Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, last week we celebrated the 45th anniversary of the adoption of the Older Americans Act. Later this month we will celebrate the 45th anniversary of Medicare and next month the 75th anniversary of Social Security.

Seniors are vital to our communities, having spent a lifetime building and shaping this Nation. Increasingly, our seniors have been able to continue to make important contributions throughout all of their lives, volunteering their time, mentoring our youth, and often remaining active in the workforce.

As a former Chairman of Fairfax County, Virginia, I was proud of the work I helped lead in the creation of a 50+Plus Action Plan outlining more than 60 initiatives to support our senior population. We expanded transportation opportunities, ensured communities were planned to provide housing options for all ages, pursued respite options for caregivers. And it was necessary to bring that focus to Washington.

This Congress has made strategic investments to assist these efforts through actions such as the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act that expanded opportunities for seniors to remain active. But it wasn't always this way, which is why we needed the Older Americans Act.

The Older Americans Act facilitates the provisions of necessary social services and nutritional support to seniors through a partnership with various State agencies. In addition to establishing the Administration on Aging, the act established the National Family Caregiver Support Program, recognizing the critical role that family caregivers provide and the need to make sure they have the necessary resources. That act also provides for home-based services, disease prevention and wellness programs to promote better health.

The Older Americans Act was a continuation of the improvements in the quality of life begun in 1935 when Congress enacted the Social Security Act. The poverty rate among seniors in 1935 exceeded 45 percent. Today it is 10 percent. Few acts of Congress have made such a dramatic difference on a single demographic group.

In addition to the Older Americans Act, in 1965 Medicare was established to protect seniors' health. Before its enactment almost half of all senior citizens lacked health insurance. Given the traditionally higher costs of senior health care without Medicare, for many Americans there was no prospect of health insurance. Our efforts to further enhance the quality of life for our Nation's senior citizens continue to this day. The Health Care Reform Act enhances Medicare benefits.

What's interesting to me is I was a young high school debater when Medicare was adopted, and the national high school debate topic that year was, Would the adoption of Medicare constitute socialized medicine in America? Would it, in fact, discourage the private sector? Would it, in fact, make us look a lot more like the health care system in the United Kingdom or Canada?

Much of the rhetoric we hear today about health care reform was echoed 45 years ago against Social Security, and much of it came from the same sources who oppose health care reform today. They consistently opposed Medicare. Yet when you go to a retirement community, when you meet with seniors across this country, certainly in my district, I can't find one who thinks that we ought to repeal Medicare. They know that Medicare has made a huge difference in the quality of their lives, and going from being maybe the most vulnerable demographic group in America in terms of health care coverage, today they have the most protected. That's the efficacy of an effective government program that has made a difference in the quality of lives.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate the anniversaries of the Older Americans Act, the Social Security Act, and Medicare, we also celebrate the adoption of the Health Care Reform Act that will make the same kind of difference in years to come in millions of lives now and in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Fairfax County Public Schools on its nutrition program, which recently was named best in the country by the School Nutrition Association.

FCPS's Food and Nutrition Services Department is the largest child nutrition program in Virginia, serving approximately 140,000 customers each day at 238 schools and centers, 8 day cares and private schools, 15 senior citizen programs, 18 Meals-on-Wheels sites, 133 School-Age Child Care (SACC) programs, and 52 Family and Early Childhood Education Programs (Head Start).

The School Nutrition Association recognized FCPS's ability to handle this demanding task, noting its commitment to excellence in creating nutritious and appealing meals, implementing innovative nutrition education initiatives, developing a strong professional development program, and exercising superior financial management.

Under Fairfax's nutrition program, students participate in surveys to assist in the planning of meals and attend various tasting parties to help establish customer preferences. The popular ``Give Me 5! Colors That Jive'' program introduces students to new and unfamiliar fruits and vegetables each month, such as jicama, butternut squash and sweet potato wedges. The district also provides easily accessible nutrition statistics with every prepared meal.

Partnering with teachers, the Food and Nutrition Services staff hosts hundreds of nutrition education sessions each year in our local schools. They also reach into the community, hosting monthly nutrition classes for parents and seniors. Further, the district offers cooking classes for students and their families to emphasize the point that healthy eating starts at home.

In addition to the award, the School Nutrition Association presented FCPS with $25,000 to expand its innovative nutrition programs.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Fairfax County Public Schools on this tremendous honor. As my colleagues know, providing our young people with nutritious meals and educating them about healthy eating habits provides them with the proper fuel for academic and lifelong success.

Madam Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleague Rep. Frank Wolf, to recognize the community of Centreville, VA, for recently being named one of Money Magazine's ``Best Places to Live 2010.'' Centreville ranked number 30 among 100 small communities named best for families.

Money compiled its list of ``Best Places to Live 2010'' after reviewing hundreds of small communities across the United States with populations between 50,000 and 300,000 for family-friendly qualities. Economic strength, the quality of the schools, availability of affordable housing, overall safety, and community spirit were among the factors used to evaluate each city's quality of life. As one of the top 30 cities on the list, Centreville passed four rounds of appraisal, including one in which appraisers visited the community to form personal impressions and to interview its residents.

Centreville ranked highest amongst the four Virginia communities named to the list. The others were Alexandria, VA, at number 47, Chesapeake, VA, at number 85, and Suffolk, VA, at number 91. Location figured prominently in Centreville's ranking, as its 54,000 residents are in close proximity to our nation's capital and local attractions such as the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport, Manassas National Battlefield Park and the Bull Run and Shenandoah Mountains.

Madam Speaker, we ask that our colleagues join us in congratulating Centreville on

receiving this designation and in encouraging its residents to continue upholding the high standards that earned them this honor. We also invite our colleagues to visit Centreville to see firsthand what makes this community special.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) for his outstanding leadership on this and so many other issues on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. I also thank the ranking member, Mr. Issa, for his friendship and his leadership on our committee as well.

I particularly want to thank my colleague from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) who's been a long-time leader in telework, and my colleague and friend from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes) for his leadership on this legislation. Without that leadership, we wouldn't be here today and relief wouldn't be on the way to our Federal workforce and hard-pressed commuters in the national capital region.

Mr. Speaker, before I came to Congress, I represented a major jurisdiction in the national capital region, Fairfax County, for 14 years, the last five being its chairman; and I, like Mr. Issa, came from the private sector. I spent the last 20 years of my career before coming here working for a number of information technology companies, and I saw firsthand the value of telework in the private sector.

One of the major employers in my district, for example, is AT&T. I went and visited a major facility they have in my district. Thirty- three percent of their workforce teleworks regularly, 33 percent; and their estimated cost savings in terms of reduced absenteeism is $2,000 per employee. So, if we took that kind of statistic and superimposed it

on the Federal workforce, we would obviously save a lot more than whatever the implementation costs of this bill might be.

I believe, like my colleagues who have spoken before, this is critical. This is critical for Federal operations. Every Federal agency now needs to have a continuity of operations plan in place; and in the national capital region, tragically, that is underscored.

Frank Wolf, my colleague from Virginia, talked about 9/11. He was here in Congress while I was a supervisor in Fairfax County. My office was in the fire station, Fire Station 30 in Merrifield, and my men and women in that fire station were backup to the Arlington Fire Department at the Pentagon the day it was attacked, the second worst terrorist attack in American history. And I saw what they went through, and I know what happened to this region that day. A continuity of operations plan, if we needed a reminder, a tragic reminder, of how critical that is to our national security, 9/11 was it.

Subsequently, we've had lots of natural events here in the national capital region that have further reminded us of how important it is that the largest single employer in our region, the Federal Government, have a vigorous telework program in place because, without that, there is no continuity of operations plan of any meaning.

So for national security reasons and in service to the taxpayers we serve through the Federal agencies, we must have a vigorous telework program in place.

In the national capital region, if we could reach 20 percent of our daily commuters of 2.5 million people teleworking at least 1 day a week, we could take 4 to 6 percent of the cars off the road every day, improving air quality, improving congestion, and improving productivity. The Federal Government being the largest employer has a special responsibility. I mentioned AT&T has 33 percent teleworking in its workforce. The average in the Federal Government ranges from 6 to 10 percent, far below what the private sector is, in fact, doing. We can and must do better. The Federal workforce lends itself to telework in some ways that are unique to the Federal workforce, and we know the benefits.

We've heard some arguments here that only 10 percent of the Congress sits in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and, therefore, we need more time to make sure that we can examine this legislation and its costs. I will argue there are no net costs to this bill. I would argue that this bill has been scored before in many incarnations, in legislation that was before the previous Congress and voted on, in legislation in the other body. So it's not like we didn't know, and we know that the productivity gains and savings are considerable but more than wipe out any potential implementation costs. Whatever costs there are can and will be absorbed by the implementing Federal agencies, and we know that. That ought not to be an excuse for inaction.

This is something that can bring us together on a bipartisan basis. I do find it a little ironic, however, to hear about the need to come together and maybe we can use the motion to recommit to do that when our side of the aisle has not seen the motion to recommit, and obviously we can't buy something in the hopes that it's going to do something positive, and I would urge my colleagues to share the motion to recommit so that perhaps we can come to common ground on that.

But at the end of the day, this legislation is critical to the future workforce of the Federal Government and, frankly, for the national security of the national capital region.

Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to recognize the recipients of the 2010 Best of Braddock Awards. The awards are given annually to deserving individuals, organizations and companies in the Braddock Magisterial District of Fairfax County, Va., who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the community.

Residents of the 11th Congressional District enjoy an exceptional quality of life. Fairfax County schools are ranked as some of the best in the country, our communities are safe, and our employment rate is second highest in the nation. However, much of what defines a community cannot be found in statistics; it lies in the commitment and contributions of all who strive for the betterment of the community as a whole.

Recipients of the 2010 Best of Braddock Awards:

Citizen of the Year--Duane Murphy.

Club or Organization Making a Difference--Burke/West

Springfield Senior Center Without Walls.

Most Can-Do Public Employees (Local)--Neighborhood College

Team for the 2010 Sessions.

Most Can-Do Public Employees (Federal)--Mike McMahon,

National Park Service.

Young Person of the Year--Kelsey Rose, West Springfield

High School; Melissa Sbrocco, Robinson Secondary School.

Special Achievement Award--Tommy Salvi, Canterbury Woods

Elementary School.

Outstanding Business Persons--Jules and Nicky Verster,

previous owners Great Harvest Bread.

Neighborhood Enhancement or Beautification, Homeowner--

Fernando Restropo, Wakefield Chapel Road.

Neighborhood Enhancement or Beautification, Civic

Association--Mike Walsh, Woodwalk HOA Landscaping Committee

Chair.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating these outstanding residents and companies and also in thanking them for their service to our community. Their efforts and leadership have been a great benefit to our community and truly merit our highest praise.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the most recent graduates of the Prince William County Public Safety Academy. As they join the ranks of the Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue, these men and women are entering a proud profession with a rich history.

Securing a position as a first responder begins with a competitive application process. Recruits must then complete a rigorous and comprehensive 23-week training program before graduating as a Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue Technician I.

A Technician I is trained in emergency medical services, fire prevention and countless other public safety measures. The certifications required to reach the status of a Technician I cannot be accomplished without complete dedication and hard work. The graduates have completed the requisite coursework for certification in CPR, Infection Control, CISM, EMT-B, Firefighter I, Firefighter II, EVOC 2, EVOC 3, Flashover Simulation, RIT, Mayday, Hazmat Awareness/Operations, Swift Water Rescue Awareness, LPG with Simulation, Rural Water Supply, BLS Protocols, Rope Rescue Awareness, Vehicle Rescue Awareness and Child Passenger Safety Seat Installation. Each graduate has completed more than 600 hours of training and education.

It is my honor to enter into the Congressional Record the names of the Prince William Department of Fire and Rescue Recruit Class 2010-1:

Benjamin Draxler, Shannon Frick, Nels Jorgenson, Hanif Majeed, Nathaniel Matthews, Timothy Moore, Ariel Morales, Ethan Newham, Chris Payne, Jajuan Reed, Adam Renner, Raymond Sanez, Nicholas Soper and Alexander Thomson.

There are many reasons that firefighters and first responders are known as America's Heroes. These brave men and women regularly put the lives and well being of those they serve ahead of their own. I am confident that this newest group of graduates will serve the citizens of Prince William County with distinction and honor.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating the newest members of Prince William County Department of Fire and Rescue. I have just two other words I would like to say to them: Stay Safe.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the 20th Pastoral Anniversary of Pastor Charles Arthur Lundy of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Woodbridge, Va.

Pastor Lundy has a long and distinguished career in the service of the Lord. He was baptized at the age of 13 at the Wayland Baptist Church in Baltimore, Md., under Reverend W. W. Payne. In February of 1981, Pastor Lundy was ordained a deacon, and just three years later, he was licensed by the Star Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Triangle, Va., under the Reverend Dr. Frederick S. Jones. Pastor Lundy was ordained a Gospel Minister in August of 1987 and served as the director of Christian Education for Star Bethlehem.

He was called to be the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church on June 23, 1990. On his first Sunday at the pulpit he delivered the sermon, ``Stay in the Ship,'' and established his pastoral focus of ``putting the family back together.'' During his 20 years of leadership, Pastor Lundy has grown the Ebenezer Church family. In June 2000, the church's Family Life Center was dedicated to accommodate an expanding ministry. Pastor Lundy has grown his flock by developing a message that offers spiritual guidance and comfort. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Washington Bible College and earned his Masters of Divinity from Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. His ministry is constantly evolving to accommodate the needs of his congregation and make Ebenezer a welcoming place to worship.

Pastor Lundy has never been one to shy away from service. He spent 26 years in the United States Marine Corps before he retired with the rank of Major as an Engineer Officer. He is the past-Parliamentarian for the Northern Virginia Baptist Association. He is the past-Chairman of the Nominating Committee and a former member of their Commission on Evangelism. He is a former Assistant Secretary for the Northern Virginia Minister's Conference, and he is a former member of the United Way for the National Capital Area. In 2009, Pastor Lundy was elected as President of the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology Alumni Association. In each of these positions, Pastor Lundy has inspired others with his leadership and energy.

Pastor Lundy is married to the former Jacquelyn Hinton McWhite, and they are the proud parents of five daughters, two sons, and the grandparents of nine grandsons, and two granddaughters.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Pastor Charles Arthur Lundy on his 20 years of service to Ebenezer Baptist Church. He is a pillar of the community with countless individuals depending on his counsel and support. He bears this burden with the peace of mind of man who knows his purpose is justified and his mission is pure.

Madam Speaker, in 1989 the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, spilling 10.9 million gallons of oil that eventually coated 1,100 miles of Alaskan coastline. Following this disaster, Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act in 1990 to require that oil companies pay the full cleanup costs of oil spills. However, this legislation has a couple of loopholes that need to be closed. If an oil company subsidiary is responsible for the spill, that subsidiary can declare bankruptcy and sell its assets, even to its parent company, without passing on cleanup cost liabilities. The SPILL Act, which the House will vote on this week, will close this loophole so that liability follows subsidiary assets. Whether or not the SPILL Act becomes law, there will be another loophole in the Oil Pollution Act: If a subsidiary is

responsible for an oil spill, it can declare bankruptcy and not sell its assets, in which case the parent company would not inherit cleanup liabilities.

This is a realistic scenario, given the high cost of oil spills. Even a well capitalized company worth several billion dollars could be responsible for an oil spill that costs tens of billions of dollars to clean up. The Exxon Valdez spill cost over $2 billion just to clean up 10.9 million gallons of oil. As of late June, the Deepwater Horizon spill had already cost BP $2.65 billion with total cleanup cost estimates as high as $100 billion. Moreover, if Congress increases the cap on private liability under the Oil Pollution Act, oil companies could be responsible for much greater costs. The fishing industry in the Gulf is worth $5.5 billion annually. Just losing 50% of western Florida's tourism would cost the state $10 billion. If Congress eliminates the private liability cap under OPA then an oil company responsible for a spill could be responsible for tens of billions of dollars to reimburse property owners and workers for lost property and wages. Given the extraordinarily high cleanup and private liability costs of oil spills, we must close the loophole that allows parent companies to escape liability by letting subsidiaries go bankrupt.

I have introduced legislation, the Stand by your Oil Pollution (STOP) Act, to prevent oil companies from shedding liabilities of subsidiaries. This legislation is necessary to ensure that BP doesn't escape its cleanup responsibilities in the Gulf and to prevent oil companies from setting up subsidiaries to avoid liability for spills in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, it would be unconscionable for this Congress to fail to enact legislative protections for the Nation's consumers after the worst economic collapse in 80 years. We must pass Wall Street reform when it comes before the House hopefully later this week.

We know what happened without adequate oversight. Under the Bush administration and previous Republican Congresses, the large financial institutions were granted free rein to undertake abusive, risky behavior, ultimately at great public expense. In the absence of well- enforced regulation, their reckless actions triggered the great recession, plunging millions of American families into economic chaos.

Starting in 2007 when the mortgage and credit crises hit, the recession accelerated in 2008 as the financial sector came perilously close to a complete collapse. Millions of Americans acutely felt that collapse through lost jobs, foreclosed homes, and the destruction of their personal savings. Collectively, Americans lost $17.5 trillion worth of aggregate household wealth during that recession: college funds, retirement accounts, 401(k)s, and emergency nest eggs like that.

In the midst of this economic carnage, many of the financial institutions that precipitated the collapse had the chutzpah to turn to those same American families and ask for a bailout. For example, AIG received $170 billion through 2008's TARP bill and the Federal Reserve, despite having engaged in a number of risky actions that led to its own predicament. AIG's unbridled pursuit of profit became America's pain. We must not allow that to happen again.

I support the visionary Wall Street reform that protects consumers from the abuses and deceptive practices that led to this crisis. It will create a consumer financial protection bureau that will consolidate consumer protections currently spread out inefficiently and ineffectively over seven different Federal agencies. The bureau will ensure transparency in financial products and transactions, providing consumers with greater information and protections on mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products.

Unscrupulous mortgage lenders no longer will be able to hoodwink prospective home buyers into home loans that the home buyer cannot afford. Not only did that practice lead to individual homeowners suffering eventual foreclosures, but it drove down the equity in all homes as prices sunk and mortgage failures exacerbated the financial collapse.

I support Wall Street financial reform that properly regulates the risky aspects of the financial sector, finally bringing transparency to the shadowy world of derivatives. In 2006, the derivative markets bought and sold, and often repackaged, was worth $668 trillion, that's with a T, an astonishingly high amount, and yet all traded virtually without oversight or regulation. The financial institutions that traded these derivatives did so in secret, and when the underlying assets failed, such as mortgage-backed securities, the financial sector was unprepared for the repercussions, and American families paid the price.

I support Wall Street reform that provides an orderly liquidation for financial institutions that fail at the institution's expense, not the taxpayers. That means never again will big banks receive taxpayer- funded bailouts. In the event of failure, large financial institutions must be prepared for an orderly wind down that does not cause additional strain to the overall economy and does not require taxpayer assistance. This reform ensures that the firms prepare liquidation plans ahead of time in case they are ever needed, and most importantly, Wall Street reform clearly states that taxpayers will never again have to fund a failing firm's bailout or liquidation costs.

Madam Speaker, the Wall Street reform before us accomplishes the goals of protecting consumers, providing transparency to previously unregulated markets, and ending too-big-to-fail taxpayer-funded bailouts. It finally provides the financial protections for consumers and homeowners that have been lacking for far too long. Wall

Street reform will help ensure that never again will American families be unprotected and left footing the bill for someone else's big mistake.

I strongly support Wall Street reform and encourage my colleagues to do so. Never again should private risk become public responsibility.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Saunders Middle School for being named as a School to Watch and as one of the top 90 performing middle-grades schools in the nation by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform in 2010.

Saunders Middle School provides an outstanding academic environment for its students to learn. The teachers' devotion to the students' well-being and the students' commitment to learning and challenging themselves have set Saunders Middle School above its counterparts. The staff and student body earned this award by not only being an excellent academic school, but also by being sensitive to each individual students' needs and fostering a socially equitable environment as the students begin to make their transition from adolescence to young adulthood. As a School to Watch, the students and teachers of Saunders Middle School provide a great example of what our educators and students across the nation should strive to achieve.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Saunders Middle School for this recognition and in wishing, its teachers and students continued success.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the teachers who have been selected to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, this award recognizes exemplary teachers for their contributions to the teaching and learning of mathematics and science.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the highest recognition that a kindergarten through twelfth-grade math or science teacher can receive for outstanding student instruction in the United States. Enacted by Congress in 1983, this program authorizes the President to bestow up to 108 awards per year. For the 2009 award, President Obama named 103 teachers from the seventh through the twelfth grades to be recognized with a citation signed by the President and a $10,000 award from the NSF.

Awards are given to mathematics and science teachers from each of the 50 states and four U.S. territories. In addition to honoring individual achievement, the goal of the award program is to exemplify the highest standards of math and science teaching. Honorees serve as models for their colleagues, inspire their communities, and lead in the improvement of math and science education.

Congratulations to the recipients--all of whom have demonstrated outstanding teaching ability and have contributed greatly to the education of our nation's youth. I would especially like to congratulate Kimberly Morrow-Leong of Marsteller Middle School in Bristow, VA, who has been recognized for mathematics and Dat Le of the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, VA, who has been recognized for science. In the words of President Obama, these teachers ``are inspirations not just to their students, but to the Nation and the world.''

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the accomplishments and recognition of the recipients of this Presidential award. I wish these, and all teachers, continued success in educating our nation's youth in math and science, providing for a brighter tomorrow across the country and the world.

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize J.M. Waller Associates, Inc. of Fairfax, Va., for receiving the U.S. Small Business Administration's Washington Metro Area District Small Business Person of the Year Award for 2010.

J.M. Waller Associates is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business that provides environmental, engineering, logistics, technical, management and professional consulting services to public and private sector clients. At the federal level, it works with our Armed Services, the National Parks Service and NASA.

Founded in 1991, the firm has won numerous accolades for its consistently fine work, including receiving the 2004 Washington D.C. Small Business Administration Small Business Firm of the Year Award, the 2007 Department of Defense Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Achievement Award and the 2009 SAME Industry Award to a Small Business in Support of DoD Programs.

Among the criteria for the Small Business Person of the Year Award are a company's staying power, increase in sales, innovation, response to adversity, and contribution to aid community-oriented projects. Throughout its 19 years, J.M. Waller Associates has consistently demonstrated its economic success and its commitment to the Northern Virginia region.

Small businesses represent the job engine of the U.S. economy, and the continued success of businesses such as J.M. Waller Associates is vital to the future of American progress. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating J.M. Waller Associates for receiving the SBA's Small Business Person of the Year Award for 2010.