Danny Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Now, Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, today is a triumphant day for the employees of the Government Accountability Office, known as GAO. When enacted, the Government Accountability Office Act of 2008 will allow GAO to regain its footing as an agency that not only touts that its employees are the best and the brightest but treats them as if they are the best and the brightest. On April 2, after a 2-year investigation and several subcommittee hearings, I introduced H.R. 5683, which would restore the 2006 and 2007 annual across-the-board increase to GAO employees who met expectations but did not receive the adjustment. The legislation would also set a floor guarantee that would preserve GAO's performance-based compensation system, while ensuring that GAO employees receive an annual increase in their permanent pay, provided they meet expectations, that is at least equal to the congressionally approved across-the-board increase. The floor guarantee will be comprised of the annual adjustment to the GAO pay schedule, plus the permanent merit pay increase received by an employee under GAO's merit pay system. Other provisions in the bill include creating a statutory Inspector General for GAO, providing GAO with enhanced recruiting tools, and eliminating the statutorily imposed GS-15 pay cap to allow the Comptroller General the authority to pay employees up to the rate for Executive Level III. At a hearing the subcommittee held on March 23, 2008, on this legislation and GAO's personnel reforms, the subcommittee learned from the Ivy Planning Group, a consulting firm hired by GAO to conduct an African American Performance Assessment Study at GAO, that there are significant differences between the ratings for African American analysts and Caucasian analysts. Therefore, the personnel reform at GAO had a significant negative impact on African American staffers. Furthermore, a survey that was administered to GAO employees at my request found that 81 percent of respondents thought morale in general at GAO is worse or much worse than before the reforms, and a majority of the respondents felt that not having an across-the- board increase for all staff is very or somewhat unreasonable. While the subcommittee recognizes that more work needs to be done at GAO, H.R. 5683 would help improve the morale and remedy the inequities that resulted from the denial of the 2006 and 2007 across-the-board pay adjustments. The bill before us, H.R. 5683 as amended, makes some technical changes to the bill as reported by the committee. Unfortunately, it also deletes a provision included at the request of Ranking Member Tom Davis due to concerns about the cost as reported by the Congressional Budget Office. The provision would have allowed GAO to include bonuses when calculating an employee's annuity, a position I support in principle and which we will hopefully be able to address as this bill moves forward in the legislative process. The bill, as amended, also deletes provisions which would have given GAO the ability to administer oaths, and guaranteed GAO's access to certain Medicare and FDA information. In addition, it modifies a provision which would allow GAO to recover the costs of financial statement audits it conducts for other agencies. And so, Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join the Government Accountability Office and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers and support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, to close, let me, first of all, thank the gentleman from Indiana, and also I'm pleased to note the level of sensitivity that exists within our committee, and when the other side came up with some issues and concerns, the committee was able to respond to those, and of course, the bill has, in fact, been altered. We're very pleased to know that we have their support. We also want to take this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to express appreciation to staffs on both sides of the aisle who worked extremely hard on this legislation and helped us shape it to the point where we think it is going to do an effective job for the employees of the Government Accountability Office. Especially do I want to thank my staff director in the Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce and not only do we want to thank her, but we know that she's going to be leaving us for a little bit. And at the end of the week, she is going to spend a little bit of time at home and perhaps in the hospital, not very much, but delivering a new voter for the United States of America. And she tells me that in all likelihood it will be a Democrat, and so we congratulate her and her husband and wish them well, and thank her again for her tremendous work.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. We yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5778) to preserve the independence of the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, as amended.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I now yield myself such time as I might consume. As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I'd like to present for consideration H.R. 5778, the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority Independence Preservation Act, which clarifies the original intent of previously enacted legislation establishing an independent water and wastewater utility agency for the national capital region. H.R. 5778 was originally introduced by Representatives Chris Van Hollen and Tom Davis April 10, 2008, and was discharged from the Oversight Committee on June 6, 2008. As chair of the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia, I convened a hearing to discuss the merits of this legislation before us on April 15, 2008, where we learned that the bill had the support of the various regional localities that are served by the authority. The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, also known as D.C. WASA, was created in 1996 through congressional and local government action which was intended to establish an independent regional utility agency that would be responsible for providing drinking water and wastewater treatment services to the District of Columbia and wholesale wastewater treatment services to certain Maryland and Virginia suburban jurisdictions. Before the enactment of a series of WASA-related statutes, the agency experienced a grave financial and serious operational difficulties. However, I am happy to report that ever since the agency was restructured back in the late 1990s, WASA has made significant progress in carrying out its statutory mandate of providing retail drinking water distribution, wastewater collection, and wastewater treatment services to over 2 million Washington metropolitan regional customers, of which the Federal Government is included. H.R. 5778 clarifies the original intent of the applicable statutes concerning WASA's Board's responsibilities, including the financial management, personnel, procurement, and all other operations of the authority. A recent amendment to the bill will help to ensure that the residents and employees of the applicable jurisdictions are eligible for employment with WASA under the same terms and conditions. And so, Mr. Speaker, as a regional partner, it is important that we continue to show our commitment to strengthening and assisting WASA in its efforts to upgrade and improve the agency's operations, equipment, and long-term functionality. H.R. 5778 is an important step in that direction. Therefore, I urge its adoption. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time and no further speakers. I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana for his support and thank the entire committee for its support. I urge passage of this resolution.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 1245) to reform mutual aid agreements for the National Capital Region.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I join my colleagues in the consideration of S. 1245, which will make some minor but much needed changes to the mutual aid agreements authorized by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 for the governments of the National Capital Region. S. 1249 was received by the House on December 13, 2007 after being passed under unanimous consent by the Senate. The measure is authored by Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland and is supported by the members of the National Capital Region, which includes the District of Columbia and surrounding local jurisdictions in Maryland and Virginia that are also part of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The legislative changes enacted by this measure are also backed by the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia. S. 1249 addresses and authorizes changes to two aspects of the original legislation. For starters, the measure adds a special purpose governmental authority category to be included as part of the area's mutual aid agreement. This newly created category will permit such entities as the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority to participate in the mutual aid agreement during the event of an emergency. Secondly, S. 1245 grants the regional members of the mutual aid agreement additional flexibility in developing an exhaustive list of employees and authorized volunteers who will be committed to respond to a disaster on behalf of the various independent authorities and State or local governments. Instead of having to keep a running tally of each individual employee or person participating in the agreement, S. 1245 will allow each of the overarching authorities to keep track of their own participants. This bill authorizes the former inclusion of volunteer entities, such as incorporated volunteer fire companies, to be covered under the mutual aid agreement. So Mr. Speaker, since it is vitally important that we in the National Capital Region are prepared and ready to respond in the event of a major emergency or disaster, it is incumbent upon us that we pass S. 1245. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Indiana for the opportunity to spend as much time with him as we have spent this afternoon. I also want to commend him for his advocacy, especially the effort to get down the price of gasoline. I have no lack of confidence in our ability to make that happen, especially when I think of the efforts that have been put forth to produce more energy-efficient automobiles, to make sure that we're not polluting our environment as much. And I think those people that I would come into contact with would say to me, you know, if we start drilling right now all over the place, the prices are going to be the same next week, they're going to be the same next month. They want some relief that is as immediate--and I don't really have to come to Washington because they stop me in Chicago, where we pay more than anybody else in the country. And so I want to thank the gentleman for his comments and urge passage of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Captain Charles L. Stuppard, United States Navy for his outstanding tour of duty in the war in the Middle East. As of today, he is completing one full year of military service as the Commander of Task Group 56.6 based in Kuwait. Over the past 12 months, Captain Stuppard supported over 10,000 individual sailors during their deployment in Kuwait, Iraq, or Afghanistan. He supervised in-processing for over 17,000 Navy, Air Force, and Department of Defense civilian personnel as they are deployed to the Middle East. Captain Stuppard visited many forward deployed forces throughout Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa. Captain Stuppard Task Group coordinated the training of over 3,000 sailors in High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles Egress, Tactical Movement, Counter and Close Quarters Marksmanship in order to meet current requirements. Such training ensured that deploying sailors have the most up-to-date information on the current situation, particularly in a desert environment. Captain Stuppard fought tirelessly to acquire up-to-date armored vehicles for use by sailors traveling outside of the protected areas. Such action had a direct and positive impact on the level of protection given to the sailors from improved explosive devices, rocket propelled grenade, mines, and small arms fire. Consequently, he enhanced the sailors' war fighting capabilities and survivability as forward deployed units. Captain Stuppard graduated from Cornell University in 1982 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering. In 1998, Captain Stuppard obtained his master's degree in national security and strategic studies at the Naval War College in Newport, RI. He is currently a doctoral student at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. Captain Stuppard's accomplishments and achievements are truly outstanding and serve as an example to all citizens throughout our country, the United States of America. Captain Stuppard is a true gentleman and an outstanding American. I congratulate Captain Charles L. Stuppard for a job well done while serving in the Middle East.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the significant contributions of Stephen Barr, noted columnist and journalist that paved the way for today's journalistic generation. Throughout his career at the Washington Post Stephen Barr has served as an anchor to both the columnist writing community and the avid readers of the newspaper. During his 20 years at the Washington Post he has worked as an editor and reporter serving in the Metro News, Style, National News, and the Column departments of the newspaper. In May 2000, he was selected as the Federal Diary Columnist after serving 7 years as a national staff writer covering Federal management and personnel issues, ``reinventing government,'' the U.S. Postal Service, veterans'' affairs, the congressional appropriations process, and government technology challenges, including the widely known Year 2000 computer glitch. Steve Barr was born and raised in Nocona, Texas, a 1967 graduate of Nocona High School and a 1971 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where he received his bachelor's degree in journalism. He also served 2 years in the U.S. Army, including one year with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. With deep appreciation and admiration for his continued service, I thank Mr. Stephen Barr and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1225, designating June as National Safety Month. After years of decline, the numbers of unintentional injuries and deaths in the United States have risen to unacceptable new heights. Deaths from motor vehicle collisions, poisoning from unintentional overdoses, and falls remain the three leading causes of preventable death in the United States. For example, in 2005, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that accidents, both motor vehicle and other types of accidents, were the leading cause of death for persons ages 1 to 44 in Illinois. According to the 2008 edition of the National Safety Council's Injury Facts publication, the annual cost of unintentional injuries to Americans and their employers now exceeds $650 billion. To reduce the prevalence and severity of these injuries, Congress annually designates June as National Safety Month. By providing a public service campaign around the theme ``Make A Difference,'' the National Safety Council promotes public awareness by highlighting the most significant causes for unintentional injuries and deaths in the workplace, on the road, and in the home and community. Equally important, the public campaign also stresses what Americans can do to prevent much of the needless suffering and expense associated with these accidents. Each week of the month-long observance will focus on a unique safety issue. During the first week of June, the campaign focused on Emergency Preparedness. As a country we can make a difference by knowing how to perform CPR and acquiring Automated External Defibrillator training, both of which, if applied within minutes of a cardiac arrest, double the chances of survival. This week the campaign highlights the perils of distracted driving. According to a recent report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event. Next week, the campaign spotlights the escalating co-relation between the rise in the consumption of prescription medication and rise in overdose fatalities. During the last week of June, the campaign centers on the importance of fall prevention, highlighting tips for preventing falls in the workplace, as well as fall prevention tips for aging adults. The campaign will conclude on Monday, June 30th, with tips for Independence Day and summer safety. Summer is a time of increased rates of preventable injuries and death. As a country, we can make a difference by becoming more aware about safe practices. We must recognize our responsibility to implement interventions that make our world a safer place to live. I urge you to join me in supporting H. Res. 1225, designating June as National Safety Month and focusing individuals' and business leaders' attention on injury risks and preventions.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, first of all I want to thank the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Yarmuth) for yielding, and also for the tremendous addition that he has been to the United States House of Representatives, and how much I enjoy serving with him on the Education Committee. I also want to commend the sponsors of this resolution because I don't think that there is any other day that perhaps should be more important than the concept of Father's Day. We all recount and remember our own childhood, growing up. I remember my father always trying to encourage us to do things like go to bed early, get up early, study hard, work hard, go to church. My father had all these little pithy sayings that he used to say to us, and he'd say things like, ``Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.'' Then I remember when my brothers and I got to be teenagers, and he would tell us that; and we'd say, Dad, we really thank you for your wisdom. Of course the fellows have a different saying now. They say, ``Early to bed, early to rise and the girls go out with the other guys.'' Nevertheless, the things that he taught continued to be the things that I value. Self-sufficiency, always being able to look out not only for yourself, but for others. Unfortunately, we have seen a tremendous rise in single-parent families, where we experience much too often the absence of fathers. And there are things that we know about the absence of fathers. We know that children who grow up without the presence of a father are more likely to drop out of school, more likely to experience teen pregnancy, more likely to experience juvenile delinquency, more likely to be incarcerated. And so I simply want to take this moment to thank the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood, and a group that I work with called Fathers Who Care. On Saturday of this past week, as we do every year before Father's Day, we had a full day of activity at the Malcolm X Community College for 400 men who came and talked about fatherhood. And we encouraged those who had been away from their children to know that they can have father relationships even if they aren't employed, that even if they've been incarcerated and away from their families, they can still come back; that nothing takes the place of the positive interaction between father and child. And not only just your individual child. I had so many fathers growing up until I just can't name them all. I had father uncles, I had father cousins, I had father neighbors, I had friends of the family, all of whom practiced the art of fatherhood. And I don't believe that I would be standing here today as a Member of Congress had I not had the influence of those men in my life. Again I commend the sponsors of this resolution, urge its passage.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H. Res. 127 which recognizes the 50th anniversary of the State of Alaska, and highlights its contributions to America's economy and heritage. H. Res. 127 was introduced by our colleague, Congressman Don Young of Alaska, on February 5, 2007. On April 16, 2008, H. Res. 127 was considered by and reported from the Oversight Committee by voice vote. This measure has the support and cosponsorship of over 50 Members of Congress, including all of the delegation from the State of Alaska. On October 18, 1867, the Alaskan peninsula was purchased from Russia and, in 1912, after major development during the Gold Rush era, Alaska was granted territorial status. Enshrined as the 49th State of the Union on January 3, 1959, Alaska is commonly referred to as the last frontier. And the word Alaska, which is derived from the indigenous Aleut language, means mainland or, literally, the object towards which the action of the sea is directed. Today, Alaska's economy is strong, with the third highest gross state production out of any State of the Union. And since the issue of gas was such a major point last week for my colleagues, I should also mention that Alaska currently provides over 16 percent of the daily crude oil production in the United States. And so, Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) for sponsoring this measure. And given the 50th anniversary of Alaska statehood, and the enormous contributions Alaska has given to our Nation, and to the world, I urge passage of this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, let me ask, did the gentleman from Indiana yield back all of his time?

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in closing, let me thank both the gentleman from Alaska and the gentleman from Indiana not only for their support of the resolution to honor the State of Alaska, but I was also pleased to hear them talk about the tremendous gas crisis that we have in the country. I was pleased to note that the State of Illinois played a role in the purchase of Alaska. In terms of Secretary of State Seward, after he did not get the Presidency, did in fact become Secretary of State and did in fact make sure that we purchased Alaska. And, of course, that's a lesson for all of us to know that you don't necessarily have to win the nomination for President in order to do significant things afterwards. There is certainly much work to be done. But let me just mention that recently, Congress overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation to temporarily suspend the oil purchases for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As a result, the President was forced to suspend shipments and sign the deal which he previously opposed. Continuing to fill the SPR would take 70,000 barrels of oil off the market each day even though the reserve is 97 percent full with enough to meet our national security needs. We passed the farm bill that contains in it biofuels, new methods of creating energy, new sources from which energy can come. And so there is movement, and I'm confident. Yes, we did become the majority in both the House and the Senate in the last 2 years, and when we get the other office, I have no doubt in my mind that we're going to see great relief from the oil crisis. I urge passage of this resolution. I yield back the balance of our time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to recognize the significant contributions of Stephen Barr, noted columnist and journalist that paved the way for today's journalistic generation. Throughout his career at the Washington Post, Stephen Barr has served as an anchor to both the columnist writing community and the avid readers of the newspaper. During his 20 years at the Washington Post, he has worked as an Editor and Reporter serving in the Metro News, Style National News, and the Column departments of the newspaper. In May 2000, he was selected as the Federal Dairy Columnist after serving 7 years as a National Staff Writer covering Federal management and personnel issues, `Reinventing Government,' the U.S. Postal Service, Veterans' Affairs, the Congressional Appropriations Process, and Government Technology challenges, including the widely known year 2000 computer glitch. Steve Barr was born and raised in Nocona Texas, a 1967 graduate of Nocona High School and a 1971 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where he received his Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He also served 2 years in the U.S. Army, including 1 year with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. With deep appreciation and admiration for his continued service, I thank Mr. Stephen Barr and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I enthusiastically rise today in support of H.R. 1343, The Health Centers Renewal Act of 2007. For over 40 years, community health centers have provided cost-effective, high-quality health care to poor and medically underserved people in the States, the District of Columbia, and the territories, including the working poor, the uninsured, and many high-risk and vulnerable populations. Community Health Centers nationwide provide care to 1 of every 8 uninsured Americans, 1 of every 4 Americans in poverty, and 1 of every 9 rural Americans. As a former president of the National Community Heath Centers organization, I am honored to advocate for the expansion of this tremendously vital segment of our comprehensive healthcare system. By incorporating both H.R. 5544--The Patients and Public Health Partnership Act of 2008 and H.R. 870, which amends the Public Health Service Act to provide liability protections for practitioners of health centers who provide health services in emergency areas into this legislation; H.R. 1343 is now expanded to increase both insured coverage and access to critical resources for these invaluable medical professionals. This legislation empowers community health practitioners to serve on a larger scale and make an even greater positive impact particularly at a time when our health care delivery systems across the board are overburdened. I ask my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 1343.