Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 3481) to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify Federal responsibility for stormwater pollution, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (S. 4058) to extend certain expiring provisions providing enhanced protections for servicemembers relating to mortgages and mortgage foreclosure, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Fernando Jose Molleda Ramirez, who was with us from December 21, 1976 through August 22, 2008.

Beloved son of Oscar and Elia Molleda; loving brother to Diego and Diana. You are dearly missed by your family and friends for the profound way you touched our lives and always sought to bring out the best in us. Your efforts will be long remembered and will continue to drive us in the future to exceed our expectations of what we are capable of accomplishing.

I have only slipped away into the next room. Whatsoever we were to each other, that we are still. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you always used to. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effort. Life means all that it has ever meant. It is the same as it ever was, there is absolutely unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of your mind because I am out of your sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well. Nothing is past, nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before, only better, infinitely happier and forever--we will be one with God.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Troop 184, Blue Ridge Council, of the Boy Scouts of America, on a momentous achievement. As of October, all five original members of Troop 184 have now attained the rank of Eagle Scout. As an Eagle Scout myself, I know the dedication, character, and commitment that each Scout has shown, and I am proud to recognize them for their hard work and their service to their community.

I would also like to recognize the remarkable leadership of Scoutmasters Kevin Dawson and Eugene Moorefield III. Kevin Dawson has also received the award of Silver Beaver from the Blue Ridge Council for his dedication to the Boy Scouts. Mr. Dawson and Mr. Moorefield's truly exceptional leadership and dedication have helped to instill in these young men values that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. I am honored to recognize their service and leadership.

I ask you to join me in congratulating Gavin Dawson, James Moore, Lee Merryman, Hart Gillespie, and Martin Moorefield for their impressive achievements. These young men have shown the finest qualities of citizenship, leadership, and service, and I look forward to seeing them contribute to their communities for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I recently introduce the ``Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act'' or ``Campus SaVE Act''. This bill will help better protect our Nation's college and university students from sexual assault and other forms of intimate partner violence.

Recent events on campuses across the Nation have come as a shocking wake-up call to many of us about the issue of dating violence. While not often thought of as a college problem, nearly a third, 29 percent, of college students reported physically assaulting a dating partner in one study by the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire.

Sexual assault is also more widespread than often believed. Between one-fifth and one-quarter of female undergraduates will be the victim of a completed or attempted rape, in nearly all cases by an acquaintance or intimate partner, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, DOJ, although fewer than five percent report to the authorities.

More than 13 percent of women also reported having been stalked in a single school year according to the DOJ.

The Campus SaVE Act would update 18-year-old provisions in the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, Clery Act. These longstanding provisions already require sexual assault awareness programming and victims' rights, but don't address the full range of intimate partner violence or incorporate the latest lessons learned about how to successfully prevent and respond to these challenges.

Our bill would amend the Clery Act so that it covers a more inclusive range of intimate partner violence including stalking, dating violence, sexual violence, or domestic violence. It would also expand the education programs institutions must offer to include primary prevention and bystander intervention. This will empower the students themselves to know how to intervene, and to do so safely, something the University of Virginia has led the way in discussing. Violence prevention experts believe that this type of bystander intervention is a critical piece of the solution because these incidents often aren't reported to campus or other officials, and fellow students are in many ways the true first responders.

It would also require a discussion of consent and information about the scope of intimate partner violence at each institution.

One reason these crimes aren't more widely discussed is that all too often their victims do not come forward to seek justice or even assistance. They feel they will not receive the support they need, or even worse that they will be revictimized by a process not set up to handle their report properly, according to the victim advocates I consulted with. Many end up transferring or leaving school altogether.

For these reasons, the Campus SaVE Act would also provide for a more robust framework of victims' rights in these cases designed to better guarantee a supportive structure. Victims would have a right to prompt proceedings conducted by officials trained in the issues of sex offenses and intimate partner violence.

The proceedings would also use the preponderance of the evidence standard, the standard used in any civil court proceeding across the United States, rather than a higher burden such as clear and convincing or even the beyond a reasonable doubt. This will guarantee the accused significant due process, while not making it more difficult than necessary for institutions to effectively respond to threats to campus safety.

Finally, the Campus SaVE Act provides for the U.S. Department of Education to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Justice, leveraging their experience from administering the Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus program, to compile and disseminate best practices information. While ensuring campuses have the latitude to develop programs that work best for their own unique

communities, this will guarantee institutions have the tools they need to develop effective programs without significant experimentation or expense.

I would like to thank the team at Security On Campus, Inc., SOC, the national non-profit group founded by Jeanne Clery's parents, Connie and Howard, after her rape and murder on her Pennsylvania campus in 1986, for their support in developing this legislation and for their full endorsement. Liz Seccuro, herself a survivor of campus rape at the University of Virginia in 1984, has been especially inspiring in her support of our work and I want to commend her for her courage in coming forward publicly so that the current generation of students can receive the protection she was denied.

I would also like to thank Kristen Lombardi and Kristen Jones of the Center for Public Integrity. Their year-long expose ``Sexual Assault On Campus--A Frustrating Search for Justice'' ran earlier this year, along with companion segments on NPR, exposing many of the gaps the Campus SaVE Act will help to fill.

Madam Speaker, the scope of intimate partner violence significantly undermines the billions of taxpayer dollars we invest in higher education. The Campus SaVE Act will help protect this investment, but more importantly our most valuable asset--our children and our future. College campuses should be a safe and secure place of learning, not a place where anyone feels uncomfortable or unsafe.

Thank you very much for your leadership on this issue.

This is a great day for American job creation, for the American worker, and a very sad day for American politics.

This is simple. If we give the American people, the American worker and American business a level playing field, they will still out- compete the world. We can still make it, build it and grow it better in America than anywhere else, if we give that fair playing field.

What could be simpler than going after China for manipulating its currency and unfairly dumping its products and pushing out the much- needed American manufacturing base that we must be rebuilding rather than suffocating?

If ever there was something we should be able to come together on, it should be standing with American workers instead of Chinese corporations and Chinese rule-breaking. And yet here we have a debate rather than unity.

Earlier today, we fought to extend health benefits to our heroes and their families from 9/11. And while we cheered and saluted, many on the other side of the aisle sat on their hands. Aren't these commonsense things that the American people are begging us to come together and focus on? Commonsense solutions. This is our chance--to fight for American jobs, like the steelworkers in my district. Six thousand manufacturing jobs lost to China in my district alone and 24,000 family members of those who have lost their jobs.

For those who want to play games with this issue, it is long past time to do what is right.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the University of Virginia Women's Rowing Team for their victory at the 2010 NCAA Championships on May 30, 2010. This victory gives the University of Virginia its 20th National Championship in school history.

I commend Head Coach Kevin Sauer and Associate Head Coach Steve Pritzker for their leadership. I also wish to recognize the members of the First Varsity Eight, Coxswain Sidney Thorsten, Jennifer Cromwell, Katrin Reinert, Desiree Burns, Kristine O'Brien, Martha Kuzzy, Helen Tompkins, Nora Phillips, and Summers Nelson, and the members of the Second Varsity Eight, Coxswain Cristine Candland, Victoria Burke, Marie Long, Lauren Hutchins, Sarah Borchelt, Caroline Sweeny, Christine Roper, Claudia Blandford, and Lauren Shook. These young women exemplify the best tradition of the student-athlete: hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence in sport, in academics, and in teamwork.

The Cavaliers' Varsity Four, Ruth Retzinger, Hunter Terry, Chelsea Simpson, Inge Janssen, and Coxswain Sarah Pichardo, were also victorious in their own event, finishing more than a boat's length ahead of their closest competitor. Their NCAA Championship marks the final victory in an undefeated season. They are the seventh crew team in Virginia history to win the award, and the first since 2007. I congratulate these dynamic young women for their tremendous hard work, and for the leadership and inspiration they brought to the entire Women's Rowing Team.

I congratulate the women of the rowing team for their exciting victory. Their hard work, determination, and competitive spirit are a credit to the University of Virginia and the Commonwealth. I invite my colleagues to join me in congratulating these impressive student- athletes on their accomplishment.

Madam Speaker, today I wish to recognize Eureka Elementary School of Keysville, Virginia, which has been honored as a 2010 Blue Ribbon School by the Department of Education. Eureka Elementary has worked hard to achieve this prestigious honor, and I am proud to congratulate Principal Andy Heintzleman, the staff, and the students of Eureka on their success.

The Blue Ribbon Award for improving schools is given to schools that show dramatic improvements in achievement for disadvantaged students. These schools are leaders in education reform and sharing best practices, helping to disseminate information that can be used to improve education across the country. The Blue Ribbon Flag that will now fly over Eureka Elementary School will stand as a beacon to schools throughout the Nation--a signal of the power of education to change lives and unlock the potential in every child.

Eureka Elementary has shown us all what teachers and students can accomplish with dedication, collaboration, and hard work, and I am confident that they will build on this award both within their own community and to assist other schools in achieving such a high standard. I congratulate Eureka and its community again on their momentous achievement, and I look forward to seeing them lead the way in educating our Nation's children for generations to come.

Madam Speaker, today I wish to recognize Oliver Kuttner and the Edison2 team for their victory in the Progressive Automotive X Prize competition. Their leadership in developing the affordable and efficient American-made technology of tomorrow is an inspiration to us all.

The Very Light Car, which took home the first prize in the X Prize competition, is a groundbreaking technological innovation. Its aerodynamic design, combustion engine, and use of lightweight materials allows it to achieve 102.5 miles per gallon, and it has the lowest carbon footprint of any car entered in the X Prize competition. These properties helped the Very Light Car beat contestants from around the world to win the first prize of $5 million. It is a testament to the power of American ingenuity and to the tremendous promise of American made-technology for the future.

I am proud to say that the Edison2 team is only getting started. These world-class engineers, scientists and machinists are blazing the path towards the future of efficient, sustainable, and American-made transportation. They will now work to incorporate their innovations into commercial car production, leading the way to the new energy economy. I congratulate them on their innovations, and I eagerly anticipate their future triumphs.

Thank you very much, Chairman Payne. History will look kindly on your willingness to speak up and fight for those who had no voice in this body. Mr. Hoyer, our leader, your willingness to commit to this issue and to answer the call of Matthew 25, to serve those who are the least among us, is one, I believe, will resonate as well.

Tonight we have a simple question: When we say ``never again,'' do we mean it? When we say ``genocide, never again,'' ``crimes against humanity, never again,'' ``women and children dying, 30,000 a day, from hunger and preventable disease, never again,'' it's easy to put on a bumper sticker, it's easy to say at a public event, but making it a reality is never simple.

We face today, without the luxury of ignorance, the knowledge that people suffer around the world unspeakable atrocities, and for too long that has included the people of Sudan, throughout Sudan. Today we focus primarily on the important issue of democracy and peace for those who have suffered for two decades in southern Sudan, but we also know that the Comprehensive Peace Agreement cannot be used to hold hostage the women, children, and vulnerable of Darfur and Blue Nile region and other areas.

We sit here today with an opportunity to shed light, and, more importantly, to produce results for those who have suffered for too long. It is not enough for this to be something we speak from this floor or even something that we use when we engage directly in our diplomacy and conversations with Sudan.

This is larger than that. It must rank up when we talk to Egypt, Russia, China, and others who do so many dealings with this regime, a regime that I believe is ultimately irreparable.

We can now say that we will support the Democratic process for Southern Sudan and ensure a fair referendum. And we know from the history of this country that supporting democracy is not something we do because it's easy. We do it because it's right. It's not something because it happens overnight. It's something we support because we know through the arc of history bending towards justice, we move towards a more democratic and free

world, and that that should apply as much to the people of Sudan and the continent of Africa as it does here for those blessed enough to be born in the United States.

And we also know, and I know from my experience of working in areas such as Sierra Leone, that democracy and fair elections are not something that happen on the day of the vote. They are something that must be built towards by ensuring a fair process of registration, of accountability, of avoiding the kind of intimidation and corruption that builds up in these situations.

And I think it's important to note that we are keeping an eye on this early, but we must be vigilant. The people of Darfur and the people of Southern Sudan have a chance to speak.

One of the greatest gifts of the Greatest Generation was the idea of global security in a world of expanding freedom and democracy. In the same way, they have handed that torch to us. As Americans, they asked us to make sure we were looking on that in terms of the community of nations.

And we've seen good bipartisan support. I want to recognize the leadership of Congressman Frank Wolf and Senator Brownback and others who've been willing to shed a light on this issue and speak up, not just on peace vaguely, but the reality that we must be willing to hold this regime accountable even when that's difficult, even when that costs us diplomatic points.

With indicted world criminals like Haroun who are put into government positions after having overseen some of the worst atrocities of the last 25 years, we must ask ourselves whether we mean never again, whether we're serious about justice and accountability.

I've spent time with the rebel groups in Darfur. I've spent time with those who are suffering under decisions, criminal decisions, horrific decisions made by these individuals. Yes, we must start with this comprehensive peace agreement, we must not allow it to backslide. But we must also see this as the beginning of a process of ensuring justice and accountability more broadly.

One of the great Sudanese figures of the modern era, Manute Bol, recently passed away. In fact, he spent his final days in a hospital in my district having given away literally everything he had--not just his financial resources but every ounce of energy he had in his soul and body to ensure this. He is just the tallest and most symbolic and known of those who have given their lives in the fight for democracy and freedom for those in Southern Sudan.

We must not allow Mr. Bol and others to have died in vain. Those who are in a position to ensure otherwise, including those in this body on both sides of the aisle, must stand up and ensure those that who had the courage to stand up and demand what was right, that we had their back, that we had their back when it came to diplomacy and economic negotiations, when it came time for a commitment to peacekeeping and multilateral operations that are so important, to those who have given tireless hours, and those who unfortunately are not here to see this through to completion.

We are at a moment where, after years of struggle, we are brought to the edge of the promised land. There is a chance for us to see this through. Let us ensure a fair and just election process for Southern Sudan. Let us use that as a springboard to ensure democracy and basic justice and decency for the west, the east, the north, and the center of Sudan as well.

I thank Mr. Hoyer. I thank Mr. Payne. I thank all of those who have spoken up. And I hope that this will not be another case where we sit by and let ``never again'' echo silently and powerlessly through the ages, but instead we look back proudly on what we stood up to do as Americans and as human beings.

Thank you for yielding.

This is a great day, and this is a great program. This is the kind of commonsense approach people are looking for right now to help cut costs for families that are struggling and help put construction crews back to work that are desperately under demand in this economy.

Here we have a chance to help support American construction, using American-manufactured products to reduce the electric bills of rural America, including seniors on fixed incomes, including middle class families and working class families. It is the kind of common sense that has always made this country stronger and more vibrant. Here we are at a time when construction is down that we can be stepping up to renovate the building stock that we have, and we know in our rural communities our building stock is less efficient than in much of the rest of America.

So here we have a chance to make our rural communities more competitive and more livable, the utilities as partners, because the only limiting factor here is up-front capital. We know that the market can drive the rest.

So helping the utilities to provide that up-front investment, to unleash construction crews going to work to renovate homes, using American manufactured products like insulation, double-paned glass, window film--including the best window film in the world that we can make in southern Virginia in my district--that reduces electric bills.

If you are a senior on a fixed income and you have seen your electric rates go up and up, there is nothing you can take out of that budget. You don't have some party budget that you are going to give up. It's a fixed income. If we can help reduce that electric bill, that's more money for food and for transportation and for other needs that our seniors and our working families face. We can unleash what we do best, making things, building things, growing things in America and saving money for the average American who is so stretched right now.

We should not delay. We should pass this today on a bipartisan basis. We should make sure the Senate follows suit because this is the kind of common sense that can support those construction jobs we need, those manufacturing jobs we need, and that economic relief that our working and middle class families desperately need.

I urge all of my colleagues to be part of this commonsense solution and get us building and making things in America again today.

Give America a chance and America will outcompete the world. Give American business a chance, and it will outcompete China and the world. Give American workers a chance, a level playing field, and we will outcompete the world. We can build things, make things, and grow things better in this country than anywhere in the world if we give a level playing field. We have a chance once again today to level that playing field and let America win again.

We can do that by closing this outsourcing loophole that rewards companies for sending jobs overseas. And we can do it in a way that also provides relief to our small business owners, who are trying to work hard and play by the rules. Well-intentioned efforts to make sure people were not cheating on their taxes, to make sure people were paying their burden, can also be done in a way that doesn't cost those who have been working hard and playing by the rules.

We have a chance to do two great things today. We have a chance to level that playing field so that America can win in manufacturing, in agriculture, in forestry, in farming. These are things we can do better than anyone when we don't have the trade deals and the tax code that rewards all the worst things of sending those much-needed American jobs overseas. And we can do so at the same time by reducing that regulatory pressure on small business.

We worked hard this year to support our small businesses, with the Small Business Lending Fund that is dying in the Senate, with tax credits for small business, too many of which have died in the Senate. Here is a chance today to provide relief to small business, and most importantly, to level that playing field so that we can make it in America again, so that we can have those good jobs that make the middle class and working class in this country thrive, that reward entrepreneurship and innovation, that reward people who work hard and play by the rules. This is an opportunity today that is beyond Democrat and Republican. It's just about common sense and making a difference in the economy.

Washington should have the same sense of urgency I feel back home every weekend when we talk to small business owners. This is a chance for us to come together, to do good things to let America win again. This is important for American business, for American workers, and for American families.

I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to be part of the solution.

I rise in strong support of this amendment to give 1.5 percent in the Land and Water Conservation Fund for recreational public access, including hunting and fishing. Thirteen million hunters in the United States generate $67 billion in economic activity every year and account for 1 million jobs. But beyond the dollars and cents, this is about a way of life, about heritage, and about time with families spent together.

So for our sportsmen, it's not enough just to ensure their rights, but to ensure there's a place to exercise those rights; and this is a huge step forward to make sure that those recreational activities have a place for us across the United States.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor two brave firefighters from Rocky Mount, Virginia, who passed away on July 26, 2010.

Earlier this week, Fire Chief Posey W. Dillon and volunteer firefighter William Daniel (Danny) Altice were tragically killed in a fatal traffic accident while responding to a house fire in Rocky Mount, Virginia. While we mourn this heartbreaking event, we are reminded of the risk our first responders assume every day to protect us all. Throughout Franklin County and the 5th District, we are in mourning over the passing of these two courageous men, who committed themselves to the service of others.

Fire Chief Dillon was a man of remarkable faith, who strove to serve his community throughout his life. From 1980 to 2000, he served on the Rocky Mount Town Council, including 8 years as Vice Mayor. In 2006, he was reappointed to the Town Council and reassumed his position as Vice Mayor two years later. Additionally, he spent 33 years with the Rocky Mount Volunteer Fire Department. During this time, he rose up through the ranks, becoming Chief in 1990, a position he would hold for 20 years. His vision and leadership throughout his 30 years of civic involvement helped shape the town of Rocky Mount and his legacy will continue long after his passing.

Danny Altice began as a volunteer firefighter at the age of 20 and served the Rocky Mount community for over 47 years. During his distinguished career, he spent seven years as Fire Chief from 1977 to 1984, and was awarded the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Service Recognition Award by the Rocky Mount Volunteer Fire Department. He helped teach younger members of the department how to handle difficult situations and could always be counted on for his leadership through challenging circumstances. In becoming a firefighter, he followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a founding member of the Rocky Mount volunteer force. His legacy will be carried on by his brother, who serves as a firefighter in Rocky Mount, as well as his son, who serves in Boones Mill.

My heart and prayers go out to the families of our fallen heroes and to the entire Rocky Mount community, which has lost two of its finest. In remembrance of their sacrifice, I have requested that two flags be flown over the United States Capitol and then presented to their loved ones. On behalf of Virginia's 5th District, I honor the passing of these heroes, and ask that their legacies be remembered for years to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of a leader in the Martinsville, Virginia, community, Mr. J. Clyde Hooker, Jr., who died on Monday, July 12.

Born December 20, 1920, J. Clyde Hooker, Jr. was the son of J. Clyde Hooker, Sr. and Mabel Bassett Hooker. He graduated as valedictorian from Virginia Military Institute in 1942, and soon after, joined the allied troops in Europe during World War II. He served until 1946 when he was discharged with the rank of Captain. During his service in the Third Army, he was decorated with the Bronze Star and three campaign stars.

Upon returning from abroad, Mr. Hooker began working at his father's furniture business starting out in the factory before entering sales. In 1960, he was elected president of Hooker Furniture and during the ensuing 40 years, took the business to new heights. His ability to recognize changing trends and implement new manufacturing methods enabled the company to grow from 375 employees to over 2,000 and to increase sales from $4.4 million to $250 million. His peers recognized him as a giant in the furniture industry, inducting him into the American Furniture Hall of Fame in 1997. Yet, Mr. Hooker will be remembered throughout the Martinsville community for far more than just his contributions to the furniture industry.

Mr. Hooker was active as a philanthropist throughout Martinsville, helping support programs that benefitted a wide range of interests. He provided for children through his support of the local YMCA and Boy Scout troops, for the arts through his donations to the Piedmont Arts Association, for animals through his contributions to the local SPCA, and for the less fortunate through his gifts to the Martinsville-Henry County United Way. Mr. Hooker, however, gave far more than monetary contributions. He dedicated his time to these organizations and provided them with advice and support. As one local leader stated, ``He made everybody feel like they were the most important person in the world.''

Most notable, however, was his dedication to his employees. His workers admired him and he treated them as equals, often visiting with them on the floor of the manufacturing plant. Additionally, he and his mother set up the Hooker Educational Foundation to provide scholarships to children and spouses of Hooker Furniture employees.

Mr. Hooker's passing, our community lost a leader and dear friend who can never be replaced. His memory will live on in all of the lives he touched. Mr. Hooker is survived by his devoted wife, Katherine; his daughter Katherine, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. On behalf of Virginia's 5th District, I honor the passing of one of our finest business visionaries and magnanimous philanthropists, and ask that his legacy be remembered for years to come.