Alcee Hastings

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements of Mr. Jason Pierre-Paul, a defensive end for the New York Giants. Known by his family, friends, and fans as JPP, Jason played a pivotal role in the 2011 season for the Giants and helped lead his team to victory over the New England Patriots at this year's Super Bowl. JPP was born in Deerfield Beach, Florida and attended Deerfield Beach High School, which is located in Florida's 23rd congressional district. Originally a basketball star, after suffering a serious leg injury, he transitioned to football during his junior year of high school. Despite being new to the sport, he went on to play college football at the University of South Florida. After an impressive college career, he was drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2010 National Football League (NFL) Draft. Without JPP leading the team with 16.5 sacks this season and being the steadiest defense player throughout the year, the Giants would not have been crowned Super Bowl champions. One of the lasting images of this game will undoubtedly be JPP's celebration with his father. When he was an infant, his father, Mr. Jean Pierre-Paul, lost his vision and therefore has never been able to watch his son play football. Super Bowl XLVI was the first NFL game that Jean had ever attended. Their celebratory embrace on the field after the game was truly an emotional event to see. It is these kinds of moments that illustrate the strength and courage that our children admire in athletes. JPP's parents emigrated from Haiti in 1983, and overcame many obstacles to ensure that he had every chance to succeed in life. Learning from his father, JPP overcame injuries and a lack of experience to become a Super Bowl champion. After his win, JPP said, ``It was awesome to experience this in just my second year.'' ``Man, it's a blessing. We just got to stay humble as a team and see what the future holds for us.'' Mr. Speaker, Jason Pierre-Paul's personal story highlights the promise of our great Nation. People from all backgrounds have the opportunity to achieve tremendous success in life. It is my distinct honor to commend JPP on all of his accomplishments and for his Super Bowl win.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to honor the work of Susan Stechnij in the Palm Beach area of Florida. Susan is one of the landlords at the Everglades Inn, a member of the Homeless and Housing Alliance of Palm Beach County. She shares my passion for helping the homeless in the community and in the fight to prevent and end homelessness. Recently, Susan was honored with an award to denote her special contribution to the homeless people of West Palm Beach. The Lord's Place, a nonprofit organization focused on ending the cycle of homelessness in the area, honored Susan with the Unsung Heroine Award. She was awarded this honor for helping a dying homeless man find relief in the last few weeks of his life. Due to her hard work, the man was able to live comfortably in an apartment rather than facing the difficult conditions that the homeless are faced with on a daily basis. Mr. Speaker, Susan deserves to be recognized for her heroic efforts. People like Susan serve an important role in communities across the state of Florida and the country. Her compassion and selflessness in helping those less fortunate is commendable, and I am proud to recognize her as a Hastings' Hero.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the Wildlife Veterinarians Employment and Training Act (Wildlife VET Act). This legislation will develop affordable and well qualified opportunities for individuals who are seeking to become wildlife veterinarians, spur job growth, and promote robust public health policy. Wildlife veterinarians are the primary source of essential health care for and management of wild animals in their natural habitat and in captivity. Not only do they preserve natural resources and animal lives, but they help protect human health by preventing, detecting, and responding to exotic and dangerous diseases. With the intensification of globalization and climate change, along with a growing interface between humans, livestock, and wildlife, the threat posed by emerging infectious diseases to humans and wildlife keeps increasing. Controlling pandemic and large-scale outbreaks of disease has become more problematic. Furthermore, wildlife veterinarians have the resources and expertise necessary to help respond to environmental disasters and address short- term and long-term impacts on wildlife and their habitats. Wildlife veterinarians have proven to be essential to the rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the Gulf of Mexico region following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill that began on April 20, 2010. In spite of these threats to both wildlife and public health, the United States faces a shortage of positions for wildlife veterinarians. In addition, veterinarian graduates owe an average of $130,000 in student loans, and salaries for wildlife professionals are relatively low compared to companion animal medicine. Lower salaries, combined with high educational debt and the small number of positions available, discourage students from becoming wildlife veterinarians. The number of practical trainings and formal educational programs specializing in wildlife and zoological veterinary medicine are also insufficient. My bill will directly address these issues which dissuade veterinarians from practicing wildlife medicine. It will contribute to the national job creation effort by funding new positions for wildlife veterinarians and will ensure that veterinary students find jobs upon graduation. The bill will also limit the amount of educational debt for students while providing incentives to study and practice wildlife veterinary medicine through the establishment of scholarships and loan repayment programs. Lastly, my legislation will advance education by helping schools develop pilot curricula specializing in wildlife veterinary medicine and by expanding the number of practical training programs available to students. Mr. Speaker, we have reached a point in our history when we cannot ignore the importance of protecting America's wildlife. Wild animals are a very important part of our commonly held natural resources and contribute to maintaining a balanced ecosystem. With an increasing number of endangered species, the introduction of invasive non-native species, and more infectious disease threats, wildlife veterinarians must be placed at the core of our efforts and be given the resources and recognition necessary to protect both animal and human lives. I urge my colleagues to extend a helping hand to America's veterinarians by supporting this important piece of legislation.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank my good friend from Georgia for yielding me the time to go forward with discussion of this particular rule. The rule provides for consideration of both H.R. 3578, which is referred to as the Baseline Reform Act, and H.R. 3582, the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act. Both of these bills, in my opinion, impose convoluted new rules on an already complicated budget process, an attempt to enshrine the majority's ideology into what is supposed to be an objective analysis. What my friends on the Republican side are presenting as commonsense reforms are actually, in my opinion, nonsense reforms. These budget process changes are mere gimmicks to defend the elimination of spending on essential government services and to dress up tax cuts for those in our society who are well-off in the phony disguise of benefiting average Americans. These changes tie Congress and the Congressional Budget Office up in knots in an effort to prove that conservatives' ideology about taxes and spending is going to grow our Nation's economy--not creating more jobs, not stimulating demand, not investing in infrastructure or education, or any of the many endeavors that are critical to improving the lives of all Americans. Rather, what my friends, the Republicans, are trying to do is, in my opinion, create a Frankenstein budget process: add a procedure here, add a little bit of a procedure, sever a rule over there, zap it with some electricity or hyperbole, and now you have a budget process that proves tax cuts for the wealthiest among us are the only way to grow our economy. But guess what? It still ain't human, and it certainly isn't humane. For the Baseline Reform Act, Mr. Speaker, Republicans propose that the Congressional Budget Office not include annual inflation when making their budget estimates. When I was a child--10 and 11 years old--we didn't get radio programs very much, but we got radio programs on Saturdays. One of the programs that I enjoyed listening to so much as a little boy, while sitting on the rug in the living room, was ``Let's Pretend.'' I never did know then that I would be here in this august institution, sitting around with people who are pretending in the budget process that inflation doesn't exist when they're making budget estimates. I talked yesterday with one of my friends on the Rules Committee that I'd been down in Florida and that I'd had a major water issue at my home in Florida. For the last 2 or 3 months, my water bill had been exorbitant, and I couldn't figure out why. Ultimately, this morning, I learned for the first time that there is a substantial leak inside the house, so the plumbers are there, and I'm already out more than $1,000. Later on, I'm going to be voting about my salary. Yesterday, I voted about the cost of living for Federal employees. I think we do them a terrible disservice by disallowing them the kinds of increases that take into consideration the exact same kind of things that I and other Members of this House and other people around this Nation are experiencing when it comes to their personal undertakings. We've been without an increase here, and, yes, this Nation is in serious trouble. Yet the people that we tend to attack are the people who are at the lowest end of the scale and the middle class people--the police officers, the firefighters, the schoolteachers--who make $35,000, $40,000. One or two of them, luckily, makes $60,000 a year. What we wind up doing is taking them to task. They have the same plumbing problems that I do. There is inflation, and you can't do a budget without contemplating it; but if you wish to pretend, then I guess that's what we will do is play Let's Pretend. This seems like a rather mundane technical change, but it isn't. I would be pleased to support this, Mr. Speaker, because it means that, in making my own personal budget projections, I could just simply ignore the costs for everyday items, but I don't know a single thing that I've bought in the last 3 years that has gone down in price. I could just simply ignore the fact that costs for everyday items and activities tend to go up every year, indeed, every month. Around this place, if you're looking at the local gas stations every day, every week, I can just assume that what I'm paying today, if I wanted to, I guess, I could keep paying 10 years from now and still expect the exact same numbers of goods and services. But, of course, we all know that that isn't true. Simply wishing away or pretending inflation away won't make it so. Fuzzy math does not equal fiscal responsibility. By eliminating inflation adjustments from discretionary spending projections, my friends, the Republicans, are actually just reducing the funding for a Federal program. Since the dollar amount would stay the same every year, the number of services that could be covered would decrease. This morning, I had the good fortune of having in the office a fine group of safety patrol students from Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach County in West Palm Beach. I was talking with them about the fact that I would be here discussing the budget and how everything affects their lives as well as the lives of all American citizens around this country and that, if we were to allow this budget process to take place, all we will have is a continuing decrease over the long term of things that I may wish for those children at Pleasant City Elementary School or at Cove Elementary, whose counselor was also here. We were discussing the number of teachers who have been laid off and the number of music programs that no longer exist. So let's just pretend that they don't cost but the same thing at one time, and you will find over the long haul that you'll get these decreases, which will result in massive decreases in essential services like fire services and police services and school teachers that millions, indeed all Americans, rely on. This technical change then is actually a backdoor effort to slowly starve necessary government programs rather than to be up front about which programs Republicans want to eliminate. The celebrated conservative Grover Norquist made it very clear. H.R. 3578 says that, every year, every program and agency should be assumed to get smaller and smaller automatically. I refer to Mr. Norquist as an ideologue. He said, ``I'm not in favor of abolishing government. I just want to shrink it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.'' I somehow or another am at odds with that kind of thinking when we're about the business of helping more people, as I explained to the children, who are in the category of the neediest, and here we are protecting the greediest in our society. This technical change then is actually a backdoor effort to slowly starve necessary government programs rather than to be up front about which programs Republicans want to eliminate. They would rather put sneaky rules into place to guarantee the outcome they want without having to have an open debate. That's the kind of budget process that only Igor, the Frankenstein monster, could love. Through the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act, Mr. Speaker, Republicans want to introduce dynamic scoring into the CBO's projection process. Once again, this seems like a minor technical change; but when you look closely, you see that this is an effort to zap electricity into Igor- the-monster-budget, which in the final analysis is tax cuts for those of us in society who are better off and for the wealthier even among that class. Under this bill, the CBO's analyses are tweaked so that tax cuts for the wealthy seem like they grow the economy while actual investments in the needs of everyday Americans do not. Republicans make it easier to cut taxes for those of us who are well off and for those of us who are rich than to build bridges and schools for the rest of us. This bill specifically instructs the CBO to ignore the positive economic effects that would come about from investments in things like infrastructure and education, as if spending on things that Americans want and need won't boost the economy. They would have us pretend. The CBO has already projected that extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest among us would actually reduce growth in the long run; but rather than face the facts, Republicans simply want to change the rules so that this analysis is turned upside down. My friends on the Republican side have been so concerned about building actual bridges to nowhere that they've turned the budget process into its own kind of bridge to nowhere. Rather than using the budget process to lead this country into a new era of economic growth, my friends on the other side of the aisle want to cut taxes for very wealthy people, cut programs for everyone else, and then feel like they've set this country on the right track. This is no way to run an economy, no way to run a budget process, and no way to stick up for millions of struggling Americans who need us to focus on improving the economy. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Well, now guessing, then why are we mandating 40 years? How in the world are we going to guess and have them predict what 40 years are going to look like?

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my good friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews). (Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I yield the gentleman 15 additional seconds.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I'm prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I genuinely enjoy working with my good friend from Georgia (Mr. Woodall). He not only brings passion to the job, but an extraordinary intellect. We serve together there on the Rules Committee. And I don't mean to make light of the fact of what he just got through saying about our telling the American public that we know that there are no large amounts of funds available because we--and I like the fact that he said ``we''--put things off, but I can't ignore the fact that a large part of that putting things off came about by virtue of our being in Iraq and Afghanistan and spending $1 trillion with borrowed money that we did not have and not going to the American people and asking that we sacrifice to pay for them. Seventy-five billion of it came from passing a Medicare prescription plan that we did not pay for. And there are other measures--and I can cite what the Democrats and Republicans are fond of saying and what my mother said to me, which was true. When she was alive, she said, well, if Clinton is going to blame Bush and Bush is going to blame Carter and Carter is going to blame Nixon, why don't you all just blame George Washington and get it all over with if you keep pointing back to somebody else. But now the rubber has hit the road. With these two bills, Mr. Speaker, my friends on the other side want to drastically reduce essential government programs and, second, to enshrine tax cuts--and I don't like talking about the rich, as it were. My ultimate plan would call for all of us that are better off to try and do everything we can to help those who are vulnerable in our society and those who are the neediest in our society. But there are those who are in the super category that have not been paying the kind of taxes that many of us pay. You have to put this stuff in real terms. Last year, I paid $41,000 in income taxes. If people don't believe that, I'll bring my taxes down here and show it to them sometime. Now, I don't have investments. I don't have offshore bank accounts. I don't have any stock and any bonds, but the simple fact of the matter is a lot of Americans are in the same category as myself. But they want to give tax cuts to those who are wealthy, who paid less than I did and less than people making $50,000 did. And to my way of thinking, that's just not fair, and that's all that America is looking for is a level playing field, not one that gives the wealthiest more and the poor less. If they achieve these changes, they'll succeed in creating a budget process that overwhelmingly favors tax cuts for those that are wealthier while creating near impossible hurdles for ordinary programs to keep pace with the rate of inflation and, thus, stay in business, while Republicans cry that it's still alive. Millions of other Americans will still be struggling to find jobs, to pay off their students loans, to access affordable health care and decent housing, and to survive in an economy that favors those who have the most rather than those who have the least, favors those who are the greediest rather than those who are the neediest. Dr. Frankenstein was eventually repulsed by the monster that he created. These technical changes to the budget process are equally repulsive, for they add up to a system of government spending that is helpful to those who need it the least and harmful to those who need it the most. Tying our hands in convoluted knots in order to advance a conservative ideology is not the way to run an honest, objective, transparent, and open budget process. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' against this rule. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the previous question amendment in the Record along with the extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' and defeat the previous question. I urge a ``no'' vote on the rule, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it heartened me to learn that Jack Scarola was recognized by the Lord's Place for his work in the fight against homelessness in the West Palm Beach area of Florida. Jack is a partner in a prestigious West Palm Beach law firm who has supported homeless persons in the community since he moved to the area over 30 years ago. He was a founding member of the Lord's Place, an organization I am proud to represent in my Congressional district that is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness through engagement, housing, education, and employment programs. He still is active with the Lord's Place, just having finished serving as chairman of their Board of Directors and having served on the Board for more than 20 consecutive years. I appreciate the work that he has done, and I would like to extend my deepest gratitude for his commitment to serving the community. The Lord's Place recently honored Jack with the Ending Homelessness Award. During the award ceremony, a 1983 radio broadcast featuring the organization's efforts was played. Although the clip was a distant memory, Jack instantly remembered giving the interview. It was early in the movement to help the homeless, and he and some other volunteers were collecting donations on the steps of a local church. Jack was surprised at the community's support for their cause. Since that time, he has worked to turn this support into a community-wide effort to help other people. For over 30 years, he has helped to make the Lord's Place fight against homelessness in Palm Beach County. In 2010, the Lord's Place supported over 500 homeless men, women, and children. Jack played a critical role in building this organization. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate Mr. Jack Scarola for receiving the Ending Homelessness Award from the Lord's Place. He is truly a selfless individual that has dedicated his life to helping those in their greatest time of need.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Houses for Change is an innovative new campaign garnering support for the fight against homelessness. This new program is quickly becoming a popular way to help communities across the country support the less fortunate. The program's founder, Mark Wasserman, recently visited Capitol Hill to share his ideas with Members of Congress and their staff. I would like to recognize Mr. Wasserman's dedication and thank him for working to improve his community. Looking for a way to help the homeless, Mark came up with the Houses for Change program. This innovative program allows children to use their imagination and creativity to support homeless people. The children decorate pre-ordered boxes so that they look like small homes, and then they take their homes around the community to collect loose change. On a selected date, the children and parents bring the boxes back to Houses for Change, and all of the proceeds go directly to a charity selected by the participants. Similar to the Jewish tradition of the tzedakah box, this unique method allows all of the money raised to go directly towards helping the homeless. Mark's original idea was extremely successful in Palm Beach County, Florida. As a result, the program is now being launched nationwide. With the help of Family Promise, Houses for Change is quickly being adopted by schools, church congregations, and homeless organizations across the country. Additionally, organizations such as the YMCA and United Way are going to begin using this program to help youth get involved in this meaningful community service project. Due to his hard work and dedication, Mark's original idea is now a national effort to help the less fortunate members of our society. Mr. Speaker, people like Mark Wasserman are a shining example of those selfless individuals who have committed their life to helping their communities become a better place. I am so proud that the Houses for Change program started in South Florida, and I hope that the program continues to thrive across the nation.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on January 30, 2012, the Joint Committee on Taxation produced a revenue estimate for a bill that I introduced today. The Joint Committee estimates that my bill, which amends the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to disallow a deduction for amounts paid or incurred by a responsible party relating to a discharge of oil, would save hardworking American taxpayers an average of $1.3 billion per year. I revise and extend my remarks today to include that revenue estimate for the Record. Congress of the United States, Joint Committee on Taxation, Washington, DC, Jan 30, 2012. Hon. Alcee L. Hastings, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Hastings: This letter is in response to your request, dated January 26, 2012, for a revenue estimate of a proposal that would disallow the deductibility of amounts paid or incurred by a responsible party relating to the discharge of oil. Your proposal would amend Internal Revenue Code (the ``Code'') section 162 by disallowing the ability to deduct expenses incurred as a consequence of the discharge of oil into navigable waters, other than an incident caused by an act of God or an act of war. For definitional purposes, any term used in the proposal that is also used in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 is to have the same meaning as in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Based on our discussion with Ian Wolf McCormick of your staff, we have assumed that the tax base includes direct and indirect clean up costs, compensatory and punitive damages, associated legal fees, and other amounts associated with the discharge and paid by responsible parties. In addition, any casualty losses associated with the responsible party's own property incurred as a result of the oil spill are not included in the tax base nor are any of the responsible party's voluntary mitigation payments. Your proposal would be effective for returns of tax the extended due date of which is after the date of enactment (regardless of whether any extension had been requested). For purposes of the revenue estimate, we have assumed a date of enactment of April 1, 2012. As incidents resulting in the discharge of oil of sizeable proportions do not occur with a frequency that creates a pattern that can be modeled, this estimate is primarily based on known discharges of oil that have occurred as of this date. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fiscal years, millions of dollars-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012-16 2012-22 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2,224 1,385 1,679 1,139 303 6,729 6,792 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: Details do not add to totals due to rounding. I hope this information is helpful to you. If we can be of further assistance in this matter, please let me know. Sincerely, Thomas A. Barthold.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today Exxon announced annual earnings of $41.1 billion, a 35 percent increase from the previous year. Recently, ConocoPhillips announced $12.4 billion profits for 2011. Chevron's earnings for the year also rose 41 percent to $26.9 billion. These enormous figures indicate that these global corporations no longer need charity from the United States government. For this reason, I rise today to introduce a bill that has been needed at least since the Exxon Valdez spilled 750,000 barrels of oil into Prince William Sound. My bill closes a loophole that permits these big oil companies to pad their bottom lines with tax deductions for cleaning up their oil spills. While the high price of gasoline continues to burden American families, oil companies are raking in such huge profits. Why should the American taxpayer pay for what the oil companies are supposed to do anyway? Through clever accounting, a big oil company can actually deduct from its tax liability the money it spends cleaning up after an oil spill as an ``ordinary cost of doing business.'' These big oil companies used to pay their fair share of taxes on their massive profits. Corporate taxes used to account for 40 percent of Federal revenues, but that now has fallen to around 7 percent, with many companies paying no taxes at all. At the same time that families, as well as Federal, State and local governments, are tightening their budgets, we're letting big oil and gas companies profit from valuable tax revenue that they don't deserve. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that closing this loophole in the tax code will save the American taxpayer an average $1.3 billion per year. With massive cuts to hundreds of essential programs and organizations dedicated to ensuring access to education, affordable health care, homeownership assistance, unemployment insurance, veterans benefits, loans for small businesses, food assistance to prevent hunger, support for farmers growing essential crops, and a middle class that is struggling more than ever, that billion dollars per year would ensure that these programs are not losing tax dollars because exceedingly wealthy companies are reaping the benefits. By eliminating a loophole that lets the largest oil and gas companies benefit from their own mistakes, this bill makes the tax code fair again for hardworking Americans and will put our country on track to develop a clean, sustainable, and sensible energy policy. These tax dollars are not lost only when there's a rare catastrophic spill like the BP Deepwater Horizon or Exxon Valdez. In fact, oil spills happen all the time and oil companies can just write off the costs. Right now, there's a Chevron gas rig blowout burning at 1400 degrees Fahrenheit off the coast of Nigeria that Chevron has been unable to extinguish for over a week. Two people are dead and there is a sheen in the water. There were also recent blowouts at the Macondo well in the Gulf, the Montara well in the Timor Sea, as well as major accidents and spills in Bohai Bay, China and off the coast of Brazil. I believe the tax code should reflect our country's need to end our reliance on fossil fuels by discouraging blowouts and oil spills and providing incentives for responsible and efficient energy use, and sustainable, clean energy sources. We can no longer afford a 20th century energy policy when the rest of the world is well into the 21g century. From the Keystone pipeline debate to subsidies for oil and gas companies, our antiquated energy policy is reflected in our outdated tax code containing many provisions that have long since outgrown their usefulness. My bill will put our country on the right track. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) defines an ``ordinary business expense'' as a cost that is both ordinary and necessary. Why are we allowing the cost of an oil spill to be treated as ordinary as purchasing a stapler or paying a phone bill? An oil spill should not be ordinary. From a fiscal standpoint, from a policy standpoint, and from a moral standpoint, even a small oil spill is an extraordinary and terrible mistake with far-reaching consequences. Oil and gas corporations should not be allowed to benefit from their own extraordinary mistakes at the expense of the American taxpayer. I urge my colleagues to support a 21st century energy policy, and a sensible tax code by supporting this bill.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the accomplishments of Mr. Tracy Howard, Jr. of Miramar, Florida. Mr. Howard was selected to play in the 2012 Army All-American game on January 7, 2012. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on this great honor, and to recognize all of his extraordinary achievements. Mr. Howard is a star cornerback for the Miramar High School Patriots. Thanks in part to his proficient coverage skills, the Patriots finished runner up in the Florida High School Athletic Association's Class 8A Football Finals. While the team is full of talented players, college football coaches across the country rate Mr. Howard as one of the best prospects in the country. As an indication of his talents, Mr. Howard has received numerous honors and awards. He was recently named a first-team SportsIllustrated.com All-American. In addition to playing in the Army All-American game, he was a finalist for both the U.S. Army All- American Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Awards. Mr. Speaker, Tracy Howard is an extremely talented athlete. His success is just one example of how talent, hard work, and dedication can help people achieve their dreams. I am honored to commend Mr. Howard on his accomplishments, and wish him the best of luck as he continues his football and academic career at the collegiate level.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Affordable Mortgage for Homeowners Act. This bill would reduce the interest rate on all mortgages owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to the current--and more affordable--interest rate, which averages four percent. As our nation is recovering from the worst recession and housing crisis in decades, millions of homeowners continue to struggle to make their mortgage payments and keep their homes. Approximately 22 percent or 10.7 million of homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. In 2011, two million households received a foreclosure filing. Furthermore, the total mortgage debt overhang in the Unites States approaches $700 billion dollars. The state of Florida is by far one of the hardest hit regions in the country. During the height of the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008, many recognized that it was the predatory lending practices of mortgage lenders that pushed millions of homeowners to purchase homes they could not afford. Today, millions of responsible homeowners have underwater mortgages, because of these unscrupulous lending practices and declining home values. I refuse to let American families struggle through no fault of their own. While the U.S. government has established programs to help homeowners who are both current and in default on their mortgages, it has not been enough. Indeed, many households did not qualify for these programs or were not aware of their existence. My bill will fix this problem by requiring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reduce the interest rate on all the mortgages they own to the current interest rate, which averages four percent. Homeowners who have a better mortgage product or want to opt out will be exempted. My bill is the first program that will directly help millions of homeowners and address the housing crisis comprehensively. Mr. Speaker, homeownership is a central part of the American dream. Ensuring that people are able to maintain this critical investment is essential to achieving sustainable growth and economic development in our communities. Millions of responsible Americans continue to bear the cost of this economic crisis. I find this to be unacceptable. They deserve fair and affordable mortgages that allow them to plan for the future. This is why I urge my colleagues to take a major step towards ending the housing crisis and support this important legislation.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Todd LaVogue and the students in his social studies class at Roosevelt Middle School in West Palm Beach. Mr. LaVogue recently engaged his students in Amnesty International's letter-writing campaign for human rights. Mr. LaVogue and his students joined people of good conscience around the world in writing letters to government officials in many countries, urging them to release political prisoners and prisoners of conscience. The students were able to see what such efforts can accomplish when the government of the nation of Myanmar released opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi after many years of house arrest. By expressing their concern for people improperly and unfairly held in captivity by authoritarian governments around the world, Mr. LaVogue and his students are shining examples of the best in humankind. They are people deserving of respect and admiration from all of us. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of Mr. LaVogue and his students, and I am pleased to name them true Hastings' Heroes.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day, which will be observed on December 21, 2011. This day has been observed annually since 1990 to remember those who have lost their lives due to the tragedy of homelessness, and to bring attention to the need to end homelessness. Last December, the House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 325, a resolution that I introduced that supports the goals and ideals of National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day. I am proud to recognize this important day again this year, and express my deepest sympathies to those who have lost loved ones to this tragedy. The current state of our economy has greatly exacerbated national homelessness. It is estimated that over half a million people experience homelessness on any given night in the United States. Of those in the homeless population, 12 percent are veterans, and 17 percent are considered chronically homeless. These numbers highlight the fact that we are witnessing a growing human rights crisis right here at home. This is a crisis that cannot be ignored. Mr. Speaker, as Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness, I understand that we must and can do more to end homelessness. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing National Homeless Persons' Memorial to prevent and end homelessness.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the White House Conference on Haiti Act of 2011. This important piece of legislation would call on the President of the United States to convene a White House Conference on Haiti within the next calendar year. As we are all well aware, in January of last year, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked the already struggling nation of Haiti. Approximately three million people were affected and 230,000 are estimated to have died. Those who survived continue to face unimaginable conditions with a crumbling infrastructure and recurring Cholera outbreaks. If there is a silver lining to this unimaginable tragedy, it is that out of this, the Haitian people have been given the incredible opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and rebuild their nation stronger than ever before. Millions of dollars in aid have flooded into the country and thousands of aid organizations are committed to building a sustainable recovery. Immediately following the earthquake, we all witnessed countless foreign governments and aid organizations pledging to stand with Haiti, and I have been inspired by the countless individuals throughout the globe who have donated their talents and services to the recovery and the many more who are eager to help, but simply don't know how. We cannot let this opportunity go to waste. However, with the possibility to do good comes the very real possibility of waste, duplication, and inefficiencies in the rebuilding and recovery process. Under this bill, the major stakeholders in the rebuilding, along with other interested parties, will come together to share their knowledge and best practices and identify gaps in the recovery process. It is my hope that out of this Conference, opportunities for collaboration and coordination in projects big and small will emerge. The Conference will also highlight innovative ideas for rebuilding and redevelopment in Haiti. From inexpensive hurricane and earthquake proof housing and green building techniques to sustainable economic practices and urban development. There are countless companies and individuals who have developed groundbreaking concepts in response to this tragedy, but they have yet to be connected with those who can put these ideas into practices or with others pursuing similar goals who may be able to improve upon their initiatives. Innovation does not happen in a bubble; great things can happen when great minds come together. Further, Haitians living abroad are eager to help their brothers and sisters in Haiti, but many simply do not know where to begin. The White House Conference on Haiti will tap the immense resource that is the Haitian Diaspora by bringing their abilities together with those who are in a position to use them. Most importantly however, the White House Conference on Haiti will help ensure that the challenges facing the Haitian people remain in the public eye and in the minds of all Americans. While the United States has been instrumental in the recovery and rebuilding from countless natural and man-made disasters throughout the world, few international tragedies have had as deep an impact on the United States, and particularly the State of Florida, as this one. Helping our Haitian neighbors is not only the right thing to do; it is also in our own nation's best interests. Just a stone's throw from our shores, instability in Haiti impacts our own economy and immigration levels. Our nation's rapid, comprehensive response, from our government down to everyday Americans, has been commendable, but the President and this administration are in a position to do more. This legislation would not be a costly endeavor, but could stand to save millions of dollars that could be used to improve the lives of the Haitian people for generations to come. At a time of continued instability and crisis, the United States must do all within its power to help ensure a long-term sustainable recovery for Haiti. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation and urge the House Leadership to bring it swiftly to the House floor for consideration.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. I would advise my friend from Utah that I am going to be the last speaker if he is ready to close.

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. At this time, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to my friend, the distinguished woman from California (Mrs. Davis).