Kathy Castor

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I yield the gentleman an additional 2 minutes.

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, House Resolution 1107 provides for consideration of H.R. 5715, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008, under a structured rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate controlled by the Committee on Education and Labor. The rule makes in order four amendments in the Rules Committee report, each of which is debatable for 10 minutes. The rule also provides one motion to recommit, with or without instructions. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5715, the Ensuring Continued Access to Student Loans Act of 2008, and the underlying rule. Under this act, the Congress will ensure that low-interest student loans remain available for college students and their families even in the face of the credit crunch. In doing so, the Congress will build on the new commitment to college and university students and their hardworking families that this new Democratic majority has provided. See, our action today comes on the heels of the historic College Cost Reduction and Access Act that was signed into law a few months ago that saves college students an average of $4,400 on student loan interest. We increased the Pell Grant, and we now will forgive student loans for students that commit to a 10-year career in public service. This single largest investment in college financial assistance since the GI Bill in 1944 comes at no new cost to taxpayers. The new Congress promised to make college more affordable for all Americans, and we have delivered on that promise. Our next step today is to ensure that families can continue to access the loans they need to pay for college. See, in today's economy, a college education is as important as a high school diploma was a generation ago. And with college costs growing by nearly 40 percent over the last 5 years, students are graduating from college with more debt than ever before. It is estimated that 200,000 students do not go to college every year because they simply cannot afford the costs. Well, our efforts today will restore the American dream for those families. We know that many families across this great country are facing severe financial strains. The economic downturn, the cost of housing, the cost of health care, gas prices have hit our families especially hard. Middle class families are especially being squeezed in this unfortunate Bush economy. In addition to these basic needs, the rising cost of a college education has left many families very concerned that a college education may not be within reach for their children. A recent press report noted that 70 percent of parents said that they are very concerned about how they're going to be able to afford the cost of a college education for their kids. Families now are forced to pull from many different sources to pay for college and to simply make ends meet. They're drawing on their savings account, Federal loans, private loans, and the equity in their homes all at the same time to send their kids to college. And despite all of their hard work and the fact that they've set money aside, they're still unable to come up with the cost of tuition because these costs are rising. The costs of sending their child away to school or just down the street to the community college is simply out of reach for so many so they turn to the loans. In 2007, families borrowed almost $60 billion in Federal student loans. Now, in this credit crunch, banks are tightening their loan requirements and raising rates. We want to make sure that families have access to the low-interest loans, that they remain available for these hardworking families so their kids can attend college. Madam Speaker, this bill has a number of very significant improvements under our Federal college loan program. The best deal going in college loans these days is the Stafford loan. We are going to increase the annual loan limit for the Stafford loan by $2,000 for undergraduates and graduate students. These loans are the most affordable and available to students with the best interest rates. Currently, there's a cap on the amount that a student can receive, so our legislation today will raise that cap. It increases the total loan limit, as well, over the course of a student's college education from $31,000 for dependent undergraduates to $57,500 for independent graduate students. The other significant loan available to families these days is the Parent PLUS loan. The Parent PLUS loan, the primary benefit for the PLUS loan for parents is that they can borrow Federally guaranteed low- interest loans, not tied to the students, but that's a loan for the parents. The parents can borrow the total cost of undergraduate education including tuition, room and board, supplies, lab expenses, and travel, and other aids. It's a non-need-based loan. Well, we're going to give parents a little more flexibility under our actions today to pay off their PLUS loans. Currently, those loans become due 60 days after the bill is sent to them. We're going to give them a little extra time and allow the student to complete their college education before that loan becomes due. We're going to help struggling homeowners pay for college because right now, it is not clear under the law that parents that are struggling with pending foreclosure or difficulty in paying their housing costs can also access the great PLUS loans to help their kids get through college. So we're going to allow for that today. We're also going to give the Department of Education additional tools so that these, the cost of college and the access to student loans, remain available for America's hardworking families. I would like to thank Chairman George Miller of the Education and Labor Committee here in the House for his leadership on making sure that families continue to have access for student loans but for also being a champion for American families, colleges, and our entire educational system which is in better hands now that the Democrats are in charge here in the House. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I thank my good friend and colleague from the Rules Committee. Mr. Speaker, oftentimes there is great irony here in Washington, and here is another example. The House will consider today this rule and the Beach Protection Act. The intent of the Beach Protection Act is to protect America's beautiful coastlines from water pollution. But here is the irony: Big oil interests have filed an amendment that puts our beaches and America's coastlines at risk. Their proposed amendment seeks to open up our beautiful coastlines to offshore drilling of oil and gas. New offshore oil and gas drilling represents a real hazard to our marine environment, especially in my home State of Florida and the Tampa Bay area. The beaches, the coastal environment, marine resources and our billion-dollar tourism industry in Florida should not be sacrificed for a small amount of oil and natural gas because the oil and natural gas that is projected to be recovered if we open up our offshore areas to drilling, it is projected to provide less than 1 month, 1 month supply of oil and gas. In addition, researchers at the Department of Oceanography at the University of South Florida have warned that it would only take 24 hours for an petroleum spill in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to sully Florida's panhandle beaches and then sweep through the gulf's powerful loop current, travel through the Florida Keys and contaminate estuaries and beaches from the Everglades to Cape Canaveral. We only have to look back to 2005, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and Hurricane Wilma ended up resulting in many oil and gas pollutants seriously affecting the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. The storms caused 124 oil spills into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. During Hurricane Katrina alone, 233,000 gallons of oil were spilled. There was 508,000 gallons of oil spilled during Hurricane Rita. A full year after Hurricane Katrina, BP admitted that a damaged oil well valve in the Gulf of Mexico was still leaking oil. The knee-jerk reaction to take every opportunity, even a bill called the Beach Protection Act, to open up our beautiful coastline to additional oil drilling, especially in hurricane-prone waters like Florida's gulf coast is ridiculous, not just ironic. So let's stay true to the Beach Protection Act, fight water pollution, strengthen our natural resources and our tourism economy and vote down the Peterson amendment today.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Beach Protection Act, and I salute Chairman Oberstar, Chairman Johnson, and Congressman Pallone for their leadership. The intent of the Beach Protection Act is to protect America's beautiful coastlines from water pollution. Yet big oil drilling interests have once again filed an amendment that puts our beaches and America's coastlines at risk. New offshore oil and gas drilling represents a real hazard to the marine environment of the State of Florida, but all across the country, beaches, our coastal environment, our marine resources, the billion dollar tourism industry in Florida should not be sacrificed for a small amount of oil. It would only take 24 hours after a petroleum spill in the eastern gulf for the oil to sully Florida's panhandle beaches. If the spill was swept up in the gulf's powerful loop current, the spill would pollute the Florida Keys, contaminate estuaries and beaches from the Everglades to Cape Canaveral. We only have to look back to 2005 when we had three Category 5 hurricanes, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, that caused massive oil spills and pollutants in the Gulf of Mexico. It destroyed 150 petroleum production platforms in the gulf and damaged 457 pipelines. Drilling off of our beautiful beaches is the energy policy of the past. If President Bush and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle truly wanted to address high oil prices, you should have voted with the Democratic majority to take the huge tax breaks away from the big oil companies at a time that they are making record profits. We are fighting for a new direction on energy policy, renewable sources of energy. We value our natural environment, and we value the public health of our communities.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, Martin Luther King, Jr. is a national hero. He embodied the tenacious spirit and compassionate understanding of the American ideal. The power of his words has moved millions to live with hope in their hearts and welcome in their embrace. Dr. King fought for racial equality and desegregation with nonviolent protest. Peace, he taught us, is our most powerful weapon. He helped communities begin to heal the wounds of hatred and indignity by replacing them with cooperation and tolerance. The mark he left on our society is indelible. When an assassin took him from us on that April day in 1968, Americans mourned a terrible loss. Sooner than expected, we had to enact the lessons he taught us without his guidance to show us the way. But his ink was already imprinted on our moral fiber, and our country continued his fight to end discrimination and segregation. Madam Speaker, let us, as an American community, pause today to remember the legacy Dr. King left for each of us to carry--to dream, to love, and to accept.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to herald the lifetime achievements of Tampanian George Lackman. Mr. Lackman was a jack of all trades. He made contributions to our community ranging from shipbuilding to banking to philanthropy. Mr. Lackman was born in Palmetto Beach in 1931. He spent most of his career as a shipbuilder. He worked his way up the ranks from a mechanic's assistant to vice president at Tampa Ship Repair and Dry Dock, and he oversaw construction of Tampa's legendary pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla. For 35 years he served as the ship's captain during Tampa's annual pirate invasion and festival, ``Gasparilla.'' He also built submarines and stern-wheelers and refurbished a steam locomotive for the opening of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 1971. Working with bass pro Doug Hannon, Mr. Lackman invented an electric boat propeller that prevents seaweed from becoming entangled in the blades. Many anglers swear by this invention, and Mr. Lackman would joke that it raised enough money to put his kids, son Peter and daughter Nancy, through college. In a new career endeavor, Mr. Lackman founded Citrus Park Bank, where he served as president. Later, he started the private banking program for First Union Bank in Tampa. He retired from First Union as vice president of corporate development. He also served as president of Nutri-Sol Chemical Company, Marine Insulation Company, Corban Industries, and Acetogen Gas Company of Florida. In his philanthropic efforts, Mr. Lackman started Genesis Clinic to provide prenatal care to mothers who were unable to afford proper health care. Infant mortality dropped in Tampa as a result of the services provided at Genesis. He also served as chairman of the Hillsborough County Hospital Board for two terms and helped save Tampa General Hospital when it faced the possibility of closing its doors. Madam Speaker, Mr. Lackman's death on March 29 marked a great loss to his wife Patricia, to Peter and Nancy, to his grandchildren George III, Caroline, and Grace, and to the entire Tampa Bay area. His unique contributions to our community and his common sense and intelligence will not soon be forgotten.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, in these challenging economic times, Americans everywhere are feeling the negative impact of President Bush's economic policies. More Americans are looking for work, millions have lost their homes or they are at risk, gas prices are at an all- time high, and in Florida property insurance is out of sight. Now, the House has already taken action to address these issues, the housing crisis, credit, gas prices, but the Bush administration has been silent, or they have been actively opposed. That is until yesterday, when Treasury Secretary Paulson finally offered a proposal. But one bank analyst back home cautioned that the proposal is a political ploy. The Bush administration is just trying to reassure consumers that it has the financial crisis under control. ``All he's doing is moving the deck chairs,'' he said. Well, I am very concerned as well that the announcement falls short in one key area. It does not address the immediate needs of American homeowners facing imminent foreclosure and the impact on our neighborhoods and communities. We are going to work over the next few months for real action, as opposed to President Bush's hands-off approach.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Madam Speaker, in recognition of Women's History Month, I rise today to honor Delia P. Sanchez, a champion for children in Florida. Ms. Sanchez is a wonderful example of the power of women to shape future generations and make a difference in their communities. Ms. Sanchez is a lifelong learner. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Florida State University in social work with minors in education and spanish in 1945 and went on to get her master's in social work at Columbia University in 1947. Until 1991, nearly 50 years later, she took graduate level courses in areas such as pupil personnel services, education, and rehabilitation. All the while, Ms. Sanchez was affecting enormous change in lives of hundreds of children in the Tampa Bay area. One of the greatest services that Delia Sanchez provided to the Tampa community was to work with Congressman Sam Gibbons to bring the first Head Start program to Hillsborough County. She began her career as a child welfare worker for the Florida State Welfare Board. From there Ms. Sanchez went on to work for the School Board of Hillsborough County as a school social worker and a case work consultant, working her way up the ranks to eventually serve as the administrative supervisor for Head Start for 9 years. Then, in the last 3 years of her career, she went into private practice to counsel troubled children. Throughout her career and in her retirement, Ms. Sanchez has served as a board member or local representative to a number of community organizations. The list is too large to mention them all, but they range from the University of South Florida's Latin Community Advisory Committee, the Citizen's Advisory Council, the Child Abuse Council, the Ybor City Museum Society, to the National Association of Social Workers. For all of her hard work for the education and welfare of children, countless organizations have recognized her. Ms. Sanchez is the recipient of the U.S. State Department Fellowship Award, the American Red Cross Service Award twice, the Mayor's Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award, the USF Social Work Alumni Society Award for Outstanding Community Service, the Channel 8 WFLA Volunteer of the Year Award, the Commemoration Committee Award for Dedicated Community Service, the Retired Social Worker Outstanding Achievement Award, the St. John Presbyterian Early Childhood Hand Print Award, the Ybor City Museum Society Pizzo Award to preserve Tampa's Latin heritage, the Hillsborough County Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the Louis De La Parte Mental Health Advisory Council Award, and the National Head Start Association Lifetime Achievement Award. And, if all of that wasn't enough, she is also a member of Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society, was named Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers by the Tampa Bay Unit and then again by the Florida Chapter, received an honorary Doctorate from the University of South Florida School of Social Work, and in 1993 she was Hispanic Woman of the Year. Madam Speaker, Delia P. Sanchez is a woman of the highest regard who has dedicated her life to helping others. I am proud to call her my neighbor, and I join many others to applaud her lifetime contribution to the Tampa Bay community.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the consideration of the resolution so we can move forward on the rule and to consider the bill. Those that oppose our efforts to end discrimination when it comes to mental health services will get their opportunity to debate the bill and to vote against these measures. So with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote to consider the rule.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison).

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to my colleague from the Rules Committee, the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only. General Leave

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on House Resolution 1014.

Ms. CASTOR. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1014 provides for the consideration of H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007, which expands the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 to provide for equity in the terms of employer-sponsored health benefits for mental health and substance-related disorders compared to medical and surgical disorders. Mr. Speaker, this is an anti-discrimination bill, this is a health care bill, this is a pro-business economic development bill, this is also a pro-family bill, and this is a bill that supports our veterans. This is a bipartisan effort, with 274 cosponsors in the House, of which I am proud to be one. Unfortunately, Federal action is necessary because Americans who suffer from illnesses like depression, postpartum depression, severe anxiety, bipolar disorder, and many other diseases are being discriminated against. You see, HMOs and many health insurance companies have been more focused on their bottom lines than on the health of our families. Mental health is just as critical to our lives and well-being as any physical ailments or disease. And yet health insurers continue to treat mental illness differently from physical illness. In America, more than 50 million adults, at least 22 percent of the U.S. population, suffer from mental health issues or substance abuse disorders. In addition, one out of every 10 children or adolescents has a serious mental health problem and another 10 percent have mild to moderate problems. Untreated mental illness harms our families and children, emotionally and financially. Untreated mental illness results in higher costs for businesses in lost productivity. Untreated mental illness often leads to criminal activity, which is very costly. Mental disorders are the leading cause of disability for individuals aged 15 to 44 in the United States. A study sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health revealed that mental and addictive disorders cost our country more than $300 billion annually. This includes productivity losses of $150 billion, health care costs of over $70 billion, and $80 billion for costs such as criminal justice. Unfortunately, less than one-third of the people with a mental disorder who seek care receive adequate treatment. Despite the losses suffered in our society as a result of mental illness and all of the studies that demonstrate this, national employer survey data indicates that mental health coverage still is not offered at comparable coverage to other medical conditions. Even after passage of the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act and all of the efforts of the States, the Government Accountability Office found that 87 percent of plans had more restrictive design features for mental health benefits than for medical and surgical benefits. In addition, many employers have adopted restrictive measures, such as limiting the number of covered outpatient visits for mental illness. This is so shortsighted. It is so costly. Former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher found that when health insurance plans unevenly impose higher costs for mental health services, the result, of course, is a reduction in treatment for those who need it, lost productivity and higher costs in the long run. Dr. Satcher stated that this is a true issue of fairness in coverage. Similarly, another recent study found that deductibles and outpatient cost sharing were much higher for substance abuse than for general medical care. Well, this legislation addresses those inequities and provides a cost-effective way of providing increased access to mental health care. The bill prohibits discrimination by diagnosis by requiring coverage of all mental illnesses and substance-related disorders, just as we provide for Members of Congress and others covered by the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Treatment for mental illness is a proven money-saver. In fact, for every $1 spent on treatment, we save over $12. Mr. Speaker, we all owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Kennedy of Rhode Island and Mr. Ramstad of Minnesota for their bipartisan leadership on this legislation and their work to provide for the mental health needs of our families, our neighbors, our veterans and our children. We also owe great thanks to the Wellstone family. But, most of all, we can't forget the families throughout America who have a modest request of their Congress, and that is that they be treated fairly. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is truly a good-news story for American families today, because not only are we going to outlaw discrimination against those who suffer from mental illness, but we adhere to the pay-as-you- go rules that were adopted by this Congress, led by Democrats, at the beginning of this Congress. Pay-as-you-go means that this bill is paid for. And while I certainly respect the gentleman from Washington for speaking up for a medical center which operates in his district, there is a bigger picture here. And to explain that bigger picture, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), who chairs the Subcommittee on Health for the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings).

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California, a champion for America's families, children, and veterans, and the Speaker of the House, Ms. Pelosi.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis). (Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I have the right to close, and we do not have any additional speakers, so I will reserve the balance of my time until my colleague has made his closing remarks.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, back on the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equity Act, I submit for the Record a letter of support from the Federation of American Hospitals along with a related letter from the American Hospital Association, Coalition of Full Service Community Hospitals and Federation of American Hospitals. Federation of American Hospitals, March 3, 2008. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Congress, Washington, DC. Minority Leader John Boehner, U.S. Congress, Washington, DC. Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader Boehner: The Federation of American Hospital (FAH), representing America's investor- owned and managed hospitals and health systems, supports swift passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007 (H.R. 1424). This 1egislation will provide greatly needed access to mental health treatment for Americans who need it most. This bipartisan legislation would end prevalent forms of health insurance discrimination against patients with debilitating chronic mental illnesses. Additionally, H.R. 1424 will assist millions of Americans in obtaining the necessary hospital care they need and were previously denied because of inadequate mental health coverage. H.R. 1424 is paid for, in part, by prohibiting physician self-referral to a hospital in which a physician has an ownership interest. Physician self-referral presents an inherent conflict of interest, creates an unlevel, anti- competitive playing field; threatens patient safety; fails low-income and uninsured patients; and, has resulted in the overutilization of limited Medicare resources. We strongly support this provision. We deeply appreciate Congress's ongoing commitment to mental health parity and strengthening the Medicare program. Sincerely,

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the powerful Rules Committee and the State of California (Ms. Matsui).

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 1014 and ask for its immediate consideration.