John Conyers

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor two students from my district who have been named as semifinalists of the Progressive Insurance DASH+ National Student Competition. Abdul Hamka and Darius Wilbert of The Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn Michigan designed an eco-friendly dashboard for the Dash Plus National Student Competition. Hamka and Wilbert designed a dashboard that is able to communicate to the driver how they are impacting fuel economy and the environment. Abdul and Darius's panel connects multiple information sources that increase driver awareness. The dashboard can also calculate routes that have fewer hills and traffic lights, helping the driver reduce unnecessary acceleration and braking and in turn reduce overall fuel emissions. The dashboard is constructed out of emerging industrial-grade bio-plastics that are derived from vegetable oil, corn, soy, and algae. This gives the panel a reduced weight which in turn means less fuel consumption and a smaller carbon footprint. Projects like the DASH Tech competition provide students with a platform to be innovative and put to use skills they learn while studying STEM fields. Madam Speaker, one out of every ten people in Southeast Michigan is an engineer. Helping to promote the new green economy will help drive job creation and innovation in Michigan. My constituents and I are proud of what Abdul and Darius have accomplished and we know that they will be industry leaders one day.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5503) to revise laws regarding liability in certain civil actions arising from maritime incidents, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased now to yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a senior member of the committee.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Ladies and gentlemen of the House, on April 20, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil drilling platform sank the vessel, resulting in the death of 11 men and injury to at least 17 others. We are honored to have four of the widows of the men here, including the father of Gordon Jones, Attorney Keith Jones; Mrs. Shelley Anderson; Mrs. Courtney Kemp; and Mrs. Natalie Roshto. They have joined us in the gallery to observe these proceedings. They were also at the Judiciary Committee hearings. This April 20 disaster has now become the most massive environmental disaster in our Nation's history, poisoning widespread swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, killing wildlife, ruining wetlands, and wreaking economic havoc in the Gulf States. It has highlighted not only gaps in our ability to engage in and to regulate deepwater drilling, but also major legal gaps have been discovered in the applicable statutes that are adversely impacting victims. Our measure from the Judiciary Committee focuses on repairing these flaws so that the victims of this disaster can get their treatment. We have found that the current state of law regarding these liability issues is outdated, unfair and operates against our national interests. The three key laws all date from the mid-1800s--the Death on High Seas Act, the Jones Act, and the Limitation on Liability Act. The Death on High Seas Act does not allow recovery of non-pecuniary loss, which is in contrast to all State laws and to general maritime law. The Jones Act allows recovery for a family's non-pecuniary loss if a seaman is injured but survives, but it denies the family that same recovery if he dies. Don't ask me how that ever got into law. The Limitation on Liability Act, enacted in 1851, caps a shipowner's legal responsibility at the value of the ship and of its cargo no matter how massive the magnitude of the harm caused. The unfairness of these laws is grossly apparent, and it makes no sense. In my judgment, it is highly immoral. It is the Judiciary Committee's job to scan these ancient statutes and repair them. So that is what we have done. We have made a few changes. I would like to identify them, and we will have some of our other learned members of the committee go into more detail. Take Gordon Jones, for example. Ironically, his youngest son was born just a couple of weeks after his death. They can only recover Gordon's lost wages, but they are not entitled to any nonfinancial benefits. That needs to be taken care of, and we will. There are claims that have been made that the process was inadequate. The Committee on the Judiciary held on May 27 of this year a hearing on the legal liability issues surrounding the gulf coast oil disaster. It lasted over 5 hours, and it covered 11 witnesses who discussed and addressed the laws that I have mentioned in this act before us. Then they held an extensive markup the following month, on June 23, at which time we debated a number of amendments and reported the bill. It was a bipartisan vote. Then, in the manager's amendment, we addressed some concerns that were raised by my colleagues on the other side. This bill focuses on fixing these gaps, and I am hopeful that we can move this bill as expeditiously as we can. I want to acknowledge my colleague Sheila Jackson Lee, who is a senior member who has helped us craft the legislation in the manager's amendment. Along with her and our colleague from Florida, Corrine Brown, we have also been able to make some modifications that have been generally agreed to by many of the members on the committee. We have reached an understanding, although we have not developed statutory language. Mr. Speaker, this disaster has now become the most massive environmental disaster in our nation's history, poisoning widespread swaths of the Gulf of Mexico, killing wildlife, ruining wetlands, and wreaking economic havoc in the Gulf states. The disaster has highlighted not only gaps in our ability to engage in and regulate deepwater drilling, but also major legal gaps in the applicable statutes that are adversely impacting victims. H.R. 5503 focuses on fixing these gaps, so that the victims of this disaster can get fair treatment. In short, we have found that the current state of law regarding these liability issues is outdated, is unfair, and operates against our nation's interest. First, the three key laws in effect all date from the mid 1800's or early 1900's. The Death on High Seas Act, enacted in 1920, does not allow recovery of non-pecuniary loss--in contrast to all States and to general maritime law. The Jones Act, also dating from 1920, allows recovery for a family's non-pecuniary loss if a seaman is injured but survives, but denies the family that same recovery if he dies. And the Limitation on Liability Act, enacted in 1851, caps a shipowner's legal responsibility at the value of the ship and its cargo, no matter how massive the magnitude of the harm caused. Second, the laws are grossly unfair. It makes no sense to allow the family of an individual who dies in a plane accident on the high seas to be eligible for non-pecuniary damages, while the family of someone who dies in a ship accident is not. It makes no sense to allow the family of a victim of an oil explosion on shore to recover non-pecuniary damages, while the same victim in a Jones Act case could be limited to lost wages and funeral expenses. It makes no sense to keep a Limitation on Liability Act designed to help U.S. shipping fleets in the 19th century, when the U.S. merchant marine is now practically non-existent. And it makes no sense to allow a company to incur multibillion-dollar claims and then abuse the bankruptcy process to leave victims out in the cold. The bill on the floor today reflects changes made in response to concerns raised about the legislation. Specifically, concerns were expressed about possible unintended consequences of the class action changes, and that section was removed in its entirety. Concerns were expressed about restricting enforceability of secrecy agreements, and that section was removed in its entirety. What remains are the core provisions that are needed to help the victims of the Gulf Coast oil spill disaster, including the families of the 11 men who died and the numerous workers who were injured aboard the Deepwater Horizon. I want to remind Members that this bill is, above all else, about helping victims, particularly the victims of this oil platform explosion and spill. One of these victims is Gordon Jones, who was killed aboard the Deepwater Horizon. Gordon was married to Michelle Jones and had two children, Stafford and Maxwell Gordon, and is also survived by his brother and father. Maxwell Gordon was born just a couple of weeks after his father died. Under current law, the Jones family can only recover Gordon's lost wages, and are not entitled to any non-financial damages. This bill would fix that for Gordon, the 10 others killed on the Deepwater Horizon, and others injured. As Gordon's father, Keith, testified before the House Judiciary Committee on May 27: ``When Michelle tells her boys about their dad, she's not going to show them a pay stub. She will tell them how much their father loved them. . . . ``I want to say how offensive it is when the law recognizes only pecuniary loss in cases like these eleven deaths. . . . Please believe me; no amount of money can ever compensate us for Gordon's death. We know that. But this is the only means available to begin to make things right.'' This is not a complicated vote. It is about ensuring that BP and other corporations that caused the Deepwater Horizon explosion and resulting oil spill are held accountable under the law for all the harm their irresponsible behavior has caused these hardworking Americans and their families. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Before I recognize the next speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I am sure my good friend Lamar Smith is not recommending that with all the tragedy and suffering that has occurred in this area of the country, that we go back and go over these same issues one more time. The laws are ancient. They are out-of-date. We had witnesses. We wrote a bill based on it. This process has been done numerous times. I now with some pride yield 1 minute to the distinguished Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. This is incredible. With all the suffering that has occurred, all the damage that has incurred, we now come here after more than 5 hours worth of hearings on this matter to say that the ship owners won't like the insurance rates, that they won't like that they may be liable, and that's what we're correcting. I deeply resent this kind of attack on a bill of this urgency. I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon).

Mr. CONYERS. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. CONYERS. I yield myself 6 seconds. I am so disappointed that my dear friends would even suggest that there's a defense for the oil companies, the shipbuilders, and the insurance companies in a situation like this. I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Maxine Waters, a distinguished leader in the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. CONYERS. I am happy now to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California, Dr. Judy Chu, a member of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa, Bruce Braley, a cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill. It's uncomplicated. It revises old law that's been discriminatory and left on the books. It ensures that BP and other corporate violators that caused the Deepwater Horizon explosion-resulting oil spill are held accountable under the law. This is not going to hurt the victims. The victims came before the committee and testified in favor of this kind of relief. So for us now to think that we're inadvertently doing some harm to those who have lost their loved ones is untenable and uncontemplatable. I urge that all of us cast as near unanimous vote as possible in support of this legislation and correct the injustices that have been caused by this incredible, extensive, and terrible accident. And I include in my closing remarks the support of nine other organizations. The International Cruise Victims Association The National Center for Victims of Crime The National Organization of Parents of Murdered Children Public Citizen Alliance for Justice National Consumers League Consumer Watchdog Center for Justice & Democracy Center for Biological Diversity Friends of the Earth U.S. Action

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Ladies and gentlemen of the House, 1 week ago the House passed historic campaign finance reform that was designed to curb improper corporate and foreign influences on the American electoral system. Everybody in this House is in support of the attempts of this committee and the House Administration Committee to accomplish this aim, to rein in, to eliminate improper corporate and foreign influences on the American electoral system. There is not a Member in this House that is not in support of that. So this bill hones in on the most toxic foreign influences, countries whose governments the Secretary of State has determined sponsor terrorism. H.R. 5609 amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act to prevent any country specifically designated as a state sponsor of terrorism from hiring a lobbyist in an attempt to influence the laws and policies of the United States of America. By their actions, these states have forfeited many privileges of doing business in the United States. The business of government should be no different. We should not allow states that sponsor terrorism to be able to hire lobbyists to influence our lawmakers and our laws. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. First of all, I want to applaud the parliamentary wisdom of the distinguished gentleman from California, who supports the matter that is before the House, but he has very pointedly pointed out that the process, the procedure has not been appropriate from his point of view. As he knows, we had a hearing on the constitutionality of Citizens United on February 3, 2010. But I concede to him and apologize that there was no markup, and I hope that that will assuage the gentleman's very particular objection to the process here. Now, of course, some of the excellent points that he has raised really go to the rules of the House.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, could I ask for regular order? We have had, I don't know how many--this could go on all night if the gentleman is just opposed to campaign finance reform.

Mr. CONYERS. No one disrespects the sincerity and abilities of my friend from California, who has raised these questions. General Leave

Mr. CONYERS. I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise their remarks and include extraneous materials.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5609) to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit any registered lobbyist whose clients include foreign governments which are found to be sponsors of international terrorism or include other foreign nationals from making contributions and other campaign-related disbursements in elections for public office, as amended.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. McMahon).

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act which would extend emergency unemployment compensation and other benefits through November 30, 2010. Our government has an obligation to alleviate the suffering of millions of unemployed during the worst recession since the Great Depression. Today, unemployment is at alarmingly high levels where in my home State of Michigan it is over 13 percent. The Federal Government has never allowed unemployment benefits to expire when the national unemployment rate was above 7.2 percent. However, Republicans in the Senate have blocked numerous attempts to extend the benefits and even if today's measure passes, the Senate will adjourn, causing thousands more to lose benefits. Furthermore, Republicans have stopped many other job creating bills citing budget concerns, even though they have unquestioned support for indefinite war spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, which recently surpassed the one trillion dollar mark and championed tax breaks for the rich while the unemployed suffer. It appears the Republicans are willing to give a helping hand to every group except the American worker. Mr. Speaker, the job market is in tatters and it has been found that for every job opening there are five applicants. We simply can no longer wait on extending these vital benefits. I urge my colleagues to support today's legislation.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I move a call of the House.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1464, which commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security and affirms our alliance with Japan and commitment to peace and prosperity for the U.S. and Japan, as well as the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S.-Japan Alliance, rooted in our shared values and democratic ideals, provides a climate of stability for East Asia that has enabled all nations of the region to develop and prosper. I do believe the time has come to rethink our large military footprint near Okinawa. The Japanese are our partners and allies; a large military presence within their country is likely seen by a younger generation as unnecessary and unwelcome. The U.S. and Japan should enhance regional cooperation in the Asia- Pacific region. We should work together to respond to natural disasters and to provide humanitarian relief in the region. We must make efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons. We must deepen our cooperation and strengthen our Alliance. As the Treaty marks its 50th Anniversary, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution to recommit ourselves to further build a strong and cohesive U.S.-Japanese Alliance.