Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Twentieth Annual Martin Luther King Youth Oratorical Contest hosted by the Prince William Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and its Education Foundation.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left an indelible mark on the way Americans engage in civil dialogue. Despite the violence perpetrated against the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King responded with oratory and nonviolent resistance to condemn the injustice of social inequality. His legacy is one of tolerance and steadfast commitment to principled and peaceful communication.

The MLK Youth Oratorical contestants pay tribute to Dr. King's legacy with their ability to exercise the strength of the spoken word. This is a skill inseparable from their character and will serve them well as they tackle leadership opportunities and build personal relationships.

I congratulate and applaud the following contestants in the Twentieth Annual Martin Luther King Youth Oratorical Contest:

Middle School Contestants:

Makaila Davenport--Stonewall Middle School

Autumn Moore--Rippon Middle School

David Rivera-Kohr--Saunders Middle School

High School Contestants:

Lauren Coleman--Potomac High School

Alice Gyamfi--C.D. Hylton High School

Seth Opoku-Yeboah--Osbourn Park High School

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in commending the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for recognizing the benefit that Dr. King's teachings bring to the development of our youth. We lay the foundations of a more tolerant society when we nurture the ability to engage and communicate with one another in a way that respects our common humanity.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 19th Annual Installation of Officers Banquet for the Occoquan Woodbridge Lorton Volunteer Fire Department.

The 2010 officers and members of the board of directors are taking leadership roles in one of Northern Virginia's longest standing volunteer fire departments. The O.W.L. Volunteer Fire Department was borne out of the need for organized fire response capabilities in the growing suburbs of Northern Virginia. In 1938, the Department officially formed to become the only fire department between Fredericksburg and Alexandria. In the subsequent decades O.W.L. has expanded to staff three stations and provide emergency medical services.

The members of O.W.L. are dedicated community volunteers, and the 2010 officers and directors will be diligent stewards of this tradition of service. The 250 active O.W.L. members answer 14,000 calls and serve 60,000 people each year. Their job is demanding and the hours are long, but they gladly serve for little more than the satisfaction of volunteerism and civic engagement. We would all do well to follow their example.

2010 Officers: President Debra Haight, Chief James McAllister, Assistant Chief Mike Clark, Assistant Chief Wayne Haight, Assistant Chief Jack McGovern, Assistant Chief Karl Fippenger, Assistant Chief David Halman, Rescue Chief Edward Craig, Captain Stewart Young, Captain John Roberts, Captain Richard Slusher, Captain Justin Witt, Captain Richard Moore, Captain Steve Godin, Captain Reece Fancher, Lieutenant Jonathan Baldwin, Lieutenant Kurt Bolland, Lieutenant Mark Chandler, Lieutenant Matthew Haight, Lieutenant Ben New, Lieutenant Rick Ruggieri, Lieutenant Dave Williams, Lieutenant Ryan Williams, Lieutenant Tammy Hill, Lieutenant Flavia Kelly, Lieutenant Kelly Shaw, Lieutenant Teddie Steele, Sergeant Joshua Culp, Sergeant Ernie Firkin, Sergeant Harold Griffith, Sergeant Rob Laver, Sergeant Nate Peterson, Sergeant Adam Wynn, Executive Vice President Mike McCranie, Treasurer George Nazionale, Membership Secretary Heather Carroll, Sergeant At Arms John Karnback, Elections Officer Susan Mitchem

Board of Directors: Chris McIntosh, Lenny Peters, Ralph Bowman, Thomas Sullivan, Kevin Lewis, William Spicer, Ron Miller

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating these remarkable volunteers on their new positions. The Occoquan Woodbridge Lorton Volunteer Fire Department is to be commended for the vital service it provides to the Prince William community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a local high school student, Andrew James Swoboda of Alexandria, Va., for his work alongside his California teammate in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology.

Participating in this competition on Monday, December 7, 2009, his team's original research on Optimization of Platinum Nanoparticles for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Using Pulse Electrochemical Deposition earned them a shared scholarship of $10,000. Celebrating academic achievement and encouraging our country's students to pursue math and science excellence, this decade-old competition, hosted by the Siemens Foundation, awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships this year to our nation's most promising high school students. Andrew is certainly that--a fine example of promise and talent, from whom we can be sure to expect great things in the future.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Andrew and his teammate for this recognition and in wishing him all the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Patricia S. Phillips and to express my gratitude for her years of selfless dedication in the field of education.

Principal Phillips believes in the public school system and the power of education.

For more than 30 years, she has worked tirelessly on behalf of thousands of Fairfax County Public Schools students and the community as a whole. Principal Phillips has demonstrated her strong commitment time and time again, first as a teacher, and later, beginning in 2003, as Principal of Fairhill Elementary School.

Principal Phillips has earned the respect and admiration of her peers and staff, but more important, that of the students and their families who have been taught, led, encouraged and supported by her over the decades. She has been a worthy role model and a fair and trusted friend. Principal Phillips also has a record of consistent academic and administrative excellence. In recognition of this excellence, Principal Phillips was honored with the Washington Post's Principal Leadership Award and has the distinction of having been named a Fairfax County's Top Rated Principal.

Principal Phillips is retiring after years of service, during which she became loved and admired for her passion for education, leadership in ensuring quality schools, and excellence as a role model. Principal Phillips has demonstrated a genuine love for her students and her work, the result of which has been the betterment of our schools and of our community.

Madam Speaker, in closing, I would like to again thank Principal Phillips for her commitment to education. Her efforts and leadership have been a great benefit to the children of our community and truly merit our highest praise. I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding Principal Phillips and in wishing her the very best in her retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Annandale Terrace Elementary School on being named a recipient of a $2,000 Bloom Community Grant.

Bloom, a large grocery store chain, is committed to being a ``good neighbor'' to the communities in which its stores are located. Bloom is opening a new store in Annandale, Va., and in conjunction with this opening, announced a grant competition between local area public schools with a grand prize of $2,000. In order to qualify for consideration, each participating school submitted a proposal for a project that would ``benefit mind, body and soul for the entire community.''

The student body of Annandale Terrace Elementary School includes a large percentage of students who live in apartments and may not have sufficient access to outdoor physical activities. Annandale Terrace Principal Christina R. Dickens recognized this difficulty and coordinated the effort to submit a proposal to create an outdoor exercise path throughout the fields on the school. This exercise path would be oriented to the students but would be open to the entire community when school is not in session. This project, once completed, will help to create an environment that encourages physical activity and a healthy lifestyle.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Principal Dickens and Annandale Terrace Elementary School on being awarded the Bloom Community Grant. I would also like to express my gratitude to Bloom for their investment in the well-being of the Annandale community.

Mr. Speaker, I have met many strong and courageous women in my lifetime, both here and abroad. But I rise today to recognize Mariamu Stanford, a young woman from Tanzania, who epitomizes the essence of bravery. I rise to shine a light on the untold horrors she and others with albinism faced, and continue to face, in East Africa.

I rise to highlight an ongoing, but little known, crime against humanity in East Africa, particularly in rural Tanzania, where human beings with albinism are butchered and their body parts sold for profit. These horrific acts are perpetuated by witch doctors who believe the body parts of people with albinism have magical powers, and can be mixed in potions to bring the buyer good luck. Rural villages strong incentive to harvest the limbs of their neighbors with albinism, because a single limb can sell for as much as $2,000, a king's ransom in rural Tanzania.

Mariamu, who has albinism, is one of the few survivors of these horrific attacks. Her story is one of fear, horror, and unbelievable courage. She told me her story, through an interpreter, when we met recently. One night in October of 2008, when she was asleep with her toddler son, a group of machete-wielding young men from her village broke into her home and attacked her. They cut off both of her arms while she struggled, screamed, and shielded her young son from the blows.

It was six long hours after the attack before she, 5 months pregnant, was able to receive medical treatment. In the end, she also lost her unborn child. But she survived, and she is now relaying her story here in America in the hopes that these brutal crimes against people with albinism will come to an end.

Mariamu came to the United States for a visit thanks to the generosity of many, including many of my constituents from Northern Virginia with albinism, and some who are parents of children with albinism. While she was here for nearly 2 weeks in December, Mariamu was fitted with prosthetic arms donated by the Orthotic Prosthetic Center in Fairfax, Virginia, and she underwent intensive physical therapy.

She is a rare survivor of a horrible and inhumane crime that is a growing concern in East Africa. More than 54 people with albinism have been butchered in the region, most of them women and children. In November of 2008 a 6-year-old girl was shot dead in Burundi's eastern province of Ruyigi, close to the border with Tanzania. Her attackers removed her head and limbs, leaving only her dismembered torso.

In January of 2009, three men armed with machetes killed an 8-year- old boy in Burundi and smuggled his limbs into Tanzania. Every one of these stories border on the unbelievable, and quite frankly, turn my stomach, as I hope they do yours.

Not only do people with albinism face violence in various parts of the world, but they also are at higher risk for medical complications from their condition. In East Africa's harsh sun, for example, skin cancer is very prevalent. But oftentimes, people with albinism have no choice but to expose themselves to the sun with little protection, as they must be outside to work, go to school, or attend to everyday business.

Unfortunately, the medical issues the people with albinism face are the least of their worries in rural East Africa. The threat of brutal violence looms over them at all times. Tanzanian Prime Minister Mizengo Peter Pinda has condemned these violent crimes, as he should, against people with albinism, but judicial and enforcement barriers remain.

My meeting with Mariamu and local families concerned about her plight has moved me to take action. I am contacting President Obama and the State Department to urge them to place diplomatic pressure on Tanzania to end these crimes against humanity and to provide education to dispel this myth that body parts of those with albinism have any supernatural properties.

I also believe we must look at providing humanitarian and medical assistance to people with albinism in East Africa, with a focus particularly in Tanzania, where most of these brutal crimes have occurred. To this end, I plan to introduce a House Resolution recognizing the plight of people with

albinism in East Africa, Mr. Speaker, condemning their murder and mutilation, and advocating remedies to bring an end to this heinous and misguided behavior.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my deepest sympathy to the people of Haiti as they cope with the aftermath of yesterday's massive earthquake. The tremendous loss of life and the untold devastation has left the capital of Port-au-Prince in ruins and countless families facing the untold horrors of loved ones injured or killed. This earthquake has shown us nature's worst.

The world's response to this awful tragedy will demonstrate the best of human nature. Many people will offer relief and assistance, through time and money. As we have always done in times of international disaster, the United States is sending aid to Haiti, including Fairfax County's Urban Search and Rescue Team 1 (USAR Team 1), which deployed this morning.

USAR Team 1 is one of two urban search and rescue teams nationwide that report to the U.S. Agency for International Development--Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance for humanitarian deployments. This highly trained rescue team has deployed to numerous locations across the globe, saving lives in areas such as Armenia, Indonesia, Romania, Kenya, Bolivia, Oklahoma City, and the Pentagon, providing critical lifesaving rescues, especially in building collapse situations.

In this terrible time of tragedy, Fairfax County's USAR Team 1 represents the best that America has to offer, hope and a commitment

to helping those in need. I commend the men and women of USAR Team 1 on their heroic efforts, mourn for those who lost their lives and pray for those awaiting aid.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight an ongoing crime against humanity in East Africa and particularly in Tanzania: the butchering of people with albinism in order to sell their body parts for profit.

According to rumors spread by witch doctors, the body parts of people with albinism can bring good luck. A single limb of a person with albinism can sell somewhere from $500 to $2,000, a king's ransom in much of the countryside of Tanzania. I recently met with a survivor of this horrific crime who told me her dramatic story in her own words-- Mariamu Stanford, a 28-year-old woman with albinism, from rural Tanzania.

One night in October of 2008, Mariamu was attacked in her sleep by a group of machete-wielding men who cut off both of her arms. In the end, she also lost her unborn child. Despite all this, she is a survivor who is relaying her story in the hopes that these brutal crimes against people with albinism will end.

To this extent, Madam Speaker, I will be introducing a House resolution recognizing the plight of people in East Africa with albinism, condemning their murder and mutilation, and calling for swift action by our country and that of Tanzania.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the exemplary public service of Jimmie Jenkins, whose leadership and contributions in the field of wastewater management made him a vital resource to local governments in Northern Virginia and across the nation.

Jimmie Jenkins is retiring as director of the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services, capping a 33- year career in which he helped shaped the county's building, environmental and inspection services. This actually is the second time Jimmie has retired from Fairfax County. He originally retired in 2001 from the county's wastewater division, but he returned in 2004 to oversee the entire public works agency.

I had the great pleasure of working with Jimmie during my 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including 5 as chairman. When retirement notices would come before the board, my colleagues and I often would say in good humor that someone should pass a law prohibiting such decisions because we could not bear to part with such dedicated and talented people. We actually succeeded in Jimmie's case by luring him out of retirement once, but it looks like he is serious this time.

Jimmie built a reputation in Fairfax as a charismatic ``can do'' manager, known for his direct ``tell-it-like-it-is'' style and his unabashed support for his alma matter, Virginia Tech, as evidenced by his large collection of maroon and orange ties. Jimmie began his career in the former Department of Environmental Management in 1973 as a structural engineer, reviewing plans for compliance with the building code. He has held several positions within the wastewater management area, including the

director of the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the position of director of the Systems Engineering and Monitoring Division, from which he retired in 2001. After returning to Fairfax County in 2004, Jimmie successfully steered the Department of Public Works and Environmental Services with his extensive institutional knowledge.

During my tenure as chairman of the county board, Jimmie was instrumental in advancing major initiatives to establish Green building standards and expand storm water management efforts. We dedicated the value of one penny on the local tax rate to address critical needs, including stream and dam restoration, rehabilitation of our aging infrastructure and master planning of our 30 watersheds to protect them for future generations. Jimmie also played a major role in laying the foundation for implementing the board's bold 20-year Environmental Vision.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the many accomplishments of Jimmie Jenkins as he brings his distinguished career with Fairfax County to an end. The efforts of Jimmie and those who work with him largely happen behind the scenes, but the tangible benefits can be seen throughout our community on a daily basis, from the sophisticated treatment of wastewater to the more frequent use of low impact development practices to the improving health of the stream near your home. I am proud to have worked with Jimmie and thankful that our community will benefit from his contributions for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor three principals from public schools in my district: Ms. Debra Lane of Rolling Valley Elementary School; Mr. Sal Rivera of Flint Hill Elementary; and Mr. Dwayne Young of Centreville Elementary School. These principals have shown a remarkable commitment to environmental education, actively incorporating it into their own curricula and seeking to promote it across Fairfax County. All three have increased outdoor learning opportunities for students and teachers in their schools and were instrumental in establishing a teacher professional development program focusing on the Chesapeake Bay for Fairfax principals and teachers.

They are helping to teach children new ways to engage academically and behaviorally, while fostering a stronger sense of community and connectedness to their surroundings. Through their efforts they have increased environmental awareness and promoted stewardship in younger generations, benefiting the Chesapeake Bay by educating about the dangerous effects of pollution.

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation recognized their dedication by naming them 2009 Environmental Educators of the Year. This annual award, dating back more than a decade, recognizes individuals in the field of education within the Chesapeake Bay watershed who have contributed significantly to our understanding of the Bay ecosystem through an academic program.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of myself and my constituents, I ask that my colleagues join me in congratulating Ms. Lane, Mr. Rivera, and Mr. Young for this recognition and thanking them for their service.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor one of the finest public servants in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia's history for a 32-year career in which he shepherded regional efforts to provide for the basic needs of children and families throughout our community.

Verdia L. Haywood will retire Jan. 19, 2010, from his role as deputy county executive for human services, but his legacy--in terms of services, mentoring and partnerships--will endure. I had the great pleasure of working with Verdia during my 14 years of service on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, including five years as chairman. When retirement notices would come before the board, my colleagues and I often would say in good humor that someone should pass a law prohibiting such decisions because we could not bear to part with such dedicated and talented people, and that certainly is the case here.

Verdia began his career in Fairfax in 1978 as Executive Assistant to the County Executive, which made him the primary liaison between the county executive's office and the Board of Supervisors. He soon began working with the county's human services agencies and in 1981 was appointed to his current position as deputy county executive. During a career spanning more than three decades, Verdia oversaw the expansion and delivery of a wide array of services to meet the diverse needs of Fairfax County's population. Verdia was responsible for every facet of the human services portfolio, which included the departments of health; community and recreation services; housing and community development; family services; juvenile and domestic relations court services; human rights; community services board, which includes behavioral and mental health; homelessness; and much more. He was the architect of a coordinated service delivery system that has become a regional and national model.

During his tenure, the county's population doubled, increasing the demands for new and basic services. Verdia was one of the first to recognize that the county alone could not meet the multitude of needs, and he led a successful effort to cultivate the network of nonprofit, faith, business, school and other local partners that now comprise the safety net of our community. Behind his soft-spoken leadership was an unwavering passion for people, which along with his infectious optimism and laughter, motivated people from all sectors of the community to want to be a part of improving the lives of others and maintaining the critical investments we made in Fairfax County.

When I was chairman of the county board, Verdia was instrumental in advancing major initiatives to address the lack of affordable housing, the needs of our growing senior population and the challenges of homelessness. In each of these cases, we hosted community summits, assembled task forces of community stakeholders and developed action plans with measurable outcomes. We preserved more than 2,000 affordable housing units for low- and moderate-income families that otherwise would have been lost to redevelopment pressures from the marketplace. We opened a new family homeless shelter, initiated a 10 year plan to prevent and end homelessness using the ``housing first'' model, and created a new office to oversee its implementation. We expanded the mission of our Agency on Aging with a 50+Action Plan that laid out more than 60 recommendations for improving the quality of life for our exploding senior population--including expanded health and transportation services and volunteer opportunities. Also during this time, Verdia oversaw a complete redesign of our Community Services Board model, through which we provide mental health, mental retardation, and alcohol and drug prevention and intervention services. These are just a sampling of Verdia's accomplishments that will have a profound and lasting impact on our community.

Prior to his service in Fairfax County, Verdia spent a few years working with the City of

Richmond, where he helped establish the city's Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse System. In addition to his work with the city, Verdia served as an adjunct professor at Virginia Union University, where he helped develop an Urban Studies Program. He received his bachelor's degree with honors in 1970 from Alcorn State University in his native Mississippi. While attending Alcorn State, he received a Ford Foundation grant to study economics at Tulane University. He later earned a national urban fellowship to attend graduate school at the University of Illinois, where he received his Master's in Public Administration.

His tremendous work on behalf of Fairfax County and Northern Virginia have been recognized by the National Forum of Black Public Administrators, the American Society of Public Administrators, Leadership Fairfax, the Fairfax Bar Association, the Service Source Network, New Hope Housing, the Human Services Coalition of Northern Virginia and the Virginia General Assembly.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the many accomplishments of Verdia L. Haywood as he brings his distinguished career with Fairfax County to an end. He has set a high standard for public service, and I am proud to have worked with him during my time in Fairfax County. We will miss him terribly, but, thankfully, our community will continue to benefit from his work and innovation in the delivery of human services for many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I am intrigued to hear my good friend from Florida talk about deficits as if the Republican Party, when it was in the majority and controlling the White House, had nothing to do with creating record deficits after inheriting record surpluses.

Mr. Speaker, as we continue on the path to economic recovery, and as we maintain our focus on putting millions of Americans back to work, we must reduce long-term deficits, I agree. The actions we have taken to stabilize the economy and to spur economic and job growth will be for naught if our long-term economic health is imperiled by ever-rising budget deficits.

I stand here today in favor of a significant tool for deficit reduction, the dedication of unused TARP funds.

When first proposed by the previous administration, TARP was a $700 billion program designed to prevent the financial sector from collapse. In its own way it's had measured success. The bank stress tests applied earlier this year indicated that the financial sector was, in fact, stabilizing. A number of banks, most recently the Bank of America and Citigroup, have, in fact, begun to pay back their TARP loan funds.

The unused TARP funds represent hundreds of billions of dollars potentially in deficit reduction. In fact, they represent what would be the largest single deficit reduction in American history. As we stand at an economic crossroads, I believe we must seize advantage of this prospect and dedicate a significant portion of those remaining TARP funds to deficit reduction.

This would build on the actions we already have undertaken to reduce the deficit. In March, Congress passed the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2010 that lowers the budget deficit to a third of the current amount within 4 years. This summer the House of Representatives passed legislation to reinstitute one of the most significant deficit reduction tools in recent memory, statutory pay-as- you-go, or PAYGO, legislation. PAYGO requires all reductions in revenue or increases in entitlement spending to be offset with other spending cuts or alternative sources of funding, a mechanism the Republican Congress let expire in 2002.

Yearly deficits, unfortunately, are not a new phenomenon. In fact, starting with fiscal year 1970, we had 28 straight deficits. But Congress took action and enacted statutory PAYGO in 1990. Starting in fiscal year 1998, President Clinton presided over four straight budget surpluses. The last time we had that many surpluses in a row was in the 1920s. Sustained surpluses are the result of sound economic policy and fiscal responsibility, which, quite frankly, had been sorely lacking these last past 8 years, Mr. Speaker.

Make no mistake. As this Congress took office in January, we were handed a deficit that was $1 trillion. How is that possible? How could we go from four straight surpluses with projected future surpluses totaling $5.6 trillion to an inherited $1 trillion deficit this year? How could record surpluses become record deficits? Fiscal irresponsibility.

The current recession, which began in 2007 and accounted for $479 billion of the fiscal year 2009 deficit, was the result of a concerted effort to avoid reasonable oversight of the financial sector. The risky and destructive behavior engaged in by a number of financial institutions was long ignored and in some ways subtly encouraged by a culture of deregulation on the other side of the aisle. The ensuing recession threw millions of Americans out of work and exacerbated the deficit.

Fiscal irresponsibility was a hallmark of the Bush administration. Three of President Bush's signature policies--his tax cuts, his prescription drug program, and his decision to start the Iraq War-- resulted in further yearly debt of more than $670 billion. None of these policies were paid for. How could such gross fiscal irresponsibility occur by conservative Republicans?

It occurred in large part because President Bush and the Republican- controlled Congress allowed statutory PAYGO to lapse in 2002, perhaps the most intellectually honest budgetary action they, in fact, took during that time period. And what should have come as no surprise to anyone, because of that action, or lack of action, budget deficits returned the very next year. By allowing PAYGO to die, the Republicans were no longer constrained in their spending habits. They coupled reckless behavior with reckless disregard for the consequences and now expect the American people to believe their newfound concern for deficits. Where was that concern when we voted this year to reinstitute statutory PAYGO? Only 24 Republicans in this House of Representatives voted in favor of returning fiscal responsibility to the Congress.

Mr. Speaker, long-term financial stability depends on the continuance of our fiscal responsibilities. Long-term job growth depends upon a stable and growing economy. Long-term economic stability depends upon sustainable Federal budgets. Now, Mr. Speaker, is the time for the dedication of a significant portion of unused TARP funds for deficit reduction. The American people count on us.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I want to join in with my colleagues on the other side in rejecting the findings of the task force, all 16 members who were appointed by Republican President George Bush.

Although the incidence of breast cancer in young women is much lower than that of older women, young women's cancers are generally more aggressive, are diagnosed at a later stage, and result in lower survival rates. In 2008 the American Cancer Society estimated there would be 182,460 new cases of breast cancer in women. Of these, more than 11,000 of these women would be under 40 years of age.

While no currently available breast cancer tool is perfect, we know that intervention, through routine screening for breast cancer, using mammography, can save lives of women at a time when medical science is still unable to prevent the disease. This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding guidelines for breast cancer screening for women ages 40 to 49 and supports the importance of women's access to mammography screening.

I urge my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to support the resolution and commend Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Representative Lois Capps for their leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise voicing my strong support for H.R. 2194 because America's patience is not limitless.

Mr. Speaker, it is time to strengthen the hand of the Administration and our allies to address the threat of a nuclear Iran. I proudly cosponsored the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act, which gives the President the authority to impose stiffer economic sanctions targeting Iran's oil production. The bill adds such activities as selling refined gasoline or supplying equipment for construction of oil refineries to the list of prohibited activities under the Iran Sanctions Act.

In January President Obama made a fundamental shift in our diplomatic strategy with Iran. He extended an olive branch with the hope of initiating the first serious talks with Tehran in decades, but that approach was conditioned on the Iran leaders being willing and equal partners.

Unfortunately, those leaders have consistently rejected our overtures and continue to develop Iran's nuclear capabilities in defiance of repeated demands from the United Nations that it suspend such activities. Missile tests in the spring and fall of this year, coupled with the recent revelation of a secret enrichment facility brings new urgency--as evidenced by the growing support within the international community for further action. Just this week, we learn of yet another secretive program to develop the technological components for triggering a nuclear device.

These new sanctions can and will bring additional pressure to bear on the Ahmedinejad regime. Iran's insistence on enrichment, along with its ties to groups like Hezbollah, is cause for great concern not just in the Middle East. This bill states firmly that U.S. patience is not limitless. I urge my colleagues to support it.