Shelley Capito

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove as cosponsors from H.R. 1989 the following Representatives: Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Latta and Mr. Souder.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove as cosponsors from H.R. 3413 the following Representatives: Mr. Al Green of Texas and Ms. Jenkins.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Shepherdstown Fire Department, for over 200 years of service by trained volunteers. As the oldest fire department in Jefferson County, West Virginia, Shepherdstown Fire Department has been a staple of the area for over two centuries. As early as 1793, when Shepherdstown was known as Mecklenburg, the town passed a tax levy to secure money with the purpose of purchasing a fire engine. In 1804, a year after the engine was purchased, the department's first fire house was built. Devoted firefighters have selflessly given their services to the community and have been shown tremendous support in return from their neighbors. On Saturday, September 12, 2009, Shepherdstown Fire Department held a day long celebration for the public to enjoy. The department hosted several events commemorating this milestone. The events included the final placement of the department's original 1894 fire bell and a rededication of the fire department. It is an honor to recognize the Shepherdstown Fire Department. Reaching the 200-year mark is an impressive accomplishment. It says wonderful things about West Virginia to have people like these volunteer firefighters.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Jerry Alan Jones, a police officer in my hometown of Charleston, West Virginia, who died tragically in the line of duty while chasing a suspect early Sunday morning. At just 27, Patrolman Jones truly exemplified what it meant to serve both his local community and as a citizen of our Nation. Before becoming a patrolman with the Charleston Police Department, he was a sergeant with the United States Marine Corps and helped to secure the Kandahar Airport when the U.S. military first went to Afghanistan after September 11. Back at home, he was active in his local church, where he met his wife, Samantha. The couple recently celebrated their first anniversary together. Today the city of Charleston mourns the loss of one of its finest. Patrolman Jones led a life to which we should all aspire. We mourn with his wife, Samantha, with his family, and we offer our prayers of comfort and remembrance. I urge my colleagues to join me today in recognition of Patrolman Jerry Alan Jones, our friend, protector and hero, for his fearless courage in serving the citizens of Charleston and the entire State of West Virginia.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Mohammed A. ``Mo'' Khan, Jr., who accepted command of the 341 Operations Group on May 20 in a change of command ceremony. Colonel Khan is originally from Ronceverte, West Virginia, born November 5, 1966. After graduation from California Lutheran University in 1988, Colonel Khan received his commission through the University of California at Los Angeles Reserve Officer Training Corps program. Over the past twenty years, Mo has been promoted from Second Lieutenant to the rank of Colonel. Upon accepting command of the 341st OG, Colonel Khan stated his three main priorities, which are to do your absolute very best at all times; to take care of each other and your families; and to give freely of yourself, both on and off base. It is because of these values that Mo has advanced so far and received so many decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Combat Readiness Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and National Defense Service Medal with Star Device. Early in his Air Force career, Colonel Khan served a variety of positions in a missile combat crew, advancing to squadron, group and wing level positions. In 2002, Colonel Khan assumed command of the 564th Missile Squadron where he led over 200 operations. His extensive operations experience led to several positions at the Pentagon in the space operations division, where until March of 2008 he held the title of director of space operations. Most recently, he was chief of the space superiority division before assuming command of the 341st Operations Group. It is an honor to recognize Colonel Mohammed A. ``Mo'' Khan, Jr.--he is a man that represents the best of West Virginia. I would like to congratulate him for his invaluable service to the Air Force. I know his wife, Lisa, and two children, Mo III and Simeon, are extremely proud.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Massachusetts, for his bipartisan way of approaching this particular issue. He is correct when he says that we've gone back and forth on this over, I think, almost a decade on the way to reform this program. We certainly want to see that. Everyone here should be in agreement that the National Flood Insurance Program needs reform. The chairman spoke of that. But I think we can also agree it would be irresponsible and unfair to many communities and areas where flooding occurs to let the program expire at the end of September 2009 without attempting to fix it, which is why we need to pass another short-term extension today. The National Flood Insurance Program is currently carrying a debt in excess of more than $19 billion, primarily from property damage claims that were paid after the series of big storms that hit Florida in 2004 and the gulf coast in 2005. According to the Government Accountability Office, the NFIP is underfunded by design because many property owners continue to receive subsidized premium rates under long-standing provisions in place since the flood insurance rate mapping system went into effect in 1974. We need to deal with these issues. It's going to take bipartisan leadership on both sides, and I think we have that commitment to get it done. Many of us believe it's time for Congress to work toward encouraging more private insurance and reinsurance capacity to help protect at-risk communities and high-risk regions against the potential damages of flooding as well as other natural disasters. We are committed to pressing forward with reforms as soon as possible and urge others to join us in making this a bipartisan effort as well as a higher priority in this Congress. In addition to supporting the need for a short-term flood insurance extension bill, I support a small but important technical change that would end the program's illogical and unwarranted discrimination against State and local funding of levee construction and improvement projects. I commend my friend, Congresswoman Matsui from Sacramento, for her leadership and her thoughtful and constructive proposal. I also would like to salute Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins of Kansas, an active member of our committee, for lending her support. As I previously stated, I know that we have a great need for reform in this program, and hopefully that will be our ultimate goal. But at the same time, I think it's wise for this Congress to extend this program for another 6 months as we would do in this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. I don't live in a house on stilts, I live on a mountain, so I don't need stilts. I guess that's a good thing. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge support of this legislation.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support, strong support, of H.R. 2034, the Rural Homeowners Protection Act of 2009. As my colleague has stated, the current foreclosure crisis affects rural America as well as cities and suburbs; and many rural areas are subject to additional complicating factors, such as high poverty rates. The section 502 Rural Housing Guaranteed Loan program is an important source of funding in rural areas for moderate-income families wishing to purchase a home. As currently structured, the 502 program guarantees loan origination and allows refinancing on current 502 loans. However, it does not allow refinancing of loans obtained through private lenders. H.R. 2034 amends the section 502 Single Family Housing Loan Guarantee program to allow refinancing of private rural loans through the section 502 program. To safeguard the program, the bill authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to charge a higher fee for refinancing private origination loans to ensure that the class of loans can be guaranteed without the need of additional cost to the government. Mr. Speaker, this is an important change that will provide much- needed assistance in our rural communities. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2034, the Rural Homeowners Protection Act of 2009. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3326--Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010. Awarded under: RDTE Alcan Aluminum Armor Project, Alcan Rolled Products Ravenswood, PO Box 68, Ravenswood, WV 26164 Funding will go towards developing advanced armor more resilient against attacks, providing troops in the field with better protection. Awarded under: RDTE,A Direct Carbon Fuel Cell, DCFC for DoD L.C.N College of Engineering/ ECE Dept. 405 Fayette Pike Montgomery, WV 24136 To develop a portable power generating system with a fuel processor that is capable of extracting carbon from coal Awarded under: RDTE,A Project National Shield Integration Center, Mid-Atlantic Technology Research and Innovation Center, 3200 Kanawha Turnpike, Charleston, WV 25303 The purpose of the PNS program is to establish a nationally integrated system-of-systems framework that can effectively protect the nation against terrorist attacks and provide an effective collaborative system of command, control and communications that will assist any effected region of the United States to deal with the effects of natural or man-made disasters on our population and critical infrastructure.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. We all share a desire to enact health reform that lowers costs and improves care, but I am less convinced that the plan being developed across the aisle is the most responsible approach. We're talking about a bill with a $1.5 trillion price tag. We have the Congressional Budget Office saying the bill fails to control costs. We know it doesn't address legal reform; we know that a government-run health care plan threatens the insurance of millions of Americans; and we know that the bill's push to tax small businesses threatens jobs all across the country. I just talked to a small business owner from Calhoun County. Her quote is, ``This scares me.'' This is not the time to risk more jobs. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join us in real dialogue. This is an issue too important for one party to go it alone.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Awarded under: Department of Education Higher Education (includes FIPSE) College Summit Program College Summit West Virginia, 100L Faculty Circle, Dunbar, WV 25064 Funding would be granted to the College Summit, which creates and enhances post-secondary transition systems within low-income public school districts. College Summit seeks to ensure that every student has an adequate plan for a successful life after high school. Awarded under: Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)--Health Facilities and Services Senior Center Renovation Roane County Committee on Aging, Inc., 811 Madison Avenue, Spencer, WV 25276 Funding will go towards structure renovation for senior center. Awarded under: Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)--Health Facilities and Services Patient Room Expansion Hospital St. Francis Hospital, 333 Laidley St, Charleston, WV 25301 Funding will go towards a patient room expansion to meet increased need.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3288--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010 Awarded under: Federal Highway Administration Surface Transportation Priorities WV Route 480 Pedestrian Bridge and Safety Improvements Corporation of Shepherdstown PO Box 248 Shepherdstown, WV 25443 Project will construct a pedestrian bridge spanning over WV Rt. 480 and improved pedestrian and vehicular traffic conditions upon entry into the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Awarded under: Federal Highway Administration Surface Transportation Priorities U.S. Route 33 City of Spencer 116 Court Street Spencer, WV 25276 Funds will be used for the continuing construction of U.S. Route 33. Awarded under: Housing and Urban Development: Economic Development Initiative Harpers Ferry Interpretative Welcome Center Jefferson County Convention & Visitors Bureau (JCCVB) 37 Washington Ct, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 This project is to create a full service ``green'' Welcome Center/ Attraction along Rt. 340, the eastern Gateway into West Virginia and across from the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Nearly 5 million visitors come here annually. Awarded under: Housing and Urban Development: Economic Development Initiative Morgan County Ice House Art & Community Center PO Box 248 Berkeley Springs, WV 25411 The Morgan Arts Council, owner of the Ice House, has been renovating the former cold storage building in the heart of downtown Berkeley Springs for use as an economic development, education and art center. The requested amount of funding is needed to match a WV Cultural Facilities grant which is already beyond original end date. The extension granted is soon to expire. The total amount of funding with your allocation plus the state grant would allow construction of necessary infrastructure to finish development of the second floor and of the upper two floors of the four-story, 40,000 sf structure.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, for West Virginia's families, it's jobs, health care and the economy that matters the most to them. They've seen trillions of dollars spent, and they see Washington proposing to spend trillions more. They want to know where are the jobs with the stimulus? They want to know why the only apparent answer here in Washington is more spending and more borrowing. My constituents want their voices heard. Recently, I sent a survey out and received 3,500 responses on what do people want on health care. They want to keep the coverage that they have. More than two-thirds are troubled by the idea of a government-run health care. Three-fourths are shocked by the thought of yet another trillion-dollar program. And the vast majority think that this is not the time to be raising taxes. Unfortunately, the plan moving through the House right now fails to address all of these. It fails to control costs. It taxes small businesses. It threatens to force families into government-run health care. Simply put, this is not the health care reform my constituents and I are looking for. What they're looking for are jobs.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the House Republican standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2638 Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, And Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 (109th Congress) Requesting Member: Shelley Moore Capito Bill Number: H.R. 2638--Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, And Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 Account: Defense O&M Army Legal Name of Requesting Entity: HMS Technologies Address of Requesting Entity: 206 West Burke St., Martinsburg, WV 25401 Description of Request: Provide an earmark of $1,200,000: The National Veterans Technology Consortium (NVTC) is comprised of Veterans and business leaders who have joined to create careers in information technology (IT) for Service Disabled and other Veterans. NVTC has teamed with the Army Publishing Directorate (APD) to develop a proof- of-concept program to digitize, tag, and database Army records and operational material in order to meet Army regulatory requirements and achieve APD's mission.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3183--Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Awarded under: Corps of Engineers, Construction Account, Central West Virginia, Corps of Engineers. Baltimore and Huntington Districts Funds will be used for continuation of authorized waste and drinking water improvement activities under section 571 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Chairwoman, I would like to thank the chairman of the subcommittee and the ranking member for the great work they do for veterans and our military construction around the world. I appreciate the opportunity today to rise to offer an amendment to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill that would increase funding for a program that provides free legal services to our veterans under the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Account. I am sure all of us as Members of Congress have talked to a veteran that has not received the benefits that they feel they are fairly entitled to. And if that happens, they can appeal the decision in the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. However, as many veterans are on fixed incomes, they cannot afford the costly legal services associated with appealing a Department of Veterans Affairs decision. The present law entitles certain veterans who wish to appeal to free legal services so that they can receive a fair hearing that they are entitled to without the burden of huge legal fees. Veterans from throughout my district have expressed their concern that many veterans are struggling with the appeals process, and with so many of our warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, we must take measures to ensure that all of our veterans' needs are provided for. My amendment would increase the veterans' legal services account by $1 million, providing for more services for our brave veterans. I urge all of my colleagues to support this very important amendment. I appreciate the opportunity to offer it. I reserve my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. I appreciate the chairman's support and the support of the ranking member. I yield back my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, as we know, funding for rural water projects is vital to the quality of life in our local communities. Small communities have the greatest difficulty providing safe, affordable public drinking water due to their limited resources, and this amendment is designed to help address this challenge. Helping small communities better manage their water resources is absolutely critical to rural America. Across this country, over 90 percent of the community water systems serve a population of less than 10,000 people, and are eligible to receive support from the USDA Water and Waste Disposal programs. USDA water loans and grants allow communities to build or extend water systems and repay the loans at reasonable rates and terms. These important programs provide small communities that possess limited technical and financial resources the tools they need to protect their drinking water quality. Small and rural communities rely on technical assistance and training from their State rural water associations to overcome their lack of economies of scale, provide critical onsite technical expertise, and comply with Federal rules and regulations. Without this assistance, many could not construct new systems, expand existing ones, or comply with mandates. My amendment would restore funding of the Rural Water and Wastewater Disposal program to the fiscal year 2009 level, and ensure that communities have access to the technical resources they need to supply safe and affordable water. At the President's request, the committee reduced funding to the Rural Water and Wastewater Disposal program by $10.038 million. But just yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended the Rural Water and Waste Disposal program receive $22.5 million above the President's request. We must continue to protect important rural water systems which are critical to the economic viability of any small community by maintaining funding for the Rural Water and Wastewater Disposal program. I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. CAPITO. I thank the chairwoman for her support for this amendment. I would like to mention that I did circulate a letter in support of this program, and we had great bipartisan support in that letter and I appreciate the support across the aisle. I would like to thank the ranking member as well. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, at a time when families are already struggling to meet their basic needs, the last thing we need is a new energy tax on all consumers, and that's exactly what this cap-and-trade bill is. It is a national energy tax that will burden consumers, burden businesses, and particularly burden the lower-income families in this country. It picks regional winners and losers, with coal-dependent States like mine, West Virginia, bearing the brunt of this bill. Under this bill, we will actually be penalized for our lower-cost power and will have to pay more to continue using our greatest resource, coal. We should be innovating towards clean coal and carbon sequestration where we can continue to use our most abundant resource. We all want cleaner sources of fuel and more efficient energy, but this cap-and-trade bill is not the way forward. This bill is a jobs killer. This bill has real costs for real people. Vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2874, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Awarded under: COPS TECH GRANT, Kanawha Prosecuters Case Management, Kanawha County Prosecuting Attorney, 700 Washington Street, East Charleston, WV 25301. This project would allow for the cost of implementation of the case management system, integration of the system with law enforcement and hardware needed for both systems. Awarded under: COPS TECH GRANT, Spencer PD Computer System, Spencer Police Department, 116 Court St., Spencer, WV 25276. Funding will be used to purchase a computer system for processing criminals and case management. Awarded under: COPS TECH GRANT, Weston Police Department Technology Upgrade, Weston Police Department, 102 West 2nd Street, Weston, WV 26452. Funding would help establish a computer network in all police vehicles that is networked with the 911 center and the Weston Police Department and surrounding counties. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2996 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Awarded under: U.S. Forest Service Land Acquisition, Nature Conservancy--Monongahela National Forest, U.S. Forest Service, 200 Sycamore Street, Elkins, WV 26241. Funds would go towards the acquisition 1,210 acres within the Monongahela National Forest. Awarded under: Save America's Treasures, Claymont Court Claymont, Society for Continuous Education, 667 Huyett Road, Charles Town, WV 25414. This funding will go to underwrite initial phases for restoration of Claymount Court, a national historic site of great significance.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the remarkable achievements of William ``Bill'' Hicks, the beloved mayor of Romney, West Virginia. Bill is a veteran of the Second World War's Pacific Theater where he was involved in navigation and sighting for secret bombing missions. Just fifteen days after returning home from the war, he married Thelma Elizabeth Berg on December 27, 1945. Together, they made Romney their home on July 1, 1964 and have lived there ever since. Bill worked for Western Union Telegraph Company where he played a key role in setting up the first transcontinental microwave relay communications in the U.S. His work involved implementing communications infrastructure for private and government entities located throughout West Virginia and the surrounding areas. Through his work, Bill also developed a passion for public service. He was first elected to the Romney City Council in 1968 and later was elected as Mayor of Romney in 1991. After more than 40 years of service, Mayor Hicks recently stepped down, but still remains committed to serving his community. He has been involved in numerous community organizations. He also serves on the Hampshire County Development Authority, the Potomac Valley Transit Authority, the Romney VFW, and the American Boy Scout Committee, just to name a few. Bill and his wife Thelma remain committed to their community and their family. They raised five children, boast eight grandchildren and now have five great-grandchildren. Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Romney's beloved Mayor and long- time distinguished public servant, William ``Bill'' Hicks for his years of service and contributions to Hampshire County and the State of West Virginia. Mayor Hicks is a friend and a fellow West Virginian. I wish him all the best in the years to come.