Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for unanimous consent to introduce an article into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, there's great news for seniors, and I think that they'll be receiving it in the mail soon. The notorious doughnut hole is going to be closed. And starting this week, the part D doughnut hole where seniors have to pay for their drugs at an immense amount that hurts them will start to be filled because of the health care bill we passed in this House without a single Republican vote that made it law. The Democrats did it.

And $250 one-time rebate checks will go out as early as this week to seniors who are in the doughnut hole. They will start to be mailed out tomorrow, June 10. Seniors who fall into that hole can expect a $250 tax rebate check in their mailbox to help them cover those costs, part of the Democratic bill that reformed health care that didn't have a single Republican vote to help it become law. There were 217, 218 Democratic votes up to make that law.

Eventually, the doughnut hole will be eliminated, but we start with these $250 checks. And I am proud to have voted for it, proud to have supported it, and pleased to give seniors relief from drug bills that are hurting them every day.

I want to thank the sponsor of this resolution. He has been a leader on this. And the fact is, they say that politicians think of the next election, statesmen think of the next generation.

This resolution is about the next generation. And the next generation and the generation after that need to have an Earth that they can inhabit that's similar to the Earth that was inhabited by our predecessors, because we are polluting it. And we need to be careful about what we are doing to the ocean. It's the last frontier, and we are polluting it greatly.

I want to bring up the work of a lady, no relation to me, whose name is Dianna Cohen. Dianna is in Barcelona, Spain, and she is doing an exhibition on plastics. She is the founder of a group called the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

The fact is, plastics break up and spread poisons and toxins that threaten our sea life, our marine life, get into our systems through our ingesting and eating those animals, and are a threat to our own present existence. When plastics are produced and they are put into the atmosphere and into the environment and end up in the ocean, they threaten us.

So what she has done in Barcelona, Spain, on the 8th of June, which is World Ocean Day, is have an Ocean of Plastic exhibit and taken plastics from the ocean and created art. It is teaching students there about the dangers of plastics, the threat to our ocean life and to our marine future.

I commend Dianna Cohen for her work. I commend Mr. Inslee for his work, being a statesman and looking out for the next generation and for Mother Earth, which we have a duty to preserve.

Mr. Chair, I was detained from voting and missed one vote on Friday, May 28, 2010. If present, I would have voted ``yea'' on the following rollcall vote: Rollcall 333.

Mr. Chairman, before I begin, I would like to Commend Congressmen Polis and Langevin for their work on this important amendment.

The amendment we've offered will play an important role in safeguarding a healthy American environment and ensuring American taxpayers are not forced to subsidize the production of highly polluting energy resources.

Let me be clear. This amendment in no way restricts Federal agencies' ability to procure readily available fuels. Instead, it clarifies that under section 526 of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, Federal agencies may purchase fuel that is not predominantly derived from higher carbon content sources like tar sands and coal to liquid.

Turning coal into liquid fuel produces up to twice as much greenhouse gas pollution per unit of energy as conventional petroleum fuel, and fuel processed from tar sands generates 14-42 percent more greenhouse gas pollution per unit of energy compared to production of conventional petroleum fuels.

Further, the extraction or production of these fuels is also incredibly destructive to an environment that is already suffering.

The Federal Government should not play an inappropriate role subsidizing the production of these outdated, dirty energy sources, especially as we work to move our Nation toward a clean energy future.

However, today most, if not all, publicly available fuel containing tar sands oil contains only small amounts of that resource. Therefore, this amendment would not affect the ability of the Defense Department or other Federal agencies to continue to process tar sands oil.

However, section 526 has successfully protected taxpayers from costly and destructive subsidies of highly polluting fuel production and will continue to encourage deployment of clean energy production from domestic sources.

This amendment passed by unanimous recorded vote last year, and I, along with my colleagues, Congressmen Polis and Langevin, urge a ``yes'' vote today.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday it was my birthday, and it didn't quite go as planned. One of the things I did is I went to Arlington Cemetery and spent 4 hours looking at the graves and thinking about American history and the people who wished they had a birthday, and what they gave for their country. Some gave their lives, some gave part of their lives.

I visited the Kennedy graves and let the word go forth. I visited Robert Kennedy's grave and the tiny ripples of hope that can wipe down the mightiest walls of oppression. But I found Earl Warren's grave, along with John Foster Dulles and Arthur Goldberg together.

I would like to read from Earl Warren's tombstone. I think it is something we should reflect on.

``Where there is injustice, we should correct it. Where there is poverty, we should eliminate it. Where there is corruption, we should stamp it out. Where there is violence, we should punish it. Where there is neglect, we should provide care. Where there is war, we should restore peace. And wherever corrections are achieved, we should add them permanently to our storehouse of treasures.''

This from the vice presidential candidate of the Grand Old Party in 1948, the nominee for the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice, nominated by Dwight Eisenhower when Republicans were Republicans. Thank God for Earl Warren.

God bless the United States, and may God save the Gulf of Mexico because it doesn't look like anybody else is going to.

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor William McElroy, Jr., a man who contributed greatly to Memphis, Tennessee's business and sports community. He was born in Memphis on May 19, 1929, to William and Kathryn McElroy. He graduated from Germantown High School in 1946 and later attended the University of Tennessee and Memphis State University--after which he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served 46 months with two tours in Korea. Mr. McElroy then returned to Memphis and worked as President in his family business, McElroy Insurance Agency.

William McElroy, Jr. made many contributions to the Memphis sports community. In 1958, he was involved in the creation of the University of Memphis' Tigers Football booster club, the Highland Hundred, for which he served as President in 1963 and Chairman of the Board. In 1963, he co-founded the Memphis Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame which recognizes top area high school and college football scholar-athletes. Mr. McElroy was a recipient of the National Football Foundation's ``Distinguished American Award.''

In the mid-1960s, Mr. McElroy was involved in the development of the Memphis Memorial Stadium which originally had a seating capacity of 50,160. In 1965, he was the driving force behind convincing Bud Dudley to move the Liberty Bowl from Atlantic City, New Jersey to the new stadium which was preparing for its grand opening. Mr. McElroy served as President in 1970 of the Liberty Bowl Festival Association and Chairman of the Board in 1971. The Liberty Bowl was such a success for Memphis that the stadium was renamed Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in 1976.

William McElroy, Jr. remained involved with the growth of the stadium for 30 years afterwards. Today, the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, now called the AutoZone Liberty Bowl Stadium, has a seating capacity of over 61,000 and is home to the University of Memphis Tigers football team, the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and the Southern Heritage Classic.

Mr. McElroy's enthusiasm for sports also included baseball. He helped establish the Service Academy Spring Classic, a baseball tournament comprised of teams including the University of Memphis, the Air Force Academy, the Naval Academy and three other teams that changed yearly.

William McElroy, Jr. was active in numerous local organizations throughout his life. He served over 50 years in the Kiwanis Club where he was named ``Kiwanian of the Year'' and later served as President. Mr. McElroy was on the Board of Directors and Gala Committee for the Marguerite Piazza Gala, the longest-running annual charity event of its kind in Memphis that raises money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He was also active in the President's Circle at Christian Brothers University, the Grand Krewe of RaMet of Carnival Memphis, the Kroger LeBonheur Senior Challenge and Lindenwood Christian Church.

William McElroy, Jr. passed away on May 16, 2010, at the age of 80. He is survived by his children Trip, Mary and Susan, all of whom worked at McElroy Insurance Agency with their father. Memphis mourns the loss of Mr. McElroy, Jr. who was a leader in the community continuously involved with its improvement and overall a really nice guy. Thank you, William McElroy, Jr., for coming our way.

Madam Speaker, nearly 1 month after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, oil continues to flow from the well, poisoning the Gulf and destroying the environment. The Deepwater Horizon Rig activities were considered by all to be a low risk drilling exploration. Such a classification sends chills up my spine given the countless riskier drilling ventures occurring along the coasts of this great Nation.

While millions of Americans tune into the news to watch the destruction of the Gulf Coast, the environment, and the economy of that area, I think of the thoughtless, baseless, and cavalier Republican energy chants ``Drill Baby Drill.'' It echoes in the ears of the American public and anybody who cares about the Gulf Coast. Drill Baby Drill--what a farfetched plan given that the U.S. contains 2.2 percent of world oil reserves and consumes 25.9 percent of the world's oil consumption. You do not have to be a math scholar or a Nobel Prize economist to see the flaws of this strategy.

We need to find alternative forms of energy. We must use America's great resource and brainpower to harness the sun and to harness the wind. We must find new ways to help us with our problems of energy which will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, protect our environment, and safeguard the flora and fauna.

We will never be able to drill our way to energy independence. Rather than invoking our brawn, we must utilize our brains and innovate, as Americans have done for generations. Rather than throwing our limited Federal dollars at the feet of oil giants, let's invest in American ingenuity and create an American clean energy economy. Rather than sucking out every last drop of oil and coal beneath the earth's surface destroying the air we breathe and water we drink, let's utilize renewable energy sources like solar and wind that enhance our environment.

The choice is clear--we can drill our way further into environmental destruction and oil dependence, or we can create a new energy economy that creates millions of jobs and protects the environment for future generations.

Recently I introduced legislation that will do just that--the 10 Million Solar Roofs and 10 Million Gallons of Solar Water Heating Act. This legislation will create an estimated 1.35 million direct and indirect jobs, lower energy costs, strengthen the economy, and put America on the path to energy independence.

Madam Speaker, we have to find a new direction and be like America has been in the past, innovative and creative.

Mr. Speaker, nearly 1 month after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20, oil continues to flow from the well, poisoning and destroying our water environment. The rig activities were considered to be a low-risk drilling exploration. Such a classification sends chills up my spine, given the countless riskier drilling ventures occurring along the coasts of our great Nation.

While millions of Americans watch the news and see the destruction of the gulf coast, the environment, and the economy of that area, I think of the thoughtless, baseless, cavalier Republican energy chant, ``Drill Baby Drill.'' It echoes in the ears of the American public and anybody who cares about the gulf coast of the United States. ``Drill Baby Drill'' was a simplistic response.

We use 25.9 percent of the world's oil. We have 2.2 percent of the world's energy reserves. You don't have to be a math scholar or a Nobel Prize winner to know that won't work. You need to find alternative forms of energy. Use America's great research and brainpower. Harness solar. Harness the wind. Find new ways to help us with our problems with energy and not depend on fossil fuels, not ruin our environment, and not risk the flora and the fauna.

Mr. Speaker, we have to find a new direction to be like America has been in the past: innovative and creative.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1337) expressing the sympathy and condolences of the House of Representatives to those people affected by the flooding in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi in May 2010.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

In the first weekend of May, the great storms came through from the West and struck in Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The flooding damage was record-breaking. The damage done in all States was great but in the State of Tennessee was the most severe, my home State. The most destruction, I guess, and the most damages occurred in the district of the Honorable Jim Cooper of Davidson County and environs. But in my own County of Shelby, there was extensive damage.

I joined with my colleagues in calling on our Governor to issue a request for a declaration of emergency, and that was done by Governor Bredesen. The Federal Government has responded in a magnificent manner.

President Barack Obama, in his historic speech to the Democratic National Convention in 2004, said how there was not a red United States of America and there was not a blue United States of America, but there was only one United States of America. And in this particular instance where people suffer in States that are all considered politically red States, the United States of America has responded with all of its resources to help our people, and our people need help.

FEMA's been on the ground. FEMA Director Fugate was in Tennessee in no time. Secretary Napolitano has been to Nashville. Secretary Donovan of HUD and Secretary Locke of Commerce have been to Memphis and to Nashville as well. And others have been there. I had FEMA officials at my town hall meeting on Saturday. They have let

people know that the Federal Government is there to help. The people have been very responsive, and our local governments are responsive.

When I went to Millington on Monday and toured some of the damage there, the people in the neighborhood said that the Shelby County officials had been outstanding in their response. They now feel the Federal Government's officials have been outstanding.

Secretaries Locke and Donovan visited the Ed Rice Community Center that's now a shelter in Frayser, part of my district. They visited in Millington, also. There are people in the Midtown, more of the heart of my district, who had great flooding damage. And people know now to call 1-800-621-FEMA to lodge their notice of their damages and to get on the list to start to have inspectors to come out, which they're doing, to assess the damages and ascertain which individuals are qualified for the $29,900 in recovery funds that can be had for the damages for their residential establishment and/or their primary vehicle.

The SBA has been there and the head of the SBA, and the SBA is set up to help in losses over $29,900 and to businesses for their losses as well. City and county governments and State governments will be eligible to qualify for debris removal and for goods that have been distributed.

Overall, the Volunteer State has responded as a Volunteer State should, and from its naming, volunteers have come from everywhere to help the people who have been damaged, and we have been contributing.

Hillary Clinton, quoting an African proverb, ``It takes a village to raise a child.'' Well, it takes a village and a government to come together to help its people in times of great distress and natural disaster, and we have seen the Federal Government do that--and this government in particular--and I'm proud that we've done so. And I appreciate the response that I've seen in my State of Tennessee.

And I regret the damage, and I know the people have withstood it well. And I hope it never happens, and we know it will, but the Federal Government's been there.

So with that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield as much time as the gentleman from Davidson County, Tennessee (Mr. Cooper) needs. He's the primary author of this particular resolution and the distinguished Congressperson from the district that suffered the greatest in our country, Mr. Cooper.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the Honorable Bart Gordon, who represents a district just south and southeast of Davidson County.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, thank Mr. Cooper for bringing this resolution, Mr. Gordon for testifying, and Mr. Duncan and Mrs. Blackburn for their testimony, all the members of the delegation who came together in a bipartisan manner and who I think, by their actions, indicated that they believe government can and is an effective tool to help people, and can, when used properly, efficiently, and effectively, as FEMA is now, be an important part of a government response to a crisis to help the American people.

As Mr. Cooper said, Nashville is open for business. And Nashville is a great city with a great tourist economy. While the Opryland Hotel may be closed temporarily, the Grand Ole Opry is still in business. There is still lots of music and lots of hotels open, and there is also the Music Highway that can take you right down I-40 to Memphis, and we would love to see you there, too.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1284) supporting the goals and ideals of International Learn to Fly Day, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

I rise in support of the resolution, H. Res. 1284, as amended, introduced by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd) which supports the goals and ideals of International Learn to Fly Day and recognizes the contributions of flight instructors, flight schools, aviation groups, and industry in promoting and teaching the Nation's next generation of pilots.

International Learn to Fly Day was established on May 15, 2009, to increase interest in flying and to encourage the aviation community to get others involved in aviation. The event was announced at the Experimental Aviation Association's AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Aviation groups, industry partners, flight schools, and flight instructors have come together to create a day dedicated to inspiring national interest in flight.

On International Learn to Fly Day, flight schools, airports, and independent flight instructors will offer free or discounted flight instruction and other educational aviation events. The aviation community will lend its time and expertise to introduce people to the thrill of flying and the opportunity to reflect back on Orville Wright. Airlines must be able to attract the next generation of commercial pilots. International Learn to Fly Day will be an important day to promote the experience of learning to fly, and to attract people to the pilot profession, of which my home city is the home to Federal Express, which employs many fine pilots and will, indeed, many more in the years to come as they continue to deliver cargo to the world.

International Learn to Fly Day will be observed each year on the third Saturday of May. I look forward to this first celebration on May 15, 2010, and urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1284.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence, I recognize the gentleman from west Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) out of order for such time as he may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield such time as he may consume to the author of the resolution and a pilot himself, Mr. Boyd of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Boyd and Mr. Ehlers for bringing this resolution, and ask that all Members unanimously support H. Res. 1284, as amended.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 61) expressing the sense of the Congress that general aviation pilots and industry should be recognized for the contributions made in response to Haiti earthquake relief efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material as necessary on S. Con. Res. 61.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. Con. Res. 61, a resolution which recognizes the many contributions of private pilots and the general aviation industry to the Haiti earthquake relief efforts and encourages the continued generosity of general aviation pilots and operators in ongoing humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.

On January 12, 2010, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, leaving up to 300,000 dead and 300,000 injured. Private pilots and businesses banded together to conduct an estimated 4,500 relief flights during the 30-day period following the earthquake. Business aircraft transported approximately 3,500 passengers and delivered over 1 million pounds of cargo and supplies to the Haitian people.

General aviation aircraft were vital for getting help to smaller communities that otherwise faced great difficulty in receiving aid. Media accounts described pilots ferrying supplies between nearby countries, like the Dominican Republic, to small towns in Haiti. They would often land on not much more than dirt roads. General aviation aircraft transported

critical supplies like food, blankets, medication, and medical equipment as well. The fuel from these aircraft was even used in some cases to help generators continue running. The aircraft carried medical staff and relief personnel from the United States to Haiti to assist in relief efforts, including a group that came from my hometown of Memphis, from LeBonheur Children's Hospital. They spent quite a bit of time down there.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting S. Con. Res. 61.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, before we close, I want to take an opportunity, because I don't know if I will have the opportunity on the floor to do it. Mr. Ehlers is retiring during this Congress. When I was a freshman in 2006, he was the head of the Committee on House Administration that helped welcome all the freshmen and get us oriented to Congress, and he was one of the first influences on my experience in Congress. It was an excellent one. You are a gentleman. It's been an honor serving with you, and I thank you for your contributions to the Class of 2006. I wish you Godspeed.

I would like to ask that all of our Members join in supporting S. Con. Res. 61. I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I was detained from voting on Tuesday, May 4, 2010. If present, I would have voted ``yea'' on the following rollcall votes: rollcall 243, rollcall 244, and rollcall 245.

Madam Speaker, I was detained from voting after attending the funeral of Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks on Wednesday, April 21, 2010. If present, I would have voted ``yea'' on the following rollcall votes: rollcall 214; rollcall 215; rollcall 216.