Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the President's effort to boost small business lending.

Later this week, we will be taking up a bill that my colleagues and I on the Small Business Committee drafted to do just that. Each year, the bill is expected to support $44 billion in small business lending, helping to save or create 1.3 million jobs annually. Small businesses are the backbone of Maine's economy, and they are key to our economic recovery.

The recession and credit crunch have hurt small businesses' access to capital, and they cannot afford inaction. This bill will give them additional resources when they need it the most. I urge the Senate to join the House in passing a strong bill that we can get to the President's desk as soon as possible.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to address concerns I have with the cuts in home health care agencies in the reform package. I applaud the hard work that has gone into crafting this legislation; however, I want to make sure that home health care services for our seniors are not interrupted in our efforts to target waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicare system.

Home health care agencies, for example, are one of the most cost- effective ways to provide health care, especially in rural areas. In Maine, 86 percent of the home health care agencies will be operating in the red if we pass the cuts in the bill.

It is crucial that we address these cuts in a way that promotes efficient, high quality care, but does not put the access to health care in rural areas at risk. I am hopeful that we will be able to make this legislation better and provide quality, affordable health care to all Americans, so that Maine's seniors and home health care agencies in Maine will not be faced with an 86 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements that will force them to operate in the red.

Madam Speaker, Pastor David Ferrell has been an active, compassionate, and inspiring minister for over 21 years. It is truly an honor to welcome him to the House of Representatives.

David is currently a pastor at the Calvary Tabernacle in Perth- Andover, New Brunswick, an educator at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and a man who has served in a variety of religious capacities. Many have benefited from his wisdom and compassion. He has traveled far and wide speaking at conferences from Maine to North Carolina, from Quebec to Pakistan.

I applaud the pastor for his many accomplishments, his thirst for knowledge, and his unending desire to help people. I wish him the best as he continues to be a positive force in this community.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I rise in strong support of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009.

I am here today as original cosponsor of this legislation. I would like to express my appreciation for all of the work that the chairman has done on this legislation bringing it to the floor.

This bill accomplishes a simple but crucial goal that we all share, to provide family funding for veterans health care.

I represent the State of Maine with 1.3 million people. Out of that number, 155,000 are veterans. Maine is a State that works hard to honor our veterans. The talented and dedicated professional workers at Togus VA Medical Center do a terrific job. So do our community-based outpatient clinics and all VA partners. But all too often the VA's ability to provide the best possible care has been hamstrung by the appropriations process. In some cases VA has not been funded until after the beginning of the fiscal year. As a result, maintenance of facilities, cost-saving investments in technology, and ultimately care for our veterans was delayed or put in jeopardy. This cannot be allowed to occur when we are dealing with our veterans' health care benefits.

This is a bill that is timely. The bill will provide timely, sufficient and predictable funding streams for VA, and that is exactly what this legislation is designed to do.

Passage of this legislation today is a huge step that will help make sure our veterans get access to the best possible care. I want to urge my colleagues to support it. I want to thank all the members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee for their willingness to move this legislation forward because it will make a difference in veterans' lives.

Finally, I want to thank the veterans service organizations for all their tenacity and hard work in getting this legislation through the committee and through Congress.

I want to thank my distinguished colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) for allowing me to say a few words today.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 2174 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 18 Main Street in Howland as the ``Clyde Hichborn Post Office.''

As a veteran, an educator, a public servant, Clyde Hichborn lived a life fiercely dedicated to his community, his State, and his country. He worked in the field of education for 35 years interrupted only by his service in World War II. The Hichborn Middle School in Howland was named after him and his wife.

Clyde served 8 years in the Maine State House and one term in the State senate. His legacy for those years can be summed up for the kind of elected official he saw himself as. I would like to quote one of his statements: ``I am not a politician,'' he said. ``I am constituent- oriented and issue-oriented. My constituents don't care what party I am from.''

I believe such a statement is the standard that we all should aspire to.

Clyde was a very dedicated individual. He cared about his constituents; he cared about his country. No matter where you go throughout the State of Maine, whether Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green Party, when people talk about Clyde Hichborn, they have nothing but kind things to say about him. And in the Howland region no matter where you went, what restaurant, what store, you always would run into someone who had Clyde as a teacher in high school. They have nothing but kindness to say. He was a very dedicated individual.

I am very glad to see that the House is taking appropriate steps to honor such an extraordinary man. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

I rise today to recognize a very important film called ``The Way We Get By.'' It features dedicated and patriotic Mainers who make sure no soldier passes through Bangor, Maine, without receiving a handshake and a heartfelt thank you.

As part of the President's United We Serve initiative, the USO, Operation Homefront, and HandsOn Network are presenting the film at the Capitol Visitor Center tonight as part of their combined efforts to rally support for volunteer activities for our military families.

Dr. Jill Biden will introduce the film, and Maine filmmakers Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, along with several of the troop greeters, will discuss the film after the screening. ``The Way We Get By'' has been inspiring audiences across the country and will air on PBS on Veterans Day.

We Mainers are proud of our troop greeters and their profound contribution to our many soldiers.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a vital program to the Greater Fairfield area, the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. The Food Pantry has assisted innumerable members of this community, and I would like to take the opportunity of their celebration of sixteen years of service to congratulate them on their lasting impact.

At the celebration on October 3, 2009, the Fairfield Community will recognize and honor Nancy Marcoux, the Interfaith Food Pantry Director, and Richard ``Dick'' Tompkins, the Co-Director since the beginning. The work that Nancy and Richard have done is truly amazing. The volunteer staff and the clients appreciate and respect both of these hardworking individuals. They are known to everyone in the Greater Fairfield area, and when someone is in need of assistance, they do not hesitate to call Nancy or Dick and know that their doors will open.

The Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry works with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources which oversees The Emergency Food Assistance Program, a federal initiative that provides commodities to about 260 voluntary feeding programs in Maine. The Fairfield Interfaith Food pantry also receives assistance from the Kennebec County Sheriff s Department, says community services officer John Matthews. Under the Sheriff's Department program, incarcerated inmates harvest potatoes and mixed vegetables on 8 acres of fields in Augusta and Benton. The program was started by Sheriff Randy Liberty and yields fresh produce for the Fairfield Interfaith Food Pantry and other food banks in Maine.

Today is an opportunity to thank Nancy Marcoux and Dick Tompkins for their dedication to this program. In Nancy's words, ``you got to do what you got to do to exist.''

Mr. Speaker, a major obstacle to our economic recovery is the continued decline of our manufacturing base. We need a genuine recovery that can generate growth without government bailouts or stimulus programs. The current crisis of overspending and the overconsumption of foreign goods was born out of the neglect of our manufacturing sector.

As recently evidenced by the Chinese tire decision, I am pleased that the administration seems to be serious about enforcing trade laws. This is a positive step. Yet, as the President welcomes the world leaders at the G-20 Summit, I ask him and Members of this body to recommit ourselves to a robust manufacturing sector.

We can do this by supporting programs that will help domestic manufacturing get back on its feet. We also need a new approach on trade to stop the predatory foreign practice dead in their tracks. We must make sure that our factories and jobs stay here at home. Doing so will help us create real wealth, good jobs, tax revenues, and an opportunity for hardworking American families.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the State of Maine for its efficient implementation of the Recovery Act funding for transportation infrastructure projects.

We in Maine have worked together to accomplish what this bill was intended to do--to create jobs and to put Americans back to work. A recent report on the Recovery Act shows that Maine is ranked number six in the country, having put 100 percent of the highway and bridge recovery projects out to bid. According to the State of Maine, 1,926 Mainers are now working and will be put back to work because of this Recovery Act funding.

While we still have a long way to go, I would like to thank those in Maine who continue to contribute to our State's economy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Special Agent Thomas A. Betro, Director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, who announced his retirement from that organization in August 2009 after nearly 27 years of highly distinguished service. In addition to his service to NCIS and the nation, Director Betro is among the notable graduates of Colby College, in Waterville, ME.

Mr. Betro joined NCIS in 1982, and during his tenure he has served in a variety of organizational assignments and mission areas, both within the United States and overseas. As a Special Agent, Mr. Betro served overseas in both the Republic of the Philippines and in Iceland. Domestically he held leadership positions in Philadelphia, PA and Newport, RI. He served two separate tours as an NCIS Special Agent Afloat during deployments of the USS John F. Kennedy and USS Enterprise.

As Deputy Assistant Director, DAD, for Counterintelligence, CI, investigations and operations, Mr. Betro oversaw the development and implementation of the NCIS response to the USS Cole bombing, which led to the significant increase of NCIS force protection support to Naval expeditionary forces. Further, he established new criteria for on-the- ground NCIS port visit support, opened new NCIS offices to increase CI support to in-transit units, and greatly expanded counterterrorism, CT, operations for safeguarding naval equities.

In April 2001, Mr. Betro was selected to serve as a Deputy to the National Counterintelligence Executive, NCIX. He later was appointed to the position of National Counterintelligence Executive (Acting) by the NCIX Board of Directors, on behalf of the President of the United States. Mr. Betro was promoted to the Senior Executive Service in March 2002.

Upon returning to NCIS in January 2003, Mr. Betro served as Executive Assistant Director, EAD, for CI until August 2003, when he was promoted to Deputy Director for Operations, DDO. During his time as DDO, NCIS established its Contingency Response Field Office, CRFO, located aboard the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Brunswick, GA. CRFO trains NCIS personnel to be rapidly deployed globally in support of the NCIS core missions of criminal investigations, counterterrorism investigations and operations, counterintelligence investigations and operations, protective operations, and force protection/antiterrorism operations.

On January 8, 2006 Mr. Betro was appointed Director of NCIS and at that time became the agency's third civilian director. Under Director Betro's leadership, NCIS has filled every validated Combatant Commander request for forces for Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa on a volunteer basis. Since 2002, there have been approximately 700 NCIS personnel that have deployed to the above mentioned locations as well as to Kuwait, Djibouti, Guantanamo Bay, and other sites.

In February 2007, Director Betro established the NCIS Diversity Office, which is charged with developing and sustaining a model program that recognizes the critical role diversity plays in the NCIS global mission. Key functions that are aligned under the Diversity office at NCIS include the Equal Opportunity Program; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Diversity Research and Analysis; and Recruiting Outreach. Through his leadership in action, Director Betro has ensured that diversity awareness is now reflected in all core business functions at NCIS and that NCIS is a model for other agencies to follow.

Mr. Betro has received numerous commendations and awards. He is a recipient of the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award, as well as the Department of the Navy, DON, Distinguished Civilian Service Award and the U.S. Attorney's Award for Outstanding Leadership. He was recognized in 2008 with the Roger W. Jones Award for Executive Leadership and is a prior recipient of the DON Meritorious Civilian Service Award. While assigned to NCIX, he received the National Intelligence Certificate of Distinction and a Meritorious Unit Citation.

In addition to his Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Colby College, Mr. Betro holds a Master of Arts degree from the Naval War College, where he earned the James Forrestal Award for ``Excellence in Strategy and Force Planning.''

Though he is formally retiring from NCIS, Mr. Betro has accepted a position with an international security firm based in New York.

Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Betro for his 27 years of outstanding public service and to wish him fair winds and following seas as he begins the next chapter of his life.

I thank the chairman for yielding time to me. I also want to thank Ranking Member Buyer and the chairman for bringing this bill so quickly so we can take care of our caregivers. But I want also want to thank the staff on both the majority and minority sides. A lot of work went into this legislation to move it forward at the rapid pace that it was moved forward.

When our wounded heroes return home, there are many family members who step up to the role of a caregiver. In this effort these family caregivers often make great sacrifices, including giving up their job, delaying their education, or making other significant life-changing sacrifices in order to be by their loved one's side.

On June 4 of this year, the Health Subcommittee, with Ranking Member Henry Brown, we had a hearing to explore the needs of family caregivers of veterans. And based upon the findings of this hearing, I introduced H.R. 3155, the Caregiver Assistance and Resource Enhancement Act, otherwise known as the CARE Act.

The CARE Act requires the VA to train existing case managers of veterans so that they can inform caregivers of the benefits and assistance available to them.

Next, the CARE Act provides support services to family and nonfamily caregivers of veterans of all eras who are enrolled in the VA health care system.

Such services include educational sessions on how to better give caregivers the education and resources they need; a one-stop shop to support services through a dedicated caregivers Web site; and information and outreach. In addition, this bill provides caregivers with the counseling and mental health services to help cope with the stress of caregivers. The CARE Act also provides veterans with the respite care that meets their specific needs.

The CARE Act also provides a number of important benefits for caregivers of severely injured Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Medical care and monthly financial stipends will be available to primary family caregivers. Lodging and sustenance payments will also be provided for those caregivers as well.

Finally, the CARE Act requires the VA to conduct a survey of caregivers so that we can better understand this population for future improvements in the program. It is one thing to pass legislation. It is the next thing to make sure that the legislation is implemented properly and that we revise that legislation to make it work smoothly.

I also would like to take a moment to recognize the leadership of Mrs. Halvorson, Mr. Teague and Mr. Perriello. They are true advocates of caregivers, and their efforts are reflected in this bill. I want to thank my ranking member, Mr. Brown, for all the hard work that Mr. Brown and his staff did to make this bill a better bill and move it forward so we can vote on this here today.

I would urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3155, so that we can begin to address the needs of the caregivers who are everyday heroes of our veterans.

I rise for a colloquy with the chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Chairman Peterson. I want to thank Chairman Peterson for his hard work on that legislation, and I seek clarification of two provisions in section 788 of the bill relative to the forest land and forestry sector.

Specifically, on page 198, line 14 of the bill, I would like to know if the agricultural sector language includes forest lands and forestry sector. Also, on page 199, line 22 of the bill, I would like to know, does the term ``projects'' include sustainable forest practices, such as avoided deforestation agreement?

I thank the gentleman for that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act of 2009.

I am here today as an original co-sponsor of this legislation. I would like to express my appreciation for all of the Chairman's hard work on it.

This bill accomplishes a simple, but a crucial goal we all share: To provide timely funding for veterans health care.

I represent a district in a state of 1.3 million people. Out of that number, I am proud that over 155,000 veterans call Maine home.

Maine is a state that works hard to honor its veterans.

The talented and dedicated professionals at Maine's Togus VA Medical Center do terrific work. So do our community based outpatient clinics and all of VA's partners.

But too often in recent history, VA's ability to provide the best possible care has been hamstrung by the appropriations process.

In some cases, VA has not been funded until after the beginning of the fiscal year.

As a result, maintenance of facilities, cost saving investments in technology, and ultimately care for veterans was delayed or put in jeopardy.

This cannot be allowed to occur when we are dealing with the health care of our veterans.

There must be a timely, sufficient, and predictable funding stream. And that is exactly what this legislation is designed to achieve.

Passage of this legislation today is a huge step forward and will help make sure all veterans have access to the best possible health care.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act.

This legislation will improve and expand health care for women veterans.

I would like to thank Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin for all of her hard work. She is a champion of our nation's veterans. I am honored to be a cosponsor of this legislation.

Women now make up approximately fourteen percent of the active military, and in the past recruiting class, they made up twenty percent.

Data released by the VA shows that the amount of women who are expected to use the VA health care system is expected to double within the next four years.

As a country, we must ensure that women veterans have a voice and that their needs are addressed.

Passing this bill into law will help identify and break down barriers faced by women veterans in accessing VA health care.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this crucial bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to inform you of the circumstances regarding my absence on June 15, 2009. Yesterday, I, along with members of the Maine and New Hampshire congressional delegations, met with the Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, to discuss matters concerning the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Unfortunately, because of this meeting, I was unable to make it back to Washington in time to register my votes. If I were present, I would have voted in favor of H.R. 430, H.R. 2325, H.R 729, and H.R. 540.