Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding to me.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act.

According to a recent report, foreclosures in Chicago doubled from 2006 to 2008 and continue today. It was Chicago's 50th Ward, a solidly middle class community where I grew up, that saw the highest increases in foreclosures, 360 percent in just 2 years.

When most people walk into a mortgage closing, they bring with them the hopes and dreams of their futures and those of their children and the full intention of being responsible homeowners. But actions by unscrupulous and downright predatory lenders put many Americans into loans that they couldn't afford, and the consequences are clear.

This bill offers protections for homebuyers that are long overdue. I'm one of many to have worked for years on this issue, including our late and beloved Stephanie Tubbs Jones. We wrote legislation that would stop predatory lending in the mortgage industry, including requiring certification of brokers and enactment of basic consumer protections. And this critical bill builds on those efforts to create standards for lenders and mortgagers.

I'm also pleased that this measure includes Mr. Ellison's bill to provide additional protection for tenants of foreclosed property. The foreclosure crisis for renters has been mostly a hidden consequence, but in States like Illinois, New York, Nevada, foreclosures on rental properties have represented nearly half of all foreclosures, uprooting families and wreaking havoc on communities.

I want to thank Chairman Frank and Mr. Watt and Mr. Miller, and I urge all my colleagues to support swift passage of this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I am a cosponsor of this legislation because we must do all that we can to protect those who are injured because of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or disability.

Hate crimes can occur in any community--even one as wonderful and diverse as mine. On July 4, 1999--when we should have been celebrating the welcoming and embracing traditions of our great country, my district was rocked by the killing spree of the white supremacist, Benjamin Nathaniel Smith. This madman left us grieving for Ricky Byrdsong, a former Northwestern University coach, a well-known community leader, a deeply religious man, a man who was committed to his family. His only crime was the color of his skin--he was African- American. Smith also murdered Won Joon Yoon, an Asian American student from Indiana.

The bill we are considering today takes an important step toward making America a more just society, by closing a glaring loophole in our justice system that prevents the Federal Government from prosecuting cases where women, gay, transgender or disabled persons are victims of bias-motivated crimes for who they are. These crimes not only devastate victims and their family and friends, but they devastate the community to which the victim belongs by creating fear and intimidation. Hate crimes chip away at the very foundations of what it means to be an American--that all people are created equal and are afforded the same freedoms and protections.

America must no longer ignore hate crimes of any kind. Everyone, regardless of race, sexual, orientation and gender identity, must be equal in the eyes of the law. The passage of H.R. 1913 will send the powerful message that America stands for tolerance and inclusion, and is opposed to prejudice in all its forms. I want to thank my good friend, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin, and the entire LGBT Equality Caucus for their tireless work to get this bill passed and urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to H.R. 1913.

Madam Speaker, on Sunday, April 19th, over 10,000 people gathered in Skokie, Illinois, joining special guests President Bill Clinton, Elie Wiesel, and Governor Pat Quinn to celebrate the grand opening of the new Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. President Obama personally offered his congratulations on a recorded video. I had the great opportunity to participate in the opening of this beautiful new museum, which will share the history of the Holocaust and teach the importance of combating hatred, indifference, and genocide to current and future generations across the Midwest.

Skokie, located in my district, is a community that knows the importance of preserving memories and teaching history. In the wake of World War II, the community offered an attractive haven to Jewish families, including Holocaust survivors searching for a new life in America. Between 1945 and 1955, an estimated 3,000 Jewish families came to Skokie, building a vibrant Jewish community.

Children who grew up in Skokie during this time recall daily life carrying an underpinning of trauma. They share stories of parents unable to sleep, panicking when their children returned home late, and refusing to take showers. However, while they describe seeing tattooed numbers on arms as commonplace, the Holocaust wasn't something survivors wanted to talk about. Many Skokie Jews remember not knowing which of their friends had survived gas chambers.

That changed in the mid-1970s. In 1976, neo-Nazi Frank Collin threatened to march in the town, distributing fliers proclaiming ``we are coming'' and telling the Chicago Sun-Times, ``I hope they're terrified.'' Survivors, who had worked for decades to rebuild a sense of personal security, suddenly found themselves threatened once again.

The people of Skokie, led by the survivor community, fought back against Collin. The case ultimately went to court and, after uproar from around the world, the march was held elsewhere.

In the wake of those events, Chicago-area survivors founded the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, a group dedicated to fighting hatred through education. The group has educated school and community groups since 1981, and the first museum was opened in 1985. In large part due to the organization and advocacy of the survivor community, in 1990 Illinois became the first state where Holocaust education is mandatory.

Today, there are an estimated 7,000 Holocaust survivors still living in the Chicago area, and as many as 1,000-2,000 of them currently live in Skokie. Most are now in their 70s, 80s, or 90s. Like the town of Skokie itself, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center would not have been possible without their active involvement and input. Its permanent exhibits show hundreds of artifacts, many which have been collected in recent years from local residents. The museum will also present thousands of video interviews with survivors, conducted and donated by Steven Spielberg and his Shoah Foundation.

Madam Speaker, the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center may be one of the last Holocaust museums to be built in collaboration with survivors. The new 65,000-square foot museum will have the capacity to serve over 250,000 annual visitors, and will teach countless people, young and old, the importance of actively fighting hatred and prejudice. In a world where genocide continues, despite decades of pledging ``never again,'' these are priceless lessons.

Mr. Speaker, today we find ourselves in the grips of recession. As of is morning there were 5.7 million Americans without a job and we should be doing everything in our power to save jobs--and create new ones.

Today, I am introducing the Patriot Corporations of America Act, which encourages corporations to invest in the American people and the American economy. In this time of change we should lift the spirit of patriotism and create a new corporate ethic in America--one that unites workers and their employers in the mutual goal of building a stronger, more prosperous business that will contribute to a stronger, more prosperous America.

Since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, we have benefited from the great work and contributions of countless American patriots and Congress has always undertaken efforts to honor those men and women. The Patriot Corporations of America Act continues that tradition by rewarding companies that commit to America and American workers.

It angers Americans, and it angers me, when companies outsource jobs and relocate to avoid giving back to the country that afforded them the opportunity to succeed. Companies that continue to send American jobs abroad during these difficult times should not receive the same benefits as companies who are keeping jobs right here. It is time for the United States to reward companies that show a dedication to the American workforce.

The Patriot Corporation Act will move us along the path to recovery, while simultaneously giving a hand-up to ``patriotic'' companies that are struggling in the midst of a recession.

Bill Edley, a former State Representative in Illinois, and political scientist Robin Johnson of Monmouth College, introduced a new idea of turning the tables around with the Patriot Corporations of America Act. It would reward companies, like New Maryland Clothing and Tama Manufacturing, that care about our Nation, our communities, and American workers. I am honored to be introducing this commonsense concept in the form of legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In exchange for preferential treatment in government contracting and a 5% tax rate reduction, Patriot Corporations would be asked to pledge their allegiance to our country by producing at least 90% of their goods and doing at least 50% of their research and development in the United States. They would limit top managements' compensation to no greater than 100 times that of their lowest-compensated full-time workers. They would show their commitment to their workers by contributing at least 5% of payroll to portable pension funds and by paying for at least 70% of the cost of health insurance plans. Finally, Patriot Corporations would simply be required to comply with existing federal regulations regarding the environment, workplace safety, consumer protections and labor relations, including maintaining neutrality in employee organizing drives.

Mr. Speaker, the Patriot Corporations for America Act would be revenue neutral. It would be paid for by closing corporate offshoring loopholes that have been exploited and, if necessary, reining in some of the new tax breaks for millionaires.

Patriot Corporations would create a new class of companies committed to uphold the dignity and prosperity of American workers as well as to selling their goods on the American market and around the world.

Patriot Corporations are an expression of the American spirit of our fore fathers and mothers when they took that brave step of declaring our independence and creating the United States of America.

I'm confident that between the Recovery Act and legislation like the Patriots Corporation Act--America will emerge stronger from this recession.

I am honored to be introducing this bill today and I encourage my colleagues to join me in saluting American businesses and workers.

I think I've been waiting for this budget, this opportunity most of my adult life, certainly, all of my public life.

Budgets aren't just about numbers. They're about visions and values, and to me there is no more important value than this budget's commitment to guaranteed, affordable, quality, comprehensive health care for all Americans.

No sector of our economy is immune from the twin problems of rising health care costs and declining access. Virtually no family in our country is immune. 47 million Americans are uninsured, but they're not the only ones struggling. Over half of all Americans are delaying, foregoing or skimping on necessary medical care. The consequences are serious.

Businesses, especially small businesses, are being forced to lay off long-term staff, cut or eliminate benefits, or even close their doors because of health care costs.

And this budget also makes room for improvements in Medicare, providing reasonable payments to doctors, and improving the quality of care for our seniors and persons with disabilities.

Some in this body have spoken against health care provisions in this budget because they say the cost is too great. But the American people know that the cost of maintaining the status quo is even greater and more unsustainable.

We can and, going forward, we will debate on how to achieve reform. And I'll be working hard to give everyone the option of choosing a public health insurance plan. But if we don't pass this budget now, we will miss the historic opportunity to finally make sure that every single American will have access to the affordable comprehensive health care that we all need.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

As cochair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, it gives me great pleasure to rise in strong support of H. Res. 211, Recognizing March As Women's History Month. I want to thank Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey for introducing this resolution, and to acknowledge our own woman Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Women's History Month is about recognizing the achievements of women throughout our history, while also acknowledging the significant obstacles they had to overcome along the road to success, and the many we still face. I want to thank President Obama for creating, this month, a high-level White House Council on Women and Girls.

Our women's caucus, which is cochaired by my friend and colleague, Mary Fallin, is dedicated to addressing those challenges by supporting legislation and developing policies through our eight task forces. And I want to thank my sisters in the House for making history that will lift women and girls in the United States and around the world. We, as the more privileged women of the United States of America, see ourselves as part of an international sisterhood, where women in places like the Congo are facing a weapon of war that is low cost and low tech called rape. We are concerned about our sisters here in the United States who are victims of domestic violence and discrimination in the workplace. We understand all these challenges, but we have seen women throughout history, fierce and strong women, who have stood up to those and overcome those challenges, and we want to acknowledge those women on whose shoulders we stand and to pledge in their memory to go forward on their behalf.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding to me.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Human Rights Commission, I am proud to rise today in support of this resolution on behalf of the people of Tibet.

I also want to take this opportunity, because I just returned from the White House, where the President of the United States created a White House Council on Women and Girls and acknowledged the recent March 8 passage of International Women's Day.

And while I was there, I am very grateful to you, Mr. Chairman and to the House of Representatives, for passing the resolution in support of International Women's Day and would like to take this opportunity to speak to it for just a couple of minutes.

I want to thank Representative Mary Fallin, the lead Republican cosponsor and the Republican co-chair of the Women's Caucus, for her tireless support and work to bring this resolution to the floor. It's been my pleasure to work with her on this bill, and I am sure it's the first of many that we will work together through the caucus, where I am the Democratic co-chair, to advance the goals of women.

Also, I would like to acknowledge the caucus vice-Chairs, Representative Gwen Moore, Representative Kay

Granger, and I am honored to have this resolution be the first of the must-pass legislative agenda items to make it to the House floor with such remarkable bipartisan support.

Each year countries around the world mark March 8 as International Women's Day, as a day to recognize the contributions and impact that women have made to our world's history, to recognize those women who have worked together for gender equality and to acknowledge the work that is yet to be done. Over the years, women have made significant strides.

All over the world and throughout history we have, they have consistently contributed to their economies, participated in their governments and improved the quality of life of their families and of their nations.

In 2007 Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi was elected the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2006 I attended the inauguration of Michelle Bachelet, the first woman President of Chile, and visited the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman president in Africa's history.

In the 111th Congress, we have an all-time high of 74 women in Congress, a 35 percent increase from just 8 years ago. But women still only make up about 16 percent of the House of Representatives.

In the U.S., we have made significant strides in education. Women now graduate from high school at higher rates and earn bachelor's or higher degrees at greater rates than men.

While American women earn more high school and bachelor's degrees than men, two-thirds of the 876 million illiterate individuals in the world are women. Two-thirds of the 125 million school-age children not attending school worldwide are girls. Girls are less likely to complete school than boys elsewhere around the globe.

Women are making progress in business and make up 12 percent of the current CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies, but, still, a long way to go.

Globally, women work two-thirds of the world's working hours and produce half of the world's food, and still we earn only 1 percent of the world's income and own less than 1 percent of the world's property.

Of the 300 million people living in poverty, 70 percent are girls and women. Millions of women and girls are trafficked, physically abused, sexually abused, or face the threat of violence every day.

Although Congress passed the PROTECT Act to prevent trafficking in Iraq, Darfur, Afghanistan and many other places around the world, we still see that women and girls tend to be the targets of extreme violence, brutality, and intimidation.

So, Mr. Speaker, it's important that Congress recognize the importance of March 8. I am so glad that we passed this resolution. I am grateful to the Congress for recognizing International Women's Day, which we just celebrated on March 8.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce the introduction of the Inclusive Home Design Act. This critical legislation will make more new homes accessible, or inclusive, for people with disabilities. I want to thank my colleagues Sam Farr, Madeleine Bordallo, and Jim McGovern for joining me today as original cosponsors of this legislation. I would also like to thank Eleanor Smith of Concrete Change and Beto Barrera and the staff of Access Living for their tireless efforts to move this legislation forward. This legislation is supported by the Paralyzed Veterans of America and many other national and local disabilities rights organizations.

Currently, only five percent of new single-family homes and townhouses built with federal assistance require any design features that make it possible for people with mobility impairments to live in or even visit the homes. The remaining 95 percent are built with unnecessary architectural barriers.

The Inclusive Home Design Act is based on the concept of integrating basic accessibility features into newly-built homes and builds on the movement of establishing ``visitability'' standards. Visitability is an affordable, sustainable, and inclusive design approach that will improve the availability of accessible housing for individuals with mobility impairments, including disabled veterans and seniors.

Specifically, the legislation would require all newly-built single- family homes and townhouses receiving federal funds to meet four accessibility standards:

First, there must be at least one accessible, or ``zero step,'' entrance into the home.

Second, the doorways on the main level of the home must be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

Three, at least one bathroom on the main floor must be wheelchair accessible.

And finally, light switches and thermostats must be at a reachable height from a wheelchair.

Adopting these standards for a single family home is not prohibitively expensive. The average added cost for homes built with accessibility features is between $100 and $600. Retrofitting a home, on the other hand, can cost several thousand dollars.

Architects and builders would also have latitude in how they comply with the act. For example, the zero step entrance can be placed at the front, side, or back of the home. The accessible route can even go through an attached garage. In addition, the zero step entrance requirements can be waived if the terrain makes compliance impractical.

When homes are accessible, it benefits not only today's disability community but also all of us who have friends and family members with disabilities. Accessible homes also benefit many people who are not currently disabled but may experience a temporary injury or permanent disability during their lifetimes. In fact, 3 out of 10 people will face a disability before age 67.

In addition, by making more new homes accessible, we also make it possible for more seniors to age at home--an issue that is increasingly important as the population grows older. In 2000, there were 30.5 million people between 65-84 years old; that number will grow to 47 million by 2020. 58 percent of people over the age of 80 suffer from some kind of physical impairment. Often, the prohibitive cost of making existing homes accessible deprives seniors of their independence and pushes them into nursing homes. Allowing more people to age at home will both save taxpayers money and help improve the quality of life for our seniors.

Many towns and states have already incorporated visitability standards. This list includes Chicago, Naperville, Bolingbrook, and Urbana, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Iowa City, Iowa; St. Petersburg, Florida; Pima County, Arizona; Vermont; Texas; Kansas; Minnesota; and others. The United Kingdom also passed a law in March 1998 mandating that every new home become accessible. A federal law in the United States will build on the momentum that has already been created.

Passage of the Inclusive Home Design Act would mean that all homes built with federal dollars would be accessible, and the number of homes available for people with disabilities would be greatly increased. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation, the Inclusive Home Design Act, into law.

Last week, President Obama submitted a budget that expresses his commitment to transforming health care in America. Tomorrow, he will gather Members of Congress, consumers, business men and women, and health care providers at the White House to discuss how to achieve the common goals he laid out in the budget, ``constraining costs, expanding access, and improving quality.''

The economic crisis we face is not a cause for delay, it is an argument for comprehensive reform. The need for action couldn't be clearer. Every percentage increase in the unemployment rate means another 1.1 million Americans becomes uninsured.

Over half of all Americans, many of them insured, are doing without medical care because of high costs. Emergency rooms are being forced to turn away patients, and businesses that cover their workers are struggling to be competitive in the face of rising premiums.

We must assure that all Americans are covered and give each a choice of a public health insurance plan or private plan that provides comprehensive, affordable and high-quality care. The time to act is now.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Conference Report.

Two weeks ago, I stood on the House floor and listed the top ten reasons to support this bill. Here we are today and the only thing that has changed is that more Americans are losing their jobs, homes and healthcare. We have to stop the economy from continuing to spiral out of control before it is too late.

Our country is facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression--we lost 2.6 million jobs last year--the largest job loss since 1945. In Illinois, the unemployment rate increased by 40 percent in one year. We are seeing job losses at iconic American companies like Kodak and Ford, and at major Illinois companies like Caterpillar.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will help get our economy back on track and put America back to work. The bill will create 3.5 million jobs, cut taxes for working families, rebuild our infrastructure, prevent state and local cuts to crucial services and programs, and invest in the long-term health of our economy.

Under this bill, Illinois will receive billions of dollars and it is estimated that this bill would save or create over 148,000 jobs in Illinois. This bill isn't a hand out to Wall Street fat cats and corporate CEOs; this is a hand up for the American people. The bill helps working families in Illinois, and across the country, by providing income tax credits, making college and health insurance more affordable, giving first-time homebuyers a tax credit and providing assistance to low-income families to make their homes more energy efficient and lower their energy costs.

As President Obama has said, this bill is not perfect, but it provides immediate and targeted relief to American families and will help lead our country out of the greatest economic crisis we have faced since the Great Depression. American families are depending on us to act--not tomorrow, not next week--but today.

Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to express my condolences to the family and friends of the six Chicago-area residents who were recently killed in an airplane crash in West Virginia.

On January 31, a twin-engine Piper PA-34 plane carrying four members of Chicago's American Polish Aero-Club and two guests crashed in the woods near Kenova, West Virginia. The plane had taken off from Lake in the Hills Airport and was bound for Charlotte, North Carolina and Clearwater, Florida, where the four members of the club were going to view planes for sale. The club was hoping to purchase a plane to pull glider planes, according to President Chester Wojnicki.

The four club members were all licensed pilots, and all four had immigrated to the United States from Poland. Ireneusz Michalowski of Des Plaines, Kazimierz Adamski of Morton Grove, Wesley Dobrzanski of Niles, and Stanley Matras of Chicago shared not only their cultural heritage but also their love of flying. Also aboard the plane were Monika Niemiec, a reporter for a local Polish radio show, and

her father Stanley Niemiec, both of Harwood Heights.

The Polish American Aero-Club is, by its own claim, the largest Polish flying club outside of Poland. Its approximately 60 members form a close-knit community of enthusiasts who fly both regular planes and gliders. Like the four members killed in the crash, many of the club's members came to the United States from Poland to seek new opportunities.

During this difficult time, Chicago's Polish American community continues to demonstrate strength and resilience as it celebrates the lives of the victims. About 1,000 mourners came together for a memorial service for the victims, held at St. Constance Catholic Church in Chicago, on February 1.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me tonight in remembering the six men and women who were killed in this tragic crash. I wish to express my sincere condolences to the families and all the friends of the victims. Our entire community has been diminished as a result of this tragedy. On behalf of all the residents of the Ninth District, I extend a hand of friendship and a heart filled with sorrow to all those who knew and loved them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this resolution and to recognize my dear friend, John Dingell, on his lifetime of public service.

Over the last 53 years, John Dingell has stood larger than life. His dedication to his district, state and country has been a tremendous source of inspiration to me and my colleagues. I know that the United States of America is a safer, cleaner and healthier country because of his tireless efforts.

As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I have had the privilege of serving under Chairman Dingell. As Chairman, his wisdom and judgment were only outdone by his kindness and generosity. I know that every member in this chamber is a better representative today because of the lessons we have learned from him.

In the 111th Congress, I look forward to continue working with, and learning from, John Dingell as he continues to fight for American families. This year we plan to work to provide universal health care, improve safety standards in toys, and find a solution to address global climate change, and John Dingell will be a major factor in each of these efforts.

On a personal note I also deeply appreciate the friendship extended to me and my family by John and Debbie Dingell. They are always there for friends who need comfort and care. I congratulate and thank John Dingell for everything that he has and will accomplish in the years ahead.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to add my voice in celebration of today's Lincoln Bicentennial. In Illinois--the Land of Lincoln--we always cherish our 16th President, taking pride in a man who steered this nation through turbulent times and whose legacy continues to guide us today. Today we all join in recognizing his greatness.

There have been many, many books written about President Lincoln, detailing his remarkable life and his towering achievements. I want to encourage my colleagues to explore one of those books, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America. Written by Garry Wills, my constituent and a professor at Northwestern University, this Pulitzer Prize-winning analysis underscores why the Gettysburg Address remains the most well-known speech in American history.

President Lincoln spoke on the battlefield where 50,000 Americans were killed or wounded. He certainly didn't realize that the words in his short oration would be recited by schoolchildren across the nation. He said that ``the world will little note nor long remember what we say here.'' In this instance, he was wrong.

President Lincoln didn't just speak in memory of those who had fought and died in the battle. He used his oration to instruct, inspire and set a vision for our nation's future. He asked those who were present at Gettysburg and those of us who today study his words to remember the very ideals on which our nation was founded. He began by asking us to recall that our nation was ``conceived in Liberty'' and equality. As Professor Wills writes,

Lincoln was able to achieve the loftiness, ideality, and

brevity of the Gettysburg Address because he had spent a good

part of the 1850s repeatedly relating all the most sensitive

issues of the day to the Declaration's supreme principle. If

all men are created equal, they cannot be property. They

cannot by ruled by owner-monarchs . . . Their equality cannot

be denied if the nation is to live by its creed, and voice

it, and test it, and die for it . . . a nation free to

proclaim its ideal is freed, again, to approximate that ideal

over the years, in ways that run far beyond any specific or

limited reforms . . .

The theme of liberty and equality runs through the Gettysburg Address, just as it ran through the entire life of President Lincoln. His very life was a symbol of our country--a boy of humble beginnings who through hard work and his own talents was able not just to become President of the United States but to become a symbol of democracy across the generations and across the globe. Because of his confidence in the ideals and potential of America, he was able to give a speech of hope at a time of unprecedented crisis in our country.

The Gettysburg Address ends with a clarion call for ``a new birth of freedom.'' His faith in our country--in a ``government of the people, by the people, and for the people''--continues to inspire us in the United States and proponents of participatory democracy across the globe.

President Lincoln is recognized for what he did for our country--not just his actions but also his words. As Professor Wills says, ``Words were weapons for him, even though he meant them to be weapons of peace in the midst of war.'' He continues,

Lincoln does not argue law or history, as Daniel Webster

did. He makes history. He does not come to present a theory,

but to impose a symbol, one tested in experience and

appealing to national values, with an emotional urgency

entirely expressed in calm abstractions (fire in ice). He

came to change the world, to effect an intellectual

revolution. No other words could have done it. The miracle is

that these words did. In his brief time before the crowd at

Gettysburg he wove a spell that has not, yet, been broken--he

called up a new nation out of the blood and trauma.

As we celebrate the Lincoln Bicentennial, our nation is faced with serious economic and global challenges; and President Lincoln's words still guide us today. He understood that the core of our nation is our commitment to liberty and equality--not just under the law but in the opportunity for every individual to achieve and prosper. He reminded us that our government must recognize its responsibility to the public good and encourage public participation and investment in that government.

In these trying times, we are fortunate to have another President who has the ability to inspire, to lead and to act to bring us out of crisis. Like President Lincoln, President Obama's life is a model of not just what an individual can achieve given the opportunity to succeed but what our nation can accomplish when we remember our founding values of liberty and equality.

I am delighted to rise today in support of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act. I thank Chairman Waxman and Chairman Pallone for their hard work on bringing it to us today.

As a mother and proud grandmother of four, I can think of no higher priority than ensuring that our children get the health care they need. Unfortunately, 7 million children nationally and 350,000 children in Illinois are at risk of losing their coverage if we don't reauthorize this program.

But this bill will not only prevent SCHIP from expiring on March 31, it will also expand coverage to 4 million uninsured children nationally and 300,000 children in Illinois. It makes many needed improvements, including dental coverage and providing mental health parity. I am particularly pleased that it gives States the discretion to cover more women and children by lifting the 5-year ban for legal immigrants.

I am also pleased that after many thwarted efforts, we finally have a President that will sign this bill into law. It represents a renewed commitment to health care. This is the first step in making sure that every child, woman, and man in the United States has health care that is affordable, accessible, and high quality.

I thank you for yielding.

I rise today in strong support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan and to give you just 10 of the many good reasons to support this particular bill.

One, it will save and create three to four million jobs;

Two, it provides a critical boost in Medicaid assistance to States so that budget shortfalls don't harm access to health care;

Three, it will help those who lose their jobs maintain health insurance;

Four, it invests in renewable energy technologies and research;

Five, it provides a 100 percent increase in weatherization funding to help make homes and businesses energy efficient;

Six, it extends unemployment insurance coverage through the end of the year and increases the benefit by $25 a week;

Seven, it increases the maximum Pell Grant to help more people go to college;

Eight, it helps rebuild our schools and gives them financial support;

Nine, it increases funding for affordable housing and homelessness prevention programs;

Ten, it will give a tax credit to 95 percent of American workers, a credit worth up to $1,000.

This is a good bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.