Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Georgia, and I congratulate him on the way he is handling this legislation. We are proud of him and his service.

Mr. Speaker, the legislation before us today is critical to ensuring high quality physician services for Medicare beneficiaries. If you want to cabal about that, you're making a great mistake. If this legislation fails, physicians are going to face a 10 percent pay cut, and that is going to drive them out of Medicare and it's going to threaten the security and the health care of senior citizens and the disabled.

At the same time, this legislation provides additional protections for low-income beneficiaries, adds benefits to the traditional Medicare program, such as coverage for more preventive benefits. It will also address the Medicare drug benefit and make it work better for pharmacists and therefore seniors.

Finally, the legislation addresses one of the most egregious problems, and that is private plans operating in Medicare. Private Fee- for-Service plans, or PFFS plans, which is one type of Medicare Advantage plan. There, they are cutting a fat hog at the expense of the public. If you do away with that particular vice, you will find you are making it more solvent over a long period of time and you are using a mechanism which will help our senior citizens to know that their Medicare is protected and seeing to it that the doctors are there to provide the care that is needed. We are also assuring that the pharmacists are able to stay in this business by addressing a significant hurt that they are undergoing.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and not to cabal about the perfection of the process.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3403, the New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008.

This legislation ensures that consumers using Voice over Internet Protocol technology, or VoIP, can make full use of the 911 system in two important ways. First, the legislation extends the same liability protections afforded to wireline and wireless carriers, public safety, and end users to VoIP service. This parity in liability protections will encourage service providers, public safety, and end users to continue to rely on the 911 emergency communications system, regardless of the technology used to make a 911 call. Second, the legislation ensures that VoIP providers can interconnect with legacy telephone networks so they can deliver calls and information to 911 call centers.

Representative Gordon, the author of H.R. 3403, Representative Markey, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Representative Barton, Ranking Member of the Committee, Representatives Upton and Stearns, the former and current Ranking Members of the Subcommittee, and I worked very closely with all stakeholders on this legislation, and it has widespread support among the public safety community, industry, and others.

As is clear from the language of the legislation, the requirement for interconnection is for purposes of 911 only and should not be used to bootstrap access for other reasons. Similarly, the legislation makes clear that those who control the legacy gateways to the emergency communications system must provide access, including rights of interconnection, to those seeking to deliver 911 calls and information. Because all stakeholders agreed to the legislative language, we fully expect that this access will not be inhibited by either delay or litigation.

H.R. 3403 also requires the development of a national plan to ensure that the 911 system continues to evolve. It is significant that the plan will include the participation of first responders, including the emergency communications professionals maintaining and using the system. It is also important that the plan will address the needs of the disabilities community when they use emergency communications. I look forward to reviewing the results of this work so we can begin to move to the next generation of emergency communications.

I am disappointed that the Senate stripped out one provision of the House-passed version of this legislation that protected proprietary customer information. This provision prohibited a carrier from using the customer information that other carriers are required to provide for 911 databases for any purpose other than emergency communications. I heard no rational argument against the policy underlying this provision. Nevertheless, in the interest of ensuring that this legislation be enacted swiftly, I will support the bill as passed by the Senate. I intend, however, to take this matter up again in the future. We owe it to consumers to ensure that their emergency communications system does not become a playground for competitive shenanigans.

H.R. 3403 is a forward-looking bill that ensures that consumers using VoIP service are able to access 911 as easily as consumers using wireline or wireless services. Each of its elements--giving VoIP providers access to the components they need to provide 911 service; extending to VoIP providers, public safety officials, and end users the liability protections currently afforded to wireline and wireless services; and requiring a plan for the continued evolution of the emergency communications system--is a worthy victory for all consumers. I commend Representative Gordon for his years of dedication to this important issue and hail this success, from which all Americans will reap benefits for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3403, the ``New and Emerging Technologies 911 Improvement Act of 2008''.

This legislation ensures that consumers using Voice over Internet Protocol technology, or VoIP, can make full use of the 911 system in two important ways. First, the legislation extends the same liability protections afforded to wireline and wireless carriers, public safety, and end users to VoIP service. This parity in liability protections will encourage service providers, public safety, and end users to continue to rely on the 911 emergency communications system, regardless of the technology used to make a 911 call. Second, the legislation ensures that VolP providers can interconnect with legacy telephone networks so they can deliver calls and information to 911 call centers.

Representative Gordon, the author of H.R. 3403, Representative Markey, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Representative Barton, Ranking Member of the Committee, Representatives Upton and Stearns, the former and current Ranking Members of the Subcommittee, and I worked very closely with all stakeholders on this legislation, and it has widespread support among the public safety community, industry, and others.

As is clear from the language of the legislation, the requirement for interconnection is for purposes of 911 only and should not be used to bootstrap access for other reasons. Similarly, the legislation makes clear that those who control the legacy gateways to the emergency communications system must provide access, including rights of interconnection, to those seeking to deliver 911 calls and information. Because all stakeholders agreed to the legislative language, we fully expect that this access will not be inhibited by either delay or litigation.

H.R. 3403 also requires the development of a national plan to ensure that the 911 system continues to evolve. It is significant that the plan will include the participation of first responders, including the emergency communications professionals maintaining and using the system. It is also important that the plan will address the needs of the disabilities community when they use emergency communications. I look forward to reviewing the results of this work so we can begin to move to the next generation of emergency communications.

I am disappointed that the Senate stripped out one provision of the House-passed version of this legislation that protected proprietary customer information. This provision prohibited a carrier from using the customer information that other carriers are required to provide for 911 databases for any purpose other than emergency communications. I heard no rational argument against the policy underlying this provision. Nevertheless, in the interest of ensuring that this legislation be enacted swiftly, I will support the bill as passed by the Senate. I intend, however, to take this matter up again in the future. We owe it to consumers to ensure that their emergency communications system does not become a playground for competitive shenanigans.

H.R. 3403 is a forward-looking bill that ensures that consumers using VolP service are able to access 911 as easily as consumers using wireline or wireless services. Each of its elements--giving VoIP providers access to the components they need to provide 911 service; extending to VoIP providers, public safety officials, and end users the liability protections currently afforded to wireline and wireless services; and requiring a plan for the continued evolution of the emergency communications system--is a worthy victory for all consumers. I commend Representative Gordon for his years of dedication to this important issue and hail this success, from which all Americans will reap benefits for years to come.

Madam Speaker, while l cannot support the legislation before us today, I commend Majority Leader Hoyer for the work he has done to negotiate a bill that is substantially better than the version that passed in the Senate. This legislation, which will be the exclusive mechanism for the Government to conduct surveillance within the United States,

contains provisions that will provide greater protections against unwarranted and unconstitutional searches of American citizens.

Despite the many improvements Mr. Hoyer was able to obtain, I unfortunately still cannot support this legislation because it contains a provision that will grant immunity to the telecommunications companies that assisted the President with his illegal and unauthorized warrantless wiretapping program. I have consistently said that it is not appropriate for Congress to grant these companies immunity for their actions without having an understanding of what it is that they did. This is not only because it will hold the telecommunications companies accountable for their actions, but because it is the only way of finding out just how extensive the President's illegal wiretapping program really was. In other words, this provision will enable the Bush administration to continue suppressing facts and information about the Government's own misbehavior and wrongdoing.

The immunity provision contained in this bill purporting to allow for judicial review to determine whether immunity is appropriate is a sham. As drafted, courts will have no real discretion and will be forced to grant immunity so long as the Government claims its actions were legal. However, the court is under no obligation to investigate whether the Government's claims are true. Anyone following the headlines recently, who has read about the recent Supreme Court decision overturning the administration's argument that it has the authority to detain people indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay, or about the hearings held by Senator Carl Levin and the Senate Armed Services Committee uncovering evidence that top civilian leadership at the Department of Defense authored memos arguing it was legal for the military to torture detainees, should be extremely wary of trusting President Bush to decide whether or not it is legal to spy on Americans.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Ypsilanti district library and to commemorate its 140 years of service to the Ypsilanti community. In 1868, only 31 years after Michigan became a State, a group of three women who were committed to promoting reading and literacy founded the library in the small room of a building on Huron St. It began with only 175 books, and today has expanded to three branches with a collection of over 300,000 volumes.

In addition to this impressive collection of reading material, the library provides other outstanding services to the community. It offers classes on computer skills and specific software programs, which provide participants with the tools they need to succeed in this technology-driven world. Last year, the library ran over 1,000 youth- oriented programs, which reached over 24,000 people in the Ypsilanti area. The Ypsilanti Library's ``Tumblebooks'' program provides animated picture books online for young children, which promotes early reading skills. Such services are invaluable in Michigan, as they help combat illiteracy while sparking a child's imagination and desire to continue learning.

Libraries offer themselves as a tremendous resource to those who are learning to read and those who love to read. Without libraries many young children would not have access to new books or computers with access to the Internet. I have always believed that teaching children to read provides them with an important lifelong tool. The Ypsilanti district library should be commended for what it has done to further this cause.

I am proud of the Ypsilanti library's many contributions to Michigan's 15th Congressional district and ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the library on 140 wonderful years of service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Chuck Estep for being chosen as a finalist for the 2008 Cable's Leaders in Learning Award for General Excellence. This honor is bestowed annually by Cable in the Classroom, the cable industry's education foundation which promotes the use of cable and technology in schools across the country. Every year, they honor those in the education field who demonstrate leadership skills by using technology to transform the way we teach our students. Through his work as a Curriculum Resource Consultant in the Monroe County Intermediate School District, Chuck Estep certainly meets this criterion, and is worthy of such high praise.

We all know what an important role field trips play in our educational system. Not only do they expose children to new ideas and experiences, but they also promote a hands-on style of learning that is vital to keeping our children engaged in their schoolwork. Faced with a tight budget that was unable to accommodate expenses for field trips, Mr. Estep used his technological skills to overcome the problem. He set up a system of virtual field trips in conjunction with the Monroe County Historical Museum. This allowed students to ask questions in real time to an expert at the museum about the rich history of Monroe County. Specifically, one virtual field trip discussed the Battle of the River Raisin, which occurred in Monroe County during the War of 1812. Museum staff showed the students what dress from that period looked like and they discussed the positions of both sides during the war. Students in the district would not have been able to have such an enriching experience without the work of Chuck Estep.

The Battle of the River Raisin is arguably the most violent battle on continental U.S. soil outside of the Civil War, a fact many residents in Monroe and Michigan are unaware of. This virtual field trip paid special attention to the great role that this Battle played in the War of 1812, ensuring that the heritage and history of Monroe County will live on through today's students.

In this age of technology, we must strive to integrate all of the cutting edge tools that are available to us into our educational system. Doing so will create vibrant and engaging teaching methods that will keep our children interested in learning. Chuck Estep has certainly demonstrated this capacity for innovation, and for this he should be commended. I am proud to represent him here in Congress. I congratulate him on being chosen as a winner for Cable's Leaders in Learning Award for General Excellence Award, because he truly deserves it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Monroe Bank & Trust as they celebrate their one hundred and fiftieth year serving the people in and around Monroe County, Michigan.

One hundred and fifty years ago, Monroe Bank & Trust derived its humble origins from the courage of two innovative entrepreneurs who recognized the need for a place where community residents could safely keep their savings while also entering into a financial partnership to help them prosper. Beginning in the rear of a dry goods store, the focus of founders Benjamin Dansard and Louis LaFountain never waivered. Through many economic periods of boom and bust, the American Civil War, two World Wars and the Great Depression, MB&T has not only endured, but flourished.

Mr. Dansard and Mr. LaFountain understood the needs of the largely farming area and from a small space in the Dansard General Store, took on a major role in the progress ahead. Sound financial management has led MB&T to become one of the largest community banks in the State of Michigan; however, the legacy of Dansard and LaFountain is more than just numbers. It is a story of courage and hard work and just as in the year 1858, today's team of professionals continues to provide service, convenience and the personal touch.

MB&T's contribution to the community goes far beyond the outstanding financial services they offer. Their charitable financial support of organizations such as the American Red Cross, United Way, Community Foundation of Monroe, the Guidance Center, the River Raisin Center for the Arts and many others exceeds $200,000 annually. Additionally, with over 80 percent employee participation, MB&T's ``Employees Now Linked in Service Together'' (ENLIST) program boasts over 120,000 man-hours of volunteer support provided over its 20-plus-year history to nonprofit organizations.

With great respect and admiration for this tremendous corporate citizen, I ask that you join me in recognizing the many contributions of Monroe Bank & Trust over the past 150 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, for being honored as one of the U.S. News and World Report's Top 30 Hospitals in the Nation for pediatric care. This achievement recognizes all of the hard work they have done providing outstanding medical services not only to the children of Michigan's 15th Congressional District, but also across the State.

Some specific honors they achieved deserve mention. The magazine ranked C.S. Mott Children's Hospital 4th nationwide in the area of pediatric heart care and surgery, and 27th for general pediatric care. They were the only hospital in Michigan to be nationally ranked for all seven pediatric specialty areas. I commend them for this fine achievement.

Since C.S. Mott Children's Hospital opened in 1969, it has been at the forefront of providing innovative, high-quality pediatric care. Surgeons at the hospital were among the first in the Nation to perform open heart surgery on children. Specialists at Mott also pioneered an in-house education system that allows patients to keep up with their school work, now a commonplace feature of hospitals across the Nation. Small wonder that Mott has treated over 170,000 patients from across the United States and the world.

Pediatric care is one of the most important aspects of our Nation's health care system. We should always make it a priority to provide treatment for the youngest and most vulnerable in our society. It is clear that the doctors and nurses at Mott have taken this ideal to heart by providing such outstanding care in the community. The University of Michigan should be proud of the achievements it has made. It is an honor to represent this fine institution here in Congress. I look forward to seeing their sterling efforts recognized on the list again next year.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Bunyan Bryant, Ph.D., for winning the 2008 Helen and William G. Milliken Distinguished Service Award, from the Michigan Environmental Council, on May 28, 2008.

Dr. Bryant is a national leader in the field of environmental justice. His work helped not only to identify the pressing need to actively protect our environmental resources, but it also helped to show the glaring disparities in the communities affected by such harm. He is the founder and director of the Environmental Justice Initiative at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and serves as an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor at the school.

Bunyan Bryant is a pioneering figure in the Environmental Justice movement. His work helped to show the correlations between adverse environmental impacts and the disproportionate affect they have on the lives of the poor and minorities. This relationship and the need to actively address such disparities, forms the bedrock of the Environmental Justice movement.

Dr. Bryant has been more than just a strong voice for justice and the environment. He has been and continues to be a teacher, guide and mentor for his students. In his role as a professor he has touched thousands of lives. His work has helped to shape the next generation of environmental leaders. Bunyan possesses a unique ability to connect with students individually and help them understand the difference their efforts will make.

I salute Dr. Bunyan Bryant for winning the 2008 Milliken Award. This honor is given to those who have demonstrated a lifelong commitment to the environmental movement and its goals of improving our world through action. Dr. Bryant is certainly worthy of this recognition and I appreciate any chance to recognize him. I honor Dr. Bryant for his tremendous efforts and a lifetime of sacrifice and dedication to a noble cause. I thank him for all that he has done.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 977. This resolution, introduced by my friend and colleague Representative Braley of Iowa, encourages

Americans to spend their stimulus payments on American-made goods and services.

Our Nation's recent economic troubles have hit both American consumers and businesses hard. I believe that the bipartisan stimulus package passed by the Congress and signed into law by the President will help alleviate some of these troubles, provided that consumer spending is directed wisely. The Braley resolution is an important and quite necessary reminder of the billions of dollars that could uplift the National economy, provided Americans spend their rebate checks on goods and services produced by American-owned companies. Moreover, with import prices rising and the mammoth trade deficit of our country, it strikes me as eminently prudent to encourage citizens to ``buy American.''

As one of the more than 100 cosponsors of H. Res. 977, I urge my colleagues in the House to adopt this sensible resolution, which raises the awareness of Americans about the vital role they play in the Nation's economic recovery.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of 2009 Budget Conference Report. I know many Members here today shared with me the opinion that the President's proposed budget was ``dead on arrival.'' This conference agreement upholds that opinion and goes a step further by rejecting many of the proposed cuts the President suggested in February including his proposal to gut billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid.

For the last two years the House has held true to its commitment to American families by increasing funding for domestic priorities such as energy assistance program, state and local law enforcement programs, education, among many others. And while it might be hard for this administration to grasp, this Congress has proposed increases in funding for domestic priorities without increasing our deficit. In fact, this conference agreement will balance the budget by 2012 and provide a surplus of $22 billion in 2012 and $10 billion in 2013.

What I am most pleased about is the commitment this conference agreement makes to areas that are of the most importance to me-- Medicare, Medicaid, education, job-training and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, among many others.

Our veterans, many of whom have served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, will benefit from this budget through a $3.7 billion increase in funding. This is a sharp contrast from what President Bush originally proposed--$18 billion in new fees over five years. These men and women have served our country honorably and with dedication and under no circumstances do they deserve to come home to a fee from our government.

This budget agreement also strives to address rising energy costs. Just this month gas in Romulus, Michigan, located in the 15th District, hit $4 gallon. The ever rising cost of fuel in our country is becoming more and more unmanageable for our families. This budget agreement increases funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives, while also providing full funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program which has helped numerous families heat their homes through the winter and cool their homes during the summer. Without a doubt this does not solve our energy problems, however, it does help families whose pocketbooks are already stretched thin.

More importantly, this conference report will provide increased funding that will help prepare our workers to compete in the global marketplace. The America COMPETES Act, which I strongly supported, created a commitment to increase training and funding for math and science education and research. This legislation upholds that commitment. It also increases funding for education that will help to address the rising costs of college tuition and the rigorous standards of No Child Left Behind. A successful workforce depends on access to quality education and this legislation will help our constituents with that.

The Democratic budget provides funding that is crucial for job creation. As we have seen here at home, our economy is heading towards a recession. From 2001-2006 alone, Michigan lost 235,000 jobs, many of them high-paying manufacturing jobs. With the rising unemployment rate, it is clear that we need to invest in our workers and new industries that would promote job creation here at home.

I am again proud to say that this budget proposal will follow through on our commitment to expand children's health insurance coverage by providing a $50 billion increase to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) so that we can provide healthcare to millions more children who otherwise would go uninsured. As we all witnessed last year, the President vetoed legislation expanding SCHIP on two occasions. In my home state of Michigan we have seen the number of uninsured increase to one million Michigan residents. Rather than making healthcare coverage less accessible, Congress must be doing everything it can to ensure that every individual who wants healthcare coverage has the means to get it.

The Democratic budget also rejects the proposed $500 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid proposed by the President. I have long said that this administration neglects our families and his proposal to cut funding from two of our most important healthcare programs is ill- advised. This Congress will not stand for it and this budget will not stand for it.

Mr. Speaker, I know that the budget process is never easy; however, I stand in support of today's conference report with great pleasure. Not only am I pleased that this is the last budget that this Congress will work on with this administration, but I am also pleased that once again Congress has shown that it will not rubberstamp the priorities of this administration.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Department of Defense (DOD) Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009. This legislation achieves a number of very important goals. First and foremost, it provides our troops and their families with the support they need. This includes a military a pay raise of 3.9 percent, which is larger than that requested by the President, a prohibition against fee increases for the military health care program known as TRICARE, an expansion of available health care services, and improved support for military families.

The bill also helps protect our troops by improving military readiness, and providing them with the equipment they need to keep them safe. The bill authorizes nearly $2 billion for unfunded readiness initiatives, and authorizes $800 million to provide the National Guard and Reserve, which are terribly stretched thin due to repeated deployments to Iraq, equipment they critically need. It also authorizes $2.6 billion for additional Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, $947 million for additional Up-Armored Humvees, and $783 million for the continued procurement and enhancement of personal body armor. This is equipment that will save countless lives in Iraq.

Finally, this legislation includes provisions making important changes to the government contracting system and adds increased accountability for those who are working for the government in Iraq. This bill reforms the DOD acquisition process, provides for a better trained acquisition workforce, and cracks down on conflicts of interest in defense contracts.

I want to thank my friend and colleague Chairman Skelton for his hard work on this legislation. It has always been the bipartisan goal of the Congress to ensure that the United States military is the best trained, best equipped, and most capable fighting force in the world. This legislation accomplishes those goals, and has my strong support.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following exchange of letters for the Record:

Congress of the United States,

Committee on Foreign Affairs,

Washington, DC, May 19, 2008.

Hon. John D. Dingell,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you regarding H. Res.

1022, a resolution introduced by Representative Lois Capps

(D-CA) for the purpose of reducing maternal mortality both at

home and abroad. This legislation was initially referred to

the Committee on Energy and Commerce and, in addition, to the

Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Representative Capps has requested that the Committee on

Foreign Affairs waive consideration of this resolution. Based

on the discussions that the staff of our two committees has

had regarding this resolution and in the interest of

permitting your Committee to proceed expeditiously to floor

consideration of this important resolution, I am willing to

waive further consideration of H. Res. 1022. I do so with the

understanding that by waiving consideration of the bill, the

Committee on Foreign Affairs does not waive any future

jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in

the resolution which fall within its Rule X jurisdiction.

Please place this letter in the Congressional Record during

consideration of the measure on the House floor. I look

forward to working with you as we move this important measure

through the legislative process.

Sincerely,

Howard L. Berman,

Chairman.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate the City of Taylor on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary. Incorporated as a city on May 13, 1968, and named after our country's 12th president, Taylor's roots as a community date to the mid-19th Century. What began as a largely agricultural town grew into a prosperous and diverse city which features ample retail and industry for employment and safe neighborhoods for her citizens.

Taylor first began as a Township when residents succeeded in petitioning for their own government in 1847. Like many Michigan communities, Taylor began to thrive when Ford Motor Company opened the nearby Rouge Plant. The Rouge, as it was often simply called, provided over 100,000 jobs at one time during the 1930s. This mighty economic engine created a boom in the burgeoning town that would carry it through the Great Depression and World War II, during which it played an invaluable part of the American war effort.

As the auto industry continued to expand, Taylor grew as well. At the time of incorporation as a city in 1968, Taylor had a population of over 70,000 and was one of the largest cities in southeast Michigan. Residents like to say that ``all roads lead to Taylor,'' a statement justified by the many major transportation arteries that flow through the city. Taylor has taken wonderful advantage of this fact by becoming not only a community that it is necessary to drive through, but also a community that is necessary to stop in and enjoy.

Taylor continues to thrive today as a result of active involvement and partnership from its corporate and individual citizens alike. Taylor is home to numerous industries and businesses, a large and impressive new SportsPlex, and many beautiful new municipal buildings and community centers. Of particular pride to the city and the region, Taylor is the annual host of the Junior Little League World Series--a week-long tournament that features teams from across the globe.

Madam Speaker, I ask that all of my colleagues join me in honoring the City of Taylor on its 40th Anniversary. The City of Taylor is home to vibrant and stable neighborhoods, significant industrial production, world-class youth sports, and numerous commercial business opportunities.

In celebrating Taylor's 40th Anniversary, we are honoring a city that truly represents the best of American history and progress.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2419, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act. It has been a long road to this point, and while I must say that I am not entirely pleased with the final bill, I do believe that it makes important steps forward to reforming the priorities of our farm policy.

Michigan has had a tough go of things lately--and farming is no exception. Just last spring and summer Michigan experienced severe weather and droughts that caused enormous damage to local farms, leading the USDA to designate 83 Michigan counties as disaster areas. I have long said that farming is an inherently risky enterprise and with the recent downturn in the economy and fickle Michigan weather, it is clear to see why.

I will be frank and say that this bill is far from perfect. Personally, I would have liked to see greater reforms in the areas of conservation and fruit and vegetable programs, however, I do think Michigan will benefit from the bill. Like the farm bill the House passed last summer, I am pleased to note that most of our farmers in the 15th District of Michigan will not see any significant negative changes if the farm bill is enacted. All of the safety net programs from the 2002 farm bill are maintained with minor changes--including direct payments and the counter cyclical and the marketing loan programs.

However, the conference report does take measures to curb wasteful spending and distribute our resources to those in need. This bill places a cap on payments to those with an adjusted gross income (AGI) of $500,000 or more, and puts in place the first-ever cap for farm income at $750,000 for fixed direct payments. In addition, the bill would eliminate the ``3-entity'' rule that allows producers to collect payments for multiple ownership interests.

As a diverse agricultural state, Michigan has the second-widest variety of farm products after California, this legislation will provide great support for specialty crops. In 2006 Michigan produced 825,470 tons of fresh market and processing vegetables and the state

ranks 5th in exports of fruits and 8th in exports of vegetables nationally. This bill creates a brand new section dedicated to fruit and vegetable producers and allocates a total of $1.3 billion for new specialty crop programs including $466 million over ten years for the specialty crop block grant program, which provides grants to states to support projects in research, marketing, education, pest and disease management, production and food safety.

The conference agreement will also create a pilot Farm Flex project that will allow farmers to switch base acres to specified fruits or vegetables for processing for 2009 through 2012 crop years. This pilot project is limited to seven Midwestern States, including Michigan which is allocated 9,000 acres. This planting flexibility pilot program provides an important opportunity for specialty crop producers and I am pleased Michigan is included. More importantly, this will help the 1.26 million Michiganders that are currently using food stamps.

Given Michigan's economic situation, I have advocated that a second economic stimulus package include an increase in food stamp benefits, and I am pleased that the Farm Bill has increased funding commitments for the Food Stamp Program and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). The conference agreement includes $7.8 billion for the Food Stamp program and would raise and index inflation for the program's standard deduction and minimum benefit. This is the first time since the program was created 40 years ago that the Food Stamp Program would fully account for annual inflation. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this will help 11 million low income people.

TEFAP, a program that has provided assistance to approximately one million people in Michigan, will see $1.26 billion in funding that will benefit food banks and food pantries across the country. More importantly, this bill will increase annual funding for commodity purchases from $140 million to $250 million allowing organizations to meet the increasing demand for food services and the rising food prices. The CBO estimates that Michigan alone will receive $45 million in additional TEFAP funding from fiscal year 2008 to 2017. This is critical to organizations in Southeastern Michigan such as Gleaners Community Food Bank, who just over the last holiday season provided over 34,000 meals using the TEFAP program.

Now while this conference agreement contains many benefits for my home state, as a lifetime conservationist I am extremely disappointed in the conservation title. I was displeased to see that the cap for the Conservation Reserve Program was lowered to 32 million acres. Both the Senate and the House had reauthorized the current enrollment level of 39.2 million acres. Lowering the cap would result in a cut of almost 7 million acres. Each year this program helps produce 13.5 million pheasants and 2.2 million ducks. As the largest land retirement program, lowering the cap will be devastating.

And while the Wetlands Reserve Program is continued through 2012, it is done so at a lower level than in the 2002 Farm Bill. This is extremely disappointing because 50 percent of Michigan's threatened or endangered species require healthy and functional wetlands. Michigan currently has enrolled 125 easements of over 16,000 acres and has a backlog of close to 25,000 acres. This reduction will be extremely detrimental as it is the only conservation program solely dedicated to restoring wetland habitat.

In addition, I have real concerns about the wisdom and merit of the agricultural chemicals tax credit provided in Section 15343 that allows a tax credit up to $2,000,000 per year until 2012 for eligible agricultural businesses to pay for and offset the costs of security measures taken to protect pesticides and fertilizers used in agricultural operations. Fortune 500 companies that manufacture or retail agricultural pesticides and fertilizers should not need the taxpayer to help offset the costs of employee security training, installation of security lighting, computer security measures, locks and fences to protect their facilities, and other such security measures.

Finally, Section 7524 amends current law to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a permit to the Department of Homeland Security to transfer live foot-and-mouth disease virus from Plum Island, New York, to the mainland United States. The majority of the research at Plum Island is concentrated on foot-and-mouth disease, which is very highly contagious, and which Federal law has for more than 50 years restricted to Plum Island. An accidental release of this infectious virus could have grave implications for the livestock industry and for the national economy. This issue is highly controversial, yet it has not been the subject of hearings nor open debate. I believe that it is a mistake to proceed with this until Congress has fully examined whether USDA and DHS have adequately assessed the health and economic risks, environmental impacts, and cost-benefit of this proposal.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is not a perfect one, however, it has bipartisan support. I know from my years in this institution that compromise is necessary in order to be successful, and I know the conferees worked night and day to come to this agreement. I feel confident Michigan farmers and producers will benefit from this final bill, as will the folks in Michigan who have fallen on hard times, which is why I stand today to lend my support.