Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I missed a vote today. Had I been present, I would have voted on rollcall No. 929 ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3548, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009. There are currently millions of workers who are looking for a job, but through no fault of their own are unable to find employment. This bill would extend emergency unemployment for an additional 20 weeks in high unemployment States like Massachusetts. In Massachusetts alone, the National Employment Law Center estimates that 39,530 workers would be exhausting their benefits if not for the additional assistance created by this bill. I cosponsored this extension, and have been a strong supporter of extended unemployment compensation during economic recessions so that those most directly affected by these difficult times are not left to fend for themselves.

I also support extending the temporary homebuyer tax credit, which will help more Americans purchase homes. Congress first passed this provision in July 2008 by creating a refundable tax credit for first- time homebuyers. The credit served as an interest-free loan. In February, Congress extended the duration of the credit and also waived the repayment requirement. I supported the homebuyer tax credit on both occasions.

H.R. 3548 includes a provision to extend the homebuyer tax credit for 5 additional months and to raise the income cap so more families are eligible. In addition, the measure would provide a $6,500 tax credit for current homeowners buying a new residence who consecutively live in their home for 5 years. I am a proud supporter of this reasonable extension of the homebuyer tax credit.

I urge my colleagues to pass this bill quickly and clear it for the President.

Madam Speaker, last week and earlier this week I missed several rollcall votes and I wish to state for the record how I would have voted had I been present: rollcall No. 812--``yes''; rollcall No. 813--``yes''; rollcall No. 814--``yes''; rollcall No. 815--``yes''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1793 the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009. This important bipartisan bill reauthorizes a program that has provided some of the most critical services to our country's most vulnerable populations for nearly two decades.

As you know, according to the CDC, approximately 1.1 million Americans are currently living with HIV/AIDS. While we have made tremendous strides in the treatment of HIV, prolonging and improving the lives of those with the disease, the need for funding to provide treatment to all those living with HIV/AIDS has, accordingly, greatly increased.

Furthermore, this epidemic has had an alarmingly disproportionate impact on communities of color. African Americans account for roughly 50% of HIV/AIDS diagnoses and Hispanics/Latinos 18 percent. We must properly address this troubling disparity and continue to work for improved access and treatment for racial and ethnic minorities living with HIV/AIDS.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program offers a comprehensive, cost- effective solution to these challenges. Ryan White has been a monumental success and has most certainly contributed to the decline in the number of AIDS cases and deaths due to HIV/AIDS. S. 1793 is an important piece of legislation and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, last week I missed several rollcall votes. Had I been present I would have voted the following: rollcall No. 790--``yes''; rollcall No. 791--``yes''; and rollcall No. 792-- ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a distinguished constituent, Betty Taymor, who will be honored this week at the University of Massachusetts. Her visionary leadership is responsible for the creation of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at their McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, and a scholarship fund has been created in her name.

Her lifetime of civic engagement serves as an inspiration to us all. My colleagues in the Massachusetts delegation have joined in a letter of congratulation that I would like to read into the Record. This is what we wrote to Ms. Taymor:

The Massachusetts delegation to the House of

Representatives joins in tribute to you as your friends and

colleagues gather to celebrate your extraordinary

achievements. You have indeed run against many prevailing

winds, and been energized, not subdued, by the challenges

you've overcome.

We recommend your inspiring book, Running against the Wind,

to anyone who seeks to understand the progress made by

American women in the second half of the last century. You

entered public service as a volunteer, an honorable role

shared by many idealistic women throughout our history and

crucial to the abolition of slavery and the emancipation of

women. During the Second World War, you joined with others on

the home front in the important work of the Red Cross. Later,

you sought and won positions of greater responsibility and

authority, in Massachusetts and in the national Democratic

Party.

You were a personal mentor to many, but you wanted to do

more. With characteristic energy, you created an

institutional embodiment of your example in the Program for

Women in Politics & Public Policy. This evening's celebration

is dedicated to your vision and to the support of the Betty

Taymor Fund to further the education of women who share your

intellectual and moral fervor. Your courage and determination

continue to inspire all good citizens, both men and women,

committed to equal rights and equal opportunity.

We unite in gratitude and congratulation.

Madam Speaker, yesterday I missed several rollcall votes, and I wish to state how I would have voted had I been present: rollcall No. 772--``yea,'' rollcall No. 773--``yea,'' rollcall No. 774--``yea.''

Madam Speaker, last week I missed several rollcall votes and I wish to state how I would have voted had I been present: rollcall No. 753--yes; rollcall No. 754--no; rollcall No. 755--yes.

Madam Speaker, last week I missed several rollcall votes and I wish to state for the record how I would have voted had I been present:

Rollcall No. 740--``yes''; rollcall No. 741--``yes''; rollcall No. 742--``no''; rollcall No. 743--``yes''; rollcall No. 744--``yes''; rollcall No. 745--``yes''; rollcall No. 746--``no''; rollcall No. 747-- ``yes''; rollcall No. 748--``yes''; rollcall No. 749--``yes''; rollcall No. 750--``yes''; rollcall No. 751--``yes''; rollcall No. 752--``yes''.

Madam Speaker, last week I missed several rollcall votes and I wish to state how I would have voted had I been present:

Rollcall No. 720--``yes''; rollcall No. 721--``yes''; rollcall No. 722--``yes''; rollcall No. 723--``yes''; rollcall No. 724--``yes''; rollcall No. 725--``yes''; rollcall No. 726--``yes''; rollcall No. 727--``no''; rollcall No. 728--``yes''; rollcall No. 729--``yes''; rollcall No. 730--``no''; rollcall No. 731--``yes''; rollcall No. 732-- ``no''; rollcall No. 733--``yes''; rollcall No. 734--``no''; rollcall No. 738--``yes''; and rollcall No. 739--``yes''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man who dedicated his life to the people of Massachusetts. The passing of Senator Ted Kennedy has left our Commonwealth without its principal champion, and while we grieve, we take solace in remembering the magnitude of his many accomplishments during almost 47 years in the United States Senate.

I am proud to have served with Senator Kennedy as a Member of the Massachusetts Delegation and humbled when I recognize what we have lost. His work impressed me before I was elected to Congress, but it was in this context that I came to know Senator Kennedy personally and witness his insight and intelligence and his formidable skills as a legislator. His ability to recognize an important and often daunting goal, and then effect legislation to achieve that end, was unparalleled. The testimonies we have heard from friends and colleagues in recent weeks bear witness to that.

Ted Kennedy's approach to government had been instilled in him from an early age--that we must, no matter our position in life, strive to help those in need and speak up for those whose voices cannot be heard. It is a lesson both he and his brothers took to heart and to which they gave their lives in service. Senator Kennedy knew the people of Massachusetts needed his help, but his compassion did not stop there. He often championed national causes and shepherded major legislation with broad impact across the country: ensuring civil rights, expanding children's health insurance, establishing the Americans with Disabilities Act, strengthening education and service programs, and finally the effort he called ``the cause of my life''--reform of our health care system.

Senator Kennedy soared to great heights in the Senate. He achieved immense influence among his colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, while never compromising his progressive values or quenching his fighting spirit. The personal touch he lent to relationships with colleagues and constituents told of his deep connection to the work he was doing and his dedication to being the most effective Senator that chamber has ever seen.

I can say I am a better person for having known Ted Kennedy. I am saddened by his loss not only for myself and for the people of Massachusetts, but for the citizens of a grateful nation. Indeed, the world mourns the loss of his passion for justice and peace. We must all strive to honor his legacy and continue fighting for the causes he defended with such vigor.

Lest it be forgotten or overlooked, Ted Kennedy was also a father and husband. I offer my deepest condolences to Vicki, Kara, Ted Jr., Caroline, Curran, and of course my colleague Patrick. I thank each of you for allowing us to share this great man with you. He is, and will always be, greatly missed.

Mr. Chairman, this isn't about community service. Community service is something you do voluntarily, something you sign up for. Indentured servitude is when you are told this is what you will do because you are getting something from the government.

Now, if that's what you want to do, that's fine with me. I like the idea of Wall Street people doing it. I also like the idea of little children who are getting free lunches, let's get them to work. And don't forget the senior citizens in senior housing. Let's get them

to work. They can do a lot. And let's not forget the farmers who get agricultural subsidies to the tune of hundreds of thousands dollars. Let's get them to work.

Not ask them, not encourage them. Let's demand it. And let's do it on the basis of how much they earn. Because my guess is if you're talking about poor people in public housing--first of all, I wouldn't vote for 8 hours a month, 8 hours a year, or 8 minutes in a year. It's indentured servitude no matter how you slice it.

Now, I know early America was built on the back of indentured servitude. I know that. Most of the ancestors of the people in room were indentured. At one time in this country, about two-thirds of the people in America were.

It's wrong. We stopped it. We can't let it go on today.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to claim time in opposition.

The gentleman is right. It is an affluent neighborhood, but the school is not affluent. The neighborhood is not doing the work; the school is going to do it. The neighborhood will benefit from it in some indirect way because they all live near the Charles River. The storm water currently runs into the Charles River and pollutes it.

I want to make it clear. This is like many other things, my presumption is--I don't know yet--but it doesn't sound like this objection is with this particular earmark. It's with earmarks as a whole.

I want to make it clear. Based on things I have read in the papers, this college does not have a lobbyist, either a Federal or State lobbyist. No one from the school has ever donated to my campaign. Nothing at the school is named after me or is proposed to be named after me, and to my knowledge, the school has never received an earmark of any sort from the Federal Government prior to this. So unless there is an objection with this specific earmark, I don't know if it fits into all of the categories that I've heard in the past.

Just for the record, I would like to point out that not every Member of the majority wanted this amendment to be offered today, but I don't mind.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I will make the offer right here, right now. I will trade every earmark that will be designated for Boston for all of those designated for Chicago any day of the week. And if this gentleman can make it happen, count me in.

As far as where the money comes from, let me point out that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a donor State across the board. We pay more in taxes than we get back. I dare say that the gentleman's State is not in that category, and I don't mind that. I don't mind that because I see myself as an American, not just a citizen of Boston or a citizen of Massachusetts. I think that's the way we built this great country. So I don't have a problem with that. On occasion, do I think we have some good ideas in Boston? Yes, I do.

As far as the gentleman is concerned about our deficit, I think he's 1 million percent right; actually, 1 trillion percent right. And I would join him in anything he would like to do to actually deal with the deficit. One earmark at a time doesn't do it. It makes good

PR. It gets the gentleman up and talking, and it gets other Members--I would really rather be reading the health bill right now, but that's okay.

But I ask the gentleman where was he on November 14, 2002, when this House was voting on roll call No. 482, which was the roll call to maintain the PAYGO rules that were the only things that kept the entire Federal Government constrained?

Only 19 of us voted to keep the PAYGO rules. I was one of them because I share the gentleman's concern about deficits. You don't deal with deficits one nickel or one dime or $1 million at a time. You deal with them across the board, if that's the concern.

If the concern is this particular earmark, I didn't hear too many things that designated this. If the concern is the concept of earmarks, well, I didn't run for office to do nothing. I did not run for office to allow the President or the Governor of the State--and I was a mayor. I don't believe in imperial executives. So we disagree on that issue.

If it is deficit, I will join the gentleman anytime to truly address the deficit problem we have in this country because I think he has a good point on that issue, not on this earmark, which is exactly why I hope this particular amendment is defeated.

And with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Kayem Foods, Inc. of Chelsea, Massachusetts on its 100th anniversary. From humble beginnings in 1909 to a much higher profile in 2009 after being named the official hot dog of historic Fenway Park and Red Sox Nation, Kayem has developed a stellar reputation in the Greater Boston community for its dedication to quality products and community causes.

In 1909, Kazimierz Monkiewicz emigrated from Poland with his wife, Helena, and started a small business making kielbasa--native sausages from Poland--in their backyard in Chelsea. From there, he went on to achieve the American Dream, laying strong roots in the community and establishing a successful family business called Kayem--so named for Mr. Monkiewicz's initials.

As Kayem's reputation for quality meats spread, Monkiewicz began delivering to nearby communities via horse-drawn carriage. As the business grew further, Monkiewicz's four sons assumed roles in the burgeoning family enterprise. A century later, Kayem is still a family business with grandson Ray, recently retired as company president, now serving as chairman of the board of directors and 13 other family members working there as well.

In recent years, Kayem has expanded its market beyond New England. In addition to making 1 million hot dogs each day, Kayem is now known for its al fresco all natural chicken sausages, which have received several ``best of'' awards from national publications, and its line of delicious Kayem Brats.

Through its successful enterprise, Kayem is the city of Chelsea's largest employer, with more than 500 workers representing immigrants from more than 25 different nations. Kayem serves the Greater Boston community in ways beyond being a stable employer. A leading supporter of Chelsea institutions like the Jordan Boys & Girls Club, Centro Latino and Bunker Hill Community College, Kayem is known for its generosity, including regular food donations to dozens of local charitable events. Kayem recently established ``Kayem Cares,'' a program that supports the fight against breast cancer through donations based on sales.

For its commendable history and contributions to the community over the past 100 years, I would like to extend my congratulations to Kayem Foods and the Monkiewicz family.

Madam Speaker, on June 24, 2009, due to a medical situation involving a member of my immediate family, I had to return to my district and was unable to participate in rollcall votes 435 through 452. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner:

``yes'' on rollcall 435; ``yes'' on rollcall 436;

``no'' on rollcall 437; ``yes'' on rollcall 438;

``no'' on rollcall 439; ``no'' on rollcall 440;

``no'' on rollcall 441; ``yes'' on rollcall 442;

``no'' on rollcall 443; ``no'' on rollcall 444;

``no'' on rollcall 445; ``no'' on rollcall 446;

``no'' on rollcall 447; ``no'' on rollcall 448;

``no'' on rollcall 449; ``yes'' on rollcall 450;

``yes'' on rollcall 451; ``yes'' on rollcall 452.