Donna Christensen

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, the election is over. The people of this country have spoken and said loudly and clearly that they want us to work together to create jobs and fix our economy. I agree with economists who say that the threat of a fiscal cliff, like the need to immediately reduce the deficit, is being overblown. And it is done like the debt ceiling debacle to create a do-or-die situation where it is hoped that Democrats would agree to cuts in programs that would lose jobs and lock more people into poverty. That is unacceptable in this, the greatest country in the world, and we cannot agree to it. We are being asked to cut the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years. Through cuts and caps put in place already, over the next 10 years we are projected to cut that deficit by $1.7 trillion. That leaves $2.3 trillion. If we allow the growth in the economy to continue, even at its present slow pace, that can help to reduce the need for that level of cuts even more. The poor and the middle class are already doing their part through the cuts that are already in place. Now it is time for everyone else to do theirs. The rest of the deficit reduction must come primarily from eliminating tax cuts for the wealthy who have continued to do very well during the recession while everyone else suffered. This Congress can avoid taking us to yet another fiscal cliff and avoid sequestration by working together in the balanced way that the American people have asked us to.

Ms. CHRISTENSEN

Ms. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Congressman Scott, for yielding the time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6116, legislation I sponsored to provide for direct appeals of decisions of the Virgin Islands Supreme Court to the U.S. Supreme Court. I want to begin by thanking the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary and their staff for working together in a bipartisan way to swiftly report H.R. 6116 and bring it to the House floor today. On behalf of the people of the Virgin Islands, I want to say thank you to Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Conyers, as well as to my colleagues, Congressman Coble and Congressman Scott, who are managing the bill on the floor today. It was just 5 months ago that I had the pleasure of joining the elected leaders of the Virgin Islands at a ceremony to celebrate the Virgin Islands Supreme Court reaching a historic milestone. Specifically, the occasion was to receive the report from the judicial council of the third circuit regarding their review of the Virgin Island Supreme Court during its first 5 years, as required by law, which authorized the Virgin Islands to create a local appellate court. The third circuit report concluded that the U.S. Virgin Islands Supreme Court developed sufficient institutional traditions to justify direct review of its final decisions by the United States Supreme Court and urged Congress to enact legislation providing that the Supreme Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands enjoy the same relationship with the U.S. Supreme Court as the highest court of any State. Today, the House will take the first step in making the Virgin Islands Supreme Court just like every other high court in the States and territories. This is just one more step on the journey for further local self-governance, which was begun in 1984 when my predecessor, former Delegate to Congress, Ron de Lugo, amended the Virgin Islands 1954 Organic Act to allow for the creation of an appellate court chartered under local law, while it took another 20 years for Virgin Islands Act No. 6687 to be signed into law by then-Governor Charles W. Turnbull, and 2 more years for a chief justice and two associate justices to be nominated and confirmed and for the Supreme Court to formally accept appellate jurisdiction. Chief Justice Hodge and Associate Justices Cabret and Swan are to be commended for the work they did to earn the recommendation of the third circuit's judicial council for appeals of their decisions to go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. In doing so, they are following our sister territory of Guam, which was the last Supreme Court to gain direct appeals of their decisions to the U.S. Supreme Court. Over these past 5 years, the Virgin Islands Supreme Court has issued opinions on such wide-ranging cases as whether and when a judge could be disciplined, to affirming in a landmark ruling that women are not property. By my staff's unofficial count, among the court's many accomplishments is the issuance of over 180 published opinions since 2007. Other noteworthy accomplishments include making several structural reforms in the areas of attorney admissions to the Virgin Islands Bar, discipline procedures, and mandating new requirements for continuing legal education courses for all active members of the Virgin Islands Bar Association. I had the pleasure of joining Chief Justice Hodge and Associate Justices Cabret and Swan at their official swearing-in ceremony in 2006. At that time I focused my remarks on the historic nature of the occasion as well as the personal relationships I share with each of the individual justices. With all that they have accomplished over the short time that this court has been in existence, all Virgin Islanders will look back on this time with great pride and gratitude for the way in which they laid the foundation for appellate jurisprudence in the territory that is second to none. While it took more than 20 years after the law's authorizing us to establish a local appellate court, and while we are the last U.S. territory to do so, it is more than fitting that we are on the verge of accomplishing the final goal of making the U.S. Virgin Islands Supreme Court just like all other State supreme courts, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 6116.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, on Taiwan's National Day (October 10, 2012), I am pleased to take this opportunity to wish the leaders and people of Taiwan many happy returns. I look forward to continued bi- lateral relations between Taiwan and the United States of America. Also, I would like to bid a personal farewell to Taiwan Ambassador, Mr. Jason Yuan. He has been reassigned as Taiwan's Secretary-General of the National Security Council. During his last four years in Washington, DC, Ambassador Yuan has been instrumental in fostering the strong relationship between the Taiwanese people and the Government of the United States. I wish Ambassador Yuan and his family best wishes and a smooth transition in his new position, and I thank him for his service.

Ms. CHRISTENSEN

Ms. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Chair, here we go again! Republicans have spent 18 months and millions of taxpayer dollars looking into the Obama Administration's energy loan guarantee to Solyndra. The Oversight Subcommittee has held 7 hearings on Solyndra in 2011. And now they propose another Anti-Obama bill, based not on facts but on politics. These are the facts: The energy loan program was created under the Bush administration, and President Bush's Department of Energy invited Solyndra to fully apply for a loan guarantee. Solyndra was praised as a successful, innovative company both before and after it received the loan guarantee. Solyndra was just one of 30 companies in a portfolio that was expected to support more than 60,000 jobs. After more than a year of costly investigations, House Republicans have ``turned up no evidence of wrong doing.'' President Obama's investment in clean energy is paying off, creating jobs around the country. Despite these facts, the Republicans are determined to waste taxpayers' money on bad bills that will set bad precedents. No one has refuted that there are needed improvements to the program. Independent findings have stated that DOE is already implementing recommendations to improve the program. Introducing legislation like the ``No More Solyndra Act'' is unnecessary and it not only penalizes potentially good programs because of one bad incident, it can kill the kind of innovation in energy that we need. This is especially true for districts like mine with one of the highest if not the highest energy costs at 45 cents per kilowatt. We need the innovation that the DOE program provides and this bill would kill. It is important that the federal government play a prominent role in promoting energy efficiency. This bill which restricts the ability of the Department of Energy to provide competitive loan guarantees to alternative energy businesses to support innovation is not a solution to challenges DOE has had with the energy loan guarantee but another attack on the administration. These loan guarantees are important to the development of a strong clean energy industry and jobs it would create. I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in strong support of H.R. 3706, legislation I introduced to provide for a Chief Financial Officer for the Government of the Virgin Islands. I want to begin by thanking Chairman Hastings and Ranking Member Markey of the Natural Resources Committee for their support in making it possible for H.R. 3706 to be on the floor today. I also want to thank Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs Chairman John Fleming and, of course, Ranking Member Kilili Sablan for their support, as well. Mr. Speaker, today, as you heard, marks the fourth time in 9 years that this House will consider legislation that I have sponsored to provide for a CFO for my congressional district, the U.S. Virgin Islands. It has passed the previous three times. While I have been severely criticized by some for its introduction, there are many who support it. But I continue to believe that having an independent professional third party being responsible for determining the amount of revenues that the local government has available to spend for an ensuing fiscal year would be a positive development for our government and is also generally supported by a broad cross-section of our electorate. When I first sponsored the first CFO bill in 2003, the Territory was technically insolvent, and urgent action was necessary to avoid needing a Federal bailout and all that would entail. After studying the experience of the District of Columbia, which sought and obtained a Federal bailout and the accompanying loss of political autonomy through a financial control board, I concluded then that it would have been better if we avoided being taken over by a control board, and I crafted my original CFO bill to do that. Unlike H.R. 3706, my first chief financial officer bill did involve a loss of authority for the Governor and legislature to accumulate public debt, but it was temporary and would have prevented a complete loss of political autonomy. Today, while the territory is experiencing very serious fiscal challenges, the government is not on the verge of imminent fiscal collapse and no longer has a structural deficit over $1 billion or annual deficits in excess of $100 million. In view of this, one could reasonably ask, then, why the need for the current bill? First of all, H.R. 3706 seeks to end the acrimony and mistrust among the different branches of Virgin Islands Government and the public at large and provide for revenue projections from a highly qualified person. This individual would be appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the legislature but does not serve at the pleasure of the Governor. This is the process that is used by the District of Columbia currently through its CFO, and there have been no complaints from the chief executive of D.C., the mayor, about a loss of sovereignty or of a return to colonialism. Since last year, when the Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh, Jr., announced a pending $135 million deficit in his budget projections for fiscal year 2012, several members of the 29th legislature questioned the Governor's numbers and they have continued to do so, pointing to differences in figures between reports done by auditors and figures presented in budget documents. Similarly, public sector union members who have been greatly impacted by various austerity measures also scoffed at the budget projections, saying: there had not been enough transparency to truly demonstrate that there really was a financial crisis and (that there was) no other way to solve it but layoffs or pay cuts. H.R. 3706 does not affect in any way the Governor or the legislature's ability to spend the territory's funds as they see fit. It simply attempts to end questions on what the exact revenue of the territory is so that we can move forward on a sound economic recovery. I'm not under any allusion that my CFO bill will be a cure-all for all that ails the Virgin Islands. I am, however, proposing it as a 5- year pilot program for improving transparency and trust in our budgetary and fiscal practices. If Virgin Islanders approve of the process and system for determining our annual budget limits that the bill provides, they can vote to make it permanent through a referendum that is provided for after 4 years of the CFO's 5-year term. Each time I have introduced this or one of the earlier versions of this bill, there have been concerns that the United States Congress is imposing itself into the governance of the territory. There are some that would wish that this were the case, but I am not one of them, and this bill would not do that. Because we do not have a constitution, the people of the Virgin Islands have come to Congress on a number of occasions, for example, to attempt to abolish the Office of Lieutenant Governor; to expand borrowing authority, which we did; to limit the number of senators, and for other purposes. I don't really see this process as being any different coming as a representative of the people of the Virgin Islands and representing their interests. Moreover, attempts by our local legislature to pass similar legislation have failed, and legislative proposals by nonpartisan organizations have never been considered. Therefore, as a representative of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Congress, it fell to me, and I accept the responsibility. I just regret that our Governor and I could not see eye to eye on this. The Federal Government has and will be providing significant funds to the U.S. Virgin Islands, especially in light of the economic disaster that currently exists. I am sure that having such an office as the one being proposed by H.R. 3706 will enhance our ability to successfully navigate through this very critical time because of the added accountability and transparency that it provides. So I thank you for the time, and I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of H.R. 3706.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank the ranking member for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I too rise in very strong support of H.R. 1550, the Federal Law Enforcement Personnel and Resources Allocation Improvement Act of 2012, which would require the Attorney General, in the allocation of Federal law enforcement personnel and resources, to give priority to placing and retaining such personnel and resources in States and local jurisdictions that have a high incidence of homicide or other violent crime. I commend my friend, the Congressman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Pierluisi) for its introduction, for his hard work, and for his leadership in getting it to the floor today. If this bill were to become law, my district, along with Congressman Pierluisi's, will be one of the local jurisdictions that would qualify for having that high incidence of homicide and violent crime. This is not a fact that we're proud of, but it is a reality; and it's the by- product of the USVI and Puerto Rico being a trans-shipment point for illegal drugs traveling from Central and South America to mainland United States. There are many other communities in our country that are facing the same or similar incidence of violence; and the blame, in most cases, can be traced to drug trafficking. In the case of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, it stems from the fact that we have become the route of choice for drug shipments to the east coast of the United States. According to Department of Justice statistics, in 2011, 165,000 metric tons of illegal drugs were seized in the Caribbean, Bahamas and Gulf of Mexico, up 36 percent over 4 years. And up to 80 percent of cocaine trafficked through the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico is directed to U.S. east coast cities. Congressman Pierluisi and I were recently at the Coast Guard station in Puerto Rico, and we had the opportunity to meet with the commander of the ship that had recently captured 1.4 kilos of cocaine off of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. That was the port's largest capture in its history. These routes are also a threat to America's national security. In addition to the guns, assault weapons and drugs, the Caribbean region is susceptible to smuggling nuclear and all other kinds of materials that could easily be used as staging areas for violence against our country. The most tragic of all are the young people who had been killed or who are now in jail, many of whom I knew and took care of as a family physician. Unfortunately, we, too, have one of the highest murder rates per 100,000 in our country. Our community was shocked a few months ago when two of our young policemen, who were in a high crime area but who were on what seemed to be a routine patrol, were shot earlier this year. Both sustained injuries which go beyond the physical. One is paralyzed and will require lifelong care and support. Our community, though, is fighting back. Our law enforcement has been meeting with those from across the Caribbean region. We are working with the Federal law enforcement that does exist in the Territory. Both of us, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are high-intensity drug trafficking areas. We have a well-integrated but still incomplete team led by Adjutant General Vicens from Puerto Rico and Executive Director Catherine Mills from the Virgin Islands, but we do need more Federal help in order to restore the safety of our communities and to protect the lives of our children. This is not only important to my constituents and me; it is critical to the well-being of the constituents of all of our colleagues but especially to those whose communities have high homicide and violent crime rates. In this legislation, which I am pleased to cosponsor, we are pleading for this critically important help in order to bring the vital Federal resources to save our communities--to save all of our communities--and to protect our Nation. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1550.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, it is my pleasure to lead this Special Order this evening, and I thank again our Democratic leadership for giving us this time. Before I yield to the minority whip, I want to also add my condolences to the families who lost loved ones in the shooting in Aurora, Colorado, and to those who are recovering from their injuries, both physical and emotional. I want to add the condolences of the people of the Virgin Islands to all of them. They are all in our prayers. It happened that I had taken my granddaughter, Nia, to a preview of the movie the night before, and I really shudder to think of what everyone in that theater went through that night. It could have been us, and it still could be any one of us anywhere unless we do something to ban assault weapons and to turn back some of what the Republican Congresses have passed. One of the weapons used by Holmes was an AR-15 rifle, which is a semiautomatic weapon. If the assault weapon ban of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 had not been allowed to expire, it might be that 12 people, including a little girl, might still be alive. Our colleague, Gabby Giffords, would not be home, making what is, thankfully, a remarkable recovery, but the six people who died that day might be alive. A young man in St. Croix, who lost his life yesterday--and many others in the U.S. Virgin Islands and across this country--might still be alive if that ban were in place. So, again, on behalf of me and my family and of the people of the Virgin Islands, I offer condolences to the families of those who were lost and to the families of those who are recovering. They are in our prayers. At this time, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to our Democratic whip, a true leader for all Americans, leading us in many issues. Tonight, I believe, he is going to talk about voter protection, but he also has been working very hard to make sure that we Make It in America and that everyone is able to Make It in America. (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. We thank you for joining us again, as you've done many times before, and for those strong words and for your strong leadership. We look forward to working with you, Mr. Whip, to make sure that voting rights are preserved for all Americans. I would like to now yield such time as she might consume to the Congresswoman from Cleveland, Ohio, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank you for joining us and making it plain, Congresswoman Fudge: The time for making this right is now. We are also joined again by our colleague, Sheila Jackson Lee, the gentlelady from Texas. I yield her such time as she may consume.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank you, and I thank you again for joining us and offering your views and your vision for what we could be and what we should be, and for your strong words in defense of Americans' right to vote. As I said this is the America that goes around the world to monitor and ensure that people in other countries exercise their right to vote. So we know that the right to vote is sacred. It is a sacred right. Many sacrificed and some died for that right. As our Democratic whip said, it is the most powerful guarantor of our liberty, and we must protect the right to vote, and we need to support the Voter Empowerment Act. I want to go back to the issue of guns and violence. One might ask what do guns, what does the gun issue have to do with the right to vote. But, unfortunately, it has been used to deny voting rights in the District of Columbia, the place in which we meet. The District of Columbia has been the victim of the gun lobby and overzealous gun support in the Senate. Instead of passing a bill to extend the voting rights that the residents of the District of Columbia deserve, the Senate attached amendments that would overturn some of the local laws that are meant to stem the tide of gun violence in the city, meant to restore peace and safety to its streets and neighborhoods. So in addition to the violence that could follow from allowing concealed weapons, as their amendment would do in just about every venue, against the wishes and rights of the District of Columbia to decide, doing what they did would allow another sort of violence. It did untold violence to the District by holding its voting rights, the voting rights that it should have in this body hostage. That is unfair, and it is just plain wrong. But in addition, it is some of the poorer neighborhoods in this country where poverty and other ills breed violence. It is in those neighborhoods that we see the voter restrictive policies are being placed. Their ability to vote for individuals who would help them to quell the violence in their neighborhoods and keep their families safe, it is their ability to vote that is being interfered with most by these laws that are being passed by Republican legislatures, and promoted and signed by Republican governors. I hope that this Congress, and if not this one the next, will have the courage to pass strong and sensible gun control laws. Yes, we are very concerned, as has been said--and which is the subject of our Special Order this evening--about voter protection in the face of many States that are passing laws to restrict voting in ways that do particular harm to the rights of young people, seniors, people of color, and the poor to vote. As we were reminded, it was made abundantly clear a few weeks ago by that Republican Pennsylvania legislator what the intent of these new restrictive voter so-called poll tax laws are all about: they are being passed to try to defeat President Obama. Well, I have news for them. Those very groups that they are trying to keep from voting, the good people of this country are not going to let that happen. That brings us right back to the need for gun control legislation. The communities that need it most are also the ones that most need us to protect their right to vote. Although everyone in this country must have their right to vote protected, these are the communities where there is violence, where there is poverty, that we must work very hard to protect their right to vote. In too many communities, violent crime is rising. It is due to the flow of guns, the increase in assault weapons, and it has to be stopped. It is time for us to come together to save our young people, and really to save ourselves. Gabby's shooting shows that none of us are safe unless all of us are safe. My and many other communities are calling out for help. This is a crisis in many parts of our country, and we who are elected to provide for the welfare of our communities and our country have an obligation to do just that. So let's come together. Let's all support the legislation that is before us, the Voter Empowerment Act. Let's also pass gun control legislation. And in the end, though, it is in the voters' hands to decide in November whether we are going to have safe streets and neighborhoods, whether this assault on voting rights will stop. And if we just protect their right to vote, I know that they will do the right thing. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. With the International AIDS Conference less than a week away, I join my colleagues to celebrate the progress we've made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, to honor those who have lost their battle to this disease, and also to remind everyone that we still have much work to do in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean and Asia, but also the United States, where more than 1 million people--a disproportionate number of whom are people of color--are living with HIV and AIDS today. Blacks and Latinos together account for 64 percent of all new HIV infections, yet are only about 28 percent of the population. The AIDS case rate among African Americans is nearly 10 times higher than that of whites; and one recent study found that 2 percent of all blacks in the U.S., compared to only .2 percent of all whites, are HIV positive. In my district, the U.S. Virgin Islands, which is predominantly black and Hispanic, we're extremely hard hit, with the third largest AIDS case rate in the Nation. The conference offers all of us an opportunity to reinvigorate our commitment to battling this disease, to reinforce existing relationships and forge new ones with the leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and to take significant steps toward making HIV/AIDS a disease of the past.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the life of one of my constituents, the late Arnold M. Golden, Sr., who passed away at his home on St. Croix last Saturday. Arnold M. Golden was a Crucian gentleman and statesman, one who spent all of his life in service to his family and his community. Known to family and friends as ``Morty'', he distinguished himself as a Virgin Islands Senator, a St. Croix administrator, Commissioner of both the Departments of Public Works and Commerce under the Governor Juan Luis Administration, and the manager of the Sunny Isle Shopping Center. He served on many community groups and organizations to include the Knights of Colombus, League of Women Voters, Boy Scouts of America, Landmarks Society and AARP. Morty Golden was a community servant, dedicating himself to the betterment of our islands, especially St. Croix. He was among the generation of Virgin Islanders who guided the growth and development of the modern Virgin Islands, working to develop the tax system, the planning, land use and conservation laws, and the Virgin Islands National Guard. His most recent service of note was as a Delegate to the Fifth Constitutional Convention, where he advocated for transparent, workable government. I knew him as an elder statesman, always ready with words of wisdom on how to make our islands a better place to live and our government function in a way that served the needs of all its people. He was a champion of municipal government and of transparent government with more accountability to its citizens. He was a champion of good governance and for the further development of our territory through the adoption of its own Constitution. Arnold M. Golden was born on December 13, 1931 in the town of Frederiksted to Louis R. and Violet (Pedersen) Golden. He was the eldest of 10 children and attended the St. Mary's and St. Patrick's Parochial Schools. He graduated from Christiansted High School in 1949 and attended the Polytechnic Institute and UPRAT Mayaguez in 1949 and later the University of the Virgin Islands, where he pursued interests in engineering and management. Morty worked briefly at VICORP before being drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served 2 years of active duty, with one tour of duty in Korea. He was later Commissioned in the Armed Forces Reserves, and served with the Army Reserve Unit on St. Croix for a number of years. Later he was employed by A.C. Sanford as a land surveyor, where he worked on the construction of the Alexander Hamilton Airport. He was later employed as an appraiser by the Tax Assessor's Office, assisting in the modernization of the office and tax system. In 1968, he was elected to the Virgin Islands Legislature and was instrumental in the passage of legislation to create the Planning Office, the Executive Budget Act, and land conservation legislation. He worked on legislation authorizing Governor Melvin Evans to secure the authority to activate a National Guard Unit in the Virgin Islands, as well as the Jr. ROTC units. Morty Golden was honored to serve in numerous positions under the administration of Governor Juan F. Luis to include: Administrator, Commissioner of Public Works, Commissioner of Commerce and Assistant to the Governor. He also served on many government boards and commissions. He also managed the Sunny Isles Shopping Center in between his government service. Upon his retirement in 1987, he returned to land surveying. He served the community in various community organizations to include the Catholic Social Center, the Knights of Columbus, the Boy Scouts, the League of Women Voters, Landmark Society, and AARP. He has been honored for his outstanding community service by the Jr. Chamber of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Postal System and Rotary Club of St. Croix West. Mr. Speaker, Arnold M. Golden's most important role was as the patriarch of his beloved family. He was preceded in death by his son, Louis M. Golden, and leaves behind his beloved wife of 56 years, Carmen Maria (Encarnacion) Golden, his children: Helen Marie Danielson, Violet Anne Golden, Peder Mark Golden, Carmen Louise Walker, and Arnold M. Golden, III, his grandchildren: Leroy E. Danielson, Jr., Janelle Marie Plummer, Louis M. Danielson, Lionel Danielson, David M. Thomas, Jasmine L. Walker, Benjamin Walker, IV, Christina Walker, Nico Golden, Carla Golden and Juma Golden and four great-grandchildren: Leroy E. Danielson, III, Alimah M. Danielson, Daylon Lee Tank Yuk and Louriz M. Danielson. Mr. Speaker, the life and legacy of Arnold M. Golden is one of which the entire U.S. Virgin Islands community is very proud. He is an example of public service at its best. My family and staff extend our condolences to his family and friends. May he rest in peace.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, just to set the record straight, I'm a family physician and the first female doctor in the Congress. Just less than 2 weeks ago, the Supreme Court issued a final ruling that the health care reform law is, in fact, constitutional. It is now the law of the land. Despite this, today my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are revisiting old political battles instead of using the final weeks in this session to fully implement a current law that will protect the health of every American, instead of creating jobs during a time when unemployment is at a persistent high, instead of strengthening the American economy and ensuring that taxes on middle class families are not raised. I have heard the scare tactics and spin that my colleagues are using to mislead the American public. The truth is this: repealing the health care reform bill would set this country back on a course no American-- Republican or Democrat--wants to go back to. With the list of horrible consequences, H.R. 6079 reads like a dishonor roll. The Republicans' repeal of health care reform will raise taxes on 18 million middle-class people. More than 6 million young adults will lose the option of being covered under their parents' health care plans. More than 5 million seniors will pay more in prescription drugs, leaving many having to choose between paying their rent, food, or medicine. 129 million Americans, 17 million of whom are children with so-called preexisting disease, which before health care reform included acne and pregnancy, may be denied health care coverage when they need it, and 33 million currently uninsured Americans will stay among the ranks of the uninsured. More than 32 million seniors and 54 million other Americans will pay more for mammograms, colonoscopies, annual wellness exams, and other often lifesaving preventive care that detects cancers and diseases at their earliest stages when they are most treatable. 105 million Americans would again have lifetime limits on their health insurance, which often puts health care services out of reach when people need it the most. Also, 15 million Americans would be dropped from their insurance companies altogether. Many of the provisions of the law may never get funded that would close the shameful gaps in health care that cause people of color, the poor of every race and ethnicity, even those who may be Republican or Tea Party, rural Americans and those who live in our Nation's territories, to die in excess numbers from preventable deaths and cost the country billions of dollars every year. There's nothing appropriate, just, fair, or worthy in this attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It turns back progress. It closes a door to wellness that is now just being opened to over 30 million Americans. It sets this Nation on a path that is unhealthy and less financially secure, and it threatens our position of leadership in the world. Even though we know this is just an empty exercise, that it's not going anywhere, we do have the opportunity to stand together and do the right thing to not let bad politics drive bad policy. When the bill comes up for a vote, vote ``no'' on H.R. 6079.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Exactly.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks in accordance with the subject of the Special Order this evening.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I thank you, and I thank you for pointing out some of the benefits and the numbers of Americans who are enjoying those benefits already over these last 2 years. And those benefits, as you said, extend to all Americans, whether they live in Democratic districts or Republican districts. We want to make sure that people continue to be able to insure their children with preexisting disease, their young people up to age 26, to have our seniors and disabled and anyone who is insured be able to get that important preventive care without a co-pay, and begin to continue to strengthen the Medicare program as we have in the Affordable Care Act.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I want to, again, begin by thanking the Democratic leader for giving the Congressional Black Caucus this time to focus on health care reform specifically, especially as the House is preparing to continue their attempts to repeal what we know is a good bill and a needed bill in this country. Before I begin to yield time, I just want to recognize the 103rd anniversary of the NAACP. They have long been premier champions of health care and fought for health care as a right. They are committed to eliminating the racial and ethnic disparities in our health care system that plague people of color in the United States. Their 880 Campaign is based on the fact that over the past decade, because we have not eliminated health disparities, over 880,000 African Americans and other people of color have died premature deaths from preventable causes. That does not need to happen. So we continue that fight in health care reform. We have made great strides in it. And we look forward to implementing that law, despite the attempts to repeal today. I want to congratulate the NAACP on their 103rd anniversary this evening, and I would like to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Texas, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Thank you, Congressman Johnson. Thank you for beginning to lay out the issue before us this evening, as we know that we've done landmark legislation in passing the Affordable Care Act. It is now settled law and the Supreme Court has ruled and we have a lot of other work that the American people need us to do. At this time I would like to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Florida, Congresswoman Corrine Brown.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Absolutely.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. That's correct. And as you said, there is a hardship provision so that if people just cannot afford it and fall in the cracks between the Medicaid expansion and the exchange, they will not have to pay. And it will be a very small percentage, one or two percent, that CBO has said would actually end up paying the penalty, and it's a very small penalty. Yes, for administrative purposes, it's collected through the IRS; but it's a penalty. And very few people would have to pay it. As you said also in your statement, we pay anyway. And we pay more on the other end for not having everyone insured.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. People who are not insured, or even people who are underinsured or who have a high co-pay, they have not gone for preventive care. Now they can get it without a co-pay. And without that preventive care, they end up in the emergency rooms in the hospital when the illness has worsened and the cost is more. We can prevent that by having everyone insured and having everyone have preventive care. I know people are saying that we are not reducing costs. You can't reduce costs in the first couple of years. But if you look out that 10- year period and even in the 10 years past that, you will see in many ways that the cost will be reduced.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. That is correct. And we will be working with our State legislatures to make sure that they understand what is at stake. And I'm sure that the voters in their districts who are already enjoying those benefits and who are looking forward to finally having insurance that they can afford for the first time will be talking to them about what they feel is important.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I'm going to read some statements from some of the primary care physicians at the end of this Special Order, but they're beginning to weigh in. And based on what I was reading today, they are weighing in pretty favorably. And they will benefit as well. It is change, and change is difficult no matter what. But they will benefit as well, and they are beginning to speak up.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I'm the first female physician. I'm the only physician in the CBC, but there are other physicians in Congress.

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. I was the first. We have one other elected in this Congress.