Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Charles W. Durham of Omaha, who died this past weekend at the age of 90.

Charles ``Chuck'' Durham was one of Omaha's outstanding residents. He was a community leader, visionary, philanthropist, businessman, and family man. He loved the City of Omaha, and all of us in the community loved Chuck and Margre Durham for their humble, genuine ways, in addition to their many gifts to our city.

Chuck Durham was raised in Ames, Iowa and attended Iowa State University, where he acquired two important assets--a degree in engineering and his wife and lifelong companion, Margre Henningson. He joined the Omaha-based engineering firm of Margre's dad and built the firm into one of America's largest engineering firms--HDR Inc.

HDR Inc., under the leadership of Chuck Durham, became an international powerhouse architectural and engineering firm, designing medical, military, and public works projects around the world. One area of expertise of the firm was designing hospitals and medical facilities, and many of our Omaha hospitals, notably Omaha Methodist Hospital were designed by HDR Inc.

The Durham Research Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in midtown Omaha is one of the most advanced medical research centers in the world, but it is just one of the facilities in Omaha that benefited from the generosity of Chuck and Margre Durham. The Henry Doorly Zoo, the Durham Museum, and the Durham Science Center at the University of Nebraska--Omaha are among many facilities that Chuck Durham brought to reality. Finally, we will always remember the many photos of Chuck with his faithful dog, Tina, at his side--a lasting symbol of his love and concern for animals and their welfare.

Madam Speaker, Chuck's vision, energy, and the sharing of his resources with our community will be a part of Omaha forever. We mourn his passing, as we celebrate his life among us. Robyn and I extend our heartfelt sympathies and prayers to his children, Steve, Sunny, Lindy, and Debby during this time of loss.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague, Congressman Towns (NY-10) on the introduction of the Poison Center Support, Enhancement, and Awareness Act of 2008 which provides the necessary funding to operate poison control centers across the country.

First, I want to thank Mr. Towns for his leadership on this issue. As a fellow member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and a member of the Health Subcommittee, his expertise and experience with public health matters is much appreciated.

Poison Control Centers throughout the United States play a critical role in saving lives, especially of children. Poisoning is the second leading form of unintentional death in the United States and an estimated 60 percent of those exposures are experienced by children under the age of 6 who are exposed to toxins in their home. Commonly ingested items found in the home include cleaning supplies, cosmetics, and pesticides.

Poison centers are manned by medical professionals 24 hours a day. Toxicologists at these centers have access to a computerized information retrieval system with over 800,000 products. These professionals are then able to assess poison risk, advise treatment and/or triage patients, recommend treatment or refer them to appropriate medical facilities.

The Nebraska Regional Poison Center, established in 1957, serves Nebraska, Wyoming, American Samoa, and Federated States of Micronesia and provides 24-hour emergency and information hotline services. Last year alone, they received 40,129 calls and provided guidance and helped diagnose victims of accidental poisonings. Approximately 75 percent of calls to the Nebraska Regional Poison Center were able to be treated safely at home. In 2007, the Nebraska Regional Poison Center estimates that its services saved patients about $22 million in healthcare costs. Poison control centers save money by eliminating or reducing the number of unnecessary trips to emergency departments.

Madam Speaker, this bill provides the funding needed to reauthorize the poison center national toll-free number, national media campaign, and grant program to provide assistance for poison prevention. This legislation not only saves lives, but it saves millions of dollars a year in unnecessary costs. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and have it considered on the House floor.

Mr. Speaker, today the House is considering H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act. I strongly support the mental health community and believe that millions of Americans living with mental health illness and addiction need access to treatment. Screening and early treatment remains an important and cost-effective way of combating mental health illness and addiction.

Unfortunately, the bill before us today seeks to extend mental health treatment by stifling innovation, increasing health insurance cost to employers and employees and mandates that ALL diagnoses, such as `jet lag' and `caffeine intoxication' listed in the DSM-IV be covered.

A provision in H.R. 1424 also seeks to limit physician ownership in hospitals, regardless of whether those hospitals are in rural or small communities. Physician owned hospitals strive to eliminate preventable complications and errors in order to improve patient care. Specialty care hospitals are an integral part of our community in Nebraska. They provide quality care and help keep costs down. A February article in Forbes highlighted a University of Iowa study which found that tens of thousands of Medicare patients' complication rates for hip and knee surgeries were 40 percent lower at specialty hospitals than at other hospitals.

Mr. Speaker, unlike the Senate bill which requires that insurance companies consider all mental ailments listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the legislation before us goes one step further by requiring groups which offer mental health benefits to cover all diagnoses under the DSM-IV, this includes disorders such as `jet lag' and `caffeine intoxication.' Furthermore, groups would be required to extend current mental health benefits regardless of religious or moral objections they may have to paying for the treatment of psycho-sexual disorders or dubious complaints of less serious problems.

Finally, the bill would increase health insurance costs. The CBO estimates that by 2012, H.R. 1424 would cost $3 billion annually, a cost which would be passed on to employers and employees.

I am concerned that the government mandate currently proposed by H.R. 1424, though well-intentioned, could actually reduce access to mental health care. Many health plans are already responding to customer demand by gradually implementing greater coverage of mental health treatments. Mandating that such coverage would be immediately equal with medical and surgical benefits could force some plans to drop mental health benefits altogether leaving Americans in need of coverage with none at all.

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to come to this floor and vote for a Mental Health Parity bill like the one I supported in the Energy and Commerce Committee last fall. Unfortunately, this is not the same legislation, and therefore I must reluctantly oppose it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 942, a resolution recognizing the significance of Black History Month.

It is a time to reflect on and honor the important contributions African-Americans have made to our Nation. We should especially take note of the extraordinary people who continue to help build our great Nation.

Of the thousands of African-Americans in my District, I have the privilege of representing two individuals and an outstanding group: Marguerita Washington and Rudy Smith, both of Omaha, and the Alfonza W. Davis chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, based in Omaha.

Dr. Marguerita Washington is the editor of the Omaha Star newspaper in Omaha. The paper has been in existence for more than 69 years and is Nebraska's largest African-American newspaper. The policy of the Omaha Star has been to print only positive news and to be a vigilant champion for African-American progress. The paper is located in the heart of Omaha's African-American community.

The Omaha Star was founded by the late Mildred D. Brown in 1938. She is believed to be the first female, certainly the first African- American woman, to have founded a newspaper in the Nation's history. When Mrs. Brown expired unexpectedly in 1989, the paper was then placed in the very capable hands of Dr. Marguerita Washington, her niece, who now heads the newspaper.

Dr. Washington and the Omaha Star work for equal rights for all; the paper was on the forefront, leading the charge to open public accommodations to African-Americans, including hotels, restaurants, theaters and taverns. The paper was instrumental in working with Omaha Public Schools to ensure that black teachers had equal participation. Dr. Washington also worked hard to get the Omaha Star landmark status in the city of Omaha and the State of Nebraska.

Rudy Smith has lived in Omaha since age 6 and has been an Omaha World Herald photographer and editor for more than 40 years. He is in the process of completing a book of his photographs, many of which have been exhibited at black colleges, universities and museums around the country. As a journalist and photographer he has captured images of some of America's greatest heroes.

Rudy was more than just a photographer; he was able to chronicle historic moments in Omaha. Every picture he takes is a moment; each special moment holds a lifetime of memories that lives on after the moment has passed. Each of his photographs is a window to a memory and has the ability to deeply connect you to the beauty of life itself. His talent is endless.

Omaha native Alphonza Davis graduated from Omaha Tech High School and later Omaha University. He finished first in his class at Tuskegee and was chosen squadron leader. He was killed in combat in 1944 while over in Germany. The local Tuskegee Airmen chapter in Omaha is named after him.

The chapter is one of 45 nationwide, and its membership includes four original Tuskegee Airmen. They are LTC (Ret) Paul Adams, LTC (Ret) Charles A. Lane, Jr., LTC (Ret) Harrison A. Tull, and Mr. Robert D. Holts. These members continue their service to our community by mentoring and working with youth through the local Civil Air Patrol.

The Tuskegee Airmen and their record of success during the war are unmatched. Not a single American bomber protected by the Red Tails was ever shot down by enemy aircraft. By war's end, the Tuskegee Airmen had flown over 15,000 sorties, completed over 1,500 missions and destroyed more than 260 enemy aircraft.

I join my colleagues in recognizing these and the millions of African-Americans in our country for their numerous achievements throughout history, today and the future. This designation is only a small token of the thanks they deserve for all of their contributions to our society. I urge the adoption of H. Res. 942.

Madam Chairman, I rise to express my opposition to H.R. 3524, the HOPE VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2007.

After speaking with the Omaha Housing Authority in my District, I have been informed that the changes in the bill are overly prescriptive and potentially burdensome for the community of Omaha.

In particular the one-for-one replacement of public housing units that is required under this bill is simply not feasible. This legislation requires one-for-one replacement of units that are demolished under the proposed plan on the original site or within the jurisdiction of the public housing authority. H.R. 3524 also mandates that one-third of the units that are constructed as a part of the mixed-income community revitalization plan remain public housing units.

One particular area where the Omaha Housing Authority would like to apply a HOPE IV grant to is the Pleasant View area. I am told that there are 190 units in Pleasant View that are in need of demolition, however, with the overly burdensome regulation of the one-to-one replacement requirement prescribed in this bill, the OHA would not be able to feasibly perform this demolition. These units are currently not occupied, so with the inclusion of Mr. Neugebauer's amendment we would at least have some relief in this area.

I commend my colleague, Randy Neugebauer, for his amendment that would apply the one-to-one replacement requirement for units demolished under this program only to units that are occupied prior to demolition.

Another very problematic change for the Housing Authority in Omaha included in this legislation would be the compliance with the Green Communities rating system. As you know, this legislation requires the proposed revitalization plan to comply with the mandatory and non- mandatory items of the National Green Community checklist for residential construction and the mandatory and non-mandatory components of version 2.2 of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building system for New Construction and Major Renovations.

The mandatory green building requirements for Green Communities and the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) will drive up development costs and threaten the viability of this important housing program in Omaha reducing the actual number of units that can be built.

Because of the vital importance of protecting housing affordability and keeping green building flexible, functional and effective, I will be voting against this bill as is and urge a ``no'' vote to my colleagues.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Fair Funding for Schools Act, a law designed to build upon the important strides for local school districts that have been taken over the past 57 years by the Impact Aid program.

Because people living on Federal property do not pay local property taxes, often do not pay State income taxes, and have the ability to shop for groceries and other necessities at a base PX that does not charge sales tax, local school districts are left without a funding source they otherwise would have. The Impact Aid Program is designed to replace the lost tax revenue that local school districts depend on to provide a free pubic education to the communities they serve. Impact Aid has provided nearly $25 million dollars in funding for schools throughout my district, and over $1.2 billion for the more than 1,400 school districts currently receiving Impact Aid funding.

Impact Aid is the most efficient education program because money is wired directly from the Department of Education to the school's bank accounts, avoiding administrative costs at the State level. There are no strings attached to the money and local schools can use it in any way the school board sees fit. In the past this money has been used for such necessities as construction, salaries and supplies. As a leading member and co-chair of the House Impact Aid Coalition and the father of children receiving a public education, I understand the importance of this money to schools in my district and districts across the country.

The current re-authorization proposed by Congresswoman Hirono and me makes an already strong program even stronger and more efficient. Our proposal eliminates duplicative provisions that are no longer necessary, corrects a major error in the previous reauthorizations allocation formula, updates the law to meet the challenges of base realignments and troop deployments currently faced by this Nation, and it simplifies and reforms a number of provisions to the law that ensures a smooth road ahead for school districts that rely on this money as an integral part of their budgets.

I would also like to mention the important contributions to this reauthorization made by Congressman Chet Edwards and Congressman John Carter of Texas. The insight they provided proved to be invaluable as we met with people involved in drafting our proposal. The suggestions of Congressman Carter and Congressman Edwards strengthen this reauthorization and ensure that it will meet the needs of all the school districts affected by Impact Aid.

The Congress must continue to recognize the sacrifice our men and women in uniform make for all of us and provide their children with the best education possible. The Fair Funding for Schools Act achieves that goal, in Nebraska, Hawaii and every other State in the Union that receives Impact Aid dollars. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank Chairman Dingell, Baron Hill, John Campbell and others for their assistance in negotiating the landmark fuel economy provisions in this bill. Without the hard work of these Members, we would not have been able to reform our Nation's fuel economy standards in a manner that increases fuel economy by 40 percent while preserving jobs and vehicle choice. The Hill-Terry fuel economy reforms will reduce overall gasoline consumption and its attendant carbon emissions, goals that Members of both parties support.

This bill also has strong energy efficiency provisions, which like the Hill-Terry fuel economy reforms, will reduce demand for energy in the long term. While I support and will vote for the bill for these reasons, I am extremely disappointed this bill does nothing to address the supply side of energy. By not addressing the supply side of energy security, this bill is woefully deficient in preparing America for a future in which our energy supply must grow to continue supporting our domestic manufacturing base, as well as a future and present where other nations are locked in an ongoing competition around the world to secure energy resources for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that the Hill-Terry fuel economy reforms will help reduce the amount of gasoline our Nation imports. I am also proud of the increased renewable fuels standard, which will encourage more production of ethanol and biodiesel to further reduce demand for foreign imports. But these provisions coupled with energy efficiency measures are not enough.

To truly address the energy challenges our Nation will face in the future, we must embrace every available technology at our disposal. Given the majority's concern for carbon emissions, I am surprised they oppose further development of our Nation's nuclear power industry. Nuclear power is cheap, produces no emissions, generates good jobs and is a net benefit to the communities in which plants are located.

Additionally, the bill ignores America's greatest natural resource: coal. It is no understatement that Illinois is the Saudi Arabia of coal. Combined with coal resources in other States, our Nation has enough coal to supply all of America's energy needs for in excess of 150 years. Yet the bill contains no provisions to promote the use of coal.

I realize that when most Americans think of coal plants, images of black smoke emerging from dirty stacks come to mind. That is the coal industry of yesterday. Today's coal industry has been moving towards using cleaner coal, which produces less sulfur and nitrogen, and scientists around the world are developing technologies to make coal even cleaner and to reduce its carbon emissions. Technologies currently being researched and improved that accomplish these goals are carbon capture and sequestration, CCS, and Integrated Gasification Combined Cycles, IGCC. CCS captures carbon emissions at the source and then either pumps it deep underground where it is capped, or pumps it into partially depleted oilfields to force the oil closer to the surface and make domestic oil recovery cheaper, thus also increasing our domestic oil supply.

Coal can also be used to produce motor and aviation fuel through coal-to-liquids technology, which this bill does nothing to support. This technology is based on the Fischer-Tropes process developed early in the 20th century. South Africa derives over 30 percent of its energy needs from Fischer-Tropes produced fuels. Using the Fischer-Tropes process, America could be well on the way to producing motor and aviation fuel with fewer emissions than are produced by a typical gasoline refinery.

Opponents of using coal for any reason will say that these technologies are not fully developed or cost-effective enough for our Nation to adopt them.

Ironically, many of these are the same people who support the Hill- Terry fuel economy reforms even though meeting these new

standards will require industry to increase investment in and development of new technologies to meet the 35 mpg by 2020 goal set out by this energy bill. If the U.S. auto industry can do this in 12 years, there is no reason that similar technology can't be developed in the same timeframe by utility and coal companies. And best of all, opening new CTL refineries will create jobs both in the new refineries, and in associated industries.

Finally, just this week there were news reports that an American chemical company is moving some production overseas due to the difference in energy costs here compared with costs in their new host nation. By not increasing our domestic energy supply, our Nation is essentially asking U.S. companies to leave our shores and eliminate American jobs.

I encourage our distinguished Chairman, John Dingell, to work with Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat Leadership to enact a second energy bill this Congress, which focuses on increasing the supply of U.S. energy in order to protect our national manufacturing base and maintain good-paying U.S. jobs.

I thank my friend, the gentleman from California, as well as the Government Reform Committee, for making sure that this got to the floor in such a timely manner.

December 5, 2007: that will be a day forever etched in Omaha's memory as the day a lone gunman took the lives of eight innocent people at the Westroads Mall, the Von Maur store, during the holiday shopping season. But it will also be remembered as a day that revealed the true character of Omaha.

Tragedy, no doubt, reveals the true meaning of unity in any community. Although I will never understand the senseless events that took place in my hometown on December 5, I stand here as a proud citizen, Congressman of that district, because it's in times like these it doesn't matter what party you belong to, what your political beliefs are, your race, creed, or color. People come together and they ask what can we do to help the city and the eight innocent people. I think this is not only the spirit of Omaha, or what defines the Omaha area, but also I think it is what exemplifies the spirit of America, and it is that spirit that we remember in each of the victims and the first responders.

Let me introduce the eight innocent lives that were lost on that day. There was 53-year-old Dianne Clavin Trent,

described by her family as a gentle, generous, soft-spoken woman who loved the Lord. She loved to shop and was always smiling. She had worked in customer service at Von Maur for about 8 years.

We have 65-year-old John McDonald, retired from Northern Natural Gas, whose daughter in fact worked with me in my law office. John was one of the heroes, when he left his place of safety to come out and start yelling, some people described it as rather passionately, at the gunman, to distract him from turning around, and a few feet away was a room where 12 other innocent people were holed up. John was shot. Amazingly, though, he was the last victim before the gunman turned the gun on himself.

The next victim, 48-year-old Gary Scharf, who just stopped by Von Maur to pick up some Christmas presents before catching a flight out of Omaha. He grew up on a ranch outside Curtis, Nebraska, where his funeral was held. He was a proud father who leaves behind a 19-year-old son.

Fifty-six-old Gary Joy was someone everyone could count on. He loved his job and liked to write poetry. His family followed his instructions to have his organs donated. They say it was just like Gary, to help someone else. His love was with us again, if not only in spirit.

There was 36-year-old Angie Schuster, born on Valentine's Day. Her boyfriend planned to give her an engagement ring this Christmas. The priest at her funeral called Angie and her soon-to-be fiance's love the ``real thing.''

We have 67-year-old Janet Jorgensen, who just celebrated her golden anniversary, 50 years of marriage to her husband Ron just a few months ago. She went above and beyond at Van Maur, as there were many times she would shop for customers or deliver items to customers' homes. She was the seamstress and cake-maker of the family; and for her three children and eight grandchildren, she will be missed.

There was 47-year-old Beverly Flynn. She took a part-time job at Von Maur because she was a mother of three beautiful girls. She was also a real estate agent, and her trademark was planting rosebushes in the yard of every new homeowner.

The youngest victim, 24-year-old Maggie Webb, was the new store manager of Von Maur, one of Omaha's finest department stores. Coworkers described her as one of the nicest people they had ever worked for, someone whose whole face lit up when she smiled. A lot of people will miss her service and smile.

Last, I want to thank our first responders. The spirit of Omaha showed itself through the efforts of our first responders. The first phone call from the mall came to 911 dispatchers at 1:42. No voice was on the line. All that was heard were gunshots. What an eerie call.

By the time the first responders arrived, just under 6 minutes later, the Omaha sheriff opens the doors and enters the store. What a heroic effort by our police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and others, when they got to the mall and saw such a grisly scene. The images they saw will likely haunt them for the rest of their lives. I thank the men and women who came to face the horror. Thank you for keeping us safe and saving lives. I also want to praise the spirit of Omaha for coming together after this tragedy.

In closing, I am deeply saddened by the senseless act from a troubled and disturbed teenager. It's something our city will never forget. It has scarred the very heart of our community. But I am proud of our community for its reaction and the way we came together to support the victims and begin the healing of our city.

Thank you once again to Government Reform for allowing this resolution to come forward and be part of the continuing healing in Omaha.

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

Today I rise in support of Senate 2484, an act to rename the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Ms. Shriver, along with her husband Sargent, was and is a champion for young people who suffer and strive under the extra load of developmental disabilities. Prior to the creation of the NICHD more than 40 years ago, many scientists were of the mind that money would be better off spent studying adult diseases, effectively shortchanging the younger populations with these conditions.

NICHD was established in 1962 under the Kennedy administration and many credit Ms. Shriver's tenacity. Ms. Shriver never stopped being a spokesperson and advocate, and the institute she helped found has never stopped benefiting from her determination and her spirit.

I would like to confer with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to determine if it is their understanding as well that nothing in this bill will change any of the authorities that the NIH Reform Act of 2006 provided the NIH and the director of the NIH. Specifically, nothing in this act will change any authorities of the Scientific Management Review Board or any other provisions provided in section 401 of that act. Is that your understanding as well?

I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Well, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for that.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the founding of Father Flanagan's Boys Town 90 years ago today in Omaha, NE. Father Flanagan came to Omaha as a frail Catholic priest determined to make a difference and he found his calling in caring for, educating and housing orphaned boys. Father Flanagan's attitude can best be summed up by his famous aphorism ``there are no bad children.'' He firmly believed this and it became the basis of the work of Boys Town.

Another aphorism attributed to the children of Boys Town is: ``He ain't heavy Father, he's m'brother.'' This simple statement encompasses what we all know--that with help from our peers and our Creator we can bear any burden to help those in need.

The difference Father Flanagan made in the lives of young people resonates to this day. Because of Father Flanagan's commitment to improving the lives of children, Boys Town now assists homeless or at- risk children in 14 States as well as the District of Columbia. In fact, last year approximately 450,000 children and families found help through Boys Town National Hotline. This number includes 34,000 calls from youth where hotline staff intervened to save a life or provide counseling. These numbers are truly impressive for one organization.

Father Flanagan's work even lead to the production of the movie Boys Town starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney, for which Spencer Tracy earned the Academy Award. Using the fame generated by the Academy Award winning movie, Father Flanagan expanded his work on the welfare of children beyond the United States and traveled to Japan and Korea in 1947 to study child welfare problems. He made a similar trip to Austria and Germany, and while in Germany he died on May 15, 1948 of a heart attack. He was buried in the Dowd Chapel at Boys Town.

Madam Speaker, without Father Flanagan and his dedicated work, which continues through Boys Town, our Nation would be a poorer place spiritually. I believe that Father Flanagan's Boys Town is an excellent example of the positive impact faith-based institutions can have on our society. Father Flanagan's Boys Town is now Father Flanagan's Girls & Boys Town to reflect the fact that it serves all children.

I commend their continued commitment to the children of this Nation and believe they deserve the recognition of Congress on the celebration of the 90th Anniversary of Boys Town's founding.

Mr Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4299, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2007. This legislation revises and extends the Terrorism Risk Insurance program established under the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act of 2002 (TRIA). TRIA has been a cornerstone of our Nation's comprehensive response to the events of September 11, 2001, providing a vital and necessary backstop for our insurance industry and its policyholders.

I am pleased that H.R. 4299 does not reduce TRIA's complete coverage for nuclear, chemical, biological, and radiological events. It should be noted that workers' compensation insurers are uniquely obligated by state law to provide coverage for these events to their policyholders; for them, especially, it is critical that TRIA provide a backstop for these events as well as for conventional acts of terrorism.

It is important that TRIA serve the industry and its policyholders equally. Over the course of TRIA's life, the ``trigger level,'' or threshold of losses insurers must suffer from an act of terrorism before TRIA can kick in, has been raised from $5 million to $100 million. For small- and medium-sized insurers--the majority of the industry--a trigger level of $100 million is too high. As a result, I support the provision which has survived in the House version in H.R. 4299 which returns the trigger level to the 2006 level of $50 million.

While I support H.R. 4299, it is important to note a significant omission which also affects our small- and medium-sized insurers and their policyholders. The deductible insurers' must pay under TRIA is potentially cost-prohibitive for these companies. Additionally, this deductible is calculated based on the amount of an insurer's direct earned premium over the previous year. Insurers' deductibles under TRIA should be tied to their capital, not the amount of their liabilities. As a result, I encourage the House to reexamine TRIA in the future to address this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness, for yesterday, at about 2 p.m., a tragedy occurred in my hometown, where eight people were killed, gunned down, some of them employees at Von Maur, others just shopping for the Christmas holidays. To those families, those eight families who lost a loved one so senselessly, my thoughts and my prayers go out to you. I can't imagine what you're going through today.

Our whole community across Nebraska, eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, not just Omaha, is scarred by this tragedy. A very disturbed 19-year- old man walks into this mall and this store and begins randomly shooting at people.

The victims of this terrible tragedy, this massacre: Gary Scharf, who was shopping, a resident of Lincoln, Nebraska; John McDonald, a customer, resident of Council Bluffs, Iowa. By the way, his daughter was an associate attorney for me. I have been communicating with her. To her, Suzanne Sheehan, and your family, my deepest condolences.

Also killed were six Von Maur employees: Angie Schuster, Maggie Webb, Janet Jorgenson, Diane Trent, Gary Joy, and Beverly Flynn, all of Omaha. Some of these were only 10 minutes from their shift being over and would be out of this store. Some of them are young mothers, leaving small children. There were others who were seriously injured, like Fred Wilson and Michelle Oldham. Others were also injured, like Jeff Schaffer and Brad Stafford.

Now just to put this in context, the first 911 call went out, and within 6 minutes our emergency response, our EMS, and our Omaha Police were in that store. But it was all done and over with by the time they could get there. The damage was already done. But they immediately began working on those that were injured and securing the mall for the other thousands of shoppers that were there.

I want to thank publicly our first responders from not only the city, but Douglas County, Sarpy County, the State Patrol, for their heroic efforts given in this tragedy. Now a tragedy of this scope and scale is just unthinkable. It's hard to get my mind around this. There's no way for us to understand this senseless act of violence, and I ask the entire country to pray for peace and healing during this difficult time for these families in our community.

God bless.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize November 4-10 as ``Long-Term Care Awareness Week.'' As the baby boomer generation begins to reach retirement age, understanding the realities and benefits of long-term care has never been more important.

Preparing for future costs of health care is something that every American should be doing. Long-term care insurance is one way for Americans to plan for periods of extended disability without burdening their families, going bankrupt, or relying on government assistance.

At least 60 percent of people over age 65 will require some long-term care services at some point in their lives--the personal assistance that enables impaired people to perform daily routines such as eating, bathing, and dressing. This care is expensive, averaging almost $200 per day for nursing home care, nearly $80 per day for assisted living and about $20 per day for home care.

While these costs are astronomical, it is even more stunning how few people realize the true financial impact of requiring long-term care. A 2006 AARP study found that 59 percent of adults who are over 45 overestimate Medicare coverage for long-term care. It is important for people to understand that Medicare does not generally pay for most long-term care services. Therefore, it is important for individuals to start early and plan ahead for long-term care costs as a critical component of their retirement plans.

Various pieces of legislation have been introduced in Congress to encourage the purchase of long-term care insurance, including my own legislation, The Long-Term Care Act (H.R. 3088), which allows individuals to use funds from their IRAs or 401(k) plans tax-free and without penalty to purchase long-term care insurance. The government does have an important role to play in encouraging higher utilization of long-term care insurance.

During Long-Term Care Awareness Week, I would encourage all citizens interested in retirement planning to visit www.longtermcare.gov, where the government hosts a national clearinghouse for long-term care information.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of my colleagues here and the constituents of the Second Congressional District, our prayers go out to Barbara, his wife, and their five children.

Peter passed away yesterday. He was a mere 66 years old. Many of you know that served with him that he developed Parkinson's the last few years, and it slowly had worsened. But as is typical with Pete, instead of feeling sorry, he went out and became an advocate for those with Parkinson's disease, frequently coming to our office to talk about his advocacy and also about local politics back home.

Pete first ran for the State legislature in Nebraska in 1978, where he became known as this idealistic, principled, yet liberal Member from midtown Omaha, which was surprising because he grew up in a family of pretty hard-core, conservative Republicans.

But I got to know Pete. In fact, Pete even offered me a clerkship in his law office in 1986, and we became fast and good friends.

He then ran for Congress in 1988 where, with the utmost dedication, he represented the people of the Second District of Nebraska, carrying on that principled, idealistic nature that he brought to the Nebraska State legislature.

So on behalf of people of the State of Nebraska and the Second Congressional District, I'll say that we will miss our friend, Pete Hoagland.

At this time, I'd like to yield to my friend from New York.

I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Madam Speaker, on October 2, I inadvertently voted ``no'' on rollcall 931, Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. I intended to enter an ``aye'' vote on this rollcall.