Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor a staple in the American household on Sunday mornings, a political commentator, Tim Russert, whose untimely passing on Friday, June 13th in a Washington Bureau of NBC News has been a devastation for Americans everywhere. Tim Russert, 58, was a native of Buffalo, New York and the NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief.

Russert was an advocate of strong family values founded on principles of love and support as displayed in his dedicated marriage with his wife, Maureen Orth, and his continued encouragement of his son, Luke.

A passionate news journalist and attorney, Tim Russert accomplished many accolades throughout his lifetime. As a bestselling author and inspiration to many, Russert also devoted his time to athletics as an elected member of the Baseball Hall of Fame board of directors and as an avid supporter of the Washington Nationals and Washington Wizards.

Tim Russert was a devout Catholic that spent much of his time giving back to the community by offering aid to non-profit organizations and Catholic charities. Russert was concerned with the welfare of children in the community, and specifically those who lost their lives to gun violence.

On behalf of the people of the 11th Congressional District in Ohio and the United States Congress, I extend my heartfelt sympathy.

Mr. Chairman, restoring passenger rail service to one of the most densely-populated urban corridors in Ohio . . . Cleveland-Columbus Cincinnati . . . is an idea beyond overdue at the station. This corridor is at the heart of a potentially vibrant passenger rail system in Ohio, a fact borne out by a number of studies dating back as far as the 1980's.

Public demand is growing for transportation choices in Ohio. Significant anecdotal evidence around the United States suggests that even basic passenger rail service such as this would draw heavy ridership and grow the demand for more service.

Today, the reality of ever-higher gasoline prices and their impact on the everyday mobility of our fellow Ohioans and on Ohio's economy makes the restoration of rail passenger service in Ohio a critical transportation need.

We are hearing from our constituents increasingly that ``pain at the pump'' leaves them few or only expensive options to travel on business, and to access everything from education to jobs to medical care.

Since January 2007 alone, the average price of unleaded gas in Cleveland has gone up 72 percent. In some cases, Ohioans are seeing more and more of their incomes going to feed their car and cutting into other life necessities

A recent study by the Ohio Rail Association discussed the economic impact that high-speed rail would have on Ohio and the surrounding region. Here are just a few statistics:

A seven corridor high speed rail systems in Ohio would save $9.4 million in fuel per year. There would be approximately 1.1 million annual riders just out of Cleveland alone by 2025. It would provide 16,700 permanent jobs as well as 6,100 temporary jobs to build the rail system.

I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for the passage of this bill to move Amtrak forward with high speed rail.

Mr. Speaker, here we are, June 2008. How many people do you know are unemployed? How many people do you know who have been walking, looking for a job, need an opportunity, can't figure out how they're going to pay for gas that costs $4 a gallon, milk that costs $3.50, a loaf of bread that costs $3? How many people do you know like that?

Why not extend unemployment? Why not give these folks an opportunity? They were hardworking people. They were part of the working class of America, and now are locked out and left out of the process.

In my own congressional district, there is a community where the unemployment rate is 11 percent. They want to go back to work. What a boom to the economy. Give some unemployment benefits to some folks, let them go spend some money and take care of their families. If only the Congress would do that today, what a significant opportunity we would have to bring some people out of a morass back into an opportunity to do well.

Pass this legislation, ladies and gentlemen. It's the right thing to do.

Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank Chairman Rangel and Ranking Member McCrery for their diligent work to bring this legislation to the Floor. Additionally I would like to thank the Chair of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, Jim McDermott and Ranking Member Weller for their leadership on this issue.

In our teetering economy it is often the unemployed who suffer the most, and it is time that Congress take a stand for our Nation's unemployed. The unemployment rate surged to 5.5 percent from 5.0 percent--the biggest one-month jump in more than two decades (since February 1986) and climbing to the highest level in nearly four years (October 2004).

These are American workers in the most vulnerable position--often not able to put food on the table for their families on a consistent basis. And I will state as I did before we completed the first stimulus package, that we must not forgot those who are not able to find work.

My State of Ohio does not meet the test under the current formula for an extension of unemployment benefits. But there are various parts of Ohio, including my hometown of Cleveland which may by definition have over 6 percent unemployment. In Ohio, the unemployment rate has gone from 4.5 percent to 5.3 percent during the Bush Administration. In Cuyahoga County, unemployment is currently at 6.4 percent. Sadly, there are cities within my districts whose numbers are even higher than that. Mere technicalities mean nothing when you cannot pay rent.

This condition is prevalent in many areas around the country. Many of these workers have been displaced by the sweeping tide of globalization and are having a hard time finding new employment, or training to transition to a different type of job in our new economy. Mr. Speaker we must not forget these Americans.

Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, June 3, 2008, I missed three recorded votes. Had I been present, the record would reflect the following votes:

H. Con. Res. 138. Supporting National Men's Health Week, ``yes.''

H. Res. 923. Recognizing the State of Minnesota's 150th Anniversary, ``yes.''

H. Res. 1114. Supporting the goals and ideals of the Arbor Day Foundation and National Arbor Day, ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1054 to express my appreciation to the one million plus female veterans across our Nation and the thousands of women serving in our armed forces today. I want to thank these brave heroines who sacrifice much to not only protect our safety but also defend our freedoms.

Our brave men and women, who have chosen to join our all volunteer military, share not only a passion for their country but a respect for the ideals that it promotes. While women served honorably in World War I, they were not permitted to participate in the armed forces as equals until the passage of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948. This legislation made it possible for women to serve in active duty and reserve military occupational specialties, other than nursing, and as equals to their male counterparts.

While women are still prohibited from serving in front line military units, their ability to wear the uniform and assist our efforts at home and abroad must be commended. It is important to remember that during our 10 year involvement in Vietnam, eight service women lost their lives. More recently, 110 women have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Global War on Terrorism. These brave women are not only soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. They are our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, and our aunts. They are an integral component of our community and we must remember that as they deploy or are lost in action, we too suffer along with their families.

As we honor those serving today and those who have served in the past, we must rededicate ourselves to providing the benefits and

care that they require and deserve. We must ensure that the proper medical services are available to service men and women for their use while on active duty and once they return home. Today, the percentage of women in the military is at the highest level ever. My home State of Ohio currently has over 65,000 female veterans. I am deeply concerned about the impact these high service levels are having on the well-being and stability of America families and I am committed to working on this issue in Congress.

The 11th Congressional District of Ohio is represented by an outstanding group of women serving in our Nation's armed forces and our State's national guard. Their service and sacrifice is greatly appreciated and will not be forgotten.

Madam Speaker, I rise today both in recognition of May as National Foster Care Month and to acknowledge our shared obligation to do everything that we can to help the more than half a million children currently in our Nation's foster care system. I applaud the thousands of devoted adoptive parents in Ohio and across the country who provide children and youth in foster care with permanent, loving families.

Twenty-one-year-old Ashley Flucsa entered Ohio's foster care system at age 10. She spent the next 8\1/2\ years in foster care, longing for a family to call her own. ``I wanted to have the same sense of security that children in non-foster families have,'' she recalls. ``I wanted to have a place to go during college break and I wanted to be able to fully trust that I would always have a place to call home. I wanted a mom to shop with and a dad to someday walk me down the aisle. I wanted stability.''

Today, Ashley is a nursing student at Lakeland Community College. Her foster parents, Yvette and Jim Goldurs of Cleveland Heights, are in the process of adopting Ashley. She hopes to someday become a nurse practitioner or a doctor, and she is very involved with the Ohio Youth Advisory Board, which allows her to share her experiences and advocate for reform on behalf of Ohio's children and youth who are still in foster care. Most importantly, she has found the permanent family that she longed for.

Currently, Ohio has more than 17,000 children living in foster care. In 2005, a quarter of these foster children were waiting to join adoptive families. They had to wait an average of nearly 4 years to do so. More worrisome still, many of Ohio's foster youth will never find the permanent family they need. More than 1,200 youth ``aged out'' of Ohio's foster care system in 2005 completely on their own, with no family to rely upon.

The Federal Adoption Incentive Program, which was first enacted in 1997 as part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, encourages States to find foster children like Ashley permanent homes through adoption. The Adoption Incentive Program is due to expire this

year, on September 30, and should be reauthorized so that it can continue to serve as a vitally important incentive to States for finalizing adoptions for children in foster care, with an emphasis on finding adoptive homes for special needs children and foster children over age 9. I am proud of Ohio's success in finalizing more than 10,400 adoptions of children from foster care between 2000 and 2006, earning $5.4 million in Federal adoption incentive payments, which are invested back into the child welfare program.

We need to help more foster children in Ohio and across the Nation join loving, permanent adoptive families. The Adoption Incentive Program is effective in encouraging more adoptions from foster care, and I look forward to seeing that it is reauthorized this year.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 134, to establish July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. The plight of families suffering from mental illness is immense due to an absence of adequate social services and the unwarranted stigma surrounding mental health issues. Due to the unwarranted social stigma and a systemic failure to ensure health care coverage, over two-thirds of the people who suffer from mental illness go untreated according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Within minority communities, even greater needs exist for mental health services. African Americans have less access to mental health services, and often receive an inferior quality of care. Higher rates of uninsured individuals also compound this problem within minority communities.

According to the National Institute on Mental Health, 20 percent of children and 26.2 percent of adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. As the leading cause of disability in the U.S., many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. The need for mental health awareness is immense, particularly in the minority community.

Sadly, Bebe Moore Campbell's untimely death from brain cancer means that she is not here to see the passage of this resolution. However, it is comforting to know that her legacy lives on not only through her literature but also through this important resolution. I strongly believe that this resolution and the establishment of July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month will address and raise awareness in minority communities of the existence of mental illness and the need for mental health services.

I am honored to remember Bebe Moore Campbell, a premier journalist, who authored a children's book entitled, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, winner of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill's Outstanding Literature Award. Through this story of how a little girl copes with being reared by a mentally ill mother, Moore Campbell was able to raise public awareness on mental health issues and heighten the consciousness of this topic within minority communities.

I proudly join my colleagues in support of this resolution and will continue to work tirelessly as an advocate for increased mental health services.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank our Chair, Mr. Rangel; Mr. Neal, our subcommittee Chair; Mr. McDermott; and all the members of this committee for this great piece of legislation around energy and tax extenders.

I know my colleagues have done a great job talking about the energy portion of the bill, so I am going to move straight to a couple of areas that are important specifically to people who reside in my congressional district.

In my role as the Chair of the Congressional Philanthropic Caucus, I am especially pleased to see the inclusion of the IRA rollover provision, which has become an important fund-raising and development tool in the philanthropic community. More and more today we are calling upon the philanthropic organizations to do the job that others have stepped away from.

In addition, the extension of the active finance exemption sends a message to corporate America that this Congress has their interests at heart because this provision, along with the subpart F look-through, allows them to remain competitive and keep jobs here and not abroad. The tenets of sound tax policy begin with the notion of equity, efficiency and simplicity. Relying on the traditional framework, I am certain that we are driving towards a rational consensus.

It is in this environment or within this context I am pleased to support this piece of legislation, and encourage my colleagues throughout the Congress to join us in passing this legislation that will impact energy and other extenders in the Tax Code.

The Procter & Gamble Company,

Cincinnati, OH, May 20, 2008.

Hon. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones,

U.S. Representative, Longworth House Office Building,

Washington, DC.

Dear Representative Tubbs-Jones: I want to take this

opportunity to thank you for your leadership in the Ways &

Means Committee's consideration of H.R. 6049, the Renewable

Energy and Job Creation Act. House passage of H.R. 6049,

including the so-called CFC Look-through rule, is very

important for us to remain competitive in markets around the

world.

Your efforts to include the extension, the so-called CFC

Look-through rule in H.R. 6049, were critical to the ability

of P&G, and many other American companies, to serve our

customers and consumers around the world. We look forward to

working with you as this legislation moves through the House

of Representatives.

Sincerely,

Robert A. McDonald,

Chief Operating Officer.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, I missed 3 recorded votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: H.R. 6081, The Heroes Earnings Assistance & Relief Tax Act of 2008, ``yes''; H.R. 6074, Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008, ``yes''; and H. Res. 1144, Expressing support for designation of a ``Frank Sinatra Day'' on May 13, 2008, in honor of the dedication of the Frank Sinatra commemorative stamp, ``yes.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Israel's 60th anniversary of statehood.

On May 14th, 1948, David Ben-Gurion announced to the world that the State of Israel had been created. This declaration was made in accordance with the United Nations Resolution 181 which was passed in November 1947. The creation of two states was proposed, one Jewish and one Palestinian. The new State of Israel established an opportunity for Ben-Gurion and other Zionists to realize a return to the ``promised land.''

Although the new state would be tested immediately following its creation, its citizens, supporters and ideals would hold. Even at the conclusion of the first Arab-Israeli War, a constant barrage of state and non-state actors would seek to destroy this government. Sixty years later this battle continues, as the entire world copes with the challenging yet necessary task of respecting the beliefs of others and protecting the natural rights of all mankind.

The ``land of milk and honey'' is significant not only for its ability to offer refuge to a people who have been persecuted for the past 2 millennia, but to also demonstrate the global communities' determination to right wrongs and to help their fellow man. Today there are close to 7 million individuals who inhabit Israel. Although the vast majority of those persons happen to be Jewish, there are also people who follow the Christian and Arab faiths. While there happens to be conflict currently between the Jewish and Muslim populations, the possibility of Israelis and Palestinians coexisting in peace is still feasible.

As a Member of Congress, I have been blessed with the opportunity to visit Israel, to talk with those that live there and to see the success that it has become. There exists within the Eleventh Congressional District of Ohio and across the United States, a strong community of individuals who are committed to supporting our close ally. I am proud to consider myself a fellow advocate and look forward to supporting the State of Israel in the future.

May the people and the government of Israel continue to enjoy their statehood and be blessed with peace.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1134, a bill which supports the goals and ideals of Mental Health Month. I support this legislation because I believe that Congress should seek to raise awareness about mental health conditions and the importance of mental wellness for all.

The plight of families suffering from mental illness is immense and can often be linked to an absence of adequate social services available coupled with the unwarranted stigma surrounding mental health issues. Due to the unwarranted social stigma associated with mental illness and a systemic failure to provide health care coverage, over two-thirds of the people who suffer from mental illness go untreated according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the National Institute on Mental Health, 20 percent of our children and 26.2 percent of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. As the leading cause of disability in the U.S., many people suffer from more than one mental disorder at a given time. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in two Americans has a diagnosable mental disorder each year.

Within minority communities, there is an increased need for mental health services. For example, according to the Centers for Disease Control, African Americans are more likely to experience a mental disorder and less likely to seek treatment than Caucasian Americans. When African Americans do seek treatment, they are more likely to use the emergency room for mental health care, and they are also more likely than whites to receive inpatient care.

In 2004, the House Government Reform Committee estimated $100 million of taxpayers' money was spent on detention of

youth awaiting community mental health services. I am alarmed by this number and therefore support H. Res. 1134 because it recognizes the dual need for preventative mental and physical healthcare.

Last year, I introduced H. Con. Res. 86 to express the sense of Congress that an appropriate month should be recognized as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Bebe Moore Campbell was a premier journalist who, before her untimely death, authored a children's book titled, Sometimes My Mommy Gets Angry, winner of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill Outstanding Literature Award. Through this story of how a little girl copes with being reared by her mentally ill mother, Moore Campbell was able to raise public awareness on mental health issues and heighten the consciousness of this topic within minority communities.

We must strive to accomplish the goals and ideals associated with Mental Health Month in order to alleviate the obstacles and burdens many people and families who are affected by mental illness face on a daily basis. Again, I would like to affirm my support of H. Res. 1134.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this housing package because it is imperative that Congress take action to assist homeowners struggling today. The epidemic of home losses in this country is severe, with the impact not only causing harm to the families who lose their homes, but also affecting nearby homeowners who suffer drops in their property values and communities who suffer the impact of lower tax revenues.

Nationally, the number of seriously delinquent loans and new foreclosures in January and February of this year was over 2.1 million, an increase of 8 percent over the previous quarter and a 55 percent increase from a year earlier.

The housing crisis has severely impacted my congressional district, particularly the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland's weak housing market coupled with a housing over-supply has created a large number of foreclosures and abandoned properties. As of December 2007, the number of properties in Cleveland identified as abandoned, nuisance properties was 8,588. According to the Cleveland Department of Community Development, the estimated number of homes entering the tax foreclosure pool in 2008 was 1,000--with 900 homes within this pool requiring public demolition. These abandoned and foreclosed properties exist in every neighborhood in Cleveland, but there are concentrations in communities in my district where the real estate market has completely collapsed.

I support this housing package because it will greatly assist my constituents in Cleveland as well as thousands of Americans across the country by helping families stay in their homes while they repay their mortgage debt. This legislation will also help avoid the decreased property values and increased crime rates that often come with concentrations of foreclosed and abandoned properties.

I wish to thank Chairman Rangel and Ranking Member McCrery as well as Chairman Frank and Subcommittee Chair Waters for their work on these important pieces of legislation. I am extremely pleased that sections of H.R. 1043, the Community Restoration and Revitalization Act, a piece of legislation I have introduced for the past two Congresses, was incorporated into the housing legislation before us today.

This bill simplifies the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit, ``Rehab Credit'' thereby making it easier to utilize the credit for revitalizing our nation's older neighborhoods, harnessing greater housing potential in underutilized historic and older buildings, and focusing more private sector investment in smaller, ``main street'' oriented commercial structures.

The language in the bill that explicitly refers to the ``historic nature'' of development projects is important because, for the first time, it directs state housing agencies to create a priority within their qualified allocation plans for historic properties that can be converted to affordable housing through the use of both the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and the Federal historic tax credit.

Additionally, the bill simplifies the rules for nonprofit and government agencies who sponsor or rent space in historic tax credit projects and significantly lowers the cost of these transactions.

In addition to simplifying the Rehab Tax Credit, the bill would also facilitate coordination of the credit with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit by exempting both credits from the restrictions of the AMT rules.

Since its inception, the rehab credit has been responsible for 133 residential and commercial projects in the city of Cleveland, leveraging about $760 million of private investment. Because of the credit, downtown Cleveland and neighborhoods like the Warehouse District, the Gateway District, and East Fourth Street are being revitalized--pumping more investment into the region and revenue to the city and State. This legislation is crucial to furthering the economic development of Cleveland and the State of Ohio.

My hope is that as we move forward we shall have the other important parts of H.R. 1043 enacted, as well as further simplification and clarification of the regulations regarding nonprofit and government use of historic buildings rehabilitated with the help of the Federal historic tax credit.

I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this housing package.

Chairman Waters, I want to salute you and the work you've done in the housing area in Financial Services. Everybody knows that the Housing Subcommittee under your leadership has focused on issues important to everyday people, and I want to thank you for that leadership.

And, Madam Chairman, you know what is the most amazing thing when I sit on the floor of this House? All the superfluous stuff that is discussed when a piece of legislation that's sorely needed by the people of America comes to the floor.

Now it was a Republican administration for the past 8 years that has oversight on oil. If they wanted to do something about it, they could have done it by now. Why are they bringing it up on the housing legislation? Let's talk about oversight of all those billions of dollars that got lost in that truck in Iraq. This Republican administration.

But before I get lost, let me come to why I'm standing here. I stand here to

support the legislation because the city of Cleveland is in desperate straits around this particular problem: Housing and foreclosures. I am so pleased that I have been able to add an amendment that would simplify the Federal historic rehabilitation tax credit in the process of this so that we can use some of this historic housing to be able to make some changes in the lives of the people.

It's just an amazing thing. I know the people of America are out there listening, and they're looking at who is it that is stepping up for them when they're in trouble? Who is it that understands that they need to pay their homeowner costs, their costs for their housing? And who is it to say, no, we're going to wait to try to figure out something else, add a new law. Come on now.

Vote for this legislation.

Madam Speaker, on Monday, May 5, 2008, I missed recorded votes. Had I been present I would have voted as follows:

No. 247, Ryan Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 2419, ``nay.''

No. 249, H.R. 3658, To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to permit rest and recuperation travel to United States territories for members of the Foreign Service, ``yea.''

No. 251, H. Con. Res. 317, Condemning the Burmese regime's undemocratic constitution and scheduled referendum, ``aye.''

No. 253, H. Res. 1109, Honoring the memory of Dith Pran by remembering his life's work and continuing to acknowledge and remember the victims of genocides that have taken place around the globe, ``aye.''

No. 256, S. 2929, A bill to temporarily extend the programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965, ``aye.''

No. 258, Kind Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 2419, ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, May 5, 2008, I missed recorded votes. Had I been present, the record would reflect the following votes:

H. Res. 952 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that there should be established a National Teacher Day. ``Aye.''

H. Res. 1011 Calling on the United States Government and the international community to promptly develop, fund, and implement a comprehensive regional strategy to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian operations, contain and reduce violence, and contribute to conditions for sustainable peace and good governance in Chad, as well as the wider region that includes the northern region of the Central African Republic and the Darfur region of Sudan. ``Aye.''

H. Res. 1109 Honoring the memory of Dith Pran by remembering his life's work and continuing to acknowledge and remember the victims of genocides that have taken place around the globe. ``Aye.''