Jennifer Dunn

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, to close debate, I am proud to yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), the majority leader of the United States House of Representatives.

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), the chairman of the Committee on Small Business.

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Sullivan).

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. Mr. Speaker, I think it is very tragic we are hearing this number of 2 percent of people who die, have estates that are taxed under the death tax. That does not take into consideration the numbers of small businesses that are sold and the dollars that are taken out of this economy to pay for CPAs and estate tax planners and to purchase life insurance policies. We do not see the results of those figures in the 2 percent number which came from I do not know where many years ago. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Hefley).

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence).

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 3129, the Customs Border Security Act. I want to thank Chairman Thomas and Crane for working with me to address my concerns for improving staffing and equipment on the Northern Border. Almost two years ago, Customs personnel were able to apprehend a terrorist at Blaine, Washington. This action helped prevent a terrorist act against our nation. Today, we face greater threats of terrorism and we need to better protect our borders, especially our Northern Border. For this reason, I am pleased that this bill authorizes more funding to hire approximately 285 additional Customs Service officers to protect the borders and ports along the U.S.-Canadian border. This legislation also increases equipment for the Customs Service to expedite the movement of goods and passengers on our Northern Border. Over the past few years, Washington State has seen an increase in trade and passenger traffic on the U.S.-Canadian Border. In 1999, trade between Washington State and Canada has grown approximately $19 billion. Furthermore, we have seen a growth in the cruise industry in Seattle. Unfortunately, we had to deny ships from visiting Seattle because of insufficient Customs officers to inspect them. The increases in staff and equipment in this bill are positive steps towards a comprehensive and sustained effort to better protect the Northern Border from potential terrorist activities, and improve the flow of goods and traffic between the U.S. and Canada. I ask my colleagues to support this bill.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I will remind the gentlewoman from Florida that the number that we are increasing child care by is not $1 billion over 5 years, it is $2 billion over 5 years, and that the States are provided with very liberal waiver authority to handle anything that might be a problem to them in their States. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), a lawyer herself, a leader in the State senate before she came to us.

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In 1996 we made historic changes to the welfare system. We transformed the welfare system from a permanent entitlement that tolerated an average of 13 years of government dependence to a temporary assistance program that gave people the opportunity to start working, gain the necessary skills to retain a job and to become self- sufficient. This year we have a chance to build upon those successes while improving the program to further assist individuals and families move out of poverty. I believe, Mr. Speaker, one realistic way to look at the reauthorization that we are debating today is that when we reform such a massive program as welfare, as we did in 1996, there are some people who may fall through the cracks. That, Mr. Speaker, is exactly what we are analyzing in our changes to the bill today, and we have been told by welfare recipients in those early days of 1995 and 1996 that providing adequate child care services would help them move from welfare on to work. In fact, that if they did not have to worry about their children being well taken care of, they could focus all their energies and their skills on what for some was to be a brand-new job. In fact, child care spending has more than tripled under welfare reform, rising from $3 billion in 1995 to $9.4 billion in the year 2000. Equipped with more funding and greater flexibility to transfer money out of the block grant for child care, States have been able to provide more quality child care options so working mothers can concentrate on these new jobs. However, Mr. Speaker, our job is not done. As we increase the working hours from 30 to 40 and as more single mothers and dads participate in jobs on weekends and evenings, we must ensure that they can access quality and affordable child care services. In my State, we are finding that child care for infants, children with disabilities and during evening and weekend hours is expensive and scarce. That is why our bill provides an additional $2 billion over 5 years for child care despite its already historically high levels. Further, we add report language asking States to pay special attention to the needs to expand child care options for infants, children with disabilities and during evenings and weekends. I hope my colleagues will support this important legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. I will remind the gentleman from Washington State that we have extended the ability to transfer funds from one portion of the TANF dollars that are granted to the States into child care or any other area. In 1996, there was a 30 percent exchange. Now it is a 50 percent exchange. One of the cores of this bill is the flexibility for States to use money in a way that will make their programs the most effective. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson), who is formerly a cabinet Secretary for families and children.

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), a leader in her State legislature who has been very effective in increasing the child care support in this bill by $2 billion.

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time we have remaining?

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), who is the former Mayor of Fort Worth and who has worked with many folks who have been forced to go on welfare. She brings great knowledge to our effort today.

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I simply want to wrap up, with the time we have left, to say that I think it is very important for us to remember what it is we are trying to do in this welfare legislation. In 1996, we talked to welfare moms and dads. We said, what can we do to help you bridge the gap between welfare and work? And they said give us the ability to know that our children are well taken care of. Let us put the full focus of our energy and our expertise into going into a job that is going to provide us greater self-respect, greater dignity, and provide for our children that one role model in their life that might have a job. We were successful there to the point that, as we moved money into TANF, we left, as of last September, $7.5 billion in TANF funds in States throughout the Nation that they could move to child care. Child care was the answer then and it continues to be the answer now. This is why we are advocating an additional $2 billion to the $4.8 billion we spend each year in dollars for child care. I think it is our responsibility, Mr. Speaker, to help people who want to hold jobs know their children are taken care of as they move into the workforce. I recommend the support of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, on Thursday, April 25, 2002, I was unable to be present for rollcall vote No. 115. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall No. 115.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding time to me. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2871, the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act. It is a vital program that helps United States exporters compete overseas. For most United States companies, access to foreign markets is no longer an optional business practice, but it is a necessity in order to survive. To compete and succeed in a global market, U.S. companies must have access to financing resources. This is exactly why the Export-Import Bank is very important to us. By providing guarantees, loans, and insurance to American companies, the Export-Import Bank helps to reduce the risks involved in exporting and ensure that our exporters have access to credits that may not be available in the private sector. The Export-Import Bank helps both small and large businesses, as we have already heard in this debate. In 2001, 90 percent of the tax credits, representing 18 percent of the Ex-Im Bank's dollar volume, directly benefited small business; and in my State of Washington, Ex-Im Bank helped 56 small companies export $16.8 million in goods and services over the past 5 years. Large exporters, like the Boeing Company in Washington State, also benefit from Export-Import Bank. Over the past 5 years, Boeing and its workers have benefited from $19.5 billion of loans for the sales of our aircraft overseas. Traditionally, half of the Boeing aircraft sales are for overseas customers, and this is a trend that will continue, if not increase, in the future. Of the planes that are sold to foreign airlines, over 20 percent are financed by the Export-Import Bank. This program not only benefits Boeing, but it also benefits thousands of other United States companies that provide supplies and parts needed to manufacture commercial aircraft. In a State like mine, where one out of three jobs are related to trade, the Ex-Im Bank is critical in keeping Puget Sound businesses competitive overseas while helping to create jobs, those jobs that are so dearly needed to stimulate our economic recovery. I ask my colleagues to support this fine legislation to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Chairman, I rise against the Sander's Amendment. Washington State has the second highest unemployment rate in the nation. Many companies in the Northwest have suffered directly and indirectly because of September 11, including Boeing that announced the layoffs of approximately 30,000 workers. I represent over 25,000 commercial Boeing workers and understand the impact of unemployment in my communities. This amendment will not preserve jobs domestically, but actually lead to more unemployment in Washington State. At a time when domestic airlines are struggling, Boeing's only option is to expand commercial aircraft sales overseas. If companies in the Northwest do not have access to the financing resources provided by the Ex-Im Bank, we lose more jobs in the Northwest. Boeing will not only be affected, but the impact will be felt throughout the region. Over 60 percent of the supplies and parts used to manufacture a commercial aircraft are made outside of Boeing. Denying Boeing Ex-Im Bank financing will result in greater unemployment for small companies and their workers that depend on business with Boeing. If we want to protect jobs and stimulate our economy, we must make it easier to sell American products overseas. Simply denying U.S. businesses access to Ex-Im Bank financing because they are laying off workers in unfair. This amendment does not help our workers, but the workers of foreign competitors. Without Ex-Im Bank financing for Boeing, Airbus will be able to gain greater market shares by providing a much more effective financing package through their export credit agencies. I ask my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I stand in strong support of the Tax Relief Guarantee Act, and I do so on behalf of families and small businesses all over this great country of ours. Last year we passed a landmark tax relief bill that reduced income taxes for all Americans, the first across-the-board rate cut since the second world war. Now it is time to finish the job. We have to strip away the sunset provision or else taxpayers will face a decade of uncertainty. Many economists, including Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, have declared that it is very important for Congress to act clearly and unequivocally in this area, because taxpayers need certainty. Consider the perverse case of the death tax. As the law now stands, the death tax will be repealed on December 31, 2009; and it will return on January 1, 2011, at pre-2001 rates, 55 percent, on estates over $675,000. We are in essence telling people that they have one calendar year to die, or else their heirs will pay that punishing 55 percent tax rate. Without permanence, no small business owner or family farmer can assume the death tax is gone forever. They have to continue to spend money on expensive life insurance policies and costly estate plans. A study of women-owned businesses recently found that small businesswomen spend, on average, $1,000 a month paying to provide for the death tax. This is money that they could use to hire workers or to buy new equipment or to provide health care for their employees. It is important, Mr. Speaker, to understand that the lack of permanence has real consequences. It is also important to acknowledge that if we do not support permanence, then we are implicitly supporting a tax increase on January 1, 2011. We have an opportunity to correct a mistake, a legacy of the other body. I think, Mr. Speaker, we ought to seize this moment, fulfill the promise we made, and the President made, to Americans last spring. Let us make these tax cuts permanent.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, on Friday, July 27, 2001, I was unable to be present for rollcall vote No. 96. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall No. 96 in favor of H.R. 476, the Child Custody Protection Act.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the Pension Security Act of 2002. This bill does have strong bipartisan support in the Committee on Ways and Means and it adheres to the principles outlined by President Bush. Most importantly, it will provide protections for employee-investors without impinging on employers' own abilities to establish, support and have some degree of control over their own retirement plans. Media hype notwithstanding, we cannot allow the unfortunate actions of a few, who will be penalized, to ruin a successful program that has created trillions of dollars in wealth for millions of Americans. I want to highlight two important changes that are in this bill to protect employees. First, we included sensible diversification requirements for employee investments. We know that one of the principles of retirement security is personal control over a diversified portfolio. Our bill prohibits employers from requiring employees to invest their own money in company stock. Companies would be required to offer at least three investment options to their employees. And employees would also be given advice in plain English about the benefits of diversification of their investments. Secondly, I want also to mention how we address employee stock purchase plans, or ESPPs. For decades, ESPPs have been exempt from payroll taxes because they were not considered wages. However, a recent IRS ruling overturned this longstanding practice. Our bill reaffirms that ESPPs are exempt. This is an important clarification that protects rank-and-file employees from a huge tax increase. Without this provision, you would have the very ironic situation of a junior programmer at Microsoft being forced to sell stock just to pay the payroll tax. Without this provision, small companies, which have used ESPPs to attract and to reward young workers, would be discouraged from offering these plans. Our private retirement system is a great success, Mr. Speaker. It should make us all proud. Let us continue that tradition by passing this very important bill.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Madam. Speaker, will the gentleman yield for a colloquy?

Ms. DUNN. Madam Speaker, I appreciate this legislation. It is going to do great things for the State of Washington, which is the second highest in unemployment in the Nation right now. Mr. Chairman, I want to clarify a couple of points, that dislocated workers in Washington State will receive the following benefits in this order: First, the regular State benefits of up to 30 weeks; second, the regular 50-50 shared Federal and State extended benefits up to 13 weeks, that the Governor can elect to suspend; third, the 13-week extended benefits, fully paid for by the Federal Government; and, fourth, States with high unemployment rates, like Washington State at 7.5 percent, would be eligible for an additional 13 weeks, fully paid by the Federal Government; and lastly, fifth, once all these resources are exhausted, displaced workers in Washington State will be eligible to use state-funded benefits already available under State law. Is that the gentleman's understanding?

Ms. DUNN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.

Ms. DUNN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to hear preliminary reports that indicate that our economy might be back on track, but in Washington State, recovery will take longer. Our unemployment continues to go up, not down, for each round of Boeing layoffs. At 7.5 percent, it is the second highest in the Nation. Many analysts have projected it will grow to 8 percent, the highest unemployment in the Nation. So we can see why providing the benefits that we provide for unemployed people in this bill is crucial, but it is not enough, Madam Speaker. It is also crucial to provide some help for businesses so that they will invest in workers and keep people employed. We know it is the private sector that creates jobs. Assisting them needs to be a focus of our recovery efforts. The tax provisions in this bill will encourage Washington State companies to begin investing again and keep people employed. I urge passage of this bill.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of this resolution to allow the use of the Capitol to honor President and Mrs. Reagan. I so much appreciate hearing the words of our colleague, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), who was eloquent in his description of how this President was able to bring hope to this country and work across the aisle to achieve great things for the United States. Two years ago the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) and I sponsored a bill that awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to President Reagan and his wife and his long-time supporter, Mrs. Nancy Reagan. That bill, as the gentleman from Nevada told us, was passed in both houses; and it was signed by the President. With passage of today's resolution we will have the privilege to present our Nation's highest award to Mrs. Reagan this May in the Capitol Rotunda. President Reagan delivered his second inaugural address in the Rotunda. I well remember that day because it was about one degree above zero and they actually canceled the parade to be held that day for the inauguration of the President. So President Reagan went ahead with his inaugural address, but he moved it to the Rotunda, so that has significance to us. In that address he personified our country as hopeful, big-hearted, idealistic, daring, decent and fair. Those are the exact words I would use to describe President Reagan himself. Together, the President and the First Lady dedicated their lives to lifting the American spirit and bettering the quality of life for all Americans. I continue and I know so many people also continue to be inspired by President Reagan's ideals of lowering the tax burden on individual working Americans, of strengthening families, limiting the control of government and achieving peace through strength here for our United States. In the early 1980s President Reagan's policy and leadership lifted us out of a terrible economic situation. I well remember the record unemployment, the 21 percent interest rates, the double-digit inflation that we lived through during that time. He stated in his campaign that he would bring America back, and he did. As we all know, the First Lady has been very instrumental in every Presidency. This is especially true of First Lady Nancy Reagan who traveled tirelessly around this Nation promoting her Just Say No campaign in order to stop substance abuse among young people. She knew she was not elected to office. She was not elected to office and yet she put to the best use the clout that she had as First Lady of this Nation to make what I believe was a lasting impact on our Nation's youth. President and Mrs. Reagan believed in the promise of the American dream. In an era of growing cynicism, they worked in their own upbeat and hopeful ways to make America a place where everybody can rise as high and as far as their ability will take them. My best wishes go out to President and Mrs. Reagan who have just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Although he has withdrawn from public life and we will be here forever to remember his accomplishments, his wife will come to receive this honor in the Rotunda on May 16. We will be there to greet her, to thank her for her constant support of this great man and the wonderful activities she herself initiated on behalf of our Nation's youth. We will never forget their achievements. Now it is time for us to honor these two individuals and to say thank you to our Nation's most magnificent President and his First Lady, Nancy Reagan. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this resolution.

Ms. DUNN

Ms. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, this is the third time we have had to pass this stimulus bill. The gentleman from Texas claims that we are creating a log jam in our process in order to defeat the items in this bill. I think on the other hand it is the Senate that is creating the log jam. The Senate did not have the courage to pass more than 13 weeks of unemployment to this body. How many times are we going to have to pass this bill before we can get the Senate to wake up and break that log jam? The Senate sent a bill back to us with 13 weeks of unemployment. No potential extension for States like my State, second highest unemployment in this Nation, Washington State. The bill that they sent over had no health care coverage. That is a huge problem. I have a problem, 7.1 percent unemployment in the State of Washington, and the Senate sends over to us a bill that gives those folks 13 weeks of unemployment insurance but no coverage for health care or for anything else. I want to talk about this bill, Mr. Speaker. This bill contains a $37 billion amount that would be used for retraining of folks who lost their jobs since last March 15, and includes over $13 billion for health coverage alone. And we do not do this coverage just for COBRA people, for people who worked for big companies who get off that job and can buy their own COBRA insurance. We also cover the people who work for small businesses, under 20 people, that do not have access to COBRA. That is very important. Our bill is much broader, much deeper. Let us talk about these rich people whose marginal tax rate is being reduced. These marginal people are 660,000 entrepreneurs in my State of Washington alone. These rich people who are in the 27 percent rate bracket that we want to bring down immediately to 25, they are that single school teacher who is earning $30,000 a year who cannot even afford to live in the community where her school exists and has to drive miles every day. This is the rich person that our opposition talks about, Mr. Speaker, that we are trying to help. You bet we are trying to help that person. We are trying to help that person in many different ways. The reality is that the Senate has delayed this bill. For the third time we will send this bill back over to the Senate. We have a President who is willing to sign this bill, a bill that contains rebate checks for low-income working folks who did not get checks last year, a bill that includes accelerated depreciation so small businesses and businesses of every size can catch up and make purchases for their company and buy those computers which would help stimulate that portion of our economy. I would like to put death tax permanence in this bill, but we are keeping this bill clear so we can move it through as fast as possible. Mr. Speaker, I urge the Senate to get off their chairs, to stand up for the people at home, the people who are going to lose their jobs in my district because of Boeing, the folks who are losing their jobs all over this country. See the wisdom of this bill and the delicate balance we have defined and pass this bill out as we pass it today. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore