Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I would like to submit this statement for the Record and regret that I was not present to vote on rollcall vote Nos. 961, 962, and 963. Had I been present, I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall vote No. 961 on H. Res. 738 expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the Government of Syria's continued interference in the internal affairs of Lebanon; ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 962 on H.R. 2089, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 701 Loyola Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana, as the ``Louisiana Armed Services Veterans Post Office''; and ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 963 on H.R. 20, to provide for research on, and services for individuals with, postpartum depression and psychosis.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill and especially in strong support of our distinguished chairman, who has done so much to continue the steady progress, the steady march towards the safe, secure redeployment of our troops.

This body is well served by the legislation introduced by Mr. Abercrombie and Mr. Tanner, inasmuch as it provides intelligent and meaningful legislation that will lead to the safe, speedy and responsible redeployment of our troops and once again returns accountability, as this committee has insisted on, to its proper venue within the Armed Services Committee to do the kind of oversight that will be necessitated by this bill.

I commend the chairman and all of the staff for their hard work on this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay great honor to Jo Picone, a Radiologic Technologist from Hartford, CT, who has dedicated her life to the care of others. Since 1948, Jo has worked to ensure the health and well-being of her patients, children, and community. Indeed, although she officially retired from her 38-year ER career in 2000, the 78-year-old continues to work part-time at an outpatient clinic.

The daughter of Italian immigrants, Jo graduated from the Massachusetts School of Physical Therapy and Medical Technology, and completed her clinical training at Massachusetts General and Beth Israel hospitals in Boston. She received further training at St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford, Massachusetts. As a student, Ms. Picone found that she loved the art and science of radiology, as well as the patient care. And this love has certainly stayed with her through the years.

While in Boston, Jo was secretary of the Massachusetts Society of Radiologic Technologists. Through this position, she was able to meet influential members of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), an organization with which she has worked closely. For over 50 years now, Jo has been involved with ASRT and state affiliate functions.

Her career progressed in Massachusetts; she became a senior technologist at Marlboro Hospital and then chief technologist at Boston State Hospital. It was there that she met and fell in love with Angelo Picone, a psychiatric social worker. They married and moved to Connecticut, where Angelo worked in the Hartford school system. Together, they raised 6 children--five boys and a girl. Though she stayed home when they were young, Jo worked 60-hour weeks in the ER at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center to put each of her children through college.

Jo is well-respected among her colleagues. Many recognize her tireless work on Connecticut's first licensure bill that passed in 1993. Jo is also known for her advocacy in DC in support of the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy bill (H.R. 583), of which I am a cosponsor.

Jo retired in 2000 after 33 years in the emergency room at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut. However, she continues to work at a Saint Francis outpatient clinic throughout the week. Jo also volunteers at Saint Francis for the teen safety program, ``Let's Not Meet by Accident,'' which educates new drivers in high school about the effects of poor decisionmaking.

Jo is truly in possession of an upbeat attitude and zest for her profession. Co-workers know her as someone who is fun to be around and full of life. According to one, ``She can out-work anyone half her age.'' I have had the personal experience of having her treat family members with care, professionalism, and the warmth that comes from a nurturing soul.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring the tremendous work and service of Jo Picone. Jo lives by the words of baseball legend Jackie Robinson ``A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.'' I am honored to know such a remarkable individual.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize September as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. This is a very important designation because it helps to raise awareness about ovarian cancer and its symptoms.

In the State of Connecticut alone, over 300 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. It is predicted that 190 women in Connecticut will die from ovarian cancer in 2007. Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common female cancer in Connecticut and the fourth most common cause of female cancer death in the State.

Although in the United States approximately 20,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and an estimated 15,000 women die of the disease, there is currently no screening test for ovarian cancer. Until there is a cure for this disease it is important to support and recognize the hard work that organizations are doing to raise awareness for this disease and its symptoms. I want to commend organizations like the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, OCNA, for its commitment to ensuring that women are aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and for its advocacy on behalf of the women and families who have been touched by this devastating disease.

Early detection of ovarian cancer must be our focus and education and awareness are imperative. Studies have shown that if ovarian cancer is treated before it has spread outside the ovary, the 5-year survival rate is 93 percent. However, only 19 percent of ovarian cancers are found at such an early stage.

I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing September as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and to work to increase awareness about this deadly disease.

Mr. Chairman, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 2761, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision and Extension Act of 2007, which would reauthorize the Federal terrorism insurance program (TRIA) for 15 years.

I am pleased that the years spent working on this issue with constituents, the insurance industry, and the financial services industries to build a consensus has produced a bill so widely supported by Members in the House on both sides of the aisle that has the strong support of the business community. I applaud Chairman Frank, the members of the House Financial Services Committee, and Representative Capuano, the chief sponsor of the bill, for their leadership in crafting this critical legislation protecting the safety and security of America.

It is estimated that the September 11th terrorist attacks resulted in $40 billion in insured claims, the largest man-made insurance disaster on record. After the 9/11 attacks, given the size of potential liabilities, there was growing concern that insurance companies and reinsurers might not be able to write policies to insure losses due to future acts of terrorism. As a result, the TRIA program was enacted in 2002 in an attempt to prevent an industry-wide catastrophe in the event of another domestic terrorist attack. The TRIA program provides a federal backstop to the insurance industry by providing compensation for a portion of insured losses resulting from acts certified by the Government as acts of terrorism. The law was reauthorized with some changes in 2005 (P.L. 109-44) and will expire on December 31, 2007.

Currently, TRIA only covers foreign terrorism; however, this bill would extend TRIA coverage to both foreign and domestic terrorism. The bill would set the ``trigger'' level--the size of an attack at which the Federal Government would provide aid to insurers--at $50 million. According to studies from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the risk of nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological terrorism is uninsurable absent a Federal Government backstop. In response, this legislation would include acts of nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological terrorism in TRIA. The bill would also add group life insurance to the types of insurance for which terrorism insurance coverage must be made available by insurers. Finally, H.R. 2761 would create a 21-member ``blue ribbon'' commission to propose long-term solutions to covering terrorism risk. The goal of this legislation is to protect America's economy during a time of national crisis and is important to the economic security of the business community in Hartford and the Capital Region.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of final passage and for the President to sign this bill into law. The continued insurance and safety of our Nation against terrorist attacks is an urgent and bipartisan issue.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Ms. Gail P. Hardy, who became the first African American in Connecticut's history to be appointed to the position of State's Attorney. Ms. Hardy, an 11-year veteran of the Division of Criminal Justice in Connecticut, was appointed to serve as State's Attorney for the Judicial District of Hartford. The appointment was by a unanimous vote of Connecticut's Criminal Justice Commission. As State's Attorney, Ms. Hardy will be the chief law enforcement officer in the Judicial District of Hartford, where she will oversee prosecutions and more than 70 employees in the Hartford district. The district includes Hartford and 18 surrounding communities, along with Superior Courts in Hartford, Enfield and Manchester, Hartford Juvenile Court, and Hartford Community Court.

Gail Hardy has an excellent and diverse record both in and outside of the courts. In addition to her impressive work as a prosecutor, Ms. Hardy also served as a probation officer, a public defender, a state child support investigator, an adjunct college professor, and as a counselor in a halfway house. Her past and current colleagues have offered no less than the highest regards to her experience and quality of her work and service. From the courtroom to the community, Ms. Hardy has a record that illuminates her competence and fairness that will serve her well as State's Attorney. The citizens in Hartford's judicial district can have confidence in a criminal justice system that is both efficient and unbiased under Ms. Hardy's leadership.

And so today, I rise to congratulate and honor Gail P. Hardy for her outstanding achievements. Ms. Hardy, through years of dedication and service to her community comes to the position of State's Attorney with great experience and knowledge that she will use to continue to succeed in this next chapter in her career. Ms. Hardy also brings to this position a broad perspective that will serve Connecticut's citizens well.

Madam Speaker, the cold night brought me into the cancered bowels of this capital place. Barren halls and walkways and crawl space in front of me and inside cerebral tunnels.

It is here, away from now. I come to face the ghost of Abercrombie.

Who walked these paths and is remembered for not so hallow words.

Who bragged sincerely of life and death long before the funeral chant.

As cold and dark and empty and hollow as these moments are, it is here in the mind's basement that we face this white ghost.

Abercrombie who is still here.

Have hope--nothing ends.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the participants of the House Fellows Program on the completion of their weeklong program. As an initiative of the Office of the Historian, this has been a unique opportunity for a select group of secondary education teachers of American history and government.

This week-long workshop is designed to help educators improve the knowledge and understanding of the ``People's House.'' One of the goals of the program is to develop curricular materials on the history and practice of the House for use in schools. Each Fellow will prepare his or her brief lesson plan on a Congressional topic of their choosing, and these plans will become part of a teaching resource database on the House.

During the school year following their participation in the House Fellows Program, each Fellow will have the responsibility to present their experiences and lesson plans to at least one in-service institute for teachers of history and government.

Over the next 5 years, in selecting a teacher from every congressional district, the House Fellows Program will be able to impact over 10,000 high school teachers, providing an inside account of how the House of Representatives functions, energizing thousands of students to become informed and active citizens.

I had the honor of meeting the Fellows last night and know that all Members will join me in congratulating the following teachers who have successfully participated in this week's program:

Mr. Frank Coburn, Red Bird Mission School, Beverly, Kentucky (KY05, Rogers); Ms. Jennifer Collier, Mt. Diablo High School, Concord, California (CA07, Miller); Ms. Deborah Hejl, Fishers High School, Fishers, Indiana (IN05, Burton); Mr. Paul Hodges, PikeView High School, Mercer County, West Virginia (WV03, Rahall); Mr. Rick Kelm, Ripon High School, Ripon, Wisconsin (WI06, Petri); Ms. Tisha Menchhofer, Lakota East High School, Liberty Township, Ohio (OH08, Boehner); Mr. Christopher Lazarski, Wauwatosa West High School, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (WI05, Sensenbrenner); Mr. Christopher Swanson, Cloquet Senior High School, Cloquet, Minnesota (MN08, Oberstar); Ms. Robin Wanosky, Weston High School, Weston, Massachusetts (MA07, Markey); Ms. Erin Wigginton, Pulaski County High School, Dublin, Virginia (VA09, Boucher).

As many of my colleagues already know, the first bill I sponsored upon becoming a Member of Congress in 1999 was the History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act, which directed the Librarian of Congress to oversee the writing of a history of the House of Representatives. Once this bill was signed into law (P.L. 106-99), the Librarian of Congress very wisely chose the eminent historian and author, Dr. Robert V. Remini, to write the history, which was published in 2006 under the title of The House. The project was

so well received that the Speaker of the House re-established the Office of the Historian in 2005 and appointed Dr. Remini as the House Historian.

Madam Speaker, I would like to urge all of my colleagues to join me in thanking the Office of the Historian for sponsoring this program. Under the leadership of Dr. Remini and Dr. Fred Beuttler, along with their staff; Michael Cronin, Anthony Wallis, interns Michael Weiss and Laura Neff; the Office of the Historian is dedicated to fulfilling the goals of the History of the House Awareness and Preservation Act by conserving and presenting the history of the House of Representatives, the ``People's House.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud Mr. Stark, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Dingell, and Mr. Pallone for their outstanding leadership in bringing this bill before us today.

I turn to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and say to them, do not remain frozen in the ice of your own indifference towards the needs of children in this country.

It is imperative that we pass this bill. It is imperative not because of the statistics and the numbers, but because these are our children and our kids. That you find the time and the money to blindly put forward into reconstruction efforts in Iraq, but not the time, not the effort to make sure that kids in our own country receive the necessary funding that they need.

It is written that the difference between CHAMP and CHUMP is ``U.'' Do not become the vote that turns away the children in this country.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of the underlying bill, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 121. This resolution calls on the Government of Japan to finally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility for the coercion of over 200,000 young girls and women into sexual slavery during World War II and the colonial occupation of Asia in the 1930s and '40s.

Known to the world as ``Comfort Women,'' these women suffered unimaginable dehumanization. These women deserve a justice that is long overdue. While the facts of these crimes are incontrovertible, Japan has not officially accepted responsibility for these atrocities. The Japanese government needs to recognize these injustices so that wounds of these women can begin to heal.

With less than 300 ``comfort women'' alive today, we can no longer turn a blind eye to these women's stories and sacrifices. It is our moral obligation to urge Japan to restore the dignity that was stolen from so many women over 50 years ago.

I commend Representative Honda for his deep commitment to this issue and for championing the meaningful underlying legislation. The history of the comfort women is the history of the world, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

Mr. Chairman, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition and Bioenergy Act of 2007, which would make historic investments in conservation, nutrition and renewable energy while maintaining a strong safety net for America's farmers and ranchers.

For the first time, this Farm Bill cracks down on farm subsidies and would redirect more than a half billion dollars to working family farmers and ranchers. The legislation would provide $4.6 billion in funding for important conservation programs, which includes the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Farm Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP), and the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP). As a member of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, I am pleased that this bill would provide $3.2 billion in funding for renewable energy research, development and production in rural America. This will expand the role of U.S. agriculture in our movement to greater energy independence.

In addition, this Farm Bill would provide more than $1.5 billion in critical funding for specialty crop and organic growers in the United States. Under this bill, $365 million in mandatory funding would expand the specialty crop block grant program. The block grants are provided to states, including Connecticut, to support projects in research, marketing, education, pest and disease management, production, and food safety. The legislation would also increase and expand the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Snack Program to schools in all 50 States, which will continue to encourage healthy diets to our Nation's children. More than 11,000 dairy farmers in the Northeast will benefit from the extension of the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) program in the bill.

Hunger in America is a reality for more than 11 percent of households. To this end, the legislation would make a long overdue funding

increase for Food Stamps and nutrition programs by $4 billion over the next five years. Among other things, the bill would reform the program by indexing asset limits and eliminate the current cap on childcare costs to help the working poor meet rising costs. This will benefit the estimated 210,000 individuals in Connecticut who receive food stamps every month.

The legislation before us today was a collective effort from members of the House Agriculture Committee who made new investments and important reforms in this Farm Bill. I would like to especially thank Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson for his leadership in putting forward a comprehensive bill that meets the 21st century needs of the United States and enhances programs in Connecticut. I urge my colleagues to vote for a new direction in our Nation's agriculture policy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 (H.R. 2831), which is an important step in ensuring the fair and equal pay deserved by women in our workforce.

Women have made tremendous strides forward in America's workforce. Earlier this year I was proud to see the election of the first female Speaker of the House. Today, women serve as executives at some of America's largest corporations and in distinguishing professions such as medicine and law. However, 43 years after the Civil Rights Act was enacted by Congress, women such as Lilly Ledbetter continue to struggle to receive payment equal to their male counterparts. These women, who perform the same jobs with the same responsibilities, on average earn only 77 cents for every dollar that their male counterparts earn. They have had to overcome one obstacle after another on their way to earning equal pay and equal respect for their work.

On May 29th, 2007, the United States Supreme Court threw yet another obstacle into the path of women in the workforce with the decision of Ledbetter v. Goodyear. According to this decision, if an employee fails to file a claim within 180 days of their employer's decision to pay them less, rather than when she receives a discriminatory paycheck, she will be barred forever from challenging the discriminatory paychecks that follow and forced to live with the discriminatory pay for the rest of her career. If this is allowed to stand, it will be a severe setback to women everywhere.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 2831, which would restore protections guaranteed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act for victims of pay discrimination who are entitled to justice and fair pay. Contrary to what opponents of this legislation have said, this bill does not eliminate the statute of limitations on claims. What it does is ensure that the clock on the statute of limitations begins once a discriminatory paycheck is received rather than from the point a decision was made to discriminate against an employee. Every discriminatory paycheck will be a new violation of this law and restart the clock for filing a claim. Until the Ledbetter decision, this was the accepted understanding of Title VII and this bill will restore the law prior to Ledbetter.

Mr. Speaker, we must continue the fight for pay parity begun by Congress over 40 years ago. I would like to thank Chairman George Miller for his leadership on this important issue in the House Education and Labor Committee. This piece of legislation, as well as the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R. 1338) introduced by my good friend Representative Rosa DeLauro of which I am also a cosponsor, are needed to ensure women continue to receive equal treatment. I urge all my colleagues to stand up for women workers and vote in favor of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 986 and commend Representative Courtney for his outstanding work.

Joe Courtney, in so many ways, is a story about so many people who come to the House of Representatives, not unlike ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington'' and finds out that, when he presents a bill that's straightforward and works diligently at it and presents it on the floor, only to find that opposition rises where there should be unanimity.

Now, my good friend and colleague from Utah talks about the concern of imminent domain, and yet the bill clearly forbids this. More important than the bill, however, that local authorities in the communities of Salem, East Haddam and Lyme and the entire Connecticut legislature, as well as the Republican Governor from the State of Connecticut, as well as the entire Connecticut delegation, including Republican Chris Shays.

It seems as though Mr. Courtney has, perhaps, committed the grievous sin of coming to Washington and being able to accomplish more in 6 months than his predecessor accomplished in 6 years. For this, he is to be punished.

This bill should be by unanimous consent, an acclamation, because of the way it was worked on, because of the kind of support that it has, because of how important it is to the citizens of the State of Connecticut, who, indeed, on a local level and at the State level through the legislature, and for a party that claims to be for States' rights, why they would oppose the will of the local entity, and the State legislative body, and the Governor of the State of Connecticut, is somewhat astounding.

Now, I am sure if that happened in Utah, if the legislature in Utah passed it, if the Governor in Utah agreed with it and local municipalities approved of it in the impacted region, you would oppose it as well. I think not. But such is the case here.

And I am pleased that the gentleman from Arizona outlined and articulated this very important piece of legislation for the citizens of the State of Connecticut. As I said, and I will repeat again, it has the support of the entire Connecticut delegation, including our two United States Senators. Why? Because this is a project that has been worked on for 10 years, because it has gone through a very thoughtful process. And the difference being that they finally elected an individual who is effective, who has the capability of bringing people together on all sides of the issue and making sure that he gets the job done.

Congratulations, Joe. Job well done.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition of the Flake amendment, and I wish to associate myself with the remarks of the distinguished lady from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro). I think she has articulated and laid out very eloquently the argument, an argument that is put forward on this floor that makes all the sense in the world, especially as we seek, in the ensuing days and next week, to talk about farmers and, in essence, fishermen.

I don't think there is any greater representation of the American way and the American way of life and rugged individualism than through the eyes of people that labor in agriculture or aquaculture.

And so, when you take a look at this very modest earmark so eloquently defended by Ms. DeLauro, it is surprising to me, especially as someone who is the co-Chair of the Congressional Shellfish Caucus, that this amendment would be drawn against such a regional way of looking and promoting and fostering aquaculture and making sure, especially in light of the concerns that Ms. DeLauro raises with regard to foreign entities importing into our country without the kind of care and caution that we know comes from home-grown fisheries, and in this case, shellfish, and the science behind this and the coming together.

Government operates best when it operates as a collective enterprise, and this process here, contrary to what the gentleman is saying, is most democratic in terms of representing those fishermen and those farmers who rarely get a chance to come to this floor themselves. But through their representative process, whether it's Puget Sound or whether it's Long Island Sound, from coast to coast, we make sure that their concerns get represented and that there is an opportunity, through this earmark, to make sure that we provide them with the necessary research to continue to foster and grow.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the distinguished Congresswoman from California, Barbara Lee for her work on H.R. 2929, which bans permanent military bases from being established in Iraq. She has long been a voice on ending the war in Iraq and I commend her and the work of Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey for their fortitude on this issue. I would also like to recognize Congressman Tom Allen and Congressman David Price for their commitment and contributions to the bill.

In-line with the Iraq Study Group report, this bill would prohibit the establishment of permanent U.S. military bases. It would also prohibit the United States from exercising control over Iraqi oil resources. This bill signals a larger issue and bigger picture--our presence in Iraq is not permanent. Let it be clear to the Bush Administration and the Iraqi people that this Congress will not support an open-ended military occupation in Iraq.

The American people have spoken. The American Congress has acted. If necessary, we will go on the record everyday until we bring the troops home--we owe it to them and their families. I am proud to support this bill and I urge my colleagues to join me.