Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today I rise to celebrate the 200th birthday of our sixteenth

president Abraham Lincoln. We celebrate his accomplishments, not only because he helped create our party but most of all we covet his ability to unite us.

As a member who proudly represents the 10th district of Illinois, today we can stand tall and proudly say we are from the Land of Lincoln.

It was Abraham Lincoln who so famously said, ``Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.''

As tough as it is, our parents faced worse. The Depression, World War II, the Cold War. Americans defeated the British Empire and won the Civil War--all tougher times than these. History teaches us that each generation is tested. This is ours.

If we can learn anything from Lincoln it is that we must never lose hope--for we have faced great adversity in the past and emerged the stronger.

As we look to the future and better days, we must not forget the heroes of our past. Abraham Lincoln failed in business, lost his Senate race, and saved the Union. As we all face setbacks, his life is an example encouraging us to get up from setbacks and work to win even against long odds.

I might just ask the leadership why we're debating this resolution, taking time away from serious debate on the hidden stimulus bill. Why, as the economy tanks, congressional leaders are voting to borrow $2 trillion, but we're debating National Engineers Week and a football resolution.

Now I watched the game and it was a good game, but it's not our core mission. We should be debating the $2 billion appropriation for, ``neighborhood stabilization'' available to organizations currently under criminal scrutiny like ACORN, a new wellness fund or a government medical effectiveness board now with powers to override decisions of you and your doctor.

When we take up resolutions like this, it's because we are trying to distract Members and the American people from knowing what they cannot read in the stimulus bill. We can debate the Super Bowl, but you know, the results are not in doubt. What we ought to be debating is should we borrow $2 trillion on behalf of the American people and does anyone have that cash.

We debate Engineer Week instead of asking the Fed when you ``monetize'' debt, doesn't that really mean you're printing money?

It's resolutions like this that weaken the reputation of the U.S. House.

It's resolutions like this that weaken the image of this Congress as a serious legislative body. Let's take another look at resolutions like these for what they really are, distractions so that we do not see what is currently happening behind closed doors on the stimulus bill, the growing debt of our country, and decisions by Federal officials to begin printing money.

Madam Speaker, the American people should know the $800 billion stimulus bill is not the only spending bill coming. In 2 weeks, we will consider a $410 billion omnibus with 4,000 earmarks in it, followed by a $100 billion supplemental. Americans should know that these three spending bills will trigger a need to borrow $2.6 trillion in just the next few months. That's five times more than the United States has ever borrowed.

Each taxpayer now owes $56,000 on this debt, and after these bills pass, you will owe $76,000 each. The cost of this debt will rip the cost of a college education from each family.

Last week I was the first Member of Congress to bother even to visit the Bureau of Debt. They will attempt to borrow $2.6 trillion over the next few months to try to pay for these three spending bills.

Spending under this legislation totals over $800 billion, requiring the Bureau of the Debt, we project, to attempt to borrow $2.1 trillion to finance this legislation. And this legislation isn't the only big spending bill we will consider. Shortly, we will consider a $410 billion omnibus appropriation reportedly containing 4,000 earmarks, followed by a $100 billion supplemental.

I was just at the Bureau of the Public Debt today watching the Federal Government go $32 billion in debt, one of three public auctions. We have an enormous requirement for borrowing money, five times more than in the history of the United States, totaling $76,000 per taxpayer if this legislation passes. We have seen other sovereign debt issues fail. Recently, the government of Germany failed to auction its debt because so much was being offered.

Under this legislation, and with other legislation that is pending on the omnibus and on the supplemental, the Bureau of the Debt will be forced to auction $150 billion per week of the

United States going into debt. We have never seen so much debt auctioned before, and this is not coordinated with other governments. Other governments, like the Government of China, the Government of the United Kingdom, France all have their own stimulus packages going into debt $1.2 trillion themselves.

The question: With all of these governments borrowing over $3 trillion, who has the money to pay this? Now we know our kids are going to pay for this long term, but who is going to pay for this next week? And the answer is: maybe debt markets, maybe not.

We have never seen the United States go this far into debt this quickly. It took 40 Presidents, from President Washington to President Reagan, to build up $1 trillion in debt. The previous President doubled our debt to $6 trillion. But now, we are going $2.6 trillion more into debt in a month. In a month. Can we auction this much debt this quickly? It is a question that should be asked and answered before we pass this legislation.

Madam Speaker, in the past year, shareholders in American companies have seen the value of their holdings drop by 30 percent. Congress is taking action to stimulate our economy, and reviewing options to strengthen oversight of the capital markets that keep our economy going.

We must not forget the small investor. Middle class families have watched their nest eggs shrink and their home values drop. Their shaken confidence impacts consumer spending and the future growth of our nation's economy. Some middle class Americans nearing retirement may need to work additional years to earn back their stock losses.

With continuing economic uncertainty, we must bring relief to middle class families while boosting investor confidence in an uncertain stock market. Today, I am introducing the Middle Class Investor Relief Act, increasing the maximum annual capital loss a taxpayer can take from $3,000 to $20,000.

Current tax law is asymmetrical with regard to taxing capital gains and writing off capital losses. Long-term gains are taxed at 15 percent while capital loss write-offs are capped at $3,000 per year. An individual who lost more than $3,000 in the stock market could take years to rebuild his or her holdings. The Middle Class Investor Relief Act will correct the asymmetry of current tax law and help middle class Americans recover losses and rebuild their portfolios.

Madam Speaker, I have now successfully amended this bill twice. The first Kirk amendment blocked stimulus funds from going through Governor Blagojevich's hand.

The second Kirk amendment deleted funding for $200 million to resod the National Mall. Now the Mall plan collapsed last year after the Park Service received 13,000 objections, including the ACLU, that objected to the plan's restrictions on protest space.

I also objected to the need to turn the reflecting pool into an ice- skating rink, for an expensive contemplation area and new water-taxi service the taxpayers would pay for but no one would use.

It's surprising the Appropriations Committee even approved this funding. Unfortunately, congressional leaders have rejected my amendment allowing bipartisan oversight over the $825 billion of spending in this bill.

This bill claims to set up a transparency board and an advisory committee, but all of the members will work for the White House. Congressional leaders rejected any oversight by anyone who does not report directly to the President.

The economy is hurting and we should act. A stimulus bill that backed improving highways and airports would blunt the recession. If you look at the stimulus bill the Appropriations Committee approved, you would find 11 appropriations totaling $65 billion that would put 2 million Americans to work, but the bill spends hundreds of millions more. It spends more money than the entire GDP of

Australia. Of the 151 appropriations, only 34 even have claims of reporting jobs.

The bill claims to save 3.7 million jobs, but does so at a cost of $222,000 each. Private sector jobs only cost $50,000 each. The bill quotes one economist, Mark Zandi, six times, but doesn't mention the Congressional Budget Office. CBO reports that only $26 billion of this trillion dollar bill can be spent in 2009.

CBO says over $70 billion of the spending will not be spent during the entire 4 years of the Obama administration. And one last thing, there is no mention of the $2 trillion congressional leaders plan to borrow or how our kids will pay it back.

Madam Speaker, today Representative Steve Cohen and I introduced the Horse Transportation Safety Act of 2009.

In Wadsworth, IL, on Saturday, October 27, 2007, a double decker cattle truck carrying 59 Belgian draft horses overturned when the driver ran a red light and hit another vehicle.

Residents at the scene could hear the animals kicking and screaming, panicked by their inability to escape. Eight horses died on the scene while another ten had to be euthanized. After the crash, Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States said, ``What a gory mess we saw recently in Illinois. It must never happen again . . .''

It is time that we heed these words by putting an end to using double decker trucks to transport horses. This legislation, endorsed by the Humane Society, Animal Welfare Institute, Hooved Animal Rescue and Protection Society, and the Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses would take steps toward preventing this disaster from occurring again.

This bill prohibits the interstate transport of horses in a motor vehicle containing two or more levels stacked on top of one another as well as creates civil penalties between $100 and $500 for each horse involved.

In my own State of Illinois, the State General Assembly has already moved forward and passed similar legislation. I urge my colleagues to become a cosponsor of this bipartisan commonsense legislation.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to introduce this bill to award Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner the Congressional Gold Medal for his

outstanding work in the medical field of gastroenterology.

The son of Russian immigrants, Kirsner overcame adversity as a young man and graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine at the top of his class. He went on to earn his medical degree at the University of Chicago. While training in Chicago, he became an expert in gastroenterology and helped to make the University of Chicago the premier center for research and therapy of inflammatory bowel disease. His leadership and research led to unprecedented medical advances in the field of gastroenterology, enhancing the lives of people across the world.

Despite his devotion to his research, Kirsner was compelled to join the armed forces in World War earning a third Battle Star in the battle of the Philippines before serving under General Douglas MacArthur in Japan. Following the war, Kirsner became a full Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. During his time as a Professor, he published over 700 papers and 15 books, and gave over 25 named lectureships. He has served as a leader on a number of boards and foundations, such as the National Institutes of Health, the American Gastroenterological Association and the Chicago Medical Society. Despite all of his world-renowned successes, he continues to provide personal care to patients from across the country.

Dr. Kirsner, a World War II veteran and devoted civil servant to the field of medicine, has lived his life in service to others, deserving of national recognition for his honorable contribution to our country.

Madam Speaker, today, I am introducing the Kidney Disease Education Benefits Act. As co-Chairman of the Congressional Kidney Caucus, I am proud to join with my fellow Kidney Caucus co-Chairman, Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) to introduce this important initiative.

Each year, some 80,000 people are diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease. This stage of kidney disease occurs when the kidneys function at less than 10 percent and, as a result, are no longer able to maintain life. Patients with kidney disease require regular kidney dialysis treatments or a transplant to survive. Medicare pays for most renal patients at the cost of $20 billion a year, nearly 7 percent of all Medicare expenditures, despite the fact that the kidney disease population represents just 1.1 percent of all Medicare patients.

Complications associated with kidney disease are common, but can be reduced if appropriate education is provided prior to the onset of renal failure. There are a number of steps chronic kidney disease patients can take to reduce renal failure and better prepare themselves for dialysis, including making lifestyle changes, learning about renal replacement options, and seeking a compatible kidney donor. Medicare, however, does not provide coverage for education on nutrition, treatment options, venous access, or transplant coordination until after the patient has experienced kidney failure and is already undergoing dialysis.

To remedy this situation, we are introducing the Kidney Disease Education Benefits Act of 2009 to make counseling available to patients before they begin dialysis. This is a top National Kidney Foundation legislative priority. Our bill would provide reimbursement for an estimated $10 million per year for up to six educational sessions for Medicare patients. These sessions would be offered one year prior to kidney failure to help prevent renal failure, better prepare these patients for dialysis, and save Medicare costs that can be associated with complications resulting from renal failure.

Kidney disease cannot be reversed, but, with appropriate education, its effects can be slowed, improving the quality of life for renal patients and reducing costs to taxpayers. I would like to thank Congressman McDermott for joining me in the fight against kidney disease. I look forward to working with him and my other colleagues on this important initiative.

Madam Speaker, with a President to inaugurate and a troubled economy we can overlook the sacrifice of our troops in Afghanistan. This conflict, overshadowed by Iraq, is often called the Forgotten War.

Last month I became the first Member of the House to serve in an Imminent Danger Area since 1942. Now, Members of this House have served in all of America's wars, from the Revolution through World War II. But the Defense Department's policy of 1943 blocked reservist Congressmen from serving in Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Kosovo or Iraq. Senator and Colonel Lindsay Graham broke through this barrier 2 years ago, and I became the first Member of this House to also serve since World War

Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 3 o'clock and 40 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Friday, January 9, 2009, at 9 a.m.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to stand here today to introduce legislation with Congressman Christopher Carney (D-PA) which will provide healthier and more productive environments for students.

As energy prices soar and state budgets shrink, schools around the country need more assistance than ever to keep afloat. Congress can provide a commonsense way to help schools achieve fiscal sustainability by helping them to reach energy sustainability through energy efficient and other green improvements.

According to the independent U.S. Green Buildings Council which established a nationally recognized green school certification program, the LEED rating system, green schools on average save $100,000 per year. This is enough to hire two new teachers, buy 500 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks. In fact, if all new school construction or school renovations went green, energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 10 years.

Green schools also provide better environments for our children, improving student achievement and health. Students at LEED certified schools perform 20 percent better on reading tests and 24 percent better on math tests than the average student. There are nearly 40 percent fewer asthma occurrences at green schools, contributing to the decreased number of sick days students experience.

Providing green school improvements are extremely cost effective. Construction costs on average less than $3 per square foot more to build, yet saves roughly $12 per square foot in energy and water savings.

Some schools are already investing in green school technology to take advantage of all the benefits it provides. I am proud that a school

in my Congressional District of northern Illinois, Thomas Middle School, installed a one-kilowatt solar array on its roof in November 2007 with a $10,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation. The photovoltaic panel produced enough energy to date to offset more than 730 pounds of carbon dioxide. The output so far is equivalent to the energy needed to power 6 homes for one day, or operate one TV for 2,565 hours.

Thomas Middle School teachers also use the solar array data to help teach students about the importance of renewable energy. Classes use the information from the solar panels in experiments about energy conservation and environmental protection.

I applaud Thomas Middle School Principal Tom O'Rourke and science department chair Jay Bingaman for taking such an initiative to improve the school, environment and education of their students.

We are introducing the Green Schools Act to encourage schools all around the country to follow the example of Thomas Middle School. This legislation provides up to $10,000 in matching grants for schools to undertake green construction and improvement projects. The bill would also reauthorize the Qualified Zone Academy bonds program, which is used to fund renovations and repairs at schools in low-income neighborhoods. The bill would require that any improvements or rehabilitations be energy efficient. Since its establishment in 1997, the QZAB program has provided nearly $1.7 billion for school improvements projects.

I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill to improve the health and education of our children and provide financial security to schools.

Madam Speaker, according to a 2005 GAO study, employers reported the use of 1.4 million Social Security numbers that did not exist. Nearly 1.7 million numbers had been used by multiple individuals, sometimes as many as 500 times for the same Social Security number. In my district, the Waukegan police find that at least 20 fake Social Security cards are found by law enforcement every week.

Now, upgrading the Social Security card should be common sense. It's about seniors. It's about identity theft. It's about illegal immigration. And it's about keeping Americans safe.

When we look at today's Social Security card, we find a 1930s design. It lacks a picture. It lacks a bar code. It lacks a magnetic strip. It poses almost no barrier to the thousands of counterfeiters that make false Social Security cards.

Today, along with my colleague from Illinois Peter Roskam, I have introduced legislation to finally give Americans the choice between the old 1930s design Social Security card and the new secure Social Security card. This card offers enhanced protections across the board. It would replace that flimsy and easily counterfeitable Social Security card with a 21st century identity document that gives seniors real protection. Our legislation and this design is based on the Government's common access card. Already the U.S. Government has issued 10 million of these cards, and its protections, in our judgment, we believe, should be offered to people in the 21st century against Social Security card counterfeiters.

We think this legislation is important to propose a significant barrier to those who would counterfeit Social Security cards, to help seniors in fighting identity theft, and to make sure that a person who has that number and this card is really who they say it is.

We saw on September 11 that 18 of 19 hijackers had valid U.S. IDs during their crime of the century. I think it's time to make sure that at least the Social Security card has the 21st century protections that we can offer to make sure that we protect seniors, to make sure that we protect all Americans, and to protect the Social Security system. That's why we think that this legislation to create these secure Social Security cards is an idea whose time has come.

Madam Speaker, today I am pleased to join with Congressman Lipinski to introduce the Great Lakes Water Protection Act. This bipartisan legislation, supported by the Alliance for the Great Lakes, National Resources Defense Council, National Wildlife Foundation, National Parks Conservation Association, Great Lakes Aquatic Network, Audubon Society and more, would set a date certain to end sewage dumping in America's largest supply of fresh water, the Great Lakes. More than thirty million Americans depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, food, jobs, and recreation. We need to put a stop to the poisoning of our water supply. Cities along the Great Lakes must become environmental stewards of our country's most precious freshwater ecosystem.

The Great Lakes Water Protection Act gives cities until 2029 to build the full infrastructure needed to prevent sewage dumping into the Great Lakes. Those who violate EPA sewage dumping regulations after that federal deadline will be subject to fines up to $100,000 for every day they are in violation. These fines will be directed to a newly established Great Lakes Clean-Up Fund within the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Penalties collected would go into this fund and be reallocated to the states surrounding the Great Lakes. From there, the funds will be spent on wastewater treatment options, with a special focus on greener solutions such as habitat protection and wetland restoration.

This legislation is sorely needed. Many major cities along the Great Lakes do not have the infrastructure needed to divert sewage overflows during times of heavy rainfall. More than twenty-four billion gallons of sewage are dumped into the Lakes each year; Detroit alone dumped over thirteen billion gallons of sewage into Lake Huron in 2005.

These disastrous practices result in thousands of annual beach closing for the region's 815 freshwater beaches. Illinois faced 793 beach closures and health advisories in 2007, up more than thirty percent from 2006. Six beaches in my district alone exceeded health standards more than 25 percent of the time. This greatly affects the health of our children and families--EPA estimates suggest that nearly 300 people could expect to contract a respiratory illness after swimming in Lake Michigan in Chicago on one summer weekend. This trend is echoed throughout the Great Lakes region and is one we need to reverse.

Protecting our Great Lakes is one of my top priorities in the Congress. As an original cosponsor of the Great Lakes Restoration Act, I favor a broad approach to addressing needs in the region. However, we must also move forward with tailored approaches to fix specific problems as we continue to push for more comprehensive reform. I am proud to introduce this important legislation that addresses a key problem facing our Great Lakes, and hope my colleagues will support me in ensuring that these important resources become free from the threat of sewage pollution.