Kathy Castor

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews), our distinguished chairman of the Education and Labor Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor and Pensions, a Member who has been outspoken in his fight against discrimination for all Americans. (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I am the last speaker for my side, so I will reserve my time until it is time to close.

Ms. CASTOR

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

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Chairman, the Small Business Contracting Improvements Act and this rule will open up greater opportunities to small business owners across this Nation. Small businesses are the backbone of our local communities. In my hometown of Tampa, Florida, more of my neighbors and folks I represent work for small businesses than any other type of business--and we value what they do because it gives our community character and diversity. I want to thank Congresswoman Velazquez for bringing this legislation to the House floor today. In America, small businesses account for 50 percent of our gross domestic product. Last year, the federal government spent over $400 billion on goods and services and only about 20 percent went to small businesses--approximately $80 billion in contracts. Our actions today will assist these talented small businesses obtain a better, fair share of federal government contracts. The Small Business Contracting Improvements Act also strengthens and modernizes contracts for small businesses and sets standards to protect the integrity and consistency. Despite a 50-year-old mandate, small businesses owned by disabled veterans, female entrepreneurs, and minorities have not received a fair share of federal contracts. Back home in Tampa, there are 47 disabled veteran businesses, 512 state- certified minority-owned businesses, and over 77,000 small businesses. I am proud that we will act to expand their opportunities, with others across the country so that they can thrive and flourish. Although the Congress passed the Women's Procurement Program 7 years ago, the Bush Administration failed to follow through. According to Margot Dorfman, CEO of the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce, each year of delay in the implementation of the Women's Procurement Program, has cost women-owned businesses billions of dollars in contract award opportunities. Businesses owned by disabled veterans currently receive only a small fraction of federal contracts as well. We can expect to see an immediate and substantial increase in opportunities for these business owners. And for businesses that go into economically distressed neighborhoods like ``HUBZones,'' this bill will ensure further community development through the strengthening of the HUBZone requirements. For example, Carl Calhoun, in South St. Petersburg explained to me that had it not been for the chance to compete for federal contracts that he would not have gotten the capital necessary to start his family-owned and - operated business that manufactures premium bedding (mattresses, box springs and foundations). Mr. Chairman, this important small business bill and this rule will update and expand opportunities and encourage participation by qualified small businesses. We will remove barriers that prevent deserving businesses in my Tampa Bay district, and others across the country, from achieving the goal of full participation and a fair share of federal contracts.

Ms. CASTOR

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, despite the threatened veto by the White House, we will continue to stand on the side of America's hardworking families today and pass this landmark affordable housing trust fund bill. This will help our States and our communities achieve over 1 million new affordable homes for our neighbors over the coming years. I urge a ``yes'' vote on the previous question and on the rule. The material previously referred to by Mr. Hastings of Washington is as follows: Amendment to H. Res. 720 Offered by Mr. Hastings of Washington At the end of the resolution, add the following: Sec. 3. That immediately upon the adoption of this resolution the House shall, without intervention of any point of order, consider the resolution (H. Res. 479) to amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to provide for enforcement of clause 9 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives. The resolution shall be considered as read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the resolution to final adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question except: (1) one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Rules; and (2) one motion to recommit.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Hastings). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. 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 720.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 720 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I will inquire of my colleague from Washington if he has any additional speakers. Otherwise, he can proceed to close.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 720 provides for consideration of H.R. 2895, the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007. As the Clerk read, the rule provides for 1 hour of general debate controlled by the Committee on Financial Services. The rule waives all points of order against consideration of the bill, except for clauses 9 and 10 of rule XXI. The rule makes in order the Financial Services reported substitute. The rule makes in order eight amendments, including a complete Republican substitute. The amendments are each debatable for 10 minutes, except for the Neugebauer substitute, which is debatable for 20 minutes. The amendments are not amendable or divisible. All points of order are waived against the amendments, except for clauses 9 and 10 of rule XXI. The rule also provides one motion to recommit with or without instructions. Mr. Speaker, so many American families today are facing a critical housing crunch. The cost of an apartment or a home is out of reach for so many, but there is good news. Many of us in this Congress understand and will keep fighting for a new direction for America and more affordable housing. Today we will create a landmark affordable housing trust fund under H.R. 2895 in this rule, which will provide over 1.5 million new affordable homes for hard-working folks across America over the next decade. I would like to thank Chairman Barney Frank and Chairwoman Maxine Waters for their dedication to American families in their efforts to make housing affordable and available to those who could use a helping hand. They pledged at the beginning of this new Congress that they would focus on affordable housing, and they have stayed true to their word. Four other bills in addition to this one that will be considered today expand American homeownership and provide relief to our neighbors, many of whom have been subjected to foreclosure due to predatory lending in the subprime loan crisis. This new affordable housing trust fund will focus on construction, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable housing in our hometowns and communities across America. The trust fund will pool monies, together with State, local and private housing initiatives to target housing to families with the greatest economic need. The innovative, dedicated funding mechanism for this new trust fund comes at no new cost to taxpayers. Our efforts come at a critical time. Federal money for affordable housing has largely disappeared under this current administration. Health care costs are out of sight, the cost of living is higher, and many of our neighbors have not received raises that keep up with these rising costs. We have heard from so many Americans across this country. For example, in south St. Petersburg, just recently, I was talking with a police officer that works for the City of St. Petersburg. He said it was his dream to have his young son move into his neighborhood nearby. Unfortunately, affordable housing in that neighborhood is all but gone, and he will just not be able to swing it. In addition, local housing agencies across America have thousands upon thousands of Americans on waiting lists for affordable housing. In my hometown of Tampa, Florida, during a 1-week open enrollment session, more than 10,000 seniors, families and veterans indicated a need for affordable housing. But there is just no inventory. Instead of receiving housing, they are placed on a waiting list. That waiting list takes 4 years, and it makes affordable housing completely unreachable for the other people that simply never made that call for help. The number of American households paying more than half of their incomes on housing increased to 17 million in the year 2005, with one in seven U.S. households being severely housing-cost burdened. This imbalance is very troubling, and when combined with predatory subprime loans, it has caused many homeowners to lose their homes. In the Tampa Bay area alone, in the first 6 months of this year, over 10,000 of my neighbors have found that their homes have fallen into foreclosure. This new affordable housing trust fund will provide for the new construction, preservation of existing housing and homeownership, assistance, emergency housing repairs and housing-related services. Help is on the way. H.R. 2895 is a positive step in a new direction to ensure that more families are able to find clean, safe, stable and affordable places to live. I am proud to support this bill and this rule, and I urge the Congress to pass this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. That's correct, we have no speakers. We have requests as well, but they are not here in attendance, so I think it's safe to proceed to close. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, as we reauthorize the Tropical Forest Conservation Act, we take an important and critical new step to help the world preserve and restore its natural resources and vital ecosystems. This reauthorization will continue our efforts to preserve the world's forests, coral reefs, and associated coastal marine ecosystems. The Tropical Forest Conservation Act will create an invaluable debt-for-nature exchange that not only benefits the global economy, but also the global environment. Protecting our natural resources is a daunting responsibility, and coral reefs present unique challenges to protect and rebuild. They are fragile, slow-growing, and easily damaged by passing ships, changes in temperature, or severe weather. Despite these challenges, they are an integral part of our environment. Corals support economies, protect coastlines, and act as ecosystems for thousands of species of sea life. They may also provide information for the development of new drugs or understandings of human disease. The Florida Aquarium, a non-profit education and research institution in Tampa, has extensive experience in developing cutting edge technologies and protocols for coral conservation, including how to safely introduce cultured coral onto wild reefs. This facility has pioneered the methods and technology needed to confidently direct a coral health certificate program wherein aquacultured corals are certified as safe for introduction into the wild. Until the Florida Aquarium developed this certification technique for artificially aquacultured coral, there was no acceptable solution for doing so. This made rebuilding reefs time-consuming and expensive, and often led to the destruction of the wild coral that scientists were trying to restore. Today, the Florida Aquarium continues to lead the scientific community as the only institution in the world that can certify aquacultured coral for wild reefs. Mr. Speaker, developing countries participating in our debt relief initiative could greatly benefit from the Florida Aquarium's technology and expertise. I strongly encourage the coral initiatives under the Tropical Forest Conservation Act to seek out the Florida Aquarium as a resource in rehabilitating coral reefs world wide. I am proud to support this important legislation in its effort to preserve our natural resources.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. I thank my colleague from California, who continues to be a leader for homeowners across this country as they face very troubling times. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Mortgage Debt Relief Act of 2007 and this rule. I would like to thank Chairman Rangel and the House Ways and Means Committee for moving quickly on this critical legislation. Our efforts today will help families across America who have had to bear the unfortunate burden of their homes going into foreclosure. You see, under current law, after a homeowner loses their home to foreclosure, they are forced to pay income tax on that debt forgiveness. So although the homeowner has lost their assets, they must suffer the immeasurable strain of a tax bill that they are often unable to pay. When a family has lost their home to foreclosure or has been unable to renegotiate their loan with their lender to reflect the current value of their home, homeowners under current law are being confronted with an unfair and, frankly, unaffordable tax bill. Our legislation on the floor of the House today will help. This is simply an issue of fairness for struggling families and homeowners. It is unfair for a family to pay a tax on their income that they actually do not receive. When a bank forgives some amount of debt for a homeowner, either to avoid foreclosure or simply to forgive a debt to a homeowner already in the foreclosure process, the amount of the forgiven debt is treated by the IRS as income, which is then taxed. For families already struggling to make ends meet, the phantom income and resulting tax burden generated by this can endanger their financial health even further. This bill will fix this double whammy. With the current housing crisis that exists in our country, especially from the subprime lending market, it is no wonder that so many families have found themselves in unfortunate situations when it comes to their homes. Relieving families of this tax burden is the least we can do to help our families and all that they are trying to do in their everyday lives. My colleague from Florida is correct: in August, the State of Florida had the second highest total of foreclosure filings, up 77 percent from the previous month. Florida is ranked third in the United States for overall foreclosures this year, and nationwide foreclosures up are 115 percent. In my home district in the Tampa Bay area, over 10,000 of my neighbors have found their homes falling into foreclosure within the first 6 months of this year. Well, we are going to extend a lifeline today, and believe me, it matters. Last month, I visited with one of my neighbors, Isaline Wyatt. She is a single mother of two in east Tampa who was very close to losing her home to foreclosure. Fortunately, she was able to keep her home with the help of Neighborworks, a community action group. But many of our neighbors are in similar situations, and they do not have the same prospects. I promised Isaline and our neighbors throughout the Tampa Bay area that we would work to ensure that help is within reach. I am proud to say that today we will keep that promise and help bring relief to my hardworking neighbors. We will keep them from being faced with unaffordable, large tax bills as a result of foreclosure or renegotiating mortgages. In the city of St. Petersburg, Florida, the talented and caring staff at the local Neighborworks center work hard every day to keep homeowners in their home. Since January, they have assisted 65 families. Homeowners like Joann Carnaham of St. Petersburg are working desperately with Neighborworks so they don't lose their homes. Joann fell behind on her mortgage payment because she lost her job. The house she lived in belonged to her parents. She refinanced for $80,000. Her father was still there, but he passed away, and she had to pay all of his bills. Due to lack of income and her father's death, she was unable to negotiate a payment plan with her mortgage company. Under current law, if Joann's home goes into foreclosure, she will be hit with an income tax bill that she is in absolutely no position to pay. Mr. Speaker, the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 will aid families and people like Joann in St. Petersburg and help them get back on their feet after foreclosure. With the whirlwind of problems in the mortgage finance system, this bill will help stabilize families in our neighborhood, and I urge adoption today.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Washington (Mr. Reichert) for his support. I would also like to thank my colleague and friend from Florida (Mr. Mahoney) for bringing this thoughtful bill to the floor of the House of Representatives. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2779. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mahoney), who is an outstanding leader and staunch supporter of the Nation's Armed Forces.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2779 to honor the legacy of the Navy SEALs by recognizing the Navy Underwater Demolition Team Sea, Air, Land, or UDT-SEAL, Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national museum of Navy SEALs and their predecessors. I thank my colleague from Florida (Mr. Mahoney) for bringing this measure to the floor of the House. Since the program's inception in 1962, the Special Operations Sailors, known as Navy SEALs, have risked their lives at sea, in the air and on land to protect the United States of America. The most elite fighting force in the world, the Navy SEALs have bravely executed some of the most dangerous combat operations in our Nation's history. Tracing the roots of these historic sailors, the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, marks the birthplace of the Navy frogmen where thousands of brave volunteers were trained to become the first members of naval combat demolition units and underwater demolition teams during World War II. The Navy UDT-SEAL Museum is the only museum dedicated solely to preserving the legacy of the Navy SEALs and its predecessors. Since 1985 when the facility first opened, the museum served both as a physical monument to our sailors' bravery as well as an educational repository that preserves the legacy of their honor, skill, courage and patriotism. The museum traces the SEALs' lineage from the UDTs conducting hydrographic reconnaissance on the beaches of Normandy to the present-day professionals who practice conventional warfare and counterterrorism. The museum exhibits memorialize the incredible courage and versatility of the Navy SEALs through emphasizing eyewitness accounts and photographs of sailors on the battlefield as well as on the homefront. The Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, is an immensely important venture for the Navy underwater combat community as well as for the great State of Florida, preserving the rich history and valiant story of the Navy SEALs for both the program's veterans and future generations. Our Nation can express its great admiration for these brave sailors and the gratitude for this monument to their sacrifices by recognizing the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national museum of Navy SEALs and their predecessors. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2779, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the resolution under consideration.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2779) to recognize the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national museum of Navy SEALs and their predecessors.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Washington (Mr. Reichert), and I thank our colleague from Illinois (Mr. Costello) for bringing this resolution to the floor of the House, House Resolution 640, honoring the sacrifices and commitments of the men, women and families of the United States Transportation Command. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 640.

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 640, to honor the sacrifices and commitments of the men, women, and families of the United States Transportation Command, or TRANSCOM. Today marks the 20th anniversary of TRANSCOM's activation at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, and I would like to thank my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Costello) for bringing this measure before the House. Charged with the vital duty of providing air, land and sea transportation for the Department of Defense, both in times of peace and war, TRANSCOM consists of the Air Mobility Command, the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, and the Military Sea Lift Command. Established in 1978, TRANSCOM is the single manager of America's global defense transportation system, and its skilled coordination allows our country to project and sustain our Armed Forces whenever, wherever and for as long as they are needed. Responding quickly and effectively to the demands of our warfighting commanders, TRANSCOM first proved its crucial capability during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, with the movement of more than 500,000 passengers, 3.7 million tons of dry cargo, and 6.1 million tons of petroleum products in only 7 months. TRANSCOM has continued to serve the Nation and the world through many contingency and peacekeeping operations around the globe. It has supported numerous humanitarian relief operations, transporting supplies to victims of foreign and domestic natural disasters. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, TRANSCOM became an especially vital asset to our Nation, supporting our Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom. From October 2001 to September 2007, TRANSCOM and its components have transported approximately 4 million passengers, 9 million tons of cargo, and over 4 billion gallons of fuel. House Resolution 640 honors these great achievements and the men and women who make them happen. TRANSCOM provides a vital service to our Nation and enables our Armed Forces to carry out their missions effectively and efficiently. I hope you will join me today in congratulating TRANSCOM on its 20th anniversary, and expressing gratitude to the 155,000 men and women who comprise it for their continued sacrifice and commitment to this country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 640. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 185) commending the 1st Brigade Combat Team/34th Infantry Division of the Minnesota National Guard upon its completion of the longest continuous deployment of any United States military unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as amended.

Ms. CASTOR

Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.