Xavier Becerra

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I was meeting with President Obama at the White House on immigration reform earlier today and missed rollcall votes 453-460. If present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall votes 453, 454, 457, 458 and 460 and ``nay'' on rollcall votes 455, 456, and 459.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained last evening and missed rollcall vote 350. If present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained earlier today and missed rollcall vote 332. If present, I would have voted ``no.'' (By unanimous consent, Mr. Upton was allowed to speak out of order.) Announcing the Death of Former Member Carl Pursell of Michigan

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, June 3, 2009, I missed rollcall No. 295-300. If present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall votes 295, 297, 298, 299 and 300 and ``nay'' on rollcall vote 296.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Medicare Savings Program Improvement Act of 2009 with my colleague Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). Senator Bingaman (D-NM) is introducing similar legislation in the Senate. This legislation makes long overdue improvements to the Medicare Savings Program by providing additional assistance to modest income seniors for their health care out-of pocket expenses. Numerous advocacy groups have endorsed the bill, including AARP, Families USA, Consumers Union, the Center for Medicare Advocacy, the Medicare Rights Center, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the National Council on Aging, and the National Senior Citizens Law Center. Currently, the Medicare Savings Program provides needed financial assistance for more than 6.2 million of the sickest and most vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries. The program has three major categories of beneficiaries: Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries (QMBs), Specified Low- Income Medicare Beneficiaries (SLMBs) and Qualified Individuals (QI). These categories provide varying amounts of benefits to Medicare beneficiaries whose annual incomes are less than 135 percent of the federal poverty level (annual incomes of $14,623 for an individual and $19,670 for couples in 2009) and annual resources are no more than $4,000 for individuals and $6,000 for couples. Unfortunately, the Medicare Savings Program does not reach many eligible beneficiaries because the benefit rules are very restrictive and confusing, and it is difficult to apply for the program. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that only 33 percent of eligible QMBs and 13 percent of eligible SLMBs actually are enrolled in the program. This enrollment rate is much lower than other federal benefit programs. For instance, 75 percent of eligible beneficiaries receive the Earned Income Tax Credit, 66 to 73 percent of eligible recipients enroll in the Supplemental Security Income program and 66 to 70 percent of eligible beneficiaries enroll in Medicaid. The National Academy of Social Insurance found that many potential beneficiaries do not apply for these benefits because they incorrectly assume that they have too many resources. And for many more modest- income Medicare beneficiaries, the extremely low asset test of the Medicare Savings Program disqualifies them from receiving these important benefits. A 2002 Commonwealth Fund study found that only 48 percent of those who met the income requirements for the Medicare Savings Program in effect that year also met the asset requirements. This inability to access the Medicare Savings Program benefit has real consequences for these seniors and individuals with disabilities. MedPAC has cited a study finding that QMB qualifying nonenrollees were twice as likely to avoid visiting a physician because of cost than QMB enrollees. As a result, QMB qualifying nonenrollees are more likely to access hospital emergency rooms than QMB enrollees. Both the National Academy of Social Insurance and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in separate studies cite similar reasons for the low enrollment in the Medicare Savings Program. They include: enrollment in Medicaid offices (welfare stigma), asset reporting, lack of awareness (79 percent of unenrolled eligible beneficiaries never heard of the program), hard-to-reach population (eligible individuals are older, poorer, sicker and often cannot read or speak English), and a burdensome application process (two-thirds of enrollees need help with the application). Recognizing the shortcomings of the current program, Congress did make modest, but important modifications in the rules of the program last year. As part of ``The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act'' (P.L. 110-275), Congress allowed seniors to begin their application process in Social Security offices, modestly increased asset limits and eliminated a provision that allowed states to recover assets upon a beneficiary's death. These provisions did simplify the application process, make more individuals aware of the program and increase outreach to hard-to-reach individuals. However, much more needs to be done. Even with these changes, the Medicare Savings Program's current design still makes it difficult for eligible seniors to enroll for the benefits and its eligibility requirements are significantly stricter than the Medicare low-income drug subsidy program. Recognizing these issues in 2008, MedPAC recommended that Congress raise the Medicare income and asset criteria to conform to the low-income drug subsidy and standardize program requirements so that the Social Security Administration could screen low-income drug subsidy applicants for federal Medicare Savings Program eligibility. In response, the Medicare Savings Program Improvement Act of 2009 proposes to accomplish three goals. First, the bill aligns the Medicare Savings Program with the low-income drug subsidy program by reducing it to two beneficiary categories and standardizing the definition of income and assets for both programs. Second, it would expand access by increasing the income eligibility limits for Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries up to 150 percent (an annual income level of $16,245 for individuals and $21,855 for families in 2009) and Specified Low-Income Beneficiaries up to 200 percent (an annual income of up to $21,660 for individuals and up to $29,140 in 2009) of the federal poverty level. And annual resource limits would be raised to $27,000 for individuals and $55,000 for families. Representative Doggett has introduced legislation that changes resource and income limits for the Medicare low-income drug subsidy program to the same levels as this bill. Finally, the bill continues to simplify the application process. For instance, the legislation makes it easier for non-native English speaking Medicare beneficiaries to access enrollment materials. Improving the Medicare Savings Program will create increased access to health benefits for our sickest and poorest seniors and the disabled. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and ensure that low-income Medicare beneficiaries are able to fully access the important health benefits provided by Medicare.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained yesterday and missed rollcall vote 279. If present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, this past November 2008, the American people made a decisive choice to change the course of American policy. We wanted change. We asked for change. And that's what we got. Today we vote to set in motion further change in the conduct of our foreign and national security policy. H.R. 2346, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009, asks us to make some tough choices to achieve that change. President Barack Obama is prepared to make the tough choices. I believe we must step up to the plate and do the same by voting for H.R. 2346. It is the right choice to responsibly redeploy our troops from Iraq, to secure and stabilize Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to aggressively pursue every avenue of diplomacy to secure international support and cooperation for new policies that will lead to lasting security and prosperity for every corner of the world. Some might question aspects of the President's strategy. Some might think we can move faster, farther, or smarter. That could be right. But in its totality, this proposal is far-reaching yet pragmatic about the facts we face on the ground in today's global hot spots. In addition to funding for military operations, this measure includes a number of important policy provisions and support for the tools of ``soft power'' that will save lives. It is high time that we make real investments in American diplomacy--investments that put men and women in suits on the frontline before placing our men and women in uniform in harm's way. The Supplemental Appropriations Act extends the prohibition on construction of permanent military bases or installations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The President will be required to provide Congress with a detailed plan to close the detention facility at Guantanomo Bay. And this legislation will compensate our troops who have had their service compulsorily extended. Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, I am troubled by the Iraqis' lack of progress in taking control of their security and economy. I am concerned about how we will navigate the treacherous waters of Afghanistan and now Pakistan. I firmly believe our government and our military must have a coherent exit strategy in the region. Yet I see in this legislation the elements of a long-term strategy to change the course of affairs in a challenging part of the world where we cannot go AWOL. These are tough times filled with tough choices. But, today, the world believes we are ready to lead. Let us support the President. Give him a chance to take our country in a new direction. Let us pass the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained earlier today and missed rollcall vote 219 on ordering the previous question on H. Res. 372, providing for consideration of H.R. 1913. If present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Stated against:

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. I thank the chairman for yielding, and I congratulate him on his work, once again, in putting forth a budget that America can be proud of. Madam Speaker, when President Barack Obama took office, he inherited a plane that was in a fast nosedive into the ground. He said we're going to pick up America and do the best we can. Many Americans have recognized that, but some haven't. I would like to give you the words of a couple of Americans who have recognized that. President Obama, in working with this Congress, is trying to make a difference. In the words of Commander Raymond Dempsey of the Disabled American Veterans, ``This is all good news for our Nation's veterans. The budget agreement signals that veterans are, indeed, a national priority'' or in the words of Mr. Robert Wallace, the executive director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, who says, ``On behalf of the 2.2 million men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its auxiliaries, I would like to offer the VFW's strongest possible support for the conference agreement for the FY 2010 budget. The VFW salutes your strong leadership in quickly coming to this agreement, especially one that makes so many meaningful and valuable improvements to the Department of Veterans Affairs. We strongly encourage all in Congress to follow your lead and adopt this conference report.'' Is it a perfect budget? No, it's not. It's difficult to be perfect when you inherit a $1.3 trillion deficit and when the plane is going down into the ditch, but the President, in working with this Congress, is trying to make a difference. There are some people, including our veterans, who recognize that. For that reason, Madam Speaker, I hope that every single Member of this Congress recognizes that people who have given in many different ways recognize it's time to put our money where our mouth is and to vote for this budget.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant Dominick Costa for his more than 31 years of public service to the U.S. Capitol Police Department and our congressional community. Since his appointment to the U.S. Capitol Police on October 3, 1977, Lieutenant Costa has held several important positions within the Department. He has served in the House and Senate Divisions, Capitol Division, and the First Responder Unit. As an instructor and as a supervisor in the Training Division, he helped develop and enhance the skills of fellow officers. Over the years, Lieutenant Costa also worked as a Crime Scene Research Officer, a member of the U.S. Capitol Police Department's Ceremonial Unit and as an Administrative Sergeant in charge of the Department's Victim Witness Program. After being promoted to Lieutenant in November 2004, Lt. Costa served as the Watch Commander, providing area command for all Department operations and serving as the U.S. Capitol Police Chief's representative in his absence. On January 3, 2009, Lieutenant Costa retired after over three decades of exemplary service as a member of the U.S. Capitol Police Department. He is currently residing in La Plata, Maryland with his wife Barbara of 28 years and daughter Danielle. His unwavering commitment to the public serves as an inspiration to all Americans. Madam Speaker, I rise to once again praise Lieutenant Dominick Costa for his outstanding public service to the Congress and to his country. I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Lieutenant Costa well in his retirement and thank him for all his years of service.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, April 1, 2009, I was unavoidably detained and missed rollcall vote 175 on a motion to table H. Res. 312. If present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I was detained in an elevator in the Capitol building due to a mechanical malfunction earlier today. As a result, I missed rollcall vote 187 on passage of H.R. 1256, Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. If present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Chair, may I inquire of the amount of time I have remaining that has been yielded to me.

Mr. BECERRA. I thank the chairman for yielding time, and I would like to begin our discussion of the energy component of this budget by yielding to the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. BECERRA. I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. BECERRA. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Chair, this budget resolution provides bold and necessary investments that will create jobs today and encourage clean energy technology and infrastructure investments that will be the foundation of long-term energy independence--something we desperately need. No one wants to see us continue to send $700 billion to our foreign competitors when it comes to oil. No one wants to see so much of that money go to people who are hostile to this country and our values. The previous administration had a woefully deficient record of promoting renewable energy investments, of providing assistance to modest-income families who are most affected by high energy prices, and of making long-term investments in energy independence. This economic recovery plan by President Obama reflects real change. This economic recovery plan is what the American people hunger for. This economic recovery plan is what people expected to see out of a new President when they voted in November of 2008. Madam Chair, this plan delivers what people have been asking for: Bold ideas that are ready to take this country in a far new and different direction. In energy, no one can say otherwise. This is a plan that is farsighted and will take us to a point where we can become independent of all those foreign sources of energy and we can start to live a future that will give us a chance to invest in our children's education, their health care, and better housing, because we will produce our own energy and we will do it in a far cleaner way. This is a farsighted budget that the President has put before us. We should pass it.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I move to lay the resolution on the table.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, on Friday, March 6, 2009, I missed rollcall vote 107 on approving the Journal. If present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. I thank the chairman for yielding and, more importantly, I thank him for this resolution, which tries to not only recognize the men and women who are in uniform, but certainly the men and women and children and parents of our soldiers in uniform who day to day have to go through the same experiences that our troops abroad and in our military stations throughout must go through as well. There are some 3 million Americans today who represent the family members of our brave soldiers. I am pleased to say that I count myself among those family members. And I believe it is something that not only should be done in 2009 to urge the President to designate this year as the Year of the Military Family but, quite honestly, this is something we should do every year. I think it is of the utmost importance. And we applaud the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, for the role that she has decided to play in elevating the stature of our families who are here or throughout the world and have a family member serving today on behalf of this country. It is something that I think sometimes we take for granted. But this is an occasion today where, on the floor of the most democratic body in the history of this world, we can say to all those who serve in uniform, not just from our country, but throughout, that we do think about you, we do respect what you do and, more importantly, we realize that you have family that day to day must go through the same experiences you do. So, Mr. Chairman, I think it is something we should do, as I said, all the time. I think every Member in this body would agree that we have to think about our servicemembers and their families every day. And it doesn't hurt to periodically do it in a more official way by actually having a resolution which urges the President to declare this year the Year of the Military Family. With that, I thank you very much for not just your service, but your insight and your wisdom in trying to always make sure that we elevate our men and women in uniform and their families to the highest levels we can.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me this time, and I rise in support of this resolution. My mother once said to me shortly after I had seen the birth of my first child, ``Son, there is no tragedy for any parent that is greater than the experience of witnessing your own child's death.'' Nothing is more precious than life, and nothing is more profound than the love of a parent for the life of that child brought to this Earth. Mr. Speaker, according to the State Department's Office of Children's Issues, there are 306 pending cases of parental abductions involving 455 American children taken to countries that are not a party to the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. And 101 of these abducted American children currently reside in Japan. In 2006 in the midst of a custody dispute, Melissa Braden, the daughter of one of my constituents, Patrick Braden, was taken to Japan by her mother and has been there ever since. Despite a court restraining order for Melissa to remain in the United States and an arrest warrant issued by the FBI for her mother, Japanese authorities have refused to act on this case. Japanese courts give no recognition to the parental rights of the non-Japanese parent, and the Japanese government refuses to enforce U.S. court orders related to child custody or visitation. After his daughter's abduction when Mr. Braden approached me for help and I tried to see what I could do, you can imagine my disbelief and dismay that we were unable to help secure Melissa for Mr. Braden or to even have them reunited in Japan. I approached the State Department, and I wrote to President Bush in 2007 and asked for their intervention on behalf of Mr. Braden. The State Department has committed to raising this issue at the highest levels of dialogue with Japan, and I wish to say here publicly, thank you to Chairman Berman for his support of this issue and for supporting America's parents and their families. I would like to thank two champions of human rights, the gentlemen from New Jersey, Mr. Smith and Mr. Holt. And I must say, Mr. Speaker, my mother was right: there is nothing worse than losing your own child, especially when your child is still alive. I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution to get action on behalf of all of our American families with countries that are some of our greatest partners and allies.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, on Thursday, February 26, 2009, I missed rollcall vote 90 on H. Res. 183, expressing condolences to the families, friends, and loved ones of the victims of the crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407. If present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, jobs, jobs, jobs--that is job number one for this Congress. That is the job that President Obama said is the first order of business this year for this body. Let me amend that. Not just jobs, jobs, jobs. Good paying jobs, 21st century jobs, jobs that invest in and build America tomorrow for our kids. When you are hemorrhaging 5- to 600,000 jobs a month, that means by the time I finish my remarks, 28 Americans will have lost their job in 2 minutes. Jobs, jobs, jobs. We need to do something now. President Obama has said we need bold, swift action to move us into 21st century jobs and using the technology of this century. We can't continue to live with 20th century technology. This bill invests close to $20 billion to help our doctors who today communicate with a more obsolete technology than our kids do every day as they communicate with each other. Today, our children are talking to each other during their breaks in school; yet, most doctors can't communicate with each other about what their patients need. This bill lets us have our doctors invest in that technology so that while today only one of every 20 doctors' offices uses high technology to communicate with other health providers, within the decade we will have 90 percent of our health care providers, doctors, and hospitals being able to communicate instantaneously. Jobs, jobs, jobs, but for the 21st century and do it now. We can quibble. We all have proposals. We've all made compromises, but we all know the task is before us today. You want to complain, you want to debate--let's do that. But every day that we don't do something, 20,000 American jobs are lost. Let's move today.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. Madam Speaker, 200 years ago America's children would perish from illnesses that today are easily preventable. We benefit from 21st century medical advances and the best trained doctors and providers in the world. Yet 2 years ago, 2 years ago, a young boy at the age of 12, not far from this Capitol died after an infection in an abscessed tooth, an infection that spread beyond that tooth to his brain. Because his family did not have the money to remain on Medicaid coverage, and that Medicaid coverage had lapsed, he was unable, his family was unable to afford the $80 it would have cost to extract that tooth. And so 2 years ago, a young man by the name of Diamonte Driver died in America. Today we say this is the 21st century and America understands that no one should die of a preventable disease or illness. We have 11 million children in this country who are still uninsured. Today's legislation will make sure that about half of those kids, about 4 million of those kids will be insured, along with seven other million who today benefit on an ongoing basis from this SCHIP legislation. We know what it was like 200 years ago in America and we know now what it could be like 2 years ago in America. We know that today we must do better for our kids and that is why we pass this legislation today.

Mr. BECERRA

Mr. BECERRA. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Recovery, reinvestment. That was what President Obama promised the American public when he went throughout the country and talked about how he would change this country and take it into a new direction. After years of deficits and lack of accountability, President Obama told the country that he promised an open government, transparent process, and responsible policymaking so that the American people would know that we were taking America back to soundness. Jobs, jobs, jobs. That is what President Obama has talked about, that is what he promised. And that is what this legislation that is on the floor, the bill that stands before you, tries to do, is focus on creating jobs directly by helping States that are saying they are going to cut their budgets instead of create jobs, by helping American businesses that are saying we are about to fire employees, and instead provide them with tax cuts to let them keep jobs and create new ones, and also by telling the American public we will fulfill President Obama's promise of a direct tax cut to 95 percent of America's working families. On the other hand, we have a substitute amendment that we are presented here today that would go back to what we had under Bush policies. It is much of what we saw before, tax policies that are skewed to those who are wealthier, to let it then trickle down to those who work very hard. Why else would you have most of the benefits going to the top fifth Americans who are those who are hurt the least by this economic downturn? Why would this bill cut, eliminate, the entire amount of the Making Work Pay tax credit that President Obama proposed would go to 95 percent of working Americans? Why would this Republican substitute eliminate any tax relief whatsoever for 23 million families in America who happen to be our more modest income earning Americans? They work, nonetheless, but they would be cut out. We need to move forward with investment and recovery. I urge Members to vote against the Republican substitute.