Kathy Castor

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. You are right. Add the Medicare part D privatization, all of those moneys going to HMO profits and pharmaceutical companies' profits, to Social Security privatization attempted by the Bush administration, why are hospitals' charity care next? Why the foundation of the last resort for so many families? Why do they want to take away resources from the hardworking doctors and our charity hospitals?

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today with great sadness to recognize the life of a talented student at the University of South Florida, Keeley Dorsey. I know my colleagues join with me in extending their sincere condolences to Keeley's family and friends who knew him well and loved him deeply. The USF family lost a valued member of its community last Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, during a routine workout session with his fellow football team members, Keeley passed out, and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. He was only 19 years old, but even during his short time among us, Keeley made a huge impact on those around him and set a sterling example for what hard work and perseverance can achieve. Keeley was a star football player at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, strong enough to play three positions--quarterback, tailback and wide receiver. As he excelled on the football field, he worked just as diligently on his academics and gained admission to USF. In Keeley's first football game last fall, he ran 52 yards for a touchdown. Over the course of the season, his talent on the field showed, and coaches were certain that Keeley, with his positive attitude and outstanding leadership skills, would be a cornerstone of the next season's football team. He had even been selected to be a host for visiting high school recruits, a duty usually carried out only by upperclassmen. As I join with Keeley's family and friends in mourning a life lost so young, I know that they are proud of him and of the accomplishments he made in his 19 years. I know the University of South Florida family will remember him always.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, instead of giving away billions of dollars to big oil companies which made multibillion-dollar profits last year, the new Congress intends to chart a course in a new direction by investing in alternatives for the American people. This will help America become energy independent and ultimately lower the utility cost for average Americans. Big Oil has held too much sway in the halls of Congress in past years. They even targeted drilling off of Florida's beautiful coastline, putting our tourism industry at risk. The Bush administration refused to get serious about a sensible and sustainable energy policy, even after President Bush proclaimed last year that our country is addicted to foreign oil. The American people understand that what we really need is a far- sighted plan for energy independence, and they did vote for change. The new Democratic Congress will plan for a more sustainable future, independent of foreign oil entanglements that interfere with our foreign policy. The new Democratic Congress will encourage conservation and development of alternative fuels which in turn will lessen our dependence on polluting fossil fuels. In my own district, the University of South Florida has developed initiatives at its Clean Energy Research Center to develop and promote new sources of alternative energy, and we can do more. So let's take the first step together today and then commit to launching a broad new energy strategy for future generations.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I thank the gentlewoman from California. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues today to act to cut student loan interest rates in half and thereby ease the financial burden of college tuition. Cutting interest rates is more than a cost-saving measure for parents and students, it is also the best means of ensuring access to higher education and, ultimately, a successful career. This Democratic Congress is committed to making college more affordable for all. As a mother with two school-age daughters, I, like many parents across the country, look apprehensively at the cost of tuition today. Tuition costs have skyrocketed. The average tuition at a 4-year public college is almost $6,000, which is a 35 percent increase over the past 5 years. Today's college students typically incur over $17,000 in loan debt, which is a 45 percent increase over the past 11 years. Now, last year, when the Republican Congress made it harder for families to afford college by refusing to increase Pell Grants and proposing a $12.7 billion in Federal student loans, I brought students from the University of Tampa and the University of South Florida together to speak out against the antistudent policies. German Castro, an economics major at the University of Tampa, was worried he would not be able to complete his education without student loans. After all, the annual tuition at the University of Tampa is $18,000, not including room and board. He is working two jobs. He noted many students who have to work full-time jobs end up making bad grades, and bad grades result in loss of scholarship money and, eventually, students have to drop out. For Jill Mitchell, at the University of South Florida, she would prefer not to have to move back in with her parents and take a job while she is concentrating on her studies. This isn't merely about financial solutions, it is also about putting our students in a position to succeed. Now, during the first 100 hours of this new Congress, we are here to change the priorities, to reflect the real desires of Americans. In some of our working-class neighborhoods, student loans are the only means available to pay for the dream of a higher education. The health of our economy rests on having a highly skilled and well- educated workforce. By the year 2020, the United States is projected to face a shortage of up to 12 million college educated workers. So, Mr. Speaker, today I call on my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support students by encouraging their efforts to seek higher education. I ask that we pass H.R. 5, the College Student Relief Act of 2007. This legislation will go a long way to provide relief to the 5.5 million graduates, making college education far more accessible for families. Let us act to remind the families back home that we value education and we are willing to fight to ensure access to it.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to act today to require the Bush administration to negotiate prescription drug prices under Medicare part D so that we can achieve savings for our seniors and for all Americans. In my district in the Tampa Bay area, one in seven residents is dependent upon Medicare for their health care needs. And over the past year, assisted seniors were struggling with the complicated and confusing part D. They do not like being forced into HMOs. Many were frustrated in Florida from having to choose from 43 different HMO plans. And then they did not receive straightforward assistance from the Bush administration. I thank the chairman for his pledge to fight for greater reforms, but today is our first step. It is unfair that HMOs and drug companies are making huge profits off the backs of our seniors. In the last Congress, part D was crafted to benefit the HMOs and insurance companies and not our seniors. But the Democrats know how to fix this. A recent Family USA study found that for the most prescribed drugs, VA prices are much lower than the prices charged by insurers. So let's act today and prove to our older neighbors and all taxpayers that we heard their pleas for help.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to throw a lifeline to the hardworking men and women in America by voting to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25. It is no secret that health care costs are rising, along with property insurance, and it takes a lot to pay the rent these days. So, in a country where the average CEO earns more before lunchtime than the average minimum wage worker earns all year, this Congress must take action. The increase in the minimum wage will help women, in particular, who comprise nearly two-thirds of all minimum wage workers. Many serve in the lowest-paying jobs back in our home towns, backbone jobs like child care, food service and cashiers. Many are women of color struggling to make ends meet for $5.15 an hour. In my district, according to the United Way of Tampa Bay, over 40 percent of the residents live in poverty. Well, we are going to lift them up. We are going to lift up millions of children by raising the minimum wage. American workers are long overdue for a raise because past Congresses have not increased the minimum wage in 10 years. But we are headed in a new direction now to improve the economic security for hardworking Americans. Step number one, raising the minimum wage.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend and colleague. Mr. Speaker, an important part of the honest leadership, open government rules package is the new commitment to more stringent fiscal responsibility under Democratic leadership and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Under the current administration and past Congresses, the Nation's debt has been climbing out of sight. Currently we are faced with a nearly $3 trillion national budget deficit. The rising interest rates and a projected individual share of the national debt of more than $28,000 per person is outrageous. As a mother with two young daughters, I am concerned, like so many other parents today. You see, the personal cost of spiraling debt to the American public is overwhelming. Families are working to provide the best opportunities for their children, while juggling mortgages, credit card debt and student loans, as well as rising health care costs and housing costs. How can our neighbors back home decrease their debt loads until the Federal Government begins to do its part? That is why the restoration of pay-as-you-go budgeting is the right step in a new direction. Pay- as-you-go is not entirely new, however. Let me close by saying that these rules changes are essential to assure our neighbors that Congress is working earnestly to do our part to relieve the financial crunch on working families, while providing a transparent framework in which to do it.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my fellow Floridian very much. And I am proud to stand here with many other new Members who are very reform- minded, and let me assure you we are ready to chart the new direction for America. The election is over, and it is time for us to keep our commitment for honest leadership and open government rules changes. During this first 100 hours of the 110th Congress, all of us in this Congress must work together to pass key measures affecting the everyday lives of all Americans. We will begin by adopting the rules of the 109th Congress. This is the baseline proposal that is before us now. But then we shall continue on, on other proposals to clean up Washington, to sever unethical ties between lawmakers and lobbyists. We will start by banning travel and gifts from lobbyists, requiring full transparency to end the abuse of special interest earmarks, and ending the abusive processes that have undermined democracy in this House. These measures are the first steps to ensure that the Congress upholds the highest ethical standards. Americans have paid the cost of corruption in Washington with skyrocketing prices at the pump, spiraling drug costs, and the waste and fraud of no bid contracts in the Gulf and Iraq. No more. Reform is a top priority for this House because reform is a top priority for the American people. As our first responsibility in fulfilling the mandate of this critical election, the Democrats are offering an aggressive reform package to restore the public trust. So, let's begin.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to offer, along with my distinguished fellow Floridian, and the new rules chairwoman, Ms. Slaughter, an ethics champion in her own right, this legislation extending the rules of the 109th Congress, with ethics reforms to follow in the 110th Congress. These rules will serve as a baseline for the rules of the 110th Congress, and then we shall add the needed ethics reforms, fiscal responsibility reforms, and rules on civility. After recent tumultuous events, we can all agree that our neighbors back home expect the highest ethical standards from the Members of Congress, the people's House. This rules package includes some of the very good rules changes made in the 109th Congress, including the end of proxy voting in committees and the emergency power granted to the Speaker to recess the House and convene in another location in the case of a terrorist incident. But our Democratic package goes further, instituting ethics reforms that prohibit Members from accepting gifts from registered lobbyists, restricting Members' travel on corporate airplanes, and offering ethics training to Members and staff. I come to the House from local government; and like many of my reform-minded freshmen colleagues, I championed ethics reform on the local level, particularly in the Tampa Bay area, where it was needed in the inner workings of county government. Well, it is needed here in the Halls of Congress now more than ever. The new rules will include a fair and open process for the Congress: no holding open votes to change the outcome and clear guidelines for the operation of conference committees and final conference committee reports. Provisions for more stringent fiscal responsibility and pay- as-you-go budgeting requirements ultimately will aid our neighbors back home in reducing their own debt load while the Federal Government begins to do its part to ease the financial crunch so many of us feel across the country. The proposed transparency in the earmark process and the additional requirement that Members certify that neither their spouses nor their relatives will have any personal financial interest in an earmark request will show and assure our neighbors back home that Congress is indeed operating in a way that best serves the needs and interests of every American. I am humble and proud to be part of this new historic Congress and am glad to stand in support of the ethics reform package led by Ms. Pelosi for high ethical standards in government.