Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on Tuesday, October 6, 2009, I missed three recorded votes on the House floor. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 753, ``nay'' on rollcall 754, and ``yea'' on rollcall 755.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a Phoenixville, Pennsylvania woman who has dedicated her life to making a difference in her community and lending a helping hand to neighbors in need.

Emma Valenteen moved to Phoenixville as a teenager in 1948 and has called the Borough home ever since. Her tremendous work ethic allowed her to juggle the demands of raising five children while working for 44 years at Container Corp. of America. Somehow, Emma still found plenty of energy to work even harder in her community. After losing her youngest daughter, Marianne, to leukemia, Emma joined the Valley Forge Chapter of the support group Compassionate Friends. By 1991, she started a Phoenixville chapter and has spent 18 years as chairwoman of the group.

For more than a quarter century, Emma has been the Recording Secretary of the Social Concerns Committee of the Phoenixville Interfaith Council. Her commitment to the community and dedicated volunteerism earned Emma numerous awards through the years. However, it has been the organizations and the entire community who have been the true winners thanks to Emma's extraordinary efforts.

Friends, family and community members will express their gratitude for Emma's service and recognize all of her accomplishments during a dinner on September 30, 2009 at Robert Ryan's Columbia Station.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring Emma Valenteen for her selfless service and tireless work to make Phoenixville a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, I missed three recorded votes on the House floor. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 720, ``yea'' on rollcall 721, and ``yea'' on rollcall 722.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on Monday, September 14, 2009, I missed three recorded votes on the House floor. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 696, ``yea'' on rollcall 697, and ``yea'' on rollcall 698.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Historic Yellow Springs on the 35th Anniversary of its founding as a non-profit organization committed to preserving and enhancing one of the true historical treasures in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Thanks to the vision and leadership of Connie Fraley and other founders of Historic Yellow Springs, the organization purchased the picturesque 145-acre site and 13 historic buildings on the property in 1974.

The property traces its history back to the early 1700's when Lenape Indians first discovered ``yellow water'' bubbling from the ground. Stone ruins from America's first military hospital, which treated injured soldiers from the Valley Forge encampment during the Revolutionary War, are also part of the property. And the beauty of the property has inspired impressionistic painters and artists from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Country School during the early part of the 20th Century.

Since establishing Historic Yellow Springs as a non-profit organization in 1974, the talented staff and dedicated members of the Board of Directors have done a tremendous job of offering creative programming to teach generation after generation about the history of the property and to provide exceptional educational and artistic opportunities by holding classes in the library, Connie's House and the Barn Studio.

Staff and the Board of Directors will celebrate the 35th Anniversary during Founders Day on Sunday, September 20th and dedicate the recently restored Iron Spring Gazebo in the memory of Founder Connie Fraley.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in congratulating Historic Yellow Springs as it celebrates this memorable milestone and in expressing sincere appreciation for the exemplary work of the staff and Board of Directors.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, on Tuesday, September 8, 2009, I missed three recorded votes on the House floor. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call 687, YEA on Roll Call 688, and YEA on Roll Call 689.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated public servant and a resident of Chester County, Pennsylvania, who has retired after more than 35 years of loyal service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Christopher J. Nangle began his career as a park ranger at Marsh Creek State Park in 1974 and has faithfully served there until his retirement on August 14, 2009. He was promoted in 2004 to Chief Ranger for Marsh Creek and French Creek State Parks.

Chief Ranger Nangle has done a tremendous job preserving the extraordinary natural resources of the 1,075-acre Marsh Creek State Park and making sure that the approximately 12,000 visitors who flock to the Park on summer weekends to fish, hike or sail on the 535-acre Marsh Creek Lake have a safe and enjoyable outdoor experience.

Whether rescuing a dog trapped on icy Marsh Creek Lake or successfully leading the search for hikers lost in the dense woods, Chief Ranger Nangle has demonstrated great leadership and professionalism. In addition, he has shared his wealth of knowledge and experience as a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission water and ice rescue instructor.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in congratulating Christopher J. Nangle on his exemplary career and honoring his outstanding service and dedication to the people of Pennsylvania.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3326 the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010.

Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) COTS Technology for Space Command and Control, Exton, PA--$2 million to refine existing COTS technologies to make them completely applicable for space command and control programs. The funds will enable development and demonstrations of various COTS technologies for integrated space command and control.

Arkema, King of Prussia PA--$2 million to develop lightweight, breathable clothing resistant to chemical and biological agents.

Bally Ribbon Mills, Bally PA--$3 million to develop a technology and machine to produce

3D bias woven composite structures for aerospace applications.

Cerus Corporation, Bala Cynwd, PA--$3 million requested for blood safety and decontamination technology development.

Morphotek, Exton PA--$1 million for potent human monoclonal antibodies against BoNT A, B and E suited for mass production and treatment of large populations.

Rajant, Malvern PA--$3 million for portable mobile emergency broadband systems.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3170, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2010.

West Chester University's Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, West Chester, PA--$150,000 to create the Entrepreneurial Leadership Center, which will sponsor faculty-lead teams of students to provide the expertise start-up small businesses need to succeed; at the same time, students will learn the skills they need to become entrepreneurs. The project will encourage the development of emerging small businesses.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Chester County Council of Boy Scouts of America, which is celebrating its 90th Anniversary.

Founded in 1919, the Chester County Council began with 15 Troops and approximately 300 scouts. During the last 90 years, the Council has helped enrich the lives of boys and young men through activities geared toward building character, developing leadership skills and instilling a commitment to serving others.

The Council has a stellar history with long-standing traditions, including camping at the Horseshoe Scout Reservation and the Sunday chapel service ``overlooking the valley of the Octoraro.''

The Council has thrived for nine decades due to dedicated volunteers, leaders and alumni who graciously commit countless hours mentoring and leading the youth of Chester County. And the exceptional support from community and business leaders combined with tremendous programs and facilities make the Council one of the premiere scouting organizations in the nation.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in congratulating the Chester County Council of Boy Scouts of America on reaching a very special milestone and offering best wishes for continued success in mentoring generations of local youth and building a stronger community and nation.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3183, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.

The Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA--$1 million to develop ultra fast power processor for Smart Grid. Silicon Power located in Malvern, PA is a partner on this project.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern about the House Democrat health care reform package and its impact on small businesses and jobs.

At a time when our Nation's unemployment rate is approaching 10 percent, this legislation would impose new surtaxes on high-wage earners to pay for reform. The reality is that this is not a tax on the rich, as many would claim, but rather a tax on small business owners, who provide 70 percent of the jobs in the United States. And if enacted, these taxes could cost 4.7 million more jobs to be lost.

Now is not the time to be pushing legislation that would cause even more Americans to lose their jobs. Instead, we need to focus our ways and our attention on ways to make health care more affordable for small business owners so that they can meet the needs of the health of their employees and stay in business. That is why we should allow small businesses to band together in statewide and nationwide pools to obtain lower insurance premiums and provide a tax credit for small business owners and the self-employed. We need to help small business owners with the right health care reform, not legislation that just raises their taxes in these tough economic times.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3293, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.

Devereux Center for Effective Schools, King of Prussia, PA--$100,000 for school-wide positive behavior support for at-risk youth in Reading School District.

Harcum College, Bryn Mawr, PA--$243,000 to provide mentoring and training to science

teachers, and expand the health sciences at Harcum.

Neumann College, Aston, PA--$200,000 requested for Pharmacy Education for Workforce Development in Aston and Phoenixville.

Downingtown Library Company & Downingtown Area Senior Center Building Campaign, Downingtown, PA--$350,000 to redevelop an existing mill building on the former Sonoco Paper property. This forms an important civic hub for the community as well as the proposed River Station redevelopment project.

Phoenixville Public Library, Phoenixville, PA--$157,000 to update the library's collection.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3288, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.

Borough of Downingtown, Downingtown PA--$500,000 to build Boot Road Bridge over the Brandywine Creek, which will provide access to Chester County's lone Keystone Opportunity Zone.

BARTA, Reading PA--$250,000 for the design, engineering and construction required to rehabilitate, restore and develop the historic Reading Railroad Franklin Street Station located next to the BARTA Park-N-Transit Facility.

Borough of Phoenixville, Phoenixville PA--$250,000 for new sidewalks, lights, and pavers. The project is part of the Borough's overall redevelopment plan.

Riverplace Development Corporation, Reading PA--$250,000 for The Penn Corridor Redevelopment Project to make the downtown areas of Reading, West Reading and Wyomissing clean, safe, lively and attractive.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Valley Forge Baptist Temple as the congregation celebrates its 25th Anniversary.

Since its founding in 1984, ``The Caring Church'' has expanded to accommodate the growing congregation. After holding double Sunday- morning services, a new 32,000 square foot auditorium, nursery and office wing was built in 1996.

Valley Forge Baptist Temple supports more than 160 missionary families and organizations worldwide. Through the faith promise commitments and contributions from its members, the Church uses these funds to help evangelize the world.

Pastor Scott Wendal, Sr. has led the Church for the last 25 years, ministering and serving the people of the community. And the fruits of his labor are a growing congregation and vibrant, innovative programs that enrich lives and strengthen families.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Valley Forge Baptist Temple and in honor of all members past and present.