Phil Hare

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, we are going to be doing several 1-hour Special Orders, and we have done them since January. I can't think of an issue that is more important and more pressing to us in this Chamber than trade and the saving of our jobs back in our districts. We are going to be hearing tonight from a number of my colleagues on the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus, the House Trade Working Group, and Members of our side of the aisle that believe it is time that working people have somebody stand up and be their voices when their voices aren't heard. So, Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to recognize a fellow Illinoisan from the Illinois delegation, a good friend of mine, someone who has took taken it upon himself to stand up for working people. So at this time I would like to yield to my colleague, Representative Dan Lipinski.

Mr. HARE. I thank the gentleman. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a member of our freshmen class, someone who has worked very hard and campaigned on this issue of standing up for ordinary people, working men and women. It is my honor to yield to Representative Keith Ellison.

Mr. HARE. I thank my colleague for taking time out of a very busy schedule to address this issue. He is an outstanding member of the freshman class. Mr. Speaker, you are going to hear tonight, by the way, a number of Members talking, because this literally goes from Maine to California, in terms of the Midwest. This isn't just a regional 1-hour we're having this evening. I would like to introduce at this time a Member from California. He is chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade, and a very active member on the House Trade Working Group, my friend and colleague, Representative Brad Sherman from California.

Mr. HARE. I thank my friend from California. And let me just say that those who would question your intelligence and your wisdom on this issue of trade do so at their own peril. Now, if I could, Mr. Speaker, introduce someone I have known for many years prior to coming to the House of Representatives, a person who has stood up for senior citizens, working people in her legislative district here in Congress, and someone who serves as my mentor and a great friend, someone who is never afraid to take on the tough battles, my friend I would like to introduce, Jan Schakowsky.

Mr. HARE. Thank you, Representative Schakowsky. Thank you for our leadership on the issue of trade. Before I introduce our next speaker, I want to say one thing our colleague talked about regarding the President being able to enforce labor standards. If you look just in this country, you don't have to go to Peru, you don't have to go to Panama or Korea, in the over 6 years he has been in office, we have only had one major standard by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration by this administration; and they were sued to have to get it. So I am not about to put my eggs in the basket of this administration to enforce any type of workers' rights in other countries. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I am honored to introduce someone who has taken the leadership role in our class, someone who ran on this issue of standing up for working people, someone who I look up to and I spent a great deal of time talking with about this issue of trade, who is not afraid to speak up on behalf of working people. It is wonderful to have colleagues like my friend, Betty Sutton, who understands. She comes from an area in Ohio where there has been a loss of jobs. She has been a labor law attorney. She knows what working people have had to go through. I am honored to be in her class, I am honored to call her my friend, and I am honored to introduce her this evening, Representative Betty Sutton.

Mr. HARE. Thank you, Ms. Sutton, and I hope you can stick around and we can have a little dialogue in a few minutes. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to introduce someone who is one of the strongest advocates for veterans in this country. He serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Health of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. He is a former mill worker who saw his company shut down. He is the cochair of the House Trade Working Group and probably the leading voice in this body to stand up for working men and women. I am honored to have him as my chairman and friend, and I yield to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud).

Mr. HARE. I thank my colleague. I worked in a clothing factory. I cut lining for men's suits. I have three plants left in my district. They are hanging on by a thread. I can't support trade agreements that are going to outsource jobs. I have done town hall meetings since I got elected. I ran on this issue of standing up for ordinary people. I had a plant in my district, Maytag, with 1,600 workers. Two wage concessions those folks gave up. The company was given $9 million in State funds, and they bolted to Senora, Mexico. Thank you very much, Maytag. They left people like David Brevard, whose wife has cancer, with very little, if any, health care left. I cannot go back to my district and say to the Dave Brevards, I hope you understand that we have some things, if we let Bush handle some of, if we let the administration handle some of this, we are going to be just fine. Just hang on a little longer. I can't do that. I have drawn a line in the sand on this issue of trade. It is how I ran, and it is why I am here. I am not going to vote for a fast track bill that is going to take jobs away from this country. I'm not doing it. Some people would say, here is a protectionist. Yes, if the definition means I'm trying to protect American jobs, then I am. I want the record to state that I'm a card-carrying capitalist. I believe in trade. I just want this thing fair. I would ask the people and the Speaker tonight, look at the Korean trade agreement where 700,000 automobiles were shipped in here from Korea, and the United States was allowed to ship 2,500 to Korea. That isn't fair trade. I am not asking them to be equal, I am asking for the playing field to be level. As Congresswoman Sutton said, give us a chance to produce, and we will produce it. But when we don't even have the opportunity to do that, it is never going to work. I think we need to look at other things. I think we need to invest in something like the bill Ms. Schakowsky spoke about earlier and is going to be introducing. It is about getting companies to stay here, and they get tax credits for helping their employees with their health care and their pensions. Instead, we give tax breaks when they outsource it. I would like to ask both of my colleagues, and maybe I just don't get it. I want you to know that I am not angry that I wasn't invited to the press conference, I am angry because I know what we can do. This is why we have this majority. If we are going to keep this majority, we have to stand up for ordinary people. Before I turn this over, I want to end with a quote here. One of my political heroes is Hubert Humphrey, and he said in one of the last speeches he gave before he died to the Minnesota AFL-CIO, he said, ``I would rather live 10 years like a tiger than 100 years like a chicken.'' These trade agreements are going to put us back more than 100 years. We are never going to be able to recoup these jobs we have lost. That is why I am here. I am not going to go back to my district, and I am not going to be lobbied to change my mind unless I am convinced that these trade agreements are in the best interest of our American workers, and that there are provisions built in to help keep jobs. While I applaud the efforts of the leadership to do some things, I want to make sure that the language is in here. I don't want to go back to Dave Brevard and say, if you can just hang on, we will work on the currency exchange. That is not going to help Mr. Brevard and the people in my district and in the State of Ohio. Let me say to my colleague, it doesn't matter if you are just from Ohio or just from Illinois, we have lost manufacturing jobs all across this country. I have yet to see, yet to see, a fast track deal that has been in the best interests of the working people of this country. So as long as I am a Member, and I know that is going to be at least another 19 months, and hopefully a little longer, I am going to work very hard to make sure that American workers have somebody. And I have wonderful people that I am honored to have here this evening, and I would like to enter into a discussion of how are we going to keep manufacturers here. Does anybody see anything in this bill about how we keep our jobs?

Mr. HARE. I yield to my colleague from Ohio.

Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, let me just say this, too. These are the very people who fought our wars, defended this country. They just want a decent pension. They'd like some health care, put their kids through school, play by the rules, pay their taxes. They're not the fat cats. These are the thin cats we're talking about And for the life of me, I don't understand. As you said, we have both chambers, and I believe it's time that both of these chambers stand up because I'm afraid if we don't, we'll go back and our base, those folks who elected us here, are going to say what were you thinking. I want to just close with this. I know we just have a few minutes remaining here. I want to thank you all for coming this evening, and this is going to be a tough battle. We don't make any bones about it, Mr. Speaker, but look, nothing comes easy for hardworking people, and we're going to work very hard on this. I don't care where you come from, I don't care what State, but I think we have a moral obligation. I want to close. I did a commencement speech last night at a high school, and I ran into the grandfather of one of the kids that graduated. His father used to work with me in my factory that closed down because of trade, and he's out West now. And I got to thinking, what a shame we couldn't have the opportunity to see each other. He comes back periodically. He's a good, decent man. I'll close by saying this. This isn't the end on this trade issue. Mr. Speaker, this is only the beginning. We're going to fight, and we're going to win this battle.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1429, the Improving Head Start Act. As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, I had the privilege of working on this bipartisan bill, which I believe will help more children arrive at kindergarten ready to succeed. Not only does this bill improve teacher quality, expand access and strengthen school readiness, it also addresses the unique challenges faced by rural Head Start programs. Much of my district is rural. Therefore, I worked with several of my colleagues to ensure Head Start providers receive the support and flexibility required to serve America's rural communities. Specifically, we provided the assistance needed to improve transportation services in rural areas, the recruitment and retention of qualified instructors for rural programs and outreach to rural families. Later today, I will offer an amendment with my colleagues, Congressmen Space, Welch and Altmire that will further expand this assistance to rural Head Start. Head Start is the country's premier early education childhood development and education program, serving more than 900,000 of our Nation's most needy families annually. Children who attend Head Start make gains in vocabulary, early writing and social behavior and enter school better prepared than lower income children who do not attend Head Start. It is critical that all eligible families know about Head Start and that Congress allocates the necessary resources Head Start providers need in order to continue and expand these successful programs. I urge all my colleagues to stand up for rural and low income children by voting ``yes'' on H.R. 1429.

Mr. HARE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I am honored to join Congressmen Space, Welch and Altmire in introducing this amendment to improve Head Start programs for rural communities. Much of my congressional district is rural. Therefore, I am very sensitive to the unique challenges that Head Start centers and rural families face in providing or accessing Head Start programs. Some of these challenges include instructor shortages, access to Head Start programs and outreach to eligible families. As a member of the Education and Labor Committee, I had the privilege of addressing these concerns during the markup of this bill. The amendment we present today expands those efforts by directing the Education Secretary to provide the technical assistance and training to remove barriers to professional development, parental involvement, home visits and health screening in rural areas. It is my hope that with this commitment from the Secretary and with the addition of services geared towards the needs of rural families, more eligible children will enroll in and experience the benefits of the Head Start program. Rural communities consist of the low-income populations that Head Start was created to serve. Therefore, it is critical that we address the challenges these communities face in administering Head Start to ensure that those families have the access to the opportunities they need and they so much deserve. Again, I thank my colleagues for helping me on this issue, and I urge all Members to vote ``yes'' to improve the rural Head Start program by passing the Space-Hare-Welch-Altmire amendment.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 334, honoring the goals and ideals of National Community College Month. I am proud to have the opportunity today to acknowledge all the community colleges in my district, and I want to thank them for the invaluable contributions that they make to education, to the communities that I serve, to our State and to our Nation in general. Community colleges offer affordable opportunities for students of all ages to receive a higher education, retraining for new jobs and other university preparation courses. In my district alone, our community colleges work directly with workforce development one-stop centers, providing critical computer literacy courses, technical training and basic education that are needed for newly emerging jobs. In particular, Richland Community College in Macon County in my district is in the process of pioneering a course to prepare workers for the biofuels sector that is quickly becoming a major industry in my home State of Illinois. As factories and other companies leave to go overseas, or as new industries emerge, creating new jobs that require unique skills, community colleges become increasingly important to educate, train and equip the new workforce that will fill these jobs. Additionally, they cannot allow students who cannot afford to go to a 4-year university, but who have the ambition and talent to succeed at one, the opportunity to complete the first 2 years of courses at affordable prices, and then allow those students to transfer to larger schools. For these reasons and many more, I am happy to stand today to honor Community College Month. As a member of the Community College Caucus, I am working hard with my other colleagues to make sure community colleges have the resources and funding they need to continue to offer the services that are so critical to all of our communities across our country. I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating Community College Month by passing H. Res. 334.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, this Saturday is Workers Memorial Day, when we mourn the loss of workers who have been killed on the job or from work-related diseases. Additionally, this year marks the 37th anniversary of the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Although there has been progress, thanks to the tireless advocacy of organized labor, many workers are still at risk. Last year, in Illinois alone, 194 occupational fatalities were recorded. Unfortunately, OSHA, under the Bush administration, has issued only one major standard in its 6-year tenure, and has either withdrawn or delayed dozens of worker protection measures. Congress must ensure the first step of workplace safety by requiring that OSHA issue timely standards and ensure the enforcement of those standards in all areas of the workforce. I urge my colleagues to join me in this fight, and I encourage all Members of Congress to honor our Nation's workers this Saturday.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, in celebration of National Volunteer Week, I rise today to honor the many volunteers in my Congressional District and throughout the country. In 1974, National Volunteer Week was established to encourage Americans to dedicate their time and energy to improving their communities and making a difference in the lives of others. We observe these goals this week and reaffirm our commitment to supporting our Nation's volunteers. Throughout our country, volunteers make America better by reaching out to help their neighbors in need. These caring individuals give to people who have nothing, mentor children who lack love and attention, feed those who are hungry, and shelter those who are homeless. In the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, people throughout the country came forward to help the Gulf Coast recover and rebuild--a true testament of the American spirit. Since the original enactment of National Volunteer Week, the number of volunteers has increased at incredible rates. The resolution before us today rightfully acknowledges the diligent efforts of these millions of individuals who care deeply about the future of our country and their fellow citizens. I am extremely proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation, and urge all my colleagues to vote for its passage.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. This bill authorizes important long-overdue flood control, dam safety and environmental restoration projects. In my district, the Great Flood of 1993 took the lives of 47 people and resulted in over $15 billion in catastrophic damages throughout much of the Mississippi River basin. I support this bill for the safety of my constituents. Additionally, over 50 percent of our locks and dams have aged beyond their life cycle, and they are crumbling. WRDA authorizes repair of these structures and includes critical provisions to modernize seven new locks and dams on the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. These improvement will expand navigation capacity, reduce shipping delays, and accommodate larger barge tows, which is critical for the $12 billion worth of products that the river transports ever year, as well as the agriculture, commercial and labor interests of my State of Illinois. This bill includes a much-needed program to restore the upper Mississippi River ecosystem and authorizes completion of the Emiquon Wildlife Preserve in my district. This preserve is one of the largest flood plain restoration projects in the country outside the Florida Everglades, and I am proud to have sponsored its inclusion in this bill today. I urge my colleagues to support the Water Resources Development Act. By improving our water resources infrastructure, we will make our river communities safer and strengthen our Nation's economy and environmental welfare.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, this Saturday, March 31, marks the 80th birthday of Cesar Chavez. I am honored to rise before you today to pay tribute to Mr. Chavez's dedicated advocacy for workers. As a young child, Cesar Chavez experienced the long hours, horrible wages and other deplorable conditions and discrimination faced by migrant farm workers, which emboldened him to fight for justice and fairness for all working people of this country. In 1962, Mr. Chavez founded the National Farm Workers Association (now known as the United Farm Workers of America), through which he organized migrant workers in campaigns for safe and fair working conditions, reasonable wages, decent housing, and the elimination of child labor. His tireless leadership and use of nonviolent tactics, such as fasts, boycotts, strikes and pilgrimages, brought awareness to the conditions of farm workers and their struggle for better pay and safer working conditions. Mr. Chavez is credited for the passage of the groundbreaking 1975 California Agriculture Labor Relations Act, which remains the only law in the Nation that protects farm and migrant workers' rights to unionize. Madam Speaker, I came out of the labor movement as a lining cutter at Seaford Clothing factory in Rock Island, IL. I owe Cesar Chavez a great deal of gratitude for his diligent efforts to achieve dignity, respect, fair wages, medical coverage, pension benefits, and humane living conditions for all workers, which laid the ground work for the additional labor protections I was able to fight for while President of UNITE Here local 617. Mr. Chavez has and always will be an inspiration to me, as well as a reminder of what can be achieved by the will and conviction of one person. I am happy to see that several states have acknowledged the contributions of Cesar Chavez by dedicating a state holiday in his honor, including my home state of Illinois. For four consecutive Congresses, Congressman Joe Baca has led a movement to recognize the contributions of Cesar Chavez with a national holiday. I am honored to join the distinguished gentlemen from California and 51 of my colleagues as a cosponsor of H. Res. 76, the Cesar Chavez Holiday Act. Not only does this legislation recognize the contributions Cesar Chavez made to the labor movement but it also aims to educate students on the life and work of this courageous man. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor Cesar Chavez by supporting the Cesar Chavez Holiday Act.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 1538, the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007. As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I am deeply concerned about the lack of a seamless transition for our servicemembers into the VA health care system. This bill changes that broken system by creating a pilot program within the Department of Defense requiring a more efficient movement of medical records and a better process for our separated or retiring troops. It also provides soldiers and their families with a toll-free hotline for reporting problems. Complaints called into the hotline must be investigated and a plan to remedy them must be in place within 96 hours. Additionally, the bill requires the Department of Defense and the Veterans' Administration to work together to improve their disability evaluation systems ending a lot of backlog. Finally, this bill authorizes $50 million for wounded soldiers' support programs, ensuring that these soldiers don't fall through the cracks without any financial support. Our soldiers have fought bravely on the battlefield, and they shouldn't have to fight for the care they need and deserve. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. I thank the gentleman from Maine, and I also want to just commend you for your leadership on this whole issue of trade. When I first came to this body, I campaigned on the sole issue of trade; and they said there are a couple of people you need to look up right away. I needed to look up Representative Marcy Kaptur and Mike Michaud for standing up for ordinary people. With all due respect to the President, I don't consider this fast track legislation; it is wrong track legislation. I am a card-carrying capitalist, and I have said this many, many times. But I came out of an industry, the clothing and textile industry. But, for the life of me, I don't understand, this President just doesn't seem to get it. We keep losing good-paying jobs overseas, and for the life of me we are one of the few countries I know that actually subsidize our manufacturers for going overseas, if you look at the east coast and look what happened in your area from Maine all the way down and you look what happened in the Midwest with Maytag. Today I sat and I listened to a person from my district, Dave Bevard, who worked at the Maytag plant. He had 32 years in and his wife had 30, 62 years between the both of them. Here, these workers gave up two wage concessions, if you can believe that, to keep this plant open, $24 million from our State of Illinois in tax breaks to this company; and at the end of the day they ended up moving to Sonora, Mexico. The CEO of the company said, ``I don't care about the workers and the community. I am here to make a dollar for my shareholders.'' It didn't matter about the health care and the pensions. And Dave brought up today, you know, we have trade readjustment funds and things of that nature, but, as the gentleman knows, by the time you get them you have to decide between your unemployment compensation and whether you are going to be retrained. Then they tell you, well, you should go into a field that is growing, maybe like health care. So he said, of the 2,500 people that lost their jobs at that plant, 400 people tried the medical care, thinking they were going to get into medical care. Well, that worked great for the schooling, but when it came to practical exercise to go in and be able to learn the trade and be able to do it, they only had room for 30 people. So, 370 people are left out in the cold. Another woman wanted to go through and wanted to get into daycare and needed a 1-year program at the community college. They only had a 2- year program; and they said, well, maybe she should just try being a cosmetologist instead. When you take a look at the way we do this and the way we treat our workers, I said today this is a moral issue that I think we in this Congress have. I support trade. I will always support trade. I know our country needs it. But I ask, at what price? And I want to know why is it that this President feels he doesn't have to basically come to Congress for anything, as you know, but particularly when it comes to the trade issue. He can outsource it, he can fast track, and he can do whatever he wants to do, and there is no congressional accountability, no oversight. We are left with a package we can't even vote up or down half the time because he has the secret back-door deals. I, for one, as a freshman am tired. I am tired of going back to my district and seeing people like Dave Bevard and his wife who, by the way, has cancer. He is going to lose his health care. And I ask a question very simply of this administration and for those on the other side of the aisle and maybe some within my own party who think that this is the way to go. I want you to come to Gifford, and I want you to see what is left of that Maytag plant, and I want you to see the people whose lives have been affected by this and the lack of health care. Their prescription programs that they had, now they have lost their prescription drug program that they had, it equals for some of them their prescriptions per month, the pension that they receive. Now, they don't even get a pension, they have no health care, and somebody is going to try to convince me that this trade deal is going to work and that this was in the best interest of our manufacturing base? Now I can't in good conscience do that. I think we had some interesting hearings today, but, ultimately, we have to be able to stand up. And I agree with the gentleman from Maine. We had a directive I think this past election. I campaigned on this issue, as you know; and I campaigned very strongly about it. I said, look, I support trade, I support fair trade. So I am a fair trader, and I think that is what we should all be. And I think we have an obligation, as I said before, to ask this administration but also ask of ourselves: Are we here to represent the Dave Bevards of this country? Or are we here to represent the CEO that took the jobs to Sonora, Mexico? And they are going to keep doing it. Every single day we read of another small factory going. My clothing factory that I worked in was shut down, and now I hear that the remaining 350 people that were working there are hanging by a thread. Translation: In about a year, that plant is going to go simply because nobody wants to have the initiative and the courage to stand up for an industry that has been hit, or dumping its steel. It goes on and on. I don't want to use up the whole hour, but if the gentleman would just let me conclude by saying this. I would like to ask some of our folks on the other side that call me a protectionist, and I looked in the dictionary, and I think that means you are trying to protect something, and I am, and I know we are. We are trying to protect a basic fundamental right for people to have a decent-paying job. You know, these aren't CEOs. These are ordinary people who want to put their kids through school, have health care. They want to be able to work, and work very hard, and be able to retire and not have to worry about it. I am not going to stop on this issue, and I again applaud the gentleman from Maine for courage that he has. And I will promise you this, that I have said many times: I don't know how long I am going to be in this body, but as long as I am I am going to continue to come to this floor, I am going to continue to talk about those lost jobs and say we have to start thinking differently than we have before. We have an obligation, and our obligation is to stand up for ordinary people. That is what I have always been about. And I think the basic job of a Member of Congress, when you really get down to it, after all is said and done, is all of us are here to do the best we can to help ordinary people out, to make their lives better, not complicated. So to my friends on the other side that might think I am off base, I am not going to support fast track. I will vote against it. I am not going to have any part of outsourcing one more job from my district or from this country. I am going to stand up for workers, whether they are from Illinois or Maine or Ohio or Florida or wherever they are from, because we have a responsibility to do it. It is the right thing to do. And, again, I just can't thank you enough, Congressman, for taking the lead on this. You and Representative Kaptur have been great inspirations to me as a freshman here and campaigned on this issue of trade. And, by the way, I would just say to people listening, it is okay to run on things you believe in and lead with your heart and on the right issues, and every now and then the good guys do come out on top. So I thank the gentleman for allowing me to participate this evening and look forward to any questions or discussion you might have.

Mr. HARE. Madam Speaker, one of the things that I think we need to do here is we have to start bringing some commonsense back to all of this. I think sometimes we think in too broad of thoughts. For example, some of the questions I would ask is, why can we not make a television in this country anymore, why can we not make stereos, and why can we not have textile mills in this country? We have quality workers. They were trained. They knew what they were doing. My colleague, Representative Kaptur, and I have been talking about getting a group of Members of Congress to go around to areas that have been hit and to interview those workers who have lost their jobs and to put it on tape and to show that to people. I would appreciate the gentlewoman might want to comment about that. But what we are talking about here, Madam Speaker, is letting ordinary people tell us what has happened to them. These are people who are our veterans. They fought in the wars. They have come back, and they are working in the factory. They lose everything they have ever had, and some of them with very little or no notice at all, and yet we are so quick to want to find work outside of this country when we have people going to bed in this country hungry. Those jobs in Ohio and in Maine and in Illinois, they are gone. I think we have to start doing something proactive. We have to stop this hemorrhaging of jobs, and we have to start thinking about how we are going to keep the jobs that we have here and expanding them. The late Senator Humphrey said that the American worker was the most productive worker in the world, and that has never changed. So I appreciate the gentleman for giving me a little bit of time. I thank you for allowing me to speak this evening, but perhaps the gentlewoman from Ohio might want to comment.

Mr. HARE. They are.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, the American people have paid a tremendous price for our 5-year occupation of Iraq. Over 3,100 U.S. lives have been lost and more than 23,000 wounded, and nearly half a trillion taxpayer dollars have been spent. In my own congressional district, nine servicemembers have given their lives to the conflict in Iraq. I am committed to bringing our troops home safely and as soon as possible. The legislation before us today holds the Iraqi government accountable by imposing strict benchmarks for success. If the President cannot show that the Iraqis have met these standards by July 1, 2007, a troop withdrawal will begin immediately and must be completed within 180 days. These measures not only provide the support our troops need and deserve, but they also force this President to think twice before asking our brave military men and women to serve a third or fourth tour in Iraq, and requires and provides the resources our troops need when they come home. But this bill also honors our veterans by investing billions of additional dollars for their health care. And, for the first time since this war began, Congress is not giving the President a blank check. Mr. Speaker, I believe we can bring a reasonable, timely end to the war in Iraq, and if this bill does that, we will also protect our troops. I urge my colleagues to cast their important vote for this bill.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 327, the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. I want to thank Congressman Boswell for introducing this important piece of legislation and Chairman Filner for moving it through the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I would also like to extend my sincere gratitude to the family of Joshua, both for their tireless efforts to pass this legislation and for their son's service to our country. Mr. Speaker, too many servicemembers return from war with invisible wounds. It is estimated that almost 1,000 veterans receiving care from the Department of Veterans Affairs commit suicide each year. This is a symptom of a larger problem. A July 2004 Army study reported that one in six combat troops will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder shortly after combat. Sadly, this is only a measure of the number of veterans who receive the help that they need. Many veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress and other mental problems don't seek assistance. This bill strengthens cooperation between the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide better and more accessible mental health care for all of our veterans. This bill also creates a program to regularly screen and monitor all veterans for risk factors of suicide, and establishes a 24-hour counseling line so that veterans in rural and remote areas can receive the help whenever they need it. Additionally, this legislation offers training in suicide prevention to medical personnel and support staff at our VA hospitals so they can identify veterans at risk. This bill also provides training and services to the families, helping them understand risk factors and working with them on the readjustment process. Although our men and women come home safely, the war isn't over for many of them. Often the physical wounds of combat are repaired but the psychological scars can haunt a person for a lifetime. I am proud to have had the opportunity to work on this legislation in the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and I will continue to do what I can to assure that we honor the sacrifices of our Nation's veterans. I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Madam Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 720, the Water Quality Financing Act of 2007. When I met with local economic development administration officials in Moline, Illinois, over the February recess, reauthorizing and ensuring adequate funding for the State revolving loan fund was stated as the number one need that these administrators had in assisting the rural communities in my district. We all know that the ability to process and treat wastewater, as well as provide clean water to a community, is the biggest challenge to economic development. In an area hard hit by offshoring and outsourcing of jobs, this assistance is critical to the 17th Congressional District of Illinois. The Clean Water Revolving Fund is a top priority of the Democrats, and it authorizes $14 billion for the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and other water pollution abatement projects. In addition, this bill renews the requirement that contractors and subcontractors on wastewater treatment projects constructed with assistance from the State revolving funds be paid at least the prevailing local wage rate, as determined under the Davis-Bacon Act. By guaranteeing payment of the prevailing local wage rate, Davis-Bacon provides a better standard of living. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for the Water Quality Financing Act to address your constituents' clean water needs and to uphold these important labor standards.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of the Water Quality Investment Act and strongly urge Its passage. Many communities in my district, such as the city of Monmouth, have severe capacity issues with their wastewater treatment systems. Several of these communities are rural but are experiencing new growth and cannot afford to expand their wastewater systems or update their antiquated and deteriorating facilities. The overflow of sewer systems can cause untreated waste to run into streets, basements, rivers and lakes, posing obvious health, safety and environmental problems. Additionally, 772 municipalities across the country, the majority having fewer than 10,000 people, have combined sewer systems. These systems partially separate sewage and stormwater runoff and are extremely vulnerable to sewer overflows during periods of peak rainfall. The EPA estimates that each year, overflows from combined sewer systems discharge about 850 billion gallons of wastewater and storm water containing untreated waste, toxic debris, and other pollutants into the environment. It is imperative that we help localities improve their sewer infrastructure for the health and safety of their residents and to meet their obligations under the Clean Water Act. The Water Quality Investment Act would authorize $1.8 billion in federal grants over five years to municipalities for sewer overflow control and improved infrastructure. This new funding is a good first step toward addressing the EPA's estimated sewer overflow control costs of over $150 billion. This legislation is supported by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, which services the majority of Americans, and the Water Infrastructure Network, a broad-based coalition of environmental, conservation, municipal, public health, engineering, construction, and energy groups. I again urge my colleagues to vote for this bipartisan legislation. Sewer system overflows are a public health risk with the biggest threat occurring in smaller communities that cannot finance the modernization of their systems. We are obligated to help these communities protect their citizens, which is why we must pass this bill.

Mr. HARE

Mr. HARE. Mr. Speaker, the American people are rightfully outraged by the stories coming out of Walter Reed. On Monday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held its first hearing at Walter Reed to determine how long these problems have been going on and how best we can fix the problems as soon as possible. Three other hearings are scheduled throughout the week. But this administration has some tough questions to answer. First, when did they know that wounded military personnel were not receiving the treatment they deserve? The President said he wasn't aware of these problems until the Washington Post investigation, but several GAO reports have been released outlining some of these problems. Was the administration ignoring these reports or just ignoring the problem? And, second, why did the administration choose to privatize services at Walter Reed? And how did they go about choosing a company with ties to Halliburton? Our soldiers deserve better, and I am confident that this Congress will provide the necessary oversight so that we can fix these problems immediately.