Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 6041.

Madam Speaker, I want to congratulate Mr. Michael J. Mocek on his upcoming retirement and thank him for his 37 years of Federal service to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the State of Texas, and our Nation.

Mike has a long and distinguished history with the Corps of Engineers. Most of his Corps service has been with the Fort Worth Engineer District, where he served the last 12 years as the senior civilian and as the deputy district engineer and the chief of the Programs and Project Management Division.

Among his many significant accomplishments in Texas was the successful completion of Jim Chapman and Ray Roberts Lakes in the 1980s. Mike's technical expertise and planning efforts on those projects provided those communities with vital flood protection and water supply. He also played an invaluable role in the successful approval of the Dallas Floodway Extension project, currently under construction, which will greatly improve the flood protection for that city.

In recent years, Mike has been instrumental in getting Corps approval for one of my top priorities, the Central City Project in Fort Worth. This project will revitalize a portion of the downtown area and provide much needed recreation and park lands, ecosystem restoration, and future flood protection for our citizens. In addition, Mike has provided exceptional leadership for the Corps of Engineers in developing a partnership with the Texas Water Development Board to improve cooperation between the State and Federal government for water resource projects to meet the State's future water needs.

Mike has also guided and overseen the management of one of the largest and most challenging military programs in the Corps, supporting flag ship installations such as Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, and Fort Sam Houston, as well as Lackland and Dyess Air Force Bases. His extraordinary leadership, dedication, and commitment led to the successful completion of many projects that have greatly improved the readiness of our forces and the quality of life for our soldiers, airmen and their families. He did all of this while concurrently serving in the Army Reserves, and retired at the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In 2005, Mike was selected as the top civilian for the Corps of Engineers for achieving the highest overall standards of excellence and for his many significant contributions to the missions, prestige and reputation of the entire Corps. He was very deserving of this honor.

He has mentored many senior military officers and continues to be sought out for his expertise, wise counsel, and advice. Though he received many offers for senior executive promotions throughout the years that would have taken him from Texas, Mike elected to remain in his home State where he felt his efforts would best serve his fellow Texans.

In the Fort Worth community, Mike has been a well-known and trusted leader and public servant. Both he and his wife, Betty, have served their community well. As an ordained deacon at Holy Family Catholic Church, he provides counsel and spiritual guidance to those who seek it. Betty has taught elementary school students for many years and is currently teaching 4th grade at Tanglewood Elementary School in Fort Worth

I am indeed honored to have worked with Mike over the last several years as a Member of Congress, and before that as mayor of Fort Worth. I appreciate Mike's long, dedicated, and faithful service to the Fort Worth community, the State of Texas and our Nation. I wish him all the best in his retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Health Centers Renewal Act.

As important as this bill is to local communities, I believe the first thing we should be dealing with is gas prices and the devastating effect it's having on American families. Unfortunately, the majority refuses to deal with this issue.

Our Nation has over 1,000 community health centers which provide high-quality, affordable primary health care to more than 16 million Americans in over 6,000 communities nationwide.

I come from Fort Worth, Texas and was mayor there before I came to Congress. When I was mayor, we didn't have a community health center in Fort Worth. And I quickly realized the need for one because of the huge concentration of people we had who weren't able to access health care except for emergency centers.

When I came to Congress, I sat on the committee that funds health centers and worked to get a community health center in Fort Worth. We now have the Albert Galvan Health Clinic in Fort Worth, which serves a terrific need.

Parents who take their children to the center have developed a relationship with a primary care physician who can track families and their needs. They're also receiving good preventative care, which is taking away the need to visit an emergency room.

In Texas, community health centers are helping ease the burden tremendously on hospitals and local providers across the State, with 10 percent of low-income, uninsured Texans now relying on community health centers for their primary care. Texas health centers are caring for over 700,000 patients.

Nationally they're having a strong impact as well. A 2006 study by the National Association of Community Health Centers shows the number of patients treated by health centers increased by 46 percent between 1999 and 2004.

Overall, it's estimated community health centers care for over 17 million underserved people in rural and urban areas across the country. However, there is still a great need for more community health centers. Too many families have to drive long distances to reach a health center, and with gas prices at an all-time high, many families can't afford the drive to the doctor.

Thirty-six million people--one in eight Americans--don't have a doctor or regular source of care. If these 36 million Americans did have a regular source of care at a community health center, billions of dollars in health care costs could be saved from reduced ER visits.

There is evidence that people who get most of their primary care from a health center have 41 percent lower overall health care costs than the others who don't, saving Federal dollars of $10 to $17 billion in 2007 alone.

Health care centers are considered one of the most effective government programs in the country and have a solid record of keeping communities healthy and disease free.

Because community health care centers provide families and the community with a health care safety net they can rely on and also ease the burden of our entire system, they're becoming increasingly important to meeting a national demand. Health care should be affordable, accessible and convenient so that individuals and families can access care when they're sick and get the care they need.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1343.

Madam Speaker, consistent with the Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I offer the following justification for the projects that I requested that were included in the FY2009 National Defense Authorization bill.

For the project titled ``Security Forces Building, 136th Airlift Wing, Fort Worth'' in H.R. 5658, the MILCON Air National Guard Account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is Texas Air National Guard, 136th Airlift Wing, NAS JRB Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX. A new facility is needed at JRB NAS Fort Worth for the Security Forces Squadron and for Combat Arms Training Simulator/Combat Arms Training Maintenance. This requirement is a result of the Air Force's increased need for Security Forces personnel

and the resulting increase of Security Forces personnel at the 136th Airlift Wing. Current space and facilities are inadequate; they are less than half the authorized size for the current number of personnel assigned and current training/deployment requirements. This facility needs to be constructed as soon as possible because the number of security personnel for the 136th Airlift Wing is growing quickly. Funds will be used toward the construction of this facility.

For the project titled ``F-22A Raptor'' in H.R. 5686, the Aircraft Procurement--Air Force Account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is United Technologies, 1401 Eye Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20005-6523 (Subcontractor to Lockheed Martin-- Fort Worth, Texas). The F-22A Raptor is the only fighter that can provide air dominance necessary to ensure freedom of action for U.S. allied ground, air, and naval forces in contingency and combat forces. The F-22A Raptor provides 5th generation stealth, supercruise, vectoring thrust agility and integrated weapons capability to provide air dominance. Growing threats from modern surface to air missiles; new 5th generation fighters in development by potential adversaries; and loss of significant numbers of the current air superiority fighter (the F-15 Eagle) demand continued F-22 production beyond the current F-22 multi-year procurement. Funds would be used for advance procurement of F-22A Raptors.

For the project titled ``C-I7A Globemaster III'' in H.R. 5658, Aircraft Procurement, Air Force account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is The Boeing Company, 3855 N Lakewood Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90846 (As prime contractor to Vought Aircraft Industries). The C-17 is the primary U.S. heavy airlift aircraft that can also operate intratheater on unimproved airfields. C-17 has flown approximately 80 percent of the strategic airlift missions for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as serving as the workhorse for disaster relief in Asia and the United States' Gulf Coast. The program will provide improved military capability to fulfill needs as identified by the Department of Defense. Funds will be used for procurement of C-17s.

For the project titled ``Podded Reconnaissance System, SCATHE VIEW (C-130H)'' in H.R. 5686, the Aircraft Procurement--Air Force account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is ATK Integrated Systems, 236 Citation Drive, Fort Worth, TX, 76106. SCATHE VIEW provides the war fighter with significant improvements in identifying time-critical targets, and in saving lives. The SCATHE VIEW program currently operates eight C-130H airframes, modified to carry a sensor suite pallet. All assets--including five sensor pallets--are stationed with the Air National Guard's 152nd Intelligence Squadron (IS) in Reno, Nevada. Recent deployments to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) have been very successful in finding improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and in locating and destroying high value targets. SCATHE VIEW has also provided critical situational awareness by providing day and night imagery during domestic forest fires, and in search and rescue efforts. The program will provide improved military capability to meet an unmet need identified by the Department of Defense. Approximately 10 percent of funds will be used for the Blue Force Tracker, 40 percent for 3rd Aircrew Position, and 50 percent for Tactical Information Broadcast Service.

For the project titled ``UH-60A to UH-60L Upgrades'' in H.R. 5686, the Aircraft Procurement--Army Account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is United Technologies, 1401 Eye Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20005-6523, and Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, A United Technologies Company, 4800 Overton Plaza, Ft Worth, TX 76109-4428. The Army has begun procuring new ``M'' series Black Hawks for utility, special operations, and MEDEVAC missions to replace the older ``A'' series models. The project also continues modernizing UH-60A helicopters through a UH-60A re-capitalization program. The current re-capitalization program includes an airframe life extension, fleet-wide product improvements and the replacement of components with the latest UH-60L configuration. While performing this recapitalization, the addition of the UH-60L transmission, UH-60L 701D engines and other enhancements complete the upgrade at a cost of an additional $1.5M per aircraft. Funds will be used for these costs.

For the project titled ``RC-26B Modernization'' in H.R. 5686, the Aircraft Procurement--Air Force Account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is ATK Integrated Systems, 236 Citation Drive, Fort Worth, TX, 76106. The RC-26B performs critical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions in support of national disaster response by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Air National Guard, and in direct support of Special Operations Forces in the GWOT. The Air National Guard (ANG) operates a fleet of eleven RC-26B aircraft that provide support to individual states for disaster relief and counter-drug missions. As the demands for the RC-26Bs proven utility increased, non-availability of the platform due to use in GWOT operations have prevented ANG crews from performing their domestic assigned missions. Special Operations Command funded the modification of five RC-26B aircraft--to provide ISR missions in support of deployed operations. With five RC-26B aircraft deployed in support of missions outside of the continental United States, an availability vacuum at the state level has occurred. The remaining six RC-26B aircraft (from Mississippi, Arizona, Florida, Texas, West Virginia and New York) are not sufficient to support the disaster relief and counter-narcotics missions of both the ANG and DHS/ CBP. Funds will be used for concept development, design, integration and flight verification for one aircraft of the following technologies that would enhance the current Block 20 RC-26B performance and effectiveness.

For the project titled ``Enhanced Holographic Imager (EHI)'' in H.R. 5686, the RDT&E--Army account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is Zebra Imaging, Inc., 9801 Metric Blvd., Suite 200, Austin, TX 78758. This is the final phase of a three-year development program to reduce the size and enhance efficiency of the holographic imager system currently used to produce 3D imagery for the Army's Tactical Battlefield Visualization program. The requested FY09 funds will be administered by the U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center (USAERDC) and will complete the EHI development program, with the delivery of a fully-tested prototype of the field- deployable Enhanced Holographic Imager. The Enhanced Holographic Imager (EHI) system is needed by DOD to reduce the time now required to provide 3D imagery to Coalition Forces in Iraq for intelligence and operation planning. Approximately 55 percent of funds will be used to complete design of a system and lab test prototype, 20 percent for the development of a prototype post-processor, and 25 percent to construct and test an in-field beta prototype.

For the project titled ``Center for Geospatial Intelligence & Investigation (GII)'' in H.R. 5658, RDT&E--Navy account, the legal name and address of the requesting entity is Texas State University San Marcos, Center for Geospatial Intelligence & Investigation, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666. The Center for Geospatial Intelligence & Investigation is conducting research of interest to the US military. Recognizing the need for better tools to track down insurgents responsible for kidnapping, maiming, and killing US Forces, allies, and civilians in operations in OIF and OEF, the Army sanctioned the initial stage of this project through the Army Topographic Engineering Center in FY06. This project is designed to assist in counter-IED (improvised explosive devices) efforts having a direct impact on increased safety levels and reduced risk of injury and/or death for U.S. military forces deployed to OIF and OEF. Funds will be used for the next phase of the project supported by the US Marines Systems Command. Employing a cross-disciplinary approach, GII seeks to help military and military intelligence officials build more powerful investigative and analytic tools. This project will continue to develop computer modeling based on insurgent behavioral theories to help extract knowledge from information and data, assisting military officials in predicting insurgent activity areas and bases of operation. Components of the project will focus on suicide attacks, attacks along main supply routes/roads, and the use of specialized technology to depict the ``Behavioral Decision-Making Template'' of insurgents. Approximately 30 percent of funds will be used for personnel, 10 percent for equipment, and 60 percent for other incidental costs such as travel.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 147, 153, 154, 155, 164, 165, 174, 178, 179, and 181 I am not recorded because I was absent due to illness.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 175, 176, 177, 180, and 182 I am not recorded because I was absent due to illness.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Ensuring Student Access to Student Loans Act of 2008. This bill is designed to increase investor confidence in the marketplace by authorizing the Secretary of Education to purchase student loans. This will free up liquidity for new loans and show lenders that student loans are a safe and secure investment.

We are facing uncertain economic times. This bill will help ensure that loans will continue to be available to students. Every student should have the opportunity to attend college. But, unfortunately, the cost of college is increasing, which has become a barrier for students and families. This bill increases the loan limit for Stafford Loans in order to allow students to receive more Federal funding. Making more aid available to students will make college more accessible and affordable to students and families.

But it is not just the cost of college that is a challenge. The free application for Federal student aid form, or FAFSA, as it is known, is complicated and cumbersome for students and families to complete. The FAFSA form is so complicated that it has deterred many students and families from applying for aid.

As we consider this bill and other higher education bills we should work to simplify the FAFSA form to help ensure that students and families have access to the financial aid that they need in order to attend college.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5715.

Mr. Speaker, today is day 25 since the Democrat majority let the bipartisan Protect America Act expire, leaving our intelligence community without the full range of resources necessary to monitor foreign targets and leaving our country in danger.

It's truly disappointing that the strong bipartisan Senate bill might not be considered by the House before we go into a 2-week Easter recess period. Our intelligence community needs a long-term fix for the gaps in our intelligence laws, not short-term Band-Aids or political holdups.

Senator John Rockefeller, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, after the bill passed the Senate a few weeks ago, said: ``This is the right way to go in terms of the security of our Nation.''

In the House, 21 Democrats have urged the Speaker to support the Senate-passed bill, and the House Republican conference supports the Senate bill. The support for the bipartisan Senate bill is strong and continuing to grow. Now is the time to act to provide our intelligence community all the tools necessary and to provide important retroactive liability protection that our telecommunications companies deserve when we ask for their help.

I urge the House to pass the Senate FISA bill before we leave this week. Anything short of passage is an unfortunate and dangerous risk.

Mr. Speaker, once again the Protect America Act is set to expire. If the bipartisan Senate FISA bill is not passed in time, our intelligence agency will be blinded to our enemies' plans and required to consult a lawyer before eavesdropping on foreign terrorists.

The House should immediately pass the Senate's bipartisan bill which passed the Senate by a 68-29 vote. Our intelligence community needs a long-term fix in our intelligence laws, not a month-to-month extension.

More importantly, the Senate FISA bill grants liability protection to telecommunications companies that helped the government after September 11. Allowing these companies to be subjected to frivolous lawsuits threatens their cooperation in the future. This could have a crippling effect on America's counterterrorism efforts.

Yesterday, the Democrat majority chose partisan politics in the face of a strong bipartisan solution that directly determines the fate of our intelligence gathering abilities, and the House Democrat leadership failed. The American people have asked for solutions, not political grandstanding.

We should take up the bipartisan Senate FISA bill immediately. This cannot wait until we return from the President's Day recess.

Madam Speaker, it's been over 140 days since the House passed the MilCon-VA appropriations bill. Already a month into the new fiscal year and we have yet to send a single appropriations bill to the President, including the bill that funds our veterans.

We should have sent the President the MilCon-VA appropriations bill weeks ago when the Senate appointed their conferees, but the Democrat House leadership consistently refused to do so. Our veterans deserve better, and the actions of the majority are completely unacceptable.

House Republicans have been asking for weeks, and we're standing united today, asking the MilCon-VA appropriations bill be sent to the President, standing alone, and not attached to the expensive Labor-HHS appropriations bill. The Labor-HHS bill is $9.8 billion over the President's request, and the President's been waiting to veto it since it passed the House.

Our veterans deserve better. They shouldn't be used as a political tool for the majority.

Those who have sacrificed so much for their country deserve to be Congress' first priority.

Madam Speaker, our intelligence community and military officials should have every tool available to them as we continue to fight the global war on terror.

While we all agree that proper oversight is necessary, oversight does not equate to needless red tape, and it should never prohibit our men and women in uniform from doing their jobs, especially when it comes to rescuing American lives.

The article in yesterday's New York Post is a startling depiction of how the current system has failed our men and women. After a young American soldier was captured by al Qaeda insurgents last May, lawyers in Washington debated the legalities of electronic eavesdropping connected to his rescue for over 10 hours. That is completely unacceptable. Unfortunately, the RESTORE Act that the Democrat leadership is bringing to the floor this week will only continue to hamper the efforts of our intelligence community and place our men and women at risk.

I urge my Democratic colleagues to reconsider the RESTORE Act. We should focus our efforts on a bipartisan approach to our national security, not on legislating defeat. We should fight for the right to listen to al Qaeda and stop these plots.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the courage of a brave and dedicated hero of the Fort Worth community and of our Nation.

Cpl James H. McRae was a proud United States Marine and a true American hero who gallantly and selflessly gave his life for his country on July 24 during combat operations in Diyala Province, Iraq.

James enlisted in the toughest of the military branches during time of war, which speaks volumes about his character and patriotism.

Assigned to the Marine Expeditionary Force, James was a non- commissioned officer--the backbone of the corps and a true leader.

Our thoughts and prayers are with James' parents and all of his family and friends.

Our community and Nation honor Corporal McRae's memory and we are grateful for his faithful and distinguished service to our Nation and the Corps of Marines that he loved.

Cpl James Heath McRae will not be forgotten. His memory lives on through his family and the legacy of selfless service that he so bravely imprinted on our hearts.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the courage of a brave and dedicated hero of the State of Texas and of our Nation.

Corporal Rhett A. Butler was a United States Army soldier and a true American hero who gallantly and selflessly gave his life for his country on July 20, 2007 during combat operations north of Baghdad, Iraq.

Assigned to the Second Infantry Division, Rhett enlisted during time of war, which speaks volumes about his character and patriotism.

Moreover, he was a leader and mentor to younger soldiers and his service as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the infantry exemplifies this spirit.

Our thoughts and prayers are with CPL Butler's parents and all of his family and friends.

Our community and Nation honor corporal Butler's memory and we are grateful for his faithful and distinguished service to America.

Corporal Rhett A. Butler will not be forgotten. His memory lives on through his family and the legacy of selfless service that he so bravely imprinted on our hearts.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

I am, Mr. Speaker, in its present form.

Mr. Speaker, my motion to recommit corrects a Democrat bill that will do great harm to America's seniors and working class. It's also the only chance that the minority's been given in this disappointing process to amend the bill before us today. This is not the House that was promised in November.

My motion to recommit reauthorizes the SCHIP program for 1 year and provides States with the resources they need to be able to continue to provide needed health care coverage for children. The SCHIP program is a good program. It insures mental care is available to children who are needy but who are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid.

Currently, approximately 6.7 million children receive health care through the SCHIP program, which is broadly supported.

Let there be no doubt, Republicans support SCHIP, because we were instrumental in its creation 10 years ago. We don't support the reckless underlying bill that raises taxes and cuts Medicare by $200 billion, taking health care away from some of our neediest seniors.

The underlying bill is the first step to government-controlled health care and takes America in the wrong direction. It's the most blatant attempt to expand government-run health care we have seen since HillaryCare. It takes a sensible, bipartisan program aimed at helping low-income children and turns it into a monster that will suck millions of middle-class Americans into government-run health care. The bill would create a massive new entitlement with totally inadequate funding. At a time when we already face a $40 trillion unfunded obligation for Medicare and Social Security over the next 75 years, that's the exact opposite of responsible public policy.

The Democrat bill takes SCHIP far beyond what it was intended to do by reversing the existing status that does not allow adults to be enrolled. The Democrats not only allow States to enroll childless adults but also eliminates a requirement for illegal immigrants to wait 5 years before receiving welfare benefits. The Republican motion to recommit continues current law enforcing the 5-year wait.

The bill in its current form also eliminates verification of citizenship status. This means that persons who come here illegally could be provided SCHIP because we don't want to ask the right questions.

Taking benefits from seniors to expand government-run health care to adults and illegal immigrants is unconscionable. Our motion to recommit keeps the 5-year wait for SCHIP. It also maintains the standards to verify citizenship. This motion requires citizenship documentation verification for

eligibility for SCHIP and welfare benefits.

While taking care of our children, Republicans also value our seniors and have taken care in providing Medicare benefits. Medicare Advantage is a critical source of comprehensive medical coverage for over 8 million individuals. It provides coverage for seniors, and a recent bipartisan poll this year found that 90 percent of enrollees are satisfied with their Medicare plans.

The underlying bill cuts payments to Medicare Advantage plans and cuts Medicare payments to Medicare providers, including hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies.

The cuts proposed by the Democrats in Medicare will result in nearly 3.2 million seniors losing their Medicare Advantage coverage. We would be providing coverage for children whose parents make $100,000 a year on the backs of seniors and the Medicare coverage they chose. This would be the largest cut of Medicare in history.

In my district, 17,279 Medicare Advantage enrollees will lose their benefits if the Democrat CHAMP Act passes. This motion to recommit protects our seniors by eliminating the Medicare cuts in the bill.

Perhaps most alarming in this bill is the establishment of a new mandatory tax on private health insurance plans. While Republicans have been trying to level the playing field and eliminate the uninsured, this bill places a tax on health care plans, except those provided by the government.

The Democrat bill raises taxes by $54 billion in an attempt to lure middle-class families to opt out of private coverage by establishing a new mandatory tax on private health insurance plans. Our motion to recommit eliminates the Democrats' new tax on America's health insurance plans.

In addition to eliminating the Medicare cuts in the Democrat bill, the motion to recommit maintains Medicare changes that improve services for Medicare beneficiaries.

These changes will ensure improved service in rural areas, an extension of the therapy cap, special needs plans, and demonstration projects on end stage renal disease services.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this motion to recommit that will protect our seniors, prevent massive tax increases, and reauthorize the current SCHIP program.

If the motion to recommit passes, the House will be able to vote on a bill that protects America's seniors and hard working citizens while also providing health care for our neediest children.

If the motion fails, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against the Democrat CHAMP Act.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the Democrats Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. At first glance, I simply disagree with the name of the bill. The Democrat's Fair Pay Act is not fair at all, not for employers, employees or our legal system.

Every American is entitled to an honest day's pay and we have laws on the book to ensure that is the case. But this bill goes well beyond its scope by effectively eliminating the statute of limitation in workplace discrimination cases.

This imposes a huge burden on businesses and opens them up to litigation years after alleged cases of discrimination. While it is inexcusable for anyone to face discrimination for pay or otherwise, to overturn the Supreme Court decision would allow for a flood of decades- old claims to resurface. The laws we have in place allow adequate time to file a charge against your employer and offers a set of guidelines to help individuals file a claim.

The burden this would place on small business owners and any company to track down a claim that occurred 20 years ago, for example, would cripple the system we have in place. The statutes of limitations are in place to help the employee-employer relationship so when something improper happens, the issue can be dealt with in a timely manner. Merely eliminating these guidelines would allow for someone to reopen a claim after 5, 10 or even after they have retired. Those involved may no longer work at the company or even be alive, for that matter.

If this passes, it will also eliminate the statute of limitations for the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the American with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act.

The Civil Rights Act and the employment discrimination laws currently on the books provide adequate protections for our employees. We should work to ensure that existing laws are enforced to protect employees against discrimination rather than passing overly broad laws that subject employers to open-ended liability