Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to address the House and the American people regarding the Colombia free trade agreement and the negative impacts it will have on working families in the United States as well as Colombia.

Quite frankly, I am stumped as to why Congress is even considering this trade agreement. Colombia is the most dangerous place in the world to be a union worker. This year, 17 trade unionists were assassinated as of mid-June. Last year, 51 trade unionists were killed in Colombia.

As a Member of Congress, I have traveled to Colombia to see labor conditions there firsthand. We simply can't afford to approve an FTA with a nation as unsafe as Colombia which can't even enforce its own laws.

Like many of my colleagues, I was glad to see that the Obama administration negotiated a Labor Action Plan with the Colombian Government. Both morally and economically, it is imperative that Colombia address some of these concerns regarding human and labor rights for workers. The administration says the Labor Action Plan has been met. The problem is that the Labor Action Plan doesn't go far enough.

Many of my colleagues might question whether labor conditions in a foreign country could really impact job prospects of their constituents here in the United States. Well, when you consider that for years American workers have been competing for jobs with nations that have weaker labor and environmental standards, it is no wonder that we are losing jobs here in the United States.

Let me be blunt: if joining a union means putting your life on the line, there is no freedom. There is no fair competition. Without fair competition, we will see even more American jobs shipped overseas. I think we can all agree that the last thing that this country needs right now is to lose more jobs.

Let me be clear. I am committed to trade. Trade can benefit our Nation, our businesses, and our working families. In fact, I am a member of President Obama's Export Council, and the goal there is to double American exports in 5 years, not to export American jobs.

The fact of the matter is that the Colombia free trade agreement doesn't help American working families. It really benefits transnational corporations. These transnational corporations already repress Colombian workers. Nothing under this agreement makes the lives of Colombian workers better. Nothing under this agreement makes the lives of U.S. workers better. They don't get an equal share of the benefits of this free trade agreement.

Why are we rushing to approve an agreement when workers in Colombia don't even want it? Even worse, once the agreement is in effect, the U.S. loses our most important leverage to see that the human rights situation improves in Colombia. So I ask again: why the rush?

Congress should wait to see if Colombia institutes the Labor Action Plan, as they have promised. After that, we can determine if conditions for working families in Colombia actually improve. The Labor Action Plan is a good

first step, but it won't fix Colombia's problems overnight.

You would hope that an international trade agreement would bring jobs with it. To give my colleagues some idea why there are problems with the Colombia FTA, the U.S. International Trade Commission doesn't predict that the Colombia FTA would create jobs. Now, the U.S. International Trade Commission always predicts very high and lofty job creation numbers for trade agreements, but even they are skeptical. That alone should be evidence for my colleagues that now is not the time for the Colombia free trade agreement.

Congress should be focused on creating jobs, and this trade agreement doesn't pass the smell test, although the Colombia FTA does stink when you consider that it is hardworking middle class families who will pay the price with this unfair trade agreement.

The Colombia FTA will kill jobs, drive down American wages, and drive small American companies that face unfair competition out of business. We can do better. I urge my colleagues to stop settling for not so bad and pursue a trade policy that means prosperity for everyone.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. XXXX, the ``To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14901 Adelfa Drive in La Mirada, California, as the `Wayne Grisham Post Office'.''

Mr. Wayne Grisham spent a significant portion of his life working for our country. He valiantly served our country as a fighter pilot during World War II and was held as a prisoner of war when his plane was shot down over Germany. Mr. Grisham was awarded the Purple Heart for his courageous service. After the war, an entrepreneurial spirit drove Mr. Grisham to open his own realty business in La Mirada, which he maintained for much of his life.

His dedication to the local community was truly remarkable. Mr. Grisham proudly served the City of La Mirada for over two decades, beginning in 1970 when he was elected to the city council. He continued his service to the community with his election to Congress in 1978 and the California State Assembly in 1984. He also lent his talents to the Peace Corps, serving as Director in Kenya in 1983.

A resident of Long Beach and later La Mirada, and graduate of Whittier College, Wayne Grisham was a longtime leader in the local community.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me to honor the service and memory and of this true civic leader.

Mr. Speaker, I rise with deep sadness to honor the life of Abraham Breehey, Director of Legislative Affairs and Special Assistant to the International President of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers. Abe passed away on Thursday, April 14, 2011, from complications related to a brain tumor and subsequent stroke.

Abe, 34, was born in 1976 in Binghamton, New York and is survived by his wife, Sonya, daughter, Abigail, father Ray, mother Carol, sister Rachel, 3 nieces, a nephew, and his friendly dog Kesey.

Abe received his Bachelor's Degree from Sienna College in Loudonville, NY, and Master's Degree in Public Policy from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University of Albany. He also attended the Trade Union Program at Harvard Law School. Prior to joining the Boilermakers in 2004, he served as Legislative Assistant for labor and other issues for my friend and colleague Representative Lloyd Doggett (TX-25).

Abe was a leading voice in the labor movement, representing the Boilermakers on issues related to energy policy and climate change, and their impact on workers. He was widely respected for his passion, intellect, and ability to build consensus across ideological and political lines. He advised the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department as Chairman of the Department's Legislative Task Force. He acted as a trusted friend and advisor to advocates for working families both on and off Capitol Hill.

Abe had a genial nature, a ready smile, and was always a pleasure to work with. The labor and working families movement has lost a friend, a brother, and rising star. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Honorable Laura Lee for her 8 years of public service to the people of Cerritos, California.

Laura and her husband Charles have called Cerritos home since 1979 and raised their two talented children in the city. Prior to her election to the Cerritos City Council in 2003, Laura had been an active member of the community and served as a city planning commissioner from 1999 to 2001. As a testament to her leadership, the residents of Cerritos elected Laura to serve the maximum amount of terms, fulfilling the duties of Mayor once and Mayor Pro Tempore twice.

Throughout her tenure on the Cerritos City Council, Laura worked tirelessly with her fellow councilmembers to launch the city to new heights. During Laura's tenure on the city council, Cerritos experienced unmatched growth, including the addition of a fitness center at the city's Senior Center, the erection of a beautiful sculpture garden, and the construction of the Fountain Walk senior housing community.

Under 2008, with Laura's leadership, the City of Cerritos received the prestigious All-America City Award. Laura also worked to ensure Cerritos remains a place where small businesses thrive, helping the City to earn ``Most Business-Friendly City in Los Angeles County'' recognition by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation.

Laura's passion for serving others extended well beyond her Council duties. She has served as director of the American Red Cross Long Beach Chapter Board, advisor of the Su Casa Domestic Abuse Network, director general of the Southern California Chinese Women's League, and a steadfast volunteer at the Cerritos Senior Center. A real estate broker by trade, Laura has also led the Rancho Southeast Association of Realtors as president and served as chairwoman of the Equal Opportunity and Cultural Diversity Committee of the California Association of Realtors.

Perhaps Laura's most profound contribution to Cerritos is her immeasurable kindness and compassion. Her heart has always made certain her decisions at the City Council dais were generous as well as pragmatic. Her smile is ever present and exemplifies the city's vibrancy. It is with great pleasure that I commend Laura for her dedication to public service and leadership by example.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise this morning to address the House and the American people regarding the Korea Free Trade Agreement and its effect on working families.

Let me start by saying that I am committed to trade. Trade can benefit our Nation, our businesses, and our working families. In fact, I am a member of President Obama's Export Council. Our goal is to double American exports in 5 years, not to export American jobs.

But the problem with our current trade policy, the one that started with NAFTA and has gone downhill from there, is that its benefits are skewed. The benefits are concentrated in a few powerful multinational corporations, and it is hardworking middle class families who pay the price.

The Korea FTA doesn't fall far from the NAFTA tree. A few stock prices and CEO bonuses may go up, but the Korea FTA will kill jobs, push down American wages, and drive small American companies who face unfair competition out of business.

Perhaps the biggest problem with the Korea FTA is that it opens the door for more illegal trade from China. Members on both sides of the aisle and both sides of the FTA debate have concerns about trading with China. We all know that China manipulates its currency, doesn't protect intellectual property, and engages in illegal transshipment to escape U.S. tariffs. You can go on the Internet right now and find Web sites bragging that they can hide the source of Chinese goods and thereby avoid paying duties owed to the U.S.

The illegal transshipment, mislabeling, and duty evasion rob the American people of money that we are owed. They also drive U.S. businesses out of business. U.S. businesses often go to great length and expense to prove that Chinese goods are being dumped and are receiving illegal subsidies. When the duties the U.S. imposes aren't paid, hardworking Americans lose their jobs when their workplaces shut their doors forever. From New York to South Carolina to Lynwood, California, in my own district, American businesses have turned off the lights and sent workers home due to unfair Chinese competition.

And China doesn't even have to break the rules to reap the benefits of the Korea FTA. This agreement, which was negotiated by President Bush, only requires that 35 percent of a Korean car be made in Korea to be eligible for tariff benefits. That means that 65 percent of the car can be made in China by child labor, prison labor, and workers who lack the right to form free and independent unions.

America has lost about 7.5 million jobs since the recession began. We cannot afford another job-killing trade agreement that ignores America's middle class families.

We have learned some very hard lessons after more than 15 years of NAFTA-style free trade agreements. We've heard many promises, just like the promises we're hearing about the Korea FTA. But the fact is that there are failures.

NAFTA was supposed to solve illegal immigration by developing a robust economy in Mexico that would allow hardworking people to provide for their families by staying home. That didn't work. CAFTA was supposed to include bold new safety and wage protections for workers, but these protections are disappointingly weak, allowing countries to downgrade their own labor laws. And in the Oman FTA, the administration actually negotiated a deal with a country that, as our own State Department reported, was experiencing a forced labor problem. Forced labor. How are our American families supposed to care for their families and send their kids to college when they are competing with forced labor?

Free trade was supposed to increase economic opportunity for everybody, for big businesses as well as small, and for hardworking families at home and abroad. This has not happened. Too many communities have been left to rot because corporations shut down U.S. plants to chase increasingly cheap labor and weak environmental standards abroad.

After 15 years of living with NAFTA and its clones, real wages for American families are down. Our trade deficit is in the tens of billions of dollars. Our manufacturing base is falling apart. The American worker is now more productive than before, but that increased productivity has not led to higher wages. The truth is the NAFTA free trade models favor the wealthiest few and the corporate fat cats at the expense of small businesses, workers, families, and our communities.

In the coming weeks and months we'll be asked to consider at least two of the Bush administration's trade deals with Korea and Colombia. Despite the long record of failed FTAs, we are going to hear that there is a consensus of support for these FTAs. We'll hear that anyone who knows anything about trade supports these agreements. Don't believe it, because it's not true. Advocates for America's families, both inside and outside of Congress, have grave concerns. We want a new path that creates real opportunities for workers and the businesses that employ them. We want trade agreements that don't sell our environment short, close doors for our children, or substitute the judgment of international trade lawyers for our courts.

Some of my colleagues say that the Korea FTA isn't that bad. That we can live with it.

That argument misses the point. Why are we settling for ``not that bad''? We should be fighting for the best trade agreements possible.

NAFTA-style FTAs simply aren't good enough. We should focus on creating a trade policy that creates and saves well-paying jobs here in America.

Our trade policy should help small businesses hire more employees, not shut their doors.

It should help our trading partners to grow and flourish, not race to the bottom in labor and environmental standards.

Our trade policy should not reward bad actors like China, but reward playing by the rules.

If we stand united for working Americans, we can deliver a trade policy that accomplishes these goals.

Minor adjustments to NAFTA-style deals aren't good enough.

I urge my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle, to stop settling for ``not that bad'' and embark on a trade path that promotes development and prosperity for all.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hal Malkin and his 17 years of public service to the people of La Mirada, California. Hal and his wife Barbara have called La Mirada home since 1972. Hal began the first of his five terms on the La Mirada City Council in 1994.

Since taking office in 1994, Hal has worked tirelessly to ensure La Mirada remains safe for its residents and economically vibrant for its business community. Under his tenure, La Mirada has seen the creation of various city resources such as the Frontier Community Building, the La Mirada Resource Center, and the widely popular SPLASH! Complex. While many cities throughout Southern California have felt the impact of a struggling economy, La Mirada has remained fiscally sound without sacrificing important community services, due in large part to Hal's foresight. It's frankly no surprise La Mirada was listed by CNN and others as one of the ``Best Place to Live'' in 2007.

Over the years, Hal's civic involvement has extended into his community where he proudly served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Rio Hondo Chapter of the American Red Cross and as a member of the Executive Committee for 9 years.

As an active leader in his community, Hal has received several awards including Outstanding Faculty Member, Cerritos College 2002-2003; Member of the Year, La Mirada Chamber of Commerce; and the Parent- Teacher Association Honorary Service Award.

Hal has continuously demonstrated his dedication to his profession, community, and family. Today, Hal continues to open the doors of the educational opportunity to local youth as an Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Pharmacy Technology Program at Cerritos College.

Mr. Speaker and distinguished colleagues, please join me in honoring Councilmember Hal Malkin for his many years of service and dedication to the City of La Mirada and the community. Let us wish him and his family the very best in retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Pete Dames as he celebrates 17 years of dedication to the people of La Mirada, California. Pete began his service to La Mirada as a member of the La Mirada Parks and Recreation Commission in 1980 and has been involved in numerous civic, service, and educational organizations and programs ever since.

Throughout his time on the City Council, Pete has focused on keeping La Mirada a safe, family-friendly, and thriving community. Pete was instrumental in maintaining a low crime rate and keeping La Mirada business-friendly.

Pete's involvement in public service reaches far beyond the confines of the City Council's Chamber. His broad community service includes serving as President of the La Mirada Athletic Council, as an active, lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9148 and Knights of Columbus, and as a Board member of the La Mirada Youth Foundation and the Beatitudes of Our Lord School. He has received many prestigious awards including the Kiwanis Administrator of the Year, and the Kiwanis Governor's Award for Distinguished Service. He also received the Parent Teacher Association Honorary Service and Continuing Service Award, which honors those who have made significant contributions to the welfare of children and youth in the community.

Today, Pete continues his dedication as a Delegate to the Southern California Joint Powers Insurance Authority and to the Southern California Association of Governments. He also serves as the City's liaison to the La Mirada Chamber of Commerce.

From one public servant to another, please join me in honoring Mayor Pete Dames for his service and dedication to the City of La Mirada and the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Honorable Joseph Esquivel for his 39 years of public service to the people of Lakewood, California. Joe began his service to Lakewood as a member of the Lakewood Recreation and Community Services Commission in 1972, and in 1990, began the first of his five terms on the Lakewood City Council. After 21 productive years of service on the Council, Joe is retiring from public service to spend more quality time with his family.

Joe and his wife Pat have called Lakewood home since 1963, raising three wonderful children, and in the process becoming proud grandparents and great-grandparents. As an active leader in his community, Joe has had a hand in the founding of many local organizations such as the Lakewood Youth Hall of Fame. Joe continues to be a member of the Hall of Fame Board of Electors, charged with recognizing Lakewood's young high school and collegiate standout athletes.

Throughout his time on the City Council and as Mayor, Joe made it his priority to ensure Lakewood remains a safe, family-friendly, and thriving community. Joe was instrumental in bringing together the resources needed to make Lakewood's state-of-the-art Sheriff's Station a reality and was integral to developing several crime prevention programs that have made our community safer.

Over the past two decades, Joe has worked tirelessly to make certain Lakewood operates on firm financial footing and never outside its fiscal means. While the struggling economy has impacted many cities throughout Southern California, Lakewood has managed to maintain funding for all city services and capital improvement projects. In addition, Lakewood has managed to be a leading destination for businesses and new business development.

Joe's involvement in public service reaches far beyond the confines of the City's Council Chamber. Joe is a dedicated member of Lakewood's Rotary Club, having served for many years as the coordinator of the Rotary Club's annual Project Shepherd holiday assistance program for families in need. Under his leadership, Project Shepherd aided hundreds of families each year with the help of volunteers of all ages from Lakewood schools, churches, and youth organizations. He was named Rotarian of the Year in 1995.

One of his joys as a Lakewood resident was serving as a volunteer coach of 8- and 9-year-old youngsters in basketball and football at Bolivar Park. He received the Mayor's Award for 11 consecutive seasons of volunteer coaching.

He has held various leadership positions, including President of the California Contract Cities Association, President of the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, and President of the Private Industry Council of Southeast Los Angeles County. Joe sits on the Lakewood Regional Medical Center and Lakewood Weingart Family YMCA Boards of Directors. As a Navy veteran, Joe has been a proud member of the American Legion Post 496 for the past 19 years.

From one public servant to another, I praise Mayor Joseph Esquivel for his service and dedication to the City of Lakewood and the community. Lakewood would not be the community it is today without him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Honorable Joseph Esquivel for his 39 years of public service to the people of Lakewood, California. Joe began his service to Lakewood as a member of the Lakewood Recreation and Community Services Commission in 1972; and in 1990, he began the first of his five terms on the Lakewood City Council. After 21 productive years of service on the council, Joe is retiring from public service to spend more quality time with his family.

Joe and his wife, Pat, have called Lakewood home since 1963, raising three wonderful children and in the process becoming proud grandparents and great grandparents. As an active leader in his community, Joe had a hand in the founding of many local organizations such as the Lakewood

Youth Hall of Fame. Joe continues to be a member of the Hall of Fame Board of Electors, which is charged with recognizing Lakewood's young high school and collegiate standout athletes.

Throughout his time on the City Council and as Mayor, Joe made it his priority to ensure that Lakewood remains a safe, family friendly, and a thriving community. Joe was instrumental in bringing together the resources needed to make Lakewood's state-of-art Sheriff's Station a reality and was integral in developing several crime prevention programs that have made our community safer.

Over the past two decades, Joe has worked tirelessly to make certain Lakewood operates on firm financial footing and never outside of its fiscal means. While the struggling economy has impacted many cities throughout southern California, Lakewood has managed to maintain funding for all city services and capital improvement projects. In addition, Lakewood has managed to be a leading destination for businesses and new business development.

Joe's involvement in public service reaches far beyond the confines of the City's Council Chamber. Joe is a dedicated member of Lakewood's Rotary Club, having served for many years as the coordinator of the Rotary Club's annual Project Shepherd holiday assistance program for families in need. Under his leadership, Project Shepherd aided hundreds of families each year with the help of volunteers of all ages from Lakewood schools, churches, and youth organizations. He was named Rotarian of the Year in 1995. One of his joys as a Lakewood resident was serving as a volunteer coach of 8- and 9-year-old youngsters in basketball and football at Bolivar Park. He received the Mayor's Award for 11 consecutive seasons of volunteer coaching.

He has held various leadership positions, including president of the California Contract Cities Association, president of the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, and president of the Private Industry Council of Southeast Los Angeles County. Joe sits on the Lakewood Regional Medical Center and Lakewood Weingart Family YMCA Board of Directors. As a Navy veteran, Joe has been a proud member of American Legion Post 496 for the past 19 years.

From one public servant to another, I praise Mayor Joseph Esquivel for his service and dedication to the city of Lakewood and to the community. Lakewood would not be the community it is today without him. I want to thank him for his years of service and wish him the best of luck as he moves forward in new endeavors.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 1, which takes America a step backward, jeopardizes our fragile economic recovery, and does absolutely nothing to create jobs.

This funding plan leaves American working families behind.

You'll hear promises of ``fiscal discipline'' and ``down payment on the debt'' from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but these promises are empty. This bill does little more than strike at the heart of critical programs that invest in our communities, our workers, and our children.

Moreover, by irresponsibly taking a slash and burn approach to budget cutting, this bill fails to present a thoughtful blueprint that we can use to slowly but surely chip away at the budget deficit while still allowing us to out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build our foreign competitors.

We often compare building the federal budget to balancing a family budget. There are certainly some relevant similarities. But I know one thing, if I found my family's budget in as serious trouble as the federal budget, I would not simply take a machete to my various expenditures.

I would carefully study them, and continue most or all of my productive and useful investments while eliminating unnecessary items and carefully paring back in other areas until I knew enough about how the cuts would affect my future income.

Would a family with money troubles immediately pull their children out of college? I don't think so. Then why does this proposal reduce Pell grants that make college more affordable and kick 200,000 children out of Head Start?

Why does it reduce investments in science research, job-creating high-speed rail, and the popular COPS program to assist local police?

Why does it cut worker training when unemployed Americans--especially those in places like Lynwood and South Gate in my district--need new skills now more than ever?

It is shameful that the House Republican Majority proposes to eliminate a program for homeless veterans, those who have selflessly served our nation.

Certainly, to get the federal budget on the path toward balance, we must find cuts we can all agree on. Tough decisions will have to be made. But these are not those cuts. Just as our economy is starting to recover is no time to leave our children, our veterans, or our workers behind.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this funding bill and reject its priorities. We must do better for American families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. XXXX, the SCAAP Reimbursement Protection Act of 2011.

When I was a new Member of Congress, local police officials came to me and explained how a change in the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program--also known as SCAAP--was having a profound impact on their budgets.

Securing our nation's borders is the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government. However, communities across the country continue to face extraordinary costs associated with incarcerating undocumented criminals at a time when they can least afford it.

The SCAAP program was established to reimburse state and local governments for these costs.

From the SCAAP's inception in 1994 until 2003, states were permitted to seek reimbursement for the costs of detaining deportable immigrants charged with a felony or two or more misdemeanors.

In 2003, the Department of Justice reinterpreted the SCAAP statute in a way that caused a drastic drop in every state's reimbursement. Under this interpretation, states only receive reimbursement if a criminal alien is convicted of a felony or two misdemeanors and the arrest and conviction occur in the same fiscal year.

This may seem like a small change, but it has had large repercussions in the law enforcement community. In my state of California, SCAAP reimbursement payments have declined from $220 million in FY2002, prior to the Department of Justice's reinterpretation, to $112 million in

Madam Speaker, it's no secret that our economy is still sluggish. So our top priority in this Congress should be about creating jobs. It's certainly my top priority. And I want to work with Republicans to meet that goal. Instead, House Republicans are focused on repealing patients' rights, putting insurance companies back in charge and ballooning the deficit. American families have suffered and waited far too long for the freedom and security that affordable health care provides. And now the Republican majority is trying to take that freedom and snatch that security away.

If Republicans have their way, families will once again lose their benefits when insurers unfairly cancel or cap their coverage. If Republicans have their way, children with disabilities and pregnant women won't be safe from discrimination by insurers. If Republicans have their way, seniors in my district will be forced to return the $250 in prescription assistance they received under the Democratic health care reform bill, and millions of hardworking Americans will lose the freedom to start their own business because they will be afraid of giving up the health insurance tied to their current job.

This is a costly plan for seniors, children, and families in my district and

for the taxpayers of America. To stand up for families that deserve and need our help, we must reject this plan. I urge everybody to vote ``no'' on the repeal of health care. I thank the gentleman from Michigan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to strongly support the resolution honoring the victims of the Arizona tragedy.

I condemn the senseless act of violence that ended six lives too soon and injured many others, including one of our colleagues, Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona.

Representative Giffords is an indefatigable advocate for her constituents and a strong believer in the value of public service. She has worked day and night to improve her community and help those around her in need. Even when she's had a strong disagreement with a colleague--on either side of the aisle--she was always willing to work with those colleagues again. For her, disagreements do not foreclose cooperation. She truly embodies what it means to be a public servant.

I want to commend the quick and heroic actions of the brave citizens who responded that day. In a frightful situation, when the natural response is to run in fear, Patricia Maisch, Roger Sulzeber, Joseph Zimudie, and Daniel Hernandez, Jr. took actions to help the injured and stop the attack. They risked their lives for the safety of others, and without their actions, it is likely many more lives may have been lost.

Acts and threats of violence such as these have no place in our society and the voices of the American people will not be silenced or diminished because of these acts.

As we pause to reflect on the tragic events of Saturday, we should make special efforts to remember those whose lives were senselessly taken: Gabe Zimmerman, Christina Taylor Green, Judge John M. Roll, Dorwin Stoddard, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck. We should remember their families in our prayers--and ask that they be comforted in their grief.

Like so many others, words cannot adequately express my shock and sorrow over this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with all the affected families.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present in the Capitol for votes on today, December 22, 2010. However, had I been present, I would have voted as follows: ``yea'' on H.R. 847--the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dennis R. Ferguson, and to ask my colleagues who are not supporters of unemployment benefits to listen to his story and learn about the real value of this program.

Dennis Ferguson lost his job with Douglas Aircraft in Los Angeles in 1964. He was 26 years old, living in a motel, and had reached a crossroads that would determine how the rest of his life would play out. He took advantage of California's unemployment benefits program for 4 months that year and used that money to go back to school and become a computer programmer. Mr. Ferguson thrived in his new field and eventually settled in South Carolina.

Last month, Dennis wrote a check for $10,000 to the State of California to repay the state for the assistance it had given him 40 years earlier. Today, I applaud Dennis Ferguson for this act of generosity, but I also share his story to remind the members of this body about the real world impact unemployment benefits have.

Unemployment in California has been at more than 12 percent for the past 2 years. There are those in this body who have opposed extending unemployment at every turn. I have heard some say that unemployment benefits make people lazy. I have heard others say that if we just cut them off, people will go out and get a job. Such statements show a misunderstanding of what unemployment benefits are for and how they can help those--who through no fault of their own--lost their jobs and need a bridge to get back on their feet.

The most recent unemployment benefit extension ensured that 450,000 people in my home state would not lose their benefits at Christmastime. They now have the chance to get back on their feet just like Dennis Ferguson did. These men and women don't want a safety net, they want to work. They want to be the ones responsible for putting food on the table, and a roof over their family's heads.

Sometimes circumstances arise beyond our control and we need temporary assistance while getting back on our feet. That is what the unemployment program does. I think if you ask Dennis Ferguson's neighbors whether unemployment benefits have a positive impact on a community, they will answer with a resounding yes.

I hope my colleagues who are critics of the unemployment program will re-assess their thinking and stand up for their constituents the next time this body considers legislation impacting the unemployment benefits program.