Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support today of the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007. My constituents in upstate New York know what it is like to have to pay more than most people in the country for energy. They also know what it is like to have to deal with winters that are more severe, and they know that during those winter months they have to adjust their budget to be able to handle the added expense for fuel costs.

But they also know that prices will continue to rise if something is not done to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels.

However, we must address our long-term energy demands with more than just short-term solutions. We have to face the facts, and the fact is that oil is a finite resource. We ought to be investing in a wide array of clean energy.

The giveaways this legislation will reclaim from oil and gas industry will be placed into a renewable energy account to fund research and development of alternative fuels, providing a much needed new direction to address our Nation's growing energy needs.

It is important to note that we don't pass this legislation today for ourselves, but rather we pass this legislation for our children and our children's children.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of legislation that is very important to the many colleges and institutions in my district in upstate New York.

The legislation before us is a promise made to the American people, a promise to make college more affordable to the Nation's future leaders and to the people that need it most, the middle-class families. We are doing that by cutting student loans in half over the next 5 years.

It is no secret that rising tuition fees are making it more difficult for students to attend college. In response, we are taking action today to alleviate the heavy financial burden many students face after graduation when the loan collector comes knocking on their door. Through this legislation, we are providing relief where it is needed most, while at the same time creating incentives to attend college for those who otherwise might not, and we are doing it in a fiscally responsible way by meeting the pay-as-you-go requirements.

Madam Speaker, the message from America is clear. The time to act is now. I urge my colleagues to support this measure and provide needed financial relief to the hardworking, middle-class families and students who need it most.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, it is with tremendous pride that I rise today to deliver my first formal remarks on the floor of this fine institution on such an important issue. That, of course, is providing a fair and decent wage to our Nation's most economically disadvantaged.

Nine years is far too long for anyone to wait for a wage increase, especially a single mother who works 40 hours a week but still has to face the decision of whether to buy food or medicine for her children. I find it unconscionable that, in a country as rich as ours, anyone working full time should have to make such a decision.

Opponents argue that raising the minimum wage will only stifle economic growth and force employers to lay off workers. I couldn't disagree

more. For starters, the logic just doesn't add up. Take, for instance, a small family-owned mom and pop grocery store in Upstate New York, which I represent. Some argue that the owners of that store would have to hang up a going out of business sign on their window because of the costs associated with the wage increase. But that thinking only looks at half the issue. The additional business that they will get as a result of the more disposable income that people have to spend in their store would clearly make up for it.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be part of a Congress that will not maintain the status quo, and I urge my colleagues to support this long- overdue wage increase, not because it is the easy thing to do but because it is the right thing to do.