Floor Statements

I rise in strong support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of enacting historic health care reform.

Over the past fifteen months, I have held countless meetings with community organizations, small business owners, senior citizens, doctors, nurses, and patients, joined public forums and community meetings, and held telephone town halls. It is clear to me the status quo is unsustainable. Without action, individuals would continue to be denied coverage and care, more families would go into bankruptcy due to the costs of care, and businesses would continue to struggle to cover their employees.

Some benefits will be evident almost immediately after this bill is signed. The most egregious practices of insurance companies, like denying coverage for children due to pre-existing conditions and dropping coverage when patients become sick, will be illegal. Small businesses will gain tax credits to provide affordable insurance to their employees. Senior citizens will benefit from immediate steps to close the Medicare prescription drug ``donut hole.''

I have heard hundreds of personal stories. A social worker in Ardsley earning $53,000 per year whose out-of-pocket insurance premium just increased by $110 to $831 per month. Or the man from White Plains who was denied life saving cancer medication by his insurance company until my intervention. The small business owner from Ossining whose premium costs increased 40 percent this year.

I want to assure you that:

Medicare benefits will be strengthened by closing the prescription drug ``donut hole,'' eliminating charges for preventive care, and extending the solvency of the Medicare Trust Fund.

The vast majority of families in Westchester and Rockland Counties will see absolutely no change in their income taxes due to this bill. I fought to protect our region, and I continue my work to index federal taxes to cost of living, which would help residents in our expensive area.

Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are exempt from employer requirements and some will immediately be offered tax credits to provide coverage for their employees.

This legislation will not provide taxpayer funding for abortion, and in fact I am not pleased with new obstacles to reproductive health care.

And finally, this bill will reduce the federal deficit by more than $143 billion in the first ten years and more than $1.2 trillion in the second ten years after passage.

Instead of passing the House bill, the Senate adopted a flawed bill that I will support for the sole purpose of immediately making improvements through reconciliation to help American families and businesses.

Although the legislation we passed this week is not perfect, it will rein in skyrocketing insurance premiums for families, prevent the worst practices of the insurance industry, help 30 million uninsured Americans gain access to care, allow insured Americans to keep their coverage if they like it, help small businesses afford coverage for their employees, allow children up to 26 years old to stay on their parents' plans and protect Medicare for senior citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may hereafter be considered to be the first sponsor of H.R. 4302 and H.R. 3457, bills originally introduced by Representative Abercrombie of Hawaii, for the purposes of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life of our dear friend and colleague, Chairman John Murtha. Jack was truly an all- American--a committed public servant, decorated veteran of war, small businessman, devoted husband and father.

Many have recalled in recent weeks his service on the front lines of combat. His experience in the military made him a lifelong advocate for our men and women in uniform and a compass for this body when it came to making some of the toughest issues we face--those related to the defense of the United States.

Jack Murtha exercised his power to protect the country he loved, taking seriously the trust of his constituents and his responsibility to the American people. As Chairwoman of the foreign aid subcommittee and a member of the Select Intelligence Panel, I witnessed firsthand and benefited from his expertise on military strategy, intelligence, and foreign policy.

His compassion and commitment to do what was right were equally impressive. On his broad shoulders, he carried a great burden to not only provide for our troops and our security, but to ensure that we have made this world better and safer, including for innocent civilians in warzones and vulnerable societies around the world. And, with a heavy heart, he regularly gave his time to lift the spirits of men and women recovering from injuries in battle, sharing with them the appreciation of a grateful nation.

Finally, I would like to note his dedication to a goal we shared-- alleviating cancer, especially those unique to women. He not only worked to help adapt military technology to aid in the treatment of cancer, he and his loving wife Joyce have supported initiatives to directly assist breast cancer patients and survivors.

Chairman Murtha was a giant among men, and his lifelong service to our country will be missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life of our dear friend and colleague, Chairman Jack Murtha. Jack was truly an all- American, a committed public servant, decorated veteran of war, small businessman, devoted husband and father and grandfather.

Many have recalled tonight and in recent weeks his service on the front lines of combat. His experience in the military made him a lifelong advocate for our men and women in uniform and a compass for this body when it came to making some of the toughest issues we face, those related to the defense of the United States.

Jack Murtha exercised his power to protect the country he loved, taking seriously the trust of his constituents and his responsibility to the American people.

I learned so much from Jack Murtha. I witnessed firsthand and benefited from his expertise on military strategy, intelligence, and foreign policy. His compassion and commitment to do what was right were equally impressive. On his broad shoulders, he carried a great burden to not only provide for our troops and their security but to ensure that we have made this world a better place, a safer place, including for innocent civilians in war zones and vulnerable societies around the world. And with a heavy heart he regularly gave his time to lift the spirits of men and women recovering from injuries in battles, sharing with them the appreciation of a grateful Nation.

Finally, I would like to note his dedication to a goal we shared: Alleviating cancer, especially those unique to women. He not only worked to help adapt military technology to aid in the treatment of cancer, he and his loving wife, Joyce, have supported initiatives to directly support breast cancer patients and survivors.

Jack was a giant among men. He was tough, he was smart, he was committed to this great institution. His lifelong service to our country will be missed.

Rest in peace, my dear friend. I will miss him.

Madam Speaker, I would like to insert the following list of Shaken Baby Syndrome victims:

Cynthia Gibbs from New York,

Tanner Jurisch from South Dakota,

Cheyanne Huffines from Georgia,

Macie McCarty from Minnesota,

Jake Belisle from Maine,

Benjamin Zentz from Michigan,

Chole Salazar from New Mexico,

Madison Musser from Oklahoma,

Daniel Carbajal from Texas,

Nykkole Becker from Minnesota,

Gianna D'Alessio from Rhode Island,

Brynn Ackley from Washington,

Rachael Kang from Texas,

John Sprague from Maryland,

Ryan Sanders from Virginia,

Reagan Johnson from Virginia,

Brittney Sheets from New York,

Dalton Fish from Indiana,

Nicolette Klinker from Colorado,

Brianna Moore from West Virginia,

Shania Maria from Massachusetts,

Dayton Jones from Pennsylvania,

Breanna Sherer from California,

Evelyn Biondo from New York,

Kenneth Hardy from Pennsylvania,

Alexis Vazquez from Florida,

Joshua True from Washington,

Stephen David from California,

Michael Blair from Arkansas,

Olivia Thomas from Ohio,

Kaleb Schwade from Florida,

Aiden Jenkins from Pennsylvania,

Isabella Clark from Pennsylvania,

Aaron Cherry from Texas,

Skipper Lithco from New York,

Madilyne Wentz from Missouri,

Chelsea Forant from Massachusetts,

David Sedlet from California,

Joshua Cross from Ohio,

Taylor Rogers from Illinois,

Kaden Isings from Washington,

Hannah Juceam from California,

Sarah Donohue from New York,

Gavin Calloway from Maryland,

Kierra Harrison from Nevada,

Christopher Daughtrey from North Carolina,

Miranda Raymond from Pennsylvania,

Dominic Morelock from Ohio,

Emmy Cole from Maine,

McKynzee Goin from Oregon,

Bryce McCormick from Florida,

Dawson Rath from Pennsylvania,

Joseph Wells from Texas,

Stephen Siegfried from Texas,

Margaret Dittman from Texas,

Jamison Carmichael from Florida,

Bennett Sandwell from Missouri,

Amber Stone from New York,

Cassandra Castens from Arizona,

Gabriela Poole from Florida.

On behalf of these victims and many other innocent lives lost or damaged, I look forward to working with my colleagues to see that legislation becomes law so that we can expand efforts to eradicate Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2611, permanently authorizing the Securing the Cities initiative. I thank Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member King and my New York colleagues and cosponsors Representatives Israel and Clarke for their efforts to bring this bill forward.

Securing the Cities was created to design and implement a layered approach for the detection and interdiction of illicit radiological materials in New York. While this program was initially a pilot and significant progress has been made, unfortunately detection technology and systems are not yet fully in place. Given the known threats that New York faces, it is no surprise that NYPD considers this initiative the most important federal security program. We must continue Securing the Cities until all technology and systems are fully operable.

As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I have fought to fund this security imperative, and passing this bill will help ensure that funding continues in future years.

I thank my colleagues for their hard work and dedication to ensure our most threatened cities are adequately protected, and I urge a yes vote on H.R. 2611.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1021, with appreciation for the leadership of Barbara Lee, a member of my committee; Donald Payne; and sincere condolences for the victims of last Tuesday's tragic earthquake and continuing aftershocks. Yet another

natural disaster has devastated this country and its people. My deep sympathy and prayers are with the people of Haiti and all those who have lost loved ones.

As the resolution notes, the U.S. Government and the American people stand in solidarity with the Haitian people and are committed to helping them in this great time of need. The intense challenges of delivering humanitarian relief are compounded in Haiti by weak infrastructure and government institutions that cannot provide the necessary support for relief.

I commend the swift response by the Obama administration, especially USAID, the State Department, HHS, the Department of Defense, as well as the international community, to quickly mobilize humanitarian and disaster relief in a complex humanitarian disaster.

I also want to acknowledge the outstanding work of many, many other countries; and I want to particularly commend Israel for its immediate response with search and rescue teams, fully equipped hospitals and doctors, Doctors Without Borders, and thousands of NGOs.

Lastly, in addition to the thousands of NGOs, I want to commend a group started by Danielle Butin in my district that has been collecting medical supplies and shipping containers daily with the help of many, many volunteers. This is a job for all of us, and I am very, very pleased that there are so many governments and individuals who are working to relieve this terrible, terrible effect of the disaster.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart and sincere condolences for the victims of yesterday's tragic earthquake. Yet another natural disaster has devastated this country and its people.

My heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to the people of Haiti, those injured and unaccounted for, including Americans and U.N. personnel, and those who have lost loved ones.

I commend the swift response by the Obama Administration, especially USAID, the State Department, and DOD, as well as the international community to quickly mobilize humanitarian and disaster relief in a complex humanitarian disaster.

The devastation this earthquake has wrought is particularly tragic for the people of Haiti, who have endured not only destructive storms and hurricanes, but crushing poverty and political turmoil. Americans and people around the world have answered the call to support Haiti with time, talents, and charitable assistance in Haiti's great time of need.

I stand committed to help the Haitian people recover from this disaster through emergency and humanitarian assistance as well as through long-term development assistance. I'm hopeful that a unified coordinated effort, in collaboration with the Haitian people, will result in a successful effort to rebuild their beautiful country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the bill's expansion of economic sanctions against Iran and businesses and the refined petroleum and energy sectors collaborating with the regime.

I strongly support this bill's expansion of economic sanctions against Iran and businesses in the refined petroleum and sectors collaborating with the regime.

Iran's relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons technology and defiance of international law are a great threat to world stability. This bill sends a critical message: the American people and this Congress have little patience for Iran's foot-dragging, and there will be serious consequences for the Iranian government if its nuclear efforts are not halted.

The 2010 foreign aid bill includes a measure to curtail Ex-Im's cooperation with foreign companies that significantly contribute to Iran's refined petroleum industry.

And passage of H.R. 2194 will lay the groundwork for even tougher sanctions on Iran.

I thank the Gentleman from California for his efforts, and I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.

I thank the chairman for his important work on this bill.

I am very pleased to present Division F of the fiscal year 2010 omnibus, which includes $48.764 billion in appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs. At $1.235 billion, or 2 percent below fiscal year 2009 enacted levels including supplemental appropriations, and $3.28 billion below the President's fiscal year 2010 request, these funds support the U.S. diplomatic and development priorities, a cornerstone of U.S. national security.

To address security imperatives, it includes $4.5 billion to help stabilize, strengthen, and rebuild Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq; in conjunction with funding in the 2009 supplemental, full funding for our commitments to allies and partners in the Middle East, including a total of $2.775 billion in FMF for Israel, $1.3 billion for Egypt, $300 billion for Jordan; a provision to prevent the Export-Import Bank from entering into any deals with foreign companies that significantly contribute to Iran's refined petroleum industry and gives the Secretary of State authority to exempt countries cooperating closely with the United States to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons; $873.6 million for counternarcotics and alternate development programs in Latin America.

This bill continues the congressional commitment to increase diplomatic and development capacity with resources to hire, train, support, and protect 700 new Department of State personnel and 300 new USAID personnel.

The bill increases funding for key long-term development priorities, including $7.7 billion for global health activities including $5.7 billion for global HIV/AIDS; $1.1 billion to improve access to quality basic and higher education; $1.1 billion for food security and agricultural development; over $1.25 billion in bilateral and multilateral assistance for clean energy, biodiversity, and climate change initiatives; and $315 million to expand access to safe water and sanitation; and $2.57 billion for refugee and disaster assistance.

Finally, to improve accountability and oversight, the bill provides $149 million for the Inspectors General of the Department of State and USAID and the Special Inspectors General for Iraq and Afghanistan Reconstruction.

Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan foreign assistance package before you preserves our Nation's interests. I'm also pleased this appropriations package invests in worthy initiatives in our communities that will improve health, education, law enforcement, environment, and infrastructure in New York and around the Nation.

So I urge my colleagues to give this bill our bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, I support health care that helps senior women afford their medications through Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Affordable Healthcare for America Act.

Over the last eight months, I have communicated with tens of thousands of my constituents in Westchester and Rockland Counties in meetings, conference calls, round-tables, telephone town halls, and neighborhood office hours.

Among people from of all walks of life--small business owners, doctors, patient advocates, and seniors--one constant is the passion which most agree on the need for health care reform despite different opinions on how best to achieve reform.

Since 2000, personal premiums have more than doubled.

Since 1987, the cost of the average family health insurance policy has risen from 7 percent of the median family income to 17 percent.

In 2007, 60 percent of all U.S. bankruptcies were due to medical costs.

The U.S. is on track to spend nearly $33 trillion on health care over the next decade.

The financial security of our families, businesses, and our overall economy depends on meaningful health care reform.

That's why I will support this bill today to:

Provide health coverage to approximately 36 million Americans, including 39,000 residents in my congressional district.

Help small businesses who are struggling to provide coverage to their employees while exempting 86 percent of the smallest businesses from the requirement to do so.

Ensure that reform is fully paid for while exempting 99.7 percent of all American households from paying a health care surcharge.

Guarantee additional protections to those who have insurance, including ending discrimination for pre-existing conditions; limiting annual out-of-pocket costs; and preventing health insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you become sick.

Improve and strengthen Medicare.

Now, this bill is not perfect. I am deeply disappointed that the House approved language which puts new restrictions on women's access to abortion coverage in the private health insurance market even when they would pay premiums with their own money.

If we want to reduce abortions we should give millions of women health coverage so they can get regular reproductive care, contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies, and prenatal care to ensure healthy pregnancies.

Despite this damaging provision, we must move forward in improving health coverage for those who have it, providing coverage for those who don't, and controlling costs throughout the system.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. LOEBSACK Mr. Speaker, this August and September I held 16 town halls across the 2nd District of Iowa. I heard from countless Iowans about the need to change the current health care system. Though some disagreed with provisions in the original House proposal, almost everyone agreed that the fact that a family in Iowa pays an extra $1,100 per year in premiums to support a broken system was unacceptable. So I am proud to be a part of a Congress that decided the status quo is no longer acceptable. Iowa families want stable health care coverage that can't be taken away, they want greater choices, and they want to know that if they get sick they won't be forced into bankruptcy. The Affordable Health Care for America Act answers these calls to action and I'm proud to support a bill that is good for Iowans.

This legislation keeps what works in the current system and fixes what doesn't. If you like your current health insurance and you like your doctors you can keep them. If you don't have health insurance, you will be able to acquire it. In fact, some of the greatest changes from the original House proposal to the bill we are considering today are the immediate reforms. We aren't saying wait for coverage, we

are saying the status quo is not fair and we will no longer tolerate it starting right now.

There will be help for hardworking families now. The revised bill immediately creates an insurance program with financial assistance for those who have been uninsured or denied coverage because of pre- existing conditions, and fills the gap until the Health Insurance Exchange is up and running. The bill immediately prohibits health insurance companies from rescinding coverage. If you find out you are sick one day, you don't have to worry that your health insurance will be taken away the next.

The revised legislation also immediately prohibits health insurers from utilizing lifetime limits on benefits, and extends COBRA eligibility to permit individuals to remain in their COBRA policy until the Health Insurance Exchange is up and running. America's Affordable Health Care for America Act also makes immediate changes to improve the health and well being of our seniors. The legislation begins closing the Medicare Part D Donut Hole in January. There will also be an immediate 50 percent discount for brand name drugs in the donut hole.

In addition to the immediate benefits, this legislation takes a comprehensive approach to long-term reform. I am a native Iowan, and since I came to Congress I have been committed to fixing the broken Medicare payment system. The geographic disparities in the system have caused problems not only for providers in my District, but also for the patients.

I have always been proud of how hospitals in my District have achieved so much under the constraints of the current Medicare payment system. With some of the lowest reimbursement rates in the country, they provide some of the highest quality care. However, the current system is broken and now I'm proud to say that the Affordable Health Care for America Act reforms Medicare payments so that they are based on the quality of services rather than the quantity of services. This fix benefits not just Iowa, but all of America.

I also want to mention another provision with direct benefit to Iowa in this legislation. According to a 2008 Institute of Medicine report, Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce, in the near future, the nation will be aging dramatically, leading to an increase of older adults from 12 percent of the U.S. population in 2005 to almost 20 percent by 2030.

As the population ages, their health care needs will increase, and they will need additional supports. In the same report, it's stated that meeting the demand that is expected in coming years will require expansion of the roles of many members of the health care workforce, including technicians, direct-care workers and informal caregivers, all of whom already play significant roles in the care of older adults.

I was very pleased to have language included in this bill that takes much needed steps towards meeting these workforce demands, as well as other projected long-term health needs. The provision encourages the identification, promotion, and implementation of investments in the long-term care workforce and assists States in developing comprehensive state workforce development plans.

It also creates a Workforce Advisory Panel which will identify core competencies for long-term care workers and recommends training curricula and resources for these workers. The bill also creates a demonstration project to evaluate the Panel's recommendations. In addition, this legislation improves assistance to family and informal caregivers, and improves the dissemination of information to seniors regarding their long-term care health insurance options.

In a recent guest column in the Des Moines Register, John Hale from the Iowa Caregivers Association, highlighted the efforts that Iowa has already undertaken on long-term care workforce shortages and spoke about the national need to address these issues. Mr. Hale stated that, ``Access to coverage does not equal access to care.'' I could not agree more.

Federal support is essential in helping all states continue to look at both workforce shortages and the core competencies that should be required of those in the field. I have said many times in the past weeks and months that quality health care is the key to patient outcomes. I am glad this legislation takes much needed steps to support our long-term care workforce.

There are many more important provisions in this legislation and in the coming days, weeks, and months I look forward to discussing this bill, and what it does for Iowans, with my constituents. I look forward to voting for the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and abolishing the status quo.

I rise in strong opposition to this amendment. This is a disappointing distraction from the bill before us.

Under current law, no taxpayer funds can be used to cover abortion. While I believe abortion should be legal and safe, I have worked for years with colleagues on both sides of this issue to also make this procedure rare. If we want to reduce abortions, we should provide women health coverage for reproductive care, contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies, and prenatal care to ensure healthy pregnancies.

This amendment threatens the rights and health of women to seek a legal procedure covered by the premiums they will pay out from their own pockets. The underlying bill would uphold current law which states that no Federal funds can support abortion. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to oppose this unnecessary and reprehensible amendment.

I rise in strong support of the bill, and I want to thank Chairman Frank for bringing this very important bill to the floor.

Mr. Chairman, deceptive credit card practices allow one hidden fee to snowball into ballooning interest rates and into $1,000 balances that many families, which are struggling to get by, cannot afford. When the President signed the Credit CARD Act into law, some companies tried to beat the clock by imposing predatory finance charges on consumers. That's why I am so pleased that, in working with Chairman Frank and with Congresswoman Maloney, I introduced legislation accelerating the implementation date.

The enactment of this bill will protect our constituents who cannot afford to be hit with abusive new fees or interest rate hikes. It will also accelerate other consumer protections, including a provision I cosponsored to require additional disclosure on the dangers of making only minimum payments.

So I really do want to commend the chairman and the gentlewoman from New York for their important work. I urge their support. As far as my constituents are concerned, this bill can't be passed soon enough.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Sister Dorothy Ann Kelly, OSU, whose extraordinary life of service as an educational leader and visionary, a champion for social justice and interfaith understanding, and a mentor to thousands of women and men will be celebrated by the Alumnae/i Association of the College of New Rochelle on Saturday, November 7, 2009.

Sister Dorothy Ann, the 11th president of the College of New Rochelle, died suddenly on March 27, 2009, ending her 60-year affiliation with the college, from which she had graduated in 1951. At the time of her death, she was in her 6th year as Provincial Prioress of the Eastern Province of the Ursulines of the Roman Union, the order of Roman Catholic nuns that she had entered in 1952.

Sister Dorothy Ann started her 25-year tenure as CNR president in the early 1970s, at a time when many all-women's colleges across the country were foundering. She gave new life to CNR by establishing its School of New Resources to educate adult students on six branch campuses in urban New York City neighborhoods. A commuter student from the Bronx, who had attended CNR on a scholarship, Sister Dorothy Ann saw the School of New Resources as furthering the original mission of the college to make higher education more accessible to those who weren't being well served. Two other schools were also established at CNR during her presidency--the School of Nursing and the Graduate School--earning her the unofficial title as ``second founder'' of the college.

Her immeasurable talents as an effective, inspiring, tenacious and energetic leader soon brought her expanded roles in higher education. In 1978, she was named the first woman chair of the Commission of Independent Colleges and Universities of the State of New York, and 9 years later, became the first woman chair of the National Association of Colleges and Universities.

Sister Dorothy Ann's influence and impact were also felt in other arenas, on the local, national and even international scene. In 1974, she became one of the first members of the Executive Committee of the Inter-Religious Council of New Rochelle, and maintained that association until her death. Shortly thereafter, convinced that the violence in northern Ireland had to be stopped, she not only hosted Nobel Peace Prize winners Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Betty Williams several times at the college, but also served as the first president of a New York-based group formed to finance the Northern Ireland Peace People. And in 1995, she was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a member of the official U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Her achievements and contributions to numerous organizations and causes won her wide recognition, with honors including induction into the Westchester County Women's Hall of Fame and honorary degrees from six U.S. colleges and universities. But far more meaningful and lasting are the heartfelt tributes from the thousands whose lives she touched-- and improved--through her landmark efforts to expand educational opportunities and increase understanding among peoples of all faiths, races and cultural backgrounds. I urge you to join me in honoring Sister Dorothy Ann Kelly's remarkable legacy of service and commitment to making this a better world.

Madam Speaker, I regrettably missed rollcall vote No. 790, 791, and 792 on October 20, 2009. Had I been present, I would have voted in the following manner:

Rollcall No. 790: ``yea''; rollcall No. 791: ``yea''; rollcall No. 792: ``yea.''