Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to strongly support H.R. 6867, the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008.

This bill provides for an additional 7 weeks of extended Unemployment Benefits for workers who have exhausted their regular UI benefits.

Earlier this year, we enacted a bipartisan compromise to provide extended unemployment benefits. But those benefits will start to run out in October unless Congress acts.

With today's news of another 159,000 American jobs lost in September--the worst job loss in 5 years--this action is critical to providing relief as well as strengthening the American economy and creating jobs.

Madam Speaker, the research is clear, extending UI benefits is one of the most cost-effective and fast-acting ways to stimulate the economy because the money is spent quickly.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.64 in new economic demand.

Madam Speaker, Minnesota's unemployment rate hit 6.2 percent this past August, we are waiting for the September State numbers now. This is highest state unemployment rate in 22 years.

This legislation could not be more timely; the House has just passed legislation to save Main Street by helping out Wall Street.

Let us help everybody on Main Street directly by providing needed help to the unemployed workers and their families by providing

them additional unemployment insurance benefits.

Madam Speaker, a good friend of mine who runs a charter school needed to get a line of credit recently to float her payroll. She couldn't get it. In the past, she had. That puts the teachers, the custodial staff, the people who work in the kitchen, and all of those folks in line for a payless payday, which means that we've got 60 folks who will not be able to make car notes, mortgages or who will not, perhaps, be able to pay credit cards and who knows what.

This kind of problem is bleeding throughout the economy. That's why the unemployment rate is 6.2 percent. We can wait to see the pain, and then we will be motivated to act, but do you really want to see 8 percent or 9 percent unemployment?

Mr. Speaker, on September 24, 2008, I inadvertently missed Rollcall No. 628. If I were present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, the Bush administration, Senator McCain and congressional Republicans need to realize that economic hardship does not end on Wall Street. For 8 years now, Washington Republicans have been implementing policies that have also hurt Main Street.

Today, middle class workers are struggling to make ends meet on paychecks that are, on average, $300 smaller a year than they were back in 2001 when President Bush took office. Meantime, grocery prices have increased by more than $800, home energy prices are up $300, and health care costs are up more than $2,000.

In total, American families are paying $4,000 a year more for these basic necessities than they did during the Clinton administration. No wonder the American people are feeling financially squeezed.

Senator McCain said he doesn't really understand economics very well, and he proved it when he said that the fundamentals of the economy were strong. How can Senator McCain turn our economy around if he doesn't even recognize that we are in trouble?

Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking Chairwoman Maloney and Chairman Frank for their continued commitment to this much-needed credit card reform legislation. I'm proud and honored to have worked with both of them to ensure the financial security of working families across America.

As co-chair of the Congressional Consumer Justice Caucus, I'm strongly in favor of H.R. 5244, the Credit Card Holder's Bill of Rights.

Mr. Speaker, today we have an opportunity to stand up for working families across America by passing legislation that will ensure the prosperity of the working class. And this legislation, Mr. Speaker, needs to be part of the financial markets' rescue plan. As we move forward to try to help people on Wall Street, we cannot leave alone the people on Main Street. Americans are suffering under tremendous weight of this credit crisis. We have to do something, and this is what we can do about it: giving people relief from these incredible abuses in the credit card industry.

The debt crisis inundating so many Americans is in large part due to the result of an industry with few regulations and little oversight. Consumers with credit cards nationwide are facing excessive credit card fees, sky-high interest rates, and unfair incomprehensible agreements that credit card companies can revise at will.

In short, American families are suffering while credit card companies are making record profits, Mr. Speaker. In 2007, credit card issuers imposed $18.1 billion--that's billion with a ``B''--in penalty fees on families carrying credit card balances for more than 50 percent since 2003. This accounts for nearly half of the $41 billion industry profits.

This year, credit card companies will break all record fees for late fees, over-limit charges, and other penalties pulling in more than $19 billion.

H.R. 5244 bans unfair and deceptive practices that have resulted in billions of dollars in fees drained from hardworking families for the credit card industry.

Also included in the bill is a ban on universal default. Last May, I introduced legislation to ban this unfair and ethical practice, and I'm pleased to see it included in the bill.

Universal default is the popular term for a practice that allows creditors to increase the rate on your credit card to the default rate, even when you haven't missed a single payment on that card. This means that we're going to look at real reform with this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairwoman Maloney, again, for her valiant advocacy, and this does need to be a part of the rescue package.

Let me thank the gentlelady from New York, who has done absolutely heroic work on this bill, and let me echo her words: no more abdication from Congress. We are a coequal branch of Congress, and it is time for us to do our job.

Americans all over this country want to know what does the Congress care about the debt that they are drowning in because of these credit card practices. If the Fed says they are deceptive practices, who are we to just let them go on and step back and say, well, somebody else will do it.

No, it is time for the Congress to do something about it now. To do otherwise is to abdicate our responsibility. Nobody at the Fed holds an election certificate. All of us do. It is time to take this thing by the charge.

The fact is, about $8,000 worth of credit card debt is what Americans are holding on average for people who have a revolving balance. That is a burden that people cannot sustain. The fact is, we would not be in this situation if we had the active regulation that Americans expect from their government.

We have seen now nearly 30 years of stagnating wages. Americans have had flat wages, on average, if you look at folks who are working hard every day to put food on the table. Because the wages have been flat, we haven't had the savings to buy the things that we need.

What has been happening is people have gone to their credit cards, and as we have gone to the credit cards, the credit card companies, some of them, have been using unfair, deceptive practices that have got to be brought to a stop now. If the Fed says they are wrong, they are wrong.

We shouldn't have to wait on them to tell us what to do. We should do our job.

I just want to thank Chairwoman Maloney and Chairman Frank for bringing this bill to the floor now. I hope this bill can be wrapped into the rescue that is being contemplated for the financial meltdown that is going on now.

This is what we should be doing, and it needs to go into effect now. We need to deal with the credit crisis now, and credit cards must be a part of it.

Madam Speaker, the gentleman from California has made the point that if this bill passes, that interest rates will go up and that credit availability will decline. Is the Congressman saying that credit card companies will retaliate against consumers with higher rates if Congress proscribes practices that even the Fed considers deceptive?

I yield to the gentleman from California.

Reclaiming my time, so for practices the Fed says are deceptive, if they are proscribed, you believe that is something that the credit card companies will react with interest rate increases on consumers for?

Madam Speaker, thank you again for allowing me to address this final point.

This issue that I put to our colleague and friend, Mr. Campbell, regarding whether or not deceptive practices, practices that have been deemed to be deceptive by the Fed and that are proscribed in this legislation today, whether these things will result in rate increases or lack of availability.

In fact, they will do the opposite, Madam Speaker. They will provide transparency, they'll provide fair rules, and most importantly, they will help to keep good lenders good.

If you have a good lender, a good credit card company who is playing fair and acting ethically, and yet their competitors are allowed to engage in universal default and things like this, the net result will be that they will be at a competitive disadvantage when they don't do these unethical practices, things that the Fed has deemed to be unfair. So it's very important that we keep a nice level playing field and maintain the high standards in the industry.

This is actually a bill that will help the credit card industry because it will send a signal that the rules are fair, even, and ethics are the priority.

Mr. Speaker, I know that it's protocol and important to thank the Chair of the committee and the ranking member, but today, I have to convey my very sincere and heartfelt thanks to Chairman Berman and to Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Of course, I have to also thank my dear friend Zach Wamp, who came to me many months ago and proposed that we offer this resolution together.

I believe this is an historic day, and I am deeply humbled. Other than the day that I had to come here before the House to talk about the collapse of our bridge in Minneapolis, I feel the most sense of emotion and of weight and of gravity today.

I also want to point out that this resolution that comes to the floor today takes place during a very special time for people of the Muslim faith, which is the month of Ramadan--a month of reflection, of fasting and, based on this resolution's coming to the floor, of good things as well.

The passion that my colleague Mr. Wamp and I share for this resolution may strike some Members as unusual, but it shouldn't. Indeed, as Members of Congress on different sides of the political aisle, Mr. Wamp and I may not always agree on policy, but we are two men who have come together as people of faith to highlight what we both believe are historic interfaith developments within the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.

In late 2007, 138 Muslim scholars from every sect of Islam, representing communities of faith in countries both friendly and hostile to the United States, sent a letter to Christian leaders everywhere, declaring common ground between our faiths and seeking dialogue among leaders of two traditions that represent nearly half the world's population.

Responding to that letter, some 300 Christian leaders, including many leaders in the United States, declared in November 2007 their appreciation and support for this historic outreach. In March 2008 the Vatican announced that the Pope had invited these scholars to a first- ever summit, which will meet in Rome in November 2008.

I believe the mutual respect by all participants in this effort holds tremendous transformative power, not only for relations between Christians and Muslims, but also for Islam's entire relationship with the West.

I believe it is in the best interests of the United States to support and encourage those efforts so that the world knows that our Nation stands with those people who reject extremism and violence and hate and embrace reconciliation.

Let me read from the resolution: ``It is the sense of Congress . . . that the United States encourages the many people of faith around the world who reject terrorism, radicalism, and extremism to join these and similar efforts to build a common bond based on peace, reconciliation and a commitment to tolerance . . . Furthermore, the United States appreciates those voices around the world who condemn terrorism, intolerance, genocide and ethnic and religious hatred, and instead commit themselves to global peace anchored in respect and understanding among the adherents of the three Abrahamic faiths,'' Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Today, our world knows too many people who are divided, rather than healed, by faith. I speak for myself, but I am sure most Members of the House would agree that our religious faith is a great source of strength and has the transformative effect of bringing people together, not pushing them apart.

I believe this resolution will serve to send a strong message to people everywhere that Members of the House stand in solidarity with members of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith as they confront ancient and modern divisions so that peace may prevail. It is brought up during a particularly special month for me.

I urge my colleagues to support this truly bipartisan resolution.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following:

Yesterday a Veteran Died

John Amiott, USAF 1967-1970

Yesterday a veteran died but the world hardly noticed. Age

or race or gender, it made no difference; soldier or sailor,

airman or marine, it made no difference.

Yesterday a veteran died. He was one of the millions, who,

over the centuries, interrupted his life to serve when his

country called.

Yesterday a veteran died. He wore his uniform with pride

and sense of purpose. He went where he was asked to go and

performed the duties for which he had been trained. He

committed to fight their fights and to safeguard their

secrets with a solemn oath that remained unbroken.

Yesterday a veteran died. He was changed forever by his

experiences but his society also changed. The lines of social

consciousness were redrawn, the old morality was altered and

by the time of his return he found different standards

applied.

Yesterday a veteran died. Like the hundreds of generations

before him and the endless roster of those who will follow,

he tried to make sense of the chaos and confusion created by

the metamorphous of a citizen turned warrior and then

returned to the life of a civilian.

Yesterday a veteran died. And, as with far too many of his

peers, the real conflict began when the tour of duty ended.

His personal battle would become a private hell; a hell born

from the memories of the reality of life in a shadow world. A

place where a chosen few practiced their craft; a world few

outsiders knew existed and even fewer understood. His was

that shadow world, the one he could never completely leave;

the one from which there was no escape.

Yesterday a veteran died. Now his soul would find the

elusive peace of mind and spirit for which he had been

searching. No longer will he awake, sweating and screaming in

the night, plagued by the nightmares of his past. No longer

will the ghosts of war haunt him, no longer will the cries of

conflict echo in his ears.

Yesterday a veteran died. When he is laid to rest an honor

guard will fire a rifle volley to mark his passing. And for

him the mournful wail of a bugle will sound one final time.

Yesterday a veteran died. He will face his God knowing he

served his country and did his best. The family and friends

he loved will weep and mourn their loss. And the world will

hardly notice that we have all been diminished.

Yesterday a veteran died. But with the grace of God and the

wisdom of nations, perhaps we are closer to the time when we

will no longer need to say, ``Yesterday a veteran died.''

And then, perhaps, finally, the world will notice.

Mr. Speaker, there is a real difference between the Democratic and Republican plans when it comes to energy. The comprehensive Democratic plan is an American-owned, 21st-century energy plan, and the Republican plan is not.

The Democratic plan lowers prices for consumers and protects taxpayers, expands renewable sources of energy, and increases our security by freeing America from the grip of foreign oil. Perhaps this is the problem with the objection to the Democratic plan: it requires Big Oil to pay what it owes taxpayers. It ends subsidies to Big Oil companies. Maybe some people don't like that. And it creates good- paying jobs here in America.

The Republican bill is more of the same old Bush-Cheney, two oilmen in the White House energy policy written by and for the oil companies. It is time to end that policy.

Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness I rise today to mourn the passing of Imam W.D. Mohammed--the spiritual leader for millions of American Muslims. Imam Mohammed was accepted by his followers to lead The Nation of Islam in 1975 after the passing of his father, Elijah Muhammad, leader and builder of The Nation of Islam. Imam Mohammed led Americans toward tolerance, inclusion and civic engagement.

In 1992 he delivered the very first Invocation in the United States Senate given by a Muslim. He gave an Islamic Prayer at both of President Clinton's Inaugural Interfaith Prayer Services.

His dedication to interfaith dialogue led him to address the Muslim- Jewish Conference in 1996 with leaders of Islam and Reform Judaism. He met with Pope John Paul II on two occasions including in 1999 on the ``eve of the New Millennium'' in St. Peter's Basilica with other world religious leaders. He served on the Advisory Panel for Religious Freedom Abroad, formed by then Secretary of State, Madeline Albright. He was at his best promoting religious freedom in America and abroad.

Imam Mohammed's loss is immense. His life was led and lived by his faith--a faith that inspired him to reach across the divides of many religions; to knock down the walls of division and search for the commonalities that all faiths share: peace and understanding.

The Imam believed he had a responsibility to speak out on the social issues of the day, taking it upon himself to apply scriptural interpretation to those issues. His leadership was recognized by all.

The world is smaller today because of the passing of the Imam. We all would do well to stop and listen to the lessons left behind by Imam W.D. Mohammed. May his soul continue to guide leaders and legions alike to the world of peace and understanding.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to congratulate the citizens of Richfield, Minnesota on the celebration of the city's 100th anniversary.

Richfield is a diverse, vibrant community whose history mirrors that of the State of Minnesota. Originally, the territory was inhabited by the Ojibwe and Dakota tribes, and, in the late 18th century, was claimed by the French. The territory was first settled in 1852 by Riley Bartholomew on the eastern shore of Wood Lake; the Bartholomew homestead remains there to this day, and is listed on the National and Minnesota Registers of Historic Places. In 1804, the territory was purchased by the United States Government from France as a part of the Louisiana Purchase, and in the years following, would become a village, revered for the fertile texture of its soil and its farming communities. Richfield's economy would remain focused on agricultural commodities until the conclusion of World War II.

Today, Richfield is a prosperous community, home to families, education facilities, businesses, community organizations, wetlands and parks. The city will celebrate its first century this year by remembering the past. In honor of the city's centennial, a statue of Charles W. Lindberg, who helped to raise the United States flag atop the island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945, will be dedicated at Veterans Park on July 4, 2009. The dedication will also include a memorial to all veterans from Richfield.

I am honored to represent the residents of Richfield, Minnesota in the United States House of Representatives, and I applaud everyone, past or present, who contributed to the history of this great city. I hope the events scheduled to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the city are enjoyed by all residents and I look forward to making the next 100 years just as successful as the previous century.

Madam Speaker, last August 1, 2007, at 6:05 p.m., the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota collapsed into the Mississippi River killing 13 people and injuring nearly 100 people. The 13 victims were mothers, fathers, children, workers, good people, each and all.

I ask my fellow colleagues to recognize a brief moment of silence to honor the victims and families of the tragic bridge collapse.

Madam Speaker, last year on August 1, 2007, at 6:05 p.m., the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River. Thirteen people lost their lives, injuring nearly 100 people. The 13 victims were mothers, fathers and children.

Last year on August 1, this day, we as a Nation were united in our grief for the victims. Today, the new I-35W bridge stands almost complete over the Mississippi River. I have had a chance to tour it, and it is a good-looking bridge. But we can never forget about the victims and the lessons that we have learned from the collapse.

We will be having a memorial today in Minneapolis for the victims, and we will be celebrating the fact that we have come back and been a resilient community after this collapse.

But I believe the tragic bridge collapse serves as a national call to action for our political leaders to focus on improving our domestic infrastructure. The time is now, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6309) to amend the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 to define environmental intervention blood lead level and establish additional requirements for certain lead hazard screens, and for other purposes, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise to strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6309, the Lead-Safe Housing Act of 2008.

Let me start by thanking Chairman Frank, Subcommittee Chair Waters, and Housing Subcommittee Ranking Member Shelley Capito, for all of their work on this legislation to protect low-income children in public housing from lead exposure. I also want to thank the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Dingell for their work on this bill as well.

H.R. 6309 requires that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, update its blood lead level intervention regulations to reflect the level used by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The legislation simply requires HUD to update its blood lead regulations from the current 20 micrograms per deciliter to 10 micrograms per deciliter. The Center for Disease Control, the CDC, has that as their recommended threshold. Or if the CDC updates their standard to a lower number, that lower number.

Madam Speaker, this legislation is long overdue. The CDC, in 1991, 17 years ago, determined that a blood lead level of 10 micrograms per deciliter was the threshold for potential damage in children. Lead poisoning causes destructive physical, intellectual and behavior problems, including weight loss, decrease in IQ, hyperactivity, lethargy, and even sometimes, Madam Speaker, death. In fact, a 4-year- old young man swallowed a lead charm and died in my district a couple years ago.

Lead poisoning is one of the largest environmental hazards affecting children in America today, and it is also one of the most preventable hazards. Madam Speaker, our most vulnerable children often face a greater risk of being exposed to lead. Children of color, children from low-income families are more likely to reside in older homes, and these homes are much more likely to contain lead paint.

Thanks to congressional action in the 1990s, our country has seen significant progress in reduction of children exposed to lead. Between 1991 and 1994, 4.4 percent of children under six, or more than 800,000 children, had unacceptably high levels of lead in their blood of 10 micrograms per deciliter or higher.

The CDC now estimates that this number has dropped to 1.6 percent of children or more than 300,000 children. That's progress, but progress is not enough. Though this is progress, 300,000 children are still 300,000 too many; 1 is too many.

Madam Speaker, my legislation is just one attempt to tackle the problem. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to some day eradicate this problem of elevated blood lead levels in children. This legislation is supported by numerous organizations from the Children's Defense Fund to the Sierra Club.

Madam Speaker, let me just note that challenging and reducing childhood lead exposure will help our society lower the number of children who have reduce IQ because of this exposure, reduced hyperactivity, reduce children experiencing impulse control, and all of these things have implications for our juvenile court system and our adult court system, not to mention shutting off, closing down the tremendous potential that is locked up in every child.

Madam Speaker, with that I reserve the balance of my time.

Let me also thank the gentleman from California. Madam Speaker, it's wonderful when we can come together on both sides of the aisle to protect our children. In fact, one of the most important things we can do is to protect community and children, and so I am honored to be able to share the floor with the gentleman tonight.

With that, Madam Speaker, let me just thank all of the community groups that came forward, including Sierra Club, Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota, and many others who have come to make this moment possible.

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

Madam Chairman, I rise today to strongly urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3999, the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act. But let me start by thanking my fellow Minnesotan, Chairman Oberstar, for his vision. It would be much better if we had listened to him so long ago. We wouldn't be in this critical infrastructure crisis that we have today.

But, unfortunately, we have events that have focused our attention, and we cannot dare to take our eyes off the tragedy before us. I heard Chairman Oberstar quote a famous American who said, it's a tragedy to lose the opportunity----

A tragedy is indeed a terrible thing to waste. Whenever a tragedy befalls us, it does not do proper justice and honor to the victims of that tragedy to not learn from it and to do better into the future.

As the world knows, the tragic collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge occurred in the Fifth Congressional District, my home district, less than a year ago on August 1, 2007. During the evening rush hour, the Interstate 35 bridge collapsed, 13 Minnesotans lost their lives and over 100 individuals were injured.

It has been widely reported that the 35W bridge was ``structurally deficient.'' Even more disturbing is that according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, one of every eight bridges across the Nation is structurally deficient.

In my home State of Minnesota, about 10 percent of our 13,000 bridges are rated structurally deficient, so the problem of structurally deficient bridges and deficient bridges is a real issue to me and my constituents. It could and should be yours as well.

Investing in our infrastructure and fixing our Nation's bridges demands our attention today so that our communities across the Nation can be spared the trauma that my district and my State had to bear last August.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 3999. This legislation strengthens the inspection requirements and standards on our Nation's bridges. It requires that all Americans involved in bridge inspections receive appropriate training.

The bill also requires bridge inspections every 2 years and even more frequently for structurally deficient bridges. There will be some critics who will say that we cannot afford to meet our infrastructure needs.

In reality, Mr. Chairman, as you understand, we cannot afford to not meet our infrastructure needs.