Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, more than 21 million children nationwide and 825,000 in Illinois rely on free or reduced-price meals during the school year. Unfortunately, we often forget that these children can go hungry in the summer months, when they are not in school.

Recently, I visited the Share Our Strength Summer Meal Site in Palatine, Illinois. They provide summer meals to students who normally receive reduced-price breakfasts and lunches during the school year. As someone who was on the school breakfast and school lunch program myself, I know that it is imperative we work to reduce poverty in Illinois and that no child should have to miss their meal.

But our local communities cannot fight hunger on their own. That is why I will be cosponsoring the bipartisan Summer Meals Act, which will expand the USDA Summer Nutrition Program to help more children access quality meals during the summer months.

I believe that in the wealthiest nation in the world, no American child should go hungry, and no parent should have to make the difficult decision between paying rent or paying for groceries. Let's work together to stand up for our children by supporting summer food nutrition programs.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following proclamation:

Whereas; Zurich North America has been headquartered in Illinois since 1912, and in Schaumburg, Illinois since 1980, and insures global corporate, large corporate, middle market, specialties and programs sectors through the individual member companies for over 100 years as one of the first European insurers to enter the United States market; and

Whereas; Zurich is extending its long term partnership with Schaumburg, Illinois and the company's over 30 year presence in the northwest suburbs; and

Whereas, Zurich's new headquarters is currently the largest build-to- suit office transaction in the United States; and

Whereas, their 2,500 employees in Schaumburg will be moving to the new, state-of-the-art, sustainable and environmentally friendly headquarters facility; and

Whereas; the new 700,000+ square foot facility will cost $200 million to build and will create up to 700 skilled vertical construction jobs; and,

Whereas; Zurich continues its tradition of supporting its customers and neighbors during moments of tragedy, helping restore and protect business, homes, and families during their hour of need; and

Whereas; Zurich engages with its local communities to support charitable efforts financially and with the time and expertise of their employees;

Now Therefore, be it known that the undersigned Member of the United States Congress, the Honorable L. Tammy Duckworth of the eighth Congressional District of Illinois, hereby recognizes the groundbreaking of Zurich North America's new headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, and congratulates Zurich for its continual commitment to insuring America's businesses.

Madam Speaker, last summer more than 100 businesses attended a forum I held in Schaumburg, Illinois, to learn more about the benefits of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Since then, businesses in my district have told me time and again how the bank's services keep them competitive in the global marketplace and create good-paying American jobs. They know we need to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank now.

For decades, the Export-Import Bank has helped American exporters sell their products overseas. It provides their financing, credit, and insurance to grow their businesses abroad when other options are simply not available. Last year, these investments led to $37.4 billion in exports that created more than 200,000 jobs right here in America.

This week, a USA Today editorial stated:

One of the most vexing economic developments in recent

decades has been the decline in manufacturing jobs. An

industry that employed nearly 25 percent of the workforce in

the 1970s today accounts for only 7.8 percent . . . The loss

of these jobs has reduced opportunities for people without a

college degree to move into the middle class.

Madam Speaker, we can't abandon the American manufacturing and the American middle class. Bring up the bill I helped introduce, H.R. 4950, and let's reauthorize the Export-Import Bank.

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

Mr. Chairman, it is time that we invest in the roads, bridges, and railways that are vital to the economy of this great Nation. Businesses in the Eighth Congressional District need a strong transportation system to send their products across the country.

The companies in my district are investing in their infrastructure, yet our Nation's transportation networks have not kept up. A recent study showed that more than 300 bridges in the Chicago area are structurally deficient. This is simply unacceptable. We need to invest in infrastructure initiatives because all Americans will benefit from the results, be they increases in job opportunities or in shorter drives to work.

That is why I am appalled by the low TIGER funding in this bill as $100 million is nowhere near what my Eighth District and other projects around the country need to get people back to work and our economy moving again. One of these projects is the Fox River Bridge Improvement Project in Elgin, Illinois. This bridge has not been updated for over 80 years and is crucial to the railways of the suburbs of Chicago that transport both commercial freight and commuters. I am disappointed that this bill does not make the investments that will create jobs and make our economy competitive globally.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of the en bloc package, including my amendment which will strengthen our military families.

Madam Chair, last Mother's Day I traveled to Afghanistan with a bipartisan group of Members of Congress. We heard firsthand about the difficult mental and physical challenges our brave servicemen and - women must overcome. One such challenge was their maternity leave policy, which is not in line with the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Currently, the Department of Defense permits Active Duty mothers to take 6 weeks of maternity leave. This is 6 weeks less than mandated by the Family and Medical Leave Act.

My amendment, which is based on my widely supported bipartisan bill, the Military Opportunities for Mothers, or MOM, Act, would give servicemembers the option of extending leave to the same amount that is guaranteed to their civilian sisters. It has received widespread support because my colleagues have heard from female servicemembers and veterans on how bad this policy of just 6 weeks is for the retention of talented women, morale, and mental health.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and give our military mothers a chance at a healthier, stronger future for their families and our country. Extending maternity leave for these women is the least we can do for those who sacrifice so much for our country.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of my amendment which is included in the next en bloc amendment, which will strengthen small business participation in government contracts.

In my district and across the country, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They innovate, know how to operate on a tight budget, and create good-paying jobs. My small businesses in Elgin, Illinois, should be able to win government contracts from the Department of Defense because I know they will do more with taxpayer dollars and provide superior products and services for our military.

This amendment would raise the small business prime contracting goal from 23 percent to 25 percent and establish a subcontracting goal of 40 percent. It would allow small businesses to reap $10 billion annually in new work. These steps will ensure small businesses are able to compete, remain a powerful employment source, and save taxpayers money.

Small businesses are a vital part of Illinois' Eighth Congressional District. That is why last year I came to the House floor to speak on behalf of small business amendments that I offered in the past. This time I am happy to partner with my colleague, the chairman of the Small Business Committee, to fight for this critical pillar of our country.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, women in our military are contributing more than ever. They serve with distinction in Afghanistan and at duty posts around the globe. Women are an irreplaceable piece of the strongest and most capable military in the world.

Now, it is time that we show them the respect they deserve. Today, I am introducing the MOM Act with my colleagues, Congresswomen Bordallo and Noem. It will extend maternity leave for women in uniform from 6 weeks to 12 weeks. This bill would increase leave for military women to the same amount that the Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees their civilian sisters. Women in Federal service also have 12 weeks of maternity leave, yet the bravest among us only receive 6 weeks after the birth of their child.

Mothers and fathers across the Nation understand the importance of maternity leave. More workers return to work if they are given sufficient time to recover. Maternity leave gives us healthier babies and stronger families.

Mothers in the military inevitably face separation from their children when they are deployed and serving our Nation around the globe. Extending maternity leave for these women is the least we can do for those who sacrifice so much for our country.

Mr. Speaker, this Mother's Day, let's stand up for the women who dedicate their lives to standing up for the rest of us. Let's pass the MOM Act.

Mr. Speaker, the Science Chicks, a new club in Mount Prospect, Illinois, represents the future of our country.

These 24 middle school girls built their remote operating vehicle and equipped it with motors and an underwater camera. They did all the electrical wiring themselves from scratch. At a competition at the University of Illinois, their submersible vehicle picked up items from the bottom of the pool's floor.

These girls represent millions around the country that have the ability to achieve greatness in the STEM fields. It is now our job to support them.

When I was in flight school learning to become a helicopter pilot, all the flight instructors asked me to please try to find more women to join the Army flight school. They said that women made excellent natural pilots, but that they were less likely to even come forward and apply to the flight training program than their male peers.

I wonder how many girls around the country could achieve great things in math, science, or even flight school, but are simply unaware of the opportunities that are out there for them. We need to make sure that our public schools have the resources to invest in STEM education and that girls are encouraged to reach their full potential.

This is not only about empowering our daughters, but building the future of our economy and strengthening American competitiveness abroad. STEM education is crucial to providing good jobs for future generations and allowing our businesses to succeed.

Mr. Speaker, let's follow the example of the Science Chicks and support STEM education throughout this country.

Mr. Speaker, today I was unavoidably detained due to a family emergency and missed the following votes:

Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1459. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this motion.

H. Res. 524--Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1459--Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this bill.

H.R. 1228--A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 123 South 9th Street in De Pere, Wisconsin, as the ``Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building,'' as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

H. Res. 524--Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1459--Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act (Rep. Bishop (UT)--Natural Resources). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this rule.

An amendment, offered by Ms. Tsongas, numbered 3 printed in House Report 113-385 to preserve the ability of the President to declare as national monuments those that provide for the ``protection or conservation of historic or cultural resources related to American military history,'' regardless of their size. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor from H.R. 2988.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, March 25, 2014, I was unavoidably detained due to a family emergency and missed the following votes:

An amendment, offered by Mr. Lowenthal, numbered 1 printed in Part B of House Report 113-374 to require States to implement the June 30, 1983 Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement stream buffer zone rule, unless a State has a program with greater stream protection. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this amendment.

An amendment, offered by Mr. Cartwright, numbered 2 printed in Part B of House Report 113-374 to ensure that States maintain the ability to issue their own stream buffer rules. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this amendment.

A Motion to Recommit, offered by Mr. Bera. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this amendment.

H.R. 2824, a bill to amend the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 to stop the ongoing waste by the Department of the Interior of taxpayer resources and implement the final rule on excess spoil, mining waste, and buffers for perennial and intermittent streams, and for other purposes. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this bill. H.R. 2824 is another cynical attempt to threaten the clean air and clean water my constituents in Illinois' 8th district rely on. Passage of this bill would undoubtedly open up our precious waterways to toxic mine waste and roll back the gains the Clean Water Act, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), and Endangered Species Act have had for our communities. I have voted in the past to limit the materials that can be dumped in our waterways, including an amendment by Mr. Moran on H.R. 2609, and would have voted again to protect the miles of waterways and numerous communities that would be affected under H.R. 2824.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, March 24, 2014, I was unavoidably detained and missed the following votes:

H.R. 3060--``To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 232 Southwest Johnson Avenue in Burleson, Texas, as the ``Sergeant William Moody Post Office Building''.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

H.R. 1813--``To redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 162 Northeast Avenue in Tallmadge, Ohio, as the ``Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Post Office Building''. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the unemployment rate for veterans is more than 10 percent. 900,000 veterans receive food stamps each month. Nearly $104 million in food stamps were redeemed at military commissaries in fiscal year 2013, yet the majority has repeatedly failed to bring the extension of unemployment insurance to a vote.

Since it expired last year, more than 2 million individuals, including 200,000 veterans, have been cut off from this vital lifeline.

I know firsthand how important this program is for hardworking veterans. After I completed flight school and returned home to Illinois, I relied on unemployment insurance to help me transition back to civilian life.

The unemployment rate for veterans recently separated from the military is now sitting at 10 percent. 246,000 veterans who served since 9/11 are now out of work.

For those coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, this transition has been especially challenging. They have enough to worry about without suffering from cuts to unemployment insurance.

Taking an up-or-down vote on extending unemployment insurance is the right thing to do, Mr. Speaker. We need to renew this for those searching for jobs and those who are getting back on their feet.

Our veterans and unemployed have not given up on finding work, and we cannot give up on them.

Mr. Chair, I strongly support efforts to make sure that government regulations are not overly burdensome and do not needlessly harm business growth.

In fact the very first piece of legislation I introduced--the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act--sought to help small businesses lower the costs of complying with federal regulations.

But I am very concerned that H.R. 899 goes beyond well intentioned efforts to make the regulatory process more accessible to stakeholders, and instead seeks to give big businesses a voice so loud that it drowns out American consumers.

In particular, Section 10 of the bill, which would allow the private sector exclusive early access to the rulemaking process, will give just one stakeholder unnecessary and unfair influence.

Increasing stakeholder input in the rulemaking process is a worthy goal, and businesses should certainly be a part of that, but we can't govern only on behalf of one stakeholder.

Our government should work for all Americans, not just some.

And we have a responsibility to balance the priorities of our society as a whole with the interests of business.

When we're talking about a rule that governs whether moms and dads in Illinois can have peace of mind that the food their children eat won't make them sick, or that a worker at a manufacturing facility in my district doesn't have to choose between a paycheck and their workplace safety--the stakes could not be higher.

The concerns of these Americans should not matter less than those of corporations seeking to maximize their profits. They deserve a seat at the table as well.

This amendment seeks to level the playing field and improve transparency for all Americans.

It would simply give individuals the same rights provided to corporations under this bill.

I urge my colleagues to vote yes on this common sense, good government amendment that will stand up for the rights of all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, Mary Pakos of Villa Park, Illinois, is one of my neighbors; and she needs Congress to extend unemployment insurance now. Mary has 16 years of experience in human resources, with seven of those as a manager. Yet she has been unemployed now for 3 years, but it is not for the lack of trying. She has sent out more than 500 resumes and has gone through interview after interview after interview with no success.

She worries about losing her house and how she will support herself in retirement. You see, she recently turned 60, and she knows how tough it can be to find work at her age.

But that doesn't stop Mary from looking for jobs for hours every day. It does not stop her from spending hours every week volunteering at her local church in Elmhurst, Illinois, because she cares so much about her community. Mary is not giving up, and we shouldn't give up on her either.

Many Americans like her want to find work and simply can't. Punishing them by taking away unemployment benefits is a terrible mistake. Let's put our partisanship aside and extend unemployment insurance now for our families and our businesses.

I thank the gentleman.

Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago, my National Guard aviation battalion was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. We performed missions ranging from forward refueling point operations to air assaults all across the battlefield in Iraq. We were so effective that the multinational forces headquarters assigned us to help Active Duty aviation units to fly their missions as well as our own. Yet when we first reported to coordinate these missions, our Active Duty counterparts welcomed us literally by dismissively saying, Well, here comes the JV team.

Despite this less than friendly welcome, my Guard unit seamlessly integrated and carried out not only our own, but also their Active flight missions as well. In the process, we gained trust and mutual appreciation and respect.

We have come so far as a Nation and as a military. For 12 years, our Guard and Reserve units have fought side-by-side with our Active Duty counterparts in combat zones all over the world. This Nation spent precious blood, sweat, and treasure to build a fully interchangeable, cost-effective operational reserve that has been key to our successes in defending our Nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. To squander this investment and divest our training and equipping of the reserve forces is a huge disservice to our taxpayers and to our national security.

The Guardsman is ``twice the citizen,'' relied on heavily by our Governors and generals alike. They respond whether the duty station is a mountain pass in Afghanistan or the flooding banks of the Mississippi River.

The Guardsman is one-third the cost of an Active Duty soldier or airman. The Guardsman is the least expensive asset our military has and a critical and complementary component of our overall force structure.

We are a better Nation with a better military than to dismantle the sacrifices made on the battlefield with false claims of National Guard and Reserves' lack of capability. For 22 years I have served in the Reserves and in the Guard, the last 8 years of which were without pay.

I certainly have devoted much more than 39 days a year to serving my Nation as a military pilot; and so have my fellow Guard troops, whose sacrifices and capabilities are often underrepresented and under appreciated.

I urge my colleagues to join me in helping preserve the operational capability of the Guard in this year's National Defense Authorization Act.