Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for House Resolution 689, a resolution introduced by my colleague, Rosa DeLauro, honoring Catholic Sisters for their tremendous contributions to our country.

Catholic Sisters have long been responsible for providing care to the neediest, most marginalized people in our society. Whether they're feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, educating our students, healing the sick, or fighting for a cleaner environment, the Catholic Sisters have touched millions of lives across the country and around the world.

Madam Speaker, Catholic hospitals call themselves dignity hospitals in my district, and they play a key role in providing health services, and those institutions all rely on the tireless support of Catholic Sisters.

I want to pay special tribute to one of them, my constituent, Sister Janet Corcoran, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis who works at Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria, California. She's a pillar of our community, tirelessly advocating everywhere she goes on behalf of better health care, education, social justice, peace, and environmental protection.

Reinforced by a deep faith in God, she and other Catholic Sisters on the Central Coast, and throughout the country demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the common good day in and day out. We have much to thank them for, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important resolution.

I thank my colleague.

I rise today in strong opposition to this bill that would take away insurance protections and new access to health care from tens of thousands on the central coast of California. Thanks to this law, families are telling me they no longer need to worry that their children will be denied insurance due to a preexisting health condition. In my district alone, 9,500 students--young adults--now have health insurance through their parents' plan. A young college graduate recently came up to me at the grocery store thanking me for the peace of mind as he's looking for a job.

In my community, 59,000 seniors now receive free preventive care and thousands of seniors in the dreaded doughnut hole have received discounts for prescription drugs, saving an average of $610. Now some folks around here may not think that much of a savings of $600. But for so many, this makes a world of difference. Indeed, one of my constituents, Ella May from Nipomo, wrote this to me, saying that thanks to this law, ``I won't be impoverished again by the cost of my medicines.''

But this House majority has set up yet another vote to take away these benefits from Ella May, from my community, and from the Nation. Mr. Speaker, we should be working to stimulate growth in our economy and spur job creation, not voting for a 31st time on repealing this law.

I urge my colleagues to reject this bill.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chair, this is a straightforward amendment to increase funding for the HUD Housing Counseling Assistance Program.

As we all know, the foreclosure crisis continues to ravage our families in many parts of the country. This is a problem in my home State of California, but also in many other States. Nevada, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, and Georgia all have foreclosure rates well above the national average.

There are many efforts aimed at solving this crisis, but local housing counseling agencies have proven to be among the most effective tools we have to help struggling families stay in their homes during these tough times. These local nonprofits are filled with dedicated staff who work tirelessly to help homeowners make informed decisions and stay in their homes. They provide a wide range of free counseling services, including post-purchase counseling, renter counseling, reverse mortgage counseling for senior homeowners, and counseling for homeless individuals and families seeking shelter. And they depend on Federal funding from HUD's Housing Counseling Assistance Program to provide these services.

Every dollar allocated to these local organizations helps to ensure that all homeowners in financial distress may have a trusted third- party resource to turn to free of charge. Recognizing the value and effectiveness of housing counselors, Congress more than doubled funding for this critical program from 2007 to 2010 to help combat the rapidly expanding foreclosure crisis, and that money was money well spent.

Local counseling agencies used the funding to create jobs by hiring additional counselors and expanding their services to meet the rapidly growing demand created by the recession. Sadly, however, funding for Housing Counseling Assistance was abruptly eliminated in FY 2011. This was a devastating blow to these local organizations, resulting in layoffs and, more important, elimination of a valuable and much needed service to homeowners who are in trouble. Thankfully, we were able to restore some of this funding last year, and I thank the chairman and the Appropriations Committee for maintaining last year's funding level in the bill before us.

But, frankly, this is not enough. The foreclosure crisis is far from over, and the need for this funding has never been greater.

Just last month, one in every 639 houses nationwide received a foreclosure notice. That's why my amendment would increase funding for HUD Housing Counseling Assistance by $10 million, matching the President's request of $55 million.

The amendment is fully paid for with a $10 million reduction in the administration's operations and management account. This additional funding will make a tremendous difference in the lives of middle class Americans in my district and across this country who are desperately trying to stay afloat.

In my district on the central coast of California, where the foreclosure rate remains well above the national average, every little bit makes such a difference. I know my local housing counselors, like SurePath Financial, like People's Self-Help Housing and Cabrillo Economic Development, they're going to be able to help many more of my constituents with this extra funding.

I know some States have been harder hit than others by the foreclosure crisis, but the benefits of counseling extend to all homeowners, not just those facing foreclosure. In a recently released study, HUD examined both families seeking to purchase their first homes and those struggling to prevent foreclosure. In the pre-purchase counseling study, HUD found that of those participants that became homeowners, all but one of them remained current on their mortgage payments after 18

months. This study shows that housing counseling is not only helping address the current foreclosure crisis, it's also helping prevent future crises by helping homeowners find mortgages that they can afford and fully understand.

When homeowners understand their mortgage and properly plan, they're much more likely to make their payments on time and avoid foreclosure in the future. The Housing Counseling Assistance Program helps to make that happen.

This program has broad national support from respected nonprofits like Catholic Charities, National Council on Aging, and the National Council of La Raza, and for-profit industry groups like the Mortgage Bankers Association. And it should have broad bipartisan support here in the House as well.

I'm willing to bet that most of my colleagues in this House have referred constituents in need of help to their local housing counseling agencies. I know I certainly have. I have no reservations about referring my constituents to local HUD-certified housing counselors because I know they will receive excellent advice and guidance. But as the foreclosure crisis has dragged on, demand for help has far exceeded the resources available. My amendment will not immediately solve this enormous program, but it will certainly help.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue. I know we must make tough choices to balance our budget, but we must also make smart choices. Voting for my amendment is a smart choice. It's also the right choice for Americans who are still struggling to stay afloat. So I urge my colleagues to support our local housing counselors and vote ``yes'' on my amendment.

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

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Mrs. Capps

Amendment No. 6: Page 71, line 19, after the dollar amount,

insert ``(reduced by $10,000,000)''.

Page 72, line 3, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced

by $2,000,000)''.

Page 72, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced

by $5,000,000)''

Page 72, line 20, after the dollar amount, insert

``(reduced by $3,000,000)''

Page 102, line 2, after the first dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $10,000,000)''.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. It is No. 23.

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

Mr. Chairman, it is my hope that we can all simply agree to this amendment.

Among this bill's many provisions is one that creates a new interagency committee to do the impossible. It is charged with conducting an analysis of the EPA air quality rules that have not been proposed, using data that does not even exist. I'm concerned that this new interagency committee is being set up to fail.

First, the bill before us requires the new committee to examine the potential impact of several EPA air quality rules on gasoline prices. There's one significant problem. These rules have not yet been proposed.

Now, we can argue about whether they have been initiated, contemplated, discussed, mulled over, considered and so forth. But the fundamental fact is that the rules and their requirements have not even yet been proposed. The committee simply has nothing concrete to analyze.

As a result, any report that this new interagency committee would complete would be the product of a series of best guesses, estimates, approximations, and assumptions that cannot possibly provide credible assessment of a potential impact of these potential rules on gasoline prices.

Moreover, it may not even be possible for the interagency committee to complete this analysis, as insufficient as it will be, without a significant investment of resources at the Department of Energy.

We asked the Energy Information Administration what it would take to complete such an analysis. EIA, which is better positioned than any other government agency to tackle this project, said that it currently does not have the analytic capability even to conduct the State or regional level breakdowns required by such a bill.

The agency also would have to collect or purchase new data, despite the bill's hollow assurances that this isn't necessary. And the Department of Energy would have to devote significant new staff and contractor time to be able to comply with the bill's requirements. In essence, this bill proposes to devote scarce taxpayer dollars to produce a report that will not be reliable, credible, or even valuable to anyone.

My amendment simply states that if the Energy Department determines that that analysis is not feasible to conduct, requires data that does not exist, or generates results that would not be reliable or useful, then the interagency committee does not have to complete the report. If it determined that such an analysis is infeasible, the 6-month delay of EPA rules then would not go into effect.

This amendment is a good-governance amendment that ensures effective use of taxpayer dollars. It's common sense.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I have no further speakers, so I am prepared to close.

Mr. Chairman, as we know and as my colleague from Colorado has just illustrated, the bill creates redundant layers of bureaucracy and requires a study of key air pollution standards that are not even yet proposed by the EPA. This is clearly designed to postpone pollution cleanup.

My amendment is a straightforward amendment which simply says if the Energy Department's analysis of the EPA's air quality rules is not feasible or not useful, we should not be spending taxpayer resources on it.

I would note again that these EPA air quality rules that would be analyzed aren't even on the books yet. We shouldn't be wasting agency time and resources on tasks like the ones proposed here. This amendment is one of common sense. It is straightforward and very simple. So I hope my colleagues will support this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank my colleague for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise to express my strong opposition to this rule and the underlying bill. We all know that high oil and gasoline prices take their toll on American consumers. Understandably, they want their elected officials to take action. But what the American people don't want is empty promises, and they don't want more political posturing designed to score cheap political points in an election year. And that's all this bill gives us.

H.R. 4480 blocks and delays EPA air-quality protections--protections that haven't even been proposed yet. It includes a radical proposal that damages the Clean Air Act goal that air should be clean enough to breathe safely. And it gives the Energy Department the job of developing a new drilling plan on Federal lands, even though this is not an area of expertise at all.

Madam Speaker, the idea behind this bill is just not thought out. It's not a solution to high oil and gasoline prices, nor will it create any immediate jobs. It is really nothing more than a transparent attempt to use this issue as an excuse for advancing an agenda in order to hurt our precious resources of lands and our own health.

And that's why I had sent to the Rules Committee a straightforward amendment that would have protected my State's coastline from new offshore drilling. My Republican colleague from California, Mr. Bilbray, had a similar amendment on the same issue; but this Rules Committee is not allowing either amendment even to be debated, even to have its say on the House floor. A State where offshore drilling has been protected in State waters will now, because these amendments were not made in order, have to allow the Federal Government to work its will in contradiction to the State. And that's wrong. That's why Members from both sides should use their good sense and oppose this rule and oppose the underlying bill.

I thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the FDA Safety and Innovation Act. This bipartisan effort will improve the health and safety of the American people; and at the same time, it will support good jobs and innovation in the health care industry. I am especially pleased that this bill includes two provisions which I authored:

The first is modeled on my SAFE Devices Act, which will improve the post-market surveillance of medical devices and the implementation of the unique device identifier program. This essential provision will allow us to identify potential device problems early, thereby protecting patients and identifying issues when they are easier and less costly to address;

The second provision I authored comes from my bipartisan HEART for Women Act, which the House has passed two times. It requires the FDA to report on the availability of new drug and device safety and efficacy data by sex, age, and racial and ethnic subgroups. Drugs and devices can have dissimilar effects among various populations, and this provision will help reduce substantial disparities in health care, especially for women and minorities.

So I thank the chairmen and ranking members for their leadership on the FDA Safety and Innovation Act and for their support of these two provisions. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today out of concern regarding the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2011 (H.R. 436).

I am extremely disappointed that this bill, which addresses important issues, was needlessly injected with partisanship.

The medical device industry is integral to both our health care system and our economy.

Regardless of our political leanings, we should all be able to agree that it is in all of our best interests to support a thriving domestic medical device industry.

I have met with a variety of people on this issue--innovators, manufacturers, patients, consumer advocates, and many other stakeholders.

I understand their concerns about the impact that this policy would have, especially on small firms and in California, and wish we had the opportunity to look at a range of options to address them.

Unfortunately, in the bill before us, the House Majority has once again found a way to poison a bill by slashing important insurance provisions in the Affordable Care Act.

Yet again they have shown that they are willing to disregard American families in order to get a pithy sound bite and further their own divisive agenda.

By removing protections for low- and moderate income families who receive subsidies to purchase private health insurance, this bill pits American families verse manufacturers.

It essentially punishes people for improving their situation by getting a new job or a raise.

The result? According to the Congressional Budget Office, an estimated 350,000 families would be added to the uninsured ranks, and others would be left debating between going for a promotion or paying a hefty tax bill.

Health care is a right deserved by all, and shouldn't come with fear of punishment.

And the idea of asking American families to choose between having health insurance and improving their financial situations is preposterous.

Through this bill, the other side has shown that they are more concerned with dismantling health care reform than ensuring that the American people have access to health care.

And therefore I cannot vote for it.

I thank my colleague for yielding me time.

I rise today in strong support of the FDA Reform Act of 2012. I must say it is an honor to associate myself with the remarks of our chairman emeritus, Mr. Dingell, who worked tirelessly over the years with regard to the Food and Drug Administration in making it a good institution that can only become better.

This bill represents the spirit of compromise--compromise across the aisle and also among the many stakeholders that work toward innovations to improve our health. It demonstrates that at a time when most of the country believes that we in Congress can't work together at all or pass a piece of legislation without a long and bitter fight, we can come together to improve health, protect the safety of the American people and, at the same time, to support good jobs and innovation in our health care industry.

I am especially pleased that two of my provisions have been included in this legislation. For example, the SAFE Devices Act will improve the postmarket surveillance of medical devices and the implementation of the unique device identifier program. This is an essential provision that will let us know that our devices work, and it will allow us to identify potential problems early on, protecting patients and identifying issues when they are easier and less costly to address. Additionally, the bill includes the simplification of FDA's de novo process--an important step to helping both medical devices manufacturers and patients.

I thank Chairmen Upton and Pitts and Ranking Members Pallone and Waxman for their leadership on this bill. I also thank the numerous advocates, the many patients and other

stakeholders who came together and contributed to this bill so that it would come to fruition today.

Of course, there is more work in front of us that remains to be done, but this bill before us is an important step in ensuring that our drug and device pipelines continue to produce needed cures and treatments in order to keep us all healthy, which is why I urge my colleagues to support it.

I thank my colleague.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule and to the underlying bill that will actually roll back protections for women across this Nation.

The Violence Against Women Act is a vital piece of legislation to be sure. It established a comprehensive response to prevent relationship violence, sexual assault, and stalking; to support survivors; and to hold perpetrators accountable. It is also a symbol that relationship violence and sexual assault is real and that it is unacceptable.

For the past 20 years, this law has been a shining symbol that Congress can put aside its petty differences and we can come together to do what is right for violence victims and survivors.

Now the bill before us tarnishes that symbol.

H.R. 4970 marks a backsliding in violence protections, leaving more women out in the cold without legal resources or social supports, just when they need it most.

And the issues are not just for immigrants or the LGBT community-- although the way the bill before us ignores their pain is shameful--but also for women on college campuses, those in need of safe housing, tribal women. And that is why hundreds of groups across the country-- service providers, law enforcement, health care workers--have come out against this bill.

Now we could address the problems in this bill if we were allowed an opportunity to vote on the Moore-Conyers amendment, which I cosponsored. The Moore-Conyers amendment mirrors the recently passed bipartisan Senate bill. But the House leadership unilaterally decided to block it from even coming to a vote. The majority has, once again, put rigid ideology over commonsense compromise, and this time at the expense of violence survivors and their families.

Reauthorization is critical for the Violence Against Women Act, but it needs to be done right. I urge the majority to drop the partisan politics, join a bipartisan coalition, and support these survivors.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Mr. George Gaynes on the occasion of his 95th birthday. Mr. Gaynes is a distinguished member of the Santa Barbara community. He is a man who has devoted his life to the arts, a man who has delighted us all with his wonderful talents both on-stage and on-screen.

George Gaynes was born in 1917 in Helsinki, Finland. In Europe, he served in the Dutch and British Navies during World War II. Mr. Gaynes served as a translator on battleships since he spoke, and still speaks, six languages fluently. Mr. Gaynes, blessed with a wonderful singing voice, started his career in opera companies in Switzerland and London, and later in the New York City Opera Company singing basso.

After moving to the United States, Mr. Gaynes became an accomplished Broadway actor, best known for his on-stage role in Wonderful Town. He also had notable roles in the Cole Porter musical Out of This World and in the U.S. on-stage tour of My Fair Lady. Mr. Gaynes has also enjoyed a distinguished career on-screen. He is perhaps best known for his role in the Police Academy series as Commandant Eric Lassard, as Henry Warnimont on the NBC television series Punky Brewster, and as Arthur Feldman on The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd. Gaynes is also remembered for his role as Frank Smith on the popular soap opera General Hospital, and has appeared in movies such as The Way We Were, Tootsie, and The Crucible.

Gaynes met the love of his life, fellow dancer and actress Allyn Ann McLerie in 1952 in New York where they were both performing on Broadway. The couple has been married for 58 years and has two wonderful children, Iya and Matthew. They have one grandchild, Nicole Falcone Stryjak and are expecting their first great-grandchild, Portia, in June 2012.

George and Allyn Ann moved to Santa Barbara in 1989 and the couple immediately became involved in the issues important to our community and could always be counted upon to support those causes they believed in deeply. In fact, George has continuously contributed various ``Letters to the Editor'' on both local and national issues in several local newspapers. The couple were also founding members of the State Street Ballet Company in Santa Barbara.

George Gaynes is a man who has devoted his life to the arts and his community. Today I am pleased to recognize him as we celebrate his life as a distinguished actor and entertainer, a man dedicated to making the Central Coast and this Nation a richer, more vibrant place.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Nurses Week.

This week it is important for us to come together and pay special tribute to the women and men who make up the largest segment of our healthcare workforce.

Nurses are truly the backbone of our healthcare system.

They not only work in our hospitals and clinics, but are present in our schools, our workplaces, and in so many facets of our everyday lives.

However, our increasing demand for nurses continues to grow at a rate faster than the current supply can alleviate.

By 2020, the overall need for new nurses is expected to reach a staggering 1.2 million.

For the nursing workforce to meet this demand, we must ensure that federal investment in nursing does not falter.

The Nurse Reinvestment Act, which I authored and was signed into law in 2002, set the framework to do this.

But we all must come together, on both sides of the aisle, to support these crucial programs and to support nursing education and a robust nursing workforce.

I encourage my colleagues and all Americans to take time out this week to thank the nurses in your life and to join me in recognition of these professionals who tirelessly care for the health of ourselves and our loved ones.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2072, the bipartisan Securing Jobs Through Exports Act.

Other nations are aggressively supporting their businesses' exports, making it more important than ever to help American manufacturers secure the financing they need to compete in foreign markets.

The Export-Import Bank helps make this happen, creating middle class jobs here at home and boosting our economic competitiveness by investing in a strong manufacturing sector that builds and exports products around the world.

Just last year, the Bank provided $32 billion in financing to thousands of companies, which supported nearly 290,000 American jobs. Over 80 percent of those transactions directly supported small businesses.

In my district alone, the Bank supported over $36 million in sales over the last five years, helping innovative Central Coast businesses like Mafi-Trench and CoreSulpher grow and hire.

The Securing Jobs Through Exports Act will provide the necessary tools and resources for the Bank to continue this important work.

It reauthorizes the Bank for three years, giving U.S. businesses the certainty they need, and incrementally increases the exposure limit to $140 billion by fiscal year 2014 in response to the growing demand for Ex-Im financing.

The bill will also make Ex-Im more effective and accountable by funding technology upgrades and requiring additional reporting to Congress.

This bipartisan legislation has broad, bipartisan support from both labor and business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, NAM, and Business Roundtable.

Mr. Speaker, as our fragile economy continues to recover, we must ensure American businesses have the tools they need to compete in the global market place and create jobs for workers here at home.

This bipartisan legislation will help do exactly that.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2072.

Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Yes, I am opposed to this bill in its current form.

Mr. Speaker, this is the final--it's the only--amendment to this bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. Instead, if the House adopts this amendment, it will immediately move to final passage.

It appears that we now all agree that we cannot let student loan rates double

come this July--that's good--but I wish we were also looking for a bipartisan solution to funding the continuation of low rates on student loans. Instead, the majority is engaging in another partisan attack on public health funding, funding that improves the lives of Americans and the productivity of our workforce.

I strongly oppose this position and the proposed cuts to the prevention fund, funds that will make women and children healthier, and that's why I've offered this straightforward amendment. It would ensure that poor policy decisions made here in Congress, namely, to get rid of the only dedicated funding we have for public health and prevention, do not give insurance companies an excuse to cut benefits or to increase the costs of preventative services for women and children. These services include critical access to contraception, mammograms, cancer screenings, and immunizations.

Whatever our strong disagreements are about the underlying bill, we surely can agree that no insurance company should use this as an excuse to hinder access to basic preventative services. The Public Health and Prevention Fund is a critical investment in both our Nation's health and our economic future, especially for women and children.

Its value cannot be understated. A healthy mother is better able to raise a child; a healthy child will be ready and able to learn in school; and a healthy worker is more productive for American businesses.

Moreover, this fund is critical to bringing down health care costs. It targets the most prevalent and preventable of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. The fund has been used to ensure that our children have the vaccines they need to avoid painful and expensive childhood illnesses. It supports programs to prevent birth defects and autism surveillance. And the fund supports critical women's health screenings. There will be 600,000 screenings cut with the repeal of this fund.

These are not frivolous programs. As mothers and grandmothers, we know the importance of preventing birth defects and having access to vaccines, knowing we're doing everything we possibly can to ensure that our children have a healthy start. As a nurse, I know the importance of preventing chronic diseases and catching cancer early. As a taxpayer, I surely know that we cannot afford to keep ignoring the cost benefit of prevention, programs that have a 5-to-1 return on our smart investments. States and counties all over the country are realizing the importance of prevention programs. That's why they've all embraced the prevention fund that this bill wipes out, and it wipes it out completely. In fact, 760 nonpartisan groups across the country have signed on in support of the prevention fund.

I would like to insert this list of organizations for the public record, 760 nonpartisan groups. This investment in public health has been a long time coming. To abolish it now will send us back to square one, just when we can least afford to do that.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the women of this country are watching. They're watching us here today. They have watched as countless bills and budget proposals have moved through this House attacking and zeroing out programs that keep women healthy, their children fed, and families above water.

Now is the time to stand up for women. Vote for this final amendment to this bill to show the women of America that we support them and we support their families and we support the services that they need to lead a happier and healthier life.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Groups Supporting the Prevention and Public Health Fund

[Total count: 760 (3/26/2012)]

National Organizations

317 Coalition; A World Fit for Kids; AARP; AcademyHealth;

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; Action for Healthy

Schools; Active Network; Adapted Physical Activity Council;

Adult Congenital Heart Association; Adventist HealthCare,

Inc.; Advocates for Better Children's Diets; AIDS Alliance

for Children Youth & Families; AIDS Foundation of Chicago;

AIDS United; Alliance for a Just Society; Alzheimer's

Foundation of America; American Academy of Family Physicians;

American Academy of HIV Medicine; American Academy of

Pediatrics; American Academy of Physician Assistants.

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education,

Recreation, and Dance; American Art Therapy Association;

American Association for Health Education; American

Association for International Aging; American Association for

the Study of Liver Diseases; American Association of Colleges

of Nursing; American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic

Medicine; American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy;

American Association of People With Disabilities; American

Association of Poison Control Centers; American Association

of School Administrators; American Association on Health and

Disability; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network;

American College of Cardiology; American College of Clinical

Pharmacy; American College of Gastroenterology; American

College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine; American

College of Preventive Medicine; American Congress of

Obstetricians and Gynecologists; American Council on

Exercise.

American Counseling Association; American Dental Education

Association; American Diabetes Association; American

Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; American

Federation of Teachers; American Foundation for Suicide

Prevention; American Health Planning Association; American

Heart Association/American Stroke Association; American

Hiking Society; American Journal of Health Promotion;

American Kidney Fund; American Liver Foundation; American

Lung Association; American Medical Student Association;

American Muslim Health Professionals; American Nurses

Association; American Organization of Nurse Executives.

American Physical Therapy Association; American Psychiatric

Association; American Psychological Association; American

Public Health Association; American Sleep Apnea Association;

American Social Health Association; American Society for

Gastrointestinal Endoscopy; American Society of Clinical

Oncology; American Thoracic Society; amfAR, the Foundation

for AIDS Research; Aniz, Inc.; Applied Research Center;

Arthritis Foundation; Ascension Health; Asian & Pacific

Islander American Health Forum; Association for Prevention

Teaching and Research; Association for Professionals in

Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.

Association of American Medical Colleges; Association of

Black Cardiologists; Association of Community Health Nursing

Educators; Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs;

Association of Public Health Laboratories; Association of

Population Centers; Association of Schools of Public Health;

Association of State & Territorial Health Officials;

Association of State & Territorial Public Health Nutrition

Directors; Association of State and Territorial Dental

Directors; Association of State and Territorial Directors of

Nursing; Association of University Centers on Disabilities;

Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses;

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.

AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention; Bazelon Center

for Mental Health Law; Building Healthier America; Campaign

for Community Change; Campaign for Public Health Foundation;

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids; Campaign to End Obesity

Action Fund; Caring Ambassadors Program; C-Change; Center for

Adolescent Health & the Law; Center for Biosecurity,

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; Center for Health

Improvement; Center for Science in the Public Interest;

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity

Disorder; Children Now; Children's Dental Health Project;

Children's Health Fund.

Coalition for Health Funding; Coalition for Health Services

Research; Colon Cancer Alliance; Columbia University Mailman

School of Public Health; Commissioned Officers Association of

the U.S. Public Health Service; CommonHealth ACTION;

Community Access National Network; Community Action

Partnership; Community Catalyst; Community Food Security

Coalition; Community Organizations in Action; Consortium of

Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine; Council of

State and Territorial Epidemiologists; Crohn's and Colitis

Foundation of America.

DC Breastfeeding Coalition, Inc.; Defeat Diabetes

Foundation; Defeat Diabetes Fund; Dialysis Patient Citizens;

Digestive Disease National Coalition; Directors of Health

Promotion and Education; Disability Policy Consortium;

Doctors for America; Epilepsy Foundation; Every Child By

Two--Carter/Bumpers Champions for Immunizations; Faces &

Voices of Recovery; Families USA; Family Violence Prevention

Fund; Family Voices; Federation of Associations in Behavioral

& Brain Sciences; Fight Colorectal Cancer; Friends of AHRQ.

Friends of NCHS; Friends of SAMHSA; Global AIDS Alliance;

Grassroots Organizing; Health Care for America Now; Health

Promotion Advocates; Health Rights Organizing Project;

Healthcare Leadership Council; HealthHIV; Heartland Alliance

for Human Needs and Human Rights; Hep C Connection; Hepatitis

B Foundation; Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington, D.C. (HBI

DC); Hepatitis Foundation International; HIV Medicine

Association; HIV Prevention Justice Alliance; Immunization

Action Coalition; Infectious Diseases Society of America.

INSPIREHealth.org.; Institute for Alternative Futures;

Institute for Public Health Innovation; Institute of Social

Medicine and Community Health; Integrated Healthcare

Policy Consortium; International Association for Indigenous

Aging; International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium

(IC&RC); International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub

Association; Interstitial Cystitis Association; Iron

Disorders Institute; Laotian American National Alliance;

League of United Latin American Citizens; Lung Cancer

Alliance.

Lymphoma Foundation of America; Main Street Alliance; March

of Dimes Foundation; Media Policy Center; MedImmune; MEND

Foundation; Mended Little Hearts; Mental Health America;

Metropolitan Community Churches; National Alliance of Multi-

ethnic Behavioral Health Associations; National Alliance of

State and Territorial AIDS Directors; National Asian American

Pacific Islander Mental Health Association; National Assembly

on School-Based Health Care; National Assoc. of Area Agencies

on Aging (n4a); National Association for Public Health

Statistics and Information Systems; National Association for

Sport and Physical Education; National Association of Chain

Drug Stores.

National Association of Children's Hospitals; National

Association of Chronic Disease Directors; National

Association of Community Health Centers, Inc.; National

Association of Counties; National Association of County and

City Health Officials; National Association of County

Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors;

National Association of Hepatitis Task Forces; National

Association of Local Boards of Health; National Association

of People with AIDS; National Association of Public Hospitals

and Health Systems; National Association of School Nurses;

National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Directors; National Association of State Head Injury

Administrators; National Association of State Mental Health

Program Directors; National Athletic Trainers' Association;

National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS; National

Business Coalition on Health.

National Center for Healthy Housing; National Coalition for

LGBT Health; National Coalition for Promoting Physical

Activity; National Coalition of STD Directors; National

Coalition on Health Care; National Committee for Quality

Assurance; National Council for Community Behavioral

Healthcare; National Council of Asian Pacific Islander

Physicians; National Council of Jewish Women; National

Council of La Raza; National Council on Aging; National

Education Association; National Environmental Health

Association; National Family Planning & Reproductive Health

Association.

National Federation of Families for Children's Mental

Health; National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke

Prevention; National Health Council; National Health Equity

Coalition; National Indian Project Center; National

Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality; National Kidney

Foundation; National Korean American Service and Education

Consortium; National Latino AIDS Action Network; National

Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN); National League of

Cities; National Minority AIDS Council; National MS Society;

National Network of Public Health Institutes; National

Nursing Centers Consortium; National Nursing Network

Organization; National Patient Advocate Foundation.

National Physicians Alliance; National Psoriasis

Foundation; National REACH Coalition; National Recreation and

Park Association; National Rural Health Association; National

Viral Hepatitis Roundtable; National WIC Association;

National Women and AIDS Collective (VT); Nemours; North

American Management; North American Quitline Consortium;

Northeast Business Group on Health; Northwest Federation of

Community Organizations; Novo Nordisk; OCA; Oncology Nursing

Society.

Out of Many, One; Pacific Business Group on Health;

Partnership for Prevention; Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy

Group; Pew Children's Dental Campaign; Physician Assistant

Education Association; Physicians for Social Responsibility;

Planned Parenthood Federation of America; PolicyLink;

Population Association of America; Prevent Blindness America;

Prevent Cancer Foundation; Prevention and Public Health Fund;

Prevention Connections.

Prevention Institute; Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses

Association; Professional Association of Social Workers in

HIV and AIDS; Project Inform; Public Health Foundation;

Public Health Institute; Public Health Law and Policy; Public

Health Management Corporation; Public Health Solutions;

Pulmonary Hypertension Association; Rails-to-Trails

Conservancy; Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We

Need; Rescue Social Change Group; Research Institute for

Independent Living; RWJF Center for Health Policy; Safe Kids

USA; Safe Routes to School National Partnership; Safe States

Alliance.

Samuels and Associates; Service Employees International

Union; Sexuality Information and Education Council of the

U.S.; Small Business Majority; Society Against STI's & HIV;

Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine; Society for

Advancement of Violence and Injury Research; Society for

Healthcare Epidemiology of America; Society for Public Health

Education; Society for Vascular Surgery; Society of General

Internal Medicine; State and Territorial Injury Prevention

Directors Association; State Associations of Addiction

Services; Strategic Health Concepts; Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Association; Summit Health Institute for Research and

Education, Inc.; Tethys Bioscience, Inc.; The AIDS Institute;

The Arc of the United States; The Center for HIV Law and

Policy. The Corporate Hepatitis Alliance; The Global Justice

Institute; The National Alliance to Advance Adolescent

Health; The National LGBT Cancer Project--Out With Cancer;

Treatment Access Expansion Project (MA); Trust for America's

Health; U.S. PIRG; United Church of Christ, Justice and

Witness Ministries; United Fresh Produce Association; United

Ostomy Associations of America; United States Breastfeeding

Committee; United States Conference of Mayors; United Way

Worldwide; Up2Us; Upstream Public Health; Urban Coalition for

HIV/AIDS Prevention Services; U.S. Soccer Foundation; Voices

for America's Children; VSP Vision Care; WomenHeart: The

National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. YMCA of the

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, we all know if Congress doesn't come together soon, interest rates on student loans will double on July 1. Rates will go from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.

Right now in our country, student loan debt is higher than credit card debt. This is a huge challenge and barrier facing students, their families and our economy. We cannot have our graduates leaving school with crushing debt. It limits the careers they can pursue, and we certainly don't want young people shying away from continuing their education because they know they'll never be able to afford it. We must keep open the doors of opportunity for all and, in the process, produce a well-educated workforce that's going to grow our economy.

But, if Congress doesn't act soon, more than 7 million low- and middle-income students nationwide will be required to pay more for their student loans. This would mean adding thousands of dollars to a college bill, and that's why I am a proud supporter of legislation to address this issue. I support ending some of the lavish subsidies we give to extraordinarily profitable oil companies and using that money to keep student loan rates from doubling and, at the same time, reducing our deficit by billions of dollars.

We must get our priorities straight. We should be investing in our students and bringing down our deficit instead of handing over taxpayer dollars to some of the richest corporations in the world. I urge my colleagues to join in this effort.