Judy Biggert

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Luvernia Fuller Foundation for the invaluable support it provides to cancer patients. In doing so, I join two local governments in the 13th District of Illinois in recognizing the Luvernia Fuller Foundation for its generosity. Both the Village of Romeoville and the City of Joliet in my district have declared May 18, 2007, Luvernia Fuller Foundation ``Answer My Prayer'' day. This not-for-profit organization was established on January 20, 2004 by the son of cancer patient, Luvernia Fuller. Unfortunately, like too many people stricken with cancer, Luvernia Fuller lost her battle. Inspired by his mother, Brian Fuller established the Foundation to provide emotional and monetary assistance to cancer patients and their families. ``Answer My Prayer'' day was created to raise awareness and support for cancer patients. The Luvernia Fuller Foundation's goal of ``Answer My Prayer'' day is not only to raise money to help provide necessary medical treatment and medicine for cancer patients, but also to educate the public about cancer and to celebrate the dignity of cancer patients. As representative of the 13th District of Illinois, I am extremely pleased that such a fine foundation is based in my district and is providing life-saving assistance to the people of Illinois, I wish the Luvernia Fuller Foundation continued success in its mission and hope that we all set aside May 18th as ``Answer My Prayer'' day to help and remember those who have been or are currently afflicted with cancer.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the world's most famous detective, Dick Tracy, on his 75th Anniversary, and to recognize that my home state of Illinois has declared October 4, 2006, ``Dick Tracy Day.'' For the past 75 years, the plainclothes detective, Dick Tracy, has graced the comic pages throughout the country. As a native Chicagoan, I have never known a world--or a Chicago Tribune--without Dick Tracy. As a child, I remember wishing I had a two-way wrist radio and wondering when Tracy and Tess Trueheart would tie-the-knot. Not only has the comic strip provided daily entertainment for countless Americans, it also loyally has served our nation--in promoting the FBI's ``Most Wanted'' and ``Crimestoppers'' campaigns, and during World War II, when it educated Americans about the U.S. war effort. Of course, the imaginative man behind the detective was none other than Chester Gould. His passion for crime prevention elevated the Dick Tracy comic strip beyond pure entertainment to a model for public service. When Chester Gould put down his pencil in 1977, after more than 40 years, he was fortunate to have the very talented and capable Dick Locher to carry on his beloved comic strip. As a fellow resident of Illinois' 13th district, I am delighted to represent Dick Locher here in this body. I am pleased to recognize Dick Tracy, an icon of American culture, Chester Gould, the creative genius who brought him to life, and Dick Locher, the great talent who both honors and extends Dick Tracy's legacy. Once again, congratulations, Dick Tracy, on your diamond anniversary.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 912, which supports the goals and ideals of designating September as National Life Insurance Awareness Month. I want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kanjorski), for introducing this resolution with me for the third year in a row and for his support on this important issue. Mr. Kanjorski serves with me on both the Financial Services Committee and the Financial and Economic Literacy Caucus and has been an outstanding leader on the important issue of financial security. I also want to thank the gentleman from Virginia, Chairman Tom Davis, for expeditiously moving this resolution through the Committee on Government Reform. And last, I acknowledge and thank Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Senator Saxby Chambliss for their contributions to this effort. They worked with us on this side of the Capitol to craft identical resolutions that garner both bipartisan and bicameral support. It is my hope that the Senate soon will pass its version of the resolution. Mr. Speaker, life insurance too often is thought of only when it is too late. How many times have any of us heard friends or loved ones sadly reflect that the deceased had no life insurance or had too little life insurance. Today, only four in 10 Americans own an individual life insurance policy; and among those who do have life insurance, the amount is often too small to safeguard the financial future of their loved ones. Because of insufficient coverage, family members often have had to work extra jobs or longer hours, borrow money, or move to less desirable housing. In short, these outcomes are only symptoms of the crisis of underinsurance that exists in our Nation today. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 912 calls on the Nation to observe the month of September as Life Insurance Awareness Month. The Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education, the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers, the American Council of Life Insurers, and a coalition representing hundreds of leading life insurance providers and advocates have designated September 2006 as Life Insurance Awareness Month. Our collective goal for the month is to make consumers more aware of their life insurance needs, seek professional advice, and take the actions necessary to achieve financial security for their families. Many of my colleagues on both the Financial Services and the Education and Workforce Committees have been working very hard to increase the level of financial literacy and economic education in this Nation. Understanding how financial products work and how they can work to build financial security are two important ingredients in a complete financial education. This September I will join my colleagues and many others in helping to further educate Americans about the importance of life insurance to a sound financial plan. Losing a family member is painful enough without it being compounded by financial difficulties. It is my hope that recognizing Life Insurance Awareness Month will motivate Americans to seek out information about the benefits of life insurance so that if the premature death of a loved one does occur, they will be spared the economic hardships that often accompany tragedy. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me and support the goals and ideals of designating September as National Life Insurance Awareness Month.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend and colleague, the author of this legislation, Mr. LaHood, from the great State of Illinois. (Mr. LaHOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would just like to thank again my friend and colleague, Mr. LaHood, for his introduction of this bill; and I would also like to thank the Members of the Illinois delegation who have spoken so eloquently, and thank Ms. Bean for her managing this bill and Mr. Davis for being here and Mr. Jackson for also working on this bill.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2808) to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the bicentennial of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, as amended.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous materials thereon.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today to urge passage of H.R. 2808, the Abraham Lincoln Commemorative Coin Act. I commend my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), for its introduction. Mr. Speaker, in 2009, our great Nation will celebrate the bicentennial of President Abraham Lincoln's birth. To commemorate this event, the bill we are considering today authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to mint as many as half a million silver $1 coins for sale in 2009. Surcharges on the sales will be used to fund the work of Abraham Lincoln's Bicentennial Commission, which is planning various special events to commemorate the occasion of Lincoln's birth. I fully support this program, Mr. Speaker, because there is so much to learn about this great man. Certainly, he was a tremendous President, perhaps the only man who could have held this country together during the difficult period of his presidency. Certainly, he freed the slaves, and certainly he left us some of our clearest statements of what the United States stands for both as a Nation and as a symbol. But so much more has been said and written about him, so much that can shed light on different aspects of this man, from his persona to his presidency. As a matter of fact, thanks to the hard work and efforts of my colleague Mr. LaHood and others, an Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum just opened in Springfield, Illinois, in April of 2005 to help Americans rediscover one of their greatest Presidents. There is no disputing that Lincoln was a great man. One of my favorite stories of his presidency could not happen today. It involves an event on which some claim the entire Civil War turned. Early on in the war, an inventor presented himself at the White House with a new weapon and was led in to see the President. Lincoln, who had been quite a hunter in his youth, is said to have taken this new weapon out to the south lawn to try it out on a pile of firewood. The President immediately saw the great potential in its accuracy and speed, and his decision to arm the Union troops with a new repeater rifle many claim is one of the reasons the Union side won the war. Mr. Speaker, the point of this story is not to talk about firearms but to talk about a remarkable man who literally took charge of a deeply divided Nation when he became President. His leadership through such a tumultuous time in our Nation's history certainly qualifies him as one of the greatest individuals to represent the State of Illinois. It is that great President who will be honored by the minting of these coins and whose memory will be brought to life to a whole new generation in just 3 short years. For that reason, Mr. Speaker, I urge immediate adoption of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the John H. Harland Company on the 35th anniversary of its production facility in Bolingbrook, Illinois. In 1971, Harland's corporate leaders made a decision to locate a plant near Chicago. The suburbs were booming, and the workforce was skilled. Not unlike today, the area had so much to offer in terms of its quality of life and great business climate. That decision proved to be a wise one indeed. This year, the company celebrates 35 prosperous years in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Today, I would like to recognize the men and women of Harland and celebrate with them 35 successful years in Bolingbrook, Illinois. The John H. Harland Company was founded in 1923. Over the next 83 years it grew and evolved into one of the premier financial services providers, doing business with more than two-thirds of all financial institutions in the United States. Its facility in Bolingbrook has played--and continues to play--a crucial part in Harland's success. With approximately 200 employees, the Bolingbrook facility each year processes more than 11 million orders for checks for consumers in 13 states, including most of the Midwest, from Wisconsin to Kentucky and Pennsylvania to Minnesota and everywhere in between. In the true spirit of its founder, the John H. Harland Company's allegiance to its customers and employees remains strong 35 years later. Harland also is committed to strengthening our community through service. In recognition of the spirit of service demonstrated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Harland employees celebrate the MLK holiday as a day of service, volunteering at local organizations such as Meadowbrook Manor, Lambs Fold Women's Shelter, and the Shepherd Food Pantry. I want to commend all of the Bolingbrook employees for their commitment to quality, customers, and community. It is their hard work and dedication that has made the Harland Company what it is today--a 35-year success story.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of H.R. 5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act. As a mother of four and a grandmother of six, the safety of our children is a priority of mine. When most of us were children, our parents told us to never talk to strangers. Now as parents and grandparents, our message must change with technology to include strangers on the Internet. We all were horrified by the story of the teenage girl from Michigan who traveled across the world to the West Bank town of Jericho to meet a man she had been communicating with on the networking Web site, MySpace.com. Even worse are stories that involve internet pedophiles preying on children from all over the Nation, including my district. Naperville, a city that has twice been voted by Money Magazine as the Top City in the Nation to Raise Children, has witnessed two high profile cases in the last three months involving young teenagers and men they have met on MySpace.com. It is easy to see why networking Web sites are popular among teens. A recent poll by the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that 87 percent of those aged 12 to 17 use the Internet on a regular basis. Of this 87 percent, approximately 61 percent report having personal profiles on networking Web sites like MySpace, Facebook or Xanga. These profiles contain photographs, e-mail addresses, hobbies as well as other personal information that would be easy for a child predator to manipulate. With more than 90 million users, MySpace.com and other networking Web sites have become new hunting grounds for child predators. Something clearly has to be done. This bill is a good start. At least let's give parents some comfort that their children won't fall prey while using the Internet at schools and libraries that receive Federal funding for Internet services. That is why I urge all Members to support H.R. 5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Kelly), the vice chair of the Financial Services Committee.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I rise in support of H.R. 5068, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2006. I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Ohio, Chairman Pryce, for her leadership on this bill. It has been a long process of meetings and negotiations, but I believe that we have crafted a solid product that focuses on the core mission of the Ex-Im Bank. This mission is to increase U.S. exports and, most importantly, U.S. jobs. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my colleague from Illinois, the chairman of the Small Business Committee, Mr. Manzullo.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill will strengthen the Ex-Im Bank's ability to help our exporters increase their businesses abroad. During a February roundtable meeting held in my district, many businesses said that they only learned about the bank's tremendous resources by accident. I am pleased that this and other suggestions made by these businesses were incorporated into the bill, including language that directs the bank to increase its outreach to small business. I encourage Members of this body to spread the word about the bank's export financing opportunities, and I encourage Members to contact the bank to determine what businesses, large and small, directly and indirectly, are being supported by the bank's services. For example, I learned that Ex-Im financing for one aircraft can translate into work for over 100 small businesses in my district alone. And I received a report issued by the bank last Friday that showed businesses in my district, ranging from a knee guard company to one that makes printing presses, have benefited from about $4.6 million in Ex-Im products over the past decade. On another note, I would like to take this opportunity commend the bank's new chairman, Jim Lambright and his team for aggressively moving on several important fronts; helping our U.S. businesses to keep a competitive edge in the global marketplace, listening to businesses and implementing bank reforms. For example, to help them beat foreign competitors, businesses in my district suggested that the bank enhance application transparency and provide electronic on-line processing. The bank has done just that. A business can now register with the Ex-Im Bank online and easily track its application as it moves through the review process. Mr. Speaker, in our increasingly competitive global environment, we must ensure that we provide every advantage, and remove every disadvantage, for U.S. businesses to ``win the sale'' over foreign competitors. Make no mistake about it: Ex-Im is one of the best tools we have to ensure that our businesses are allowed to beat the competition abroad. More importantly, it is jumper cables to the economy, helping U.S. businesses increase exports and create more and better U.S. jobs. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5068) to reauthorize the operations of the Export-Import Bank, and to reform certain operations of the Bank, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I would just like to say that looking at my district, and seeing the value of exports, $4.6 million that our companies have found for export value, and that works down to $295 million for small businesses. I think that the Ex-Im Bank is one that is, the mission is so important that we increase U.S. exports and more importantly U.S. jobs. I think that is exactly what this bill is set up to improve and to make sure that that happens. We are in a global economy. We are in competition with countries from all over the world. If we are to maintain our high standards, we have got to compete in the export market. I think this bill will help to do that. I would urge all Members to support the bill. Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss not to thank Chairman Oxley for all the work that he has done on this bill, again Chairman Pryce and Ranking Member Maloney for all of the work that they have put into this. Mr. Speaker, I would urge an ``aye'' vote.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul). (Mr. PAUL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Watt Amendment, which would restore the Supreme Court's jurisdiction over questions related to the Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge of Allegiance is an important expression of our shared values, and it should be preserved in its current form. I fully support the Pledge of Allegiance and urge my colleagues to do the same. The intent of this bill is good. In fact, I was a cosponsor of this bill in the 108th Congress. However, that was before the provision was added to restrict the Supreme Court from hearing cases involving the Pledge of Allegiance. The bill we vote on today again strips the Supreme Court's jurisdiction over this important constitutional issue. I recognize that Congress clearly has the authority under Article III of the Constitution to define the jurisdiction or the federal district and appellate courts. But constitutional scholars say there is no direct precedent for making exceptions to the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. I would caution my colleagues to think twice before tampering with authorities clearly granted in the Constitution. The issue today may be the Pledge, but what if the issue tomorrow is Second Amendment rights, civil rights, environmental protection, or a host of other issues that members may hold dear? I would also ask my colleagues, do we really want 50 different versions of the Pledge of Allegiance? I certainly don't think so. The Watt amendment would restore to the bill the Supreme Court's jurisdiction over questions related to the Pledge of Allegiance, changing the bill back to the way it was originally introduced in the 108th Congress when I was a cosponsor. I revere the Constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance. I believe that ``Under God'' are two of the most important words in the Pledge. I also believe that the Supreme Court should be the final arbiter of all federal questions. That's why I urge you to support the Watt Amendment to the Pledge Protection Act.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.J. Res. 88, the Marriage Protection Amendment. Passage of this resolution will not protect marriage, and I am concerned it will create the opposite effect of what its proponents seek to accomplish. Let me first state that I believe that marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman. I strongly support the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) passed by Congress and signed into law in 1996. Second, marriage is an issue that our Founding Fathers wisely left to the states. The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution states, ``The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.'' No Congress ever has seen fit to amend the Constitution to address any issue related to marriage. No Constitutional Amendment was needed to ban polygamy or bigamy, nor was a Constitutional Amendment needed to set a uniform age of majority to ban child marriages. So why do proponents argue that we must take this unprecedented step now to ban same-sex marriages? They claim that without the Amendment, states will be forced to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Yet the Defense of Marriage Act not only prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages, it allows individual states to refuse to recognize such unions performed in other states. And in the nearly 10 years that have passed since its enactment, DOMA never has been invalidated in any court in the country. The authors of DOMA took the greatest pains to write a law that is constitutional and will withstand judicial challenges. Proponents also claim that amending the Constitution is the only way to prevent so-called activist judges from legislating matters of same- sex marriage. Yet amending the Constitution to address marriage could invite federal judicial review not only of marriage, but of divorce, child custody, inheritance, adoption, and other issues of family law. Not only would this violate the principles of federalism, it would create very bad public policy. Mr. Speaker, no legislature in the country has established same-sex marriage in statute. In fact, 45 states, including Illinois, have adopted laws limiting marriage to one man and one woman. I urge my colleagues to have faith in our system of government, keep marriage out of the Constitution, and allow the states to continue to exercise what is best left to them.

Mrs. BIGGERT

Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, today the House Energy and Commerce Committee will take up H.R. 5319, the Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006, sponsored by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick). As an original cosponsor of the measure, I urge my colleagues to give it their strongest support. As a mother and grandmother, like other parents, I am horrified by the statistics. Mr. Speaker, 20 percent of young people have been approached online with unwanted sexual advances. Naperville, Illinois, a city in my district that has twice been voted by Money magazine as the top city in the Nation to raise children, has witnessed two high-profile cases in the past 2 months. Thanks to the Naperville police and the Illinois State Police, the two crimes were uncovered before the predators met the children. In Michigan, one minor had traveled halfway around the world to meet a man in the West Bank town of Jericho that she met on the networking Web site MySpace.com. As children, many of us were taught never to talk to strangers. As parents and grandparents, our message must change with technology to include strangers on the Internet.