Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Colonel William B. Imandt, who was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, July 2nd, 2010.

Colonel Imandt was a veteran of World War II, and courageously endured time as a soldier Missing in Action and a Prisoner of War. For his service in defense of our nation, he was awarded both the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. His legacy will live on through his family and his commitment will not be forgotten.

I am proud to recognize Colonel Imandt for his brave service and dedication to our nation and the cause of freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Conference Report for The Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010.

I can think of nothing more pressing to our national security than putting a stop to Iran's nuclear plans. Today, Iran learned that the United States Congress will not stop until we end the tyranny Iran's leadership is promoting.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, I spend a great deal of time focused on preventing Iran from developing an enrichment program that leads to nuclear weapons. Their current leadership is unstable, provocative, and would be a danger to the entire region armed with nuclear weapons.

Non-military options--including activities to disrupt Iranian research--are similarly problematic. This then leads us to consider military options. Here, all we need to do is look at Iraq to understand the difficulties of a military response in Iran.

In fact, during an unofficial ``war-game'' on Iran, former National Security Council official Ken Pollack said, ``Compared with Iraq, Iran has three times the population, four times the land area, and five times the problems.''

Some suggest precision strikes at Iran's nuclear facilities, as the Israelis did when they

successfully destroyed an Iraqi reactor in 1981. But Iran has learned from Iraq's mistakes. They have protected their facilities by burying them deep underground and dispersing them widely.

Additionally, virtually every military tool at our disposal--from limited and surgical to a major land war aimed at regime change--is impacted by one thing: oil. Iran could blockade the Straits of Hormuz and choke the supply of oil that is necessary to keep the lights on in the Pentagon and the tanks filled in our fighter jets, and double the price of fuel in the United States.

That's why the right set of economic sanctions is so badly needed, and why this conference report and the smart, tough sanctions it contains, advances our agenda of stopping Iran's quest for nuclear weapons.

This bill toughens penalties for those investing in Iran's energy sector and it also includes providing refined petroleum to Iran as a sanctionable offense. This bill also requires that any companies that want to do business with the U.S. government have to certify that they are not engaged in any activities that are considered sanctionable regarding Iran.

I am proud of this bill and what we have achieved as a Congress to bring more pressure on Iran.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Santo Scarpinito and Linda Skidmore, who are retiring from the Northport-East Northport School District this year.

Together, Santo and Linda have contributed more than 65 years of service to the school district and have educated thousands of teachers and students in civic responsibility. They are both founding members of Project PATCH, which is a nationally recognized law and civic education program. Santo and Linda have shown creativity and passion throughout their years as teachers and are an integral force in educating the public about issues in constitutional law and professional development.

As they leave behind their formal roles in the Northport-East Northport School District, they will no doubt continue to educate those within their communities on the values that are so important to Americans.

I am proud to recognize Santo Scarpinito and Linda Skidmore for their invaluable contribution to education.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Walter Hessling who passed away on November 27, 2009.

Walter was one of many courageous men who chose to serve his community as a firefighter. He was a Captain of the Dix Hills Volunteer Fire Department and served his community valiantly for 32 years.

To all of those who knew and loved him, his untimely death will forever be a reminder of his selflessness. His last heroic moment in the line of duty saved the lives of others who he never met. As time passes, the pain will fade, but the memory of Walter will always remain a shining example of truth and goodness to all of those whose lives he touched.

It is at this time we remember Walter Hessling for his bravery and kindness and for his dedication and service to the Dix Hills Fire Department.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Frank Pellegrini, who passed away on March 25, 2010.

Frank touched the lives of people all over Long Island and he will be remembered as a man who showed grace and humility in all aspects of his life. For 40 years, he worked at Farmingdale State College where he served thousands of students and teachers through his roles as an Organic Chemistry teacher and then the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Frank also served for 35 years as the Chief and Commissioner of the Dix Hills Fire Department where his heroic efforts touched the lives of countless members of the community. Frank possessed extreme bravery and a passion for helping others.

Frank Pellegrini will be remembered by all who were fortunate enough to know him, and his memory will remain a fixture in both institutions where he served for so long.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk made in order under the rule.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 2 minutes.

I rise in support of the Israel-Barrow amendment. In particular, I would like to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow) for his leadership and his partnership on behalf of veterans.

This amendment is rather direct. The underlying bill creates a new community bank lending fund for small businesses. It is essential that as we continue our recovery, we expand the amount of credit to America's small businesses so they can buy products and hire people.

Our amendment does three things. One, it ensures that community banks participating in the lending fund prioritize veteran-owned businesses. Two, it requires aggressive outreach in advertising to veteran-owned small businesses. And, third, it requires the Secretary of Treasury, when designating lending institutions in the fund, to focus on veteran- owned businesses.

Mr. Chairman, last year there were 3.6 million veteran-owned businesses in the United States of America; 250,000 were owned by service-disabled veterans. They fought our battles, we should fight for their businesses, and that is precisely what our amendment does.

I again want to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow) for working with me on this amendment. It is the Israel-Barrow amendment, but it might as well be called the Barrow-Israel amendment as a result of the partnership that we brought to this task on behalf of small businesses and veterans.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barrow).

Mr. Chairman, we have proven today to the American people that both sides of this aisle can agree on at least one thing, and that is supporting veterans and supporting small businesses. I am grateful for the bipartisan cooperation that we have received on this.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Frank Pellegrini, who passed away on March 25, 2010.

Frank touched the lives of people all over Long Island and he will be remembered as a man who showed grace and humility in all aspects of his life. For 40 years, he worked at Farmingdale State College where he served thousands of students and teachers through his roles as an Organic Chemistry teacher and then the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Frank also served for 35 years as the Chief and Commissioner of the Dix Hills Fire Department where his heroic efforts touched the lives of countless members of the community. Frank possessed extreme bravery and a passion for helping others.

Frank Pellegrini will be remembered by all who were fortunate enough to know him and his memory will remain a fixture in both institutions where he served for so long.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Walter Hessling who passed away on November 27, 2009.

Walter was one of many courageous men who chose to serve his community as a firefighter. He was a Captain of the Dix Hills Volunteer Fire Department and served his community valiantly for 32 years.

To all of those who knew and loved him, his untimely death will forever be a reminder of his selflessness. His last heroic moment in the line of duty saved the lives of others who he never met. As time passes, the pain will fade, but the memory of Walter will always remain a shining example of truth and goodness to all of those whose lives he touched.

It is at this time we remember Walter Hessling for his bravery and kindness and for his dedication and service to the Dix Hills Fire Department.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding individual in our community, Julianna Marie Petrone.

Julie's dedication to serving veterans and active duty military personnel was evident when she first began her career in the federal service at my Congressional District Office in 2002. Julie served the veterans and military personnel of New York's 2nd Congressional District with such passion and determination that she gave new meaning to the phrase ``above and beyond the call of duty.'' Julie has worked tirelessly to ensure that these veterans and military personnel have received their medals and benefits with the dignity and justice they deserve.

Julie is now taking her call to serve our nation to the highest level. On Sunday May 30, 2010, Julie will be commissioned as 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force and will be serving at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base following Officers Training.

Julie has touched the lives of veterans on Long Island, and now she will touch the lives

of the citizens of our entire nation as she steps into her new leadership role as 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.

I congratulate Julie upon her tremendous achievements and wish her the best in her next step of service.

Madam Speaker, 30 years ago President Carter declared the moral equivalent of war on foreign oil. We have done two things in those 30 years: we have slashed Federal investments in research and development for energy efficiency and renewables by 85 percent; and we have doubled our imports of oil.

In the past 2 years, we have corrected our top down investments. We are investing more in energy efficiency, but we have missed the most critical three words in the debate: return on investment. We need to find ways to make it easier for people to purchase energy efficient windows, to retrofit their homes, and that is exactly what this bill does. It gives consumers rebates of up to $3,000, it lowers utility bills, and it creates jobs. It creates jobs by allowing people to go to their stores to buy their windows and equipment. That means somebody is going to need to manufacture that equipment and install that equipment. This is a way of creating jobs and enhancing our energy security. It is a way of reducing our dependence on foreign oil. This is a critically important bill from a national security perspective and an economic security perspective. I support it wholeheartedly.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a unique group of young musicians from my district, the Michael Jazz Trio.

The Michael Jazz Trio is comprised of three brothers from Central Islip, New York: Matthew, David and Jordan Godfrey. These young men have shared with the Long Island community not only their extraordinary talent, but also their passion for philanthropy. On Saturday, May 1st, 2010, they performed at Central Islip High School to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

I am proud to honor the Michael Jazz Trio for sharing their musical gift with the community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a nonprofit organization that serves my district, Youth Enrichment Services, Inc.

YES has demonstrated an overwhelming amount of commitment to serving the Long Island community. My constituents rely on our nonprofits for the vital services they offer. The continuous selfless acts of those involved with YES are admirable.

I am proud to honor Youth Enrichment Services, Inc. for their extraordinary work in the community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a nonprofit organization that serves my district, Community Development Corporation of Long Island.

CDC has demonstrated an overwhelming amount of commitment to serving the Long Island community. My constituents rely on our nonprofits for the vital services they offer. CDC's continuous acts of selfless efforts are admirable.

I am proud to honor Community Development Corporation of Long Island for their extraordinary work in the community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a nonprofit organization that serves my district, Safe Harbor Mentoring, Inc.

Safe Harbor has demonstrated an overwhelming amount of commitment to serving the Long Island community. My constituents rely on our nonprofits for the vital services they offer. Safe Harbor's continuous acts of selfless efforts are admirable.

I am proud to honor Save Harbor Mentoring, Inc. for their extraordinary work in the community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge a nonprofit organization that serves my district, Saunders Omnipresent Network Inspiring America's Youth, Inc.

S.O.N.I.A.Y. has demonstrated an overwhelming amount of commitment to serving the Long Island community. My constituents rely on our nonprofits for the vital services they offer. S.O.N.I.A.Y.'s continuous acts of selfless efforts are admirable.

I am proud to honor Saunders Omnipresent Network Inspiring America's Youth, Inc. for their extraordinary work in the community.