Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition of H.R. 4281 and the association health plans it creates.

This bill does nothing to help uninsured Americans, hurts those who enroll in the plans and will even cause healthcare costs to go up.

There are 44 million Americans who are uninsured in this country and this bill will not even help one percent of them. Not one percent!

A Congressional Budget Office study showed that only 360,000 uninsured Americans would join AHP's. There has to be a better way to help 44 million uninsured Americans.

What is just as bad is that AHP's will use loopholes to get around state health regulations. This will leave consumers who enroll in these plans without needed safeguards.

If an AHP denies someone a cancer treatment or diabetic supplies that person may not have the right to appeal the decision. Their health will suffer and they will be left with no options.

AHP's will enroll only the healthiest Americans. This will leave those other Americans, the ones who are sick and the ones who take prescription drugs, with fewer options.

According to the Congressional Budget Office up to 20 million Americans will face higher healthcare costs. 20 million!

Health insurers will give breaks to the AHP's and charge other consumers more.

These higher healthcare costs could cause up to 10,000 Americans to become uninsured.

There is a better way to help small businesses and the uninsured.

That is why I support the Democratic substitute to the AHP bill.

The substitute will provide small businesses and their employees with affordable quality health insurance. The plan is even similar to what the federal government offers its employees.

The substitute will protect patients by making sure the insurers are overseen by the states.

And finally this substitute will not raise the price of healthcare.

H.R. 4281 will not help small businesses or their employees.

By voting for the substitute we will help these businesses. We will help their employees and we will help all Americans have access to and afford health insurance.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4280. This bill gives us the wrong solution to a complex problem.

The bill will limit the rights of patients, it will harm low-income Americans and it will do nothing to lower the cost of health insurance.

This bill proposes to cap non-economic damages at $250,000. That is fine if a victim of poor medical care is a business executive, because they will receive economic damages as compensation. But what happens to the minimum wage worker or the stay-at-home mom? They rely on non- economic damages to receive adequate compensation.

This bill shows that the life of a wealthy American is worth more than that of a new immigrant working in a restaurant or a stay-at-home mother who raises her children.

We're all searching for a way to lower the cost of health insurance for all Americans. But this bill won't help. The Congressional Budget Office found that this bill won't do anything to help bring down the costs of health insurance.

Even if the cost of malpractice insurance goes down, those savings will not be passed along to Americans who try to purchase health insurance. They will still face the high cost of health insurance without any help.

This bill does not help patients and it does not help Americans. The Republicans have given us a bill that does nothing to solve the real problems with our healthcare system.

I oppose this bill because it does nothing to lower healthcare costs. And it does nothing to protect patients' rights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3722, the Undocumented Alien Medical Assistance Amendments of 2004.

The Medicare Prescription Drug Act that this Congress passed last year includes $1 billion to reimburse hospitals for their uncompensated care of undocumented immigrants. We included that funding because we recognized the strain hospitals experience in providing uncompensated emergency medical care to the uninsured. H.R. 3722 undoes this goodwill by requiring hospitals to enforce immigration law, refuse emergency medical treatment to immigrants, and have them deported.

Many American citizen and immigrant families who are living, working and paying taxes in the United States are unable to obtain health care coverage for themselves or their families. At a time when health care has become a national crisis due to the large number of uninsured, we need to take steps to heal more, not less.

Undocumented immigrants are not covered by employer health care plans, and they are systemically excluded from public health insurance programs such as Medicaid and SCHIP. We cannot encourage immigrants to refuse to seek medical care due to fear of deportation. It makes no sense. Do we want outbreaks of tuberculosis and other diseases and epidemics common in the developing world right here in America? That is likely to happen if immigrants are refused emergency medical care. This is why hospitals nationwide, the

American Medical Association, and physicians of all types are urging this Congress to reject this attempt to inject an anti-immigrant agenda into the field of medicine. Besides public health, H.R. 3722 fails on a number of fronts.

For instance, it would force hospitals to choose which law they will violate--the one that requires them to provide medical assistance to anyone that requires it, or H.R. 3722 and its requirement that we even deport women while in labor.

The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act requires that any patient, without regard to race, sex, creed, immigration status, or ability to pay, be given appropriate emergency care to stabilize his or her condition. This law is consistent with the Hipprocratic Oath, and is meant to ensure that no person in our country will be denied emergency medical care.

I cannot support legislation that could punish employers that unknowingly hire immigrants with fraudulent green cards by forcing them to pay the medical bills. There is no precedent for holding employers liable for injuries and illnesses that are not work-related. Also, I fear that employers will discourage their employees from seeking treatment for any illness.

Are we prepared to possibly read stories of immigrant laborers found injured or dead on sidewalks? It is not difficult to imagine immigrants being left behind by fearful employers trying to avoid the scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement officials.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3722 is a Pandora's box that our Nation cannot open. H.R. 3722 will endanger the health of everyone in America. It will force doctors to violate their oaths and the law, require hospitals to enforce immigration law, and it will encourage employers to force their immigrant laborers to never seek medical treatment.

I urge my colleagues to please oppose this misguided proposal.

Mr. Speaker, on roll call vote nos. 147, 148, 159, 150, 151, and 152, for personal reasons, I was unable to be in the Chamber when the time elapsed on the vote.

Had I been able to vote, I would have voted ``no'' on roll call vote 147 and ``aye'' for roll call votes 148, 149, 150, 151, and 152.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 578, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month. This bill, introduced by my colleagues Congresswoman Judy Biggert and Congressman Ruben Hinojosa, supports the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month and requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the Federal Government, States, schools, businesses, and others to observe the month with appropriate programs and activities.

Our financial services industry benefits millions of people, allowing individuals and families to build homes, buy cars, finance educations, and start businesses. Financial literacy is particularly important for the Hispanic and minority communities. It empowers individuals to make wise financial decisions in an increasingly complex economy. Despite the importance of financial literacy, the numbers show that our work is just getting started.

Recent studies have found that high school seniors know less about principles of basic personal finance than did high school seniors 5 years ago. Between 25 and 56 million people over the age of 18 do not use mainstream, insured financial institutions and are considered ``unbanked.'' Over one-third of Hispanic families do not have bank accounts. Despite these figures, fewer and fewer States include personal finance in education standards for students in kindergarten through high school.

That is why the National Council on Economic Education, the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, and its partner organizations have designated April as ``Financial Literacy Month.'' Our goal is to educate the public about the need for increased financial literacy for youth in the United States. In today's world, we must continue to expand access to mainstream financial institutions and provide all Americans the tools they need to become productive members of our society.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4262, the SOLVE Act of 2004, that reforms our nation's immigration laws. This legislation was introduced yesterday by Congressman Gutierrez and I am proud to be one of its many original cosponsors.

This bill reunites families by reducing the years or decades of family separation caused by backlogs and harsh restrictions.

Under this bill, immigrants waiting more than 5 years will be given a visa outside the per-country limits. In addition, immediate relatives would no longer count against the 480,000 limit on family-based visas. If we truly value the family unit, we cannot keep in place policies that tear it apart.

We must reward work by granting immigrants who work hard and pay taxes the opportunity to earn a green card.

This bill will allow immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for 5 years and worked for 2 years to be eligible for legalization, including spouse and children.

Also, immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for less than 5 years would be eligible for a 3-year visa. The visa will allow immigrants to live, work, and travel legally in the U.S., and apply for a green card after two years of work history.

Congressman Gutierrez' bill respects workers by protecting wages and working conditions for U.S. workers.

This proposal creates a new visa for low-skilled workers, such as agricultural farm workers. These workers will be paid a prevailing wage so that Americans do not suffer from lower wages, and the bill makes sure companies hire American workers first.

The confusing system we have today is so difficult to navigate that it encourages many to immigrate illegally as a first resort.

According to the Department of Labor, our economy will need a stable supply of legal immigrants to maintain our economy.

Hospitals in California are importing nurses from South East Asia and Latin America because of a nursing shortage. Restaurants and other service jobs are hiring immigrants to fill in thousands of vacancies.

The fact is that we can reduce illegal immigration by having fair and reasonable immigration laws.

Our government must work hard to prevent people and businesses from violating our laws. That is why we must support comprehensive immigration reform.

Our current system loves immigrants one day and hates them the next. We need a system that is logical, orderly and sympathetic to human needs. This system forces the average Mexican and Filipino to wait over ten years before being reunited with their spouse.

Some people will claim that this bill opens our borders. That is false. The SOLVE Act simply brings order to an immigration system that is broken.

I urge my colleagues to support passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Mexican patriots who gave their lives fighting valiantly and successfully against an overwhelming French army on May 5, 1862.

Celebrated as Cinco de Mayo, the true meaning of this holiday has been too often overlooked. Many celebrate with festivals, singing and dancing, but it is more than a party, it is about a proud heritage, cultural tradition and the freedom that was won. We as Americans and Hispanics celebrated Cinco de Mayo not just to honor the courage of those fighting for freedom, but also for its significance to the American ideal of self-determination, respect, justice and equality for all individuals.

Today, the struggle continues on, but we must come together as one Nation and one unit to respect each and every one of us. I yield back the balance of my time as we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, all coming together as one Nation and one country.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.

Today, the White House and Department of Labor issued the final regulations to end overtime pay for as many as 10 million Americans.

Millions of hard-working American police officers, fire fighters, first responders, nurses, and veterans will see their paychecks cut.

The regulations are the result of a White House initiative to help employers lower the costs of doing business by cutting employee pay and benefits.

On Oct. 2nd of last year, I voted to block these controversial changes. We succeeded by a vote of 221-203, but the Republican Congressional leaders quietly reversed that decision at the White House's urging.

The Bush Administration, despite Congressional opposition, is still cutting the pay of American workers.

Over 2 million workers have lost their jobs under this Administration while millions more are working at McJobs with no benefits. You can't feed a family on minimum wage and leftover happymeals.

Congressional Republicans and President Bush are letting millions lose their unemployment benefits.

Congressional Republicans and President Bush think it's a good idea to ship American jobs overseas.

And now, Congressional Republicans and President Bush show that they believe the best way for America to compete with the third world is to pay Americans third world wages.

We don't know the exact number of people affected without more time to analyze the details. But here's what we do know: in March of 2003 the Administration planned to end overtime pay for 8 million people, but claimed it only hurt 600,000 people.

Now they claim that only 107,000 people will be hurt. Please forgive me if I don't believe them.

President Bush's initiative to cut the pay of hard-working Americans that work overtime is unconscionable, and must be reversed. This will hurt many of the people that deserve the pay the most--the police that patrol our streets and nurses that care for our sick.

I wonder, what's next on the Bush agenda--canceling Christmas?

I urge my colleagues to rally in defense of overtime pay so we may overturn President Bush's misguided policy to export American jobs and import third world wages.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Valerie Jean Woodward Turner. Valerie had the good fortune to travel throughout the world during her life. She used these diverse cultural experiences to educate those around her and cultivate a loving environment for those across the economic and social spectrum. It gives me no greater pleasure than to honor today this kind and gentle spirit.

Affectionately known as ``Sister T,'' Valerie graduated from Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, California and went on to attend California State University, Sonoma, earning a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. In 1981, while attending Loveland Church, Valerie accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and made assurance of her eternal life secure. Her ability to see beauty in all things and desire to share her wealth of experiences made her a unique and beloved member of her community. Valerie's love of teaching and gifted ability in arts and crafts led to the opening of ``Valerie's Gifts and Consignments.'' This was not only a store but also a forum to interact with the community around her, opening her home and her heart to those she cared about most.

In January 1991, Valerie joined her husband in the Temple Missionary Baptist Church, where he served as interim pastor and later elected senior pastor. Her move to Temple Missionary was accompanied by a leadership role in the Inland Empire.

Valerie had a love for education and children that was finally satisfied when she began teaching at Loveland Academy in Fontana, California in 1992. During her time there she co-founded the Temple Learning Center (TLC) where she served faithfully as principal. Her commitment to bettering the lives of others was further evident in her missionary work in American Samoa, Western Samoa, and Jamaica, and especially the children's missions in Ghana, Malawi, and Zambia.

I join today with family and friends in paying tribute to Valerie Turner, a dearly loved member of her family and community. She was a selfless role model and a generous teacher. Above all, Valerie was a supportive and dedicated wife, mother, and friend. She is survived by her husband Pastor Raymond W. Turner and their six children. She will be deeply missed by all.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4219. While I support this extension, I am very concerned that we are here to punt on our legislative duties, like we have done all too many times. The transportation reauthorization expired last fall, but Congress has refused to more past partisan wrangling and political rhetoric so that we can achieve true compromise.

The White House has already cost our Nation 1.8 million jobs by threatening to veto any bill that does not cut transportation spending below the amount Congress authorized nearly a decade ago. I support an extension, but it is critical that Congress get the full six-year surface transportation authorization bill enacted into law to bolster our economy and create good-paying jobs.

While people in Wall Street talk of recovery, working families everywhere are still seeing their jobs being sent overseas. While the White House economic policy advisors argue for shipping jobs overseas, working families everywhere are relying on charity, food stamps, and more than one part-time job just to keep a roof over their head and clothes on their back. Our economy is suffering from a huge jobs deficit. Since the beginning of the Bush Administration, 2.6 million private sector jobs have been lost. 8.4 million people are looking for work, and 4.7 million people are working part-time for economic reasons.

We need to create jobs, and every month that the transportation reauthorization is delayed is costing jobs for construction workers, truckers, steelworkers, electricians, and the millions of Americans that in one way or another benefit from the reauthorization. The average length of unemployment is the worst in 20 years, and two million people have been unemployed for at least six months. If Republicans and the White House indeed have no economic plan other than outsourcing our prosperity to China and India, they should pass a full six-year reauthorization.

We need a full reauthorization of transportation funding for the sake of California and the Nation. Jobs are at stake, and In-and-Out Burger cannot alone hire the hundreds of thousands of Californians out of work because of our Administration's misguided economic policies.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4219, but also encourage our Republican Congressional leaders and White House to come up with a job creation strategy that creates jobs in the United States, not Shanghai.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the genocide of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Starting in 1915, the Ottoman Empire tortured and murdered up to one and a half million Armenians. More than half a million were forced to leave and went into exile.

The Armenians settled across the world lending energy and strength to their adoptive communities.

It is important to recognize the historical atrocities perpetrated against the Armenians. We must teach our children about the fear, torture, mass graves, and expulsions of the Armenian people.

Through education and commemoration, our children can grow up to be better citizens and better Americans.

By recognizing genocide for what it is, the world can wake up to the obscene nature that sometimes grips nations and work to prevent the mass killing that devastated the Armenian people.

With this year's commemoration of the Armenian genocide, I urge all Americans to be vigilant and watchful. We must prevent hatred and bigotry. We must do all we can to prevent genocide. By commemorating the past, we can make the future a better place to live.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 56th anniversary of Israel's independence.

For 56 years, Israel has faced existential threats. Born out of the ashes of the Holocaust, Israel has offered its shores to the most vulnerable of the world's Jewry.

Israel is a refuge to the persecuted and has rescued Jews from Germany, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Cuba, Ethiopia, Russia and other countries where Jewish minorities were threatened.

She has persevered because to fail would take away the one safe haven that Jews around the world have from historical charges and anti- Semitic acts.

It was 56 years ago that the Jewish State of Israel declared its independence and became the first and only democratic nation in the Middle East.

In those 56 years, Israel has defended itself from war, terrorism and anti-Semitism. It has endured unbearable losses and terrible sacrifices.

As U.S. troops fight in Iraq, a safe and democratic Israel becomes ever more important. America stands side-by-side with the only democratic nation in the Middle East and commemorates the 56th anniversary of its independence.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Guardsmen and Reservists Financial Relief Act of 2003.

This bill allows military reservists or national guardsmen to make withdrawals from their retirement plans without incurring penalties.

Unfortunately, this bill is a short-term fix for a larger problem.

Why hasn't the Administration and Congress done more to help reservists and soldiers in Iraq?

Our brave men and women are fighting and dying in Iraq. Their families are struggling to get by.

We need to help our soldiers.

We can start by giving targeted pay raises. We can give meaningful tax relief for military families, not tax cuts for the rich that President Bush supports.

We can make sure they receive the benefits and healthcare that they have more than earned!

We can make sure that our veterans, those brave Americans who already gave so much for this country are also taken care of.

Over 500,000 veteran's benefits claims are still pending in the VA. My bill, H.R. 1264, will help reduce this backlog of claims. This is the type of help our soldiers and veterans need!

Our reservists, soldiers, and veterans deserve our help! Let's not keep them waiting any longer!

Congress has to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to taking care of those who help protect this nation. We have no other choice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the tragic horror of the Holocaust. The memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis must never be forgotten.

Yom Ha Shoah, Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, stands as the day when people all over the world remember the inhuman actions of Nazis and the righteous actions of heroes.

Six million people were murdered in concentration camps, in homes, on the street, and in the ghettos.

Their lives were lost and all that is left are memories and mementos.

We must remember the lives of those who perished during the Holocaust. We must teach the children of the horror and terror that can happen when the world turns the other way and refuses to notice hatred and bigotry, racism and anti-Semitism.

When I visited Israel and Yad va Shem, I remember walking into the Hall of Remembrance and seeing the single memorial flame casting light in the dark room.

The memorial light always burns never forgetting what took place during the Holocaust.

It is this light that I think of when I hear that Temple Emanu-El in San Bernardino held an interfaith ceremony commemorating the Holocaust.

But commemoration should not end with Holocaust Remembrance Day. Throughout the year, whenever we see the injustice of anti-Semitism and the injustice of racism we need to remember the Holocaust and speak out.

All over Europe, the Middle East and North America, anti-Semitic acts occur with disheartening frequency. We must speak out against these attacks. We must speak out against the stereotypes and anti-Semitic forgeries seen on the Internet and in the foreign press. We must speak out against all racist and bigoted actions.

We must be vigilant, so that we can say that the Holocaust will never happen again.

Mr. Chairman, I reluctantly support this transportation reauthorization.

While this bill includes important projects for my district, it does not adequately fund our nation's transportation priorities.

A population boom in the Inland Empire has created a desperate need for federal funding.

Commuters and emergency vehicles must be able to access our highways safely and efficiently.

In name of homeland security and economic vitality we, in the Inland Empire, must improve our infrastructure.

The average commute time in our district is 30 minutes to an hour. This is outrageous for an exurb community.

Last year my district grew by approximately 60,000 people.

Sixth in the nation for population growth.

These are thousands of Californians that deserve better investments in transportation infrastructure to correspond with the population growth.

I am not happy that this legislation will further condemn Californians to subsidize the transportation spending of other states.

I am not happy that this administration believes that deficit spending for millionaire tax cuts is necessary, but federal spending for job-creating transportation improvements is wasteful.

By limiting funds well below the Senate highway bill, Republicans are missing a prime opportunity to begin job creation and recover some of 3 million private-sector jobs lost under the Bush Administration.

That is why I will enthusiastically support the Davis amendment. This alternative increases the funding in the bill to the Senate-passed level of $318 billion.

This would create about 1.8 million more jobs than the House GOP leadership bill without adding to the deficit.

This Democratic amendment would create about 1.8 million more jobs and $235 billion more economic activity than the House GOP leadership bill without adding to the deficit.

The increase for highway and public transit over the House bill is fully paid for by cracking down on abusive corporate tax shelters and companies that move off-shore to avoid paying U.S. taxes.

The Senate overwhelmingly passed a $318 billion compromise measure by a vote of 76 to 21 on February 12.

Mr. Chairman, that is why I reluctantly support the reauthorization, but ask my colleagues to please enthusiastically support the Davis amendment to create jobs, fix our roads, and invest in the future.