Mazie Hirono

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Penn State women's volleyball team on winning the 2009 NCAA Division I women's volleyball championship tournament. On December 19, 2009, the top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team made history by becoming the first team to win three consecutive national titles and four overall NCAA national championships. The Penn State Nittany Lions entered the tournament ranked as the top seed and defeated the Texas Longhorns in dramatic fashion. After trailing 0-2 in the championship match, Penn State put together an amazing come-from- behind effort, eventually winning 3-2. The Penn State women's volleyball team holds the Nation's longest winning streak with 102 matches. With a 30-0 record, a top-ranked season, and a national championship, Penn State has much to be proud of. Senior Megan Hodge led the Nittany Lions with 21 points, while both junior Blair Brown and freshman Darcy Dorton contributed 13 points in the championship match. Brown made 14 saves, Hodge had 13, and senior setter Alisha Glass had 12. Hodge, Brown, Glass, and Arielle Wilson, a junior, were named American Volleyball Coaches Association First Team All-Americans, and Hodge was the 2009 ESPN, the Magazine Academic All- American of the year. Quite a feat considering the demands of an elite Division I athletic program. Congratulations are also in order for Coach Russ Rose. After this year, he posted 1,001 wins in his career at Penn State. Heading one of the most successful programs in the country, Russ Rose collects wins at a staggering pace. Never having posted less than 22 wins in a season, he understands how to bring the best out of his athletes and coaching staff. Volleyball demands extreme focus and composure. The Penn State women's volleyball team earned the highest athletic honor, a national championship. I know the fans, alumni, students, faculty, and athletes will relish this experience and look forward to next year's season. Mr. Speaker, once again I congratulate the Penn State women's volleyball team for their success, and thank Representative Thompson for bringing this resolution forward. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1015 into the Record.

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1015) congratulating the Penn State women's volleyball team on winning the 2009 NCAA Division I national championship.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, to attest to the diversity of a Catholic education, I, too, have a degree from a Catholic school.

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this legislation, my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1008, which recognizes the contributions of our Nation's Catholic schools. The Nation's first Catholic school was established in 1606 in present day St. Augustine, Florida. Since then, Catholic schools have become a critical part of America's education system. Today, the U.S. boasts more than 7,000 Catholic elementary and secondary schools that educate more than 2 million students from diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. America's Catholic schools are an important education alternative for many families. Their private status provides them with the ability to implement rigorous curricula that incorporate moral values and ethics. Though not all of its students identify as Catholic, each one receives a quality education experience filled with academic rigor, character development, and spiritual lessons. Catholic schools are known for their commitment to the academic and moral development of their students. Their students consistently demonstrate high levels of achievement. In 2000, Catholic high schools graduated 99 percent of their students, with the majority of these students continuing their academic careers at trade schools and other 2- and 4-year institutions. In the 2008/2009 school year, Catholic schools maintained a 14-1 student-teacher ratio, giving the students the benefit of a small classroom environment. The week of January 31, 2010, to February 6, 2010, is designated by the Catholic Educational Association and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as Catholic Schools Week. Catholic Schools Week honors these important educational institutions and celebrates their many achievements. Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution and ask that my colleagues join me in reaffirming Congress' commitment to education excellence and diversity with the passage of the National Catholic Schools Week resolution. I also want to thank Representative Lipinski for bringing this bill forward. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1008 into the Record.

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1008) honoring the contributions of Catholic schools, as amended.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Once again, I congratulate the Dartmouth Outing Club. At a time when environmental and outdoor issues in protecting our wilderness are such major concerns to so many of us, especially the young people, I thank them for their 100 years of leadership in these areas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. HIRONO. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 776, celebrating the Dartmouth Outing Club of Hanover, New Hampshire, for 100 years of service to the United States and its wilderness. Dartmouth has a rich history. In his arguments in 1818 to the Supreme Court in the Dartmouth College case, Daniel Webster said: ``It is, sir, as I have said, a small college, and yet there are those who love it.'' Dartmouth is no longer small, yet many continue to admire the important contributions of Dartmouth's faculty, students, and organizations, including those of the Dartmouth Outing Club of Hanover. Founding in 1809, the club set out to pique students' interest in the vast arctic sports that New Hampshire's winter has to offer. However, by the end of the school clear, it had grown to encompass the students' year-round recreational activities. This resolution proudly acknowledges and celebrates the club's century of contributions. These contributions include the establishment of many programs and projects which have provided opportunities for students to learn about, appreciate, and experience their natural environment year round. The club teaches wilderness skills and sports and safety know-how. The Environmental Studies Division of the club also offers lessons in environmental sustainability and conservation. With over 1,500 student members, the Dartmouth Outing Club of Hanover is the largest collegiate outing club in the Nation. The club organizes trips in the out-of-doors and is also tasked with maintaining over 70 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The club has been a pioneer for environmental sustainability. In the spring of 1977, the club testified before Congress regarding the Alaska Lands Act, which led to the establishment of the Dartmouth Organic Farm. In addition, Dartmouth's Outing Club built a carbon-neutral greenhouse and re-engineered the club's big green bus to run on vegetable oil and solar energy. This resolution encourages us all to join in the celebration of the Dartmouth Outing Club's 100 years of exemplary service to our Nation's wilderness and the Dartmouth community. Mr. Speaker, once again, I express my support of H. Res. 776 and urge my colleagues to support this measure. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 985 and 986, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on both.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, years of deregulation and exorbitant risk- taking in the financial markets contributed to the financial turmoil we're in today. Last week, the House passed a bill that would bring common sense reforms on Wall Street so that taxpayers would never again be on the hook for bailing out firms and banks for their risky, irresponsible behavior. Congress must now pass legislation that puts people back to work. Through TARP, the federal government loaned billions of taxpayer dollars to Wall Street. It's time for Wall Street to help create jobs on Main Street. This can happen in two ways: by using some of the available TARP funds and by imposing a modest Wall Street transaction tax on certain securities trades. This latter proposal could raise up to $150 billion a year, part of which could go toward infrastructure investment and partly to debt reduction. I ask my colleagues to support these proposals so that we can curb speculation and create jobs that will put Americans back to work again.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name from H. Res. 648.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, reproductive self-determination is one of the most fundamental civil and human rights a woman can have. And this right is under attack in the health care reform debate. Let's be clear that the real goal of the anti-choice opposition is not to maintain the status quo. Rather, they want to extend Federal prohibitions into private pocketbooks. They hope to make abortion coverage so unattractive that insurers eventually stop offering coverage for an otherwise legal medical procedure. Women do not plan to have unintended pregnancies or pregnancies with complications. Unfortunately, these do happen. It is deeply insulting to tell women that if you want to guard against these unplanned situations, go buy additional coverage. Essentially, health insurance companies today already treat being a woman as a preexisting condition, and they charge us more for it. The men of this country would rise up in protest if they faced this kind of unequal treatment based on conditions particular to their gender.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, out-of-control financial speculation on Wall Street contributed to the deep economic hole we're in today. Taxpayers have paid the price, risking around $3 trillion to stabilize the financial system. Astonishingly, the top three bailed-out firms are reportedly on track to pay $30 billion in bonuses to top executives this year. In the meantime, furloughs, unemployment, and foreclosure are weighing on American families. Limited access to lending is still a problem for many small businesses. It's time for us to institute a modest transaction tax on trades of stocks, options, and swaps. Even a small tax of a quarter percent on these securities could raise up to $150 billion a year. Part of this revenue should be used to invest in our Nation's infrastructure, creating jobs and putting Americans back to work again. I ask my colleagues to support the ``Let Wall Street Pay for the Restoration of Main Street Act.'' Wall Street needs to be part of the solution, not an ongoing part of the problem.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks because the women in my district cannot wait any longer for meaningful health care reform.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Congress has been grappling with how to provide all our citizens with access to affordable, quality health care since the time of President Harry Truman. H.R. 3962 represents a critical milestone in the effort to reform our health care system. For those who have it, health insurance is not something you can take for granted. Every day 14,000 Americans lose their health insurance coverage. A recent U.S. Treasury Department report noted that approximately half of all Americans under the age of 65 will lose their health insurance coverage at some point over the next ten years. Thousands are denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions like asthma, pregnancy, arthritis, or diabetes. Millions more have no health insurance at all, including 54,000 people who live in Hawaii's Second Congressional District. In his health care speech before Congress and the nation, President Obama appealed to the best part of us--to act unselfishly, and to put ourselves in the shoes of others. He asked us to imagine what it must be like for those who don't have insurance--to live in a State of helplessness should illness strike you or the ones you love. H.R. 3962 is a bill that will provide for comprehensive health care reform that will protect consumers, hold insurance companies accountable, rein in health care costs, reduce the deficit, and cover 36 million uninsured Americans. In supporting this bill, I want to highlight three key points. First, for Hawaii the bill includes the Hirono Amendment that provides an exemption for Hawaii's Prepaid Health Care Act of 1974, which is our nation's first and only employer mandate law of its kind. Second, the bill will provide health insurance coverage for an unprecedented number of Americans while still reducing our deficit. And third, the bill strengthens and improves the Medicare program for our seniors. First, there is a mistaken perception that everything and everyone in Hawaii is exempted under H.R. 3962. That is not so. The Hirono Amendment only exempts Hawaii's Prepaid Health Care Act (PHCA) and those who come under it (certain full-time employees and their employers). PHCA does not apply to part-time employees, seniors on Medicare, those without health insurance, government employees, or those covered by collective bargaining agreements. Therefore, H.R. 3962 would apply to them. I know it is easier to talk in terms of the State of Hawaii being exempt from the bill, but that is wrong. The distinction between PHCA being exempt and the whole State being exempt is a critical distinction to make. PHCA requires employers to contribute at least 50 percent of the premium cost for single health care coverage, and the employee must contribute the balance, provided the employee's share does not exceed 1.5 percent of his or her wages. Because of rising health care costs, Hawaii employers on average cover 94 percent of the premium cost because of the second part of Hawaii's law limiting employees' share. Hawaii employers may cover the full cost of the health insurance premium and many do cover 100 percent of the cost of single coverage. H.R. 3962 would require employers to cover 72.5 percent of premium costs for single health care coverage. Hawaii consistently ranks among the highest nationally in terms of insurance coverage and lowest in regard to the number of uninsured. This is largely due to PHCA. Private and public health insurance cover an estimated 92 percent of our population of 1.3 million people. Of those with private insurance, 93 percent are covered through employment-based plans. Lawrence Boyd, an economist at the University of Hawaii, estimates that per capita health expenditures in Hawaii are seven percent lower than the national average. Dr. Boyd believes that wider health insurance coverage and support for preventive health care lead to this outcome. The Hirono Amendment will provide maximum flexibility for Hawaii once a federal health care reform bill becomes law. Hawaii will be able to decide for itself to retain PHCA or come completely under the new federal law. Second, H.R. 3962 will ensure that 96 percent of Americans will have health insurance coverage. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the cost of enacting H.R. 3962 will be $894 billion, consistent with the $900 billion limit established by President Obama. The bill is fully paid for. About half of the cost of H.R. 3962 is paid for by targeting waste, fraud, and inefficiency in the federal Medicaid and Medicare programs. The other roughly half of the cost of the bill is paid for through a surcharge on the wealthiest Americans--those with incomes above $1 million for couples and $500,000 for singles; therefore, 99.7 percent of Americans will not be touched by this surtax. While H.R. 3962 will be paid for, CBO also estimates that the bill reduces the deficit by over $100 billion in the first 10 years, and continues to reduce the deficit in subsequent years. Leading economists from educational institutions across our nation have concurred with CBO's findings and support the idea that health care reform promotes our country's economic health. Finally, I want to address the importance of health care reform to seniors. Some of the most damaging misinformation that has circulated over the past several months on health care reform is the use of scare tactics targeted at seniors. The cynical irony is that the misinformation targeting seniors is largely perpetuated by the same people who fought the establishment of Medicare and wanted to privatize Social Security. The truth is that H.R. 3962 will lower prescription drug costs for people in the doughnut hole; give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to negotiate lower drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries; and extend the solvency of the Medicare Trust fund by five years. Closing the doughnut hole is an especially critical issue for Hawaii, as we have the nation's largest percentage--36 percent compared with 26 percent--of Medicare beneficiaries who fall into this gap of prescription drug coverage. In its first year, H.R. 3962 will reduce the doughnut hole by $500 per beneficiary, provide a 50 percent discount on brand-name prescription drugs, and phase out the doughnut hole by 2019. It is remarkable that in just the past two days, over 300 groups representing Americans from all walks of life--doctors, farmers, seniors, consumers, cancer and diabetes patients--have rejected the unsustainable status quo and have endorsed H.R. 3962. In its endorsement of the bill, Consumers Union--publisher of the independent, non-partisan Consumer Reports--called the health care status quo a ``consumer crisis with its crippling costs, its unreliability, and lack of access,'' and strongly endorsed the House of Representatives health care bill because it will create ``a more secure, affordable health care system.'' Other groups endorsing the House bill include the: American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, AARP, AFL- CIO, AFSCME, Americans for Democratic Action, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Education Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and from my district, Lana`i Community Health Center. Now is the time to end insurance discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or gender. Now is the time to begin to close the Medicare doughnut hole for America's seniors. Now is the time to bring change to a broken system. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 3962. Aloha and mahalo.

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the Stupak Amendment, an amendment that is anti-choice and anti-women. Earlier this week, I spoke about the importance of health care reform to women. If there was ever a group that has a lot at stake in reform, it is women. Health insurance companies today essentially treat being a woman as a pre-existing condition and charge them more for it. H.R. 3962 will put an end to the unjustifiable insurance practices of gender-rating--treating pregnancy, domestic violence, and previous c- section as pre-existing conditions--and not covering comprehensive maternity care. The men of this country would rise up in protest if they faced this kind of disparate treatment based on conditions particular to their gender. The Stupak Amendment would effectively deny low-income women abortion coverage through insurance plans in the health insurance exchange. This is not only discriminatory but dangerous to women's health. Women without abortion coverage will be forced to postpone abortion care while attempting to raise the necessary funds--a delay that can exacerbate both the costs and the health risks of the procedure. As a woman, I find it frankly insulting that the amendment would make women purchase additional insurance coverage for a legal medical procedure. We aren't asking individuals to purchase additional coverage in case they get cancer or in case they get diabetes. We aren't flagging out any other legal medical procedures to be treated in this manner. Women do not plan to have unintended pregnancies or pregnancies with complications that create health risks. And yet unintended pregnancies and complications do arise. This amendment says it's okay to tell women, if you want to guard against these situations, go buy a rider. This is a deeply insulting attitude. An abortion rider policy also raises serious privacy concerns, as it fundamentally undermines the spirit of existing privacy law. The sponsors of the amendment have consistently failed to highlight that the bill already contains a compromise that stipulates that state laws regarding abortion procedures are not pre-empted. The bill already states that no federal funds--neither tax nor cost sharing tax credits--can be used to pay for abortion procedures. Before taking this vote, I urge my colleagues who support this amendment to think about the women in their lives, their mothers, sisters, daughters, granddaughters. Would they put the lives of these women at risk? Would they take away their fundamental rights of choice and freedom? Would they want to limit their access to any legal medical procedure? I ask these questions of my colleagues because in voting in support of the Stupak Amendment, they are answering yes to all these questions. I urge my colleagues to join me in voting ``no'' on the amendment.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker,I would like to recognize the late Anthony T. Kahoohanohano for his extraordinary heroism while serving during the Korean War. Private First Class Kahoohanohano's service was recently acknowledged with our Nation's highest award of merit, the Medal of Honor. I am grateful to my colleague Senator Akaka for inserting a provision in this year's defense authorization bill that awards the Medal of Honor to Mr. Kahoohanohano and to President Obama for signing the bill into law. Awarding the Medal of Honor to Anthony Kahoohanohano has long been overdue. A 19-year-old soldier from Wailuku on the island of Maui, Kahoohanohano bravely sacrificed his own life to protect fellow soldiers in the area of Chupa-ri, Korea on September 1, 1951. After ordering members of his machine-gun squad to take up more secure positions to provide cover as U.S. forces withdrew, Kahoohanohano bravely stayed behind to fight the enemy on his own, even fighting in hand-to-hand combat after he ran out of ammunition. He was killed in action, but his courageous actions inspired other American troops to launch a counterattack against the enemy. On behalf of Anthony Kahoohanohano's family and the State of Hawaii, and in honor of the service and sacrifice of our servicemembers and veterans, I thank my colleagues for supporting this measure.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, few Americans have more at risk or at stake in health care reform than women. Forty States allow private health insurance companies to gender rate their premiums. As a result, a 25- year-old woman may pay between 6 percent and 45 percent more than a 25- year-old man for the same coverage. Fifty-two percent of women reported postponing or foregoing medical care because of cost. Only 39 percent of men report having had those experiences. Nine States allow private plans to refuse coverage for domestic violence survivors. Eighty-eight percent of private insurance plans do not cover comprehensive maternity care. In many policies, a previous C-section and being pregnant are considered preexisting conditions. Less than half of all women in America have employer-sponsored insurance. This is partly due to the fact that more women tend to work for small businesses or have part-time jobs where health insurance is not offered. Women matter. Health care reform matters. I urge my colleagues' support to change this broken system.

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 842, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Reauthorization Act of 2009. This legislation is a companion to S. 76, which was introduced earlier this year by Senator Daniel K. Inouye. Native Hawaiians, like American Indians and Alaska Natives, are an indigenous, native people. The Native Hawaiian Health Care Act of 1988, 42 U.S.C. 11701 et seq., provided the authority for the establishment of a range of programs and services designed to improve the health care status of the native people of Hawaii. While Native Hawaiian health care programs have been continuously funded since 1988, they have not been reauthorized since 1992. The bill I introduce today will reauthorize the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act through 2014. Native Hawaiians have the highest cancer mortality rates in the State of Hawaii--216.8 out of every 100,000 male residents and 191.6 out of every 100,000 female residents. These cancer rates are 21 percent higher than for the total state male population--179.0 out of every 100,000 residents--and 64 percent higher than that for the total state female population--117.0 per 100,000. With respect to breast cancer, Native Hawaiians have the highest mortality rates in the State of Hawaii and nationally Native Hawaiians have the third highest mortality rates. The death rate from heart disease for Native Hawaiians is 68 percent higher than that for the entire population of the State of Hawaii. The death rate from hypertension is 84 percent higher and the death rate from stroke is 20 percent higher for Native Hawaiians than for the general population of the State of Hawaii. Congress has previously recognized the unique and historical relationship between the United States and the indigenous people of Hawaii. I urge my colleagues continued support for the health and well- being of Native Hawaiians. Mahalo (thank you).

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 824, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Ms. HIRONO

Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Speaker, one of the most notable improvements I've seen since the beginning of this administration is the importance the President has placed on education. I know I'm not alone in recognizing how President Obama and Education Secretary Duncan have changed the tone in the education community. Last Friday, David Brooks used his column in the New York Times to praise the President and the Secretary for their efforts in raising the bar on education reform. Partnering with Congress, they have set high standards and are providing $5 billion in competitive grants to those States that can best demonstrate their commitment to reform. As a result, there is real excitement among the States to put their best education reform foot forward as they gear up for the competition for these grants. At a time when the U.S. is falling behind other countries in educational attainment and at a time when State budgets are stretched thin, we need to focus more, not less, on strengthening education in our country to enable us to compete in the global economy.