Cheri Bustos

Mrs. BUSTOS

Mrs. BUSTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about our most pressing issue facing my district and our country, and that is boosting American manufacturing and creating jobs here at home. Just this week, I introduced a bill called the American Jobs Matter Act. This commonsense bill would enable the Federal Government to find out how contracted work would impact American jobs. Contractors would be able to include how their offers would create American jobs. My bill would raise the importance of creating jobs at home in our country and building our manufacturing industry here as Federal contractors are considered for their jobs. It would also help ensure that taxpayer money is being used to create jobs in places like Rockford, Moline, Galesburg, and Peoria, and in cities and towns across my district, across my State, and across our country--not overseas. I'm proud to say that this bill has been incorporated into Congressman Hoyer's Make It In America plan, which seeks to promote American workers, jobs, innovation, and infrastructure. Madam Speaker, we need to do more to create jobs and support American manufacturing. My bill does just that.

Mrs. BUSTOS

Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk about a bill I introduced earlier today. It's called the Water Infrastructure Now Public-Private Partnership Act. Senator Durbin and Senator Kirk from Illinois introduced the Senate version as well today. My bill would improve the Nation's water infrastructure, including the aging locks and dams along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, through public-private partnerships that would expedite projects and save taxpayer money. My bill would help clear a $60 billion backlog of U.S. Army Corps projects that will take decades to complete without the help of private investment. It does this by creating a pilot program to explore agreements between the Army Corps of Engineers and private entities as alternatives to traditional financing, planning, design, and construction methods. Mr. Speaker, the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers are absolutely critical to the economic well-being of not just my region, but also to the entire Midwest, the Nation, and even to the world. Many of these locks and dams were built during the administration of Franklin Roosevelt and are now more than 80 years old. That is why action must be taken to expand and modernize the locks and dams that help transport our goods and products worldwide.

Mrs. BUSTOS

Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of Mel Paris, an American veteran from Illinois, who recently passed away on March 3rd, 2013. Mel was best known as a dedicated community leader, as well as an ardent public servant, and his loss is felt throughout the community. Mel was truly a friend and advocate of working men and women across our state, along with those less fortunate. He held several positions throughout his career with the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), including President of his local union. Mel also served as a Winnebago County Board member, where he tirelessly worked for the betterment of his community. Even after his retirement, he continued a life of service to others. Mel was elected as President of the UAW Rockford Area Building association where he continued to serve the members of the UAW, until his untimely passing. Mel touched everyone he met, and was someone whom you could always turn to with your personal or professional problems. Mr. Speaker, I am forever grateful for Mel's contributions as a serviceman and leader in his community, and am deeply saddened by his passing. I offer my sincerest thoughts and prayers to his wife Charlotte, the rest of the Paris family, and the entire Rockford community.

Mrs. BUSTOS

Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak out today against the automatic cuts known as sequestration which are set to kick in days from right now. These cuts were designed to be so painful and so terrible that they would never see the light of day. This is budgetary insanity. That is why I have opposed sequestration from the start. Earlier today, I met with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the Rock Island Arsenal. Last week, I met with a defense contractor from Rockford, Illinois, and I toured the USDA Research Lab in Peoria, Illinois. That's the place where they figured out how to mass produce penicillin, and these are the kinds of programs that are at risk. These programs are rightly worried about the impact of sequestration. We will see job losses because of this flawed budget process, and it will have a trickle-down effect throughout the region that I represent. Our residents will have less money to eat out. They'll have less money to see a movie or to shop at our small businesses. We cannot afford to have this happen. I introduced my first piece of legislation a couple of weeks ago, the Government Waste Reduction Act. It is a bipartisan, commonsense approach to reduce government waste and not impact the middle class. This type of approach is reasonable, responsible, and rational, and that's what I would call for in a bipartisan fashion.

Mrs. BUSTOS

Mrs. BUSTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise to talk about the first piece of legislation I am introducing as a Member of Congress. Like many people across Illinois, I learned at a young age that balancing the family pocketbook and living within our means is a question of values. I want to work together on commonsense solutions that reduce the deficit while preserving the important services on which so many people rely. The bill I'm introducing today does just that. It is called the Government Waste Reduction Act. This bill moves forward on recommendations the Government Accountability Office made that would reduce duplication in government, save taxpayer money, enhance revenue, and root out waste. It establishes the independent Government Waste Reduction Board, tasked with recommending legislative proposals that implement these cost-cutting measures and sending them to Congress. For example, the Federal Government has 47 job training programs, 44 of which overlap. Simply consolidating programs that overlap can save tens of billions of dollars, while not impacting program quality. Commonsense proposals to cut waste out of government already exist, but they are meaningless and save nothing unless we implement them. My bill will serve as a starting point to lower our deficits by tens of billions of dollars in a responsible, commonsense way that protects the middle class.

Mrs. BUSTOS

Mrs. BUSTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding results achieved by the Mercer County Golden Eagles against the Alhoff Crusaders in the 2A Illinois state football championship game this past month. The game was a defensive battle with both sides tied at 7 in the second half. During the third quarter Mercer County linebacker Devin Morford recovered a fumble at his own five yard line, and returned it 95 yards for the game winning touchdown. It was the type of moment that seemed as if it was straight from a movie! I congratulate the Golden Eagles for winning the Illinois 2A state championship. This hard fought victory by Mercer County gives the school its fourth state title. The school and the entire community should be very proud to see such a hard earned trophy added to their case. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud of the accomplishments of the Mercer County football team, both on and off the field, and I am honored to salute them today.