Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for the Senate amendments to H.R. 146, which incorporates the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.

I want to thank Chairman Rahall for his leadership in bringing this legislation back to the House floor for a vote. While we were unable to vote on this package earlier this month, it is time that we pass these bills.

This legislation is a bipartisan package of more than 160 individual bills, and incorporates a wide range of public lands, water resources, and ocean and coastal protection measures that impact various regions of our Nation. All of the bills included in the package have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the House or favorably reported by the Senate committee of jurisdiction during the 110th Congress.

Today, I wish to highlight four bills in the omnibus package that I sponsored during the 111th Congress.

First, the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act.

This legislation codifies and strengthens an existing NOAA program-- the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, or CELCP--that awards grants to coastal states to protect environmentally sensitive lands.

As someone who represents over 200 miles of California's coastline, I'm well aware of the pressures of urbanization and pollution along our nation's coasts. These activities threaten to impair our watersheds, impact wildlife habitat and cause damage to the fragile coastal ecology.

Coastal land protection partnership programs, like CELCP, can help our Nation meet these growing challenges.

For example, in my congressional district I've worked collaboratively with environmental groups, willing sellers, and the State to conserve lands and waters around Morro Bay, on the Gaviota Coast, and near the Piedras Blancas Light Station.

These projects have offered numerous benefits to local communities by preserving water quality, natural areas for wildlife and birds, and outdoor recreation opportunities--thereby protecting for the future the very things we love about the coasts.

Although the program has been in existence for six years, it has yet to be formally authorized. This legislation seeks to do just that. It expands the federal/state partnership program explicitly for conservation of coastal lands.

Under this program, coastal states can compete for matching funds to acquire land or easements to protect coastal areas that have considerable conservation, recreation, ecological, historical or aesthetic values threatened by development or conversion.

It will not only improve the quality of coastal areas and the marine life they support, but also sustain surrounding communities and their way of life.

I would also like to acknowledge the work of former Congressman Jim Saxton. Mr. Saxton introduced this legislation in the 109th and 110th Congresses. His longstanding commitment to passage of this legislation will ensure the protection of the important coastal habitat and provide for increased recreational opportunities throughout his home state of New Jersey.

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act also includes my Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act.

This legislation seeks to establish a national ocean and coastal observing, monitoring, and forecasting system to gather real-time data on the marine environment, to refine and enhance predictive capabilities, and to provide other benefits, such as improved fisheries management and safer navigation.

To safeguard our coastal communities and nation, we must invest in the integration and enhancement of our coastal and ocean observing systems.

The devastation caused by tsunamis, hurricanes, and other coastal storms demonstrates the critical need for better observation and warning systems to provide timely detection, assessment and warnings to millions of people living in coastal regions around the world.

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the Pew Oceans Commission, and many government ocean advisory groups have called for the establishment of a national integrated coastal and ocean observing system as the answer to this challenge.

Specifically, the National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observing System Act would formally authorize the President to develop and operate a genuine national coastal and ocean observing system to measure, track, explain, and predict events related to climate change, natural climate variability, and interactions between the oceans and atmosphere, including the Great Lakes; promote basic and applied science research; and institutionalize coordinated public outreach, education, and training.

Importantly, this system will build on recent advances in technology and data management to fully integrate and enhance the nation's existing regional observing assets, like the Southern and Central and Northern California Ocean Observing Systems, which operate off California's coastline. These systems have proven invaluable in understanding and managing our ocean and coastal resources.

I would also like to commend our former colleague from Maine, Congressman Tom Allen, for championing this legislation in the 110th Congress. Congressman Allen worked tirelessly to enact this important legislation in the last session, and he deserves a tremendous amount of credit when this measure is signed into law.

This legislation also includes my City of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act.

This bill authorizes a proposed regional water resources project--the Groundwater Recovery Enhancement and Treatment, or GREAT, Program-- located in my congressional district. Many communities today are faced with the difficult task of providing reliable and safe water to their customers. The City of Oxnard is no exception.

Oxnard is one of California's fastest growing cities and is facing an ever growing crisis: it's running out of affordable water.

The water needs for the city's agricultural and industrial base, together with its growing population, have exceeded its local water resources. As a result, over 50 percent of its water has to be imported from outside sources. However, through a series of local, state and federal restrictions the amount of imported water available to the city is shrinking, while the cost of that water is rising.

Recognizing these challenges, Oxnard developed the GREAT Program to address its long term water needs.

The GREAT Program elements include a new regional groundwater desalination facility to serve potable water customers in Oxnard and adjacent communities; a recycled water system to serve agricultural water users and provide added protection against seawater intrusion and saltwater contamination; and a wetlands restoration and enhancement component that efficiently reuses the brine discharges from both the groundwater desalination and recycled water treatment facilities.

Implementation of the GREAT Program will provide many significant regional benefits.

First, the new desalination project will serve ratepayers in Oxnard and adjacent communities, guaranteeing sufficient water supplies for the area.

Second, Oxnard's current water infrastructure delivers approximately 30 million gallons of treated wastewater per day to an ocean outfall. The GREAT Program will utilize the resource currently wasted to the ocean and treat it so that it can be reused by the agricultural water users in the area.

During the non-growing season, it will inject the resource into the ground to serve as a barrier against seawater intrusion and saltwater contamination. To alleviate severely depressed groundwater levels, this component also pumps groundwater into the aquifer to enhance groundwater recharge.

Finally, the brine produced as a by-product of the desalination and recycling plants will provide a year-round supply of nutrient-rich water to the existing wetlands at Ormond Beach.

I commend Oxnard for finding innovative and effective ways of extending water supplies in the West. In my view, the City of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act supports one such creative solution.

It will reduce the consumption of groundwater for agricultural and industrial purposes, cut imported water delivery requirements, and improve local reliability of high quality water deliveries.

Finally, the package includes my Goleta Water Distribution System Conveyance Act.

This bill authorizes the title transfer of a federally owned water distribution system in my congressional district from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Goleta Water District.

The purpose of the legislation is to simplify the operation and maintenance of the District's water distribution system and eliminate unnecessary paperwork and consultation between the District and the Bureau.

The Goleta Water District has operated and maintained the facilities proposed for transfer since the 1950s. They have worked through all requirements of the Bureau's title transfer process, including public meetings, fulfillment of their repayment obligations, completion of an environmental assessment, and compliance with all other applicable laws.

The only step remaining to complete the process is an act of Congress enabling the Secretary of the Interior to transfer title.

It is important to note that the proposed transfer would apply only to lands and facilities associated with the District and would not affect the District's existing water service contract with the Santa Barbara County Water Agency, nor the Federal government receipts from water deliveries under the contract.

In addition, the proposed transfer does not envision any new physical modification or expansion of the service infrastructure.

I'm pleased the Bureau supported my legislation, which will allow the Bureau to focus its limited resources where they are needed most.

In my view, this is an example of local problem-solving at its best. I commend the staff of

the water district and the Bureau for their efforts to reach this agreement. I know that they have been working on this for several years now.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, all of these bills could not have been accomplished without the strong support and hard work and dedication of the House Leadership and Chairman Rahall, and I thank them for successfully moving these priorities in my congressional district.

I urge all of my colleagues to support the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 by voting for the Senate amendments to H.R. 146.

I thank Chairman Rahall for giving me time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in very strong support of this FLAME Act. This much-needed legislation comes at an important time. Our Nation will be facing longer and more intense fire seasons due to global warming and drought. The cost of fighting fires has grown enormously in recent years, and projections indicate that this trend will only increase, especially in populated wildland-urban interface areas.

The Forest Service has spent over $1 billion per year in 5 of the last 7 years to extinguish fires. And as the chairman just said, wildland fire management activities are estimated to consume close to half of the Forest Service's budget this year.

These escalating costs are having a significant impact on the Forest Service. For example, the Forest Service is forced to pull funds from other programs, leaving fewer funds available for campground maintenance and forest restoration.

The emergency fund created by the FLAME Act will reduce the need to deplete important Forest Service programs and will provide more reliable funding than uncertain year-to-year supplementals.

Even more important, the FLAME Act will ensure the Forest Service has regular funding available for day-to-day fire management. This includes important prevention steps, like FIREWISE Communities, hazardous fuels treatment, and restoration work.

It's absolutely essential that our efforts to fight today's fires don't hurt our efforts to prevent tomorrow's fires. This bill will ensure this is the case.

Mr. Chairman, the Zaca fire that burned 240,000 acres in my congressional district 2 years ago burned for 3 months, from July through September, and it cost the Forest Service $120 million. One fire. With close to 3,000 fires in California last year alone, and the fire season expected to start earlier than usual, it's very clear that we have a real need to create----

It's very clear that we need to create an emergency Federal fund dedicated solely to fighting devastating wildland fires, a rainy day fund for forest fires. This idea is long overdue.

This legislation deserves to be approved by the House, and I urge all of my colleagues to address the long-term wildfire suppression fund situation by supporting this FLAME Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for S. 22, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.

I want to thank Chairman Rahall for his leadership during the previous Congress to move this important legislation forward. While we were unable to vote on this package last year, it is time that we pass these bills.

This legislation is a bipartisan package of more than 160 individual bills, and incorporates a wide range of public lands, water resources, and ocean and coastal protection measures that impact various regions of our Nation. All of the bills included in the package have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by the House or favorably reported by the Senate committee of jurisdiction during the 110th Congress.

Today, I wish to highlight four bills in the omnibus package that I sponsored during the 111th Congress.

First, the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Act.

This legislation codifies and strengthens an existing NOAA program-- the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program or CELCP--that awards grants to coastal states to protect environmentally sensitive lands.

As someone who represents over 200 miles of California's coastline, I'm well aware of the pressures of urbanization and pollution along our nation's coasts. These activities threaten to impair our watersheds, impact wildlife habitat and cause damage to the fragile coastal ecology.

Coastal land protection partnership programs, like CELCP, can help our Nation meet these growing challenges.

For example, in my congressional district I've worked collaboratively with environmental groups, willing sellers, and the State to conserve lands and waters around Morro Bay, on the Gaviota Coast, and near the Piedras Blancas Light Station.

These projects have offered numerous benefits to local communities by preserving water quality, natural areas for wildlife and birds, and outdoor recreation opportunities--thereby protecting for the future the very things we love about the coasts.

Although the program has been in existence for six years, it has yet to be formally authorized. This legislation seeks to do just that. It expands the federal/state partnership program explicitly for conservation of coastal lands.

Under this program, coastal states can compete for matching funds to acquire land or easements to protect coastal areas that have considerable conservation, recreation, ecological, historical or aesthetic values threatened by development or conversion.

It will not only improve the quality of coastal areas and the marine life they support, but also sustain surrounding communities and their way of life.

I would also like to acknowledge the work of former Congressman Jim Saxton. Mr. Saxton introduced this legislation in the 109th and 110th Congresses. His longstanding commitment to passage of this legislation will ensure the protection of the important coastal habitat and provide for increased recreational opportunities throughout his home state of New Jersey.

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act also includes my Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act.

This legislation seeks to establish a national ocean and coastal observing, monitoring, and forecasting system to gather real-time data on the marine environment, to refine and enhance predictive capabilities, and to provide other benefits, such as improved fisheries management and safer navigation.

To safeguard our coastal communities and nation, we must invest in the integration and enhancement of our coastal and ocean observing systems.

The devastation caused by tsunamis, hurricanes, and other coastal storms demonstrates the critical need for better observation and warning systems to provide timely detection, assessment and warnings to millions of people living in coastal regions around the world.

The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy, the Pew Oceans Commission, and many government ocean advisory groups have called for the establishment of a national integrated coastal and ocean observing system as the answer to this challenge.

Specifically, the National Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observing System Act would formally authorize the President to develop and operate a genuine national coastal and ocean observing system to measure, track, explain, and predict events related to climate change, natural climate variability, and interactions between the oceans and atmosphere, including the Great Lakes; promote basic and applied science research; and institutionalize coordinated public outreach, education, and training.

Importantly, this system will build on recent advances in technology and data management to fully integrate and enhance the nation's existing regional observing assets, like the Southern and Central and Northern California Ocean Observing Systems, which operate off California's coastline. These systems have proven invaluable in understanding and managing our ocean and coastal resources.

I would also like to commend our former colleague from Maine, Congressman Tom Allen, for championing this legislation in the 110th Congress. Congressman Allen worked tirelessly to enact this important legislation in the last session, and he deserves a tremendous amount of credit when this measure is signed into law.

S. 22 also includes my City of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act.

This bill authorizes a proposed regional water resources project--the Groundwater Recover Enhancement and Treatment or GREAT Program--located in my congressional district.

Many communities today are faced with the difficult task of providing reliable and safe water to their customers. The City of Oxnard is no exception.

Oxnard is one of California's fastest growing cities and is facing an ever-growing crisis: it's running out of affordable water.

The water needs for the city's agricultural and industrial base, together with its growing population, have exceeded its local water resources. As a result, over 50 percent of its water has to be imported from outside sources. However, through a series of local, state and federal restrictions the amount of imported water available to the city is shrinking, while the cost of that water is rising.

Recognizing these challenges, Oxnard developed the GREAT Program to address its long-term water needs.

The GREAT Program elements include a new regional groundwater desalination facility to serve potable water customers in Oxnard and adjacent communities; a recycled water system to serve agricultural water users and provide added protection against seawater intrusion and saltwater contamination; and a wetlands restoration and enhancement component that efficiently reuses the brine discharges from both the groundwater desalination and recycled water treatment facilities.

Implementation of the GREAT Program will provide many significant regional benefits.

First, the new desalination project will serve ratepayers in Oxnard and adjacent communities, guaranteeing sufficient water supplies for the area.

Second, Oxnard's current water infrastructure delivers approximately 30 million gallons of treated wastewater per day to an ocean outfall. The GREAT Program will utilize the resource currently wasted to the ocean and treat it so that it can be reused by the agricultural water users in the area.

During the non-growing season, it will inject the resource into the ground to serve as a barrier against seawater intrusion and saltwater contamination. To alleviate severely depressed groundwater levels, this component also pumps groundwater into the aquifer to enhance groundwater recharge.

Finally, the brine produced as a by-product of the desalination and recycling plants will provide a year-round supply of nutrient-rich water to the existing wetlands at Ormond Beach.

I commend Oxnard for finding innovative and effective ways of extending water supplies in the West. In my view, the City of Oxnard Water Recycling and Desalination Act supports one such creative solution.

It will reduce the consumption of groundwater for agricultural and industrial purposes, cut imported water delivery requirements, and improve local reliability of high quality water deliveries.

Finally, the package includes my Goleta Water Distribution System Conveyance Act.

This bill authorizes the title transfer of a federally owned water distribution system in my congressional district from the Bureau of Reclamation to the Goleta Water District.

The purpose of the legislation is to simplify the operation and maintenance of the District's water distribution system and eliminate unnecessary paperwork and consultation between the District and the Bureau.

The Goleta Water District has operated and maintained the facilities proposed for transfer since the 1950s. They have worked through all requirements of the Bureau's title transfer process, including public meetings, fulfillment of their repayment obligations, completion of an environmental assessment, and compliance with all other applicable laws.

The only step remaining to complete the process is an act of Congress enabling the Secretary of the Interior to transfer title.

It is important to note that the proposed transfer would apply only to lands and facilities associated with the District and would not affect the District's existing water service contract with the Santa Barbara County Water Agency, nor the Federal government receipts from water deliveries under the contract.

In addition, the proposed transfer does not envision any new physical modification or expansion of the service infrastructure.

I'm pleased the Bureau supported my legislation, which will allow the Bureau to focus its limited resources where they are needed most.

In my view, this is an example of local problem-solving at its best. I commend the staff of the water district and the Bureau for their efforts to reach this agreement. I know that they have been working on this for several years now.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, all of these bills could not have been accomplished without the strong support and hard work and dedication of the House Leadership and Chairman Rahall, and I thank them for successfully moving these priorities in my congressional district.

I urge all of my colleagues to support the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak to the need for raising awareness about deep vein thrombosis, commonly known as DVT. Two million Americans are affected by DVT every year. That is more than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

However, many Americans are not aware of what DVT is, or how to recognize its signs and symptoms. We may see people wearing pressure stockings following surgery or on long plane flights.

The tragic loss of our former colleague, Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn, to DVT demonstrates how close to home this disease can be for all of us. Not only is DVT killing too many Americans every year, it is also taking a toll on our Nation's hospital systems, costing approximately $860 million annually.

That is why I am so proud to join with my colleague, Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, in introducing a resolution recognizing Deep Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month and National DVT Screening Day. I hope we can count on all of our colleagues to join us in supporting this resolution and in raising awareness about this disease.

Mr. Speaker, by now we all know what a central role the housing market crisis has played in our economic troubles. The housing meltdown is devastating for families and communities, particularly for innocent families who have lived within their means and paid their mortgages on time. Through no fault of their own, their home values are eroding and their life savings are threatened. That's why we must pass the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. It restores fairness to the bankruptcy system.

Current law allows loan modifications for vacation homes and yachts, yet prohibits them for primary residences. This bill will end this inequity. It also fixes the Hope for Homeowners program to increase mortgage modifications and reduce foreclosures. It is not about bailing out lenders or borrowers who made irresponsible decisions, it is, rather, finding fair and effective solutions to stabilizing the housing crisis and stabilizing the market.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation is also needed to get our country back on track. I urge my colleagues to vote for a stronger economy and vote for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 14) supporting the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the co- Chair of the Multiple Sclerosis Caucus, our colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Carnahan).

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

I wish to speak on H. Con. Res. 14 by rising in support of it, as I do, in recognition and support of the goals and ideals of Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week, and I do so on behalf of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of the Central Coast of California, which does such great work in raising awareness of the issue and raising funds to support their work and the work of the Society across the country, and also in providing vital services to those afflicted with multiple sclerosis who are my constituents.

This week of awareness and recognition takes place from March 2nd to March 8th, and it is an honor to speak on behalf of this awareness, commending as I do my colleague from California, Ms. Barbara Lee, whom we heard, who introduced this resolution along with the cochairs of the Multiple Sclerosis Caucus, Mr. Carnahan and Mr. Burgess.

Many of us have very special people in our lives who live every day with MS. I know I do, and I'm thinking right now particularly of one young friend.

Multiple sclerosis, as we have been discussing, is a chronic and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. Four hundred thousand people throughout the United States and 2\1/2\ million around the world are suffering today from multiple sclerosis. It's thought to be an autoimmune disorder where the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy nerve fibers of the central nervous system, interfering with transmission of nerve signals throughout the body.

People with MS, as we know, experience a range of symptoms that can be either permanent or intermittent, depending on the type of disease that they have. These symptoms can include blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis, blindness and more. And as we have heard from Barbara Lee's sister's story, it's very hard to diagnose, and often takes years to do that. And it afflicts people, often women, between the ages of 20 to 50.

There is no actual diagnostic laboratory test for multiple sclerosis, and so many questions about it. It's quite commonly misdiagnosed.

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week was created by the Multiple Sclerosis Coalition, a group of affiliated organizations, to help raise awareness and to leverage additional resources to fight this disease.

The resolution we are considering today will support the work of this coalition by urging States, localities and the media to participate in MS Awareness Week, and by encouraging people, including Members of Congress, to educate themselves about the disease.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 80, the Captive Primate Safety Act. This timely legislation would help ensure the safety of not only chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates, but for humans as well.

This legislation would keep chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates out of the pet trade and out of pet shops and out of our homes. In effect, this bill would prevent nonhuman primates from becoming pets, and instead, keep them in their natural environment or in a properly maintained facility.

There are several reasons why we must pass this legislation.

First, pet chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates can be very dangerous, even after years of attentive care.

The recent horrific attack by a pet chimpanzee reminds us that no matter how much care a well-intentioned pet owner gives a pet chimpanzee, chimpanzees and nonhuman primates remain wild animals.

Second, most people can not provide the appropriate care for chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates.

Last year I had the privilege to hear Jane Goodall testify at Natural Resources Committee legislative hearing in support of the Captive Primate Safety Act.

Dr. Goodall has dedicated her life to ensuring captive primates receive the attention and care they deserve, and that is why she strongly opposes having primates as pets.

She testified that although chimpanzees may seem attractive as pets, primates have complicated needs that are impossible for even well- intentioned pet owners to provide. For example, by the age of five, chimpanzees are often stronger than human adults and become destructive, difficult to contain, and dangerous.

Let us follow Jane Goodall's lead and work to protect these animals, not subject them to inadequate conditions.

Third, as a nurse, I am greatly concerned with the public health risk posed by nonhuman primates. Nonhuman primates are so genetically close to humans, diseases can easily transfer from nonhuman primates to humans. Zoonotic diseases have produced some of our history's most deadly disease epidemics: the plague, the ebola virus, and cholera, to name a few. It is clear, when we have unnecessary contact with nonhuman primates, we carelessly jeopardize the public's health.

Finally, chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates are wild animals, they do not belong in our homes or in pet shops. No matter how much love and attention nonhuman primates are given, they remain complex, wild, and unpredictable animals.

The Captive Primate Safety Act is good legislation for both primates and people. It will add primates to the list of wildlife species prohibited from interstate or foreign commerce and thus, keep nonhuman primates out of the pet trade.

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

I thank my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, which will reinvest in America's future and which will create jobs. Do you know that there are still sectors of our economy that are hiring? And one of those is health care. I'm so proud to see that this legislation recognizes the need to educate new nurses, physicians and dentists and responds by investing $500 million for professional education. In 2008, over 27,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing schools because we don't have enough faculty to train them. The programs that will be funded through this bill will help train more faculty and also entry-level nursing students so that we can shore up our health care workforce.

If we continue simply at the pace we are today, we will have a shortage of 1 million nurses by the year 2020. This bill makes an excellent investment to alleviate that shortage, to create jobs for nurses, for doctors and for health care professionals.

So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise this morning to honor the life of my constituent, Larry King.

Larry was shot at his middle school by a fellow student. That was 1 year ago today. He died 2 days later. Larry was 15 years old. The police classified the murder as a hate crime. Almost 200 vigils in all 50 States were held to honor this young man's life.

Larry's death serves as a tragic reminder that we must work to end violence and harassment directed at lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people.

Every child should be guaranteed an education free from bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence.

Today, I honor Larry's full but tragically short life. I am introducing a resolution in his honor to bring attention to the violence he experienced in school and for all those who face harassment because of their sexual orientation and gender expression.

We must, and we will, end this discrimination.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and with the greatest reverence for my colleague and my mentor, the Honorable John Dingell.

I was fortunate enough to join the Energy and Commerce Committee in 1999. Over the past 10 years, we have confronted difficult times and difficult legislation, but whether as ranking member or as chairman, John led us all honorably and always with the greater good in mind.

As a nurse, working with Mr. Dingell on health care has been an honor. Indeed, it has been the privilege of a lifetime. In fact, I have kept my R.N. current because, with Team Dingell, I work on health care advocacy as much in this body as I ever did as a school nurse in Santa Barbara County, whether it was in passing the Nurse Reinvestment Act or in opposing the misguided Medicare Modernization Act or, when we were back in the majority, in holding our very first hearing on children's health care, and in passing also the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. First and foremost, Mr. Dingell has always been concerned about improving health care for all Americans.

Of course, behind every great man is, quite often, a strong woman. This has never been more true than it is with the Dingells. In fact, I had the pleasure of getting to know Debbie Dingell before I really got to know John because I first came to Washington as a congressional spouse. She worked hard with John to ensure that the Energy and Commerce Committee remained collegial, and she would often keep John and all of us company during late-night markups. I use this occasion then also to pay tribute to her today for all she does to support John's great work and service.

Congratulations to Mr. John Dingell and to the entire Dingell family for reaching this incredible, amazing milestone.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 328, the DTV Delay Act.

As a supporter of this bill, I believe we must do everything we can to make sure no one gets left behind during the transition to digital television.

Unfortunately, the Bush Administration grossly mismanaged the digital television transition and put years of meticulous planning for this transition at risk.

The coupon program, which was designed to help households defray the cost of converter boxes, has a waiting list of over two million. This number is expected to increase in the weeks ahead. What's more, we also face the possibility of converter box shortages.

And that's why we need to approve this important legislation to extend the cutoff date.

First, the DTV Delay Act extends the DTV transition date to June 12th, 2009. I am confident this one-time extension will give us the time we need to develop an approach that allows us to move the country smoothly to digital television without needing to extend the transition date in the future.

Second, this legislation fixes the converter box coupon program.

The fact that the coupon program has failed comes as no surprise.

As someone that supports the digital transition, I joined many of my colleagues in fighting for additional funding for the coupon program.

Over the last two years we have tried, repeatedly, to prevent this failure. And, I was very disappointed the Bush Administration did not work with us to prevent this situation.

We called on NTIA multiple times to make sure the coupon program had enough funding and people would not be put on a waitlist.

Repeatedly, we were told not to worry. And then, on Christmas Eve, we were informed that there were millions of people on the coupon wait- list and the NTIA would run out of money before the transition date, leaving millions of Americans without access to television.

Without coupons, households will not be prepared.

Unfortunately, in this economy, where every penny counts, the price of a converter box is more than many people can afford. To date, 98% of converter boxes are purchased with the help of a government coupon.

Last week we took a very important first step to fix this program by providing additional funds in the economic stimulus package for coupons.

But now, we must make further improvements to the program to address consumer needs.

For example, this bill permits Americans to receive coupons electronically and to apply for new coupons if their current coupons have expired. Americans should no longer have to wait 4 to 6 weeks to receive their coupons.

Unfortunately, we also know that certain segments of our population will likely be disproportionately impacted by the digital transition: Latinos, African Americans and seniors. As someone who represents a congressional district that is 42 percent Latino and many senior citizens, I find the failure of the coupon program particularly troubling.

Third, this legislation keeps in place the SAFER Act, legislation that I introduced and the Congress passed last year.

The SAFER Act enables the FCC to let a single broadcaster in each market continue broadcasting simple information about the transition to digital broadcasting over the old analog channel for a short period of time.

Households still not prepared for the DTV transition will see, for 30 days after the transition, information that the transition has taken place and information phone numbers. More importantly, households will also receive emergency weather and public safety information that is broadcast over digital airwaves.

We know that regardless of how much work we do, there will always be some households left behind and the SAFER Act is a common sense step to reduce that confusion even further.

Finally, the DTV Delay Act will let first responders use available spectrum before the transition date if the FCC determines there is no harmful interference in the area. It also explicitly authorizes the FCC to use expedited procedures to promote inter-operability amongst public safety radio services.

It is important for us to remember that one of the original purposes of switching to digital television was to free up spectrum so our first responders would have radio inter-operability.

This will make our country safer. But if we transition to digital television with millions of households still unprepared, we risk cutting off millions of Americans from vital emergency information, thus causing confusion and decreasing our safety.

We must act now to extend the cutoff date and fix the converter box coupon program. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill and in support of America's children.

As someone who spent over 20 years of my life as a school nurse dedicated to the betterment of children's healthcare, I can think of nothing greater than fulfilling the promise of quality healthcare for all deserving children.

It was with great frustration I watched as President Bush repeatedly vetoed our proposals to improve the Children's Health Insurance Program.

And I could not be prouder to know that the bill we pass today will be signed into law thanks to the commitment of President Obama to our nation's children.

Signing this bill into law will mean 4 million more children get the care they need.

Four million more children won't have to unnecessarily miss days of school because of preventable illness.

Four million more children's parents won't have to wait in the emergency room for their daughters and sons to receive routine care.

Earlier today I met with a school nurse who relayed to me that a child in her school district was injured on the playground and they can't find a doctor to perform a necessary MRI because the child is uninsured.

I wish this was an isolated incident and that no other parent had to take their son from doctor to doctor and pray that someone will perform the procedure for free.

But it is all too common.

Passage of this legislation today may not help this one child's family in time, but we can be sure that four million more children's parents can take comfort that they will not ever face this situation in the future.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation and in favor of our children's future.

Madam Speaker, 40 years ago today, on January 28, 1969, a ``blowout'' erupted below Union Oil's Platform A 6 miles off the Santa Barbara coast. Before it was capped, more than 3 million gallons of oil spewed into the sea.

For weeks national attention was focused on the spill's disturbing, dramatic images: oil-soaked birds, unable to fly, slowly dying on the sand; 35 miles of sandy beaches coated with thick sludge; over 800 square miles of ocean covered with an oily black sheen.

I lived in Santa Barbara in 1969. I recall how our community came together to save wildlife and clean up our beaches. But the spill's impact went far beyond the ecological and economic damage to our community.

The disaster was considered to be a major factor in the birth of the modern-day environmental movement. There followed a wave of national environmental legislation, including the Clean Air and Water Acts, and laws to protect coastal areas and endangered species.

Now, after 40 years, as we still face the responsibility to protect and preserve our environment, we must never forget this important moment in our Nation's history and commit ourselves to speeding the transition to a clean energy economy.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

I am glad that we have taken seriously our challenge to pass an economic stimulus bill right away so that we can take important steps to protect ordinary Americans.

I have been particularly concerned about the effect of the current economic situation on health care access and am relieved to see that the bill before us today takes excellent steps to address the health care crisis.

Most important, in my view, are the Medicaid provisions that will ensure states can continue to provide Medicaid to their residents with, at minimum, the current level of benefits.

My home state of California, much like other states, is suffering a budget crisis that is leading to proposals of slashing Medicaid benefits.

We must protect current benefits AND ensure that Medicaid and COBRA are available for the high number of Americans who have lost their jobs.

This bill does an excellent job of doing that.

I also want to applaud the inclusion of Health Information Technology language, including essential privacy protections.

Spurring adoption of HIT will reduce medical errors, allow physicians and nurses to spend more time with their patients and create jobs.

But I would be remiss if I didn't express disappointment in one important item that was unfortunately not included in today's bill.

The Energy & Commerce Committee, on which I serve, rightly included language to make family planning services for low-income women a state option.

Currently, states must apply for a waiver, accompanied by the uncertainty of future applications' success, in order to provide this basic health care service for women who do not otherwise qualify for Medicaid, but are low-income nonetheless.

Through a campaign of misinformation perpetrated, I am sad to say, by some of our own colleagues in Congress, we were forced to strip this provision out in order to reinforce the message of the underlying bill.

But make no mistake, the family planning provisions would have saved hundreds of millions of dollars over the next several years.

And you don't have to take my word for it, just ask the CBO, which scored the provision as a savings.

So I will remind my colleagues that we have lost an important opportunity to improve health care services to the extent that this bill originally intended to do and I vow to work with the White House and Congressional leadership to ensure we fix this in the near future.

Nonetheless, the remaining health care language is strong and will provide tremendous relief to the millions of currently unemployed Americans as well as those who rely on Medicaid.

Mr. Chair, we also have a tremendous opportunity to put America on a path to economic recovery by moving us toward energy security.

Immediate investments in renewable energy production and rebuilding our infrastructure to be greener will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, save billions of dollars in energy costs, and reduce our carbon footprint in the long term.

And that's exactly what the bill before us today does.

It creates new programs, and it makes important changes to others, that will get Americans back to work.

And the cash savings achieved through increased efficiency will go back into local communities and could be used to pay mortgages and other necessities continuing to improve the economy.

I am also pleased to see that this bill will help our country prepare for the DTV transition.

By allocating funds to the converter box coupon program, hotline call centers, and consumer education, we can ensure millions of Americans are not left behind during this transition.

Finally, this bill will enable people in un-served and underserved areas of our country to harness the internet as a tool for economic, social and civic empowerment by providing much needed funding for broadband deployment and wireless voice service.

So I want to applaud the Chairman for his excellent work on the provisions that fall within our Committee's jurisdiction and urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the 60th anniversary of the Ventura County Economic Development Association, VCEDA.

In the past two decades, VCEDA has been actively involved in a myriad of projects aimed at maintaining the economic vitality of the county, including BRAC '95 and '05 to protect our military bases; mediating air quality issues to resolve differences and prevent costly court battles; working with schools, businesses and corporate executives to determine needs for a skilled trained workforce; and working with local governments to remove unwarranted obstacles to the growth of business and industry.

VCEDA has played an important role in bringing and continuing to support Channel Islands State University in Ventura County. And it has set a goal of working with all educators at all levels to ensure that the upcoming workforce is ready to meet the needs of business in the 21st century.

Most recently, VCEDA has been recognized as ``The Champion of Job Growth'' by the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County, ``The Small Business Advocate'' by the Pacific Coast Business Times and received ``The Distinguished Business Leader Award'' by the Ventura County Leadership Academy.

I commend VCEDA for its outstanding leadership and commitment in serving the needs of its members and the surrounding community.