Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, H. Thomas Kornegay's influence will be forever respected and admired as he retires as executive director from the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) after 37- years of service.

The Port of Houston is made up of the PHA and the numerous private industrial facilities that line the Houston Ship Channel. The Port ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in overall total tonnage. Along with the Houston Ship Channel, the PHA aids with navigational safety which has been influential in making Houston a center for international trade, moving over 200 million tons of cargo in 2006.

Kornegay played an essential role in developing both the Barbours Cut Terminal as well as the Bayport Terminal, each accredited in setting the path for continued economic development within the Houston- Metropolitan region. Along with the development of the two container terminals, Kornegay participated heavily in completing the deepening and widening of the Houston Ship Channel, a $700 million project which benefited Houston and Texas' overall economy and environment. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, Kornegay also managed the PHA's operational recovery with minimal repercussions to PHA's assets. As a result of Kornegay's guidance, the PHA posted a ninth consecutive year of growth, a record year in the handling of cargo and containers, and all-time records in importing and exporting steel.

Kornegay's leadership roles have been astounding, including serving as chairman of the board of the American Association of Port Authorities and chairman of the U.S. Delegation of AAPA, an organization that represents more than 140 public port authorities in North America, Latin America, Canada, and the Caribbean. Kornegay was also president of the International Association of Ports and Harbors from 2005-2007, which has affiliated ports that handle more than 60 percent of the world's seaborne trade in metric tons.

Kornegay has been named ``Maritime Person of the Year'' by the Greater Houston Port Bureau, as well as ``Engineer of the Year'' by local Houston engineers. Kornegay has also received the Russell H. Perry Award by the Texas Department of Transportation.

H. Thomas Kornegay was first selected as PHA's executive director in April 1992 after working with the Port Authority staff since April 1972. Kornegay will retire after 17 years from his position as PHA's executive director, but his contributions will forever impact the success of the Port of Houston.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of final passage of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.

This bill should have been passed last year, but after working on this bill for an entire Congress, I am pleased with the final version before us today.

This bill will extend the SCHIP program for four and a half years and provide SCHIP coverage for the 7 million children already enrolled in the SCHIP and will insure nearly 4 million additional children.

The bill also includes a provision that will give 400,000 to 600,000 legal immigrant children access to health care. These children are currently barred from SCHIP coverage because of a five year waiting period for Medicaid for legal immigrants.

This provision, which was originally in H.R. 465, the Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act, will give states the option to cover children and pregnant women lawfully residing in the United States.

Current law requires these legal immigrants to endure a five year waiting period before they have access to Medicaid coverage when they would otherwise be eligible.

The waiting period actually costs more than covering these children because they often have no health insurance and end up in emergency rooms for primary care treatment.

The SCHIP reauthorization bill also includes language from a bill I originally introduced and will give one year of emergency Medicaid coverage for children born in the U.S. and their mothers, which is crucial in protecting the health and wellness of newborns born in this country.

I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation and reauthorize the SCHIP program to extend coverage to nearly 11 million low-income children.

I want to thank you, the rest of Leadership, and the chairmen of the committees that put this bill together for your work to create a package that will create jobs, invest in America's infrastructure needs, address pressing healthcare needs, and expand opportunities for education and worker training. I strongly support the provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Our district and the surrounding areas in southeast Texas were devastated by Hurricane Ike last September. People are getting back on their feet, but there is still a significant need for additional federal funding. I would have liked to seen that included in this package as it is one of the most pressing recovery needs in our country, but since it was not, I hope it can be included in either in upcoming omnibus or supplemental appropriations bill.

In Texas we've seen the unemployment rate jump from 4.2% a year ago to 6% in December of 2008--the unemployment rate in the Houston-Baytown area is 5.5% and will likely only rise with the significant drop in the price of oil and refined product, and the impact that has on our energy sector jobs. It is important we invest in this sector and this legislation makes valuable contributions to diversify our nation's energy and environmental resources.

It makes critical improvements to the smart grid provisions established in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 by eliminating the cap on the allowable number of smart grid demonstration projects and increasing the grant funding available for these efforts.

My hometown of Houston is a leader in moving toward smart grid solutions. Center Point Energy, a leading energy delivery company in Texas, will invest over $600 million in automatic metering systems, or AMS, over the next five years to support smart grid infrastructure. AMS technology is the first step in moving toward an automatic grid which will allow consumers to manage and monitor the electric use in real- time, reduce energy consumption, and improve grid reliability.

I also support Representative Ed Markey's (D-MA) amendment to this section that will expand the protocols smart grid projects can use to obtain grants authorized in this bill.

I am also pleased with the increase in funding and changes to the Weatherization Assistance Program which will help low-income families make their homes more energy efficient, as well as the additional $1 billion provided for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that will help more Texans heat and cool their homes during these troubled economic times.

While I support the temporary Department of Energy loan guarantee program created under Section 5003 for renewable energy and electric transmission projects, I hope the Committee does not forget about the strategic importance of funding the larger DOE loan guarantee program so that other valuable projects can move forward that reduce carbon emissions and that employ new innovative technologies.

In addition to the extension of the renewable production tax credits, I also believe Congress should provide a long-term extension of the biodiesel blenders tax incentive to help this critical renewable energy industry. Houston is home to several biodiesel producers that directly or indirectly employ hundreds of workers in good-paying jobs, and over 50,000 jobs are currently supported by this industry nationwide. Without a long-term extension of this tax credit, producers are not able to provide the certainty required to bring in much needed capital for renewable energy projects. In addition to creating and sustaining jobs, the biodiesel industry helps our nation reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is developing next generation feedstocks such as algae that will further enhance our energy security.

Finally, I appreciate the inclusion of an additional $100 million for the National Estuary Program, which could help protect the Galveston Bay Estuary Program. Galveston Bay is a critical ecosystem home to an abundance of plant and animal species that are vital to our region's way of life and local economy. These funds can be used for such useful purposes as restoring wetlands or habitat restoration, and can be leveraged with public and private sector funds to generate large returns on investment. The Port of Houston Authority also actively participates and supports this key environmental program.

The legislation also makes significant investments in health care services and coverage in this country during these tough economic times.

Unfortunately, when individuals lose their jobs they often cannot afford medical care or COBRA premiums and often forgo treatment due to the cost.

AARA will provide COBRA premium assistance for 12 months for workers who have been involuntarily terminated and their families. COBRA premium assistance will allow individuals who would typically be unable to afford COBRA maintain coverage and obtain medical treatment.

States like my own have asked Congress for assistance with the States Federal Medical Assistance Percentage to help assist them the rising number of individuals needing Medicaid coverage. In order to avoid state deficits, many states may have to reduce their standards for Medicaid eligibility, which will actually increase the number of uninsured.

A temporary increase in FMAP funding until December 31, 2010 will help avert this potential problem and allow states to continue to provide Medicaid coverage to this uninsured population. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 contains a 4.9% increase in FMAP for states. Texas, in particular, will benefit from an FMAP increase and the temporary formula and hold harmless provision.

AARA will also place a moratorium on 7 Medicaid regulations. My home state of Texas is affected by all seven of these cuts but most affected will be the payments for graduate education, Targeted Case Management Rule, Cost Limits to Public Providers, Coverage for Rehabilitation Services. These regulations would reduce funding to these valuable programs and leave states in a significant budgetary crisis.

AARA also provides valuable funding for Health Information Technology. We're all aware of the benefits that improved IT would bring the health care sector and the patients it serves. With integrated information technology, patients could manage their electronic health records and avoid having to haul multiple records to their various physicians.

If implemented correctly, Health IT can improve patient safety and garner cost savings.

The funds provided in AARA are an investment in the future of health care in this country. Providers will have to pay some up front costs to obtain the technology, but they will receive $40,000 to $60,000 in financial incentives for adopting interoperable health IT systems.

Another key component that this package contains provides an investment of critical funds into our state and local transportation agencies. This is the quickest way to create jobs immediately. The Texas Department of Transportation alone has 853 ``shovel-ready'' projects. One of these projects in my district will create 1200-1350 new engineering and construction jobs in the Houston area in the next ninety days. This is significant in an economy where thousands of job cuts are announced every day.

It is easy to make the case for an infusion of transportation dollars when our state departments of transportation have run out of money. However, some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are asking why we should invest billions of dollars in education around the country. The answer to this question is simple. Investing in our children's education is investing in our economic competitiveness.

When states came across hard fiscal times in the last year, education funding is typically one of the first areas where they cut back. Additionally, with the increase in foreclosures, property tax revenues are down and cities have also cut back on financing critical education services. If we do not invest in our children's education and give them an opportunity at a better economic future, then we are setting ourselves up even more federal spending on social services in the future.

By increasing the amount of the Pell Grant by $500, we give students across the country the financial help they need to get the certification or degree necessary to pursue and keep a job in this economy. By investing in Head Start, we are setting a whole generation of students on a path towards economic viability. Head Start has been proven to help close the achievement gap between students of differing socio-economic status across the country.

Finally, I am encouraged that this bill will lower the child tax credit eligibility level making it available to all working tax filers with children. This will help our constituents put food on the table and pay their essential bills as the cost of living continues to increase.

Mr. Chair, I again state my strong support for this package which will provide an immediate infusion of funding into shovel-ready projects, creating jobs and starting our economy on the road to recovery, and I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chair, the current economic crisis requires bold solutions that address the enormity of our economic woes, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan will do just that.

The $825 billion recovery package that we are voting on will create or save an estimated 4 million jobs and will make key investments in our future.

But first and foremost, the economic recovery package focuses on blunting the effects of the recession and helping families in need.

In addition to increasing food stamp benefits and expanding unemployment benefits, our plan protects health care coverage for roughly 20 million Americans during this recession by increasing the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) so that no state has to cut eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP, the children's health insurance program, because of budget shortfalls.

For my home state of New York it more than doubles the FMAP match resulting in roughly $10.42 billion over 9 quarters. This is critical funding for our state which is seeing an increase in caseloads as a result of the recession.

The recovery plan also invests in important needs that have been neglected over the past eight years. America's school, roads, bridges, and water systems are in disrepair and this is creating a drag on economic growth.

Our plan will spread job creation out over the next two years, which will soften the downturn and foster a solid economic recovery.

We have an historic opportunity to make the investments necessary to modernize our public infrastructure, transition to a clean energy economy, and make us more competitive in the 21st century.

It's time to get our economy back on track. I urge my colleagues to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Nadler amendment and full support for the bill.

With my Texas accent it is hard to say anything in 30 seconds, but with a light rail transit project, the new starts that would come under this amendment, we can put $410 million worth of hiring people to do utility easement work and have light rail in the fourth largest city of the country if this amendment passes. That is why this amendment is important, and I am proud to be here and support it.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of Congressman Nadler's amendment to H.R. 1 and the full bill. I ask unanimous consent to place the full statement in the Record.

This amendment will increase transit capital funding by $3 billion including $1.5 billion for Capital Assistance Grants, also known as the New Starts program.

It is important that we invest additional capital in the New Starts program simply because these are new projects and they will create new jobs as opposed to just funding existing contracts on existing projects. The latter will not stimulate the economy.

For example, there are two light rail projects in my district that are near the end of the FTA review process and could be under contract with a design-build firm within 90 days.

About $410 million of early work items for the projects are shovel ready because the transit authority has already selected contractors and completed all necessary engineering and design and purchased all necessary rights of way.

These are exactly the kinds of infrastructure projects that make sense for an economic stimulus bill in 2009, creating about 18,000 jobs within 90 to 120 days.

These projects will promote transit ridership which is a far more environmentally friendly way to move people more efficiently.

These projects will also serve economically disadvantaged areas under Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) criteria.

So not only will the projects enhance mobility for transit dependent and lower income persons, but it will rejuvenate the surrounding communities by spurring economic development.

Mr. Chair, Houston METRO has the expertise and experience delivering such projects. They already built and operate one of the most productive light rail lines in the nation.

Therefore, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment to increase New Starts money so that Houston METRO and other transit agencies across the country can start turning dirt, creating jobs, and stimulate this economy.

Madam Speaker, I would have voted ``Aye'' on both H. Res. 31 expressing support for the designation of a National Data Privacy Awareness Day, and H. Res. 84, honoring the heroic action of the individuals involved with the rescue effort of U.S. Airways Flight 1549.

Our office holds a twice yearly event, the Paying for College Workshop, to provide high school seniors and their parents options for financing a college education. We invite the Sallie Mae Foundation to join us and they have given out dozens of scholarships over the years. Last night we had over 200 people attend the Workshop at Milby High School in our district, and Sallie Mae provided a $500 scholarship. We had to schedule the event before the 2009 voting schedule was finalized and for that reason I was not able to be in Washington for the two votes last night.

I would have supported both resolutions that were voted on last night, and was a cosponsor of H. Res. 31. People are increasingly using electronic communications in all walks of life--from social networking to e-commerce, more and more personal information is being compiled by online sites. While we have realized incredible efficiencies and other benefits from new electronic technologies, those technologies have also raised significant challenges for protecting the privacy of personal and proprietary information. H. Res. 31 would designate January 28 as National Data Privacy Day to raise awareness and educate people on safe practices when submitting personal information online.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as an original cosponsor of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, to express my strong support for the bill. I am pleased we are taking up this bill as passed by the senate so we can finally send it to the President's desk after previously passing it twice in this chamber.

The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act corrects and clarifies a serious misinterpretation by the Supreme Court in its 2007 ruling in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear. In that 5-4 decision, the majority ruled that Lilly Ledbetter, the lone female supervisor at a tire plant in Gadsden, AL, did not file her lawsuit against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in the timely manner specified by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The court determined a victim of pay discrimination must file a charge within 180 days of the employer's decision to pay someone less for an unlawfully discriminatory reason such as race, age, sex, or religion.

The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act clarifies that each paycheck resulting from a discriminatory pay decision constitutes a new violation of the employment nondiscrimination law, as long as the charge is filed within 180 days of the employee receiving the paycheck.

The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restores workers' ability to pursue claims of pay discrimination on not only sex, but race, religion, age, or for any other reason. Congress must pass this legislation to help ensure all workers are treated fairly in the workplace and the standard of equal pay for equal work is upheld. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill to end pay discrimination.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation to address the urgent problems occurring with the digital television transition.

After participating in numerous oversight hearings by the Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee on the DTV transition in the 110th Congress, and seeing the mismanagement of the transition by the previous administration, we need time to get this right and correct the problems left for the Obama administration.

I am supporting this legislation, not because I think moving the transition date back is a good idea, but because when the National Telecommunications and Information Administration notified the Committee late last year that they would run out of money in the coupon program, postponing the date to get every household the coupons they need became necessary.

Our office sent out the coupon application in our constituent newsletters, handed them out at our townhall meetings, and took them to other events in our district to distribute. For their part, broadcasters, cable, and satellite television spent millions in advertising to educate the public about the upcoming transition.

The primary reason we have to delay this transition is due to the mismanagement of the program by the NTIA--after months of asking questions in hearings and letters to the Administration, members of the Telcom Subcommittee were assured there was plenty of money to finance the program and provide every household that needed one a converter box coupon. On December 24, however, the Energy and Commerce Committee finally received word from NTIA that the program would run out of money, much too late for Congress to address the problem, and now there are over 2 million households on the coupon waiting list.

As expected, more problems are also surfacing as we have gotten closer to the transition. Last week the Washington Post ran an article about problems people are experiencing with their antennas, and in my hometown of Houston, we have continually raised the issue of there being limited options and availability of battery-powered converter boxes for households to purchase in the event of a hurricane like we experienced last September with Hurricane Ike. Currently, households must buy a separate battery-pack for a converter, and the coupon program does not cover the battery-pack.

I understand getting the coupon program rolling again is the most pressing matter, but I hope between now and June 13 we can address these other issues and create a program that will assist households who need to do more than just hook up a converter box to acquire the equipment they need to make the transition.

Again, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation so we can get the households the coupons they need to purchase converter boxes to keep their analog televisions from going black, and to address other issues that are arising with the digital transition.

Madam Speaker, I rise to explain the reason for missing three votes on January 13, 2009. I was attending the swearing in ceremony for the 81st session of the Texas Legislature that took place yesterday in Austin, TX, where two former staff members from our office were sworn-in as newly elected State Representatives.

Carol Alvarado and Armando Walle were elected to represent Districts 145 and 140, respectively, on November 4, 2008. State Representative Alvarado worked in our office prior to working in Houston City Hall, and for the last six years as a member of the Houston City Council. Prior to being sworn in, State Representative Walle also worked in our office for over six years as Community Liaison.

Both these newly elected members of the State House have a tremendous record of service through their civic involvement, their time working for elected officials, and as elected officials. I wish them the best as they continue to serve the people of Texas in the State Legislature.

On the three votes I missed:

I would have voted ``aye'' on H. Res. 41, Supporting the goals and ideals of National Mentoring Month 2009;

I would have voted ``aye'' on H. Res. 50, Honoring the life of Claiborne Pell, distinguished former Senator from the State of Rhode Island; and

I would have voted ``aye'' on H. Res. 43, Recognizing the efforts of those who serve their communities on Martin Luther King Day and promoting the holiday as a day of national service.

Madam Speaker, I thank our Chair of our subcommittee.

I rise in strong support and as a cosponsor of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, or CHIPRA. During the 110th Congress, we made two attempts to reauthorize the SCHIP program. Unfortunately, both these bills were vetoed by the President.

With 6 million American children currently eligible yet unenrolled, the passage of this bill is overdue. CHIPRA reauthorizes SCHIP through 2013 and extends SCHIP coverage to 7 million children already enrolled, but the SCHIP program covers 4 million more children. Eleven million children will be covered under SCHIP when we pass this bill.

The bill includes a provision that I am proud is in there, H.R. 465, the Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act, which gives the States the option to cover children and pregnant women of lawfully residing children in our country. These are not illegal immigrants. They are children who go to school and go to daycare with our children and our grandchildren. Those children ought to have health care to protect our own children.

CHIPRA also includes language from another bill of mine, H.R. 1238, which provides one year of emergency Medicaid coverage for children born in the U.S. and their mothers, which is crucial in protecting the health and wellness of newborns born in this country.

I do have to express my disappointment that the bill did not include the provision that was included in the first SCHIP bill we passed which would guarantee that children in families earning less than 200 percent of the poverty level will have 12 months of continuous eligibility under SCHIP.

The outreach and enrollment package includes an incentive for States to provide this eligibility guarantee.

But for a State like mine, we need to ensure that the State of Texas does right by Texas children and doesn't use the flexibility inherent in the program to kick them off the rolls on a budgetary whim.

The 175,000 Texas children who were kicked off the rolls in 2003 know all too well of the State's willingness to balance the State budget on their backs, and I hoped that this bill would take away the State's ability to do that in the future.

However, the need to reauthorize SCHIP before the program expires on March 31st is more important than political battles.

I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this legislation and sending a strong message to the President that we must abandon partisan politics and reauthorize SCHIP for America's low-income children.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 34. This important resolution recognizes Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, while at the same time supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and recognizing that the humanitarian needs in Gaza should be promptly addressed.

For fourteen days, now, Israel has launched airstrikes and now, a ground invasion in response to thousands of Hamas-sanctioned rocket attacks on Israeli towns from the Gaza Strip. The strikes began less than a week after the expiration of a six-month-long ceasefire deal with Hamas--during which time, Hamas continually violated the cease- fire and shot rockets into southern Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself from these attacks and when Hamas announced that it was ending its ``period of calm,'' Israel began to do just that.

I have visited Israel on several occasions, and have seen the struggles Israelis face daily. I have even been to Sderot, Israel and have seen how close these attacks are and how they affect the families that live there. During these visits, I have seen the Israelis' perseverance and determination to create a peaceful and prosperous state despite Hamas' continued refusal to work towards a peaceful resolution. Hamas must end this violence and commit itself to a real truce. Without this, I believe that there is little chance for peace in the region.

Israel and the United States have been close friends and allies for the past sixty years. Our relations have evolved from an initial American policy of sympathy and support for the creation of a Jewish homeland in 1948 to a key partnership based on common economic interests, common security interests, and most of all common values. We must continue to cultivate this relationship and encourage peace in the region.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of our Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce for his patience with me over the last year and a half, and I think I sometimes wear out my welcome on hearings and on moving this bill. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1343, the Health Centers Renewal Act of 2008.

I would first like to thank Senator Kennedy and Senator Hatch for sponsoring and moving this reauthorization through the Senate, and also our fellow Energy and Commerce Committee member Chip Pickering for his work on this bill and his service to both his State of Mississippi and our country.

The Community Health Centers Program is one of the great health care successes of our country. Forty years after the program was first enacted at the urging of President Lyndon Johnson, health centers are located in 6,000 sites in all 50 States and serve as the medical home and family physician to 17 million people in medically underserved areas nationally.

Community health centers have helped fill the medical void for low- income and uninsured individuals and in 2006, community health centers provided care for over 700,000 Texans. But communities like my district in Houston are in dire need of more community health centers. Houston has approximately 1 million uninsured, but only 10 federally qualified health centers and is desperately in need of more community health centers.

We are not the only district in the country facing a medical crisis with the uninsured and underinsured.

The Health Centers Renewal Act of 2008 will reauthorize the Health Centers Program and provide over $2 billion a year for health community centers throughout the United States. This increased funding will allow more medically underserved communities to build new health centers, expand their health centers, and provide more services like dental and mental health care. In fact, this bill would allow health centers to expand their services to over 22 million patients in the next 5 years, which is almost 50 percent more than they serve today. That's exactly why every Member of this House should support this bill.

Community health centers have demonstrated time and again that if properly funded by Congress, they can meet the Nation's tremendous need for quality, affordable health care. Community health centers are a vital safety net for the uninsured and underinsured in the country. With nearly 40 million uninsured and a health care crisis in our country right now, it would almost be irresponsible for anyone to vote against this bill.

I thank you for this time.

Madam Speaker, I'm glad that we have a member of our Energy and Commerce Committee in the chair, and this is a great example of working together. I know my colleagues, both from Mississippi but also from Pennsylvania, we worked on other issues in this bill, and I would be more than happy to see what we can do next Congress.

But this way, we have a reauthorization of the community health centers, and we can always improve on them and look forward to working with them again, bipartisan, across the aisle, because all of us look forward to expanding health centers for our community.

Mr. Speaker and Members, I want to use my 1 minute today to talk about the disaster from Hurricane Ike in the district I represent.

These two pictures behind me are two separate homes that were hit by the wave action, the storm surge. You can see, this house is totally destroyed, and in this home, literally the waves went right through the home, knocked down the brick and everything else.

That is not counting the thousands of homes and businesses and even industry that the power is out. Certain zip codes are more than 50 percent out of power, and when you have a Houston September, which is really summertime, I have folks living outside their homes literally for the last 10 days.

Mr. Speaker, the supplemental today for the CR is something that is so important to my area and all of Southeast Texas. I want to thank both the Speaker and Chairman Obey and my colleagues for helping work on funding for that for the initial disaster assistance, $22 billion for disaster relief activities, including $6.5 billion for CDBG funding and $8 billion for FEMA assistance, which is just the down payment.

You have the fourth largest city in the country. Southeast Texas is devastated. To get that community back up, we need the assistance. Just like we helped California with the fires and the earthquakes, the floods in the Midwest and everywhere else, our community needs that help too, and I want to thank the leadership for doing it.

These two homes are in Baytown, Texas, in East Harris County, that I share with Congressman Ted Poe. This is actually in our district that I saw Monday morning with the mayor, Steve DonCarlos, and a city council member.

You can see what just the storm surge did. Just think about what hurricane force winds did to people's homes. We are a Pine trees area, so we have a lot of those trees that have fallen on houses and powerlines.

Madam Speaker, I rise to explain my reason for missing votes on September 11 and 15, 2008. My voting percentage is over 96 percent for the 110th Congress, and I rarely miss votes, but felt it was extremely important to be home in Houston, Texas while my neighbors and constituents were making preparations for Hurricane Ike and to help recovery efforts in the immediate aftermath. The storm made landfall early Saturday morning, and by the time it passed Houston Saturday afternoon, it had caused the largest power disruption in the state's history, along with tremendous flood and wind damage. There are still nearly two million people in the Houston area without power, and many without water. When I left yesterday to fly back to Washington, significant relief efforts by Federal, State, and local emergency officials were just getting underway.

There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done, and I ask for everyone's thoughts and prayers as Houston and the Gulf Coast recover from this devastating storm.

Had I been present to vote, I would have voted as follows:

On rollcall vote No. 585, on Approving the Journal, I would have voted ``aye'';

On rollcall vote No. 586, H. Res. 1344, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the terrorist attacks launched against the United States on September 11, 2001, I would have voted ``aye'';

On rollcall vote No. 587, H. Res. 6532, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree to the Senate Amendment to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to restore the Highway Trust Fund balance, I would have voted ``aye'';

On rollcall vote No. 588, on Motion to Adjourn, I would have voted ``aye'';

On rollcall vote No. 589, H. Res. 1200, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree as amended, a resolution honoring the dedication and outstanding work of military support groups across the country for their steadfast support of the members of our Armed Forces and their families, I would have voted ``aye'';

On rollcall vote No. 590, H. Con. Res. 390, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree as amended, a resolution honoring the 28th Infantry Division for serving and protecting the United States, I would have voted ``aye'';

On rollcall vote No. 591, H. R. 6889, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, a bill to extend the authority of the Secretary of Education to purchase guaranteed student loans for an additional year, and for other purposes, I would have voted ``aye'';

Madam Speaker, today marks a milestone for the U.S. House of Representatives in the fight against asbestos-related disease. The Bruce Vento Act is strong and comprehensive legislation to prohibit asbestos-containing products in commerce.

As chairman of the Subcommittee on the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, I believe action to eliminate asbestos- containing products from the U.S. economy and prevent asbestos-related disease is long overdue.

We are proud to have the support of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, the AFL- CIO, the American Public Health Association, the Environmental Working Group, and other asbestos organizations.

Since we take this historic step near the end of the 110th Congress, we intend to move the legislation forward next Congress and work with all parties to address their concerns while maintaining public health protection.

We are taking this action because many of our constituents have suffered and passed away due to asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer and other asbestos-related diseases and yet asbestos remains a legal product for many uses. Many workers in the 29th Congressional District of Texas were tragically lost due to their hard work in the shipping and maritime industries.

Many longshoreman, pipefitters, seafarers, and other maritime workers have been exposed to deadly asbestos risks, so Houston is no stranger to the scourge of asbestos, as uncounted families continue to grieve their loss day after day.

In 2000, a highly-valued Member of this House, Congressman Bruce Vento of Minnesota, was tragically lost to mesothelioma. He had made the protection of public health and the environment one of his priorities in Congress, and he represented his district extremely well.

We have worked very closely on this legislation with his successor, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, who is equally devoted to the protection of her constituents and the legacy of Congressman Vento. Congresswoman McCollum's expertise, urgency and constructive attitude should be an inspiration to us all on this issue.

I would also like to recognize my good friends and colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Congresswoman Hilda Solis and Congresswoman Lois Capps for their strong support and valuable contribution to this important legislation. Like many Members, they also represent too many families that have been devastated by asbestos- related disease.

For many years, statistics were inaccurate, but recent medical knowledge reveals that nearly 10,000 people continue to die each year as a result of asbestos-related disease. With such a horrible toll, many Americans may believe that asbestos was already banned.

In fact, EPA attempted to ban asbestos in products in 1989, well after the deadly effects were well-known, but their decision was overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1991 in the case Corrosion Proof Fittings v. EPA. This ruling based on the statutory interpretation of the Toxics Substances Control Act and administrative law kept the market for asbestos-containing products alive, while thousands continued to die.

The Bruce Vento Act does not permit asbestos in products sold in the U.S. in any concentration, except for those products that meet certain narrow, justifiable, and unavoidable exceptions and exemptions.

These exceptions apply when asbestos is present in a product due to deposition from ambient air, or from water that meets the Safe Water Drinking Act standard for asbestos. The limited exemptions from the prohibition banning asbestos-containing products take into account public health considerations and apply in specific situations and for certain products, such as aggregate products, like asphalt or concrete, or certain minerals that can be associated with asbestos.

These exemptions are narrowly tailored to reduce asbestos in products to the maximum extent possible. While asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral, it does not enter the stream of commerce without being brought there by economic activity.

As a result, we limit exemptions to situations where very low concentrations of asbestos are unavoidable. However, we continue to recognize that U.S. Environmental Protection Agency experts and others testified before our Committee that there is no known safe level of asbestos and it remains highly toxic even in very low concentrations.

Regarding these narrow exemptions, the legislative language is also quite clear that no exemption from an asbestos ban--either statutory or regulatory--should have any bearing on any litigation on one side or the other.

Our legislation explicitly takes care to not create any new federal causes of action or defenses for plaintiffs or defendants. In the United States, the courthouse doors should always be open to people with valid claims, but our goal is to reduce the need for such claims to be filed in the first place by avoiding asbestos-related injuries and deaths.

To prevent asbestos from entering the stream of commerce, our legislation provides for civil and criminal penalties for selling asbestos containing products consistent with other environmental laws. To be liable for criminal penalties, a violation must be knowing or willful.

As the chairman of the Environment and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, I intend to work with my colleagues and all parties and move this legislation next year.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our Chair of the Rules Committee for yielding to me. I rise in strong support of our legislation H.R. 6899, The Comprehensive American Energy Security and Taxpayer Protection Act and this rule.

Why we identify this as a comprehensive bill is very simple. Our country needs a comprehensive legislation that deals with energy. We need everything for our country to both be energy efficient but also to be able to afford it. All sides of debate can longer insist on the ``it's my way or the highway'' approach to energy. We need all energy resources, both conventional and renewable. And everyone must be willing to sacrifice to reach that common ground.

I do not believe our bill goes far enough to address all of our domestic energy resources, especially nuclear energy. But however in every shortcoming there are positive concessions. Our legislation improves on a provision included in the original H.R. 6 by at least freezing independent oil and natural gas producers at their current section 199 manufacturing deduction rate instead of a complete repeal. Our bill modifies provisions from the flawed use of ``use it or lose it'' legislation which necessarily hammered future lease acquisitions. It retains but adds accountability to the tainted Royalty-In-Kind Program that we all read about.

It improves the management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve with an idea offered by my good friend from Texas, Nick Lampson, by allowing a swap for heavy crude which could immediately lower prices for consumers.

Most dramatically, our proposal will help utilize our domestic oil and natural gas resources in the outer continental shelf. Our legislation incorporates most of the offshore drilling provision that I and other ``Energy Democrats'' first introduced in the LEASE Act by directing the immediate opening of all areas beyond 100 miles off our coasts. That is over 300 million acres of outer continental shelf that are automatically open to oil and natural gas leasing. States are given the option to opt in the additional 50 to 100 miles off their coast, an estimated 90 million acres for production.

My friends on the other side of the aisle argue that this does not open enough acreage in the Gulf of Mexico. I agree. I would like to open up the eastern Gulf of Mexico. But there was an agreement made by the Republican Congress in 2006 for Florida, and we are not going to break that agreement on the House side.

But let's not forget the fact that during the height of the Republican rule under both the Republican President and Congress, Republicans were only able to open 8.3 million acres of leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. And President Bush took 7\1/2\ years, almost 7\1/2\ years of his administrations to actually decide to take off the moratorium. So who really wants to drill?

Over 350 million acres will be open. This bill is hundreds of millions more acres that are directly opened in contrast to the Senate ``Gang of 20,'' or in the Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's bill, his Gas Price Reduction Act, which has the support of only 44 Republican senators. We open so many more than even the Republican leadership and the Senate wanted to, more acreage for exploration and production.

Most importantly, we use the revenues from oil and gas production to transition to a clean energy future. Our bill would create a fund to invest in renewable, clean energy efficiency, land and water conservation and LIHEAP. Mr. Speaker, I could go on and on, and I will continue as we go to the debate. This bill is a drilling bill, but it's also a future bill for comprehensive energy production.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6899, the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Taxpayer Protection Act.

I don't know why my Republican colleagues can't take yes for an answer. We are opening up over 305 million acres. Now, granted, it's a compromise. But when you were in charge, we opened up 8 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. I'd like to open up more, but, again, like you had to make compromises, we have. But for the first time we're going to open up more Outer Continental Shelf opportunity than anytime in history, even under years of Republican House control, Senate control and the President.

I support opening ANWR, but that didn't happen even when the Republicans were in control.

The royalty share, I'd love to share royalties with our States who allow drilling, but CBO won't let us. Maybe the Senate will bring up that point.

But I don't know why we can't take yes for an answer. If you want to drill in our country, this is the bill. Now, if you want a political issue that you think you'll ride into the November election on like you tried in August, which was more theatrics than anything else then vote ``no.'' But I'll tell you what, the American people are going to see this for what it is. And it's a comprehensive bill that will go forward.

We're going to invest that royalty into renewable energy research. I don't think it's economically feasible now, but we need to get there. But we're going to produce domestically, and send that message to the world which, you know, maybe a bill on the floor has helped us with that oil prices going down every day per barrel.

I want to thank my esteemed colleagues, Chairman Rahall, Chairman Miller and Chairman Dingell, as well as Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer and the entire Democratic Caucus for working together to craft legislation that our majority, our Congress and our country can be proud of.

Now, I know some of my friends in Congress and maybe the energy industry and the environmental community may be asking themselves one question: ``How in the world can an unholy alliance of Green, Miller and Rahall ever come together to introduce a comprehensive energy plan. The answer is very simple. America's energy needs demand it. We need to do what's environmentally good, but we also need to make sure we can keep the prices of our current fuel costs low, and whether it's for lighting our homes or cooling or heating our homes or running our vehicles or running our industry.

All sides of this debate can no longer insist my way or the highway approach to energy. We need all energy sources, both conventional and renewable, and everyone must be willing to sacrifice to reach a common good.

I personally have questions about this, some of the things in this bill. But again, this is the first step. Why would you kill it right now when we still have to work with the Senate and also get a bill passed that the President will sign?

So this is the first time we're opening this much Outer Continental Shelf drilling in the Democratic majority House of Representatives. Maybe it's just response to say no to everything that comes up because we're doing it many, many times more than what they did when they had the majority.

Our legislation improves on the original H.R. 6 from last year, at least freezing independent oil and natural gas producers at their current section 199 manufacturing. It removes the arbitrary proposals for raising royalty. There was a proposal to go to 21 percent. This administration already increased it to 16 percent. But we don't need to go to 21. It retains accountability for the tainted royalty in kind that I support.

Mr. Speaker, I will place the remainder of my statement into the Record, but let me just say one last thing.

President Bush waited 7\1/2\ years to eliminate the executive moratorium. And the Democratic Congress has only taken 1\1/2\ years.

It improves the management of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve--an idea first offered by my good friend from Texas, Nick Lampson--by allowing a swap for heavy crude which could immediately lower prices for consumers.

Most dramatically, our proposal will help utilize our own domestic oil and natural gas resources in the Outer Continental Shelf.

Our legislation incorporates many of the offshore drilling provisions I and other ``Energy Democrats'' first introduced in the LEASE Act by directing the immediate opening of all areas beyond 100 miles off our coasts.

That's over 305 million acres in the OCS that are automatically opened for oil and natural gas leasing.

States are also given discretion to ``opt-in'' to additional drilling from 50 to 100 miles off their coasts estimated at an additional 90 million acres for production.

My friends from the other side of the aisle will argue this bill does not open up enough acreage offshore.

In some instances, as in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, I agree.

But let's not forget one fact: during the height of Republican rule, under both a Republican President and Congress, Republicans were only able to direct the opening of 8.3 million acres for leasing in the Gulf of Mexico. President Bush after almost 7\1/2\ years in office removed the Presidential moritorium.

Today, Democrats are directing the opening of over 305 million acres with state concurrence.

This is hundreds of millions more acres that are directly opened than in the Senate's ``Gang of 20'' proposal, or in Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's ``Gas Price Reduction Act'', which has the support of 44 Republican Senators.

Most importantly, we use the revenues from oil and gas production to transition America to a clean energy future.

Our bill will create a fund to invest in clean renewable energy, energy efficiency, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, carbon capture sequestration, and the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

And we extend many of the critical tax credits for wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources that expire this year.

While I believe it's also fundamental to allow states to share in any offshore revenues, ``pay-go'' rules require any revenue sharing- provisions to be offset--whether it's included in this legislation or any other OCS proposal.

Mr. Speaker, our legislation isn't perfect. But we cannot make the perfect the enemy of the good. Let's pass this bill and for the first time a Democratic Congress.

Our constituents, and our Nation, can no longer wait for Congress to act on a balanced energy policy that will provide the conventional energy we need to fuel our economy and to develop the clean energy sources of tomorrow.

I urge my colleagues to support the Rahall-Green-Miller legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.