Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge the House GOP leadership to bring the American Jobs Act to the floor.

One of the primary reasons we've got to work together on a jobs strategy is to modernize and repair schools all across the country. This will create thousands and thousands of jobs. Small business contractors, electricians, and others can repair our schools.

Back home in Florida, the school districts are having to delay maintenance. Teachers are being laid off, and schools are unable to invest in the modern science labs that will help prepare our kids for the jobs of the new century.

Yesterday, Vice President Biden visited Oakstead Elementary, north of Tampa, which is an A school. It opened 5 years ago, was built for 700 students, but they have over 1,000 students at Oakstead. And even with the overcrowding, the school district has had to release eight teachers. That is not smart.

``To keep this a grade-A school, we're going to have to keep teachers in the classroom,'' the Vice President said.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my GOP colleagues not to block the American Jobs Act. Our small business owners and contractors are ready to modernize schools, and parents like me want dedicated teachers in the classroom.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of her 100th birthday milestone, I rise to commend the life and leadership of Mrs. Rhodes-Lawrence. Mrs. Rhodes-Lawrence is a great example of a dedicated community advocate and leader.

In her 100 years of life, Mrs. Rhodes-Lawrence has been a part of major historical landmarks for our Nation and the world. In 1911, the year she was born, the first trans-continental flight from New York to Pasadena took off and landed successfully and a gallon of gas was only seven cents. Long after living through the Great Depression and two world wars, Mrs. Rhodes-Lawrence had two children, who gave seven grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren. She has made remarkable contributions to our community and her church, St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church.

Mrs. Rhodes-Lawrence, a Lee, Florida native, was deemed Mother of the Year at St. Paul's and has been the on the Deaconess Board, Senior Women's Ministry, choir, and founder of Young Adult Choir.

The Tampa community is proud to recognize Mrs. Rhodes-Lawrence for her contributions and leadership to our community.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of his 80th birthday milestone, I rise to commend the inspirational leadership of Reverend Willie G. Dixon. Reverend Dixon is a wonderful example of how a local leader can help shape future generations and make a difference in their community. Reverend Dixon's accomplishments are worthy of recognition by the entire Tampa community.

A native of Tampa, Florida, Reverend Dixon entered the Air Force upon completion of high school. After serving our country, Dixon was honorably discharged and enrolled at Tennessee State University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. He then moved back to the Tampa area, where he was employed by the Hillsborough County School Board as an elementary school music teacher and band director for six years.

Reverend Dixon then went on to pursue a career helping ex-offenders at the Zephyrhills Correctional Institution. As an ex-offender placement specialist, Dixon assisted inmates preparing for release and later served in the same capacity at Pasco-Hernando Community College. While employed in this career, he continued to work in area school systems until his retirement from the Sarasota County School System in 1991.

While teaching in Hillsborough and Sarasota County, Reverend Dixon realized that a large percentage of his students were African American repeat offenders who were unable to gain reentry into society financially and socially. Dixon developed a strong desire to help these youths that experienced difficulty getting back on track after release due to a number of factors such as broken homes, various types of abuse and lack of education.

In response to this calling, Dixon formed COACH Foundation, Inc. and the COACH Faith Based Ministry. COACH Foundation, Inc. has numerous programs that help inmates make a smooth transition into society and become productive citizens. These programs include after-school programs, job training, counseling, affordable home-ownership as well as many other services that benefit the community. Reverend Dixon's individual efforts continue to touch lives with his partnership with the Abe Brown Prison Ministry and weekly bible study with inmates at the Zephyrhills Correctional Institution.

The Tampa Community is proud to recognize Reverend Willie G. Dixon for his efforts and outstanding contributions towards educating and guiding youth in Tampa. Reverend Dixon's determination and commitment to improving the lives of others have made him an inspirational community leader. I ask that you and all Americans recognize such a remarkable citizen for his service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and career of Lee Roy Selmon, a Hall of Fame football player and a pillar of the Tampa Bay community. As a player, Lee Roy Selmon was one of the greatest Buccaneers of all time, and his post-football career was equally distinguished.

The youngest of nine children, Lee Roy Selmon would join two of his older brothers on the defensive line at the University of Oklahoma in 1972. Referred to as a ``Gentle Giant'' by his peers, he would go on to be elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, leading Oklahoma to two national championships in 1974 and 1975. In 1999 Sports Illustrated magazine selected Selmon as a member of their NCAA Football All-Century Team.

In 1976, Selmon would join the Tampa Bay community as the first-ever draft pick of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He proceeded to distinguish himself as one of the greatest NFL players of all time; during his career with the Buccaneers, he was selected to six consecutive Pro Bowls and named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1979. The Buccaneers retired his number, 63, in 1986, and in 1995 he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In 2008, Lee Roy Selmon became the first-ever inductee into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ring of Honor, a fitting distinction for the original Buccaneer.

Lee Roy Selmon's professional accomplishments after his retirement from football are numerous; he was a philanthropist and a banker, an athletic director and an entrepreneur. The University of South Florida football program will forever bear his mark--as the Athletic Director during the Bull's emergence as a Division 1-A football team, the program greatly benefitted from Selmon's able stewardship.

Above all, those who knew Lee Roy Selmon speak of his decency, his kindness, his gentle nature, and his integrity as often as they speak of his athletic and professional accomplishments. He was undoubtedly one of the Tampa Bay area's greatest ambassadors.

The Tampa Bay community is proud to honor the life of Lee Roy Selmon, a great athlete and a man of character. His greatness and his humility continue to inspire those who knew him, and I ask that you and all Americans join me in honoring such a remarkable man.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and highlight the distinguished career of Colonel Gregory B. Canney. Colonel Canney's career spanned 26 years that began in Florida at Eglin Air Force Base and ended in Tampa at MacDill Air Force Base.

Colonel Gregory B. Canney is the Commander, 6th Dental Squadron, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. As the Commander, Colonel Canney was responsible for providing top quality dental restorative and preventive care to the 6th Mobility Wing and its 36 mission partners. Colonel Canney ensured the world-wide deployment of over 10,000 active duty members from the 6th Air Mobility Wing and two combatant commands. Colonel Canney interfaced with command, wing, group and squadron leaders on dental matters and managed a $400,000 annual budget and 53,486 annual dental visits.

Colonel Canney was born in Groton, Connecticut. He completed his undergraduate education at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA. He entered the Air Force directly from the University of Connecticut, School of Dental Medicine in 1980 and served 10 years. After a break in service, he resumed his Air Force career in 1995 and has enjoyed a total of 8 assignments. He is guided by the credo ``attitude is everything.''

Living by that credo is what led Colonel Canney to receive several major awards and decorations such as the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters. As the Deputy Group Commander for the 6th Medical Group, Colonel Canney has directly impacted the careers of hundreds of troops in all Healthcare Corps and will influence several generations beyond the tenure of his career.

The Tampa community and MacDill Air Force Base are proud to recognize Colonel Canney for his outstanding career and his many significant contributions to the Air Force and our country. His determination and hard work have made him an inspirational leader within our Nation's Armed Services. I ask that you and all Americans recognize such a remarkable patriot for his service to his country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend the inspirational leadership of ADM Eric T. Olson. Admiral Olson's service is worthy of recognition by the entire Tampa community, the United States Armed Services and every citizen of our great Nation.

A native of Tacoma, Wash., Olson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1973 and qualified as a Naval Special Warfare, SEAL, officer in 1974. He has served operationally in an Underwater Demolition Team, SEAL Team, SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team, Special Boat Squadron, and at the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. He has commanded at every level.

Olson has participated in several conflicts and contingency operations, and has served as a SEAL instructor, strategy and tactics development officer and joint special operations staff officer. His overseas assignments include service as a United Nations military observer in Israel and Egypt, and as Navy Programs officer in Tunisia. He served on the Navy staff as assistant deputy chief of Naval Operations (Plans, Policy, and Operations).

Olson earned a Master of Arts degree in National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and studied at the Defense Language Institute. He is a Joint Specialty officer and Political-Military Affairs sub-specialist with emphasis on Africa and the Middle East. His awards include the Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Star.

Admiral Olson became the first Navy SEAL to take the helm at Special Operations Command. It is only befitting that such a decorated and committed SEAL played an integral role in the successful raid on the Abbottabad compound that ended the search for Osama bin Laden. In addition to being the first three- and four-star Navy SEAL, Admiral Olson is currently the Bull Frog, the longest serving Navy SEAL still on duty. At four-star flag rank, Olson is the highest ranking Navy SEAL to hold the Bull Frog title.

The Tampa community and MacDill Air Force Base are proud to recognize Admiral Olson for his outstanding career and his many significant contributions to the Navy and our country. His determination and hard work have made him an inspirational leader within our Nation's Armed Services.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to work together to resolve our debt reduction strategy, and I rise to urge my GOP colleagues to abandon their efforts to end Medicare as we know it.

For 45 years, Medicare has been that fundamental promise to our parents and our grandparents that if they work hard, if they play by the rules, and if they pay into Medicare, they're going to be able to live their retirement years in dignity, and that their children will have economic security because we won't be worried about the economic challenges that a diagnosis or an emergency situation or health condition would bring.

It's fundamentally unfair that the debt racked up over the last decade with two wars put on a credit card, tax breaks for special interests, and other special provisions, and now the GOP is looking to end Medicare as we know it and to undermine that fundamental promise. We're not going to stand for it. We can work together on a more reasonable solution, and I urge my colleagues to do so.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition of any effort to eliminate the Election Assistance Commission. Elimination of the EAC appears to be part of the GOP's nationwide assault on voters' rights, and will exacerbate the current issues we face in federal elections. With a number of states adopting new voter Registration and ID laws that will restrict and suppress votes, this is the wrong time to eliminate an agency that seeks to avoid the problems we faced during the 2000 election in the state of Florida. The EAC is necessary in order to ensure the fairness and integrity of federal elections.

Now, more than ever, we need an agency like the EAC, so that we can ensure that our democracy functions freely and fairly. The EAC is an independent, bipartisan agency that carries out grant programs, provides for testing and certification of voting systems, studies election issues, and assists local and state election officials by issuing guidelines and other important information to help them comply with the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requirements.

The EAC is composed of experts who are former state and local election officials and familiar with the challenges of election administration. The federal government should not eliminate the information gathering, information sharing and advisory role of the Election Assistance Commission. These functions have been crucial at improving federal elections, and should be strengthened rather than eliminated.

Like many other states around the country, the Florida legislature has moved in a dangerous direction to curtail voter's rights, and we will need the EAC come 2012 when we see the sad consequences of restrictive voting laws. The new Florida law makes it difficult for those who recently moved between counties to cast their votes. The new law also limits voting accessibility by shortening the window for early voting from 14 days to 6 days. This will make it even more difficult for working Floridians and elderly voters, resulting in longer lines at the polls on Election Day. Lastly, the new law negatively impacts voter registration efforts in Florida by limiting the ability of third party groups to effectively register legitimate new voters. The EAC works with all of these issues, and if we eliminate it today, we will face serious challenges in the 2012 election as we seek to resolve the problems that may ultimately arise as a result of new election laws like we have in Florida.

This bill would transfer EAC duties to the FEC, which is already overburdened. The FEC says they need more resources to absorb the EAC's duties. Other costs would simply shift to already overburdened state governments. The FEC does not have the capability or the expertise to successfully administer the certification program that is currently implemented by the EAC.

The EAC creates national standards for improving accessibility for all Americans. Local and State officials still struggle to ensure accessible elections for all. For instance, a GAO

report on the 2008 election said that there were significant problems for persons with disabilities in gaining access to the polls. Physical barriers remain in far too many cases. In fact, 31 states reported that ensuring polling place accessibility was ``challenging.'' The EAC should be strengthened to ensure that we have in place strong standards that will improve the voting experience for all Americans. The EAC has already played a central role in improving the accessibility of voting for the country's more than 37 million voters with disabilities.

Furthermore, the EAC's certification program is helping state and local governments save money. The EAC uses its oversight role to coordinate with manufacturers and local election officials in order to ensure that the existing equipment meets its durability and longevity potential. This saves state and local governments from the unnecessary expense of new voting equipment.

Mr. Speaker, eliminating the EAC at this time would be a regrettable mistake. We need to take steps to safeguard our democratic process, and agencies like the EAC should be strengthened in order to protect Americans' right to vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the importance of the primary care workforce and support provisions included in the Affordable Care Act to expand the number of primary care physicians, especially in my home state of Florida.

One of the smartest things we can do in health care today is to bolster primary care and family medicine. Your primary care doctor is your family doctor; the one you and your family see for checkups, and the doctor who is most likely to understand your health care needs. It is widely understood that if we are going to be more efficient in America with our health care dollars, we need to focus on prevention and boost the number of primary care doctors. There is a great demand for primary care physicians across the country and training new doctors in a community teaching setting is vital.

Training doctors is an especially critical issue in my home state of Florida. We have a significant doctor shortage. Florida has great medical schools and are turning out quality medical school graduates, but that is not enough because we do not have a sufficient number of residency slots. Florida is short nearly 3,000 new GME positions to meet current physician demand. Florida is the third most populous state, but ranks 44th in the nation in terms of the number of residency positions under Medicare. Those numbers reflect a brewing crisis situation. Not only does Florida have the largest and fastest growing percentage of citizens over 65, we have a rapidly aging physician population--25 percent of Florida's physicians are over 65. We need to do everything possible to train new primary care doctors all across the country, but especially in Florida. H.R. 1216 will take us backwards and that is why I strongly oppose its passage.

Before we take up legislation to terminate an initiative that encourages the training of new doctors in primary care, family medicine and internal medicine, please understand our country's need for physicians who are most effective for our families. I urge my colleagues to support a robust primary care workforce. We need to work together to develop modern methods to train primary care physicians-- and the Teaching Health Centers GME program, which my colleagues on the other side of the aisle seek to eliminate, is an innovative new model to help train more primary care physicians and encourage them to practice in communities. Physicians who train in a community setting have a better understanding of the needs of the communities they serve. Many organizations--like MedPAC and the Council on Graduate Medical Education--have called for a community-based GME program, so why do Republicans want to eliminate these opportunities before they start? Residency rotation through rural and outpatient locations provide great training opportunities for physician residents; and it encourages the resident to practice in out-patient or rural communities.

If we do not work together to find common sense solutions for our primary care workforce, America will be short of the doctors we need to serve in our communities and our families and neighbors will suffer the consequences. This is why I voted against H.R. 1216 and why I strongly oppose any attempt to eliminate innovated methods for training our future primary care workforce.

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

I rise in strong opposition to the underlying bill and in support of the DeLauro amendment.

Mr. Chairman, hardworking families all across America have been whipsawed in recent years by Wall Street and special interests who have had free rein to place bets on mortgages and place bets on future oil prices. And you know what? We fought back. We fought back, and we passed a Wall Street reform law that outlaws risky financial practices by banks and lenders and that protects consumers.

Taxpayers should never, ever again be left on the hook for Wall Street's reckless actions, and yet my GOP colleagues propose to do just that with this bill, let Wall Street off the hook and put consumers and our economy at risk again. This bill significantly cuts the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC is a major piece of the landmark Wall Street reform law because the law put cops back on the financial beat into areas where the financial industry was left largely unsupervised. And you know who suffered because of that? American families suffered the firsthand consequences of an unsupervised and unregulated Wall Street.

And now they're proposing a real double whammy to the American family, because my GOP colleagues are pairing their push to put consumers at risk and threaten their economic security with their GOP plan to end Medicare as we know it and undermine retirement security.

I would have hoped that we would have all learned a lesson and that you do not return to the policies of the past that led to the financial meltdown and the economic hardship for all Americans, but it appears that some have not learned that lesson.

And you have to ask why, why are we trying to go back to the same policies that led to the meltdown and led to such pain all across the country that started back in 2007?

I'll tell you why.

I have an article that was published during the debate of the Wall Street reform legislation. It is dated December 8, 2009. The headline reads: ``House Republicans Huddle with Lobbyists to Kill Financial Reform Bill.''

The article continues: ``In a call to arms, House Republican leaders met with more than 100 lobbyists at the Capitol Visitor Center on Tuesday afternoon to try to fight back against financial regulatory overhaul legislation.''

Now, in another article written during the consideration of H.R. 1, the headline reads: ``Industry Looks to Derail Dodd-Frank Enforcement.''

It continues: Republicans ``make no bones about their goal: to defang Dodd-Frank,'' our landmark Wall Street reform law that was put in place to protect consumers and hardworking American families.

[From Roll Call, Dec. 8, 2009]

House Republicans Huddle With Lobbyists To Kill Financial Reform Bill

(By Anna Palmer)

In a call to arms, House Republican leaders met with more

than 100 lobbyists at the Capitol Visitors Center on Tuesday

afternoon to try to fight back against financial regulatory

overhaul legislation.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) kicked off the

4 p.m. meeting, along with Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.)

and GOP Reps. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), Scott Garrett (N.J.)

and Jeb Hensarling (Texas).

``The message was [House Financial Services Chairman

Barney] Frank and the Democratic majority are ruining

America, ruining capitalism, and stand up for yourselves,''

said a lobbyist who attended the meeting. ``They said, `Look,

you all oppose this bill, but only a few of you have come out

publicly.' ''

In addition to asking trade associations to get their

members in Congressional districts to write letters opposing

the legislation, Republicans asked for companies and trade

associations to use their Democratic consultants to gather

intelligence on where members of the Congressional Black

Caucus and the Blue Dog Coalition are in supporting the

legislation.

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 1: Page 4, after line 12, add the following:

(d) Effective Date.--Subsections (a), (b), and (c) shall

not take effect until the date that the Comptroller General

of the United States determines there is no primary care

physician shortage in the United States.

Offered By: Ms. Castor of Florida

Amendment No. 3: Page 4, after line 12, add the following:

(d) GAO Study on Impact on Health Care Costs of Families

and Small Businesses.--The Comptroller General of the United

States shall conduct a study to determine the impact that the

previous provisions of this Act would have on the health care

costs of families and small businesses in the United States.

I thank my colleague for yielding time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1229.

This Republican proposal is very poor public policy. And as a Member who represents a community that is dependent on the gulf coast's economy, frankly, it is appalling for my Republican friends to press to eliminate safety standards on oil companies who want to continue to drill and come closer and closer to our beautiful beaches. Really, it is beyond the pale. And I have to ask, did my colleagues not learn anything from this disaster?

In our economy on Florida's gulf coast, we depend on clean water and clean beaches, and when you bring up a bill like this, it feels like a direct challenge to our economic recovery. We have not recovered. The hotels and motels on the beach, the seafood industry, all the mom and pop shops who are dependent on the tourism industry, we are still struggling to come back. We want to adopt the recommendations of the oil spill commission that recommends stronger safety standards, something like that which was passed on a bipartisan basis here in the House last year.

Now to add insult to injury, my Republican colleagues recently passed a budget that gives taxpayer subsidies to the Big Oil companies. In the face of a burgeoning debt and deficit and in the face of huge profits by the oil companies, why should the American taxpayers be subsidizing the bottom line of the most profitable corporations in the world? Instead, it is time for a meaningful, comprehensive energy strategy to lower gas prices because it appears that that's what we all are in agreement to do. But to do that, it's not to eliminate safety standards for drilling. That's silly. What we should do is end the giveaways to Big Oil, eliminate the $5 billion in subsidies and loopholes that the oil companies receive each year. Let's prohibit Wall Street speculators from artificially driving up oil prices. Let's develop super-efficient cars and clean alternative energies that will create good jobs in America and then bring down gas prices.

Mr. Chairman, finally, I caution the oil companies and their friends in Congress that the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout was only 1 year ago. Most of the necessary safety standards and recommendations of the bipartisan oil spill commission have not been adopted. No one should be pressing for unbridled drilling without ensuring that another blowout disaster would never happen again. Otherwise, many of us on the gulf coast view the blind-eyed push as a serious threat to our multibillion dollar tourism and fishing industries and our coastal environmental resources.

Florida's long-term economic health is dependent on clean water and clean beaches and clean oceans. Our economy is struggling right now. I am confident that Florida's economy will recover, but Florida's long- term economic outlook will suffer immensely if we have to suffer through another blowout disaster.

Mr. Chairman, we need an honest dialogue on energy solutions based on facts. Americans are clamoring for comprehensive long-term energy solutions so we are less dependent on foreign oil.

Mr. Speaker, in recognition of her recent honor, the 2011 Sydney & Thalia Potter Civic Leadership Award from the League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County, I rise to herald the achievements of Delia P. Sanchez, a champion for children in Florida. Ms. Sanchez is a wonderful example of the power of women to shape future generations and make a difference in their communities. Ms. Sanchez is a lifelong learner. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Florida State University in Social Work with minors in Education and Spanish in 1945 and went on to get her Master's in Social Work at Columbia University in 1947. Until 1991, nearly fifty years later, she took graduate level courses in areas such as Pupil Personnel Services, Education, and Rehabilitation.

All the while, Ms. Sanchez was affecting enormous change in lives of hundreds of children in the Tampa Bay area. One of the greatest services that Delia Sanchez provided to the Tampa community was to work with Congressman Sam Gibbons to bring the first Head Start initiative to Hillsborough County. She began her career as a Child Welfare Worker for the Florida State Welfare Board. From there Ms. Sanchez went on to work for the School Board of Hillsborough County as a School Social Worker and a Case Work Consultant, working her way up the ranks to eventually serve as the Administrative Supervisor for Head Start for nine years. Then, in the last three years of her career, she went into private practice to counsel troubled children.

Throughout her career and in her retirement, Ms. Sanchez has served as a board member or local representative to a number of community organizations. The list is too large to mention them all, but they range from the University of South Florida's Latin Community Advisory Committee, the Citizen's Advisory Council, the Child Abuse Council, the Ybor City Museum Society, to the National Association of Social Workers.

For all of her hard work in education and the lives of children, countless organizations have recognized her. To name a few, Ms. Sanchez is the recipient of the US State Department Fellowship Award, the American Red Cross Service Award twice, the Retired Social Worker Outstanding Achievement Award, the Hillsborough County Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the National Head Start Association Lifetime Achievement Award and now the Sydney & Thalia Potter Civic Leadership Award. She is also a member of Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society, was named Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers by the Tampa Bay Unit and then again by the Florida Chapter, received an honorary Doctorate from the University of South Florida School of Social Work, and in 1993 she was Hispanic Woman of the Year.

Mr. Speaker, Delia P. Sanchez is a woman of the highest regard who has dedicated her

life to helping others. I am proud to call her my neighbor, and I join many others to applaud her lifetime contribution to the Tampa Bay community.