Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, like everybody else in this Chamber, I am outraged about AIG. They got $170 billion in taxpayer funds to bail them out of a situation which was largely of their own creation. And they then made it worse by giving $165 million in bonuses to people who had participated in the outrage about which all Americans are so infuriated.

The Federal Government is trying to save this corporation because it's too big to fail, but we don't have to save a bunch of money- grubbing rascals who had a part in the collapse of our economy, which they helped to bring about.

I am introducing a bill today which is going to address the problem. It is entitled, the ``Responsible Corporate Executive Compensation Act of 2009.'' It will impose a 95 percent tax on bonuses paid to employees of TARP recipients.

I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this bill and help make certain that hardworking Americans are not the only ones who have to sacrifice during this time of severe economic stress and uncertainty.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 1106, the ``Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009.'' We are in the midst of the gravest recession in recent memory and hear daily of countless foreclosures across the Nation, particularly in my home state of Michigan. As President Obama mentioned during his address to the Congress last week, the federal government can and must pursue measures to mitigate the effects of this terrible economic blight upon the Nation's citizens.

With the painful memories of the Great Depression still clearly in mind, I offer my wholehearted praise and support for the President's call to action. Additionally, as the representative of a congressional district with one of the Nation's highest foreclosure rates and most dramatic decline in housing values, I feel it imperative that we move swiftly to stabilize the housing market to keep people in their homes.

H.R. 1106's provisions will do much toward achieving this goal. Its improvements to the Hope for Homeowners program and provision for a safe harbor to mortgage servicers that elect to participate in mortgage modifications will help stem the tide of foreclosures sweeping across the country. The bill's provision to make permanent the increase in federal deposit insurance from $100,000 to $250,000 will give Americans greater faith in the safety of their savings at a time of continued bank failures.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to my colleagues, Representatives Lofgren, Tauscher, and Cardoza, for their work to narrow the authority in this bill afforded to bankruptcy judges to modify the terms of a loan for primary residences. I believe that in keeping with the President's housing plan, we should adopt a targeted effort at stemming foreclosures to address the housing crisis.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 1106, the ``Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009.'' We are in the midst of the gravest recession in recent memory and hear daily of countless foreclosures across the Nation, particularly in my home state of Michigan. As President Obama mentioned during his address to the Congress two days ago, the Federal government can and must pursue measures to mitigate the effects of this terrible economic blight upon the Nation's citizens.

With the painful memories of the Great Depression still clearly in mind, I offer my wholehearted praise and support for the President's call to action. Additionally, as the representative of a congressional district with one of the Nation's highest foreclosure rates and most dramatic decline in housing values, I feel it imperative that we move swiftly to stabilize the housing market to keep people in their homes.

H.R. 1106 is a good first step toward achieving this goal. Its improvements to the Hope for Homeowners program and provision for a safe harbor to mortgage servicers that elect to participate in mortgage modifications will help stem the tide of foreclosures sweeping across the country. The bill's provision to make permanent the increase in Federal deposit insurance from $100,000 to $250,000 will give Americans greater faith in the safety of their savings at a time of continued bank failures.

Nevertheless, I am troubled by the broad authority afforded to bankruptcy judges in Title I of H.R. 1106 to modify the terms of a loan for primary residences. It is my view that this authority should be limited to apply only to those homeowners subject to the ill effects of deceptive lending practices that gave rise to the recent mortgage crisis. Further, I am concerned that the aptly named ``cramdown'' authority in Title I of the bill will encourage people to seek bankruptcy as a matter of course, and not of last resort, in addressing their indebtedness.

This aside, I cannot in all good conscience oppose passage of H.R. 1106. I will vote in favor of this well-intentioned legislation but in so doing, call upon my colleagues to narrow the applicability of the H.R. 1106's loan term modification provisions in conference.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a strong supporter and cosponsor of H. Res. 83. 73 years ago, Dr. Carter G. Woodson strove to highlight the significant contributions of African-Americans to United States of America. Throughout this nation's history, African-Americans have played an enormous role in shaping our political, cultural, and intellectual identity. I am especially proud to recognize this year's Black History Month under the leadership of our first African-American President, Barack Obama.

Last week, as I celebrated becoming the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives, I was able to reflect on the highlights of my tenure. One of my proudest moments was voting for the 1957 Civil Rights Act, a vote that almost cost me my seat. I later had the similar honor of voting the 1964

and 1965 Civil Rights Acts. Today, with the passage of this resolution, we recognize great civil rights pioneers like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Representative John Lewis, and Jesse Jackson.

Mr. Speaker, I again rise to support this important month for America and the many contributions of African-Americans throughout U.S. history, and I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' on H. Res. 83.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Eastern Michigan University for being selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its 2008 Community Engagement Classification.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905, is a highly regarded, independent higher education policy and research center. Of the 217 institutions who declared an

interest in applying for the classification, Eastern Michigan University was one of the select few institutions to receive this high distinction.

As an institution receiving this Carnegie classification, EMU is recognized as a national model for community engaged campuses. Eastern Michigan University has always promoted and supported involvement in the community and this is evident in their mission, as they seek to ``extend our commitment beyond our campus boundaries to the wider community through service initiatives and partnerships of mutual interest addressing local, regional, national, and international opportunities and challenges.''

Eastern Michigan University and its students reach out a helping hand to the community in so many different ways, from fundraising for Habitat for Humanity, Relay for Life, and St. Jude's Hospital to the students' partnerships with Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels, S.O.S. community services, and Upward Bound. Even with all their academic commitments, students at EMU still managed to provide over 38,000 volunteer hours in the community through VISION and student organizations. This is a testament to the great students and community outreach programs at Eastern Michigan University.

Madam Speaker, the Carnegie Foundation of Advancement of Teaching has bestowed its 2008 Community Engagement Classification upon Eastern Michigan University because of its remarkable work to interact with, aid and improve its surrounding community. This is a tremendous honor and it speaks to the fine character and great dedication of the university's faculty, administration, and students. EMU truly serves as a model for community engagement between this nation's higher education institutes and their respective communities. I ask that you and all of my colleagues join me in congratulating EMU on this remarkable accomplishment.

Madam Speaker. I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary of the Monroe/Lenawee County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council (CLC). On January 28, 1959, nine local unions from the American Federation of Labor, known as the Monroe Central Labor Union, and sixteen local unions from the Congress of Industrial Organizations, known as the Monroe County CIO Industrial Union Council, held a merger convention in the historic Philip Murray Building in downtown Monroe, Michigan.

The purpose of this convention was to dissolve their Charters of the Monroe Central Labor Union and the Monroe County CIO Industrial Union Council and adopt a new constitution under which the two organizations would merge and form one new organization. On February 9, 1959, the National AFL-CIO granted a charter to the Monroe County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council

The Central Labor Council has worked for 50 years to secure a united action of union Locals to protect, maintain and advance the interest of all working people. These efforts include building support and advocacy for worker friendly legislation, furthering the acceptance of collective bargaining in the workplace and educating the general public on the importance of the American Labor Movement. The CLC's commitment to the betterment of their community has never waivered, and their unselfish willingness to lead by example has undoubtedly contributed to a higher standard of living for--not only union members, but for all people in Monroe, Lenawee, and the surrounding communities.

The Monroe County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council mission statement has not strayed from its original purpose and remains committed to education, organizing, mobilizing and creating activities for the common good and welfare of their community.

Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise and join me in commending the Monroe/Lenawee County AFL-CIO Central Labor Council on 50 years of advocacy for workers and tremendous service to the community.

I thank my good friend for yielding time.

As a boy, I was a page in this body during the Depression. My father was a Member of Congress. A third of the Americans were out of work. People were losing their homes and their farms, businesses were closing. Hardship was terrifying. It was the worst economic experience in the history of this country. Let's learn from history, my dear friends and colleagues, and let's do something about this so that it doesn't happen.

Herbert Hoover became the most reviled President in the history of the United States because he didn't do anything about the recession which was coming. Those who have studied that Depression tell us that had Congress acted and had the administration acted with vigor, that the Depression would have been much shorter and much less severe.

We have a chance to learn from that experience and to do something about it, and to see to it that this generation doesn't leave a depression to the next generation. It is not just about spending money; it is about doing something right about a terrifying problem that faces this country. I urge us to learn from history so that we don't repeat it. Support this legislation.

I thank my friend, the chairman of the committee. I rise to voice my support for the extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program. As a long-time supporter of the program, I am delighted that we are sending a bill to the President that will be signed into law. This time there will be no veto pen to stand in the way of providing health coverage for 11 million of our kids.

High health care costs are straining already strapped families nationwide. Nowhere is this truer than in my home State of Michigan, where unemployment now tops 10 percent. With families struggling to save for retirement, to save for college, to pay mortgages and bills, this legislation will help State governments provide health care to children who otherwise would be left out.

Recently, there has been much talk about investments, good and bad. The bad kind has pushed our financial system into the brink of insolvency and has caused economic crisis on a scale unseen since the depression. But good investments, such as SCHIP, invest in our children and our future.

This expansion is a bipartisan effort, a collaboration of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Of this, I am properly grateful, and I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation. It will be signed into law, and I look forward to working with the administration on a program of national health reform.

As someone who has spent 50 years on this effort, I know that this is just the beginning of what needs to be done.

Mr. Speaker, it infuriates me that thanks largely to the incompetence of the Bush Administration during the past three years, we are presently confronted by the need to delay the transition from analog to digital television. That we are today voting on DTV delay legislation underscores the utter folly of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's arrogant confidence in its management of programs to carry out the mandates of the Digital Transition and Public Safety Act of 2005.

As the Obama-Biden Transition Team highlighted in its January 8, 2009, letter to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the inadequacy of the existing converter box coupon program and other federal programs meant to support consumers necessitates a delay in the date of transition to digital television. During numerous hearings in the 110th Congress, I asked representatives of NTIA whether they had sufficient funding for the DTV converter box coupon program. These representatives consistently responded that they did, even in light of a GAO report last year that NTIA would be unprepared to cope with a surge in consumer demand for converter coupons. We now know that there are some 1.5 million households on a waiting list to receive converter coupons and moreover that consumers, who apply for a coupon today, may not actually receive the coupon until after the DTV transition, as it is presently scheduled. I can only stress that had NTIA been more forthright with the Congress about the perilous reality of the coupon program, we would have been able to agree upon a solution well in advance of the consumer crisis that now looms before us.

While I intend to vote in favor of S. 328, I wish to take this opportunity to mention three brief, but important, points. First, I am troubled that S. 328 does not contain a provision to require monthly reports by NTIA concerning its administration of the DTV converter box coupon program. Given NTIA's poor administration of this program in the past, I feel it only prudent that NTIA be subject to more rigorous oversight in the future. I would add that the House version of this bill, which was to have been considered today by the Committee on Energy and Commerce, included such a reporting requirement.

Second, I would caution my colleagues that this bill's extension of the Federal Communications Commission's ability to auction spectrum gives rise to the possibility of waste, fraud, and abuse in those proceedings. I intend to work with the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce to see that oversight hearings are held following the enactment of this bill to ensure that the FCC is adhering to the statutory requirements of section 309 of the Communications Act of 1934, which specifies how the FCC shall grant licenses for the use of spectrum.

Finally, I am concerned about the DTV transition's effect on the natural environment, specifically as millions of analog television sets are disposed of by consumers. These old television sets contain such hazardous materials as mercury, chromium, cadmium, and beryllium, which could leach into the ground after these sets are deposited in landfills. I hope also to work with the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce to examine the environmental repercussions of the DTV transition and take such steps as necessary to mitigate them.

In closing, I remain committed to working with my colleagues in reaching a consensus-based solution to the problems associated with the DTV transition, especially to mitigate its impact on low-income, rural, and elderly Americans.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the manager's amendment to H.R. 384, the ``TARP Reform and Accountability Act of 2009.'' Let me begin by thanking the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Financial Services for his fine work on H.R. 384, as well as for his cooperation in the past in my efforts to ensure that TARP funds were made available to the domestic automotive industry, as well as to domestic automotive financing companies. I look forward to working with him in the future to see that TARP funds are properly allocated and their use and effectiveness be subject to impartial oversight by the Congress.

As debate on the use of TARP funds has progressed, I have consistently maintained that recipients of those funds all be subject to uniform oversight requirements. It pleases me that the manager's amendment to H.R. 384 includes additional public reporting requirements for entities that have received or will receive TARP funds in the future.

The question of oversight aside, I have also long maintained that the root of the Nation's current economic crisis lies in the collapse of the housing market. Too little has been done in the past year to stabilize the market and help financially distressed homeowners. The manager's amendment wisely addresses this problem by requiring that a specific portion of the next tranche of TARP funds be dedicated to mitigate foreclosures on residential mortgages within 7 days of enactment of H.R. 384. This is of particular importance and will hopefully be of great assistance to my State, Michigan, which unfortunately has one of the Nation's highest foreclosure rates.

While stabilizing the housing market is a large part of the solution to the current recession, I must reiterate my belief that the Congress should take action to support the domestic manufacturing industry, and in particular, our ailing automakers. I would note that foreign markets for automobiles are contracting, and other governments are contemplating or have already taken measures to help automakers with production facilities in their countries. A key part of the automotive industry's troubles in the United States is the lack of credit available to consumers. The manager's amendment retains H.R. 384's grant of authority to the Treasury to provide support to the financing arms of automakers, which will in turn allow consumers and businesses access to previously unavailable lines of credit for the purchase of new vehicles. I voice my wholehearted support for this sensible provision, especially as the collective future of our automakers is tied directly to the health of their financing arms.

I would again thank the chairman for his gracious cooperation in the past on this and many other issues. The manager's amendment contains prudent measures to improve oversight and administration of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and I would urge my colleagues to support its passage.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I stand in strong support of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009. This bill was passed twice last year by overwhelming votes, with the support of large numbers of my Republican colleagues.

Since its inception CHIP has covered more than 7 million children who otherwise would not have had health care. H.R. 2 would extend coverage to 4 million more children identically situated.

Since last year when this bill passed, more than 1 million children have lost their health coverage because parents were laid off and lost employer-based coverage. My own State is particularly hard hit with over 150,000 uninsured children. These children are our treasure and we must see to it that they are protected, educated, nurtured, and properly fed.

The bill is only a beginning. I look forward to working with the new administration towards reforming our health care system. We must not stop until all Americans qualify for quality, affordable health care.

I urge my colleagues to vote again for the CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2009. This bill will be signed into law, and it will help 4 million kids that without this bill would have no health care.

Madam Speaker, I stand in strong support of H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, Reauthorization Act of 2009.

In 1997, a Republican Congress and Democratic President passed a landmark program to reach children who had fallen through the cracks of our healthcare system. These kids weren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, and their parents--most of whom worked--couldn't afford health insurance. The CHIP program has proven to be a major success-- covering more than 7 million children who otherwise would not have health coverage.

Last year, my colleagues and I tried, on two occasions, to reauthorize this program and expand it to provide care for many more kids in need of its services. Unfortunately, President Bush stood in our way--not once, but twice. I am confident President-elect Obama has his priorities straight and will do what President Bush refused to do-- provide much needed health care for our nation's children.

The current economic crisis increases the importance of the CHIP program. More than 1 million children have lost their health coverage because their parents were laid off and lost their employer-based coverage over the past year.

This is especially true in Michigan, which has over 150,000 children uninsured. While Michigan has one of the lowest rates of uninsured children in the country, I fear that the number of uninsured will worsen as Michigan's unemployment rate continues to increase. Recent reports suggest that Michigan's unemployment rate will reach 11.3 percent by the end of the year.

H.R. 2 is critical in this regard because it not only will continue to provide coverage for the 7 million kids already participating in the CHIP program, but will extend health care to 4 million more.

H.R. 2 is for every child out there who needs a vaccination, a cavity filled, chemotherapy, insulin, antidepressants and more life sustaining health care.

This bill is a great first step as we begin our work to reform the nation's health care system and provide health coverage for 47 million uninsured Americans. I look forward to working with my colleagues, Senator Daschle, and President-elect Obama to continue the work. We will not stop until all Americans have access to quality, affordable healthcare.

I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for the children in your district, and for all of America's children. Vote for H.R. 2, the Children's Health Insurance Program, CHIP, Reauthorization Act of 2009.

Madam Speaker, today, Representative Carolyn Maloney and I are reintroducing our bill to establish a Center for the Study of Women and Workplace Policy. The Center would compile and analyze data on the differences between the earning of men and women and to identify factors which affect those differences. The Center would also publish their results in the form of a ``Best Practices Guide'' for businesses containing guidelines to promote workplace equity, retaining women in the workplace and promoting a family friendly workplace.

I'm sorry to say that my home state of Michigan has one of the largest earning gaps between college educated men and college educated women. College-educated women in Michigan earn just 70 percent of what college-educated men earn, making the state 47th in the Nation in terms of pay equity--that according to the American Association of University Women. I know that Michigan is home to some of the most talented, skilled women on that planet. It is time that they get paid in a way that reflects those abilities. The establishment of such a center and the publication of its research findings will go a long way toward closing the pay gap in Michigan and throughout our Nation.

Madam Speaker. I am pleased to rise today to join with my colleagues in passing H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Ms. Ledbetter worked at Goodyear for over 19 years, retiring as a supervisor in 1998. Unbeknownst to Ms. Ledbetter during her time at Goodyear she earned 20 percent less in salary and a smaller pension than the lowest-paid male supervisor. While a jury found in Ms. Ledbetter's favor, agreeing that she had been discriminated against and awarding her $3.8 million in back pay, the Supreme Court did not agree.

In 2007, the Supreme Court overturned this decision finding that Ms. Ledbetter made her claim too late. This decision ignored the fact that Ms. Ledbetter filed her charge within 180 days of a discriminatory paycheck from Goodyear, which is in line with the 180 days requirement under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Today this Congress has an opportunity to pass this legislation that will not only help Lilly Ledbetter recover the wages she rightly deserved, but it will ensure that the women who come after Ms. Ledbetter will not have to suffer her same fate. Under this bill every paycheck or other compensation that is discriminatory in nature would restart the clock for filing a charge. Furthermore, it entitles employers up to two years of back pay, unlike the 180 days of back pay given to Ms. Ledbetter.

During today's economy more and more families are relying on two paychecks to put dinner on the table, buy school supplies for their children or visit the doctor. A smaller paycheck not only hurts female employees who deserve proper compensation, but the families they also must provide for. I urge my colleagues, to join with me in supporting both this bill. A vote in favor will go a long way in ensuring our daughters and granddaughters are treated as equals in the workplace.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Paycheck Fairness Act. I am a longtime strong supporter of this legislation, which strengthens the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and closes the loopholes that have allowed employers to avoid responsibility for discriminatory pay.

As a husband, father, and grandfather, I am appalled that in this day and age women are still fighting for an equal paycheck. We know

that on average women earn 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. This pay discrimination has cost women thousands of dollars in lost wages over their lifetime, which results in many women not only living paycheck-to-paycheck, but also neglecting to properly save for their retirement.

The pay gap is too often seen as a ``women's issue.'' In fact, this is not a women's issue, it is a family issue. The simple fact of the matter is that it often takes two incomes to make it in this country. This is especially true during an economic downturn like we face today. When women are not paid fairly, our families suffer.

I am proud to be here today voting in favor of the Paycheck Fairness Act and sincerely hope this critically important legislation is signed into law this year.

Madam Speaker, since 2001, thousands of rockets and mortar have been indiscriminately fired into southern Israel at innocent civilians. When Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, these rocket attacks continued. In December 2008, the negotiated cease fire ended and Hamas responded by firing over 60 rockets into Israel in a single day. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are terrorized daily by fear of attack while an extremist group who calls for Israel's destruction continues to operate.

The Israeli government determined it had no choice but to respond to Hamas militarily. Sadly, the cost has been great. Since Israel began its two-week offensive on the Gaza strip, over 750 Palestinians have died. An UN-operated school was bombed and dozens of innocent children were killed. In an unusual move, the International Red Cross issued a statement that ``the Israeli military failed to meet its obligation under international humanitarian law to care for and evacuate the wounded.'' Gazans are trapped with little ability to seek shelter or help for the wounded.

Does Israel have a right to defend itself? My answer is unequivocally, yes. I cannot argue with most of the statements contained in this resolution. I do not condone the tactics Hamas uses in its efforts to destroy Israel, nor is it acceptable that an elected government refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist and exploits its own citizens to further its extreme agenda. But I cannot also pretend this resolution, H. Res. 34, will help bring about a cease-fire in Gaza, resolve the extreme humanitarian crisis Gazans face, or bring us closer to a final resolution sought by the Quartet, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Middle Eastern nations.

That a peaceful resolution and a two-state solution seem to grow more distant with each passing day is a very real consequence of the Bush Administration's inaction and failure of leadership. Eight years ago, President Bush came to office and pledged to negotiate a ``road map to peace.'' As we can clearly see, the few efforts President Bush made during his tenure have fallen far short.

Last night, the United Nations passed a cease-fire resolution. Today, the crisis continues. In this ongoing battle, words and actions are very different things. That is why President-elect Obama must reengage the peace process immediately upon taking office. He has the support of many of the Middle Eastern nations, who have attempted to fill in as mediators while the Bush Administration was asleep at the wheel and who also have an interest in rallying against the growing threat of Iran. President-elect Obama faces many challenges when he enters office, but with the help of his capable appointed Secretary of State, and my dear friend, Hillary Clinton, I believe the United States can once again take the lead in achieving a peaceful two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians.