Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5552) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require that the payment of the manufacturers' excise tax on recreational equipment be paid quarterly and to provide for the assessment by the Secretary of the Treasury of certain criminal restitution, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 5552, the Firearms Excise Tax Improvement Act of 2010. It's a bill that I introduced with 54 bipartisan cosponsors, along with my friend and colleague from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), that will strengthen wildlife conservation funding in America by helping firearm and ammunition manufacturers grow their businesses.

H.R. 5552 changes the excise tax payment schedule for firearm and ammunition manufacturers from a biweekly reporting requirement to a quarterly schedule, like every other industry in the country. The bill would also allow the IRS to collect restitution debt that has been court ordered to be paid in criminal tax cases.

This commonsense legislation will allow for the creation of jobs for working families, save money for businesses, increase investment in wildlife conservation, and simplify and make consistent the payment of excise tax across all industries, all of which is paid for and fully compliant with pay-as-you-go budgeting rules.

There is very broad and bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle for this bill. This legislation is supported by every major conservation group, along with the firearms industry. It is in short a win-win-win for families, businesses, and conservation efforts across the country.

I have long been a supporter of conservation efforts. As a former cochair of the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus, I am pleased this bill benefits sportsmen and conservationists alike and continues to contribute critical funding for the development of wildlife restoration projects across the country, ensuring that our natural resources are protected for future generations.

I regularly enjoy spending time outdoors with my family, especially my two little boys. The ability to enjoy outdoor recreational activities like hunting and fishing are not only important for our peace of mind, but back home in Wisconsin it also contributes over $9.7 billion annually to the Wisconsin economy and supports 129,000 jobs, generating $570 million in annual State tax revenue. I am sure this is a story that we can talk about from State to State to State.

Also, companies in Wisconsin that manufacture, distribute, and sell firearms, ammunition, and hunting equipment employ as many as 2,050 people in the State and generate an additional 2,300 jobs in supplier and ancillary industries. Across the Nation, these companies employ as many as 183,000 people.

Not only does the manufacture and sale of firearms and hunting supplies create jobs, but the industry also contributes to the economy as a whole. In

fact, the 2010 firearms and ammunition industry was responsible for as much as $27.8 billion in total economic activity throughout the country.

The firearm and ammunition excise tax is the major revenue source for funding the Wildlife Restoration Trust Fund, also known as the Pittman- Robertson Trust Fund. Last year, firearm and ammunition manufacturers contributed approximately $450 million to wildlife conservation through the excise tax payments.

All the industry is asking to do, Mr. Speaker, is change the biweekly reporting requirement of the excise tax to a quarterly reporting requirement, just like every other industry. There are stories that were brought to my attention that some of the smaller manufacturers actually had to take out loans in order to meet the biweekly excise tax requirement payment right now, which obviously interrupts their cash flow and makes it tough for them to reinvest in their businesses, expand their operations, and hire more people. We are just fixing that anomaly with this legislation.

I want to thank my friend, my colleague from Wisconsin, for his support for the legislation, as well as the chair and ranking member of the Ways and Means Committee and the staff for helping us get this legislation in order. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the various groups who provided invaluable feedback on this legislation, and in particular the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, the NRA, the Safari Club International, Ducks Unlimited, and many, many others.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I again want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Ryan and those on the Ways and Means Committee, for their strong support of the bill. It has received bipartisan support. I'm not aware of any opposition by any of my colleagues to this legislation.

There's a broad coalition of support outside Congress between the conservation and outdoor recreation community, along with the firearms industry, many people who do care about those opportunities that we enjoy as a shooting sport but also hunting, fishing, recreation.

This merely corrects, as my colleague pointed out, an anomaly that's existed in the Tax Code for too long. It's not fair to single out one industry for a biweekly reporting requirement when everyone else has a quarterly reporting requirement, and, quite frankly, cash flow problems have been an issue. That's the reason why it was brought to our attention. At a time when the economy is languishing, we need to be working with businesses, large and small, to be able to expand job- creating opportunities. This bill is a small step in achieving that.

So I would encourage my colleagues to support the bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Navy Lieutenant Commander Dan Rieken, a native of Prescott, Wisconsin, who has led a distinguished career in the United States Navy and proudly served his country for more than 20 years.

LCDR Rieken first enlisted in the Navy as a Fire Controlman in 1984. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1991, LCDR Rieken was commissioned an Ensign in the Navy and has helped plan and manage ballistic missile defense programs, assisted in overseeing efforts to ensure the security and reliability of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command's through the Y2K transition.

Later, LCDR Rieken graduated with distinction from the Naval War College in 2003 and then received his Masters from the Naval Postgraduate School in 2004. Today, LCDR Rieken serves in the White House Communications Agency as a Presidential Communications Officer, System Engineer, and Program Manager for acquisitions, modernization, and future systems design.

On August 1, 2010, LCDR Rieken will retire from the United States Navy. His dedication to serving his country has been unwavering, regardless of party or ideology. He has worked to strengthen our country's security as our nation transitioned out of the Cold War era and into the Post-September 11th era. I congratulate LCDR Rieken on his retirement and thank him for his dedication to the safety and security of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution to support the goals of National Dairy Month. For more than 70 years now, we have been celebrating the importance of the dairy industry to our nation's health, economy, and national security.

If you were to come visit my home state of Wisconsin and travel through my congressional district, you would quickly understand why Wisconsin is called ``America's Dairyland.'' Fields of corn, wheat, and straw are spotted with the large red barns, silos, and grazing cattle that have become the iconic images of dairy farming. It's not uncommon to learn that a family has been dairy farming for generations and that they hope their children will be able to carry on this tradition and way of life.

If you stop by one of those farms today, you'll hear firsthand just how difficult times are. Over the past couple of years, milk prices have been too low while the cost of feed and other inputs was too high. Our farmers today are really stretched thin, having drawn down so much equity in recent times that they're not sure that they'll earn enough to pay off their debts.

More families have been forced to close down their operations, rent out their land, and find another line of work. Not only are these people losing a way of life and imperiling our long-term ability to lead the world in agricultural production, we are also seeing local communities struggling to deal with a major shift in their economies.

This dairy crisis has demonstrated that our confusing and outdated subsidies and price supports simply don't provide the level of risk management that our farmers need. Major stakeholders in the dairy industry have united to put forward serious, creative proposals to reform our subsidy programs. We have an opportunity here to not only provide a strong safety net for our dairy farmers, but also to lead the way in reforming our commodity support programs.

While National Dairy Month is a great opportunity for families all across our country to remember the nutritious value of dairy products as a major source of vitamins and minerals, we cannot forget how difficult times are for our dairy farmers. Over the months and years to come, I look forward to working with my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to provide a workable safety net to our farmers, while supporting local foods and sustainable agricultural practices.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Staff Sgt. Jessika Greendeer, who has been awarded the Bronze Star for her services in the United States Army.

Jessika is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and has served in the United States Army since 2004. She is the daughter of Conroy and Janet Greendeer, and the great-granddaughter of Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr. The Ho-Chunk Nation has stated that she is the first Ho-Chunk woman to have been awarded the Bronze Star.

Her services during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and her outstanding performance during combat operations therein helped to make the command's mission a success. For her actions, she was awarded the Bronze Star, one of the highest military awards available to members of the Armed Services.

I am proud to stand before you today and commend Staff Sgt. Jessika Greendeer for her service to our country. As a citizen of the United States, I am personally grateful to Jessika for her excellence in the U.S. Army. She has demonstrated the kind of sacrifice and service to our country that not only makes her a role model to members of the Ho- Chunk Nation, but to all Americans.

I thank my good friend and colleague from Tennessee for recognizing me.

Mr. Speaker, as one of the co-chairs in the New Democrat Coalition, and as a co-chair with Representative Rush Holt of our Innovation Task Force, I rise in proud support of the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. And I commend our Chairman Bart Gordon on the Science Committee for the work that he has put into producing this bipartisan bill. We may be losing him to retirement, but he is leaving one of the most important legacies that we can do around here, and that is to ensure strong and robust job growth in the short term, the midterm, and the long term. That is what this bill is all about.

This bill is about making crucial investments to make sure that our Nation remains the most innovative and creative Nation in the world, on the cutting edge of scientific, medical, and technological discoveries and breakthroughs. We do that by investing in the STEM fields of study--science, technology, engineering, math--where the job growth is going to be occurring; by investing in basic and applied research in both the private and public sector; by creating innovation centers around the Nation so that we can partner with the private sector to create the jobs of the future, and ensuring that all Americans are full participants in the 21st century global economy. That is what the America COMPETES Act is all about.

I would encourage my colleagues on the other side who may be playing this political gotcha game yet again today to stop. Stop playing this game and do the right thing and support this bill.

If you think that we ought to be prohibiting Federal dollars to be used for lobbying purposes, that's in the bill. So support it. If you believe that veterans should be full participants in all the programs being offered in the bill, including the STEM education programs, that's in the bill. If you believe that we should prohibit Federal funds from being used to pay the salaries of child molesters and rapists, that's already in the bill. And if you think we should fire any Federal employee who has been looking at pornography on their government computer, that's in this bill. So let's end the political gotcha games that delayed passage of this bill last week and do the right thing today.

I hope it's not something that's going to come up again on the floor today, because this is the right thing to do for the future of our economy. It's the right thing to do for the American people. Let's make sure that we remain the most innovative Nation in the world. That's what the America COMPETES Act does.

This should pass with wide bipartisan majorities, as the first authorization of this bill did a couple of years ago, with roughly 360 Members supporting it. We should support it again today. I urge its passage.

Madam Chair, I thank my good friend and colleague from Tennessee for yielding me this time. As one of the co-chairs in the New Dem Coalition, Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. The New Democratic Coalition was strongly behind the creation of America COMPETES in 2007, as we stand with this reauthorization bill today.

I want to commend the leadership of the Science Committee and all the members for producing this legislation, but especially our good friend from Tennessee, Chairman Gordon, for the vision and the leadership that he has shown on this issue. Unfortunately, we're going to be losing Representative Gordon to retirement this year, but I can't think of a more powerful or lasting legacy for any Member to leave with than with the creation of the America COMPETES Act.

What this legislation is about is making sure the United States of America remains the most innovative and creative Nation in the world, that we stay on the cutting edge of scientific, medical and technological discoveries and breakthroughs, that we're making sensible investments in basic and applied research and also in workforce development areas, especially in those crucial fields of study, such as science, technology, engineering, and math.

We have a choice to make today, whether to support these investments or not and watch other nations in the world do this for us. This bill is based on the seminal studies that have occurred previously through the National Academy of Science, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm,'' or even before that with the John Glenn Commission ``Before It's Too Late.'' So the information is in. The studies are complete. We know what we have to do, and this is one of those fundamental building blocks to establish the groundwork for long-term sustainable economic growth. In short, this is about jobs today, tomorrow, and in the future. I encourage my colleagues to support this reauthorization. And I congratulate Chairman Gordon for such an important bill and for his distinguished service in Congress.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 5013, the IMPROVE Acquisition Act of 2010.

Our country must return to the days of fiscal responsibility, and to do this we must look at Defense spending. The Pentagon is famous for its overspending and its misuse of tax dollars. In a time when the country is in an economic crisis, we must move forward with reforms that would help eliminate wasteful spending.

The IMPROVE Acquisition Act of 2010 seeks to create a better management system for the Pentagon's purchases. By changing the way the Pentagon buys equipment and contracts for services, we are establishing more efficient practices that will decrease government spending.

The efforts of the Defense Department to acquire goods is often complex, and it results in problems such as inefficient operations, waste, and often a lack of enforcement with regulations and laws. This is not a new problem. In fact, President Lincoln's Secretary of

War resigned during the civil war because of problems with contracting. The country cannot afford to continue down this path. This needs to change, and the IMPROVE Acquisition Act is a step in the right direction.

At the beginning of the 111th Congress we passed the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009, which helped to make improvements to the acquisition process. With the passage of H.R. 5013, we will take another step toward fiscal responsibility. It is time that we start making decisions that will help to guarantee that our children inherit a better country. By being fiscally responsible and passing H.R. 5013, we take a step forward in preserving the future for our children while making necessary reforms to the Department of Defense.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution to honor one of Wisconsin's greatest Senators, the late Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of this important day, and just as Senator Nelson envisioned, people across the country will reflect on the importance of conservation and environmental stewardship.

When Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day 40 years ago, environmental protection was an issue of little importance to most Americans. Today, I know he would be proud to see how far we've come. Thanks to his foresight and leadership, environmental stewardship is one of the top issues in American politics and society.

Not only has the issue risen here in Washington, but now American citizens and businesses large and small are doing their part to protect our environment and create the innovative industries of the future. Public and private investment in green technology and renewable energy can reduce our dependence on foreign oil, re-invigorate our economy, and create new jobs. In fact, the area I represent in western Wisconsin has abundant natural resources that could help the area become a leader in clean energy innovation.

As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, it is important to realize that as good stewards of the planet, we must work to do our part to conserve energy, restore our environment and take care of this place we call home. We can all do more to lower our carbon footprints. Simple steps such as using energy-saving light bulbs, increasing the sustainability of our homes, carpooling with others in the neighborhood, and recycling our trash are all important ways we can lessen our energy consumption and preserve our environment for future generations.

Senator Nelson's legacy is alive and well today, especially in Wisconsin and I will continue to carry it forward in Congress and I hope that people in western Wisconsin and across the country will remember it in the work they do and the way they lead their lives. Together we ensure a safe, clean, and abundant natural world for our children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan Fitness Integrated with Teaching (FIT) Kids Act, H.R. 1585, legislation I authored with my colleague, Representative Zach Wamp. Throughout my time in Congress, I have taken a special interest in ensuring our nation's youth live healthy, active lives. The FIT Kids Act focuses on getting physical education back into schools and has the support of over 50 organizations in addition to bipartisan support in the House.

With one in three children in this country being classified as overweight or obese it is clear that childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions. Our kids are living increasingly sedentary lives, not enjoying the wonders of the outdoors or being active. As opposed to going outside, they stay indoors, sit in front of the television and play video games. In Wisconsin alone, 25 percent of children watch three or more hours of television a day and 20 percent play video games or use a computer for means other than school work three or more hours per day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that children participate in 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Since kids spend a majority of their time at school, it is clear that schools must be involved as we work to get kids moving.

This is especially true when it is considered that for children ages 9-13, an age that kids should be at their most active, 61.5 percent don't receive any physical activity outside of school hours. Even more disturbing, only 3.8 percent of elementary schools, 7.9 percent of middle schools, and 2.1 percent of high schools provide daily physical education and 22 percent do not require students to take any physical education. The rise in childhood obesity correlates with the removal of physical education from schools over the past two decades and a decline in routine physical activity.

Of all the deaths from major chronic diseases, 23 percent are linked to sedentary lifestyles that today begin in early childhood. This is backwards; we need to ensure that our nation's youth learn the merits of living active lifestyles starting at an early age, not how to live inactive lives. It is true that you can't have a healthy mind without a healthy body. Study after study have shown that active children perform better on tests and are more focused and driven during the school day. With the advance in technology and the changing society we live in, it may be true that today's kids will never be as active as they were in the past. However, we can provide them with quality physical education that will teach them the immense benefits to living an active life beginning at an early age.

The FIT Kids Act will get kids moving during the day again and help them learn how to live healthy, active lifestyles. The bill will provide information to parents and communities on the amount of physical education being offered in schools measured against the most recent national recommendations. Also, it will require that school districts provide parents with information on healthy living because schools can only solve so much of this problem. This information increases awareness of entire families and communities about opportunities for physical activity and how best to live healthy lives. Providing parents and caregivers with this information is imperative to ensure that they are making healthy choices at home.

In addition to providing information to parents and communities, the bill enacts a National Research Council Study on the types of physical education offered in schools and various and innovative means that schools successfully employ physical education in order to get students active. Additionally, there will finally be a comprehensive study regarding the relationship between cognitive development, academic achievement and physical education and fitness. The cost of the study will be minimal and the benefits substantial. While some studies have indicated that physical activity and education lead to better academic achievement, including a study most recently conducted by the CDC, the study in this bill would provide definitive evidence of the importance of movement and exercise to cognitive development and future productivity.

Lastly, this bill will make available to state education agencies and local education agencies best practices on innovative physical education and physical activity policies and programs at the state and local level while identifying common challenges in implementing physical education and barriers for meeting the DC recommendations for physical education.

I am so proud that the FIT Kids Act made it to the floor today. With all of the great things the First Lady has been doing to stop childhood obesity and all of the historical private and public partnerships that are currently being formed throughout the country, the timing is perfect for us to address the lack of physical education being provided in schools. I want to give a special thanks to my colleague, Zach Wamp, for all of his tireless work supporting this bill. I would also like to thank Chairman Miller for his devotion to the concepts and goals of the FIT Kids Act. The American Heart Association, the National Association for Sports and Physical Education, the American Diabetes Association, and the National Football League with their Play 60 campaign, all support the FIT Kids Act and advocated for its passage.

And, last but certainly not least, I want to thank Richard Simmons. For nearly four decades, Richard has helped millions of Americans lose weight, tirelessly working with overweight adults, teaching them to adopt a lifestyle of balance, moderate eating and exercise. Most recently, he has changed his focus from adults to children, traveling to over 200 schools last year. A leading advocate for the FIT Kids Act, Richard has praised the bill at schools, on television, and at speaking events around the country. His successful grassroots campaign in favor of the bill flooded congressional offices with letters urging support of the bill. As we pass the FIT Kids Act today, it serves as a testament to Richard's tenacious advocacy to make our children healthy again.

The benefits of getting physical activity back into schools are so great that it is something we need to come together and commit to. Routine physical education is a proven way to lower children's body mass index, increase students' attention and attentiveness during the day, and improve kids' academic scores. Let's pass this bill to ensure that we don't continue spending $147 billion annually on obesity related medical expenses or have more of our population suffer from chronic diseases, harming their quality of life and economic output. We need to commit to providing children with the foundations and knowledge to make healthy choices and live active lives; the FIT Kids Act puts us on the path toward doing this.

Will the gentleman yield?

What the gentleman, my good friend from Arizona, is alluding to is his week of isolation on an island in the South Pacific all by himself communing and being one with nature. And I think he has assured me that I could be his special agent when Hollywood comes calling to do the reality TV show of having a Member of Congress stranded on some deserted island for a while contemplating the deeper thoughts and philosophy of life. So I am ready to go when he is ready to go with that Hollywood production.

I thank my good friend from California for yielding me this time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from California and my friend from Arizona for managing this resolution. I proudly rise in support of the resolution commemorating not only the 40th anniversary of an important day in all of our lives, Earth Day, but especially to pay tribute to the father of Earth Day, a political hero of mine as a kid growing up, a member of the greatest generation who fought and served during the Second World War, a political icon still in the State of Wisconsin and throughout the Nation and the rest of the world, former Senator Gaylord Nelson.

I am sure that if young Gaylord was told as a kid growing up in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, which is close to my wife's hometown of Cumberland, a population of less than 400 people, that he would one day rise and become the father of the modern environmental movement and the creator of Earth Day, which is celebrated in over 167 Nations throughout the globe on April 22nd, he would have thought you were kidding. It's a true American success story. He lived the all-American story.

And he left an important legacy and a reminder to all of us as inhabitants on this beautiful, yet very fragile planet of ours, that we are mere stewards of the precious resources that the good Lord has saw fit to bless us with. And as stewards of those resources, we have a special moral and personal responsibility to utilize those resources reasonably and sensibly, so we leave a legacy to future generations to also be good stewards of this planet.

I am proud to represent a congressional district in western Wisconsin which was actually home to the very first watershed project throughout the United States in the Coon Valley area, which became the model of what is today the current conservation title of our farm bills. The title is based on voluntary and incentive-based land and water conservation programs that our farmers are able to utilize in order to set up sound land and water management practices on their farms. And it has spread nationwide.

Gaylord Nelson and his wife were the subject of a chapter in Tom Brokaw's book The Greatest Generation. Like everyone in this Great Generation, he was an ordinary individual who did extraordinary things.

Today I still miss Senator Nelson greatly. As a young Member of Congress, I always made a point of calling him in his office in Washington at least once a week just to discuss the issues of the day, get his feedback on the policy proposals that we were working on and seek his guidance.

I am still a proud member of the Natural Resources Committee. With the work I was doing there, I was able to work very closely with Gaylord Nelson, trying to enhance his legacy. But he knew, as I hope all of us realize, that Earth Day is not an event to be celebrated just one day a year, but a mission to practice each and every day throughout the year. It is that message especially to the younger generation that I think is his greatest legacy, where the Earth Day lessons are being taught in schools and school rooms throughout the Nation and throughout the world at least on April 22nd, if not more throughout the year.

I commend the leadership and especially Representative Obey for bringing this resolution and encourage my colleagues to support it.

I thank my friend for yielding me time.

In response to my good friend from Utah, I know his belief is sincere, but just to be clear with this legislation before us, we are not mandating that schools and school districts have to offer physical education, merely informing parents and the community what physical activity and what physical education courses are being provided today. And we are very careful in that.

But there is a very simple concept behind the FIT Kids legislation before us today, and that is this: studies have shown that it is hard to develop a

healthy mind without a healthy body. And as my good friend from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp) has been fond of saying, one of the best antidepressants ever invented in the entire world is just good old- fashioned sweat. That is what we are up against with the childhood obesity epidemic that is ravaging our country and our youth today, the onset of early childhood type 2 juvenile diabetes, cardiovascular disease.

Close to 75 percent of kids today are on the verge of being overweight. We know that 80 percent of them will be overweight in adult life if something isn't done to preempt that at a much sooner level. That is what's behind the movement towards the FIT Kids legislation. It is an attempt to try to emphasize physical activity and physical education courses back in our schools today.

Why is this important? Again, part of the reason, as Mr. Wamp pointed out, is that with the advent of No Child Left Behind, various courses that were offered in the past are being squeezed. Arts is being dropped, and physical education, especially, is one of those courses that is viewed more and more as a discretionary item rather than something that is necessary to enhance our own child's performance in the classroom. We know that when kids are more physically active, they tend to perform better in schools, test scores go up, there is less disciplinary programs, graduation rates go up, and their overall health improves--all worthy goals that we need to be encouraging and supporting more of throughout the Nation.

But today, only 4 percent of elementary schools, 8 percent of middle schools, 2 percent of high schools even provide daily physical education in their schools. Twenty-two percent of schools don't require students to take physical education at all, and that number is growing. Sixty-two percent of children don't receive any physical activity outside of school hours, and schools are providing less and fewer physical activity opportunities.

What FIT Kids will do is work to ensure that kids are active during the school day and are taught from an early age the benefits of living an active and healthy lifestyle. The bill will have schools make information available to parents and communities about the type of physical education being provided to students for each grade in relation to the recommended amounts established by the CDC, as well as information on the importance of living healthy and active lifestyles.

It will enact a National Resources Council study through the National Academy of Sciences to figure out the best way to incorporate physical activity in the school day and study the relationship between physical activity and cognitive development and academic achievement where there is a dearth of research being provided today. And it will make available best practices for innovative and successful physical education programs and policies at the State and local levels so schools and school districts are not being asked to recreate the wheel trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. There are many model programs that already exist that we can help share through the modeling of best practices and get that information out to empower more schools and therefore more families.

Ultimately, and I would agree with my friend from Utah, it really does come down to personal responsibility, for us to take more personal control over our own healthy lifestyle decisions. We all know what we all need to be doing a better job of--eating healthier, exercising more, not smoking, and especially for us parents, to work much closer and earlier with our children at the earliest possible age to help them develop the good lifestyle decisions that will continue throughout their life. And that will mean, from time to time, unplugging them from the technology that so many of our kids are addicted to. I have two little boys at home myself.

I know the power that technology holds over our kids today from XBoxes and TiVos and cell phones and BlackBerrys and all, but it is also leading to a more sedentary lifestyle, increasing the childhood obesity epidemic. It is up to us parents working in the home, providing a good model of care and working with our kids to establish these good practices.

Again, I want to thank my colleagues, Mr. Wamp and Mr. Inslee, for being original sponsors of the legislation, the gentlelady from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), who is also a cosponsor of this bill. I want to thank Chairman Miller and the members of the Education and Labor Committee for the hearings and the attention brought to it. I also want to thank the over 50 organizations that have endorsed this legislation, such as the American Heart Association, the NFL Players Association with their Play 60 campaign, the National Association of Sport and Physical Education, the American Diabetes Association, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association; the first lady, Michele Obama, along with the President, that has elevated the cause of children's health to new levels and new attention in this country; my own staff person, Shannon Glynn, who has worked tirelessly on this bill; and not least, Richard Simmons, who has been a tireless advocate promoting FIT Kids throughout the Nation, testifying here in Congress, appearing before press conferences, on Jay Leno, on David Letterman, and visiting hundreds and hundreds of schools every year for his life mission of promoting healthy living habits for not just adults, but especially the children in our lives. I thank Richard Simmons for his leadership and his tireless advocacy on FIT Kids.

I ask my colleagues to support it. It's the right thing to do, it's the right step, more needs to be done. This is a good place to start.

Mr. Speaker, I will never forget the pride I felt as a 6- year-old kid in Wisconsin watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon. It was a deep and abiding belief that I live in a country that's capable of accomplishing anything once we put our mind to it. That belief is being tested throughout America today.

People are wondering if we're still capable of doing great things. I believe we can, and I want my two boys to feel the same way. I believe our country, by working together, can ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable, and secure health care, regardless if they're young or old, whether they're rich or poor, and even whether they have a preexisting condition. And we can do this in a fiscally responsible manner by paying for this bill and finding savings that will reduce the deficit in future years.

That national achievement can begin today, this evening, with our vote. I encourage my colleagues to support this health care reform for all Americans.

I thank my friend from Missouri for yielding the time. And I also want to commend my colleague who introduced the resolution. I was a proud cosponsor of this resolution.

On a previous trip to Afghanistan, I too had a chance to spend some time with the National Guard Agri-business Development Teams. And we can't thank our troops for the mission that they are carrying out in Afghanistan enough. And it is especially true for the citizen-soldiers that we send over there, our Guard and Reserve units. But the Agri- business Development Teams are performing a very vital and important function in the development and assistance that is taking place in Afghanistan, a country which, after all, is an agrarian nation.

I am especially proud that one of the leaders in the National Guard is a gentleman by the name of Colonel Marty Leppert, who as a kid grew up on a dairy farm outside of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, in the heart of my congressional district. And I commend USDA and USAID, but especially our military leadership for recognizing the value of identifying our soldiers with agriculture backgrounds, and utilizing that expertise in the development of these ag development teams working with Afghan farmers. That is going to be the key to a successful resolution and the economic development that has to occur in that country.

I commend my colleague for offering the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlelady for yielding me this time and also for her help and support with this legislation. I also want to thank the gentleman from California and the members on the Natural Resources Committee for their bipartisan support of the Upper Mississippi River protection bill.

As the gentlelady indicated, this has passed the previous Congresses. We're working with the Senate to finally get it to the President so it can be enacted.

And to address a couple other concerns--and we've worked in a bipartisan fashion on this bill--there is concern about privacy protection and data collection. We feel that what has been worked out is a reasonable compromise to ensure that privacy but also, more importantly, that there is buy-in of private landowners which will be crucial for the implementation of this legislation.

What we're trying to do is put the science in place in the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The greatest threat that this great national treasure that we have running through the middle of America, comprising roughly 50 percent of the landmass of our Nation, is the amount of nutrients and sediments that flow into the river basin doing incalculable ecological damage. We've heard of the stories of the dead zone being created in the Gulf of Mexico. Well, 40 percent of the nutrients that are flowing south through the river and ending up deposited in the Gulf, contributing to the dead zone, emanates in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.

What we want to do is utilize the expertise that exists at USGS so that they can do better monitoring of sediment and nutrient flows and develop computer models so we can identify the hot spots, and then utilize the resources that are available to target those hot spots to prevent the increased flow of sediment and nutrients into the river basin.

This has received wide support in the Upper Mississippi River region. All five of the State Governors in the Upper Mississippi region have endorsed this. The Mississippi River Basin has endorsed it. Countless outdoor recreational groups, such as Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy have endorsed this approach, because it is a vital national treasure that we must do more to preserve and protect.

The Mississippi River affects over 30 million people who rely upon it for their primary drinking source. It is North America's largest migratory route, with 40 percent of the waterfowl species using this corridor during their biannual migration in the spring and during the fall. It's a multiple use resource, with commercial navigation, recreation, tourism, bringing roughly $1.5 billion of direct economic activity to the Upper Mississippi region but, additionally, over $1 billion with tourism activity to the Upper Mississippi. But what's been lacking is the scientific data that this legislation will put in place so we can start collecting it, tracking it, and then be smarter with the use of the various public and private approaches that this bill calls for so we can maximize the resources to intercept the nutrients and sediments that would flow into it.

Again, I want to thank the chairman of the committee, the members on the committee. I want to thank the members of the U.S. Geological Survey, especially Mike Jawson and his team at the Upper Mississippi River Environmental Science Lab. I have worked very closely with them with regards to this legislation and their long-term resource monitoring program. They do have incredible competency to do the science that we're asking them to do in this bill.

I also want to personally thank my own river advisory group who has consulted me on all things related to river issues.

I would encourage my colleagues to once again support this much needed but also bipartisan piece of legislation. I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today to congratulate the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center for receiving a 2009 United States Air Force Organizational Excellence Award. The National Air Force award recognizes the Western Wisconsin based Airmen to be among the top Air Force units in the nation.

The Volk Field Unit Airmen have consistently demonstrated a high level of excellence and efficiency in their service to the Wisconsin Air National Guard. Volk Field is one of four Combat Readiness Training Centers in the nation and the only selected for this top Air Force Award in 2009.

The citizen-Airmen at Volk Field provide an invaluable service to our nation in supporting the National Guard, the Reserve, and interagency training and operational needs. This award sets the Volk Field unit apart from similar units and congratulate them on this outstanding achievement.

I commend the strong leadership of Volk Field's Combat Readiness Training Center Commander Colonel Gary Ebben and the great work of both the civilian staff and the men and women in his unit. I am proud to represent such dedicated and hardworking Wisconsin citizens committed to public service.

The Volk Field unit exemplifies the great work ethic that characterizes the citizens of Western Wisconsin. I anticipate continued achievements from the Wisconsin Air National Guard units.