Bob Dold

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, on roll call no. 51-53, I was unavoidably detained due to cancelled flights out of Chicago. Had I been present, I would have voted aye.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the importance of the legislation that we passed this week on human trafficking. Sadly, my district is no stranger to this despicable crime. In both Lake and Cook Counties, we seem to have too many cases of human trafficking. In the Chicagoland area, up to 25,000 women and girls are victims of commercial sexual exploitation. According to the Justice Department, as many as 300,000 American youths are at risk of becoming victims of sexual trafficking. The average age for girls that first become victims is between 12 and 14 years of age. This legislation will protect our youth by establishing programs to help runaways and homeless children who are at the highest risk for becoming victims. The bills will also help address the issue by giving tools to health care professionals and law enforcement to identify and help victims of human trafficking, and to create programs to deter and prevent human trafficking in the first place. Human trafficking for sexual exploitation is an epidemic that needs to be stopped. This is a first step, and we must remain focused to end human trafficking altogether.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I am excited to recognize Harper Community College in Palatine, IL, which will be opening its new Career and Technical Education Center on January 23. This new building, with state-of-the-art classrooms and labs, will house some of Harper's fastest-growing technical programs such as manufacturing, welding, architectural technology, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), maintenance technology, law enforcement, and fire science. Programs in this building will help provide students with the skills they will need in the future. These programs will help put people to work and support local employers who are seeking a highly-skilled workforce to compete in the 21st Century global economy. The building will also house Harper's innovative Advanced Manufacturing Program. The program partners with 75 area manufacturing companies which offer paid internships to manufacturing students attending Harper College. I applaud the Harper College community on the opening of its new Career and Technical Education Center, and I look forward to its continued leadership in bringing educational opportunities to students in the 10th District.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Madam Speaker, today, I stand in solidarity with the people of France, and my thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of the ruthless terrorist attack that happened in Paris yesterday. This rampage was perpetrated by terrorists who seek nothing but death and destruction for all of us who embrace something as basic as the freedom of speech. While we did not need it, this only reinforces and strengthens our resolve in the fight to defend our freedoms and our way of life. It may be an uncomfortable truth, but the reality is that we cannot stick our heads in the sand and hope that threats from radical extremists will go away on their own. Nowhere are the stakes bigger today, Madam Speaker, than in Iran. Iran and its nuclear weapons program, I believe, pose the number one threat to our national security. Our resolve in confronting the Iranian challenge must never waver, and I call on this new Congress to act right away in ratcheting up pressure and sanctions on Iran. This is not a left versus right issue. This is a right versus wrong issue.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, and I know we've talked a lot and have heard from my colleagues about Sandy, and I certainly want to talk about that. I want to talk about last night we were able to avoid the fiscal cliff. The American public, at least the constituents that I talk to on a regular basis, are looking for certainty. They're looking for us to find common ground. They're looking for us to be able to move the country forward. I'm a small business owner, Mr. Speaker. I meet a budget and a payroll. I employ 100 people. For me, that's 100 families. It's a role and responsibility that I take very seriously. And while I do believe that the Federal Government should play as little a role as possible in the lives of Americans, they do need to play a role. They need to be able to provide those things that Americans cannot provide for themselves, whether that be infrastructure, whether that be a common defense, justice. These are some of the things that I think we do share a lot of common ground with. Now, Mr. Speaker, I spent some time in Long Island, New York, recently and also in New Jersey. The devastation that Sandy has caused that region is nothing short of remarkable. And while I do believe that we have a spending problem that has been going on, frankly, in this House, on both sides of the aisle for a long time, there are those times when we need to come together as an American people and say we have Americans out there that cannot provide for themselves, that have been devastated, that need a helping hand. And do I think that they will repay that? I do. We have an opportunity, Mr. Speaker, to come together as Americans, Republicans and Democrats together, to try to help provide need. My colleague, Joe Crowley, was just up here talking about devastation that happened on the beaches. Michael Grimm, and I'm sure most of the New York and New Jersey delegations which will follow up here, and those from Connecticut, will talk about devastation that was happening in their communities. I do believe that we have a role to play, and I do believe that action needs to happen and happen quickly. Now, there are many on my side of the aisle that believe that we shouldn't be spending a nickel more than we have to. And while I agree that we need to tighten spending, and that this body needs to treat spending and those dollars as if they were their own, we can't needlessly ask taxpayers to provide more resources only to have them squandered. Let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, these dollars will not be squandered. I believe that they are desperately needed. At a time when many Americans have lost hope, there is that opportunity for us to stand united together to provide that hope for the American public. It may be New York and New Jersey and Connecticut and Pennsylvania today, but it may be a different part of the country tomorrow. Now, as we look forward, Mr. Speaker, as the 112th Congress comes to a close, we have a heck of a lot more work to be done as a country. I, for one, hope that we can talk about reining in the out-of-control spending. But then, again, it's not going to happen with one party or the other. It's going to have to be about bipartisanship. And I do hope that we can bring pieces of legislation on this floor, like Simpson- Bowles, in that framework, that talk about revenue increases, whether that be through reforming the Tax Code and talking about where we can rein in spending, how we can reform things to make sure we have a social safety net, which is so vital. And I do believe that we need to have that social safety net. We need to strengthen that social safety net so that it's there for future generations. I also think, Mr. Speaker, as we look at health care, we have to start thinking outside of the box. And certainly, I have enjoyed working with Rob Andrews on the American Center for the Cures, an idea that we need to be looking at how do we solve and cure some of these diseases that we spend hundreds of billions of dollars on treating each and every year, whether it be diabetes, Alzheimer's, or Parkinson's. If we came up with a cure for these types of diseases, think about where we'd be then, and where we can put those additional resources into the very vital areas that our government needs to fund. So I am optimistic, Mr. Speaker, that our best days are ahead. But I also know that people are fed up with the idea of this partisanship. And I fear that we're going further partisan; that we're anchoring to the extremes as opposed to coming to the center. My hope is that this body can focus more on what we agree on as opposed to what we disagree on. That's what the American public's looking for. That's what I hope this Congress can accomplish in the 113th, and beyond. I want to take this last moment to thank so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their friendship, for their support, and I certainly look forward to continuing the friendship in future years.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I want to first start off by thanking my friend from Missouri for his service and working with him on legislation in the past. Just to pick up on what he said about our World War II heroes, we do need to put the country first. I think that certainly we're here on New Year's Eve and we're upon the fiscal cliff. What we do need to focus on is how do we find that common ground, because what we do know is I believe Democrats and Republicans alike want to put our country on a course to some fiscal discipline--we hope. Is there a course where we can find enough common ground to move it forward so that we don't have a downgrade, so that we don't spike unemployment, so that the markets don't go down. Mr. Speaker, I'm a small business owner. I employ 100 people. For me, it's 100 families. I meet a budget and a payroll. What they're looking for when I talk to people back home, they're looking for some stability, they're looking for certainty, and what we're doing here is not providing any of those things. And yet I do believe that there is a spirit of comity that we want to find that common ground and move forward. I'm sorry that we're here on New Year's Eve and that we haven't solved this problem long ago. I will say, Mr. Speaker, that the House did send a bill in August over to the United States Senate. Going back to my time as a small business owner, I can just tell you, if I'd given something to one of the people that I work with, marked it ``urgent'' and put it on their desk months ago and it sat for month after month after month, something would be wrong. Well, in essence, Mr. Speaker, that's exactly what we've done. We sent something over to the United States Senate months ago, marked it ``urgent'' because this is talking about the direction, the fiscal direction of our Nation, and yet nothing is coming back. Unfortunately, Washington works on brinksmanship. We don't want brinksmanship; we want stability. The world is watching, and we need to focus on the common ground to move things forward. We want to make sure that we can keep tax rates low. We want to make sure that we can bring additional revenue into the Federal Government. I believe that's going to be through growth. That's going to be sparking the American spirit, that entrepreneurial spirit across our country to bring more dollars into the Federal Treasury, to get more people back to work. The thing that's amazing, Mr. Speaker, is there's a lack of leadership, a lack of leadership here in Washington, D.C., that's palpable. We need to move forward. During the budget season, those on the other side of the aisle, myself, some of my colleagues on my side of the aisle, put forth a budget, the first bipartisan budget in a generation, based upon the Simpson-Bowles plan, talking about the need to bring additional revenue in, talking about the need to put spending cuts out there because Washington has this sense of spending, Mr. Speaker. Republicans have overspent; Democrats have overspent. I'm not here to point the finger. What I am looking for is a solution to the problems we face. My hope is that we can get those done today. The American people demand it, the American people need it, and the world is looking to America for leadership. Mr. Speaker, on a different note, I want to rise today to recognize an extraordinary lady, a great American, one who raised four children and instilled in them a love of family and country, taught those around her the idea that your integrity determines your identity. In fact, she gave me that plaque, and it hangs in my room today. I want to say it again, Mr. Speaker, because I think it is so very, very important: Your integrity determines your identity. She also instilled a fantastic work ethic in those around her. A teacher, first of special needs children, then in English as a high school English teacher for a number of years, she left the teaching profession to have a family and then became an entrepreneur. She went into the private sector, helped people get jobs, put food on the table for families, and helped those families get an education. Mr. Speaker, this great American lady celebrates a birthday today. I'm sorry that I'm not with her, but I am in spirit. Happy birthday, Mom.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank the chairwoman for her leadership and for her friendship and her work on human rights abuses. I certainly want to thank the ranking member and my friend from New York as well. Mr. Speaker, I've talked at length in this Chamber about the human rights abuses taking place inside the country of Iran. In response to this Iranian regime's oppressive rule, we have worked to promote democracy and human rights through a variety of legislative tools, and we have championed measures like the Lautenberg amendment to offer a lifeline to those individuals who seek nothing more than the freedom they cannot find in their home country. Today I'm proud to stand here with my colleagues and encourage others to support House Resolution 134, officially condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i religious minority and for the continued violation of human rights. It's time for these continued violations of human rights to be fully exposed and to receive increased international attention. The Baha'i population is Iran's largest non-Muslim religious minority. Over 300,000 Iranians consider themselves part of the Baha'i faith, yet since the Islamic revolution of Iran of 1979, members of the Baha'i faith in Iran have faced intense suppression solely because of their religious beliefs. Baha'is are unrecognized under the Iranian Constitution, and over 200 Baha'is have been killed in Iran since the revolution. Additionally, Baha'is are wrongfully imprisoned and discriminated against throughout the country. Baha'is are barred from universities, banned from government employment, and excluded from the social pension system unless they deny their religious affiliation. Their marriages are not recognized; their property is confiscated; their holy places and cemeteries have been desecrated. The situation has worsened considerably, Mr. Speaker, in the last year as the number of Baha'is in prison has roughly doubled, and there have been raids on the Baha'i Institution of Higher Education, an alternative education system that the Baha'i community developed to educate Baha'i youth who are excluded from the state's university system. House Resolution 134 condemns the state-sponsored persecution performed by the Iranian Government and calls on it to release the seven imprisoned Baha'i leaders, six imprisoned educators, and all other prisoners held solely on account of their religious beliefs. Additionally, the resolution calls on the President and the Secretary of State to condemn the Iranian Government's continued violation of human rights. Finally, the resolution urges the President and the Secretary of State to utilize available measures to sanction officials of the Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for egregious human rights violations, including against the Baha'i community. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the importance of this issue, this resolution currently enjoys over 146 bipartisan cosponsors. On behalf of all those who are concerned about human rights abuses, and on behalf of the Baha'i community in the Tenth District of Illinois, which is home to the Baha'i Temple of North America--the beautiful temple in Wilmette is one of only seven, Mr. Speaker, throughout the world--I'd like to encourage my colleagues, my friends to vote in support of H. Res. 134's passage. I thank you, and I thank, again, the chairwoman for her leadership.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Madam Speaker, the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, highlights an issue. And I think so often in this Chamber, actually, we talk about things that separate us, things that we have political battles and fights over. Unfortunately, on Friday, a tragedy occurred in Connecticut, taking the lives of far too many--20 children--and is a tragedy that knows no political boundaries. These are children that had their entire lives in front of them. On Friday, like many of us here, we were back at home in our districts. After hearing the news, many of us went to our schools to pick up our children to hug them just a little bit longer. This is a tragedy, Madam Speaker; and, frankly, it highlights a number of issues that many of us have talked about on the floor today: it's about the mentally ill; it's about what we can do as a country to make sure that, yes, we have a Second Amendment. And many of us here even in this Chamber, Madam Speaker, are gun owners. But I do believe that we are all for responsible gun ownership. And I do believe that there are reasonable restrictions that can be put in place. But today, Madam Speaker, it's not about that for us. Today, I rise because America is hurting. The country is looking for answers--answers that I'm not so sure will come immediately. As we look at the pictures of these first-graders, of these kindergartners, we ask, Why? Those answers won't come today. Those answers might not come next week. What we do know is that our job, our basic function, is to make sure that we try to provide an environment throughout our country where people can achieve their dreams. That ought to be something that, again, is not a Republican idea or a Democrat idea. That's an American ideal and the American Dream. A very sick individual robbed 20 children and six adults of their American Dream. I would like to think that they're in a better place today. I take some solace in my faith that I don't understand the Grand Plan and that the good Lord does. But what I will say is that we all believe that this was a senseless killing and tragedy. I hope we can learn from it. I hope those in Newtown, Connecticut, feel the warmth of the Nation that is sending their thoughts and prayers to them this day, especially as we look forward to the holidays in front of us. We will all say a special prayer for those that have been lost so needlessly in this act. I hope our country can come together. I hope we can focus on the American Dream and the opportunity for all children and all Americans going forward.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this institution, the United States House of Representatives, enjoys a rich heritage that continues to inspire. Through these magnificent Halls and this great Chamber, celebrated American leaders have walked. Presidents have rallied a Nation, and monumental policy debates have echoed throughout the night to forge America's great history. This building right here is the fulfillment of what our Founding Fathers sought when skirmishes first broke out on the fields of Lexington and Concord nearly two-and-a-half centuries ago. It's what each succeeding generation of Americans has stepped forward to safeguard in its own way, and it is what we have been entrusted to build on and ultimately gift to our children. Here we are, working each and every day, to prove ourselves worthy of the country we inherited, the people we are here to represent, and the limitless future we hope to build. Mr. Speaker, I decided to run for Congress just over 3\1/2\ years ago, the basement of my home serving as our team's first office. We didn't have much space or even a sign on the street, but we were all driven by the idea and firm belief that our country's best days are in front of us, that we can get our economy roaring again, that we can continue confidently as the best hope for leading the world. It has been quite a journey from that humble start to working here in the United States Capitol each and every day. But the great thing about America is that this story isn't so unique. Since our Nation's very inception, we have always been a place where what starts out as small gatherings of concerned citizens, of individuals getting together to discuss and plan how to make our country even better, can grow with hard work and dedication to actually achieve some of those very things. I first ran for Congress, not because I wanted to be somebody, but because I wanted to do something. In fact, I wanted to do a great many ``big'' things. With so many millions of Americans struggling to find a job and economic security, I wanted to get this economy growing and get our country back to work. With so many small businesses finding it harder and harder to keep their doors open each and every day, I wanted to fight for small business owners, like myself, and make sure that the Federal Government did a better job of helping to create an environment where small businesses and entrepreneurs can succeed. With our country buried in debt and the problem only scheduled to get worse, I wanted to rein in the reckless overspending in Washington, D.C., and advance big solutions so that my children, so that our children, could be free to reach their potential without previous generations' debt obligations holding them back. With threats to our national security growing by the day and with an Iranian regime defiantly pursuing its nuclear ambitions, I wanted to be not just a vote in the United States Congress but a leading voice. I wanted to be a true champion, advancing vital measures to keep our Nation and our allies strong and secure. With the 10th District serving as home to so many great communities, great businesses, great schools, passionate leaders throughout our communities, bright people, and treasured natural resources, I wanted to provide the thoughtful, independent leadership in Congress that our district has had and so richly deserves. Then with our Nation seemingly torn apart by hyperpartisan politics and gridlock, I wanted to prove that we could still get things done if we were serious about working together in good faith and finding common ground solutions to move our country forward. We've certainly gone through tough times recently, but I've always believed in the resiliency of the American people to make things better. We have been able to achieve great things because our natural instinct is to aspire to achieve great things. This is why I am here, and this is what I have worked to accomplish each and every day while I've been in office. Now, these past years, we've made sure to hit the ground running because that's what the 10th District expects. Stretching north along Lake Michigan from the New Trier Township, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Winnetka, and Glencoe to North Chicago and Waukegan, from Libertyville south to Glenview and Wheeling, Arlington Heights and Palatine east to Lake Forest and Lake Bluff, and Highland Park west through Deerfield, Buffalo Grove, and Long Grove, I've been fortunate to represent a diverse congressional district that asks its leaders in Washington to tackle a wide-ranging and ambitious agenda. With the help of so many good people and coalitions both at home in the 10th District and here in the United States Congress, we've been able to achieve a number of things that I will forever be proud of. In the House of Representatives, we've kept a sustained focus on job creation and on creating a climate that better helps the private sector grow. I believe that this represents the best path to ensuring sustained economic opportunity and upward mobility for millions of Americans. The House has passed over 30 bills that have focused on job creation, and I am pleased that the House unanimously passed a jobs- focused initiative that I introduced, the Global Investment in American Jobs Act. This bill earned strong bipartisan support, and I look forward to its, hopefully, getting signed into law before year's end. But our efforts to help get people back to work most obviously don't start and end with legislation in Washington, D.C. Washington doesn't create jobs. The private sector, entrepreneurs, and small businesses do. That's why, over the course of the last 2 years, we've put together a 10th District task force that is focused on jobs and have also hosted several highly successful jobs fairs back at home. These jobs fairs brought together local hiring employers with hundreds of job seekers and made a real impact on people's lives. We also organized and hosted educational events with local exporters and manufacturers, exposing them to how they can leverage the Export-Import Bank and new markets opened up by the passage of new trade agreements so as to grow their businesses and create new jobs right here at home. I supported these things because I want to do everything I can to help businesses and workers in the 10th District and around the country succeed. I've been proud that my time in Congress has allowed me to continue to champion the cause of small business growth, to make sure that small businesses know that they always have a strong advocate for their issues with me in the United States Congress. Over the past few years, I've had the pleasure of touring and visiting literally thousands of small businesses in the 10th District of Illinois. I do this so that I can hear directly from our local business community, and more importantly from the thousands of constituents who work in these businesses, about what Washington can do better to help them. We did employee town halls in places like the DoALL Company in Wheeling, at the Colbert Packaging in Lake Forest, and at Hollister in Libertyville. We talked ideas with business leaders like Steve Capp of Laserage Technology, Richard Zic of Dynomax, Inc., Jerry Larsen of Larsen Marine, and Matt Eggemeyer of Keats Manufacturing; and I always enjoyed visiting with our community's many storefront business owners, whether on Milwaukee Avenue in Libertyville, in downtown Arlington Heights, or on one of the many beautiful main streets throughout the district. To some, the big issue was making sure that we had smarter, better crafted regulations that take into account the unique nature of a particular industry. On this front, we've passed regulatory reform bills to improve the quality of this process and have written letters directly to Federal agencies to ensure that the rules are responsible and not excessively burdensome. We need regulation. We just want that regulation to be smart regulation and tailored regulation, not simply more of it. Many employers talked to me about the importance of increasing manufacturing and trade opportunities. I've been very happy to advance these issues in Congress as part of a trade working group. I know that the trade agreements we passed with South Korea, Panama, and Colombia are already having and will continue to have a positive impact on manufacturers in the 10th District and around the country. I am also pleased that we recently made progress on improving opportunities with Russia, but we have much more work to do in order to level the playing field regarding trade. Other small businesses talked to me about the need to have a highly skilled workforce that is better trained and prepared to take jobs in the 21st century. Out of this grew my legislation, the Back to Work Blueprint Act, which would inject a new idea into improving the Federal workforce training program and would ensure that skills developed by workers match with the needs of the employer. These conversations with small business owners also strengthened my belief that we need to continue the promotion of STEM education in America's schools--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-- skills necessary to make sure students are prepared to take jobs in the 21st century. Nearly every business owner shared the importance, Mr. Speaker, of access to capital and credit for their businesses. Capital is the lifeblood of our economy, and I am pleased that we focused in on this in this Congress with the passage of the JOBS Act and other legislation that came out of the Financial Services Committee. Of course, many employers and small business owners and individual workers talked with us about the importance of keeping the tax burden low and about making sure that our Tax Code was fairer and simpler. Over the past 2 years, I've been proud to champion this through my active support for comprehensive reform that is focused on low rates, eliminating the lobbyist loopholes, broadening the base, and focusing on economic growth. I am confident that this will better help small businesses compete and create additional jobs. We also heard from many small business owners--like Rick Woldenberg of Learning Resources in Vernon Hills--on the need to repeal the expensive and burdensome 1099 provision, which would have placed another unwelcome hardship on small businesses. I was proud to get behind this issue very early on and was a cosponsor of the legislation and saw its passage through into law. And finally, something that we've frequently heard from both workers and employers is the need for payroll tax relief. This is something which I proposed in legislation of my own, and which I was pleased to support in a different piece of legislation, to put more money into the pockets of hardworking Americans. In essence, what we heard from our local businesses over the past few years developed into what was my Main Street Jobs Agenda, which I've talked at length about in this Chamber. With it's focus on pro-growth tax reform, increasing exports in manufacturing, access to capital for small businesses, making investments in infrastructure, utilizing domestic energy resources, STEM education, and implementing smarter regulations, I believe, Mr. Speaker, that this remains the best recipe for getting our country back to work. Beyond our job creation efforts, I'm also proud of our leadership on confronting the Nation's debt crisis. Though not always popular, I refuse to accept the status quo of no budgeting, skyrocketing debt, and a sustained indifference to the reality that ignoring the problem only makes it worse. With over 40 cents now borrowed on every dollar spent by the Federal Government, this is both a current crisis and a future one as well. Last year alone, we spent more paying the interest on the debt than we spent on the domestic priorities of education, transportation, and natural resource protection combined. This is unequivocally unsustainable, which is why I have dedicated much of my time and effort into reining in spending in Washington and championing a big, bipartisan debt reduction agreement. I'm very proud of our efforts to introduce the first bipartisan budget in a generation. I want to thank Steve LaTourette and Jim Cooper for their efforts and leadership on this. I also want to thank Congressman Quigley for working with me to cosponsor and advance this legislation, which is based on the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles framework. Mr. Speaker, this budget ultimately failed to pass the House, but I remain proud of our bipartisan effort--for which the USA Today called us the ``Brave 38''--and I believe this type of thoughtful, independent leadership, this is the type of leadership that the 10th District deserves. I also believe that the courage and leadership shown by the House to take on the difficult but necessary position of reining in entitlement spending deserves recognition. We know that Medicare stands out as a primary driver of our debt in the future. And, unfortunately, this future is not so far off. With one of Medicare's key programs scheduled to go bankrupt in the next 10-12 years, sustaining the status quo unavoidably means dramatic cuts down the road on those vulnerable Americans who need the program the most, crippling increases to the debt, and most likely both. Instead, I believe we have a generational obligation to ensure that our children's potential is not crushed by a debt burden born out of the inability to govern responsibly. Ultimately, something as big as Medicare reform requires broad bipartisan support, so we're not there yet. We're not, but I do want to express my appreciation to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and the House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan for recognizing that a solution must be found if we ever want to get this country on stable financial ground. While many can find fault and issues with any proposal, we as Americans must applaud and encourage bipartisan solutions. We must strengthen our social safety net and ensure its long-term viability. Of course, getting our debt under control impacts more than just what we do domestically. It impacts our ability to keep our homeland safe and free, and it impacts our power to provide leadership on the international stage. The 10th District has a history and tradition of thoughtful global outlook and a special appreciation for the positive role American leadership can and must play in the world. This is a responsibility that I fully embrace and advanced. I have been honored to work with the Armenian-American community to advance the Armenian Genocide Recognition Resolution here in this Congress. I want to especially thank Ken Kachigian, Ari Killian, and Greg Bedian, and all the people at All Saints Church and the Armenian Cultural Center in Glenview, Illinois, for their support in educating me about their key issues and concerns. I also want to recognize the Bahai community in the 10th District, which helped me build support for the resolution I introduced bringing attention to the horrible mistreatment and atrocities of the Bahai people persecuted in Iran. We put together a Human Rights Advisory Board which allowed us to better speak out about the mistreatment of religious minorities in Pakistan and Bangladesh, especially in the Hindu community. And we supported numerous initiatives aimed at addressing human rights abuses taking place in Africa. I especially want to thank Dr. Richard Benkin for his commitment and help with regard to this area. And of course we also focused on human rights and democracy promotion inside of Iran. But our work on Iran obviously did not stop there. Mr. Speaker, in my very first speech on this House floor, I said that Iran posed the number one security threat to the United States. And thanks to the advice and counsel of so many good people in the 10th District of Illinois--community leaders like Sandy Perl, Keith Shapiro, the late Richard Schoenstadt, Janet and Gadi Cohen, Caryn Garber, Morrie Silverman and Lori Komisar, Richard Stein, Andy Hochberg, Steve Lavin, Rick Bachrach, Rabbi Aaron Melman, Peggy Shapiro, Rabbi Victor Weissberg, Marc Sacks, Steve Hefter, Andy Lappin, and so many more. Thanks to their passion, we continue to work on preventing this Iranian regime from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. We advanced many vital measures in this Congress on this issue, and I've been pleased to have the opportunity to act as a leading voice and a champion in Congress for strengthening the sanctions on Iran. So much energy has gone into these efforts, not just from me, but from many Members, and I will continue to urge that the United States ratchet up the pressure on Iran's nuclear ambitions until the threat is affirmatively and effectively dismantled. Another focus of mine has been finding ways to strength the United States-Israel relationship. Whether it has been delivering speeches from the floor of the House Chamber, drafting and introducing resolutions affirming Israel's right to a secure border, traveling to Israel and meeting with Israeli officials, authoring letters and recruiting other Members to sign on in support, such as an early effort we led to show the commitment of House freshmen to fully fund our foreign aid commitment to Israel, including Iron Dome, in a tough budget climate, or cosponsoring and voting for critical legislation, I have looked to provide true leadership in support of our ally Israel's long-term security. Finally, I've looked to provide the 10th District with thoughtful, independent leadership in Congress which it has had and I believe deserves. Our district is bound by deep-routed characteristics--namely, a desire for pragmatic, effective leadership, vigorous independence, and the ability to work with the other side of the aisle in a civilized and bipartisan manner. On this, I'd like to especially recognize my two most recent predecessors for this seat, Senator Mark Kirk and John Porter. These men have served as valued mentors and friends. I've worked to carry on the proud legacy that they burnished for the 10th District. John Porter and now-Senator Kirk have helped me in ways greater than they even know, and I'm deeply honored to consider them my friends. To this day, they continue to care deeply about the people of the 10th District of Illinois. The quality of who they are and what they achieved is reflected in the appreciation that our area still has for these two incredible men. They set the standard by which the 10th District leadership is measured, and I cannot thank them enough. The thoughtful, independent leadership that John Porter and Mark Kirk embodied are the same virtues that I pledged to advance as I began my service to the people of the 10th District. I'm proud to stand here today and say that I believe that I've made good on this commitment. On a number of issues, ranging from the environment, education, stem cell research, title X funding and women's health, gun control, and transportation infrastructure, I've never been afraid to break from any party and do what I believe is best for my constituents and district. This is why I've consistently been ranked and considered as one of the most independent and bipartisan Members of this body. Mr. Speaker, as an Eagle Scout, my Scoutmasters, Lee Getschow, Charlie Barnes and Artie Bergman, taught me to respect and love the outdoors, which is why I especially want to highlight our work to protect Lake Michigan. Beginning with the first bill I introduced in the House, the Great Lakes Water Protection Act, along with my good friend, Dan Lipinski, Senators Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin, I'm proud of our efforts to keep Lake Michigan clean. This legislation would prohibit wastewater pollution from running into the Great Lakes, but our work to protect the 10th District's most cherished natural resource did not stop there. We focused on supporting the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through authoring and supporting funding amendments and advocating for the GLRI's importance in testimony before the House Budget Committee, all to make sure that this important program to protect the Great Lakes is adequately funded. On a more local level, I'm proud that we've finally been able to facilitate the clean-up of Waukegan Harbor. The Superfund site which our community has been trying to restore and clean up for more than 20 years has finally started under our watch. So much work that went in to getting this accomplished has happened, and I particularly want to highlight and thank Susie Schreiber, Gerry Larsen and Cam Davis for their dedicated service to cleaning up Waukegan Harbor, getting, finally Lake County's gateway to the Great Lakes delisted as an area of concern by the EPA. I also want to quickly highlight another cause which I've been proud to champion, and that's STEM education. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, these are critical educational fields that we need to make sure our young students are not only exposed to but have the tools to excel and compete in the global marketplace. This means giving these core areas extra attention. And on that, I'd like to highlight the great work and dedication that Dr. Laz Lopez has given. As the principal of Wheeling High School, Dr. Lopez is ahead of the curve in advancing STEM education among his student, and I believe he's a model for students around the country. He's helped me greatly and has taken on the task of heading up my Educational Advisory Board, and for that I will forever be grateful. In closing, it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to represent the people of the 10th Congressional District in the 112th Congress. I've never forgotten where I came from and what I came here to accomplish and the importance of governing for the people. And while I'll miss many things, Mr. Speaker, I will miss most of all the many friends that I've made on both sides of the aisle, and my dedicated and talented staff, some of whom are here this evening: Eric Burgeson, my chief; Kelley Folino; Kim Brisky; Philippe Melin; David Stern; Kris Denzel; Eric Disilvestro; Heb Siam; Eric Miller; Daniel Serota; Mona Dooley; Stefani Zimmerman; Mike Traikovich; Jack Heyden; and Bryan Reed. They all worked tirelessly for the constituents of the 10th District, and I'm proud to call them my friends. Mr. Speaker, I look forward to seeing this next Congress address some big things, some big issues because there's simply too much at stake. As I think about our Nation's future, I'm reminded of a Winston Churchill quote: Success is not final; failure is not fatal. But it is the courage to continue that counts. Each Congress brings a new opportunity to write the next chapter in America's exceptional story, but we must always remember that nothing is given. America's greatness must continue to be earned. Our Nation has been built, generation by generation, through hard work and resiliency of the American people; and our generation must do our part to live up to this awesome responsibility. We must always be a country that stands for freedom and liberty, economic growth and opportunity for every American. And I remain optimistic that we can continue to make this country even better if we stay committed to these principles. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the people of the 10th District for the opportunity and honor to represent them in the United States Congress. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, today I rise because the fiscal cliff is upon us. And one thing that I know is clear in talking to my constituents, time and time again, they're looking for solutions to the problems that we face. I believe that the solutions that are out there aren't going to come from one party or the other party; they're going to come from us working together, forging a bipartisan solution to the problems that we face. And I hope that we can go bigger than what is simply asked of us. Mr. Speaker, one of the great pleasures of being here is to be able to work with good friends, and I want to thank my good friend Steve LaTourette for his leadership and Jim Cooper as well for the thought of putting together the Cooper-LaTourette budget based on Simpson-Bowles, that talks about a solution that really helps us get our entitlements under control, helps raise revenues, and puts a solution on the table. So today, I'm asking my colleagues to join with me to try to make sure that together we put a bipartisan solution on the table. And I want to thank my good friend, Steve LaTourette, for his leadership, and Jim Cooper as well.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the work that Sheriff Mark Curran and the Robert Crown Center are doing in Illinois' 10th Congressional District. Heroin and prescription drug abuse are on the rise in our local communities. Families of all backgrounds are being affected by this epidemic in the Chicagoland region. As a result of the increase in heroin deaths and prescription drug overdoses, Sheriff Mark Curran and the Robert Crown Center and other individuals in the community have come together to raise awareness of the dangers of these drugs. Throughout the past 2 years I've had the privilege of working with these leaders so that we can help educate our communities and to help get help for those who are struggling with addiction. From roundtables to awareness events and a recent community forum--which we held in Vernon Hills, Illinois--I'm proud of the work that's being done to end this epidemic. We do have much more work ahead of us, but I'm confident that Sheriff Mark Curran and others will continue to champion this cause and provide valuable resources to our community. I look forward to helping in any way possible.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. I want to thank my good friend for yielding, and I certainly want to thank my colleague Mr. Lungren, who is the chairman, for his leadership over the course of these many years. It is, indeed, one of the highest honors and privileges of my life to be able to represent the people of Illinois' 10th Congressional District in this esteemed body. I've always remembered who I work for and what they wanted to see accomplished, and the importance of bringing thoughtful, independent leadership to the Congress. When I first ran, I saw far too many people--far too many Americans-- who were struggling and out of work in a tough economy. As a small business owner, I certainly understand firsthand the pressures that small business owners and family businesses are facing all across the country. I felt that the Federal Government was making it harder and harder for me to put the key in the door and open up my business each and every day. Frankly, they should be doing quite the opposite. We here should be trying to make it easier for businesses to open up their doors, easier for them to hire that next individual. I've talked at length in this Chamber about my Main Street Jobs Agenda. With its focus on pro-growth tax reform, increasing exports and manufacturing, access to capital for small businesses, making investments in infrastructure, utilizing domestic energy resources, the importance of STEM education, and implementing smarter regulations as opposed to simply more of them, I do believe that this is the best recipe for moving our country forward and for getting our economy back on track. Now, there is certainly much more work to be done in the future, but I do want to recognize two important steps that we have taken in the 112th Congress. This Chamber has advanced--and I have been proud to support--a framework for tax reform that is focused on economic growth and on providing much-needed tax relief to American families. The realization of this tax reform will be essential in helping our economy reach its full potential in the future. I am also proud of the work that we have been able to do to promote domestic manufacturing, exports, and jobs created by them. As the second-largest manufacturing district in the Nation, we know how important it is to have trade agreements, which we passed with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, and we are already seeing the positive impact that these agreements are having today on jobs back home. I would also like to take this time to highlight a number of more locally focused achievements, specifically noteworthy for the people of Illinois' 10th Congressional District. For nearly 20 years we've been working closely with the local coalition of stakeholders and the Army Corps of Engineers, with the U.S. EPA and the Illinois EPA to try to clean up Waukegan Harbor and to delist it as an area of concern. For Lake County, it is the gateway to the Great Lakes. I am pleased to say that that cleanup has begun and that we are going to delist that. That did happen under our watch, and it's something that a number of us are very, very proud of. Of vital interest to every person in the 10th Congressional District is our transportation system. In this Congress, we passed a 2-year transportation bill, one which I can say is good and fair for our district. I fought hard and, yes, even broke with the party when I felt that the legislation that was drafted would jeopardize our priorities and the people in the district. Fortunately, these concerns were remedied in the final legislation, and I am proud that we were able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to pass a transportation bill. I also want to highlight the STOCK Act, which included some legislation that I had fought for--my ``no pensions for felons'' language. This provision strengthened existing Federal law to ensure that taxpayers are not funding congressional pensions for lawmakers convicted of public corruption crimes. As residents of Illinois are all too familiar with our recent Governor, Rod Blagojevich, this provision has special meaning, unfortunately, to the constituents of Illinois. Yet the interests of the people of the 10th District and, I would argue, of our country obviously carry beyond our own borders. I was proud to lead an early effort in showing a commitment of the House freshmen to make sure that foreign aid in this early budgetary crisis would not be jeopardized for our one true ally in the Middle East, the State of Israel. This included showing some support for what has now become widely known as the Iron Dome rocket defense system, but our focus in the Middle East certainly has not stopped there. We have gone to great lengths in this Congress to zero in on what I believe is the greatest threat we have to our own national security, and that is a nuclear armed Iran. I've been pleased to team with Representative Ted Deutch and Senator Kirk on a number of bills to confront this threat. Our actions have ranged from strengthening sanctions on Iran's energy sector to promoting human rights and democracy inside Iran and much more. In fact, one of our most important accomplishments in this Congress will have been a strong sanctions package, which passed both Houses this summer and which included these provisions that we authored. Finally, I would like to highlight the ongoing work to pass a bipartisan budget agreement. This is an initiative that I have been proud to advance, starting with a bipartisan letter that urges the supercommittee to go big--to put everything on the table--with a debt reduction agreement that puts literally everything that people don't want to talk about out into the open and on the table in order to try to structure a deal that will, in essence, put our economy on a course to fiscal solvency. I certainly look forward to continuing these bipartisan efforts. Yet again, we find ourselves today at the fiscal cliff. Just today, I had an opportunity to sit down with Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson and other members of the ``brave 38'' who voted for the only bipartisan budget to come to the floor in, I guess, a generation. I hope that we can come together and talk about something bigger--bigger solutions, not deals. We want solutions to the problems we face because that's what the American public, I believe, needs. Governing in a democracy is not easy. It requires compromise, and it requires working together. Yet, as I've often said, putting people before politics and progress before partisanship is the only way that we can truly move this country forward and to have a better future.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. I rise today to address the recent events in the Middle East. Our ally Israel, like every nation, must have the right to defend itself and its citizens against ongoing acts of terror. We know now that the international community frequently looks for opportunities to delegitimize Israel's actions, which is why it is essential that we here in the United States of America loudly and publicly express our support for Israel's right to defend itself in the face of Hamas' terror. Hamas is responsible for over 800 rocket attacks on Israel in 2012-- with over 250 rockets indiscriminantly fired on Israel's citizens in the past 5 days alone. Because of this escalation, 1 million men, women and children in southern Israel have been forced to live under the threat of attacks and must now know where the nearest rocket shelter is located. As I speak, thousands of Israelis are sleeping in bomb shelters out of fear for their lives and the lives of their children. Mr. Speaker, no nation would sit back and tolerate its population living under such threatening conditions. Certainly, we here in the United States would not.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Today, I rise to recognize a woman who embodies dedication to public service and the best of what we hope for in our public officials. Recently, Mayor Arlene Mulder of Arlington Heights announced her retirement, ending a long and successful tenure. Mayor Mulder served her community as village president for 20 years--the longest-serving village president in Arlington Heights history. She is respected by her colleagues and constituents alike for her commitment to work together and to better her community. She has been an advocate for local businesses and has helped transform downtown Arlington Heights into the beautiful and vibrant area that it is today. I want to express my appreciation for Mayor Mulder's 34 years in public service as village president, as trustee, and as park district commissioner. Her commitment to making Arlington Heights a better community is exactly what we look for in our public officials. I know she will continue to contribute in great ways to our communities, and I look forward to working with her in the future.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize a tremendous milestone in the 10th District of Illinois in the Chicago area. Recently, the Solomon Schecter Day School of Metropolitan Chicago celebrated its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1962 with only 27 students in its first class, Solomon Schecter has grown over the years to provide education to over 2,500 proud graduates. As a school that integrates general and Judaic studies, Solomon Schecter has promoted a love of learning and unique sense of community amongst its students, parents, educators, and volunteer leaders. Schecter students also forge valuable connections with students at Keshet, a Jewish day school that serves children with developmental disabilities. Mr. Speaker, I recently visited Keshet and was very impressed by the incredible work that they do in meeting the needs of the children there. But Solomon Schecter is more than just a school; it's a community, the strength of which can be seen in the fact that over 700 people came to proudly show their support at its recent 50th anniversary celebration. I'd like to wish Solomon Schecter Day School continued success in the future.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, from day one my focus in Congress has been on jobs and the economy. I believe that the best thing Congress can do is to find common ground to move our country forward. This week, I'm happy to say, we did just that. On Wednesday evening, the House of Representatives passed a bipartisan jobs bill--which I am pleased to say I championed--which would encourage global investment here in our country. This means jobs in our local communities. Companies in the 10th District like Astellas and Takeda and Siemens are able to invest here in America and put people to work. This bill passed with broad bipartisan support. And I certainly want to thank Representatives Roskam, Peters, and Barrow for reaching across the aisle and coming together and helping to pass a commonsense bill that helps businesses to grow right here at home. When we put people before politics and progress before partisanship, we can get things done for the American people.

Mr. DOLD

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 2827, which would clarify the definition of a ``municipal adviser'' to reflect the intent of the United States Congress. This bill received unanimous support and passed out of the Financial Services Committee with a vote of 60-0. I would like to urge my colleagues to support this important bipartisan legislation. Municipal advisers are consultants who advise local municipalities about bond issuances, bond-proceed investment, financial derivative uses, and other financial matters. Like traditional financial advisers, municipal advisers must comply with an existing legal and regulatory framework while owing their clients a fiduciary duty. But before Dodd-Frank, certain municipal advisers were not subject to any regulations--State, Federal or otherwise. Obviously, this legal and unjustified discrepancy between regulated and unregulated municipal advisers created a significant and, I would argue, unfair competitive advantage in favor of the unregulated municipal advisers. Even more importantly, the regulatory gap gave a few bad actors the opportunity to take advantage of the State and local government officials who, like most people, aren't familiar with advanced and technical financial products. Dodd-Frank section 975 addressed this problem by requiring these unregulated advisers to register with the SEC and to follow rules written by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. The provisions generally have bipartisan political support as well as widespread industry support. However, most of us, both Republicans and Democrats, believe that the SEC's interpretation of the law has gone far beyond what Congress intended by, among other things, requiring volunteer members of local governing boards, engineers providing technical and comparative analysis, and bank tellers to register with the SEC as municipal advisers. In response to its proposal, the SEC received over 1,000 comment letters from across the industry that were overwhelmingly critical of the proposed rule. This is why I introduced H.R. 2827. H.R. 2827 takes important steps to address these widely acknowledged concerns and specifies the scope and limits of Dodd-Frank's municipal adviser provisions. After introducing our original version of H.R. 2827, we asked everyone on both sides of the aisle--and industry participants as well with a wide variety of perspectives--to give us their comments and suggestions for improving the legislation. My colleague and cosponsor from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) and I have spent countless hours working and listening to all concerned parties to ensure that we have fully considered all the viewpoints in order to come up with the best possible legislation that could also pass with broad bipartisan support. At this time, I certainly want to thank her for all of her efforts. Mr. Speaker, there were two concerns about the original version of H.R. 2827 that were the most significant. The first was that the original version of the bill would strike the Federal fiduciary duty for municipal advisers, leaving in place just the State-based fiduciary duty standards. Second, even when explicitly engaged to provide municipal adviser services, the original bill would have excluded certain parties from regulation as municipal advisers. During the subcommittee markup, Ms. Moore and I articulated our plan for going forward with the legislation, and we invited more comments and suggestions from industry and all concerned parties. We were very pleased with the genuine engagement of the parties from across the industry and with their willingness to generously share their time, experience, effort, and knowledge with us. All of these contributions ultimately produced a better and stronger amended bill. We believe that this new version of the bill addresses the points raised since the subcommittee markup while still maintaining our broad coalition of bipartisan supporters. This new bill preserves the Federal fiduciary standard and removes the blanket status exemptions while still maintaining a bright-line municipal adviser definition. It protects issuers by establishing clear lines and rules for municipal advisory activity and provides clarity in the marketplace. In addition to the amendment's substance, I am very proud of the process that we've been able to undertake to get us to this point. I would like to thank my colleague again, Ms. Moore, and her staff for working with me and my staff, and I thank all of those who worked with us to get us to where we are in this process. They were so generous in sharing their time, and I am confident that what we have is a good bill with which we can move forward. Again, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2827. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I just want to again thank the gentlelady for her help and support with regard to this process which, as she aptly points out, was at times a little strenuous; but I believe in the end we were able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to produce what I hope is quality legislation that will be better for municipal advisers all across the country. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2827) to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to clarify provisions relating to the regulation of municipal advisors, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to add extraneous material on this bill.

Mr. DOLD. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any other speakers, but I do want to wrap up with a couple of thank-yous. I certainly want to thank Chairman Bachus for allowing this markup to move forward, and I certainly appreciated his help and support. I want to again highlight how this was able to move forward in a bipartisan fashion, and I certainly want to thank my good friend, Ms. Moore from Wisconsin, for all of her work and efforts to work with me on what I hope is going to be a bill that everyone here in this Chamber will support. With that, Mr. Speaker, I ask every one of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support H.R. 2827, and I yield back the balance of my time.