Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

I ask unanimous consent to include my statement in the Record in support of the amendment.

I rise in strong support the Sabo/Hoyer/Weldon/ Tubbs Jones amendment. This amendment restores $41 million dollars to the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG) Program and funds the Staffing for Adequate Firefighters and Emergency Response (SAFER) program at $70 million, which was zeroed out of the FY07 budget.

Adopting this amendment sends a clear message to our first responders that we appreciate the work that they do in serving emergency needs of our communities and nation.

The AFG program awards grants directly to state fire departments to enhance their ability to protect the health and safety of the public and firefighting personnel, particularly with respect to fire and fire- related hazards.

In the State of Ohio, 251 fire departments received over $27 million during the 2005 fiscal year.

The AFG program effectively meets the needs of firefighters around the country. It is especially necessary in the wake of 9/11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as firefighters are our first line of defense when dealing with national disasters.

The SAFER program provides much-needed funding for career and volunteer fire departments across America to hire new firefighters and recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. This program is critical to the thousands of fire stations across the country that are currently operating short of staff.

The SAFER program allows fire departments throughout the country to apply for federal grants to hire and pay new firefighters for five years. In addition, grants have been awarded to state and local organizations to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters.

In March, I along with several of my Ohio Colleagues sent a letter to the Budget Committee as well as the Homeland Security Appropriations Committee to express our opposition to the Presidents Budget which cut the Assistance to Firefighter Grant Program by over 50% and eliminated funding for the SAFER program. In addition, I singed onto a letter with my colleague, Mr. Hoyer to express my support for additional funding for these programs.

I am happy to see that the Committee has restored some of the funding to the AFG Program, but I believe more can be done.

Mr. Chairman, I understand the challenges and budgetary constraints that Congress is faced with. However, cutting programs that assist first responders at a time when homeland security is vital should be reconsidered.

I thank my colleagues Mr. Olav Sabo, Mr. Hoyer and Mr. Weldon for their work on this issue. I strongly urge you to restore funding to the AFG and SAFER Grant Programs through the adoption of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lincoln Electric, a manufacturer in my congressional district, for receiving the President's ``E Star'' Award for Exports. Lincoln Electric's export achievements are significant because it supports our economy by helping create jobs in Ohio and the United States.

The President's ``E Star'' Award is awarded for continued superior performance in increasing or promoting exports. Only previous recipients of the ``E'' Award are eligible. Lincoln

Electric was presented with the President's ``E'' Award in 1994 for its strong commitment to developing and growing exports.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc-welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and has a leading position in brazing and soldering alloys.

Lincoln Electric has approximately 3,000 hard-working employees in Northeast Ohio, and 7,000 nationwide and throughout the globe. Exhibiting its commitment to its employees, Lincoln Electric guarantees employment to its workers after three years of service. The company has not exercised its layoff options in the United States operations since post war 1948.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, May 23, 2006, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez will present Lincoln Electric with the President's ``E Star'' Award. I am proud of Lincoln Electric, which since its founding in 1895 by brothers John and James Lincoln, has shown a strong commitment to Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. I praise Lincoln Electric and its hard-working employees and wish them continued success.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to commend my chairman, Mel Watt, for the work that he has done in this area, and particularly my colleague Bobby Scott from Virginia for all of his work.

Mr. Chairman, I want to focus on one particular area, and that is the provision in the CBC budget that doubles training funds for trade adjustment assistance programs to $518 million.

This program was established in 1962, and it assists workers who have lost their jobs due to international trade by providing unemployment and job training. We keep hearing from the Republican side that unemployment is down and dollars are up, but in my congressional district, there are areas where unemployment is significant, and specifically due to trade.

Mr. Chairman, I ask all of you to join us in supporting this CBC budget that provides for job training and unemployment assistance for those workers who would love to pay taxes if they only had a job.

Mr. Chairman, the Congressional Black Caucus budget is fiscally responsible and protects the services that millions of hard working Americans depend on.

The CBC alternative balances the budget in five years, and adopts the pay-as-you-go budget rules.

At the same time, our budget increases spending for health care by $20 billion, education and job training by $80 billion, and veteran benefits by $20 billion.

That is fiscal responsibility--balancing our checkbook without cutting the important services that millions of Americans depend on.

One provision in the CBC budget that I strongly support is the doubling of training funds for the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program to $518,000,000.

The program, which was established in 1962, assists workers who have lost their jobs due to international trade by providing unemployment benefits and job training.

However, many states exhaust their TAA training funds well before the end of the fiscal year.

In its past three budgets, the Administration has only requested an increase for TAA training of only $100,000.

That is unacceptable and insufficient when measured against the number of jobs being lost due to international trade.

I urge my colleagues to support this TAA provision and the CBC budget--fiscally responsible while at the same time fair to millions of hard working Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for the opportunity to be heard.

I was sitting in my chair over there, and people kept complimenting me today about this scarf that is about Save the Children. And I started thinking, you know, when I was a little girl we used to play this game called ``What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf'' And Mr. Wolf would say, ``1:00.''

And we would go on and you say, ``Well, what time is it, Mr. Wolf?'' And he would say, ``2:00.''

And then next was, ``Well, what time is it, Mr. Wolf?'' And then he would say, ``It's time to eat you up.''

And that is what I am thinking about with this legislation. What time is it?

It ought to be time for our children to know that we would expend money to improve opportunities for education.

It ought to be time for us to take money and tell seniors you don't have to sign up on May 15; you sign up when you get ready, but we are going to ensure you that you have a prescription drug benefit.

It ought to be time to tell children across the country that we are going to extend deductions for classroom expenses for teachers.

It ought to be time that we would extend deduction of tuition and related expenses for students.

It ought to be time that we tell companies that we are going to provide them an R&D, or research and development, tax credit.

It ought to be time for us to tell working families that we are going to cover the AMT and remove it from the situation.

But, instead, when we ask, ``What time is it, Mr. Wolf?'' his response is that we are going to make sure that the top 1 percent get a tax deduction.

And one of my colleagues said, ``You ought to have faith in the human spirit.'' When I say, ``What time is it, Mr. Wolf?'' I am afraid that there is no human spirit left out here, because if

there was human spirit in the House of Representatives, we would not even be debating this issue today.

What time is it, Mr. Wolf?

Well, today we are going to deal with some tax reductions, and when we ask, Well, why not the AMT for a longer period of time? Oh, we are going to do that in the next tax bill. And the appearance they want to give to the world is that each month we are going to do a tax bill reduction.

Instead of ``What time is it, Mr. Wolf?'' I am going to take care of the children.

Mr. Speaker, during a conference of October 7, 2005, titled ``Torture and the War on Terrorism'' Case Western Reserve University School of Law facilitated discussions with legal scholars from across the country focused on international law. The conference culminated in adoption of The Cleveland Principles, which express the view that acts of torture should never be used or justified as a tool of the Global War on Terror.

International law establishes a normative framework to advance international peace and security. The reciprocity of international law protects Americans abroad as well as individuals within the control of our government. I commend Case Western Reserve University School of Law for its leadership on this issue and I would like to enter into the Congressional Record, The Cleveland Principles.

The Cleveland Principles of International Law on the Detention and

Treatment of Persons in Connection with ``The Global War on Terror''

Introduction

In the context of revelations about the mistreatment of

detainees at U.S. detention centers in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq,

and Afghanistan; the practice of ``irregular rendition'' as a

means of outsourcing torture; the existence of US-created

``black sites'' where ``ghost detainees'' are interrogated

abroad; and the content of the leaked ``White House Torture

memos''--the Cleveland Principles were adopted by the

undersigned experts who took part in the ``Torture and the

War on Terror'' Conference at Case Western Reserve University

School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 7, 2005. The

Principles have been endorsed by the numerous other experts

whose names are also listed below. The undersigned include

current and former high-ranking government, military, and

international organization officials, prominent academics,

and leading practitioners in the field--representing all ends

of the political spectrum. The Principles are intended as a

clear restatement, written in plain English, of the

fundamental international legal rules that apply to the

treatment of persons in connection with the so-called

``Global War on Terror.'' The goal was to produce a text that

would be easy for the American public, members of the

military, and members of Congress to understand--a text

that would unambiguously spell out that in the context of

the Global War on Terror, there is no law-free zone,

torture can never be justified; outsourcing torture is

unlawful; and that government personnel may be criminally

liable for involvement in acts of torture.

The Cleveland Principles

Principle 1: With respect to the ``Global War on Terror,''

there is no law-free zone.

International Law (which includes International

Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, and

International Criminal Law) applies to all contexts and

persons in the ``Global War on Terror.''

The ``Global War on Terror'' is not in its entirety an

armed conflict. When, and for so long as, the ``Global War on

Terror'' does manifest itself in armed conflict, the rights

of persons detained and the obligations of detaining

authorities, are governed by International Humanitarian Law,

including the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Additional

Protocols to the Geneva Conventions.

International Human Rights Law, including the Convention

Against Torture and the Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights, also applies to situations of armed conflict, to the

extent that its provisions are not inconsistent with

applicable international humanitarian law.

Whenever persons are detained outside the factual framework

of armed conflict, international humanitarian law is not

applicable and international human rights law, including the

Convention Against Torture and the Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights, applies instead.

Principle 2: Whenever there is any doubt about whether an

individual apprehended in the Global War on Terror is

entitled to Prisoner of War status, the decision must be made

on a case-by-case basis by a competent tribunal.

Persons who do not qualify for POW status under the Third

Geneva Convention are still entitled to humane treatment and

the other applicable guarantees of the Fourth Geneva

Convention.

In addition, such persons must not be subject to acts of

torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, in

accordance with the Torture Convention.

Principle 3: Nothing in the ``Global War on Terror'' can

justify violating the prohibition on committing acts of

torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Interrogation in the context of the ``Global War on

Terror,'' whether conducted by military personnel or

intelligence agents, and whether conducted inside or outside

of the State's territory, must never cross the boundaries of

humane treatment.

Principle 4: Use of so-called ``irregular rendition'' as a

means of outsourcing torture to third countries is unlawful.

No person acting as an agent of a government may

participate in the transfer of any person to any country for

interrogation where there are substantial grounds for

believing that the person would be in danger of being subject

to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Diplomatic assurances from the receiving State that the

person will not be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman

or degrading treatment are not a sufficient basis upon which

it may be determined that such treatment or punishment will

not be imposed, where the receiving State has demonstrated a

history of engaging in such treatment.

Principle 5: Governments and Government personnel are

obligated to strictly adhere to the international law

applicable to the ``Global War on Terror'' as set forth in

the above principles.

States are responsible under international law for

violations of these principles committed by the Government's

personnel or agents, or by private parties exercising

traditional government functions with the Government's

acquiescence, whether the act occurs in the territory of the

State or outside the territory of the State.

Persons who breach or order violations of these principles,

or who aid and abet the breach of these principles, or who

fail to punish subordinates who have committed breaches of

these principles, may face individual criminal liability at

home and/or in foreign or international courts.

Mr. Speaker, I serve on the Ways and Means Committee, and I rise in support of Mr. Miller's motion to instruct conferees.

Eliminating wear-away, or the fact that dollars for older workers under a cash balance plan tend to wear away in value, is very important. We need to ensure that when an employer converts from a traditional defined benefit plan to a cash balance plan, workers receive their full benefits. But we also need to ensure that we draft rules that protect older workers, because they could be vulnerable during such conversions.

But more importantly, I want to talk about the issue of retroactivity. Addressing retroactivity is important to the retirement security of many American workers in my congressional district.

Employers that sponsor cash balance plans and other hybrid plans have been hanging in limbo for almost 7 years.

The Internal Revenue Service has felt it necessary to temporarily stop issuing determination letters for converted hybrid plans, and litigation throughout our court system has left the legality of all cash balance plans up in the air.

In my congressional district, I have four major employers that offer pension benefits to their employees through either a cash balance or other hybrid pension plan. Some of these plans were acquired through mergers/acquisitions while some were adopted through conversions.

The employers treated their employees fairly, giving them the choice whether or not to convert the plans, and ensuring that worker benefits were not diluted, and these four employers are not alone. There are a lot of good actors across the country.

According to a recent AARP-funded study, 23 of the largest 25 cash balance plans, or 92 percent, provided transition protections for their older employees when converting from traditional defined benefit plans to cash balance plans.

Nonetheless, the four employers in my district, as well as 1,100 others across the country, are caught in a web of legal uncertainty. We are in an era where companies are eliminating their pension plans, including hybrid plans; not fixing this problem will only perpetuate that trend.

A recent survey of planned sponsors by Watson Wyatt showed that more than 25 percent of our employers who offer a hybrid pension plan either froze their plan or were actively considering terminating or freezing their plan.

A cash balance is a defined benefit plan, and it is the future of our defined benefit system. It allows people to move from one employer to the other employer. But we need to give them protections in that process.

If Congress does not resolve the legal uncertainty that cash balance plans currently face, employers will continue to terminate their pensions. That would not be beneficial to the retirement security of hard working Americans.

The conferees need to address retroactivity and establish benefit accrual standards and establish benefit accrual standards as it relates to age discrimination and that encourage employers to retain their cash balance plans and not dump them.

For Congress to not resolve this issue would be unwise public policy and would put the retirement security of thousands of workers at risk. This is our chance to fix the problem. We must seize it. On behalf of the workers and companies, let's clear up this confusion and put workers back in the right place.

Madam Speaker, I rise to address the House about how the Republicans' fiscal year 2007 budget resolution will create serious problems for women and children.

The budget resolution put forth by the Republicans, which we will vote on tomorrow, undercuts and undervalues women's contributions to the American labor force.

The wage gap among women and men continues today. Women earn on average 76 cents to every dollar that a man earns.

The Republican budget resolution eliminates the Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations Act. This program, which only costs $1 million per year, provides grants to employers to help recruit, train and retain women in nontraditional, well-paying jobs.

The budget also cuts funding for the Women's Bureau in the Department of Labor, the only Federal agency with primary responsibility for serving and promoting interests of working women.

I urge my colleagues to defeat the Republican budget resolution.

Mr. Speaker, making thoughtful and informed decisions about your finances is more important than ever. Financial literacy and education are the foundation for wealth building. Being knowledgeable of the different financial products available leads to increased wealth among individuals and families and is key to stimulating the economy.

There are many more aspects of financial literacy than knowing how to open and maintain a savings or checking account. In today's society, increasingly more adults, young and old participate in financial decision making including, life insurance coverage, 401(k)s, stocks, business, investments, credit cards, mortgage loans, and automobile financing.

I believe that financial literacy should be taught at an early age. Parents should instill in their young children the value of saving and investing. According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, more young people filed for bankruptcy than graduated from college in 2001. In addition, personal bankruptcy filings were up 7.4 percent last year.

There are several programs like JumpStart, which are geared toward teaching children and young adults the basics of financial management. The JumpStart Organization in Ohio was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from The McGraw-Hill Companies to launch Financial Literacy for Teachers Training Workshops for Pre-Teachers and Teacher Training in Personal Finance Basics in five different regions in Ohio. This grant will equip them with the knowledge, tools, skills and resources to instruct their students to develop personal financial skills and to enable them to apply money management skills effectively in their everyday lives.

Surprisingly, half of all Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. In addition, 40 percent of Americans say they live beyond their means. I realize it is often more difficult for lower income individuals and those who live on a month to month basis to save, but one would be surprised how much a small weekly or monthly saving could accumulate over a period of time if it is allowed to grow.

I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this resolution, and urge my colleagues on the House and Senate to pass this important measure.

Mr. Speaker, congratulations to Sergeant Major Willie Beasley on his retirement from Collinwood High School in Cleveland, Ohio. Sergeant Major Beasley has served as Assistant Instructor and Military Property Custodian at Collinwood High School for the past 12 years.

Sergeant Major Beasley is a valued member of the faculty at Collinwood High School and has earned the reputation of being an outstanding teacher and mentor to young adults. He is highly regarded in the community for his dedication to the cadets in the Army JROTC program at Collinwood. Through the Army JROTC, over 1200 students have been directed under his tutelage.

Sergeant Major Beasley also served in the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam where he demonstrated leadership in combat as a platoon sergeant and acting platoon leader. There he distinguished himself earning a Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.

Sergeant Major Beasley's selfless service, superior achievement and loyal dedication to the youth of the City of Cleveland are immeasurable. On behalf of the nation and the constituents of the 11th Congressional District of Ohio, I thank you for your service and tremendous sacrifices you have made for our country. Congratulations on your retirement and on a job well done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 355, recognizing the importance of school based music education. In today's climate of high stakes testing, it's important to recognize that skills learned through studying music translate to skills that help students succeed in life.

Empirical data suggest that music students perform higher than their counterparts on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, and also demonstrate higher math skills. Studies also show that students who participate in a band or orchestra show the lowest lifetime use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs. Students that participate in music classes are less likely to be disruptive students in class. Among minority students, more identify their music teachers as role models than any other subject area. These students demonstrate higher self-esteem and thinking skills than their counterparts.

As a parent, I know that students who learn to think critically, perform analysis, and express themselves through written and verbal communication have a greater chance at success in life. Within a larger context, music is an essential cultural thread. How many people, whether listening to the O'Jay's, Bon Jovi, or Jill Scott, know that the term ``Rock and Roll'' is African American slang dating back to the early 20th Century? But music, whether rock and roll, classical, or jazz has come to mean much more. Within my district, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and the Cleveland Institute of Music provide music history and distance learning programs for many schools that haven't been able to afford their own music education teachers. The usefulness of these music programs underscores the importance of filling student needs at a time when our society needs better teaching methods and a greater understanding of diversity, not less.

Educators with whom I meet, often express frustration that compressed school schedules and the focus on high stakes testing are failing to help our children develop the critical thinking skills needed to compete in an increasingly complex world. Music education aids critical thinking and more. I believe it imperative that we recognize its importance in the lives of our children, and strive to make school based music education available to all of America's youth.

Mr. Speaker, it is time the House Republicans stand up to the Bush White House and say they are not going to allow America's seniors to be penalized for a complicated and confusing drug proposal they helped create.

It was bad enough that the Republicans allowed the big drug companies to write their own prescription drug plan for them, but now that a deadline looms 47 days away that would inflict a tax on seniors who have not yet chosen a plan, Republicans seem willing to, once again, blindly follow the President.

Earlier someone made the comment that Democrats are not doing enough to have seniors sign up for the plan. I beg to differ. I work very hard to have my seniors sign up and save money, but they will never save as much, the billions of dollars that went to the drug companies, as the drug companies will receive in that process.

House Republicans seem willing to once again rubber-stamp a plan that would inflict a Bush prescription drug tax on seniors for the rest of their lives. They have yet to show any support for Democratic efforts to extend the sign-up deadline to the end of the year.

While America's seniors continue to pay outrageously high prices for their prescription drugs, House Republicans can no longer just rubber- stamp.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to voice my strong opposition to H.R. 609, the Higher Education Reauthorization Act. I believe this is a missed opportunity to make a genuine effort to provide educational opportunities to our children. I am disappointed that this bill does not effectively address the financial needs of low and middle income students.

After passage of the Deficit Reduction Act, the Republicans put another financial hurdle in the way of many students ability to pay for college. They cut funding for student loans while raising the interest rate. I am also bothered that the Academic Competitiveness Grants that were created make part-time students ineligible for them. This effectively exempts 62 percent of community college students. If we are to create grants aimed at assisting students attending college we need to make them available to all students who qualify full and part-time.

H.R. 609 is the vehicle to correct the wrong that has been done to underprivileged students, but sadly it does not address it. H.R. 609 caps Pell Grants at $6000, this amount does not adequately address the needs of low income students. It does not decrease the interest rates on students' loans, and it does not increase the authorization of Perkins Loans. With growing tuition costs we need to be doing everything we can to assist students in seeking a higher education.

H.R. 609 does not adequately address the needs of our Nation's students, and I want to express my oppositions to its passage.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this motion to instruct.

The Republican priorities are backwards. See, the point is that we want to help middle-class America. They say they passed an AMT bill separate from the reconciliation, but the reality is, by doing that, they would push the deficit higher. We want this motion to instruct to pass because it will be much like the Senate bill that requires the AMT to be reduced.

Some of the tax cuts that will need to be extended in this conference are important to our economy: the R&D tax credit, the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, the Welfare-to-Work Tax Credit, the expensing of brownfields environmental remediation costs, and the New Markets Tax Credit.

I do not want anybody to think that Democrats do not like capital gains and dividends. We want people to have capital gains and dividends, and we want them to have a benefit, but right now, we are talking about the poor people, the middle-class, working people in this country who are not getting the benefit from capital gains and dividends.

I think the number is $7. Let us see, right now, perhaps you could buy 2\1/2\ gallons of gas; $7, perhaps you could buy two gallons of milk; $7, you cannot buy your baby a pair of shoes; $7, you cannot buy a blouse; $7, you cannot put a ham or a steak on the table. Give me a break.

These people, the middle-class, working people of this country, need the support that we can give them through this instruction about an

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the many men and women that serve on the Peace Corps. I believe you can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. The many men and women that serve on the Peace Corps are part of the solution in creating international peace. In 1961 when John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps he intended to promote world peace and friendships.

Today, in the twenty first century Peace Corps members play a vital role in the United States by serving other countries in the cause of peace. The volunteers work on many different projects that help people in interested countries meet their needs for trained men and women, and also help encourage a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

Members of the Peace Corps serve our country by assisting countries around the world. Finding common ways to address global challenges such as, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and also building unbending bonds of friendship across an ever shrinking world is one of the many developmental programs the Peace Corps offers.

Another project that Peace Corps members assisted in was the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts project. Along with FEMA they aided the many victims in need of help from the unfortunate natural disaster. Members of the Peace Corps not only bring back ideas from different cultures, they also share their American culture with foreign countries.

Join me in applauding our fellow Peace Corps members on 45 years of dedicated service to our country. I wish them much success and encourage our young people to take advantage of the great opportunities the Peace Corps has to offer.

Madam Speaker, I rise simply to complain again as others have about port security in the United States of America. We cannot afford to outsource our homeland security, and that is exactly what the Bush administration wants to do with the United Arab Emirates.

On Monday, March 20, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Cleveland, Ohio, at Idea Stream, 1375 Euclid Avenue, I will be hosting a town hall meeting on port security in my congressional district. Everyone is invited, and we have free parking.

The UAE deal has highlighted to the American people how vulnerable our ports remain more than 4 years after 9/11. They simply can't believe that only 6 percent of the cargo that comes into our ports is ever inspected before it is

transported throughout our Nation. This is a serious gap in our homeland security, and it could have been prevented. For 4 years my Democratic colleagues and I have tried to increase funding for port security to shore up this serious security gap. And every single year the Republican majority has opposed our efforts.

What are they waiting for?

Are House Republicans waiting for biological or chemical agents to come through our ports to be used against Americans before they finally choose to act?

We simply cannot afford to wait any longer. It's time for House Republicans to join Democrats in supporting the funding necessary to secure our ports.