Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I wish to thank President Obama for announcing new mileage standards which will reduce carbon emissions 30 percent by 2016 and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Another great Chicagoan, Daniel Burnham, once said, ``Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood.''

Well, now is the time for us to make big plans on behalf of generations we will never live to see. Now is the time to broaden our attention span beyond the next election cycle. Now is the time to think about those who can't vote yet but will have to breathe the air, drink the water, and pay the debts we leave behind. Now is the time to work together to make big plans on robust climate change based on verification, sustainability, and renewable energy.

As we think about what to do with our time here in Congress, let me leave you with an old Irish blessing: May there be a generation of children, on the children of your children.

Madam Speaker, this is a fascinating debate for me because, for 7 years as a university professor, I have been able to see how this process actually works and begins. I saw the credit card companies literally trolling the campuses offering jerseys and sweatshirts for the honor of students to buy pizzas at 18 to 21 percent interest rates.

There is no doubt that credit card companies provide a valuable service for hardworking Americans, but they are the ones changing the rules. In recent years credit card companies have begun to abuse this system. They've implemented deceptive provisions and have burdened the average consumer with extraordinary high rates and fees.

If you pay your balance on time and you spend below your credit limit, you should not be subject to arbitrary interest rates and increases. These credit card companies deserve to make a profit, but not at the expense of the American consumer.

This bill is about reforming that system. It puts safeguards in place that will help inform consumers and empower them to take control of their credit and, therefore, their lives.

I rise in strong support of this amendment because today the average American can apply for a credit card anywhere, at a grocery store, at an airport, a ballpark, even college campuses. It all seems so easy.

Unfortunately, the terms of the agreements aren't so easy. In some cases, terms have become so complicated that the average consumer cannot always know what they've gotten themselves into.

Now more than ever, Americans are turning to their credit cards to get them through the end of the month, and in turn, the U.S. credit card debt has reached an all-time high.

Meanwhile, almost half of Americans carry a balance and have no idea how long it'll take to pay that down. The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights will protect consumers from predatory practices, and this specific amendment will give them the ability to pay down their debts.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment and the underlying bill.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 1913. I am new here, but I am not new to this issue. And I am extraordinarily aware that in our country hatred has an extraordinary tenacity, a tenacity which we must be on arm against, especially when that hatred takes the form of action.

In 2008, there were 72 reported hate crimes in the city of Chicago alone. When one of our neighbors is attacked, our entire community must feel the pain. Every American, regardless of who his parents are, where she worships, or who he chooses to love, deserves to be free from the fear of harm. This bill will go a long way towards ensuring all of our citizens have access, equal access to protection under the law.

I thank the Chair and urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the Chairman for his good work on this legislation and look forward to working with him on this issue.

I rise in strong support of the amendment from the gentleman from Illinois.

The Great Lakes provide drinking water to over 40 million people and 90 percent of the U.S. water supply.

Urban sprawl, air and water pollution, and habitat fragmentation are already stressing ecosystems of the Great Lakes region.

This amendment will ensure essential long-term forecasting of water levels of major bodies of water, including the Great Lakes, in order to develop adequate adaption and management plans.

I thank the gentleman and I urge my colleague to support the Kirk amendment.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, Members of the House and many friends back home watching, including a lot of good friends at Loyola University.

First, a word of thanks. To my friends, family and staff here, I wish to thank everyone here who got me down here. It means a lot to me.

To my mom and dad, it's a gift from all of your children today because, without you and without them, I wouldn't be here.

Above all, I want to thank my wife, Barb, and my daughters, Alyson and Meghan. I must put the record clear: Meghan and Alyson already have their puppy. I will tell you that dog is not hypoallergenic either.

I also want to recognize my predecessor, Rahm Emanuel, who is here today.

Madam Speaker, ladies and gentlemen, you may find that the Congressman and I have different styles. Someone suggested different vocabulary, but I wasn't going to add that. We share much in common, and that is that Rahm and I share the same commitment to the working families of our country and of the Fifth District.

Finally, I do want to thank the people of the Fifth District of Illinois. You all know trust is a hard thing to come by these days in this business, and the people of my district gave me their trust. I can't tell you out there what that means to me. It's a humbling experience to take a job when people are losing theirs and to become a Member of this House when people are losing theirs. It means the world to me that the public gave me their trust. It is for them, for every American confronting these challenges, that I draw my strength, and I look forward to working with each and every one of you to make those things happen.

Thank you and God bless.