Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to recognize and pay tribute to an esteemed member of my community, Sylvia Berkowitz as she celebrates her 100th birthday on May 30th.

I know that her love and kindness have been an inspiration to her family and friends. Her dedication to her family--as a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and recently a great-great-grandmother-- is to be revered.

Throughout the last century, Sylvia has not only dedicated her energies and remarkable abilities to her family but also to others. I applaud her work in volunteering for numerous charitable organizations including helping those struggling with Leukemia, Multiple Sclerosis and other incapacitating diseases.

On behalf of the people of the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, it is my privilege to congratulate Sylvia Berkowitz on this momentous occasion. You are a true inspiration and a wonderful human being. I wish you continued success, good health, and happiness in the years ahead.

Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Yes, it is.

Madam Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to Mr. Price of North Carolina.

Yes, I would yield.

Madam Chairman, I yield my remaining time to Chairman Ike Skelton.

Democrats in the House voted four times to end this war in Iraq, yet the President and most of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to acknowledge the realities on the ground and continue to ignore the pleas of the American people.

Sadly, the President is dealing with an Iraq that exists only in his imagination. It is time for the President to understand that this House will not endorse a blank check for an endless war. Our resolve remains unwavering because we know the American people have our back.

Under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, we are united in our efforts to bring an end to this war. Congressman McGovern's bill moves us closer to achieving that goal.

The phones in my office are ringing off the hook with constituents, as I am sure they are across the Capitol, asking me to vote, begging me to vote for this bill to put an end to the war in Iraq.

Listen to the mothers of America on this Mother's Day weekend. They are saying, support our children in uniform by bringing them home.

This bill does that. I urge strong support for it.

Madam Chairman, I rise today to address two matters in the intelligence authorization bill.

For too long, the intelligence community has been increasing its use of contractors without internal or congressional oversight. For the first time, the Director of National Intelligence has conducted a contractor survey to begin to get a handle on the situation. A simple survey, however, is not sufficient to understand how we are using contractors and whether the use of such contractors is appropriate.

This bill takes an important step towards understanding the use of contractors. It requires the DNI Inspector General to report on intelligence contractors committing waste, fraud or abuse. It also requires a report on contractor accountability and their effect on the workforce, all positive steps toward better oversight.

But there is one issue this bill does not address that I firmly believe raises a fundamental question as to who we are as a Nation. The President has acknowledged that the intelligence community kept prisoners in undisclosed detention sites and has reserved the right to do so in the future. We should reject this policy.

In Nazi Germany, millions of people were sent to camps, never to be heard from again. During the Cold War, thousands of people disappeared into gulags. Saddam Hussein's secret prisons still strike fear into the hearts of Iraqis. Each time, our Nation stood as a beacon of human rights and strongly objected to those practices. If we endorse any policy that allows undisclosed detention, we undermine our moral authority to stand against such atrocities in the future.

The United States should be beyond reproach in its treatment of detainees. In the first Gulf War, the International Committee of the Red Cross called U.S. compliance with the Geneva Conventions the best of any nation in any conflict in the history of the convention.

If we lower that standard for how we treat prisoners, we weaken our ability to insist on the highest standards of treatment for our own military personnel and civilians abroad, thus endangering their safety and undermining our standing in the world. More importantly, we sacrifice the principles on which this country is based.

I want to thank the chairman for considering all these important matters in the intelligence bill and for his leadership on this good bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I thank him for his leadership on this important amendment.

After the Cold War, the use of contractors began to grow, and their use exploded after September 11, 2001. Contractors now do more than just build military equipment and satellites. They also provide security, collect and analyze intelligence, provide technical support, and even perform planning and management tasks.

Mr. Price's amendment requires a review of what contractors are doing and, importantly, whether contractors are performing inherently governmental functions. There are some activities so sensitive that, if and when they are done, we must determine whether or not it is appropriate to contract these activities out.

In some cases, U.S. contractors' actions have caused great controversy. The Lincoln Group's contract to plant positive news stories in Iraq raised questions about manipulation of the Iraqi media. Dave Passaro, a CIA contractor was convicted of four counts of assaulting an Afghan detainee who later died. Contractors were implicated in the detainee abuse cases at Abu Ghraib.

These activities are controversial enough on their own, and if the U.S. engages in them, we should do so while accepting full responsibility and not hide behind contractors.

The Price-Schakowsky amendment would ask the DNI to review whether it is appropriate for contractors to engage in intelligence collection, analysis, covert actions, interrogations, detentions, rendition or electronic surveillance.

This is an important amendment, and I urge its adoption.

I thank the gentleman.

I am so proud to stand here against hate, but even more, I feel compelled to stand here against violence.

When the categories of people that are named in this bill were picked, it wasn't sort of a capricious or random or even a liberal bias sort of thing, that we want to support certain people or single them out. It is because the statistics show us and the law enforcement community who supports this bill has said, these are the victims of violence. They are named for only one reason and that's it. And we are talking about people who are victims of assault, of brutal attacks, of torture, or even of murder.

You can say it as many times as you want. This is not about thought. This is not about speech. This is about violence. And you or your pastor may not agree with homosexuals or transgenders, but surely you don't think that is a reason for them to be assaulted.

Support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 118, which congratulates Chicago for being chosen to represent the United States in the international competition to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games and encourages the International Olympic Committee to select Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. I can not think of a better city than my hometown of Chicago to represent the United States in its bid to win the 2016 Olympics Games.

Chicago is a great American city that is rich in diversity, culture, tradition and history. The City is home to nearly 3 million residents that represent hundreds of different nationalities and ethnicities . . . a truly international city. Chicago's vibrant communities, sound infrastructure and extensive transportation network make it the perfect fit for the 2016 Olympics.

The Olympic Games are a great opportunity for the world to come together and put aside their differences to celebrate the achievements of athletes. The Olympics have been able to transcend cultural, religious and political boundaries by making all of us realize that there is more that unites us than divides us, which could also be said for the City of Chicago. The Games have also played a significant role in creating social and political change in the United States and across the globe.

I would also like to congratulate Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich for securing this victory on behalf of the City of Chicago and I wish them continued success in their efforts to win this bid in front of the International Olympic Committee in 2009. I am confident that the rest of the world will realize what we already know-that Chicago is the ideal city to host the 2016 Olympic Games. I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res 118.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 7, which calls on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in Darfur and step up its effort to stop the genocide. I would like to thank my friend and colleague, Rep. Barbara Lee, for bringing this important resolution to the House floor.

Since 2003, more than 400,000 people have been killed in Darfur and an estimated 2.5 million have been displaced. More than 3 million other Darfurians depend today on international aid for their survival. The United Nations has identified the situation in Darfur as the worst current humanitarian and human rights crisis in the world. The United States has officially labeled it genocide.

As we learned last week on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the international community must not turn a blind eye to the suffering of innocents. When we say we must ``never forget,'' we must demonstrate that we mean it. H. Con. Res. 7, which has 115 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle, is an important step in this cause.

This important legislation calls on the League of Arab States to support and accept United Nations peacekeepers as the best option to enforce a cease-fire, protect civilians, and ensure access for humanitarian aid workers; and to work with the international community to bring about a lasting peace in Darfur.

I hope that the Arab League will play a constructive role in ensuring humanitarian assistance in Darfur, insisting that the Bashir government accept more peacekeeping troops, and make a stronger effort to engage Sudan's neighbors in the peace process--which is what this Resolution is designed to do. Finally, the Arab League must work with the United States and the United Nations to work with the Sudanese government to help forge a comprehensive plan for stability and reconstruction across the whole of the country.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 7 and I hope all of my colleagues will lend it their support.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 249, a bill to restore the prohibition on the sale for slaughter of wild horses and burros.

Behind closed doors, language was added to the fiscal year 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill that overturned the 33-year-old ban on the slaughter of wild horses and burros. Immediately, Congress rejected this ploy by voting to amend the fiscal year 2006 Agriculture Appropriations bill to reinstate the ban. That amendment, introduced by Congressman Nick Rahall, passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 249-159 in the House and the same amendment was included in the fiscal year 2007 bill. We must restore a permanent ban on the slaughter of wild horses and burros to ensure that they remain protected.

Legislators are working to put an end to horse slaughter in this country because horses are some of the most beautiful and beloved domesticated animals on earth. Americans have long appreciated horses-- for transport, on ranches, as police mounts, and as cherished companions. America's wild horses are especially prized. The approximately 28,500 horses and burros that roam public land--our prairies, ranges, and the open plains--are cherished symbols of American freedom.

The American Horse Council reports that 1.9 million Americans currently own horses. Another 7.1 million Americans are involved in the industry as horse owners, service providers, employees and volunteers, while tens of millions participate in horse events as spectators. These millions of Americans know that horses should be treated with dignity and respect in life and death. They are disgusted, as I am, that in 2006 over 100,000 horses were slaughtered at three American-based, foreign-owned plants so that the meat could be shipped to Europe and Asia for consumption as a delicacy. And they are saddened that wild horses were sentenced to the same fate, despite the Bureau of Land Management's access to humane options, including adoption, sterilization, relocation, and placement with qualified organizations and individuals.

Not surprisingly, a recent poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies found that 65 percent of Americans do not support horse slaughter. And 64 percent of Americans believe that horses are a companion animal, like dogs and cats, and killing a horse to eat is not different than killing a cat or dog to eat.

I think it's time to listen to the American public and finally end the barbaric practice of horse slaughter, for wild horses, and for all horses. This legislation demonstrates that we are willing to heed the call of the American people, and take the necessary steps to protect horses from an inhumane and unjust fate.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend my condolences to the families of the 32 Virginia Tech students and teachers who lost their lives due to senseless gun violence on April 16, 2007. I would also like the families of Columbine High School tragedy--which occurred 8 years ago on April 20th--to know that my thoughts and prayers are with them as well. As those two tragedies demonstrate, we are not doing enough to protect our schools, workplaces, homes, and communities from gun violence. In honor of all the victims of gun violence, I call on my colleagues to pass tougher gun laws, including requiring more stringent background checks and banning the use of assault weapons and high- ammunition clips.

It is a well-known fact that it takes very little time and is very easy and for individuals to buy powerful weapons in this country. In fact, depending on the state, it takes anywhere from just 2 hours to a mere 2 minutes to conduct a background check. Since it took the assailant in the Virginia Tech case only 10 minutes to get approval to buy a gun, it is no wonder that the store from which he made his purchase missed the fact that a court had ordered him to undergo outpatient treatment. Federal law states that anyone who has been adjudicated for being a ``mental defective'', as the assailant had, cannot purchase weapons. Had there not been an expedited process for buying a gun, and the background check relying on the self-reporting of mental illness, perhaps this tragedy could have been prevented. I support the efforts of my colleagues, Representatives McCarthy and Dingell, to provide federal funding to states for computers systems that will allow them to promptly upload information about potential gun buyers from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. As we have tragically learned, we can no longer wait for all states to get online.

Additionally, we need to renew the bans on assault weapons and high- capacity ammunition clips. We have allowed this ban to expire, every day more police officers and innocent families are in sight of criminals wielding Uzis, Tec-9s, AK-47s. And, high-capacity ammunition clips--which have no purpose other than to kill people--allowed the gunman at Virginia Tech to kill 32 students and teachers. Because of the high-capacity ammunition clips, even those who survived were left with multiple bullet wounds.

Every day that we allow to pass without a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips is another day that Americans are needlessly put at risk. We need to support and pass Representative McCarthy's, H.R. 1022, the Assault Weapons Ban, which would renew that ban.

I am proud to represent the 9th Congressional District, a district that is strongly in favor of getting guns off our streets. Chicago, Wilmette, Morton Grove and Evanston have laws outlawing handguns, and I think this is a great start. We need to bring that commitment to our children's safety, to the safety of our neighborhoods, and to the safety of our schools, to the rest of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 240 which would help open access to the Holocaust archives located at Bad Arolsen, Germany.

Sixty-two years after the end of the Second World War, the Holocaust archives located in Bad Arolsen remain the largest closed World War Two-era archives in the world. While access to individual records may be requested by Holocaust survivors and their families, many who have requested information in the past reported facing significant delays. These millions of extensive records continue to remain inaccessible to researches.

In order to allow for open access to the archives, each of the 11 members of the International Commission of the International Tracing Services must ratify the May 2006 amendments to the Bonn Accords. Deplorably, the majority of the member countries of the International Commission have yet to ratify these amendments. To date, the amendments have only been publicly ratified by 4 out of the 11 Commission member countries. That is why it is important that we are passing H. Res. 240 today.

The 110th Congress has recently recognized Holocaust Remembrance Day, and I am pleased that we are continuing our efforts to ``never forget''. My district, the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, is home to the largest concentration of survivors in the State of Illinois and perhaps in the country, and the opening of the Bad Arolsen Archive holds deep meaning for those individuals and the entire community. Perhaps the records located there will help these families fill in the blanks in their lives that were shattered by Nazi Germany.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of H. Res. 240, and I urge all of my colleagues to lend it their support.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1257, the Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act, which ensures that shareholders have a say in corporate executive compensation plans and golden parachute packages for executives who are negotiating the purchase or sale of the company.

For too long, executive compensation has been determined behind closed boardroom doors. The results have been that executives' pay has skyrocketed to the point of absurdity.

In 1991, the average large-company CEO received roughly 140 times the pay of an average worker. In 2003, the ratio was up to 500 to 1. It takes CEOs of the Nation's top companies the first two hours of the first workday of the new year to make $10,712. It takes a minimum wage worker 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year to make the same. According to a report by Americans United for Change, those CEOs make $5,279 an hour, $10,982,000 a year, or 1,025 times more than their minimum wage employees.

These numbers are even more stunning when one considers that those salaries are not based on performance. As hearings held by Chairman Frank have shown, even executives of companies that lose money, restate earnings, and face extensive regulatory scrutiny have received substantial compensation packages.

The Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act would help hold board members accountable when setting executive pay by allowing shareholders to vote on whether they approve of the compensation packages or not. It would also give shareholders the right to vote on golden parachute packages that executives may negotiate for themselves when arranging the purchase or sale of the company.

Although these votes are non-binding, shareholders' voices will be heard. Executives and boards of directors will have to give weight to the shareholders opinions when deciding on what the gold-plated packages of executives will look like. And, it will let executives know they are being watched when negotiating the selling price of a company while simultaneously negotiating an additional personal exit package.

A similar shareholder vote has been in practice in the United Kingdom since 2003 and is now used in Australia as well. The policy is credited with improving management/shareholder dialogue on executive compensation matters and increasing the use of long-term performance targets in incentive compensation. It was recently adopted voluntarily by Aflac, and according to Institutional Shareholder Services, is currently pending before 52 companies. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1257 and make it the norm for all U.S. companies.

Madam Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I would like to take a moment to send my prayers and condolences to the entire Virginia Tech community. The Nation and world are mourning with you. The United States Congress stands at your side.

As today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, I would like to extend special recognition to one of the 32 victims of this unbelievable catastrophe. Liviu Librescu, 76 at the time of his death, had known tragedy since childhood. When Romania joined forces with Nazi Germany in World War II, the young Librescu was interned in a labor camp, and then sent along with his family and thousands of other Jews to a central ghetto in the city of Focsani. Hundreds of thousands of Romanian Jews were killed by the collaborationist regime during the war, yet Liviu Librescu survived.

Liviu Librescu was an internationally respected aeronautics engineer and a lecturer at Virginia Tech for 20 years. He saved the lives of several students by blocking the gunman before he was gunned down in the shooting.

I know that Professor Librescu would join me in expressing solidarity with Jews across this Nation and around the world in honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day, or as it is known in Hebrew, Yom HaShoah.

My district, the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, is home to the largest concentration of survivors in the State of Illinois and perhaps in the country, and this day holds deep meaning for those individuals and the entire community.

Recent events in the Middle East and around the world underscore the importance of this day. Anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric and demonstrations continue in numerous countries. The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has threatened to use nuclear weapons to wipe Israel off the face of the map.

With anti-Semitism on the rise, we must be reminded that ``Never Again'' is not a guarantee, but a pledge that we must uphold through education, dialogue, and determination. It also reminds us that we must continue to strengthen the U.S. commitment to the security of Israel. Moreover, we must redouble our efforts to bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

``Never Again'' means that we must combat hate wherever it exists. While the Holocaust was a unique incident, a genocide is taking place right in front of our eyes in the Darfur region of Sudan. In February 2006 I traveled to Darfur where President Bush and the U.S. Congress have officially acknowledged' 'genocide'' is taking place. The conflict has spilled across international borders and hundreds of thousands have fled into Chad. The window to provide security and hope is narrowing. According to the Commander of the African Union forces who briefed the participants of my Congressional Delegation in Darfur, ``There is no sense of urgency outside.''

As a Jew, I cannot sit idle while these atrocities continue to unfold in Darfur. The lessons from the Holocaust have taught us that we must never turn a blind eye to terror or discrimination. We must demand that our government hold those who carry out acts of needless brutality accountable. I believe that everyone should take a moment today to consider the role of the U.S. in the prevention and prosecution of genocide.

The Holocaust was the most horrific human atrocity the world saw during the last century and perhaps in the history of the planet. Millions of Jews and others were brutalized, raped, beaten, dehumanized, enslaved, robbed, and murdered. While it is hard to grasp how terrible those events must have been, what all of our children, and we must do is to listen to the stories of those few remaining survivors of the Holocaust and ensure that their stories and their suffering are a permanent part of history.

Today we honor and mourn those who perished. We vow to live our lives in a way that pays tribute to their memory and ensures others will not suffer their fate.

Madam Chair, budget resolutions give us the opportunity to debate national priorities, the vision that we have not just for the next 5 years, but for our future. And nothing is more important for that future than providing opportunities for our children.

Over the past weeks, many of my constituents have called and written to ask that we reject the President's budget priorities, particularly in the area of children's health. Nine million children are uninsured. Every 46 seconds, a baby is born without health coverage. In the richest country in the history of the world, every day children are forced to go without the medical care that they need. The President's budget doesn't solve this crisis. It doesn't even come close.

The President wants to cut Medicaid, and his budget provides $7 billion less than what is needed just to maintain current caseloads in the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Shortfalls would continue. States would have to put more children on waiting lists. Benefits would be reduced.

The Progressive Caucus believes that no child should be forced to stand in a long line when it comes to health care. Our budget provides enough funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program to cover every eligible child. Our budget truly puts children first. Like the Spratt budget, which provides an additional $50 billion in SCHIP money, we are setting the priorities that will keep American children healthy and make our country strong.

The Republicans care about families all right, rich families. And they care about children. It just doesn't happen to be the children of ordinary working families in this country. The Progressive Caucus budget does take care of those families.

Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 103) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Madam Speaker, today I am once again introducing two bills that would help prevent needless deaths and injuries of young children: the Infant and Toddler Durable Product Safety Act and the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act. These bills would help us protect infant and toddlers from dangerous products, both before they arrive on the shelves--and after they end up in homes.

The Infant and Toddler Durable Product Safety Act would require infant and toddler products to receive a federal seal of approval before they are sold. This bill is long overdue.

Currently, most consumers believe that, because a product is on a shelf, it is safe. A Coalition for Consumer Rights' survey in Illinois found that 75 percent of adults believe that the government oversees pre-market testing for children's products; 79 percent believe that manufacturers are required to test the safety of those products before they are sold. For most products, neither is true.

In fact, there are no mandatory safety standards for the majority of the children's products being sold today. The majority of the standards that are in place are ``voluntarily'' set by the very industries looking to make profits. They are also allowed to police themselves about whether the standards are enforced.

Let me stress what that means: although there may be voluntary standards in place, there are no requirements that all potential hazards are addressed in those standards. For instance, the voluntary standards for bassinets set by the industry did not have height requirement for the sides or any test to make sure the baby couldn't fall out. Only because of the tenacity of advocates like Kids in Danger, was one finally set. There are also no consequences for the manufacturer if the standards are not met, and no requirements for products to be tested to see if the standards are met. This is true even for baby carriers, cradles, play pens, and high chairs. For the few products that do have mandatory federal standards, because there are no testing requirements, the standards are meaningless.

Although the Consumer Products Safety Commission--the CPSC--requires no testing and manufacturers mayor may not perform their own tests, do not be mistaken, children's products are tested. They are tested in our own homes, with our children and grandchildren as test dummies. The cost of those tests can be a panicked child, amputated fingers, fractured skulls, or a dead child.

Unfortunately, a trip to the emergency room or the morgue is often the only way to know if a product is unsafe. This is unacceptable.

Parents and caregivers must have assurance that when they buy a product, it will be safe. Therefore, the Infant and Toddler Durable Product Safety Act would not only require the CPSC to issue mandatory safety standards for infant and toddler products, it would require the testing and certification of these products by an independent third party before they are allowed to be sold to anyone.

To protect children should unsafe products make it into their homes-- as is currently happening--we also have to make sure that we can get the hazards out as soon as possible. The Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act would help us do that by requiring that all children's durable products sold have recall registration cards attached to them and that manufacturers directly contact those who fill them out should there be a recall.

Although there is a shocking number of recalled products, our current recall system is failing. Actual notice of a recall is dependent on news outlets picking up the story and spreading the word. Notification targeted to owners of the products is rare, and many parents remain unaware of the dangers even when products are recalled. In fact, many families still have the dangerous products listed in this report in their homes because they have not happened to turn on the television at the right time or read the right newspaper. We need to make sure that notification is directed at the families that have bought these faulty products so they don't have to rely on chance to hear the news.

My colleague, Rep. Fred Upton, and I named our bill that would help solve this problem the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act because his story is a tragic example of the inadequacy of our current recall practices.

Danny Keysar, the precious 17-month old son of Linda Ginzel and her husband, Boaz Keysar, died when the Playskool Travel-Lite portable crib he had been napping in at his babysitter's home collapsed. The rails of the crib folded into a ``V''-shaped wedge when he stood up, trapping his neck. He was strangled to death. It was May 12, 1998, five years after the CPSC had ordered it off the shelves because it was so dangerous.

Word of its hazard had not reached Danny's parents, the caregiver with whom he was staying, or a state safety inspector who visited the home just eight days before Danny's death. Had the Child Product Safety Notification Act been in effect, there would have been a much greater chance of saving Danny's life--and the 11 children who have since died from the TravelLite.

We know that recall registration cards work. My bill is modeled after the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration's recall system for car seats. Since NHTSA started requiring car seats to have registration cards in 1993, the number of families registering increased by at least tenfold. In fact, 53 percent of parents who obtained cards mailed in the cards. Recall repair rates have gone up by 56 percent--all for a mere 43-cents per item. This bill will give families a much greater chance to repair, return, or discard any dangerous products that have made it into their children's nursery.

It is past due that we give parents the security they deserve and children the safety they need. I urge my colleagues to support these two bills.