Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay to tribute to David J. Kears, Agency Director for the Alameda County Healthcare Services Agency. Mr. Kears is retiring from his position and a farewell party has been planned in his honor on June 10, 2009.

Mr. Kears' scholastic endeavors brought him to the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated in 1968 with a major in Sociology. He continued his graduate work at

Berkeley and received a Masters Degree in 1970 in Social Welfare with a Psychiatric Casework Specialty. He also holds a Clinical Social Work license.

Mr. Kears performed his internship at the Sonoma State Hospital and Children's Guidance Clinic in Palo Alto. After graduation, he went to work as a Psychiatric Social Worker at Napa State Hospital. He thrived in that setting from 1970 to 1974 and advanced to Assistant Program Director.

He began his career with Alameda County as a Psychiatric Social Worker in 1974 and held a number of major department head positions in the Health Care Services Agency. In March 1986, Mr. Kears was appointed to the Agency Director position, at which time he not only took over the weighty matters of the Agency but also became Acting Director of Highland General Hospital during a time of reorganization.

Currently, as director of the Health Care Services Agency, Mr. Kears provides overall direction, consultation and troubleshooting to the four major departments comprising the agency which include Indigent Care; Public Health Department; Environmental Health Services and Behavioral Health Care Services. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Kears assumed the additional responsibility for developing a public/private Medi-Cal managed care program, the Alameda Alliance for Health, pursuant to the State of California Department of Health Services' directive. The Alliance is now a fully licensed HMO comprised of traditional Medi-Cal and safety net county and community providers.

Mr. Kears' most recent major program responsibilities included coordinating the County's Indigent Medical Care System and monitoring contracts with the Alameda County Medical Center and a broad network of community-based primary care providers.

A number of non-profit organizations, commissions, government agencies and health systems have benefited from Mr. Kears' leadership, vast knowledge and experience in the development and implementation of county and state health care policies.

I join Dave Kears' colleagues in thanking him for his years of commitment and service in making a difference in the lives of others.

Madam Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 626, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009. As a long-time advocate of paid family leave, I believe our nation's largest employer--the U.S. Government--must also be our nation's model employer and set a progressive example for healthy workplace policy. The legislation on the floor today will provide real security to those who serve our nation's government and their families.

The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was landmark legislation that established job-protected leave and it has helped millions of workers care for their families without fear of losing their job. The FMLA, however, requires only unpaid leave, and many workers must chose between taking leave to care for their families or not paying their bills. Research has shown that nearly 75 percent of FMLA-eligible workers do not take leave because they cannot afford it. Even before the hardship caused by the current recession, millions of workers could not access family or medical leave because of financial constraints. Paid leave is a vital resource to help workers balance their family and work obligations.

Paid parental leave provides benefits well beyond the purely monetary. It also benefits our society as a whole. A 1999 report by the President's Council of Economic Advisers found that since 1969, children have lost 22 hours per week with their parents. Studies have shown that increased parental involvement and care giving are linked to gains such as shorter hospital stays, improved behavior, and higher educational achievements for their children. Providing paid parental leave will make leave more accessible, allowing parents to spend more time with their children--clearly an investment worth making.

Individual states have begun to successfully implement paid family and medical leave programs. Since 2004, my home state of California has led the country in the provision of paid leave and the law has been a boon to both the state's families and businesses. According to a Harvard study published four years after the enactment of California's paid leave policy, California had a lower rate of foreclosures than other states due to income loss arising from the need to care for a household member. We can and should replicate this success nationwide.

It is the responsibility of the Federal government to take the lead in the promotion of workers' economic security and family-friendly policies, which is why I am pleased to lend my full support to the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. Providing parental leave to federal workers is an important first step toward what must be our ultimate policy goal of providing paid family and medical leave to all workers, and I look forward to the day when all workers have the chance to care for their families and still be able to pay the bills.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with Representatives Mary Bono Mack and Dave Camp to introduce bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the unique needs of young people with serious mental illness. This legislation will provide comprehensive support for youth so that they can transition into healthy and successful adults.

Young adults suffering from mental illness fall through the cracks far too often. Last year, former Senator Gordon Smith and I requested a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) examining the challenges facing this population. The results were very troubling. As of 2006, approximately 2.4 million young adults age 18-26 in America had a serious mental illness and another 9.3 million suffered with a moderate or mild mental illness. This population has significantly higher rates of unemployment, incarceration, suicide, inadequate housing, as well as lower rates of continuing education.

There is no coherent federal policy to address this issue and our system is fragmented. The GAO found that many youth lose mental health coverage or have their coverage disrupted when they turn 18, and are unable to find age-appropriate services in the adult mental health system. As a result, many young adults are adrift without services, support, or guidance.

The dysfunctional mental health system described by GAO has had a particularly harsh impact on vulnerable youth, such as those aging out of foster care. A national survey found that foster youth were four times more likely to have attempted suicide in the preceding year when compared to those never placed in foster care. Another study found that these youth suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at rates similar to Iraq War veterans. We cannot let this cycle of neglect continue.

We developed the Healthy Transitions Act in response to GAO's findings that exposed the critical gaps in age-appropriate mental health and supportive services for young adults. This legislation builds on the successful Partnership for Youth in Transition Demonstration Program and will allow the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to expand their efforts to assist states in serving young people with mental illness. It will provide grant funding to states to develop statewide coordination plans that will assist adolescents and young adults with serious mental health disorders in making a healthy transition into adulthood. The bill will also provide grant funding for states to successfully implement their plans and ensure that the care systems created are both comprehensive and sustainable. Finally, the legislation will create a Committee of Federal Partners. The Committee will include representatives from all agencies that serve young adults as well as representatives from consumer and family advocacy organizations. The Federal Partners will evaluate the states' programs, provide technical assistance, and report to Congress on the progress being made.

It has become increasingly difficult for young adults to navigate our current fragmented mental health system. The Healthy Transitions Act aims to fill the cracks in the system by coordinating the work of federal, state, and local partners. It is our social responsibility to help these youth develop into successful, independent adults. I hope all of my colleagues can recognize the importance of investing in our young people and will support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, the Bay Trail Project will celebrate its 20th Anniversary on July 6, 2009 at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center in Hayward, California. A commemorative event will highlight the adoption of the Bay Trail Plan by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board since July 1989 and will point to the accomplishments and importance of the Bay Trail over the past 20 years. California State Senator Bill Lockyer will be honored for his contributions of creating and preserving the Bay Trail.

In 1987, then-California State Senator Bill Lockyer conceived the idea of a hiking and bicycling trail that would encircle San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. His plan was often called ``Ring Around the Bay.'' Lockyer authored Senate Bill 100 authorizing ABAG to, ``develop and adopt a plan for a continuous recreational corridor which will extend around the perimeter of San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.'' SB 100 required that the plan include: a specific trail route, connections to parks and other recreational facilities, links to existing and proposed public transportation facilities, an implementation and funding program for the trail, and provisions for implementing the trail without adversely affecting the natural environment of the Bay. SB 100 was passed into law with widespread support.

A broad-ranging advisory committee to ABAG developed the Bay Trail Plan over a 2-year period and its policies continue today to guide the development of the Bay Trail.

For oversight of the Hayward section of the Bay Trail, the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency (HASPA) was formed in 1971. HASPA continues to preserve and advocate for the Hayward shoreline as part of the Bay Trail. To date, slightly more than half of the Bay Trail's ultimate alignment, approximately 293 miles out of the envisioned 500- mile trail, has been completed.

I join the Bay Area community in honoring State Treasurer Bill Lockyer for his vision in authoring SB 100, ABAG for developing the plan for the recreational corridor, HASPA for its oversight and stewardship of the Hayward section of the Bay Trail and all the individuals who continue to contribute to the success of the Bay Trail. The Bay Trail is a treasured gift for all to enjoy.

Madam Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor Albin Gruhn of San Anselmo, California, who passed away March 18 at the age of 94. Mr. Gruhn was a respected and beloved labor leader and consumer rights activist whose calling was the welfare of the working people of California. His 36 years as president of the California Labor Federation and his role as a founder of the Association of California Consumers were at the heart of a remarkable career.

Mr. Gruhn was born in Eureka, California, in 1915. At the age of 19 he began working for the Hammond Lumber Co. where he joined the Sawmill and Loggers Federal Union. A strike shortly afterwards resulted in the deaths of three union picketers and deeply affected him, resulting in a life-long commitment to the labor movement.

He was also blacklisted as a result of his participation in the strike but soon found employment in construction, joining the Laborers Local where his membership continued for over 60 years. At the age of 22, he became secretary of the Central Labor Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties and led that council for over 20 years.

In 1940 Mr. Gruhn was first elected to what is now the California Labor Federation as district vice president and became its president in 1960. He led with skill, enthusiasm, and passion until his retirement in 1996. He helped build the organization into a strong and effective advocacy group for the rights of workers, inspiring several generations of political and labor leaders along the way.

During the 1960s, Mr. Gruhn was also a founder of the Association of California Consumers, California's first consumer group, and later became a founding officer and then president emeritus of the Consumer Federation of California. He also devoted some of his considerable energies to the California Apprenticeship Council and the California Constitution Revision Commission as well as serving on various state commissions. These were appointments over the decades by five California governors and covered a variety of issues from fair housing to air pollution. One of the commissions dealt with children and youth, reflecting his deep involvement in the annual scholarship program established by the California Labor Federation.

Mr. Gruhn was always politically active as a means of supporting the causes he believed in. From campaigning for Franklin Roosevelt at the age of 17 to serving as an Adlai Stevenson delegate in 1956, he stayed engaged in the process. In 1944, he founded the Northern California AFL Political League.

Mr. Gruhn was married to the former Dorothy Coon for over 37 years. Dorothy predeceased him in 2005, and the couple are survived by a large family of eight children, 14 grandchildren, and 17 great grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, Albin Gruhn was proud to fight for working people, and all those with whom he came in contact--from family and friends to political leaders and co-workers--drew inspiration from his commitment. It is fitting in honoring him today to remember the remarks he always used to conclude his labor

speeches: ``In unity there is strength. United we stand, divided we fall. An injury to one is an injury to all.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 150th anniversary of the California School for the Deaf (CSD), located in Fremont, CA. CSD was founded in 1860 and was the first special education program established in California. Started in San Francisco, the first class had only three students. In 1869, the school moved to a new campus in Berkeley, with approximately 50 students. A vocational component was added to the curriculum in 1871.

By 1915, the school's enrollment had grown to 215 students and the campus was enlarged for the second time. In 1930, a 32-year building program was initiated to restore and again expand the Berkeley campus. In 1934, a teacher-training program was established on the Berkeley campus in conjunction with San Francisco State College, as Superintendent Elwood Stevenson believed that only teachers with special training should be credentialed to teach deaf and hard of hearing children. Dr. Stevenson also emphasized that since language is the core of the deaf child's education, teaching of written language would begin in the child's first year of schooling.

In 1969, the Computer-Assisted Instruction program began as a result of an invitation by Stanford University to participate in a nation-wide project. This same year, the first academic mainstreaming program began with five California School for the Deaf students taking world history and geometry at Albany High School.

In 1970, CSD officially adopted the philosophy of total communication and an Instructional Television class was taught for the first time. CSD was given accreditation for its secondary program by the Western Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges, and was granted accreditation for both the elementary and secondary programs by the Convention of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf (CEASD).

Dr. Henry Klopping was appointed Superintendent of CSD in 1975 and a Special Unit program was established that year for deaf multi- handicapped students. In 1976, Dr. Klopping formed the Student Advisory Council and later the Community Advisory Council in 1978. Enrollment at the school rose to 518 when the annual new student/parent orientation program was established.

On June 1, 1977 groundbreaking ceremonies launched the new 96-acre site for what would become the California School for the Deaf and the California School for the Blind in Fremont, CA. The school was officially opened on May 25, 1980. CSD's most recent history is filled with cultural and educational advances and student opportunities.

The current population at the California School for the Deaf numbers at 496, and a parent education program has been firmly established to provide support, information, and education for parents of deaf students. The Volunteer Program has grown to 175 individuals who contribute immeasurable time and valuable skills in all facets of CSD students' education and campus life.

I join the community in congratulating CSD for 150 years of exemplary service to deaf students and their families. The California School for the Deaf is a valuable resource beyond measure.

Madam Speaker, this week the District of Columbia is renaming 10th Street, NW., ``Bud Doggett's Way'' after Leonard ``Bud'' Doggett, an iconic civic, business and political leader here in Washington who passed away last year. It's a well-deserved honor to an individual who devoted his life to making Washington, the Nation's Capital, a better place. During my tenure both as a member and Chairman of the House Committee on the District of Columbia I had the

privilege of knowing Bud and, as was the case for many, he became my friend.

Bud Doggett was born in Washington, returned here after World War II, and never left. He loved this city and worked tirelessly to help it and its residents. While building a significant corporate empire based on parking, real estate and banking, Bud kept an eye and a hand on everything political and important that shaped Washington over the past 50 years. Bud was ``old school,'' literally smoking cigars in the back room. He shunned publicity and attention, liked to refer to himself as a parking attendant, but Bud was the D.C. power broker who always had the best interest of the city at heart.

Bud spearheaded diversity in Washington's business community in the early 1960s when segregation was still pervasive if more quiet. He walked the streets with Mayor Washington to calm the turmoil after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, and played a decisive role in the election of most District leaders since Home Rule and the economic development that transformed a sleepy southern town to a world-class city.

With the strong, paternal hand came a softer heart. Bud's philanthropic efforts are legendary, anchored by HEROES, a largely anonymous group he founded in 1964 that helps the families of law enforcement and firefighters in the region who die in the line of duty. There are literally hundreds of families who have had their mortgages paid, their children sent to college, and their lives re-established because Bud and HEROES never forgot their loved one's sacrifice and were always there to help.

Bud was the last of his breed for Washington. There's no one with the same reach, respect, and authority to single-handedly keep the city on track. It's up to a new batch of political, business, and civic leaders to see if collectively they can provide the stability, direction and discipline that Bud did. It's a very tough act to follow.

Mr. Speaker, I oppose the supplemental appropriations bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Iraq, the American people were misled into a war that has cost our country almost $670 billion, with over 4,300 American lives lost and estimates showing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed. While President Obama's plan to scale down the troop levels in Iraq is a move in the right direction, I simply cannot justify any more spending for an illegitimate war.

In Afghanistan, over 600 Americans have been killed and more than 4,000 have been wounded. After years of mismanagement by the Bush Administration, we lack a clear objective and have no exit strategy.

At a time when our country is facing serious economic peril at home, it is unconscionable that we would be sending almost $100 billion to further fund war efforts that have no clear goals and continue to undermine America's standing abroad.

President Obama is moving America's foreign policy in a better direction, and he has shown superior judgment to President Bush on when we should send our troops into harm's way. However, I cannot support any more funding for these wars.

Madam Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I acknowledge the passing, on May 1, 2009, of former San Leandro Mayor Jack Maltester. His colleagues have aptly described Jack as ``the most powerful small-town mayor in this country. None of us can duplicate what he did.''

Jack Maltester transformed the face of San Leandro during his 20 years of service as mayor from 1958 to 1978. Even as a private citizen, his influence remained strong in San Leandro, the city in which he was born in 1913.

A printer by trade, Jack served an interim term on the council in the late 1940s. He won election to the council in 1956, was selected by the council as Mayor two years later, and became the city's first Mayor elected directly by the residents of San Leandro instead of the City Council.

He was re-elected in 1966, 1970, and 1974 but was forced to leave office in 1978 after a voter approved two-term limit was enacted.

While serving as San Leandro's chief executive, Jack was president of both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the League of California Cities. Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford appointed him to a federal commission five times.

Jack remained active in San Leandro affairs until his death at age 95. He founded The Sentinels, a group of local businessmen who provide support to local political candidates and ballot measures. He also served as President of the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce and President of the California League of Cities.

He cultivated political talent, represented private real estate developers, served on the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum board and was a member of local civic and regional committees.

I feel privileged to have known Jack. I treasure the opportunity I had to work with him during his tenure as the City of San Leandro's Chief Executive, and the relationship we maintained when he became a private citizen.

I join the community of San Leandro in honoring Jack Maltester. He truly loved the city of his birth and gave it his all during his lifetime. His presence and contributions will be felt for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Fremont Family Resource Center (FRC) located in Fremont, California. FRC opened its doors in June of 1999 and is currently celebrating ten years of service to the community.

The Fremont Family Resource Center is a collaborative effort of 27 California State, County, City and non-profit service agencies, all working together to serve families in the Tri-City area of southern Alameda County. Together, these agencies made the FRC a ``one-stop shop,'' where families can access a vast array of support services and programs. Their many services include adult and youth employment, child care information, referrals, subsidies and counseling and case management, housing information, parent support, immigration services, family economic success programs, services for the disabled, nutrition services for mothers and children, domestic violence prevention services, and health insurance counseling.

Tri City families make over 100,000 requests annually to FRC for services. The organization has become a model of service that has gained national and international interest and attention.

On the evening of May 2, 2009, FRC will celebrate its 10th anniversary and honor the individuals who have contributed to its success. As Fremont's Human Services Director, Suzanne Shenfil's ``out of the box'' thinking and leadership has led efforts to mobilize needed social services for vulnerable individuals in the Tri-City community. She has worked tirelessly to bring government and community organizations together to creatively eliminate barriers and build systems to serve those in need. Ms. Shenfil is the impetus behind the creation of the Fremont Family Resource Center.

In addition to the acknowledgment of Suzanne Shenfil, special recognition is also given to other members of the Fremont Family Resource team for their commitment and dedication to insure the success of the FRC. This team includes Letha Barnett, Schuman-Liles Clinic; Ledya Cedeno, State Department of Rehabilitation; Rodney Clark, Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments; Tony Limperopulos, Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services; Shirley McPherson, Child Care Links; and Allen Jackson, Tri-City One Stop Career Center, and the Employment Development Department.

I join the Tri-City community in expressing appreciation to Human Services Director Suzanne Shenfil, the Family Resource Team, and staff and partner organizations for their vision and leadership over the past ten years of exemplary service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Kidango, a quality early education and child care provider with administrative offices in Fremont, California. Kidango is celebrating 30 years of serving children in the California cities of Fremont, San Jose, Livermore, Dublin, Union City and Newark with plans for expansion in San Jose and Hayward.

In 1979, formerly known as Tri-Cities Children's Center, is now known by the community as Kidango. Kidango began providing mental health consultation to the staff and parents of the children enrolled at Kidango. Utilizing a relationship-based training strategy, staff was specially trained to understand and work with children with social and emotional challenges.

Kidango has a long history of serving children, including infants with developmental delays and disabilities, by providing Early Intervention Services. In 1994, Kidango merged with the Agency for Infant Development and expanded Kidango's services to children with special needs.

In 2002, Kidango created its own in-house mental health department and Inclusion Team comprised of staff from its Education, Intervention and Mental Health Departments. This program utilizes the relationships developed with families and teachers to provide effective mental health services and responsiveness to the special needs of all children.

Seven Kidango centers in San Jose, California received the honor of being designated as Smart San Jose sites. Smart San Jose is the City of San Jose's premier Early Education Initiative that works to expand the availability of high quality, affordable early care and education spaces in centers and family child care homes.

In 2006, Kidango added Community Family Services as part of their expansive program offerings. This partnership strengthened the work Kidango does with children and families by allowing Kidango to serve more infants and those children who do better in a family child care home environment.

Kidango currently serves 3,300 children annually through its quality early care and education programs, child development services, early intervention services, Mental Health Department, Head Start Department and Community Family Services.

I join the community in recognizing Kidango on its 30th anniversary of exemplary service in childcare, education and child development services to meet the diverse needs of children and families throughout the Bay Area. I send best wishes to Kidango for continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay a special tribute to Guy Emanuele, former Superintendent of the New Haven Unified School District in Union City, California. On April 24, 2009, the New Haven Schools Foundation will host its 2nd Annual Scholarship luncheon. Friends, colleagues and admirers of Mr. Emanuele will gather at the luncheon to recognize his many years of service to the New Haven Community.

Mr. Emanuele has spent 49 years as a teacher, counselor, administrator and school district trustee. He began his teaching career in 1956 at Barnard Junior High School, now Barnard-White Middle School in Union City. After working as counselor and administrator for several years, he was hired as the school district's superintendent in 1976.

When he took the post, the New Haven school district had existed for only 11 years, and there had already been three superintendents. Guy Emanuele, according to Union City Mayor Mark Green, ``found New Haven a district of bricks and he left it a district of marble . . . He was the most important person in the school district's history.''

Under Mr. Emanuele's 22-year tenure as superintendent, New Haven created an alternative high school, passed several bond measures and focused on educating students through athletics, arts and extracurricular activities, in addition to academics. As a superintendent and school board member, he maintained a vision of holistic education and advocated for top-notch extracurricular activities to keep students engaged throughout the day and after school. He believes it is cost effective to establish athletics and arts programs on campuses because they keep students engaged and out of trouble.

Guy Emanuele also established the New Haven Schools Foundation in 1981 to provide an alternative source of funds for co-curricular and extra-curricular programs. The Foundation also provided much of the initial funding for cutting-edge technology for the New Haven School District that made New Haven a model for other California school districts.

He retired as superintendent of the New Haven Unified School District in 1998. After leaving New Haven, Guy Emanuele, a longtime Fremont, California resident, was elected to the Fremont Unified School Board, where he served until 2006.

Guy Emanuele has earned the respect of educators as well as the community for his exemplary contributions to students. I join in expressing appreciation to him for his commitment and dedication.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 20th anniversary of Abode Services, formerly known as Tri-City Homeless Coalition, based in Fremont, California.

Abode Services' roots lie in a coalition of Tri-City church congregations that mobilized support in the 1980s to help growing numbers of individuals and families who had no place to live. Former Fremont Councilmember Judy Zlatnik, a community activist and member of one of the congregations, remembers the day people came together at Fremont's Senior Center to develop a plan. The newly formed coalition implemented a plan to shelter people in churches on a rotating schedule, at first during the winter months only, but later, on a year round basis. In 1989, the coalition became known as the Tri-City Homeless Coalition of Fremont.

In the beginning, the coalition thought that it would serve as an emergency solution for homeless individuals and families seeking a safe place to get out of the cold. When it soon became apparent that the need for shelter was long-term and enduring, the agency set its sights on a permanent building. They then selected a site to build Sunrise Village, one of the first shelters in the country designed and built from the ground up as a shelter for families and single adults. In August 1993, their goal materialized when the first residents moved into Sunrise Village.

Abode Services became an early adopter of Housing First, a national movement pioneered in the 1990s that addresses the most pressing and urgent needs for homeless families and individuals with a full compliment of social services. Abode Services collaborates with more than 30 organizations to leverage program resources.

Abode Services now offers eleven housing programs linked to support services for homeless families and individuals. These programs provide an essential safety net for approximately 2,000 people annually who are homeless or at risk of becoming so, including single adults, families, emancipated foster youth, people with disabilities and seniors. Abode Services' Project HOPE Mobile Health Clinic, operated in collaboration with Tri-City Health Center, serves more than 1,000 homeless persons annually. Since 2005, Abode Services has created 325 units of permanent supportive housing for previously homeless families.

I join the community in congratulating Abode Services on this significant milestone of 20 years of exemplary leadership and service. The organization continues to fulfill its vision and mission of providing affordable housing and supportive services to individuals and families throughout Alameda.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1256, the ``Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.''

This bill will provide the FDA with the authority to restrict the marketing and sale of tobacco products, prohibit false or misleading product claims, and establish tougher tobacco product standards to better protect the public health. It also requires premarket approval of all new tobacco products and sets forth new, stronger standards for warning labels.

Although we've known about the dangers of tobacco use for decades, smoking remains alarmingly common among our Nation's youth. Every day 1,000 youths become regular, daily smokers, and almost 80 percent of new tobacco product users were underage when they started smoking.

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in our country and, according to the Institute of Medicine, accounts for more deaths than AIDS, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, homicide, suicide, motor vehicle crashes, and fires combined. Furthermore, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that cigarette smoking costs over $193 billion per year in health care costs and lost productivity.

We cannot allow tobacco companies to continue to engage in underhanded product design, marketing, and sales tactics directed toward our children. Stemming the tide of underage smoking will improve our public health, lower our Nation's health care spending, and cut down on preventable deaths. This bill is a significant step forward in the fight against underage smoking, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting for the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

Madam Chair, I rise today in measured support of H. Con. Res. 85, the FY 2010 Budget Resolution.

A budget is a moral document that should reflect our priorities as a nation and act as a blueprint for the investments our nation needs to be healthy and prosperous. By this measure, the budget resolution before us is not a perfect document. It does, however, provide for vital investments in health care, jobs, education, and the environment that will spur both short-term and long-term economic growth and make our country healthier and more humane.

This budget unfortunately continues to provide far too much money for defense--51 percent of discretionary spending. The $532.6 billion for defense includes billions for out-dated or just plain bad weapons systems and ideas, such as missile defense, space-based weapons, and the V-22 Osprey. Cutting these and other wasteful defense programs would save nearly $69 billion. These savings could be invested in reforming our education system, ending hunger, and rebuilding our infrastructure. The Congressional Progressive Caucus alternative budget would allow for those important investments and I am proud to support it.

While the budget before us is not perfect, it does steer us--after eight years headed the wrong way--in the right direction. It sets the stage for long overdue comprehensive health reform, while providing latitude for us to make improvements to Medicare. Within these budget parameters, we will be able to address structural problems with physician payment policies to increase access to primary care, provide incentives for coordinated patient-centered care, manage chronic diseases, and improve quality. We will build on what works in our existing system by creating a public health insurance plan available to everyone and preserving our existing employer-based system. This budget will allow us to make investments in our people and our future, yielding long-term benefits in both tangible cost savings and improved quality of life by finally achieving quality, affordable health care for all.

This budget provides a framework for economic prosperity and builds on the investments made by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in education and energy. Under this budget, education from early childhood through college is given top priority. It allows for the expansion of early childhood education programs and creation of a nurse visitation program that will assist new mothers raise healthy children. The bill also creates a framework to permanently reform the Pell Grant program and ensure that it provides yearly increases for students most in need of assistance.

Creating a clean energy economy will not only allow us to avoid the catastrophic consequences of global warming, it will also create jobs and spur innovation. This budget includes a roadmap for a comprehensive response to global warming and provides for investments in energy efficiency and technology that will lead to good paying jobs across the country. Already, the energy funds in the recovery bill are creating jobs in my district through the financing of a new solar panel manufacturing facility. These types of projects will become more common with the passage of this budget.

This budget clearly distinguishes the priorities of the new Congress and President Obama--jobs, universal health care, and a first rate education system--from the misplaced priorities of past Republican budgets--tax cuts for the wealthy, war, and an eviscerated safety net. I urge all of my colleagues to embrace priorities that put the health and wellbeing of people ahead of the narrow interests of the well connected and support this budget.