Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of this legislation, and I thank the chairman for including two initiatives on which I've worked closely with the chairman.

One was to make sure there is notification of covert testing within our

transportation system, and last year we successfully implemented a pilot program to test the effectiveness of physically screening employees who have access to secure and sterile areas in airports nationwide.

While the underlying legislation makes significant improvements in the safety of our air system, I'm disappointed; but I'm very pleased that the chairman is going to address the inability of TSA workers to collectively bargain. Without this change, TSA workers will continue to suffer, and we need to have a strong workforce.

So I thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for including several initiatives, and I look forward to continue working together.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act. This important legislation will ensure that the traveling public is protected in our skies and on our roads and railways.

The measure incorporates two initiatives on which I have worked closely with Chairman Thompson. First, H.R. 2200 includes legislation I authored to prohibit the advance notification of covert testing within our transportation systems. The core principles and goals of covert testing are undermined when individuals are alerted in advance to tests, and these provisions will bolster accountability for and integrity of covert operations.

Last year, we successfully implemented a pilot program to test the effectiveness of physically screening employees with access to secure and sterile areas of airports nationwide. H.R. 2200 builds upon this pilot by testing the use of biometrics for these individuals.

We know there is criminal activity taking place at some airports, which could lead to possible terrorist activity. We cannot wait for the next security breach to take action, and biometric technology will ensure that only those who have permission to be in the most sensitive parts of our airports are granted access.

While the underlying legislation makes significant improvements in the safety of our air systems, I am disappointed that it does not address the inability of TSA workers to collectively bargain. Without this change, TSA workers will continue to suffer from high rates of injury, attrition, and lowest morale of all federal agencies.

These factors and poor workforce management in recent years have created potential gaps in our aviation security. My legislation, the Transportation Security Workforce Enhancement Act, would provide the same rights and protections as other DHS employees to TSA workers, and I look forward to working with Chairman Thompson to enact this legislation.

I commend the Committee for crafting H.R. 2200 to enhance our transportation security, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Madam Speaker, I regrettably missed rollcall vote No. 295 on June 2, 2009. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would initiate a rulemaking process by the FAA to determine whether Westchester County Airport may reinstate its overnight aircraft restrictions.

Owned and operated by Westchester County, the airport has had voluntary restrictions between midnight and 6:30 a.m. since its mandatory curfew was removed in the early 1980's. For nearly twenty years, all of the operators at the airport were abiding by the voluntary curfew. However, business at the airport has expanded tremendously, with more and more flights disregarding the curfew, which disrupts communities throughout the overnight hours and makes the County's environmental upkeep in the area more demanding.

Just miles from New York City, this airport is an important gateway for commercial and business aircraft in the area. However, it was never designed to accommodate so many aircraft. Bound by the borders of New York and Connecticut, the airport's physical infrastructure cannot expand further.

Westchester County, in conjunction with its commercial carriers, has imposed limits on terminal capacity. Yet, with business and corporate jets comprising fifty percent of the estimated 167,000 take offs and landings at the airport this year, the agreed upon guidelines and voluntary restrictions have not been fully honored.

This amendment directs FAA to evaluate Westchester County's request to reinstate its overnight curfew, potentially easing congestion in the heavily-trafficked New York airspace and providing the residents in both New York and Connecticut with needed relief from overnight operations. I urge my colleagues to support it.

I would be delighted to yield.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I have always been impressed with your wisdom and your thoughtfulness, and I thank you very much for accepting this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I'd like to thank the chairman for accepting this amendment. I would be delighted to work with Mr. Petri and Mr. Mica, who also said that although he had concerns, he wouldn't object to the amendment.

All this amendment does is direct it to be studied. It directs it to be studied. It's not implementing the changes.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I thank the chairman for accepting the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Robert J. Jossen for his accomplished legal career and dedication to the Jewish community of Westchester County, New York. On Tuesday, May 12, 2009, Mr. Jossen received The Jewish Theological Seminary 14th Annual Judge Simon H. Rifkind Award.

A graduate of Cornell University and Columbia University Law School, Mr. Jossen began his career as a law clerk for the Honorable Marvin E. Frankel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Currently a partner with the international law firm Dechert LLP, Bob is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been named one of this nation's best business litigators by Best Lawyers in America for the past ten years.

Mr. Jossen has demonstrated an admirable commitment to educating the next generation of attorneys, lecturing widely on ethics and other topics for the Practicing Law Institute and the New York State Bar Association. He has also served as an adjunct professor of Legal Ethics at both Columbia University Law School and St. John's University Law School, an adjunct lecturer in Professional Responsibility at Brooklyn Law School, and an instructor for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy.

From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Jossen served as president of Temple Israel Center of White Plains, New York, and has spent nearly twenty years serving as general counsel to the Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative Movement. Bob has generously lent his time and talent to enriching New York's Jewish community, conducting annual seminars with graduating rabbinical students on confidentiality, counseling, and contracts.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to recognize the many accomplishments of Robert J. Jossen, and I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring his contributions to the legal profession and Jewish community.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 2346, the FY09 Emergency Supplemental. This legislation provides the resources our military, diplomatic, and development personnel need to make our Nation more secure. I was very pleased to work in a bipartisan way with Kay Granger.

The Obama administration's policy to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is critical to prevent the region from being a base for terrorist plots against the United States and our allies. H.R. 2346 provides $3.8 billion for economic security initiatives in the region and funds our diplomatic development personnel and their security.

I welcome the administration's efforts to forge a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. This legislation provides economic, humanitarian, and security assistance to the West Bank and Gaza to encourage stability and political moderation. It ensures that Hamas and other terrorist organizations do not receive taxpayer funds and that a potential unity government and all its ministers publicly recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and adhere to past agreements before receiving U.S. assistance.

H.R. 2346 also provides $470 million to help Mexico fight violent narcotraffickers with surveillance aircraft, helicopters, and law enforcement equipment, and to support rule of law programs, bringing to $1.17 billion the total appropriated in 2008 and 2009 for these purposes.

The bill meets the President's request for assistance programs and diplomatic operations in Iraq to ensure a smooth transition from the military mission to a civilian-led effort.

In addition, the bill addresses significant humanitarian and development priorities by providing $343 million for refugee programs to address the growing displacement of civilians in Pakistan and other countries; $836.9 million for peacekeeping; $300 million for countries impacted by the global financial crisis, including Haiti and Liberia; and $100 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise and associate myself with the remarks of my friend, Carolyn Maloney, in support of naming a post office after former Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro.

Geraldine Ferraro was a great role model to thousands of women across this country. Not only is she a mother, not only is she a grandmother, not only is she a wife, but she is telling all of those little girls who are going to school that you can be a great Congresswoman. You can run for Vice President of the United States of America. One day, we will have a woman as President of the United States of America, and Geraldine Ferraro played an important role in preparing the people for that event.

Geraldine Ferraro is a fighter. She stands up for what is right. There are some people who see a problem and just walk on. And I know that my friend, Geraldine Ferraro, whether it was an issue that she had to address in her congressional district or whether she saw a wrong in this great country of ours, she is the kind of person that says, I have got to do something about it. So I'm very proud to have Geraldine Ferraro as a friend.

I know that after the naming of this post office, there are many people who will look at that post office and say, This is a good woman. I am going to lead my life consistent with the principles that Geraldine Ferraro has shared with all of us.

So I thank you all for taking this step to name the post office. And I look forward to working together to ensure that all the principles, all the values, all the commitments that Geraldine Ferraro has made will be enshrined, and certainly she will continue to be a role model for all those young people who come after her.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1397, which would rename the U.S. post office located in Rye, New York, after former Congresswoman Caroline O'Day. And I would like to thank Chairman Towns and the entire New York delegation for their support of this measure. Born in 1875 on a plantation near the rural town of Perry, Georgia, Caroline O'Day's experiences growing up in the post-Civil War South instilled in her a lifelong commitment to world peace and social welfare. The energy and passion with which she gave voice to those in need was the hallmark of her career in Congress.

Caroline O'Day's interest in politics was piqued when during a suffrage parade her husband, Daniel O'Day, reportedly asked his wife why she was not marching herself. Soon, she joined the West Chester League of Women Voters and in 1917 worked with Jeannette Rankin to advance the enfranchisement of New York women 3 years before passage of the 19th amendment.

Together with her close friend, Eleanor Roosevelt, O'Day helped found the Women's Division of the New York State Democratic Committee and was elected chairwoman of the New York delegation to the 1924 Democratic National Convention, becoming the first woman from either major party to hold the position.

In 1934, Caroline O'Day was elected to one of New York's two at-large congressional seats. The second woman in the history of this body to chair a major committee, she quickly became known as a skilled legislator unwilling to compromise her principles for the sake of political expediency.

During her four terms in the House, Representative O'Day was a leading voice for avoiding unnecessary armed conflict and fought to improve the quality of life of underrepresented minorities in the inner city and migrant agricultural workers. In particular, she was deeply troubled by the effects of poverty on at-risk children and tirelessly advocated a dramatic expansion, or ``national investment,'' of Federal programs to protect them.

Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman O'Day not only faithfully represented the myriad interests of her constituents from Buffalo to Brooklyn, she put one of the first cracks in the glass ceiling as one of only six women in the House.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, the number of women serving in the House has since risen to 76. And while this does not reflect the percentage of women in the American electorate, through common interests and coordinated effort, this relatively small group has had a significant effect on Federal policy. We women currently serving in this esteemed body stand on the shoulders of pioneering women like Caroline O'Day, whose grit and determination helped them not only overcome gender bias, but lead this Nation through depression and war.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to bring this legislation, which honors the life and service of Congresswoman Caroline O'Day, to the House floor today. And I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the amendment, of which I am a cosponsor.

The amendment would require additional disclosure information on credit card statements. While most cardholders know it takes a great deal of time to pay off a balance by making only the minimum payment, most do not understand the total additional costs they will pay. This amendment would change that.

Based on industry norms of an 18 percent APR and 4 percent minimum payment requirement, a cardholder will spend 87 months and $1,515 paying off a balance of $1,000 if making only the minimum payments. The finance charges are more than 50 percent of the actual balance.

Our amendment would require that each statement have a warning on minimum payments and that every quarter, cardholders receive a statement that lists the number of months it would take to pay the entire balance if only the minimum payments are made, along with the total cost of doing so. Those statements would also have to list the necessary payment to pay off the balance in 12, 24, and 36 months, as well as a toll-free number to receive information about accessing credit counseling and debt management services.

Credit cardholders have a right to know the real cost of making only minimum payments. For that reason, I urge your support for the amendment.

I would also like to voice my strong support for the underlying bill. In recent months, Congress has been dominated by rescue and economic recovery legislation. But there are few better ways to instantly help hard-working Americans than to end costly, abusive credit card practices.

For too long, banks have saddled cardholders with deceptive marketing and fine print. The New York Consumer Protection Board reports that credit card complaints comprise more than a quarter of those it receives, and cards with debt have an average balance of $5,700.

Because of unfair practices, one hidden fee snowballs into ballooning interest rates and thousand dollar balances that many families struggling to get by with today's economic challenges cannot afford.

I regret that the Rules Committee did not make in order an amendment I submitted that would have applied the protections in the bill to credit cards issued to small businesses. However, this is an excellent bill that I am proud to cosponsor, and I urge your support.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Edward L. Gardner for his lifetime of philanthropic service, most notably with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. On Tuesday, April 28, 2009, Mr. Gardner will be honored by Big Brothers Big Sisters at their 2009 Sidewalks of New York Annual Awards dinner.

Inspired by his experience as a Big Brother in 1963, Ed Gardner's involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City spans nearly a half century. In 1965, Mr. Gardner joined the organization's Board of Directors and has since served as President and Chairman.

Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City has evolved into a far-reaching one-to-one mentorship program that reaches over 4,000 young people every year. By providing mentors to children who need caring adult role models, the organization helps New York City's youth to realize their potential and lead enriching lives.

Over the past forty-four years, Ed Gardner has helped ensure the longevity and success of Big Brothers Big Sisters by single-handedly raising over $20 million for this worthy cause. However, Mr. Gardner's philanthropic efforts are not limited to his work with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Over the years he has dedicated his time and considerable talents to aiding other notable organizations in the arts, health and education.

Mr. Gardner has served on the boards of the Health Care Chaplaincy, PS #1, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. He is a Council Member at The Rockefeller University, an Honorary Chairman of The New York Public Library's Conservator Council, and former Chairman of the Bank of New York Hamilton Funds.

A graduate of the City College of New York, Mr. Gardner has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Solvents Corporation since 1980.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to recognize my friend Edward L. Gardner for his remarkable service with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and his lifelong commitment to enriching the lives of others. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring his tremendous accomplishments.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 100 years of quality health care provided by Lawrence Hospital Center in Bronxville, New York.

Lawrence Hospital Center first opened its doors in 1909 to care for residents of Southern Westchester County and beyond, and it continues providing high-quality health care today. It was founded by William Van Duzer Lawrence, who recognized the need for high-quality and timely care for residents of New York City suburbs after his son, Dudley, nearly died en route to a hospital in New York City.

In its first year of operation, Lawrence had thirty beds and treated a total of 278 patients. Today, Lawrence Hospital Center has grown into a 291 bed acute-care facility that treats thousands of patients annually.

Lawrence has a strong history of leadership in health care and local medical excellence. In 2006 Lawrence became a leader in stroke care when the hospital became a designated New York State Stroke Center. Lawrence's Cancer Care program has also been accredited by the American College of Surgeons with Commendation.

Employing more than 400 physicians, Lawrence Hospital Center provides expertise in virtually every area of medical specialty. It is recognized for its professional excellence in bariatric surgery, cardiology, obstetrics, orthopedics, and oncology.

Committed to health care excellence, Lawrence Hospital Center has recently expanded and renovated its facilities in order to continue serving the growing population of Westchester County and surrounding areas. Recently, the hospital opened a state-of-the-art maternity center, expanded and improved its emergency department, and finalized plans for a future sleep center.

I am proud to recognize and thank Lawrence Hospital Center for providing 100 years of outstanding health care to residents of the New York Metropolitan Area, and I look forward to working with Lawrence Hospital Center to strengthen the health care system in the lower Hudson Valley.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of Richard A. Berman, the tenth President of Manhattanville College located in Purchase, New York.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Richard Berman has spent his career serving his community at the federal, state, and local levels. Before joining Manhattanville College, Mr. Berman served as executive vice president of the New York University Medical Center and was appointed to 2 New York State cabinet positions by Governor Hugh Carey.

In 1995, Manhattanville College was in financial trouble. Unable to meet its obligations and running annual shortfalls triple the size of its endowment, the college's buildings were in disarray and low enrollment left dormitories half empty. Under Richard Berman's passionate and pragmatic leadership, the college has more than doubled its enrollment, balanced its books, and earned top-tier recognition in college ranking guides.

In a 2003 article entitled ``The Man Who Turned Manhattanville Around,'' The New York Times recognized Richard Berman as a driving force behind the revitalization of Manhattanville College. Within a decade, the college was transformed from a failing institution into a thriving, top-rated undergraduate liberal arts college committed to offering its students a rigorous academic experience within a nurturing and diverse environment. Later this year, Richard Berman will retire from Manhattanville College, leaving it a stronger and more sustainable institution than he found it.

Never one to limit his efforts to his local community, Richard Berman has projected his passion for peace and mutual understanding around the world. As chairman of the board of Seeds of Peace, he has worked to empower young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills to work toward reconciliation and lasting peace. He has also provided strategic planning and leadership training at Kabale University in Africa, the only secular university in Uganda's Western Region.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to recognize my friend Richard A. Berman for his remarkable service as president of Manhattanville College and his lifelong commitment to enriching the lives of others. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring his tremendous accomplishments.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join Chairman Thompson and Congresswoman Jackson-Lee in introducing today

a bill that will bring parity to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees and ensures security. This legislation would provide the same rights to all TSA employees, including the Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) (i.e., screeners), as those already enjoyed by employees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and numerous front-line security agencies throughout the country, including state law enforcement agencies.

In the 110th Congress, The Committee on Homeland Security worked to give a broad range of rights to the Transportation Security Administration workforce in H.R. 1, Implementing the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. Basic workplace protections and collective bargaining rights were a key part of this effort. While the House passed these important measures and the Senate followed suit, to avoid a veto from the Bush Administration, these protections were stripped from the conference report. This bill renews and improves upon this effort by increasing the quality of the entire TSA workforce and not just a smaller part of it. This bill will increase security by improving workforce morale and employee retention, and will put workers in a position to expose security gaps and put TSA on par with other DHS components.

In 2001, when TSA was created, Congress provided discretionary authority allowing TSA to create different classes of employees, each with different rights and protections. Specifically, the 107th Congress and President Bush gave the TSA Administrator the discretionary authority to set up two different TSAs. One group of TSA employees would be given one set of rights and the other group, the TSOs (i.e., screeners), could be treated differently, with respect to conditions and benefits of employment, discipline, compensation, leave, and other basic employment rights.

Under then TSA Administrator, Admiral James Loy, the Bush Administration exercised discretionary authority to create two classes of TSA employees by denying the TSOs certain employment rights. While this discretionary authority helped quickly establish and stand-up TSA, as intended by the 107th Congress and the Bush Administration, it was, and continues to be the impetus for low employee morale and diminished transportation security.

From survey results to testimony over the past several years, we have seen that the TSA workforce is frustrated by the lack of recognition and rewards for performance and promotion practices, confused by different policies and procedures on leave, training, and other administrative matters.

On March 5, 2009, a House Homeland Security Subcommittee received testimony from employee representatives of the workforce. All of TSA operates under a separate personnel system than other DHS components. Further, the ISO workforce is not allowed to collectively bargain in contrast with the CBP workforce and others across the Federal government, including state law enforcement. These discrepancies and differences lead to confusion, frustration and further erode morale.

The time for personnel experiments is now over. The employees of TSA deserve to be treated like their fellow employees in the DHS and across the Federal government--fairly and equitably. Providing basic employment protections and rights is critical to instill confidence in the workforce. The time for two classes of TSA employees is over--this bill eliminates this dichotomy.

This legislation brings parity to the TSA workforce. The bill affords the workforce the same rights and protections their colleagues across the Federal government and the Department enjoy under Title 5 of the United States Code and other civil service laws such as provisions of the Federal Labor Standards Act, Equal Pay Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Rehabilitation Act, among others.

The legislation aims to transition the 60,000 plus TSA workforce in a responsible way from its current and varied personnel systems to that of Title 5. It provides the Secretary and Assistant Secretary the discretion on how and when to move to the new system, although not later than 60 days after the date of enactment. It also provides a window for the transition to allow for consultation with employee representatives and communication with the workforce. Further, it ensures that no employee will lose any pay, accrued leave or health benefit that is currently afforded to them.

To truly provide comprehensive transportation security, it must start with those who provide the security--in this case all TSA employees, including the TSOs. We must set up a system where all TSA employees are protected, otherwise we will have a system that treats colleagues differently and remains inefficient to the extent of hindering transportation security. In the end, by creating one TSA as a part of a one DHS the American public truly receives national security.

We look forward to working with our colleagues to put the TSA workforce in a system that has stood the test of time and shown itself to be fair and equitable.

I want to thank Mr. Diaz-Balart, Ms. Wasserman Schultz and Mr. Sires for their leadership and interest in promoting democratic governance in Cuba.

While the omnibus does not list funding levels for all programs requested by the administration, funding is assumed at the administration's request unless otherwise noted in the bill and the statement.

I share the Member's concern of the lack of political freedom in Cuba, and want to assure them it is the intent of this committee to provide $20 million in the underlying legislation for this important program as requested in the President's budget submission.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1105, the Consolidated Appropriations Act and specifically Division H, the State and Foreign Operations section.

Despite unprecedented domestic challenges, the United States cannot afford to pull back on our commitments to critical national security and development initiatives abroad. This bill provides the Administration with funds to begin rebuilding our diplomatic and development capacity, restore American leadership and meet critical needs by providing: $7.1 billion for global health programs, including $5.5 billion for global HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria programs; $1.3 billion to address humanitarian emergencies worldwide, including in Gaza; $1.5 billion to continue basic education, safe water and environment initiatives around the world; $4.4 billion in assistance to vital allies in the Middle East, including funding for Israel and Egypt at levels agreed to in MOUs between the United States and those countries and $498 million for Jordan; $1.8 billion to help secure and stabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan; $1 billion to fund counternarcotics, law enforcement and economic development in Latin America; $1.36 billion in economic and security assistance for Africa as well as $3.9 billion to fight HIV/AIDS and meet other health needs; and $6.1 billion to hire, train, and protect an estimated 500 additional diplomats at the State Department and 300 new staff at USAID, and while continuing the existing law banning the use of U.S. government funds for the provision of abortions, it funds the UN Population Fund, a vital partner in health programs around the world.

I would like to thank our staff for their tireless work. This bill will provide President Obama and Secretary Clinton with key resources to protect America and improve the lives of millions around the world.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

In every part of our country, people are hurting from the economic downturn. Our nation lost 2.6 million jobs last year, and just this week major employers announced the elimination of 70,000 more. The need for bold and aggressive federal action is clear.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will quickly stimulate the economy and create and save three to four million jobs in critical sectors of our economy like transportation and infrastructure, health information technology, and green energy. It will provide vital assistance to states like New York facing severe budget shortfalls and tax relief to 95 percent of Americans. In addition, critical support for education and health initiatives will bolster our economy in the short and long term. Unprecedented accountability measures will provide strong oversight and a historic degree of public transparency. I continue my work to support initiatives critical to New York like water treatment infrastructure and relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax.

I commend President Obama for his leadership through this process. Digging out of this economic hole will take time, and I am hopeful Congress will quickly approve a final economic recovery package for President Obama's signature.

Mr. Chair, I urge all of my colleagues to support this vital legislation.