Waterfront in the District of Columbia. This bill will benefit not only residents here, but also regional residents and U.S. and international visitors by permitting the District to extend docks and increase maritime activity just a short eyeshot from the U.S. Capitol building.

In order for the District to make these improvements, the Federal Government must redesignate part of the water designated by the Federal Government as the Washington Channel so that more and larger docks can be built by the District to accommodate increased boating and waterside activity.

The original width of the Washington Channel was established in the early 1800s to accommodate industrial and maritime commerce at the Southwest Waterfront prior to the construction of East Potomac Park.

Today, however, the Southwest Waterfront is no longer a major port, and does not accommodate large vessels. In fact, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have agreed that this redesignation will not affect navigation interests or adversely affect navigation safety.

I ask Members to support this noncontroversial change that will reinvigorate the Southwest Waterfront for the city, region, and visitors alike to enjoy.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Almost 10 years ago this House approved a bill to revitalize the Southeast Waterfront. The Southeast Federal Center is now being reinvigorated just down the street from the Southwest Waterfront. It is now called The Yards.

I very much appreciate that this House understood that it was far better for the Southeast Waterfront, owned by the Federal Government, to be revitalized than to lie fallow. And already, it is blossoming and blooming.

But the Southwest Waterfront has been awaiting concurrent action, not by this House, and not at the expense of the Federal Government, but by the District of Columbia.

This action, the action of the House today, should this bill be passed, will allow the District of Columbia to move forward on a multi- use development of the Southwest Waterfront, to which tourists and international visitors are always welcome, and will be even more welcome because it will be fit. It will be a fit place to come and see.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.