Wm. Clay

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mr. Jeff Theerman, Executive Director of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, MSD, on his election as the new President of the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, NACWA. Mr. Theerman is an accomplished leader and committed environmental steward. He has dedicated his career to the improvement of the environment and public health in Missouri, and throughout the Nation. Without a doubt, he is ideally suited for this national leadership position with NACWA. Mr. Theerman has served Missouri through his work at MSD for over 25 years. In October of 2003 he was named MSD's executive director, willingly and ably accepting accountability for all aspects of the utility's operations. As MSD's executive director, Mr. Theerman leads one of the Nation's largest wastewater and stormwater management utilities, providing services to approximately 1.4 million people in the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County. Under his leadership the MSD currently operates seven wastewater treatment facilities, treating an average of 330 million gallons of water per day and maintaining 9,649 miles of sewers. Since joining others in founding NACWA 40 years ago, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District has benefitted from his active engagement with the organization. A member of NACWA's board of directors since 2004, Mr. Theerman has served as the organization's secretary, treasurer and vice president. It is fitting that his election as president coincides with the 40th anniversary of NACWA's advocacy on behalf of the Nation's clean water agencies--and the environment we all value so much. When I hear terms like ``accountable'' and ``responsive,'' I think of public servants like Mr. Theerman. Under his able leadership NACWA looks forward to proactively and effectively addressing the complex 21st century water quality challenges we face as a Nation. It is my sincere pleasure to congratulate Jeff Theerman on becoming president of NACWA. I am certain his actions will ensure continued water quality progress for St. Louis, Missouri, and the Nation.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, from April 24-26, 2010 more than 1,200 students from across the country visited Washington, D.C. to take part in the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution National Finals. We the People is the most extensive educational program in the country that educates young people about the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Administered by the Center for Civic Education, the We the People program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act approved by the United States Congress. I am proud to announce that a class from Westminster Christian Academy represented the state of Missouri at this prestigious national event. These outstanding students, through their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution, won their statewide competition and captured ninth place at the national level. While in Washington, the students participated in a three-day academic competition that simulates a congressional hearing in which students demonstrate their knowledge and skills as they evaluate, take, and defend positions on historical and contemporary constitutional issues. Annual surveys consistently show that high school students who take part in the We the People academic competition outperform national samples of high school students participating in the National Assessment of Educational Progress political test by at least 22 percent. Madam Speaker, the names of these outstanding students from Westminster Christian Academy are: Molly Anderson, Nick Arnold, Olivia Atkinson, Cheyenne Bartlett, Daniel Chae, Jacob Dahl, Kevin Goldfarb, Jake Grimes, Grace Johnson, Sarah Johnson, Alex Lindstrom, Jimmy Myers, Andrew Nichols, David Rasche, Matt Schwartz, Michael Scott, Ashley Segrave, Emily Sherman, and Curtis Stump. I also wish to commend the teacher of the class, Ken Boesch, who is responsible for preparing these young constitutional experts for the National Finals. Also worthy of special recognition are Millie Aulbur, the state coordinator, and Sandra Diamond, the district coordinator who are responsible for implementing the We the People program in my district. I congratulate these young ``constitutional experts'' on their outstanding achievement at the We the People national finals.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the rich heritage and invaluable contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our Nation and to the community that I am proud to represent in Missouri's First Congressional District. The earliest Jewish immigrants came to St. Louis over two hundred years ago. Like most new Americans, they came seeking a refuge from persecution and discrimination, with the hope of building productive lives and practicing their faith, without fear. In St. Louis, and across the Nation, Jewish Americans have excelled in every facet of our society. From commerce, to the arts, to education, medicine, the law, government, and in our armed forces. Jewish Americans have enriched our Nation and contributed much to our shared cultural heritage. I also want to make special mention of the long and historic partnership between the African American and the Jewish American communities, in the pursuit of social justice, civil rights, voting rights and equal protection under the law. During the most trying times of the civil rights movement, Jewish Americans and African Americans marched together, stood together, protested together, prayed together, and even died together, to advance the cause of full citizenship and real equality for all. That partnership and common pursuit of justice endures today. In my district, I am blessed to represent a large, vibrant Jewish community with many outstanding congregations, educational and cultural groups and social service agencies; including: the Jewish Federation of St. Louis; the Jewish Community Center; Jewish Family and Childrens Services; the Jewish Community Relations Council; the St. Louis Holocaust Museum and Learning Center, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Central Agency for Jewish Education, and many others. Jewish Americans have helped shape our Nation's history, and their unending commitment to faith, family, learning and social justice will continue to strengthen the United States. I am proud to join with my colleagues to mark Jewish American Heritage Month.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening as we prepare for this historic vote, and I'm here to tell you that the people of Missouri's First District want us to act and pass this health care reform legislation now. And here's why: It will improve coverage for 331,000 residents who already have health insurance. And it will give tax credits to 168,000 families and 15,000 small businesses to help them afford coverage. It will improve Medicare for 96,000 seniors, including closing the doughnut hole. It will extend coverage to 45,500 uninsured residents. It will guarantee coverage for 10,000 residents with preexisting conditions. And it will protect 1,400 families from medical bankruptcy. This plan ends gender-based discrimination by stopping insurance companies from charging women more than men for the very same coverage. It is time to act, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield to the chief sponsor of this legislation, my friend from Iowa, Representative Braley, as much time as he may consume.

Mr. CLAY. In recognition of Sunshine Week, today we are considering H.R. 946, legislation aimed at making the government more open and accessible. H.R. 946, the Plain Language Act, was introduced by Representative Bruce Braley of Iowa. This bill requires agencies to use plain writing in government documents. The administration recently issued a directive on open government. One of the simple principles of the directive is that information should be accessible. This is the aim of this bill. This bill will make information more accessible by requiring agencies to write documents in a way that is clear and easily understood. We often focus on the need to make information available, but even if the information is available, it isn't useful unless it can be understood. AARP wrote a letter supporting this bill. And it says, ``the use of plain language in documents issued to the public will save the Federal Government an enormous amount of time now spent helping citizens understand the correspondence they receive. It will also reduce errors in the public's response to the information the government sends out, as well as minimize complaints from frustrated citizens trying to decipher overly dense and nontransparent communications.'' Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this worthy bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, in closing, let me first thank the gentleman from California for his comments and remarks about common sense and disclosure. The bill requires each agency to train its employees in plain writing and to report annually on the agency's efforts to comply with this act. Under this bill, each agency must devote a section of its Web site to its plain writing efforts. Agencies also must provide a way for members of the public to provide input. This will allow small businesses or other members of the public to highlight particular documents that are complex or confusing. This bill will make the government more transparent and efficient, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I would like to now yield 3 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns).

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 946) to enhance citizen access to Government information and services by establishing that Government documents issued to the public must be written clearly, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Let me also thank the ranking member for his participation. As we have stated earlier, this is Sunshine Week. It's time for openness and accountability. I appreciate participating with you in these series of bills. In closing, let me also mention that in this bill we are also considering an amendment that makes a number of drafting corrections suggested by the National Archives. For example, the amendment clarifies that the bill addresses electronic Presidential records rather than all Presidential records. H.R. 1387 will make the government more accountable by protecting an important part of the historical record, and I urge every Member to join me in supporting this legislation. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1387) to amend title 44, United States Code, to require preservation of certain electronic records by Federal agencies, to require a certification and reports relating to Presidential records, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1387, the Electronic Message Preservation Act, is another open- government bill that we are considering in celebration of Sunshine Week. This bill modernizes the requirements of the Federal Records Act and the Presidential Records Act to ensure that Federal agencies and the White House preserve emails and other electronic messages. H.R. 1387 was introduced by Representative Holt, and it is substantially similar to H.R. 5811, a bill that passed the House last year with bipartisan support. This bill requires agencies and the White House to adopt and maintain records management and retention policies that are consistent with modern technology. Under current law, Federal agencies have broad discretion to determine how electronic messages are preserved. In a 2008 report, the Government Accountability Office found that many agencies rely on unreliable ``print and file'' systems for preserving electronic records, including email. GAO reviewed the practices of senior agency officials and determined that emails were not retained in adequate recordkeeping systems, making the email records easier to lose or delete and harder to find and use. Last week, the National Security Archive awarded its sixth annual Rosemary Award for worst open-government performance to the Chief Information Officers Council. The council was chosen because it has never addressed the failure of the government to save its email electronically. H.R. 1387 directs the Archivist of the United States to issue regulations requiring agencies to preserve emails in an electronic format. These regulations must cover, at a minimum, the capture, management, preservation, and electronic retrieval of electronic messages. The bill requires the Archivist to establish a process to certify the electronic records management systems used by the agencies. At this time, Madam Speaker, I would urge my colleagues to join in passage of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. I couldn't agree more with my friend from California. We hope this is the impetus to spur the development--the successful development of electronic medical records, because we know what the savings would mean to our health care system and we know that it can possibly save lives by reducing errors. So at this time, Madam Speaker, I'd like to yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns).

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4214) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 45300 Portola Avenue in Palm Desert, California, as the ``Roy Wilson Post Office''.

Mr. CLAY. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4214, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 45300 Portola Avenue in Palm Desert, California, as the ``Roy Wilson Post Office.'' The late Roy Wilson devoted his career to public service, serving as county supervisor for Riverside County, California, for 15 years. This followed 17 years of service on the Palm Desert City Council. His passing last August brought a great deal of sadness to his colleagues, his staff, and his community. He is remembered for working with his colleagues to find common ground and to seek compromise. His hard work earned the respect and trust of his colleagues and constituents, and today, with this measure, we honor his life and service. This bill was introduced by the gentlewoman from California, Representative Mary Bono Mack, on December 7, 2009. It was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it reported by unanimous consent on March 4, 2010. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I have no speakers, so I will continue to reserve.

Mr. CLAY. I thank my friend from California (Mr. Bilbray) for joining me in urging our colleagues to recognize the life and work of Roy Wilson by supporting this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CLAY

Mr. CLAY. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4624. This legislation will designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 125 Kerr Avenue in Rome City, Indiana, as the ``SPC Nicholas Scott Hartge Post Office.'' Army Specialist Nicholas Hartge was raised in the small town of Rome City, in northeastern Indiana. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Specialist Hartge enlisted in the infantry while still in high school and was stationed in Germany before deploying to Iraq. On May 14, 2007, Specialist Hartge's patrol came under heavy attack. He was killed in combat when his Humvee hit a roadside bomb while maneuvering under intense fire. For his service to his country, Specialist Hartge received a Commendation Medal for outstanding achievement for helping to capture the enemy in Iraq, and a Bronze Star for his actions on the day he was killed. He is missed by his family, his community, and his country. Our Nation owes a great debt of gratitude for his service. H.R. 4624 was introduced by the gentleman from Indiana, Representative Mark Souder, on February 9, 2010. The measure was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which approved it by unanimous consent on March 4, 2010. The measure enjoys the support of the entire Indiana delegation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.