Gerald Connolly

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the week of September 6 through September 12 as National Suicide Prevention Week. Suicide is a public health problem and suicide prevention is a responsibility we all must share. The reality of suicide is staggering. Did you know that in the United States more people die by suicide each year than homicide? Suicide is now the leading cause of death among people from the age 15 to 24. In fact, the suicide rate for those 15-24 years old has more than doubled since the mid-1950s. It is estimated that 5 million people in the United States are survivors of a loved one's suicide. Many of us, myself included, have been touched by teenage suicide. For every completed suicide by a youth, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made. Each year, there are approximately 10 youth suicides for every 100,000 youth. Each day, there are nearly a dozen youth suicides, and every 2 hours and 5 minutes, a person under the age of 25 commits suicide. Most suicidal individuals do not want to die, but they do not know how to end the pain they are experiencing nor do they comprehend the permanence of their act. They use their behavior as a means of coping with stress and calling out for help. We must assist these individuals. Not all adolescent attempters may admit their intent so we must look for the signs of at-risk behavior, such as the expression of hopelessness, sadness, or threats to hurt oneself. We must be aware of the abuse of drugs or alcohol, withdrawal from family and friends, or increased aggressive or impulsive behavior. When suicidal behaviors are detected early, lives can be saved. As a community, we must promote awareness that suicide is a public health problem and develop strategies to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and suicide prevention services. There are services available in our communities to address the behaviors and underlying causes of suicide. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting National Suicide Prevention Week, because together we can reduce the number of lives shaken by a needless and tragic death.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 179) and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to respond to some of what I've just heard on the floor of the House of Representatives. I think it's important to know--and certainly my constituents do--that the crushing debt left behind from the last 8 years of ruinous Republican control was a debt inherited by this Congress and this administration because of Republican policies, of the refusal to pay for the programs they undertook, of the willingness to allow PAYGO legislation to expire, to provide a medical care provision in the Medicare D prescription drug benefit that was not paid for, and to have two ruinous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were off budget. I think it's important that our constituents understand who was responsible for the debt we now have to manage and the debt we have to get away from.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, when our friends on the other side of the aisle decide in advance to oppose any health care reform bill, they're putting politics ahead of the needs of the American people. Guaranteeing coverage for preexisting conditions, which affect 45 percent of insured Americans, they're against it. Closing the prescription drug doughnut hole for seniors, they're against it. Protecting families from the cost of catastrophic illness, they're against it. Half a trillion in Medicare and Medicaid savings, they're against it. A plan of their own, they're even against that, too. Why, Mr. Speaker? Uniform opposition to all reform, all savings, all extended coverage? Why? The answer is simple, chilling, and deeply troubling. Senator DeMint, Republican of South Carolina, put it bluntly: If we're able to stop Obama on health care, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him. At least the distinguished Senator from South Carolina is honest about the Republican agenda. It's not about a substantive critique. It's about politics, a calculated cynical strategy to derail reform of a broken health care system, a reform that can benefit every American family and small business.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the bravery and fortitude of a very special and courageous constituent of mine, Brittany Leap; and her mother, Sandy, and father, Richard. In February 2006, Brittany was diagnosed with a debilitating and degenerative disorder--Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation (NBIA). NBIA is a very rare and devastating neurological disorder that only gets worse over time--resulting in constant muscle cramping, an inability to control one's body, difficulty with speech, a loss of peripheral vision, and even blindness. No cure or specific means of treatment currently exists for NBIA, and scientists are still baffled by the factors that influence the disease. Imagine waking up one morning having lost the ability to walk, or talk, or even eat. In Brittany's case, however, this is no dream. This is a very real challenge that Brittany faces every day of her life. To make matters worse, one of the few laboratories dedicated to researching her disease is at risk of having to close its doors because of a lack of funding; doors that upon closing will forfeit the hope of Brittany, her family, and the thousands of other people suffering from NBIA, that a cure may one day be realized. Brittany is determined to continue fighting this disease and the potentially devastating consequences of what will happen if the research to develop a cure is suspended. She is unwavering in her pursuit to raise the funds necessary to keep hope alive, not only for her, but for everyone else with NBIA. Brittany has taken it upon herself, with the help of her loving parents--and so many others across this great nation--to raise $250,000 by year's end to keep the search for a cure alive. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Brittany and her family and all others with NBIA our heartfelt regards for their efforts to bring an end to this devastating illness, and I ask they give their support in any way possible to help Brittany in her efforts. I am inspired by Brittany's determination and I am honored to bring her story to the floor of this Chamber.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Sally Crowe, the longtime House of Representatives Members Dining Room hostess. Sally passed away this July 12th at the age of 92. She began working as a cashier in the Longworth cafeteria in 1951, moving to the Members' Dining Room in the 1960s, where she remained ever since. In 2003, Sally received the John W. McCormack Annual Award of Excellence in recognition of her outstanding service to the House. Sally was extraordinarily devoted to her job and to the institution of the House of Representatives. I first met Sally thirty years ago. She was a warm, engaging individual who infused this House with Irish wit and wisdom. She was a wonderful example of the talented, professional and dedicated federal employees who serve their country with distinction and honor. Madam Speaker, I would like to offer my sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Sally Crowe, as well as my greatest appreciation for her many years of service.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to include into the Record the Harvard Kennedy Graduate School Bulletin for Winter 2009, honoring the public service of Warren I. Cikins. Warren has spent 50 years as a dedicated public servant. He started out in this body, as a legislative assistant to former Congressman Brooks Hays of Arkansas. His public service spanned stints in the Kennedy White House, with the Commission on Civil Rights, with the U.S. Agency on International Development, with the Equal Opportunity Commission, and with Chief Justice Warren Burger. Warren also was one of my predecessors on the Fairfax County, Virginia, Board of Supervisors, ably serving his constituents. The article I am including in the record provides an example of a truly exemplary public servant, and the value of one person's dedication. In it, Warren is quoted as saying, ``I was committed to making a difference.'' Madam Speaker, I have known him for many years and I can proudly attest that Warren Cikins has indeed made a positive difference in his community and in our nation. Harvard Kennedy Gratuate School Bulletin Winter 2009 Warren Cikins MPA 1954 remembers how his decision to attend the Kennedy School--then the Littauer School--was met with skepticism by peers and mentors alike. His closest friends from his undergraduate days at Harvard were going into medicine, business, and law. His father had dreamed of his becoming an engineer, and one of his government professors wondered aloud; ``Why go here? Make a lot of money, then go into public service.'' But he never doubted his career choice. His ambition, he says, began as a boy, living in Dorchester, Massachusetts, listening to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the radio talk to the American people. ``It was always my intent to serve the public; I was committed to making a difference,'' says Cikins, 78, who grew up in a devout Orthodox Jewish household. Nothing, it seemed to him, could be more important than the work of the public servant. Looking back, Cikins says he has no regrets. His career, spanning more than 50 years and including work with all three branches of government, overlapped with many of the country's pivotal events. In his first full-time job after the Kennedy School, he served as legislative assistant to Arkansas Congressman Brooks Hays when Hays intervened in Governor Orval Faubus's attempt to block the integration of Little Rock's Central High School--an effort that would later cost Hays his seat. Cikins served with Hays in the Kennedy White House after first serving as Hays' assistant when he was appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Congressional Relations. At the Commission on Civil Rights in 1964 Cikins helped bring about the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He followed with stints at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), where he sought to attract highly qualified minorities, and at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A self-described moderate liberal, Cikins fought throughout his career for those who had no voice. And he did it, he says, by looking for the similarities he shared with his colleagues rather than the differences. In his 2005 memoir, In Search of Middle Ground, Cikins writes, ``My style was always one of outreach. I believed in bipartisanship, bridge- building, compromise, and civility. Confrontational approaches were an anathema to me.'' He put this advice to great use and success as a two-term elected member of the Fairfax County (VA) Board of Supervisors, on which he served from 1975 to 1980. Local politician Gerry Hyland, who worked with Cikins, noted in a profile in the local newspaper: ``Warren is viewed as a person who cares and who works toward consensus. The will of the group is going to prevail above his own point of view.'' It is in the compromises, he says, that the work gets done, repeating often a truism he attributes to Hays, his former boss and mentor: ``Half of something is better than all of nothing.'' As a senior administrator at the Brookings Institution, where he spent more than 15 years, Cikins continued to promote outreach and conciliation by establishing, among many programs he created there, a highly successful annual seminar on the administration of justice, which sought to resolve differences between the three branches of government, and the Newly Elected Members of Congress seminar, an effort that helped bring new members of Congress up to speed. Towards the end of his career at Brookings, he devoted much of his energy to bringing greater attention to improving criminal rehabilitation. In his 2001 class report marking the 50th anniversary of his graduation from Harvard, Cikins wrote that he considered his work in improving the criminal justice system, in cooperation with Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger, one of his greatest accomplishments. Quoting Dostoyevsky, Cikins noted in his memoir, ``Civilization will be judged by how it treats its wrongdoers.'' Cikins's personal life reflects these same values. He remains close to his friends from high school at Boston Latin, many of whom went on with him to Harvard. Recently with his wife of 44 years, Sylvia, Cikins celebrated the 80th birthday of his longtime Kennedy School friend, Mark Cannon MPP 1953, a Mormon and political conservative. And Cikins regarded Hays, whose Baptist faith ran as deep as Cikins's did in Judaism, as one of the most influential and inspirational people in his life. They remained close until Hays's death in 1981. Of the many accolades recognizing his contributions to public service that he's received over the years, from prominent figures that include Supreme Court Justices Burger and William Rehnquist, a letter he recently received from former New York Congressman and Harvard alumnus Amo Houghton, a Republican, says it most succinctly: ``You were the role model; you're the person who constantly tried to bring us back toward the center, and I thank you for it . . . you're a great example.''

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the lifelong commitment to public service of Matthew Glomb, a devoted father and husband, a loyal friend to his colleagues, and an admired member of greater Prince William, VA. Mr. Glomb pursued a career in the U.S. Coast Guard's Corps of the Judge Advocate General, serving at one point as a Military Judge. Following his tenure with the Coast Guard, Mr. Glomb continued his service to our Nation in the Aviation-Admiralty Office of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he specialized in maritime law. Tragically, Mr. Glomb was fatally struck by lightning on Monday, July 27, 2009, at the age of 49. He was jogging along the beach of Southern Shores, NC, in the Outer Banks while vacationing with his son at their family beach house. He died instantly, leaving behind his wife and two children. Mr. Glomb is remembered by those closest to him as a man of deep faith who immediately cared about everyone he met, and he will forever be revered as having an unparalleled sense of humor, and an unwavering commitment to serving others. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the accomplishments of this dedicated public servant and in expressing our condolences to the entire Glomb family.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the bravery and fortitude of a very special and courageous constituent of mine, Brittany Leap; and her mother, Sandy, and father, Richard. In February 2006, Brittany was diagnosed with a debilitating and degenerative disorder--Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation, NBIA. NBIA is a very rare and devastating neurological disorder that only gets worse over time--resulting in constant muscle cramping, an inability to control one's body, difficulty with speech, a loss of peripheral vision, and even blindness. No cure or specific means of treatment currently exists for NBIA, and scientists are still baffled by the factors that influence the disease. Imagine waking up one morning having lost the ability to walk, or talk, or even eat. In Brittany's case, however, this is no dream. This is a very real challenge that Brittany faces every day of her life. To make matters worse, one of the few laboratories dedicated to researching her disease is at risk of having to close its doors because of a lack of funding; doors that upon closing will forfeit the hope of Brittany, her family, and the thousands of other people suffering from NBIA, that a cure may one day be realized. Brittany is determined to continue fighting this disease and the potentially devastating consequences of what will happen if the research to develop a cure is suspended. She is unwavering in her pursuit to raise the funds necessary to keep hope alive, not only for her, but for everyone else with NBIA. Brittany has taken it upon herself, with the help of her loving parents--and so many others across this great Nation--to raise $250,000 by year's end to keep the search for a cure alive. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Brittany and her family and all others with NBIA our heartfelt regards for their efforts to bring an end to this devastating illness, and I ask they give their support in any way possible to help Brittany in her efforts. I am inspired by Brittany's determination and I am honored to bring her story to the floor of this chamber.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the dedication of Fairfax Village Neighborhood Center at Fort Belvoir. Fairfax Village Neighborhood Center is the fourth of five centers to be built and will be the ``greenest'' building on Fort Belvoir. Under the U.S. Army's Residential Community Initiative, a 50-year public-private partnership was created to develop, rehabilitate and construct thousands of homes on 576 acres of land at Fort Belvoir. Environmental concerns have played a major role in this endeavor. Throughout the planning, design and construction, the goal has been to create environmentally friendly, vibrant neighborhoods while reducing the developmental footprint. This would be accomplished by incorporating the construction of neighborhood centers, improved streetscaping and walkable retail destinations within each village. Every new home that has been built is Energy STAR certified, thereby improving energy efficiency and reducing utility costs for our military families. Over 1,000 trees have been preserved during construction and upon completion another 4,000 trees will have been added. Fairfax Village Neighborhood Center has exceeded community and environmental goals and will serve as a new benchmark for sustainable construction on other military installations. The building utilizes a geothermal heat system, photovoltaic solar panels and efficient lighting controls to help minimize energy consumption. This facility is the very first military project to receive the LEED Platinum Ranking for New Construction. Equally as important as the environmental accomplishments, Fairfax Village Neighborhood Center will provide significant educational and recreational benefits to the children and families who live at Fort Belvoir. The facility includes a butterfly garden, a sustainable playground and related amenities. The neighborhood center itself will serve as a town center and will foster a sense of community where residents can gather with their friends, families and neighbors. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Fairfax Village Neighborhood Center and to support similar infrastructure investments that improve the quality of life for our military personnel and their families while promoting a healthy environment.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2920, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go, or PAYGO, Act as a long overdue return to fiscal responsibility. We hear a lot from our colleagues and friends on the other side of the aisle talking about their newfound concern about deficits. But it was a Republican Congress that allowed PAYGO legislation to expire in 2002 even after, in fact, it worked to produce two consecutive surpluses in 1999 and 2000 under a Democratic President. Unfortunately the Republican-controlled Congress didn't renew PAYGO in 2002, leaving us, once again, with annual deficits that this year now reached $1 trillion, most of it on their watch. Mr. Speaker, the cure for deficits is not floor speeches, catchphrases or expensively produced charts. The cure is fiscal responsibility. This House, if it's going to be serious about fiscal responsibility, must return to statutory PAYGO. I support the bill.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, we have heard some interesting rhetoric today about the impacts on small businesses and health care reform. Here's a statistic. If we do nothing, the cost of health care on our small businesses in the United States over the next 10 years will increase to $2.4 trillion. That's going to have a crushing burden on the ability of small businesses to do what they do best, which is to create jobs. Only 48 percent of our small businesses currently provide health care. If we allowed those cost increases to occur by doing nothing in terms of health care reform, we're guaranteeing fewer Americans will have health care, we're guaranteeing fewer successes among small businesses that are the job generator in this economy. Doing nothing has a profound cost. That's why we need health care reform. We need it now. We've waited 6 years. The time has arrived.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize The Arc of Greater Prince William/INSIGHT, Incorporated (The Arc) and the support they provide for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc is an affiliate of The Arc of the United States and The Arc of Virginia and is a tireless advocate for the rights and full participation of all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Arc provides support services to residents of the community that help to realize the organization's broader mission. The assistance provided by The Arc in raising a child with disabilities begins early in life with their child care services. Children ages 6 weeks to 21 years can seek therapeutic and educational activities at the Muriel Humphrey Center in Dale City, Virginia. At the Robert Day Child Care Center in Manassas children enjoy recreational activities that encourage healthy socialization and friendship. Recognizing the added stress and time commitments that accompany raising a child with disabilities, The Arc offers ``Parents Night Out'' and respite care programs. Prince William families are not alone and have a dedicated and capable partner in The Arc of Greater Prince William. The Arc extends its support beyond high school education with a number of programs designed to give adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities a well-rounded life experience. In the vocational services program individuals are taught ground maintenance, lawn care and janitorial skills. At The Arc's ``Spinaweb'' facility in the Town of Occoquan, weavers produce fabric for clothing and other woven items. Young adults are encouraged to continue to develop their social skills through bowling leagues and various recreational activities. The Arc has nine group homes which allow adults to enjoy an independent and less structured living environment. These programs afford individuals the opportunity to grow and develop their skills and social networks. This is an opportunity that would not be so readily available without The Arc. This year, The Arc of Greater Prince William celebrates its 45th Anniversary. Since 1964, the organization has built a remarkable infrastructure of programs and facilities. The residents of Prince William are served well by the diverse and comprehensive selection of assistance programs offered by The Arc. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in applauding the efforts of The Arc of Greater Prince William/INSIGHT, Incorporated on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I would like to express my personal gratitude for their work and my admiration for the mission they seek to accomplish.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a lifetime of service to our Navy and Marine Corps as well as to our nation from the husband and wife team of Dr. Jerome Karle, Ph.D., and Dr. Isabella L. Karle, Ph.D. They both will be retiring on July 31, 2009, from the Naval Research Laboratory after a combined 127 years of federal service. The longevity of their impressive service is surpassed only by the remarkable nature of the scientific contributions that they have made. The career of Dr. Jerome Karle began with the Manhattan Project and continued when he joined the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in 1944. Dr. Jerome Karle, an internationally renowned chemist and defense scientist, made great contributions to our country's defense and well- being. His work involved the determination of the atomic arrangements in materials and their implications. He and his colleagues developed new methods to determine those arrangements, which have been universally adopted throughout the world. This research occupies an almost unique position in science because the information it provides is used continuously in other fields. His work in the development of direct methods for the determination of crystal structures was recognized with the prestigious Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1985. He holds honorary degrees from six prominent universities and has served as the chairman of the Chemistry Section of the National Academy of Sciences. He has received the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Secretary of the Navy Award for Distinguished Achievement in Science, the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, and the Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. More recently, in 2004, he was honored as one of only nine Department of Defense career civilian employees featured in a Pentagon ``Civilian Hall of Fame,'' a permanent exhibit that will be open for new inductees every ten years. Dr. Isabella L. Karle, who also worked on the Manhattan Project and joined her husband at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in 1946, pioneered research that occupies a special place along the frontier of scientific progress. Her work provided the basis for ensuing methodologies which are now used for a broad range of military and civilian applications, from improved propellants, more powerful explosives, and more effective sensor systems to novel anti-cancer drugs, antibiotics and decontaminating agents. In addition, her research has led to a vastly improved understanding of the properties of several classes of crystalline materials, including several families of metal alloys and a lengthy list of organic substances. More specifically, Dr. Isabella Karle is responsible for the development and extensive application of a method for determining essentially equal- atom crystal and molecular structures by X-ray analysis. The method transformed analyses that were previously characterized by tedious frustration and abortive efforts to one of systematic processes. From a small number of structure analyses being published in the 1960s, her procedure has led to the analyses and publication of many thousands of structures of complicated molecules annually. All of the present computerized programs for X-ray structure analyses are based on her fundamental work known as the Symbolic Addition Procedure. Its high success rate has had a profound effect on the practice of organic and biological chemistry. Her work to determine accurately and with dispatch the three-dimensional arrangements of atoms in a very broad range of substances has been recognized with the prestigious National Medal of Science. She holds honorary degrees from eight prominent universities; The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial's Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, The Franklin Institute; the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award; the Paul Ehrlich Prize, National Institutes of Health; the American Peptide Society's Merrifield Award; the Gregory Aminoff Prize, Royal Academy of Sciences (Sweden); and the Ralph Hirschmann Award in Peptide Science, American Chemical Society. In 2004, the University of Michigan honored both Drs. Jerome and Isabella Karle with the ``Jerome and Isabella Karle Collegiate Professorship of Chemistry.'' The pioneering research of Jerome and Isabella Karle occupies a special place along the frontier of scientific progress because the information provided by ensuing methodologies is now used for a broad range of military and civilian applications. Their groundbreaking work truly affirms the idea that the pursuit of fundamental knowledge, by a cadre of government scientists working in a defense mission environment, is of enormous value to national security. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Jerome Karle and Dr. Isabella L. Karle for their exemplary service to our nation.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the many contributions of the Korean-American Association of Northern Virginia. The 11th Congressional District of Virginia is blessed by the significant racial, ethnic and religious diversity of its residents. The entire community is enriched by this diversity and benefits greatly from the sharing of cultural customs and traditions. The Korean- American community is a vibrant part of this tapestry and an integral part of the community. A large percentage of the businesses in the 11th District of Virginia are owned and operated by Korean-Americans and provide jobs, goods and services to the local residents. The work ethic displayed is consistent with so many immigrant groups who have come before and who have contributed to building the United States of America into a great country. Quite often, members of the Korean immigrant community will work multiple jobs in order to succeed and provide homes for their families. Education is highly prized and sought. Honesty, integrity and dignity are values that are instilled at a young age and continue to develop throughout life. However, transitioning into a new life in a new country can often be overwhelming. Language, customs, educational systems, even the way a person shops for food, can be confusing and frightening. A guiding hand can help address these difficulties. The Korean-American Association of Northern Virginia, KAANV, provides assistance to ease this transition. This organization works with members of the Korean community to teach the skills that are necessary to function and thrive. The KAANV provides numerous services, one being the KAANV Vocational School which offers classes in English and Spanish, in vocational trades such as electrical licensing, plumbing and pharmaceutical technician, and in job seeking skills such as resume writing and employment examination preparation. The Vocational School educates roughly 700 people each year and gives them the tools that they need in order to become productive members of society. In addition to the Vocational School, the KAANV sponsors an Annual Job Fair which brings employers, job seekers and employment counselors together under one roof. This year, the Sixth Annual KAANV Job Fair will include employers from both the private and public sectors and is expected to attract the participation of nearly 2,000 area residents. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the Korean-American Association of Northern Virginia for the invaluable services that it provides to the community and for the life changing impacts that its services have on the lives of so many of our family members, neighbors and friends.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I rise to address an amendment to augment the Army Corps of Engineers oyster restoration program by $7 million. This is a critical investment in the health of America's largest estuary. The Chesapeake Bay is a national treasure. It was the port of entry for Jamestown's European settlers. Many of America's founding fathers, from George Washington to George Mason, settled on the banks of the Bay and tidal reaches of her tributaries. When the colonists arrived, the Bay was extraordinarily fecund. John Smith wrote that one could walk across the backs of swimming rockfish and that a single turtle could feed 40 men. He also wrote that oysters ``lay thick as stones'' covering the Bay's floor. This productivity fueled economic growth in our region. In the early 20th century, H.L. Mencken wrote that oysters, as the most common fare in Baltimore, were the standard meal of every workingman. Today, we are attempting to restore an ecosystem and oyster population that has been devastated by pollution, to the extent that some have proposed replacing it with nonnative oysters. The Bay's economic productivity, whose fisheries are still worth over $100 million a year, relies on the health of its oyster population, not only for their own value but also because they are a keystone species for the Bay and the major filtration for pollutants in the Bay. This amendment is an important part of our broader efforts to restore the health of the Bay. I thank Mr. Pastor and Mr. Frelinghuysen for the committee's support for this amendment and the subcommittee's staff for their assistance. Mr. Chairman, I yield to Mr. Pastor.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I thank the gentleman, and I reserve my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Chairman, I just want to thank the managers of this bill for their bipartisan support and for their respective staffs, particularly my colleague from Virginia for his support as well. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I have an amendment at the desk, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. I rise today to reemphasize the economic need for the American Clean Energy and Security Act. I proudly supported the energy bill's recent passage here in the House because I know that in addition to protecting our environment and providing for greater national security, it will also control spiraling energy costs and create American clean energy jobs. Our friends on the other side have attempted to obfuscate the issue by labeling the landmark legislation as a tax bill. They have even cited a study claiming a precise-sounding figure, and at first their mistake perhaps could be forgiven. Perhaps they simply didn't understand the study they cited. However, Professor John Reilly of MIT, one of the authors of that very study, sent a letter to minority leader John Boehner stating that the Republican citation was simply not correct, given the study's data. That letter was dated April 1. Yet, our friends on the other side persist in using this inaccurate figure. Madam Speaker, I'm here to set the record straight. Shall we talk about increasing energy prices? How about a $700 energy increase on every American household if we don't take action. This isn't a tax. This is the cost of doing nothing. This is more than a $700 increase each year that has already occurred in this decade due to rising electricity and gasoline prices. Of course, the costs could be much higher if we used last year's $4 a gallon cost during the summer. However, even using the current price of $2.59, the average yearly per capita increase in gasoline costs this decade has been more than $400 per household. Excluding last year's $4 a gallon cost, the price of a gallon of gasoline this decade has doubled--from $1.26 a gallon in 2000, to $2.59 currently. Since 2000, the price of electricity in the United States increased more than 38 percent, thereby pushing the average yearly household bill from $800 to $1,100 a year. We know that we send hundreds of billions of dollars each year to foreign countries to import oil. The U.S. imports roughly 9.4 million barrels of oil every day. That equates to more than $230 billion every year--$230 billion we could be reinvesting in our economy--creating American energy jobs--rather than sending it overseas, often to countries that view us as a meal ticket at best, or an enemy at worst. Madam Speaker, we have also heard from the other side that the American Clean Energy and Security Act would eliminate jobs. Perhaps they don't realize that the current system of energy generation is already costing us thousands of jobs. For instance, the U.S. Department of Labor states that employment in the mining industry will decline every year through at least 2014. This isn't recession related. This is simply an industry in decline. If we do nothing, more Americans will lose their jobs. We know the cost of doing nothing--continuing increases in energy costs and continuing job losses--costs American families can no longer afford. However, with the American Clean Energy and Security Act, we will create jobs--green jobs--here in America. The Act will create incentives for American companies to innovate and to expand their investment in alternative sources of energy. Madam Speaker, we know we can generate American jobs in the renewable energy sector if we just make the investment. From 2000 to 2008, for example, the wind power industry alone--before the passage of this bill--created 35,000 jobs. Of course, wind energy still makes up only a small percentage of electricity generation--less than 1 percent. Imagine if we could make a concerted effort for renewable energy. We could greatly expand those gains and create hundreds of thousands of American clean energy jobs. Madam Speaker, the business community understands the importance of energy reform. Companies like eBay, Nike, Starbucks, Levi Strauss, the Gap, Symantec, and Sun Microsystems have formed the Business for Climate and Innovative Energy Policy Coalition to advocate for these clean energy jobs and for this bill. These businesses support reducing greenhouse gas pollution, establishing a renewable energy standard, and investing in job creation. They know that if we do nothing, the costs associated with continued global warming will reach $271 billion by 2025. America has always been the land of innovation. However, as we recently have seen in the automotive industry, we cannot rest on past laurels. There are costs to doing nothing. I commend my colleagues in the House for the support of the bill. Together, we have made a statement that will address rising energy costs; we will wean America off its dangerous dependence on foreign oil; and we will work to avoid the catastrophic costs of global warming; and create American jobs. I hope the Senate will act swiftly.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia, and I, of course, support the resolution in front of us. I rise, however, today to recognize the nine individuals who perished in the June 22 Metrorail crash on the Red Line. I pray that we'll never have to experience such a tragedy again. One of those individuals was my constituent, Jeanice McMillan of Springfield, Virginia. She was the operator of the train, and she took heroic measures to try to have manual override on an automatic system that apparently failed to detect a stationary train in front of her. Her efforts saved lives; and in the course of her heroic efforts, she, of course, sacrificed her own. Her memory is an important memory, and it needs to be honored here in the United States Congress along with the other victims of that tragedy. Hopefully, the measures we are going to try to undertake this next week will go a long way to mitigating the possibility of such a tragedy recurring in the system. Metro is important to metropolitan Washington; it's important to the Nation's Capital. It is America's subway. We need to invest in it. And in the name and memory of my constituent, Jeanice McMillan, and the other victims of that tragedy on June 22, I would hope we'll take such actions soon. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize each of the nine individuals who perished in the June 22 Metrorail crash on the Red Line and I pray that we will never have to experience such a tragedy again. However, I want to single out the life and service of my Northern Virginia constituent, Jeanice McMillan of Springfield, who was the operator of one of the trains involved in the crash. In the moments before she lost her life in the line of duty, Ms. McMillan's prompt and professional actions undoubtedly saved the lives of many passengers riding in the front cars of the train. Investigators have determined that Ms. McMillan successfully activated the manual emergency brakes in an attempt to slow down the train as it hurtled toward the Fort Totten station after the train's automatic controls failed to react to the presence of another train on the tracks ahead of it. Unfortunately, Ms. McMillan and eight passengers died when the front car of her train telescoped in the horrific crash. Ms. McMillan began her career at Metro in 2007, after a decade of service in the United States Postal Service. By all accounts, she was an exemplary and conscientious public employee who put the welfare of others ahead of her own in her private and professional lives. Ms. McMillan made sacrifices at home to help fund her son Jordan's college education just as she made the ultimate sacrifice at work to save the lives of others in the moments before the two Metro trails collided on that fateful day. As I have done privately, I express my deepest condolences to the McMillan family, particularly Vernard and Jordan, and I wish them all the best. Since the wreck, there has been renewed interest in the relatively poor safety record of the aging 1000-series cars, like the one that telescoped so dramatically in the wreck. Today, 290 of these 1000- series cars are in Metrorail's fleet of 1,126 cars. If Congress and the President approve funding the Federal Government's $150 million matching share of dedicated funding, there will be sufficient revenue to replace these with much safer cars that are less prone to telescoping. The regional delegation has been working tirelessly to ensure that the Federal government matches the $150 million that Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., have already identified to ensure that the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) can conduct the necessary maintenance to prevent disasters like this in the future. I appreciate the leadership of Chairman John Olver from the Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee for including this request in his mark up this week, and I thank my colleagues-from the National Capital Region for their commitment to ensuring that WMATA has the resources it needs to provide the safest possible transit service. I ask my colleagues to join us in honoring the lives of those lost by supporting the necessary investments to help ensure such tragedies are prevented in the future.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding public servant and dedicated father, Firefighter Zygimantas Zalys of Woodbridge, Virginia. Firefighter Zalys currently serves his community as a member of the City of Manassas Fire and Rescue Department. ``Z'', as he is known around the fire station, marked two years with the Manassas Department in April of 2009 and has three additional years of firefighting experience with the Occoquan Woodbridge Lorton Volunteer Fire Department. Firefighter Zalys immigrated to the United States from Lithuania and embraced the spirit of public service in his adopted country. In his role as a firefighter, he has shown a commitment to public welfare and a willingness to sacrifice his personal well-being for the safety of his neighbors and community. He bears this responsibility with a wife and 14-month-old son awaiting his return home from every shift. It came as a shock to the Zalys family when ``Z'' was recently diagnosed with advanced pancreatic and liver cancer. ``Z'', so accustomed to protecting others, found the fire department offering its unconditional support. Firefighters, emergency medical technicians and police officers have volunteered their time and energy to help the Zalys family. The International Association of Fire Fighters Local 4466 responded by organizing a softball tournament. The ``Z'' Tournament will raise funds for the Zayls family's medical bills and help to supplement their income during this time of need. The response from the region's public safety departments has been a lesson in community. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join the public safety community in this remarkable show of solidarity. Firefighter Zalys and his family are not alone in their fight against this devastating disease. Men and women dedicated to the selfless protection of others stand together in the face of adversity, bonded by sacrifice and a sense of duty.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to address the role of American energy sources as articulated in the recently passed Clean Energy and Security Act. The leadership of the minority party claims that this legislation discriminates against energy sources such as coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric power. Nothing could be further from the truth. This act will make historic investments in coal technology. That's the reason that coal-dependent companies like Duke Energy and American Electric Power, as well as the United Mineworkers, have endorsed the bill. The American Clean Energy and Security Act will strengthen market incentives for nuclear energy by deducting new nuclear from the baseline of renewable electricity standards. That's why Exelon and Entergy, America's first and second largest nuclear energy producers, have endorsed the bill. The American Clean Energy and Security Act will create strong incentives for new hydroelectric generation when new turbines are placed on existing dams. That's why Pacific Gas and Electric and Seattle City Light, two utilities with substantial investments in hydroelectric, have endorsed the bill. Mr. Speaker, don't take my word for it. These companies that rely on coal, nuclear, and hydro would not support the bill if it didn't help their industry.

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize David H. Dell of Dale City, Virginia. Mr. Dell is a retired 20-year veteran of the United States Army and an active Dale City resident. Mr. Dell's military service began in 1959 at the age of 17. His age required that he gain parental consent to join the Army, and his father proudly granted him approval hoping it would provide his son with new opportunities. Mr. Dell worked to make the most of those opportunities. He served a long and distinguished career in the Army, receiving the Joint Service Commendation in 1973 for his service in Korea. In 1976, he received a diploma from the U.S. Army Transportation School shortly before exiting the Army with an Honorable Discharge in 1979. Mr. Dell has long been devoted to the quality of life and sense of community in Dale City. As a member of the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department he has spent countless nights on duty, sacrificing his time and safety for the protection of his neighbors and friends. Mr. Dell is a Life Member of both the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1503 and the Dale City Civic Association. He also serves as the Staging Director of the Dale City Independence Day Parade. This year, more than 100 organizations and thousands of participants marched in the parade. Thousands of spectators watched the procession make its way through the heart of Dale City and terminate at the Fourth of July Family Fun Day. Mr. Dell's participation in civic life contributes to a robust and vibrant sense of community in Dale City. Mr. Dell's loyalty and passion for service extend into his professional life. On May 1, 2009, Mr. Dell commemorated 20 years of service with First Transit Incorporated, contractor for the Prince William County COMMUTERIDE bus system. This is a remarkable milestone, and Mr. Dell's years in the bus system have benefited Prince William County commuters and residents. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in applauding David H. Dell's accomplishments. His service to his country and community represents the ideals we hope to instill in future generations, and by commending his accomplishments may we inspire them to follow his example.