Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the whole Nation desperately needs health care reform, but no group of Americans needs it more than women, women who face discrimination and insult at the hands of the broken status quo.

We all know that the current system allows insurance companies to deny coverage based on preexisting conditions, but I wonder how many of my colleagues realize that, essentially, being a woman is a preexisting condition. Pregnancy, for example, or C-sections can be deemed preexisting conditions. And most unbelievably of all, insurance companies can legally turn their backs on women who have suffered injuries due to domestic violence, because that, too, can be defined as a preexisting condition.

We should all be ashamed of a system that puts insurance company profits ahead of healthy American women. It's time for women to no longer be a preexisting condition. Pass the health care bill.

After listening to 14 women come down here and speak for 5 minutes on why it is so important that being a woman is not a preexisting condition as a part of our health care system, and to change that--and to change it this weekend when we vote on the health care reform bills--I want to tell you I love women. We are so fortunate to have such an amazing group of Democratic women in the House of Representatives, and I thank every one of them for having come down here to speak and to represent their districts, womanhood, and, as Gwen Moore just said, humanity in general. We're on our way.

Tonight, we're going to have a Special Order. We may take an hour; we may not. Jan Schakowsky from Illinois has joined us. Corrine Brown from Florida has joined us. Others have said they're coming, but I think we may have taken a little bit more time on our 5-minute Special Orders than had been planned.

So I think we should start our conversation with Jan Schakowsky from Illinois, who was down here last evening talking about senior women.

The gentlewoman from Florida is here with ideas and thoughts, and I would like very much to hear them.

Well, thank you very much.

Twenty-six years old.

And something else, if the gentlewoman will yield. If that young person is employed, the employer cannot insist that the young person go on their plan because, you know, young people make plans cheaper because they don't get sick as often as older folks. So the young person can choose--if the parents agree--to be on the parents' plan, even if they're employed.

Well, for children, after 6 months, there will be no such thing as a preexisting condition. But I believe it's in 2014 that preexisting conditions will not be allowed for any coverage, including group plan coverage.

Or if you get sick.

To the Congresswoman from California, would you like to respond?

Well, thank you for your input.

A perfect beginning. And one of the reasons that women will be able to afford health care in low-wage jobs is the exchange that will be provided in the health care bill. Women will be able to select from a group of health care plans the best plan that will service them, because, I mean, even if they could afford health care, not all businesses provide health care. Many will be able to after this bill is passed.

All right. So a woman gets a catalog of what's available in her area. We call it an exchange. She chooses her plan. And if that plan is more expensive than she can afford, which it probably will be if she's on low wages, then this bill provides subsidies for that person so that the low-wage worker is subsidized. What a difference that will make.

Or they lose their job, and then they have no insurance.

You are right. It's by providing health care for everybody and helping those who can't afford it and helping small businesses who find

it very difficult to provide health care for their workers, helping them bridge the gap between what it costs and what they can afford.

Let's talk about the argument that we hear that many people think we should hold out for the perfect plan that this isn't, and we know it.

Well, and some people believe that because they have coverage that they don't have to worry about it. Well, I'm telling you, everybody has to worry. Retired folks, their retirement plans are cutting back. Individuals with really nice, high-paying jobs are finding out even their employers are cutting back.

Well, the entire Nation is counting on us to pass comprehensive health care reform. We know that. There's no question about it. The millions who have no coverage at all desperately need this legislation. But as we just said, so too do those Americans who are insured and are being squeezed out by outrageous premiums. And businesses that are less profitable because they are buckling under the weight of high health care costs are strapped, and it keeps them from being able to invest in innovation, as Jan said. And individuals cannot innovate when they're handcuffed to their health care policy.

But above all, American women need us to do the right thing this week and to overhaul the health care system because it is in ways both overt and beneath the radar. This current system--and we've heard it over and over and over tonight--discriminates against women.

Well, I actually didn't get to do my 5 minutes because I was doing this, so I thought I'd do it. Go ahead.

Naming post offices.

Well, I've said it over and over. We have written the robust public option legislation, which will be introduced the day that we sign this health care bill into law.

And the great majority of seniors are women.

So again, tonight, for women, senior women, all women are going to be treated much better under this health care bill. And no woman will be considered, just because she's a woman, a preexisting condition.

I want to thank my colleagues for being down here tonight, for waiting to get to this Special Order, and for knowing how important what we're doing this week is to every single American. Thank you both very, very much.

Madam Speaker, I rise today during National Peace Corps week to honor the immeasurable contributions of the 200,000 Americans who have volunteered to serve in 139 countries in the cause of peace since 1961. Through mutual respect and understanding, these men and women have committed themselves to improving our country's relationships with the rest of the world, and I applaud their dedication to communities around the globe.

When President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps 49 years ago, he set out to provide ordinary men and women with an opportunity to strengthen developing countries devastated by the effects of poverty, disease, and war. Volunteers have come from all walks of life, some with years of experience and some just out of college.

Peace Corps volunteers have mobilized to combat some of the world's most urgent humanitarian crises, including providing crucial assistance to communities in need of post-conflict relief and reconstruction as well as countries overwhelmed by natural disasters. These men and women have helped economically depressed communities develop new business plans, struggling farmers improve their crop production, and families devastated by HIV/AIDS receive the care they need.

Currently, volunteers are serving in 76 countries, providing development assistance while fostering new bonds of friendship and seeking common ways to address global challenges. Over 400 men and women have volunteered from California's Sixth District, including the following current volunteers: Chase Adam, Samantha Atkins, Gail Bachman, Ashley Baker, Elizabeth Bremner, Alicea Cock-Esteb, Rebecca Como, Lindsay Crawford, Douglas Cruickshank, Jed D'Abravanel, Catherine Fabiano, Scott Fergus, David Gomez, Stevie Greenwell, Daniel Grinnell, James Gurney, Peter Hoge, David Hughes, Matthew Ingalls, Christina Long, Ryan Loughlin, Mary McQuilkin, Reid Miller, Courtenay Pinder, Ryan Reichert, Rickey Russell, Nur-Aliyya Shelley, Robin Smith, Jessica Wright, and Pat Wrobel-Dickens.

Madam Speaker, the 49th anniversary of the establishment of the Peace Corps is an achievement that we should all commemorate. I celebrate the leadership and accomplishments of these compassionate Americans who have committed themselves to promoting global peace, diplomacy, and understanding.

Madam Speaker, at least 46 million Americans are now uninsured; 7.7 million in California are uninsured, and at least 80,000 are uninsured in the Sixth Congressional District, which is the district I represent. By the end of the day, 14,000 more Americans will lose their coverage, more than 2,000 of them in California.

Without health care reform, the average family premium in California will rise from $13,280 to $22,660 by the year 2019. That's why we must pass the health care reform bill that brings down costs and increases competition. The Senate bill, with the corrections, including better subsidies and insurance market reforms, will be the beginning of this.

We must pass health reform so that our Nation's families have access to affordable, quality health insurance.

First of all, I would like to thank the two women who are here bringing this resolution to the House floor. It's so very important. I rise today in support of H. Res. 605, a resolution recognizing the continuing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

In 2002, Mr. Speaker, I authored a resolution expressing the sense of the Congress regarding the Chinese Government's oppression of Falun Gong in the United States and in the People's Republic of China. Sadly, 8 years later, the persecution continues. People are being sent to jail, to work camps and are assaulted for their practice of Falun Gong. China has claimed that the Falun Gong practitioners are ``disturbing social order'' and have labeled the practice an evil cult.

International media reports have found that over 100 Falun Gong followers have died in the custody of the Chinese Government. All people, even those in China, have the internationally recognized freedoms of association and religion. The Chinese Government must put a stop to this inhumane persecution. I urge my colleagues, stand up for human rights and vote ``yes'' on this resolution, H. Res. 605.

Madam Speaker, on March 11, 2010, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall Nos. 92-94. Had I been present I would have voted: rollcall 103: ``yes''--On Agreeing to Article II of the Resolution; and rollcall 104: ``yes''--On Agreeing to Article III of the Resolution.

Madam Speaker, on March 12, 2010, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall No. 111. Had I been present I would have voted: rollcall No. 111: ``yes''--Bankruptcy Judgeship Act of 2010.

Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor of H.R. 2377, I rise in strong support of the passage of this bill. H.R. 2377 would create an annual award program to honor the great work classified school employees do for our schools every day.

Classified school employees serve an important role in schools and help ensure students get the best possible education. Paraeducators, bus drivers, food service employees, and many other support staff help make the school day run smoothly. It is high time we honor their contributions by creating an annual award program that will honor the key role they play in promoting and ensuring student achievement, student safety and well-being.

I look forward to working with the National Association of Classified School Employees and other education groups to continue to

honor the important work of School Classified Employees. Again, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, for 8-plus years, we've been told that the military campaign in Afghanistan is about promoting freedom and democratic values, which is why the latest news out of Afghanistan is so disappointing and ironic. The Karzai government, which has proven itself corrupt and ineffective in so many ways, is imposing restrictions on media's freedom to cover suicide attacks. Of course the government insists, quite condescendingly, that this policy is simply about keeping journalists safe. It reminds me of when you were a kid and your parents told you they were enforcing some new rule or discipline because it was ``for your own good.'' Of course, you thought that they were doing it to serve their own interests, not yours. But in all seriousness, Madam Speaker, that's what's going on here.

This is censorship, plain and simple, designed to shield all of us from fully understanding the horrors and abject failures of this war. Sometimes, Madam Speaker, propaganda takes the form of active misinformation, but sometimes, as in this case, the propaganda is in what they don't tell you. Just as the previous Bush administration didn't want the coffins of dead U.S. soldiers photographed, the Afghan Government doesn't want its people or

the world to know that the insurgency remains alive and well. They don't want us to know about the violence. They don't want us to know about the bloodshed because they don't want us to know that this troop surge is not working, that it is emboldening rather than crushing Taliban militants.

And here is the richest irony of all. The Taliban, one of the cruelest and most repressive regimes Afghanistan or the world has ever known, has put out a statement tweaking the Afghan Government for an action against the recognized principles of freedom of speech. You know you've run afoul of civil liberties when you've gotten a rise out of the Taliban, which banned everything from the Internet to kite flying to painted fingernails.

Madam Speaker, democracy depends on the ability of citizens to make sound decisions based on open access to information. When we crack down on freedom of the press, we undermine the very foundation of democracy and everything we're fighting for in this war. This episode is just one more reason why we need to bring an end to the conflict and adopt an entirely new national security approach.

A smart security strategy would replace the military surge with a civilian surge. It would defeat terrorism by providing aid and promoting human rights instead of sending troops. And smart security would also have a strong democracy-building component to help principles like freedom of speech and the press to take root in the troubled regions of the world.

We cannot passively accept this decision by the Karzai government to impose a gag order on the media. I urge Secretary of State Clinton and Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke to raise this issue at the highest levels. At a time when Americans are sacrificing so very much, when they're being asked to send their sons and daughters to risk their lives halfway around the world, we owe them nothing less than the unvarnished truth about this war. Now is the moment for more information, not less; the bad news as well as the good news.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the California National Guard 235th Engineer Company, SAPPER, who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Their mission in Afghanistan was to clear the routes of improvised explosive devices, IEDs, to allow the infantry freedom of movement. They were the front line for the front line! These brave soldiers risked their lives every day for their comrades and returned as the most decorated unit. They also received the Valorous Unit Award which is awarded to a unit that displays extraordinary heroism in actions against the enemy.

As part of their primary mission, 235th Engineer Company cleared more than 10,000 kilometers of road in 5 separate battle spaces and more than 208,000 square meters around Bagram Air Base, destroyed 4,800 pieces of unexploded ordnance and land mines, and found 54 IEDs.

In addition, they completed 220 combat missions (enduring 32 IED strikes and 25 other enemy engagements) as well as 2 FOB defense missions. They captured 604 persons of

interest and conducted 11 named operations, 5 air-assault missions, and 17 combat resupply missions during the heat of battle. Medics helped in more than 30 mass casualty and MEDEVAC trauma events.

Through their deployment there was no single loss of life, limb, or eyesight.

Our courageous SAPPERs earned 39 Purple Hearts, 23 Bronze Stars, 2 Meritorious Service Medals, 87 Army Commendation Medals, 5 Army Achievement Medals, 87 Combat Action Badges, 4 Combat Medic Badges, and received a special commendation from the Polish Battle Group Commander.

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to honor the 235th Engineer Company for their service to our Nation. Our heroic soldiers were true to the SAPPER creed by completing the mission regardless of available assets and overcoming insurmountable odds.

Madam Speaker, keeping our oceans productive and healthy is of vital interest to coastal and inland communities across the world. As a Member who represents one of the biologically richest coastal Congressional Districts in the county, I rise today in support of H.R. 3650, the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act, which will take necessary steps toward maintaining the oceans' ecological health.

Harmful algal bloom (HAB) produces toxins harmful to shellfish, fish, and biomass, which affect other organisms along the food chain and pose real dangers to the vitality of all coastal areas. HAB can also decrease the sunlight entering the water and use up available oxygen, creating hypoxia or oxygen depletion. In extremely low oxygen environments, sedentary species perish, mobile species migrate, and spawning areas are jeopardized. If these conditions continue, the hypoxia may become permanent as coastal areas become lined with dead zones in which little marine life can exist.

Although algal blooms occur naturally, they are exacerbated by human activities, including the runoff from lawns and livestock feedlots, point-source discharge from sewage plants, and emissions from vehicles. All of these activities lead to elevated levels of nutrients and an increase of algal growth. HAB and hypoxia are growing more severe and more prevalent in our oceans.

The Marin and Sonoma coastline in my District is one of the most biologically productive regions in the world. This coastline includes one of only four coastal upwelling zones on the planet, which make up only 1 percent of the ocean but produce 20 percent of its fish. Unfortunately, even this biological hot spot has been impacted by algal blooms. As recently as last October, northward currents carried a large HAB from Point Reyes up the coast to Bodega Bay, harming marine life and irritating swimmers and divers. Increasing our understanding of these events and undertaking new efforts to monitor, control, prevent, and mitigate them must be a priority.

H.R. 3650 would establish a National Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Program to develop and coordinate a comprehensive strategy to address HABs and hypoxia.

Additionally this legislation will implement regional action plans to reduce HABs and hypoxia.

Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of H.R. 3650, I commend my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for their hard work on this issue, and I look forward to this legislation becoming law. The increasing type, frequency, location, duration, and severity of these dangerous events demonstrate how urgently we need to implement solutions to these problems.

Madam Speaker, on March 9, 2010, I was unavoidably detained and was unable to record my vote for rollcall Nos. 92-94. Had I been present I would have voted:

Rollcall No. 92 ``yes''--Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act.

Rollcall No. 93 ``yes''--Congratulating Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith for being awarded the Nobel Prize in physics.

Rollcall No. 94 ``yes''--Honoring John E. Warnock, Charles M. Geschke, Forrest M. Bird, Esther Sans Takeuchi, and IBM Corporation for receiving the 2008 National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor former Marin County counsel Douglas Maloney who passed away on February 17, 2010 at his home in San Rafael, California. Serving on the legal frontlines of county government for more than three decades, Marin has greatly benefited from his unwavering dedication and skilled advocacy of the public's best interest.

Born in San Francisco in 1933, Mr. Maloney, a 50-year member of the California Bar Association, received his bachelor's degree from the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, California, and his law degree from the University of San Francisco. A world traveler, voracious reader, exceptional public speaker, and a prolific writer, Doug Maloney loved life!

It was Doug Maloney who led the county's legal defense of the ``Marin-only'' provision in Ross philanthropist Beryl Buck's multi- million-dollar bequest. Maloney took on the San Francisco Foundation's challenge to spend the millions on needs beyond the county borders. With an outstanding legal team, he presented strong arguments upholding the Buck bequest and proving that, despite Marin's affluence, there were plenty of needs right in the county that could use financial assistance. The 1986 court-approved settlement transferred the Buck Trust to newly formed Marin Community Foundation to focus funds on research into aging, advocacy against alcohol abuse and research into educational issues. Had that battle been lost, Marin would be a far different place.

The legal engineer of land-use restrictions that saved West Marin from suburban sprawl, Maloney successfully defended the county's 1972 zoning restrictions designed to preserve and protect West Marin farmland and the ranching lifestyle. Challenged in 1989, Maloney won a federal court decision upholding the zoning restrictions and turning back a lawsuit by a Chicago landowner wanting to carve up his 561-acre Nicasio ranch. While we may take our open space and ranch lands for granted, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the vision, political courage and legal skill of Douglas Maloney.

A man of great personal integrity and not one to back away from a rousing legal argument, Doug was good humored and a passionate follower of film and stage. He enjoyed rewriting fashionable Broadway shows and stage musicals, putting on a Marin spin and political satire to benefit local causes, complete with titles like, ``As the Candidate Turns,'' ``Damn Yuppies'' and ``Caucus Line.'' A popular op-ed columnist for the Alarin Independent Journal, readers enjoyed his musings and appreciated his skill at weaving literature, history, politics, opinion and the proverbial Marin angle into his biweekly essays.

Doug Maloney was a devoted husband and father. In addition to his sister, Marion Berger of Redding, California, Mr. Maloney is survived by his wife of twenty-two years, Ellen Caulfield of San Rafael, Marin County, six children, ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, Douglas Maloney will be missed by so many who shared in his work and vision. A man of letters and the law, he practiced what he preached. It is fitting to recognize his extraordinary efforts on behalf of Marin County and its residents. I join the many people who will miss Doug Maloney's inspiration, friendship, bright spirit, and clever quotes delivered with perfect timing and meaning.

Madam Speaker, I read a news article in which Defense Secretary Robert Gates, during a visit to Afghanistan just recently, cautioned against overoptimism about how the military campaign is going over there. Well, no worries there, Mr. Secretary. I can't muster optimism for a war that's been going on for 8\1/2\ years and still hasn't achieved its objectives, nor has it defeated the enemy. In fact, it's hard to be optimistic now that we have lost more than 1,000 brave Americans in Afghanistan, nearly one-third of them since this last summer.

Frankly, Mr. Speaker, I am downright pessimistic about the government we are propping up in Afghanistan, which seems to reach a new low for corruption and incompetence every single day. That is why I enthusiastically support the resolution offered by my friend, the gentleman from Ohio, to bring our troops home from Afghanistan by the end of the year at the latest. The fact is that our military presence is what is fueling the very insurgency we are trying to defeat. You would think we would have learned a lesson of history by now, actually. The Afghan people have always resisted occupation, whether it was Great Britain in the 19th century or the Soviet Union just 30 years ago.

Madam Speaker, ending the war does not mean ending American support. It would be completely irresponsible of us to wash our hands of Afghanistan. There is too much humanitarian work to be done there. I propose that we replace our military surge with a civilian surge as part of a new smart security plan. We can protect America, fight terrorism, and stabilize Afghanistan with more compassion and good will than we can with rockets and guns. So let's bring the troops home. Let's replace them with more development workers, democracy promotion specialists, and economic development experts.

It costs, as we've all learned, a staggering $1 million to deploy a single soldier to Afghanistan for 1 year. Smart security would not only be more effective and more peaceful, it would be fiscally responsible to do that in the first place. The money we are currently spending in Afghanistan desperately needs to be invested in our struggling families right here at home.

Soon, Madam Speaker, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which I co-Chair with Congressman Raul Grijalva, will release its 2011 budget alternative. It will call for redirecting billions of dollars in military spending into domestic programs that have been overlooked for far too long right here at home, like school construction, affordable housing, transportation and infrastructure, job training, health care, on and on. It is nothing short of appalling that during a crippling recession we here in the United States are nickel and diming the American people over things like unemployment benefits while the Pentagon gets a blank check to continue a failed war.

Secretary Gates warns of dark days ahead. Well, I appreciate his refusal to be a Pollyanna about Afghanistan. The fact is that there have been more than 3,000 dark days in Afghanistan already and the patience of the American people is wearing thin.

I encourage my colleagues to support H.Con.Res 238, bring the troops home, bring them home safely, and end the dark days once and for all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, Representative Mike Thompson, to honor Alcalde Niels Chew, who was bestowed the title of honorary mayor of the City of Sonoma because of his commitment to his community and its citizens. The naming of an Alcalde, which means ``magistrate'' or ``mayor'' in Spanish, is a tradition that began in 1975 as a way to acknowledge the citizen of the year.

Niels is best known for his generosity, humility, and his unwavering dedication to the causes he believes in, which is why he was selected from a long list of candidates. According to Niels, his father is responsible for instilling in him the value of service.

``During the Depression, no one in need ever came to our house and left emptyhanded,'' he said.

Niels embraces quite a history of community service to the City of Sonoma, dating back to 1984 when he and his wife Susan first moved to Sonoma. Since then, Niels has graciously shared his warehouse with many area non-profits who have stored their food and clothing donations in his facility.

As owner of Dowling Miner Magnets until 2004, he provided opportunities to Becoming Independent to train and support people with developmental disabilities.

Currently, Niels serves on the board of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation, Operation Youth, and the Sonoma Overnight Shelter. He was formerly the president of Kiwanis of Sonoma Plaza and trustee of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District.

One of his most notable and impactful service endeavors has been his continuous support of the Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance as a dedicated mentor and founding board member. He is even credited with starting the organization because he added the organization's executive director to his payroll at Dowling Magnets so she could kick-off the mentoring program.

As a result of his initial investment, what began as a 10-hour weekly commitment at Flowery School blossomed into an organization that has been successfully connecting caring adults with at-risk students for more than 12 years.

``He has a heart the size of a continent, especially where kids are concerned,'' said Ms. Kathy Witkowicki, Executive Director of the Mentoring Alliance. ``We could never put a value on all that he has contributed to the Mentoring Alliance over the years, because it's priceless.''

Madam Speaker, Niels Chew's commitment to service is a powerful example of the positive difference one person can make. We are thankful for the charitable contributions made by this humble and thoughtful leader and philanthropist and we wish him continued prosperity as he spends time with his children and grandchildren.