Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Wayzata High School girls Nordic ski team.

For the first time in 33 years, the Wayzata girls Nordic skiing program claimed the very top prize at the State competition earlier this month in northern Minnesota.

Wayzata head coach Larry Myers lauded his team's attitude and morale as key to their success this season and at the State competition, but special congratulations also should go out to junior Alayna Sonnesyn and sophomore Anna French, who earned all-State honors at the meet.

Six students from Wayzata's State championship Nordic ski team also were members of the State championship cross-country running squad that captured a State championship title last fall. Each of these student athletes, their parents, and their coaches deserve praise for their dedication and determination.

It's an honor to be able to represent and recognize such great student athletes and the Wayzata School District. Congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Eden Prairie Boys Nordic Ski Team for becoming State champions this year. For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Eagles' boys team claimed the State Nordic ski championship title after an excellent performance in the Nordic competition at Giants Ridge earlier this month. The team had an outstanding season and proved their ability and determination in the finals.

Seniors Tom Bye and Ryan Stewart both finished in the top 10, and Henry Zurn and Jay Grootwassink also attained all-State honors. Also deserving of praise, Mr. Speaker, are the coaches, including Coach Doug Boonstra, also known as ``Boonie,'' whose leadership and unwavering support helped motivate these student athletes.

Congratulations to the students, their parents, the coaching staff, and to everybody who helped contribute to the success of the Eagles team.

Mr. Speaker, February marks National Heart Month, which reminds all Americans to take control of their cardiovascular health. Each year, 700,000 Americans suffer a heart attack, and approximately 600,000 die from causes related to heart disease. Nearly everyone knows a family member, a colleague, or a friend who has experienced the devastating effects of this disease firsthand.

While heart disease is currently the leading cause of death among men and women, we can all take steps to prevent this disease and promote overall heart health.

One example of community action is the great work of the Plymouth Rotary Club and Allina hospitals and clinics in Minnesota. They've teamed up together to start a new project called Heart Safe Plymouth, a plan that promotes education and training on the emergency treatment of sudden cardiac arrest.

I encourage all Americans to follow their example of involvement and action. Let's use American Heart Month as an opportunity to learn more about heart disease and prevention so that we can all live longer and healthier lives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Eden Prairie Police Department as they celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. Since the creation of the Public Safety Department in December of 1972, the Eden Prairie community has been safer and stronger because of the wonderful work of its police officers.

A police department that started with only five officers, a secretary and two patrol cars has grown to be a thriving pillar of our community, employing more than 60 officers today.

Every day, I am amazed by the hard work of police departments and officers across Minnesota, but I am particularly and especially proud of my hometown Eden Prairie Police Department and would like to congratulate them and all of its officers on an impressive 40 years serving our community.

To Chief Reynolds and every Eden Prairie police officer, past and present, thank you for your service and also thank you for providing for our continued safety.

Mr. Speaker, January marks National Mentoring Month, during which we will celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, giving all Americans the opportunity to answer Dr. King's important question, ``What are you doing for others?''

Today I would like to recognize an exceptional Minnesota organization that has become known as a national model for excellence in mentoring and service. The mentoring partnership works with hundreds of Minnesota organizations to pair up mentors with mentees and help strengthen relationships and build stronger communities.

Every child deserves a mentor. As Fortune magazine recently pointed out, the number one indicator of success for a child is a good relationship with a caring adult. They provide care and support, advice, and words of encouragement. Dr. King often spoke of his mentors, and likewise became one himself to many Americans.

Let's use this day of celebration on Martin Luther King Day and National Mentoring Month as an opportunity to become a mentor or simply thank those that may have served as a mentor to yourself.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2012. This legislation will bolster the nation's public health preparedness infrastructure and ensure the reauthorization of programs that provide key resources to states, health departments and hospitals.

I am particularly pleased that the final legislation contains key provisions that enhance the nation's ability to care for the critically ill and injured in the aftermath of a public health emergency. For the first time, the federal government will be required to prioritize the critical care system in its emergency and disaster planning efforts. Furthermore, the bill requires additional planning regarding evacuation of patients.

Last year, I introduced legislation with my colleague from Wisconsin, Congresswoman Baldwin to ensure that the nation's critical care system is structured to provide the highest quality and most efficient health care. This legislation is designed to determine inefficiencies in the current system and bolster capabilities to meet future demands-- including improving federal disaster preparedness efforts to care for the critically ill or injured.

A key aspect of this bill was to put in place measures to ensure there are sufficient numbers of critical care providers to respond in a medical crisis, develop best practices for the safe evacuation of ICU patients, and enhance the current databases that provide necessary resource information in the aftermath of a disaster. I'm happy to report that these important provisions are all reflected in today's bill.

Today's bill recognizes that critical care services play an important role in our medical response system and provides an opportunity to build more prepared and resilient communities that are able to respond and contain the impact of a public health emergency. I urge its passage.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Medicare Identity Theft Prevention Act.

With the constant growth of technology and, as an unfortunate result, identity theft, I have received numerous inquiries from my constituents--and in particular, seniors--about what we are doing and the need to protect people from identity theft. Earlier this year, I also held a seminar in my district with seniors about identity theft, and it was very well attended.

In 2010, nearly 7 percent of households were victims of identity theft. Of those households, over 1 million were headed by seniors. Today, nearly 50 million Medicare cards display the Social Security number. Social Security numbers are absolutely one of the most valuable pieces of personal identity that we have, therefore making it a top target for criminals.

For years, the General Accounting Office and the Social Security special inspector general have recommended and asked Congress to remove the Social Security numbers from Medicare cards because it is an unnecessary risk for seniors. That's exactly what this legislation does. It will help prevent seniors from becoming victims of these types of theft and fraud by removing the Social Security number from those Medicare cards.

I'm pleased to be a cosponsor and actively support this legislation. This is common sense. This is bipartisan. There's no reason for delay. We can stop putting seniors at unnecessary risk.

I want to thank, in particular, the subcommittee chairman, Mr. Johnson, as well as Congressman Doggett for their bipartisan leadership on this effort and bringing it to the floor before the end of the year.

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

Mr. Speaker, today we have an opportunity to improve the way our child welfare system works. We have a chance to learn what is most effective in preventing fatalities from child abuse and neglect. By acting on this bill today, we can make a significant difference in the lives of children who need to be protected.

In a hearing that we held just this last week on the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012, I shared the heartbreaking story of Devin Drake, who is an example of the type of tragedy we hope to prevent through the work of this important commission.

In August of 2011, Devin Drake was a 3-year-old boy living just outside of Minneapolis with his mother and her boyfriend. Child welfare officials had been in contact with the family previously, but this wasn't enough to prevent what happened next. It was on one fateful night that Devin was seriously injured when his mother's boyfriend struck him, knocking him down to the bathroom floor. Devin hit his head hard enough that he had trouble standing up, but neither his mother nor her boyfriend took the time to bring him to the hospital.

His condition worsened the next day; and when he was finally taken to the hospital, it was too late. Doctors reported that Devin had severe head trauma, punctured lungs, and a number of contusions. Four days later, Devin Drake died.

This bill will help to prevent those types of tragedies. This commission created by this bill would review the effectiveness of current child welfare services, it will examine the data we have now about childhood fatalities, and it will study factors that are predictive of child abuse and neglect. And through this work, this commission can provide Congress and others with critical information on how we can improve our child abuse prevention efforts.

I note that while this bill provides some resources for the commission to do its work, thanks to Chairman Camp and Mr. Doggett, they have worked very carefully to ensure that the commission operates within existing social services funding. As a result, this bill does not add to the deficit. This shows how critical this issue is and how bipartisan this issue is, as well.

I urge all my colleagues to support this important legislation and reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, we have no other speakers. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012 will help us prevent child fatalities from abuse and neglect. The commission created by this bill will show us how we can improve on our current efforts, and it will help provide us with the information we need to move forward on this issue.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill today.

I want to thank not only Chairman Camp, but Ranking Member Doggett for his leadership and his passion on this issue.

I urge support and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to lend my voice to the chorus of Minnesotans that are grieving at the loss of one of our finest, Cold Spring Police Officer Tom Decker, who was senselessly murdered while responding to a call for help.

A 6-year veteran of the force and a father of four, Officer Decker exemplified what it means to serve and protect. He loved his job and the community that he served, and those he served admired and respected him in return. He was absolutely one of the good guys: a dedicated husband, father, and police officer.

So today, Mr. Speaker, let us honor Officer Decker's life and the incredible devotion he gave to his community. He was a hero. But more importantly, he was an incredible human being. He and his service will be absolutely and deeply missed. Let us all keep Officer Decker and his loved ones, fellow officers, and community in our prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the more than 65 million family caregivers across the Nation who work tirelessly and selflessly to care for loved ones who are chronically ill, disabled or aging. So this month, we celebrate National Family Caregivers Month, which is a time to thank all those heroes who sacrifice their time and effort in looking after others.

It is estimated that family caregivers provide 80 percent of our Nation's long-term care, saving families about $375 billion annually. Caregivers are the silent heroes of the family. They work day in and day out to ensure that those in need of care receive that support. Taking care of sick family members is, no doubt, a difficult job; and I encourage caregivers to continue to utilize the resources they have in their communities for support.

I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the family caregivers in Minnesota and of those helping families in America. Your work to support your families exemplifies the true meaning of putting someone else's needs first.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I'd like to speak in favor of this legislation but also just talk a little bit about why this bill is so important to my home State in Minnesota.

Minnesota's economy has a stake in extending permanent normal trade relations with Russia. Last year, Minnesota exported about $71 million worth of goods to Russia, directly supporting hundreds of jobs for Minnesotans. Now, with the world's ninth-largest economy and a growing middle class, the Russian marketplace holds great future potential for increased exports and more Minnesota jobs.

This August, Russia gained membership to the WTO, giving member economies around the globe increased access to nearly 142 million potential customers. But our failure to pass permanent normal trade relations with Russia means American job creators, American employers can't take advantage of these new opportunities. There are large Minnesota job creators like Cargill, 3M, T&M Marine, TSC Container Freight, and Massman Automation that have all expressed their interest and how important it is that PNTR be extended for increased competition and job growth.

One great example of an industry that will benefit from extending PNTR to Russia is our Nation's medical device innovators. We understand the immense size of the Russian population, but only 20 percent of Russians currently have access to quality health care, and nearly two- thirds of Russia's medical equipment is becoming obsolete. There is an incredible opportunity, Madam Speaker, for U.S. medical technology. And now with its accession to the WTO, Russia has agreed to substantial tariff reductions for imported medical equipment, again, creating a great opportunity for American medical device innovators to increase exports, grow their businesses, and create many new jobs. But unless we pass this legislation, unless we move forward, our competitors will continue to have a distinct and unnecessary advantage.

We need to pass PNTR with Russia not only for countless Minnesota businesses trying to compete and win in today's marketplace, but also, more importantly, for 60,000 Minnesota jobs that are tied to a robust trade agenda.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend a Minnesota service organization that has, for 25 years, fought against childhood malnutrition in every corner of the globe and in communities across our Nation.

Since its inception, Feed My Starving Children has tirelessly worked to provide lifesaving meals for millions of children, shipping an astounding 600 million meals to individuals in nearly 70 countries around the world and here in the United States. The true effect of the work they do for severely malnourished children is immeasurable.

Several times I have volunteered personally with my staff and packed meals which Save My Starving Children sends to malnourished children in places like Haiti and Sudan. But we're not alone, as nearly 670,000 volunteers have joined Feed My Starving Children in fulfilling their vital mission.

Feed My Starving Children's commitment to fighting childhood hunger for the past quarter century has been steadfast and has positively impacted the lives of millions in Minnesota and around the world. I would like to commend all of those involved in Feed My Starving Children for their hard work, and I look forward to another successful 25 years.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Edina Police Sergeant Steven Stroh. Sgt. Stroh was a 25 year veteran of the Edina Police Department and recently lost his long and courageous battle with cancer.

Sgt. Stroh was a beloved member of the community, beginning his career as a community service officer after graduating from St. Thomas College. Stroh quickly worked his way to police officer and to sergeant, earning a place as a respected and trusted leader.

While a serious leader in the community, Sgt. Stroh also had a humorous side. Fellow officer Kevin Rofidel remarked, ``If [anyone] pulled a prank around here, he'd be in on it.''

Sgt. Stroh believed in learning as much as he could to help educate his fellow officers and even earned his masters of police administration while he was in the force. Fellow officers will certainly miss his years of experience and expertise.

Sgt. Stroh is survived by a loving family and a grateful community, which he dedicated his life to serving.

Mr. Speaker, today, nearly 200,000 Americans suffer from Pulmonary Fibrosis, and an estimated 40,000 lose their battle to this disease each year. One death every 13 minutes.

Sadly, more than two-thirds of those living with Pulmonary Fibrosis will die within five years. And to top it all off there is no known cause and no known cure for this debilitating disease.

Next week is ``World Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Week'' and an opportunity to raise awareness for H.R. 2505 the ``Pulmonary Fibrosis Research Enhancement Act.'' This legislation which I authored will establish a much needed national patient registry, encourage future research at the National Institute of Health, and create a national action plan to help us better understand this deadly disease.

This is an important first step forward in the fight to find a cure for pulmonary fibrosis and deliver hope to thousands of Americans living with this disease. I urge my colleagues to join me and co- sponsor H.R. 2505.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 118. This is a resolution that will protect welfare work requirements from executive overreach, ensuring that welfare recipients must continue to work in order to qualify for benefits.

As acting chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee, I just want to talk real quickly about how this resolution accomplishes two very simple objectives.

First, the resolution simply affirms congressional authority over welfare programs by invalidating the overreaching HHS rule.

Back in July, HHS unilaterally granted itself the authority to rewrite the work requirements, claiming that they can approve or disapprove work rules at the State level. But that's just not how Congress intended this to work.

Both the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service agree that this HHS proposal is far more than guidance to States. It constitutes a new rule that must first be submitted to Congress for review before it can take effect.

Secondly, Mr. Speaker, this resolution lets States know where Congress stands on the importance of strong work requirements.

The 1996 welfare reform law, which first created these strong work requirements, was a historic bipartisan achievement. The result was a program that heavily emphasizes engaging welfare recipients in work and pro-work activities. Before the HHS guidance, States knew what the rules were. However, in the wake of this new HHS rule, it's not clear what the rules are now.

HHS seems intent now to simply make up the rules as they go along. That's what an anonymous HHS official told The Washington Post recently, describing how this policy of waiving work requirements was evolving in an ``iterative process.''

The administration's defense that these changes will strengthen the work requirements is not reassuring because it just doesn't make sense. If States want to engage more welfare recipients in work for more hours and with tougher penalties for failing to work, there's nothing that stops them from doing so under current law. They don't need a waiver to apply to do any of that.

Simple logic simply says that the HHS guidance is about weakening, not strengthening, work requirements for welfare recipients.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow HHS to circumvent Congress and undermine welfare work requirements.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.