Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, one year ago today, Blackwater contractors opened fire in Baghdad's Nisoor Square, killing 17 Iraqi civilians. This wasn't the first time private security contractors used excessive force.

It has now been 21 months since the Christmas Eve murder in the Green Zone, and 3\1/2\ years since a Blackwater helicopter dropped CS gas on a traffic jam in Baghdad. Yet there have been no arrests, no charges, no trials and no conviction. In fact, the Blackwater contractor responsible for the Christmas Eve shooting is now employed as a prison guard in Washington State.

Instead of holding Blackwater accountable for violating the law, last April the State Department rewarded Blackwater by renewing their billion dollar contract. Before we even consider giving Blackwater another penny of U.S. taxpayer dollars, we should hold private security contractors accountable under the law.

On the 1-year anniversary, I urge my colleagues to cosponsor the Stop Outsourcing Security, SOS, Act, H.R. 4102, to begin phasing out the use of private security contractors. The longer we wait to fix this problem, the worse the situation is going to get, not only for Iraqi civilians, but for our troops on the ground.

Mr. Speaker, Stephanie and I were in the same class. We came in in 1998, and immediately bonded as friends and classmates. She and my husband became very good friends. We would joke about it that my husband, Bob, was her boyfriend, and at their last conversation, it ended with his saying, ``Love you, Stef,'' and her saying, ``Love you, Bob.'' I'm jealous of that because they had that moment where they actually said the word that I feel so much tonight, that I loved Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

Stephanie was a force of nature. She was a big woman and she filled a room. I can just picture her now. Can't you just picture her coming down and speaking from this podium right now and just filling the space with her presence, with her sense of justice, with her passion, and with, of course, her smile? Stephanie was fiercely loyal. She was a supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton's. Some of us were on the other side, but that didn't challenge our friendship.

Connie Schultz, who is a Pulitzer Prize winner for the Cleveland Plain Dealer said, ``Our friendship was forged by her to the bones understanding of what it means to be a woman, willing to stick your neck out for your beliefs.''

Stephanie was fearless and she was loved. I loved her. I love you, Stephanie.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Student Voter Opportunity To Encourage Registration Act of 2008, along with my colleague Representative Steven LaTourette. The foundation of America's democracy lies in broad participation and civic engagement. From the Civil Rights Amendments, to women's suffrage, to the abolition of the poll tax and finally the ratification of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, this nation has embarked on a difficult but steady march toward becoming a more inclusive nation.

I believe that the Student VOTER Act is a continuation of that progress, because it provides a pathway to participation for America's youth.

The need for this bipartisan bill is clear. Despite a small rise in youth voting in the 2004 presidential election, young voters are far less likely to vote than older voters. In the 2004 presidential election, only 47 percent of 18-24 year old citizens voted, compared to 66 percent of citizens 25 and older. This marked the eighth straight presidential contest in which less than half of young Americans voted.

While there are a number of factors that contribute to this trend, one is clearly the fact many college students are first-time voters and often are unfamiliar with how to register. In some states, including my own state of Illinois, first-time voters must register in person in order to cast an absentee ballot. For students who attend college outside of their home state or who do not have access to transportation, those requirements present a tremendous burden that is costly and difficult to overcome.

The Student VOTER Act offers a straightforward solution: it requires colleges and universities that receive federal funds to register students. The Student VOTER Act does this by amending the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to designate colleges and universities that receive federal funds as voter registration agencies.

This legislation will not present a substantial burden to our Nation's universities. In fact, many are already providing this service for students. For example, even before orientation begins, Brown University in Rhode Island provides its students with voter registration materials not only for Rhode Island, but also for each student's home state.

Unfortunately, too many colleges and universities have failed to follow Brown's lead. I am introducing this legislation today to spur more universities to make registration widely available to America's youngest voters.

I would also like to thank my friend Matthew Segal, the Executive Director of the Student Association for Voter Empowerment. This bill would not exist today were it not for his dedication to enhancing voter access for America's youth.

I urge all of my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to introduce H.R. 6653, the Consumer Energy Relief Act. This legislation will provide Americans short- and long-term relief from rising energy costs by implementing a comprehensive strategy to reduce America's oil dependence while also driving down the price of gasoline.

In January 2001, when President Bush took office, the price of oil was $30 per barrel, and the average price for a gallon of gasoline was about $1.50. After 7\1/2\ years of energy policies spearheaded by President Bush, Vice President Cheney, two oil men in their own right, and their friends in the oil industry, oil companies in the United States are earning record profits, the cost per barrel of oil has spiked to $134 and Americans are spending at least $3.96 on a gallon of gasoline.

Energy costs this high place a tremendous burden on the American people at a time when our economy is already on the verge of recession. The Consumer Relief Act takes important steps to reduce gas prices, eliminate our dependence on oil for fuel, and provide real relief to the American people by addressing the root causes of the spike in energy costs.

First, it will impose tighter regulations on excessive speculation. While the speculation market is a necessary function of America's economy, the deregulation of the market under the Bush administration has allowed the oil and gas market to be manipulated. Experts have testified that excessive speculation may be responsible for inflating prices by as much as $20 to $60 more per barrel. By regulating the speculation market, this bill will restore stability to international commodity trading and protect the American people from exorbitant gas prices.

Secondly, this bill will grant the Federal Trade Commission the authority to investigate and punish companies that artificially inflate the price of energy. The need for this provision is clear. An investigation of 1,000 gas stations in New Jersey resulted in tickets for 350 violations of gasoline price gouging-related offenses. Among the citations issued were: 62 violations for the pump not accurately metering, or measuring, fuel, 46 violations for per-gallon prices being different on each side of the pump, 37 violations for fuel grades (octane rating labels) not posted, 26 violations for inaccurate octane ratings, 19 violations for inaccurate total sale price calculation and 14 violations for multiple price changes in a 24-hour period. This investigation is indicative of what is occurring all over the country. Price gouging has become an epidemic.

Lastly, H.R. 6653 addresses the causes of our Nation's energy crisis by infusing a major investment in the research and development of renewable energy as well as providing financial assistance for the purchase of energy efficient appliances and vehicles. This investment will provide immediate relief to Americans by helping reduce their energy costs in the short-term by providing financial assistance for the purchase of efficient appliances and vehicles, and in the long-term by reducing our Nation's dependence on foreign oil by injecting much needed capital for the development of alternative energy.

The Consumer Energy Relief Act pays for this investment by establishing a windfall profits tax on oil companies who have benefited from President Bush's policies that protect the profit margins of oil companies over the tight budgets of hard-working Americans. Just today we learned that ExxonMobil is projected to earn a record $52 billion this year and that the five largest oil companies in the United States are expected $168 million.

Madam Speaker, American families and businesses are reeling from record prices--the result of 7 years of missed opportunities and an energy policy this White House has literally allowed the oil industry to write. Their policy is working for only one group: the oil companies which are earning record profits while Americans are paying record prices. The failure to diversify our energy sources with bold investments in renewable energy and more efficient technology, leaves us dangerously dependent on foreign oil, and hurts our economy and American families. The Consumer Energy Relief Act sets the United States on a different course, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Health Care for Women Resolution of 2008 with my colleague in the Senate, Senator Debbie Stabenow. As we move towards enacting comprehensive Universal Health Care we cannot leave out the important and unique health care issues of women. Women are often responsible for safeguarding the care for their families and they must be a central part of every universal health care debate.

I believe that the Health Care for Women Resolution recognizes the numerous of women as health care decision makers, caregivers and providers and requires that lawmakers acknowledge their needs during health care reform conversations.

We know that women face exceptional challenges and have a very personal stake in fixing our broken health care system. It is unacceptable that more women are uninsured and pay more for health care than their male counterparts. This resolution calls on Congress to take notice of these obstacles and make significant gains in solving these problems.

This resolution asks Congress to pass legislation within 18 months that provides health care for women and health care for all. I am all too familiar with how tough it is to provide care for our families. As a mother, grandmother and member of Congress, I will fight to make sure that women play a central part in every health care discussion.

The need for this resolution is clear. More than 17 million non- elderly women were uninsured in 2006, an increase of 1.2 million women since 2004. Women also pay 68 percent more than men for out-of-pocket medical costs, largely because of their reproductive health needs. Thirteen percent of all pregnant women are uninsured making them less likely to seek prenatal care and more likely to experience an adverse outcome after giving birth or pregnancy-related mortality.

Older women are particularly at risk. They often receive care through their husband and can become uninsured if their husband dies or loses private insurance by becoming eligible for Medicare. Because they have less disposable income, older women also have trouble paying growing out-of-pocket costs for the care they need. Moreover many older women have periodically left the workforce to raise families or care for aging family members they tend to have lower Social Security and pension benefits required to help them with increasing chronic care conditions.

Any health care discussions must also take into account the barriers women of color face in accessing quality care. Hispanic and Native American women and children are 3 times and African Americans nearly twice as likely to be uninsured that non-Hispanic whites.

I along with 32 of my colleagues in both the House and Senate agree, it is time to start acknowledging women in all efforts that we make to solve our nation's growing health care crisis.

I urge all of my colleagues to cosponsor this important legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1338, the Paycheck Fairness Act. I am an original cosponsor of this bill because I believe it is time that we end gender discrimination in the workplace.

The Paycheck Fairness Act addresses one of the most evident and detrimental aspects of gender discrimination: Wage disparity. As we know from the U.S. Census Bureau, women across the country earn, on average, only 77 cents for every dollar a man receives for the same work. That 23-cent difference can add up to between $400,000 and $2 million over a working lifetime. In Illinois, where the average working woman earns 75 cents for every dollar earned by a man, the wage gap and the cost to women are even larger.

In today's economy, wage discrimination hits women particularly hard, whether they are the heads of households or the second or even third wage earner in a family. With higher food, energy, health care, transportation and housing costs, women are struggling to stretch every dollar in order to meet their family's needs. Wage discrimination unfairly shrinks those dollars, especially for women of color and self- employed women who suffer from a higher-than-average wage gap. It deprives women of dollars that they have earned but, because of the paycheck gap, do not get.

While there are many economic arguments for H.R. 1338, there are other considerations as well. I urge my colleagues to consider the views of the American Psychological Association, which argues that wage discrepancies create economic disadvantages that ``affect the psychological and physical health of women and their families.'' As the APA says, ``The link between depression and low-income women can be attributed to increased stress caused by living in poverty, as well as minimal social support. Additionally, low-income pregnant women receive less prenatal care, and are more likely to deliver low-birth weight babies.''

We should pass H.R. 1338 to ensure that women are fairly paid for their work, not economically disadvantaged because of their gender. We should pass H.R. 1338 because it will help families deal with the current economic crisis. We should pass H.R. 1338 because it will have positive health impacts for women and families. It is the right thing to do, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, today I pay tribute to Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD, MSN, of the University of Cincinnati and president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, located in my congressional district. Ms. Wilson will soon complete her year as the 2007-2008 national president of the AANA, the professional organization representing more than 39,000 Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, CRNAs, and student nurse anesthetists in the United States. She has provided strong leadership in advocating for the practice of nurse anesthesia and the patients who CRNAs serve every day.

Founded in 1931, the AANA celebrates its 77th anniversary as the professional association representing CRNAs, advanced practice nurses who administer approximately 30 million anesthetics in the U.S. every year. CRNAs practice in every setting in which anesthesia is delivered: traditional hospital surgical suites and obstetrical delivery rooms; critical access hospitals; ambulatory surgical centers; the offices of dentists, podiatrists, ophthalmologists, plastic surgeons, and pain management specialists; and U.S. military, Public Health Service, and Department of Veterans Affairs health care facilities.

CRNAs provide anesthesia for all types of surgical cases and, in some states, are the sole anesthesia providers in the vast majority of rural hospitals, affording these medical facilities obstetrical, surgical and trauma stabilization services.

A resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, Ms. Wilson earned her doctorate in nursing science and physiology, a master's degree in nursing, a bachelor's degree in nursing and a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Cincinnati. She also received her nurse anesthesia diploma from Cincinnati General Hospital and her nursing diploma from Holzer Medical Center in Gallipolis, Ohio. A longtime member of the AANA, Ms. Wilson has held numerous leadership positions and served as regional director, treasurer, vice-president, and president-elect before becoming the national president of the AANA in 2007. In addition, Ms. Wilson has served terms as president and president-elect and as a member of the board of directors for the Ohio State Association of Nurse Anesthetists.

She is also the program director at the University of Cincinnati's College of Nursing, Nurse Anesthesia Major, which has been ranked one of the top nurse anesthesia educational programs nationally by U.S. News and World Report.

Adding to her professional accomplishments, Ms. Wilson has been recognized for speaking on anesthesia-related topics over the years. She has taken her experience and knowledge from the workplace and her AANA leadership role to lecture on political and academic anesthesia- related topics for different professional groups. During her AANA presidency, Ms. Wilson has advocated for CRNAs and patients before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and other Federal agencies. In addition, Ms. Wilson worked to bring the AANA's perspective to the national debate on how to improve veterans health care, ensuring that AANA was represented in Congressional hearings to testify about the contributions of CRNAs in the Veterans Affairs health system and the dedication with which CRNAs provide safe anesthesia care to members of the U.S. Armed Forces at home and abroad. Finally, Ms. Wilson has been an invaluable advocate in advancing reform and equity in Medicare anesthesia reimbursement in educational settings so that seniors and persons with disabilities will have access to safe anesthesia care. Legislation recently enacted by Congress to reverse Medicare payment cuts also reformed Medicare anesthesia payment teaching rules for CRNAs and anesthesiologists, a longstanding policy objective of the AANA.

Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me today in recognizing the outgoing president of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Ms. Wanda Wilson, CRNA, PhD, MSN, for her notable career and outstanding achievements.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 361, a resolution I introduced commemorating Irena Sendler, a woman whose bravery saved the lives of thousands of children during the Holocaust, and remembering her legacy of courage, selflessness and hope. I want to thank Chairman Berman for his leadership in bringing this to the floor, and also Senator Obama for offering similar legislation in the Senate.

Irena Sendler lived her life by the standards of humanity that she learned from her parents. She once stated, ``I was taught that if you see a person drowning, you must jump into the water to save them, whether you can swim or not.''

Sendler was a 29-year-old Catholic employed by the City of Warsaw when the German invasion of Poland ushered in one of the darkest chapters in human history. Disguised as an infection-control nurse, she was able to enter the Warsaw Jewish ghetto to distribute supplies. In 1942, Sendler joined the newly formed underground organization Zegota, working to assist thousands of Jews who had survived mass deportations and were living in hiding.

Utilizing her contacts with orphanages, Sendler organized the rescue of Jewish children, smuggling some out in boxes and suitcases, leading others through secret passages and sewers. Children were hidden in Roman Catholic orphanages and convents, as well as private homes, under false identities. Sendler buried a jar with the true name of every child in a friend's garden in hopes of reuniting the children with their families after the war.

After she was arrested in October of 1943, Sendler refused to provide the list of names or the identity of her collaborators, even when she was tortured and sentenced to death. She was spared execution only because underground activists managed to bribe officials. After her release, Sendler was forced into hiding but she continued to work to rescue Jewish children. It is estimated that she rescued over 2,500 children.

She passed away in May of 2008 at the age of 98. I introduced this resolution with the hope that her legacy will inspire people to fight for human rights. Her heroic story reminds us that the actions of one person can make a real difference in this world.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, pay tribute to Irena Sendler, and remind all of us to stand up against oppression and fight for those without a voice.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 361, a resolution I introduced commemorating Irena Sendler, a woman whose bravery saved the lives of thousands of children during the Holocaust, and remembering her legacy of courage, selflessness, and hope.

I would like to thank the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Congressman Berman, for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor today. I would also like to thank Senator Obama for offering similar legislation in the Senate.

Irena Sendler lived her life by the standards of compassion and humanity that she learned from her parents. She once stated, ``I was taught that if you see a person drowning, you must jump into the water to save them, whether you can swim or not.''

Sendler was a 29-year-old Polish Catholic, employed by the city of Warsaw as a social worker, when the German invasion of Poland ushered in one of the darkest chapters in human history. Jews were rounded up and crowded into the Warsaw ghetto, where poor hygiene and a lack of food and medical supplies led to the outbreak of disease. Sendler managed to pass herself off as an infection-control nurse, enabling her to enter the ghetto and distribute supplies, and she began to smuggle Jews out of the ghetto and into hiding. In 1942, the underground organization Council for the Aid of Jews, known as Zegota, was established following the deportation of 280,000 Jews from Warsaw to Treblinka. Sendler joined the organization, working to assist thousands of Jews who had survived the deportations and were living in hiding.

Working with Zegota, Sendler utilized her contacts with orphanages to rescue Jewish children. Young children were smuggled out in boxes and suitcases; older children were led through secret passages and sewers. Many of the children were sent to Roman Catholic orphanages and convents, while others were hidden in private homes. All were given false identities and non-Jewish names. Sendler buried a jar with the true names of every child in a friend's garden, in hopes of reuniting the children with their families after the war.

A mother herself, Sendler later recalled that the most difficult part of her work was to convince parents to give their children into her care. They would ask her if she could guarantee their survival, and she would respond that she could not, but she could guarantee that they would likely die if they stayed.

Irena Sendler was arrested by the Nazis in October 1943. She managed to hide critical information, including the addresses of the hidden children, before her capture. Although she endured torture and was sentenced to death, she refused to provide the location of the lists of names or the identity of her collaborators. She was spared execution only because other underground activists managed to bribe officials.

After her release, Sendler was forced to go into hiding, but she nevertheless continued to work to rescue Jewish children. Although the exact number of children she saved is unknown, it is widely estimated to be over 2,500. After the war, she unearthed the hidden lists and worked to reunite the children with their families. A large majority of the children had no surviving family members, and many were adopted by Polish families, while others were sent to Israel.

Irena Sendler's remarkable story garnered little attention after the war. She was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Israel's Yad Vashem on October 19, 1965, but her story was not widely known until 1999, when four high school students in Kansas wrote a play, Life in a Jar, based on her life. The play has since been performed across the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 2003, she was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest civilian decoration, and in 2007 she was honored by the Polish parliament, which unanimously approved a resolution honoring her for organizing the rescue of Jewish children. She was nominated for the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Irena Sendler passed away in May 2008 at the age of 98. Even though her actions saved countless innocent children from a horrific death, she said that she always regretted being unable to do more.

In speaking about those non-Jews, like Irena Sendler, who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust, Elie Weisel stated, ``In those times there was darkness everywhere. In heaven and on earth, all the gates of compassion seemed to have been closed. The killer killed and the Jews died and the outside world adopted an attitude either of complicity or of indifference. Only a few had the courage to care. These few men and women were vulnerable, afraid, helpless--what made them different from their fellow citizens? . . . Why were there so few?''

I introduced this resolution with the hope that Irena Sendler's legacy would help inspire people to fight for human rights and social justice. Her heroic story reminds us that the actions of one person can make a real difference in this world. As the Talmud teaches, ``whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.'' There is no higher act of selflessness than to protect people who cannot defend themselves.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, to pay tribute to Irena Sendler and to remind all of us to stand up against oppression and fight for those without a voice.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1266. I have a strong relationship with the Croatian-American community in my district, and I strongly support it.

Madam Speaker, I am a strong supporter and cosponsor of H.R. 1108, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for it today. I also want to commend and thank Congressman Waxman for introducing this important legislation that will significantly improve public health by strengthening the regulation of tobacco products.

There are over 44 million smokers in the United States and over 435,000 tobacco-related deaths each year. In Illinois alone, 24.3 percent of adults and 29.2 percent of youths smoke tobacco. Each year in Illinois, more than 16,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses, including 2,900 adults and children who die of second-hand smoke. In addition, $3.2 billion is spent in direct medical expenditures related to smoking in Illinois.

The tobacco industry spends $17 million a day to promote their products. Their targets are often teens, women and minorities. The average age when an individual becomes a daily smoker is 14.5 years. Every day, more than 4000 kids try their first cigarette and about half become addicted to tobacco. Nicotine and other tobacco products have become a pediatric disease. H.R. 1108 would help prevent these potentially deadly products from getting into the hands of children and youth.

This legislation would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to regulate the manufacture, distribution and sale of tobacco products, authorities needed to safeguard the public health and our children. In addition, H.R. 1108 would lessen the cost of smoking- related medical illnesses and prevent adolescents and teens from smoking at a young age. The fact that the tobacco industry is now advertising a new generation of products with unproven claims that they are less harmful makes the need for FDA oversight even more urgent.

I am very proud that the State of Illinois has already taken measures to curb the effects of smoking on the public. I also appreciate the efforts that the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians have taken to educate the public and Congress about the dangers of smoking. Already, the Academy's ``Tar Wars'' campaign has had clear and successful results. I see it in the drawing of Alexandra Slane, an elementary school grader from Peoria, who won the Illinois Tar Wars annual poster contest. Her

drawing of a human-shaped light bulb is captioned with a warning to America, ``Be Bright Don't Light!'' Let us all be bright--let us pass H.R. 1108 and act to improve the Nation's health.

Madam Speaker, as a conferee on this bill, I proudly rise to support the conference report to H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

When we began this process of reforming the Consumer Product Safety Commission over a year ago, I set out one goal, to ensure that the toys and products I buy for my grandchildren are safe. I am pleased to say that the conference report we are considering today fulfills that goal for all of America's children.

H.R. 4040 is legislation that every Member of Congress can be proud to support. It is a product of bipartisan negotiation and compromise. I, too, want to thank our esteemed chairman, John Dingell, for shepherding us through this process, as well as ranking member Joe Barton, my fellow conferees, and all of the staff and consumer advocates that worked so hard on this bill.

I also want to thank our Senate counterparts. Chairing the conference was Senator Inouye, and the key author of the Senate companion bill was Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas. They both deserve the gratitude of the House, especially if they pass this bill this week.

I am especially thrilled, however, to welcome back to Washington my friend and chairman of the Consumer Protection Subcommittee and chief sponsor of this bill, Congressman Bobby Rush. You have been deeply missed, and I'm so happy to have you back on this momentous occasion which you have made more momentous.

With this conference report, Congress is breathing new needed life into the

CPSC. For the first time, we are virtually banning lead in children's products as well as the harmful phthalates that can cause hormonal damage. We're improving the CPSC's enforcement authority and maintaining the authority of State attorneys general to ensure that the products sold in their States comply with the law. And we are providing consumers with a publicly searchable incident database that will allow them to report hazards to one another.

There are three provisions I am particularly proud to have authored in this conference report.

The first is language directing the CPSC to devise mandatory safety standards for infant and toddler durable products. Those are the things that are in every nursery: cribs, high chairs, playpens, strollers, bassinets. It also requires pre-market testing of those products to ensure that they meet those standards. Bottom line, we will no longer be using our children as test dummies. The government will be ensuring their safety.

Second, I'm gratified that the conference report includes the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act in its entirety. I crafted this legislation in honor of Danny Keysar who was strangled to death when he was 16 months old at his licensed daycare facility when the portable crib he was sleeping in collapsed. The crib that killed Danny had been recalled 5 years earlier, but the daycare center didn't know that.

To improve the product recall system, manufacturers of children's products will be required to attach a postage-paid recall registration card to each product that can be mailed in to notify the purchaser when a product is recalled for safety reasons. This provision is a tribute to the work of Danny's parents, Linda Ginzel and Boaz Keysar, who created the organization Kids in Danger 3 weeks after Danny's death in order to prevent other children and families from suffering the same tragedy.

Finally, I am delighted the conference report contains a provision to immediately adopt the set of existing voluntary toy standards as a mandatory standard on an interim basis. Then the CPSC, working with consumer groups, will assess those standards, beginning with the toys that present the greatest hazards, and develop not only the best possible mandatory standards, but require pre-testing to those standards. At last, all toys will be tested before they arrive on toy store shelves.

Madam Speaker, the conference report we will adopt today will finally bring the CPSC into the 21st century, and will, I hope, transform it into the world's foremost consumer protection agency.

It was an honor to be working on this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the July 20, 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus. The island has been effectively partitioned since that time, and Turkey currently maintains a force of at least 30,000 troops in the unilaterally declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This is roughly equivalent to the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, where we are actively pursuing a war.

The Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus has had a tremendous impact on the lives of the Greek Cypriots. My district includes part of Chicago, home to the largest Greek population in the United States, and I have spoken to countless people who relay stories of occupation including the destruction and desecration of churches, restrictions on Greek Cypriots in the Turkish region. Recently Turkey's image was further injured after the European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of human rights violations on Cyprus.

I am very encouraged by news reports stating that Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, both of whom have publicly committed to working toward reconciliation, will meet tomorrow to discuss the possibility of restarting direct peace talks. I hope that these talks will pave the way toward true reconciliation for the people of Cyprus.

Mr. Chairman, as you know, bringing accountability and transparency to contracting has been a priority of mine, and I have worked to ensure that companies that we award contracts to are held responsible for any abuses. I believe we must make certain that the intelligence community is not using U.S. taxpayer dollars to enter into or renew contracts with companies that may be engaging in serious abuses of law and violence toward civilians and whose actions go unpunished.

Around the world our country is contracting with private companies that employ individuals who do not wear the badge of the United States but whose behavior has, on numerous occasions, severely damaged the credibility and security of our military and harmed our relationship with other governments. Perhaps the most egregious example came on September 16, 2007, when private security contractors employed by Blackwater Worldwide killed 17 civilians and wounded many more in downtown Baghdad. No one has been held accountable for this.

At a minimum, we need a more transparent process to hold private contractors accountable and more information in order to understand their impact on our Intelligence Community, our armed forces and our larger objectives.

I thank the chairman for including language prohibiting the use of contractors for interrogation, as well as a provision requiring a comprehensive report on the use of contractors in the intelligence community.

If I may ask the chairman in a brief colloquy if the chairman will work with me to include additional language in the conference report calling for a report that examines the extent of criminal activity among intelligence community contractors and assesses the effects of hiring contracting companies that are responsible for serious legal violations.

Yes.

Well, thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I am happy to support this legislation.

I thank the gentleman so much for giving me the time to speak on this important bill.

The digital television transition is now 223 days away and many of our constituents are simply not prepared. I'm especially concerned about our most vulnerable population, our seniors. Eight million older Americans are in risk of losing their television reception on February 17, 2009.

I've been pleased to work with a number of groups that work directly with seniors, including the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the AARP, and the National Council on Aging, to ensure that older Americans are not left in the dark.

In May, Representative G.K. Butterfield joined me and 21 of our colleagues in sending a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration regarding this imminent problem, and I'm pleased that the bill before us today would take some of the necessary steps to ensuring that seniors are prepared.

Seniors could suffer real consequences if their TVs do not operate past February 17, 2009, including isolation from society, anxiety, or mental and physical decline. Imagine your parents or grandparents going to turn on the television on February 18 and finding nothing on the screen.

Also, we have to remember that there are hundreds and thousands of homebound seniors who are unable to go and buy a converter box. Many seniors face considerable physical challenges associated with the transition, and without people to help come in their homes and install these boxes, they're just going to be out of luck. And those seniors that have gotten the converter box may face real technological barriers. Most people have problems setting the clock on their VCRs. I have zeros blinking myself occasionally. Think about the challenge of looking at a converter box and trying to figure out what to do next.

That's why I rise in support of this bill. This legislation will free up funds not being used by the NTIA in the distribution of coupons so they can be used for consumer education and technical assistance.

It further directs NTIA to partner with, provide grants to, and contract with nonprofit organizations and public interest groups to provide for educational and technical assistance to seniors, rural residents, and others who may face difficulties with the digital transition.

Despite these efforts, there are sure to be people who we don't reach and who wake up on February 18 with no signal. I look forward to working with my colleagues to establish any future

funding needed to ensure that these individuals receive needed assistance.

Again, we're 223 days away from the digital television transition. I urge all of my colleagues to work to ensure that our constituents are aware of and prepared for the coming transition.

I want to thank the leadership for bringing this crucial bill to the floor quickly.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Medical Device Safety Act of 2008, which has been introduced today by my colleagues Representatives Frank Pallone and Henry Waxman. I am proud to be original cosponsor of this legislation, which will restore consumer protections that were eliminated in the Supreme Court's recent Riegel v. Medtronic decision.

The Riegel v. Medtronic decision ignored congressional intent and disregarded 30 years of experience under the 1976 Medical Device amendments, during which FDA regulation and State tort law worked together to protect consumers from dangerous devices. The Riegel decision gives total immunity to device manufacturers who fail to adequately warn

consumers about device risks. It is now the responsibility of Congress to correct the Court's dangerous mistake.

Patients who are injured by medical devices often suffer permanent, debilitating injuries or even death. They need the ability to hold the negligent medical device manufacturer accountable for their injuries. If not, private health insurance companies and Medicare or Medicaid would be left footing the bill to pay for those injuries; and, ultimately, the taxpayer pays for the medical device manufacturer's mistake.

This narrow piece of legislation is necessary to address the Riegel decision and to ensure that it is not then applied to afford total immunity to medical device manufacturers throughout the country. It also will make certain that patients injured by medical devices can have their claims heard by a judge and jury and will prevent courts from summarily dismissing claims without ever hearing the facts. Finally, it restores congressional intent by explicitly stating that actions for damages under State law are preserved.

I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring and enacting the Medical Device Safety Act so that we can restore long-standing consumer protections.