Nancy L. Johnson

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation because it adopts a number of extremely important tax provisions, expensing of brownfields remediation costs, mental health parity benefits, deduction of higher education expenses, the work opportunity tax credits, incentives for renewable and alternative sources of energy, and the R&D tax credit with its new forward-looking option; but it also helps to ensure that our senior citizens will be able to choose the physician of their choice by preventing the scheduled 5 percent cut in physician Medicare reimbursements.

In addition, it extends the 508 hospital payments and requires a study of how to reform the wage index system, laying the foundation for needed reform in that area.

The Medicare home demonstration project it adopts will reward small physician offices for managing patients with chronic or severe illness more holistically, both to reduce the cost of medical care and to improve the quality of the care those seniors receive.

But while I support this bill, I believe the 1-year doctor payment policy it adopts is deeply flawed and urge my colleagues to develop a more thoughtful and fair approach to reflecting the quality of physician performance in our Medicare payment system.

First, in any pay-for-performance system, clinical criteria for quality must emanate from the physician community. Bureaucrats must never be allowed to dictate medical practice.

Second, any pay-for-performance system must not penalize doctors who care for difficult, noncomplying patients, or patients for whom criteria has not been established.

Consequently, all doctors should receive some increase to recognize the increased cost of delivering care to our seniors, increased cost of malpractice insurance, health benefits for their employees and so on. And above that, a fair, balanced pay-for-performance system must be adopted.

I urge support of the bill.

I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. 435,

the Lower Farmington River and Salmon Brook Wild and Scenic River Study Act of 2005. Once passed, the bill will designate a segment of the Farmington River and Salmon Brook in the State of Connecticut for study for potential addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. I would like to thank the chairman of the Resources Committee, Mr. Pombo, for bringing this legislation to the floor and for working with me to ensure that this important study can commence promptly.

The bill commissions a feasibility study to evaluate whether the Lower Farmington River and the Salmon Brook qualify as a Wild and Scenic Partnership River within the National Park Service's Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The Lower Farmington River is defined as the 40- mile stretch between the end of the west branch of the Farmington River in Canton, Connecticut, and the Rainbow Dam in Windsor, and the Salmon Brook, an additional 32-mile stretch in the top 12 in the State of Connecticut for diversity of aquatic insects it hosts. The study area crosses both the Fifth and First Congressional Districts. The Farmington River and Salmon Brook's recreational and environmental contributions to our State are well-known and a valuable resource for future generations.

The 14 miles of the Farmington River's west branch, designated as a Wild and Scenic Partnership River in 1994, is a resounding environmental and economic success story. Partnership designation for the west branch has fostered public-private partnerships to preserve the area's environment and heritage while yielding economic benefits to river towns. Its designation has preserved it as a home to trout, river otter, and bald eagle populations; and historic structures still grace its banks. Fishermen, hikers, canoeists, and kayakers enjoy the river year-round.

I hope to see the rest of the Farmington River, as well as Salmon Brook, enjoy similar success. This new initiative is a an ideal way to showcase the whole river's unique cultural and recreational resources. The direct economic impact of the final designation is estimated at $3 million and an additional $9 million in total economic impact from recreational users.

This legislation has broad bipartisan support at the local, State, and Federal level, and I urge my colleagues' support for the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Town of Middlebury, Connecticut, on the occasion of its bicentennial.

Once a Revolutionary War camp for French General Rochambeau and his troops on their march to Yorktown, West Farms and adjoining portions of Woodbury and Southbury first formed a distinct ecclesiastical society in 1790. The society took up the name Middlebury, derived from the central position its meetinghouse occupied six miles from its three older neighbors, Waterbury, Southbury, and Woodbury. After repeated petitions to the Connecticut General Assembly for independence from Waterbury, the Town of Middlebury was formally incorporated in 1807.

Today, recreational facilities and year-round cultural events are close by; Quassy Amusement Park, a local ski trail, and a town lake are some of the more popular amusements. Teikyo Post University is a short drive away, offering a variety of courses for students in pursuit of undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent the Town of Middlebury in the United States House of Representatives, and extend my best wishes to the city and its citizens for another 200 years of prosperity.