Joe Courtney

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstandingly gifted group of high school students from Old Lyme, Connecticut who compose the Lyme-Old Lyme High School FIRST Robotics team, the ``Techno Ticks.'' On April 18, 2009, they were honored with one of the highest recognitions in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) field competitions among young adults hosted by FIRST. FIRST, ``For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,'' was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, an inventor, entrepreneur, and advocate for the STEM fields. Its original goal of inspiring young adults' interest and participation in STEM fields has remained a core value and has helped grow the program and participation to unprecedented levels. In 2009, nearly 1 million individuals and groups, consisting of students, volunteers, and sponsors, composed the FIRST community. On April 16, 2009, tens of thousands of students, spectators, mentors, volunteers and sponsors gathered in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia to launch the FIRST International Championship. Over the weekend, more than 500 teams from around the world demonstrated the products of their labors in several competitions, including the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), the FIRST Tech Challenge, and the FIRST Lego League. The ``Techno Ticks'' of Lyme-Old Lyme High School from Old Lyme, Connecticut were among the competitors in the FRC field. Prior to the championship, FRC teams were challenged to construct a robot in 6 weeks with a kit containing hundreds of parts. Nearly 1,700 teams participated in FRC regional competitions. Winners advanced to the FIRST International Competition. The 2009 FIRST Internal Competition FRC challenge revolved around a game called ``LUNACY,'' which tested the students and robots in picking up nine inch game balls and placing them in trailers hitched to their opponents' robots. The competitors were also faced with the additional challenge of a low- friction floor. After all balls were counted and the laws of physics tested, the ``Techno Ticks'' emerged with the most prestigious honor of the competition, the Chairman's Award. The Chairman's Award is presented to the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. Madam Speaker, the competitiveness of our workforce and prosperity of our society is greatly dependent on the innovative capacities of our citizens. Members of the ``Techno Ticks'' and the other young adults that have participated in FIRST programs have clearly demonstrated that our next generation can tackle the challenges that our nation may face in the future. I ask my colleagues to join with me and my constituents in recognizing the ``Techno Ticks'' achievements and celebrating their prestigious award.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to introduce this morning Father Grzegorz Brozonowicz, otherwise known as ``Father Greg,'' at St. Mary's, Mother of the Redeemer Parish, in Groton, Connecticut, who delivered a beautiful prayer this morning, and he has a wonderful story in his life. He was born in Poland, was educated in Poland, came to the U.S. in 1990, went through the seminary in our country, was ordained as a parish priest by the Archdiocese of Norwich in 1996, and is now a leader at his church in Groton, Connecticut. He does appear to have a humble demeanor, but I would just say, Madam Speaker, that he is a very dynamic priest. He has a growing parish. He has many programs reaching out to young people, having them involved in the community, helping the disadvantaged. He is setting up a twinning parish program in Haiti to try and reach out, again, to deal with the huge challenges that that impoverished country faces. He became an American citizen a few days before Christmas, this past Christmas of 2008, and like many Roman Catholic churches throughout our country, there clearly is a pipeline from Poland now that is populating our parishes and keeping a vibrant church alive and well in the U.S. I want to thank him for his great service and for his great words this morning.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, first of all I want to thank the gentleman from the Northern Mariana Islands for yielding and also salute him for his leadership on this important resolution, which is something as a Nation we just cannot stop in terms of all efforts to make sure that we eradicate child abuse. But my purpose for standing up, Madam Speaker, is to speak in support of a resolution which was earlier discussed, H. Res. 344, recognizing the great accomplishment of the UConn Women Huskies. My excuse for speaking out of order is actually I just left the White House, where our country's number one basketball fan, President Barack Obama, welcomed the Women Huskies, and again in a wonderful ceremony recognized the incredible achievement of an undefeated season and a national championship. Madam Speaker, Vince Lombardi, the great football coach for the Green Bay Packers, said, ``Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we may catch excellence.'' Those incredibly wise words maybe didn't even anticipate what was accomplished this year by the UConn women who, as I said earlier, went 39-0, won a national championship, did not win a game by less than double digits from the entire season, from start to finish, and led by a coach, Geno Auriemma, who, again, is somebody who is right in the Lombardi tradition, and secured his sixth national championship, something that, as a Hall of Fame coach, we're almost getting to expect too easily and take too much for granted in the State of Connecticut. But aside from the great athletic accomplishment of these young women, I want to also acknowledge the fact that Maya Moore, who is the Naismith All-American Player of the country, is also someone who is an outstanding student, has received academic awards for her great work as an undergraduate. And she, along with Renee Montgomery, who's also graduating this year, again, is someone who excelled, not only on the basketball court, but also in the classroom. Speaking of perfection, in the 24 years of the UConn women's basketball program, they have had a 100 percent graduation rate for the women who have been part of that team. And in many respects, at a time when, unfortunately, college athletics has been somewhat dominated by the power and might of money and big money, the fact that we have a program which truly embodies the ideal of student athletes, like the UConn women's basketball team, is something that not only the State of Connecticut but really our whole country can be proud of. As a parent of a young, 14-year-old daughter, to be able to turn on the TV for sports or ESPN News Center and say, this is not just a guy show, it's also about women who can go out and excel at sports, they have provided a role model that, I think, has transformed athletics, again, for our whole country, for boys and girls, for young men and young women. And we are so proud of this team in the State of Connecticut. And it's a special day with them being recognized at the White House. And I certainly hope that, as a body today, we will recognize their accomplishment by adopting H. Res. 344. And, again, I thank the Speaker and the gentleman for allowing me to speak out of turn and share these remarks which are so important to the people back home.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstandingly gifted student from my district, Natalie Weaver of Madison, Connecticut. On March 10, 2009, Natalie was named champion of Connecticut's fourth annual Poetry Out Loud competition held at the Carol Autorino Center in West Hartford, Connecticut. On April 28, she will represent Connecticut in the national finals held in Washington, DC. Poetry Out Loud is a national program that encourages high school students to engage in the written and spoken word through memorization and performance of modern and classic poetry. As part of the program in Connecticut, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism (CCT) assisted participating teachers with professional development and placed teaching artists in participating schools. The CCT also established an all-day workshop for champions, first runner-ups, and their teachers. In Connecticut, the state competition was hosted by the CCT and the State Department of Education, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Poetry Foundation. This year, more than 3,800 students participated in the program in Connecticut, which began with competitions at the classroom level and progressed to school-wide competitions, and eventually the state finals. In the state finals, Natalie beat 15 other contestants to win the state champion title. State finalists recited poems selected from an anthology that included over 400 classic and modern works. On April 28, she will compete against other state finalists in the national competition, which will award over $50,000 in the form of scholarships and school stipends. Madam Speaker, poetry has long been an essential component of the human expression, serving as an accessible venue to explore and preserve universal themes such as love, beauty, nature, tragedy, and mortality. I commend the efforts of Poetry Out Loud program with engaging students in poetry and applaud Natalie on her big win. I ask my colleagues to join with me and my constituents in recognizing these contributions and cheering Natalie on in the national Poetry Out Loud competition.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Arthur Giddon of Bloomfield, Connecticut. Over the past century, Art has cultivated a distinguished law career, serving as a notable trial lawyer as well as a chief public defender. He has a wonderful and devoted wife, Harriet, to whom he has been married to for over 60 years. Together they have raised a beautiful family. On April, 26, 2009, Art will celebrate his 100th birthday with friends and family in Connecticut. In 1922, at the age of 13, Art joined the Boston Braves as a batboy. He fetched pop bottles, ran errands for players, polished equipment, and conversed with baseball legends. First baseman, Walter Holke, often walked him home after games and taught him how to make kites, a skill that he would pass on to grandchildren. His chance meeting with baseball's commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, and a suggestion to become a lawyer would portend a legal profession matched by few. Decades later after Mr. Landis' suggestion, he would study at Harvard Law and become a notable lawyer in Connecticut. In 1985, he retired as the chief public defender of the Harford Judicial District, after decades of public service. This past week, Art's unique experience as a batboy has gained national media attention. On Saturday, Art will join the Boston Red Sox, the team he passionately cheers for, as an honorary batboy in recognition of his experience as a young boy decades ago. He will make his debut in a jersey crafted by his daughter, adorned with ``No. 100, Big Pappy''. Few individuals experience as much and contribute as much as over the course of their lifetime as Arthur has. Madame Speaker, I can personally attest to this. As a young law student, I worked in Art's office for two years as a legal intern and learned a lifelong lesson in the law, as well as a balanced passion for justice. He has lived an extraordinary life, filled with personal and professional vigor and I ask my colleagues to join with me and my constituents in celebrating his 100th birthday.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 75th Anniversary of the Stafford, Connecticut Fire Department No. 1. For 75 years the men and women of this department have dedicated themselves to protecting the people and the community in which they serve. While the department was not formally incorporated until November 11, 1936, it began its work in Stafford on May 10, 1934 in the B. Schwanda and Sons button factory. The eight founding members later began meeting in an unused garage and dance hall that later became incorporated into station 145. While membership grew over the next ten years, a shortage of able bodied men during World War II forced the department to allow members of the Junior Fire Department over the age of 14 to join the full department. In June 1949, a committee was formed to begin work on plans for a new firehouse located on Colburn Road. Just a few years later, this new department was built to house the members, vehicles and equipment. That structure is still used to this day as the home base for the ET-145, ET-245, Rescue 145, Forestry 145, Service 145 and Marine 145. In 1953, the department won first prize in a statewide contest conducted by the Hartford County Mutual Fire Insurance Company as the volunteer department with the most improved facility with the best fire prevention program available. In March of 1956, under the leadership of then chief Benjamin Muzio, the Auxiliary of the Stafford Fire Department No. 1 was organized to assist the department with fundraising efforts to acquire necessary equipment and supplies. Through the years, the Auxiliary has raised funds through a variety of events including the annual chicken BBQ that draws people from communities far and wide every year. The men and women of this department have put their lives on the line for the past 75 years and they deserve our thanks and praise. On behalf of the people of Connecticut's Second Congressional district, I want to thank you for your service.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the extraordinary life of Stephen Marcham of Vernon, Connecticut who passed away after a courageous battle with cancer on March 19, 2009. Steve Marcham was a lifelong resident of Vernon, a town he loved dearly. Steve attended Rockville High School and later enrolled at the University of Connecticut where he earned his degree from the School of Pharmacy. After graduation, Steve returned to Vernon, Connecticut and became co-owner of Vincent's Pharmacy where he had worked since high school. During his more than 30 years at Vincent's, Steve was recognized for his outstanding community service when he received the A. H. Robbins Bowl of Hygeia Award, the Pharmacy Leadership Award from the National Association of Retail Druggists and the 2006 Daniel Leone Pharmacist of the Year award from the Connecticut Pharmacists Association. As his customers could tell you, Steve's care and compassion for his fellow man found their outlet within the walls of Vincent's. In addition to his service as a community pharmacist, Steve had a deep passion for public service. It was here in the public arena that Steve created a lasting mark as a progressive who built consensus with one overriding goal: improving his community. In 1969 while still attending the University of Connecticut, Steve became the youngest official elected to public office when he won a seat on the Board of Education. After serving on the Board of Education for a number of terms, Steve was elected to the Town Council before being appointed in 1986 to serve as the Mayor, a position which he held until 1989. A decade later, he was re-elected to that office. As Mayor, Steve was well known for his efforts to bridge the political divide. Above all of his political achievements, however, it was the kindness and grace of Steve that endeared him to both his colleagues and the people of Vernon. Even more than his impressive success as a health care provider and public official, Steve was a wonderful parent and husband. He was part of a beautiful family including his wife Jan and daughter Ashley. They did everything together--trips to Cape Cod, campaigning together for office, attending Ashley's marching band events and family gatherings with the Marchams and the Bozcars. Steve was a true example and inspiration to us all showing how to balance work, community and family flawlessly. He was in many ways a Jimmy Stewart-like figure from ``It's a Wonderful Life.'' It was an honor to have known him and worked with him during my years in the state legislature and the Congress. For those of us who knew him and had the honor and privilege to call him a friend, this is a difficult time. To Janice, his wife, Ashley, his daughter, and his beloved mother Frances, we offer our sympathy and thanks for allowing Steve to be a part of our lives. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and service of Steve Marcham.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Thank you for organizing this colloquy. As Congressman Cohen said today, this Chamber earlier today was a place of a historic event where the Prime Minister of England, Gordon Brown, addressed the people of our country as well as both Chambers. And he, I think, did a magnificent job about, number one, talking about the economic crisis that we're in in global terms, the numbers in terms of lost jobs--lost wealth that has taken place over the last 6 months is historic and staggering--but reminded us that the focus has always got to be on the impact, person by person, in terms of jobs that are lost. In this country, where we have lost, as of the end of January, 3.6 million jobs, because of our health care system being tied to employment there is an added blow that families suffer when there is a layoff, which is that people are confronted with the almost impossible choice of maintaining their health insurance by paying for COBRA premiums--which in a State like Connecticut, for an individual that is about $6,000 or $7,000 a year, $12,000 for a family--or letting their health insurance just lapse. One of the things that was included in the Recovery Act--and it has now been 2 weeks since the President signed that measure in Denver, Colorado--is that we have seen, I think, Member offices, have a chance to sort of see our constituents vote with their feet in terms of the interests that they've expressed about different components. And in my office, certainly, the COBRA subsidy, which was a measure that was included in the Recovery Act--again, a historic effort by the government to step in and provide families with 65 percent of the premium costs if they are laid off--again, something that has never happened in any prior recession or economic downturn--is the piece of the Recovery Act that's gotten the most traffic in terms of phone calls and inquiries into my office. I'd like to, again, as Prime Minister Brown indicated, share a story in my district of a guy, Tim Jensen, he's a reporter for a small weekly newspaper, got laid off last September. He's one of these guys that would show up with a camera and a pad and pen at any event, supported every parade, community event, veteran ceremony. And unfortunately--as we know, the newspaper business has suffered along with many, many other industries in our country--he lost his job in September. To compound that, as I indicated, he had to foot the bill for COBRA extension, and to compound that even further, he was diagnosed with cancer later this fall. So now he's in a desperate Hobson's impossible choice of whether to maintain his health insurance, depriving his family of literally food on the table, or give up his health insurance at a time when he literally has a life or death need for medical treatments. The Obama plan, which is to provide a 65 percent subsidy for people like Tim Jensen, is literally a life safer. It is going to provide him and his family with the means to maintain that health insurance coverage and avoid, again, just a total catastrophe for him and his family. And it does tie in to the issue which I know we've been talking about here today, which is the impact on the public finances of this country. The fact of the matter is that people who do lose their health insurance end up being a public cost later down the food chain of our health care financing system, either in the form of uncompensated care in the emergency room if there is a health care crisis, or they lapse and end up in a publicly financed program like Medicaid or some form of public assistance program for single adults, which many States operate. It is far more cost effective and rational to provide those individuals with a subsidy to maintain their existing health benefits while hopefully they will transition back into the workforce rather than to just completely abandon them, which unfortunately was the system prior to passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. So, again, a measure which will provide the individual, which Prime Minister Brown talked about, which always should be our focus, will benefit not just that individual and their family, but also our overall system of public finances and health care coverage; again, hopefully just an appetizer in terms of the main course of health care reform, which this administration is, again, beginning to unfold with the release of its 2010 budget, and a Congress that is ready to roll up its sleeves and go to work in terms of all the key committees. So this stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, has many, many components to it, which we've talked about over the last few weeks or so and will continue to do so. But clearly, the COBRA subsidy, a new, unprecedented effort by the government to step in and help unemployed workers--which are, sadly, going to increase at least in the short term--

Mr. COURTNEY. Just to sort of close the note there, which is that, as difficult and challenging as the time we're living in for individuals like my friend I just described, or the macro picture, the fact of the matter is we can do this. As the Prime Minister said, we have to maintain our optimism, and we will, because that's the nature of our country. And we're going to get through this and fix this problem. And thank God we've got a President who's ready to work with this Congress and get this country turned around and moving in the right direction. With that, I yield back to Mr. Yarmuth.

Mr. COURTNEY. Sure, I would be happy to.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the most recent achievement of one of college basketball's premier coaches. On February 25, 2009, the University of Connecticut's Men's Basketball program celebrated a 93-82 win over Marquette University. Not just a typical victory in another impressive season for the Huskies, this victory was also the 800th in the career of Coach Jim Calhoun. Coach Calhoun is just the seventh coach in men's college basketball to reach this historic milestone, joining legends such as Bobby Knight, Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp. Coach Calhoun's' career as a basketball coach began in 1966 when he served as an assistant at his alma mater, American International College in Springfield, MA. Calhoun stayed at AIC until 1968 when he became a high school basketball coach in Old Lyme, Connecticut. He stayed in the high school ranks for a brief period until 1972, when he assumed the role of head coach at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Calhoun's squad came to dominate the Eastern College Athletic Conference, leading those Huskies to a 248-137 record in 14 seasons that included 5 league tournament championships and 4 outright regular season championships. In May of 1986, Coach Calhoun assumed the role of head basketball coach at the University of Connecticut. Since that time, UConn has become the Big East Conference's premier basketball program. Just two years later, Coach Calhoun won his first national title when UConn defeated Ohio State in the 1988 National Invitational Tournament with Phil Gamble and future NBA all star Clifford Robinson leading the way. During his 22+ seasons at the University of Connecticut, Coach Calhoun has led the Huskies to ten Big East regular season titles, six Big East tournament titles, an NIT title and 2 NCAA titles in 1999 and 2004. During his tenure, Calhoun has coached more than two dozen players who have moved onto the NBA, including perennial stars such as Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton and Emeka Okafor. Coach Calhoun has received countless awards and has been consistently recognized for his remarkable career. In 2005, Coach Calhoun's career came full circle as he returned to Springfield, Massachusetts, where he started his basketball career. There, Coach Calhoun joined the ranks of basketball's greats when he was enshrined in the Dr. James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach Calhoun is also a member of the American International College and Northeastern University Hall of Fame and has been awarded the John Wooden ``Legends of Coaching Award'' for his lifetime of service. Coach Calhoun's positive contributions to Connecticut are not limited to the basketball court. He has contributed huge sums of personal wealth to hospitals, charities and civic causes--often times with little fanfare. He is a strong voice for ``Coaches Against Cancer'', advocating for a stronger national effort to cure cancer and raising private funds for research and treatment. The most impressive contribution I believe was his willingness to publicly share his personal battle against three bouts of cancer-- educating and inspiring patients and families all across America to fight this illness and continue with their regular lives. For more than two decades, Coach Calhoun's coaching prowess has been well known to the people of eastern Connecticut. For those of us who have the honor of calling him our friend, and for the scores of Husky hoops fans across the state and the country, we congratulate Coach Jim Calhoun on this historic achievement and wish him well as he continues his leadership of our beloved Huskies.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, it is obvious from listening to the prior comments of this great resolution that Paul Newman touched a lot of parts of America: His birthplace in Ohio; the time he spent, obviously, in Hollywood making movies; Tennessee, other places. But he did, for the last half of his life, live in Westport, Connecticut, a place that our State was always glad to embrace him and his wonderful wife, Joanne Woodward. He was somebody who, in the State of Connecticut, was usually seen in jeans, in casual clothes, probably even having a libation now and then at community events, very low-key, and never really looking to draw attention to himself. It's been mentioned earlier the great work that he did founding the Hole in the Wall Gang, which was an extraordinary accomplishment even in just the latter stage of his life. And the first camp which he founded was in Ashford, Connecticut, in eastern Connecticut, a 30-acre farm by the Harakaly family. Again, a place where children suffering chronic, in many cases crushing illnesses were able to come and actually enjoy life as a summer camper which otherwise would never ever have been possible. I just wanted to share a description by one of the boards of directors about when Paul Newman would show up at the camp because he didn't just go through the motions of just leaving his name, but he appeared in many instances to participate in camp activities. He loved to talk about the little kids who had no idea who he was, the friendly old guy who kept showing up at camp to take them fishing. While their counselors stammered star struck, the campers indulged Newman the way they would have indulged a particularly friendly hospital blood technician. It took me years to understand why Newman loved being at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. It was for precisely the same reasons these kids did. When the campers showed up, they became regular kids, despite the catheters and the wheelchairs and the prosthetic legs. And when Newman showed up, he was a regular guy with blue eyes, despite the Oscars and the race cars and the burgeoning marinara empire. The most striking thing about Paul Newman was that a man who could have blasted through life demanding, ``Have you any idea who I am,'' invariably wanted to hang out with the folks, often the little ones who neither knew or cared. Again, I want to applaud Mr. Cohen for bringing this extraordinary measure and calling our Members for unanimous support.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Thank you, Mr. Murphy. As you said, we both sat on the Public Health Committee in Hartford, Connecticut, in the State legislature. You did an absolutely outstanding job for the people of the State. You were the guy that was there to implement SCHIP. We call it HUSKY in Connecticut, for obvious reasons--because we have the best men's and women's basketball teams in the country right now in the NCAA. You also did, again, a lot of other path breaking legislation during your time there. It's very exciting to see you now on the Energy and Commerce Committee to continue that work at the national level. I wanted to follow up actually on a couple of comments that our colleague from Pennsylvania brought up regarding the fact that, A, in the short time that President Obama has been in office, he followed through on a campaign promise to extend health insurance to 4 million more children in this country. As the three of us know, this was an issue that people clawed at each for 2 solid years. And then, within 2 weeks of coming into office, we were able to accomplish that historic expansion and strengthen coverage for things like dental care and mental health care, which anybody out there talking to the pediatric community knows, was a real weakness in the SCHIP program that has now been in effect for the last 10 years. His stimulus plan, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, recognizes the fact that we have lost 3 million jobs in this country and, unfortunately, in America, when people lose their jobs, they also lose their health care in many instances because we have an employment- based system. And his proposal which creates a COBRA subsidy, providing 65 percent of the premium costs for unemployed individuals, is really just a major change in the health care landscape in this country. Like a lot of Members, I have been at unemployment offices over the last 3 weeks or so. Connecticut has been hard hit, like other parts of the country. And talking to the folks who are in the offices describing the individuals coming in, who in many instances have never experienced a layoff in their lifetime, and in many instances had very solid, upper middle-income salaries, now have all these problems thrust at them. But the number one issue that constantly comes up for people who are at that desk trying to contend with a blizzard of new programs that they have never dealt with before is, How do I keep my health insurance for my families? And the cost of COBRA extension is brutal. It averages around $700 or $800 a month. If you just do the simple math in terms of what an unemployment check will cover, this COBRA extension, which President Obama has included in the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is just going to be a tremendous help for working families who are trying to get through this very difficult patch. There's another issue, though, which Mr. Altmire mentioned, which is also in the plan, which is an investment, really an infrastructure investment, in health IT. About $19 billion is included in the plan. And Jason mentioned earlier that the VA and the military health care system is actually kind of ahead of the curve in terms of the civilian sector. I had a chance actually to personally see that in December when I was over in Iraq and Afghanistan. I was at Walter Reed Hospital in December, visiting a young soldier from East Lyme, Connecticut, who was shot by a sniper in mid November. He was being treated at Walter Reed. Talked about the great care that he received at Landstuhl Hospital in Germany. And on our way back from Iraq and Afghanistan, we stopped at Landstuhl Hospital and I was up talking to the nurses on the ward and the doctor who actually performed surgery on him. I mentioned his name. This was about 6 weeks after the fact. They all knew him right away. One of the reasons why, other than the fact they're just great people who really care about their patients, is that they have a totally interoperable system of health IT within the military hospital system. So the doctor can pull up on a computer the treatment files of this soldier who's in Washington, D.C., at Walter Reed Hospital, and interact with his doctors, answer any questions that may come up in terms of his recuperation. It was remarkable. And the question Jason asked is, Why can't we have this in the regular health care system in this country? Obviously, it's because we have a very fragmented system, and we need to overcome these issues of interoperability. One of the ways it does it is to build on a system that George Bush started. He created the Office of National Coordinator of Health Care Information Technology. That was a Bush Executive Order. And what the recovery plan does is it basically takes that office, which is dealing with these issues of interoperability, and pump new funds into the program and just moving this country forward much quicker than it otherwise might have done under the prior administration's budget. Well, there's an urban legend already out there claiming--and it's in the blogs and it's on some of the cable TV shows--that somehow this National Coordinator of Health Care Information is creating a nationalized socialized system of health care and it's going to mandate treatments that doctors and hospitals are going to have to administer. Nothing could be further from the truth. This office, which was created by George W. Bush, is strictly an IT office that is dealing, again, with implementation of computer technology in this system which, again, as Congressman Altmire said, needs a lot of work because it's a very fragmented system, particularly when you're trying to bring in doctors and health care providers who are outside of the hospital network into the system of health care information technologies. So, for anybody out there listening who has heard these ridiculous claims that somehow this bill is going to create a one-size-fits-all system of health care, nothing could be further from the truth. This bill is about trying to, again, implement what George Bush started, and which makes common sense for anybody. All the stakeholders and health care systems agree that health care IT, making the system more efficient, coordinating care by just sharing information in a safe and secure manner, is a way to really move the ball forward in this country towards a system of universal access and high-quality care. So, if people are hearing those rumors--and I have had some seniors call the office saying they don't like the idea of this--the fact of the matter is that this is a program which the military uses, which the VA uses, which is going to be good for care in terms of eliminating errors in the system because of just the fact that bad information is being shared by different providers. It does nothing in terms of changing the doctor-patient relationship, the patient-hospital relationship. The government is not getting involved in the decision-making of how your health care is going to be decided or administered. Holding this forum on the night before the vote, Mr. Murphy, I think is a great opportunity to clarify, again, some of the really good steps forward that President Obama is asking the Congress to vote for. Like yourself, I know we believe that, as folks who have worked on this issue for an awful long time, that this is a real opportunity in a very difficult time of our country to move forward for all Americans. So, with that, I will be happy to yield back to you.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Thank you, Congressman Klein. Thank you for organizing this colloquy which we are, as a Congress, on the verge of one of the, I think, biggest votes of the 111th Congress. And it's important that I think we take the time to spend a few minutes to explain why the stakes are so high and what, in fact, the proposal is before us because there's a lot of bad information out there. First of all, just to follow up on your point, This is not a normal downturn, a normal business recession. As the chart that you just showed demonstrates, the drop-off in terms of job losses in this economy and the velocity with which it's happened is something that again we have not seen as a Nation, certainly at least since the Great Depression. Just using as a quick snapshot in the State of Connecticut, I talked to some companies which have experienced downturns in the past. Pratt and Whitney has had layoffs because the commercial aircraft market has certainly shrunk in recent months as the economy has closed down. The insurance industry has had layoffs as business has fallen off. But I was talking the other day to a guy who is in charge of a trash collection agency, which trash tends to be sort of recession proof. He's never had a layoff in the time that his family has owned this trash hauling business that goes back decades. They just laid off 15 folks there because the volume of trash that's actually being generated in the State of Connecticut has turned down, something that he has never seen before. The price for commodities, in terms of aluminum scrap metal, some of the other scrap that they normally, newspaper scrap that they usually resell on the market, has completely collapsed because the price for those commodities, again, has just vanished. We have seen in the casino industry, again, an industry in Connecticut with the large tribal casinos that we have, Foxwoods casino and Mohigan Sun, again, the first layoffs since those casinos ever opened. Mohigan Sun cancelled an $800 million expansion last September. The construction trade industry in Eastern Connecticut has completely fallen apart. Electricians, sheet metal workers, carpenters, the construction trades all across the board, are home basically barely getting by collecting on benefits. So, given that situation that we're seeing on the private sector, this pullback that's happening, causing, again, contraction that never has been seen before all across the board, we're seeing local governments and State governments as a result feeling the ripple effect of shrinking State budgets and layoffs of teachers at every single school district, certainly in my area and I'm sure at other members. We have a decision to make as a country about whether or not we are going to use the Federal Government's purchasing power to step in and stop this precipitous decline and keep us from falling into a further downward spiral. Now, let's be clear because we just heard a bunch of criticisms about whether or not the government is capable of making wise choices about spending and actually creating jobs. Well, the fact of the matter is, every single day in the American economy, the Federal Government is spending money and creating work. In the defense industry, again, you can go across the board. And the gentleman from Texas who just spoke, we could go through his district, I'm sure, and certainly his portion of Texas, and look at military spending that's going on every single day and that people are collecting pay checks, whether they're building aircraft or military weapons for the Army and our ground forces, or whether they're just employing actually military personnel. Certainly, in Connecticut where we make nuclear submarines, we build aircraft at Pratt and Whitney, the F-22, we build Blackhawk helicopters. There are people this morning working two and three shifts that are going to work because of the customer that the Federal Government acts as to make sure that they have work every single day. Every school district, every health care institution receives Federal funds that really determine whether or not the doors stay open. So what President Obama is doing is using existing programs, existing formulas, whether it's Title I, special education, whether it's aid to States through Medicaid programs, which we know work because they've been in place for decades. But what he's doing is boosting the spending back to States so that we, in fact, will not allow the total collapse, both in the public sector and the private sector as this economy continues in its downward spiral. And frankly, in the next day or so, this Congress is going to have a choice before it. A ``yes'' vote will be a ``yes'' vote for jobs. A ``no'' vote, which is the do-nothing Herbert Hoover approach to an economic crisis that we have before it will basically condemn millions of Americans to further joblessness, to extended unemployment and a loser strategy in terms of whether or not this country, this great Nation is going to be capable of leading the world out of a global recession. And I think the President has put forward a balanced proposal, using both tax relief and spending programs and State fiscal assistance to ensure that we are not going to allow this mess which he inherited to become any longer and any more prolonged for working families and middle class families than we have the tools and the capability of turning around. So that's the choice that's before us. We can act, we can save jobs, or we can do nothing and follow the failed policies of the last 8 years of the Bush administration that got us into this mess to begin with. And someone who is from a State that's been hard hit as well, from Kentucky, is here to, I think, again, share his thoughts and his perspective from his corner of America, Congressman Yarmuth.

Mr. COURTNEY. I thank Mr. Yarmuth for demonstrating what the stakes are in this vote that's coming up again in a few short hours. Again, for closing comments, I'd like to yield to the gentlelady from Ohio, Congresswoman Sutton.

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, we have a few minutes left in Mr. Klein's hour that he's allotted for discussing the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and I think a lot of the speakers who have already had a chance to weigh in are going to kind of give their final closing arguments. Again, we are hours away from the decision that's before this country, about whether or not to support President Obama's effort to turn this economy around, and I think it's so important, again, for the facts really to have an opportunity to be heard before that vote takes place. Back in Connecticut, the head of The Carpenters Union, Chuck Appleby, once said at a hearing we had the other day on the need for infrastructure investment that the best social program is a job. A job provides people with wages. A good job provides people with wages and benefits, but even more importantly, it gives people dignity and confidence in themselves and their future, and that's what's missing right now. We have seen an economy that's lost 3.6 million jobs in the last 13 months, and people are just hunkering down and pulling back because of a legitimate fear about not knowing where the future is headed and whether or not that future has a place for them. And President Obama gets that, and that's why this measure is aimed directly at stopping that hemorrhaging and making sure that we inject not just investment but also confidence back into the American economy. I'd like to yield again for his final comments to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth).

Mr. COURTNEY. Thank you, Mr. Walz. If we have a few seconds left, maybe we can squeeze in final comments from Congressman Sarbanes. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. COURTNEY. I thank Congresswoman Sutton for your, again, eloquent, colorful plea for manufacturing jobs and the middle class of America. Here to bat cleanup and to finish the colloquy that has lasted over the last hour, again, is our good friend from Minnesota, Congressman Walz.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, the best social program is a job. A job provides a person not only wages but also confidence in themselves and their future. Over the last 4 months of the Bush administration, the U.S. economy hemorrhaged jobs, over 2 million from August to December 2008. In Connecticut, one of our largest employers, Mohegan Sun, suspended construction in September of a one-half billion dollar addition and, as a result, carpenters, electricians, sheet metal workers, and the entire construction trades are now barely getting by collecting unemployment. We have a choice in the Congress in the next few days--to support President Obama and pass his Recovery Act, putting thousands of construction workers back to work building roads, bridges, and green energy buildings; or we can listen to the Do Nothing Herbert Hoover crowd who want to trip up our new President only a few weeks in office who is only trying to clean up the mess he inherited. I say vote ``yes'' for jobs, and tell the Do Nothing crowd, as they say in the military: Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Today, February 4, 2009, will go down as a historic milestone in America's long journey towards universal health coverage. In a few hours, with a bipartisan vote, the House will pass an expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program, extending health insurance to 4 million more American youngsters, keeping a promise that President Obama made to the American people to get this much-needed change accomplished. He did it in 2 weeks' time. I would just say, contrast that with the 2-year rancorous partisan debate that divided this country over the issue. The new Congress and the new President are delivering on this incredibly important step towards extending health coverage to children--strengthening their dental coverage; strengthening their mental health coverage; locking in for States like Connecticut eligibility so that working families' children will be insured and will be covered. Building on that success, extending health IT technology to our health care system, which is included in the stimulus package, extending people with unemployment Medicaid coverage, we are going to move forward as a country towards universal health coverage. Today will go down in history as an important step forward to accomplish that much-needed goal.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to mark the passing of a true champion for the working families of eastern Connecticut. Debra Jordan of Plainfield, beloved daughter, wife and mother, passed away on January 25, 2009 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Debra was a consummate professional who cared deeply about the rights of working men and women. She was an active member of UNITE HERE, serving as local 217's secretary-treasurer for more than 15 years. She fought tirelessly for the people with whom she worked, always believing that no matter what one's station in life might be, that everyone deserved to be treated fairly and justly. Although her professional career was marked by her commitment to working families, it was the love of her own family that defined her life. Whether it was caring for her grandson Lucien Dube, or at the track watching her son Tim race, anyone who knew Debra could tell you that these were the moments that brought joy to her life and that great smile to her face. While we lament her passing, we know that her memory will live on in her beloved family, including her husband Patrick, to whom she was married for 25 years. This has been a trying week for those of us who had the privilege to call Debra our friend. She left us too early, but as we grieve her we must remember the joy that she brought to the lives of all she touched. I ask my colleagues to join me in mourning the loss of Debra Jordan.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Rose Fowler of the McSweeney Regional Senior Center who will be retiring after a decade of service to the seniors of eastern Connecticut. Rose is a dedicated public servant who works tirelessly in the town of Coventry, Connecticut. She has been a familiar face in local politics, serving as chair of the town council and as the moderator on Election Day. Rose actively volunteers her time with a host of community organizations, including the town's historical society. She and her husband Joseph also own and operate the Country Store that is located on Main Street. Rose is best known to the people of eastern Connecticut for her work at the McSweeney Regional Senior Center. For nearly thirty years, the center has provided services to the residents of ten area communities. They offer extensive preventive care programs, including a number of health screenings and support groups. There are also a variety of social programs which have helped to foster a family atmosphere among the participants. From exercise classes to arts and crafts and a variety of trips, the seniors at McSweeney Regional Senior Center have truly found a second home. These activities have fostered a true sense of companionship and enjoyment for all who participate and are indicative of the warmth and friendship that Rose brings to work each and every day. Even though I want to congratulate Rose on her well deserved retirement, I admit that I am saddened by this event. While the McSweeney Senior Center will continue its tradition of quality service and support for the region's seniors, it will be difficult to match the legacy that Rose has left behind. I know that I will miss our discussions and interactions when I visit with the seniors and that I will not be alone in this regard. I wish Rose the best as she begins the next journey in her life and remain confident that whatever she does, she will continue her legacy of service to the seniors and people of eastern Connecticut.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, for decades the United States has worked closely with Australia on issues of great importance to our two nations. Australia has stood out among the international community as a friend of the United States and remains one of our closest cultural, economic and security partners. It is in this spirit that a program was launched 10 years ago to further foster those close ties. Since that time, the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program has delivered to the United States approximately 100 of Australia's best and brightest to serve as interns in a variety of Federal agencies and congressional offices. During my first term in Congress, I was privileged to welcome Anthony ``A.J.'' Bremmer to my office. Anthony was a welcome addition to my congressional staff and he quickly became an integral part of the team. When the opportunity arose again this winter to participate in the Uni- Capitol Washington Internship Program, I immediately agreed to welcome another Australian ``ambassador.'' Jehane Sharah, much like A.J., has quickly become a valued part of our staff. Jehane has demonstrated a maturity and a curiosity beyond her college years. Prior to coming to the United States, Jehane worked for two members of the Australian parliament. This experience has helped her flourish during her short time in Washington. She has attended briefings, assisted constituents, and worked with my staff on a variety of research initiatives. Jehane also has an extensive background in communications, serving as a senior reporter for a newspaper in Canberra. As a result, she has assisted my communications director on a number of important projects. Jehane truly is an exceptional ambassador for the people of Australia. Many of my colleagues have also been privileged to welcome students like Jehane to their offices. This year, 12 students from all across Australia are serving in offices here in Washington. They were drawn from seven Australian universities in four different states and the Australian Capital Territory. From my experience, it is clear that this program will help foster a new generation of understanding and shared experiences between our two countries. One example of this can be seen in a recent feature piece written by Jehane for the Sunday Canberra Times. The article details her experience at the inauguration of President Obama, an event that united not only the people of our country, but those around the world as well. We in the United States and Australia owe a debt of gratitude to the program's founder, Eric Federing. Eric is a former senior House and Senate Congressional staffer who has worked tirelessly to bring students from Australia to the halls of Washington through his efforts at the Uni-Capitol Washington Internship Program. Madam Speaker, as Members of Congress we have a responsibility to our constituents back home and an opportunity to reach out to people across the globe. It is with that in mind that I would encourage all of my colleagues to open their doors to students from around the world so that they can share in our great democracy. Similarly, I would encourage American university students to travel abroad to learn about other cultures and governments and share their knowledge of our country. I ask my colleagues to join with me in recognizing the contributions of the Uni-Capitol Internship Program and to once more thank Jehane Sharah for her dedication and hard work.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Rear Admiral Douglas Teeson who is retiring from his position as the president and chief executive officer of the Mystic Seaport. Admiral Teeson has dedicated his life to public service and I am honored to stand here today to offer these remarks. Admiral Teeson is certainly no stranger to the people of southeastern Connecticut, where he has lived with his wife Phyllis for many years. He graduated with honors from the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut in 1965 and began his long and distinguished career as a Coast Guard officer. While in the Coast Guard he served in a variety of commands, including a term as head of the major training center located in Yorktown, Virginia. His career came full circle when he returned to the Coast Guard Academy to serve as the 36th superintendent, where he remained until his retirement in 2001. In 2001, Admiral Teeson assumed his role as President and CEO of the Mystic Seaport, America's premier maritime history museum. Under Teeson's leadership, the Seaport flourished, adding new collections and undertaking historic renovations. During his tenure at the Mystic Seaport, Admiral Teeson oversaw the opening of the Carlton Marine Science Center and the completion of the new 500 ton ship lift facility among other important improvements that revitalized this unique American treasure. Admiral Teeson has also been an integral part of the fabric of southeastern Connecticut. Admiral Teeson has served on the Board of Directors for The New London Day newspaper and as a commissioner for the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Admiral Teeson is also a recipient of the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce's William Crawford Distinguished Service Award, given annually to an individual who has exemplified the spirit of community service and contributed to improving the quality of life for all of southeastern Connecticut. Never has there been a more deserving recipient of this prestigious honor. Admiral Teeson's retirement marks the end of an era at the Mystic Seaport. I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Admiral Teeson on his exceptional career and to wish him well in his retirement.

Mr. COURTNEY

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, tonight, as we sit here in this Chamber, all across America there are school superintendents, there are boards of education, there are boards of finance that are grappling with the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. And as we know from press reports all over the country, hundreds of thousands of school teachers have been given layoff notices. Forty-four States are now in deficit; $95 billion for 2009 fiscal year, $145 billion for the 2010 fiscal year, as all these local officials, who have the responsibility of making sure that we have school programs that our children can have an opportunity to thrive and grow, are bracing themselves for Governors who inevitably are going to be reducing State support for education. It is in that context, Mr. Speaker, that as we proceed as a Congress to take up the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on this Wednesday, that I think it's important to focus for a minute on the education spending which is included in this legislation. Under this measure, under this recovery act that President Obama and the congressional leadership have voted on last week, over $145 billion will flow out directly to school districts across this country. For example, there will be $13 billion to pay for Title I, a Federally- mandated program which has been underfunded as part of the disgraceful unwillingness of the Federal Government to pay for the No Child Left Behind Act over the last 6 years. And $13 billion of additional funds will go out to pay for special education. Again, a disgraceful nonfunding by the Federal Government since 1975 when Gerald Ford signed the Special Education Act into law, mandating that all these local officials, again, who are trapped tonight, have to come up with the resources to pay for the special education needs of children all across the country. And $14 billion to pay for school construction. Again, directly to local communities so that they will have the funds to modernize and retrofit schools all across the country and immediately putting to work the construction trades, which is the hardest hit sector in the American economy. A $79 billion economic stabilization fund, which will flow directly into States through your education cost sharing formulas all across America to make up for the inevitable shortfall which Governors and State legislators are going to be forced to cut back on as they deal with, again, this historic economic downturn. President Obama understands that we must act with this American Recovery and Reinvestment Act with funding for education; number one, to make sure that hundreds of thousands of teachers are not going to be laid off, along with staff, who, again, we entrust with making sure are children are going to be educated every single day across this country. He also understands long term that the failure to step in and avoid larger class sizes, which will result in teacher layoffs, is going to ensure that our economy will grow not just in the short term, not just as we get through this economic crisis, but also to make sure that long term that America's competitiveness will be maintained. We know what is happening across the world today. That there are countries which are beating us in science, in engineering, in math. And if we allow as a Congress to step back and leave local communities on their own, with declining property tax revenues and declining State support for public education across this country, we will damage not only this country in the short term, but we will damage it in terms of our long-term ability to compete and thrive and grow as a Nation. This past Saturday, I sat down with school superintendents all across the Second Congressional District of eastern Connecticut to talk about the dilemma with which these school superintendents and boards of education find themselves in. Again, all of them are in the process of coming up with contingency plans to lay off staff and teachers across their district. When I walked through with them the provisions of President Obama's recovery act in terms of the funds that they will get this year if we get this to the President's desk by President's Day, signed into law, the funds will flow by July 1 for this fiscal year, there was skepticism, and I don't blame them. The Federal Government has not funded Special Ed, has not funded No Child Left Behind. But when I explain to them that this measure has passed the Appropriations Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee as of last week, and we are voting on it this coming Wednesday, after the stunned silence, the room burst into applause because these folks are feeling the pressure of this economic downturn just like people in the private sector are. But what we need to do as a Nation is, again, to make sure that in terms of trying to deal with this short-term crisis that we are in, that we are not going to do long-term damage to the young people of this country who had no responsibility for the fiscal and economic idiocy of the last 8 years. And that is why it is so important, as a Congress, we must step forward and support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and make sure that America's public education will endure.