Gene Green

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 662 and 663, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chair of the committee for allowing me to speak. I support maintaining the estate tax at the exemption of $3.5 million. That's not what is in this legislation. And I believe in the value of hard work and rewarding those who are able to succeed, but I know some perceive the estate tax as undermining these values. However, we know that Americans with multimillion-dollar estates are not the only hard workers in our Nation. We have millions of Social Security recipients who have worked their entire lives but have seen their benefits decline due to no cost of living adjustment for 2 straight years now. What message do we send our Social Security recipients that we are giving 6,600 families a tax break on the average of $1.5 million each, but we can't find it appropriate to give our seniors on a fixed income a little bit more breathing room by sending them a $250 check to allow them to pay their bills and afford their medicine? The government's calculation tells us that the cost of living has not increased over the last 2 years, but seniors in my district and most of our own districts have done their own calculations. The cost of electricity, gas, and health care have risen dramatically. I hope to support a bill that will benefit most of my constituents, but this bill does not. Hopefully, we will see amendments that will make it better.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1765, a resolution supporting a negotiated solution to the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and condemning unilateral declarations of a Palestinian state. As a co-chair of the Democratic Israel Working Group, I would like to thank my colleague, Chairman Howard Berman, for bringing this important resolution to the House floor. I have been to Israel and the West Bank on numerous occasions. I can personally vouch for the yearning of the people of Israel and the Palestinian territories to come to a peaceful settlement that will end decades of discord and violence. A negotiated two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians is the underpinning of the peace process. It is the official policy of the U.S. Government, the Israeli Government and of the Palestinian Authority. Only through direct negotiations can difficult compromises be reached on core issues like borders, water, refugees, the status of Jerusalem, and security. Unfortunately, Palestinian leaders are pursuing a coordinated strategy to bypass the negotiations process to seek recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state by the United Nations and other international forums. Recently, the governments of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay unilaterally recognized the State of Palestine upon request from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Unilateral declarations of statehood will not eliminate the sources of the conflict. Rather, they undermine the peace process and endanger the safety and security of the Israeli and Palestinian people. This country and this Congress remain the largest grantor of assistance to help the Palestinian Authority build the political, economic and social infrastructure to support a future state. The unilateral statehood effort will undermine the ability of the United States to continue playing a constructive role. I call upon my colleagues to vote in support of the peace process, of a secure Israel and viable, democratic Palestinian state and in favor of this resolution.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to explain my absence from votes cast on December 14, 2010. My voting percentage is over 95% for the 111th Congress, and I rarely miss votes, but due to a prior commitment scheduled before we knew the House would be in session on Tuesday, I was unable to make it back to Washington in time for votes. On the three votes I missed: to approve S. 1405, the Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Designation Act, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye;'' to approve S. 3167, the Census Oversight Efficiency and Management Reform Act of 2010, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye;'' to approve H.R. 6510, To direct the Administrator of General Services to convey a parcel of real property in Houston, Texas, to the Military Museum of Texas had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Thank you. And I just urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 5987, but also for S. 3789.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Let me first say I want to thank my colleague for bringing both these bills up, H.R. 5987 and also S. 3789. First let me talk about Congressman Pomeroy. He and I came to the Congress together in 1993, and we worked together on a lot of issues, he coming from a very rural area. But we found out about 3 or 4 years ago that--and you can tell my Texas accent--his State has grown dramatically in the production of natural gas and oil, and also they have a refinery in North Dakota. I have five refineries, but I'm glad they have one up in his State. We have worked together for the last few years on energy issues for our country, and I want to thank him for his service to our country. Earl, we will miss you. And I will miss your friendship and your leadership on the Ways and Means Committee. I am proud to be here today to support not only S. 3789, the Social Security Number Protection Act, but also H.R. 5987, the Seniors Protection Act of 2010. For the second year in a row our Nation's seniors and veterans and people with disabilities have been denied a cost of living adjustment, their COLA. The Seniors Protection Act would provide 54 million Social Security beneficiaries with a one-time $250 payment in lieu of a COLA. This bill would provide targeted economic relief for our Nation's most vulnerable citizens. I have seniors in our district who get Social Security, they're married, and some of them are in terrible shape because of their circumstances--I have one who, her husband is disabled, she takes care of him, but because of a family situation she is taking care of three of her grandchildren. This is the second year she would not get any assistance or any increase in her Social Security. That is why this bill is so important. Almost two out of three seniors and 70 percent of people with disabilities rely on Social Security for half or more of their income. One-third of seniors get more than 90 percent of their income from Social Security. It's important that our Nation continue the promise that Americans should be allowed to retire with dignity, which has lasted for 75 years.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am an original cosponsor of the House companion to the bill we are considering today. I appreciate the leadership shown by Congresswoman Eshoo, who introduced the CALM Act and moved it through our committee and saw it passed by voice vote on the floor late last year. I am pleased we have the opportunity to consider these measures once again, because I believe it is important to set some boundaries for reasonable practices for television advertisements. Perhaps only during the Super Bowl do Americans actually look forward to television commercials. The rest of the time, most of us are mildly inconvenienced but understand that this short time spent watching ads allows for the programming we enjoy. What has become increasingly prevalent and extremely disruptive is the distinctly higher volume of sound of these commercials compared with the volume of the programming. There is a significant difference and it interferes with the viewer's ability to enjoy the experience. This bill will effectively end this discrepancy in volume. I believe that this is reasonable regulation and preserves the viewers' ability to control their own electronic devices without wildly fluctuating sound. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 3774, which would extend the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008. The FY2009 Supplemental Appropriation included funding for disasters that occurred in 2008. This included $600 million in Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funding eligible to be used for a wide variety of social services to assist in disaster recovery. In the wake of Hurricane Ike, a total of 734,000 Texans had registered with FEMA for individual assistance and 17,000 homes in Harris County were destroyed. Due to the magnitude of Ike, the State of Texas received $219 million in recovery funds under the Social Services Block Grant program from the Department of Health and Human Services. Under federal law, these SSBG funds must be spent by September 30, 2010. Any money not spent by that time must be returned to the federal Treasury. Texas currently has $44 million in funding that will revert back to the federal government. Many entities and local governments in Texas have expressed difficulty in meeting the September 30, 2010 deadline and are requesting a one year extension to September 30, 2011. Although there have been significant successes through the recovery process, significant needs remain. In the Greater Houston area, more than 2,500 families in case management still cite needs in the area of home repair and/or unmet needs. It is important to note that Texas is not the only state that would lose access to these funds--16 other states have remaining funds and an extension would assist those states as well. A similar extension was granted by Congress for Hurricane Katrina SSBG disaster recovery funds. It is also important to note that this bill involves no new spending. The SSBG grant funds were released and dispersed to the states over a year ago. This bill will only give those who need it, extra time to expend these needed funds as they continue to recover from Hurricane Ike. Senator Cornyn's legislation, S. 3774, passed out of the Senate on a unanimous consent. It would extend the deadline for Social Services Block Grant expenditures of supplemental funds appropriated following disasters occurring in 2008 for one year from September 30, 2010 to September 30, 2011. Before the House recessed on September 29 we tried to bring up this legislation, but it came over from the Senate very late and we were unable to come to an agreement to bring up the legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to allow the states impacted by disasters that occurred in 2008.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5986, the Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2010. H.R. 5986 would require HHS to submit a report to Congress on the current state of parasitic diseases that have been overlooked among the poorest Americans. A 2008 study by the George Washington University and Sabin Vaccine Institute identified high prevalence rates of parasitic infections in the poorest areas of the United States and along our border regions. Scientists estimate that there may be up to 100 million infections of the neglected diseases identified in our legislation including Chagas Disease, Cysticercosis, Toxocariasis, Toxoplasmosis, and Trichomoniasis and other neglected diseases of poverty in the United States. These diseases and other neglected diseases of poverty collectively infect up to 1.7 billion people around the world, but they disproportionately affect minority and impoverished populations across the United States, producing effects ranging from asymptomatic infection to asthma-like symptoms, seizures, and death. This study is especially important because these neglected diseases receive less financial support than they deserve. A mere $231,730 of research funding was allocated by NIH since 1995. This discrepancy in funding is known as the ``10/90 gap''; a mere 10 percent of global health research funding is directed towards diseases affecting 90 percent of the global population. The Neglected Infections of Impoverished Americans Act of 2010 would provide an up-to-date evaluation of the current dearth of knowledge regarding the epidemiology of these diseases and the socioeconomic, health and development impact they have on our society. I'd like to thank Rep. Hank Johnson and Rep. Gingrey for their efforts on this legislation. This will mark the second time we've passed this legislation out of the House and I'm hopeful we can swiftly move it through the Senate. I'd also like to thank Chairman Waxman, Chairman Pallone, and Ranking Member Barton for their efforts on this bipartisan legislation.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, like my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat, I oppose the President's budget for NASA. And I thank Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall and the whole Science Committee for their hard work to provide a way for NASA to do their job in space exploration. Today the House has a profound choice, and the stakes are high for American-led spaceflight. The House will be voting on the Senate version of the NASA reauthorization act. This bill, while unperfect, is critical to the future of our Nation's spaceflight and exploration program and will greatly benefit our scientific research and development capabilities. We share the concerns of some of you who are worried about certain provisions in this legislation, but I am pleased that this moves NASA in the correct direction. This is a good bill and could be stronger but is still a success for those of us who support NASA and understand what it means for our country, our economy, our national security, and our ability to maintain our edge in science and technology research and development. Simply said, if this bill fails today, it will profoundly undermine our space program. I urge all Members to pass this bill and commit to working with us and others interested in the future of NASA to improve this bill in significant ways down the road. If we fail to pass the bill, not only do we lose that opportunity, but we may lose the opportunity to keep NASA.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1226, recognizing the 25th anniversary of EyeCare America, the public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Founded in 1985, EyeCare America's mission is to reduce avoidable blindness and severe visual impairment by raising awareness about eye disease and care, providing free health education materials and facilitating access to medical eye care. EyeCare America has programs for seniors, glaucoma, diabetes and children. In 2010, EyeCare America celebrates its 25th anniversary and across our nation, nearly 7,000 ophthalmologists volunteer their services to this worthwhile public service program. Approximately, 35 million Americans experience an age-related eye disease, including age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts, with this number expected to grow to 50 million by 2020. Vision impairment and eye disease is a major public health issue, especially as 2010 begins the decade in which more than half of the 78 million Baby Boomers will turn 65 and be at greatest risk for aging eye disease. EyeCare America works to ensure that eye health is not neglected, by matching eligible patients with one of nearly 7,000 volunteer ophthalmologists across the country committed to preventing unnecessary blindness in their communities. These volunteer ophthalmologists will provide them with a medical eye exam and up to one year of care at no out-of-pocket cost. Seniors without insurance receive this care at no charge. EyeCare America has helped over 1 million people since its inception and is one of the largest public service programs of its kind in American medicine today. I'd like to thank Rep. Whitfield, Chairman Pallone, Chairman Waxman, and Ranking Member Barton for their support and assistance in moving this bipartisan resolution.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act that is before the House today. I am an original cosponsor of this legislation and strongly urge my colleagues to support it. As Americans continue to suffer from stagnant pay, underemployment, and 9.6 percent unemployment, across the Pacific in the People's Republic of China, business is booming. Almost all of this growth is due to China's export sector, which is able to sell goods at low prices and face little to no international competition domestically due to China's manipulation of its currency, the Renminbi, RMB. Economists from across the political spectrum estimate that the Renminbi is undervalued by at least 35 to 40 percent. In other words, U.S. goods are, at least 35 percent, more expensive for Chinese consumers and make Chinese goods, at least 35 percent, cheaper in the United States. China's currency manipulation has had terrible effects for competing economies from around the globe. Nations that rely heavily on exportation for growth, such as Japan and South Korea, have begun or are taking measures to emulate Beijing's manipulation of their own currencies so their goods can compete. In the United States, the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute has estimated that between 2001 and 2008 alone, the growing trade deficits with China have displaced 2.4 million jobs. Sixty percent of these jobs were in the manufacturing sector, the very sector that has given millions of Americans a path into the middle class. If China allowed its currency to ``float'' on the international market, in a fashion similar to the U.S. Dollar, British Pound, and Japanese Yen, it could create a million U.S. manufacturing jobs and cut our trade deficit with China by $100 billion a year, with no cost to the U.S. Treasury. For years, this Congress, as well as the Administrations of President Bush and President Obama, have tried to persuade the Chinese government to moderate or end the manipulation of its currency. No significant progress has been made. It is time we take action to hold China accountable for their market distortion and protectionist practices. A vote ``yes'' today is a vote to stand up for American workers, to take strides to boost our economy, and to strengthen our domestic manufacturing sector.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I thank the chairman of the Health Subcommittee for those kind words but also for this legislation. I would also like to thank the full committee chair, Henry Waxman; and our ranking member, Joe Barton; along with our ranking member on our subcommittee, Congressman Shimkus from Illinois, for the support of this bill; and all of the Members on the Energy and Commerce Committee. I rise in strong support of H.R. 1745, the Family Health Care Accessibility Act. H.R. 1745 will extend Federal Tort Claim coverage for licensed volunteer practitioners for section 330 services provided under the Public Health Service Act in community health centers. This legislation will allow licensed practitioners to volunteer and provide them adequate tort claims protection equal to employees of the community health centers. A March 2006 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found community health centers had a 13 percent vacancy rate for family physicians, 9 percent for internists, a 20 percent vacancy rate for OB- GYNs, an 8 percent vacancy rate for podiatrists, a 22 percent vacancy rate for psychiatrists, and an 18 percent vacancy rate for dentists. If we rely on community health centers as medical homes, we need to increase the number of health care providers--including volunteer practitioners. So many qualified individuals want to volunteer their time but are afraid to do so because they do not have Federal Tort Claim protection and the Government Accountability Office has found that doctors and nurses choose not to volunteer their skills at community health centers because medical liability insurance is too costly for individuals to purchase on their own. We can address the workforce shortage in health centers by clarifying that medical malpractice coverage is provided to clinicians who wish to volunteer their time working at the community health center. I want to thank Congressman Murphy from Pennsylvania for sponsoring the legislation. Again, this will mark the third time we've worked together to pass this legislation in the House. It was in the health care reform bill, but the Senate did not include it in their version. Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the House, and hopefully we'll pass this bill today again and give the Senate another opportunity.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, it seems like we have a lot of Texas voices here today, and I want to share mine. I thank my chair of our Energy and Commerce Committee for yielding to me. I support, obviously, the full passage of the bill, but, Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the students and teachers who will benefit from passage of the Education, Jobs, and Medicaid Assistance Act. Madam Speaker, I would like to place in the Record two letters from education groups supporting this legislation. At a time when local and State governments from coast to coast are cutting funding for basic services such as education, public safety, and transportation, this legislation will bring much-needed assistance to keep 161,000 educational professionals working now; 14,500 educational jobs in Texas will be saved. I want to speak to the important provision my Texas colleagues on this side of the aisle worked hard to get into this bill. Last year, the governor of Texas took $3.25 billion in Federal stabilization funds specifically designated for educational purposes and used it to build up the State's rainy day fund, which may sound good, but it was nothing more than the governor taking much-needed resources from the students and educators of Texas. In order to make sure the governor of Texas does not repeat history and misuse the Federal education funds, my colleagues and I pushed to have language added to the bill that will require the governor provide assurance to the Secretary of Education that the funds allocated to Texas be used to supplement and not supplant State K-12 education funding through fiscal year 2013. The governor and his political allies have stated in recent days that it cannot make such assurances because of its being unconstitutional. Well, our governor obviously is not a constitutional lawyer, so let the record show that the governor had made the same assurance before, including in the State's Fiscal Stabilization Program application last year. This language is supported by the Texas Association of School Boards as well as Statewide groups representing teachers, principals, and school administrators across the State and ensures that these funds get to the classrooms and will hopefully delay property tax increases. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important legislation. Texas Democratic Delegation Statement on Protection for Schoolchildren Last year, we voted for the Economic Recovery Act, which included $3.25 billion to support local Texas school districts. But instead of using these funds as Congress intended, State Republican Leadership used them to replace state education funding, thereby denying an increase in support for our local school districts. We want to ensure that any new emergency funds Congress provides for education actually help our Texas schools. We have requested additional protections be incorporated into any Supplemental Appropriations legislation specifically for Texas schoolchildren to ensure local districts actually receive this federal help. These protections will ensure that the $820 million in new emergency federal funds for education go to preserve teacher jobs throughout the State and meet other local education needs. These funds would go to local schools as long as the Governor certifies that (1) federal funds are not used merely to replace state education support, and (2) education funding will not be cut proportionally more than any other item in the upcoming Texas General Appropriations Act. This prevents any further shell games with federal education dollars at the expense of local school districts. This approach has been endorsed by Texas statewide education organizations representing teachers, principals, school boards, school administrators, and nearly 40 superintendents. A solid education is the foundation on which our economy and our democracy rest. Our support for our local school districts reflects a twofold understanding: First, local districts know best what the needs of their students, teachers, and administrators are. Second, especially in times of a difficult economy, we need to invest in our schools. Our language helps ensure local school districts in Texas have the support they need. Charles A. Gonzalez; Sheila Jackson Lee; Silvestre Reyes; Henry Cuellar; Eddie Bernice Johnson; Ciro D. Rodriguez; Lloyd Doggett; Solomon P. Ortiz; Ruben Hinojosa; Gene Green; Chet Edwards; Al Green.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I want to thank my colleague from Washington State for allowing me 1 minute. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3534, the CLEAR Act, because it will kill jobs, increase our reliance on foreign oil, and has become a vehicle for controversial and extraneous provisions that do not address the issues at hand--the safety of our offshore oil production. I am proud to represent a district that does everything energy, from constituents who work offshore, to service companies, to refineries, to chemical plants downstream. I strongly support making production safer and cleaner, whether it's offshore, on land, or in our industrial facilities. No one questions unlimited liability on the responsible party for all environmental cleanup costs, but this bill goes so far that it would make it unlimited also for whatever economic damage. What is going to happen is it will put at serious risk competitive investment in the Gulf of Mexico and potentially precipitate a future energy affordability crisis. Effective legislation can be achieved that will ensure the continued development of the gulf resources in a responsible and safe manner while preserving the ability of our independent oil and gas exploration and production companies to operate offshore. This legislation will instead make it impossible for these producers, most of which are small businesses, to get insurance to drill and drive hundreds of production and servicing companies out of business. This is the last thing the Gulf Coast and our recovering economy needs. If you want to eliminate jobs and hundreds of small businesses, vote for this bill. Secondly, this bill contains several extraneous provisions that have nothing to do with ensuring the safety of our offshore production. In football, we call this piling on. Section 728 of the bill subjects oil and gas construction activities to storm water discharge permits--a regulatory requirement inappropriate for oil and gas operations, which could place entire projects and significant capital at risk and has nothing to do with safety. This provision mischaracterizes the issue, placing preparatory steps for oil and gas production in the same category as building construction. These are two very different things. The Department of Energy estimates that such regulation could result in the loss of future production up to ten percent of both current U.S. oil production and current U.S. natural gas production. Again, if you want to kill U.S. jobs, vote for this bill. Section 802 of the bill imposes a conservation fee of $2 per barrel of oil, or 20 cents per million BTU of natural gas, for production from all new and existing federal onshore and offshore leases, a cost that will eventually be passed on to consumers. While I am a member of the Sportsman's Caucus and a strong support of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, this fee targets onshore production, which has no place in a bill responding to the BP oil spill. Section 241 compels companies to renegotiate their 1996-2000 deepwater royalty relief leases or else be ineligible to bid on new leases. This has nothing to do with responding to the BP oil spill. For these reasons and others, I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote against this bill. This bill will kill jobs, hurt our domestic production, and has become a vehicle for controversial and extraneous provisions that do not address the issue at hand.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend Pat Bellamy. Patrick Bellamy was the Chairman of the Houston Ship Patrick also served as a member of the Houston-Harris County Homeland Security Advisory Council and is the retiring Director of the Southwest Public Safety Technology Center at the University of Houston (SWRC). In these roles Mr. Bellamy planned with federal, state and local government entities relative to Homeland Security and related issues. Mr. Bellamy has been involved with government, information technology, communications infrastructure deployment and first response for over forty years and has completed AAS, BS and MA degrees. Prior to his retirement from what is now AT&T, Mr. Bellamy was Regional Vice President and Executive Director responsible for Technology Planning, Market Development, Technical Sales/Support, Program Management and Technology Certifications/Assurance. In his various roles, Mr. Bellamy has deployed a variety of ``firsts'' as part of planning the St. Louis, San Antonio, Tulsa, Houston, Paris, Chilean and other complex networking and defense systems. He was also involved in a variety of government and industry emergency response teams and in the development of related process- oriented efforts. Mr. Bellamy's organizations also coordinated the implementation and ongoing management of complex technologies for international, national and other industry systems. Similarly, his organization coordinated sensitive government-oriented systems plus implementations for the Economic Summit (G7), the Republican National Convention and other strategic events. He also wrote the technology planning document for the 2012 Olympic Game effort. While a member of the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Bellamy was educated at Chanute AFB as an electrical-electronics engineer and assisted in the planning, design, implementation, testing, first response and maintenance of guidance and control systems, nuclear payloads, addressing systems, networking systems, first response systems and other functions associated with the strategic Minuteman Inter- continental Ballistic Missile defense system. Among his community involvement efforts, Patrick Bellamy was the Founder of the UH Cullen College of Engineering's Houston InfoComm Technology Initiative and co-Founder of the Houston Area Technology Advancement Center. Similarly, Mr. Bellamy has been a board member of the Houston READ Commission and has also served as the Chairman of the Executive Board for the Gulf Coast Alliance for Minorities in Engineering. Mr. Bellamy currently serves on a number of public/private advisory boards. Along these lines, Mr. Bellamy played a leading role in the creation and development of the Houston Ship Channel Security of District. And, with the assistance of HSC2, local governments, the Houston Ship Channel Security District Board, Houston Ship Channel Industry Participants (including EHCMA), HSC2, the Port of Houston Authority, the USCG and other key players, led the transition process associated with the evolution of this ``first-of-its-kind'' key Homeland Security-oriented effort. And so it is with great pleasure that I recognize and congratulate my long time friend, Pat Bellamy.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 5850--Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2011. In particular, I am supportive of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development's inclusion of federal funding for the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County for four projects in the City of Houston as well as funding much needed improvements to the Lynchburg Ferry Landings in our area. The Subcommittee's inclusion of $150 million for the North and Southeast corridor light rail projects will be tremendously helpful for the Houston area. These projects involve a combined 11.8 miles of light rail transit, and will benefit the city by increasing citizen mobility, improving the city's air quality, and promoting economic development and job creation. The funding will be used for the final design and construction of these two corridors, which are part of an overall system of interrelated projects that make up the Advanced Transit Program and Metro Solutions Plan. The success of these light rail projects will facilitate Houston's economic recovery and help the city further develop and improve its infrastructure. Additionally, H.R. 5850 includes $700,000 for the North and South Lynchburg Ferry Landings in Harris County, Precinct Two. These landings haven't been refurbished or updated in years and these funds will provide better connectivity between the historical and recreational sites to increase the number of visitors and provide an economic stimulus for Ship Channel communities. I would like to thank the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development for recognizing the importance of this assistance to the Houston area and including them in this bill.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the over 150,000 residents in the State of Texas who have lost their unemployment benefits since June 2nd. Nationally, over 2.5 million Americans have lost their eligibility for unemployment insurance, at a time when our country is suffering through the most difficult economic slump it has witnessed since the Great Depression. Unemployment insurance helps our country in two crucial ways: First, unemployment insurance assists those hurt most by this recession. Second, unemployment insurance is a major job creator. Nearly 15 million Americans are out of work. Of these 15 million, 46 percent have been out of work for more than six months. In recent months, there have been at least five unemployed workers for every job opening. These are proud, working Americans who have already been victimized by the state of our Nation's economy. Why are we victimizing them again by denying them this crucial lifeline? Unemployment insurance is also one of the most stimulative measures the Federal Government can take to help the economy. The Congressional Budget Office has found that for every dollar spent on unemployment benefits, $1.90 of economic growth is generated. In a recent study by the non-partisan Economic Policy Institute, the expansion of unemployment benefits since 2007 has supported 1.7 million full-time equivalent positions. These jobs have raised GDP by $244.8 billion, a 1.7 percent boost. In sharp contrast to extending tax cuts for the wealthiest in our country, unemployed Americans will spend their benefits immediately to pay their rent, buy groceries and other necessary goods, thereby creating jobs throughout the economy. This is not simply smart policy. This is a moral issue. We will be helping our friends and neighbors during their time of need. I call upon my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of the Restoration of Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the most successful program the United States Government has ever created, Social Security. Since its inception in 1935, Social Security has become the great promise that each generation will take care of those who came before it. In our district in Texas, nearly 65,000 recipients receive over $61 million monthly from the Social Security administration. It's a blue- collar district, home to thousands of hardworking families who have overcome wars and natural disasters in becoming the backbone of the American economy. The national average benefit for the retiree is $14,000 a year, a majority of income for 6 out of 10 seniors. This modest amount guarantees that tens of millions of parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors can retire with dignity. I believe it's important to consider what would have happened if Congress had followed along the lines of then-President George W. Bush in 2005 to partially privatize Social Security and make Social Security subject to the stock market. Or consider what could happen if Congress follows along the plans of some of my colleagues across the aisle in cutting Social Security to reduce the national debt. I believe that cutting Social Security is irresponsible and wrong as we approach the 75th anniversary of Social Security.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chair, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010. The National Flood Insurance Program makes federally-backed flood insurance available to homeowners, renters, and business owners in participating communities in exchange for those communities adopting and enforcing floodplain management ordinances to reduce future flood damage. Unfortunately, Congress did not reauthorize the program by the May 31 deadline of this year, and as a result many Americans living in flood-prone areas, including people in my congressional district, have been unable to obtain flood insurance or renew their coverage. Hurricane season is now upon us, and therefore this is an issue on which Congress must show urgency. The Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010 would reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program through the year 2015, along with making certain reforms. One such reform involves a five year phase-in of flood insurance rates for newly mapped areas not previously designated as having special flood hazard. This is particularly important for low-income citizens living in where flood maps change frequently. I have always been a supporter of the National Flood Insurance Program because I believe that hard-working Americans deserve the peace of mind that comes from knowing that their homes and businesses will be protected in the event of a major flood. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5114 and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program so that people are once again able to obtain this peace of mind.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 411, had I been present, I would have voted, ``yes.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in recognition of the tremendous leadership of the outgoing President of the International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Ron Gettelfinger. Ron is a recognized leader and advocate for the rights and dignity of working Americans everywhere. Ron began his association with the UAW in 1964, where he was a chassis line repairman at Ford's Louisville Assembly plant. It was on the assembly line that Ron won the support of his colleagues, who elected him to be their representative--first as a committeeperson, then as a bargaining chairperson and president, and later as a delegate to the National Ford Council and Sub-Council #2. In 1992, Ron served as Director of UAW Region 3, which covers the States of Indiana and Kentucky. Six years later, Ron was elected a UAW Vice President. As Vice President, Ron was director of the UAW Aerospace Department and the UAW Ford Department, where he led negotiations in 1999 that focused on ``Bargaining for Families.'' Since 2002, Ron has serviced as president. As the head of the union, Ron has had to navigate the UAW through difficult times in the automotive industry. He was instrumental in working with the then newly-elected Obama Administration, Chrysler and General Motors in keeping two of the Big Three afloat while also negotiating for the rights and concerns of autoworkers. During his 8-year tenure as President of the UAW, Ron was a pragmatic visionary, who in 2006 called for a ``Marshall Plan'' to renew America's industrial base through incentives to promote manufacturing of energy-saving advanced technological vehicles and their key components in the United States. Ron has also led the UAW's fight for improving workers' rights and environmental provisions in bi- and multilateral trade agreements. In our nation's recent debate on health care reform, Ron was an outspoken advocate for accessible and affordable health care coverage for all Americans. Today, Ron is seen as a statesman in organized labor. He provided tremendous leadership during a time of crisis. Due to much of his hard work and dedication, there is renewed hope that our country may be at the dawn of a renaissance in the automobile industry. From January to May of 2010, automobile sales at General Motors were up 14 percent. Over the same period of time, sales were increased 8 percent for Chrysler. As Ron returns home to his wife, Judy, his two children and four grandchildren, I just want to thank him for his vision and support for working families and working Americans. I want to commend Chairman Emeritus Dingell for bringing up this special order.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I would like to submit the followi article, ``Remember the 60th anniversary of the Korean War'' by Hardie Matthews, as printed in the Pasadena Citizen, June 23, 2010. Why can't we just have a peaceful world with no war? What causes us to send the best men and women in the world off to war. I didn't want to leave my home and go fight some war in some far off place. I just wanted to stay home and enjoy my life. I admire the young men and women today who are so dedicated to defending this great country of ours. June is a bad month for me. It was June 1945 when I was taken from my idyllic home in Lubbock, Texas, and thrust into the real world of basic training. And then five years later, away I went from Texas Tech to the Korean War. Never will forget my college roommates and I fixing our lunch of the usual steak and hearing an interruption of the noontime radio newscast. The announcer, in his grave voice, said at eight that night, the President of the United States wanted to talk to us about the situation that had developed in Korea. We were all busy and didn't have time to think about some idiotic place called Korea. So that night, while we were studying, Squeaky Voice Truman came on the radio. What a horrible voice he had! What made it even worse was he had a hard time reading his script. His predecessor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had such a melodic voice and knew exactly how to use it. Then old Squeaky Voice came on, and I lost interest in becoming President of the United States. With FDR, I wanted to be President; before I heard him in 1933, first grade, I wanted to be a truck driver, but Roosevelt just sort of hypnotized me. I wanted to be just like him. Soooo, while we were studying, June 25, 1950, Squeaky Voice came on the radio and told us that Communist North Korea had invaded South Korea, and that the United Nations had been asked to submit troops to prevent the takeover of that peninsula by Communist North Korea. The next day, the glaring headline in the Lubbock Avalance Journal newspaper said that Truman had declared war on North Korea. That morning I went to the Tech library. I wanted to find Korea on the World Atlas. I did, and came home to tell my roommates. Within days, I was on my way. I couldn't believe that rotten place called Korea. We were on a Japanese Junker ship. It kept stalling and stalling. Something was wrong with the durn motor. It would sputter along, and then stop. Then we would hear a large splash as the anchor was mechanically splashed into the water. There we would sit for hours. That went on for days and days. As best we could determine, it took us 10 days to go the 50 miles by water from Yokohoma, Japan, to Inchon, Korea. Can you imagine! Fifty miles in 10 days! What made it worse was the food. We ate spoiled Spam! When you're starving to death, you'll eat anything. Consequently, when we hit the beachhead at Inchon, I had soiled pants from dysentery, a letter in my pocket from Mom saying that she couldn't take Dad's philandering any more and was divorcing him. What I didn't have was ammunition, food or officers. All officers stayed on board our ship. That night, we speculated that all those officers would be back in Japan receiving citation after citation for their bravery in combat. Makes me sick, now, every time I see an officer with a chest full of medals. All those medals were ``earned'' many miles behind the lines. So next time you see that, remember what I've told you here. Just before we climbed over the side of that ship, we threw our duffel bags down into a landing barge. Not one bag missed that little boat. We had a rope ladder to climb down. In so doing, when we reached the bottom of the rope ladder, we had to wait until the boat rose up high enough with the tide so that we could jump from the rope to the barge. Our buddies on board would catch us and swing us onto the barge. Cold! Goodness! And there stood ``Boatman,'' as we called the man running the landing barge. His face was all red and puffy from frostbite. His eyes had visible white matter in them, and all he had on for protection from the coldness was a field jacket. I had on about seven layers of clothes. He was a Army Reservist just like us and this was his fourth week on that landing barge. We all looked at him with such envy, and, in turn, he looked at us with even more envy. He had two bandoliers of ammunition; that is, two big straps from his shoulders to his waste; we had no ammo. We had heavy winter clothing; he had a light weight field jacket. All those memories came back to me as I sat in Tom Mixon's Memory War Museum. Tom and two of his friends were telling me about the Chosin Reservior battle they were in. There were about 10,000 Marines, approximately 2,000 Army and United Nations troops defending that reservoir. 120,000 Chinese forces were determined to annihilate those Marines and other troops, but did not. To me, it was unreal that I would be sitting there in that museum talking to two of the heroes of that horrible battle that raged for two months in sub-zero weather. The odds were completely against them, and yet, here sat two of my heroes: James H. Lewis and Lonnie Avery. How do you thank men like them and Tom Mixon, who suffered frostbite so severe that his limbs were to be amputated? There is no way to thank them, is there? Let me tell you something: Though I try to keep religion out of this column, I just have to say this: I thank God for brave men like those three. You and I wouldn't be here if the Communists of Asia hadn't been stopped by those heroes. So on June 25 of this year, the sixtieth anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War, you and I should wish HIS richest blessing for those three good men, our own great heroes, for what they did for you and me. Just let me say, God bless the three of you. I don't know anyone more deserving than you. What an honor it is for me to sit here at this computer writing about you three modest, hard working men! It is a real honor. Thank you for the good life that is mine. I wouldn't be here pounding away on this poor old keyboard, if it weren't for you three. Thank you from the depth of my heart. Thank you.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I thank the chair of the full Energy and Commerce Committee for yielding. To my Republican colleagues, we make history on the floor of the House, and we did when we passed the health care bill, but you can't rewrite it. The House passed a bill, H.R. 3961, that only had one Member from the Republican Party who voted for that bill that was the permanent fix for this doctor situation so that our doctors wouldn't be cut 21 percent as of last week. One vote, and it was my colleague from Texas, Dr. Burgess. That's why this is so important today. We wish we could pass a better bill and a long-term fix, but we can't get it through the United States Senate; so we're going to November. You had a chance to step up and do it, but you didn't do it. We passed that bill with only one Republican vote. This legislation is so important because Medicare is so important. Our seniors need to be able to go to a doctor, and yet we're seeing doctors say they can't afford to treat them anymore because we didn't do the permanent fix. That's why this bill is so important today, to get us through November. Hopefully we will be able to then do a permanent fix so doctors will be able to see our senior citizens. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Preservation of Access to Care for Medicare Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act. This legislation will prevent a 21-percent cut in Medicare physician payment reimbursements through November 30, and makes the so-called doc fix retroactive to June 1, when a previous stop gap measure expired. While Congress enacted stop-gap measures for rate cuts scheduled for several months, yesterday CMS began mailing reimbursement checks to physicians who accept Medicare with the 21-percent reduction in their reimbursement. This legislation before us today is another temporary fix and amends the legislation we sent to the Senate, which would be a permanent fix to the Medicare physician payment system, but we need to ensure that our seniors will continue to have access to their physicians and doctors will continue to accept Medicare. It is clear that this current physician payment system contains some inherent flaws that must be addressed to ensure the long term viability of Medicare and access to beneficiaries. My hometown of Houston contains some of the world's best medical facilities, where the scope of care is unmatched. Yet, I meet physicians working in every medical specialty who say that this current Medicare physician payment system threatens our Medicare beneficiaries' access to the health care that they provide. I support the legislation today to ensure our physicians will not receive a 21-percent cut in their Medicare reimbursement rates, but in November we will need to revisit this issue and enact a permanent fix to the physician payment system.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I submit the following article: ``No, GOP, you don't get the car keys back'' by Gene Lyons of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as printed in The Baytown Sun, May 25, 2010. One minor mystery of the Obama administration is whether the president has actually believed that the nation's most intractable problems could be solved by the wonder-working power of bipartisanship and the emollient balm of his personality. He wouldn't be the first politician whose ego convinced him he could sweet-talk his bitterest opponents. Many Democrats think that the White House's ultimately futile quest for Republican health care votes only gave GOP imaginers more time to frighten gullible voters with falsehoods about ``death panels'' and such, weakening public support. Until quite recently, it's been much the same with jobs and the economy. Despite unanimous Republican opposition to the administrations $787 billion stimulus bill and universal predictions of doom, the White House has often acted as if the party's reasonable leadership would eventually return to the politics of negotiation and compromise. Instead, we've seen the GOP increasingly dominated by its irrational Chicken Little wing, seeing grim portents and predicting doom. Continuing their party's decades-long war on Arithmetic, Republicans act as if the highest form of patriotism is to demand tax cuts even as a USA Today analysis documents that ``Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman's presidency . . . Federal, state and local taxes--including income, property, sales and other taxes--consumed 9.2 percent of all personal income in 2009, the lowest rate since 1950, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports.'' The historic average has been 12 percent. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the U.S. economy generated 290,000 jobs in April, the strongest month in four years. That brings new jobs created in 2010 to 573,000. And how did GOP savants respond to the good news? Citing the unemployment rate, House Minority Leader John Boehner called it ``disappointing news . . . Washington Democrats have no coherent agenda to create jobs, and no interest in doing anything but continue to spend money we don't have on `stimulus' programs that don't work.'' Don't work? The National Journal's Ronald Brownstein puts things in perspective: ``If the economy produces jobs over the next eight months at the same pace as it did over the past four months, the nation will have created more jobs in 2010 alone than it did over the entire eight years of George W. Bush's presidency.'' It's a fact. Should current growth persist, the U.S. economy will gain roughly 1.7 million jobs this year. From 2001 through 2008, the Bush economy generated about 1 million. Of course with 15.3 million Americans out of work, we're far from being out of the woods. Indeed, the nation's quickening economy has actually led to a slight uptick in the unemployment rate, as thousands who'd given up seeking work rejoined the labor market. But we can definitely see a path to greater prosperity. Meanwhile, Republicans keep baying at the moon. On a recent ``Fox News Sunday,'' former House Speaker Newt Gingrich gravely announced that ``The (Obama) secular-socialist machine represents as great a threat to America as Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union once did.'' Even host Chris Wallace was taken aback, asking ``Mr. Speaker, respectfully, isn't that wildly over the top?'' Gingrich didn't think so. A sane political movement would keep a prating coxcomb like Gingrich off television. Whether Newt actually believes this rubbish, or is merely following the Tea Party fife and drum corps around the bend, strikes me as of little interest. Politically, it's pointless to reason with crazy people-- make-believe or real. Speaking recently in Buffalo, president Obama signaled that maybe he gets it. ``When I took office,'' he said ``we were losing 750,000 jobs a month. . . . I had just inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit from the previous administration, so the last thing I wanted to do was spend money on a recovery package, or help the American auto industry keep its doors open, or prevent the collapse of Wall Street banks whose irresponsibility had helped cause this crisis. But what I knew was if I didn't act boldly and I didn't act quickly . . . we could have risked an even greater disaster.'' Then, at a Manhattan fundraiser, Obama came up with the perfect metaphor. He said that Republicans had made a calculated decision to oppose all White House initiatives, and to hope for the worst. ``So after they drove the car into the ditch, made it as difficult as possible for us to pull it back, now they want the keys back. No! You can't drive! We don't want to have to go back into the ditch! We just got the car out!'' Give 'em hell, Barrack. Over and over until they get the message.