Shelley Capito

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor, James Addy, the mayor of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Mayor Addy will retire this month after 10 successful years in the mayor's office. Jim has been Mayor since 2001 and is a professor of social studies at Bowie State University, where he teaches courses in American history. He has served a stalwart career as a public official and has worked relentlessly to improve his community. Mayor Addy brought an honest and clear vision to Harper's Ferry where he has worked to bring a better life to its citizens. I have always valued his wise counsel. In his terms in office, Mayor Addy has applied his wealth of knowledge. As a professor, he knows the common thread of American history and how lessons learned in the past are often repeated in the future. As a teacher and former assistant principal, he applied his ability to build relationships and mentor those who will follow in his footsteps, especially the younger generation. And finally as a product of a childhood in a neighborhood of Baltimore, he brought the idea of working for a better community and a greater good. Mayor Addy, I hope that you enjoy your time out of public service. I know you will continue to teach and affect the young lives that you so believe in. I know that you will continue to be involved in all aspects of Harpers Ferry and its future. You have done a great job. I wish you the very best.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Republic of Azerbaijan on the 93rd anniversary of Republic Day on May 28. Additionally, the Republic of Azerbaijan will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of its independence from the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan has become a critical ally of the United States due both to its location in the Caucasus Region and its access to rich energy sources in the Caspian Sea. Additionally, Azerbaijan has been an example of religious and ethnic tolerance. As a predominantly Muslim country, Azerbaijan has maintained strong and active Jewish and Christian communities. Azerbaijan was one of the first nations to offer the United States support in the aftermath of 9/11. They have participated in many joint military efforts since their independence and recently doubled their military presence in Afghanistan. They have also offered logistical support for our efforts in Afghanistan, offering refueling stations and over-flight permission. Once again, I am happy to honor and congratulate Azerbaijan on their 93rd Anniversary of Republic Day. Azerbaijan has been a great ally to the United States, and I think it is important that we highlight all the efforts they have made to support efforts to bring peace and freedom to parts of the world that have known nothing but tyranny.

Ms. CAPITO

Ms. CAPITO. Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 357 change my vote to an ``aye.'' Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Stated for:

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the George Washington Patriots Swim Team for winning the 2011 state championship. The past three years have amounted to a great deal of success for the Patriot swimmers, winning the 2009 state championship and coming in as runner-up last year. For a few seniors, this marks the end of a great high school career and I want to congratulate them as well as the rest of the team for their time and hard work. It takes a strong group of young men to maintain the drive and dedication they have shown season after season. I want to thank their coach, Melissa Case, for instilling such a focus in her team. It certainly has not gone unnoticed. These individuals should be very proud of their accomplishment and represent the highest level of George Washington High School student athletes. I wish them the best and know they will display the same level of character in their future pursuits as they did in the pool.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize National Nursing Home Week, which began nationwide on May 8, and concludes on May 14th. This year's theme, ``Fulfilling the Promise,'' was selected to honor those who are serving others, thus adding value to life. National Nursing Home Week is a time to reach out to older Americans in these facilities who have given so much to our communities and country. They are our loved ones, our veterans, our teachers, nurses, friends, and much more. It's also a time to better understand the valuable work of nursing home staff. They provide quality care day in and day out, focusing on person-centered care so that elderly and disabled residents can live life in a meaningful way. All across America, nursing homes provide fulfilling places to work, employing millions of Americans even in these tough economic times. In West Virginia alone, nursing homes and other long term care facilities make up one of the state's largest industries and employers. These jobs make nursing homes a critical component of local and state economies. In West Virginia, they support an estimated $1.7 billion of the state's economic activity and $38.6 million in tax revenue. As this year marks the first year that baby boomers will reach the age of 65, the critical role that long term care facilities play will only become more important. These facilities will be even more critical in states like West Virginia where we have the second highest percentage of citizens who are over the age of 65. Let us all celebrate the critical work of nursing homes in caring for our nation's seniors, employing Americans and strengthening the economy. I ask all Americans to join me in celebrating National Nursing Home Week by taking part in local activities and ceremonies around the country.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues for bringing this forward and for their very strong support of this measure. I too rise today in support of S. 307, which will rename the Federal courthouse and the Federal building at 217 West King Street in Martinsburg, West Virginia for W. Craig Broadwater, as it will be designated as the W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United States Courthouse. Martinsburg is in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, very close here to Washington, D.C. It's also part of my district. Judge Broadwater was one of my constituents. I learned more from Judge Broadwater than he ever learned from me, I can tell you that. He was a very kind, supportive, gentle person, but also a very fair-minded and humble public servant. As we've heard, and I am going to repeat it, he served with distinction and honor to this country for over 40 years, first as an Army lieutenant, later as a Federal court judge, and a brigadier general for the West Virginia National Guard. I know he was deployed the year before he passed away very suddenly. He came to West Virginia, where he attended West Virginia University in 1972, and he entered ROTC. It obviously made a large impression on his life, as he stayed not only for 2 years as a military officer, intelligence officer, but also retained his dedicated service to our country through the military throughout his life. He graduated from West Virginia University in 1977, went into private practice as a practicing attorney until 1983. He then became the circuit judge of the First Judicial Circuit in West Virginia and served in that capacity from 1983 to 1996, where he then was appointed, as my colleague from Florida said, by President Clinton on January 26, 1996, where he served until he passed away December 18, 2006. He was a lieutenant in the U.S. Army for 2 years. He joined the Army National Guard in 1976 as an operational detachment executive officer and, as I said, remained in the Guard the rest of his life. He was deployed several times. He was deployed as a battalion commander from 1994 to 1996, where he led the battalion for service in Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy. He became a brigadier general during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was mobilized in 2003 and in 2005 at the Horn of Africa. After serving, he was then sent to Djibouti, where he served as the deputy commanding officer. But what I would like to talk about are the several times that I actually got to meet and talk and get to know Craig Broadwater. He was very young when he was stricken quickly and taken from us and his family. He is missed, I know, every day in their hearts and certainly in the hearts of the eastern part of West Virginia. Being a Federal judge is, I think, not only an awesome responsibility, it takes a special kind of person to do it well, and Judge Broadwater did it well. He was, as I said, kind, soft-spoken, considerate, a great listener and very respectful of all individuals, whether you would be talking to the Governor or whether you would be talking to the person who is helping you keep your building in order during the evenings. He loved his family, his State and his country. I know that by naming this courthouse and this Federal building for Judge W. Craig Broadwater, that those who serve in that building and in that courthouse will have an inspiration as they walk in. As they enter and see his name on the front of the building, they are going to realize that sacrifice of yourself and of your family is sometimes what's important in service to your country, to your State, to the law. He did this uncomplainingly, with great humor, and deep respect for our country, our laws of fairness and justice. I think for those folks, whether you are going in as a person who is a judge or an attorney or somebody who is seeking representation, when you enter the building that's named for Judge Broadwater, you are going to feel like you are going into a building that's dedicated to the fairness and upholding the highest standards that he, himself, upheld during his life. We miss him to this day, and I think this is a fitting tribute. I want to thank Senator Rockefeller for joining together, the two of us, to put this forward. I look forward to the day when we can attach onto that Federal building in honor of Judge Broadwater the ``W. Craig Broadwater Federal Building and United States Courthouse.''

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, which would prohibit the EPA from using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases. Congress has already said no to a cap-and-trade tax, yet the EPA is intent on taking matters into their own hands, which will result in a bleeding of jobs. If the EPA is allowed to continue to pick winners and losers in this country, we will be seeing higher prices at the gas pump, higher utility bills, and job loss. We should be making it easier, not harder, for small businesses to expand and hire. However, the EPA's assault on fossil fuels will result in higher domestic energy costs and push American jobs overseas. At home in West Virginia, the EPA is making it much more expensive to turn on our lights and drive to work; that's not the way to get our economy back on track. This legislation is of particular importance to my constituents in West Virginia. The EPA's regulations will disproportionately affect our State's economy. West Virginia powers the Nation. Our energy providers provide thousands of good-paying jobs, and coal alone provides over half of our Nation's electricity and over 95 percent of the power in my State. I strongly urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 910 to stop the EPA's regulatory overreach and job-killing strategies.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the George Washington Patriots for winning the West Virginia Class AAA boys basketball championship. The third-seeded Patriots defeated top-seeded Wheeling Park 55-54 to take home the State title. This was a special win for Coach Rick Greene, as he was part of the team that gave the school its first basketball championship 40 years ago. In a close, intense game, the two teams battled to the end. In the final seconds, George Washington was leading 55-52 when Wheeling Park hit what looked to be a three-pointer. However, a review of the shot showed that it was only a two-pointer and George Washington won. Quite a finish. Having two boys who grew up playing basketball in West Virginia for Coach Greene, I have seen both the faces of elation and anguish. A game as competitive and well-fought as this shows the heart and dedication these young men and their coaches put in all season to get to this game. I want to congratulate both teams for tremendous seasons and for giving us such a memorable game. Congrats to Gee-Dub.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers) be removed as a cosponsor from H.R. 1081.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. I have been listening to the discussion. Certainly over the last several years I have been in the committee where we have seen program after program being introduced to try to alleviate the problem that we know exists with the foreclosure issue. But this is about making choices today. This is about making choices about programs that are working, programs that are not working, programs that are costing too much, and programs that we need to reshape and reform. I believe this program is one that we can in good measure eliminate. It hasn't really gotten started. It's a billion-dollar program, and in some sense we already know, and we've heard from many in the discussion, that 98 cents out of every dollar that's set forth as a loan in this program will actually be a forgiven loan. Now, we talk about fairness and mean-spiritedness. Is it fair to the rest of the folks who are working, scraping, paying their mortgages every single day to know that 98 cents of every dollar that goes out the door in helping some other folks is never going to come back in when the original agreement--it is a loan. I think this is a good-sense cut that will lead to more jobs and better-sense government.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Mr. Frank Buckles, the sole surviving U.S. World War I veteran who passed away on Sunday at the age of 110 in his hometown of Charles Town, West Virginia. Inspired by his love of his country and a desire to serve, Frank entered the Army at the age of 16. He served in England and France during the war, first as a car and ambulance driver, and later as an escort for returning German POWs. During World War II, he was held as a prisoner of war in the Philippines for 39 months. He has been recognized as a true American patriot and awarded numerous medals. I have met Frank on several occasions. He was a constituent of my district, and I was always inspired by his sense of humility and hope. He represents the very best of this country: service, determination, and patriotism. He has lived through some of the most historic events in our American history, from the Great Depression to two world wars, to the invention of the Internet, reminding us of the immense progress, yet change, that we have seen in this Nation. For years, Frank had dedicated his life to ensuring his fellow doughboys received proper national recognition. I hope this Congress will honor the legacy of Frank Buckles and the legacy of all those who fought in the War to End All Wars by paying tribute to them with a national memorial. Let Frank's legacy remind us of the service and sacrifice all veterans make in the name of protecting America and all for which she stands. Our thoughts and prayers go to the Buckles family.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the gentlewoman's amendment, although I had an amendment that was to follow this amendment which sought to grab $47 million from the ARPA-E program to fund a jobs program to restore the clean coal research dollars that are stricken in this continuing resolution. My amendment would have restored funding to the DOE's Fossil Energy Research and Development program to maintain our commitment to domestic coal and natural gas, which powers our Nation. It protects our environment and enhances our energy independence. Certainly, in being from the State of West Virginia, this is a jobs issue for us. Our coal industry is under serious attack in this administration, both from the regulatory perspective and from other environmental areas. We realize that 50 percent of the Nation's energy is powered by coal. In order to use that most abundant resource that we have in our Nation, we need to find ways to burn it cleaner and mine it more efficiently. For more than a quarter of a century, Fossil Energy Research has converted taxpayer investment into high-tech advances that in some ways touch every single American's life. Fossil Energy is finding and testing new ways to use coal more cleanly and efficiently by producing energy from coal gasification and by improving technologies to clean, capture, or store the emissions from coal-fired power plants. Over 1,000 American pioneers are doing research in this area, many of them located in our State of West Virginia at the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Morgantown facility is the only national laboratory devoted to fossil energy research. So while I'm unable to offer my amendment to strike $47 million from the ARPA-E program and restore the $30.6 million into the clean coal research program, I did want to take this opportunity to emphasize the feeling that I have of how important it is for us to move forward in a bold and technologically superior way to find a way to use our most abundant resource. The advanced research projects happening at Fossil Energy now will help keep clean, affordable energy from our traditional few resources as an integral part of our energy supply while we innovate and research our way to those new energy resources.

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding me the time. Thank you for your leadership on our committee as we work toward better solutions for a modernized financial regulatory structure. Last year, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law. Today we are realizing the overarching effects such legislation will have on our economy, and this has only just begun. Onerous new regulations and the creation of an entirely new agency with vast influence over consumer choice will only impede our recovery. Instead of expanding the scope of government, we need efficient and effective regulatory oversight to support the private sector which will drive our economy's recovery. I have deep concerns about what this new law will mean for employment, as do many of my constituents. Charles Maddy, who is the president of Summit Community Bank, testified before our committee. The bank is headquartered in my district, and he testified just this month about the effects of the new rules and regulations enacted under the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation on small institutions. Even though small institutions are supposedly ``carved out'' of this law, Charlie expressed serious concerns about his institution's ability to compete in this new regulatory regime. Banks that didn't take excessive risks or use exotic financial products are going to see higher compliance costs, limited access to capital, and regulatory pressures on lending issues, all of which hurt our ability and his ability to serve the community. While it is necessary to regulate those that acted irresponsibly, it is important that the regulations be targeted and effective, not broad and burdensome. At a time when we should be creating economic certainty in our markets, we are seeing the unintended consequences of this law. According to Mr. Maddy, ``New standards are being applied without banks having a clear understanding of where they are.'' This will only discourage investment and innovation and hinder job creation.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 32 to honor the victims of the senseless act of violence that took place in Tucson on Saturday. Six members of the Arizona community lost their lives and one of our own, Gabby Giffords, has been gravely injured. It's hard to find the words to describe the deep sorrow we all feel for the families and friends of the shooter's victims. His actions have shown us human behavior at its darkest, but the heroes of the day represent our society at its best. The innocent bystanders quickly rallied to curtail the gunman and perform triage on the victims. The American people are humbled by the bravery of those who put themselves in harm's way and grateful for the talented first responders and medical professionals who have compassionately cared for the wounded. As we've all come to know, Gabby is a fighter. With the help of the thoughts and prayers of millions of Americans who are wishing for her speedy recovery, Gabby has beat the odds and has thus far made a remarkable turn for the better. We should all be inspired by Gabby's strength. Madam Speaker, we cannot forget that this tragedy occurred as Gabby was performing her most fundamental duty as an elected representative: listening to the people. This attack is quite literally an assault on the very democratic values which we seek everyday to uphold in this Chamber. As we struggle with how to handle the aftermath of this tragedy, let us reflect on the values that make our country great.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to vote in support of this very important bill. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to a wonderful advocate for supportive housing and housing in general, the gentlewoman from Illinois, Judy Biggert.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Connecticut for his dedication to this very important piece of legislation. And I would particularly like to thank Ms. Biggert from Illinois for her passion and her advocacy on behalf of the disabled Americans and their housing needs. I rise in support of S. 1481, the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2010. There are nearly 4 million non-elderly disabled adults in the United States that are in need of housing assistance. The section 811 program is the only Federal program that allows persons with disabilities to live independently in the community by increasing the supply of affordable rental housing with the availability of supportive services. S. 1481 closely resembles H.R. 1675, which passed the House by over 375 votes last year. The bill before us today restructures the section 811 program in a way that provides for a continued creation of supportive housing and provides rental assistance that would make housing affordable for very low-income people with disabilities. This bill will improve the section 811 disabled housing program by streamlining and simplifying development of HUD section 811 properties, and makes changes to the program to encourage integration and mixed-use developments such as low-income housing tax credits and HOME program funds. I would additionally like to thank the very dedicated and hearty group of advocates from my State of West Virginia who traveled here last year to talk about this extremely important issue and the difficulties that they find every day, not only securing housing, but finding more housing for their associates who may suffer disabilities and are unable to find safe, affordable housing. And so I want to thank them for their passion and also for their strength that they exhibit every day in dealing with their disabilities. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), a housing advocate and the upcoming chair of the new subcommittee.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I want to thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for his good hard work, and I encourage my colleagues to support the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of S. 118, the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2009. As my colleague has said, the bill reforms the section 202 elderly housing program making it more efficient and more effective and better able to meet the housing needs of our elderly. S. 118 is similar to H.R. 2930 that passed the House in the 110th Congress by voice vote. Affordable housing with supportive services is a key component for seniors who want to stay in their own home and age in place. The section 202 Housing for the Elderly program is the primary HUD program that provides housing exclusively for low-income elderly households. The section 202 program has been a very important tool in addressing these housing needs by providing capital advance grants to nonprofit housing sponsors to build new elderly housing facilities and project rental assistance contracts to subsidize very low-income elderly citizens of these facilities. Many nonprofit sponsors are faith-based organizations with an exclusive mission to serve the elderly. As a condition of receiving a capital advance, which does not have to be repaid, a nonprofit sponsor must make housing available for a period no less than 40 years. As a result of these efforts, the section 202 program currently supplies 320,000 units of housing for our very low-income elderly citizens. I am very pleased to see that the language that I worked on in the 110th Congress remains in the bill. My provision would help resolve a problem that nonmetro States, like my home State of West Virginia, have experienced when attempting to qualify for funds through the section 202 program. It is important to recognize, of course, that the need for housing for the very low-income elderly extends to nonmetro areas. The very low-income elderly of rural West Virginia deserve the same resources that are available to the elderly living in larger cities. Participants and developers of the section 202 program maintain that the current regulation and HUD administration of the program can be time-consuming and bureaucratic. S. 118 will improve the section 202 elderly housing program by streamlining and simplifying the development and preservation of HUD's section 202 properties, and by increasing participation by not-for-profit developers, private lenders, investors, and State and local funding agencies. Madam Speaker, the need for affordable rental housing in America has an effect on renters of all ages, especially our seniors, and this bill will help ease some of the affordability problems for our senior population. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. In the past few years, my home State, West Virginia, has walked with a heavy heart. On numerous occasions, we have bowed our heads in solemn reverence for miners that we have lost in tragedy. We have watched as our small towns and their citizens have been thrust into the Nation's eye for the most unfortunate reasons. As we've heard, in fact, on April 5 of this year, we suffered the worst mine disaster in more than a generation. An underground explosion swept through at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine, claiming 29 lives, which my colleague from West Virginia just enumerated very eloquently. Let me be clear, the issue of mine safety is a very personal one to every West Virginian. Our families and our friends are in the mines. When West Virginia loses even a single miner, it affects all of us. Currently, multiple investigations into the Upper Big Branch mine are still searching for answers and following each small detail that could uncover the answer to a larger mystery. And it is just that, an unsolved investigation. Even today, investigators are hampered by water and are working to clear the mine before they can continue their work. With these investigations still in progress, we do not know which laws were not followed by the operator, which laws MSHA failed to enforce, and which health and safety laws were simply inadequate. And yet Congress intends to lay out its heavy hand again before our questions are answered and before we know exactly what happened. The late Senator Robert C. Byrd was a leader in mine safety. After the Sago mine tragedy in my district, the West Virginia delegation gathered in Senator Byrd's office, and we sat together to reach a common agenda. The Senator believed that we were there for a purpose of protecting our miners and that all ideas were welcome at the table. I wish this Congress would heed the late Senator's values. This bill was rushed to the floor in the last days of this Congress with little notice and some changes made at the last minute. I was heartened a few months ago when Congress began a new discussion on miner safety. I appreciate the chairman of the committee having a field hearing in Beckley and allowing me to attend. So I appreciate that. In fact, there were many bills introduced as a part of that discussion. And, unfortunately, this discussion has been too short and a single bill was green-lighted by a select few. This bill has been rushed to the floor so it can be checked off a list of accomplishments. I wholeheartedly support the legislation's goal to better protect the health and safety of our Nation's miners, but in this case, we haven't gotten close to the goal. Improving mine safety can only happen when all parties work to get involved or are working together to achieve better results. It is shortsighted and, in essence, a shot in the dark before we see the true facts. The bill being considered today takes harsh and punitive measures that does little to address mine safety but, rather, introduces dramatic regulatory changes and promotes unnecessary litigation which will hurt those mines and miners operating in good faith on behalf of worker safety. It imposes vague new standards for criminal liability, potentially criminalizing most infractions and subjecting officials to sanctions over which they have no direct control. Any legislation should look at the industry in total, from the companies to the agencies regulating them, and this bill does not do that. If we are to truly get this right, we need to let the investigations move forward and work for a true mine safety bill that would secure the safety of our miners for generations to come.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say that I applaud the first lady, Michelle Obama, for her efforts in childhood obesity. I hail from the State of West Virginia, which has probably some of the highest percentages of childhood obesity; and I think the issue in the underlying bill is tremendously important for our Nation and for the future, as is the nutritional aspects of that. And as the gentleman from Florida said, I'm going to talk on the YouCut because I believe cutting spending and not passing on generational debt to those same children is an important issue as well. Over the last few months, millions of Americans have used YouCut as a way to voice their concerns over the out-of-control spending in Washington, and many have offered their own solutions on how the government can be more efficient and more accountable. Unfortunately, most of these have fallen on deaf ears as the Congress has voted repeatedly not to try to rein in the spending of taxpayer dollars, and we simply cannot continue down this path. Each week we have brought a simple, yet effective way to cut spending before the House, and it has failed every time. So today I will support eliminating the requirement to print copies of every single bill and resolution--imagine how many pages that is-- that's been introduced in Congress because all of these are already available online. I want to congratulate Mr. Lee of New York for bringing forth this proposal. This will save millions of dollars over the next decade--a small number in the grand scheme of things--but nevertheless a significant start. There is no question that cutting the deficit will require some tough decisions on our part, but let's start out now on one which everyone can agree, and I think this should be one of them.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3814, which extends the National Flood Insurance Program through September 30, 2011. I feel like we're deja vu all over again. We've done this several times, I think, in the last several months and years. That timeframe will give us ample opportunity to craft a bill that fundamentally reforms the program, which needs fundamental reform. It's unfortunate this Congress has, to date, been unable to enact comprehensive reform of the flood insurance program. Currently, as we know, the flood insurance program is carrying a debt of $18 billion. The program remains underfunded and unable to meet its potential obligations. And its financial shortfall continues to place taxpayers at risk for the cost of property losses caused by flooding. On July 15, 2010, the House approved H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act, which included many constructive reforms. However, many of us on this side of the aisle felt that the measure did not go far enough to put the NFIP on a path towards sound financial footing. In fact, despite the reforms included in H.R. 5114, which included several Republican amendments, the CBO projected that if H.R. 5114 were enacted, the National Flood Insurance Program would still need to borrow additional funds from the U.S. Treasury to cover losses and would exhaust its current borrowing authority by the year 2013. Today, to avoid another lapse in a program that serves 5.5 million residential and business property owners, we are considering S. 3814, the National Flood Insurance Program Reextension Act of 2010, which passed the Senate by voice vote on Tuesday, September 21, 2010. S. 3814 provides for a straightforward 1-year extension of the NFIP, which otherwise would expire on September 30. According to the Congressional Budget Office, enactment of this bill would have no net impact on the Federal budget. Madam Speaker, we must move forward with fundamental and fiscally responsible reforms of the Flood Insurance Program. S. 3814 extends the NFIP, as I've said, through September 30, 2011, allowing borrowers in flood-prone areas like mine to close on their mortgage loans and providing Congress the time it needs to enact real reforms. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. I thank the chairman for that. I have no requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave