Gene Green

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I support this effort to override the President's veto of the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill funding the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education. After years of too little attention to our important domestic programs, this legislation makes important investments in our health care and education programs. Several years of flat funding and small increases have resulted in funding reductions for the health, education and labor programs that Americans rely on every day. I am pleased that the bill provides the National Institutes of Health with a 4-percent increase over current funding levels. The $30 billion in this legislation will help expand our nation's commitment to life- saving medical research, much of which is performed in my back yard at the Baylor College of Medicine, the MD Anderson Cancer Center and many other impressive research facilities located in the Texas Medical Center. I also support the legislation's $225 million increase for the Health Centers program. I know the administration supports this program, but by vetoing this bill, the President puts in jeopardy our goal to expand the program to a level that will provide 30 million Americans with a health care home. H.R. 3043 also provides $200,000 in funding for Gateway to Care, for the Community Health Center Technology Improvement Program. Gateway to Care is the community health care access collaborative in Harris County. Gateway to Care will utilize this funding to help coordinate the deployment of health information technology among the county's health care clinics. This funding will allow Gateway to Care to offer technical support to the developing health centers in Harris Co. during the implementation of a common Management Information System. Additionally, this funding will allow Gateway to Care staff to lead workforce development and training activities at health centers to utilize technology to improve the business management and health care delivery in area health centers. In this bill, the appropriators also generously dedicated $415,000 in equipment funding for the Harris County Hospital District's Diabetes Program. This project would help the Harris County Hospital District procure the necessary equipment to establish a Diabetes Program, which will provide comprehensive diabetes care in an appropriate setting for a multi-ethnic, indigent population. The interdisciplinary program will include an outpatient referral center, diabetes specialists, educators, nurses, nutritionists, social workers, case managers and specialist services related to the screening and treatment of diabetes complications. Houston is the only large city in the U.S. without a single comprehensive diabetes program, which is why this funding is so important to our community. The establishment the diabetes program at the Harris County Hospital District would improve health outcomes for its 40,000 patients with diabetes. I want to thank the Appropriations Committee for all of their hard work on this bill. This piece of legislation provides critical and necessary funding for programs that all of our districts need. Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this veto override.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation to update and improve 911 services for today's technology. Improving public safety is a constant struggle, as I have learned working on improving 911 services for the Houston area and the entire state of Texas as a state legislator, and I want to thank Mr. Gordon for his work on this legislation, both in introducing it and for working with all involved parties throughout the process to create a bill with such broad support. In June 2005, after it received reports about the inability of some Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers to access 911 services, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued regulations requiring VoIP providers to automatically provide 911 services to their customers, and to route these calls with a call-back number and the caller's registered location, either directly or through a third-party. After trying to address this issue for several years, I hope we can send a bill to the President this Congress addressing VoIP E911. The purpose of H.R. 3403 is to ensure that consumers using VoIP services to place phone calls have access to E911, by giving VoIP providers access to 911 infrastructure and by extending existing liability protections to VoIP service. This bill requires VoIP providers to provide 911 service and E911 service to its subscribers in accordance with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations. It allows VoIP to access the nation's existing 911 infrastructure, which is largely operated by their competitors, traditional telephone companies. VoIP companies will also be permitted to access existing 911 infrastructure not only to deliver 911 calls, but also to provide location and call-back information for those calls. Customers using VoIP services expect to access 911 services just as wireless and wireline customers do, and this legislation ensures it is parallel with those services when it comes to E911 regulations and requirements. I strongly support this legislation to improve public safety, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, Head Start is a critical part of this country's effort to combat the effects of poverty and ensure that all of our children have the opportunity and skills they need to thrive. Since its creation in 1965, it has proven to be our most valuable school readiness program in the history of this country--especially, now that we know more about the importance of early-childhood education. Study after study demonstrates that by age 6, a child's capacity to learn is largely formed, and time after time, we have seen reports that prove students who attend Head Start perform better than those who don't. By doing this, Head Start is helping to close the achievement gap between students of differing socio-economic status across our country, and helping the children in our communities by providing opportunities that they might not otherwise have. Additionally, people often forget the wonderful things that this program does for the parents. The key to Head Start's approach is its level of actively involving parents and the community in all aspects of the program--and this reauthorization would further this goal. Parents are a child's first teachers, and Head Start helps build and foster a person's parenting skills in various ways. Parents are also urged to improve their literacy skills, obtain adult basic education, and make their homes a place where reading is part of everyday life. Head Start also tackles a wide range of poverty issues through its family and community partnerships, including: substance abuse, violence, HIV, homelessness, single-parent households, inadequate child care, unemployment, and numerous other stressors that challenge families' resources. This program is clearly instrumental to our country. The Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 will reinvigorate Head Start and help more children arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed. I urge my colleagues to support this report.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1534, the Mercury Export Ban of 2007. This bill is a bipartisan effort that will effectively reduce the amount of elemental mercury in the atmosphere. Mercury is a neurotoxin that is very harmful to children, fetuses, and pregnant women. It took us many years to realize there are negative health effects associated with mercury. Once the true health effects of mercury were realized in the US its use for manufacturing and products was decreased. The decrease in the use of mercury has left us burdened with reserves of commercial mercury that is being sold to recyclers who have no means of disposing of the mercury. The recyclers sell this mercury to brokers who distribute this mercury on the global market. Once on the global market this mercury is used by small scale gold miners who unknowingly allow their miners to unsafely expose themselves to mercury. Once the mercury is released into the atmosphere or water we are allowing other countries to contribute to a global mercury contamination problem. We essentially are selling mercury to other countries in an attempt to get rid of it only to have the mercury come back to us in the form of contamination. This bill would ban exporting elemental mercury by 2010 and the sale, distribution, or transfer of elemental mercury between state and local government, Federal agency, or private entity except for storage purposes. It would also require the EPA issue a report to Congress one year after the ban to address the issue of mercury in the U.S. and create an Excess Mercury Storage Committee so that we can address the storage and health issues related to elemental mercury in the U.S. This is a good bill and I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Peru Free Trade Agreement. While I applaud the efforts to improve worker rights in the Peru FTA, the protections in the agreement fall short of addressing the concerns of workers that have been adversely affected by the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and other recent FTAs. The absence of clear, enforceable labor standards as detailed by the International Labor Organization, ILO, in the Peru FTA make this an agreement I cannot support. These include prohibitions of child labor and guaranteeing the right of workers in Peru to form independent labor unions. The Peru FTA and the passage of Trade Adjustment Assistance, TAA, last week does not represent the kind of comprehensive policy that workers need to ensure that our globalization policies not only benefit multinational corporations, but workers as well. I am not opposed to free trade agreements as long as they are fair trade agreements that benefit and protect workers in both countries, however, I have long opposed free trade agreements with countries with significantly lower standards of living, and fewer labor protections than we have here in the U.S. I am proud to represent one of the most blue-collar districts in the country. The workers in our district benefit from the labor laws on the books in the U.S, and while our labor laws could certainly be strengthened, they ensure that our blue-collar workers receive a living wage and make up a thriving middle class in this country. I have no doubts whatsoever about the skills and productivity of American workers, but the significant differences in the standard of living puts the American worker--and American products--at a competitive disadvantage, one that this country should not allow to be exploited through a free trade agreement. U.S. trade policy over the last decade has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs and has led to 5 consecutive years with record setting trade deficits. I am concerned this trade agreement does not go far enough to address the issues that caused these problems, and I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing H.R. 3688.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, its unfortunate we have to be here today to override the president's veto of H.R. 1495 (WRDA), a bill which has such overwhelming support in our districts across the country. Now is not the time for inaction on our nation's infrastructure and environment. The previous three Congresses have failed to do so, and because of that, much needed flood control projects in Houston, Texas have been delayed. WRDA includes language for the Halls Bayou Federal Flood Control Project in Houston which will allow the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to start work on this project in the near future. Historic flooding along Halls Bayou has been severe and frequent in some neighborhoods. During Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, Halls Bayou was hit very hard, with more than 8,000 homes flooding within the watershed. No project can keep all homes from flooding but a project can help reduce the risk of flooding for a significant number of families, reducing the need for federal assistance, property damage, and loss of life. The purpose of section 5157 of this legislation which pertains to Halls Bayou is to allow the HCFCD to conduct the General Reevaluation Review (GRR) and any subsequent federal interest project on Halls Bayou. The Corps is limited in its staff, resources, and time with the many projects in the Galveston District and the Southwest Division. Local project sponsors with the necessary expertise, like Harris County, can provide efficiency by becoming more involved. Halls Bayou, a major tributary of Greens Bayou, was authorized in WRDA 1990 as part of the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Project. The original Halls Bayou authorization assumed the Greens Bayou project in place, which is now finishing a GRR. Results indicate that the work on Greens Bayou downstream of Halls Bayou will not have federal work although it will have significant local projects. Therefore, a GRR is now needed for Halls Bayou as well. While conducting the GRR to find a possible federal interest, Harris County can begin project implementation in order to reduce future flood damage as soon as possible. Adding Halls Bayou to Section 211(f) allows Harris County to be reimbursed if the project is later approved by the Secretary. I want to thank the Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Chairman Obey, and my good friend from Texas, Subcommittee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, for including this and other meritorious projects for Harris County. I support this bill and the balance that it strikes between the need to improve water resources for human purposes and to preserve our water uses for the environment and future generations. The projects in this bill are much needed, and I hope the Senate will also soon vote to override the President's veto so these projects can become law.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the conference report accompanying the fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill funding the Departments of Labor, HHS, and Education, as well as Military Construction and the Department of Veterans Affairs. On the domestic side, this legislation makes important investments in our health care and education programs. After many years of flat funding and small increases that have resulted in funding reductions when taking inflation into account, the National Institutes of Health would receive a 4 percent increase over current funding levels. This legislation provides $30 billion for life-saving medical research, much of which is performed in my back yard at the Baylor College of Medicine, the MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT Health Science Center, and many other impressive research facilities located in the Texas Medical Center. I am also pleased that the bill provides a 35 percent increase for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The $2.4 billion in LIHEAP funding that this bill provides will better ensure that LIHEAP funding is more equitably distributed among cold weather and hot weather states. By providing LIHEAP funding above the threshold of $1.975 billion, this legislation ensures that the funding will be sufficient to meet the historical needs of cold weather states while also recognizing the unmet needs of hot weather states, which experience higher levels of weather-related deaths. I would also like to thank the conference committee for retaining House-passed funding for two projects in our district. The conference committee generously provided funding for Gateway to Care, the community health care access collaborative in Harris County. Gateway to Care will utilize this funding to help coordinate the deployment of health information technology among the county's health care clinics. The bill also provides much-needed funding for the Harris County Hospital District's Diabetes Program, which offers a culturally- sensitive, interdisciplinary, and educational approach to the treatment of diabetes in our community, which experiences higher than normal rates of this devastating disease. As Veterans' Day approaches, we should also highlight the significant funding increases made in the Military Construction/VA portion of the bill. The conference agreement provides a total of $109.2 billion for veterans' affairs and military construction programs, roughly $18 billion more than the current level and $4 billion more than the president's request. For the last 11 months, this Congress has demonstrated its commitment to fulfilling the promises made to our veterans, and this bill reaffirms that commitment in the strongest terms by providing the largest funding increase in VA history. With the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan creating hundreds of thousands of new veterans, this level of funding reassures our veterans, our troops, and their families that this Congress will fulfill the promises we made to those who fight for our country, even after they are done with their service. I would also like to offer my thanks for the inclusion of funding for a new fire station at Ellington Field. I have supported this project for several years, and am glad to see it funded in this bill. The existing fire station at Ellington field is in a rapidly deteriorating condition and does not meet OSHA or Air Force Standards. Roof leaks and lack of insulation have resulted in equipment being destroyed and extremely high operating costs. New firefighting apparatus must be parked outside the station because they will not fit into the truck bays. This fire station supports all flying operations at Ellington Field including Air National Guard, Army National Guard, US Coast Guard, NASA, and civilian aircraft. Construction of the new fire station at Ellington is critical for the Texas Air National Guard and all units stationed at Ellington Field, and I am pleased funding for this project was included. Madam Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this conference report.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this legislation. There is a great need, at home and abroad, for increased resources against the fight of Tuberculosis. Worldwide, nearly 2 million people died from TB in 2006. Adding to the problem, the TB germ is changing and new, drug-resistant strains have been found in 28 countries on 6 continents, including the U.S. The Stop Tuberculosis Now Act of 2007 requires the President to make TB prevention, treatment and elimination a priority. This act authorizes the President to increase aid to the World Health Organization through USAID specifically for TB strategies against these drug-resistant strains and to support affected countries, also increasing appropriations for CDCP and TB programs. This legislation addresses the need abroad, but we also still need more interest here in the states. That is why I introduced The Comprehensive TB Elimination Act (H.R. 1532) earlier this year to confront that exact problem. In 2005, more than 14,000 people had TB in the U.S., including over 1500 cases in Texas. There also is an estimated 10 to 15 million people in the U.S. with latent TB, approximately 10 percent of which will go on to develop active TB. In the face of this problem, the standard method for diagnosis is more than 100 years and isn't adequately effective in testing children or those also infected with HIV/AIDS. The newest class of anti-TB drugs is 40 years old. The current drug- resistant strains that we know of are nearly untreatable with the drugs available today. These facts highlight the obvious need for TB research and development of active attempts not only to control the problem, but decrease the threat and hopefully eradicate it completely. The Comprehensive Tuberculosis Elimination Act (H.R. 1532) will do that at home and The Stop Tuberculosis Now Act of 2007 (H.R. 1567) will do that abroad. I urge my colleagues' to join me in supporting this legislation.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to explain my absence from votes cast on October 29, 2007. I was in Houston yesterday, tending to a family health care issue, and was unavoidably detained. On rollcall vote No. 1010, to approve H.R. 3224, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' On rollcall vote No. 1011, to approve H. Res. 537, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.'' On rollcall vote No. 1012, to approve H. Res. 747, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I thank my Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee. The legislation before us today is not about politics. It's about providing children's health care coverage to 10 million low-income American children. This bill is paid for. It's paid for more than the $190 billion the President's asking for a supplemental to support the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is for the ten million children and parents who are hardworking Americans but cannot afford private health insurance. The bill is clear on undocumented children. No Federal funding will be spent on undocumented immigrants. The bill is clear on childless adults. For 1 year they get coverage, and these adults actually got a waiver, these States got a waiver to cover these adults. So they're going to have 1 year, and then they're off of it. The bill is clear on family income. Only the lowest-income children are covered with a prohibition on coverage of children above 300 percent. You can't go above 300 percent. Most are at 200 percent, but some are at 300. Madam Speaker, 4 months of spending in Iraq is enough to provide SCHIP to 10 million children for 5 years. More than 80 percent of the American people support it, and I urge my colleagues to support it. We've prioritized it to the low-income. We've prioritized it to citizens. We've prioritized children. It's about priorities, not politics, and the Congress should be able to put aside politics and unite behind these priorities for our children.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 986, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I thank the Chair of our Energy and Commerce Committee. Madam Speaker, we have a health care crisis in our country. And the President vetoing the SCHIP bill has made bad policy based on bad information. We've heard it from the floor today from the minority. The President should know we target low-income children below 200 percent of poverty. The President should know that we focus SCHIP on children and phase out parents and childless adults that were allowed by this administration to be covered. The President should know that the bill covers 4 million children who are eligible for SCHIP but not enrolled. The President should know that we do not cover illegal alien children. It's frustrating, when we have a health care crisis in our country, that we can't cover the children. When the White House asked Congress just recently for a special $190 billion for the war in Iraq, over and above the hundreds of billions we've already spent, why can't we find much less than that for covering 10 million low-income children, parents who are working in this country? We have a health care crisis, and the Republican minority and the President have turned their back on that crisis, especially to the children. Mr. Speaker we have a health care crisis in our country. In vetoing our SCHIP bill, the President has invoked a bad policy based on bad information. The President should know we target low-income children below 200 percent of poverty. The President should know we focus SCHIP on children, and phase out parents and childless adults that were allowed by his administration. The President should know the bill covers 4 million children who are eligible for SCHIP but not enrolled. The President should know this does not cover undocumented children. Under the President's proposal, 6 million of our children eligible for SCHIP would remain without health insurance. And, an additional 700,000 children currently in the program would join them in the ranks of the uninsured. If the President is so concerned about adults and middle income families in the SCHIP program, he should sign this bill which effectively addresses those concerns. America's low-income children shouldn't suffer because the President can't get his facts straight. More than 8 in 10 Americans support this legislation to expand SCHIP for children. When the White House asks Congress for a special $190 billion for the war in Iraq, over and above hundreds of billions already spent why can't they find much less to cover 10 million low-income children. This is the people's House, and it is our duty to override this veto and listen to the American people.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I'd like to thank my colleague on our Energy and Commerce Committee and Health Subcommittee for allowing me to rush in from the airport to be able to put a statement on this bill. I rise, obviously, in support of H.R. 507, the Vision Care for Kids Act. This bill has been crafted in a very bipartisan fashion with the leadership of my colleagues, Mr. Fossella, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Engel, and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. I'd like to thank them for their dedication to children's vision issues in this legislation in particular. The Vision Care for Kids Act establishes a much-needed grant program to provide follow-up vision care to uninsured children with vision disorders. As we tried to target the program to the children most in need, we learned very quickly that a child's access to vision screening and comprehensive vision care varies widely depending on individual State laws. For example, some States have no vision screening requirements, whereas 30 States currently mandate vision screening. Twenty-eight of these States with screening mandates, however, do not have or offer any guarantee that children who fail the screening will receive a follow-up eye exam. On a nationwide basis, as many as 80 percent of the children who fail a vision screening do not get the follow-up care they need. Among the parents of these children, 25 percent cite financial constraints as a primary reason their child does not receive important follow-up care more than any other factor influencing their lack of care. This lack of vision care jeopardizes a child's development and can unfortunately lead to lifelong vision impairment. These children deserve a healthy start to their educational and social development, yet the reality is that nearly two of three children entering elementary school have never received preventive vision care. Unfortunately, the lack of health experience presents a barrier to the delivery of appropriate vision care in this country. For many children who are lucky enough to have health insurance for medical care, their policy doesn't cover vision coverage. This is precisely why this bill is necessary. By targeting the program toward children who are school age, uninsured, and at risk for vision disorders, the bill is designed to spend scarce health care dollars in the wisest manner possible. A portion of the grant funds will also be used to increase education and awareness of vision disorders so that the warning signs can be recognized and any problems can be detected in a timely fashion. During the committee consideration of this legislation, we made several changes in the underlying bill. Specifically, we clarified that the Secretary should consult with professional and patient organizations when developing the criteria associated with the grant program's operations and data collection. This amendment also specifies an authorization level of $65 million over 5 years and includes a State-matching requirement of 25 percent. The compromise could not have been developed without the dedication of key members of the vision community, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Optometric Association, the Vision Council of America, and Prevent Blindness America. As a founding member of the Congressional Vision Caucus, I am particularly pleased to see this bill on the House floor today and consider it a milestone for our very young caucus. In 2003, I joined my colleagues David Price, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, and Pat Tiberi in establishing the Congressional Vision Caucus. Today the Vision Caucus is comprised of more than 100 Members of the House, both Republican and Democrat, House Members and Senators. While our initial goal was to raise the awareness of vision disorders in Congress, the caucus has developed and endorsed two key pieces of vision legislation, including the Vision Care for Kids Act before us today. It is particularly gratifying to see our efforts result in legislative success, and I thank the members of the Vision Caucus and the 152 cosponsors of this legislation for their support. I would also like to thank Chairman Dingell and Ranking Member Barton of the Energy and Commerce Committee, as well as the chairman and ranking member of the Health Subcommittee, Mr. Pallone and Mr. Deal, for their support of this legislation. And I would also like to thank John Ford and William Garner of the committee's majority staff for their expertise, as well as Ryan Long and Katherine Martin of the minority staff for their willingness to work with us in a bipartisan fashion on this legislation. With that, I encourage my colleagues to join us in passing this important bill to improve vision care for America's children.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Wings Over Houston Airshow in Houston, Texas for its contribution to the city of Houston, local communities, and the military by fully supporting H. Res. 691. Wings Over Houston is about to give its 23rd annual show and in those 23 years, the show has continued to bring attention to the history and future of the United States Armed Forces, and its veterans and active duty members while becoming one of the top events of its kind in the country and one of the largest in Metropolitan Houston. An estimated 70,000 to 90,000 people are expected to enjoy the air and static displays this year which will not only help to support many non-profit and charitable organizations, but help to fund the Wings Over Houston Scholarship Program and Aviation Career Education summer camp. This family-oriented international event is housed at Ellington Field. Originally built in 1917, the field was integral in flight training for both world wars and was one of the airfields selected to maintain a large military force after the end of WWII. It currently is home to local presence of NASA, Texas Air National Guard, Coast Guard, the National Guard, as well as being used for other aviation purposes. Wings Over Houston not only brings local and international tourists to Houston, but also generates awareness of U.S. Armed Forces by showing a vested interest in education and supporting local students through the scholarship program. That is why I support H. Res. 691.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3121, the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act, that will help bring national flood insurance programs into the 21st century. I particularly want to thank the chairman of the committee, Barney Frank, as well as the sponsor of the bill and subcommittee Chair Maxine Waters for her hard work in bringing this bipartisan bill to the floor today. Mr. Chairman, in June of 2001, Texas and other States witnessed damage wrought by Tropical Storm Allison after it swept through Texas and up the east coast causing substantial flood damage to thousands of my constituents, along with everyone else, both homes and businesses. The good news was that some of these losses were protected by the National Flood Insurance Program. The bad news was that many of my constituents who needed flood insurance could not afford to purchase the policy. We all know that the flood insurance program plays a critical role in lessening the impact of major flooding disasters; but to make the program more effective, we need greater participation from Americans of all incomes. H.R. 3121 requires FEMA to conduct a survey to review the Nation's flood maps. Inevitably, these updates will identify undesignated homes as being located in flood-prone areas. For many low-income families, such designation of their homes means having to purchase flood insurance that is either unaffordable or difficult to immediately budget for on modest means. Our amendment seeks to bridge that insurance gap between those who can afford a flood policy and those who cannot, and still be able to expand the people paying into the system. The amendment is simple: it would provide a limited 5-year phase-in of flood insurance premiums for low-income homeowners or renters whose primary residence is placed within the floodplain through an updating of the flood insurance program maps. These homes can be valued at no more than 75 percent of the median home value for the State in which the property is located. This amendment would make the National Flood Insurance Program more affordable for low-income homeowners, increase participation in the program and decrease the likelihood of an a taxpayer bailout in the event of a flood. I believe the amendment will bring security and peace of mind to many hardworking families who don't live in mansions, but live in their basic homes and that need help in obtaining protection that their homes deserve. Mr. Chairman, I urge support for the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. I yield to the Chair of the committee.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and encourage our fellow Members to pass H.R. 3668 and the extension.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to our colleague from Ohio, Charles Wilson, whatever time he may consume.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3668) to provide for the extension of transitional medical assistance (TMA), the abstinence education program, and the qualifying individuals (QI) program, and for other purposes.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring forward H.R. 3668, the TMA Abstinence, Education, and QI Programs Extension Act of 2007, a bill to protect the health of Americans, both young and old. The Transitional Medical Assistance program assists mothers who are transitioning off of welfare and into the workforce. Unfortunately, these working parents often find themselves in low-income jobs that do not offer health insurance. The TMA program extends Medicaid coverage to these vulnerable individuals for up to 1 year. The TMA expires on September 30, and this bill extends it for one additional quarter. Along with the TMA extension is a one-quarter extension of the Abstinence Education program. In addition, the bill provides a one- quarter extension of the Qualifying Individual (QI) program. The QI program provides Medicare part B premium assistance to low-income seniors, helping ensure Medicare remains affordable for more than 200,000 seniors. The legislation also includes provisions that will provide immediate relief to hospitals threatened by regulatory cuts, and a 6-month delay of the recently enacted requirement that all Medicaid prescriptions be written on tamper-resistant paper in order to be eligible for reimbursement. This latter provision postpones what would otherwise take effect on October 1, causing significant disruption in access to medicines. This will give pharmacies and physicians more time to prepare for the new requirement. Finally, the bill invests an additional $385 million into the Medicare Physician Assistance and Quality Initiative Fund. This funding is used to improve care for millions of seniors and people with disabilities in Medicare. These critical programs are fully funded under PAYGO by an item in the President's budget that extends the current Web-based SSI Asset Demonstration program to Medicaid in the two States in which it is currently operating. This demonstration program would be funded for 5 years. Finally, this legislation extends and improves programs that are of critical importance to Americans young and old, and I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield whatever time he may consume to our colleague from the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman Stark. (Mr. STARK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)