Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I cannot think of a bigger issue to be dealing with right now. We have so many issues that this Congress is dealing with. Certainly energy, education, this enormous mountain of debt which we have accumulated over the years, all of these issues are critically important, and all of them are issues that this Congress is going to deal with. The issue of health care is an issue that impacts our national debt. We cannot dig our way out of this hole. We cannot achieve structural surplus like we had in the 1990s. We can't ever even approach that until we deal with the skyrocketing cost of health care.

This is an issue that affects every American in this country very directly. It affects every family and it affects every small business in the country in ways that other issues that we deal with don't on a daily basis.

So what we are talking about here tonight and what this Congress is doing over the course of this summer as we put together this health care reform bill is the three legs of the stool, as the gentleman pointed out, making sure that we find a way for every American in this country to gain access to our system and get affordable health care, making sure that we bring down the costs for everyone. Because we talk about the 47 million Americans who don't have any health insurance right now. They get treated. They show up at the emergency room, and they get their health care. It's certainly not the most cost-effective way. It's probably not the most efficient way, and it's probably not the best way for them to get health care, but they'll end up in the system somewhere. And as the gentleman knows, those of us who have insurance pay for them. They get covered. They get their treatment. But the cost shift that takes place is the reason why an aspirin costs $10 when you go to the hospital.

It's very easy to demagogue this issue if you're in it for political reasons, to say, well, here's what they want to do: They want to take your money and give it to those people who don't have health insurance because 87 percent of Americans in this country have health care. We spend a lot of time talking about those who don't, but 87 percent of Americans have health care. Now, they are in many cases one illness or injury away from losing everything, certainly one job loss away, and tens of millions of Americans that have coverage live in fear of losing it for those very reasons. Tens of millions more are underinsured. They have some coverage; they don't have what they need. And in many cases, the insurance companies have people, millions, approximately 2 million people, that are employed in this country specifically to find a way, if you are insured, to make sure that they can deny your claim, to redline you, to find a preexisting condition exclusion, to find a reason why they shouldn't have to pay your claim. Now, that's another of the issues. Lastly is quality. So you have cost, you have access, and you have quality.

We have in many ways the best health care system anywhere in the world, and the challenge that we have in putting this bill together is we want to preserve what works. We want to say to the 87 percent of Americans who have health care, if you like your plan, if you enjoy the health care plan that you have and you want to keep it, we're not going to touch it and you can keep it. But if you want another alternative, we're going to find you another alternative. And if you have too much out-of-pocket costs, you're not satisfied with the situation that you have, we're going to give you another alternative. But we want to preserve what works in the current system. We want those who have health care to be able to keep it. And we want to make sure that our medical innovation, our technology, our research, which far exceeds anything available anywhere else in the world, is preserved. We want to fix what doesn't work and we want to preserve what does work.

So we are going to increase quality. And we're going to talk about, tonight, ways we are going to do that, the approaches we are going to take. We are going to increase access, bringing everybody into the system, which helps us all. And we're going to do access, we're going to do cost, and we're going to do quality improvements in this bill, all the while preserving what works in the current system.

And the gentleman used an example of how we're already paying for health care, something I mentioned earlier. Those who are afraid to bring new people into the system because they fear that this is going to increase their own costs, well, what I talk about when I have town meetings about health care is, again, they're already paying for people who don't have health insurance in a variety of ways. When that individual shows up at the emergency room, the cost shift takes place because the person without insurance gets their treatment and somebody else pays for it. Those of us who have health insurance pay for it. That's why an aspirin costs $10.

I had knee surgery many years ago, and to make sure that they operated on the right knee, they put a black magic marker that said ``L'' on my left knee. When we got the bill, I saw that that black magic marker to put that ``L'' on cost $20. That's because of the cost shift that takes place. Now, that's one example. Every American who's had to deal with the health care system has a similar example. If everybody is covered and everybody is in the same risk pool, we're not going to have that type of cost shift that takes place. But that's only one example of how we are paying for it.

The gentleman talks about $1,500 of the price of every car made in this country is due to health care costs because American manufacturers have to pay for health care for their employees

and other countries don't have that burden in the manufacturing sector.

So we're starting at a $1,500 disadvantage for that one product. Think about the supply chain. Think about the way goods and services end up in a consumer's hands. Think about the distribution from the person who manufactures it--from the company that manufactures it--to the people who distribute it, to the people who stock the shelves, to the people who operate the stores, to the people who run the cash registers. At every segment of that supply chain, there is a health care component to that. That company, that business is paying, in many cases, health care for their employees. That is what we're paying for.

So, when you hear about people who don't have insurance and when you hear about the skyrocketing costs of health care, think about that part of it as well, not just what your copayment or your premium or your deductible is. Think about how every sector and every segment of our lives is impacted by that.

I will.

I thank the gentleman.

That is just one example, and we're going to deal with a lot of policy options over the next several months. To talk about just one related to what the gentleman is talking about, prevention and wellness is something that everyone can agree has to be an important component. We have to incentivize doctors and hospitals and our health care system more generally to keep people healthy and to keep people out of the system and not wait until the last minute when a situation develops like the one the gentleman talked about.

In western Pennsylvania, where I'm from, I'll just talk about one disease which is near epidemic proportion. That's diabetes. In some cases, it's preventable. In some cases, it's not. For every individual whom you can put on a program of wellness and can prevent diabetes from taking place or, at minimum, delay its onset, you're changing that person's life for the better. You're making a material difference in the life of that person and of his family. You're also, in a more global sense, saving money for the health care system. If you take that one person times the entire country and the entire group of people for whom you can delay the onset for not just diabetes but for any affliction which one may later get in life, you can prevent injuries if you keep people healthy. For the weekend warriors and so forth with joint injuries, with arthritis and its onset, these are very costly diseases to treat, and they can be debilitating in many cases, but they can be prevented or they can, at least, be made better in many cases.

So this is the type of thing that we want to incentivize in our health care system for which, right now, there is no incentive. Under our current reimbursement in health care, we reimburse based on the number of times one shows up to a doctor's office. Their incentive is also for you to be sick. They make more money the more often you go to see them. We want the reimbursement system to be based on keeping you healthy and on keeping you out of the system, reimbursing based on the quality of care provided, not on the volume of services provided. So this is one example of the policy option that we are considering.

I would be delighted to yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin at this time.

We have talked about that, and I do think that the money that was in the stimulus plan and then money in the succeeding budgets, which we're also going to make a priority, is going to make a big difference.

Health care is the only major industry in the country remaining that has not gone to an interconnected, interoperable computerized system. And I would ask my colleagues to think about the fact that--the gentleman's from Connecticut, and I'm from Pennsylvania--if we go to San Diego, and we put our bank card in the machine, we can pull up all of our financial records in a safe and secure way and never think about privacy or any type of intrusion. You just take for granted that that's going to work. But if you show up on that same trip at the emergency room in San Diego, well, they don't have any of your records. They don't have your history. They don't have your family medical history. They don't have your allergies. They don't have any of your imaging, your x rays and so forth. And they're going to ask you half a dozen times when you're there, what are you allergic to, and can you fill out these forms and, most importantly, how are you going to pay, what's your insurance? But if we were to go to a system, like every other industry in America has, where you have an electronic health record that goes with you everywhere you go and has your family history records, your personal medical history, your allergies, and yes, all your insurance information, then when you show up at the emergency room, they're not going to have to ask you half a dozen times. They're going to be able to get right down to the business of treating you for whatever the reason is you find yourself in that situation. We have to make sure that as we move forward as a country, we reward those who have already taken matters into their own hands. There are a lot of major health systems in this country from coast to coast that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars of their own money to make this a reality, to connect their own systems. The problem that we have in implementing this is, if you're a wealthy community and you have a system that's making a lot of money, a hospital system, you can afford to do that. But if you're a rural physician, a health care provider in central Pennsylvania or anywhere in this country 80 miles from the nearest hospital, you can't afford hundreds of thousands of dollars to upgrade your computerization to interconnect your records with the nearest hospital. It's just something you can't even consider, and that's where this money is going to go. We're going to move towards having an interconnected system in this country to resolve some of the issues that the gentleman has talked about. We're not going to allow it to get to the point--with the Department of Defense, for example, which has a wonderful health care information technology system, and the Department of Veterans Affairs, which also has a wonderful health care information technology system; but there's one problem. They literally cannot communicate with each other. What they do is, if you're one of the brave servicemen or -women who are serving our country as part of the Department of Defense, you're a part of their program, and they have all of your medical records; but when you leave the military and become a veteran and enter the VA system, under the current system, the Department of Defense sends a PDF file by e-mail to the VA, and somebody has to open up that file. They can't manipulate it in any way. They have to type by hand your entire career's medical history--if you've been there for 30 years, think about what we're talking about-- into the new system for the VA.

Now Secretary Shinseki and Secretary Gates have announced that moving forward, they're going to merge the systems for the new people who enter the military. So moving forward with the newer generation of our military men and women and our veterans, we're not going to have this problem. But for the millions who have served up to this point, it's not interoperable. They cannot communicate with one another.

There are many issues that are just like that, as the gentleman knows; and this gets to the complexity of the bill that we are going to be bringing to this floor and to the other body over the course of the next several weeks. If you look at what we expect, at minimum, the outcome to be on the insurance side, I think everyone would agree that a very likely outcome is going to be the insurance industry will not be able to redline you. They're not going to be able to use pre-existing conditions to exclude you from care. They're not going to be able to do the lifetime limits for people with chronic diseases. Basically, they're going to have to take all comers, and they're not going to be able to set your rates based on your individual health status. I think we would all agree that is a likely outcome to this debate.

Now the insurance industry makes a compelling case, and I think an actuary would tell you that the only way that works is if we find a way to make sure everybody is included in our health care system. You can't just have the sick people or the people who are about to become sick part of the risk pool. You have to have everybody. That's why it's so important that we expand access to the entire Nation, include these 47 million Americans who don't have health coverage, the tens of millions of more that are underinsured

because the only way the risk pool works is if you have the young and the healthy, people who aren't going to use the services right now today to offset the risk for those who are. But as the gentleman indicates, there is still going to be opposition to this concept when we move forward and when we talk about ways to move people into the system that currently don't have access.

One of the ideas that we talk about, which the gentleman from Connecticut is very involved in, is the idea of having a choice for people to join a plan that would compete with the private insurance industry. We hear a lot of talk about how the private sector always does it better than government. They're more efficient. They're more cost effective. The government is too bloated. So I would say to those who make that case, well, then, what are you worried about? What are you worried about the competition from the government if the private sector always does it better than government? The difference in this case, if we do it right--and certainly there are ways you can structure it that wouldn't be the correct way--but if we establish a level playing field for the competition, you are going to have a situation where there's not going to be a profit motive, and there's not going to be any reason for someone to choose that plan who's involved in shareholding and so forth. You're not going to have that. You're not going to have people who are employed to try to deny claims. That might be a difference in the way these plans compete. But if we do it right, it would be a level playing field.

Think about the competitive advantage that businesses have in this country. Some are able to offer health insurance, some are not. Less than half of small businesses in this country are able to afford to offer health care to their employees.

What we want to create is a system where everyone in America will be covered and every business that chooses to do so will be able to afford to offer that benefit to their employees and to their potential employees to be able to recruit and retain the highest quality worker. That might be a benefit that small businesses would like to offer. We want to give them the opportunity to afford that benefit if they so choose.

But, again, we want to preserve what is working in our current system. We want those who have coverage and like it to not be touched in this. And that has to be a part of this. But for those that want to have another option, those who want to make a change, maybe the family status has changed over time, the plan that you are in doesn't work for you any more, we want to give them as many options as possible, and we want to give them the ability, as the gentleman indicates, to do some comparative shopping, to compare apples to apples, to look at what the costs are for the family situation across the different plans. Right now you are unable to do that.

If you are a Federal employee and you have the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, it is a little bit easier. That is a plan where you are able to look at some of the paperwork and get on the computer and do comparison shopping. We want every American to have the same ability that Federal employees have today.

I would say to the gentleman, when we talk about this idea of the employers being required in some way to either offer health insurance to their employees or to pay into the system so that those employees will have the ability to make that choice, we don't want to do that in a way, and I want to be very clear about this, we don't want to do that in a way that is going to incentivize employers to say, well, you know what? I will just stop offering health care coverage and all of my employees can go into the plan. That is not what this is about.

We don't want to add one more financial burden to half of the small businesses in the country, the ones I am talking about that are already unable to afford health care. We don't want to add to their financial burden. We recognize that this is a very complicated issue and it is going to be very difficult to achieve these goals.

And the gentleman hits the nail right on the head, talking about bringing down the costs. That is where we started this discussion. We are going to pass a health care reform bill this year. I am confident in saying that. The public support is there, the support in this Congress is there. We need to certainly finalize the details, and that is going to take some work. But this issue is too important, it is too important to this country, it is too important to families, it is too important to businesses, and it is too important to every individual in this country for this not to become law this year. I am confident that will happen.

We have to bring down the costs of health care. That is why this is so important. We have to bring down the costs for our families, we have to bring down costs for our businesses, and we certainly have to bring down the costs for our government.

As I started our remarks tonight by saying what this is about is the structural deficit over the long term that we have in our budget, and addressing the issues like energy and like education that have led to the skyrocketing deficit and debt that we have over the long term, and the only way you can begin to bring that under control is by bringing down the cost of health care for everyone in this country at every level, both in the private and the public sector. That is what this bill is going to do, that is what this discussion is about.

So, to close it out, I would yield back to the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, it was a little over 8 years ago that this country had just had four consecutive budget surpluses. But now, as we find ourselves in the midst of our eighth consecutive budget deficit, Congress and the President are finally making the difficult decisions necessary to right the ship and begin digging our way out of the enormous hole the policies of the past have created.

While we can't change the misguided decisions that doubled the national debt over the past 8 years, we can change course and adopt a more fiscally responsible policy.

Our budget cuts the deficit by two-thirds over the next 4 years. And by reforming our health care system, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and improving our education system, we are addressing the issues that are driving our long-term deficit.

Madam Speaker, finally we have a Congress and an administration that are willing to put behind us the failed economic policies of the past and embark in a new direction.

I rise to highlight my provision in the manager's amendment of the FAA authorization which directs the GAO to conduct a nationwide study of helicopter medical services.

On April 22, the Aviation Subcommittee held a hearing on oversight of medical helicopters, which confirmed my concerns about this industry. A recent and disturbing increase in safety-related incidents involving helicopter medical services impacts real patients who have been harmed or put at risk in areas where there is fierce and unregulated competition among medical helicopters.

The language that I provided Chairman Oberstar provides for a study to illuminate the troubles in the helicopter medical services industry and prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries among our country's most vulnerable medical patients.

I look forward to working with the Department of Transportation following this study to fully implement these issues literally of life and death.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support the Job Creation Through Entrepreneurship Act. This important piece of legislation will modernize and expand key economic development programs within the Small Business Administration.

As just one example, section 1 of this legislation establishes the Veterans Business Center program. Now, as many of my colleagues know, this is a program that is near and dear to my heart. Last session, I introduced legislation that was signed into law to help expand business opportunities for veterans and Reservists. The bill we are debating today builds upon my legislation, and it provides a dedicated funding stream to help ensure that our veterans and Reservists are afforded every opportunity for economic success at home.

So it is for this and for many other reasons that I encourage my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor America's entrepreneurs, those distinguished individuals who support our communities, drive innovation, and keep our nation strong. Small businesses bring fresh ideas to the table, develop resources to help us meet the demands of an ever-changing world, and make a meaningful impact on our neighborhoods. Entrepreneurs are responsible for providing 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs, giving them the potential to propel rapid economic growth and expand developing fields. Some of the country's largest companies began as start-ups in small offices, homes and garages exploring these new fields. Limited only by their imagination, these firms performed cutting-edge work in emerging industries that have become the very foundation of our society.

As our nation and the world face the most difficult economic conditions in decades, entrepreneurs have the potential to lead us back to prosperity. The resiliency and adaptability shown by small businesses in past recessions demonstrate their capability to meet the challenges standing in their way and emerge stronger than ever. America's small businesses will drive the economic recovery from this downturn, and I remain confident that our economy will emerge stronger than ever. Times may be tough, but America's entrepreneurial spirit is tougher.

To recognize the monumental achievements of our nation's small firms, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has declared May 17-23 as the 46th Annual National Small Business Week. The House Small Business Committee is celebrating all our country's hard-working entrepreneurs by saluting the Heroes of Small Business, those men and women who have shown the strength, leadership, and resourcefulness that keeps our economy moving forward.

I ask that you, Madam Speaker, and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in recognizing and thanking Mr. Kirk Farra for his tremendous accomplishments on behalf of small businesses. Mr. Farra is president of In-Synch Systems, LLC, a company that produces state- of-the-art records management software for local law enforcement agencies. In-Synch Systems has rapidly expanded since its inception in 1999 and is currently serving clients across the country. The company's top product is a records management system that allows law enforcement officers to access and share critical intelligence when they are in the field. In-Synch Systems has provided its products to government agencies for use in federally funded law enforcement programs that supply police agencies with critical software.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Farra has exemplified the remarkable accomplishments of which America's entrepreneurs are capable. This week, he will testify before the House Small Business Committee to share his story. I ask that you and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join with me in honoring him for the extraordinary work he has done for the small business economy. His efforts demonstrate that if given the right resources, America's small businesses can be the catalysts that lift our economy from the current downturn and put us on the road to recovery.

Mr. Speaker, Congress and the President continue to work together to strengthen our economy and begin the process of reducing the mountain the debt that has accumulated over the past 8 years.

We enacted a budget that reduces the deficit by two-thirds over the next 4 years and by hundreds of billions over the next year alone. We made the necessary hard choices to dig our way out of the hole we inherited by eliminating programs that don't work and holding government contractors accountable for every penny they spend.

We are addressing the issues that are driving our long-term deficit. By making health care more affordable for every American, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and improving our education system to be more globally competitive, we're taking the necessary steps today to ensure that we correct the fiscal mistakes of the past and don't just send the bill along to future generations.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the extraordinary life of Helen Croft, who died unexpectedly this month at the age of 45.

Known for her warmth, optimism and contagious enthusiasm, Helen was an art teacher at North Allegheny School District's Hosack Elementary School. In this capacity, she positively impacted the lives of thousands of young students, including most recently my two daughters, Natalie and Grace.

She treated every student, teacher and parent with respect, and brought a smile to the face of seemingly everyone with whom she came into contact. She exhibited a love of life that extended well beyond the school.

She also worked as a coach in a community soccer league, and cultivated at her home a renowned colonial-style garden that drew admirers from across western Pennsylvania. A graduate of Buffalo State University and the Fashion Institute of New York City, she was known for her talent for embroidery, which she regularly shared with friends and neighbors.

She will be greatly missed by those friends and neighbors, as well as the entire North Allegheny School District, especially her students. But of course her loss will be most deeply felt by her husband Corky and their two children, Jacob and Hannah.

Her work lives on in the hearts of everyone she touched, and she serves as a lasting inspiration to the students who loved her.

Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the incredible life of a truly great man, Monsignor William Kerr, who died last week at the age of 68. Monsignor Kerr was known, respected and loved throughout the world and his loss will be felt around the globe.

His professional life began as a parish priest in his hometown of St. Louis, and ended as Executive Director of the Claude Pepper Center for International Dialogue in Tallahassee, Florida. In between, he spent his entire career traveling the world working for peace, fighting for human rights, and promoting education and diplomacy.

He spent the majority of his professional life in Pittsburgh, Washington, DC, and Tallahassee, home of his beloved Florida State University, where he received multiple degrees and spent the early part of his career as an adjunct faculty member and an instructor of history, in addition to his position as Catholic Campus Minister.

Throughout his life, Monsignor Kerr traveled the globe to carry out his true callings of spiritual ministry and education. His travels gave him the opportunity to meet and befriend countless dignitaries, and to advance the cause for which he dedicated his life, human rights.

He served as a vice president at Catholic University here in Washington, DC, and as president of La Roche College in McCandless, Pennsylvania.

It was at La Roche College that I first met Monsignor Kerr. As a Trustee at La Roche, I worked closely with him and witnessed first-hand his love of education and the ease with which he interacted with people, whether they be Heads of State or freshman students.

During his twelve years as president of La Roche College he created programs to educate future leaders and assist students from war-ravaged countries to get an American education. The Pacem in Terris Institute, which he created at La Roche, established a scholarship program for outstanding college age men and women from conflict and post-conflict nations, such as Bosnia and Rwanda. The students would receive an education at La Roche to study leadership and diplomacy in return for their agreeing to return to their home country after graduation to help rebuild their nations. In all, 450 students from 21 countries received scholarships. This program fulfilled Monsignor Kerr's dream of educating the future leaders of developing regions as a way to stem conflict and promote peace.

Through this program he developed a life-long friendship with many world leaders and throughout his life he cultivated a wide and eclectic network of friends and colleagues. And while he was comfortable hosting high profile dignitaries, Monsignor Kerr was at his best when he was among the students that he loved. It seemed that he knew the names and life details of every student he encountered during his daily walks across campus, and he could often be seen sharing laughter and camaraderie with groups of students in between their classes.

After leaving La Roche College in 2004, he returned to Washington, DC, to become the director of the Pope John Paul II Center, where he stayed until returning to Tallahassee to lead the Claude Pepper Center.

Through it all he maintained his commitment to spiritual leadership, and he continued to celebrate mass. And it was during his celebration of mass at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Tallahassee that he suffered the stroke that claimed his life at the age of 68.

I count myself fortunate to be one of the many that have had the opportunity to know and work with Monsignor William Kerr. He had a profound impact on my life as he did the lives of nearly everyone he encountered. His like will not be seen again, and he will be deeply missed.

I have been listening to what the two Ohio Members have been saying. To put this in perspective for our colleagues and for the American people, I would like to talk with regard to the stimulus and the budget. People talk about the fact that we are running up a tremendous deficit this year, $1.8 trillion. It is an inconceivable amount for a 1-year deficit. We are reducing the deficit over the course of 5 years by two-thirds, from 12 percent of GDP to 3 percent of GDP. People in my district when I tell that story will say that is great, but you need to do more. Why can't we do more? Why is that a great feat that we have cut it by two-thirds? Going to what the gentleman said with the VA, let's look at the budget that we have control over, what is the discretionary control that we have.

If you look at $3.5 trillion in budget, the entire Federal budget for this year that we passed, most of that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, interest on the national debt, Federal employee pensions, veterans retirement benefits and pensions, those are mandatory accounts. That money goes out without Congress having year-to-year control over that amount.

So what Congress actually has control over, the discretionary account, is about $1 trillion; $1.1 trillion. It is a very high amount of money, but compared to $3.5 trillion, not nearly enough to make a dent in that deficit that we are talking about.

Now, half of that trillion dollars that Congress has control over is defense. Nobody thinks we should cut defense. We increase spending for defense by 4 percent. It is what we need to do to keep us safe and secure. We all agree, Republican and Democrat, that is what we need to do. So you take that $530 billion out of the equation, and you are left with about $500 billion. Now, that is what we have discretionary control over. That is the post office, that is scientific and medical research, that is the national parks, that's student loans. That is our embassies overseas. That is Federal law enforcement, border security, FBI, CIA. And as the gentleman talks about, that is the VA hospitals in this country, funding for veterans health care. That is keeping the lights on at every Federal building in the country. That is our Federal roads and highways. That is everything that the Federal Government does. When you think about the Federal Government on an annual basis, that is what we have discretionary control over.

If we were to say, you know what, American people, people in our district, the Fourth Congressional District of Pennsylvania, the people in Ohio, we are so committed to deficit reduction and we are so committed to cutting the budget this year, we are going to shut down the government. We are going to shut down everything that we have discretionary control over this year. We are not going to deliver the mail this year. We are going to lay off every Federal employee in the country for 1 year. We are not going to do student loans and Federal law enforcement. We are going to close every Federal office building in the country, no scientific research, no national parks, close our embassies overseas, bring everybody back home, shut down the Congress and the White House, everything that we have control over. If we did that for 1 year, we would cut the Federal deficit for this year

from $1.8 trillion to $1.3 trillion. That's how deep a hole we are in.

So when I say to the gentleman from Ohio, Madam Speaker, that we cut the deficit by two-thirds over 5 years, a 1.9 percent growth over a 4- year period, the slowest projected growth rate in the history of the country, that is a monumental achievement. And we do it all while preserving our commitment to our Nation's veterans, as the gentleman talks about, making sure every veterans hospital in this country is adequately funded, and that every veteran in this country has access to the highest quality health care available anywhere in the world. We preserve that commitment while we do the best job we can at reducing the deficit that this President inherited, because we are not starting from zero. I think everybody realizes that. And it is pointless to talk about the past and to point fingers, but it is instructive to take a look at how we got here, why we are here, and the fact that we have very difficult decisions to make moving forward.

The only way we are going to bring down these costs and bring down the deficit and bring down the debt is by making the difficult choices, and that is what this Congress is going to continue to do.

I thank the gentleman, and I rise today in support of the public lands bill which includes my amendment to protect the rights of our Nation's sportsmen. The language that I worked to include in today's bill is a hard-fought victory for sportsmen and the preservation of their access to public lands.

Within the three main sections of this bill, those related to the National landscape conservation system, rivers, and trails, and heritage areas, protections are included to ensure sportsmen are able to hunt, fish, and trap on millions of acres of public lands. These protections and my amendment are strongly supported by the National Rifle Association.

And as an unwavering supporter of the second amendment, I share the concerns of Mr. Hastings, Mr. Bishop, and others, about the recent district court decision limiting the ability of citizens to carry concealed weapons in national parks. However, that decision does not in any way relate to my amendment, and it certainly doesn't create a loophole. I agree that the right-to-carry issue is vitally important, but it is a separate issue based on a court ruling that took place after this bill was finalized. I look forward to working closely with Mr. Hastings and Mr. Bishop to address this important issue through a more appropriate legislative vehicle.

Today's action by the House protects the rights of our Nation's sportsmen and their ability to hunt, fish, and trap on millions of acres of public land. The language that I worked to include makes it clear that the fundamental rights are protected, and I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, with passage of the long-overdue SCHIP bill, Congress and the President expanded health care coverage to 4 million American children who were previously uncovered. This single step did more to improve our health care system in one day than we had seen in 8 years. But there is still more to be done.

Every individual, every family, and every business in America struggles every day with health care costs. Their inability to afford coverage and the increased cost for goods and services as a result of health care costs for their business, this issue affects everybody in every way.

But for the first time, the President and Congress plan to consider health care reform as part of the budget process so we can accurately account for the true costs of doing health care reform and of not doing health care reform, which would be the price of inaction.

Health care cost increases are on an unsustainable course, and we can no longer hide behind budget gimmicks and just pass along the tough fiscal decisions for future Congresses. The time has come to act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill to rename the Freedom Post Office honor of John Scott Challis, Jr.

John Challis inspired all of us with his determination to live every single day to the fullest. On June 23, 2006, John was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was only 16 and had just completed sophomore year at Freedom High School.

John and his family had a lot of questions after the cancer diagnosis: questions for the doctors about the disease, his treatment, and how it would impact his life. But, in these most difficult of circumstances, John found answers.

In a Pittsburgh Post Gazette article from May 2008, John's father, Scott Challis, recalls this time: ``He's always been one who had to try and find an answer for everything. He wants to figure things out.'' The article continues, ``Through his own thoughts and through his deep Catholic beliefs, John believes he has `figured it out.' When asked where he gained his wisdom, he answered, `Through cancer.' ''

Despite his illness, John made the most of every day he had. Although he was too ill to play sports, Freedom baseball coach Steve Wetzel invited John to join the team and became one of John's closest friends.

In battling cancer, John had come up with a message: ``Courage Plus Believe Equals Life.'' It was a message that along with his name, he inscribed on the inside of his baseball cap. His teammates followed suit.

Then came the moment John had been waiting for, his opportunity to play. Coach Wetzel asked John to pinch-hit in a game against Aliquippa. John wasted no time. On the first pitch, John hit a single to right field that scored a run.

After the game, John's story and message garnered national attention. He was featured on ESPN, invited to speak at a Pirates game, and watched the Penguins in their Stanley Cup playoff run.

Unfortunately, John lost this battle to cancer on August 19, 2008. But he left us with an important legacy. In his last few months, John was quoted as saying, ``Life ain't about how many breaths you take. It's what you do with those breaths.''

John was an inspiration to me, to his local community, and to the lives he touched. He will always be remembered.

However, even after his death, his inspiration and work continue. Last summer, John helped to start a foundation, the Courage for Life Foundation, to help other student athletes with life-threatening illnesses be involved in sporting events.

I have a few articles about John's life and his impact on those he touched. I ask unanimous consent to enter them into the Record.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and Chairman Towns, for the opportunity to honor John Challis.

[From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 4, 2008]

Teen Is Running Out of Innings, But the Game Still Isn't Over

(By Mike White)

The 18-year-old kid dying of cancer gets his wish, a chance

to swing a bat maybe one last time in a real baseball game.

He hasn't played in a few years, but he's called on to

pinch-hit. His eyes light up at the first pitch and he puts

all of his 5-foot-5, 93-pound frame into one mighty swing,

making contact and sending a line drive into right field for

a single--if he can reach first base. The cancer he's been

battling for almost two years has spread to his pelvis,

making running nearly impossible.

The kid worries about falling as he hustles down the first-

base line. When he gets to the base, he lets out with a yell.

``I did it! I did it!''

Safe at first with a hit and an RBI, the kid is hugged by a

crying first-base coach. The opposing pitcher takes off his

glove, starts applauding and his teammates follow suit. The

kid's teammates run onto the field to celebrate.

It sounds like the climax to a heart-tugger movie. But

there was no producer or film crew at the game between

Freedom and Aliquippa high schools two weeks ago. The scene

was as real as the tumors in John Challis' liver and lungs.

John is a kid with cancer, a senior at Freedom in Beaver

County who was told a few weeks ago by doctors that cancer

was winning and it was close to the end. The disease that

started in his liver was now taking over his lungs.

``They said it could be only two months,'' he said,

fighting back tears.

He paused before his seemingly never-ending optimism came

through again.

``I told my mom I still think I can get two more years.''

But his story isn't about dying. It's about inspiring.

His story, words, actions, beliefs and courage have become

known around Freedom and surrounding areas in Beaver County,

bringing people together from other communities and other

schools.

Three weeks ago, Freedom baseball coach Steve Wetzel

organized ``Walk For A Champion'' on Freedom High's school

grounds. The purpose of the walk-a-thon was to raise money

for one of John's wishes--a last vacation with his mom, dad

and 14-year-old sister, Alexis.

More than 500 people took part, including baseball teams

from eight Beaver County high schools and members of Center

High School's football team. John also used to play football

at Freedom.

Mr. Wetzel, who calls the teen his hero, hoped to raise

$6,000. That total was easily surpassed ``and people are

still calling with donations,'' he said.

The family has booked a cruise for June.

The Challis effect

A Beaver County church had planned a fundraiser, but John

and his family asked the church instead to conduct the event

and give the money to a fifth-grade boy in Beaver County who

has a brain tumor.

``His family can use it more than we can,'' John said.

``That's just common sense. Someone does something good for

you, then you help someone else.''

Actions and statements like those are what has inspired so

many others. All of Aliquippa's baseball players wear John's

jersey number ``11'' on their hats. At the walk-

athon, Aliquippa star athlete Jonathan Baldwin, a Pitt

football recruit, presented him with a ball signed by Pitt

players.

After the walk, John addressed the crowd.

``He spoke from his heart,'' Mr. Wetzel, the coach, said.

``He said, `I've got two options. I know I'm going to die, so

I can either sit at home and feel sorry, or I could spread my

message to everybody to live life to the fullest and help

those in need.' After hearing that, I don't know if there

were many people not crying.''

Last Thursday, Beaver pitcher Manny Cutlip tossed a three-

hitter against Freedom as John watched in street clothes.

After the game, every Beaver player came up to him and shook

his hand. Some hugged him and some said they were praying for

him. Manny Cutlip asked Mr. Wetzel if he could go to lunch

some time with John. It happened the next day.

``I don't know what to say. I just wanted to get to know

him better and see if I could learn anything from him to help

me in my life,'' said the young pitcher, an imposing 6-foot-

3, 225-pound standout athlete who will play football at IUP.

At lunch, he gave John a new football with a handwritten

personal message on it. Part of the message read, ``You have

touched my heart and I will always look up to you as my role

model.''

Talk to John and you'll laugh at his sense of humor when he

says things such as, ``You can't let girls know that you know

how to text message because they won't leave you alone.''

But listen to his mature views on life and his philosophies

. . . and you might cry.

``I used to be afraid, but I'm not afraid of dying now, if

that's what you want to know,'' he said. ``Because life ain't

about how many breaths you take. It's what you do with those

breaths.''

Figuring it out

It's been almost two years since John found out about his

cancer. He knows the date like a birthday. June 23, 2006.

He discovered only recently that doctors didn't expect him

to last through that first summer. ``To me, that's already an

accomplishment,'' he said.

In the first few months after the cancer discovery, John's

father, Scott, would get up in the middle of the night, peek

into his son's bedroom and see him wide awake, staring at the

ceiling.

``He would just be thinking,'' the elder Challis said.

``He's always been one who had to try and find an answer for

everything. He wants to figure things out.''

Through his own thoughts and through his deep Catholic

beliefs, John believes he has ``figured it out.'' He answers

questions with maturity, courage and dignity, traits that

have become his trademarks.

John requested that his mother, Regina, not be interviewed

for this story because it will be too hard for her. He talks

to his father about what to do after he dies.

``I sit up with him at night until 1 or 2 in the morning,''

Scott Challis said. ``He'll tell me, `Dad, when I'm gone, you

have to do this or that. You have to watch your weight.' He's

worried about my weight. He tells me I have to take care of

mom.

``When the doctors told him a few weeks ago about how the

cancer was winning, he had a lot of questions about what it

was going to be like and about being comfortable. Later on,

he broke down with me and you know what he did? He

apologized. He was upset because he felt like he was letting

everyone down who had been praying for him.''

Scott Challis has found talking about his son makes the

situation easier to deal with. But many people like to talk

about John. Shawn Lehocky is a senior and one of Freedom's

top athletes. For every football and baseball game, he wears

a red wrist band with John's No. 11 on it.

``It seems like everyone in this community knows who he is

now and he really has brought so many people together,''

Shawn said. ``He's always on my mind. To see him and what

he's going through, I don't know if I could act like that. He

said some pretty strong words at that walk-a-thon that you

don't hear 17- or 18-year-olds say every day.''

John fought back tears a few times during last week's

interview.

``Sometimes I cry, but people cry for all different kinds

of reasons,'' he said. ``Sometimes I just want to know why,

but I think I figured that out. God wanted me to get sick

because he knew I was strong enough to handle it. I'm

spreading His word and my message. By doing that, I'm doing

what God put me here to do.

``It took me about a half year to figure all that out. Now,

when I'm able to truly believe it, it makes it easier on me.

And when you know other people support what you're thinking,

it makes it easier.''

When asked where he gained his wisdom, he answered,

``Through cancer.''

``They say it takes a special person to realize this kind

of stuff,'' he said. ``I don't know if I'm special, but it

wasn't hard for me. It's just my mind-set. A situation is

what you make of it. Not what it makes of you.''

He regularly wears his Freedom baseball hat. Under the bill

Madam Speaker, I would like to salute Doreen Welsh of Ambridge, Pennsylvania for her heroic and selfless action on U.S. Airways Flight 1549, now known as the ``Miracle on the Hudson.'' Doreen Welsh served as a flight attendant on Flight 1549, which made a successful emergency landing on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, and helped to safely evacuate the flight's passengers.

The heroic deeds and masterful skills of Flight 1549's crew is something our nation will never forget.

Despite being injured during the landing, Doreen Welsh helped to evacuate passengers and ensure that no lives were lost that day. All western Pennsylvanians should be proud that one of our own played such a crucial role in saving the lives of 150 passengers and making this a truly miraculous landing.

I want to salute Doreen Welsh for her admirable service and thank her for sacrificing her own comfort for the safety of the passengers in her care and inspiring Americans everywhere in the process.

Mr. Speaker, for the first time in many years, this Congress

is moving forward with long overdue legislation to reform our Nation's health care system. With 47 million Americans without health insurance and costs rising well above the rate of inflation, health reform is an issue that can no longer be ignored. Health care affects every individual, every family and every business in America. Less than half of all small businesses in this country can afford to offer health insurance to their employees. Tens of millions of insured Americans live in fear of losing their coverage due to skyrocketing health care costs, and families are one accident or illness away from losing everything.

Together we can put an end to the decades of roadblocks that have prevented meaningful health care reform. Let us not let this opportunity pass us by again.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment to the public lands bill S. 22. I commend my colleagues in both the House and the Senate for their efforts to advance the over 150 largely noncontroversial bills that are included in the underlying legislation.

This bill preserves key components of America's natural heritage for generations to come. However, as passed by the Senate, this bill did not do enough to protect the rights of our Nation's sportsmen. For this reason I worked to include in this bill language to rectify that oversight. I am pleased that the House has added my amendment to the public lands bill we're considering today because unless Congress includes the specific protections my amendment adds to this bill, efforts to regulate or limit hunting, fishing, or trapping could potentially move forward in the future.

Last year I offered an amendment to protect the rights of sportsmen on nearly 27 million acres of public lands within the National Landscape Conservation System. It passed the House 416-5 and is maintained within Title II of today's bill. Today we simply extend those same protections to two other sections of the bill: rivers and trails in title V and heritage areas in title VIII. This ensures that nothing in these sections of the bill shall regulate hunting, fishing, and trapping or limit their access to these public lands.

My amendment is straightforward and simple. It's supported by the NRA, and with its inclusion, I urge my colleagues, especially supporters of the second amendment, to vote in favor of this public lands bill today.