Floor Statements

I thank Chairman Rahall for his excellent leadership in crafting this legislation, the DRILL Act, which I strongly support.

The oil and gas companies, awash in profits, would have us believe they have nowhere to drill. That is just plain wrong.

According to the Bush administration, 80 percent of our oil and gas resources are available for drilling. The industry is sitting on 68 million acres of public lands where it could be drilling, but isn't. And with this bill today we are speeding up the effort to drill in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve.

We don't need to open up more areas for drilling when industry is dragging its feet on producing where it already could. This recent push by President Bush to open up the rest of our coast to offshore drilling is a political stunt. It is not about lowering gas prices today or even in the near future. It is just a cynical attempt to change the subject from this administration's abject failure on energy.

The great oilmen rode into the White House 7\1/2\ years ago boasting about their new energy policy. Their great plan, now 95 percent implemented, has now resulted in $4 a gallon in gas, $500 billion in oil company profits, and an economy in crisis.

Those of us who opposed the Bush-Cheney energy plan did so because we knew this was the likely result.

Mr. Speaker, Democrats have a better idea, one that meets today's crisis and transitions us to a new energy future. We believe the President should release a small amount of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. We have done it before, and it works. It would likely bring prices down more in 10 days than the Bush-McCain offshore drilling plan would in 10 years.

In addition, oil companies should drill in the vast stretches of this country where they are now permitted, and the Bush administration should open up drilling in the Alaskan National Petroleum Reserve, build the pipelines and sell that oil and gas to Americans.

Finally, we must seriously ramp up our transition to alternative and renewable energy sources. If, in 10 years, oil and gas are still the focus of our energy debates, we surely will have failed. That would mean following the path that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have charted, and we know where that leads us.

We need to change direction. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 506, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 299) supporting the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 299, a resolution expressing support for the goals and ideals of National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. I would like to commend my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representatives Ed Markey and Cliff Stearns, for their diligent work in bringing this resolution before us today.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening, in fact it is a fatal genetic disorder, that currently afflicts over 30,000 Americans, with 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The disease affects the respiratory and digestive systems, causing serious health problems in organs such as the lungs, intestines, and the pancreas. Cystic fibrosis has no cure, and although treatment has been greatly improved, the average life expectancy for people with this disease is only 37 years.

With greater awareness of cystic fibrosis, we hope to encourage much more investment and research and treatment into this disease. That is why I am proud to cosponsor House Concurrent Resolution 299 which encourages Congress to support the National Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month.

The resolution rightly praises the many public-private partnerships which have sprung up in the last few years, and it also stresses the promise of innovative research on cystic fibrosis, and this is the environment that we need today which is critical to finding a cure for this fatal disease.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of House Concurrent Resolution 299.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the author of the bill, Mr. Markey from Massachusetts.

I yield my colleague an additional minute.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.

I would like to thank the leadership of Energy and Commerce Committee and the authors of the legislation and the demonstration of strong bipartisan support for this resolution, and urge our colleagues to support and pass House Concurrent Resolution 299, as it has been amended.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this veto override. It is apparent that President Bush has chosen to ignore the will of the American people and an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the House and the Senate. He would rather cozy up to his friends in the insurance industry than improve access to health care for our seniors, our frail seniors, and those with disabilities.

I am proud to support H.R. 6331, our seniors and our health care professionals who need this legislation. Yes, this is an 11th-hour fix, so it is not the best way to do business here. It allows me to express a strong word of appreciation for our Chairman Dingell and chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Pallone, for their leadership in bringing to the floor and supporting a long-term solution which we passed in this House last year, known as the CHAMP Act, a comprehensive way to deal with challenges for our seniors on Medicare.

It is a solution that will bring us to where we should be in the long-term for reimbursing our physicians and those who provide services. So until we have a new administration in the White House, we have to do what we can to protect physicians and to protect their patients. H.R. 6331 does the right thing by preventing a 10 percent cut in reimbursements. And we all know the stories of our senior citizens who fear the loss of their provider, particularly in hard-to-serve areas like rural America.

I urge my colleagues to do the right thing, to vote to override the President's veto.

Today, I rise to speak about global poverty, and specifically to share my experiences as part of the House Democracy Assistance Commission Congressional Delegation visit recently to six African countries. This Commission supports the development of Democratic governments around the world by establishing peer-to-peer relationships with emerging Democratic legislatures.

There is one striking feature in most of the nations we visited on this trip, and they included Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia. In each of these countries, at least half of the population lives on less than $2 a day.

You know, in so much of the Continent of Africa, a continent vibrant and rich with resources and wonderful people, it's overwhelming to see up close and in very personal ways the fact that adults regularly die from preventible disease and children so horribly malnourished.

In fact, according to UNICEF, even in today's modern world, with all the technology that is available, over 26,000 children under the age of five die every single day due to poverty. Just think of it. Twenty-six thousand lives lost each day.

This number, more than any other, brings home to me with cruel immediacy the absolute desperate needs of the world's poor. As we know, poverty is not only the result of economic and social policy shortcomings, it also thrives on war. This scourge is the means by which incredible gender and minority inequality flourishes.

I am thinking now of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo who, even as we speak, are enduring unspeakable acts of sexual violence and degradation. The lives of so many of the world's people are horribly short and difficult because we have all failed to properly distribute the abundant resources of Mother Earth.

These facts are reprehensible and would seem to leave us without hope in the future. But wherever poverty may have taken hold in Africa, it has failed to take hold of the African spirit.

In Malawi, a country where 62 percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day, and where an estimated 15 percent of the adult population is HIV positive, we visited health programs that are a tribute to what is possible when we unite to help each other.

As a nurse, I took special note of our visits to orphan and health care programs run by the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, as well as Direct Relief International. These are local, nonprofit agencies that are supported directly by many constituents of mine in my congressional district, and I was honored and humbled to see where these gifts of my friends and neighbors at home, where these gifts are being used so fruitfully in these countries to support and nurture and nourish the lives of orphan children and women suffering with HIV and AIDS.

From HIV prevention, school tuition, and transport to pediatric HIV treatment centers, as well as caring for the ill, these organizations, and there are many of them, and the incredible people that work for them and with them, are helping to bring change to the lives of Malawian children and families.

The African spirit was also thriving in countries like Kenya and Liberia, both of which are working very hard to maintain and strengthen their Democratic institutions, countries where we enjoyed democracy building with their parliaments. It was a team effort. And it was a real honor, again, to be there on behalf of our U.S. Congress.

It will not be easy to turn the tide of poverty in Africa. But, working together, progress is being made. I implore my colleagues to keep this continent, the cradle of life, at the forefront of our minds on this House floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the FLAME Act. I thank Chairman Rahall for yielding me time and for bringing this important legislation to the floor.

This bill comes at such a critical time. Our Nation is now and will continue to face 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 on 5 of the last 7 years to extinguish fires. And 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 camp ground 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 such 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. Speaker, the Zaca Fire that burned 240,000 acres in my congressional district last year cost the Forest Service $120 million. That's one fire alone. With more than 1,700 fires in California this year already and the fire season is not even half over, it's pretty clear we're going to have to create an emergency Federal fund dedicated solely to devastating wildland fires.

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

I thank my committee chairman for yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, as a representative of areas affected by the recent wildfires and as a cosponsor of House Resolution 1322, I rise in strong support of this legislation, and I thank my colleague and my neighboring Member of Congress, Congressman Farr, for introducing this resolution.

In the last 3 weeks, more than 1,700 wildfires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in our home State of California. In my district alone, the Gap Fire, one of the State's highest priorities now, has burned nearly 10,000 acres and threatened several hundred homes in the city of Goleta. Yet, despite high winds and temperatures, our incredible firefighters and emergency personnel have limited the destruction, have saved hundreds of homes, hundreds of lives.

I am so proud to say that California's emergency preparedness system and procedures are among the best in the Nation. My constituents in Goleta are the most recent beneficiaries of this system. I have to admit that I am a little biased toward our firefighters as well. Years ago, as a school nurse, they taught me CPR, they taught me first aid, they helped me train our school personnel. They are a wonderful asset to safety and preparedness in our communities.

From their base at Dos Pueblos High School, State and local officials have worked together to move resources from across the State to areas that needed them most. They're masters at doing this. If not for this organized and swift effort, many more acres, homes, and lives could have been lost.

As we speak here today on the floor of this House, in this well, thousands of men and women are putting their lives on the line, enduring great hardships to protect our wildlife, our property; indeed, our lives. Today, we commend these amazing individuals and we express our gratitude at their sacrifice and their service.

I urge my colleagues to join Mr. Farr, to join all of us in thanking and honoring these courageous individuals by supporting this legislation.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor Sandra M. Bodin, who just completed her services as President of the American Nephrology Nurses' Association, ANNA, for her dedication and contributions to nephrology nursing and kidney patients across the country.

ANNA is one of the largest and most prestigious nursing associations in America. The organization is the recognized leader in nephrology nursing practice, education, research, and advocacy. ANNA's members are registered nurses and health care professionals at all levels of practice. They care for patients of all ages who are experiencing, or are at risk for, kidney disease. The organization's mission is to advance nephrology nursing practice and positively influence outcomes for patients with kidney or other disease processes requiring replacement therapies through advocacy, scholarship, and excellence.

As an active member of ANNA, Sandra has served as President, Vice President, and as a member of the Board of Directors. Also, she received the Ron Brady Memorial Award for Excellence in Volunteer Leadership from ANNA in 2002.

As ANNA's president Sandra has inspired nephrology nurses to reach the highest levels of practice and patient care. She is a visionary leader who has implemented a broad range of initiatives that will continue to improve care for patients whose lives depend on dialysis and other kidney replacement treatments.

Professionally, Sandra graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Nursing from the College of Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. She became a Registered Nurse in 1977 and a Certified Nephrology Nurse in 1992. Sandra currently is the lead Clinical Informatics Analyst and Application Coordinator at the SMDC Health System in Duluth Minnesota. Sandra has also worked at the Miller-Dawn Medical Center and St. Mary's Hospital, both in Duluth.

I honor her efforts to promote the care of those suffering from kidney disease. I recognize her achievements as a nurse, patient advocate, and healthcare leader. I commend Sandra on her service to the American Nephrology Nurses' Association and our country.

Please join me in commending Sandra M. Bodin for her years of vision, leadership, and commitment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 802, the Marine Pollution Prevention Act of 2008. I also echo the comments of the ranking member in praise of the bipartisan nature of this legislation. I want to thank Chairman Oberstar and Mr. Cummings for their leadership in bringing this very important bill to the floor of the House.

H.R. 802 authorizes the EPA and the Coast Guard to issue enforcement regulations for the MARPOL Treaty Annex VI, which was approved by the Senate 2 years ago, with the goal to reduce harmful emissions from large oceangoing ships.

Implementation of this treaty amendment is an important first step for the protection of the health of our citizens in coastal areas of the United States. We know, for example, that large oceangoing ships are a major source of soot, sulfur dioxide, and smog-forming pollution, strongly associated with premature deaths, hospital visits, and asthma attacks. The emission from these ships can cause serious heart and lung problems, and can contribute to an increased risk of lung cancer.

This is clearly important in my congressional district along California's South Central Coast. In 2005, more than 7,000 oceangoing transits were made along our coastline. As these ships come through the Santa Barbara channel, heading to the ports of Hueneme, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, it is the case that the prevailing wind conditions blow most of the air pollution onshore.

Currently, these vessels emit over 45 percent of all the emissions of nitrogen oxides in Santa Barbara County, more than all the road vehicles combined. If left unregulated, these ships will contribute almost 75 percent of the county's nitrogen oxide pollution by 2020. This forecasted increase in air pollution from large ships could wipe out the hard won air quality improvements achieved in the last 30 years on California's central coast.

It is very clear that action must be taken to reduce these emissions which are impacting the lives of thousands of people living in my district every single day. And as I address this situation so harmful to this particular part of the coastline, I am aware that every coastal district in this Nation, the Pacific Coast, Atlantic, Gulf, and the Great Lakes would be affected perhaps in similar ways. So would the people who wish to visit these beautiful coastal areas.

The IMO, Mr. Speaker, is considering adopting new, more effective emission standards for large ships, but the U.S. will only have influence on these new standards if our country completes ratification of the MARPOL Annex VI Treaty via this implementing legislation. So I certainly hope we can seize this unique opportunity where industry, ports, environmental organizations, and regulatory agencies are aligned in moving forward to reduce emissions from this very large source of air pollution.

Again, I want to thank the chairman for bringing this legislation to the floor of the House today which means so much to my constituents. I urge its immediate passage.

Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of H.R. 3195, the ADA Amendments Act, I rise is strong support of the bill.

One of the most fundamental principles of our great nation is that all people, regardless of color, gender, or ability have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The ADA was passed to further this principle, and to ensure equal opportunity and access for individuals with disabilities.

When Congress passed the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, it was intended to be interpreted broadly in order to protect the rights of all individuals, regardless of ability.

Sadly, the Supreme Court ignored these intentions.

Over the last ten years, the Supreme Court has ruled that those who use mitigating measures such as medication or eyeglasses to manage their disabilities are not ``disabled enough'' to qualify for relief under the ADA.

Under the Court's ruling, people with conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, cancer, and mental illness are repeatedly denied employment based on their disability, only to be denied relief for not being disabled.

This simply makes no sense.

The ADA Amendments Act will restore the original intent behind the ADA, and clarify the definition of disability to prevent future mistakes by the courts.

Americans with disabilities have been denied their civil rights for too long.

The ADA Amendments Act will restore these rights, and help protect people with disabilities from future discrimination.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3195.

Madam Speaker, I rise in response to recent calls for new offshore drilling. These arguments for new drilling hit a dry hole for several reasons.

First, we are already drilling offshore. Eighty percent of the known offshore reserves are in areas where leasing and drilling is allowed. Today, the oil companies have nearly 6,000 untapped leases in the Gulf of Mexico alone.

Second, with 3 percent of the world's resources and 25 percent of the world's demand, there is no way we are going to just drill our way out of this problem.

Third, even the Bush administration admits consumers would see little savings at the pump from new drilling.

Yesterday, Guy Caruso, head of the Energy Information Agency, said this about the impact of new drilling: ``It would be a relatively small effect, because it would take such a long time to bring those supplies on. It doesn't affect prices that much.''

Democrats have a better plan. Let's pass legislation that moves America in a new direction on energy by closing the Enron loophole on Wall Street speculators who are driving up prices. Let's reduce mass transit fares and build the infrastructure there, and let's force Big Oil to use it or lose it on drilling permits.

I urge my colleagues to join with me in bringing America to a new, more affordable energy future.

I thank my colleague for yielding.

I rise in strong support of this legislation. The oil and gas companies, awash in profits, would have us believe they have nowhere to drill. That's just plain wrong. It is the Bush administration which acknowledges that 80 percent of our oil and gas reserves are in areas where drilling is already allowed. The industry is sitting on nearly 70 million acres of public lands where it could be drilling, but isn't. The oil and gas industry already owns drilling rights to more than 6,000 untapped leases in the Gulf of Mexico.

If the industry is so eager to produce more oil and gas, it should get to it. We don't need to open more lands to drilling, when industry is dragging its feet on producing where it already could.

Mr. Speaker, this recent push by President Bush and Senator McCain to open up the rest of our coast to offshore drilling is a ruse. It's not about lowering gas prices today, or even in the future.

In response to the previous statement, yesterday Guy Caruso, head of the Bush administration's Energy Information Agency, said the following about the impact of new drilling, and I quote, ``It would be a relatively small effect because it would take such a long time to bring those supplies on. It doesn't affect prices that much.''

This push for new coastal drilling is really just a last-ditch effort to get rid of barriers to drilling everywhere before the Bush administration leaves office. It's an attempt for favored special interest to oil companies to get one more favor from its friends. And the high gas prices Americans are now paying offers the perfect cover.

I urge my colleagues to call this industry's bluff. If Big Oil wants to drill on public lands, it can do so now. Please vote for this legislation that tells the industry to use it or lose it.

I thank my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6331. The alternative to this bill is a 10 percent pay cut for doctors who serve critical seniors and those with disabilities. Our doctors are desperate for this. It is emergency care. It is a band-aid approach, but at least it will stop the bleeding.

Last year we had a much better package, the CHAMP Act, which we did debate on this floor and which we did vote out. It hit a roadblock in the other body and at the White House. This bill at least ensures our physicians can continue practicing in our communities and serving the Medicare population.

I do want to mention two important items, a cost saving provision which will improve services for the Medicaid beneficiaries by expanding the numbers of patients who can be covered by the county organized health systems in Ventura and other counties in California. This is a proven way to provide cost-effective access to quality health care, and it has been in place in my County of Santa Barbara for many years.

I also want to commend the inclusion of E-Prescribing language. I was proud to work on this with my colleagues Allyson Schwartz and Jon Porter. E-Prescribing will ensure prescriptions are transmitted safely.

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

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 445, had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5781, the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act.

It is long overdue for our Nation's largest employer, the Federal Government, to provide its employees with a more family-friendly workplace.

It is hard to believe the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not provide its employees with paid family leave, especially considering 75 percent of Fortune 100 companies already provide an average of six to eight weeks of paid parental leave.

H.R. 5781 would provide Federal employees with four weeks of paid leave following the birth or adoption of a child. Currently, new parents have to use vacation time, if they have it, or accept unpaid leave to care for a new child.

This puts incredible economic strain on Federal employees and their families. Considering the current economic downturn, forgoing several weeks' pay at the same time one's household expenses increase for newborn care leaves many families in a desperate financial situation.

Yet President Bush has again ignored the needs of the American people, and threatened to veto this important bill based on a bogus claim of fiscal responsibility.

During these times of economic troubles, the President's charade of fiscal conservatism is hurting our economy, hurting our workforce, and hurting American families.

All of us here in Congress appreciate the value and importance of public service. Federal workers have chosen a career in public service, and they should be rewarded with fair benefits.

It is time to finally give Federal employees the benefits they deserve. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' H.R. 5781.