Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Protection Act. I also want to thank my colleague, Congressman Jim Langevin, for his unyielding efforts to introduce, promote and advance this important legislation.

As you know, the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Protection Act would initiate an important first step to potential National Wild and Scenic River designation for portions of the Chipuxet, Queen, Wood, and Pawcatuck Rivers in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Launching a study by the National Parks Service, this legislation could help to verify the outstanding beauty, abundant fisheries, and historic character that these free-flowing rivers currently provide our local communities and put this designated area on a path towards greater preservation.

Connecticut and Rhode Island are home to some of the most diverse habitats and natural resources, including the lands and waters of the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed. As stewards of this pristine 300 square mile area, it is our responsibility to ensure that these natural habitats are preserved and protected for generations to come. Our communities in Connecticut and Rhode Island have joined together to help protect this outstanding resource and preserve the area's biological diversity as well as its seemingly unlimited recreational opportunities. The relationship between the continued health of our local communities and the continued health of these waters is one that cannot and should not be overlooked.

The Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association and the Nature Conservancy have done an outstanding job advocating for the need and passage of this legislation, garnering the support of every town in the surrounding areas. It is evident that this locally-driven priority would benefit greatly from the public-private partnership that the Wild and Scenic designation entails, and I encourage this body to look favorably on this legislation so that a study for potential designation can begin.

I urge my colleagues to cast a vote in favor of H.R. 3388, the Wood- Pawcatuck Watershed Protection Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule on the so-called regulatory freeze bill which will act as a chain saw, going through parts of the government that have absolutely nothing to do with small business or small business job creation. And I say that as a former small employer.

One of the regulations which will be butchered under this law is the income-based repayment program which the Department of Education is now in the middle of fashioning, which will provide loan payment relief for people paying title IV student loans. For a teacher making $25,000 a year with maybe about $20,000 in student loan debt, that program will reduce monthly payments by $100 a month. That is real help for people who are contributing to the U.S. economy. Allowing that regulation to go forward will not hurt the U.S. economy. In fact, it will provide more basis for that teacher to go out and survive and spend money on housing, car loans, et cetera.

Yet this bill, in the name of job creation, will knock down the income-based repayment program.

The income-based repayment program is trying to provide student loan relief at a time when student loan debt in this country now exceeds $1 trillion--higher than credit card debt, higher than car loan debt. It is a commonsense program, fully paid for.

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, signed into law in 2010, offset every nickel of cost in the income-based repayment program; and yet here we are, debating a bill at a time of crisis for middle class families because of student loan debt, denying them the needed relief which will help the U.S. economy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great constituent. Charles ``Skip'' Russell of Enfield, Connecticut passed away earlier this week and will be interred with Military Honors at St. Patrick King Street Cemetery. Skip was a mentor and friend to many, coaching Little League for over ten years, and serving as the Past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Council 50. An Enfield resident since 1951, Skip began as an employee of Bigelow-Stanford Carpet Company. He later served as Sales Manager with Nutmeg Building Supplies for 35 years until his retirement in 1992.

During World War II, Skip was also proud to serve his country in both the Merchant Marines and the United States Army. For his years of outstanding service, Skip was awarded the World War II Victory Medal. Committed to supporting veterans and their families, he remained a lifelong member of AMVETS.

Even after his retirement, Skip was a dedicated and active participant in local grassroots politics of Enfield, Connecticut. As a member of the Enfield Democratic Committee, Skip contributed enthusiastically to local efforts. He was always the first at Headquarters to volunteer for projects, and he could always be counted on to have a car trunk full of signs and hand cards, and pockets stuffed with stickers and buttons. Skip was an eloquent supporter of Social Security and Medicare at numerous public forums in the Enfield area. His passion and energy for the political process will be fondly remembered by all his fellow campaigners, as well as the many elected officials and candidates who were fortunate enough to meet him.

Skip Russell's legacy is not just that of a devoted father, husband, and servicemen, but also of an engaged and involved citizen in his local community. Skip will be dearly missed by his wife, children, grandchildren, great grandchild, and all those in Enfield whom he touched with his years of community service. I ask my colleagues to join me in mourning the loss and honoring the life of Skip Russell.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Seymour Pollock, who was raised in Brooklyn, Connecticut in my Congressional District and turned 100 years old on July 8th. Known by his friends and family as ``Sy,'' he is a straightforward man with a complicated backstory. Losing his mother as a young boy, he and his two brothers spent much of their childhood separated. The financial burden of caring for three sons forced his father to place his kids in foster homes, where Sy suffered abuse. Continued domestic instability prompted Sy to leave home and stow away on a cruise ship when he was 16. When he was discovered hiding on board, the teenager told the Captain that his name was Seymour, to which the captain replied ``Well, now you are going to see less.'' Sy worked in the galley until they returned to port.

During World War II, Sy served in the United States Army, where he cleaned and repaired semi-automatic weapons for the troops on the frontlines. His unit was responsible for setting up the coastal defense for what is now Battery Park in New York. After the war, Sy's father bought a building in the Bronx and opened up a business there selling and repairing cash registers. He and his brothers eventually ran that business together.

Sy retired to Florida at 82. He is the father of two daughters and a grandfather of two ambitious young men. I ask my colleagues to join with me in recognizing the extraordinary life of this man who exemplifies the American dream.

Last Friday, President Obama signed into law a bipartisan compromise which extended a lower student interest rate of 3.4 percent. Incredibly, the ink was barely dry on that measure when the Romney campaign introduced their higher education plan, which would take us back to wasteful taxpayer subsidies to private student loan lenders.

This is what the conservative Cato Institute said about that proposal:

A meaningless change from a college affordability

standpoint. Obviously, it would have an effect for banks, who

would be happy to go back to that. It was a great gig for

them.

A Romney supporter at the new New America Foundation said on this issue:

On this issue, Romney is just ridiculous. His campaign

staff doesn't have any new ideas. So they just said, Let's go

back to what we were doing before the Obama administration.

For young Americans, the choice this fall is becoming clearer. We have a President who successfully challenged this Congress to protect the lower student loan interest rate, and his opponent, who is looking to take $60 billion in taxpayer funds and give it away to special interests.

Thank you, Mr. Andrews, for your leadership in this debate here this evening.

We've heard a lot of misleading comments about the so-called damage that has been done to U.S. employers as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Well, the people who make those statements forgot to ask the 5,200 American employers who stampeded into the Affordable Care Act's early retiree reinsurance program, over half of the Fortune 500 companies in this country included in that group, some of whose corporate logos are on the chart here.

And rather than causing problems with new employment, again, just looking at Ford Motor Company, they've added 7,000 workers this year to the ranks of their assembly plants, obviously using the benefit of the early retiree program, which acts as a Federal backstop for high insurance claims, a principle and a pattern that we have used for flood insurance, that we've used for nuclear power plant insurance, again, using the Federal Government as a backstop for high cost claims. And again, companies like Comcast, who are hiring in my district, have all taken advantage of this program.

Individuals who make these claims have also forgotten to ask the 360,000 small businesses that last year took advantage of the small business tax credit, a 35 percent tax credit on health insurance premiums. That number is going to go up to 50 percent starting in 2014.

And as Mr. Andrews has repeatedly pointed out here tonight, there is no mandate on businesses or firms 50 or less. That's 96 percent of small businesses in America. But there will be a tax credit to help those firms actually defray the cost because, as a former small employer myself, small employers want to provide benefits. The problem is that they have trouble affording it, and the tax credit set up in the Affordable Care Act will help those small businesses defray the costs and entice and enroll new employees in their businesses who are looking for those types of the benefits.

So the fact of the matter is that with the job growth that we have seen, again, we need more. But with the job growth over the last year and a half since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, we have helped businesses, 5,200 employers who are using the early retiree insurance programs, including nonprofits, religious institutions, and public sector employers across the country, and 360,000 small businesses who've taken advantage of that tax credit.

We need to build on that success and grow this economy. Let's skip this debate and move on to real jobs legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the careers of Dr. John Gallacher and Anthony A. Torre. As they prepare to retire as the Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent of Schools for the town of Enfield, respectively, they leave behind a legacy of excellence.

Dr. John Gallacher's passion for education began in 1968, when he started his career as a sixth grade teacher for the Elmhurst U-205 School District in Elmhurst, Illinois. He moved to Iowa eight years later to become an Elementary School Principal: first for the Ponora- Linden Community School District in Panora, Iowa, and then for Washington and Torrence Schools in Keokuk. Dr. Gallacher continued his work in Keokuk until 1992, serving as the Instructional Services Coordinator and the Superintendent of Schools for the district. Having held a variety of positions within the public school system, Dr. Gallacher brought an impressive knowledge and diverse set of skills to Enfield, Connecticut. He has worked as the Superintendent for the past twenty years, where he earned the reputation of an astute problem solver and tireless worker.

Like Dr. Gallacher, Anthony Torre served in different facets of education before becoming an administrator for the Enfield Public School System. In 1959, he started out a classroom teacher at A.D. Higgins Junior High School, working for six years before transitioning to the Chair of the Math Department at Enfield High. Mr. Torre went on to serve as the school's Assistant Principal and Principal, as well as the Principal of Enrico Fermi High School in town. He has remained at his current position of the Assistant Superintendent of Schools for nearly forty years, playing a key role overseeing the expansion of the town's High Schools and ensuring that technological advances were integrated into classrooms.

These two men share nearly 100 years of experience between them that has been an invaluable asset to the children of Enfield. Both have been passionate advocates of education and have gone above and beyond the boundaries of their job description to transform the lives of thousands of youngsters. They will be missed greatly. I ask my colleagues to join with me to recognize the exemplary service that Dr. John Gallacher and Mr. Anthony Torre have provided to Connecticut's children.

Mr. Speaker, with a few minutes to spare, we just voted to make sure that the interest rate for the Stafford student loan program was going to stay at 3.4 and avoid the doubling of rates, which would have happened Saturday night if we had not acted. This is an issue which took months to get to. President Obama challenged Congress back at the State of the Union in January, telling us that we must act. It took months to get any response. And I want to congratulate the 130,000 college students all across America who submitted a petition to the Speaker's office saying it was time to get moving.

We started the countdown clock on that day at Day 110, and now we are officially defusing the time bomb that would have exploded with a higher interest rate if we had not acted. We have a lot more work to do with the high cost of college and student loan debt, which now exceeds credit card debt and consumer loan debt. But having said that, we saw today an honest

compromise; people coming together to make sure that that lower rate was going to be extended. Let's use that example to move forward and solve this problem for middle class families all across America.

Again, to those students who worked so hard to have their voices heard, congratulations. Let's roll up our sleeves and continue the great work.

Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts in the next 4 days, the subsidized Stafford student loan interest rate is going double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Despite the fact that that looming deadline which affects over 7 million college students all across American is staring us in the face, what we are debating here today is a rule which allows the House to go into recess for the 10th week since January, which is part of this rule.

The good news is that a couple of hours ago it was reported that the Senate and Republican leadership have actually agreed upon a settlement of this issue which would allow the 3.4 percent rate to be extended for 1 year. But I would note that Mitch McConnell, who's the minority leader for the Republic Party, said that:

Final approval of student loan legislation, which would prevent rates on Federal Stafford loans from doubling to 6.8 percent, depends on House Republicans.

The fact of the matter is we have no idea whether or not the House Republican leadership is going to agree to this compromise which the Senate leadership reached a few hours ago, because all we're debating here today is another adjournment or recess motion before the House. The fact of the matter is it is time for us to focus on this issue which the President on January 25 challenged Congress to act on.

I started this countdown chart at day 110. We are now down to the final hours

before the interest rates double, which will cost thousands of dollars in more interest costs to college student across America, unless we act. The fact of the matter is that the House Republican bill that they rushed to the floor without a subcommittee, without a markup, was completely rejected by Republicans in the Senate. We now have the glimmer of a deal, a compromise. We should not be debating another adjournment resolution for the 10th week of recess this year until we get this work done.

There are millions of college students all across America who are waiting for us to get this issue resolved so that they can plan their budget for the next fall semester. And the fact that we're here again with another adjournment resolution with the most unproductive Congress in recent memory is ridiculous. We should reject this rule. Let's focus on getting the work done that the American people are counting on.

Thank you, Mr. Polis, for yielding and for, again, bringing this issue back to the floor, which, as my chart indicates, we're now down to 10 days.

When this chart was first created, it was 110 days, and it coincided with the delivery of 130,000 petition signatures from college campuses all across America, pleading with Congress to listen to President Obama's challenge on January 25 right from that podium that we should block the increase from going through.

My legislation, which was introduced at midnight the same night, had 152 cosponsors to lock in the lower rate. For 3 months, nothing happened. A bill was rushed to the floor by the majority without any consultation with the other side. It took money out of a fund to pay for cervical cancer screening and diabetes screening, a hyperpartisan measure which the President indicated he would veto even before the vote was taken.

The good news is Mr. Boehner has already moved away from that proposal. He sent a letter with Senator McConnell to the Senate leadership offering new pay-fors and moving off the House bill. Again, that was rushed through with absolutely no consultation on any bipartisan basis.

There are 7 million college students who are waiting for an answer in the next 10 days to this issue. The rates will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Senator Reid has talked already about a proposal which is a pay-for that, again, there appears to be some willingness to move forward on. We should be focused on that issue right now, not this measure on the floor which is going nowhere. It's another bill which will never see the light of day in the Senate.

This issue, helping students pay for college at a time when student loan debt now exceeds $1 trillion, is the issue that America is watching and waiting. And editorially, from Florida all the way to the west coast, newspapers are demanding bipartisan compromise, not the kind of measure which was rammed through this House a month and a half ago.

The building blocks are there, but we have to focus on that, not the measure that's before us here today. And the Tierney bill is a perfect opportunity for us to do something which, again, has a balanced approach and which will protect students from the doubling of their student loan interest rates.

Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts in the next 11 days, the interest rates for the subsidized Stafford student loan program are going to increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. This is at a time when student loan debt now has topped the $1 trillion number, which is according to the Federal Reserve Bank.

This is a program which will provide relief for over 7 million college students who literally today are already trying to budget for next fall's semester at colleges and universities--at 2-year colleges, at 4-year colleges. Yet this Congress left for 10 days, up until yesterday, for another recess--the ninth recess this year. This number, 11 days until the rate-hike increase, should probably be 6 days because that's all the number of days that the Speaker has scheduled between now and July 1.

How did we get to this point?

In 2007, when the Democrats controlled the Congress, we voted for the College Class Reduction Act, with Republican support, which cut the rate for the subsidized Stafford student loan program from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. That has helped over 15 million college kids over the last 5 years. It was a sunset measure, like many other bills that pass in this Congress; and last July 25, on that podium, President Obama challenged this Congress to avoid allowing that rate to double on July 1.

For 3 solid months, we had absolutely no action in this Congress--no hearings, no markup, no bill. Luckily, external pressure was exercised on this Chamber. We had 130,000 college students drop off petition signatures to the Speaker, demanding action. Finally, the Speaker rushed a bill to the floor, without a hearing, without a markup--a totally hyper-partisan bill--that did delay the rate hike for 1 year, yet was paid for with a measure that was so unacceptable: cutting programs and funding for cervical cancer screening, diabetes screening, cardiac screening. It was a measure which was dead on arrival, but at least it was some response. It was at least a flicker of acknowledgment that there was a real problem out there for middle class families around the country.

Now, on January 5, when the President announced his challenge to the Congress, I introduced legislation before midnight that night which would have locked in the lower rate at 3.4 percent. We have 152 cosponsors in the House for that measure, and in the Senate there is a back-and-forth going on right now about a 1-year extension. So, again, there actually are some hopeful signs. Leader Reid, Harry Reid, introduced a measure with a pay-for, which was not greeted with immediate criticism and denunciation, so there is actually a chance that between now and July 1 we can come together and do our jobs and actually be here to work on the people's business and to make sure that, again, 7 million college kids don't see their interest rates spike at a time when student loan debt has shattered all records.

The stakes could not be higher. U.S. graduation rates now have fallen to 12th in the world. We were No. 1 in the 1980s. There are a variety of reasons which explain that, but certainly the high cost of college is one of those reasons. We are seeing now an alarming trend of individuals who take on debt to go to college and then never get their degrees. Debt without a degree is almost a death sentence--a lifetime of struggling in terms of trying to get ahead. We as the Congress have the responsibility to make sure that that doesn't happen or at least that we don't add to the problem by allowing these rate hikes to go into effect on July 1.

Mr. Speaker, if you look historically at the Stafford student loan program, if you look historically at the Pell Grant program, if you look historically at the Land Grant College program instituted by President Abraham Lincoln, this is an issue on which we have always been able to put aside partisanship and move forward together in order to make sure that the real crown jewels of our country, which are our people--particularly our young people--are always protected. That test is now before us over the next 11 days.

Let's do the right thing; let's work together; let's compromise; let's come up with a plan to protect 7 million college kids, and for once send a signal to the people of this country that we are listening and that we are actually responding to the critical needs that face this Nation's future.

Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts in the next 22 days, the interest rate for the subsidized Stafford student loan program is going to increase from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Despite this approaching deadline, with over 7 million college students waiting for an answer, what is the House GOP leadership's response? To send us home today for the ninth week of recess since last January. Despite the fact that the Senate will be in session next week, and as was reported in the press last night, a real bipartisan compromise is going to be emerging. But, of course, we won't be able to act on it next week because we won't be here. The next time we're on the floor, this chart will be down to 11 days until the rate doubles.

Mr. Speaker, this work schedule by the Republican leadership would make Homer Simpson blush. It is time for us to go to work and find a compromise that is going to fix this issue for 7 million college students waiting for an answer all across America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my sincerest congratulations to the six distinguished graduates of Suffield High School who were inducted into the Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools' 2012 Hall of Honor on May 18, 2012. The Hall of Honor is a highly competitive program established to put the spotlight on graduates of Suffield High School who have achieved noteworthy success in their careers in very diverse endeavors. It is no coincidence that such an impressive group came from Suffield High School, a school that actively recruits high quality teachers and staff members. The town of Suffield itself has a proud tradition of supporting the high quality learning environment at Suffield High School, which has been essential to its success. The Hall of Fame is a part of that effort. It seeks not only to celebrate past graduates but also seeks to give students who are presently enrolled or who will be enrolled, inspiration and role models for their own studies and future careers.

Mr. Charles R. Waterman is a nuclear power and turnaround expert, who served as President of Electro Mechanics, Sensor Engineering, and Delas-Weir. Ms. Robbi Gorman D'Allessandro is a writer of stage and screen plays, and founded the Artist's Donor Initiative to encourage artists to donate blood and bone marrow. Mr. James Remington currently serves as the Lieutenant Commander of the U.S. Navy and has supported U.S. missions in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Mr. Toby J. Moffett, Jr., served four terms as Congressman for Connecticut's Sixth District and now serves as chairman of

the Moffett Group, a government relations and consulting firm. Mr. James Chapdelaine is a famed musician as well as a film and television composer, and he has received 12 Emmy Awards and numerous Addy Awards. Mr. Ted W. Beneski is a renowned financier and was a founding principal of Carlyle Management Group and chair of his own foundation, the Ted and Laurie Beneski Foundation. Additionally, the Hall of Honors recognized Ms. Mary Anne Kelly Zak for ``Excellence in Education.'' Ms. Zak taught in the Suffield Public School system for over 20 years and served as an adjunct English professor at the University of Connecticut.

These inductees have earned a place in the Hall of Honors through exemplary contributions to their respective fields. Again, I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding their accomplishments.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Joe Jaskiewicz who has stepped down after many distinguished years of public service. Joe was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Norwich, Connecticut as a young boy. In 1964, he married his high school sweetheart, Beverly. Shortly after graduation, Joe began work as a pipefitter at Electric Boat where he worked for 37 years, eventually becoming a supervisor.

Mr. Jaskiewicz went on to serve the Town of Montville in many capacities. He began his career in the Parks & Recreation Department and spent four years as Chairman of the Board of Finance before being elected to the Town Council. After chairing the body for four years, Joe became Mayor in 2003. During his eight years in office, Joe Jaskiewicz championed economic development in Montville, bringing new businesses and jobs to the area. In his first term, Joe nearly doubled the size of the police force and supervised the renovation of all Montville schools. Although Joe's career was marked by numerous achievements, one of his proudest accomplishments was the transformation of the old Fair Oaks School into the Fair Oaks Community Center. He also served as the Chair of the Southeast Connecticut Council of Governments for one year during his second term as mayor. His decision to step down is a loss for the town he loves, but I believe after recharging his batteries, Joe will be back in the public arena in some new and exciting form to continue his service.

In addition to his work in the local government, Joe has been active in youth sports, coaching Pee Wee football and Little League. I urge my colleagues to join with me in honoring Joe Jaskiewicz and all the wonderful work he has completed for the Town of Montville, Connecticut.

Mr. Speaker, unless Congress acts in the next 25 days, the Stafford student loan interest rate will

double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, adding millions of dollars of additional student loan debt to middle class families.

Unfortunately, the do-nothing House is in session only 2 full days this week and 6 full days for the rest of this month. The Republican whip announced yesterday that there is no action planned on this issue this week.

It is no wonder that President Obama will once again this week reach out to college students all across America to demand action before July 1. Not only that, he is announcing today a historic agreement with colleges and universities to establish a financial aid shopping sheet, which will better inform families about the true cost of tuition as a way of avoiding debt, and will announce new lower repayment caps for the Stafford loans to reduce the burden of high debt.

One branch of government is doing its job to help with the cost of college. It is time for the Republican leadership to do the same.