Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, when I am at home in the district, I am not getting questions about health care. I am getting questions about jobs. People are saying, what are you doing to help create jobs?

Unemployment nationally is at a 26-year high. In my district, it is between 11 and 15 percent, and small business people say to me all the time, new taxes on businesses that can't afford health coverage is not going to help. We all know that leads to fewer jobs and lower wages for workers.

Health care reform is important, but the country can't afford it under the proposed bill. Half of the tax dollars collected by the health care bill's new surtax are from small business. It is terrible for innovation and kills ingenuity, which made America great.

It is the American people that keep this country growing, and they want health reform done the right way, that lowers cost and is affordable.

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to be here today to support Representative DeLauro's Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day resolution.

As has already been mentioned many times this month, October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we see it all over by the pink ribbons everywhere, media campaigns. Throughout the last 30 days, there has been good exposure. The month is nearly over, but the need for breast cancer

awareness and education continues all year long.

October 13 has been recognized as National Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day, and I would like to thank the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network for their continued community outreach.

Awareness and education has assisted in the annual decline in deaths from breast cancer. The Centers for Disease Control has stressed the importance of women receiving regular mammograms, which can help doctors diagnose breast cancer in its early stages, which was my fortunate experience. It is because of these successful programs and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month that encourage early diagnosis before the cancer cells travel from the breast to other parts of the body, including the most well-known and, unfortunately, the places they go the most often, the bones, the liver, the lungs, and the brain. And that describes metastatic breast cancer.

It's commonly known as stage IV breast cancer because it is diagnosed when the cancer has spread to one or more of these distant sites in the body. For all intents and purposes, it is the scariest form of the disease and one that is very difficult to fight. People face reality when they're first diagnosed and are told that they're at stage IV. For others, it's a diagnosis they face later on as they go through their treatment, which is happening to one of my friends currently.

For these women, time is truly of the essence, and the support of family, friends and of the medical professionals is crucial. Sadly, metastatic breast cancer is deadly in most cases, but the good news is that research continues to make great strides in survival rates and in the quality of life for these patients. So I am very proud to support this resolution to designate October 13 as Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

I thank my good friend, Representative DeLauro, who is also a cancer survivor, I might add--long term--for sponsoring this bill.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am very pleased to yield so much time as he may consume to the other sponsor of the legislation, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 1717. Within this request is funding for the Veterans Health Care Center in Charlotte, NC.

We currently have a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic that cannot meet the demands of our growing veteran population. Based on VA numbers, our veteran population is slated to increase 31 percent between 2007 and 2025.

This new Health Care Center will help the VA expand its service offerings in our area, and offer new ones which means that our veterans will not have to travel out of our area for the services they need.

We cannot thank our men and women in uniform--and their families for the sacrifices they make in defending our country. However, with this new Health Care Center in Charlotte, we can ensure that they are taken care of in a matter which fits their dedication and service.

Thank you so much. I really appreciate Ms. Wasserman Schultz for her efforts in organizing this Special Order tonight. I especially want to commend her for the courage that she had in being willing to share her story, because she won't have any idea of how much this is going to mean to people. There will be people that will be touched by what you did for years to come because you were willing to speak out and to do this legislation. So thank you for introducing the bill as well.

As was noted, October is the 25th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And we have made great strides. Just this week, it was announced that scientists in Canada have, for the first time, decoded all of the 3 billion letters in the DNA sequence of a certain type of tumor. And in the process, they found all the mutations, or the spelling mistakes, that caused the cancer to spread. We know there is a lot to be done in this fight. And I'm also particularly concerned about young women who are diagnosed with aggressive cancers. We've been concerned for some time. That's why we worked with the National Institutes of Health and the environmental people to see if there are links there to figure out why young women in their 20s and 30s are developing breast cancer. It used to be an older person's disease.

So there is a lot of work to be done in that area as we move forward.

But in my city of Charlotte, there was a group of young women in their twenties who were survivors of breast cancer, which they didn't expect. They really just felt so alone, and they formed a group called Breast Friends as a support group. The unfortunate part is this group is growing. It's growing a lot faster than we would like to see it grow. That's one of the challenges we're facing is that so many young women are being diagnosed with this disease. That's the reason I'm pleased to be the lead cosponsor on this bill, the EARLY Act.

Representative Wasserman Schultz has done an excellent job, and it does address some of the needs that younger women who are breast cancer patients and survivors have because it's a unique battle. It's different than has been faced in the past when it comes to diagnosis and treatment and decisions that need to be made. It's a lot different than what those of us who are older, who are survivors have had to face and will have to face in the future.

I have always supported breast cancer research funding over these many years, and there is no doubt that it's an important piece of the puzzle, but education efforts like those in the EARLY Act are also an important piece, because most younger women don't think they can get breast cancer and society tends to tell them, Wait until you are older to get a mammogram. Now there is even talk that self-exams aren't really the way to go. Well, I disagree with that. You are a good example of that one.

We all need to help spread the word. We have got a lot of work to do, not only in our districts, but we need to continue this fight to find a cure. So I thank all of the colleagues that have joined us tonight in this Special Order. It means a lot to everyone, and I also know that they're going to go home to their own districts and do all the advocacy work that we all do over a period of time, and hopefully we will find a cure one day.

With that, I yield back.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I wanted to make a couple of points before I do that, and one of them is we can't spend an evening talking about breast cancer without remembering our dear friend JoAnn Davis who was a Member here. And she fought a courageous, courageous battle. She truly did. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed late. She had a very aggressive cancer and she lost that battle a couple of years ago. And it's still hard every time I think of her. She was a tremendous, tremendous person and very valiant.

The other thing I wanted to just mention was when we talk about the awareness that this bill is promoting, women still today don't want to get mammograms simply because they're afraid they will hurt. And you know, I have had so many women say that to me; and then I have other women say, Well, I really don't want to know. And you know, we really need to make women aware that they better find out sooner rather than later. And that's why this legislation is so important.

And men, too. I have two male friends in Charlotte who both have breast cancer and never had any idea--and one of them, unfortunately, because they didn't think he had breast cancer, he isn't with us any longer.

So there is a lot of work to do, and again I commend you for this.

And I have the pleasure of introducing a gentleman who is also new to Congress, and we're delighted he's here, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cao). I will yield to him 2 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following vote. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 743, on motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended--H.R. 2442, Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2009--I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I am a 9-year breast cancer survivor, and I believe that I'm alive today because I was able to access and get the early diagnostic tests that I needed.

In 1999 I knew something was wrong and I went to five doctors, had three mammograms, and they all said you're okay. Finally the sixth doctor said, Let's do an ultrasound. He found my cancer. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened?

Under a government health care system like they have in the U.K. and in Canada, I really wouldn't have had that opportunity to get those tests so quickly and they may have found out too late.

Survival rates for cancer in countries that have government systems are much lower. In the U.K. breast cancer survivor rates are 11 percent lower than they are here in the United States.

So we need to look at sensible policies. We need to not be creating a huge new program for health care that only limits the care that not only cancer patients but all Americans receive.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following vote. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

July 23, 2009.--Rollcall vote No. 622, on agreeing to the Frelinghuysen of New Jersey amendment--H.R. 3288, Making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation, HUD, and related agencies for FY 2010--I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. Chair, I was unable to participate in the following vote. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows: rollcall vote 584, on agreeing to the Flake of Arizona Amendment No. 4--H.R. 3183 Making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies, FY 2010--I would have voted ``aye.''

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following vote. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

Rollcall vote No. 350, on Motion that the Committee Rise--H.R. 2847, Making Appropriations for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, and Science, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes--I would have voted ``no.''

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following votes due to illness. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

June 3, 2009: rollcall vote 298, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Con. Res. 109, Honoring the 20th anniversary of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in the Nation's Capital and its transition to the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure on June 6, 2009, and for other purposes--I would have voted, ``aye''; rollcall vote 299, on motion to suspend the rules and agree, as amended--H. Res. 471, Expressing sympathy to the victims, families, and friends of the tragic act of violence at the combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty, Iraq, on May 11, 2009--I would have voted, ``aye''.

I'm honored to introduce Rev. Troy Ehlke, who gave today's opening prayer. He serves as the Pastor of Care and Counseling at Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife, Cynthia, and son Julian. It is here that he administers pastoral care to a congregation of nearly 3,000 through direct visitation and facilitation of a large lay ministry group. He is also the director of Adult Education and oversees the Sunday school and the Wednesday evening curriculums.

He received his master's degrees in the fields of theology and divinity from Harvard Divinity School, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, and Princeton Theological Seminary. His professional interests center predominantly on the administration of pastoral care and counseling and biblical studies in relationship to community ethics. He has also written two books, and currently is working on his third.

He is a devoted and inspired leader in our community and to those he serves at Christ Lutheran Church. It's a privilege to have him here with us today, and an honor to serve him, his family, and his congregation in the Ninth District of North Carolina.

Madam Speaker, in 1962, Congress passed a resolution recognizing the week of May 15 as National Police Week. Today, I want to thank and honor those brave men and women who daily protect and serve our neighborhoods, and those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.

I also want to extend a special thanks to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. This week, 20 officers from the CMPD and the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office embarked on a 410-mile bike ride to Washington, DC, to honor the memory of all officers killed in the line of duty. These dedicated servants started the annual ride in 2007 after CMPD Officers Jeff Shelton and Sean Clark were killed. Not only do these officers ride to remember their fallen brothers and sisters, but they also raise money for the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, which commemorates the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers.

We must never forget that we are kept safe because of those who take up the charge as law enforcement officers. This week, I join with the 9th District of North Carolina and my colleagues in honoring and remembering these brave men and women who are the truest example of American heroes.

Mr. Speaker, due to illness, I was unable to participate in the following votes. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

May 13, 2009

Rollcall vote 246, on agreeing to the resolution--H. Res. 427, providing for consideration of H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High- Performing Public School Facilities Act--I would have voted ``nay.''

Rollcall vote 247, on motion to suspend the rules and agree--H. Con. Res. 84, Supporting the goals and objectives of a National Military Appreciation Month--I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall vote 248, on motion to suspend the rules and pass--H.R. 2162, Herbert A Littleton Postal Station--I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, I was unable to participate in the following votes. If I had been present, I would have voted as follows:

Rollcall vote 125, on motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 987, the John Scott Challis, Jr. Post Office Designation Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 126, on motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1217, the Specialist Peter J. Navarro Post Office Building Designation Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

Rollcall vote 127, on motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1284, the Major Ed W. Freeman Post Office Designation Act, I would have voted ``aye.''

I recently reintroduced the Scott Gardner Act, which would make it illegal and grounds for mandatory detention and deportation if an illegal alien is caught driving drunk.

Scott Gardner was a beloved father, teacher and husband in my district. And he was tragically killed by an illegal alien driving drunk who remained in our country despite the fact that he had previous DWI convictions. It would aid in the enforcement of our immigration laws by requiring the Federal, State and local governments to all share and collect information during the course of their normal duties. And local law enforcement agencies would have the resources to detain illegal aliens for DWI until they could be transferred to Federal authorities for deportation.

It is a travesty that we in this country allow illegal immigrants to remain here after being found guilty of driving drunk. Some in my district have recently argued that traffic violations are minor offenses. I'm sure Scott Gardner's family and all of the families who have lost loved ones to DWIs would disagree.