Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment would add $10 million to the Federal Transit Administration's formula and bus grants. I do this to give our elderly and physically disabled a chance to get around their community.

Many of our disabled and elderly aren't working. They don't have the money to afford a car, to afford car insurance, especially in the city of Detroit where insurance rates are really prohibitive for many people. This allocation of an additional $10 million would provide the elderly and our citizens who are physically disabled with the mobility that they need to enjoy their lives, and I urge your support.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Point of Order

Mr. Chairman, I would request that the bill be read, to the extent that the gentleman had an issue about the bill not being read.

I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I do understand the procedural limitations raised by the gentleman from Iowa on my amendment. My goal here was to provide those citizens with physical disabilities some way to get around their community because, many times, even if they can afford to buy a vehicle or auto insurance, they may not be able to drive that vehicle.

I look forward to working with the subcommittee chair, the gentleman from Iowa, on other ways that we could better serve our citizens who are elderly and who have physical disabilities.

Thank you very much. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, I'd like to thank our broadcasters for providing free radio and television broadcasting and warnings to our public that protects our families from impending disasters.

And to better warn our public in future emergencies, I ask this Congress to consider how we can make local free radio broadcasting available on all of our cell phones. You see, providing these broadcast warnings through our mobile devices could be the most effective way that we can protect our families when disaster hits.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would add $10 million to State and local grant programs under this budget, and the offset would be from the management account.

I'm offering this amendment because our State and local units of government don't have the revenue to adequately protect our citizens in the event of a natural disaster or another emergency. The housing crisis has depressed housing values throughout this country and, as a result, has lowered the tax base from which State and local governments depend on raising their revenue.

I urge this House to approve this amendment to better prepare our State and local units of government for emergencies and other natural disasters and terrorist attacks which could occur.

I appreciate your support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Runyan) for offering this amendment.

I have joined him in a bipartisan fashion because our local units of governments need this money to be able to rehire their firefighters and to get the training equipment that they need to better prepare our firefighters to respond to a natural disaster or a terrorist attack.

I support this amendment. This will help cities like Detroit and other municipalities in metro Detroit that need to apply for these funds. This provides more money--back to the level in prior years--so that our communities can be safer.

Again, I want to commend the author of this amendment. He has my support. I'm honored to be on this amendment as a cosponsor.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would add $10 million to FEMA's State and local grant programs. This will be an additional $10 million that our State governments and our local units of government could have available to them to better protect their citizens in the case of an emergency and also to respond more effectively to such a disaster.

This money can go to high-risk urban areas such as metro Detroit that really need the resources. It can also go to better protect and secure our ports, which would also benefit regions like metropolitan Detroit.

Again, the reason why I come to this Congress, to this budget and ask for these additional resources is because in the past this Congress failed to properly oversee the housing market, which resulted in a crisis that dramatically reduced property values all around this country and, most tragically, reduced the revenues available to States and localities to fund these important services.

That's why I'm asking this Congress, this House, to amend this budget to provide an additional $10 million to our States and local units of government so they can better protect our citizens in case of an emergency.

I look for your support.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I rise to engage in a colloquy with the esteemed subcommittee chair.

First of all, I wanted to support the inclusion of $47 million in the National Science Foundation Educational and Human Resources Account. This is going to really further the effort to help educate Americans in the area of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It will help inspire many of our young people to study math and science and then go into these engineering and technology fields as careers.

Some of the most engaging ways to inspire young people to study math and science involve informal education settings, such as our science centers throughout this country, most notably, the Detroit Science Center, which engages in programs that inspire many inner-city youth and metro-Detroit youth to get involved in education in science and mathematics.

So I wanted to thank the chair and the ranking member for including the resources in the National Science Foundation's budget to help provide competitive grants to many organizations such as the Detroit Science Center to help further inspire and engage our young people to study math and science.

And we have a lot of jobs available, even in metro Detroit in manufacturing and technology. We just need the people trained in those areas. This effort, this funding will help encourage many of our young people to enjoy the intellectual stimulation of math and science, and then encourage them to go into careers that are not only fruitful for them, but will help our country's economy become more competitive in the global marketplace.

I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.

Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Thank you, Chairman Wolf and Ranking Member Fattah, members of the greatest fraternity there is.

As a member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee that authorizes the National Science Foundation, I wanted to thank the leaders of this budget for fully funding the National Science Foundation's education budget according to the President's recommendation. This is going to help us provide more education to our young people, especially youth from the inner city, who very rarely get a chance to be educated in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, because this is the only way--one of the most powerful ways--that our young people can get the education and training that they need to get good-paying jobs.

This funding in this budget will help centers such as the Detroit Science Center better reach out to these young people. And we're looking forward to the soon reopening of the Detroit Science Center. Again, we thank this budget for the support of the National Science Foundation, which will be able to help provide resources on a competitive basis to centers around the country such as the Detroit Science Center.

I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) for yielding me time.

We've talked about the cost of capping student loan interest rates. Well, I think we should extend the cap for longer than a year, and we don't need to cut people's health care screenings in order to do it. Let's create jobs. That's how we can create the economic revenue.

One of the best ways for us to create jobs is to allow student loan borrowers the ability to pay down on their loans according to their income for 10 years and then making them eligible to have the balance of their student loans, if they owe any, be forgiven.

That's the best economic stimulus. These loans are not just for the benefit of the borrower. It also makes our country stronger. The more our people are trained and educated, we can sell the best products overseas and create the best technology. That creates jobs for this country.

It's in our national interest to help pay down these debts and forgive certain student loans. Let's redirect some of our money from Afghanistan and Iraq and use the savings to forgive student loans.

I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), for yielding me time.

My message to our colleagues in the House of Representatives is very clear and direct: we've got to continue to cap student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent.

Student-loan borrowers and their families should not have to pay more on their student-loan debt. The President has done all he can do right now to help bring relief to our student-loan borrowers. Now it's time for Congress to act, but Congress has to do more. We need to reform the system. We've got to change the system. That's why I wrote and introduced the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012. It will help cut student-loan debt, free up borrowers' money so they can invest it on their own. That's a real economic stimulus that will create jobs here in this country.

So I want to thank you again, Mr. Garamendi, for yielding me time.

Thank you again. And you're absolutely correct. If we keep the student loan burden low on our borrowers--I mean, it's not low; many student-loan borrowers are paying like $1,000 a month on their loans. But the more that our borrowers can keep their money and invest it, start their own businesses--think about it, our students, our graduates are the ones that have the ambition and the discipline to be able to go through school, to graduate. They're likely the ones that would start their own businesses, be entrepreneurs. That's how you build jobs and create financial security for not only our families, but also economic security for our country.

But many of our borrowers right now, they can't take the risk of starting their own business, even starting a family--let alone buying a home--because of student-loan debt. So if we can keep that debt as low as possible, that will help stimulate our economy. It's a great job- growth stimulus.

Thank you, Mr. Garamendi. And the other point that you're making about student loans and capping these interest rates, how they'll create jobs, that's absolutely right. When our borrowers are freed up to not have to pay these high interest rates, that will create jobs.

Now, some people say, well, the student loan borrower signed the student loan agreement that had the high interest rate on there so they should pay that interest rate, but this is the main point: Those student loans that our government issues to students and to their parents to provide our students with a way to get their education when they can't afford to pay for that education, that's not just to help that student get a degree. Those loans are here to help our country become stronger. Here's why.

The more Americans that we have who are properly trained, who are able to be productive and contribute to our country to their fullest potential, they're able to create more jobs by building the best products, by providing the best services, by developing the best technology that can be sold worldwide. That helps our entire economy. So these loans are to strengthen our entire national economy. It's not just for the borrowers' benefit.

So that's why we don't want these interest rates to be so high. We want to put a cap on them. And in my bill, the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012, I allow virtually every student loan borrower to have a second chance to pay lower rates on their student loan by allowing them to pay down their student loan according to their income. So if they're not making that much money, they don't have to pay much money.

Specifically, my bill would allow borrowers to pay 10 percent of their discretionary income each year, and once they do that for a 10- year period, the remainder of their Federal student loans will be eligible to be forgiven because we want to free up the borrowers' money so they can now invest it, invest it on starting a business, invest it on buying a home, starting a family. All of that will help create jobs.

You see, cutting student loans, keeping the student loan debt low, as low as possible, that's an economic stimulus for all of us. It makes our country stronger. It creates jobs.

Many of us told our kids, and we were also really taught by society, you know, if you work hard, if you study hard, if you go to school, if you even borrow money to get your degree and graduate, you'll live a better life. You'll likely make more money.

Well, because of student loan debt, because it's grown so much, because of the prospect also of interest rates going back up, the American Dream that was supposedly created by the availability of student loan debt has now become a nightmare to many borrowers. And we've got to cut this debt.

This is the real debt, my colleague from California, that we need to cut, because this is the debt that really costs us jobs. We need to cut student loan debt. We can take that initial step right now by keeping student loan interest rates on Stafford loans at 3.4 percent. That's the first step.

Now I'm asking the American people, demand that Congress reform the student loan system. Let's change the system. Let's make it affordable for everyone to be able to get a decent education and to repay that money back.

So again, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to share this time with you and the American people. This is so important.

You know, many times in this body we talk about we've got to cut taxes to stimulate the economy, that we've got to cut debt in order to provide people freedom. Well, what person in this country can be free when they have to personally pay student loan debt that will take them years or even decades, if ever they'll be able to pay that off.

And the reason why I say that is that I know senior citizens now who are still repaying their student loans. And at their age, there's no way they'll be able to pay those loans off. And it doesn't matter if they go bankrupt. Going bankrupt doesn't mean anything. The government will still come after you for all the student loan money because you can't discharge your student loan debt in bankruptcy.

It's a cruel, unfair burden that certain students' loans are imposed on Americans. We need to cut that burden. Cutting that burden is not only fair, but it will create jobs for our country. We want our graduates to be able to have their money to invest, invest on starting their own businesses.

I'm from Detroit. Our city was built up. We built up this country's economy because of entrepreneurs who were able to pursue their dreams. Now the very people that we have trained to pursue their dreams can't do so because of student loan debt. That's outrageous.

Congress, keep student loan interest rates at 3.4 percent. Cap those rates. Do it now.

You're very welcome, Representative Courtney. I thank the gentleman from Connecticut for raising this important issue and for introducing this important bill, which I'm very honored to support.

We've got to keep interest rates low on student loans. 3.4 percent is reasonable. The Federal Government shouldn't be in the business of trying to make money or extract more money from student loan borrowers. The real problem with these interest rates, if we allow them to go up, is that if a borrower, for some reason, can't make a payment because they're sick, because they get laid off, maybe they get a divorce, that the interest rate would

then compound. The interest would apply on top of interest, and the loan principal will actually start growing as the student loan borrower's income drops. So it puts student loan borrowers in a position where it could take them decades, if ever, to pay off their loans if they're in financial hardship. And that's not right.

As the gentleman from Illinois said, these loans are to provide people with educational opportunities, to give them a chance to get a degree where otherwise they wouldn't have the money to be able to do so. But instead, Representative Courtney, of these loans providing borrowers with a chance of experiencing the American Dream, the debt burden is so high on many of our graduates right now that the student loan debt has actually turned into a national nightmare. As you mentioned, over $1 trillion of debt is owed by student loan borrowers. These aren't just the graduates. There are parents that also borrow money and take out student loans that help fund the education of their kids so their kids can have a better life.

I've introduced a bill, H.R. 4170, to complement your efforts. It's the Student Loan Forgiveness Act of 2012. In that bill, I adopt your position on keeping the interest rates on student loans, Federal student loans, at 3.4 percent. Then I also want to make student loan repayment fairer and simpler by allowing every student loan borrower to get a second chance. Yes, you may have fallen behind on your payments-- you may even be in default--but I want you to have a second chance to pay off your loans and to continue your education.

So, under my bill, every student loan borrower who is currently in repayment right now or has already taken out a loan will be able to repay that loan based on their income, 10 percent of their discretionary income. They make those payments for 10 years, and they'll be eligible to have the balance of their student loans, if there is anything outstanding, to be forgiven. But if you pay 10 percent of your discretionary income for 10 years, more than likely, you'll pay off a substantial amount of your loans if not the entire loan balance.

But for those who have had to borrow a lot of money because you decided to get a graduate education or maybe you came from a family that didn't have much money so that your only chance to get an education was to borrow student loans, you won't be saddled with those loans for decades. You'll be able to pay them off over 10 years, which is the standard term for student loan repayment.

One thing I'd like to add, though, about the bill is this: that forgiving the balance of these student loans is not just to help the borrower. It's also to help our country. Cutting student loan debt, keeping the interest rates down, and forgiving student loans that pose an excessive burden on Americans, that's the most effective, one of the most effective, ways to stimulate our economy to create jobs.

Think about it. A student loan borrower, instead of having to pay hundreds of dollars a month, maybe even $1,000 a month, that after they've paid it according to their income, according to their means, for 10 years, to have the balance of that forgiven so now they have this money available to use as they choose it, to invest, to start their own business. And think about it: our graduates, those are the ones that were disciplined enough to go to school. They were ambitious enough to set their sights on a goal and achieve it. Those are precisely the folks that we want to encourage to go into business because it's through private business, free enterprise, that we really create jobs in a sustainable way in this country. Let's free up people's money so they can start their own businesses and realize the American Dream, not just for themselves, but for everyone else.

I'm from the city of Detroit. We've always been a tough place, but we've had great entrepreneurs who risked everything, like Henry Ford, to create and expand the automobile industry in this country, which created jobs for millions of Americans for generations. We have so many young people right now who are ready to work and ready to start their own businesses, but they're not going to take any risk like that because they're too much in debt. They won't even buy a house because they can't afford it. Many student loan borrowers even postpone probably the most precious thing that anyone could get involved in--our great institution of marriage--and they put that off.

So, the student loan debt, it's not only a burden on the borrowers, on the parents, it's costing our society jobs and economic growth; and we're costing the global market the opportunity to be benefited by the great products that our country could produce, the great services that we could provide, the great technology that we could develop and create and sell globally. We are depriving the world of that because many of our budding entrepreneurs can't take the risk of starting their own businesses because they're in the hock of student loan debt, which is outrageous.

So, I want to thank you again for your leadership, for your persistent leadership on keeping student loan interest rates down at a reasonable level. As you can see, everyone around the country, including Members of the other party, they understand the commonsense notion of that.

See, these loans, again--essentially I'm talking to the American people because they understand this. These loans that the government provides you, it's not just for your benefit, it's to make our country stronger. There's a reason why we had the GI Bill after World War II. The more educated, the more trained, the more that we're able to develop our skills to our fullest potential, we're able to do more for ourselves and our community and for our country. See, that's what America is all about.

The reason this is such a big deal for me is that my dad immigrated to this country during the midst of the Great Depression, the midst of the Great Depression, the roughest time economically for this country, because he saw America as a land of opportunity. My mother, who was African American, had to struggle for years under discrimination and segregation in Detroit in the thirties and the forties and fifties. She was a school crossing guard and a cleaning lady who saved up all of her money so I could get a chance to get an education. But after I dropped out of school and after my parents died, the only way I could return to college is I had to borrow student loans. I thank this country for having those loans available as an opportunity for me to get an education, to come here and to be able to effectively represent the people of this country.

But you know what the problem is now, Representative, is that students who want to get the same education that I did decades ago, they may not be able to afford to do it. Even if they could borrow the money, they can't afford the costs that they'll have to endure in trying to pay off that debt year after year, decade after decade. That's not right. The Federal Government shouldn't have that kind of power to press people, robbing them of their money--because it's our money that we're using to pay off these loans--and robbing us of our job and economic potential.

So thank you again for your leadership. I'm very honored to join you in your endeavor to make student loan financing fairer for our country, but also, too, to let you know my bill, H.R. 4170, the Student Loan Forgiveness Act, I offer to complement your efforts to provide equal opportunity for education for all of us here in this country.

Your request for us to keep interest rates at 3.4 percent is so reasonable that we need to act on that right now. The point that you mention, that we need to have these loans available for our students so they can get the training that they need to be hired into jobs that are going unfilled right now, in metropolitan Detroit, which is known for having a high unemployment rate, where people really want to go to work, there are thousands of jobs that are available in metro Detroit that are not being filled because employers can't find the folks that have the training in the information technology area for software engineering.

So, we want to encourage people to go to school even if they don't have the money. We want them to be able to borrow loans without having to go into this type of debt.

My final point is this, too: that if we allow borrowers to be burdened by student loan debt to such a degree that they can't pay off their debt, we, as taxpayers, are on the hook for this debt. Probably one-half trillion of it is taxpayer backed. So we're on the hook for this one way or the other. We should give our borrowers a helping hand so they can manage their student loan repayments, pay this debt down, and then get on with their lives and help us create jobs throughout this country and throughout this world by selling the best products that metro Detroit knows how to do.

Mr. Speaker, today I will introduce the Detroit Growth and Stability Act, which will provide up to $500 million in loans to the city of Detroit.

I am asking this House, this Congress, and this administration to give Detroit, the arsenal of democracy, a second chance--a second chance to build the best products, a second chance to create the best technologies that could be sold worldwide which will create jobs, jobs not only for southeastern Michigan--because our city and our suburbs are linked together--but also jobs throughout this country.

You see, the best way that we can renew America's economy, the most effective way, is to help rebuild Detroit. I urge your support for this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Indian Village Tennis Club's 100th anniversary on April 16, 2012. The Indian Village Tennis Club is a rich part of Detroit's history.

The Indian Village Tennis Club has owned its property since 1894, and began using the tennis courts and clubhouse on April 16, 1912. The Indian Village Tennis Club is located in Detroit's historic Indian Village neighborhood, and is the oldest tennis club in the United States to remain at its original site.

Club members enjoy the clay tennis courts, clubhouse, and perennial garden from May to October. The club has hosted numerous tournaments, lessons with tennis professionals, and social events promoting healthy living and wellness. Club members are active in the community.

It is with honor that I recognize the Indian Village Tennis Club for being a valuable organization in the Metro Detroit community for 100 years.

I am proud to have such a distinguished club in my community and I look forward to its continued success.

Mr. Speaker, today I have introduced H.R. 4170, a bill that will forgive student loan debt for millions of hardworking Americans.

This bill provides that if a student loan borrower makes payments equal to 10 percent of their discretionary income for a period of 10 years, the balance of their Federal student loan debt will be forgiven. This provides student loan borrowers with a second chance, those who have been struggling financially. By cutting this debt, this frees up their money to invest on their own. That will create new jobs throughout this country.

It's time for Congress to stand for the rights of student loan borrowers. It's time to forgive these student loan debts.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for yielding to me.

I am one of the newest members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Being a freshman here in this body, you become immediately aware of the traditions of the House. For example, male Members of the House are referred to as the gentleman from the State that they represent. Donald Payne was a gentleman not because he was elected to Congress but because he was a good, decent human being. He welcomed me with open arms as a new guy from Detroit that very few in the House even knew about.

Less than 2 weeks ago, Donald Payne returned a call that I had placed to him. We had a short, but gracious, conversation. And I knew after I hung up the phone that I would see him soon right here in the Halls of Congress, but that never came to pass. The lesson is clear to all of us: our time, our life here on Earth is very fleeting. Let's do everything we can to cherish each moment, not necessarily to pursue a wild ambition or do a lot of things, but just to be like Donald Payne, respecting others, caring for others. That's what he stood for.

Mr. Speaker, I'm speaking directly to the American people today, to all families

who are burdened by student-loan debt. A solution is on the way. I am working on bills that will responsibly forgive certain student loans and provide every student-loan borrower with basic consumer protections by enacting a student-loan borrower bill of rights.

I urge every Member of Congress to help our American families get out of this debt so they can live better lives and create jobs for America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Darron McKinney as a law enforcement officer and role model in Detroit, Michigan.

Officer McKinney caught the nation's attention when he gave a riveting performance of his original song, ``A Call to Courage,'' at the National Law Enforcement Officers memorial candlelight vigil on May 13, 2001 in Washington D.C. The song pays tribute to slain police officers and their families.

After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the song became a symbol of American bravery and unity, and is now considered a tribute to the first responders who served in the 9/11 recovery efforts. Many local and national TV stations broadcast the footage of Officer McKinney's performance, and the performance is regularly televised on the Pentagon Network.

Ten years after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Officer McKinney's song reminds us of the love and appreciation we have for our first responders and members of our military. When disaster strikes, first responders like Officer McKinney help keep our families, neighborhoods, and communities safe.

``A Call to Courage'' is a fitting tribute to our men and women in uniform. It is with great honor that I recognize Officer McKinney's contributions.

A Call to Courage

Officer Darron McKinney

Life, the chance to live, the chance to learn, the chance

to teach, the chance to give, test you made a choice, you

took a stand, you took the oath, you found your voice.

You made the sacrifice, then you took God's advice, you

heard your call to courage.

Shield the public trust, protecting lives, respect and

pride to serve and honor. Faith, your trust in God, that

special path, you must be brave to guard our freedom.

When your life's on the line, in your heart and your mind

you have a call to courage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Alescia Maraboushontrell Hollowell for her scholastic achievement, community service, and being named Miss Black Michigan USA 2012.

Ms. Hollowell, a native Detroiter, served as class vice-president and graduated magna cum laude from Cass Technical High School in 2005. While a student at Michigan State University, Ms. Hollowell was a Ronald McNair Scholar, peer mentor, and Dance Team member. Ms. Hollowell made the Dean's List and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science--Health Studies. Currently, Ms. Hollowell is a full-time graduate student at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health.

As Miss Black Michigan USA 2012, Ms. Hollowell works with girls to address issues of body image, self-esteem, and teenage obesity.

Ms. Hollowell's scholastic achievement and belief that education is the key to lifelong growth and empowerment is inspiring to young women in Metro Detroit and throughout our nation.

Ms. Hollowell's passion for public service is evident. It is with great honor that I recognize Ms. Hollowell and wish her the best in her career and at the Miss Black USA 2012 pageant.