Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to address an issue that many girls struggle with well into adulthood: media images that detrimentally affect their self-esteem.

We all know how important it is to help raise our young women to become able, self-confident people, for their own sake and for the benefit of our society.

We have about 30 million girls under the age of 20 living in the United States. Thirty million wonderful and beautiful people, full of creativity, energy and dreams. Yet these girls face a struggle with unrealistic beauty and body image standards.

Findings from a recent survey conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute show that 90 percent of girls feel pressure from the media to have an ideal body type. Ninety percent. As a result, their self- esteem, their body image, and their psychological and physical health are damaged when they do not measure up to these unrealistic beauty standards.

We must elevate girls' voices and concerns. Our daughters and granddaughters need to see more girl-positive media, more natural and real female role models instead of touched-up, airbrushed models.

The Girl Scouts of America on February 10, 2010--the eve of fashion week--hosted an event in New York City promoting messages that feature girls and women who have healthy, diverse body images and participate in respectful and healthy relationships. I commend the Girl Scouts for the important work they do in creating a healthy environment for young girls and women.

Our support on this issue will help support girls' physical, emotional, and social health. Let us join the Girl Scouts in empowering girls to live healthy lives and become tomorrow's leaders with courage, confidence, and character.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Exchange Expansion and Job Creation Act of 2010,'' legislation combating the housing and unemployment crises.

The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is the nation's largest and most successful affordable rental housing production program. It has financed more than two million homes since 1987 and about 120,000 annually in recent years. This program provides tax credits to developers who agree to build or rehabilitate affordable housing. It includes both ``9 percent'' credits, which state housing finance agencies can allocate in amounts up to a state-level ceiling, and ``4 percent'' credits, which are available to all developers who receive allocations of tax-exempt bonds to build rental housing.

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 contained a provision that enabled the temporary exchange of unusable low-income housing credits. This exchange has enabled more than 600 affordable housing developments to proceed around the country, providing affordable homes to more than 30,000 low-income families and creating more than 35,000 jobs. The ARRA provision allowed investors to exchange low-income housing credits for grants at 85 percent of the value of the credits at virtually no cost to the federal government. Unfortunately, this provision only applied to 9 percent housing credits.

My legislation would expand this temporary credit exchange opportunity to include 4 percent credits. In 2007, prior to the financial markets crisis, states partnered with private developers using 4 percent housing credits to create nearly 70,000 rental homes affordable to low-income working Americans and 85,000 housing-related jobs. In 2008 and 2009, the number of affordable homes and jobs produced by the 4 percent credit program fell by nearly 50 percent as capital available for investment disappeared.

I am introducing this bill because our country cannot afford to let this valuable 4 percent tax credit program fall into disuse due to the economy's downturn at a time when our country is in desperate need of more jobs and more affordable places for low-income families to live. Providing a safe and stable home gives families the critical foundation to find employment, get an education, and play an active role in their communities. Passage of this bill will allow cost effective investments leading to both more jobs and more housing for low-income working Americans and benefit our communities for years to come.

I hope that you will join me in supporting this legislation.

Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I was unable to be present in the Capitol for votes on Tuesday and Wednesday, February 2 and 3, 2010.

On February 2, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' to suspend the rules and pass:

H.R. 4495, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 North Taylor Lane in Patagonia, Arizona, as the ``Jim Kolbe Post Office.''

H. Res. 957, Honoring Jimmie Johnson, 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion.

H. Res. 1014, Recognizing and supporting the goals and ideals of North American Inclusion Month.

On February 3, had I been present, I would have voted:

H. Res. 1051, Providing for consideration of H.R. 4061, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, on Ordering the Previous Question-- ``yea.''

H. Res. 1051, Providing for consideration of H.R. 4061, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, on Agreeing to the Resolution--``aye.''

H. Res. 1043, Recognizing Brescia University for 60 years of leadership in higher education, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--``yea.''

H. Res. 901, Recognizing the 49th anniversary of the first day of integrated schools in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--``yea.''

H. Res. 1044--Commemorating the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp, honoring the victims of the Holocaust, and expressing commitment to strengthen the fight against bigotry and intolerance, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended--``yea.''

On the Hastings (FL) Amendment, on Agreeing to the Amendment-- ``aye.''

On the Flake (AZ) Amendment, on Agreeing to the Amendment--``aye.''

On the Dahlkemper (PA) Amendment, on Agreeing to the Amendment-- ``aye.''

On the Cuellar (TX) Amendment, on Agreeing to the Amendment--``aye.''

On the Connolly (VA) Amendment, on Agreeing to the Amendment-- ``aye.''

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, January 21, 2010 I mistakenly voted ``nay'' on the vote on the Senate Amendments to H.R. 730, the Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act. I intended to vote ``yea.'' Please accept this letter as clarification.

I want to thank my colleague from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1029 and support the goals of National School Counseling Week. I want to thank Chairman George Miller and Ranking Member John Kline, as well as Representative Vern Ehlers, for their support of this resolution.

I introduced this resolution to recognize the tireless efforts of a group of professionals who have dedicated themselves to children and to their education: school counselors.

I wish to take this opportunity to recognize a few of the diligent and hardworking school counselors from California's 39th District. Angela Castellanos of Santa Fe High School in Whittier, California, and Alex Paredes of Southeast High School in South Gate, California, are just two examples of counselors who do exceptional work every single day to help our students reach their highest potential. It is because of their unending dedication and the dedication of counselors like Angela and Alex that children across our country succeed in becoming engineers, doctors and, yes, even Members of Congress.

School counselors play a vital role in the development of our students, not just on academic, but on social and personal levels as well. Unfortunately, there simply aren't enough of them. Counselors often find themselves the casualty of budget cuts. In California, for example, the student-to-counselor ratio is a dismal 945 students to one counselor. That's 945 students to one counselor, almost four times the recommended ratio.

Our secondary school counselors work vigorously to increase graduation rates, identify problems in our schools, and improve morale by inspiring students to challenge themselves and explore new opportunities.

Primary counselors often help identify students with health problems or disabilities that interfere with learning. They also help youngsters to cope with traumatic events, from moving to a new school to the death of a parent.

Our counselors do amazing and often unrecognized work. Our communities are strengthened by the students who are championed by their school counselors. I urge my colleagues to support this effort to recognize the outstanding work that counselors do to ensure that our children's future is full of promise. I thank again my colleague.

Madam Speaker, I rise today for American working men and women who want to work but can't find a job. The Nation's unemployment rate stands at 10 percent, with my home State of California ranking third worst in the country.

While I support a stronger safety net to help families survive, in the end, Americans don't want unemployment checks. They want to work.

That's why I'm proud to support the Jobs for Main Street Act which will put Americans back to work in the most direct way possible: by hiring them. This bill makes overdue investments in America's rails, roads and schools and in well-paying Davis-Bacon-covered jobs for our workers.

The benefits for our economy of encouraging unionized jobs cannot be overstated. As the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ``Everyone knows that the labor movement did not diminish the strength of the Nation, but enlarged it. By raising the living standards of millions, labor miraculously created a market for industry and lifted the whole Nation to undreamed of levels of production.''

May this bill continue in that tradition.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4284, the Andean Trade Preference Extension Act of 2009 (ATPA), which would extend both the General System of Preferences (GSP) and the Andean Trade Preferences for one year.

It is important to extend these preference programs, which assist developing countries in their efforts to build up domestic industries, increase exports, and alleviate poverty. In some cases, these programs have worked well. South Korea, Singapore, and other nations have graduated from the GSP program, and no longer qualify for these special trade benefits.

Failure to extend these preferences would put even more pressure on impoverished populations in developing nations.

Make no mistake, my support for this extension is not an unqualified endorsement of their current structure. To be sure, our preferences programs need improvement.

One key improvement that is desperately needed is to change the prevailing view that trade preferences are a development strategy. Instead, we must recognize that trade preferences are only part of a comprehensive development strategy, which must also include investments in education, training, and infrastructure, as well as a consideration of targeted debt relief.

In addition, our preferences programs currently have inadequately- enforced labor standards and no environmental standards whatsoever.

The rationale for linking trade and labor rights is vital to avoiding a ``race to the bottom.'' For American working families, we need to ensure that developing countries attract investment based on a competitive wage advantage, not by artificially suppressing wages through labor repression. For working families in developing countries, the opportunity to bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions will ensure that some of the benefits of trade go to them, not just to multi-national corporations.

This one-year extension will give us the time we need to reform existing programs without disrupting the fragile economies of the lesser-developed nations that our preferences programs are designed to help.

Finally, I want to address the issue of Ecuador in particular. Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that Chevron Corporation has been urging Members of Congress and the Administration to punish Ecuador because its government refuses to intervene in a private lawsuit against the oil giant. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit contend that the company is responsible for polluting a vast area of the Amazon Basin, causing serious health and environmental consequences.

While I take no position on the lawsuit, I do believe that the plaintiffs should have their day in court. I also believe that, of all the legitimate reasons to oppose the U.S. trade preferences programs, doing the bidding of a single corporation is not one of them.

As the editors of the Los Angeles Times wrote in a recent editorial, ``There are other factors for Congress to consider in determining whether to extend Ecuador's trade preferences: workers' rights and trade and investment policy also are important. And there are issues that remain to be negotiated between the two countries. But in each of these areas, Ecuador has demonstrated a willingness to work with the U.S. That should be the test for an extension of trade benefits, not the private interests of one corporation.''

To reiterate, while our trade preferences programs are not perfect, extending them for one year is vital, and I strongly support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 160, honoring the American Kennel Club on its 125th anniversary.

As someone who is proud to have three loveable four-legged members of my own family, Chavo, Baloo, and Pippin, I was eager to be an original cosponsor of this resolution. The American Kennel Club provides invaluable services to dog owners and breeders across the country. For the past one hundred and twenty-five years, this organization has been counted upon to promote best practices for training, regulation, inspection, and registration.

Most Americans know the club for its annual dog shows, but it does much more. The American Kennel Club awards nearly $170,000 in scholarship money per year to veterinary students and has donated nearly $22 million to the Canine Health Foundation. Younger owners also learn proper skills for treatment and care of their dogs through the National Junior Organization.

Every dog owner knows the bond that can develop between a family and its four-legged member. The American Kennel Club has worked to cultivate and encourage this relationship. The individuals of the AKC have selflessly worked to achieve high standards in each club function and for this they are to be commended.

I want to thank the bill sponsor, Representative Price and my fellow co-sponsors for their strong support of the American Kennel Club.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Public Lands Rehabilitation and Job Creation Act.

The landscape of America is dotted with national treasures, including our national parks, monuments, and forests. From Yosemite National Park in my home state of California to Acadia National Park in Maine, national parks are of recognized for the natural splendor that surrounds us and conserving our precious natural resources for future generations must be a priority.

Since 1916, the National Park Service has admirably preserved and protected our natural treasures. In recent years, however, a log jam of maintenance and safety issues has developed. Structures are unsound, trails overgrown, roads impassable, and cabins unusable. A lack of resources, both money and manpower, has contributed to this situation. If we invest in repairing, rebuilding, and rehabilitating these resources now, we will not only have a safer infrastructure and a brighter future, we will employ tens of thousands of people across the nation.

Since January 2008, the number of unemployed Americans has grown each month. In some areas, the unemployment rate has reached more than twenty percent. We have taken steps to stimulate the economy and catch people in the social safety net, but we have not done enough. While a stronger safety net helps families survive, in the end, Americans don't want unemployment checks, they want to work.

We have people without work and work without people. The solution could not be clearer. We can put people back to work now and restore our national treasures by passing this bill to increase funding for the National Park Service and National Forest Service.

Despite almost 8,000 permanent and seasonal employees, nearly every park manager asserts that their current staffing level is woefully insufficient to take on identified maintenance issues. Within four to six months of receiving additional funds, the Park Service can prepare needed plans and complete essential hiring. These new employees will resurface roads; rehabilitate trails; repair visitor centers, museums, and campsites; and restore wild areas to their previous pristine nature. The new opportunities will range from lower-skilled, entry- level work to highly paid, highly skilled, professional and master craftsman jobs.

Similarly, the Forest Service can create at least fourteen and a half direct hire jobs in well-paying fields like engineering, design, and construction for every million dollars we invest in road repair and decommissioning.

Opportunities to improve roads, buildings, and other infrastructure exist in urban and rural areas across the nation, from the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace in New York City, to Fort Sumter in South Carolina; and from Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego to the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan.

Without additional investment, our infrastructure problems will continue to grow and hinder use and enjoyment of our nation's natural resources. Theodore Roosevelt once said that we should ensure the mountains and trees and canyons and streams are preserved for our children and our children's children, ``with their majestic beauty all unmarred.'' If we continue to neglect our greatest national treasures, our problems will fester and future generations will have less to enjoy.

We can cure this oversight through increased investments that will put more than 50,000 Americans back to work, performing needed, meaningful tasks that our children and grandchildren will enjoy for years to come.

Congress rarely has a chance to act on opportunities this well paired. We should put Americans back to work and preserve our public lands for future generations. We cannot let this opportunity slip by. We need these jobs, and we need to pass the Public Lands Rehabilitation and Job Creation Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the ``Sustainable Property Grants Act of 2009,'' legislation that would allow real estate investment trusts (REITs) to fully benefit from the energy grants included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the Recovery Act).

Congress created REITs in 1960 to enable investors from all walks of life to own professionally managed, income-producing real estate. REITs combine the capital of many investors to benefit from a diversified portfolio of income-producing real estate, including apartments, health care facilities, hotels, offices and warehouses. REITs are required to distribute at least 90 percent of their taxable income. Most distribute their entire taxable income.

Buildings represent about 40 percent of all energy use and approximately 70 percent of all electricity consumption in the United States, but REITS, which own 6 billion square feet of commercial real estate, cannot currently access tax incentives designed to reduce their energy use. Providing incentives for REITs to engage in energy efficiency projects could significantly contribute to achieving our energy reduction goals.

That is why I am introducing legislation today to amend the Recovery Act to allow REITs to participate fully in the energy grants in lieu of tax credits program.

Section 1603 of the Recovery Act provides Energy Grants to companies that invest in qualifying renewable energy projects. These grants are intended to encourage qualifying investments by taxpayers whose tax liability is not sufficient to benefit from existing energy credits. In fact, the Recovery Act Energy Grants were designed as a substitute for energy credits during the current economic downturn since many taxpayers have inadequate tax liability to use the credits. Despite being designed for this purpose, the Energy Grants provision in the Recovery Act have been interpreted to benefit a REIT only to the extent it retains taxable income, which most do not.

This legislation would further existing Congressional policy and promote the greatest possible participation in efforts to increase the use of renewable energy. REITs would be afforded the same economic incentives as other property owners to make investments in renewable energy projects. With enough critical mass, these types of investments should help fuel the U.S. economy's growth, create additional jobs and, over time, reduce American reliance on foreign oil.

I hope that you will join me in supporting this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Clean Air and Water Investment Act of 2009. This legislation will restore tax exempt bonding for air and water pollution control facilities.

Prior to the 1986 revision to the tax code, state authorized agencies and political subdivisions were permitted to administer tax exempt bonds to finance ``air and water pollution control facilities.'' The program proved so effective that even facilities that were grandfathered, and not subject to clean air standards, were proactive participants, providing cleaner air and water for our communities.

As we continue to look for ways to assist businesses and local governments in their efforts to reduce pollution, these bonds provide an affordable solution that will put people to work while providing cleaner and healthier communities. This bill would restore a proven incentive for industry to invest in cleaner air and water. Importantly, because it falls under a pre-existing spending cap, this legislation will present no new liability to the U.S. Treasury.

Members on opposite sides of the aisle frequently may differ on many issues before this body, but this is not one of them. I am pleased to be working on this bill with Congressman Kevin Brady of Texas, a fellow Congressional baseball aficionado. Congressman Brady has been working on this issue for many years now, and I look forward to collaborating with him and seeing this bill signed into law.

I urge my colleagues to consider support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a fallen soldier from my district.

Jesus Flores, Jr., 28, from La Mirada, California, was killed in action on October 15 of this year in Afghanistan. He leaves behind his mother, father, four sisters, and one brother.

Jesus enlisted in the Navy straight from high school and served for 4 years. In 2003, he enlisted in the Army. He became a combat specialist and was deployed to Iraq from February to May of 2009. He was on his first tour in Afghanistan when he was killed in action.

One of his sisters spoke of Jesus in this way: A loving son. A generous brother. A soldier who loved military life. This was apparent in the many medals adorning his uniform.

The people of this body and people throughout this country could not exist without the dedication and sacrifices from the soldiers who serve. Soldiers like Jesus. Soldiers who, above all else, want to honor this country, preserve our freedoms, and protect our families.

There is nothing that I can say or do to take away the pain his family feels at the loss of Jesus. But I hope they are comforted by knowing the memory of Specialist Jesus Flores will remain, and we will continue to honor his service every day.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the Water Replenishment District of Southern California on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.

The Water Replenishment District of Southern California was created by the voters of California on November 17, 1959.

The successful election and creation of the Water Replenishment District was the culmination of a 17-year effort by groundwater producers in the Central and West Coast Basins to devise a system to finance and manage the restoration of dangerously depleted basins, retard and reverse the intrusion of sea water, institute a program of annual replenishment, and adjudicate and protect the rights of groundwater producers.

For five decades, the Water Replenishment District of Southern California has pursued this mission, assuring the continued beneficial use of the basins for groundwater production.

The programs and projects of the Water Replenishment District have included the pioneering use of recycled water and the capture and use of storm water for replenishment, multiple groundwater contamination cleanup projects in the Central Basin, desalination of brackish water in the West Coast Basin, and the supply of water to the sea water barrier wells in both basins. These successful programs have resulted in the steady reduction of reliance on the expensive and uncertain supply of imported water and a steady increase in the use of locally- developed water.

The goal of the Water Replenishment District of Southern California is to eliminate the use of imported water for replenishment by 2015. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, I want to commend the district for a job well done and to recognize the crucial role the Water Replenishment district plays in the daily lives of Southern California residents.

Madam Speaker, due to illness, I was unable to be present in the Capitol for votes on Thursday, November 5, 2009. However, had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on:

(1) H. Con. Res. 210--providing for the House, upon completion of The Affordable Health Care for America Act, to adjourn until November 16, 2009.

(2) H. Res. 893--Congratulating the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series Champions, the New York Yankees.

(3) H.R. 3788--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Darrow Road in Stow, Ohio, as the ``Corporal Joseph A. Tomci Post Office Building.''

(4) S. 1211--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 60 School Street, Orchard Park, New York, as the ``Jack F. Kemp Post Office Building.''

(5) Thompson Amendment to H.R. 2868 Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. (``aye'')

(6) Final Passage of H.R. 2868--Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009.

Also, I would have voted ``no'' on:

(1) Barton Amendment to H.R. 2868 Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009.

(2) Dent (PA)/Olson (TX) Amendment to H.R. 2868 Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009.

(3) Dent (PA) Amendment to H.R. 2868 Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009.

(4) McCaul (TX) Amendment to H.R. 2868 Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Act of 2009.

(5) Motion to Recommit H.R. 2868 to H.R. 2868 Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Act of 2009.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the nearly 50 million Americans who don't have health insurance.

On behalf of parents who have to choose between taking their sick child to the doctor and paying the electric bill on time.

On behalf of adult children who are slowly losing their parents to Alzheimer's, and yet can't afford the quality care their parents need.

In a Nation as prosperous as ours, it is a shame and a tragedy that so many families suffer, watching their loved ones die, when timely tests or early care could have prevented it.

American families have waited too long for the freedom and security that universal healthcare can provide.

I strongly support H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act because this legislation tells families yes.

Yes, they can afford high quality health care.

Yes, they can get health insurance even if they have a pre-existing condition.

Yes, they can expect to be treated fairly by insurance companies, regardless of their gender or age. Yes, they can keep their health insurance, even if they get sick.

And yes, we can pass health reform that protects and strengthens our economy by encouraging development and use of health information technology, generic drugs, and advanced medical devices.

It's well past time for Congress to make sure that an unforeseen illness or accident doesn't mean economic ruin for American families. To stop the abuses of health insurance companies, who play games instead of paying for health care. To ensure that Americans have the freedom to change jobs or to become entrepreneurs, instead of being locked into a job they hate because it is the only way they can afford healthcare.

I worked to make sure this bill bars insurance companies from charging women more just because they are women.

I worked to make sure that this bill creates Collaborative Care Networks, to ensure that doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers work together to provide working families, lower income Americans, and those with chronic conditions the high quality coordinated care they need to stay healthy and out of emergency rooms.

I worked to make sure this bill includes, among the choices it offers consumers, a public option that will focus on health care, not profits.

I'm proud of my work on this bill, because it means American families and businesses will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing they can access affordable, quality care when they need it.

It means that my son Joaquin can grow up in a country that is a little fairer, a little more humane, and a little more secure than the one I grew up in.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for children and families by supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, which delivers on a promise Americans have been waiting for since the New Deal, a promise that families can get the health care they need, when they need it, without facing economic ruin.

I have previously spoken about the ways that this bill will help ensure access to affordable, high quality health care for American families. But another significant benefit of this legislation which has not received much attention is its promotion of high-paying research, high tech, and manufacturing jobs.

Contrary to the claims that this is a ``job killing bill,'' in fact, this bill will create thousands of jobs here in the United States.

First, this bill will increase demand for healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, home health workers, and more. More affordable insurance means more families getting the primary and chronic care they need instead of waiting until they need an emergency room. And it means more middle class American jobs that can't be exported.

Second, this bill will continue the investments begun in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus bill, to expand the use of health information technology.

Health IT will help better manage the quality and cost of care patients receive by eliminating duplicative tests and ensuring that patients don't receive the wrong medicine or the wrong dose. And investment in health IT creates jobs--jobs in hardware production, software design, and computer training. When we invest in quality health care for all Americans, we are investing in jobs.

Finally, this bill will promote more of what America already does so well: medical research. By allowing more Americans access to health insurance, this bill will increase the demand for advanced medical technologies that are manufactured right here in America.

And by creating a process for the Food and Drug Administration to approve so-called ``biosimilar'' drugs, this bill will encourage competition in the cutting edge field of biologic drugs.

This new class of medicines will help cure and treat more Americans at lower costs. And the promise of protection for intellectual property and an FDA structure to approve bio-similars will result in increased investment in this industry, which already provides thousands of well- paying jobs in California and across the country.

I hope to work with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Commissioner of the FDA, and like-minded colleagues in Congress to ensure that these important research and manufacturing jobs stay right here in the United States.

In sum, this bill preserves and promotes the strength of the American health care system: innovation. And it fixes the shortcomings: spending too much while caring for too few.

If we fail to pass this bill, we fail American families, and we fail the American economy. As a champion of both, I strongly support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose language in the Republican substitute that threatens the well- being of patients in hospitals across the country.

The goal of the underlying legislation is to provide affordable, quality healthcare to every American. According to The Institute of Medicine, nearly 100,000 people die every year because of medical errors in America's hospitals. I cannot understand how reducing the accountability of our healthcare practitioners would lower that number or improve the quality of healthcare in this country.

The facts are clear. Those states that restrict damage awards and limit access to courts for patients injured by negligent doctors have seen limited or no reduction in healthcare costs. Instead, many have seen an increase in the cost of malpractice insurance. In fact, for every malpractice damage award, 3 to 7 people die due to medical errors.

While we all share a goal that doctors practice medicine with confidence and avoid needless tests, we should not limit access to justice where reckless action permanently alters the lives of patients and their families. Make no mistake, that's what the Republican substitute would do.

If we want to lower healthcare costs, let us instead cut down on medical error by encouraging adoption of best practices, standardizing safety procedures that are proven to reduce infection, and lowering malpractice premiums by creating more competition in the insurance industry. I listened to the Americans who visited Washington this week. Many spoke about a fear of monopolies and in favor of increased competition. I agree. Let's make the insurance companies comply with antitrust laws and operate on the same competitive playing field as other American businesses.

One of the great guarantees the founders provided in our Constitution was the ability to address grievances in a court of law. Our courts remain a great equalizer that allows every American the opportunity to seek justice when wronged. Limiting this guarantee goes against that spirit and leaves grieving and injured families without access to justice. I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing this substitute.