Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great public servant--Bellevue, Nebraska Mayor Ed Babbitt. Ed passed away suddenly this week.

Ed was born on a farm near Elliot, Iowa and earned a degree in business administration from what is now the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He received a master's in business administration from Creighton University.

He has four wonderful children and has been married to his devoted wife Barbara since 1962. Robyn and I have Barbara and the family in our thoughts and prayers.

Ed was elected to the Bellevue City Council in 1974; he served for eight years and then returned to the council in 1992. He was elected Mayor in 2006 by defeating a two-term incumbent in one of the year's biggest upsets.

As mayor of Nebraska's third largest city his love for his family, community and the people around him was always evident. He was a dedicated public servant who had big dreams for Bellevue's future.

Over the years he worked hard to make the city of Bellevue what it is today--a city of growth, suburb quality of life and pro business. His work will not be forgotten and his memory shall live on forever. Ed, thanks for your tireless work, Bellevue and all your friends will miss you.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of the Department of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2010 (H.R. 2998).

My Congressional District received $500,000 for the City of Omaha Public Works Department, located at 1819 Farnam Street, Suite 600, Omaha, NE 68183. This money is from the State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) account, and will be used by the City of Omaha for the design and construction of improvements to portions of the City's combined sewer system. These projects will allow the City of Omaha to reduce the amount of sewage overflowing to receiving streams. These efforts are consistent with the latest requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) to achieve the goal of improved water quality in the United States.

There's a vigorous debate about the anthropologic impact on our climate. I believe that we do have an obligation to reduce CO2, if we can. But this must be balanced with an equal obligation to treat our constituents in a manner that preserves our Nation's economic competitiveness.

Advocates for the cap-and-trade bill state that it will not significantly increase economic burdens on our constituents. This is just not true. The cap-and-tax bill also contains a renewable electric standard and other elements which will significantly increase costs to utilities and consumers. The Omaha Public Power District in my district conducted an independent

analysis of the cost to my constituents, free of political interference like the one put out by the EPA.

Even with the free allowances allocated under the Waxman-Markey cap- and-tax bill, Nebraskans will have to suffer a $74 million bill in 2012, and increased to $410 million a year by 2030 in the most optimistic case.

Vote against this bill.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate working with the gentlewoman from California. We work on a lot of our health bills together. That's the spirit of comity in the Energy and Commerce Committee.

It is with great pride that I rise today in support of the House Concurrent Resolution 109, honoring the 20th anniversary of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in the Nation's Capital and its transition to the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure on June 6, 2009.

So this Saturday, here in Washington, D.C., D.C. will be the host of the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure, and participants will be walking, running, volunteering, and even sleeping to help raise money for breast cancer research, education and community awareness. More than 50,000 participants, including 4,000 breast cancer survivors and hundreds of congressional and Federal agency employees are expected for the 20th annual 5K walk on the National Mall.

I would like to at this point inject that Omaha, Nebraska's Susan G. Komen race is in October when it will be a little cooler. We like running and walking, and our office has a team for that race. I would encourage every congressional office, in their districts, to field a team to help raise awareness and research for breast cancer.

My mother was a breast cancer survivor until a different cancer got her a year ago. So I would like to express my gratitude for the $1.3 billion the Susan G. Komen for the Cure has invested, helping more people survive the disease and creating strong community support for breast cancer survivors.

Publicly and privately funded research has resulted in the treatment that has raised the 5-year survival rate for women with localized breast cancer from 80 percent in the 1950s to nearly 98 percent as we stand here today.

I would like to thank the author of the resolution, Mr. Gerald Connolly of Virginia, for his leadership in honoring the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further speakers. I will just say that I really appreciate the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for coming down to the floor and speaking about her personal experiences. The courage that she has in speaking about this openly, educating people across the country, she's very special; and I'm glad she came down.

I want to congratulate all of the D.C. employees of our staffs that will be participating in the Race for the Cure this weekend. I wish them well. Raise lots of money. This is one of the truly great organizations, and it is the symbol of grassroots efforts for a cure for breast cancer. I wish them well this weekend as well as all of the other walks and runs that will occur in most cities across the Nation over the next few months.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I, too, rise in support of House Resolution 437, acknowledging the month of May as National Mental Health Month.

Mental health has been recognized by Congress for over 50 years and has continued to raise awareness in our communities and lower the stigma associated with mental disorders. I would like to express my gratitude to the national and community organizations working to promote public awareness of mental health and providing the proper information for families affected by mental illness. Your work is critical to increasing the quality of life for those with mental illness. I would like to thank the author of the resolution, Mrs. Grace Napolitano, who was a classmate of mine, for her leadership in helping Americans while addressing mental disorders. I encourage all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

We greatly appreciate the gentlelady from California's comments. And it was very striking that out of the age group of ninth- grade to eleventh-grade young ladies in that demographic that one in three would contemplate suicide. That is just stunning.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has a real asset on mental health as well as an advocate for treatment, awareness and education in the gentleman from Pennsylvania who is our resident psychologist on the committee. We use him a great deal.

And I would yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Tim Murphy).

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Tim Murphy) may control the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the establishment of the Omaha District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 75 years ago. Since that time, the Omaha District of the Corps has performed admirably in a wide range of duties, and today manages more than a billion dollars worth of civil works, military construction, and environmental restoration projects. Members of the Omaha District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers currently serve in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the Global War on Terror.

When the Omaha District was established in 1934, its initial mission was the construction of the Fort Peck Dam in Montana. That project was the first of many that resulted in the construction of a total of 6 dams along the main stem of the Missouri River that provided necessary jobs during the Great Depression. This was just part of the Corps' efforts to harness the mighty Missouri River basin through construction of a vast set of engineering projects

which control flooding, facilitate commerce by improving navigation, generate electricity, and spur agriculture. These projects evolved into a flood control system that has prevented over $25 billion in flood damages to date.

During World War II and the Cold War, the Omaha District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was involved in numerous aspects of our nation's defense. It constructed the assembly plant for the B-29 Superfortress and the B-26 Marauder, and gained technical expertise in constructing runways which proved valuable for Army Air Force training. The Omaha District also was involved in the construction of the Northern Area Defense Command in Colorado, facilities for Space Command, and various missile control and launch facilities throughout the Midwest. Following the Cold War, the Omaha District helped lead on environmental remediation by removing ordnance from closed bombing ranges, containing below ground chemical plumes, and remediating landfills and wetlands.

In 1982, the Corps added environmental cleanup to its mission. Since that time the Corps has provided technical expertise to the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund cleanup projects. In fact, the Corps' Omaha District became the Center of Expertise for Hazardous and Toxic Waste. Individuals trained at this facility have assisted in EPA environmental cleanup of projects in California and Pennsylvania. The Omaha District continues to take the lead in remediation of hazardous, toxic, and radioactive waste sites in current and former military sites.

For 75 years, the Omaha District has answered the nation's call for service. I commend the Omaha District Corps' continued commitment to military construction, improving civil works and environmental restoration both in Nebraska and throughout our nation under the current leadership of Colonel David Press. The Omaha District of the U.S. Corps of Engineers has earned the recognition of Congress on the celebration of the 75th anniversary of its founding.

Madam Speaker, it is my honor today to recognize the 10th anniversary of the death of Harry Francis Cunningham, Jr., a patriotic American, a great Nebraskan and an unsung hero.

Harry Francis Cunningham devoted 31 years to the U.S. Foreign Service, serving in posts in Hungary, Spain, Germany, Vietnam, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Canada during the tumultuous times of 1938-1969. During that time, Mr. Cunningham was personally responsible for the safety and survival of many families. At the tender age of 25, Mr. Cunningham was able to accomplish feats only achieved by real heroes, and through his noble actions, countless Jewish lives were saved.

One example of Mr. Cunningham's many accomplishments is the story of Mr. Zoltan Roth and Mrs. Elizabeth Foldes, two people that he helped escape Hungary just before the onslaught of World War II.

Both Zoltan and Elizabeth were graduate medical students seeking to escape Europe for America and facing dire circumstances. Both were brilliant students, but were banned by Hungarian medical school quotas against Jews. Instead, both graduated with honors from their respective schools, Zoltan from the University of Bologna in Italy and Elizabeth from Charles Medical University in Prague.

Upon her graduation, Elizabeth had been accepted at Columbia University in New York City to do graduate studies. She and Zoltan were about to be married, and wanted to come to America together. When she arrived at the American Embassy in Budapest, however, she learned for the first time that her student visa was unattainable. Six years before, her mother had, without Elizabeth's knowledge or consent, signed her up for permanent residency status and this had nullified the student visa process. A person applying for a student visa could not have signaled a desire to remain permanently. Their plight looked hopeless. They made an appointment, again at the American Embassy in Budapest, this time, fortuitously, being assigned to a Foreign Service Officer, who turned out to be Harry Francis Cunningham, Jr., 25 years old and on his first post. Creatively, Mr. Cunningham readjusted their visas giving Zoltan Roth, Elizabeth's permanent visa that she had not known about, as well as a quota number so he could leave Hungary within the next couple of months, freeing up her student visa application for her, and allowing them both entry into the United States.

Because of his kindness and creativity, Elizabeth and Zoltan came to the United States, each practicing medicine in Reading, Pennsylvania for over 50 years, they were generous philanthropists and community citizens. They raised three daughters who have been teachers, professors, authors, lecturers and leaders in the world-wide medical support community.

This was just one example of how Mr. Cunningham was able to assist refugees after the war by providing them safe entry into America to start new and productive lives.

Mr. Cunningham received a bachelor's of arts degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1933 and was awarded an UNL Alumni Achievement award in 1984. He was a former trustee of the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation and the UNL Alumni Association. He served on the Bishop's committee and was a church warden at St. Mark's Campus Episcopal Church.

Mr. Cunningham comes from a strong Nebraskan family as well. His father, Col. Harry Cunningham, took over the Nebraska State Capitol project after the death of Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. He is survived by 11 grand children and 8 great grand children, several of which are still living in Nebraska.

Many families owe their survival, and the lives of their children and grandchildren, to Mr. Cunningham. So it is my true honor to remember this unsung hero here today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute to four of my constituents who have touched the hearts of countless members of the ``Greatest Generation'' and their families.

Bill and Evonne Williams and John and Connie Liebsack organized the Heartland Honor Flight program a few years ago. Since 2008, in conjunction with the Nebraska Veterans of Foreign Wars, five separate flights of nearly 750 World War II veterans have been brought to Washington, D.C. to visit the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington and the World War II Memorial on the National Mall. By the end of this April, another 750 veterans will have made an Honor Flight visit to Washington, and there are still veterans on a waiting list.

These men and women, most of who are seeing the World War II Memorial for the first time, are often moved to tears as they recall their war time experiences in Europe and the South Pacific and the comrades they knew who sacrificed for our liberty and freedom. Many of them, for the first time, open up to their loved ones about how their service to our Nation has affected them and their lives all these years.

Madam Speaker, it is important to note that this undertaking is entirely underwritten by private donations. Airfare, meals, and medical assistance are provided free to these veterans--nearly $1 million has been raised so far. Across America, we lose more than 1,000 WWII veterans each day so it is vital those who are still among us have an opportunity to visit the Memorial. The Honor Flight network has the goal to bring 25,000 WWII veterans to the Memorial in 2009. How has this been accomplished? Through the hard work, dedication and compassion of people like Bill and Evonne Williams and John and Connie Liebsack.

It is an honor for me to come to this floor and pay tribute to Bill, Evonne, John and Connie and the many other volunteers from Nebraska who have gone the extra mile to fulfill the dreams of WWII veterans. I congratulate them on their achievements and I call on all of my colleagues to offer them encouragement and support as they continue to bring as many veterans as possible to Washington in the coming months.

Let's go over the chronology of events here.

We had a stimulus bill that was 1,100 pages, and there was a provision within the stimulus bill that was the opposite of the intentions of the House and the Senate, where language from the original versions and intentions of the House were stripped out in the middle of the night with only a few people in the room, which we have now subsequently learned that at least two of the people in the room were Secretary Geithner of the White House's Cabinet, and Senator Dodd.

Now, I heard an earlier speaker, the gentleman from California, saying something about how we are deriding this one statement. They are right, because this one statement protected the bonuses, specifically protected the bonuses that became the outrage of America.

This stimulus bill, with this language protecting it that was inserted by the White House and Senator Dodd, who has received about $200,000 in campaign contributions from AIG, by the way, that doesn't get mentioned on the floor too much. This was then brought to the floor, 1,100 pages, put before this body without an opportunity to read, a promise to us and American people that we would have 48 hours to read a complex bill when we had very few hours to read this bill.

And now we are in what we call the coverup or cover your rear stage, because the people who voted for that stimulus are now running for cover.

We went through this exercise a week or so ago when we wanted to tax the bonuses at 90 percent. And so I ask the original so- called author, ostensible author of this bill, Mr. Grayson, if he even read the bill. And I would yield to Mr. Grayson for an answer.

Okay. I guess we won't get an answer of whether or not he read the bill.

What we found out is that now the public is still outraged because they are mad at the coverup between the Cabinet and Senator Dodd and this body's participation in it. So we are going to take now an extra measure in our CYA efforts and develop a bill that now will make the Federal Government intrude to the very core of any business that accepted a dollar of TARP dollars, where now the Treasury comes in without any expertise and sets the salaries for the secretaries on up.

Will the gentleman yield?

Would the gentleman yield for a clarification?

For a clarification, when you said brought to markup, are you referring to the so-called Grayson bill that you brought to the markup, or the original stimulus?

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks received as part of H.R. 1105, Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009.

Name of the Requesting Member: Lee Terry.

The bill number: H.R. 1105, Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009.

Project Name: Special Olympics Educational Programs.

Amount Requested: $6,000,000.

The legal name and address of requesting entity: 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games 8801 F Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127.

Description of earmark: The request I made was for the 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games to assist in funding the Special Olympics' Second USA National Games. This money would be spent on logistics, security, transportation, housing and meals for athletes during the 2010 games in Nebraska. It is my understanding that this project, which included my name as a requestor, is for Special Olympics educational programs that can be integrated into classroom instruction and for activities to increase the participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities, as authorized under the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act.

The public has an absolute right to be upset, and I share that. But let's look at the facts here. This language that specifically allows the bonuses was written into the stimulus, with the righteous indignation of my colleagues and friends on the Democrat side now demagoguing what they voted for and put in.

Another fact: no Republican was allowed in the room when that conference report was actually written. We do know four people that were involved in writing that: one was Senator Reid, Senator Dodd, who has claimed responsibility for that language and accepted $200,000 in donations from AIG; we know Speaker Pelosi was in the room; and we know Barney Frank was, too, probably Secretary Geithner.

Another fact was that the original language, before it got into that private little room, said that bonuses would be banned. But yet they replaced it with specific language allowing the bonuses.

So what we see here today, with the people who actually voted for the bonuses, is a little CYA, a disingenuous attempt to cover their rears.

Mr. Speaker, the level of hypocrisy is astounding here. The resolution before us asks us to agree by our vote that the President is properly exercising all of the authorities granted to him by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, which did ban bonuses and golden parachutes.

What we do know is, the conference report, which was on a complete partisan basis adopted and signed by the President, had protection of bonuses to AIG written into it.

Now what we don't know is how the language that was previously in the stimulus was taken out in conference secretively and this language put in. We do know that Senator Dodd was part of it because he has come out publicly and said I accept responsibility for putting this language in.

Now, we don't know who came----

So we know that Senator Dodd put this language in, but we don't know at whose request. But he has said at the President's request, probably through Geithner. So I can't in good conscience vote for this saying what the President has done through Secretary Geithner is appropriate.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks received as part of H.R. 1105, Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009.

Name of the Requesting Member: Lee Terry

The bill number: H.R. 1105, Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009.

Project Name: Combined Sewer Separation

Amount: $650,000

The legal name and address of requesting entity: City of Omaha, Nebraska--Public Works Department 1819 Farnam Street, Omaha, NE 68183

Description of earmark: To be used for the design and construction of improvements to portions of the City's combined sewer system. These projects will allow the City of Omaha to reduce the amount of sewage overflowing to receiving streams. The Combined Sewer Overflow Controls project is consistent with the latest requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) to achieve the goal of improved water quality in the United States. The NDEQ has issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) CSO Permit to the City of Omaha for its regional wastewater treatment system. A Consent Order with NDEQ requires Omaha to implement a Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) to reduce the impact of wastewater discharges on the water quality of the Missouri River and the Papillion Creek. Specific activities for 2009 include: the Webster Street storm sewer extension, a new South Omaha force main sewer, and other projects to be determined. The combined sewer system is restricted to the eastern portion of the City of Omaha and serves approximately 130,000 people. Wet weather conditions result in discharge of raw sewage into the environment and residents' basements. Upon completion, the planned projects will reduce the CSO volume to the Missouri River; improve the water quality and the community's public health. Based on critical necessity for the design and construction of the sewer overflow improvements, the City is requesting this federal funding.

Name of the Requesting Member: Lee Terry

The bill number: H.R. 1105, Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009.

Project Name: 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games

Amount: $238,000

The legal name and address of requesting entity: 2010 Special Olympics USA National Games 8801 F Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68127.

Description of earmark: Money to be used to assist in funding the Special Olympics' Second USA National Games in 2010. The money will be spent on logistics, security, transportation, housing and meals for athletes. The Special Olympics has previously been funded by the U.S. Congress and the nation has an

interest in developing all of our human capital, an opportunity which the Special Olympics USA National Games provides.

Name of the Requesting Member: Lee Terry

The bill number: H.R. 1105, Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009.

Project Name: UNMC Environmental Health Informatics Data Base

Amount: $238,000

The legal name and address of requesting entity: UNMC 987680 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198

Description of earmark: Money will be used to create a Midwest Health Informatics database to assess environmental influences on the development of diseases by collecting health information from 50,000 Midwesterners. This database would be the first research cohort in the Midwest to study the relationship between rural populations, the environment, and disease development. This project could reveal environmental factors responsible for birth defects or lymphoma, a cancer with high incidence in Nebraska. The data will provide valuable information on the factors influencing development of deadly diseases like cancer.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in order to honor a great constituent in my district, Mr. Ernie Chambers.

Ernie Chambers is a former Nebraska State Senator and current member of the Omaha Learning Community.

As a member of the Nebraska legislature, he served longer than any other member had and up until this year, he was the Legislature's lone African-American member. As a State Senator, he was a voice for the residents of north Omaha and he always asked the tough questions. While some of his colleagues might have disagreed with him from time to time, he earned their respect and demonstrated a great passion in his work.

Mr. Chambers is a graduate of Omaha Central High School and Creighton University School of Law. It is my pleasure to recognize State Senator Ernie Chambers and thank him for his years of service to the great city of Omaha.

Madam Speaker, Black History Month provides a wonderful opportunity to recognize the many successful and talented African- Americans in my district. Today it is my great honor to recognize one in particular--Mr. Ben Gray.

Ben Gray is an outstanding advocate for the youth of Omaha, Nebraska. After graduating from high school, Gray joined the U.S. Air Force. In 1973, he joined KETV television station located in Omaha. During his time at KETV, he worked his way from photo lab assistant to news photographer and producer and host of ``Kaleidoscope'', a weekly half- hour public service program. He has received local and nation awards as a reporter and photographer.

Ben is actively involved with at-risk youth volunteering his time with C.W. Boxing Club. He is also Chairman of the Omaha Public Schools African-American Achievement Council, a group that works to close the achievement gap between black and white students. Ben is a familiar face, as he remains active in promoting equal rights and helping students to achieve success. He is active, involved and committed to helping children and bettering our community. Our nation would benefit from more people like Ben.