Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased today to recognize a remarkable high school student who was recently named the ``Young Entrepreneur of the Year'' by the National Federation of Independent Business.

At age 14, Shea Gouldd made a cheesecake that caused a sensation in her neighborhood. One cheesecake led to another, and Shea's bakery was born in Delray Beach, Florida.

Today, Shea is a successful small business owner and a standout student, balancing calculus and chemistry at Spanish River High School with measuring cups and mixing bowls at her bakery.

Headed to college at Washington University this fall, we cannot wait to see the next great step for this young entrepreneur's career.

Congratulations, Shea, on your well-deserved recognition. You have made your family and community proud and we wish you the very best.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Viola Condo of West Palm Beach, Florida, who turns 100 years old on July 7, 2013.

Viola immigrated to this country from Italy in 1920, when she was 7 years old, and she has lived in the Sunshine Park Community of West Palm Beach since 1976. A member of Saint Juliana's Parish Church, Viola is active in the community. She still sings with the Church Choir. She has also knitted 526 children's sweaters for World Vision, an organization dedicated to reducing world poverty and hunger.

Viola is truly an exceptional woman whom I am proud to represent in Florida's 22nd District. I know I join with her friends and family in celebrating this wonderful milestone. I wish her good health and continued success in the coming year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the centennial anniversary of Lake Worth, Florida, a diverse and vibrant city in my district. Since its incorporation on June 4th, 1913, Lake Worth has grown into a lively community of 36,000 people.

Currently under the leadership of Mayor Pam Triolo, Lake Worth is a world-class tourist destination. It boasts one of the longest municipal piers on Florida's Atlantic Coast, a unique downtown, and over 1,000 historical buildings. Lake Worth is also home to the Palm Beach County Cultural Center, which has delighted art-lovers and patrons of all ages since its founding in 1978.

Founded by former slaves, Lake Worth is one of the most diverse cities in Florida. Today, it boasts over 50 different nationalities. Its rich cultural history continues to promote a sense of hard work, diversity, and inclusiveness.

In honor of Lake Worth's centennial anniversary, I am proud to recognize this dynamic community for their past successes and wish them a bright and prosperous future.

Mr. Speaker, my, my, my; talk about pain. There's lots of pain in our country--mothers and fathers are out of work, losing homes, bills piling up--but here we go again: another day in Congress being squandered as we fight once more about women having access to the medical care we need, free from the long, invasive arm of government. And again, there's a cruel unconstitutional twist. Under the newly minted H.R. 1797, a woman in desperate need of a physician must instead call the police.

Mr. Speaker, the American people know that there's a better way to protect life. Allow women to have access to the health care that we require to live full lives, and let's work together in a bipartisan manner to get people back to work in this country.

I am the mother of a United States marine war veteran, and I remember well the pride my son felt when he put on his uniform. My constituent, Elisha Morrow, felt the same pride when at age 22 she joined the United States Coast Guard. She started boot camp full of hope for her future.

That hope quickly turned into humiliation and sorrow as her company commander became her enemy. First, he ordered her to clean his office, and he later harassed her with sexual innuendoes and advances night after night. Feeling hopeless and fearing retribution, Elisha stayed silent until the commander became more emboldened. He again ordered another female recruit to his office at night. This time, he ordered her to remove her clothes and engage in unwanted sex.

Thankfully, the victimized servicewoman was brave enough to pursue charges, but because it was determined that she was not under physical threat and that she did not fear for her life, her assailant got away with the lesser offenses of cruelty and maltreatment and adultery, instead of being charged with rape.

This is not full justice. When our daughters and our sons put on the uniform to protect us, the United States, they must be protected to the utmost extent from such an abuse of power. Mr. Chair, the intention of this amendment is to do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I want to join many of my colleagues who came to the floor yesterday to recognize that this coming Monday, June 10, is the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act being signed into law.

With that said, even after 50 years, we're still waging the same battle for women. The historic anniversary is a reminder that there's much work to be done to close the wage gap.

Equal pay for equal work is about fairness for women and families and dollars and common sense. For working mothers who have to put food on the table, and the retired women whose income is tied to their former salary, the wage gap means real dollars.

In south Florida, if the wage gap were eliminated, a working woman would have enough money for 51 more weeks of food, 3 months of mortgage and utility payments, or 5 months of rent, or more than 1,600 additional gallons of gas.

Mr. Speaker, whether you serve customers in a local retail store, or argue cases before the highest court, you have a right to be treated with fairness and dignity.

Madam Chair, Jeff Calaicovo is a military veteran living with his loving wife in Ft. Lauderdale. He is an American hero who received two Purple Hearts for his courage and service during the Vietnam War. Jeff fought for, and suffered for this country, spending five months in a burn ward as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange.

Today, Jeff suffers from PTSD, loss of hearing and other medical complications that should be covered by his veterans' benefits. But our claims system failed him.

Jeff first initiated his claim in May 2011. Until his case was brought to my office's attention, he had made little progress towards receiving the benefits he deserves.

My staff worked with Jeff over many months so that he finally will begin receiving his benefits after waiting nearly two years.

Sadly, Jeff's story is not unique. The average wait time for claims processing is 292 days with some regional offices averaging 450 days.

Having just returned from visiting our service men and women in Afghanistan, and as the mother of a Marine veteran, I know first-hand the sacrifices our troops make for our freedoms. Our veterans have fought for this country and it is time we fight for them.

That is why I have joined my colleagues in enacting a number of measures that will help eliminate the veterans' claims backlog once and for all, in H.R. 2216, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2014.

These measures include finally requiring the DOD and the VA to move towards one integrated electronic system, requiring more frequent reporting to Congress on the status of claims processing, and boosting VA funding to allow for 94 new claims processors to tackle head on the disability claims backlog.

I am confident these new measure will put us on the road towards eliminating an unacceptable problem that has neglected our America heroes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Noreen Salah Burpee on winning the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Ms. Burpee is an outstanding member of our community, and I am proud to represent her in Florida's 22nd District.

The Ellis Island Medal of Honor recognizes American immigrants who make extraordinary contributions to the community, and Ms. Burpee has certainly earned this distinction. As the executive director of The Salah Foundation, she helps distribute millions of dollars to small nonprofits nationwide, while helping those nonprofits maximize their funds and fulfill their missions. Many of the Salah Foundation's beneficiaries are right here in Palm Beach and Broward Counties. For example, she worked with nonprofit Broward Health Systems, helping them mobilize more than $1 million to improve cancer-treatment facilities and marketing efforts.

In honor of her Ellis Island Medal of Honor, I am proud to recognize Noreen Salah Burpee for her amazing achievements and wish her continued success in her endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Debbie Zelman, a truly inspiring woman from South Florida. Five years ago, Ms. Zelman was a successful attorney, wife, and mother, when she heard those life shattering words that she was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer. The doctor gave her only a 50/50 chance to live after one year and only a four percent chance to live after five years. It's been four years now, and I am proud to say Debbie is with us today, beating the odds every day.

Debbie is not alone in her struggle against stomach cancer. This terrible disease is the most common form of cancer in the world. Every year in America, 21,000 Americans are diagnosed with stomach cancer, and it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for women in this country.

After receiving her diagnosis, Debbie was frustrated to find little information on her disease and fewer options for treatment and support. Fortunately, she persevered and got treatment. Today, she is not only a cancer survivor, she is an advocate.

In 2009, she founded Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer, which provides a voice for the victims of this under-recognized and under-funded disease. Initially working in South Florida, Debbie's Dream has grown into a national organization that provides support and awareness for patients and their families. During their 4th Annual Night of Laugher, Debbie's Dream raised $21,000 for stomach cancer research.

In honor of her inspiring fight against cancer and her tireless advocacy, I am pleased to recognize Debbie Zelman and wish her continued success in this important endeavor.

Mr. Speaker, higher education has always been the pathway to economic prosperity in this country. In fact, a Georgetown University study--my alma mater--shows that a college graduate earns

over $1 million more over a lifetime than a non-graduate. Yet, today our college students are graduating with debt despair instead of job security.

That's why Barbara Malloy called my office. She's a single mom, an elementary school teacher. She's got a son, James, in his freshman year of college. She is very, very worried that she's not going to be able to afford to keep her son in college because they're racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

Mr. Speaker, that's why I oppose today's plan. I think we have to do better. We need to find a way to reduce the cost of college, not raise the cost of college, and I hope that we can in a bipartisan way do a better job.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to place in the Congressional Record the names of six phenomenal women who have positively influenced the lives of the people of my hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida:

Sheri Brooks, Renee Kessler and Ilene Silber, dynamic educators who have devoted their lives to the future of the youth of our community;

Sherry Hyman, an exceptional lawyer who has helped shape our county's physical environment;

Mona Reis, a courageous crusader for women's health and reproductive rights;

and Young Song, a brilliant architect whose projects bring joy to thousands of visitors each year.

Best yet, these phenomenal women have beautiful hearts and remarkable children.

Mr. Speaker, 46 years ago today Israel liberated its capital city of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, allowing Jews for the first time in decades to visit Judaism's holiest site, the Western Wall. That is why Jews across my home District in South Florida today are celebrating Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day.

In synagogues and community centers from Palm Beach, to Boca Raton, to Ft. Lauderdale, and indeed around the world, Jews are rejoicing with song, dance, and prayer, while also commemorating the solemn sacrifice of hundreds of Israeli soldiers whose lives were cut short in the Battle for Jerusalem.

Jerusalem has been the heart of the Jewish people for thousands of years. Through centuries of exile, Jerusalem remained the focal point of Jewish aspiration. In fact, Jews have always prayed toward the Western Wall regardless of where they stood geographically in the world.

That is why Israel's founding Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion said in 1947, ``No city in the world, not even Athens or Rome, ever played as great a role in the life of a nation for so long a time, as Jerusalem has done in the life of the Jewish people.''

I ask unanimous consent to insert my statement in the Record opposing the GOP's uncaring Mother's Day gift-- more work and less pay for working moms. Happy Mother's Day.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that on Sunday, Vietnam war veteran Raymond Clark Thompson's name is being added to the Vietnam War Memorial Wall where he will be remembered for his valiant service in the Army and extraordinary sacrifice for our country.

A native of Indiana and the oldest of six children, Ray served in the Vietnam War as a radio specialist.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to waive my time, and I will try again in a few minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

I ask unanimous consent to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend my remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that on Sunday, the Vietnam War veteran, Raymond Clark Thompson's name is being added to the Vietnam War Memorial wall, where he will be remembered for his valiant service in the Army and the extraordinary sacrifice for our country.

A native of Indiana and the oldest of six children, Ray served in the Vietnam War as a radio specialist. On June 6, 1969, rockets were fired into Raymond's base camp, causing shrapnel to explode into his body from head to toe as he showered.

Despite suffering severe wounds, Raymond, at age 21, persevered and went on to have a full life, later marrying his wife, Patricia, and fathering three children. And he later worked as a health technician in the VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach, my hometown, where he gave back to veterans like himself. Sadly, he fell ill in recent years to old war injuries and passed in October of 2010.

With Raymond's name joining all the other valiant men and women at the Vietnam War Memorial, we're reminded every day of the bravery of the men and women who serve in our military and who are willing to sacrifice their lives for our own freedoms.