Floor Statements

Offered By: Mrs. Biggert

Amendment No. 192: Page 213, line 19, after the dollar

amount insert ``(reduced by $50,000,000)''.

Page 359, line 8, after the dollar amount insert

``(increased by $50,000,000)''.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, government burdens are the number one concern that employers in my district share with me every time I visit a small business or talk with local entrepreneurs. Among all the economic hurdles we face, Federal demands clearly play a leading role in driving the uncertainty that has frozen our job market. And it's no wonder.

Over the last few years, contrary to what the gentleman from Colorado just talked about, Congress has enacted sweeping new laws regulating finance, health, and more; and as a result, employers are facing thousands of new pages of Federal regulations, mandates, and paperwork nightmares. For example, the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul will result in an estimated 330 new rulemakings that have the potential to raise the cost of credit, impede private investment, and curtail innovation in the financial sector.

As a result, the Small Business Administration estimates that America's most active job creators, small businesses, are the hardest hit by Federal regulations. Those with 20 or fewer employees pay an astounding $10,585 per year per employee to comply with Federal regulations. It's time to go line by line through the Federal rule book. Let's examine what works, throw out what doesn't, and make sure we aren't imposing unfair and unnecessary burdens on job creators.

I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 72.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my support for H.R. 2, repealing last year's misguided health care law.

Whether it's dropped coverage, higher costs or lost jobs, the unintended consequences of the administration's plan have piled up. I don't think the law is salvageable. We must craft a bipartisan replacement that actually lowers costs and expands access to care without raising taxes and slashing Medicare.

Americans want consensus-minded reforms to expand coverage for preexisting conditions and prevent insurers from imposing unfair caps or canceling policies. They want reforms that provide more choice over how to spend their health care dollars, like purchasing health insurance across State lines and expanded health savings accounts. And they want commonsense legislation to curb junk lawsuits and to stop the costly practice of defensive medicine.

I urge my colleagues to join me in fulfilling the wishes of voters and repealing ObamaCare. Then we can work together on reforms that deliver the high-quality, low-cost care the American people deserve.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to express my condolences to the families and loved ones of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her staffer, Gabe Zimmerman, and all the victims of last Saturday's shooting.

Like all my colleagues here today, I have struggled to make sense out of this horrible tragedy since first hearing the news that our good friend and colleague had been viciously attacked. As I watched the news and learned about the innocent lives that had been cut short, it became painfully clear to me that nothing will ever be able to explain such an atrocity.

Politics is the art of genteel disagreement. Actions like those we witnessed last Saturday have no place, no excuse, no explanation, nor rationalization in our democratic system.

What I do know is that Gabby is fighting hard for her life, fighting with the same tenacity that fueled her passion for public service, and I take comfort in the knowledge that my friend is winning that battle.

Like Gabby, we must never stop fighting for our great democracy and the time-honored traditions that keep it strong. Neither we nor our constituents, all 300-plus million of them, will be intimidated by the violent actions of the few.

As Americans, we will come together and mourn for those who lost their lives that day, and we will honor the survivors and heroes of this tragedy that stood strong together in the face of madness.

Madam Speaker, I join all my colleagues here today to express my support for this resolution, and I know I speak for all of my constituents in the 13th District of Illinois when I say that we share in the loss of our friends from Arizona, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families at this difficult time.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 664 I was absent. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to support H.R. 6547, a bill to require background checks for all public school employees. H.R. 6547 is designed to ensure States using Federal taxpayer resources to fund education are taking the necessary steps to ensure individuals with a history of criminal behavior are not able to slip through the cracks and be placed in positions of trust within our schools.

The bill requires States to have policies in place to conduct a check of the State criminal registry, a State-based registry of child abuse and neglect, the National Crime Information Center, an FBI fingerprint check, and a search of the National Sex Offender Registry on all public school employees in order to receive Federal funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The State-based checks must also be run for all States where an employee or prospective employee had previously resided.

Every Member of this Chamber wants to protect students from harm, and there is no excuse for schools not doing everything they can to ensure the safety of children in their care.

In fact, Congress has already acted on this issue by ensuring schools have access to national background checks in the Safe Schools Act, which was signed into law as part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. This was a bill that was worked on in a bipartisan manner and passed by voice vote in both Chambers.

Unfortunately, the majority has chosen a different approach with the bill before us today. Instead of holding hearings or scheduling a markup to thoroughly discuss and vet this issue, they are rushing this bill to the floor for quick consideration at the end of Congress. This is not the best way to craft thoughtful legislation. But, despite our concerns about legislative process, we all agree that our students must be protected from sexual predators in their schools. And, therefore, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as the Republican cosponsor of the House

version of this legislation, H.R. 2930, which was first introduced during the 110th Congress, and I urge my colleagues to support today's bill, Senate 118, the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act. I would also like to thank Chairman Frank and Ranking Members Bachus and Capito for their work on this legislation. I would also like to thank our Senate counterpart, Senator Kohl of Wisconsin.

Madam Speaker, the section 202 program is the only Federal housing program that directs housing assistance to low-income seniors. And it has already been stressed, but it can't be stressed enough, that it has not been reformed in over a decade and a half. The reforms offered in today's bill will help increase the number of units available to our seniors, a population that is increasing greatly in numbers as the baby boomer generation retires.

In short, the bill will allow a variety of funding sources to be pooled together with section 202 funding to fund housing for seniors. By increasing program efficiencies, the bill will make it easier for section 202 projects to be refinanced and rehabilitated. It will also make it easier for owners to convert properties into those that provide both housing and services for the low-income seniors.

Again, I would like to thank my colleagues for their work on this legislation. And I would also like especially to thank my constituent Mike Frigo, the vice president of Mayslake, which is located in my district, who testified in support of section 202 reform legislation in September 2007. In December 2007, by voice vote, the House passed H.R. 2930, which is similar to the bill under consideration today. So I would urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Madam Speaker, today I rise as a Republican cosponsor of the House version of this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Murphy of Connecticut, for all his hard work, and Ranking Member Capito of West Virginia for all that she has done on this bill.

Also our Senate counterparts, Senator Menendez of New Jersey and Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska, for their hard work on this legislation.

Section 811 is the only Federal housing program that serves non- elderly, low-income people with disabilities. It is the only Federal program that funds housing and vouchers for people with disabilities who seek to live as independent members of the community.

Unfortunately, the program hasn't been reformed for over 15 years and, due to inefficiencies, has not served as many people who are disabled as it could. That's why, for the past 4 years, Congressman Murphy and I have worked to reform the section 811 program. The House passed our bill, H.R. 5772, by voice vote in September 2008, and in July 2009, the House passed H.R. 1675 with overwhelming bipartisan support by a recorded vote of 376-51.

The bill under consideration today closely mirrors both House-passed bills. S. 1481 is critical to the goal of increasing the number of affordable units for people with disabilities. By better aligning this section 811 program with other Federal, State, and local funding resources, it allows nonprofit sponsors to more easily leverage additional financing, thereby maximizing Federal dollars.

It streamlines the application process and permits nonprofit and for- profit entities to partner on Section 811 projects. The bill also limits appropriations to the Federal fiscal year 2010 level and does not create any new Federal programs.

I would like to once again thank my colleague from Connecticut, Congressman Murphy, and thank Chairman Frank and Ranking Member Bachus, Chairwoman Waters and Ranking Member Capito, as well as their staffs, for helping us with this legislation.

Of course, I cannot forget to thank one of my constituents from Tinley Park, Illinois, Tony Paulauski, the executive director of Arc of Illinois, who testified in 2008 before our committee about the needs for these reforms. On a similar note, I would also like to thank the wonderful people in Illinois that work for Trinity Services and Cornerstone Services, as well as all those volunteers, parents, and other members of the community who have reached out to express their support of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, this is a commonsense bill that modernizes an important Federal housing program that hasn't been updated, and I would urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today I rise in support of House Resolution 1687, expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the goals and ideals of National Runaway Prevention Month.

Studies suggest that nearly 3 million children are living on the street each year. Many of these individuals, who come from every socioeconomic background, have been kicked out of their homes, separated from their parents, or physically abused. Worse, these at- risk youth often find it increasingly difficult or even impossible to acquire the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to develop into safe, healthy and productive adults. That's why it is so important that we pass this resolution today, to raise awareness of the plight of runaway youth and increase public understanding of the role individual Americans can play in helping to prevent youth from running away from home.

As cochair of the Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, I have worked with my colleagues to help address many of the issues that face runaways and their families. The caucus has done some great work, and I would like to extend to all of my colleagues in the House an invitation to join us in exploring ways to improve the well-being of distressed youth and reduce the incidence of runaways.

In addition, I would like to commend the work done by organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Runaway Switchboard as well as similar organizations across the country that help ensure runaways and homeless kids in our communities aren't deprived of a chance at a future. In my home State of Illinois alone, almost 7,500 calls were placed to the National Runaway Switchboard last year, and nationally the organization fielded over 117,000 calls. For more than two decades, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has worked

with communities to coordinate strategies to reunite children with their families.

With so many children living on the street and the risk that runaway youth pose to themselves and their communities, it is clear that much work still remains. But by highlighting the problem and expressing support for the valuable work done by communities and youth organizations, we can make significant progress towards preventing instances of children running away from home and create an environment in which our Nation's at-risk youth have access to the building blocks for a lifetime of success.

With that, I would like to encourage all my colleagues to support this important resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 6400, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 North 6th Street in St. Louis, Missouri, as the ``Earl Wilson, Jr. Post Office.''

Madam Speaker, Mr. Wilson did so much for his country and community throughout his 78 years, as Mr. Clay has spoken of so eloquently. He was a man dedicated to helping and improving the lives of others, and it's proper and fitting that we name this post office to honor Mr. Wilson. So I urge all Members to join Mr. Clay and the entire Missouri delegation in support of this bill.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to support House Resolution 1642, which recognizes the centennial of Lilburn, Georgia. Located just outside of Atlanta, the City of Lilburn was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly on July 27, 1910. I understand that Lilburn celebrated the centennial on September 25, and I wish to congratulate the city and everyone involved in the planning and execution of the festivities.

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join in support of this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I ask for support of this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Texas, the sponsor of this resolution, Mr. Lamar Smith.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I can't help but emphasize that Rotary International was founded in the great State of Illinois, in Chicago, in 1905; and it is the world's first service club and one of the largest nonprofit service organizations. Its motto, ``Service Above Self,'' helps encourage members provide humanitarian aid, meet high ethical standards and promote international goodwill and peace. We salute all members of Rotary International for their great civic works as they celebrate this anniversary.

I thank the gentleman from Texas for sponsoring this resolution. I urge all Members to join in support of the resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to support House Resolution 1264, which expresses support for the designation of March as National Tremor Association Awareness Month. ET is certainly the most common movement disorder, afflicting nearly 10 million Americans. And, of course, for those who have this disease, everyday life can present some frustrating challenges.

Unfortunately, due to a lack of awareness and stereotypes, many suffering from essential tremor do not seek medical care. Unfortunately, there are no medications that have been developed for people with these tremors; so I thank the gentleman from Kansas for bringing this important issue before us today to raise awareness about

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to support House Resolution 1531, which expresses support for designation of 2011 as World Veterinary Year, with the goal of helping to bring attention to and showing appreciation for the veterinarian profession on its 250th anniversary.

I believe that those who choose to enter into the medical profession deserve our gratitude for entering into a life where they help heal the sick, be it human or animal. And for many of us, our pets become a huge part of our family, and our Nation's veterinarians help ensure our furry family members live long and rewarding lives.

So, Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in support of this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support Senate 1421, the Asian Carp Prevention and Control Act. This is the Senate companion to a bill I have sponsored in this House since 2007, and its passage will be a long overdue victory for wildlife preservation here in the United States.

As most of you know, those of us in the Illinois delegation have worked tirelessly to stem the spread of invasive species into the Great Lakes ecosystem for many years. Currently, Asian carp are the single greatest biological threat to that natural habitat, having traveled for the last four decades up the Mississippi River basin into the Illinois River, and now is close to the shipping and sanitary canals that connect our rivers to the freshwater lakes, particularly Lake Michigan. These ferocious fish prey on and compete with the native species for food and eat up to 40 percent of their body weight every day, as has been mentioned. And because they eat the natural plant life near the bottom of the food chain, they can quickly displace native species, destroy fishing habitats, and threaten maritime jobs.

The reason these fish came to become such a nuisance and cost taxpayers millions of dollars to combat is because they were imported into the U.S. by the southern fish farmers who used them to clean their breeding ponds. Subsequent flooding allowed them to escape into our river system and eventually travel up from the gulf towards Lake Michigan.

Madam Speaker, it is long past the time to recognize that these species do not belong in fish tanks--they certainly wouldn't fit because they grow so large--and domestic ponds where they could find their way into other fragile ecosystems.

In Illinois, we have spent an awful lot of time working on ways to keep those fish out of the Great Lakes. It is so important. The electric dispersal barriers, and there are now two that the Army Corps has put into the sanitary canal in my district, and we have had blockage of the tributaries of the river so even by flooding they cannot get into the canal. We have oxygenation. I have been at fish kills where they have actually made the water dead to kill the fish.

One of the things that is now taking place is certainly the fishing for these fish further down the river, and they are now sending the fish to China where they are turning them into food over there.

But the bill that we are considering today will add the big head species of the Asian carp to the list of injurious species under the Lacey Act and prevent their sale or importation into the United States. This ban would not apply to the dead fish that I was just talking about--they are caught and sent to China as dead fish--and includes only the species of the invasive carp that the Federal wildlife managers found last June in Lake Calumet in Illinois.

With that, Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend from Michigan, Senator Levin, who secured passage of this bill in the Senate and express my gratitude to all my colleagues from the Great Lakes States who have worked with us for many years to preserve our waters from the invasive species. This effort is not only about protecting our ecosystem, but also the billions in jobs and opportunities that our precious natural habitats and waterways provide to U.S. citizens every year. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.