Floor Statements

I thank my friend from California.

Madam Speaker, today I want to give voice to real women and girls who sought abortions after 20 weeks.

The sad truth is that for disenfranchised women, it often takes more than 20 weeks to overcome the roadblocks encountered on the path to what is a constitutionally protected procedure. They may struggle to pay for the procedure, risk losing their jobs if they request time off or lack full information about their bodies, having never received sex education or seen a gynecologist.

Each woman facing these decisions is unique. Their voices have gone unheard in this Chamber, but they are Americans who deserve laws that protect them. So before this vote, I wanted to share their stories.

Sandra and her husband had no car, no Internet, and no health care. It took them weeks to find an abortion provider. They had to save up for the procedure for time off of work, for child care for their kids, for the 80-mile taxi ride from Clewiston, Florida, to West Palm Beach. By that time, the facility they found could not help her. They had to start over and save up even more, take even more time off to see a Fort Lauderdale doctor who could help them.

At 17, Helga was in a witness protection program. She was raped as a child and later bore a daughter who was later taken in by protective services. After leaving drug treatment in Florida, Helga was 20 weeks pregnant, but she wanted a chance to put that path behind her. It was only the compassion and generosity of her abortion provider, her doctor, who gave her that chance. Today she's taking care of herself and reconnecting with her daughter.

At 13, Michelle often had irregular periods. Yet when she skipped two, thought she had one and skipped another, she got scared and told her mom. She didn't know she was pregnant. Her disabled mother was barely able to feed Michelle and her four siblings as it was. So Michelle and her mother agreed that Michelle needed to have an abortion. But this whole process took time. Finally at 22 weeks, Michelle and her mom secured an abortion with a provider, a doctor who could assume the costs.

I ask my colleagues to please answer these women with compassion and vote down this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment would strike the provision in H.R. 2217, which states:

Funding made available under this heading shall maintain a

level of not less than 34,000 detention beds through

September 30, 2014.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has interpreted this provision, which has been in past appropriations bills, to require the maintenance of a daily detention population of 34,000 people. This detention bed mandate ties the hands of ICE and restricts its discretion to make detention decisions even when release could be appropriate. Indeed, this is an unprecedented mandate for law enforcement as no other law enforcement agencies have a quota for the number of people that they must keep in jail.

This detention bed mandate is a drain on ICE's limited resources. On March 19 of this year, I participated in a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing with ICE Director John Morton that addressed this issue. Director Morton explained that ICE had interpreted language in the previous continuing resolution as requiring the agency to keep ``a yearly average daily population of approximately 34,000 individuals.'' Accordingly, ICE has been maintaining an average daily detention population well over 34,000 people with the numbers fluctuating between 35,000 and 37,000 people. Due to this fiscally unsustainable mandate, ICE released more than 2,000 individuals earlier this year to avoid burning through its detention funds.

Detention is extremely costly, and it strains ICE's limited budget in an era of fiscal restraint. Mandating ICE to keep 34,000 detainees in custody each day forces ICE to forgo alternatives to detention that would save taxpayer money. In fact, a single detention bed is approximately $122 per day; and with additional administrative costs, it can rise to $164 a day. Meanwhile, alternatives such as ankle bracelets, parole, telephonic, and in-person reporting, curfews, and home visits can run from 30 cents to $14 per day.

By untying ICE's hands by striking this minimum detention population requirement, we can allow ICE to pursue effective alternatives and make budgetary savings. ICE agents could use these savings when focusing on their many additional responsibilities, such as cracking down on drug smuggling, human trafficking and child pornography--all priorities which are shared by Republicans and Democrats alike.

I would like to thank my friend, Congressman Bill Foster, for his dedication to this issue.

Detention takes an enormous toll on our communities, and mandating ICE detain 34,000 individuals a day does not secure our borders or make us safer. The Deutch-Foster amendment would strike this arbitrary provision from the bill, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster).

Mr. Chairman, I have a letter of support for this amendment that is signed by 66 local, national and State groups, which I submit for the Record.

June 5, 2013.

Re H.R. 2217--Support Rep. Deutch's Amendment to Eliminate

the Immigration Detention Bed Mandate

Hon. John Boehner,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi: As

organizations that work to protect and advance the rights of

individuals in immigration detention, we write to encourage

bipartisan support of Rep. Deutch's amendment (co-sponsored

by Rep. Foster) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Appropriations Act, H.R. 2217, that would eliminate the

immigration detention bed mandate.

Congress has mandated through appropriations that DHS

maintain a daily immigration detention level of 34,000

individuals, a micro-managing approach that does not exist in

any other law enforcement context. DHS already uses a Risk

Assessment Tool to help determine whether an individual

presents a risk of flight or a risk to public safety and

whether that person should be detained. Yet the bed

``mandate'' precludes the agency from making decisions about

detention based on its enforcement priorities, policies, and

need. It also makes increased efficiencies, effective

alternatives to detention, and other cost-savings efforts for

taxpayers impossible--an irresponsible approach for the

federal government to take when Washington seeks to reduce

federal spending. Alternatives to detention have received

bipartisan support for its cost-savings from groups such as

the Council on Foreign Relations' Independent Task Force on

U.S. Immigration Policy, the Heritage Foundation, the

Pretrial Justice Institute, the Texas Public Policy

Foundation (home to Right on Crime), the International

Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Conference

of Chief Justices.

Today, taxpayers pay upward of $2 billion a year to fund

immigration detention, approximately $5.5 million each day.

Decades ago, criminal justice and correctional experts

observed that holding all individuals subject to

incarceration in jails or prisons was unsustainable,

unnecessary, and a wasteful use of resources. It is common in

the criminal justice system to use an array of less costly

custody options, such as electronic monitoring and house

arrest, to meet pre-trial and post-sentencing needs. The

federal sentencing guidelines expressly allow substitution of

a prison sentence with alternatives to incarceration. The

immigration detention system should follow suit and conform

to established best practices.

We urge you to support this important amendment, which will

eliminate this arbitrary immigration detention quota and save

critical taxpayer dollars. Please feel free to contact Royce

Murray with any questions.

Sincerely,

National Organizations

Adrian Dominican Sisters.

All of Us or None.

American Civil Liberties Union.

American Friends Service Committee.

American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Americans for Immigrant Justice, formerly Florida Immigrant

Advocacy Center.

America's Voice.

Arab American Institute.

Congregation of St. Joseph.

Detention Watch Network.

Human Rights First.

Immigration Equality Action Fund.

Japanese American Citizens League.

Justice for Immigrants.

Justice Strategies.

League of United Latin American Citizens.

Lutheran Immigration Refugee Service.

NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

National Center for Transgender Equality.

National Council of La Raza (NCLR).

National Immigrant Justice Center.

National Immigration Forum.

National Immigration Law Center.

Physicians for Human Rights.

Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Sisters of St. Francis, Sylvania, OH.

Sisters of St. Joseph, TOSF.

Sisters of the Most Precious Blood, O'Fallon, MO.

Sisters, Home Visitors of Mary.

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT).

Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC).

Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Advocates for Human Rights.

The Center for APA Women.

UC Davis Immigration Law Clinic.

Women's Refugee Commission.

State Organizations

Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma.

California Immigrant Policy Center.

Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Legal Services for Prisoners with Children.

Maria Baldini-Potermin & Associates, PC.

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition.

New York Immigration Coalition.

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.

OneAmerica.

Pax Christi Florida.

Political Asylum Immigration Representation Project.

Scott D. Pollock & Associates, P.C.

Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Justice Team.

Vermont Immigration and Asylum Advocates.

Voces de la Frontera.

Local Organizations

Capital Area Immigrants' Rights Coalition.

Dominican Sisters of Houston.

Gesu Immigration Study Group.

Good Shepherd Immigration Study Group.

Gospel Justice Committee Sisters of the Most Precious Blood

of O'Fallon, MO.

Immigration Taskforce, SWPA Synod, Evangelical Lutheran

Church in America.

Justice and Peace Committee/Sisters of St Joseph/West

Hartford, CT.

Justice for Immigrants, District 4 & 5.

Milwaukee New Sanctuary Movement.

PCUN, Oregon's Farmworker Union.

Reformed Church of Highland Park, NJ.

Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester.

University of Miami School of Law Immigration Clinic.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I stand here today because the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, SNAP, is not a form of government waste. There is nothing wasteful about a program that, through providing modest assistance to low-income families, has nearly eliminated severe hunger in the United States of America.

The average SNAP benefit provides only $1.40 per meal. Already, this forces many seniors and families with young children to skip meals throughout the week or face a shortage in food by the end of the month. We already know that children who go hungry are more likely to struggle in school and face serious health problems and less likely to escape poverty as adults.

The GOP's proposed cuts to SNAP of $20 billion amount to punishing children who struggle with hunger that is beyond their control. Don't we have a national interest in protecting families who are struggling to feed themselves?

Our budget is a moral document. And, Madam Speaker, there is nothing moral about abandoning America's families and American children who are struggling with hunger.

Mr. Speaker, it was President John F. Kennedy who famously said, ``Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.''

Last week, some members of the United States Senate took the easy way out when they voted down the most basic measures to curb gun violence in America.

Today, I ask my friends and colleagues in this body, Democrats and Republicans alike, to pray for the courage to stand with the American people and to refuse to accept the profound failure of the United States Senate. For the parents of those children lost in Newtown and for the families of the nearly 86 Americans who die of gunshot wounds every day, there are no easy days.

Doing what's right, like stopping criminals from buying weapons online and cracking down on illegal gun trafficking, will not cost anyone a vote at the ballot box, for the American people know that these measures don't threaten the Second Amendment; they only protect the rights of all Americans to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Mr. Speaker, too many lives have been lost, and too many lives are on the line not to get something done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of 11 outstanding seniors from my district that have been selected to be part of the Broward Senior Hall of Fame. Through the generous donation of their time and resources, these exemplary seniors have displayed a level of commitment to public service that can be admired by all.

The Aging and Disability Resource Center of Broward County offers this annual distinction to seniors who have dedicated themselves to improving their community in South Florida. From ordinary citizens and businesspeople to public servants and advocates, they have gone above and beyond to serve both the elderly and those in need. The amount of time, money, and effort these individuals have expended for the betterment of their community is truly admirable and exhibits a level of passion worthy of recognition.

Congratulations to Judge Arthur Birken, Florida Representative Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed, Josephine D'Espies, Pauline Grant, William Giroux, Sandra Harris, Dr. Robert Levy, June and John McCarthy, John Primeau, and Margaret Reilly on their election to the 2013 Senior Hall of Fame. I hope that by honoring them they can continue to inspire South Floridians to live by their example.

Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to have the opportunity to welcome one of my constituents, Rabbi Robert Silvers, of the Congregation B'Nai Israel in Boca Raton, Florida, as he offered the opening prayer here today. He is a leader in the Jewish community in south Florida. His life epitomizes the Jewish tradition of tikkun olam--bettering the world.

Rabbi Silvers' impact is felt well beyond the 1,200 families of Congregation B'Nai Israel, with pastoral work and care that he provides not only to his own congregation but also to the greater local community as a volunteer chaplain for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. He has served as president of the Palm Beach County Board of Rabbis and as president of the Greater Boca Raton Religious Leaders Association, an interfaith coalition of clergy. Rabbi Silvers has been involved in education and interfaith dialogue throughout south Florida.

I'm proud to call Rabbi Silvers and his wife, Ava, friends. I welcome them and all of his congregants who watched

on C-SPAN as he delivered this meaningful prayer.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Richard D. Steinberg, who recently received the Mitzvah Society Award from the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. Rich is a respected financial advisor, dedicated community leader, and generous philanthropist who I am also proud to call my friend.

That Rich has received this prestigious award should be no surprise. Rich is known to his friends and colleagues as a compassionate leader who always puts the well-being of his family, clients, and community above all else. These qualities have contributed to his success as a Chartered Financial Analyst and as President and CIO of Steinberg Global Asset Management. In this role, Rich helps individuals, companies, philanthropists, donors and other clients manage their investments so that they can achieve their goals.

While Rich's professional life alone is worthy of admiration, it is his involvement in the South Florida community that truly sets him apart. A proud Jewish American, Rich's commitment to his community has led him to serve in many leadership roles for the Jewish Federation for South Palm Beach County and the Jacobsen Jewish Community Foundation. Rich serves on the Governance Committee for the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) of the Jewish Federation for South Palm Beach County, and is Vice Chair and Investment Committee Chair of the Jewish Federation for South Palm Beach County's Foundation Executive Committee. He has also helped secure millions of dollars for local projects in South Florida while balancing these efforts as a devoted husband to a lovely wife and an energetic father who regularly volunteers at his children's schools.

Rich is a model citizen whose dedication to faith, family, friends, and clients has made an immeasurable impact on our community. It is truly an honor to recognize his contributions today.

Mr. Speaker, every budget should be viewed through the lens of the American people. The hardworking Floridians I represent want to

know: Does the Ryan budget put Americans back to work or back on unemployment? The moms and dads I represent want to know: Does the Ryan budget invest in our children or does it ignore our outdated public schools? The small business owners I represent want to know: Does the Republican budget fix our rigged Tax Code or does it protect special interest loopholes? The retirees I represent want to know: Does this budget protect Medicare or does it abandon seniors in the face of skyrocketing health care costs?

The answer is: no. No, the Ryan budget will not put people back to work. No, it doesn't invest in our schools. No, it does not end special interest giveaways. No, it does not protect Medicare.

The Ryan Republican budget does not stand by our communities, and it doesn't invest in our future. That's why I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Republican budget.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Go SOLAR Broward Rooftop Solar Challenge, a U.S. Department of Energy grand- funded program that encourages residents and businesses of Broward County to convert to solar energy. I would like to applaud the program and its sponsors for establishing a simplified and streamlined process for Broward County residents and businesses to obtain photovoltaic rooftop solar systems.

I have been a long time supporter of solar power as a way to create new jobs in South Florida and move our country towards a more secure energy future. With some of our nation's most beautiful environmental treasures, including our beaches and the Everglades, I believe these natural resources must be protected by further investments in renewable energy options. Improving our access to innovative clean energy technologies will help curb our dependence on fossil fuels, thereby benefitting our environment, economy, and national security.

The Go SOLAR Broward Rooftop Challenge provides an important service to the county by making solar power more accessible to local residents and businesses. I am thankful to this conference for bringing together government officials, local businesses, and private citizens committed to solar energy to share information and resources. I want to particularly thank Kristin Jacobs, Broward County Mayor, for her leadership in spreading green energy to the region. Congratulations to the Go SOLAR Broward Rooftop Challenge team and all of the conference participants for taking action to spread solar power resources to South Florida.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of the 25th Silver Anniversary of the Young Israel of Boca Raton, Florida synagogue. I would like to recognize them for their service to the Jewish community of South Florida and the local community as a whole.

Founded in 1988, the Young Israel of Boca Raton has served as a center of Jewish identity and education for the South Palm Beach County community. I want to particularly acknowledge Yakov (Jason) and Ruchie Lyons, the special honorees during the Silver Anniversary celebration, for their dedication to the synagogue and its emphasis on prayer, study, and community service.

I would like to congratulate the Young Israel of Boca Raton synagogue, an extraordinary Jewish community of South Florida, on their 25th Silver Anniversary. Hopefully, through their example, the Young Israel's philosophy and spiritual guidance can extend far beyond South Florida.

Mr. Speak, today I rise in honor of Doctor Susan M. Widmayer and the Children's Diagnostic and Treatment Center (CDTC). I would like to honor both Susan and the CDTC on their excellent research on infant mortality and efforts to improve the lives of children and their parents.

Founded in 1983 by Dr. Widmayer, the Children's Diagnostic and Treatment Center in Broward County has made great strides in providing special care for children with disabilities and mothers with HIV. When the CDTC started, Florida had one of the worst infant mortality rates in the country. As a result, Dr. Widmayer and her staff committed to improving the health prospects of children throughout South Florida. Thanks in part to the research by the CDTC, world HIV transmission rates from mother to infant dropped from 25 percent in the mid '90s to around 3 percent today.

When no one else would care for the tens of thousands of children with impoverished parents, Dr. Widmayer answered the call. Approximately 70 percent of the Center's clients live in poverty, but that has not stopped the CDTC from providing prevention, intervention and treatment services. Every patient that walks into the CDTC is welcome, regardless of family income. By serving the specialized needs of these children, Dr. Widmayer is giving them the opportunity and care that no other institution would.

Today I would like to honor Dr. Widmayer and the Children's Diagnostic Treatment Center, and I hope that they will continue to serve our communities by improving the lives of children throughout South Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Alliance for Lupus Research's tenth annual Walk With Us To Cure Lupus. Since its creation, Walk with Us To Cure Lupus has promoted awareness in our community and raised over one million dollars in support of medical research aimed at curing this disease.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system attacks normal, healthy tissues. The underlying causes are unknown, and there is no cure. This disease may cause damage to various parts of the body including skin, joints, and internal organs. As a chronic disease, those who suffer from lupus can endure months of symptoms that may reemerge as flares throughout their lives.

It is estimated that over 1.5 million Americans have lupus, including 100,000 people in my home state of Florida. The worldwide total is now over 5 million. It is important that we continue to support research to develop better treatments and find a cure, educate our friends, families, and health care professionals to improve diagnosis and treatment, and promote awareness of this disease and advocate on the behalf of those who are affected by it.

I am especially proud of the many Floridians who have contributed to these efforts. In particular, I would like to recognize my good friend and the district director for Florida's 21st Congressional District, Wendi Lipsich. Wendi was diagnosed with lupus 25 years ago. While she is well-known for her energetic advocacy on behalf of seniors, children, and families throughout our community, she deserves special recognition today for her contribution to the Alliance for Lupus Research. Ten years ago, with the help of her friends Allison Rubin and Randy Netko, Wendi launched the first annual Walk With Us To Cure Lupus event in South Florida. Eight hundred people attended the first walk in 2004 and raised $200,000. Each year since, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised exclusively for the purpose of research into curing lupus. In total, the Alliance for Lupus Research has committed $81 million to develop a greater understanding of this disease and find a cure.

This weekend on March 3, 2013, hundreds of participants will join together at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida to walk together in support of lupus research. I commend all of the participants and donors that will make the tenth annual Walk With Us To Cure Lupus a success. Congratulations to Wendi, Allison, and the other organizers of this year's walk. Together, you are providing hope to the millions of families touched by lupus and bringing our nation closer to finally discovering a cure.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today disappointed that my amendment to the Require a PLAN Act has been left out of this rule.

This bill is bad political theater. Not even the devastatingly dangerous Ryan budget could achieve the balanced budget in 2014 this bill demands of the President.

Setting this silliness aside, my amendment would address a separate issue: this bill's use of the phrase ``unified budget'' and the inclusion of Social Security as part of that unified budget. This is a blatant attempt to nullify Social Security's historic independence from the Federal budget. Social Security is funded by the payroll tax. It was created with its own revenue stream so these hard-earned benefits would never fall victim to the political shenanigans of a Congress like this one.

As President Franklin Roosevelt said:

With those taxes in there, no damn politician can ever

scrap my Social Security.

Mr. Speaker, Social Security is not an item in the budget. It is social insurance that protects all Americans against destitution due to old age, a disability or illness, or the death of a breadwinner.

Workers have built up $2.7 trillion in the Social Security trust fund which ensures that benefits will be paid in full at least until the mid-2030s. I have called for small adjustments to strengthen Social Security for the long term, and I'm ready to have that debate. But to put Social Security on the general budget's ledger as America's largest generation retires is simply beyond the pale.

This bill, Mr. Speaker, puts Social Security on the GOP chopping block. This is a dangerous precedent. We cannot allow the accounting tricks in this bad legislation to endanger the Social Security that keeps so many Americans financially secure.

President Truman said:

Social Security is not a dole or a device for giving

everybody something for nothing. True Social Security must

consist of rights which are earned rights that are guaranteed

by the law of the land.

Today, Mr. Speaker, these earned rights of millions of Americans are in jeopardy, as is that guarantee. We must vote down this rule and we must vote down this bad bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 834, which urges the European Union to take steps to swiftly designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Despite its history of violent civilian attacks, our European partners in fighting terrorism as a whole have yet to formally recognize Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization. Mr. Speaker, the failure of the EU to gain consensus on this matter serves as a grave injustice to those who have been the victims of terror attacks masterminded and carried out by Hezbollah throughout the world.

From the suicide truck bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983 that killed 63, the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in October 1983 that killed 241 American military personnel, a separate attack on the French military compound that killed 58, as well

as the hijacking of TWA 847 in 1995 and Hezbollah's role in the 1994 bombing of the Israel-Argentine Mutual Aid Association in Buenos Aires that killed 85, right up to the terrorist attack this summer at a Bulgarian airport that killed six, Hezbollah has shown its propensity to attack civilians and to attack them anywhere in the world. It's also shown its propensity to attack even within Lebanon, where the group is responsible for the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Hariri.

Hezbollah and its state sponsor Iran continually spread anti-U.S. and anti-Israel rhetoric and excitement, with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah recently threatening to rain down rockets on Israel ``from the Lebanese border to Jordan to the Red Sea, from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat,'' prompting harsh rebukes from several prominent members of Lebanon's Parliament.

By failing to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Hezbollah is free to continue its operations, including recruiting and fundraising in Europe.

Mr. Speaker, we deeply value our relationship with our European allies, including our joint commitment to combatting terror around the globe. We appreciate their partnership in enacting crushing sanctions designed to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions, but we do not understand the failure of our friends to join together in stopping this organization's reign of terror. That's why we are here this morning speaking about House Resolution 834.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I'd like to thank my friend, Congressman Kelly, as well as Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for their leadership on this issue.

My friend, Mr. Engel, the incoming ranking member, I look forward to working with you, continuing to work on these vitally important issues.

I urge my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to support this resolution.

I thank my friend from Maine.

I rise today and urge unanimous support for H.R. 6443, to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Sunrise as the Bill Kling VA Clinic.

Naming this clinic after Bill Kling is more than a way to honor the memory of a great man. It's a most fitting way to acknowledge one of Bill's greatest accomplishments as a tireless advocate for south Florida's veterans.

Because of Bill Kling, Florida's veterans are better cared for. Year after year he fought for the benefits that our veterans so rightfully earned during their service, including education under the GI Bill and health care through the VA.

His achievements were many, but it was the opening of the clinic in Sunrise that Bill was the most proud of. He had previously assisted with the establishment of an outpatient clinic in Oakland Park. As the years passed and the facility was no longer suitable to care for the veterans, he started on what would be a 13-year project of establishing a new facility. After years of obstacles, the clinic opened in 2008 on his birthday. He commented at the time that the fight was not for a building, the fight was for better health care for our veterans. Now, thanks to Bill Kling and thanks to his vision, veterans in south Florida have a local VA health care facility available to them. The veterans from the west side of the county are able to receive medical assistance without the burden of having to travel long distances.

I urge my colleagues to join me in renaming this clinic in his honor. Every veteran cared for in this clinic is part of Bill's lasting legacy. I'm humbled to remember him today not just as a community leader but as a friend. I commend Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, my good friend and colleague, for her introduction of this bill and her comments honoring the memory of Mr. Kling. He truly was caring and compassionate, a loyal person and a loyal friend. He made everyone who crossed his path feel as though they were the most special person he knew.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, when we announced the legislation to rename this facility at the facility there were some veterans standing out in front waiting to go in. They asked what the hubbub was about, and they asked why all the TV cameras, and I explained to them who Bill Kling was and why this was being done. They were grateful for the opportunity to know, and now veterans just like those veterans, when they walk through the front door, will learn not only about Bill Kling but will learn of his example as a veteran for continuing to work hard every single day for his fellow veterans. What a great honor we're bestowing on his family by honoring his memory in this way.

Again, I urge my colleagues to unanimously support H.R. 6443, honoring this late, great American.