Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge the Republican leadership of the House to bring the STOCK Act to the floor. This commonsense legislation would ensure that Members of Congress and their staffs are not able to profit from nonpublic information obtained through their official duties. President Obama has called on Congress to pass this bill, and it has even advanced in the Senate this week with 93 ``yes'' votes. Meanwhile, the House has not acted on the bill, and a markup on it in December was quashed by the Republican leadership.

Madam Speaker, Members of Congress need to play by the same rules as everyone else, and our constituents need to have confidence that is the case. Right now, they don't have a lot of confidence in Congress on anything. Congressional approval ratings are at record lows, and reports that Members could possibly profit from nonpublic information is no doubt one more reason for that. Now we can take a step to address this gap by enacting the STOCK Act.

Madam Speaker, this is the people's House, and the American people deserve to know that the men and women they send here are working for them.

I thank my colleague from New Jersey for yielding.

Madam Chair, I rise today in opposition to this bill. We all know that we have a long-term care crisis in this

country. What we have now is an unsustainable patchwork approach, with wealthy people having access to private plans, while almost everyone else finds the costs incredibly prohibitive.

These are the folks who fall through the cracks every day, spending down all their assets until there's nothing left, and then relying on our strained Medicaid program for care. This is what the CLASS program tries to avoid. It should provide a modest, but meaningful, benefit to individuals who need support to stay out of costly nursing homes, benefits they've already paid into.

We can all agree that the CLASS program, as currently written in the statute, is not perfect, but few things are. We can use it as a framework upon which to fix and implement this program, one that would be amended, improved and made sustainable, rather than destroyed.

Repealing the CLASS Act does not remove the Nation's need for long- term care. Rather, it makes the path to sustainable solutions much more difficult. Moreover, in the majority's rush to repeal, they have overlooked a vital component that will also be affected by this bill, the National Clearinghouse for Long Term Care.

The clearinghouse, which was established with close-to-unanimous Republican support, is the only dedicated place for individuals to learn about their long-term care options. However, a vote for this bill is a vote to strip funding from this vital public resource. In fact, the original bill abolished the program altogether until I fought to save it in our committee.

And while the authorization has been saved, we all know that a program without any funding is not much of a program. So the result is yet one more obstacle for American families trying to care for their loved ones. These are the people who will lose out, and definitely lose out by this repeal.

So I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce in my Congressional District on its 100th Anniversary. The Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce was chartered in 1912 to serve local businesses by a group of visionary community leaders, many of whose descendants still live and work in Carpinteria.

The original charter states that Carpinteria ``had good churches, schools and social condition, plus a population of 500, which was sure to grow with the great inducements of city and

rural life, in addition to the magnificent mountain and ocean scenery,'' qualities that continue to draw people to this treasured community on California's South Coast.

Over the last century, the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce has diligently served the Carpinteria Valley business community through its commitment to developing strong and viable local businesses by providing opportunities for business education and networking, promoting tourism, and advocating on behalf of business interests. They have also worked closely with the City of Carpinteria to create strong business outreach and community support.

This Chamber is a valued organization of businesses united to create a strong local economy and a positive quality of life by representing business to government, promoting the community, providing networking opportunities and supporting a sustainable future for business and economic development.

Mr. Speaker, it has been my honor to represent this outstanding group of business and community leaders over the years. Again, I congratulate them on a century of achievements and outstanding contributions to our community, enhancing the life of all Carpinterians and helping our local businesses stay strong.

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

I yield myself 5 minutes.

I rise today to offer a straightforward motion to provide certainty to American families and businesses.

As we all know, late last month, after a lot of drawn-out drama, we enacted a short-term extension of the payroll tax cut, of unemployment insurance, and the so-called doc fix. All of these provisions were set to expire at the end of last year. Payroll taxes would have gone up on 160 million American workers. Millions of unemployed people would have had their benefits cut off even though they still can't find work, and doctors would have faced huge cuts in their reimbursement from Medicare, making it harder for seniors to see a doctor. The 2-month extension was not ideal, but differences could not be resolved before the clock ran out.

Now, with this short-term extension set to expire in just a few weeks, we must find a way to bridge our differences and enact a full- year extension of these provisions, and we need to do it as soon as possible, and that's what this motion is about.

It simply directs the conferees to finish their work by February 17 so both the House and Senate will have time to vote on the final package before the clock runs out on the 29th; just a date certain to ensure that we get our work done without yet another last-minute scramble. We have a habit in this Congress of leaving our work to the last minute, something we should have learned when we were kids when our parents warned us about this long ago.

Last year, for example, was filled with manufactured crises and last- minute deals. It led to a great deal of uncertainty about everything from tax policy to whether or not America will pay its debts. This uncertainty has affected our economy and our efforts to create jobs. I know we can do better. I know we must do better

Our economy is still in a fragile state, and we must not add to its precarious nature with yet another unnecessary dustup here in Washington and especially not about provisions we generally agree upon. For example, extending the payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans will put a thousand dollars more in their paychecks for a worker in this coming year. In my home State alone, that would put $21 billion into the pockets of 17 million Californians. That's real money for consumers to spend quickly at small businesses across the country, stimulating demand and growing our economy.

Now, economists from both sides from every perspective agree that this

payroll extension is critical to maintaining our recovery and critical to extending new jobs.

In addition, there is a general agreement about the need to extend unemployment benefits. This affects about 4\1/2\ million Americans who would lose their unemployment benefits if we don't get our work done in time. Never before have we allowed emergency unemployment benefits to expire while unemployment remains so high. Millions of middle class workers and their families depend upon emergency unemployment benefits to feed their families, to put gas in their cars, to keep their houses warm.

Once again, extending these benefits helps create jobs, helps to grow our economy. According to Mark Zandi, every dollar of unemployment benefits creates $1.65 in economic demand. It's not rhetoric. It's a fact.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we all agree on the need to ensure our doctors don't see a draconian cut in their Medicare reimbursements. Such a cut would affect the health care of nearly 50 million seniors who could lose access to their doctors if we don't complete our work on time. Without an extension, Medicare physicians will see nearly a 30-percent reimbursement cut at the end of this month, and of course this is something we face every year, which is why I have always supported a permanent fix to the SGR. But at a minimum, we must include a full-year fix for this program. Failure to do so will harm not only our doctors and their employees but our seniors as well.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are rightfully tired of the political games and needless brinksmanship that has become all too common in this body. I say it's time to change course.

Let's begin this new year on a better note. Let's begin the year by putting aside our differences and working together. Let's begin the new year by completing the work that we all were sent here to do, and let's do it on time and without unnecessary drama.

Let's begin the new year by helping middle class families and small businesses stay afloat in these tough times. It's way too important to wait until the last minute. Millions of American workers, business owners, and families are depending on us. The time to act is now.

I urge my colleagues to support this motion to ensure that we get our work done on time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).

(Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains on each side?

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney).

I am pleased to yield, Mr. Speaker, 2 minutes to our colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to our colleague from North Carolina, David Price.

I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to our colleague from New York (Mr. Crowley).

I yield 30 seconds to our colleague.

Mr. Speaker, may I ask, please, how much time I have remaining?

With that, may I just remind our colleagues that we went lurching from one crisis to another during the past year, first about our debt ceiling default crisis, then whether or not we could even continue the government. Then we spent some time shutting down the FAA. So that's the reason behind this motion to instruct conferees in terms of getting on time.

Now I would like to yield 2 minutes to our colleague from New York (Mr. Engel).

Before I yield time, I just want to congratulate the conferees for finally meeting today for the very first time, at least 5 weeks after they were appointed. So that's the point.

I am pleased now to yield 2 minutes to our colleague from Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee.

I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to our colleague from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

I yield myself the remainder of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I will say to my colleague from New York, being here in December, as you mentioned a few times, it was December 22 that Senator McConnell--actually several Senators said to us, Don't just be here, but get to work. Again, I acknowledge that, today, the conferees are meeting for the first time.

In closing, I just want to make a few quick points: first, to remind our colleagues what is in this motion. It simply says that the conference should finish its work and report it back to the House by February 17. It doesn't speak to specific outcomes, just that we get our work done and do it in a timely fashion. It is very clear that we need to come together and work on the problems that the American people have sent us here to address. They are rightfully tired of the endless drama and the political posturing in Washington, D.C. They know we can do better, and we know it too.

Second of all, we pretty much agree on the need for the basic provisions of this bill--the extension of the payroll tax cut, a tax cut for middle class, hardworking families, an extension of unemployment benefits, and a doc fix for Medicare providers for the rest of the year.

Third, it sounds like we all want to get these issues resolved as quickly as possible. There was a lot of agreement here on the floor during the past hour. So I hope we can all agree now to pass this simple and commonsense motion to instruct the conferees to get their work done over the next 3 weeks so that we can get our work done here on the floor and get moving to the agenda that we know lies before us.

I urge my colleagues to support this motion, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, under rule XXII, clause 7(c), I hereby announce my intention to offer a motion to instruct on H.R. 3630, the conference report to extend payroll tax, unemployment insurance, and sustainable growth rate payments for doctors.

The form of the motion is as follows:

Mrs. Capps moves that the managers on the part of the House

at the conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses

on the Senate amendment to the bill H.R. 3630 be instructed

to file a conference report not later than February 17, 2012.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to applaud recent actions taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to better inform American consumers. Created last year by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform law, the

CFPB's mission is to take the tricks and traps out of financial products we use every day like credit cards and mortgages.

So even though GOP Senators are filibustering the confirmation of the agency's top official, the Bureau is already at work on behalf of consumers. This project, Know Before You Owe, aims to simplify credit card agreements and student loan disclosure forms so consumers know exactly what they're getting into when they borrow.

Importantly, CFPB is asking consumers for their input on this important task. So I encourage all citizens to visit consumerfinance.gov to share their experiences about credit cards and loan agreements. Consumers can also file complaints about credit card companies or mortgage services and learn how to protect themselves from financial scams.

For the first time, we have a dedicated watchdog looking out exclusively for the interests of consumers. I urge all American consumers to take advantage of these great new resources.

Mr. Speaker, it is with the greatest respect that I rise today to recognize Deborah Linden on the event of her retirement as Police Chief for the City of San Luis Obispo.

Chief Linden is a native Californian, raised in Sunnyvale. She moved to Santa Barbara in 1979 to attend U.C. Santa Barbara, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. She began her law enforcement career with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department as a Deputy Sheriff at the age of 22.

During her 18 year tenure at the Sheriff's Department, Chief Linden served in a variety of assignments including Patrol Deputy, Narcotics Detective, Major Crimes Detective, Patrol Sergeant, Major Crimes Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Commander.

She was hired by the City of San Luis Obispo as Chief of Police on January 1, 2003.

Chief Linden holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from St. Mary's College in Moraga and she is a P.O.S.T. Command College graduate. In 2004, she was honored with a three-year gubernatorial appointment to the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training and she was reappointed to subsequent terms in 2007 and 2010. Chief Linden serves on the Board of the California Police Chiefs Association and is a lifetime member of the California Narcotic Officers Association. Chief Linden is also dedicated to future members of law enforcement, as she has been a criminal justice instructor for Santa Barbara City College, an academy instructor for Allan Hancock Law Enforcement Academy, and an instructor of Public Policy for St. Mary's College Graduate Leadership Program.

Chief Linden also takes an active role in our local community in addition to her commitments as Police Chief. She is involved with many community and non-profit groups, including serving on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League, Transitions Mental Health Association, and the Monday Rotary Club in San Luis Obispo. She is the law enforcement representative on the San Luis Obispo County Homeless Services Oversight Council.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Deborah Linden, for her leadership, dedication, and outstanding service to our community and the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

Madam Speaker, later today the House will vote on the REINS Act. This is a terrible piece of legislation that will make it next to impossible to protect Americans' health or the environment. It would allow either Chamber of Congress to stop efforts to keep our water and air clean or to protect the public from unsafe food--by simply doing nothing.

This bill sets up a congressional approval requirement that is a recipe for more gridlock. It would mean more bureaucracy and more delay, generating uncertainty for businesses and weaker rules to protect consumers.

Sherwood Boehlert, the former Republican chairman of the House Science Committee and one of our most thoughtful former colleagues, recently wrote a scathing piece in The Hill about the REINS Act. He said the bill would result in ``a virtual shutdown of the system that will leave the public exposed.''

Madam Speaker, the REINS Act is an outrageous effort to throw out a system that has protected American families and communities for more than 100 years. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting down this irresponsible and misguided legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2405, the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act. But I want to take this time to discuss a critical health issue that Congress must address before the year is out--fixing the sustainable growth rate issue.

Medicare physicians are facing steep reimbursement cuts of nearly 30 percent. And to let these cuts go into effect will harm not only them and their employees, but our seniors as well. That's why I have been a longtime supporter of efforts to postpone SGR cuts and continue to work on a permanent fix.

We here in the House passed legislation to do just that through our version of health care reform. And here we are again, just weeks from the next scheduled cut with an opportunity to craft a bipartisan solution to an issue that both sides of the aisle say they care about. But there is no workable plan in sight.

Instead, it is reported that any fix on the House side will come with indefensible strings attached, pitting doctors' salaries against seniors' benefits, Federal workers, and important cost-saving prevention programs. To be clear, SGR must be fixed permanently, but the idea of stripping other critical health care funding to pay for it, ideas that will not see the light of day in the Senate, is like robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is disingenuous to our Nation's doctors, and it is an indefensible action which will harm our seniors.

So I urge the majority to stop playing politics with the health and well-being of our seniors and to work together to achieve a meaningful and realistic fix.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the Old Mission Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, California. This is a momentous occasion. Founded by Father Fermon Lasuon on the Feast of St. Barbara on Dec. 4, 1786, the Old Mission Santa Barbara has been administered by the Franciscan Order since its founding, making it the oldest continually operating church in California.

The Old Mission is an exceptional example of both neo-classical architectural design with Mexican, Spanish and native Indian influence, and a rare, lasting example of Chumash sculpture and craftsmanship. Throughout the Santa Barbara Mission's 225 year history, it has served as the signature building of the Santa Barbara community.

In past years, the Old Mission has alternatively served as a mission, a boarding school, a bishopric, a theological seminary, a museum, a private residence, a retreat center, and a parish church. After the devastating earthquake of 1925, which destroyed much of the towers of the mission, the community rallied in support of the Old Mission by collecting pennies and holding benefit concerts all to fund the Mission's restoration.

Old Mission Santa Barbara, a National Historic Landmark, and known as the ``Queen of the Missions,'' continues to serve our community by hosting the Old Mission Arts and Crafts shows, I Madonnari Festival, the world famous Old Spanish Days Fiesta, the blessings of the animals, and the Christmas nativity creche, as well as other historic celebrations and community gatherings.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in commemorating the 225th anniversary of the Old Mission Santa Barbara and the central role it continues to play as a cultural and historic landmark in the city of Santa Barbara.

Madam Speaker, I rise to urge you to bring legislation today to extend and expand the payroll tax cut to the floor today.

If Congress fails to extend the payroll tax cut, the average American family will pay $1,000 more in taxes next year. Countless families in my district are still struggling to stay afloat; they can't afford to lose $1,000 in income next year.

Extending and expanding the payroll tax cut is not just the right thing to do for families on the central coast of California; it's the right thing to do for our economy.

Leading nonpartisan economists estimate that letting the payroll tax expire could cost the economy 400,000 jobs by the end of next year. Such tremendous job loss would be devastating to our struggling economy and to American families.

Extending the payroll tax cut should have bipartisan support. With all the anti-tax pledges taken by our colleagues across the aisle, you'd think this would be a no-brainer. More than half of the Republican Conference already voted for the payroll tax cut last December.

Madam Speaker, let's extend the payroll tax cut now. It's a win for the middle class, it's a win for small businesses, and it's a win for our economy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church of Santa Maria, California, and in celebration of its 50th Anniversary. This is a momentous occasion. For the last 50 years New Hope Missionary Baptist Church has been a beacon of light, providing support for our community and empowering families on the Central Coast.

Founded in November 1961 in the home of Brother Lwellyn and Sister Setha Crow, with

the help of Brother Carter, Deacons Steve and Sally Wilson, Francis Green, Sister Bertie Mae Hamilton, Meryl Berry, Melvin Robinson, Phyllis Lovaretta, New Hope Missionary Baptist Church was first led by the inspiring Pastor Dr. P.B. Mdodona and his wife First Lady Willie Pearl Mdodona. A few years later, under the leadership of Pastor W.R. Erwin and his wife First Lady Winifred Erwin, property was purchased on West Mill Street to build a new permanent home. In 1989, Dr. Earl James became Pastor, and along with his wife First Lady Sydney James, worked hard to expand the church and its ministries by adding an additional forty-five hundred square feet to the church. In 2007 Pastor James retired and placed the church's reins in the capable hands of Pastor Henry L. Lewis, Jr. and his wife Sister Agatha Shorter-Lewis. Since then, they have centered their work on empowering the community by empowering the family.

For half a century, the ministries at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church have supported Central Coast families, neighbors, and even strangers. It has been a steady source of solace and provided selfless service to the elderly, homeless, and our youth. In fact, many of the church's congregants can be found volunteering at a homeless shelter, singing to the sick, or bringing young adults in the community together in a safe environment.

Mr. Speaker, each day New Hope Missionary Baptist Church lives up to its name, bringing hope to all it touches. With the burning of its mortgage in 2001, we all are very pleased to have the certainty this carries to the congregation and to the Central Coast.

I urge my colleagues to join me in thanking and celebrating New Hope Missionary Baptist Church for its leadership and service to our community. I am confident the church's fine work will continue to provide comfort and inspiration to all of us on the Central Coast.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the opening of Santa Barbara County's first veteran treatment court. Last week our country came together to remember and pay respect to our veterans, and I was humbled and honored to participate in memorial services honoring our veterans, 50,000 of whom live on California's central coast. Their sacrifice is never forgotten, just as our work to support them is never finished. And that's why I support this new innovative and collaborative treatment court in my congressional district, which will better serve our veterans, especially those struggling with substance abuse, mental health issues, or other disorders. This veterans court fills a critical gap in care for our veterans by helping former servicemembers who are struggling and in pain.

Mr. Speaker, it's our duty to serve those who have served us so gallantly. Our veterans have sacrificed and shown their unquestioning commitment to this country; and veteran treatment courts, like the one in Santa Maria, provide another straightforward way for us to better serve them. So I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Santa Barbara County for taking this critical step in supporting our veterans by establishing this veteran treatment court.

Last week we celebrated Veterans Day, a time to remember those who have served our country and their families. As a nation, we must live up to our obligations and responsibilities to care for our servicemen and -women from the moment they join up and throughout their lives. And we have done this through the post-9/11 GI Bill and our efforts to strengthen TRICARE.

But now, with over 12 percent unemployment for veterans, there's so much more we must do. And that's why I support the putting veterans to work tax credit for hiring veterans and wounded warriors that will be on the floor today, and it's why I introduced my own legislation to help our military medics transition into civilian EMT jobs so that they can continue their service here at home.

Our commitment to our men and women in uniform doesn't end when they return. It lasts a lifetime. I urge my colleagues to support these bills so we can fulfill our commitment.

Mr. Speaker, I was not able to be present for the following rollcall votes on November 4, 2011 and would like the record to reflect that I would have voted as follows:

Rollcall No. 829: ``no''; rollcall No. 830: ``no''; rollcall No. 831: ``yes''; rollcall No. 832: ``yes''; rollcall No. 833: ``yes''; rollcall No. 834: ``yes''; rollcall No. 835: ``yes''; rollcall No. 836: ``yes.''