Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, every year more than 3 million Americans have their identities stolen. That is one every 10 seconds. These incredible statistics show that identity theft both online and offline is not slowing down. Just this past week we learned of another incident where up to 40 million identities were compromised.

The last Congress overwhelmingly approved legislation known as the FACT Act, and President Bush signed it into law. It helps you to protect your identity by providing a free credit report every year, requiring creditors who lent money in your name to a thief to help you clear your name, and creating a single place where a fraud alert can be put on your credit history and honored all across America.

Congress has taken steps to strengthen identity theft laws, but the bad guys are still out there, and commonsense precautions are the key to help Americans from becoming victims.

Mr. Speaker, people do not give the keys to their house to complete strangers, and that same lesson applies to identity theft. I urge all Americans to guard the keys to their identity as we in Congress continue to find aggressive solutions.

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day for metropolitan Atlanta. For the first time in quite a while, Georgians can breath easier and healthier.

According to the EPA, the air quality in the Atlanta area is better today than it has been for over a quarter century. In fact, the region has made significant strides when it comes to the environment. Custom fuel, periodic automobile emission checks, and curbing industrial emissions have all contributed to these much-improved results.

In fact, the environment is shaping up, and air quality is on the rise all across the Nation. Reports have shown that in the 1990s levels of air pollution decreased, for lead by 60 percent, for carbon monoxide by 36 percent, for particulates by 18 percent, and for ozone by 4.

We in Georgia are on our way to building on this news. Thanks to the commitment made by citizens and business and elected officials, a true partnership has developed. Today I congratulate the hard work of all of those who have made this possible and look forward to even more environmental success in the Sixth District of Georgia and all across this great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, pension plans are on the minds of the American people. Just typing the words ``pension plan'' into an Internet search engine yields over 4,000 returns in less than a second.

Americans are very concerned about their retirements. Couples who were planning where they will spend their golden years now are trying to figure out what to do with shrinking pension checks, as businesses struggle to fund their pension plans.

Government and taxpayer bailouts are not fair to the public, and they are not a solution to the problem. Recent hearings here in the House have made the case crystal clear as experts have said that they think we need industry-specific reform.

United Airlines recently dumped their pension plan onto the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation, so now thousands and thousands of their employees face an uncertain future and the PBGC goes billions of dollars further into the red. This is a no-win situation for everyone involved.

Mr. Speaker, let us take action. Let us be proactive, and let us pass much-needed pension reform now.

Mr. Speaker, the need to secure our borders has never been greater. Thousands of illegal immigrants are crossing our borders on a daily basis, and every public service is taking a financial hit from illegal immigration. Whether it is education, health care, or law enforcement, our State and local governments are being stretched to the limit.

That is not even the worst of it. Illegal Mexican immigrants are given a 32-page guidebook, paid for and contributed by the Mexican Government, providing tips on how to obtain benefits, avoid arrest, and blend into our society once they have crossed our border.

Recently, a Denver area police officer was shot and killed by an illegal immigrant. That illegal alien had been pulled over and ticketed three times in the previous 7 months by officers who never asked him about his immigration status, even though he had only a Mexican driver's license and no insurance. The sad thing is that the officers did everything correctly, according to the police manual.

Mr. Speaker, our immigration policies are badly broken. When they get in the way of justice being served, it is time for strong enforcement of our laws and to secure our borders.

Mr. Speaker, scandals at the United Nations have been going on for far too long and are far too many. Oil-For-Food scandal, UNICEF scandal, peacekeeping operation scandal, the list goes on and on with no end in sight. The days of giving the U.N. a blank check must come to an end.

Accountability and ethics must return to the United Nations. Somewhere in the mess of Saddam Hussein collecting kickbacks, workers collecting pay checks for work they never did and poor management of funds, it was forgotten that the goal of the U.N. was to provide assistance to those who need it most.

The case for reform could not be more clear. When an organization lacks the fundamental institutional control that is needed to operate in a fair and unbiased manner, changes must be made.

The time to streamline and prioritize programs and hold those in charge at the U.N. accountable has come. The focus of the United Nations has shifted from its intended purpose of protecting people and ensuring humanitarian aid to scandals that make the headlines in the tabloids and embarrass the world.

Mr. Speaker, it is time we ensure that the future of the United Nations is not a story of scandal, but a story of success.

Mr. Speaker, in classrooms across the country, schools are making the grade when it comes to No Child Left Behind. In my home State, Georgia is making significant gains. The achievement gap is narrowing as students in schools are held accountable for their performance. Educators know that merely promoting students to the next grade level is not the solution to low test scores.

In 2002, 64 percent of African American fifth-graders passed the State math test compared with 86 percent of white students, a 22 percentage point gap. Now, thanks to No Child Left Behind, 80 percent of African American students passed the test, compared with 92 percent of white students, a 10 percent improvement.

In 2002, 71 percent of Hispanic third-grade students passed the State reading test compared with 90 percent of white students, a 19 percentage point gap. This year, 86 percent of Hispanic students passed the test compared with 96 percent of white students. Again, nearly a 10 percent improvement.

Mr. Speaker, No Child Left Behind is working. Student test scores are rising. But more importantly, students are leaving the classroom with the fundamental skills necessary to succeed at the next level and in life.

Mr. Speaker, America's health care system is indeed in need of fixing on so many levels. You can lose count of the number of problems that it has. One of the major issues is cost.

Recent studies show that the average American pays close to $4,000 a year on health care. However, that figure pales in comparison to the $11,000 that health care costs for America's seniors each.

The last time this study was conducted in 1989, the average cost was only $2,200. Health care has become big business and big government, and patients are further removed from their doctors. Decisions that should be made between doctors and patients are now being decided many times by somebody else. Rising costs affect everyone: patients, doctors, and even small businesses that can no longer afford health insurance for their employees.

Regardless of who pays, patients should have a choice when it comes to their health care, plain and simple. H. Res. 215 would do just that. As we move forward, we must be on the patients' side; they know what is best for themselves.

Madam Speaker, June is Homeownership Month and the housing market continues to be a catalyst for a growing economy. Just last quarter, growth figures were revised higher, growing at a 3.5 percent annual rate. For the past 2 years, the U.S. economy has grown faster than the economy of any major industrialized nation. Since May of 2003, over 3.5 million jobs have been created with 24 straight months of job growth. That is 2 years of putting people back to work, 2 years of more people collecting paychecks. What is even more impressive is the fact that the unemployment rate dropped to 5.1 percent, the lowest level since 9/11.

Many things are behind these positive job numbers, but one thing in particular is the strength of our housing market. Homeownership is at near record levels with nearly 70 percent of American families now owning their own homes. Sales of existing U.S. homes climbed 4.5 percent in April. In 2004, home prices posted the biggest gain in 25 years.

Madam Speaker, these steady gains are great news. They show that more people are working, more people are collecting paychecks, more people are owning their own homes, and more people are realizing the American Dream. This direction should be celebrated.

Madam Speaker, the airline pension crisis has proven that the skies are not so friendly for many airline employees getting ready to retire.

Retirement plans that included dreams prepared for over a lifetime are now replaced with just trying to make ends meet. An airline dumping their pension plan is not a solution. This jeopardizes the retirement for thousands and maybe millions of hard-working Americans and increases the burden on our government and taxpayers.

Over the past 2 years, the PBGC and the American taxpayers have assumed

close to $10 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, $10 billion.

Is this a winning formula? I do not think so. Just ask over 100,000 United employees having to plan for a future that looks much cloudier today.

H.R. 2106 allows airline carriers to adopt new funding rules for their defined pension benefit systems. This plan, a solution, requires airline carriers to meet their obligations and decreases the need for a taxpayer bailout.

Madam Speaker, this is a solution that could not come at a better time. This legislation is a win-win-win solution, for the airlines, for airline employees, and most importantly, for the American taxpayer.

Mr. Speaker, as we head home for the Memorial Day recess this weekend, let us take a look at all of the accomplishments of our Republican-led Congress so far this year: bankruptcy reform, class action fairness, REAL ID Act with immigration reform, permanent repeal of the death tax, continuity of government, comprehensive energy policy, and many others that I would like to list, but the time is too short.

All of these bills were overwhelmingly bipartisan and overwhelming

common-sense, good government legislation. Constituents will appreciate the fact that Republicans are listening to their concerns and taking positive, productive steps to reach solutions.

There is much work to do, and we are methodically getting that work done. It may not be flashy, but it is responsibility in action, and Americans appreciate this. Republicans will continue to tackle the tough issues of the day rather than pass the buck on to future generations. Americans may not read about it in their newspapers or hear about it on the nightly news; however, solutions are happening here and now.

Mr. Speaker, success is defined in terms of solutions, not in terms of rhetoric, and solutions are what Republicans are bringing to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 167) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at noon on Monday, May 30, 2005, unless it sooner has received a message from the Senate transmitting its concurrence in House Concurrent Resolution 167, in which case the House shall stand adjourned pursuant to that concurrent resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the business in order under the Calendar Wednesday rule be dispensed with on Wednesday, June 8, 2005.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor America's military men and women. As we approach Memorial Day, our grateful Nation says thank you to those who have sacrificed so much in the name of freedom.

We here at home often show our appreciation for all that our troops have done by sending care packages, letters and phone cards to them while they serve, but our appreciation for their efforts, their courage, and their valor go far beyond the battlefield. These selfless acts of heroism have helped maintain our most fundamental freedoms, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans, all earned with the help of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

At the same time, we have a responsibility to our veterans and their families. While Memorial Day is filled with parades and festivals in many towns across the country, let us not forget its true meaning: A heartfelt thank-you to those who serve our country.

Madam Speaker, I encourage all Americans to join me in thanking America's military men and women in all they do for us. Their sacrifices have proven that we should never underestimate the price of freedom and all it stands for.

Mr. Speaker, as a third-generation physician, I have seen our health care system drive patients and doctors further and further apart. The problem with our current system is that patients are prevented from having immediate control and ownership over critical health care decisions.

Right now, employers or the government determine which health benefits are included in an insurance policy, and it may not be what the patient needs or wants. When patients voice their concerns, insurance companies respond with a deaf ear because the patient cannot change the policy. They are excluded from that decision.

Nearly nine out of ten companies with fewer than 200 employees offer only one health plan. What this means is that the person most affected by the health care, the patient, has little or no input into the type of coverage they have. Patients should be able to control their health care.

Mr. Speaker, we should think about health care in a way that gives patients the power to select who takes care of them and where, that puts health care choices back in the hands of patients.

Defined contribution plans do this, and they are the hallmark of H. Res. 215, the Health Insurance Patient Ownership Plan. I ask my colleagues for their support on this new initiative.