Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to point out a timely editorial on net neutrality that ran recently in The Washington Post, and I'll submit it for the Record, ``The FCC's Heavy Hand,'' that ran on Monday, September 28, 2009. This editorial makes good points, but the bottom line is one I have been making since this issue came up so many years ago. The broadband marketplace has been, is, and will remain one of the most competitive areas in our economy.

Today, if you don't like your cable Internet, you switch to your phone company service. If you need mobility you can't get from your wire-line phone company, you purchase a wireless broadband plan. If you don't like one wireless provider's broadband plan, you ask the guy sitting next to you surfing the Web in the park who he uses for their wireless broadband, and you switch to that company.

Why do we have options? Because broadband companies have invested billions of dollars to build the best networks they can to attract as many customers as they can. Why would they block applications or content when they know the customer they're interfering with could just switch to another provider? They won't, as long as that customer isn't harming the network.

Mr. Speaker, the contrast is here. We should look at why the government needs to do such as addressing health care, and prices are spiraling out of control. Tens of millions of Americans have no choice on health care and having insurance, whereas, in the broadband market, there is plenty of competition and companies are competing. There could not be a more stark contrast for where government must act, and where competition in the marketplace is benefiting consumers, driving investment, and creating jobs. Further regulation is not the answer to keeping the Internet open; fostering competition and investment in broadband infrastructure is.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today in strong support of House Resolution 791, which congratulates the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Harris Country, Texas, on winning the 2009 Broad Prize for Urban Education.

It is pronounced Aldine, but there is a good joke about when the railroad ran through 50 years ago, that was where they stopped for lunch. So that is how we got our name, ``all dine,'' but it is pronounced Aldine.

Established in 2002 by the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Broad Prize is actually the largest education award in the country given to any school district. The Broad Prize for Urban Education is awarded to honor urban school districts that demonstrate the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing the achievement gaps among low-income and minority students.

This year, the Aldine Independent School District in Harris County, Texas, was selected from among 100 of the largest school districts in the United States to win this prestigious award. This is not surprising, knowing firsthand the extent to which every staff member and teacher in the Aldine Independent School District is dedicated to increasing student achievement and ensuring that every student has the tools he or she needs to thrive and be a critical thinker, problem solver, and a productive citizen.

My wife taught high school algebra in the Aldine Independent School District for many years where our children attended and graduated, and I am proud to represent the Aldine ISD in Congress.

Quality education has been the goal of Aldine for many years, and their current superintendent, Wanda Bamberg, carries on the tradition of expecting excellence, as Nadine Kujawa and Sonny Donaldson did before her.

With the Broad Prize award, graduating high school seniors in the Aldine Independent School District who have demonstrated a record of academic improvement during their high school careers and have significant financial need will be directly awarded $1 million in Broad Prize scholarships to continue their education.

This is the fourth time Aldine has been selected as a finalist for this prestigious award, and it is no surprise given the district's focus on their five core commitments:

They believe each student can learn at or above grade level and will have equal opportunity to do so.

They believe their school district can achieve higher levels of performance through clearly defined goals that set high exceptions for student achievement.

They believe in the value of parents as the first and best teachers, and that the community must actively participate in the development of all children.

They believe in the value of each employee, in his or her personal and professional growth, and in empowering each one to be accountable to make decisions in line with the vision of the school district.

They believe all environments should be supportive, safe and secure.

By winning this award, they have proven their commitment to these five goals, and I have no doubt that Aldine ISD will continue to be a leader in education for years to come.

This resolution recognizes the Aldine Independent School District for their outstanding achievement in winning the largest education award for school districts in the United States, the 2009 Broad Prize for Education.

Again, congratulations to the entire Aldine Independent School District community for their hard work and dedication toward student achievement, and particularly their efforts in reducing the achievement gaps among low-income and minority students. The school board members, administrative staff, teachers, parents, and children worked hard to earn this recognition, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud original cosponsor of H.R. 3631, the Medicare Premium Fairness Act.

Many of us heard from our senior citizens over the August recess that they would not be receiving a Social Security cost of living increase because of the economic downturn.

This will cause a problem for many seniors because Medicare Part B premiums will still increase as they do yearly to cover the cost of the program. A ``hold harmless'' policy in existing law ensures that most seniors will not have a decrease in their Social Security checks if the Part B premium increase is projected to be greater than the Social Security cost of living adjustment.

The hold harmless policy will protect most seniors from an increase in their 2010 Medicare premium, but the 27 percent of our seniors will not be protected by these hold harmless provisions and because of the way the law is written, premiums for these enrollees will be disproportionally increased to $110-$120 a month.

The Medicare Premium Fairness Act will extend the current hold harmless policy to all Medicare enrollees. Ensuring that no Medicare beneficiary will see a decrease in their social security check due to the 2010 Part B premium increase and they will not see decrease in their Social Security checks.

Our seniors live on a fixed income and any decrease in their monthly social security check puts them in jeopardy of not being able to afford food and medicine. We need to ensure

that even when we cannot increase the cost of living for Social Security we protect our seniors from a reduction in their monthly check.

I urge my colleagues to support his legislation which is fully offset and has the support of the AARP, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the Medicare Rights Center, and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to show my support for H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009.

This legislation will make a college education more accessible to young Americans. Through initiatives such as a $40 billion investment in Pell Grants, the number of people eligible for a Pell Grant award greatly increases as does the monetary allotment associated with the award. Under this legislation over $85.4 million will be invested in our district to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship to $5,550 in 2010 and to $6,900 by 2019. In the 2010-2011 academic year 18,184 students in our district will be eligible for a Pell Grant award.

This bill will also help make a college education more accessible and affordable to Americans by streamlining the FAFSA student aid application. The simplification of the FAFSA form will help provide needed support to the growing number of families applying for student aid by allowing them to use the information on their tax returns to verify their eligibility.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act also sets in motion a five-year initiative aimed at improving college access and completion support programs through the College Access and Completion Fund, resulting in at least $14.1 million a year for the next five years in Texas. The increased funding is to be used towards providing students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with the support they need to stay in school and graduate despite obstacles, particularly those of a financial nature.

For students who need further financial assistance, this legislation increases the availability of Perkins Loans, and increases the reliability and affordability of federal student loans through the Direct Loan program.

In addition to making education more affordable, The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009 aims to improve the quality of higher education in the United States. One of the main components of the bill I am excited about is the major investment in our local community colleges. In 2007, over 497,500 students were enrolled in Texas community colleges, and this bill will help to increase the effectiveness and impact of community colleges in our area by continuing to develop first-rate affordable education right here in our district, which, in turn, will help build our workforce and community.

H.R. 3221 not only focuses on higher learning, but also childhood education by establishing an Early Learning Challenge Fund. Over the next two years, Texas will receive more than $359.4 million to develop schools that equip every child with access to a world-class learning environment.

I strongly believe in the power of education, and am proud to support this legislation that increases individuals access to higher education, improves the quality of that education, and helps to develop a skilled workforce, while reducing the deficit.

Madam speaker, I rise today to honor the Kenneth J. Tice Elementary School in the Galena Park Independent School District and our district for their dedication to academic excellence that has earned them the honored distinction of being a Blue Ribbon School in 2009.

Since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Program has honored many of America's most successful schools, and I am proud of Tice Elementary for establishing itself as an elite academic institution by achieving this high honor. The Blue Ribbon Award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are academically superior or have made dramatic gains in student achievement and helped close achievement gaps among minority and disadvantaged students over the course of the previous school year. This year 314 schools earned this coveted award.

U.S. Secretary of Education Duncan once said that ``Blue Ribbon Schools are producing outstanding results for their students. Some have shown dramatic improvements in places where students are overcoming the challenges of poverty, and others serve as examples of consistent excellence that can be a resource for other schools.'' Under the supervision of Principal Ms. Judy Holbrook, Tice Elementary is developing outstanding students who are challenged to meet high expectations with the active support of teachers, parents and the community. With a diverse student base, and a decade of being recognized as an Exemplary school by the Texas Education Agency, Kenneth J. Tice Elementary truly embodies the ideals of the Blue Ribbon Award and is an inspiration for all schools in the Houston area.

I congratulate the administration, teachers, parents, and students at Tice Elementary for their dedication to excellence and hard work.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Dora B. Lantrip Elementary School in the Houston Independent School District and our district for their dedication to academic excellence that has earned them the honored distinction of being a Blue Ribbon School in 2009.

Since 1982, the U. S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Program has honored many of America's most successful schools, and I am proud of Lantrip Elementary for establishing itself as an elite academic institution by achieving this high honor. The Blue Ribbon Award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are academically superior or have made dramatic gains in student achievement and helped close achievement gaps among minority and disadvantaged students. This year 314 schools earned this coveted award.

Dora B. Lantrip Elementary is a school that believes higher expectations lead to higher achievement. Lantrip strives to stimulate young minds and encourage them to strive for excellence, while instilling in them a love of learning. Under the supervision of Principal Ms. Matilda Orozco, Lantrip Elementary also works to develop students into decision-makers who have mutual respect for others. Lantrip Elementary is an example of consistent excellence that is an inspiration for all schools in the Houston area.

I congratulate the administration, teachers, parents, and students at Lantrip for their dedication to excellence and hard work.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the YES Prep Public Schools-North Central Campus in our district for their dedication to academic excellence that has earned them the honored distinction of being a Blue Ribbon School in 2009.

Since 1982, the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Schools Program has honored many of America's most successful schools, and I am proud of YES Prep Public Schools-North Central Campus for all of its hard work towards and dedication to achieving the high academic standards that have earned them this award. The Blue Ribbon Award honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools that are academically superior or have made dramatic gains in student achievement and helped close achievement gaps among minority and disadvantaged students. This year 314 schools earned this coveted award.

YES Prep Public Schools-North Central Campus is a school that strives to increase the number of low-income Houstonians who graduate from a four-year college prepared to compete in the global marketplace and committed to improving disadvantaged communities. Under the supervision of Principal Mr. Mark DiBella, YES also works to develop students who are active in the community. YES stands for Youth Engaged in Service and students dedicate one Saturday each month to community service projects. YES also requires that students participate in longer school days, college research trips, summer school and summer opportunities-- 80 percent of YES' student base is comprised of economically disadvantaged individuals, and their motto is `to do whatever it takes' to improve themselves and their horizons through educational resources provided through the school. YES Prep Public Schools-North Central Campus serves as an example that through hard work much can be achieved.

They are an inspiration for all schools in the Houston area, and I congratulate the administration, teachers, parents, and students at YES Prep Public Schools-North Central Campus on this great accomplishment.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 631) congratulating Continental Airlines on its 75th Anniversary.

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

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 631, which congratulates Continental Airlines for their 75th anniversary.

Once known as the ``proud bird with the golden tail,'' Continental Airlines was founded 75 years ago this July by Walter T. Varney and his partner, Louis Mueller, as Varney Speed Lines in West Texas. While Varney Speed Lines was primarily a mail service, their first flight on July 15, 1934, was a 530-mile route from Pueblo, Colorado, to El Paso, Texas, with stops in Las Vegas, Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In 1937, the company's name changed to Continental Airlines, and they moved their headquarters to Denver, Colorado, where, just a few years later, during World War II, they built the Denver Modification Center where they modified B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-29 Super Fortresses for the U.S. war effort. Continental also assisted our military during the Vietnam War by transporting American troops across the Pacific Ocean.

The company's dedication to our country was again illustrated when, following the terrorist attacks on September 11, Continental offered special compassion fares to and from the New York area to assist family members of the 9/11 victims, relief organizations and volunteers.

Throughout all of this, Continental Airlines experienced tremendous success, and it has emerged from extreme difficulties during its 75- year history to become the fifth-largest carrier in the United States and the 11th-largest in the world. With more than 43,000 employees, Continental has hubs in New York, Houston, Cleveland, and Guam. Together with its regional partners, it carries approximately 67 million passengers each year.

Flying the newest, most fuel-efficient jet fleet of all the major U.S. network carriers, Continental Airlines received an award in April 2008 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Design For the Environment program in recognition of the airline's pioneering and environmentally friendly aircraft equipment. But this is just one of several accolades that has been bestowed upon Continental during its 75 years.

Other awards include being rated the top airline for 6 consecutive years in Fortune magazine's annual airline industry list of the World's Most Admired Companies, outranking for 10 consecutive years all of the U.S. competitors in international business class and domestic first- class service, according to the results of a survey of Conde Nast Traveler readers. And for six times since 1996, it has ranked the highest in customer satisfaction among the traditional network carriers in North America, according to J.D. Power and Associates. These are just a few of the awards out of several.

The resolution recognizes the 75th anniversary of Continental Airlines, and it congratulates its employees for the numerous awards and accolades they've earned over the years. I am honored to represent many Continental employees in Houston, their home office, and I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve.

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief, and I want to thank my colleagues on the Republican side for coming to speak for the resolution.

Continental is like all of our airlines. It has problems, but they survived and they're going to grow, and we want to make sure they continue to do it, and that's why we recognize 75 years of success. And like my colleague said, the ranking member of Energy and Commerce, another 75 would be 150. It will be someone else here recognizing them for 150 years. I want to thank the employees of Continental for making it a great airline.

I yield back my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act.

Over the past year or so there have been several high profile food contamination incidents in the U.S. involving: spinach, cantaloupes, peanut butter, and tomatoes.

Congress has diligently investigated all of these incidents and found FDA simply does not have the resources, funding, manpower, or technology it needs to protect the American food supply and fulfill its mission.

This bill finally gives the FDA the authority to conduct mandatory recall. We should not to rely on the voluntary efforts of food manufacturers to ensure the safety of their product.

H.R. 2749 will also require the FDA to inspect high-risk facilities once every six months to a year. FDA now inspects food production facilities once a decade on average.

The one shortcoming of the bill is that funding is not dedicated to the creation of additional FDA labs, but it does allow for third party inspection by accredited labs.

The Port of Houston does not have an FDA lab and in fact there is no FDA lab in the entire state of Texas even though we share the longest border with Mexico.

Right now, the FDA is only able to inspect approximately 1 percent of imported food at the border. With its level of trade and southern border with Mexico, it is a glaring hole in the system that Texas does not have an FDA lab. In fact, there are over 300 ports of entry in the U.S. and only 13 ports actually have FDA labs.

It is my hope that we will be able to provide additional funds for the creation of these labs in the future.

H.R. 2749 provides some of those funds to get the FDA moving in the correct direction, and we will have to appropriate more, but I am happy the Food Safety Enhancement Act finally gives the FDA the authority and improved systems to protect our food supply.

I am pleased that after two years of hard work we will finally be moving a comprehensive food safety bill out of House.

I want to commend Chairman Emeritus Dingell, Chairman Waxman, Chairman Pallone, and Chairman Stupak for their continued and dedicated work on this issue.

Madam Chair. I rise today in strong support of this bill. The Defense Appropriations bill funds a number of research and education programs, but most importantly it provides for the defense of our nation and for the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces.

This bill includes a pay raise and other benefits for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, making sure we provide them what they need and deserve. It provides a 3.4 percent military pay increase and $122.4 billion to fully fund the requested end strength levels for personnel. The bill continues efforts to end the practice of ``stop loss'' and includes funding to pay troops $500 for every month their term of service is involuntarily extended in 2010.

The bill also provides for those that have been injured defending our country by including $500 million for traumatic brain injury and psychological health. The bill also includes a total of $2.2 billion for the wounded, ill and injured programs. The bill includes $636 million for peer-reviewed research programs: $150 million for breast cancer research; $80 million for prostate cancer research; $30 million for orthopedic research; $25 million for ovarian cancer research; $15 million for spinal cord research; and $10 million for ALS research.

I would also like to express support for the inclusion of The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM.) Initiative to be administered by HoustonWorks USA. Federal support is necessary, because this program will support the national agenda to promote STEM programs and increase exposure to careers in engineering among at-risk or hard-to-serve youth, an untapped human resource in our country's quest to increase the numbers of American engineers. The outcome of STEM awareness programs like this one is part of the process to grow the engineering pipeline, a critical step to answer some of the world's most important questions in science today. This project will benefit numerous individuals in the 29th District, and I thank the Committee for including funding for the project.

I am disappointed, however, funding was not included for restoration of the Battleship Texas. The historic Battleship Texas is the only surviving naval vessel that served in both World War I & II. In order to keep her from deteriorating further, the Battleship Texas Foundation in conjunction with the Parks and Wildlife Department, will permanently remove the USS Texas from the water and construct a dry berth at a cost of $29,000,000--we have secured funding in the past to assist with this project, but did not receive funding this year for our request. I ask that the Chair reconsider as future bills move forward, and I look forward to working with him on this project.

Madam Chair, overall this is a good bill that provides for the defense of our nation, our troops and their families, and a number of other critical projects and research initiatives. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3326.

Mr. Speaker, our country urgently needs health care reform. Health insurance premiums have more than doubled in 9 years, growing three times faster than our wages. The average American family pays an extra $1,100 per year in premiums to support a broken system, and we still have 47 million people uninsured. Soaring costs have harmed competitiveness with American businesses in the global economy. I know in my own district, I had one company say they moved part of their production to the Netherlands because health care was cheaper in the Netherlands than it was in the United States.

For six decades America has tried to debate what we can do to fix this broken system. We have had 45 hours of bipartisan debate in three separate

House committees and 79 House hearings on health care reform in just over 2 years.

If you have Medicare or employer-based insurance, you shouldn't be affected. You will have real choice. You will have the freedom to choose your insurance. If you don't have employer-based insurance, then we need you to have an option, and today you don't have that option.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of this appropriations bill. In this time of economic uncertainty, the Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Act funds some of the most important programs that provide a social safety net, as well as programs that will help us on the road to

recovery. Investment in education and job training is one of the best ways to help America become stronger, and more productive and competitive.

H.R. 3293 makes critical investments to train people for jobs, shore up health and social safety nets to provide relief for millions of hard-working Americans struggling to make ends meet in the economic crisis, and provide the educational opportunity that is critical to the nation's longer-term prosperity.

One of these jobs training programs will take place in Texas's 29th District at the International Maritime and Energy Center of Houston, which San Jacinto College will operate along with other regional and industry partners. Our district includes the Port of Houston, and this center will provide training for the high demand jobs that exist right in our backyard. With inland shipping docks protected from open seas, by the 1980s more than half of the United States energy/petrochemical capacity was built in the Houston port region. Today, this global maritime and industrial complex is second in size only to Rotterdam in the entire world.

This funding will allow San Jacinto College along with other regional and industry partners, to address the critical need for trained workers in both the maritime and energy industries. Recognizing this critical need for trained workers, and how a shortage of workers would impact the Houston Port region, numerous public and private entities have partnered with the intent to create the International Maritime and Energy Center of Houston. This project will allow enhanced training programs that develop skilled workers in technical education and also a training and workforce pipeline in regional dual credit programs with the area high schools, and I thank the Committee for including this critical funding.

Also included in this bill is funding for the purchase of direct- capture digital imaging devices by the Harris County Hospital District that will enhance clinical work flow and will allow imaging technologists to increase productivity and increase access to care for clinic beneficiaries which is the overall program goal. Current radiology practices in the Community Health Centers are hampered by analog imaging products that limit work flow efficiencies. Existing systems require the Radiology Technologist to capture radiographic images on an imaging plate that is processed by a computed radiography device. The process is time consuming and limits patient throughput by nearly one-third--cassette based image management systems are very inefficient and resource-intensive.

The Harris County Hospital District is the public hospital system for Harris County, Texas. With an operating budget in excess of $800 million, the district runs 3 hospitals, 11 community health centers, a freestanding HIV clinic, and several school-based and community-based clinics. This equipment will allow them to better serve the needs of our community.

I am also pleased that this bill supports three important education programs that are active throughout our district. Several of the schools in our district participate in the Education for Democracy Act program which is one of the most cost effective education programs supported by the federal government. This important program promotes our students' capacity to participate competently and responsibly in our democratic system by providing them with a thorough understanding of our constitutional democracy as expressed in such seminal documents as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the Gettysburg Address.

The Reach Out and Read program promotes literacy and language development in infants and young children, targeting disadvantaged children and families across our country. Through fifteen years of peer-reviewed and published research, an extensive body of documentation now clearly demonstrates the importance of promoting early language and literacy skills so that children have the essential reading skills they need to begin school successfully. I am proud that there are fifteen Reach Out and Read locations in our district serving 9,161 children each year.

Finally, I am a long time supporter of the Reading is Fundamental Program in our country and am pleased that the Appropriations Committee continued their strong support for this program as well. This important program also enhances child literacy by providing millions of underserved children, including several in my district, with free books--thereby encouraging them to read and cultivate he skills they need to be successful in school.

Mr. Chair, this is a good bill that funds so many needs in our district and across the country. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting its passage.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of this bill that provides important funding for national priorities, as well as regional projects including major projects in Harris County, TX we have been working on for years. The bill makes needed investments in transportation projects, housing projects, foreclosure prevention, and numerous other priorities.

One of the most significant projects that was included because of the benefits it will provide our district and the surrounding area is the funding for Houston METRO. This was funding our office requested, was in the President's requests, and was funded at $75 million each for the North and Southeast Corridor Projects. FY2010 activities include final design, land acquisition, and construction for the first segments on these two lines.

Also included in the bill was $400,000 for the flyover connecting HWY 146 and Spur 330. While this is a fraction of what I requested, it should allow additional design and planning on the project to begin. Our district encompasses a significant portion of the hurricane- threatened Gulf Coast of Texas. The State-mandated evacuation plan calls for the 70,000 residents of Baytown to travel south on Highway 146 to Spur 330 and to turn north for travel to Interstate 10. There is a direct connector from Spur 330 to I-10 westbound, however there is a major pinch point at the intersection of Highway 146 and Spur 330. All the evacuating residents must exit the main lanes and travel through three signalized intersections before reconnecting with a limited access highway.

Not only do these intersections create a bottleneck for evacuees, they also make it difficult for local emergency personnel to cross while preparing for and responding to an approaching emergency. All areas south of Highway 146 are in the storm surge zone, making evacuation mandatory, not voluntary. Our district also encompasses the entire Houston Ship Channel area and the resulting threats associated with these vital energy complexes. In addition to the evacuation criticality of this flyover, the efficient and safe movement of hazardous materials by the elimination of local traffic interaction will benefit a large portion of the District. I look forward to working with the Chairman in the future to ensure this critical project receives additional funding.

There was also $200,000 included to acquire property along Buffalo Bayou's East Sector to create park land for continued development of the Buffalo Bayou greenway. The Buffalo Bayou Greenway Initiative promotes the economic development of Houston's innercity. The project has a major quality of life impact on not only the East End but on the entire Houston region, and I am pleased the Committee continued to provide federal funding to progress this ongoing effort. The project is taking abandoned property that is no longer viable for industrial use and transforming it into park space that is providing residents with recreational and environmental education opportunities.

Mr. Chair, I fully support this bill that provides increased resources for our nation's transportation needs, as well as strengthening social safety nets for those most in need. I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of H.R. 3288.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009 to write into law the principles of fiscal responsibility brought about by the Democratic Congress.

H.R. 2920 requires Congress to offset the costs of tax cuts or increases in entitlement spending with savings elsewhere in the budget.

If the net effect of all legislation enacted during a session of Congress increased the deficit because Congress has not succeeded in paying for all the new costs that it has enacted, there would be an across-the-board reduction in certain mandatory programs.

In the 1990s, the Clinton Administration turned the deficits accumulated in the two previous presidencies into record surpluses. One of the key tools in this transformation was the PAYGO rule, which required Congress to find savings for the dollars it spent.

Unfortunately, after President Clinton left office, the next Administration and Congress regularly waived PAYGO rules and ultimately allow them to expire in 2002.

After waiving and allowing these rules to expire, we saw the surplus built by the Clinton Administration vanish, and deficit spending resume--spending that will have to be repaid by our children and grandchildren.

Today, the United States has a $1.7 trillion deficit. A New York Times analysis attributes 90% of that deficit to the economic downturn, Bush Administration policies, and the extension of those policies. According to that analysis, only 7% of the deficit is attributable to the Economic Recovery Act passed earlier this year, which economists largely agree was a necessary emergency response to this recession.

Mr. Speaker, this is just good policy. For eight years, under the previous Administration, we saw deficit spending spiral out of control. Now many of those responsible for that spending are criticizing the majority and the current Administration for its spending policies, complaining that it is piling up debt for the next generation.

Today those individuals have a chance to vote for legislation that ensures any future programs are paid for, and reestablish the rules that led to control in government spending and budget surpluses in the 1990s.

I am an original cosponsor of this legislation, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2920.

Mr. Speaker and Members, I serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee and on the Health Subcommittee. We were in session last night until 12:30, working on this bill. It was beginning to be a bipartisan bill. We accepted Republican amendments; we accepted Democratic amendments, but we have a long way to go. Let me tell you what the facts are in our country.

Forty-three to fifty million people in our country are without health care. They get their health care through the emergency rooms. Do you know who pays for that? Those of us who have insurance, who are fortunate enough to have employer-based insurance, whether you're a Federal employee, a State employee, a city employee or whether you work for some of the large industries. We have insurance, but 43 to 50 million people don't. Our country's employers and employees spend more per capita than anywhere in the world for some of the worst results for the average illnesses.

We are going to debate a bill in a few minutes by my colleague from California, Joe Baca, on the increase in diabetes in the Hispanic community. Diabetes can be dealt with early on. Our health care system decides to deal with people after they're so ill that it's more expensive. We need health care reform in our country for cost containment but also to make sure that every American doesn't have to get their health care through the emergency rooms.