Floor Statements

I appreciate the gentleman from the State of Washington's yielding, my good friend Doc Hastings; and also Dr. Christensen for her leadership on the other side of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1454, a bill I was pleased to introduce along with the subcommittee chairlady, Madeleine Bordallo and 153 other Members of the House of Representatives.

This legislation was unanimously adopted by the House of Representatives on December 7, 2009, and it was approved by the Senate on July 29 of this year. Prior to its passage, the Senate made several modifications to H.R. 1454. These included a reduction in the duration of time that the semipostal stamp will be available to the public and a stipulation that only one flagship species may be depicted on the stamps.

I reviewed these changes and believe they do not undermine the fundamental goal of this measure, which is to create an alternative funding source for highly endangered African and Asian elephants, rhinoceroses and tigers, great apes and marine turtles at no cost to U.S. taxpayers.

While it is true that the U.S. Postal Service has had statutory authority to issue semipostal stamps for over a decade, it has been the Congress that has directed that they be issued for breast cancer research, 9/11 responders, and victims of domestic violence.

Under H.R. 1454, the American public would have the opportunity to support these six multinational species by purchasing these semipostal stamps. They would be sold at a premium price, and after the Postal Service has deducted all of its administrative costs, the remaining proceeds will be transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It will be the Service's responsibility to select those conservation projects that best achieve the goal of protecting the remaining populations of these highly imperiled animals.

I am confident that once these stamps are available, they will be extremely popular with the American people. I have been assured that they will be widely sold at aquariums, post offices, and zoos throughout this country. Based on previous experience, we know that a large number of people will buy these semipostals and will never use them. As a result, the Postal Service will realize a significant profit from their sale.

This legislation offers us a unique opportunity to establish a new creative funding mechanism, for a limited period of time, at no cost to the American taxpayer, to help save some of the most iconic and endangered species on this planet.

Finally, I want to thank those Members who co-sponsored this legislation, and also Chairman Rahall and ranking Republican Doc Hastings, Chairman Ed Towns, and ranking Republican Darrell Issa, Chairman Joe Lieberman and Senators Sam Brownback and Lindsey Graham, as well as my friend from Columbia, South Carolina, the Honorable Jim Clyburn, for his assisting in this effort.

I would also like to express my appreciation to the more than 40 conservation organizations that have assisted in this effort, including the Wildlife Conservation Society, the World Wildlife Fund, the Humane Society of the United States, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Feld Entertainment, and Safari Club International.

These groups worked tirelessly for the passage of this bill. I thank them.

I urge an ``aye'' vote on H.R. 1454. There is no question it will help stamp out extinction.

Mr. Chair, I rise reluctantly to oppose H.R. 4785, the Rural Energy Savings Program Act.

I am listed as a cosponsor of H.R. 4785, however, the legislation I added my name to in March is vastly different than the legislation we consider today. The Rural Energy Savings Program Act that I cosponsored, authorized a relatively modest $750 million over ten-year loan program to assist 1.6 million homeowners in rural America to install energy efficiency measures in their homes. By providing these loans, we would be able to reduce consumer's energy cost and increase the demand for energy efficient products, thus creating jobs for countless Americans.

Mr. Chair, during these tough economic times, we are all looking for ways to stretch our dollars. One way many consumers seek to reduce their monthly expenditures is by reducing their power bill. However, the average cost of an energy efficient upgrade is $1,500. Quite simply, in rural America, where income is 14 percent below the national average, many homeowners do not have the up-front funding necessary to install these upgrades, even though the energy savings provided by these upgrades pay for themselves over a relatively short period of time.

Additionally, I supported the original version of H.R. 4785 because it accomplished the laudable, above-described goal, without creating another inefficient government bureaucracy. Instead, the program would have used our nation's existing and well-functioning rural electric co- ops to distribute these loans to consumers.

I have a long history of supporting the rural electric co-ops, not just in this body, or during my time in the South Carolina State House, but also by paying my monthly power bill to my own rural electric co-op in Berkeley County, South Carolina.

As such it pains me to oppose this legislation. However, the original, modest goal of H.R. 4785 has been lost amid the inclusion of the $4.25 billion Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program. This portion of the bill would provide funding to states and other unspecified entities to create lending programs for homeowners to make home energy improvements.

Mr. Chair, I support energy efficiency for urban consumers, just as I do for rural consumers. However, unlike the privately owned rural electric co-ops, who have provided many years of faithful service, the Department of Energy has not proven they are capable of effectively managing such a large program.

The so-called ``Stimulus'' legislation provided $4.7 billion to the Department of Energy in order to weatherize the homes of low-income individuals. However, the Department's own Inspector General has found that one year after the Stimulus was passed into law only $368 million or 7.83 percent had been used and only 30,297 units had been weatherized.

Considering this abject failure, I simply cannot vote to provide another $4.25 billion of our taxpayer's dollars to the Department of Energy. I am not alone in my opposition to the Home Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program. In fact, the House voted earlier this year to remove this objectionable program from H.R. 5019 the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act by a broad bipartisan vote of 346 to 68. It is very objectionable this program has been brought back for a vote as a portion of H.R. 4785. As such, I am forced to rise in opposition to H.R. 4785 although I remain supportive of the original purpose of the legislation and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in order to lower the electricity costs of all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on a noncontroversial piece of legislation that I introduced that would assist many of my constituents in South Carolina's First Congressional District.

My legislation would simply facilitate the conveyance of no more than three acres of land from the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina.

The land would be acquired by constituents and families associated with the First Baptist Church in Bonneau, South Carolina. This land is needed in order to facilitate a one-time expansion of their cemetery which has currently reached its capacity.

This legislation would eventually allow these families to be buried together alongside other family members. It would also provide the forest service with desperately needed funds that they would be able to put to good use during these very tough budgetary times.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this noncontroversial piece of legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my good friend, General Thomas Mikolajcik, known to many of his

friends as General Mik, for his lasting commitment to our Nation's military and veterans.

After 27 years of active duty in the Air Force, General Mik returned to Charleston, where he served as chairman of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce's Military Affairs Committee. In 2005, he was diagnosed with ALS. At that time, the disease was not recognized as a service- connected disorder by the VA. Because of the high incidence rate among veterans, General Mik worked tirelessly with me, the entire VA Committee, and General Peake to change VA regulations to make ALS a presumptive disease. He also played an instrumental role in the establishment of the National ALS Registry.

Because of his valiant efforts, no veteran will ever have to fight for disability after they have been diagnosed with ALS. General Mik always put service to our country and his fellow countrymen first, and he will be greatly missed.

I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding me this time.

I rise today to express my strong support for S. 1963, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009. Chairman Filner and Chairman Michaud, along with Ranking Member Buyer and I have brought this legislation forward in order to continue the great progress made by the VA toward providing the kind of health care veterans deserve, and I am proud to support it today.

I think it's pretty evident, as the Speaker alluded to earlier, that in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, which I have had the privilege to serve now 10 years, we always leave our bipartisanship at the door when we enter that committee, and I am grateful that Mr. Filner also continued in that same spirit when he became the chairman.

At a time when our soldiers are overseas keeping us safe here at home, the VA is faced with a number of unique challenges. It must respond to the signature wounds of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to soldiers returning home who live far from VA facilities, to the ever- increasing number of women veterans, and to the families of veterans who cannot care for themselves, but it must also remain responsive to those whom it already serves. I believe this bill would accomplish this.

When soldiers return home from war, unable to care for themselves, their families often face difficult burdens. To help them help the veterans, this bill would establish a comprehensive assistance program for caregivers, making caregivers eligible to receive education and training and technical support, counseling, lodging and subsistence.

To serve the rural veterans, who may live a long distance from VA facilities, this bill would make the VA more flexible while increasing reach-out efforts. The VA would be allowed to partner with Medicare, Medicaid, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Indian Health Service in demonstration projects that could expand care.

Finally, two of the most common wounds of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have been post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. By expanding eligibility for readjustment counseling at Vet Centers to any members of the Armed Forces who have served in OIF/OEF and establishing the Committee on Care for Veterans with TBI, the VA will become more responsive to those who are transitioning back to civilian life.

In closing, I want to thank Chairman Filner and Ranking Member Buyer of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and Chairman Michaud of the Health Subcommittee, for their leadership in bringing this bill forward.

I urge my colleagues to stand up for America's true heroes and help continue to make the VA world class care even better.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition and give note that I am against this flawed health care bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Democrats' latest health care plan. For the past year, my constituents in South Carolina have done everything they can to make it clear they do not want a government takeover of health care. Yet here we are again today discussing a plan that calls for more taxes, more regulations, more spending, and more Federal control over our current health care system. This legislation is not what the American people want, and it lacks a single ounce of Republican support.

Despite the overwhelming opposition, Democrats continue to push their partisan agenda and have made it clear they will use any means possible to get what they want. This is a bad bill for South Carolina and it's a bad bill for the entire country.

I join my constituents in asking the Democrats to scrap this legislation and start over on bipartisan health care reform.

Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Fuel Oil Barge.

Bill Number: H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Navy RDT&E

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: GenPhar, Inc.

Address of Requesting Entity: 600 Seacoast Parkway, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

Description of Project: The need for an effective vaccine to protect against exposure to dangerous virus outbreaks of Dengue fever is critical to the safety of U.S. Armed Forces personnel deployed in combat theaters throughout the world. Dengue epidemics have increased dramatically in recent years, and cover nearly the entire tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including South East Asia, Africa, the entire Caribbean, and South, Central and parts of North America, putting two thirds of the world population at risk. Dengue epidemics not only have devastating effects in regions that hold U.S. interests, they also threaten the well-being of U.S. military personnel operating in these regions.

Madam Speaker, in accordance with the Republican adopted standards on earmarks, I submit the below detailed explanation of the Fuel Oil Barge.

Bill Number: H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Navy Other Procurement

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Maybank Industries

Address of Requesting Entity: 525 East Bay Street, Suite 200, Charleston, SC 29403

Description of Project: The Navy needs to replace the existing fleet of aging Fuel Oil Barges (YON) with new vessels to meet fleet requirements and to comply with EPA requirements. The current fleet of Fuel Oil Barges (YONs) is nearly 40 years old, which is well beyond the intended service life, and maintenance costs are increasing substantially.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Alec Robinovitz, who was named one of two top youth volunteers in South Carolina for 2010 by the 15th Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Alec, a fifth-grade student at East Cooper Montessori Charter School in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., collected more than 3,000 books over the past two years for patients at the Medical University of South Carolina Children's Hospital. He is a remarkable and inspirational young man who has chosen to make a positive impact on his community by reaching out to those in need.

I am proud of my constituent, Alec Robinovitz, who has displayed an incredible sense of kindness and commitment to the children at MUSC. Thank you, Alec, for your exemplary volunteer service in South Carolina's First District, and congratulations on receiving such a noble honor.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Katie Stagliano, one of four distinguished finalists of the 15th Annual Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.

Katie, a fifth-grade student at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, S.C., donated more than 1,000 pounds of fresh produce to local soup kitchens. Even more impressive, Katie produced the vegetables from five gardens that she tends. She has since recruited friends, family, members of the community and businesses to support her effort to feed the hungry. Katie is a remarkable young woman who has displayed an incredible sense of kindness and commitment to the hungry in South Carolina's First District.

Thank you, Katie, for your exemplary volunteer service, and congratulations on receiving this distinguished honor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize fishermen from South Carolina who are traveling to Washington to participate in the United We Fish rally tomorrow. They will join thousands of fishermen from across the east coast to protest against the recent red snapper and shallow-water grouper ban and the proposed closing of nearly 10,000 square miles in the South Atlantic.

The current ban not only threatens the jobs of recreation and commercial fishermen, but also small business owners that rely on the recreational fishing industry in coastal communities. Extending the ban would create further economic hardships in South Carolina as we currently suffer from one of the top five unemployment rates in the Nation.

As a representative of 75 percent of the coastline of South Carolina, I will join my constituents at the United We Fish rally and push Congress to pass the Transparency in Job Loss from Fishery Closures Act of 2010, a comprehensive bill that instructs NOAA to reverse the harmful fisheries closures.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Katherine O. Henderson for receiving the 2009 Milken Education Family Foundation National Educator Award.

Ms. Henderson, a teacher at West Ashley High School in Charleston, joins a prestigious group of Milken Educator Award recipients, and I am proud to have one of my constituents recognized as one of these talented educators. She has made a remarkable impact on the youth of South Carolina through her innovative teaching strategies and inspirational teaching quality. Not only has she provided models of excellence for the profession, but has motivated students, colleagues and members throughout her community.

The Milken Educator Awards motto states, ``The future belongs to the educated.'' With that said, thank you, Katherine O. Henderson, for your outstanding commitment and influence on the future generations of South Carolina's First District.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the 37th Annual March for Life. On Friday, thousands of people from around the country will gather in Washington, DC to rally against the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

I have always been a pro-life advocate and throughout my years in Congress have earned a 100% pro-life voting record. I believe every human being has the right to life and that every life should be preserved and protected.

This year it is even more important to bring attention to the unethical principles of abortion as Democrats in Congress continue to discuss the possibility of taxpayer funded abortions in their attempt to create a government takeover of our healthcare system.

I applaud those who made the trip to Washington to participate in the March for Life and I assure you that I will continue to fight for the rights of the unborn.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Jairy C. Hunter, Jr. for 25 years of service as President of Charleston Southern University. Dr. Hunter assumed his role as President in 1984 during a difficult time in the school's history, but through strong leadership and a clear vision, the new President led the school towards academic greatness.

25 years later, Dr. Hunter's guidance produced record enrollment numbers, significant budget growth, and new degree and athletic programs, to name a few of his many accomplishments. Working with her husband, Sissy Hunter's dedication to the school has improved university relationships and made scholarship programs possible. Throughout the years, Dr. Hunter never lost sight of the school's Christian background and has kept faith at the forefront of Charleston Southern University's mission.

Dr. Jairy and Sissy Hunter are respected leaders not only within the Charleston Southern University community, but throughout the city of Charleston. Dr. Hunter, thank you for your dedication to Charleston Southern University and your commitment to academic excellence in South Carolina's First District.