John Dingell

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. I want to also express great respect and affection for the gentlewoman from Ohio, Ms. Kaptur. As a veteran myself, I couldn't agree more that we need more quality care for our veterans in a timely manner. As already mentioned, given the increased workload because of the veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, doubling the size of the existing clinic will help us to meet that goal.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 2965, the Enhancing Small Business Research and Innovation Act of 2009. Since 1982 the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) an the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs have assisted thousands of innovative, cutting-edge small businesses in successfully getting their products to the marketplace. The SBIR and STIR programs provide small businesses the ability to compete for federal funding, thus ensuring the best companies are getting their products to the market. Firms across all fields, from alternative energy and biotechnology to national defense, have benefited from the ability to get seed money from the government to fully develop and market their products and technology. The modest investments the government makes in these firms have provided tremendous rewards, allowing 1500 new companies each year to get off the ground. In my home state of Michigan, the SBIR/STTR programs have invested $534 million, $215 million of which Michigan has received since 2003. Overall, 450 Michigan companies have benefited from SBIR/ STTR, including two thriving firms in Michigan's 15th Congressional District, Adaptive Materials and Al23Systems. Not only does H.R. 2965 reauthorize the SBIR/STTR programs which are set to expire on July 31, 2009, it also modernizes them, placing an emphasis on commercialization, expanding access for minority-owned and rural business, and creating a more efficient and streamlined process for participating companies. The SBIR program is designed so that technology-driven firms have the chance to advance their ideas, develop them, and ultimately commercialize their products. This legislation is critically important for companies in Michigan, and across the country, as it gives them the ability to continue to get their products to the market, especially at a time when the economy is so badly hurting. I urge all my colleagues to vote for this important legislation.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge, honor, and celebrate the Fish and Loaves Community Pantry for serving its one millionth pound of food to people in need from across the Downriver area. Since its opening in 2007, Fish and Loaves continues to collaborate with churches, food banks, and hundreds of volunteers to provide cost-free, quality groceries to thousands of families and individuals. Tough economic times have made acquiring even basic necessities difficult for many residents of Southeastern Michigan. Many of the people that Fish and Loaves serve are below the poverty line, lack medical coverage, and struggle to pay for essential services. The organizers of the Fish and Loaves Community Pantry recognized this and, in response, churches and volunteers joined together in remarkable collaboration to construct a special kind of food pantry. The facility, located in Taylor, is arranged as a small grocery store in which individuals may select the items they need most, which include quality products like fresh produce, dairy products, frozen meat, and perishable items. Of course, everything is still provided at no cost to the client. The pantry serves the residents of Taylor, Romulus, Allen Park, Southgate, Dearborn Heights, and Brownstown. Fish and Loaves provides assistance to those in need with both efficiency and dignity by providing a wide variety of foods and household products from which to choose. The hard work and dedication of the Board and volunteers is the source of its great success and support it gives to the thousands of individuals and families it helps to feed. Madam Speaker, I ask that all of my colleagues join me in honoring the Fish and Loaves Community Food Pantry on its millionth pound of food served. It is an exemplary organization that continues to be an invaluable member of the Southeastern Michigan community and for which I, and thousands others, are truly grateful.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. I thank my good friend from California for his kind remarks, and I express my appreciation to him. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Clean Energy Security Act. But before I address my remarks, I want to congratulate you on your distinguished service here and wish you well in the future and express my personal distress that you are leaving us. Now, my colleagues on the Republican side, they are very anxious to criticize the bill. And there are criticisms that can be had. There is not one of the 435 of us that could not come forward with statements in saying that the bill could be improved and that there are faults in the bill. Both of those statements are true. But the harsh fact of the matter is it is urgent that we commence acting upon this legislation. It is based largely on the recommendations of USCAP, which is a diverse group of environmental groups and industry with a shared desire for a commonsense bill to address climate change. That process began last year with the drafting of the initial versions of this legislation, which were taken and which were then handled by my friend from California. I would note that those proposals have undergone significant improvement by reason of the work of Members of this Congress and this committee. Now, there are some hard facts to be addressed. There's a scientific consensus that we need to address climate change quickly and effectively. We need and industry needs certainty. This bill gives certainty to American industry. Without this certainty new expansion and new investment in this difficult time is not going to occur. There will be jobs which will flow from this legislation. Actions by the Supreme Court, and I urge my colleagues to be scared to death of this----

Mr. DINGELL. Actions by the Supreme Court in a recent endangerment finding by EPA makes it critically important that we act. Otherwise, greenhouse gases will be regulated by EPA. And if you want something to shudder about, I beg you to take a look at that because we will see better than 300 different kinds of regulations coming from Federal and State bodies if we're charged with this. Now, the bill does protect the consumers. It's going to cost consumers about $175 a year. It will also protect American manufacturing, and there are provisions in the legislation for that. And it has, in addition to that, additional programs which will meet the concerns of all of our branches of industry--coal, electric utility, manufacturing, chemicals--and also the securities market, which will be controlled under an amendment offered by our good friend and colleague Mr. Stupak. I am happy that this bill does have a dedicated allowance for natural resource adaptation and significant protection in acquisition of lands. This is a good bill. I urge my colleagues to support it. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Is the bill before us perfect? No. But I have long told my friends on both the right and the left, we must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The legislation before us is largely based on the recommendations of USCAP, a diverse group of environmental groups and industry with a shared desire for a commonsense bill to address climate change. One might ask why such a diverse group would agree on a matter like this. Well, the answer is three-fold: 1. There is scientific consensus that we need to address climate change quickly and effectively. 2. We need, and industry needs, certainty. Without this certainty, expansion and new investment is not going to happen. 3. Actions by the Supreme Court which led to the recent endangerment finding by EPA makes it critically important we act. If we do not, we will face regulation under the Clean Air Act--and I assure you, the Clean Air Act was not designed to regulate greenhouse gases. I am pleased with the provisions of the bill to protect consumers-- the legislation will cost consumers on average only $175 per year--and protect American manufacturing and pave the way for the green jobs of the future. In fact, my home state of Michigan just had some wonderful news today: General Electric has decided to locate a new research & development facility, working on renewable energy technologies and other green jobs in the 15th District, which I have the honor of representing. We have the best workers in the world in Michigan and I look forward to many more green job announcements just like this thanks to provisions in this bill. However, job protection and creation warrants a very watchful eye to ensure the United States does not face job leakage and these matters will need to be readdressed if we do see such consequences. We have seen remarkable innovations from our automakers and this bill builds on those successes by providing allowance values for retooling existing plants to make the cars of the future and new, green job creation here at home. I am very pleased the bill includes an amendment I offered to establish a Clean Energy Bank. As we transition to clean energy, we must fund the R&D as well as deployment of these energy sources to meet the mounting demand for zero-carbon technology to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, I am very pleased that this bill includes a dedicated allowance for natural resource adaptation. The great conservationist and the 26th President of these United States, Theodore Roosevelt, taught us that conservation is a great moral issue--that it is our duty, as it insures the safety and continuance of the nation. This is a good bill and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I ask my good friend to join in a colloquy about the electric transmission provisions. I support renewable power, as does he. However, there is a delicate State-Federal balance of authority in this area. I yield to my good friend.

Mr. DINGELL. I have concerns about the wisdom of splitting the country in two parts, into eastern and western interconnections, for the purpose of regulating transmissions. Does my colleague agree we should have a unified national transmission policy?

Mr. DINGELL. I thank my good friend. I have a further question. I am also concerned that wilderness areas and conservation easements be fully protected, particularly in the eastern interconnection.

Mr. DINGELL. Reclaiming my time, finally, the effect of this language on existing law is unclear, which might only lead to more litigation and delay.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, yesterday was a sorry day in the history of the House. Repetitious, unnecessary, unwise votes set about to obfuscate the business of this body was the order of the day. We set a record for the number of votes cast in a single day, but we also set a record for irresponsible, mischievous and obfuscatory behavior. It was a sorry use of the time of this institution. The time of this institution is a public resource during which we are supposed to do the Nation's business. We are supposed to conduct that business on the floor, in the committees and in our offices. No opportunity was made available for the Members of this body to do that. The institution has not been helped by that behavior, nor has its reputation been helped. I say that if this kind of behavior persists, we will fall lower in the respect of the American people, as very well we should. Yesterday was a sorry event. The business of the Nation was obfuscated. The necessary actions that need to be taken on important concerns of the Nation, like health care, like the economy, like the budget, like some 12 or 13 appropriations bills that need to be addressed, were not done. There are hundreds of items upon which the committee and the Congress could well be using its time. Yesterday we could not because of willful, obfuscatory and mischievous behavior by Members of this institution. It is time to bring that to a stop.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Conference Report to H.R. 2346, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009. The agreement reached by the House and Senate negotiators provides our troops needed equipment on the battlefield and adequate pay for their service through the remainder of the 2009 fiscal year, compensation of $500 for every month they were forced to remain on active-duty for longer than planned since 2001, funding to fulfill President Obama's promise to end the Iraq War, support for refocusing our military and civilian operations in Afghanistan, and assistance for new counterterrorism, economic, and diplomatic initiatives in Pakistan. In addition, this legislation contains much-needed funding to respond to urgent humanitarian crises involving refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). While I thank the Committee for including this assistance, I am hopeful such funding is just a sign on more to come. I am especially hopeful the U.S. will continue to respond to the dire needs to Iraqi refugees and IDPs, the largest refugee crisis since Palestinian Diaspora of 1948. I would also like to thank Chairman Obey for providing $1 billion for the program authorized by the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act (also known as ``cash-for-clunkers.'') I was pleased to cosponsor and help craft the cash-for-clunkers legislation which will result in meaningful reductions in vehicle fleet carbon emissions and fuel consumption, while providing much-needed stimulus for our ailing automakers and economy. Finally, as a long-time supporter of the Department of Health and Human Services and front-line public health agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I am pleased that the Supplemental Appropriations Act includes $1.5 billion for these Federal programs, along with an additional $5.8 billion in contingent emergency appropriations for priority efforts to respond to the pandemic flu. Further, it provides $350 million to assist State and local governments, who play an important role in protecting the public, in preparing for and responding to a pandemic. After the recent outbreak of H1N1, which has been confirmed in 75 countries, it became apparent that the United States must work swiftly to ensure our readiness. The funding provided in the bill will allow the United States to take important steps forward in protecting Americans from a dangerous outbreak, including the expansion of detection efforts, shoring up Federal stockpiles, and securing sufficient vaccinations. I thank Chairman Obey, the Appropriations Committee, and the conference negotiators for including these provisions, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Conference Report to H.R. 2346.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. I thank my good friend and colleague, the chairman of the committee, Mr. Waxman; and I commend him for his leadership on this matter. I am also delighted that we have this bill on the floor today. I urge my colleagues to support the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. I would point out that we will be shortly following it up with legislation to protect Americans from dangerous foods and to give the Food and Drug Administration the authority and the money which it needs. That will be followed by additional legislation to address the question of pharmaceuticals. I urge my colleagues to recognize that this not only does what needs doing, but it also gives to the Food and Drug Administration the authority and the money which it needs and the personnel which it needs to carry forward its mission as it goes about its business. I would point out, for too long we have starved them for authority, resources and personnel. It is time something be done about this. I am not going to give you an argument about this situation--that will be in my written extended remarks--but I want to tell my colleagues that the graveyards are full of people who occupy those places because they smoked and because we tried volunteerism. Well, volunteerism filled the graveyards, and the constant attacks that have been made on the Food and Drug Administration and the deprival of proper authority to carry forward its responsibilities and the personnel it needs have brought us to the situation where we have to do the kind of thing that we are saying. So don't talk to me about volunteerism. Understand that it has failed calamitously and people are dying every day because they have smoked. Having said that, I want to tell you a little story about when we passed the first legislation to begin to warn people about the dangers of tobacco that were found by the Surgeon General in his report to the United States and to the Congress. A little guy came before the committee, and he testified before my dear friend John Moss and I, who were the major proponents of that particular legislation at that time. He said, Now, you don't know me, but I am a pathologist and an internal medicine man. That means that I can tell you why you are going to die, or I can tell you why you did die. He said, I don't have a prepared statement here today, but I do have a number of exhibits I would like to present to the committee. So he reached in his briefcase and he pulled out a human lung. He said, Now, this is a normal person's human lung. It had a certain life to it. The next exhibit he pulled out was one of a fellow who had died of squamous cancer. He said, These are squamous cells. It looked like a bowl of caviar, a painful way to go. He then showed us the lung of somebody who had died of emphysema. It was white. It lacked life. He said, This man literally strangled because he did not have the ability to derive the oxygen from the air.

Mr. DINGELL. I thank the gentleman. He pulled out another lung. He said, Now, this is the lung of a smoker. It was black, dirty and nasty, and you would not want to have it inside of you. He said, Now, my message to the committee is very simple. If you smoke long enough, you are going to die of cancer of the lung or you are going to die of some other kind of ailment which is induced by your smoking, whether it is of the lung or whether it is of some other organ, including the mouth, the throat, or another part of the body as far away as the fingertips. I just want my colleagues to understand, finally we are doing something. If a person wants to be silly enough to smoke, he can still do so; but he is going to get a warning, and the tobacco companies are going to have to provide proper, decent, honorable behavior, and they are going to have to do the things that warn the American people of this. We have a responsible agency which this legislation will properly fund and finance. We will give them the authority and the personnel and the capabilities of doing what they need to do. We are going to follow it with other legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this and support the other legislation when it comes. I rise today in strong support of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1256, ``Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act''. The decision to vote in favor of today's bill is a very easy one. It was an easy one, because I am convinced that the ``Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act'' will go a long way in regulating the most unregulated consumer product on the market today. A product which: Is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States; Kills more than 400,000 Americans annually; and Accounts for more than $96 billion in health care costs every year. Every day, approximately 3,500 kids will try a cigarette for the first time, and another 1,000 we become new, regular habituate smokers. The legislation will restrict marketing and sales to youth; grant FDA authority to restrict tobacco marketing; require detailed disclosure of ingredients; and allow FDA to require changes to tobacco products to protect the public health. I commend Chairman Waxman and my dear friend, Senator Kennedy, for their persistent leadership on this legislation in the Congress. I am honored to have my name associated with the legislation and for the opportunity I had to work with them on this issue. Madam Speaker, I know firsthand that the ``Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act'' is good piece of legislation. I had the distinct pleasure of shepherding it through the Energy and Commerce Committee last year. Today's legislation largely reflects the work we did then. Madam Speaker, this legislation has been in the works for a long time. Nothing stands in our way to send it to the President's desk. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the ``Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act''--the American people need it and they deserve it.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this fine, bipartisan bill, the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act, authored by my friend and colleague, Ms. Sutton of Ohio. I commend her and her bipartisan cosponsors for their work on behalf of this. The bill has the support of the Obama administration, the UAW, domestic and foreign automobile manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers. It also will result in meaningful reductions in vehicle fleet carbon emissions and fuel consumption while providing much-needed stimulus to our ailing automakers and economy. I express my deep gratitude to Chairman Waxman, Mr. Markey, Mr. Stupak, as well as Representatives Sutton, Israel and Inslee, for their collaborate, collegial approach during the negotiations on the legislation. And I want to commend my friend, Mr. Upton, and others of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle as well as the entire Michigan delegation, for their work on behalf of this. This legislation cannot wait. The longer it is put off, the more auto sales will be depressed. And consumers who are excited about this proposal will continue to wait for Congress to pass this bill before buying that new car that we want them to have. In view of the unprecedented turmoil faced by the domestic automakers and growing imperatives to address global warming, Ms. Sutton's fleet modernization bill stands out as a really practical mechanism by which to achieve consumer savings, reduce fuel consumption, lower carbon dioxide and criteria pollutant emissions, as well as increase sales for a critical sector of the national economy. Indeed, in countries such as Germany, fleet modernization programs have been wildly successful in all of these areas. This is a good bill. It will help us with the environment, and it will help us with employment. It will see to it that the United States moves forward rapidly towards a full and adequate recovery from this terrible recession in which we find ourselves. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I commend its author again.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. We all know the terrible situation in the auto industry and in the Nation in general. On Monday, General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I know that GM will emerge from the court poised to again lead the world in the automotive sector, but the process will be painful. The company will cut 21,000 employees, 34 percent of its workforce; and this does not include elimination of 2,600 more dealers. Furthermore, it comes on the heels of Chrysler's layoffs and downsizing. Unfortunately, this problem is not at an end. A recent study for the Center for Automotive Research shows that when you include jobs losses from suppliers and other companies tied to GM and Chrysler, we could see 250,000 jobs, or more, lost over the next 19 months. This week GM announced they are closing the Willow Run transmission plant in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, in my district, along with 13 other plants, six of them in Michigan. By 2010, 1,110 more GM workers will lose their jobs in my district. This is associated with not just loss of jobs and retirement, but loss of comprehensive health care for our people. This becomes now a major reason for us to pass major health care reform and a greater reason to see to it that we address this problem of health care reform and legacy costs so that our industry will not be destroyed.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 627, the ``Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009,'' a bill of which I am a proud co-sponsor. My friend and colleague, Representative Carolyn Maloney, who is the bill's author, has been a tireless advocate for protecting consumers from the abuses of the credit card industry. This legislation will mandate meaningful reform for an industry that has been permitted to run wild for far too long. We hear daily of countless Americans, who are struggling to pay their bills. My home state of Michigan has an unemployment rate of around 13 percent, the highest in the nation. Compounding this lamentable state of affairs is the fact that workers in this country have suffered a decline in real wages over the past decade. As a result of being stretched to their financial breaking point, many families have had to resort to using credit cards to pay for unforeseen costs, such as car repairs or emergency room bills. Far too often, these families are subjected to arbitrary interest rate increases and also forced to pay iniquitous late fees. The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights will help put an end to these shameful practices and require credit card companies to treat consumers fairly. Importantly, this legislation will restrict the practice known as ``universal default,'' whereby a credit card company uses information about a cardholder's financial status, such a change in his or her credit rating, to raise the cardholder's interest rate, even if the cardholder has not defaulted on payments or made them late. Moreover, H.R. 627 will also ban what is known as ``double cycle billing,'' which is the collection of interest on amounts already paid by consumers to credit card companies. In this time of severe recession, I feel it imperative that consumers be afforded fair protection from unfair credit card industry practices. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this common-sense legislation, which will help stem the tide of unscrupulous and predatory lending, interest rate increases, and other deceitful practices that have brought our nation to an economic precipice of gargantuan proportions.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con Res. 120, a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Women's Health Week. Throughout my career as a member of Congress, I have consistently fought to ensure that all Americans have access to quality, affordable, and comprehensive health care. As a cosponsor of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, a supporter of additional research on diseases that target women, and a longstanding advocate of securing health care for all women, I am pleased to support this resolution. Women's health issues are of the utmost importance to me, and this resolution helps to promote awareness for healthy lifestyles and disease prevention for women. It is important to ensure that women both in Michigan's 15th District and across the United States understand the steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of disease, are aware of the disease disparities that exist among women from different backgrounds, and are exposed to healthy habits and key health issues from an early age. I understand that encouraging preventative care for women is important for reducing the cost of health care. As a longtime supporter of improvements to our Nation's health care system and increased research on women's health issues, I am pleased to support National Women's Health Week and to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 120.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 386, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act. This legislation provides the Department of Justice with the tools it needs to fight fraud in the use of funds under TARP and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. S. 386 has a number of provisions that seek to protect Americans by ensuring the agencies tasked with investigating and prosecuting mortgage and financial fraud have the funding and personnel they need to do so. I am also pleased the House recognizes the need for increased accountability for mortgage lending businesses not directly regulated or insured by the Federal Government, an industry responsible for nearly half the residential mortgage market before the housing crash. I am more hesitant to support other provisions of S. 386. This bill includes an amendment to establish a special commission to investigate the causes of the current financial crisis. I believe that any such commission should be comprised of members of this body, who are furthermore from the committees of jurisdiction relevant to the matter. I have introduced a resolution, H. Res. 345, to do precisely that. It is my long-held belief that the Congress should, contrary to the prevailing fashion of the times, conduct, its own oversight work. For the simple fact that members of this body will ultimately write the legislation to re-impose a strict regulatory framework upon the financial services industry, they should be personally involved in vigorous efforts to expose the many and sundry causes of this country's recent economic collapse. In brief, well-informed members of Congress write more effective legislation. With this in mind, I voice my support for aggressive oversight of the financial services industry, but respectfully object to the manner in which S. 386, as amended, mandates it be performed.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2187, the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. I joined a cosponsor of this legislation because I believe our children are our greatest hope and their success determines the future success of our nation. To best prepare them for their future, we have a responsibility to provide them with the best education possible. Today's legislation helps to further that goal by ensuring that our school districts have the funding they need to provide safe and healthy learning environments for our children. We know that America's schools are millions of dollars short of the funding needed to renovate and equip our schools for the 21st Century. H.R. 2187 would authorize $6.4 billion for school facilities projects for fiscal year 2010, providing a down payment for work to modernize our schools, while at the same time greening our schools. This legislation also requires school improvement projects to meet green building standards, as well as provides funds to help schools to track the energy needs and use of their facilities. Under this bill, Michigan would receive over $244 million for school facilities projects. As father and a grandfather, nothing is more important to me than ensuring that the schools in the 15th and Michigan are safe and well- constructed. However, with state budgets in peril, many schools are struggling to maintain their payrolls, let alone make the improvements necessary to their schools. We know that green schools reduce pollution by using about 30 percent less water and energy than conventional schools. By providing funding for green building and renovation, we will help relieve some of the burden on the school budgets by helping our schools to save on energy expenses. This will result in savings that schools can dedicate to modernization, equipment, or reform. At the same time we are improving the buildings our children and grandchildren learn in, we are also creating much needed new jobs. An estimate by the Economic Policy Institute finds that this legislation would support as many as 136,000 new green jobs. This will put some of the thousands of unemployed in Michigan back to work, while also teaching them new skills in the clean energy sector. In the 110th Congress the House passed this legislation, but unfortunately it was not considered by the Senate before adjournment. As the school year comes to a close, I urge my colleagues in the Senate to consider this legislation quickly so that this summer school districts across the country can begin greening their schools.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2346, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009. I am supporting this legislation because it contains necessary funding for our troops at war in Iraq and Afghanistan and ensures they have the proper equipment and resources they need. However, I am pleased this is the last time we will use emergency supplementals to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which grows our federal budget deficit and places the burden of paying for the wars on our children. From now on, we must keep our word and use supplemental appropriations only for true emergencies, like natural disasters, pandemic flu outbreaks, and terrorist attacks. In addition to providing funds for continued drawdown of troops from Iraq, refocusing military efforts in Afghanistan, and new strategic initiatives in Pakistan, this legislation contains much-needed funding to respond to urgent humanitarian crises involving refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). While I thank the Committee for including this assistance, I believe much more is necessary to respond to the dire situation Iraqi refugees and IDPs find themselves in since the beginning of the Iraq War. The United States has both a moral obligation to assist this displaced population--the largest since the Palestinian Diaspora of 1948--and also a strategic interest in stabilizing the region so young Iraqi men and women turn toward the future of their country rather than to violence and extremism because they have no place else to go. H.R. 2346 also contains relief for our troops who have been forced to remain on duty through multiple tours of often intense combat missions. This bill contains $734 million to retroactively provide service members and veterans $500 for every month they served under stop-loss orders since 2001. This bill has many other important provisions that I am pleased to support, like funding for pandemic flu response, fighting growing violence along the U.S.-Mexico border, and international food assistance during the global economic crisis. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``yes'' for H.R. 2346.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 1728, the ``Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act.'' Risky lending practices, combined with the consequent securitization of mortgages, ultimately brought a violent end to the housing bubble and left the United States with a constricted credit market not seen in generations. In short, simple avarice and an inexcusable disregard for the long-term health of the mortgage market gave rise to the economic crisis in which this Nation presently finds itself mired. Just as our predecessors did in the wake of the Great Depression, we, too, must enact laws to ensure transparency in our economy and prevent the recurrence of practices that have left millions of Americans facing foreclosure. H.R. 1728 is but one of several essential means by which to achieve that end. This legislation, by requiring the licensing and registration of mortgage originators and proof of a borrower's ability to repay a home loan, will serve to impede--and hopefully altogether prevent--the irresponsible home lending practices that have in great part crippled the economy of my home state of Michigan, which, with one foreclosed home for every 136, has the sixth-highest foreclosure rate in the nation. Although politically expedient to focus our ire over the current economic crisis on insalubrious actors in the financial services sector and making them the target of punitive legislation, we must not lose sight of the necessity of providing consumers adequate protection from predatory lenders. H.R. 1728 recognizes this by prohibiting any compensation structure that could cause a loan originator to steer applicants toward costlier mortgages, providing a grace period for tenants before eviction from their homes, and creating an Office of Housing Counseling within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to educate consumers about what some might term as the Byzantine inner-workings of the housing market. I am proud to support passage of this legislation and urge my colleagues to do so as well.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 386, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act. This legislation provides the Department of Justice with the tools it needs to fight fraud in the use of funds under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, TARP, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. S.386 has a number of provisions that seek to protect Americans by ensuring the agencies tasked with investigating and prosecuting mortgage and financial fraud have the funding and personnel they need to do so. I am also pleased the House recognizes the need for increased accountability for mortgage lending businesses not directly regulated or insured by the Federal Government, an industry responsible for nearly half the residential mortgage market before the housing crash. I am more hesitant to support other provisions of S. 386. This bill includes an amendment to establish a special commission to investigate the causes of the current financial crisis. I believe that any such commission should be comprised of members of this body, who are furthermore from the committees of jurisdiction relevant to the matter. I have introduced a resolution, H. Res. 345, to do precisely that. It is my long-held belief that the Congress should, contrary to the prevailing fashion of the times, conduct its own oversight work. For the simple fact that members of this body will ultimately write the legislation to re-impose a strict regulatory framework upon the financial services industry, they should be personally involved in vigorous efforts to expose the many and sundry causes of this country's recent economic collapse. In brief, well-informed members of Congress write more effective legislation. With this in mind, I voice my support for aggressive oversight of the financial services industry, but respectfully object to the manner in which S. 386, as amended, mandates it be performed.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 627, the ``Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2009,'' a bill of which I am a proud co-sponsor. My friend and colleague, Representative Carolyn Maloney, who is the bill's author, has been a tireless advocate for protecting consumers from the abuses of the credit card industry. This legislation will mandate meaningful reform on an industry that has been permitted to run wild for far too long. We hear daily of countless Americans, who are struggling to pay their bills. Compounding this lamentable state of affairs is the fact that workers in this country have suffered a decline in real wages over the past decade. As a result of being stretched to their financial breaking point, many families have had to resort to using credit cards to pay for unforeseen costs, such as car repairs or emergency room bills. Far too often, these families are subjected to arbitrary rate increases and also forced to pay iniquitous late fees. H.R. 627 will help put an end to these shameful practices and require credit card companies to treat consumers fairly. Importantly, this legislation will restrict the practice known as ``universal default,'' wherein a credit card company uses information about a cardholder's financial status, such a change in his or her credit rating, to raise the cardholder's interest rate, even if the cardholder has not defaulted on payments or made them late. Moreover, H.R. 627 will also ban what is known as ``double cycle billing,'' which is the collection of interest on amounts already paid by consumers to credit card companies. In this time of severe recession, I feel it imperative that consumers be afforded fair protection from unfair credit card industry practices. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this common-sense legislation, which will help stem the tide of unscrupulous and predatory lending that has brought our nation to an economic precipice of gargantuan proportions.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Lana Pollack on the occasion of her receiving the Michigan Environmental Council's (MEC's) 2009 Helen and William G. Milliken Distinguished Service Award. I have known Lana as both a friend and a colleague. She is a public servant of the highest order and a remarkable human being. Lana has served her community and her state with distinction. As a Michigan State Senator from 1982 until 1994, Lana led the effort to provide for a cleaner and more beautiful Michigan. As a champion of environmental causes, Lana helped clean up our state and ensured that those who polluted paid for their transgressions. But she did not limit herself to just one issue; Lana fought for legislation to provide gender equity, educational improvements and reproductive rights. After leaving the Michigan State Senate, Lana joined the Michigan Environmental Council, serving as its president from 1996 until her retirement in January. While president of the MEC, Lana provided the force and leadership that grew this terrific organization, doubling its size and producing a ten-fold increase in its budget. But it wasn't the size increase or the money that made Lana's leadership of the MEC such a success, it was the quality of work that the MEC produced. Under Lana's watch, the MEC continued in its mission to protect Michigan's environment and preserve its natural resources. Lana used her skills in building coalitions of support to manage the 70 member organizations that make up the MEC in their combined efforts. Through passion and pragmatism Lana led the MEC from one success to another in its fight to protect our environment. Lana Pollack is a model public servant. She is being honored with the Milliken Award because of her lifetime of service and her commitment to the environment. Her efforts personify what it means to be an active and engaged member of a community and an individual who is willing to fight for those principles they care deeply about. I am pleased to congratulate Lana on this tremendous accomplishment, for which she is so worthy of recognition, but above all else, I am honored to have her friendship. I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Lana Pollack for her leadership, passion and record of accomplishment.

Mr. DINGELL

Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution. I know that today's proposal come as a result of much negotiation and discussion, and makes a number of difficult decisions about our financial future. To be frank, 2009 has opened with a number of different challenges Congress and the Administration must address. We continue to face turmoil in our financial markets, our domestic auto industry and small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, and we have witnessed a dramatic loss of jobs. Like Roosevelt before him, Obama is facing an economic downturn of enormous magnitude. Guiding our country and our economy through this will require our government to make difficult and innovative changes. This budget resolution lays out the guideline for how these changes will be made. As we begin to address health care reform, this budget resolution will provide the down payment to implement new changes to the way our health system cares for the sick. For the nearly 46 million Americans who are without health insurance, this budget resolution is a sign of our government's commitment to achieve reform that will ensure all Americans, regardless of their bank account, have access to quality and affordable health care. It also will ensure that our health system makes needed changes to reduce high administrative costs, and cut out fraud and abuse. Make no mistake; reforming our health care system is vital to the Nation's economic recovery efforts. This legislation also increases investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency by nearly 10 percent for 2010. These investments will allow our country to provide loans for renewable power generation, increase the energy efficiency of our federal buildings, modernize the electricity grid to make it more efficient and reliable, among other things. Such investments will help to encourage the creation of new ``green'' jobs for workers who have been displaced, and more importantly, will help ensure that our energy needs are supplied by American innovation. I am also pleased to support the conference agreement's provisions for our veterans. The agreement honors our veterans by ensuring they have the proper medical care. Among other things, the bill provides $53.4 billion to the Department of Veterans' Affairs--an 11.7 percent increase for veterans' health care and other services, allows Congress to provide advance funding to the VA health care system, and expands enrollment eligibility for Priority 8 veterans. Most importantly, this budget makes a commitment to our children and their grandchildren by investing in a quality education that will prepare them for their future careers. We know now that in order to compete with our neighbors across the way our children need a high quality education and access to either higher education or training to prepare them to compete in a global economy. This budget will continue to raise the maximum Pell grant in order to ensure that its buying power increases and more low-income students will have access to the aid they need. In addition, the budget expands on the investments made in primary education and early childhood education ensuring that our schools are increasing student achievement and investing in high- quality facilities. There is no doubt that these investments are costly, however, unlike the previous Administration, the Obama Administration and Congress have made a commitment to cut the federal deficit by nearly two-thirds in 2013. As a parting gift, President Bush provided the Obama Administration a $1 trillion deficit. This is not a deficit that came about overnight; rather it is the result of poor fiscal planning from an Administration that inherited a $5.6 trillion surplus. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of today's budget resolution not because I believe it will bring our economy out of recession overnight, but because I believe it will go a long way towards helping American families and workers who need it. For many of those in the 15th District and across the country, this economy has left their bank accounts battered and their 401(k)s depleted. Many of these folks have nowhere else to turn. A vote for this budget is a vote for those in need.