Phil Gingrey

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Of course I appreciate the gentleman's yielding, and once again I appreciate his having the courage, as well as the courage of my colleague from Iowa, Representative Steve King, to come to the floor and to talk about issues like this. As I said earlier in my remarks, it's very painful, very hard to do, but it is something that has to be done. If the CIA, as I said before, if they are lying to someone who is third in line to the President, the Speaker of the House, and there's a pattern of that lying, we have got some serious problems. And it would seem to me that something of this magnitude would rise to the level of an Iran Contra issue or, indeed, a Watergate issue where you absolutely have to know who's lying, who knew what and when and who's telling the truth and who is not telling the truth. And we all know the consequences of those actions. Again, I'm not suggesting, Mr. Speaker, that our Speaker, the Speaker, has lied. In my earlier remarks this evening, I misstated something. I said John Podesta. John Podesta is not the Director of the CIA. That's Leon Panetta. So we all have senior moments. I'm maybe a little older than the Speaker. I certainly look older. She's a very attractive Speaker, as we all know. But she could have had a senior moment in regard to this. And, Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, don't you know that after this happened and she said that, don't you know that there was a meeting of the powers that be with the Speaker and with the CIA, with the Director of the CIA, and information was presented which would have shown that she either misspoke or didn't misspeak. And if she misspoke, how simple, Mr. Speaker, how simple it would have been to just say, ladies and gentlemen, not of the Congress, not of the House of Representatives, but more importantly ladies and gentlemen of the country, I was wrong about that. I didn't deliberately lie. I was just wrong about that. I didn't remember. I didn't remember that briefing. Or the opposite, that the CIA was wrong and didn't inform. And that puts the issue to rest. Mr. Speaker, that's all our minority leader, the gentleman from Ohio, John Boehner, the respected leader of the Republican House conference, that's all he said that should be done. Let's get to the bottom of this thing, put it to rest, and tell the truth. The truth will always serve you well, and the truth is not painful.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Texas, Judge Carter, yielding to me. As the gentleman points out, this is a very, very serious time to be on the floor speaking to all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and Representative Carter and myself and others on our side of the aisle, as we bring these concerns to our fellow Members, Madam Speaker, it is not something that we do lightly. It is not something that we do lightly, and I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle understand that. We have all grown up with the little sayings, the aphorisms or adages that you hear from your parents, or maybe at school or church, things like, If you live in a glass house, you shouldn't throw rocks. I remember my dad told me one time a story about Huey Long, the governor of Louisiana. I don't know whether it was in a reelection campaign or maybe even his first campaign for governor, he had a critic, maybe even an opponent in that race, a General Hugh Johnson, and General Hugh Johnson was awfully critical of Governor Huey Long and accused him of corruption and that sort of thing. Huey Long said to General Hugh Johnson something to the effect that, Don't criticize a speck in my eye if you have a plank in your own. In fact, Madam Speaker, that may be in Proverbs in the Bible as well. Maybe that is where Governor Huey Long got that from. But the point is you are reluctant, aren't we, we are reluctant to bring criticism against our colleagues knowing that we are not perfect. No one, indeed, is; except the one true Savior. So it is a very serious thing when we come and express concern on the House floor about the action of our colleagues. But yet we are here tonight. We are obviously here tonight, and we are speaking about that. Judge Carter, Madam Speaker, started off talking about the seriousness of the consequences of our integrity or lack of integrity as he talked about what happened years ago, and I remember it, too, in regard to the Korean Conflict, and then brought us into current time and talked about what is going on in North Korea now and what is going on in Iran. The intelligence that we receive about things that are really bad things occurring across the globe has got to be wisdom, and it has got to be honest. You can't modify those two terms and say it is conventional wisdom or it is relative honesty. Wisdom and honesty don't have modifiers. It is either wisdom or it is not. It is either honest and truthful or it is not. So as Judge Carter talks about this situation with our distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives in regard to whether or not what she said about the CIA was honest and truthful, or whether the CIA was honest and truthful in regard to their response, in fact John Podesta, I think, basically said, Look, the CIA spoke the truth. The consequences, Madam Speaker, are so serious to this Nation, and indeed, to the world, that it is important. If you ask any citizen of this country and you say, ``Who do you think you depend on most to tell the truth, would it be the Speaker of the House or the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency?'' I'm not sure how most people would respond, Madam Speaker. I'm not sure how I would respond. You expect both of them, at that level of government, to be honest and truthful. So it is disturbing to me as a Member of the House of Representatives, it's disturbing to me as a citizen of this country, as a dad, as a granddad, as a husband, as a father, to find out that maybe the Central Intelligence Agency is not telling the truth. And even worse than that, Madam Speaker, that possibly there is a pattern of the Central Intelligence Agency not telling the truth. That is just about as frightening a concept as you can possibly imagine. What can we rely on? Should we have done what we did in Operation Enduring Freedom in regard to taking out al Qaeda and the Taliban and that regime change back in 2001, 2002 before Representative Carter and I became Members of the Congress? You know, it's a very, very disturbing thing, and that's why we're here tonight. And again, it is painful, but I'm not standing up here, Madam Speaker, I'm not standing up here saying that our Speaker, the Speaker, the first female Speaker in the history of this body who is now serving her third year as Speaker of the House of Representatives, I'm not saying that she was dishonest. I just simply am here to say we need to know, the American people need to know. And if the CIA lied once, even, but certainly if there was a pattern of giving misleading information to members of the Select Committees on Intelligence, then we've got some serious problems, Madam Speaker, we have some serious problems, and something needs to be done about that and needs to be done right now. Because, as Judge Carter was saying, these things that are going on in Iran, in North Korea, and in other parts of the world, this can't wait. If we've got a problem, we need to solve this right now. So that's why we're here tonight. And again, I appreciate my colleague from Texas for doing this gutsy thing because he's not perfect, Madam Speaker, and I'm not perfect. And again, I may have a little speck in my eye, you know, and the house I live in may have too much glass in it, but on the other hand, if we see things, and again, I'm not suggesting anybody--certainly not suggesting that our Speaker, the Speaker was lying, but if there's a problem, it needs to be brought forward for the betterment of this body. We owe that to the American people. We owe that to the American people. Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, it seems that our House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, the Ethics Committee, has been dysfunctional since the day I came here 7 years ago. I'm in my fourth term, Madam Speaker, and that body has been dysfunctional since the day I came here. It's supposed to be bipartisan. You have five members of each party, and yet we seem to be just sweeping things under the rug and not addressing problems like we should. I'm going to yield back to the gentleman who controls the time here in just a second, but the point is just exactly what he said at the outset, Madam Speaker. I remember it so painfully well, because back in 2006, when we Republicans still were in the majority, I mean, every day, every evening during Special Order hours the then minority party, the Democrats, just pounded, pounded over and over again what they called a ``culture of corruption.'' And we did, on our side of the aisle, Madam Speaker, have a few Members--thank God not many, but three or four. That is too many, of course. One is too many--that were not conducting themselves in the manner that this House demands, that the sanctity of this House demands. And by campaigning on that, along with, of course, the unpopularity of a prolonged conflict in Iraq and too much spending, absolutely too much spending, but of course it seems like a penny ante compared to what's going on now, but it caused us to lose our majority status, Madam Speaker, and it's painful. It's painful to find ourselves in this situation and to think that, Madam Speaker, and the Democratic minority at the time talked about, Ladies and gentlemen of the United States, you give us an opportunity, you let us control, and we will drain the swamp. We will end this culture of corruption. And here again, I am mighty disappointed. We're not seeing any end to the culture of corruption, and it seems like more and more is being swept under the rug. And it shouldn't happen on either side of the aisle, and so that is why we're here. Again, it's painful, and we're not trying to hurt anybody. We're just trying to help the American people. And I yield back to my colleague from Texas.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor an American hero and a patriot who gave his life in defense of our Nation while serving with the Georgia National Guard in Afghanistan. First Sergeant John Blair from Calhoun, Georgia, in my 11th Congressional District, was killed in action on June 20, 2009, just this past Saturday, when a rocked-propelled grenade struck his vehicle during an hour-and-a-half-long firefight with enemy forces after the convoy, which he was leading, was ambushed. Eyewitness accounts from soldiers serving alongside Sergeant Blair credit his actions with saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers during the ambush. And as a credit to his leadership, his men kept their cool and they did their jobs, even after their commanding officer fell. Blair has been described as a true leader, Madam Speaker, both for the American troops who served with him, as well as the 1st Brigade of the Afghan National Army's 203rd Corps who he was in charge of mentoring. I want to quote a couple of lines that were written about Sergeant Blair in the military publication, ``Stars and Stripes'': ``Blair was their leader. He was tough, unrelenting. He cursed and reprimanded and gained not just their respect, but their fondness during the months of training for their deployment in Afghanistan. He could be harsh, but was fair and imparted to his men a sense of their potential.'' Other soldiers have echoed these comments, describing how Blair pushed them beyond their comfort levels to be their best and was even like a father figure for many of them. Madam Speaker, Sergeant Blair carried these same characteristics to his service as a Gordon County sheriff's deputy and a Drug Task Force officer for many years in Calhoun, Georgia. In addition to his great service to our Nation and his community, John Blair was also a dedicated family man who was looking forward to spending quality time with his grandson when he returned home. What an amazing example of courage, selflessness and a love of country that Sergeant Blair provided, not only for his young grandson but, Madam Speaker, for all of us. My prayers go out to his family. My deepest gratitude goes out to First Sergeant Blair for his selfless sacrifice for our Nation. I ask all Members to join me in honoring the distinguished memory of First Sergeant John Blair.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, in accordance with House Republican Conference standards, and Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I submit the following member request. Funding for this request was authorized in H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey Bill Number: H.R. 2647 Account: Army, RDTE Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Georgia Institute of Technology Address of Requesting Entity: Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, 315 Ferst Drive, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0363 Description of Request: The $3,000,000 authorized for the Center for Advanced Bioengineering and Solider Survivability (CABSS) will focus on research in advanced tissue and bone regeneration and wound care and treatment issues relevant to military trauma care. Fundamental research advances in these areas can lead to technologies and techniques for better immediate clinical combat care as well as address long term care issues involving limb loss, tissue and organ damage, facial and dental injuries, and reconstruction. The funding will be paid out at pre- negotiated rates in accordance with Department of Defense policy. Specifically, funds will be used to: establish a seed grant program to identify novel technologies for treatment of musculoskeletal defects following trauma, develop oriented nano-fiber meshes for treatment of neurologic defects following injury to the extremities, develop biodegradable shape memory polymers for treatment of large bone defects, develop biodegradable shape memory polymers for craniofacial reconstruction, and test the effects of sustained delivery of osteoinductive proteins in tubular nanofiber mesh scaffolds on functional repair of large segmental bone defects. Georgia Tech will continue to leverage this request to obtain funding from other sources. The Georgia Research Alliance has pledged additional money to the project for infrastructure and equipment, and past Congressional funding has been leveraged to successfully obtain funding from DoD's Orthopaedic Trauma Research Program and its Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, as well as funding from the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize two exceptional high school athletes from Georgia's 11th Congressional District who have distinguished themselves among our nation's top amateur baseball players. With the third pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the San Diego Padres selected Cartersville High School outfielder Donavan Tate, and three picks later, another Northwest Georgian, East Paulding County High School pitcher Zack Wheeler was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the sixth pick overall. Donavan Tate made quite a name for himself in high school while leading his Purple Hurricanes to back to back state baseball championships. In his senior season, he batted .474 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs. Zack Wheeler was also dominant in high school, striking out 149 batters in 76 innings this season and finishing with an unblemished 9-0 record and a 0.54 ERA--including a no-hitter in the state playoffs. Zack's fastball hovers in the high 90s so it is no surprise that the Giants used their first pick to bring this young right hander to their organization. As an avid baseball fan, it is truly an honor to have two of the top six draft picks for 2009 call Georgia's 11th Congressional District home. I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the talent and hard work of these two athletes and wishing them the best of luck as they start this new chapter of their lives.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2847, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Act, 2010. Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey Bill Number: H.R. 2847 Account: Department of Justice; Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Law Enforcement Technology Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Cobb County (GA) Government Address of Requesting Entity: 100 Cherokee St., Marietta, GA 30090 Description of Request: The project furthers the National Emergency Communications Plan Strategic goal of 2010, 2011, and 2013. Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens is a top priority for the local government. Cobb County is a key player in developing a regional interoperable communications system that covers 11 counties from Metro Atlanta to Alabama. The linking of like radio systems will expand coverage, coordinate responses, improve communication, and decrease response time in the event of natural or man-made disasters, including terrorism. Cobb County continues to plan for, create, and promote communications interoperability. This fact is evident with the acquisition and installation of Homeland Security funded interoperability switch for Project 25 public safety radio systems' participation and connectivity to the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) interoperable communication system, working groups and governing body; intergovernmental cooperation with the City of Douglasville and the West Area Regional Radio System (WARRS); and participation and leadership in All Hazards Area 7 Communications Subcommittee for the State of Georgia. This $1,000,000 added to H.R. 2847 will be used in its entirety for the purchase of the necessary software, hardware, and microwave equipment to connect Project 25 radio systems in Forsyth and Cobb County to establish regional connectivity. These funds will be used to establish microwave connectivity, link systems together, and upgrade the radio system's operating platform so that all systems are functioning at the same level. Specifically, the Fiscal Year 2010 will consist of the following budget items: Operating System Equipment and Software ($400,000), Microwave Equipment ($400,000), and Engineering and Installation Services ($200,000). Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey Bill Number: H.R. 2847 Account: Department of Justice; Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Byrne Discretionary Grants Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of West Georgia Address of Requesting Entity: 1601 Maple St., Carrollton, GA 30118 Description of request: Major incidents, whether they result from natural phenomena or are a result of criminal behavior, have devastating effects on learning and academic achievement. Federal studies show that emergency plans in many school districts remain unpracticed and are outside National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines. Furthermore, less than one third of school districts in the nation include any procedure for continuation of instruction in the event of extended school closure. This initiative would address these shortcomings and prescribe practiced solutions. The $250,000 included in H.R. 2847 will allow the University of West Georgia to work with K-12 schools in surrounding high crime neighborhoods to prevent and respond to incidents of crime in these schools. In particular, the University will work with schools such as Bremen High School, Paulding County Middle School, Chattooga High School, and Polk County High School. The establishment of an emergency response capability will help K-12 schools and other colleges and universities in many ways. It will aid state agency, school district, and local school personnel develop emergency preparedness plans that will help insure the safety of an otherwise defenseless population. This funding will be used to (1) provide technical assistance to support schools and districts in developing comprehensive plans reflective of the all-hazards approach; (2) provide evaluation services to help schools and districts improve already developed plans and to determine the feasibility of partnerships (with first responders) and procedures (evacuation of special needs students) necessary for effective implementation; and (3) assist schools and districts in developing capacity for maintaining continuity of instruction in the event of prolonged school closure. The Fiscal Year 2010 funds will consist of the following budget items: Project Manager ($65,000), Equipment ($46,000), Supplies ($35,000), Training ($30,000), Evaluation ($44,000), and Administration and Accounting ($30,000).

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall #335 on the final passage of H.R. 1234, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this week the residents of a small town in Georgia's 11th Congressional District are grieving together as they say goodbye to a native son who died while bravely serving his Nation in Afghanistan. Sergeant Jeffrey W. Jordan was killed in action on June 4, 2009, near Kapisa, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device and small arms fire. Jeffrey was born and raised in Floyd County and, after high school, he settled in a very close-knit town of Cave Springs, Georgia, with his wife, Lacey, and his son, Tailor. Tragically, the Jordan family marked Tailor's first birthday on the very same day his father gave his life in defense of our Nation. Jeffrey is remembered as a loving husband, father, son, brother, grandson, friend and patriot whose sacrifice for our Nation will never be forgotten. Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Jordan leaves behind his wife, Lacey Lambert Jordan, his son, Tailor Jordan; his parents, Mary Lou and Tracy Lorin Dowdy; his brothers, Robert Jordan and J.R. Thomason; a sister, Candice Dials; and his grandparents, C.W. and Barbara White, and Mrs. Delores Thomason and Mrs. Delane Ingram; also a great-grandmother, Mrs. Ruth Wilson, as well as so many aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews and in-laws. Tomorrow, I will join this group of Sergeant Jordan's family, friends and supporters at his funeral to honor the life of this brave soldier. Mr. Speaker, my prayers go out to his family, and my deepest gratitude goes out to Sergeant Jordan for his selfless sacrifice, yes, for our Nation. I ask all Members, please join me in honoring the distinguished memory of Sergeant Jeffrey W. Jordan.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a young woman from Georgia's 11th Congressional District who has distinguished herself as an excellent student and leader and has committed to serving her country. I am proud to announce that Victoria Hayes from Acworth, Georgia has received an appointment to the United States Merchant Marine Academy. For the past year, Victoria has attended New Mexico Institute in Roswell, N.M., which is the prep school for the Merchant Marine Academy. Victoria has worked very hard during her year in prep school and the results speak for themselves. Before the prep school, Victoria attended East Paulding County High School. Victoria was very involved with the East Paulding band program, and has continued to excel in music at the Merchant Marine prep school--participating in the marching, concert, and regimental bands. She also has the honor of being a Silver Taps bugler. Victoria Hayes is an incredibly well-rounded young woman, and I am honored to have the privilege to nominate her for an appointment to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I ask that my colleagues take this time to congratulate Victoria as well as her parents, William and Mary Ellen Hayes, for her accomplishments. It is because of dedicated young people like Victoria that America has the finest military in the world. Our nation is fortunate to have her service.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a young man from Georgia's 11th Congressional District who has distinguished himself as an excellent student and leader and has committed to serving his country. I am proud to announce that Nicholas Jackson from Acworth, Georgia has received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Nick attends Harrison High School where he has a 3.47 Grade Point Average. Nick is a four year varsity letter winner for the Harrison football and the track and field teams and has proven himself a leader--being selected Captain of the football team on multiple occasions. He was named to the Cobb County Touchdown Club All County football team, the Marietta Daily Journal 2nd team All County football team, and was an honorable mention Atlanta Journal-Constitution All Northwest Georgia football player. Nick brings his love of sports into community service, as well, annually volunteering for the Fellowship of Christian Athlete's football camp as well as the Harrison High School Community Service Day. Nick's athletic accomplishments have not gone unnoticed by the Air Force Academy--earning him a letter of recruitment from the head coach of the Falcons. Nicholas Jackson is an incredibly well-rounded young man, and I am honored to have the privilege to nominate him for an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. I ask that my colleagues take this time to congratulate Nick as well as his parents, Michael and Colleen, for his accomplishments. It is because of dedicated young people like Nick that America has the finest military in the world. Our nation is fortunate to have his service.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a young man from Georgia's 11th Congressional District who has distinguished himself as an excellent student and leader and has committed to serving his country. I am proud to announce that Kennedy Patterson from Marietta, Georgia, has received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. For the past year, Kennedy has attended the Air Force Academy Preparatory School. Kennedy has worked very hard during his year in prep school and the results speak for themselves. Before the prep school, Kennedy attended Marietta High School where he was a member of the Air Force JRROTC. Kennedy is an Eagle Scout and has a black belt in Taekwondo. He has been recognized with the Admiral's Cup Award, the Aviator Wings Award, the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Bronze ROTC Medal, the American Legion Military Excellence Medal, and the American Legion Silver Medal. Kennedy Patterson is an incredibly well-rounded young man, and I am honored to have the privilege to nominate him for an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. I ask that my colleagues take this time to congratulate Kennedy as well as his parents, James and Nell Patterson, for his accomplishments. It is because of dedicated young people like Kennedy that America has the finest military in the world. Our nation is fortunate to have his service.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a young man from Georgia's 11th Congressional District who has distinguished himself as an excellent student and leader and has committed to serving his country. I am proud to announce that James Africano from Kennesaw, Georgia has received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. James attends Harrison High School, where he has a 3.5 Grade Point Average and serves as Senior Class Vice President. James is also a member of the Math Honors Society, the Integrity Team, and the Harrison High School robotics team. In addition to James's focus on academics, he has also remained very active in extracurricular activities. James is on Harrison's water polo, swimming, and martial arts teams, and is also very involved in the school's band program. In fact, he was ranked second in this year's State Marching Band Competition. Despite all of these commitments, James still finds time to be involved in community service activities, where he volunteers with the Atlanta Youth Philharmonic Orchestra and devotes time to restoring the trail at the Natchez Trace State Parkway. James Africano is an incredibly well-rounded young man, and I am honored to have the privilege to nominate him for an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy. I ask that my colleagues take this time to congratulate James as well as his parents, Thomas and Choi Africano, for his accomplishments. It is because of dedicated young people like James that America has the finest military in the world. Our nation is fortunate to have his service.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a young man from Georgia's 11th Congressional District who has distinguished himself as an excellent student and leader and has committed to serving his country. I am proud to announce that Martin Kaido from Marietta, Georgia, has received an appointment to the United States Military Academy. For the past year, Martin has attended West Point's Preparatory School in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Martin worked very hard during his year in prep school, and the results speak for themselves. Before the prep school, Martin attended St. Pius X Catholic High School. Martin was very involved athletically at St. Pius, participating in both wrestling and football, and has continued to excel in sports at the West Point Prep School. In addition to his scholastic and athletic achievements, Martin has also attained the rank of Eagle Scout and has even served as an assistant scoutmaster. Further, Martin is very involved with his church, where he serves as a Faith Formation Teacher, a Eucharistic Minister, an Atlanta Chorister's Guild Camp Counselor, and participates in the Church Teen Group. He also volunteers for the St. Francis Table, the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, and Habitat for Humanity. Martin Kaido is an incredibly well-rounded young man, and I am honored to have the privilege to nominate him for an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy. I ask that my colleagues take this time to congratulate Martin as well as his parents, Michael and Mary Kaido, for his accomplishments. It is because of dedicated young people like Martin that America has the finest military in the world. Our Nation is fortunate to have his service.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. If the gentleman will allow me, as we get very close to that bewitching hour of 11 o'clock, my southern drawl had better get a little faster than a drawl. But my mom, Helen Gingrey, who lives in Aiken, South Carolina, in a retirement community, a great community, Kalmia Landing, my mom had her 91st birthday on February 8 of this year. Well, when she was 90, about 5 or 6 months ago, 6 or 8 months ago, she had a knee replacement. And Mom had gotten to the point, Madam Speaker, where she could barely walk, in constant pain, on the verge of falling and breaking her hip at any moment. And now she is enjoying life and enjoying being with her friends, and maybe she's going to live another 10 or 15 years. I don't know. She seems to have the Methuselah gene. But do you think in Canada or the U.K. or one of these countries where they ration care that she would have had an opportunity to have that knee replacement? The answer we all know, Madam Speaker, is absolutely not. I would say in closing, the one thing I would like to see is the equal tax treatment of the health care benefit for individuals who have to go out and buy them in the market on their own. They don't get it from their employer. Why should they not get a tax advantage health care plan just like everybody else? And you know what, Madam Speaker? I have not heard the Democrats in the House, the Democrats in the Senate, or President Obama talk about that. And talk about fairness and wanting to be equitable, let's hear some more about that. We will talk about it in future Special Orders. I want to thank my colleagues Dr. Roe, Dr. Fleming, and my good friend from California, Representative Dana Rohrabacher, for being with me during this hour.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Well, reclaiming my time, and I think you're absolutely right, that the only way to solve the cost overruns, which would no doubt occur--and I do believe, as our friend from California suggested, that if the government was running the whole show, and eventually if we approve this government default plan, that's just a giant step, and it's just a baby step toward a single-payer system. And when you get into that situation, I can almost assure you, Madam Speaker, that under current leadership, you would have any and all, come one come all, just like they did in Tennessee. And Dr. Roe was describing the TennCare program and the problems they ran into. And then the only way you could pay for it, as he points out, would be to start cutting reimbursement to the providers, to the health care providers, to the physicians, to those primary care docs that we so desperately need to be focusing and to be running our medical homes and to make sure that people are taking their medication, that there's an emphasis on wellness and keeping people healthy, keeping them out of the doctor's office, keeping them out of the emergency room, out of the hospital, and toward the end of life hopefully out of the nursing homes and in their own homes. That's why I think it's a mistake to even go in that direction of government-run health care. I clearly feel, and I know my colleagues on the floor tonight agree with me, Madam Speaker, that the private marketplace works. And my two colleagues that are with me tonight weren't in the House back in 2003, but I know they were following the debate very carefully and very closely and maybe even felt that Medicare part D was something that we couldn't afford. Certainly it added cost, if you crunch the numbers statically, to the Medicare annual payments, Medicare part D did. But in the long run, in the long run, because of that program, if they can afford to take their medications for some of these diseases that I mentioned earlier, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and keep these things under control, then clearly what happens is you shift costs from part A, the hospital part of Medicare, and from part B, the doctor part, the surgeon part, the amputation part, the renal transplant part, and then also in part D keeping folks from having a massive stroke hopefully by controlling their blood pressure and you spend less on the skilled nursing home part. So I think that's a pretty good bargain and a pretty compassionate way of approaching things. But our Democrat colleagues, Madam Speaker, who were in the minority at the time, stood up here and they symbolically, some of them, tore up their AARP cards because that senior organization had the audacity to support a Republican bill. And then, of course, they said, well, why can't we have a government default plan and why can't the government come in and set the price and say, okay, this is the price, this is the monthly premium for part D, the prescription drug part, and these free market thieves will not be able to run up the price? And they even suggested, Madam Speaker, that we set that monthly premium at $42 a month. Fortunately, my colleagues, that amendment was defeated. And when the premiums first came in from the prescription drug plans, the private plans competing with one another for this business, they came in at an average of $24 a month. Now, 3 years later, that has gone up a little bit because of inflation, but it's nowhere near $42 a month. So if we don't learn from our history, we are going to repeat those same old mistakes. And it looks like the Democrats, with this idea of letting the government come in and run everything and saying that we can't trust the free market, I guess that's what they want to do with General Motors as well, and I'm very anxious to see how that one turns out.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Reclaiming my time, we did talk about it this morning, and it was a Canadian testimony, was it not? And I yield back to you.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. I thank the gentleman, and I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Yes. Of course not. They would get that care to save a life, of course we would. But the gentleman brings up a good point. And I did want to point out the segue into that number of 47 million. It is estimated that maybe 18 million of those 47 million are making more than $50,000 a year, and many of them just choose, of their own volition--maybe they're 10 feet tall and bullet proof, 20-somethings, 30-somethings, have the Methuselah gene, they think, and don't spend much money on health care, and they just elect not to put the $200 a month payroll deduction or whatever it is. And maybe they have their own escrow account or their own health savings account. I think it's a bad decision, I think it's a bad bet, but a lot of people do that. And you can't really force them, I don't think, unfortunately, in this Democratic plan, Madam Speaker. What the President is talking about is to have a mandate on the employer. If they are above a certain number of employees and if they don't provide health insurance for their employees, then they have to pay a tax or pay a percentage of their payroll into this connector; and individuals are absolutely required to sign up for health insurance, or if not, they have to pay a tax. I mean, that is not the American system. We want to encourage young healthy people to get health insurance. And I want to make one point before I yield back to either one of my two colleagues. The insurance industry can help in a great way by looking at this. Let's say, take an example, a 22-year-old young man, newly married, newly employed, is not really convinced that paying for health insurance on a monthly basis is to his advantage, but he does it anyway. And he puts in whatever the cost is for a family premium and his portion of that payment month after month, year after year, with the same company maybe 15 or 20 years. During the course of that time, Madam Speaker, envision this, that individual develops high blood pressure, or maybe in addition to that high blood pressure develops type 2 diabetes--maybe the diabetes comes first, and then the high blood pressure--and then after that develops coronary artery disease. And then all of a sudden the company goes out of business and that individual is out of work, out of insurance, and desperately needs it. But because of these preexisting conditions, once COBRA runs out, how are they going to get health insurance? How are they going to afford-- struggling maybe to find a new job, but how are they going to be able to go out with no tax deductibility and purchase a health insurance plan that is three and four times the amount of a standard plan for everybody else? What I would say, Madam Speaker, to the Association of Health Insurance Plans, why don't you grant those individuals credible coverage, just like we did in Medicare part D, the prescription drug benefit? If you have a credible insurance plan that covers prescription drugs, say, on a supplemental plan, and then you lose that after 4 or 5 years, then you shouldn't be penalized when you get into part D--and, indeed, the law says you won't be penalized. But why should the insurance company penalize these people who, in good faith, all those years have put that money, that premium--the insurance industry had it invested and had a good return on their investment--when these people all of a sudden are in a high-risk situation, I think they should get a community rating. I would be very curious to know how my colleagues feel about that, and I will yield to Dr. Fleming.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Well, reclaiming my time, and I thank the gentleman for his contribution in regard to that. When you look at that number of 47 million who do not have health insurance, according to the Census Bureau, Madam Speaker, probably as many as 10 million of them are illegal immigrants. Now, they're not entitled, so to speak, to health insurance. That's not to say that you might not have a situation of extreme compassion if an illegal immigrant is admitted through one of our emergency departments and they are absolutely in the throws of a fatal illness, maybe it's a young, otherwise healthy person with congestive heart failure or congenital malformation that is resulting in an inability to sustain their blood pressure and they are on the verge of death, they would get the care in that hospital--in any hospital I think across the United States.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Reclaiming my time, I think that the gentleman has certainly hit the nail right on the head in regard to this, and we could go back to what we talked about earlier in regard to electronic medical records, which would be specialty specific--the information, of course, would be available for any provider who is seeing the patient. But in regards to best practices, as the gentleman was talking about, and these algorithms, I mean, doctors, let's face it, they're busy. They're operating; they're delivering babies. They don't have time, nor can they afford every 4 months going to a continuing medical education course. A lot of times they have to do that online. And it is hard to keep up. But with electronic medical records, this would help them keep up. It would absolutely help them order the right tests, give the best outcomes. And as Dr. Fleming pointed out, if they're in a single specialty group of eight surgeons and one in the group is not getting the information the others are getting, that information is available internally and externally. And you kind of police your own. I want to give--I think he just asked for 1 minute--my good friend, Dana Rohrabacher, is going to be on the floor in the next hour. He asked for a minute, and I yield to him.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Reclaiming my time, those stories are just all too familiar, and it's a shame that that time is wasted when it can be better spent with the patient. I wanted to mention too, Madam Speaker, the issue of medical liability reform. Now, for a number of years--I've been here 7, this is my fourth term, and every year I have introduced medical liability or tort reform modeled after the system that was adopted back in the late seventies in California. The acronym for that bill is MICRA, but it has worked. It has stabilized the malpractice insurance premiums in that State. Yes, they've gone up somewhat because of inflation, but compared to other States that don't have that reform where there is a limitation on a claim, a judgment for pain and suffering, noneconomic, and where there is the elimination of this joint and several liability and there is collateral source disclosure--and I could go into some of the weeds of it. But, obviously, we have not been able to pass that. When we Republicans had the majority in this House, we would pass it every year, Madam Speaker, in the House; but so many attorneys who are Members of the United States Senate would block that. Well, why can't we come together again in a bipartisan way and say, look, we can agree that part of the cost of medicine, cost of health insurance is the fact that medical practitioners order so many unnecessary--and in some cases, Madam Speaker, harmful--tests, draw too much blood, get an MRI one day and a CAT scan the next day and a standard x ray the next day because they're trying to cover the possibility that someone would say, Why didn't you order this, or why didn't you order that? Lord knows we've gotten to the point now where everybody who shows up in the emergency department anywhere across these great 50 States with a headache is going to get a $1,200 CAT scan instead of a blood pressure check and an aspirin and a ``come back to my office in the morning.'' So this is an area in which we could clearly come together in a bipartisan way and hash out. Well, if the California version of tort reform is not acceptable, how about a medical tribunal, a group of independent people looking at the claim and saying whether or not it has merit? There are so many things that we could do. And I've got a few more ideas, Madam Speaker, that I want to talk on, but I do want to refer back to Dr. Fleming and hear from him because I know he's got a lot of things he wants to share with us. I yield to Dr. Fleming.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. I'll be glad to yield to the gentleman.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Well, I thank the gentleman. And before yielding back to Dr. Fleming, I wanted to say to my colleagues, Madam Speaker, that we are the party of a second opinion. And, of course, tonight we are talking about health care reform, but it could be an energy bill, a comprehensive, all-of-the-above approach to solving our energy problems and any other issue. But none really at this point in time is more important than solving this health care problem. And the bottom line is to, again, to lower the cost of health care, to make it accessible to everyone within their financial reach. And there are so many things that we can do short of, Madam Speaker, turning this over to the Federal Government to run what may be like they run Amtrak or the post office or, indeed, the Medicare program. And I don't think that that's what people really want and expect. We can do better than that. And there are a number of issues in particular that we could talk about in detail if we had more than just an hour, Madam Speaker. But clearly, this idea of electronic medical records, I think, is a way eventually to save money. I think the money that we put in the stimulus package, $19 billion to provide grants, I've got a piece of legislation that would help physicians purchase hardware and software and a maintenance program that's specialty specific, whether it was my specialty of OB/GYN or Dr. Fleming's specialty of family practice or a general surgery specialty program produced by a company in my district called Greenway where you have, as part of that electronic medical record program, you have algorithms set up of best practices that are developed not by a government bureaucrat, Madam Speaker, but by that very specialty group, those men and women, those leaders of that specialty society that want to do what is best and they want the best outcome at the lowest possible cost. They want to get paid a fair amount for their services, of course. And, in fact, with an electronic medical records system, they're more likely, Madam Speaker, especially under the Medicare program where you have something called evaluation and management code and intensity of care that you bring, doctors, I think, tend to undercode because, Madam Speaker, they're petrified that some inspector general is going to come along and demand to see 10 charts out of their 10,000 and nitpick and find some few, two out of 10,000 where they overcoded, and first thing you know they're not participating in the Medicare program and maybe even they're facing a jail sentence. So electronic medical records would--I don't know how much money, my colleagues, it would save, but I know that it would lead to a better practice of medicine based on best principles. We wouldn't need to have some comparative effectiveness institute, kind of like the Federal Reserve Board, telling doctors what they should do and not do, when it's time to operate, what medication to prescribe. We would have those best practices as part of an electronic medical records system. We could cut down on duplication of testing. People could be in Timbuktu, and with that little card smaller than our voting card, they, Madam Speaker, they could take that card, even in a country where they don't speak the language, or maybe they come to the emergency department comatose and can't speak any language, you reach in their pocket, pull out that card, swipe it, just like we would our voting card, and there's the entire record. We know what they're allergic to. We know what medications they're on. We know their past medical history, and we give them the best and most effective, cost effective, safest medical care.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman. Before yielding to our colleague from Tennessee, Dr. Roe, a fellow OB-GYN physician, I just want to say to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Madam Speaker, that what we are about is trying to work in a cooperative way on both sides of the aisle and offer our expertise, to say to our colleagues, and there are some health care practitioners on the majority side as well, and we have reached out to them and made ourselves available, we want to be at the table. Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, we are not at the table. We haven't been enjoined, if you will. But we still hope, we still have hope that that can occur, because we do have some ideas, I think some very good ideas, in regard to bringing down the cost of health care, making it more accessible, making it more portable, making it available to everybody, and that would include people who are currently considered high risk, maybe even considered uninsurable, or if they can get insurance it is because they can afford to pay three or four times the normal standard rate, which many, many cannot. So we want to talk about some of those things tonight, and we will get back to that. At this point I yield to my colleague from Tennessee, Representative Roe.