Johnny Isakson

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, I wish today to honor in the Record of the Senate MAJ Shelia Flowers of the U.S. Army Reserve on the eve of her promotion to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Although Major Flowers was born and raised in North Carolina, her dedication to her country has ultimately lead her to call the State of Georgia her home as her parent command is the U.S. Army Reserve Command Headquarters in Ft. McPherson, GA. Major Flowers was mobilized in support of Operation Noble Eagle in 2003 and has spent the last 6 years on Active Duty. In addition to her other tours, Major Flowers deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006. Throughout her Active Duty period, she has served in the G-1 Directorate in support of Operation Noble Eagle. Additionally, Major Flowers was assigned to directly support Operation Enduring Freedom in November 2007. In keeping with one of the tenets that sustains the Reserve Component, Major Flowers is dedicated to improving her community and the primary means through which she achieves this goal is by her membership in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, an organization that recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of its establishment. In addition to her service to her country and community, Major Flowers is dedicated to her family. Her husband, LTC Eric Flowers, shares his wife's sense of duty and is currently deployed to the Horn of Africa. Their daughter, Cheyenne, currently resides in Atlanta. I congratulate MAJ Shelia Flowers for her hard work and much-deserved promotion to lieutenant colonel, and I extend to her my sincere gratitude for her dedication to the defense of our Nation.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, the amendment is merely a technical amendment on dates and no other substantial change. It is rare that we have a roadmap to success in times of difficulty, but this country has once before realized a housing crisis every bit as bad as the one we have today and economic troubles and unemployment every bit as dangerous, and that was in 1974. In 1975, the Democratic Congress and a Republican President, Gerald Ford, came together for the American people and passed a $2,000 tax credit for the purchase of any standing, vacant, new house and in one year's time a 3-year inventory had been dissipated to 10 months, housing was restored, values returned, and the economy again began to prosper. Thirteen months ago, in January of last year, I introduced this same amendment. It was scored at that time by Joint Tax at a cost of $11.4 billion. The Finance Committee in its wisdom elected not to include this in the proposal because they said it was too expensive. Since they said that was too expensive, we have spent $4 trillion between the Federal Reserve and the Congress and the U.S. Treasury, and the problem is worse. So I would submit this is a very small price to pay for a solution that at least we have an historical precedent that it works. The score on this legislation is $18.9 billion. The legislation provides a $15,000 tax credit, or 10 percent of the purchase price, against either 2008 income where one can monetize it at the closing date this year, or half in 2009 and half in 2010, for anyone who buys as their principal residence any single-family dwelling or single- family condominium or attached townhouse available in the United States of America. We have a pervasive housing problem, and the worst hurt right now are the people who are paying their mortgages, the people who are in decent shape, the people who are having to sell because of a transfer; they have no market and they don't because everybody is going for short sales or they are going for foreclosures or they are going bottom fishing. They are bottom fishing with your equity and mine. They are bottom fishing to find the best deal they can get at the bottom of the trough. It is going to keep spiraling down until this Congress and this country address the root of the problem which is the death of the housing market, puts a floor under it, stabilizes it, and gives it a motivation to improve. Senator Lieberman's quote is absolutely correct. Right now, we are at a housing sale rate of a half a million houses a year. This country averaged 1.2 million in the last 10 years. This bill will take us back to 1.2 million, as his statistics prove. We have tremendous unemployment. This legislation will bring about estimates of 500,000 to 600,000 jobs back to America, not in 2 years, not in 10 years, but now. So I respectfully submit we have a chance to join together, learn from history, repeat history that worked, and adopt this amendment. I thank Senator Lieberman for his support. I thank Senator Chambliss for coming on as a cosponsor and Senator Corker and, as I understand from the calls I have had in the last day, many more from both sides of the aisle. It is time to fix America's problem, not throw money at the symptoms. It is time to fix housing first in the United States of America. I yield the floor.

Mr. ISAKSON. I would never cross the Senator from Iowa.

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, first, I want to thank Senator Lieberman for his very responsive remarks and for his cosponsorship for this legislation that creates a floor for housing once again and for us to end what has become a terrible economic crisis. Amendment No. 106, As Modified I called this amendment up last night and now I wish to ask unanimous consent to send a modification of the amendment to the desk for replacement of the existing amendment.

Mr. ISAKSON. I will.

Mr. ISAKSON. I will read the headlines: ``New Housing Tax Credit Prompts Rise in Buying; Consumers Respond to Federal Law by Closing Deals on Condominiums and Homes Here, Builders Say,'' and ``Home Buyers Get a New Enticement.'' In 1975, when the average price of a house was $35,000, the United States was in worse shape than we are in today. We are fast approaching it, but we were worse. There was a 3-year supply of unsold houses on the market, and there were no buyers. Congress, the Democratic Congress, and Gerald Ford, a Republican President, passed a housing tax credit of $2,000 for a family who bought and occupied as their home a standing vacant house in inventory at the time, which is because all the inventory was new homes. That $2,000 tax credit spurred people to go to the marketplace, spurred them to buy those houses, and in 1 year's time we went from a 3-year supply of housing to a 10-month supply of housing. We solved 70 percent of the problem with a tax credit. What we are talking about in our legislation is a bill I introduced in January of last year. Everybody said it cost too much. Then, it cost $11.4 billion. We have now spent $3 or $4 trillion, and we have not solved the problem yet. I suggest it is time we looked at an economical solution. What we have offered is a $15,000 or 10 percent of the purchase price of the house, whichever is less, tax credit which could be claimed against the 2008 tax return that will be filed in April or can be taken 50 percent in 2009, 50 percent in 2010. What the family gets is a $15,000 tax credit or, as I said, 10 percent of the purchase price, whichever is less. This is going to benefit mainstream America. When they receive it, they have to live in the house for 3 years as their home. If for some reason they move out during that time, it is prorated. But what will happen in America now is what happened in 1975 when these articles in the Times reported: Sales will come back, the floor will be put under the housing market, values will stabilize, and they will begin to appreciate. And, as they do, equity will return to America's families; stability will return to the basic biggest asset our families have, their home; and we will begin to work our way out of this deep downward spiral we are currently in. As has been said, it is not a catch phrase and it is not a slogan. If we do not fix housing first, it does not matter what else we fix because throwing money at the symptoms, as Jon Kyl said, will not work. If you are a doctor and you are trying to cure a patient, you go to the root of the infection or the root of the problem, and you cut it out or you deal with it. This proposal, providing good, efficient, effective mortgage money for refinance for Americans with good credit or those with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae loans, this will bring borrowers who are in the market back to the market and will solve the problem. My last comment to the Senator from Tennessee--I call people who used to work for me all the time to see how it is going. I call them in various States, including the State of Tennessee. In Atlanta, GA, a couple of weeks ago, I talked to Glennis Beacham, who is very successful. I said: Glennis, have you got a lot of buyers? She said: I have a lot of buyers, Johnnie. They have money. They want one of two things: They want a foreclosure or a short sale. Right now you have a bottom-fishing market. You do not have people who see any opportunity, and the buyers who are in are exploiting; they are not investing. It is time we incentivize all American families with their own money because it is their tax money against which the credit will be taken to go out and buy a house. When we do, we will begin to fix housing first, and we will begin to stabilize a very teetering economy. I commend the Senator from Tennessee.

Mr. ISAKSON. That is right, and I am delighted the Senator from Tennessee called this colloquy today so we could talk for a few minutes about what Jon Kyl and John Ensign said is the heart of the problem, and that is the U.S. housing market. Our houses are down 25 percent in the last 18 months. Equity lines of credit are dissolved because houses are underwater. One in five houses in the United States is worth less than what is owed on it. It is rare when you come to the Senate at a time of crisis that you have a roadmap to success. Most of the time, we are trying to feel our way through to find out what to do that is right. We have a roadmap to success. I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record two articles from the New York Times, one from April of 1975 and one from July of 1975.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I thank the chairman of the Banking Committee and other Members on both sides of the aisle who worked on this amendment. I am happy to accept his support.

Mr. ISAKSON. Reserving the right to object, would it be good to lock in the speakers who are here at the same time?

Mr. ISAKSON. You can invest it in your house.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Reserving the right to object, and I will not, can we establish an order of recognition? I have been on the Senate floor. Senator McCain has joined us. Senator Mikulski has been here for a while. Can Senator Mikulski give us an order of presentation?

Mr. ISAKSON. I ask unanimous consent that reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. ISAKSON. I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment for the purposes of calling up amendment No. 106.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I ask to be recognized for up to 2 minutes of the Republican time.

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I will vote today for Eric Holder. I want to tell this body why. When he was first nominated, I had concerns--second amendment concerns and Guantanamo interrogation concerns, and about some of the releases that had taken place while he was a deputy U.S. attorney. There are three main reasons I am going to support this nomination. One, when I called him, he was the most forthright, most candid of all the people who have been appointed by the President, and I appreciate very much the time he took. On the second amendment, he may have had interpretations more strict than mine, but he interpreted the Supreme Court to be the law of the land, and he would enforce the Supreme Court, which has clearly determined that the second amendment is an individual right. Secondly, on Guantanamo, he acknowledged that those who had done interrogations had done so under the authority of the Department of Justice, and the Department of Justice could not undo what it had done. I respected that. Third, a great U.S. attorney general from Georgia by the name of Griffin Bell, who died 2 weeks ago, under Jimmy Carter, sang Eric Holder's praises. Also, Larry Thompson of Georgia, deputy U.S. attorney under John Ashcroft--when I called him to ask about Holder, he said he was as good a lawyer and as fine and forthright a man as he knew. With those endorsements and his candid answers to my questions, I will vote for his confirmation in the Senate. I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor in the Record of the Senate SSG Gary Lemonds, a lifelong citizen of Walton County, real estate broker, and decorated Vietnam veteran who passed away on January 8, 2009. Gary Lemonds served with Company F, 75th Ranger Regiment in Cu Chi, Vietnam, and was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame on August 25, 1994, at a ceremony in Fort Benning, GA. His induction was based on his involvement in a conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam. Staff Sergeant Lemonds served as a team leader during an ambush patrol maneuver on April 9 and April 10, 1969. When an enemy force launched a massive attack, Sergeant Lemonds led his men in an assault on the enemy emplacements. He single-handedly charged a bunker and destroyed it with grenades, then, sighting another fortification, he crawled through fierce enemy fire and silenced it with his rifle. After eliminating the hostile entrenchment system, he continued his patrol mission. On April 10, 1969, his patrol was attacked a second time. From his patrol position in a bomb crater, he called in artillery and air support on the large enemy element. When withdrawing his troops to a nearby landing zone for evacuation, he came under sniper fire from two North Vietnamese soldiers, whom he quickly eliminated with a grenade. Intense enemy fire thwarted the extraction aircraft's first landing attempt, so he directed a gun ship on the enemy location and effected a successful extraction. His extraordinary heroism earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, a Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts as well as numerous other awards and medals. He also continued to honor other service men and women well after his tour in Vietnam through his involvement with the Patriot Guard Riders. Gary is survived by two daughters and a son-in-law, Kimberly Lemonds and Jennifer and Jason Needham; his mother Dorothy Lemonds; sister and brother-in-law Glenda and Tom Lewis; grandchildren Jessica Lemonds, John Cwiek, and Pressley Needham, and a niece and nephew. Along with Gary, I would like to recognize his family today and thank them for sharing their beloved family member with our proud Nation.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor in the Record of the Senate Jerry L. Lancaster, who served as the sheriff of Pulaski County, GA, for 28 years and retired on December 31, 2008. Jerry was born and raised in Hawkinsville, GA, which is located in Pulaski County. He remained there in order to serve his community proudly for many years. Jerry worked with the Georgia State Patrol for nearly 10 years before being elected sheriff in 1980. As sheriff, he strived to live out the values he was taught as a child--hard work, fairness, honesty, respect, and discipline. His gifts to the community have been immeasurable. The level of respect the community has for him is evidenced in the fact that he is the longest serving sheriff in the history of the county and was never defeated in an election. Jerry not only worked tirelessly for Pulaski County as sheriff, but he also gave of his time through his service on the Board of the Georgia Sheriff's Boys' Ranch. He gives credit to his wife Nell Goss Lancaster for her unfailing support, and I honor and thank her, their two children and three grandchildren for making Jerry's job easier and sharing him with the community. I hope you all find joy in the coming years together during Jerry's retirement.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor in the Record of the Senate Jamil Saba, who served as the sheriff of Dougherty County, GA, for more than two decades until he retired in December 2008. Sheriff Saba was born and raised in Albany, GA, which is located in Dougherty County. He remained there, serving his community proudly. Jamil served his country in the U.S. Army from 1960 through 1962 and began his career in law enforcement in April of 1970 as a deputy Sheriff with the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office. He was later promoted to chief investigator in 1972, the job he held for more than a decade until he won election and became sheriff in 1985. As a true leader, Sheriff Saba has served as president of the Georgia Sheriff's Association and president of the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes, as well as on the Georgia Sheriffs' Retirement Board of Directors. He was a board member of the Georgia Public Safety Committee, the Dougherty County Child Abuse Protocol Committee, the Child Death Investigations Protocol Committee, Sexual Assault Protocol Committee, and many others. His service efforts and accomplishments at the local level are plentiful as well. Jamil was the chairman of the advisory board for the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit and is a charter member of the Albany Sports Hall of Fame. Jamil worked tirelessly for Daugherty County as sheriff and plans to continue serving a cause that touched him the most deeply, the Georgia Sheriffs' Youth Homes Foundation Board. I want to recognize and thank his wife Donna Jaye Adams and their son, Jim, and daughter, Lauren, for making the sheriff's job easier and sharing him with the community. I hope you all find joy in the coming years together during Jamil's retirement.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I wish today to honor in the Record of the Senate an organization that is doing phenomenal work on behalf of military families across Georgia. Operation Homefront Georgia is located in Marietta, GA, and is a charter member of the Operation Homefront national organization that was founded after the horrific attacks on 9/11. The organization provides emergency assistance and morale to our troops, to the families they leave behind and to wounded warriors when they return home. For example, if a military veteran is unable to pay his or her mortgage due to injury or stress from war, Operation Homefront Georgia finds the money needed for the mortgage. If a soldier needs a wheelchair lift in his or her home, Operation Homefront Georgia finds a company that will install it for free. The individuals who are a part of this organization are truly miracle workers. Operation Homefront Georgia is made up mostly of women, some men, but mostly ladies that leave work every day knowing that they made a difference in somebody's life. My office knows that when Operation Homefront Georgia calls, there is a dire situation on the line and we do all we can to help. They don't take no for an answer, and their insistence pays off. Our men and women who are going off to fight should be able to know their loved ones at home are safe and sound. With Operation Homefront Georgia, they don't have to worry. This fine organization makes sure our soldiers return with dignity to a well taken care of family. On behalf of a grateful Nation, I thank them for all they do.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I wish to join with my colleague Senator Chambliss to honor in the Record of the Senate Dr. Phillip Lee Roberts, oncologist and medical director of the Phoebe Cancer Center at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, GA. For decades, Dr. Roberts has diagnosed and treated patients in southwest Georgia with a record of care and devotion that is above and beyond the call of duty in his profession. In recognition of his remarkable work in the field of cancer treatment, Phoebe Putney Health System is dedicating its new cancer pavilion as the Phillip L. Roberts, M.D. Cancer Pavilion. When Dr. Roberts began his practice in Albany in 1980, there were few oncologists south of Macon, GA. At that time, a diagnosis of cancer was often a death sentence. Dr. Roberts has seen the progression of cancer treatment from the earliest drugs and radiation treatment to the modern methods now used to fight the disease. Today, the progression of medicine and technology allows this remarkable doctor to deliver a message of hope rather than despair to his patients. Through the years, as technology and cancer treatments have advanced, his steadfast dedication to his patients and his profession has remained strong. Well into his golden years, Dr. Roberts is still at the helm of one of the busiest cancer centers in the southeastern United States. He has yet to slow his pace or his professional battle against the disease he fights daily on behalf of his patients. Not only does he continue a full schedule with patients at Phoebe, he travels weekly to treat patients at clinics in outlying rural areas, where access to health care is still limited and unattainable for many due to economic and social roadblocks. I am pleased to join Senator Chambliss in acknowledging the great work that is done each day at the Phoebe Cancer Center and the efforts of Dr. Roberts over the past 36 years to provide high quality cancer care. Dr. Roberts certainly deserves this recognition, and we offer our sincerest congratulations on the dedication of the Phillip L. Roberts, M.D. Cancer Pavilion.

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, the bill as it is written applies to any claim back to May 28. But the way it is worded, it appears to me it is a claim filed and leaves it open for any past claim to be brought up that wasn't previously filed. The amendment simply ensures that the act couldn't be used for new claims to be filed retroactively all the way back to the passage of title VII of the Civil Rights Act. It is a mere matter of being clear that it doesn't retroactively open the opportunity to file new cases all the way back to the inception of the act.

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, with deference and respect for the chairman, this amendment would do nothing to a pending case. This amendment will only apply to a case that has not been filed and could have reached back all the way to the civil rights era of the 1960s. Please be aware it would not in any way obliterate anybody's rights on any pending case that has been filed since May of 2007. It would only affect those cases that haven't been filed all the way back to the Civil Rights Act. So, again, I think it is a matter of fairness and equity. I appreciate the time that has been allotted. At the appropriate time I will ask my colleagues to vote against tabling if that is the motion. I yield the floor.

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, how much time do I have remaining?

Mr. ISAKSON. Madam President, is the distinguished chairman prepared to move forward?

Mr. ISAKSON

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, would it be appropriate now for me to give that one-line explanation or wait until the manager of the bill is back? Shall I go ahead now? Mr. President, amendment No. 37 is very simple. It says the provisions of this legislation take effect on the day the legislation becomes law and is not retroactive, which is obviously the intent of everything we do. So any incident that occurred in the past could not be reopened for litigation, but any case after the day of enactment would be governed by the provisions of the law as they are in the new legislation. I think it is a simple, straightforward amendment, and I urge its adoption at the appropriate time.