Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I was not able to be present for the following Roll Call votes on September 16, 2009, I would have voted as follows: rollcall #704: ``yes''; rollcall #705: ``yes''; rollcall #706: ``yes''; rollcall #707: ``yes''; rollcall #708: ``no''; rollcall #709: ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 556, the Southern Sea Otter Recovery and Research Act.

I want to thank my neighbor, Sam Farr, for introducing this legislation, which I have cosponsored. We both represent districts that are home to the southern sea otter, and so this topic is of great concern to me and my constituents.

Sea otters on the California coast are dying. A recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that otter populations are down 3.8 percent from last year, the fastest decline since the 1990s.

We need to act, and we need to act now.

Scientists believe that these elevated mortality rates are linked to water pollution, but continued research is needed to clearly understand the pathways of diseases and to learn how to protect the sea otter. And we need to take concrete action to recover the population.

H.R. 556 requires the Fish and Wildlife Service, in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey, to carry out just such a research and recovery program.

This program requires monitoring, analysis, and assessment of population health and mortality, and directs the agencies to find ways to reduce or eliminate those factors that might be causing the decline in sea otter populations.

The health of Central California's marine ecosystem and economy depends in large part on the health of the sea otter.

Sea otters are keystone species and economic drivers. By foraging on sea urchins they help to maintain a lively kelp forest environment. Kelp forests, in turn, influence oceanographic patterns, ensure a healthy habitat for many commercially important fish species, and provide countless recreational opportunities. As a symbol of California, sea otters also bring in droves of tourists who want to nature watch and purchase merchandise.

This bill is not just about preserving one species, but about preserving an ecosystem, an economy, and a way of life. In these uncertain times, we must fight to preserve all that we can. The science is clear; the sea otters need our help. And, quite frankly, we need theirs.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 556.

Mr. Speaker, CBO projects that the public plan option would likely attract around 10 million patients. That certainly puts to rest the assertion that private insurance would go out of business.

Not surprisingly, the estimates that opponents of the public plan are citing to prove their mistaken point were arrived at by the Lewin Group. Guess who owns the Lewin Group? An insurance company.

I urge my colleagues to stop repeating the false message of the health insurance industry. The insurance industry opposes a public option because they know it would force them to be honest, to keep their premiums down for patients.

I urge my colleagues to pay attention to the facts, not the rhetoric, and I urge you to join me in reiterating our strong commitment to true health reform. Let's pass a bill with a strong public option before we adjourn.

We were elected to make tough decisions and take important votes. We must fulfill this obligation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a true humanitarian. Isabel P. Ruiz passed away on July 2, 2009 after a life devoted to her family and community. She will be sorely missed by her husband Napoleon, her two children David and Diana, and all who knew her.

Isabel came to the United States from Peru, where she was born and completed her residency as an OB/GYN. In addition to her role as a mother and wife, Isabel served as director of EOC Health Services, clinic manager of Community Health Centers, social worker for the San Luis Obispo County Health Department and board member of French Hospital Medical Center, the American Cancer Society, the Latino Outreach Council and the Oceano Community Center.

Throughout her exemplary career, she developed a local medical clinic, established sex education and senior health screening programs, started free mammogram programs for uninsured women and organized community health fairs in San Luis Obispo County.

Her name lives on in the Isabel P. Ruiz Humanitarian Award, designed to recognize ``. . . demonstrated selfless desire to help others, community leadership in the county, steady ongoing advocacy to create change and an ability to influence others to create change.''

Serving tireless community advocates like Isabel in Congress is a great honor. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends during this difficult time.

Mr. Speaker, recently a constituent called me distraught. She has health insurance, but that company is denying life-saving surgery for her daughter born with spina bifida. Why? Because when this mother took a new job recently, she got new health insurance, and this health insurance company says they don't have to pay for her daughter's surgery because spina bifida is a preexisting condition.

Sadly, this is not an isolated story. Every one of us here has constituents who are going through similar situations. These are the people I am fighting for.

Our health reform bill seeks to insure the nearly 50 million people who don't have any health insurance, but just as important is fixing the currently broken health insurance for people who have or think they have coverage. We will force insurance companies to change these policies, and we will guarantee that every American has access to a plan that will always be there for them. This can be a private plan or the public plan, but there will always be an option

And that's why we need to pass this health reform bill, and we need to do it now.

Mr. Speaker, the time for health reform is now. The American people want it. The American economy needs it, and we will pass a comprehensive health care bill out of this Chamber before we break for August recess.

We will pass a bill to reform health care that ends the current system of insurance company executives lining their pockets by denying you the care you need. We will pass a bill that keeps your health coverage intact even if you lose your job or face a sudden illness, and we will pass a bill that brings health care spending under control.

It's easy to get caught up in the politics of Washington as we work on this legislation, but this is about so much more. It's about the American people. When we pass this legislation, when the President signs it into law, everyday families will finally be able to have access to reliable, affordable, quality health care.

Let's get it done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1018, the Restore Our American Mustangs Act. This timely legislation would help ensure the safety of wild horses and burros while saving the American tax payers millions of dollars. This is commonsense legislation that will establish a humane process for managing the large population of free-roaming horses and burros in the West.

The American horse is a symbol of the American West, yet we have failed to responsibly manage this great animal. The current BLM management system consists of forcing these wild horses to roam land that is too small to support them and then rounding up excess horses to be sold, adopted, or slaughtered. This process is inhumane, ineffective, and very expensive.

This bill will improve our current system in several ways.

First, the BLM currently rounds up thousands of perfectly healthy horses and places them in holding facilities to await adoption or slaughter. By strengthening the adoption process and utilizing contraception methods, as this bills proposes, we will drastically reduce the number of excess horses, thus reducing the need for the expensive holding facilities.

Second, this legislation will close a loop-hole that allows horses and burros to be sold for slaughter. While there are no slaughter houses in the United States, this loop-hole allows people to buy excess horses and ship them to Mexico to be slaughtered. This is clearly not the intent of the current law and we must close this shameful loop- hole.

Third, this bill will save the tax payer millions of dollars. Holding facilities are very expensive. In fact, in 2008 alone, the BLM spent a third of its budget, $27 million, on the upkeep and operation of holding facilities.

And finally, this legislation will end the BLM's practice of constantly reducing the range size for wild horses and burros. Specifically, this bill urges the BLM to restore wild horses to the full 19 million public land acres that were originally designated for their habitat.

Mr. Speaker, the Restore Our American Mustangs Act is good legislation for both wild horses and tax payers. We must pass this legislation and implement these humane policies to protect this symbol of the American West.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in the supporting this timely legislation.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 550, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, we have an historic opportunity to finally improve health care in America, to finally bring access and quality of care to all Americans, not just the lucky few.

I'm so proud to support the bill introduced by the three committees of jurisdiction and to play my part in seeing us pass legislation in both the House and Senate before the August recess. What's great is that there is something for everyone here. There is affordable access to coverage for people who've never been insured before; there is help for seniors stuck in the dreadful part D doughnut hole; there are consumer protections against longstanding egregious practices by insurance companies; there is amazing investment into our health care workforce, including physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals; and there is finally an incentive to practice wellness- based health care instead of illness-based disease treatment.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing America's Affordable Health Choices Act and enacting the health care reform our constituents so desperately need and Americans deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I was not able to be present for the following rollcall votes on July 15, 2009, and would like the Record to reflect that I would have voted as follows: Rollcall No. 540: ``yea''; rollcall No. 541: ``yea''; rollcall No. 542: ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to voice my support for a strong public option as part of our health reform bill. Health care is not a place for playing political games; it is simply too precious. That is why we need to pass a meaningful bill, one that actually achieves the goal of providing everyone with affordable access to quality care.

If private competition alone could have achieved this, it would have already. I am supporting comprehensive health reform for patients, for each one of us who has a loved one who has needed care but was denied by their insurance company and couldn't afford the out-of-pocket expenses. Let's give those companies a reason to provide us with better, more affordable coverage, and give patients greater choice in who will be their insurer.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the inclusion of a viable public option in our health reform legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise with great pride today to express my support for the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

Over the last two Congresses, thanks to tremendous leadership, we have built a record on energy and climate policy that indicates that the time for action is now. America is ready. The world is watching. We must transition to a clean-energy economy so that we can create jobs, achieve energy independence, and protect our planet.

We have before us a powerful, thorough, and effective bill. It includes a nationwide renewable electricity standard. It contains critical investments in energy efficiency. It requires immediate significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that are harming the health of our people and our planet.

The bill also makes substantial investments in domestic, international, natural resource, and public health adaptations that are crucial to the continuing prosperity of our Nation and our world.

Madam Speaker, to protect our health, to protect our economy, our national security, and our planet, we must enact comprehensive climate legislation and we must enact it now. We cannot sit idly by. I hope others will join me in seizing this opportunity to transition our economy to a new, clean-energy economy.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to ask for your help in providing fair and adequate disability benefits to our Nation's Federal firefighters.

Together with the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts), I introduced the Federal Firefighters Fairness Act to create the presumption that Federal firefighters who become disabled by heart disease, lung disease, certain cancers, and other infectious diseases contracted the illness on the job. This effort is strongly supported by all five major fire organizations and has 130 bipartisan cosponsors.

I offered this bill with an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act; however, it was not made in order due to PAYGO issues.

I thank the chairman for his commitment to improving the health and welfare of our Federal firefighters.

Forty-two States have already recognized this link by providing some sort of presumptive disability benefits for their State, county, and city firefighters. This creates a serious difference in benefits between Federal and

municipal firefighters, which is basically unfair. More States enact presumptive disability legislation each year, so this is a problem that continues to grow and the disparity continues to be more apparent. Clearly, there is a pressing need for this legislation.

Again, I thank the chairman, and I look forward to working with him in the future.

I thank my colleague for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 505, with deepest sympathy for the family and loved ones of Dr. George Tiller and in strongest condemnation of his murder.

Murder in any setting is horrific. It is unconscionable but to commit a heinous crime of violence inside a place of worship that teaches a message of tolerance and nonviolence is especially reprehensible. Dr. Tiller was guiding worshippers to their seats and his wife was singing in the choir when he was gunned down. This is so precisely the opposite of where humanity should be in 2009.

Violence, especially murder, should never be a recourse for differences in beliefs. So I ask my colleagues to join me in condemning acts of violence and intolerance. And I ask that we resolve to honor the memory of Dr. George Tiller, a physician and a man of God, by working harder than ever to promote tolerance and to promote nonviolence. I urge all of my colleagues to stand unanimously and vote in favor of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the life and service of my constituent, Navy Commander Duane Wolfe. Commander Wolfe died Monday, May 25, at Al Asad Air Force Base in Iraq. He was killed by a roadside bomb.

Mr. Speaker, words can't describe the loss felt throughout our California coastal communities by Commander Wolfe's death. He was truly a pillar in his community, spending the majority of his life on the central coast with his wife of 34 years, Cindi, and their beautiful family. Commander Wolfe served in Iraq as a Seabee. He worked at Vandenberg Air Force Base as a civilian for over 20 years and served as well as a deacon of the Los Osos Church of Christ.

By those who knew him best, he is remembered as a dedicated husband and father with a clever wit, a strong sense of work ethic, and a kindness toward those in need.

My thoughts and prayers are with Commander Wolfe and his family and friends during this heartbreaking time, as well as the families of all of our military personnel serving as they do in such danger and with such bravery. We owe our brave men and women serving in the Armed Forces and their families nothing but our full support and gratitude for their tremendous sacrifice.