Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of America's women to urge passage of health care reform to benefit our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our families, and our friends. And, of course, when we pass health care reform, we will improve health care for all Americans.

But today I would like to concentrate on why women stand to gain the most. Right now, being a woman is reason enough for insurance companies to discriminate against us. Today, women are being charged higher insurance premiums than men simply for being a woman.

Our legislation will put an end to this practice by prohibiting a practice known as gender rating whereby women are automatically charged higher rates. Right now, there are women who have been victims of domestic violence who are denied health insurance coverage because insurance companies have said that domestic violence is a preexisting condition. Our legislation will put an end to this practice and expressly prohibit insurance companies from considering domestic violence a preexisting condition.

Right now, many women can only obtain an insurance policy that excludes maternity coverage. Our legislation will put an end to this practice by requiring coverage for maternity care. These three provisions alone will help millions of women in this country.

Mr. Speaker, as a public health nurse, I'm particularly enthusiastic about provisions in the bill to eliminate cost sharing for some of the most important preventive services that women should be accessing. And, of course, this provision is important for men as well. But many of us, especially Members of Congress who already have comprehensive health insurance, take it for granted that we are going to get routine checkups. There are, however, too many women who forgo screenings for conditions like cervical cancer or heart disease because they can't afford these screenings, either because they are uninsured or their insurance company requires prohibitive copays for routine screening.

The legislation we will soon pass will ensure that there is no cost for patients to be accessing the most important screenings which are recommended by medical experts. Those of us in the public health community have long been advocating this because costs should never stand in the way of lifesaving screening procedures.

In addition to the ways our legislation will benefit individual women, it's important to keep in mind that women are often the health care decisionmakers for their households. And that's why we all have reason to be so hopeful about how our bill will improve health care for families as a whole. Insurance premiums for families have risen at alarming rates over the past decade and will continue to rise if we don't enact health reform now.

Middle class families especially have shouldered this burden as the rise in premiums has far outpaced any rise in wages. The announcement, for example, by Anthem in California that it will raise premiums by up to 40 percent is just one of the latest outrages. When premiums become too expensive to pay, families are forced to drop coverage. And then what happens when someone in the family gets sick? They are forced to spend down all their assets until eventually bankruptcy may become their only option.

Mr. Speaker, over half of all bankruptcies in the United States today are caused by medical debt. And in 2008, over 900 families in my congressional district alone were forced into bankruptcy because of medical debt. And

over half of these medical bankruptcies impact a woman.

When we pass this legislation, we will put an end to the annual and lifetime limits on coverage that many insurance companies currently impose on people. And we will put an end to bankruptcies caused by medical debt. No longer will families have to raid their savings for a home purchase or college tuition because someone falls ill.

Finally, as a mother and a grandmother, I couldn't be more thrilled by the steps we will take to improve health care coverage for our country's most precious resource, our children. We will ensure that the Children's Health Insurance Program will thrive. We will ensure that services like vision and dental care for children are automatically included in all health care plans. When the bill is signed into law, that very day it will immediately prevent health insurers from imposing preexisting condition exclusions on children. And it will immediately allow young adults to remain on their parents' health insurance plan until their mid-20s so they aren't forced to forego health coverage after college graduation.

So I urge all of my colleagues to support our efforts in health care reform with the knowledge of how it will help the women in their lives and in their communities.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of finally passing health reform.

This bill is the product of countless hearings, hundreds of amendments, and a full year of national public debate. It is time to vote.

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, without reform, health care costs for American families will rise by as much as 79 percent in the next 10 years. That is unsustainable for taxpayers, for small businesses, for families.

The bill we will pass this week will take the necessary steps to rein in these costs. It creates incentives to reduce preventable hospital readmission; it eliminates wasteful overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans; and it increases our capabilities to fight fraud, waste, and abuse.

Passing health reform means lower costs for patients, better access to higher quality care, and, at long last, accountability for insurance companies.

I urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, let's move our Nation forward by passing health reform this week.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 96, H.R. 1088, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I was not able to be present for the following rollcall votes on March 4, 2010 and would like the record to reflect that I would have voted as follows:

Rollcall No. 90: ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3650, the Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2009. As a cosponsor of this bill I strongly support the development of a national strategy to address and respond to marine and freshwater harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events.

Coastal regions across the country are reporting increases in the occurrence of devastating harmful algal blooms. It is believed that excess nutrients from upstream cause what are normally naturally occurring algae in our coastal waters to rapidly increase in number causing a bloom.

These increased levels of algae have devastating environmental, economic, and human health impacts along our coastlines.

Harmful algal blooms produce powerful toxins that kill fish, shellfish, mammals and birds. In 2007, a devastating harmful algal bloom along the California coastline--from San Luis Obispo to Los Angeles--resulted in hundreds of marine mammal and seabird deaths.

Toxins from harmful algae also accumulate in shellfish causing commercial shellfish industries to close during blooms, which in turn leads to significant economic losses to fishing

families. Decreased tourism and recreation during a bloom event can also result in the loss of millions of dollars to local coastal economies. Even worse, if contaminated shellfish are consumed it could result in paralysis or even death. Increased cases of respiratory distress, especially among seniors and children, have been reported in areas affected by these blooms.

Madam Speaker, I support the directive in H.R. 3650, which establishes a Federal task force that would develop regional action plans to address and respond to harmful algal bloom and hypoxia events around the country. Currently, hypoxic areas, or dead zones, have been recurring over large areas of the Pacific Northwest coastline for the last several years.

H.R. 3650 is a critical first step for developing strategies to mitigate the impacts of harmful algal blooms on regional coastal water quality, marine mammals and harvestable shellfish.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3650 to protect human health and coastal economies.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Peace Corps.

This week the Peace Corps celebrates their 49th anniversary. Since 1961 nearly 200,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries around the world. These talented and selfless volunteers have made lasting contributions in agriculture, business development, sustainable infrastructure, education, health,

HIV/AIDS, and the environment. Each volunteer's work represents a legacy of service that has become a significant part of America's history and positive image abroad.

These accomplished volunteers come from very diverse backgrounds, including prestigious universities like the University of California in Santa Barbara, located in my district. I am proud to represent this campus, which consistently provides one of the highest numbers of recruits for the Peace Corps.

Again, congratulations, Peace Corps, on your anniversary, and thank you for the wonderful work you do.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 90, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1117 and to personally congratulate the California State University system on its 50th anniversary. As a Californian, I am proud to commemorate this wonderful occasion.

California is honored to be home to 23 world-class universities in the California State University (CSU) system. As the largest university system in the country, CSU serves nearly 433,000 students annually and provides jobs to almost 44,000 faculty and staff.

I am privileged to represent the students and faculty of two of these outstanding institutions--California State University Channel Islands and California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). As the newest California State University, students at CSU Channel Islands benefit from top notch classroom instruction, up-to- date technology and successful local business partnerships that provide a pathway to a well-rounded education. As a nationally ranked university, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has become a proven leader in engineering, architecture, and agriculture.

During these tough economic times, the CSU system is critical to ensuring our 'nation's long-term economic prosperity. As the most diverse and affordable system in the country, CSU provides us with a future robust workforce. These graduates will play a vital role in the growth and development of the economy and our local communities in California and across the nation.

I urge my colleagues to pass H. Res. 1117 and commemorate this wonderful achievement.

Madam Speaker, I was not able to be present for the following rollcall votes on February 25, 2010 and February 26, 2010; and I would have voted as follows: Rollcall No. 67, ``no''; rollcall No. 68, ``yes''; rollcall No. 69, ``yes''; rollcall No. 70, ``yes''; rollcall No. 71, ``yes''; rollcall No. 72, ``no''; rollcall No. 73, ``yes''; rollcall No. 74, ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I was not able to be present for the following rollcall votes on February 23, 2010. I would have voted as follows:

Had I been present on rollcall No. 51: ``yes''; rollcall No. 52: ``yes''; rollcall No. 53: ``yes''; rollcall No. 54: ``yes''; rollcall No. 55: ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to acknowledge National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Millions of Americans struggle with an eating disorder. We must do more to increase public awareness about diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. One critical step we can take is to promote positive body image.

As we all know, the media has a significant influence on girls' and young women's perception of the ideal body size and shape. Sixty percent of girls say they compare their bodies to fashion models, and a staggering 90 percent say they feel pressured to be thin from the fashion industry.

Just as we witnessed with cigarette advertisements targeted at young women, fashion advertising often portrays a twisted ideal of beauty.

I urge my colleagues to take this opportunity during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week to work together to promote positive body image to the girls and women in your lives and in your congressional district. Our support on this issue is vital to ensure the physical, emotional, and social health of all our girls.

Mr. Speaker, the news that private health insurance companies earned a record $12.2 billion in profits last year is a stark reminder of the need for enacting health reform now. Their profits are up 56 percent from the previous year, yet more and more Americans can't afford health insurance and are being dropped when they get sick.

As we have seen with Anthem Blue Cross in California, insurance companies are raising their premiums on individuals by as much as 40 percent. This is ridiculous. Fortunately, we have a plan to address this huge problem.

Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle may think the status quo is fine. I certainly don't. We must enact health reform legislation, holding insurance companies accountable, ensuring that patients have access to affordable care, improving the quality of health care for everyone.

I welcome the release of the President's proposal to achieve these important goals. I look forward to the outcome of Thursday's summit. As these outrageous premium increases show, we have an urgent need to move forward on health care reform.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my constituent, Lawrence ``Larry'' King.

Two years ago this week, Larry was shot by a fellow student while at school in Oxnard, CA.

He died 2 days later. The police classified his murder as a hate crime.

He was 15 years old.

In addition to our local community, almost 200 vigils in all 50 States were held to honor Larry's life.

Two years later, Larry's death continues to remind us of the violence and harassment directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people every day.

This violence is unacceptable anywhere and particularly painful in our schools.

I think every American believes all our children deserve an education free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence.

In honor of Larry and all LGBT students, I would like to encourage my colleagues to support the Student Non-Discrimination Act.

This important bill establishes a comprehensive Federal prohibition of discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

We know that bullying deprives students of equal educational opportunities.

It also causes high rates of absenteeism, dropout, adverse health consequences, and academic underachievement among LGBT youth.

Without interference, bullying and discrimination leads to life- threatening violence and suicide.

Also, when school officials engage in discriminatory treatment, or are indifferent to harassing behavior, LGBT students' constitutional rights are infringed.

This is deplorable.

In Larry's memory, we owe our children nothing less than a safe environment and the support they need to learn most effectively.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday the President unveiled his budget to help restart our economy and get our deficit under control after years of mismanagement by the previous administration. As we make the hard choices that are needed, we must remember where we started. When President Obama was sworn into office, our economy was on the brink of collapse, 700,000 Americans were losing their jobs every month, and our financial and housing markets were in free-fall.

Working with Congress, President Obama took immediate and extraordinary steps to repair this economic and fiscal mess that he inherited. A year later, our economy is slowly but surely recovering but too many families continue to struggle. Unemployment remains unacceptably high. That's why job creation and economic recovery are the central focus of the President's budget. It requests $100 billion for a job creation package to help small businesses access credit and hire new workers.

It also invests in education, clean energy and our infrastructure, all essential for our long-term economic vitality. Finally, the President takes the first steps toward restoring the fiscal responsibility that had been lost in the past decade.

Mr. Speaker, after the mess we've inherited, we clearly have our work cut out for us, but the President's budget provides us with a good blueprint to meet these huge challenges.

Mr. Speaker, one year ago, our economy was on the brink of collapse; Wall Street was in a downward spiral, credit markets were completely frozen, and more than 700,000 Americans were losing their jobs every month. But President Obama and the Democratic-led Congress responded quickly and responsibly with historic measures. These measures may be unpopular, unpleasant, and expensive, but they have worked.

I have been meeting recently with business, labor, and community leaders throughout my district to get a better sense of how the recovery is working for Main Street. My constituents have made it clear to me that we have made great progress. Financial and housing markets have stabilized, monthly job losses have abated, and banks have begun to lend again. However, they also made it clear that they need more help, and that's why this Democratic-led Congress has passed the Jobs for Main Street Act in the House.

This plan builds economic opportunity for the long term, creates new jobs that are sustainable for years ahead, rebuilds our infrastructure, creates new energy sources, and develops the new technologies and innovative products that we and the world want to buy. We are committed to rebuilding America's economy, putting Americans back to work and ensuring our Nation's economic future.